Chapter 2
Vera lives for the pain. It’s everything that has been holding her on from falling apart. If it weren’t for pain then all her fights were basically for nothing and she hates the guilty feeling that crawls up inside of her everytime she survives. Why is everyone so adamant of keeping her alive? Why won’t they just let her die?
She whimpered from all the pain that was inflicted on her. She remembered feeling so tired when she and the other refugees were able to escape the underground bunker after being trapped there for 44 days. Then she left those refugees to the Babylonian constructs in the conservative area while she hopped onto a boat and passed out immediately.
She should’ve just ignored her feelings of being worthless and got herself treated by the Babylonians because she wasn’t sure where the boat was drifting off. She even had no idea if she had the energy to walk back to Kurono with all of these wounds.
Maybe she was hoping that she could just die on the boat. Either she dies from her wounds or the boat flipped off or a corrupted attack, either way it’s a faster route to put a stop to all of her experience. No one has to die for her anymore.
Yeah, she is probably in a lot of pain right now because she usually doesn't do self pity which means she’s pretty much still alive by some dumb miracle. Honestly she’s not sure whether to feel relieved or disappointed because she can’t move her body at all, the pain burning every cell of her nerves.
A hand cradling her face as she moaned in pain. It was so soft and she never felt someone touching her this softly. Wait, someone? So she is not alone? Fuck, fuck–
Vera coughed violently and her throat was sore. It took her some time to realize that she is wrapped in a blanket and her frame constantly heating up due to malfunctions. She couldn’t hear the words of the person in front of her and couldn’t make out the blurred figure who was calming her down.
Constructs doesn’t fall sick like humans normally do but in her case, she has gone for a long time without maintenance and with all of her heavy wounds it’s no surprise that her frame is failing her. Which means she is fucked because unlike humans, constructs can’t naturally heal on their own unless they do their maintenance.
And she is alone with only a stranger by her side whom she’s not sure would be able to give her maintenance. If Kurono wasn’t even sending reinforcements when her team was trapped for 44 days, then they sure as hell won’t pick her up wherever she is now. Disposable. Not worth the resources.
“You’re burning up.”
She slowly registered the state she’s in. Her left arm wore a sling, her left eye is heavily bandaged as well as the rest of her wounds. Still, the pain is enough to make her feel like shit and she want to tell this stranger to fuck off.
“Yeah, no shit. I just had the worst weeks of my life.”
Vera curled into the blanket (why does she feel cold too, oh my god why is she having a fever like when she was still a human?) and squinted at the stranger. The stranger was smiling at her (she looked amused) but she still had a hard time making out the figure.
“You did say that you just got back from hell.”
Did she? She didn’t remember anything after passing out on the boat.
“That sounds like what I would have said, I guess,” Vera sighed and closed her healthy eyes. “How long have I been out?”
“2 days and a half. Not counting how long you’ve been there on the boat.”
“Oh.”
The thought that someone found her and looked out for her should’ve made her grateful but she only felt herself unsettled for being vulnerable that long. Well, she passed out far longer back when Kurono found her and she woke up in a cell too so this is an upgrade for her. Beggars can’t choose after all.
And luckily, the stranger isn’t really talkative and nagging because she would’ve been very annoyed. She took her time observing the stranger’s features while they were looking away.
The stranger has long blonde hair tied up into a ponytail and has a mole under her right eye (the opposite of Vera). She looks like she’s wearing a white dress with a black corset (it baffled her at first but then she found it really hot) and weird long blue sleeves (again, hot). She wears fingerless gloves and a tie (wow, okay) and there's calligraphy written on her clothes that could be read as “Just”? The handwriting is beautiful anyway so Vera can’t be bothered to think of the deeper meaning.
But the last thing she noticed of the stranger’s features was her legs (which for the last time, god, it’s so hot) and she stupidly just realized that the woman in front of her is not a human.
“You’re a construct.”
“And so are you.”
Vera huffed and tried to sit up as the other woman looked at her warily. She leaned on the wall behind her as she studied the blonde woman. If she were evil, she would’ve just killed Vera on sight and not taken care of her which begrudgingly made her owe her life.
“Why are you here by yourself?”
“Why did you look like shit when I found you?”
“You really like to throw back words, huh? Well I asked you first, blondie. So answer me, who are you and why do you help me?”
She took back her words. This woman isn’t really talkative but definitely annoying and it’s a rare thing to get on Vera’s nerves. Luckily she doesn’t have her blade with her or else she would’ve pointed it to this woman’s throat.
The blondie rolled her eyes but answered Vera’s questions nonetheless.
“My name is Bianca and I just happened across you after finishing my mission. Can’t leave you there when I can help.”
Vera scoffed. “So noble of you, yet you didn’t bring me back to Babylonia or wherever you came from. Must've clocked it real quick who i am, huh?”
She didn’t say Kurono in case she overestimated Bianca’s thought of actions but it seemed she was right when she saw a hint of recognition in her eyes.
“I think it would be safer for you if you stay with me. I’m not sure what they would do to you if they knew you were from Kurono.”
“I will fight them, duh.”
Bianca wasn’t amused. “Then you’re going to die very quickly.”
“You underestimated me, I can–ah! Fuck!”
Bianca pressed Vera’s wound on her left arm, pulling it out from the sling and quickly pinned her to the ground. Vera tried to budge from beneath her to no avail and bared her teeth in anger at Bianca.
“Get off me!”
“You didn’t even react quickly and were unable to fight me off. How are you going to fight them in your conditions like this?”
Vera snarled. “Fuck off!”
“Be my guest.”
Vera suddenly doubled in pain when a surge of electricity ran through her left arm where Bianca pressed into. She felt excruciating pain in her whole body that left her breathless and it took her some time to regain her bearings.
Bianca already moved away from on top of her and adjusted Vera’s left arm back to the sling. Vera groaned in pain as she lay face down on the ground. Then she let out a chuckle after a while, concerning Bianca.
“I–didn’t break you, did i?”
Vera giggled. “No, but I didn't expect you to be nasty! You know I am sick, right?”
“Yes but you look ready to go fight–”
“So you put me down first.” Vera smiled in amusement.
Bianca’s eyes showed a hint of guilt but she didn’t really look sorry. “I didn't want to hurt you.”
Vera rolled her eye. “I don’t want you to be exactly gentle, anyway.”
Bianca’s eyes widened but she schooled her expressions quickly. “Now it's your turn to answer, what happened to you?”
“Frankly, that’s none of your business.” Vera answered nonchalantly. Bianca’s lips tighten before she sighs. “Okay, but you really have to be more careful next time.”
“Why are you implying that we will meet again?”
“That’s not–that’s not what I meant! It’s just–”
Bianca is at a loss at words. “You haven’t told me your name.”
Vera raised her eyebrow. “Why? Do you want to ask me out?”
Bianca looked at her incredulously. “Never mind, forget that I ask, Red.”
“Red?”
“Well, what else am I supposed to call you?”
Vera almost said out her name before contemplating against it. It’s not like it’s a bad nickname, quite the contrary she likes it rather than the nickname she used to get from people. And she didn’t want Bianca to dig out information about her which Bianca seemed to get the hint.
“So are you going to call for help?”
“Help?”
“Okay I think your brain is fried, Red.”
“Why would I call for help, Bianca?”
Bianca facepalmed.
“I don’t know, because you’re heavily injured. And I'm not a support construct so I can only do some basic emergency treatment.”
Vera smirked. “And hurting me, I suppose.”
“That’s not–”
To be fair, Vera enjoyed their bickering too much to notice the horrible pain she’s in. Well, not really, she was fucking hurt all over her body but she didn’t want Bianca to see how weak she is (not that she hadn’t seen it) and teasing Bianca is such a fun way to ignore the pain.
But she grew tired over time and it must have shown in her face because Bianca’s expression changed from annoyed to soft naturally. She wasn’t used to receiving that look but she wondered if Bianca would still look at her the same way if she knew who Vera is. Or maybe she is different from the others.
(Sometimes Vera thought that she is still that naive girl who volunteered to be a construct because she wanted to protect someone but ended up not saving anyone)
“Hey, Red, did they abandon you?”
Vera grinned weakly. “Bingo.”
Bianca looked disturbed. “Will they help you if you go back?”
Vera shrugged. “Maybe, who knows. They did pick me up when they found me dying back then.”
There’s that disturbed look in Bianca’s face again. She shouldn’t have said too much now that she made Bianca more worried. Fortunately, Bianca dropped the topic and focused on other things like–
“Okay, let’s go. I’m taking you back to Kurono.”
Vera laughed. “What makes you think they will help me, Bianca?”
Bianca looked at her eyes intensely. “You said it yourself. They picked you up back then because they thought you were valuable. I’m sure they would still pick you up if I put you in front of their doors.”
Vera wanted to argue but she was suddenly hit by fatigue. She only managed to mumble some words before unconsciousness claimed her.
“Survival…of the fittest.”