Chapter Text
Screaming.
Everywhere around her, all Aile could hear was screaming. People were running, desperately terrified of the people chasing them. Strangers wearing purple armor, their face replaced with a blank black visage. She only caught glances of what was happening around her, a man struggling to escape the grip of his attacker, a woman keeling over from a wound in her torso.
It was all too much, where was Vent? Where was Mama? They'd come and find her... and she'd be ok... right? A desperate hope, immediately dashed as more faceless figures appeared from the direction they were running toward, and began firing.
More screaming. The crowd scrambled to change directions, trying to run anywhere they could from the attackers coming from both sides. People were stumbling over each other, some fell to the wave of fire, others ducked for cover, few of them even took notice of Aile in their panic. In the chaos, Aile was pushed out of the crowd, barely avoiding getting trampled. She frantically looked around for somewhere to hide, before shooting behind a counter for one of the park's rest areas, the drinks they would serve to visitors strewn across the ground and counter as the machines lay broken.
Aile collapsed behind the counter, exhausted and terrified, her breaths light with fear as she felt the terror around her. Though it was all out of sight, she could hear all of it. People getting gunned down, some escaping only to be pursued as the faceless marauders split off. At this point, hiding here seemed like the safest option, the only option really. It was just like a game of hide and seek. Just like her and Vent would play with Mama, only, if she was found...
Even if she wanted to run, the very thought of being found, kept Aile sat right where she was, paralysed with fright. She tried to take a moment to breathe, deep breaths, just like mama taught her. All that did was make her more aware of everything around her. The screaming near her, had died down. Replaced with smell of burning as the figures tore their way through the park and the sporadic sound of someone crying out, before the sound of a blaster shot silenced them, with the sound of heavy metallic footsteps taking their place.
"No, wait please!"
Aile could hear a voice not far from her. An older man's voice, scared and terrified like everyone else, but this one was so close, she couldn't help but slowly look around the corner of the counter. Two purple figures stood over a man, one holding him down, the other walking closer.
"Please! I DON'T WAN- AGH-"
A single blaster shot cut off what the man attempted to blurt out as the two purple figures coldly stood over his corpse. Only for both figures to, almost instantaneously, turn their heads towards Aile's direction.
As fast as her heart beat, Aile darted back to her initial position, holding her hand over her mouth to keep in the scream of terror she so desperately wanted to let out. A single thought intruded into her mind. That she was about to meet the same gruesome fate as the man behind her. She knew it was coming, there was no way they didn't see her.
The metallic footsteps of the marauding figures began to sound, moving away from their previous mark, Aile’s whole body tensing in anticipation of her demise. A voice inside her desperately screamed for her to just get up and run for it, but still exhausted and frozen in fear, all she could do was brace for what was about to come.
But, nothing came.
Aile heard their footsteps. Though she didn’t dare look back again, she could tell they were moving away, seemingly ignoring her presence, if they even registered it at all. It did little to ease Aile's conscience however. She could still hear the cries of people dying in the distance, knowing the figures in the purple armor could circle back around for her at any minute, yet she was too terrified from her encounter to even consider running. The smell of fire and death permeated the air as Aile finally realised just how alone she was.
"V- Vent... Mama... anyone... help me... please..."
A silent plea, barely louder than a whisper was all she could muster, as she retreated into a fetal position, holding back her tears as best as a four year old could, for fear of being caught again.
Unbeknownst to Aile however, just out of sight, on top of the park's castle attraction, stood two figures, silently observing her amongst the chaos. Their crimson eyes, illuminated in the darkness they hid within. Detached from the chaos surrounding them, both knowingly watched her hiding just out of view.
What they just saw, they knew well what it meant, what it signified Aile was. In a way, they could sense it in the very core of their being, the destiny fate had decided for her in that moment. The same fate that binded both others like her and even her observers, into their cruel destiny.
For a moment, Prometheus hesitated as he moved to his commlink, a hesitance clearly noticed by his sister Pandora, not that she had anything to say on it, she rarely did. Both of them knew their orders, neither much cared for them. Like usual really, but also like usual, they had little choice in the matter. This child would be discovered regardless, and they were at least morbidly curious how their partner's idea would play out in the long run. A curiosity that became a passing thought, as Prometheus made contact.
"Hey Boss, we found one here. You'll probably wanna get a move on."
As Aile sat scared in her hiding place, the passage of time became unclear, every minute felt like an eternity, yet it all seemed to blend together in the distant cacophany of death. How long had she been there? 2 minutes? 2 hours? Longer? Where were Vent and Mama? Would they ever find her?
Was she going to die here?
Aile's spiraling thoughts were interrupted when she heard something close by. A voice?
"Split off and secure this area, check for any survivors!"
Aile couldn't see what was happening, still not daring to look out and see, not after almost getting caught the first time. And yet she could hear them getting closer. Not the heavy footsteps of the faceless people, but the sound of people going around checking the area. Not knowing what they really were, Aile instinctively shuffled further into her hiding place, only for her heart to skip a beat as her shuffling caused a bottle to roll off the counter, hitting the ground with a slight but noticeable disturbance.
"You hear that?"
The figures turned their attention to the sound of movement, unsure of what it was. Not a galleon that's for sure, it's not like them to be stealthy. More likely a small maverick like mettaur perhaps. Wouldn’t be much surprise, the park was full of them.
"Cover me, I'll go check"
This was it, whoever was behind Aile was approaching quickly. Her stomach turned in knots, her small body trembling in anticipation, as she faintly looked up to see the face of what she expected to be her end. What she saw was not a faceless marauder clad in purple armor, but a regular person wearing a teal uniform, a prominent logo in the image of an "S" emblazoned on their shoulders.
"Survivor! We got a survivor here! " The man yelled out to his unseen compatriots, followed by the sound of more people approaching quickly.
As the officer knelt down, the horror struck child, flinched as he came closer. She was terrified, who could blame her? Trying to ease her fears he removed his goggles and helmet, revealing his face. Fair skinned with light hair, accompanied by red triangle imprinted on his forehead. A stranger sure, but the sight of an actual person eased Aile's mind ever so slightly.
"You're gonna be okay, we're gonna take you somewhere safe alright?". The uniformed man spoke softly trying to reassure the child, hoping none of the people strewn across the ground were her immediate family. Aile only gave a half understanding nod before being picked up and carried away by the people in uniform. She clung tightly to her rescuer, before the exhaustion finally caught up to her, passing out in the process, with her not knowing what had become of her missing family.
Hours passed. The amusement park was all but deserted, of anyone still breathing at least. The Mavericks had been repelled and Slither Inc.'s security patrolled the area surrounding their safe zone. Three landed airships, each one housing teams tasked with tending to survivors in their care, and identifying those who were... less fortunate.
Aile sat alone, tossing and turning in her sleep, nightmares running through her mind. The faceless machines, chasing her down, fire all around her, ending abruptly at the sight of her mother and Vent, sitting together, across from her hiding place, at the end of the purple marauder’s gun barrels, with Aile immediately shooting awake, the sound of their blasters echoing through her mind.
She hyperventilated for a moment, panicking in confusion of where she was, before being met by a medic to her right. She was alarmed for a moment, before seeing the logo on the stranger's coat. The same "S" logo worn by her rescuers.
The medic looked down at her patient, examining her condition while trying to dispel her fears. "Hey, hey, it's okay, you're safe here." she said softly while holding Aile's hand. Her breathing slowed as she recognised she wasn’t in immediate danger at least. She began to tak notice of where she was, a bed in clean, seemingly sterile room. The lady at her side, writing notes of her on a datapad in her other hand. She looked towards Aile with a kind expression, speaking softly, clearly trying to calm her down. "My name is Doctor Rae, what's yours?" Aile looked up at the woman for a moment. Like her rescuer, she too had a red triangle placed on her forehead, with dark brown skin and eyes to match, though her hair was obscured by a similar helmet to that worn by the guards. "...Aile... Lu... Lumiere" she answered meekly.
Doctor Rae jotted something down on her datapad. Innocently, Aile looked up to her examiner, taking a moment before her words faintly came out. "...Um, Miss Rae...?", her words coming out to little more than a whisper. "Do you know... where my mama is?". The medic stood for a moment, a lump in her throat forming, as she tried to find the best words to say to her frightened patient.
"I... don't. Buuut, I'm sure we can find her. I have to make a list of everyone we have here. Once that's done, I'll put out some calls and we'll see then" It was optimistic, casualties were typically high in these incidents, many would typically die or, perhaps worse, seemingly disappear without a trace. Of course, it would be better to keep this fact from the child before her, at least for now. As Aile thought over everything she had been told, she could only look downward with a blank expression. At her age, of course it was difficult to truly process everything.
As she finished jotting down notes, Rae got up from her position. "I have some other things I need to look at. You just wait there for now, okay?"
"...Okay..." Aile whispered faintly as Rae left the infirmary. Luckily for her, Aile was among the last of the individuals currently in their care who needed identifying, vital information, intended to help to get a comprehensive view of casualties. As she moved between rooms, a large silhouette in the hallway caught her eye, immediately recognisable to anyone paying attention to the company she had found herself employed in.
"Doctor."
The deep and commanding voice of Slither's president was not just unmistakable, but a surprise to all of the team present. "Oh! Sir I- what are you doing here?" Rae sputtered in a mild amount of confusion. Serpent was not just the company's head, he was it's definitive public face. Saying his reputation preceded him was a royal understatement. Why someone of his status in the company would choose to involve himself in this operation specifically was a mystery to everyone.
Serpent towered over the medic, her surprise at his presence was clear as day. He of course had his reasons for being there, but the brave employees of Slither's recently established defence forces didn't need to concern themselves with such matters. "I wanted to assess the situation personally. I believe you have some information for me?" He stated plainly.
Rae "Ah- Yes of course sir." Quickly bringing up the information they had gathered on her datapad's holo display, as she passed it over to her superior.
"Unfortunately despite our efforts, it seems we have only managed to find a small handful of survivors." The holo display shifted to show the details of each survivor's entry as Rae gave her summary of each, with Serpent observing intently. "A young reploid mother of about 27 years, an older human gentleman, of approximately 40 years, a reploid teenage girl, about 19 or so. Then... a little human girl... only about 4 years of age."
It was clear this particular entry stuck out to the Magenta haired president, his expression shifting at the mention of her. "...4 years old?" He claimed, with a level of what seemed to be disbelief in his voice.
"That's right sir." Rae shifted the holo display to show the full details Aile's entry "She's been identified as Aile Lumiere, a young girl who, according to Legion's public registry, only recently got her first round of cybernetics. Her injuries are minor, nothing but a few scrapes and bruises, but her family, a mother and a twin brother, are currently unaccounted for among the... bodies, in our care." her voice trailed off at that last expression, showing a slight hesitance when trying to describe the deceased they had currently located and identified.
Serpent pondered this entry as he read through the information they had on her. It was an undeniable tragedy, a young girl, fresh from receiving her first mechanical parts, coming to an amusement park likely to celebrate this very occasion alongside her family. Most anyone could feel a degree of sympathy for such a case. Serpent outwardly showed very little, keeping on the topic of the survivors in their care, he asked plainly,"Have you coordinated with first responders?"
"I had just finished compiling this record of everyone we've ID'd so far, I intended to send what we had to the paramedics and Guardians currently managing their own operations on the other end of the park. Once we do that we can begin assembling a full list of casualties."
Giving only a passing acknowledgement to this intention, Serpent continued examining Aile's entry, deep in thought as he placed a hand over his chin "...It is... most regrettable. For someone so young to suffer a tragedy like this... Doctor. I would like to speak with this child, as well as the other survivors."
"Oh, well of course, but why the particular interest ?"
His focus shifted squarely toward his subordinate, his voice shifting to a more clearly assertive tone, as if he was giving one of his speeches to the public. "I would like to hear their perspective, put their minds at ease. Slither Inc cannot truly serve the people if we do not connect with them. We must reassure them, however we can, so they can recover from what has occurred tonight. Additionally..." He paused for a moment, as if contemplating his next words. "I find myself, sympathetic to their plight. That's all." His voice lowering ever so slightly at the end, just subtly enough for neither his listener nor even himself to really notice.
"Fair enough, most of them are in the infirmaries." Rae stated, gesturing towards the doors down the hall, to which Serpent immediately began walking towards.
"Thank you. Oh, and Doctor?" Stopping in place for a moment as Rae turned back to look towards the company president, curious as to what else he had to say. "Do not worry about corresponding with the emergency services, I will send the list and information we currently have to them myself. I'm sure you have more crucial duties to attend to. Many of our officers are wounded and need tending to after all." He said plainly, holding up the datapad she previously handed him. Rae gave him a nod to acknowledge this, no reason to doubt that his stated intentions were false.
Serpent entered the med bay, his focus immediately fixated on a young survivor, sitting on the side of her bed, Confused and scared after everything that happened. As the door of her room opened, distracting her from her thoughts, she looked up to see a giant walking towards her. His huge frame casting a shadow over the young girl, as he looked down towards her.
"Is your name Aile?" He knowingly asked, recognising her immediately from the initial description he was given.
"Yes..." She answered quietly. She wasn't sure what this man with pink hair wanted from her, but he looked important. Maybe he had the answers she wanted. "...Where's my mama mister? ...Did the faceless people get her?" Her voice wavering as she asked her question with Serpent taking a moment to understand her innocent description of the raiding mavericks.
Serpent knew he should choose his words carefully. Many knew him to have a silver tongue of sorts, he knew how to lead conversations and convince others of what he needed them to believe, but unlike the guards and medics around him, he felt no need to mince words or hide the truth. Likely false hope for Aile was of no use to him after all. "I do not know at this time, but... it is very likely she did not escape." He stated clinically, he had seen this play out many times. Survivors were often few in number in these incidents, young children getting separated from or losing their family, was a common sight.
But Aile was young, death, especially on this scale, was something she had little concept of. Yet Serpent's words cut into her, part of her at least understood the implication, as if a tiny voice in her head was shouting the truth at her, the truth she was desperate to deny, however likely it was. "I want my mama. I want my brother!" And the tears started flowing, the likely reality setting in. So much began to run through her head. Why? Why did this happen to her? Through the tears, she sniffled "Was... Was I a bad girl...? Did they take mama and Vent cause I was bad?" Clearly trying to rationalise the situation in the only way her young mind could.
The reaction wasn't unexpected to Serpent, most would feel awash with grieve in this situation. He knelt down in front of her, his face still just above her eye level, placing a gentle hand on her head softening his voice to something more outwardly compassionate as he spoke to her .
"No... this isn't your fault Aile. These... Mavericks, they attack people at random, without reason or remorse. For what, I cannot say, but... I know how it hurts when they decide your turn has come"
Aile looked up at the man tears still dripping from her eyes as her nose began to run, as she shakily spoke up "...Y-y-y-you do...?" Sniffling a bit through her wavering voice.
"Yes, I do, I wasn't much older than you, when I went through what you did tonight. When the mavericks swarmed and took my own family from me."
Serpent paused for a moment as his face contorted slightly. Though he had intended to use his own experience from long ago to level with Aile, it had been a long time since he had truly paid much thought it. Yet now, the mere mention of that day caused the events of that incident to flash through his mind. The mavericks mowing down people around him, the smell of death and burning everywhere he looked and the blonde stranger in a pink coat, standing before him.
To Serpent, it was not unlike how he stood before Aile now. Looking toward his fellow survivor, he tried to shift his thoughts back to the present, his voice hesitating a moment before returning to his more assertive speech tone. "It... hurts. It does. But that pain made me stronger. It's the reason why I do what I do, why I founded Slither, to protect people from those rogue machines that threaten us all." Serpent gently moved his hand down to Aile's cheek, wiping away her tears. "It's also why people like us, must stick together. We will do all we can to find your family, but if we cannot... then Slither Inc. will take care of you as best we can."
Aile thought for a moment, even through her tears, the giant man's words felt like a breath of air in a raging sea, making her feel like, even in her sorrow, even though it seemed like her entire world had crumbled, just for a moment, everything might be ok. She stepped down from her bed, standing in front of the magenta haired man, only for her to step forward and hug him, or at least attempt to.
Serpent was initially taken aback by it. For a brief moment he wanted to push her away, but he refrained. It would help her vent her emotions, even just a little. Clinging to the man's long coat, Aile let out her feelings, her tears seeping into the cloth. Whether it was his words or frame, his presence gave Aile a sense of comfort she desperately needed in that moment.
If she only knew.
After a few minutes, Serpent gently broke off the hug to stand up. He had accomplished his goal, now he had to oversee clean up, and allow things to play out from there. "Right then, I must be going, I suggest you get your rest, you've had a long day." As he attempted to walk though, he felt a tug on his leg. "Please don't go..." Aile whimpered, clearly uncomfortable with being left alone again. Serpent looked back, not anticipating attachment like this, he looked down toward Aile, delicately holding her outreached hand, tiny in comparison to his own. "I know it's difficult, but I have work to attend to. There are other people out there who need my help. I'll see you again soon, I promise."
"...Promise?"
"Yes, of course" he softly stated before walking away. "Um, Mister?" Serpent paused for another moment, looking back to the young survivor, waiting a second before she spoke up. "...What's your name?"she asked in a tone of innocent curiosity.
A slight smile stretched across his face. "My name is Serpent." He announced, before leaving the room, the door closing downward behind him, his fellow survivor, calmed for the time being. As Serpent stepped out of the room, he reached to the biometal fragment in his coat pocket, its pulsing reaction, validating Prometheus' assessment as completely accurate. Serpent knew for certain now. Fate had chosen this child, this scared lost girl, to become a biomatch, to inherit the power of Model W.
He knew he would need to play his cards right of course, but he had Aile's trust. In time, she would fulfill her role, a soon to be useful asset for Project Haven no doubt. As he stepped away, he looked down to the datapad with the list of people identified by Slither's team, picking out Aile's entry, before swiftly deleting it, and walking away satisfied. The people need only believe that she simply went missing in the chaos of the raid, her remains never found.
To the rest of the world, she would be just another casualty.