Heart Like a Machine

Chapter 91

"Seems someone has been scurring around," Londra said and walked over to me.

I was slumped in a corner of the room I was in and my breathing was now becoming painful. My left eye was still swollen shut and it hurt to move my right as it was also bruising over.

"Who could have guessed," I spat.

"What did you tell her?"

"I didn't tell her anything. She's just smarter than you."

"Preposterous. No one is smarter than I."

"I'd like to see you try to one up her."

"I know I can. Now, one last time. What is Aloy planning and what are you planning?"

"I have nothing to tell you. You're not getting a single piece of information from me."

"I was able to get Aloy's name out of you, didn't I?"

"Only by making me hallucinate and feel like she was here to get me."

"And I will do it again if by all means necessary."

"You're going to have to do more than that to get me to talk!"

"Oh don't worry. I am fully aware of the steps I need to take to get you to talk. I will get you to talk. I don't care if it takes hours or weeks to get you to break, I will break you like the glass you are!"

I spat at his feet before looking up at him, "Then break me. Break every bone in my body until I am pleading for mercy. Break me down, break down my mind to where I am nothing but a shell of the person I once was. Go on!" I yelled, laughing. "You've already hurt my body. What's hurting me more?"

"I can break your body without a doubt, but it's the body that can recover quickly and in a timely manner. It's the mind that people have to worry about. You see," he paced in front of me.

"The mind is strong, yet it is very delicate. Once the mind is brought into question of morals and values, things start to differ from one another. Some people think alike while no one thinks alike. And the slightest amount of discord comes from opposing views. Those views are strong, yet weak to those who oppose one another. While it can take years for one to learn something new, the body learns something new almost instantly. It's only a matter of time before the mind breaks down when it is presented with new information that it cannot withstand and understand."

"So what? You're going to use MSP on me? Good luck."

"Oh I will use MSP on you, but in a different manner. You see, while the mind is strong and yet delicate, there is something even stronger and more delicate than the mind: trust. Trust is hard to earn yet so easily broken. And I intend to break you down in any means and any way necessary, even if I have to use inhuman methods that go against values and morals."

He walked out of the room and Nova appeared once more.

"You know what to do, Nova."

"Yes, Walter."

I let out a sigh as Nova hovered in front of me, the same blinding light appeared. However, I wasn't treated to the same video he played over and over again, making my mind numb. No, he was ready for this. The entire surroundings changed to where I was back at home, my home with Aloy and Beta.

Everything was the same. The waves were crashing down onto the beaches and our mounts were humming as the sun started to set. Standing by the front door of the house, I reached down and opened it up, walking inside to find it was now the base. Scanning around, I tried to find where Aloy and Beta were, but they weren't anywhere in sight.

"Aloy?"

"Why did you come back?"

Turning, she walked out of the shared bedroom we had when my mother came to join us at the base.

"W-What do you mean, Aloy?"

"Why did you come back here?"

"T-This is where I belong, Aloy."

"Not anymore you don't."

"Are you even listening to yourself?"

"Are you?"

"Aloy, what has gotten into you?"

"What has gotten into you? Going AWOL and fighting alongside Regalla. Do you know how hard it is to fight her already? Now you joined her ranks and fighting against me, fighting against everything I worked so hard to get."

This is just Londra trying to get into my mind. I shook my head, trying to get myself out of whatever hallucination he was trying to show me. I know Aloy. This wasn't her. He's just trying to get my defenses down because I trust her. He was going to have to try harder than that. But would she say something like this if I went behind her back?

"This is just like the time you joined the Shadow Carja and fought with Helis and HADES rather than try to help me. You were the enemy to Meridian and it will always show whenever you try to enter the city. No one will welcome you back there and it's all because you joined them willingly."

"You know that's not the truth, Aloy. I was forced to join them. I didn't go there willingly. And me joining Regalla, I would never. While you were out in the Forbidden West risking your life, I was sitting here in the base doing absolutely nothing! I wanted to be out there with you, helping you get ready for whatever fight we had to face. But you didn't see how badly I wanted to be with you. I get you grew up an outcast and are not the best with social interactions, but you've gotten better over the years. I don't know if it was because I helped you or what not."

"You didn't do anything to help me," she sneered.

"Aloy," I whispered.

"You were just a hinderance to me. You were holding me back from getting what I needed to get done. You were holding me back and look what happened. You gave your life trying to play the hero. This is what happens when you step out of line and out of your role."

"This isn't some kind of storybook where we have roles. Sure you can consider yourself to be the hero, but there can be more than one hero in every story. And don't pretend that isn't true. Because while you are a hero to some, you are a villain in their story while they play the hero."

"You are delusional, Y/N."

Am I delusional?