In Case of Failure

"Enough. Jesus, how long will you two keep doing this? Look, we're down to our last set of topics... we shouldn't talk like this if we expect victory, but we need to acknowledge the possibility that we lose against Quake," Ruby grimly said.

All things considered, I knew I wouldn't die, but for everybody else... a loss is possible.

"In the case that the city is destroyed in the conflict, they find the fallout shelter, and we're all killed in combat... I have to hand down my leadership role to somebody else. I have a line of people set up in case I do die in combat... but at the very end of that line is The Leader of The Arkians, Sky. I do not expect you to die in combat, and I know you will survive, but that is not guaranteed for anybody who decides to stand in Quake's way. In the case I die, along with a majority of other people in this room, you will take control of Zealous," Ruby told me.

"That's no way to talk, Ruby. These people won't follow my lead, and I do not accept your offer to rule this city. You're a part of the people who looked past my flaws even when I showed them so brightly to you. You aren't just the Leader of Zealous to me, or any other Arkian. You are our friend, just as much as anybody else," I told her with a deep sigh.

"That's right, Ruby. We won't let you die," Carl said with a smile.

"I appreciate it... but I won't be sitting back at all, I'll be on the frontlines with you the entire fight. Now that we've talked about that... I want to hand the room over to An Arkian... Illya Asterio, or, The Deity, it's been brought to my attention that you've assimilated into Quake before. You hold the key to our success," Ruby said.

I looked over to Illya next, completely forgetting that she had brown hair and blue eyes now, even though I watched her walk into this room.

"That's right, I did. Please, call me Illya. Anyway... Quake has abilities that aren't really... normal? I mean, both Sky and my abilities aren't regular, but each member of Quake doesn't fall into any correlation of abilities that suit each other well. They're irregular people... but I'll be damned if they don't have good teamwork," Illya said.

She took control of the table like it was her second nature, flipping it back to a time period when all members of Quake were in the city, and focused in on their faces by zooming with her hands. First, she pointed to Fico.

"This is Fico Asterio, the most troublesome one of the bunch. This is the Leader of Quake here. Fico's ability, or as they call them, Incarnation, hasn't been observed by any person. Not me in my four-hundred years of life, nor any member of Quake. She's an anomaly... which is why I'll take her head on," Illya said.

"Her Incarnation isn't that super fast speed?" I asked Illya.

"No. That's her regular speed. She's too fast for the human eye at her peak performance," Illya told the entire room. That filled us with despair, but I shook my head.

"You don't have to take Fico on... we have a weapon on our side now that can handle her just fine, isn't that right, Avie?" I asked, closing my eyes to visualize what she would respond with.

"I have no problem stomping Fico into the ground," She blankly said.

That time, when Avie spoke, the entire room heard her. At first, I thought it was a pure coincidence that everybody gasped in a surprised tone, but when I opened my eyes, I felt Avie squish herself into my consciousness. She wanted a piece of this conversation... and was starting to simultaneously share my body with me.

"Great to hear. Fico will be handled accordingly then... continue, please," Ruby said to Illya.

"Next up is Zeka. I do know his Incarnation, and when used with other Incarnations, it could be extremely troublesome. Zeka is able to heal all strands that are expended with anybody he chooses. It cannot be intercepted at all and can be used infinitely. To put it shortly, and as harshly as humanely possible, he has infinite energy, along with the rest of Quake, if we can't stop him," Illya said next, zooming into his face while explaining his abilities.

"Understood... then, we'll have to eliminate him first, I assume if he's that much of a powerhouse, he'll be protected on the backline... can he fight?" Ruby asked her.

"He can't fight me," Illya said.

I put my hand on her shoulder next and leaned into the table.

"You will not take on Quake alone. This is our fight, not yours," I told her.

Illya seemed to be holding something deep inside, nodding silently while looking at the ground.

"Next... this one is confusing to explain, and still confusing to understand. It's two people, put into one. A man with split-personality disorder. His name is Austin, and his second personality is named Amy. Austin alone is not that tough. His Incarnation is to turn everything into blades that he touches. That includes the floor... but his other self... Amy... hers is dangerous... she cuts into your chest, and can fill it with any substance she sees fit, including her own blood. She can effectively drown you, and there's nothing you can do to reverse it. The counter to her... is to not get hit," Illya said.

Damn... that would be impossible, depending on their team composition...

"Shit... that doesn't sound good... we need to take her out before anybody else. If she dies, will Austin remain stable? Meaning... will his strands go crazy?" Ruby asked Illya again.

"They shouldn't. Strands don't react with emotions unless you're an Asterio," Illya revealed.

"That kind of sounds important. Why did you keep that from us?" Carl asked her. I could sense the tension between the two.

"That information was in no way relevant until now. Continue," I told Illya.