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“Dante,” she called out, unable to think of anything else.
He didn’t answer. She sighed. For once, she was the one waiting for him. She could hear Loir’s voice from far away, playing with his new bots, and all the hackers, too busy hitting back at the Core’s robots and people. It sounded like her getting injured had pushed all teams to get there even faster, but those in the south were experiencing major setbacks. She closed her eyes, leaning against the wall and trying to fight the urge to pass out. Focusing on the constant feed of voices helped, so she did that instead. Nebty was coordinating the attack on the System, which was apparently going as planned so far. Michael and Tanya were trying to blow through a building to force their way deeper inside the Core, while Old Man Long and Joaquin had apparently split ways to spread out the fight instead of allowing the Core to control it. They all knew the Core wasn’t prepared to fight on their own ground, and couldn’t use weapons too large within their streets with their own population watching from behind their windows. The sirens were getting louder, deafening even. Eden could hear machines coming from all sides to fight them now. They had probably realized this was a serious and coordinated attack that would require them to mobilize their entire army’s strength. What was meant to be a bolt-like attack was turning into an all-out war.
“There! She’s hiding behind the wall! Only one rebel woman spotted! Shoot her down!”
Eden opened her eyes. What rebel were they talking about? She realized she was still in her Ghost appearance. They probably thought she was one of their people that had suddenly gone rogue to help the Suburbs… She sighed and rolled her eyes.
“I’m coming!” shouted Loir. “Nobody touches my Kitty! Now you’ve done it! I’m going to attack you all like the small little fried squid you are!”
Eden chuckled. Somehow, a part of her brain that wasn’t dealing with the pain found relief in Loir’s antics. She heard shots being fired right after his words, and only thought of hiding the best she could without realizing those were coming from the other side of the building, not in her direction. She sighed.
Steps were heading toward her. She grabbed the gun again, hoping to be able to hold on for a while longer. She was a fighter, but her body had its limits no matter how far she pushed them. Eden was in automatic mode, and she was prepared to shoot at anything that appeared on her right. Her eyes were set in that direction, trying hard not to close them and ready to fire.
A silhouette appeared, and she shot.
The gun somehow left her hand, and she felt herself fall into someone’s embrace. She looked up. Dante smirked, with blood coming down from his temple.
“Sorry I’m late,” he muttered. “…I didn’t think you’d be this mad.”
“I injured you…”
“It’s alright. Circé, how long?”
“Just a couple of minutes. It’s just the anesthetics knocking her out for now. She’ll be back in no time.”
Eden did feel strange, mostly numb. She was aware of being in Dante’s embrace somehow, but she could only focus on one thing at a time. Right now, it was the blood coming from his temple, and dripping slowly onto her chest. Thankfully, the wound was superficial. It had grazed him, deep enough to cut him and make him bleed a bit, but it was already drying by itself, and the Tiger didn’t seem to care at all either.
The sounds of the fight seemed like they were coming from behind a wall. Eden was surrounded by Circé and Dante, and they were keeping her hidden against the wall while the little medical unit was doing its job. The small robot looked like a strange spider on her arm, spraying painkillers while cauterizing and stitching the wound quickly. Eden had only ever seen one of those on an online auction, and she knew how valuable they were. Perhaps about as much as a Part. She wondered how many of those the Zodiacs had brought to the fight.
She heard Dante sigh and put a kiss on her head.
“I really don’t like it when you’re where I can’t see you…”
“Sorry…” muttered Eden.
She wouldn’t have mumbled an apology if she wasn’t half groggy and having a hard time keeping up with the conversation. Eden was enjoying this short-lived peace, though. Dante’s arms might have been her only safe place ever.
Little by little, her senses began to come back. With the medical bot done treating her arm, her sensations were coming back in the rest of her body, her mind becoming clearer as well. She tried to wiggle her fingers and toes and took several deep breaths. It felt like the fight that had been kept at a distance until now was suddenly approaching from all sides.
“Everything alright?” asked Circé.
“What did I miss?” Eden groaned, accepting Dante’s helpful hand to get back on her feet.
“Only a few minutes.”
While she quickly stretched, she could see a lot had happened in those few minutes. They were still on the same block she’d been shot at, but now, all the surrounding areas had turned into a battlefield, with gunshots heard in all directions, random explosions, and dozens of voices shouting. There was gray smoke and an unpleasant, thick scent of powder, burnt asphalt, and gas filling the air. She almost regretted leaving their oxygen masks. All of Dante’s and Thao’s people had arrived with their heavy weapons and now, Eden was actually behind the frontline, while their little army was making the Core’s robots slowly but surely back off.
“All you munchkins!” Loir shouted. “You’ll see what I do to you, you empty expired cans on legs! Fear the army of the mighty Warlock!”
“Let’s focus the fire on the main road!”
“Watch out for the windows! They have more units in the buildings,” warned Nebty.
Dante handed Eden a pair of familiar twin guns. They were heavy, silver, and perfectly molded for her hands. He only gave her a quick smile.
“Ready for another round?”
“Always.”
