Lastland AU: Lost Memory, Lost Time, Lost in Space

Unexpected Rescue

"Honestly, Irie, I don't get it," Strike finally said, sighing softly and shaking her head. Several weeks had passed since her last escape attempt (it wasn't the elevator, that was about halfway through her stint), and she still couldn't understand.

"Don't get what?" Irie's heartbeat sped up. They were talking about weaponry, so why did Strike sound tired? Wasn't that one of the only topics she didn't mind saying more than a few words about? Not today, it seemed.

Strike shrugged. "Guess I just never understood the thrill of it. We're only doing our duty." In specific, they talked about their battles.

"I thought you liked being rivals!" Irie sniffed, half-joking and half-serious. She was more stung by Strike's flippancy than she would've thought.

"I could enjoy parts of our engagements, but no, I certainly did not find it fun. It simply was what it was." Is it really our true identity if it is forced upon us? There is no glory in it, only fleeing entertainment. If Irie thinks otherwise, she is a fool.

Ouch. Irie bit her lip. I mean, fair point, but ouch!

"I mean, what are the odds anyone would even notice if you went missing on a battlefield?" Strike asked. It was a rhetorical question, but just like with Strike's remark about not particularly enjoying her rivalry with Irie, it cut deeper than Irie could've ever expected.

N-no! That's not what she meant at all! You know that! Irie accused herself, but still, the pain crept into her heart. No one would miss her... because this wasn't her timeline. No matter how much time passed, no matter how familiar it became, this still wasn't Iris and Storm, it was Irie and Strike.

Strike didn't seem to notice the impact her words had on Irie, but Irie never forgot, and as time dragged on and her attempts at waking up any part of Strike's memory kept failing, even after they were somewhat warmed up to each other, Irie slowly gave into despair. Would the timeline be healed if she vanished? She was the glitch, after all. And no one would miss her.

ooo

What the—?! Irie jolted awake as something slamming into the side of Notus. The fact that the starship shook told her immediately that it was an attack, not an accident. For a ship THIS big to move THAT much? Nah, if it was a natural disaster big enough to do that, we would've seen.

It made Irie laugh to say, but they were dealing with a UFO! She pushed open the curtains by her bunk and looked out the round window. It was a small pod sailing through the sky, even smaller ones attached to it. Inside was a trio of individuals no one in Notus would've known. Outer space was big, to say the least, and like shooting stars, people and aliens came and went. The latest trio was a father, his son, and his child.

"I'M GOIN' FIRST!" The smallest and youngest was first to leap from one of the smaller pods beneath the main pod.

"Lainey!" Their father cried out in exasperation, and their brother in worry, then their father turned to their brother. "Ivan, Go after them!"

"Yes, sir!" Ivan saluted, then sprinted to the airlock after his sibling. Igor watched them both soar through the sky disdainfully, scoffing.

Then he returned to the pilot seat and also unleashed a rogue robot, and a wild alien that was a tree-like entity with faces and masks hanging from every branch, each speaking to create the creature's voice. It was a bet between the three of them, who would be the fastest to destroy the ship? And why were they doing this? Just for fun, and because for Igor, it was an experiment...

Matthias called for an immediate evacuation since the robot and alien were set to attack and destroy the ship. The members of Notus fled to the escape pods, and upon Matthias' command, Luna led the charge. His long, white hair glowed and flowed like the light of his namesake.

"Come on!" He waved a long arm, and the others were quick to follow. The Space Rangers, though, ran towards the danger, Matthias in the lead.

"Come on, Rowdy, let's go!" Irie cried as she readied Titan and Fallon.

"Yes, ma'am!" The Rackus saluted her with xyr chicken foot, then flew after her into battle. They ran into two more Ranger-companion duos.

"Hey, Irie!" The first was Jessamyn, practically bouncing on her toes, brown eyes shining as she waved her Surge Cannon, Chargie. As its name suggested, it was a cannon that fired electric bolts. "Can't wait to fight beside you today!"

How DOES she do it? Irie chuckled. Those things were heavy! But even though Jess was slender and lithe, she was strong, taller than Irie.

"It's far from the first time, Jess," she told the younger woman. It was a guilty pleasure of hers, but everybody knew that Jess had something of a fangirl crush on Irie. In fact, her second weapon was a silver sword with large amethysts embedded in either side of the hilt. Predictably, she named it after her old mentor and hero. Her companion was a draconic-like alien, and it had metallic parts. Unlike Slag or Specs, though, Jess' companion more resembled a little dinosaur. She named it High Beam because of what its eyes could do.

The other Ranger racing beside her was Irie's first apprentice, Kingsley paced. While Jess was almost like an Irie mini-me, Kingsley was the opposite. He was anxious and cynical, brow furrowed as the three of them met up. Strapped to his waist was a black falchion similar to Strike's, which he named Shadow. His long-range weapon was a Laser Lance that he named Void. Following after him was a little, ugly, plant-like alien that resembled a Venus flytrap. Fittingly, Kingsley named him SWAT. It was a running gag among the three of them how often the shy, soft-spoken, boy found himself with the scariest of creatures, but he secretly attributed it to the fact that the scariest creatures that often longed for comfort the most.

"Nervous, Kingsley?" Irie couldn't help but tease. The only reason he was on the frontlines was because, as a hybrid like Irie—even down to purple eyes—he felt compelled, and Jess wanted any excuse to fight beside Irie. Together, they created an unintentional Ternary Principle. Irie was Blazar, Jess Astro, and Kinglsey Celestial. Their companions weren't quite so even, as Irie and Kinglsey's were Blazar, and Jess' Celestial.

They were split up during battle, though, the attacking robot hijacking the ship's AI and turning Notus itself against its Rangers. While the sirens and alarms blared and flashed, locking the ship down, Strike raced through the claustrophobic corridors, desperately seeking Irie. As a prisoner—and it was rare for Notus to have them—Strike was forgotten, released only when the robot's AI hijacked Notus'. The moment Strike was free, she found and released Slag, then they both went searching for Irie. Slag thought Strike was crazy, and kept trying to escape her, but Strike seethed against her companion any time it tried to suggest abandoning Irie.

I have to be sure she isn't still somewhere on this ship! Strike thought grimly, and her worst fears were realized when she nearly stumbled over a bloody, twisted body lying in the middle of one of the countless hallways. Kingsley, Jess, Rowdy, SWAT, and High Beam were gone.

"Irie!" Strike cried out to her, even though she knew Irie wouldn't respond. Without thinking, she knelt down to pick the unconscious girl up and carry her towards safety. Slag continued to roar and growl at her, but she ignored it, almost stepping on its tail in her haste to escape with Irie.

"Come on, Irie, stay with me!" she muttered, and Slag silently asked the questions about this unexpected rescue she didn't.

What's going on? Why's she asking? Since when does she care about Irie? Strike didn't know either. All she knew was she didn't want Irie to die.

AN: Princeton and Jessamine "Jess" are the protags of my Iris sequel stories, though Jess is far future, so Iris is just a legend to her by then.