Shatter

Sumire eventually caught up with the rest of the fifth battalion moving towards the location August specified from his communicator. She rushed ahead to speak to Charlotte, but she was not there.

"Where's Charlotte?" Sumire asked August and Ziko.

"She... needed some time to herself," Ziko said. "Corlean was one of her closest friends back on Planet Vicious. Now that she's gone... damn it! We're losing too many people!" He yelled.

"I tried," Sumire said. "But we need to move on. I'm done. I don't care anymore. We're stopping Lucine and Genesis right now." She turned around and power walked towards the destination through the frigid snow.

"Hey, wait, where's Maven?" August asked.

Sumire ignored him and took point, rushing towards the destination with a mannequin expression etched on her face. It had no signs of changing emotion, for it was clear about how she would handle the future.

"Sumire, wait!" August brought up again, running towards her. "Where's Ma-"

Spinning around with her finger extended towards him, Sumire released her pent-up rage. "Don't..." She stopped before clearing her throat. Speaking about him was a mere punishment to her. "Don't say his name. Please."

"Did you... did you leave him behind?" August asked. "What are you doing? He's part of the-"

"He got what he deserved," Sumire insisted. "He was nothing but a liar and a traitor. He never wanted to be part of us. Let's just move on from it all and forget about it."

Ziko landed directly next to Sumire, eyeing her with a conspicuous and antagonizing glare. "Excuse me? Insubordination?" He asked. "That sure isn't like you. Or is it?"

"What would you know about me?" Sumire said with an evil glare.

"I know that you wouldn't do the same for Lucine," Ziko mentioned. "What exactly are you trying to pull? You told me that you would have done anything to save her. Why is someone like him any different? He was the one that told us that you and August were both trapped. You would have all been dead if it were not for him."

"What...?" Charlotte's voice came abruptly behind Sumire. Her puffy red eyes were noticeable after minutes of sobbing. "We just lost Corlean, and you abandoned Maven? Is that what I'm hearing?"

"Get off my back! All of you!" Sumire yelled at her battalion. "He asked for this! Now if you want to go back for him, be my guest. But I'm going ahead to find the supercomputer and the crystal whether you all like it or not!" She equipped her nanosuit and began to activate her ignition boosters.

"We don't leave people behind," Charlotte said, moving past her. "You are wrong to do that."

Sumire lashed out with her arms. "He was the one that left Corlean to die! He's the problem, not me!"

Charlotte snatched Sumire's collar and pulled her closer until her forehead slammed into hers tightly. She restrained her suit and prevented her from moving. "You keep telling yourself that, but you know that's not true," Her tone fell to a deep halt. "Have it your way. We're going back. Ziko, August."

"I'll stay with Sumire," August said. "Ziko, you can go with Charlotte."

"Fine by me," Ziko said. "Then we'll know the truth about what happened."

Sumire scoffed and ignored the both of them, moving ahead towards the direction of the supercomputer. August chased after her as the battalion separated. Minutes passed with Sumire and August walking together without a single word uttered amongst them. The blistering winds and fogs became clearer as soon as they found themselves at the edge of another mountaintop, witnessing a small Genesis establishment where no signs of soldiers were present.

"There it is," August said. "The computer must be somewhere in there."

"Let's get this over with," Sumire said, equipping her nanosuit. "Thanks for staying with me. I couldn't stand thinking about them. You're always by my side, no matter what it is that happens."

"That's what friends do," August said, smiling widely at her. "Before you go, I need to tell you something that I noticed about that man."

"I know what you're referring to," Sumire said. "Corlean told me that there was a spy on the loose, trying to do something of some sort. We concluded that it was him in the first place. He came to Sagittarius with no purpose behind it. Suspicious to a fault. And yet he tried to toy with my feelings from the very beginning."

"His real name is Rion Stormfield," August indicated. "It may be surprising to you, but he's the leader of Genesis. He owns everything related and affiliated to Genesis and its partner companies. The enemies that we've faced so far all have known about his presence. Why do you think he was able to stroll back into our little dirt pit without a single scratch on his body?"

"The leader... of Genesis?" Sumire could not believe it. "This entire time?" Speaking about someone such as Maven being the one behind the entire army of Genesis was unfathomably disturbing. He had spent countless times lying to Sumire about his love for her and friendship that him being a leader seemed quite pathetic to her. She expected a narcissistic dictator who only appreciated the finer qualities in destruction. This had meant that in the end, he was the one who destroyed Planet Vicious and changed Lucine into the monster she had become.

"That's right," August said. "I had been looking into his case for a while now. He's traveled throughout the world seeking power to build his dictatorship and empire. He used the Fon to gather energy for himself and his allies. That moment when I encountered that soldier next to the city-state in Sagittarius Fon, he was there suspiciously when the explosion came off. Then, he made it seem like I was the one at fault."

"And he always wore that disguise..." Sumire realized. "Then I should go back and arrest him," Sumire punitively stated. "That piece of filth deserves a slice of justice."

"Captain Charlotte and Ziko will get him, and then the arrest can be made," August stated. "He doesn't know that we know his true identity. For now, we need to get down there as soon as possible so we can find that crystal."

Sumire nodded. "You're right. That's on our list first," She said. "I'll take point. And... thanks for telling me about all of this. You're the only one I can rely on as of now."

"It's no big deal," August said. "I'll be right behind you."

With her nanosuit equipped, Sumire stayed on high alert as she sledded down the mountaintop while avoiding the jutting and jagged rocks on the side. Snowflakes and tiny pebbles pelted against her armor as she moved downhill. An immense pressured weight had been taken off of Sumire's shoulders after finally solving the case of Genesis and its heinous crimes against humanity. They lived to destroy and absorb like a parasitic leech seeking blood from all facets of life. Now that Sumire realized that everything he had stated was truly nonsense, she was free from it all.

But it did not make sense to Sumire how much time and effort he put into getting to know her. She wondered if he wanted to have a change of heart, or yearned affection. Nevertheless, Sumire shrugged it off entirely after realizing that nothing could change the damage he had done to Lucine, Planet Vicious, Aries, and her brother.

Sumire finally touched down on the bottom, entering a vast area with silver-colored metal floors covered in light snow. A dome-shaped structure with metal tubes attached to its sides was the first clear entrance for Sumire to investigate. Smaller structures lined across the dome structure, which seemed suspicious as well. The clear sky and fresh breeze made Sumire eager to move ahead.

"Hey," August said after finally making his way down on the opposite side. "I've got the communicator right here. They said that the computer was in that building over there," He pointed at the dome-shaped structure. "Be careful when we go in. We don't know who or what'll be there."

"You don't need to worry about that," Sumire said, extending her weapon. "These sons of bitches are gonna pay for what they did to Corlean."

Sumire and August followed an archway leading towards a system of multiple metal paths on the ground. They approached the dome-shaped building with caution, only taking fast strides when needed. When they were near the entrance of the building, August tapped on Sumire's shoulder after peeking inside the doorway.

"Sumire, I have to ask..." He began. "What do you think of the Fon?"

Sumire cocked her head to look at August, unsure of where his question came from. "Huh? What do you mean?" She asked.

"Aliens, aren't they?" August said. "They come from an entire primitive planet who've managed to reach Earth. They're just like us humans, only a lot more... fascinating."

"Well, yeah," Sumire said. "Didn't we talk about this before? And I honestly hate it when people call them aliens. Well, nothing to do with you since you've been studying them, but it's because they're people too. I had to deal with so many people in the past who's always called people aliens."

"They form their tribes... handle their affairs... they understand human emotions. But can we truly call them people like us?" August asked as he opened the door.

"Of course, we can!" Sumire said. "We can always call them people. I can't stand people who make that argument."

Sumire and August entered the dome-shaped establishment. Cobwebs formed near the surface of the opening crease, stretching apart as the door squeaked open. Dim lights flickered across the unknown pathway leading towards a wide room of technological odds and ends. Electric power cords dangled from the ceilings, and moldy walls caved in from old age. Rusted pipes hung from the edges of the sewer entrances, and glass shards riddled through the floors. It wasn't surprising if the undead were raised here; the entire place appeared hellish from the inside out.

Sumire took point and stepped inside.

"When Genesis destroyed their planet... are you aware of what they were doing to them?" August asked.

"Wait, stop talking," Sumire hissed. "There might be someone here."

"They took their energy. The substance that fuels their bodies and the creatures that the planet created are all subject to power. It all stems from the founder, the one whose touch was frozen to the core. All those people who were taken from their homes before the raze... it disturbs me."

"August, stop. There are people-" Sumire said.

August broke free from his tangent. "Oh, sorry about that," He said. "I just found it all so interesting to think about."

"Yeah, we can talk about it after we-"

A single bullet passed through Sumire's back, piercing through her nanosuit. Blood spilled from her side, which at first, was completely unnoticeable. Sumire turned around after sensing pure numbness from her wounded area. She turned around and widened her eyes in pure agony and despair.

August, who was holding a serrated and lightly red-hued pistol, stood still with a slight smirk on his face. Sumire traced her eyes near the pistol's barrel, watching smoke fumes rise to the air. Her mouth locked in an agape position as she exhaled one final breath before collapsing on the ground. She clutched her wound as blood seeped from her mouth.

"Poor Sumire Nakai," August spoke in a dangerously new tone; a light foreign accent rolled across his tongue to shape him into an entirely different person. He placed the pistol in his holster before stepping near Sumire. He kneeled, dipped both of his index fingers into the pool of blood that Sumire left behind her wound, and slicked his hair back like hair mousse. "I almost feel bad for you sending that pathetic man off to his death."

Sumire could not move a muscle. "W-why...?" She cried.

"Why?" August imitated mockingly as he chuckled. "You know, I had hoped that I could convince you to join my side after reminding you about who the Fon truly wwere. I truly, truly hoped that you, of all people, would understand our way. But, through trial and error, it seems apparent that I cannot reason with you anymore."

More blood poured from Sumire's wound. Her nanosuit's abilities were mending it slowly and carefully, which ensured that she would not die. However, she was passing out. Quickly.

August kneeled near Sumire with a pitiful expression. "Not only are you close to death, but you betrayed a man who cared so deeply about you. How tragic." August snapped his fingers, setting the light in the building up to a maximum. Upon the light shining down on them, no supercomputer was revealed to be in sight. "What's even more tragic though... is that you being gullible is exactly what I needed to win."

August moved away as Sumire clenched her wound even tighter to apply pressure. However, her strength was waning fast.

"The old coot was too smart," August said. "He lured me here while he developed a plan to escape. But I lured you here because I knew you'd be a problem. Much too observant, much too brash to fit your agenda. But what he doesn't know is that I know where the crystal is. And it's deep within my grasp. Finally."

Sumire's tears began to bubble in quaking agony as she sensed nothing but her consciousness escaping. August approached Sumire once more after pacing around her, pointing his pistol toward her head.

"After tonight, no one shall escape," He said. "My dreams of becoming the god of Aries-" He placed his hands in his leather pockets and revealed thin jet-black glasses. He placed them upon his face and pushed them up with his index finger. "Are just beginning."

A shattering echo sounded through the air, lifting Sumire's eyes slightly open. August's pistol blasted away from his hand, landing near the far side of the room. She watched as August hurriedly turned around with his hands above his head. Sumire heard whimpering from August's voice, which only enraged her even further from how fake and how blatantly insincere it was.

"P-please... don't shoot me... Corleancia..." August whimpered, taking baby steps back away from Sumire innocent-like. His eyes slanted downwards to make him seem more genuine. "I f-found S-Sumire like this...! You don't understand...!"

"Stop acting all innocent and mighty, August," Corlean's voice sounded through the entrance of the dome-shaped building. She held a pistol similar to August's as she took a step down the rusty stairs. Her left arm was pummeled to the state of irrecoverable damage as she barely held it up with a tattered cloth wrapped around her neck. Her left eye was completely gouged out and permanently dysfunctional; dried blood marks were etched below her left eye and her forehead. "Or are you too much of a coward to use your real name, Rion Stormfield?"

Sumire gasped and creaked her neck to look towards August, who stood still within his reach. His arms laid over his head, continuing to play innocent.

"Say something, damn it!" Corlean shouted.

Rion lightly smirked, revealing his teeth. "What can I say? Do you want to hear something along the lines of, "Oh, you were right all along," or "You caught me by surprise!", hmm? But all I can say is, you have an "eye" for things that aren't your business, Corleancia. Get it? It was a joke."

Corlean and Rion stood eye to eye without sudden movements. The pistol remained in Corlean's hand, aimed straight at his forehead.

"You can gloat all you want about how you discovered it, but right now, you should be worried about your friend dying here. She's in serious trouble," Rion said, nudging Sumire's limp shoulder with his toes. "And Corleancia, we both know... that she's the only one capable of stopping me from destroying Sagittarius. None of your pathetic alien friends understand the true value of Genesis, and you never will."

"So tell me then," Corlean said, forcing the pistol closer to him.

"No, I don't think I will," Rion said, chuckling at how Corlean attempted to appear threatening to him. "So go on, do what you came here to do. Shoot me." He provoked.

"If I shoot you, then we'll never know where the crystal is," Corlean stated. "And if I do, you'll never face punishment for what you did to our planet years ago. How you hurt Lucine... and how you changed everyone into nothing!"

"Aww, poor Corleancia!" Rion goofily sugarcoated her statement. "Still harboring an endless grudge, I see. If only you knew why I had to do it, then surely you would join me. But it pains me how you only begrudgingly seek only one side of the story. How naive you must be!"

Corlean cocked her pistol back, threatening to end his existence. Both of them circled Sumire's half-conscious body. "Try me." She said.

"The treasure of using the Fon as a sacrifice is nothing more than a way to prolong human life," Rion explained. "But not only this. We can gain pure immortality! The energy harnessed from the planet was not enough! We need every last drop of energy from the Fon to create power through mere fragments, eventually transposing into crystals that we can accumulate to become greater than ever before."

"You're nothing but a sick menace." Corlean insulted.

"Some may call me that, yes," Rion said. "But I am only thinking about the greater good. We can usher in a new era of immortality for the human race! We can become the gods that everyone has wanted to be! We can restore health, cure disease, mend damages, win all wars, and become a global market for saving the entire world from death and destruction! All with a simple tool... memory fragments."

"You think killing innocent lives to save others is worth the payout!?" Corlean cried, snapping at him with her gun. "My friends have all perished and died because of what you did. And I doubt that we're the last of the kind that you'll target before you make men and women into gods and goddesses. How many innocent lives must be taken away before you achieve your goal!?"

"Many and many more to come," Rion explained. "Aliens... were born to be nurtured and used for humanity. Because that's all you are. Aliens. Non-existent deities that were mythologically never meant to exist. And that's all it is," He snickered with a sniveling expression cowering behind his facade. "Oh, but don't let me stop you. Right now, your precious little city-state is crumbling into ash from the inside out. The last of your home will die tonight, whether you like it or not."

Corlean began to break down in tears. Her left eye bled after her ocular muscles tinged in pure distraughtness. "I'll kill you...!" She cried. "I don't care anymore! I'll kill you-"

Rion dove in and slapped the pistol out of Corlean's frail hands. He delivered a swift jab with his knee towards Corlean's gut before shoving her to the ground. After pinning her down, he began pummeling her face with rapid blows. His impish grin rose into insanity, laughing at her beaten-down expression.

"You know, you're right, Corleancia!" Rion cackled before slamming his fist towards her cheek. "What does one more Fon have than the rest of the universe's expanse!?" Another blow struck her left cheek, knocking out a tooth from Corlean's mouth. "After I'm done with you pathetic aliens, I'll tear apart another planet to get what I want!" One more blow towards the neck nearly crushed her windpipe. "I can always start fresh. Wipe the slate clean!" He clenched Corlean's neck and began to suffocate her with immense pressure. "Next on my list, it'll be poor little Lucine and all of Japan for interfering with my business! I am god and king, and I will become stronger than my brother ever will be!"

Seconds passed as Sumire could do nothing but watch Rion suffocate Corlean from a distance. Saliva and blood bubbled in her mouth as she wanted nothing more but to mangle Rion into a corpse for everything that he had done. The amalgamation of pure death and the reasoning for her actions were all started by him. But without lifting a single finger, she could do nothing.

Rion released his grasp on Corlean's throat, knocking her unconscious. Rion sighed and stood up from his kneeled position, grabbing both pistols and placing them within his holster. Sumire watched as Corlean's face was beaten beyond recognition. At first, she was presumed deceased. Now, Sumire had no idea if she could be saved.

"Sumire Nakai," Rion said as he wiped the sweat from his forehead and flicked it down to his feet. "You'll thank me one day for saving our world. You'll understand from your little misguided head about all that I've yet to accomplish. But I want you to watch from my little front-row seat. I want you to suffer just like I did. I have lived through years and years of pure mayhem just to get to this moment, and I want you to see what I will do."

Sumire grunted and tried her best to speak, but could not.

"First, I'll start by killing all of your friends in Sagittarius..." Rion said, pulling out an unstable detonator device from his pockets. "One for the boys back home guarded by a piece of plastic in the sky... and another for your front-row seat."

A single push of the button collapsed the entire dome-shaped building's foundation from above, landing on Sumire and Corlean together. Slabs of concrete and rusted foundation toppled on top of their limp bodies, trapping them within without a single ounce of strength to let them out. In a matter of hours, their bodies would be reduced to malnourished bones. Dust and rust debris sprayed against Sumire's eyes and wounds, infecting them.

Rion stayed apart from the blast zone, dropping the detonator device after peering out the front door with a grin on his face. "Vayah, you old man. I'm coming home!" He shouted before rushing out the door with Genesis reinforcements to extract him from the area.

As the bellowing sounds of Rion's aircraft faded off into the distance. Sumire remained laying face up staring into nothing but concrete pressed against her forehead. The lack of oxygen made it unbearable to breathe in; she took deep shallow breaths that offered nothing but temporary sustenance. Her left finger fidgeted but was unable to make full movements.

On her mind were three things: One, Corlean's brave return made her proud for how much she wanted to stand up for her home despite her weak role in it all. Two, she knew death would be coming soon to take her away from all of the hard work she entrusted in herself to finalize. Seeing her mother, brother, family, and friends were all going to vanish. The mere thought made her envision the light at the end of the tunnel where no one waited.

The last thing she remembered was the pure cruelty for what she did to Maven, and how much she wanted to apologize.

But nothing could be done, for she could not move nor speak. Sumire closed her eyes and accepted it all. A final rest was all it took for her to die.

She was dead.