Ultima Ratio

Chapter 75: The Second Time

She was surrounded by the dark streets at the outer edge of Eden, illuminated only by the distant city lights. That night, the moon was nowhere to be seen.

It took her no effort at all to scale the side of the residential building. It was even easier to enter the apartment. Apparently, they thought a room on the twentieth floor kept them safe from outdoor intruders; they were wrong. Perhaps that was why Verus Rex wanted them dead.

She found the culprit fast asleep in their bed. A single adult, sleeping soundly, as if they had no idea about the pain they were causing Verus Rex. Their conscience was oblivious to how much anguish they instilled within him, and how easily they engulfed the sun in a sky of darkness.

That was their mistake. And it was Danya's job to remedy that—to protect Verus Rex.

But when she took another step forward, her foot kicked something hard and plastic, and the sound echoed as the object clattered across the floor.

Then, the entire room lit up.

The culprit awoke with a flurry of panicked yells. Immediately, they procured a gun from under their pillow, and the shots that burst from it were nothing like the beams of light Danya had heard of. Instead, they were the ones she had only seen in her lessons, wrapped in the history of the twenty-first century and prior.

Verus Rex had always frowned upon the previous eras. He said that history was filled with unintelligent savages, and it was his responsibility to educate them. He implied that they lacked the intellect to make any significant impact, to do any real damage.

But at that moment, Danya was in agony. She crouched down as the weapon rained pellets of pain on her, ripping through the flesh that simply yearned to feel the warmth of Verus Rex. She didn't want to move. She just wanted this to be over. She wanted to return home, to their home, and feel the gentle touch of the sun once more.

So Danya surged forward with a bounding leap, ramming her own body into the gun and the culprit that held it.

When they pummeled into the wall behind them, a vicious crack burst from their body. As soon as Danya stepped back, the culprit's body crumpled to the floor, and their heartbeat slowly faded from her ears.

But, for some reason, Danya could still hear it. No matter how hard she pressed her hands over her ears, the deep thumping only grew louder beneath them until she could feel it pounding against the inside of her skull. Even then it continued, the rhythm speeding up with her racing pulse, and the pressure building so much that she could feel it crushing the back of her eyes. Even when she screamed, she couldn't hear her own voice over the thundering beat as it echoed throughout her body, breaking her down to her very core.

It's okay, Danya. You're okay. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere.

She was right.

Danya may have spent years of her life cold and alone, not knowing if she'd ever be free again, but things had changed since then. She had changed. Now, she was stronger than she ever was with Verus Rex. Now, she wasn't alone.

And that was enough reason for her to keep going.

Are you sure? Then...how did the war start? In your time?

They had been in his office. While he stared out his tall windows, he had Danya open a bottle of sparkling cider to prepare for the "celebration."

The view before them was of North America, poised between the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario. Displays around them showed various parts of the world, each relayed from other Concordian cities, and the map on Verus Rex's desk showed their locations scattered across the globe.