148: The Leader

The ground opened up. Metal doors, sized like tennis courts, first sank into the ground, taking the grass and dirt with them, then slid open to reveal a pitch-black void. From within, an assortment of high-powered mechs came flying out. Unlike the waves Nyssa had just obliterated, these moved with purpose, dodging incoming attacks and forming formations to counter the now-incoming waves of enemies. Behind the mechs came frenzied beasts. All these had crystal protrusions growing out of the back of their heads. Mindless, these rampaged with no regard for their own lives.

Most among the trees rushed out. Half dove into the cracks, ready to ransack the base from within. The other half stayed above ground. As the frontal assault team, their job was to wipe out as much as they could, leaving no stragglers, along with bombarding the base from the top down. Scrape away layer by layer to destroy the base in one fell swoop.

If the other team was a surgical knife, this team was a sledgehammer.

Nyssa, as the centerpiece, transformed back into a human and leapt to the side. The roof of the base now sat exposed to the moonlight—ready for the rest of the team to come in and destroy it.

Fatigue ran through every vein of her body. She stumbled in the grass, falling to her knees. Cushioned by the dirt, she knelt while catching her breath. Perhaps because of her showing earlier none of the machines or beasts came in her direction. An invisible bubble-like barrier seemed to surround her, nothing seemed to come close, giving her the space to recover.

As she knelt in the grass though, she felt her vision blur bit by bit as drowsiness began to seep into her body. Seconds later, though, as her mind began blurring, Nyssa felt the sounds of battle fade in her ears as a pair of legs entered her vision.

Celeste’s voice pierced the quietness. A laser shot over, only to get reflected to the side. “Nyssa! Watch out!”

“Nyssa? Is that the name you live by?” A baritone voice came from above her. The figure snapped its fingers and a true barrier came into existence, blocking out the rest of the world. Its transparent nature though, meant the rest of the battlefield came to a stop. The machines and the animals came to a stop first, as if power had left their bodies, they slumped to the ground. Streams of ether flowed out of their body, strengthening the barrier as the assault team began pounding on the edges, stopping only after they realized the futility of their efforts.

Nyssa snapped back to consciousness. Her vision cleared, and as she looked up, she saw a hooded figure dressed in combat pants and combat boots standing in front of her. As she looked towards the figure’s face though, all she saw was a gleaming faceless mask of metal.

Somewhere in her heart, something stirred as a primal fear began to arise. Her heart rate quickened and her face paled. At the same time, a warmth spread through her body as a sense of familiarity soothed her mind.

Ignoring all her feelings, Nyssa opened her mouth to speak, but, instead, sent out a high powered laser beam to incinerate the person before her.

“Nice try,” The baritone voice spoke once more from within the laser beam. A faint hint of amusement leaked into its voice as another snap filled the air. A second later, Nyssa felt, for the first time in her life, her powers stop responding. The laser beam fizzled, and her eyes widened as she watched the scene unfold in front of her.

The figure... wasn’t human.

All that had remained was the silver mask, floating in the air. From it, out came silvery liquid, and bit by bit, it reformed into the previous body standing in front of her.

“Curious?” The figure asked, putting its hands in its pockets. Its figure changed from masculine to feminine. Its voice changed as well to take on a delicate, sultry tone. “Of what I am? Who I am? Why I can do all this?”

Nyssa mustered a nod as she shifted backward to put a little more space between her and the figure. The figure though, undeterred, took another step closer, crouching down to face Nyssa at eye level.

“I created you, Nyssa. That’s why.”

---

Outside the barrier, Celeste stood with her palms pressed against the barrier. Though it seemed to do nothing, she continued to let loose lasers from her palms while watching the scene unfold. She watched as Nyssa’s laser disappeared, she watched as Nyssa took a step back, and she watched as the figure bent down.

She bit her lip. Worry filled her eyes.

She, along with everyone else, seemed to hold their breath as the scene in front of them unfolded.

“Nyssa... stay safe.”

---

Nyssa felt her entire world shatter. Her eyes trembled as the silver mask rippled like a puddle of water. The face changed, and a second later, the figure pulled its hood down to reveal a face similar to Nyssa’s—down to the same white hair, the same delicate lips, and small nose. Her eyes though, seemed sharper, softened only by her smile. “I guess I could be called your mother.”

“... w... what?” Nyssa mustered, she tried scrambling backward, only to have her ankle grabbed. Feeling the hand tighten around her, she threw a handful of dirt, only to have the figure lean and dodge it.

“Well, I’m the leader of sorts, of this whole operation,” The woman stood up tossing her cloak to the side. The rest of her body now, had also transformed back into a human’s. The gloves she wore—turns out—had been fake, as they too rippled, transforming back into a pair of pale hands. She spread her arms, basking under the moonlight. “And you were my most perfect creation. Half of your genes are mine. You are... the embodiment of all my efforts. My masterpiece.”

“But... you’re not even human, anymore,” Nyssa questioned. She remembered the faceless mask, from which everything regenerated. She, once again, tried to muster her powers, but felt nothing. “How can I have half your genes?”

Instead of a reply though, Nyssa received a question in return as the woman crouched back down in front of her. “What does it mean to be human? Don’t I look human enough right now? I have flesh, I have a heart, I have everything. We could go shopping together, you and me, and we’d be the perfect mother-daughter pair.”

Before Nyssa could retort, the face in front of her changed to a masculine one. “We could be a father-daughter pair too. Whichever you might prefer.”

Seeing Nyssa’s unnerved expression, the figure transformed back into the previous mother-like figure to keep speaking. “I have a vision Nyssa, but I alone can't achieve it. I’m imperfect in my transformation. As you saw, I am composed of a silver-liquid. It’s a mere half-step away from pure transformation energy; yet, that halfstep couldn’t be more of a chasm. You, on the other hand, are made up of pure energy. Untapped potential. Infinite possibilities.”

“... so?” Nyssa grumbled, somehow unable to muster much against the face that looked so much like hers.

“So, join me,” The woman stood back up. After sweeping her eyes over the crowd, she extended her hand. “Join me, and together, we can reshape the world.”