Kira

Chapter 5. Truth

The alarms blaring weren't enough to pull Kira away from her desolation. Spidery webs of anguish froze her in place. A cold wave of horror circulated through her body as she stared into the milky, soulless eyes of the Armored Lady.

She floated in suspension, her nudity exposed. Nearly every inch of her flesh was riddled with incisions that had been sewn shut. Each one covered hundreds of scars that decorated her pallid skin. Dozens of bullet wounds littered her flesh, puckered round scars scattering her body. Several of her tendrils had been shorn off at various intervals.

Her claws were uneven, as if they had been cut at different times. Even some of her delicate scalloped crest, identical to Kira's, had been left unscathed. Parts had been sliced off entirely, leaving a jagged, uneven landscape. Not even her mouth was left intact, with a mandible missing and her tongue missing one of its forked tips.

What Kira had the most challenging time coming to terms with, however, was her swollen middle. Her belly was slightly rounded and deflated. Kira's heart thundered in her chest as she attempted to piece together the fate of this pregnant female of her kind.

Who was she? Where had she come from? And why did Paya bring Kira here?

She placed her hand on the tank, wanting to be closer to the woman inside. Something tugged at her heartstrings as she absorbed every detail of the Armored Lady, a continual presence in her life. It was unsettling seeing her devoid of her glorious armor and warm yellow eyes.

Eyes that had gazed upon her with love and motherly pride. She had given Kira a companionship Dr. Torres could never give her. Being a human, Dr. Torres could not fill that gap, nor did she seem like she could. While the doctor was her adoptive mother, she would never replace her birth mom. There wasn't that special connection. Not once had she ever felt it. Kira thought fondly of Dr. Torres, but she was also one of the people holding the reins to her life.

But looking at the Armored Lady, the real one suspended in this strange tank, she felt strangely warm.

She hissed in frustration, spinning on her heel to leave the room. Nothing made sense, and she needed to find her equipment. This alarm was the perfect distraction to get her stuff and find answers.

Kira quickly returned through the way Paya led her until she was in the central stairwell. She looked up to the levels above, only to stop at the sight of warped railing three floors up. It looked like someone had pushed down on it with tremendous strength that shouldn't have been possible, at least for a human. Instinctual alarm bells told her to stay away from that floor and return to her usual level.

At least there, she could suit up and grab a few things before ultimately getting the fuck out of here with the Armored Lady's corpse. She could find somewhere to give her a proper burial, one that she deserved.

The stairwell echoed with the blaring alarm, muffling her footsteps as she raced up the stairs. Her quick pace made the walk quicker than usual. It was also expedited from the base, now mostly devoid of people. Soon, she was barreling through the door to her apartment and racing down the hall.

Kira changed out of her casual clothing and into her black bodysuit, zipping up the legs once inside it. Over that, she strapped on the heavy Kevlar vest before layering on her chest plate and accompanying armored pieces that protected the vulnerable parts of her body. She grabbed her mask, strapped it on her head, and bolted back to the central stairwell with her favorite sword.

Again, she was surrounded by the blare of the alarms echoing through the concrete stairwell. She ignored the sound and raced up the stairs.

When she reached the landing with the damaged railing, she paused at the sight of the heavy metal door hanging on a hinge. A massive dent bent it out of shape. Droplets of water trailed down to the floor, and from there she noticed large wet puddles leading through the door.