Heart Like a Machine

Chapter 78

We headed back to the base to reinstall GAIA. While we were heading back, we got into contact with the others to let them know that HEPHAESTUS was finally captured after the many failed attempts. The others were heading our way to celebrate our victory together. When we reached the base, Kotallo and Erend helped get the container back inside. When it was back in the room, Beta and Aloy headed in to restore GAIA into where she was before. We all came together in the main part of the base and started to celebrate. While we were just starting, there was a knock on the base's door. I walked over and opened it up to see it was Sylens.

"Sylens?" I asked.

"I see you have prevailed on the capture of HEPHAESTUS."

"Yes, we have," I said with caution.

"I know Aloy and I haven't been on the best of terms, but it was I who helped her defeat HADES."

"More like make it run off to where you were so you could capture it. And then torment it to get its knowledge it has."

"More or less," he said. "That's certainly one way of putting it."

"There has to be another reason as to why you're here, Sylens. You don't usually show up out of the blue."

"It has been at least sixteen years since you had stopped Nemesis. Word has traveled around even from where I went about you having a child."

"Yes," I said slowly.

"I had never seen your child."

"It was a good reason why we didn't let you. And it was also because you left right after Nemesis was defeated."

"In pursuit of knowledge."

"What do you want, Sylens? You're not getting anywhere near GAIA if that's what you're truly here for."

"You got me, you read me like a book."

"Goodbye, Sylens," I said and started to walk to the door.

"May I please just spend a little time with Aloy? We have some catching up we need to do."

"If you try anything, you know both of our spears will be in your neck."

"Why would I try to do something funny when all of your friends are in there. I'm not an idiot, Y/N," he said and followed in after me.

When I walked in with Sylens, the entire room went quiet.

"Look who just crashed the party," Erend said.

"Sylens, what are you doing here?" Aloy asked.

"I wanted to enjoy the festivities on your victory of capturing HEPHAESTUS."

"Right," she nodded. "It's definitely not the Sylens I know. You just showed up out of the blue. There has to be something else that you want."

"Actually," Slyens looked over at Lis. "There is."

"What do you want with her?" Var asked, standing in front of Lis.

"Is that your child?" Sylens asked me.

"That's our child," Aloy said.

"You two had a child together?"

"Yes."

"How was that possible?"

"Wouldn't you like to know, Sylens," Aloy said.

"I would."

"Why would we tell you?" I asked. "What are you going to do with that information?"

"Just hold on to it, for safekeeping."

"After what you did, I can't trust you with any kind of knowledge," Aloy got in his face. "Now you can leave without you losing your life here."

Sylens looked around to see everyone was ready for a fight. He nodded, knowing he had no power here. He turned around and walked towards the door.

"However, I did bring something for your child."

"Being?" Aloy asked.

Lis walked out from behind Var and walked upto Sylens.

"Lis," I said, trying to grab her wrist.

She walked past me and walked towards Sylens.

"What do you want with me?" she asked.

"You're named after Elisabet Sobeck, am I correct?"

"Yes. Why?"

"I'm going to take a guess on your mothers didn't tell you about Elisabet. About you?"

"They told me everything I need to know. There's nothing else that I need to know. So if you're going to be a thorn in everyone's side, I suggest you leave. You have overstayed your welcome the minute you showed up at the door."

"Here," he pulled out something and handed it to Lis. "For your travels."

He walked out the door and Lis turned towards us.

"I gotta say, you definitely have your mother's quick witted tongue," I chuckled to Lis.

"What did he give you?"

It looked like a small container of the sorts. Aloy tapped her Focus and scanned it. It looked like one of the overrides that she has on the end of her spear.

"There's something else to it," I said, tapping my Focus. 

There was a small explosive attached to it.

"Lis!" I grabbed it and ran out of the base.

"Y/N!" Aloy yelled after me.

I ran out and the timer was ticking down. I looked to see Slyens was out of sight. I quickly closed the door and enabled the gene lock code to ensure he didn't get in. I ran as far as I could from the base, throwing the explosive to who knows where. It went off and I let out a sigh, heading back towards the base. When I climbed up to the door, Sylens was sitting there.

"I would have thought that worked."

"You tried to kill us."

"No, I tried to kill your child."

"Why would you even attempt to do such a thing?"

"She is a threat to the world."

"A threat to the world? Or a threat to you?"

"Think about it, Y/N. She was made from the DNA of both your original and Aloy. She's the daughter of a clone and a dead woman who is now reborn as a clone. What do you think will happen when word gets out."

"And what are you going to do? Spread it?"

"Maybe. But you did it with Old World technology. Think of what people are going to do if they figure out you made a child without using the 'normal' ways of creating a child."

"What are you getting on about, Sylens?"

"What I'm saying is, people might come after GAIA so that they could do the same or bring back a loved one. You better protect GAIA now."

"Well it's behind a gene locked door. No one who's genes are not within the code are not getting in," I said.

"You don't know that," he said and walked away.

I sighed and headed back inside with the others.