Akira's boosted strength made it much easier to navigate the unsteady terrain amidst the destruction. She jumped over a scattered stash of MREs, then briefly paused to reunite a young parent and toddler that were struggling to crawl towards each other, before finally reaching the gaping hole in the ground.
Danya leapt out of the pit just as Akira arrived, another two people in tow. When she gave Akira a once-over, her furrowed brows suggested she knew something had changed, but she didn't point it out.
"There are people still down there," Danya explained, gently lowering the two in her arms.
Akira nodded. "I can help."
Danya jumped back into the hole, and Akira watched her descent before mimicking her movements, using the uneven slope like stepping stones. The pit was about fifteen meters deep, and about two dozen workers were scattered across the rocky bottom in various states of distress.
"Focus on the ones with lighter injuries," Akira said. "I'll look at the others and figure out how we can move them."
Danya nodded without arguing, and the pair got to work.
The earthquake persisted.
While Akira wasn't a medic, she had basic field training, and she could at least identify things like possible head trauma or internal bleeding. By the time Danya rejoined her, having cleared out over half of the civilians, Akira had a plan for evacuating most of the remaining ten.
While the first nine victims of the second batch were quickly evacuated, the last victim was the toughest: an older woman with her leg pinned under the tire of a motorized cart, which in turn was wedged under a concrete slab from the second floor balcony. When Akira and Danya ran up to her, she slowly turned to face them, and Akira froze in recognition.
"I knew you two were sweet young ladies," the former space mechanic greeted them with a feeble smile.
"Of course," Danya said with an air of confidence that didn't show on her face as she looked at Akira with concern.
Suddenly, Danya's eyes widened, and her gaze snapped back towards the concrete slab. After a couple seconds of staring, Danya rushed towards the broken balcony and peered beneath it while Akira followed a few steps behind.
"There's someone here, unconscious," Danya said, pointing beneath the debris. "I-I can't get to them without moving this rock, but moving it might crush that lady's leg, and—"
"Danya, I can help," Akira said, only raising her voice to be heard over the rumbling tremors. "We can figure it out together, okay?"
Danya took a deep breath and nodded, her eyes still wide with worry.
As much as Akira wanted to carefully evaluate the situation, she was on a clock, and she was just going to have to trust her instincts; that, and her strength. After she instructed Danya to remove the balcony, Akira positioned herself by the cart, mustering her strength to hold it steady.
Miraculously, her plan worked. Danya lifted the balcony, and Akira barely managed to hold the cart still until Danya could discard the slab and take over. As soon as she did, Akira hurriedly pulled the woman out from underneath, trying her best to not jostle her. Thankfully, her injuries didn't seem immediately life-threatening, and she repeatedly thanked Danya as Akira focused on the other freed civilian, creating a makeshift neck brace from her uniform's collapsible helmet.
They were just about to climb out of the hole, Danya carrying the two workers and Akira carrying herself, when the tremors escalated even more. The sudden shift knocked them off their feet, and Akira swore she heard an ominous cracking from beneath them.
"Go now!" Akira yelled to Danya.
Danya nodded, and with a determined expression, she stood and leapt in one fluid motion, taking her passengers with her. At that moment, Akira felt the ground shift, and she jumped just as the floor fell out beneath her. But her boosted strength was still a far cry from Danya's, and Akira only made it halfway up before she began to fall, now with no ground to land on. And no matter how much she tried to grab onto the broken concrete wall, her fingers failed to gain purchase.
Until she felt a firm grip on her right hand, and she seized it.
"I got you, Akira," Danya said, breathless.
Danya was clinging onto the side of the pit wall with one hand buried in the rock like it was soft clay. The other held Akira's hand, which Akira desperately squeezed in return. Even though Akira's shoulder throbbed under the strain, it was a negligible ache.
It was at that moment that Akira realized the earthquake had stopped.
With stability restored, it only took a few seconds for Danya to get both of them back to safety; that is, she simply threw Akira up and out of the hole before climbing out herself. While Akira's tumbling landing wouldn't win her any gymnastics awards, she managed to stand with ease and quell the concerns of the civilian witnesses.
"There wasn't a better way to get me back up here?" Akira asked once Danya rejoined her.
Danya shrugged. "That was definitely the fastest, wasn't it?"
Akira's retort was put on hold when the civilians began to surround them, each offering fervent thanks and impassioned blessings. Akira awkwardly nodded in gratitude—she didn't do much, after all, and she arrived late.
In contrast, Danya seemed strangely out of her element as she stared at everyone with wide-eyed confusion, an odd reaction for a former goddess. Akira supposed Danya didn't make much sense to begin with, and Akira simply entertained herself by watching Danya's overwhelmed uncertainty to the boisterous cheering.
The celebration was so loud, in fact, that nobody heard the ominous cracking of rocks until it was too late.
Fear returned in full force when the booming sound of stone hitting stone interrupted their joy. The large sculpture in the entryway had cracked about two stories above its base, and it was falling directly towards the main path.
Akira's next thoughts were drowned out by the ensuing panic. The civilians scrambled to get out of the way, and while some could shelter in the stores on the side, most of the space was already occupied by people or supplies, forcing everyone else to sprint to safety along the long walkway.
But not everyone could escape in time. Dozens of people had been injured by the unnatural earthquake, and most couldn't do more than crawl. Akira rushed to grab those closest to her to pull them to the side, but she only made it a few steps before her own legs gave out without warning. Not only had her booster been depleted, but her body was as well, finally feeling the strain of overexertion. The most she could was hunker down with the people closest to her, hoping that if anyone could make it out alive, it would at least be one of them.
Then, as the panicked commotion continued, the sounds of crashing rocks stopped. And Akira was still in one piece.
She lifted her head slowly, her confusion matching the expressions of those around her as they did the same. But as soon as one civilian returned Akira's gaze, then looked past her in shock, Akira knew exactly what had happened.
Behind her was Danya, her arms above her head as she struggled to hold up the long mass of stone. But upon closer inspection, it was more than just that. While one of her hands held up the marble sculpture, the other balanced one of the decorative pillars, most likely preventing a chain reaction akin to oversized dominos.
While Akira stared at her, speechless, Danya turned to her with a strained expression.
"Clear?" she yelled through gritted teeth.
Akira didn't need to be asked twice. While her body felt like she just ran a marathon, she forced herself to keep moving, dragging people out of the way as she cleared a path. Thankfully, some of the able-bodied aid workers caught on to her intentions, and they quickly stepped forward to assist.
Once they were done, Danya lowered the pillars with a heavy grunt, the stones spanning the width of five store fronts. Yet Danya appeared as if she had done nothing more strenuous than a light gym workout, panting slightly as she stared at the hundred-ton dumbbells she just lifted.
"My dear, you are an angel," a voice said. It was the former space mechanic, and she hobbled over to Danya with the help of another volunteer. "I don't know who sent you, but they gave you a gift. They gave you the power to save us—to save the world. And you have done just that."
When the woman reached a hand out, Danya merely stared at it, eyes wide and expression blank. And after a few long seconds, she hesitantly took it.
"We'll never forget what you did for us," the woman said tearfully. "Thank you. Thank you so much."
After a few more civilians approached Danya to deliver their thanks, Akira brought up the rear.
"Good work," Akira said between heavy breaths. "Seems like you made the team."
But instead of a sarcastic comeback, Danya only replied with silence. Her gaze slowly traveled from the columns of stone lying in the walkway to her right, then to the massive sinkhole on her left, before finally landing on her hand that the civilians shook.
"Danya..." Akira began, not sure what to say when she had no idea what the woman was thinking. "Is... Are you okay?"
For a moment, Danya was still. And then, all at once, she was not.
First, she clenched her fist and let out a fierce yell, her hoarse voice still managing to send a low tremor through Akira's bones. Next, she leapt across the sinkhole, landing easily beside the remains of the marble column and the broken sand sculpture that wrapped around it. And then, with another strangled yell, she began to launch a barrage of attacks on it, slowly chipping away at the stone with each punch she threw.
"Captain!"
Akira turned to see Jivan, Elodie, and Navin running towards her. While they were a little dirtied and ruffled, none of them seemed seriously injured.
"We heard the crashing during the earthquake, but we couldn't move," Jivan said, their eyes focused on Danya. "What the hell did she do?"
"Nothing," Akira said, knowing she didn't have nearly enough time or energy to explain, especially when she didn't even know the whole story herself.
"Really?" Jivan asked, incredulous. "Because it looks like she'll create another sinkhole if she keeps this up."
"Really," Akira said, but when she glanced back at Danya for a moment, she wasn't quite sure what to think anymore. "Look, I'll talk to her, okay? Just let me talk to her."
When the others didn't argue, Akira turned back towards Danya. While there was no way Akira could make the same twenty-meter jump, there was a narrow path around the sinkhole about a quarter meter wide. With the rest of the team watching her every move, Akira hurried towards it, pushing her aching body to keep moving. If she failed, she knew her team would take matters into their own hands, and there was no telling how Danya or the city would fare.
The journey around the hole was treacherous, and Akira nearly fell every time her vision spun. By the time she finally made it across, her surroundings were a constant dim haze, and the throbbing pain in her legs were replaced by a neutral numbness.
Danya was still attacking the marble column, her relentless fists digging a large crater in solid stone. Her face was alight with furious rage, and her jaw was clenched so tightly that even her neck muscles were visibly taut. Over the sound of chipping rocks, Akira could barely hear Danya grunting with each hit.
Until there was a brief break in the punches, and Akira could hear the sound clearly for what it really was: a broken sob.
As Danya's attacks picked up again, Akira remembered her rampage on Base and her brief moment of anguish within it. She had been hurt over Verus Rex's betrayal, but there had to be more to it than just that.
Akira struggled to think through the fog settling over her mind, forcing herself to remember what could possibly have set Danya off this time. She had seemed fine, or at least her version of normal, when she caught the pillars from falling. She had seemed shocked when the former mechanic had thanked her, and when all of the other civilians followed suit, and when Akira approached her after. But other than that...
And then, Akira remembered: "I don't know who sent you, but they gave you a gift." The older woman had told Danya that, not realizing she was alluding to Verus Rex.
Akira slowly approached Danya, ensuring to stay in her line of sight. Even though Danya made no indication that she noticed Akira's presence, too focused on demolishing the stone before her, the view of her face could at least provide Akira some warning if Danya decided to change targets. But even when Akira was only a couple meters away, Danya's fury still hadn't changed.
"Danya," Akira said softly, then closed her eyes for a moment in an attempt to stave away her growing headache. "Danya, can we talk?"
Judging by Danya's continued barrage of punches, Akira's proposal didn't interest her.
"Danya..." Akira repeated, then paused when her vision momentarily spun. "I'm sorry...for what Verus Rex did to you."
Suddenly, Danya froze, and when her furious glare turned to Akira, Akira realized she was completely defenseless.
So she was both relieved and disappointed when Danya refocused on her marble punching bag, her attacks steadily increasing in intensity. As much as Akira wanted to stop her, she couldn't die just yet, and she preferred a plan that didn't end up with her getting killed or seriously injured.
Before Akira could come up with a new strategy, Danya stopped on her own. With one fist still buried in the stone, she glared at it in silence. A few seconds later, the anger melted from her face, washed off by a wave of raw despair. And with another broken sob, Danya fell to her hands and knees, letting tears rain from her hanging head onto shards of marble.
Akira eased herself into a one-knee kneel out of both solidarity and necessity for her wavering vision. She was prepared to evade an attack if necessary, but Danya remained still.
"Danya..." Akira said again, but she was at a loss over what to say next.
Words of comfort wouldn't heal her pain. Promises of change would be potential lies. Any show of empathy would be empty, and sympathy would be shunned.
So, in a moment of either bravery or insanity, Akira reached out a tentative hand and brushed her fingers over Danya's.
When Danya's fingers twitched and her sobs cut off into abrupt silence, Akira was belatedly worried about the fate of her sacrificed left hand. But her fears of lost limbs were quelled when Danya slowly lifted her head, her pain-filled gaze meeting Akira's. And when she lowered her eyes again, her focus landed on where Akira's hand met her own.
"I've never been on land before," Danya whispered, her voice hoarse. "Besides Pali Uli...I never saw the world up close, not with my own eyes."
The admission shocked Akira, partially because of its timing but also because of the realization that came with it. While it made sense that the bodyguard for someone who never left Concordia would also be forced to stay in the country, Akira hadn't registered that their mission would be the first time Danya would experience the outside world. Even though there weren't many places left that would offer a better first impression of life on land, Akira could have at least tried to mentally prepare Danya for what she should expect to see.
But the past couldn't be changed; not by Akira, at least.
"But you can see it now," Akira said, struggling to keep her voice steady as her breaths began to shorten. "With us."
For a few seconds, Danya said nothing. Eventually, she raised her head again, and the pain in her eyes was replaced by stiff stoicism.
"Tell me the truth," Danya said. "Is it like this everywhere else? Has it always been like this?"
Akira knew better than to lie, especially over something like this.
"Sort of," Akira said, her fingers unintentionally twitching over Danya's as visions of destruction flashed through her memory. "Some places are better, but others are worse."
Thankfully, Danya didn't react to Akira's sudden movement. In fact, she didn't react to Akira's admission at all except for a subtle twitch between her eyebrows.
"But you can help us save it," Akira continued, desperately trying to keep her mind working. "That's what we're trying to do, what we've been trying to do. And we may be struggling now, but...I think you can change things."
"I wasn't made to save," Danya finally replied, her voice even softer than before. Her eyes slowly traveled upwards, landing on the large crater she made in the marble. "He made me to destroy."
As much as Akira wanted to say she hadn't destroyed anything, the extensive damage back at Base said otherwise. Plus, Akira had no idea what Danya did while she was with Verus Rex, and she wasn't sure she wanted to find out.
"You don't have to do what he wants," Akira said. "Not anymore. Danya, you saved lives today. And you can keep doing that. We can keep doing this."
At Akira's last statement, Danya turned back towards her with a new expression on her face. Akira couldn't tell exactly what it meant: surprise maybe, or perhaps confusion, or maybe something else entirely.
But before either of them could say anything else, Akira's world went black.
It came back to life in an instant, except now her vision was filled with the marble-dusted ground. She had keeled over at some point, with her right forearm completely flush against the floor and her entire body engulfed by an aching fire. Her left hand felt Danya's fingers under her own once more, but now with an additional pressure—Danya was holding her hand in return. But before Akira could dwell on it longer, a wave of nausea hit her, and Akira could only focus on clamping her mouth shut.
When her queasiness ebbed, shuddering chills took its place. A cold sweat suddenly enveloped her body, and Akira could vaguely hear a strained whimper escaping her lips. Eventually, even hunching over was too much effort, and all of her limbs gave out at once, sending her tumbling onto her side.
Her skin felt like ice while her muscles were on fire. Her vision alternated rapidly between darkened edges and blinding lights. Every short breath left her gasping for air, and her brain felt like a weighted cloud, pounding against the inside of her skull in an attempt to escape. One second, she was staving off nausea; the next, her tongue tasted nothing but blood.
Suddenly, she heard a strangled shout; it took her a moment to realize it was her.
After that, everything flashed through her mind in a convoluted blur. She felt the solid ground against her back and pressure pressing and lifting randomly over her body. She saw blurry faces darting in and out of her vision, her mind too occupied to determine who was who. She heard voices yelling, but she couldn't tell which ones were from her.
And then she couldn't breathe. She couldn't stop shaking and she couldn't breathe, no matter how many inhales she took. So the next time darkness crept in from the edges of her vision, she let it, feeling the pain lift from her body with a wave of numb nothingness.
Sic Parvis Magna: Greatness from Small Beginnings