Metal Poison: Restless Absolution

Chapter 4

[Seeing the sun hanging in the sky as I flew high above the ground didn't feel as good today. I gritted my teeth. I was driven and determined. As I left the airspace of Blazer Alpha, my comms were restored and I instantly received a call from the General. He looked angry and worried at the same time.]

Pracht: There you are Scorpion, you're the only one I can get a hold of. What the hell is happening over there?

Scorpion: General, is my infusion ready?

[The General was about to tell me off for a lack of respect, but he could see the emotion on my face through the video and the grimness in my voice.]

Pracht: Er... yes, soldier. We can begin right away when you arrive. I still expect an explanation.

Scorpion: They're all dead, all except Morpho Wolf who betrayed us. He had an accomplice named Carbon Chain. I don't know their motivations or plans or where they went. It seems like they're collecting infusions from other Blazers, which seems why they let me live.

[I could tell that Pratt looked uncomfortable when I mentioned Carbon Chain. Perhaps it wasn't the first time he heard that name.]

Pracht: Well, in that case, you're not getting infused at all. We can risk losing our last Blazer to these... these terrorists!

[I could feel the anger wash over my face. I hope the General can feel the physical manifestation of ire burning through his skull after that comment.]

Scorpion: With all due respect sir, this is not an optional procedure. I need to go after them.

Pracht: And who says you're going anywhere? There are no more other Blazers left. You're the last one we have. You need to be on the front lines fighting, and that's an order.

Scorpion: But sir, this is not something we can take lightly-

Pracht: I've heard enough about this. From what I can tell, Morpho is screwing off to wherever probably to take out the rest of the Blazers of the world. Not our problem. This conversation is over.

[The video call ends abruptly and I slam my fist into the drone, causing it to wobble slightly in its flight.]

Scorpion: Dammit!

[I was nearing HQ. There were technicians on the standby to land me, and after I dismounted I was readily escorted into the base and to my quarters. On my way there, I saw Pracht walk by me. I glared at him, and I could see his frown widen at the sight of me. After I was placed in my quarters, the door was locked behind me and Pracht walked up to the window and spoke through an intercom.]

Pracht: I know how you're feeling, Scorpion. But this is not something we can risk. We still have people to protect, and now our jobs have just become a lot harder. Without Cryo, it's going to take even longer to recruit new Blazers. I'm confining you to your quarters until we ship you off to the southern front tomorrow. Don't forget who you vowed to protect.

[He walked away and I laid back in my bed. Looking up at the ceiling I noticed a vent in my room.]

Scorpion: (Oh, don't worry General, I remember my vow).

[I waited and rested for the next several hours until it was nighttime. Most of the staff were off duty at this point and I sat up. I was getting that infusion one way or another. I had remembered seeing a strange room before when I was first at HQ. It had an operating table, but unlike the one I was born on, this room had a strange machine that hung from the ceiling. My guess was that was the infusion machine. But I would need to find Cryo's office first and hopefully figure out how to operate that thing. After the next patrol passed by my room, I decided to spring into action. It seems I had about thirty minutes to act until the next patrol came and possibly noticed that I was missing from my room. I approached the window and peered around the hall as best as I could to make sure there was nobody nearby. Standing on my bed, I flung my tail blade at the vent, opening it before using it to lift myself up into the vent. Hopefully, I wasn't too heavy, though I definitely was almost too big to fit in. The vent creaked and thundered as I made my way through it, causing me to wince hoping that I hadn't alerted anyone with the noise. I decided to drop out the nearest vent outside of my room as it was just not going to be feasible for me to travel through the vents. I quietly lowered myself from the ventilation system into a hallway and got my bearings.]