Ultima Ratio

Chapter 88: Sic Semper Tyrannis

As Danya sprinted into the fray, Akira tried to hold onto the feeling of Danya's lips against hers, and the tension of Danya's hand wrapped in her uniform. But when the warmth lifted from her lips, only the chilly lab air could replace it; when her clothes smoothed without any resistance, she was left with the hollow weight of dread in her chest.

Akira needed another second to brace herself before she deployed her helmet.

"Navin!" she shouted, then showed him her case of boosters as soon as he looked over.

He frowned at her through the blood that streaked his face, his eyes narrowed. A beat later, he nodded once and knelt at Elodie's side.

It wasn't long before the swarm of drones abandoned Elodie, nor was it a mystery as to why: a glint of silver flashed in the middle of the cloud of gray devices, the case of Danya's blood stuck on one drone's pointed spikes.

By the time the horde reached Garza, he was busying himself with swatting away Danya's futile kicks and punches, smirking at her antics. Unfortunately, it seemed that he learned from their last encounter, and he avoided predictable movements for her to latch onto.

Any hope that Danya would find a way through his defenses was lost when the drones dropped the case towards Garza, and he shoved Danya back with a shockwave from his left arm while he caught the container with his right.

Garza sighed, turning the glossy case around in his hand. "I should've known. It's no surprise that mere mortals would try to harness the power of the gods. It's a tale as old as time."

When he turned his gaze to them, he shook his head. "I don't fault you for trying though. How can I? You were just following your natural animalistic instincts."

He chuckled, then sent another shockwave at Danya. Danya, who had just managed to struggle back to her feet, was crushed into the ground once more, and her helmet shattered on impact.

"How feral," Garza muttered before walking to the table behind him.

As soon as he stepped away, the drones resumed their attack with renewed fury.

In the following chaos, Akira could only catch glimpses of Garza's movements: how he easily unlocked the secured case, how he admired the remaining vial in the light, and how he appeared to test a sample just to be sure. Akira briefly lost track of him when the drones seemed to multiply as they rained down from the ceiling, but Garza made sure to grab their attention when he needed an audience.

"How about I use your arm, dear child?" Garza said, his smile at Victor sickeningly sweet. "It would be rather symbolic, wouldn't it? The first Victor Garza finally achieving his dream through the last."

Victor, who had resorted to swatting at the drones with a broken chair leg, scoffed. "That's not my dream. You said so yourself: we're nothing alike. Not anymore. No, you disgust me."

Garza released a long sigh. "Of course you would say that. There are always ungrateful mortals that walk this earth. No matter. I'll still allow you this honor, even if you don't deserve it."

A low hum joined the high-pitched buzz of the drones, but Akira was too preoccupied to find out where it came from. It wasn't long before the source revealed itself on its own, and Akira spotted one of the glass tanks that lined the walls hovering towards Garza.

Akira glanced at Danya; Danya, just after smacking two drones together with a piercing clap, met her eyes.

When the tank opened, the lab was filled with a sharp chemical odor that even Akira's helmet couldn't filter out. Once Garza removed the arm from the tank, he spared a movement to admire it before getting to work. The sound of his sizzling skin fusing together was grotesque, and judging by the pinched expressions of those with broken helmets, Akira was lucky she couldn't smell it as well. And when Akira saw Danya nod at her once, her brows furrowed, Akira knew it was almost time.