'I can't tell Emi.' Nana thought to herself.
No way. If Emi found out the truth…she'd hate herself for the rest of her life. She'd blame herself for Lei's current suffering. She'd kill Lei to save her senpai, then kill herself. She'd break down. Lei was everything to Emi.
Emi didn't actually want revenge for Sensei's death. No. She wanted revenge for being abandoned. Abandoned by her senpai. That was where her rage came from.
'Don't worry. Today won't be the day Loralei leaves us.' Johnny finally said.
'And what makes you so damn sure?'
'The time I've spent with her…I've seen her lament. I've seen her pain. Her frustrations. Her motivations. Her pride. Her skill. Her drive. She won't let herself become a robozombie. She'll fight. Even if she's tired.'
'That's quite optimistic.' Nana said. Johnny turned to her with a smirk.
'I believe. Do you?'
'...I don't know.' She put her head in her hands.
It wasn't that Nana had no hope. More like she'd seen how the years had affected Lei. The white haired twin couldn't remember the last time Lei didn't have bags under her eyes. A human body can only deal with that type of stress for so long.
'Believe in her. She's invincible.' Johnny commented.
'I want to.'
…
…
…
Lei found herself sitting in a field of white flowers. Wearing only a white floral dress, she gazed at the sun. She didn't know where she was…but it was nice here. There was no pain here. It was warm.
The flowers went on forever. As far as the horizon. How beautiful…she'd never seen something like it. Too beautiful…It was unfortunate that something had to disturb this peace.
"So the reaper has come. Can't I enjoy the sunlight a bit longer?" She complained.
"The reaper…how amusing. I can be so if that's what you want." A voice that sounded both male and female answered. Two voices at once.
A tall black shadow stood behind her. It was a mechanical being, its form not truly fleshed out. Constantly shifting. Constantly glitching. The only thing that was visible were two red glowing eyes and razor sharp teeth.
Lei turned her gaze upward. The dark entity was towering over her frame, staring down at her like a delicious piece of meat. They stared at each other silently.
"Sit down with me." She patted the grass beside her.
".........." The entity moved closer and stared at her, oil oozing from its mouth like drool. It didn't sit.
"Rude." She mocked in a playful tone.
"..........."
There was a long moment of silence. It seemed to stretch on for hours, as the dying girl gazed at the horizon. Her eyebrows soon scrunched up.
"...Must the end be so painful?" Lei asked.
"There is no longer any pain. Only the body's phantom reactions." It answered.
"Hmmmmm…" She hummed.
Lei wiggled her little toes back and forth, playing around like a child. She eventually stood up and let the breeze run through her hair. A slight smile tugged at her lips.
"You're quite disgusting." She finally said.
Only then did she walk around the endless garden, her dress flowing in the wind. The entity followed her silently…not a word was spoken. The ground beneath her feet was soft and warm. The sun warmed her skin.
This was the first time since a young child that she was able to feel not an ounce of pain. The ache of the heart. The quake of the limbs. All of it was gone. What a world this was. Loralei loved it.
Her relaxed stride quickly sped into a run. With her arms spread wide, she giggled with delight. How far could she go? How big was this place? She wanted to know. So she ran. It was a beautiful scene if not for the disgusting entity trailing behind. Lei ran for who knows how long. It ended up with her spinning in circles for a moment, eventually running around the entity itself.
Once she got tired, she fell on her back with an exhausted smile. Her eyes were anything but that though. A spark could be seen. One full of life. Not the blank and emotionless eyes she normally carried.
"You don't fear us?" The dark being eventually asked. It was speechless. Lei turned to the figure with a bright smile.
"Why would I fear you? You've been with me my entire life."
".............."
Loralei took another breath without effort. It was as natural as flowing water. How insane was that?! What a lovely place.
"You brought me here, right? Thank you." She said.
"You...…You're thanking…us?"
"Why wouldn't I? You relieved my pain. Something nobody else has ever done. Even if only for a moment."
"You weren't brought here to feel better. This is your resting place. We've brought you here to devour you. To take over everything you are. Your essence."
"Even so. You relieved my pain. I'm grateful just for that."
"............."
The dark being approached the maiden lying among the flowers. Upon reaching her feet, the darkness lifted her left leg. Razor sharp teeth lowered to match the height.
"Can't you wait just a bit longer?" She asked. Almost pleading.
"You've been given ample time. We will not wait."
The mouth widened before chomping down on her ankle. Blood spurted as her left foot disappeared in its maw. Immediately, the entire expanse of white flowers turned red. A lovely horizon had drastically changed.
CRUNCH
Razor sharp teeth crunched down on her leg, stopping just before the knee. It then did the same to her other leg. Lei didn't feel any pain. She didn't feel anything. Her smile remained as she observed the entity devouring her.
Lei only watched as a new personality budded. To think the end would come this way. Whatever. It didn't matter. She would watch from beginning to end. She would watch it all.
This entity was insatiable. Ravenous. It ate everything, not sparing a single piece of flesh. Her hands were savored, her arms easily torn off with a crunch. Blood splattered the nearby flowers…but it only made them more beautiful.
It didn't take long until only her head was left. The entity finally took a moment to look at what remained of the girl. Her gaze…she was watching its every move. Not saying a word.
"This look of yours…unyielding. Unphased. We like it." The dark being exclaimed.
"...Hmph." Lei smiled one last time. All things come to an end.
It finally leaned down once more and bit off the maiden's jaw. All that remained was her eyes and above. Those eyes stared without a trace of fear. The entity paused. Only a single white flower remained in the expanse. The final flower. After a long period of silence, it spoke.
"Fine…we will let you play for just a while longer."
Everything suddenly went dark.
…
…
…
"Emi, you need to eat. Get up."
Nana pulled her sister off the ground and forced her into the chair. After placing a bowl of pasta on the table, she crossed her arms and glared down at her twin. The braided girl was distraught. Sitting at Lei's bedside all day was a thankless task.
Listening to that…woman…suffer for so long. It started to drain Emi's psyche. She thought she wanted to kill Loralei, but as soon as her blade pierced through the target of her revenge…it wasn't relief she felt. It was fear. Fear of losing her role model, and shock at Lei's response to almost dying. As if she wanted it. Damnit!
'You won't get your way. I won't let that happen.' Emi thought. Her face was pale as she glanced over to the bed.
Loralei had finally gone quiet. Quiet like the dead. Even her breathing was incredibly light. Damp with sweat that was barely starting to dry. Was the worst of it finally over? Had she made it through? Emi didn't know. At that moment, a hand slapped her back.
"Eat."
Emi glared at Nana before turning back to her plate. Picking up the fork, she forced herself to eat the meal…even if there was no appetite for it. The only sound that could be heard was the radio across the table, the air personality speaking on all the dangerous things happening in Night City.
"Hellooo to all you beautiful listeners of Night City! Hope you're all having an incredible night. Today's body-count lottery rounded out to a solid 'n' sturdy thirty! Ten outta Haywood thanks to unabated gang wars! One officer down so I guess you're all screwed! 'Cause the NCPD will NOT let that go."
As Emi wolfed down her bowl of pasta, Nana spoke with Johnny. They hadn't stopped conversing since meeting. It was fascinating to the white haired twin.
'-on the ceiling. Man, I swear she was gonna piss her pants when she saw those murderbots hanging up there. She was too weak to fight that time.' Johnny told stories about his past adventures with Lei.
'Has she been working this entire time? Most people need breaks in between gigs.' Nana asked.
'That bitch is a workaholic. Ain't no way she'd take a break or waste precious time…unless her body forces her to.'
'I still can't believe you've been in her head all this time.'
'It's really not that complicated. You could even compare it to a BD. Just-'
'That's not what I meant. I didn't think she'd exchange words with you or anyone else for that matter.' Nana interrupted.
'Bullshit. That gonk loves to joke around. Even in life or death situations.'
'What?!' The girl frowned. Lei, the cold as ice terminator…telling jokes?
'Yep. Likes to fuck too. She's an M.'
'Alright, Johnny. Too much info.'
Nana was starting to get a good read on the digital merc's personality. An arrogant man for sure. Still, he didn't seem all that bad. Maybe he was worse before meeting Lei…but that would be inevitable. Loralei always changed people wherever she went. Whether it was through actions or words. The radio continued to play.
"Got another blackout in Santo Domingo. Netrunners are at it again, pokin' holes in the power grid! While over in Westbrook, Trauma Team is scrapin' cyberpsycho victims off the pavement! And in Pacifica…well…Pacifica is still Pacifica. This has been your man, Stan! Join - krrhfk - in the city - krrfhfk - Dreams! Krrrrk Krrrfkk krrrrrrfk."
Both Nana and Emi turned to the radio. It seemed to be losing connection. The lights started to flicker, this time more consistent. The room went dark. In an entire two block radius…the entire area was hearing static and malfunctioning electronics. It was almost as if the neighborhood was hit with an EMP.
Both sisters stood up and looked at each other. Something was happening. They didn't know what, but it seemed dangerous. They immediately started to gear up. Before they were fully dressed, Johnny spoke. His tone was solemn.
'She's awake.'
Nana immediately turned to the bed, but Lei wasn't there. It was only then that she scanned the room. There she was…Loralei stood in the shadows, the flickering lights shielding her from full visibility.
The eerie girl stood there…a deep red light pulsing within her empty eyes. She stared at the wall, directly next to the twins. Nana felt her body shudder. It was instinctual. Something was wrong. Gripping her sister's shoulder, Emi turned to find the same sight.
It was almost as if the air around Lei was twisting and turning. As if reality was bending and warping. Glitching. Fear was in the air. It was tangible.
Loralei barely twitched her finger, but all the materials in the room burst from its dormant positions…mixing. Compressing. Transforming. Pulsing with red energy. Even her combat gear levitated into the air, swirling with these newly tempered materials.
Everything suddenly surged into motion. Scraps of unknown material surrounded Lei, covering her frame. She raised her hand slightly causing the material to wrap and synthesize around her body. The drifter had returned.
Clad in an unknown material-weave suit under a dark cloak. The breather covered her mouth once more. Only then did her beam saber fly into her hand. Calm returned to the room. Gazing at nothing, no longer giving human reactions…the drifter spoke. Her distorted voice was ominous.
"You should've killed me."