Antumbra - A Lost Cause

Yet Again - Chapter Twenty

"Looks like she's ready to pass out, now," Cassius said, watching Arva lay down on the seat via the camera mounted on the dashboard. "Just as well, it'll be a while. I'm half tempted to catch some winks myself."

"They deserve it," Marcus commented, "for ones so young, they handled this situation remarkably well, especially her."

"How did talks with your favourite go?" Asked Cassius, pointing to Arva on the screen.

"I decided to wait on making the offer," said Marcus, "I can feel she doesn't fully trust us, and I didn't want to risk closing her off by pressing matters."

"You're far too soft," Cassius smiled.

"I'd rather have her as an ally than an unwilling participant," Marcus retorted, "these matters require delicacy. She's far too young and far too minded to be pushed around like one of your grunts," he chuckled to himself, "She's a better pilot as well."

"Hey now," Cassius seemed to take offense to the last comment, "all she did before blacking out was chokeslam an immobile target-"

"With zero Argonaut training and while under extreme emotional stress," Marcus pointed out, "so either that Argonaut is more sophisticated than the technicians let on, or there's something more to her than there appears to be."

"I wouldn't be surprised if there's a bit of both," Cassius leaned on the inside of the door, keeping an eye on the monitor, "they haven't been able to break it, and we've tried every code combination on record. We could try cutting it, but that seems like a waste."

"And no one can move it?" Marcus asked.

"Not an inch," answered Cassius, "it's like it's fighting us, apparently when they pulled her out it moved back to a standing pose and locked up. Stiff as a board."

"Unusual," Marcus said, "perhaps it's protesting?"

"I beg your pardon?" Cassius said.

"The Antumbra is a very old Argonaut," Marcus explained, "and it has documented use."

"When was it recommissioned?" Asked Cassius.

"It wasn't," Marcus said, sighing through his nose, "it was listed as destroyed in combat, the original- and until yesterday- only pilot KIA. Everything in that Argonaut is as it was the day it was built. Serial numbers on all components match."

"So how was she able to move it?" Asked Cassius, visibly surprised, "if it has the original nervous system it can't be controlled by anyone but the original wearer."

"And yet, she did," Marcus' gaze narrowed as he contemplated these facts, "and on pure instinct." The girl was certainly not a thousand years old, nor did she even have the possibility of shared lineage, but the machine accepted her. Marcus allowed himself a smile.

"Uh oh," Cassius said, "I know that look," he likewise turned the corners of his mouth, flipping his gaze back to the monitor, "you want to see what else she can do?"

"Very much so," Marcus admitted, "think about it, an ancient sentinel of a bygone era re-emerges at the turning point of history. What's more, it's helmed by one of the downtrodden, a person of unremarkable standing. A true champion of the people. How apropos."

"Your champion snores," Cassius laughed, pointing at the monitor and Arva's sounds of sleep. He perked up as he got an idea, "hey, slam on the brakes real quick, it'll be funny!"

"Don't be cruel," Marcus said, "you're going to want this one on your side when things start moving more quickly. We've tipped the first domino," he let out a long sigh, "let's see what else will come tumbling down..."