[Original/Outdated]Honkai Impact: A Merc's Involvement

Chapter 20: Moving On

"Aww. It hurts when you speak my name is such a hurtful tone." Said the blonde girl who's name was now revealed to be Cocolia.

"Yeah so what? You deserve hate for the things you've done." Said Alex.

Cocolia sighed, having a somber look.

"Geez. I was expecting some hostility from you but not this much. Come on Alex. I'm sure you've learned by now to forgive and forget right? I miss you. Everyone at the Orphanage miss-."

"Shut the hell up! Just shut up!" Shouted Alex as the controlled dark Bronya immediately brought out Project Bunny as she held her arm and palm out towards Alex, pointing Project Bunny's cannon directly at him.

The air around the room was tense during this stand off.

"Back off Bronya my dear. Go back to guarding the 3rd Herrscher. I have this handled." Said Cocolia as Bronya nodded.

"Yes Matushka." Said Bronya as she dropped her arm and went back in front of Mei, resuming the guarding.

"Wait what'd you just say? 3rd Herrscher? The 3rd Herrscher is here?" Asked a confused Alex.

Him asking those questions received a suprised reaction from Cocolia before she simply chuckled and smiled.

"Oh you don't know? That's a shocker. I figured that they would've told you by now, considering the fact that you seem to get along quite well with those St. Freya girls." She said.

"What? Just cut to the chase already! What the hell is going on!?" Shouted Alex.

"Well, if you insist then here it is." She said as she cleared her throat. "That girl next to you, Mei Raiden, a girl you consider your friend, is the 3rd Herrscher. The Herrscher of Thunder.

Alex went eerily silent as he was in deep shock as he looked at Mei, as the girl looked away in shame.

"Mei's, a Herrscher? Wait............you said 3rd Herrecher, so that means........." Trailed off Alex.

"Yes your right Alex. That girl is the reasoning behind the Nagazora Outbreak. Let me explain. You see, this has been a plan of mine for the last 2 years already. I had initially wanted to capture Mei during the Nagazora incident when I had sent my dear Bronya to go retrieve her. Unfortunately that white haired brat and Major Himeko of St. Freya wound up putting a stop to my plan as well as having my Bronya defect to their side." She said.

"If Bronya defects then how the hell do you explain all this?" Asked Alex.

"It's simple really. I took a precautionary measure incase Bronya would have ever defect away from me, so I instead a mind control chip inside her brain. I just needed to wait for the right moment and then it came. That Wendy girl was one who I was meaning to take their core away for a while now. When I found out that St. Freya was sending Mei, Bronya, and the white haired brat to go retrieve her, I knew that it was my perfect opportunity. So, I activated the chip, took control of Bronya, knocked down the white haired brat, and took away Mei and Wendy. Now I'm finally gonna be in possession of two Herrscher cores once the procedures on both girls are complete." Explained Cocolia with a highly confident tone.

"Like hell that's gonna happen! I swear we're gonna get Mei and Wendy out of here and leave you empty handed!" Declared Alex.

Right as he said that, he once again had Project Bunny's cannon aimed at his head as the controller Bronya held her arm out toward him.

"Listen to me Alex my dear. I'm giving you two options. One ends in you living, and the other ends with your death. If you choose to try and help the St. Freya girls thwart my plan, then I'll simply have my dear Bronya kill you right here on the spot. If you instead offer to help me, I'll let you walk away once this is all over." Said Cocolia laying her offer down.

As Alex heard this, he kept quiet for a while after this.

Normally, Alex would've immediately chosen his own life over anything else, but, in his thought he repeated the same six words over and over in his head.

'Separate what's right from what's wrong. Separate what's right from what's wrong. Separate what's right from what's wrong.' He thought to himself constantly, before he finally took a deep breathe and answered.

"I'd rather be twisted in knots and be sent three feet underground in the living depths of hell than work for a hag like you." Said Alex.

"H-Hag!? How dare you talk to me that way! I'm the one that gave you shelter!" Shouted Cocolia.

"That's exactly the problem! Your orphanage is really just an experimentation grounds for Anti-Entropy and the kids there are your subjects! That night before I left, I found about all about the incident that happened months before I left. You had an experiment called X-10. The aftermath caused Bronya to lose use of her legs and her emotions as well as making a girl named Seele Vollerei pratically dissapear from existence! She's been missing for two to three years already! All because of your wretched experiment! And to think that you were planning to have me take the same experiment just two days later if I hadn't left!" Shouted Alex back at Cocolia.

"S-So what if you found out about it by just reading some papers!? You don't know the real truth since you weren't there! That wasn't supposed to happen it was an accident! Alex please! I ensure you that nothing bad would've happened to you!" Pleaded Cocolia.

"Whether it was an accident or not, it doesn't take away from the experiment turned Bronya's entire life upside down! Even though you were the first to provide me a home and shelter, even though I do miss spending time with the twins, I'll never ever be under your care again! Not after what you've done! I've moved on from you, lived in a much better orphanage home with a genuine care taker for two years, and now I'm perfectly fine living on my own. Let me repeat and make myself very clear! We will get Mei and Wendy out of here, and leave you with absolutley nothing!"

The controlled Bronya kicked Alex down as she knocked over the chair.

Alex fell onto his side as Bronya pinned him down, the cannon aimed extremely close as on the hologram, he could see Cocolia seething with anger.

"I gave you chance but fine, have it your way!" She shouted before calming herself down. "Bronya my dear, make quick work of him and go back to guarding the 3rd Herrscher."

The hologram went away as Project Bunny began to charge up, Alex seeing what will end his life in just a few seconds, but he simply smiled and closed his eyes.

'Well, here we go.' He thought to himself.

Then, before his head got blasted, the entrance to the lab got destroyed, as Kiana had arrived just in time.

Chapter 20: Complete