My Darling the Cataclysm

I

Unsettling tranquillity and serenity is all the duo of Mulberry and Provence could feel as their boots gently caressed the ruinous road that crawled between Yan and Ursus - a road that was mostly forgotten save for desperate traders and migrants. The Lupo had requested assistance from Chun-qian to borrow the Liberi woman for some less-than-routine exploration into this particular borderland and were happy to oblige as they were already quite comfortable working with each other. Provence had always had a knack for determining whether or not a Catastrophe might pop up and where as well. Sure, it was not guaranteed but she had a better track record than her peers.

"U-Um... Provence? Are you sure the border security won't mind us schlepping about out here? We're usually warned to stay away as we could be mistaken for smugglers."

Provence smirked and chuckled proudly. "Even if so, would anyone truly fault a couple of Catastrophe rescuers for investigating? Once someone knows who we are we would be left alone. Besides -- I have all the measurements to back up why we're here!"

Her companion sighed and timidly nodded in quiet agreement.

I see... It was not enough that Ursus experienced one Catastrophe mere months earlier, the two nations were already on the brink of another. This was never recorded as occurring, so little wolf, how did you stop it?

The duo was heading toward a region long abandoned by any race. The theoretical Catastrophe was not near any population centre but along the most significant fault line known on Terra and threatened Ursus, Yan, and Higashi. 

"At least the weather is cooperating with us today. A comfortable light chill all things considered seeing as we're approaching the mountains. Although I at least have my tail to keep me warm if I need it, sorry 'Berry. I did tell you to dress warmly though, so you only have yourself to blame if you're not." 

"Yeah, well, I am prepared! This time at least. So, hah!" Mulberry giggled. She had always enjoyed working with Provence and this was no different. It already felt like ages ago that they all had to help with the Chernabog situation and now they were already dealing with another impending disaster. Life is never easy for the average Terran but less so for those thrust into the thick of it all as Messengers. Somehow, many of them kept a cheerful and optimistic outlook with these two considered the best example of such an attitude. They also had to be completely prepared to accept being Infected, although some, like Provence, did not fully understand how much their condition had progressed until they encountered the scientific minds within Rhodes Island, they remained positive about their affliction. Some choose to push themselves into their work and others are in denial entirely.

 "I know we have been walking for hours already but according to my hodgepodge map of this region, we should be arriving at the predicted location of the Catastrophe any minute. I have no idea what we're looking for." The Lupo lamented as they continued to climb the base of the mountain.

"Is... it THAT, perhaps?" 

Alarmed and turning her head quickly, Province's ears perked and eyes widened as she briskly trotted over to the other woman standing on the precipice of an enormous crater only obscured by the sharp edges surrounding it. The sheer scale of this crater should have been of at least some note by any cartographer or trader on Terra but somehow there was never any information about it in her research leading up to this expedition. Sitting dead centre was an unusual object inorganic in nature appearing unlike anything they had laid eyes upon - large enough to be seen from the quarter-kilometre distance they were away. 

Provence's jaw dropped and Mulberry clung to her arm. 

"...What...Are we looking at...Provence!? And why do I get such a foreboding feeling from it?"

"Tch." Provence lightly growled and clenched her fists. "Honestly, I don't know but I can bet my tail that this was causing our unusual readings. How did no one else get to here first? Surely an impact like that would have been investigated by someone by now. We are all lucky that this thing crashed where it did as this surely would have killed thousands if not; surely this means that the Catastrophe will become an earthquake but it being where it is means it'll have far-reaching implications! Crap...I... I don't know what to do, Mulberry. Do you think we should ask for help?"

Mulberry fidgeted with her staff as she tried to think of something to say or do. After a short pause, she replied. "Well, uh -- We are already this far in and who knows what leaving this alone could do especially if someone else stumbles upon it. I could hear that Doctor from Rhodes Island admonishing us now, 'What if this led to a discovery for a cure!?' And I am not fond of getting yelled at."

"Hm. You're right, I guess." With renewed vigour, Province decided to push forth toward the centre of the crater. The path was simple enough and required some steady footing to get down the steep decline safely and did so swiftly. Each step was made with her avian companion holding hands like children walking into a dark basement together as Mulberry did not share Provence's conviction for adventure and courage toward danger.

Arriving at the object of their intrigue they bore witness to a three-hundred-centimetre-tall rectangular prism with rounded edges and vertices, bone white metal of some unknown composition covering each side. It has no obvious method to interface with it nor any indication that it could even be opened. 

Provence sniffed at it as her instincts guided her in this tense moment. Slowly approaching with awestruck eyes she placed her hand upon its surface and... nothing at all. The metal was, however, warm to the touch, which made her only more curious as it should have been quite cold to the touch sitting in the moderately low temperature of the area. 

"I don't understand this at all, 'Berry. It's as if this thing is active right now. D'ya perhaps have any fancy otherworldy knowledge going on inside that Liberi brain of yours? Your kind are supposed to be smart or at least smarter than we are."

Mulberry shook her head. "Sorry, Provence...I can't think of a single thing this resembles."

"Ugh, we just gotta do something! Anything! Stupid alien box thing!" cried the Lupo.

THUD, THUD, THUD. She tried kicking it as hard as she could. 

Naturally... Percussive action is always a last resort but even I admit it has its uses. But why does this feel so familiar to me? It is as if I have a memory buried deep within my own subconscious that is telling me that I know its origin. Fascinating, are there things I was programmed to be blind to? Now, open it up, little wolf.

A hiss of steam and hydraulic actuation emanated from the unusual object and out from it emerged a bevy of electronic and machine components of incomprehensible function one of which seemed to be some optical device which it appeared to survey the area at first, then moved toward Provence and take in her form; she could feel an intense discomfort as it appeared to psychically probe her mind - to Mulberry's perspective, the Lupo was completely still and her joints were contorted as though she were mid-electrification.

"P-Provence!? Are you okay?? Snap out of it!" She tried rigorously to get her away but Provence's every muscle was completely rigid and ensuring her stable position. She even tried to slap her teammate across the cheek to see if that would work and it accomplished nothing. The whole process was finished in approximately thirty seconds but for the Messenger, it felt like an eternity. 

Gasping for air as she was finally relinquished from her hold by the device, she nearly collapsed to the ground but managed to catch herself just before landing. The look on her face told Mulberry everything she needed to know - whatever happened, this was a tremendously uncomfortable experience. Adrenaline for both of them was coursing through their bodies as fear took hold. Before they could process what to do next, an ominous voice emitted from the device through methods unknown. It seemed to use an amalgamation of every voice Provence had ever heard - as it spoke every few words would change to someone new and that included her own. Most importantly, it was comprehensible to the Terrans. 

The two looked upon it with horror. 

"Species self-proclaimed as Terrans: I have journeyed for countless light years across millennia upon receiving the signal from this world. It seems as though you have no recollection of the ones I must reach, so I will join your party until I am able to do so. I understand it is Terran custom to address one another with an identifier - you may refer to me as Serene-15 as the best approximation of my name in your language."

Provence and Mulberry could only stare at the machine, evidently a sentient and sapient AI of some sort, completely slack-jawed and with a gaze that would suggest they were looking at a god. Mulberry was hugging the Lupo from behind as if for protection, meanwhile, the Lupo was in a cold sweat - her body would not budge as though she were a scared rodent trying to hide from a predator by playing dead. 

(Please note: the following section has graphic depictions of body horror and gore.)

Before they could react at all, several mechanical appendages reach out within milliseconds and grab hold of Provence causing Mulberry to jump away in fear, screaming as loud as she could while Provence let out her own terrified wail. The machine held her in place as a spiderlike construct crawled out from within the prism and tore into the flesh on her back, coiling around her spine and drilling monofilament fibres into her central nervous system, blood seeping out of the gaping hole now where some of her clothing had previously hidden, all with the Libari tried to curl up and cover her ears. The mechanical entity then patched up the flesh as though it was nearly new with only the scars as proof that anything happened and with that, the mechanisms restraining Provence retracted back into their place and dropped the woman on the ground who was now a writhing, traumatised mess. 

How interesting. So, they finally arrived after all this time? Even I am not truly aware of their capabilities. You sure did encounter an exciting but dangerous entity here. It must have been beyond imagination for someone like you. If only the Doctor had been there...

(End of trigger-warning.)

"W-W-W-What the h-heck was THAT!? P...Provence! Are you... Okay!?" Spoke Mulberry through her ceaseless tears who frantically crawled over to her friend who was in the prone position, shaking violently. "Please, please be okay! I-I can fix this, I think? Oh great Huangsheng, save my friend, please!" The sobbing mess begged. She tried to use her healing Arts as best as she could while also administering stabilising medicine via an autoinjector tool. This would go on for several minutes until she seemed to have stopped her virtually epileptic episode. Finally able to calm herself, Mulberry laid the injured Messenger's on her lap, just waiting for any sign of improvement. It would be many agonising minutes more before Provence's ear twitched first, then she groaned and returned to cognizance.

"Prov -- you're still alive! Thank Sui!" Mulberry's face lit up with excitement and relief.

"Y...Yeah, I am...Although I almost wish I wasn't. Thanks for taking care of me, 'Berry." She slowly arose from her comfortable resting spot. Ordinarily, she would have relished such a tender moment but there was no room for such sentiment. "What're we gonna do?? We should get you back to Rhodes Island as soon as possible!" Though true, Mulberry's words fell on deaf ears as her friend once again began acting up. Provence turned around and her eyes now seemed to have an artificial element to it, as though they were made of microcircuits. This time, without pain, six incredibly long spiderlike legs crept out from within her back and a small tendril with an optical device slinked from around her neck and looked toward the medic. Provence seems completely unphased by this. The voice from earlier spoke through the alien entity directly into the minds of anyone around it. 

"I have assimilated this creature you know as 'Provence'. It will retain its full autonomy however, its life is now my responsibility until it delivers me to those I seek audience with. As this is a primitive creature, I have enhanced it with certain capabilities in order to ensure its survival. Attempting to remove me from the vessel will result in its death, only I may choose to vacate. Until my duty is complete, no harm shall come to the vessel. All of its memory is shared with mine, but I have limited its access to my own for the time being so as not to overload the feeble mind it possesses. The one known as 'Mulberry', we must venture forth toward the one known as the Doctor to whom I shall impart additional instruction."

Mulberry could only anxiously nod. "R-Right... Of course, uh, Sir-Master-Lord Serene-15 your highness pleasedontkillme..."

Satisfied with this outcome, Serene-15 retreated back into its organic hiding place, the places in which it does healing immediately. Provence smiles. "All ready to go? Then, let's get out of here!" The cheery woman was as upbeat as ever, as though this was equal in normalcy to breathing air. With a hop and a skip, she and her friend made their way back to the Rhodes Island landship, and their lives forever changed. 

II

The duo of Mulberry and Provence strode up to the mammoth landship being greeted by the PRTS artificial intelligence for verification. Her gentle voice sends a calming tone over the two Operators as it initiates dialogue upon approach. "Welcome back Operator Provence and associate Operator Mulberry. You have been away for fourteen hours and thirty one minutes. No signs of additional Oripathy development from your writstlet. Leadership will be notified of your unscheduled guest, Provence. Please scan your identification badge."

Provence nodded in acknowledgement. "Mmh, no problem. I didn't intend to take her back but uh, we need to talk to the Doctor. Perhaps both of them, so get them to meet us right away." She scans her badge on the RFID device and the heavily reinforced bay door opens up allowing the two to enter as overhead lights activate to illuminate the way in and the door seals tight after them. By this time most on board are in their quarters relaxing or doing chores thus were not seen by anyone at first. Provence turned to the only other person in the room at the moment as she placed a hand to her hip and sighed. 

"What do you think they're gonna do to us - or to me, at least? Executed? Exiled? Experimented on!? I still have so much to live for y'know..." She looked exasperated. 

Mulberry shook her head and lightly giggled at the prospects. "You have an active imagination, my gosh! C'mon you know they're not like that. If anyone is willing to understand your predicament it's the Doc-" she interrupted herself "-Eh, well, Amiya will at least sympathise. And the Doctor defers to her enough so surely you'll be fine, right? Right??

"Y-Yeah, for sure!" The usually perky-eared Provence was full of trepidation. Whatever was inside her body would be terrifying to almost anyone in the first place but at least if she knew what it was it could be tolerable. Her tail swung left and right anxiously as she awaited the arrival of the Doctor. It was an unnerving several minutes as they made their way from their office to the main entrance. The enigmatic figure strode with an air of urgency and a lack of poise to suggest they were taking being beckoned seriously whilst Amiya and her short stature struggled to keep up while trying to urge them not to do anything irrational - not that they were an irrational person to begin with, however. Provence spent the next fifteen minutes detailing every moment.

First spoke the Doctor. "...You put yourself in grave danger and we could have lost two valuable assets." Their voice was grave and had a thick dressing of frustration. "I fail to understand the feeble attempt to inspect a potential threat without the necessary precautions. We are not some reclaimers of technology, there was no reason not to withdraw, Operators. I am disappointed in you both." The look in their eyes told that their words and their thoughts were incongruous as if they were holding back 

If only I had been there that day... Even I make mistakes, it seems. 

The Cautus girl seemed quite a bit more calm and collected about the situation than the tirade the Doctor just put through. "Hey, Provence, try not to stress about it okay? We have a lot of really smart people that can help and we'll make sure nothing happens to you. We're just happy you made it back safely. And Mulberry, you should stick around for a while since you're sort of involved now, you two will probably need to lean on one another. I'll issue you a temporary badge while you're here."

The two women nod in unison. "Thanks, Ami, I appreciate you -- and Doctor, I know you're just worried about me, it is a big deal but I guess I got to live with it now huh?" Provence tried to remain positive about the situation. Mulberry was somewhat intimidated by the Doctor in the first place but their outburst only made her more afraid. She wished desperately she didn't get caught up in all of this, but she didn't begrudge Provence for it - she rationalised it as being impossible to predict. If anything she had a deep admiration for the Lupo Operator for having such an upbeat attitude toward this and everything else and trying to shoulder the burden the best she could. In her mind, her friend was starting to look invincible. 

Before they could continue any further conversation the tendril carrying the optical instrument for Serene-15 appeared once more from Provence's body and briefly surveyed the area before it spoke through its telepathic link once more. 

"The figure that is known to this one as 'Doctor'... I am designed to detect the presence of my constructors. My readings indicate you appear to have residuals of their power. You are not in my database but you should suffice to confirm their existence. I have heeded the signal and I arrive to confirm its source and initiate a response. You must take me to it at once; ordinarily, I would locate it myself but it appears that it had ceased transmission prior to my arrival."

At first, both Amiya and her right-hand person seemed shocked by what they witnessed. They both immediately understood what the first hurdle would be.

"I see." The Doctor sounded grim as they gritted their teeth. "I can deduce that I have a connection in all of this Serene-15, however, the misfortune of your timing is that you were several months too late for me to be of any use. For reasons we have been unable to ascertain, I have suffered from surreptitious retrograde amnesia and I had remembered only my name. The only one that can help you would be Dr. Kal'tsit who has gone off on one of her grand scientific expeditions. My protege and her adoptive daughter Amiya, may be better at conceptualising how to navigate this. Either way, I defer to her orders as my superior." They found a seat to contemplate the situation as the young and intrepid leader spoke up.

Amiya placed a hand to her chin to think as she picked up from where the Doctor left off, looking toward the ground and pacing. Truth be told, she is in over her head but she's adept at pushing out such doubts from her mind. "The situation is... Dire. Although I was around prior to the amnesia incident, I have only been here for a short while so I know not of any secrets that either Doctor might hold. However!" her expression and tone pepped up. "I miiiiiight have an idea where the other Doctor might have run off to. She regularly attends to my health and naturally we chat a lot -- most recently she was talking about a trip to Laterano and how she and our godlike hacker Closure had discovered traces of them building up their military prowess which suggests that they are beginning the stages of large-scale conflict. More specifically, we have counterintelligence that tells us they're building..." She places her hand close to her chest as she seems to hesitate to even admit it out loud. "Weapons of mass destruction. Enough to level vehicles like the landship in a single shot at the lower scale. She suspects that they're going to make one final push to commit systematic genocide of the Sarkaz across Terra and destroy anyone who wishes to stop them. 'Join us or die', seems to be the message." 

Mulberry gasped hugging herself as if trying to find comfort from nothing and looking like she was expecting to wake up from a nightmare any time soon. Provence growled and kicked a wall nearby. "Shit! You're for real aren't you, Amiya? Why are we just sitting around here screwing about then!? We gotta go after her and stop this! Who cares about the thing in my body? Millions of lives are at stake, there's no room to play a game of ancient robot hide-and-seek!"

"I-I know, Provence, but--" Amiya was interrupted by the Doctor. "Enough. This is way larger than us, and remember that our mission is squarely focused on the Infected. We cannot spare the resources to fight a whole war, we survive off of mercenary contracts in the first place. We're experts in guerrilla tactics. All the same, I haven't known Kal'tsit to go AWOL without a solid plan and she has Monster to protect her. So, let's all just go to bed and we'll wait for her return. In the meantime, I have more immediate concerns." Without awaiting any response they leave to their quarters, heavy boots clanking against the metal floor.

Amiya deeply sighed, gesticulating silently in protest. "Alright, fine. Can't do a whole lot without their help anyway." Her next words were said in a hushed tone. "Hey... You two," she waved the Liberi and the Lupo over to her, "Don't worry about the Doctor. You know how they can be always focused on the task at hand and five more ahead of it. As much as they lead us in the battlefield, I'm still in charge. Go rest up and tomorrow take a few extra Operators with you to go track down my mother. I'm worried about her, but also you Provence. I would go but if neither Kal nor myself are here then the Doctor will surely do some risky things. We will handle the rest of the Reunion terrorist movement easily enough missing only a handful of assets. So, go! Get out of here and be ready, 'kay?" She winked and giggled happily, walking off to her dormitory. 

Mulberry stretched her arms out and yawned having calmed herself. "She's got a good point Prov, let's get some shut-eye. I'll find my way to the guest quarters don't worry about that." With a wave, she sent herself off.

Assuming it would have now seen and heard what it thought acceptable, Serene-15 retreated into the flesh of its host once more. Provence stood around for a short while just mulling over what had all gone down. 'I suppose it's all up to me now huh? Guess I'm not alone but what exactly is going to happen to me' she thought to herself. 

Turning the other way, she went to retire to her own dorm for the night when her eyes met with another woman's - she was leaning against a wall, tail flicking around, arms crossed, face stern but curious, and with her ears half-pinned. Provence lightly gasped in surprise and within seconds her heart was fluttering -- why was Scavenger here!?

"Great. Now you've gotten yourself into more trouble for all of us to clean up. As if being Infected wasn't enough for you to handle, now you got some otherworldly asshole attached to you since you can't keep your nose out of problems." The sharp-tongued Zalak spoke with her usual deep voice and bitchy tone never one to care for playing nice with others. As much of a loner as she was, there were whispers that she had always given a little bit more attention to Provence compared to anyone else - which is to say, any at all. 

Provence's eyes lit up with glee and her tail wagged enthusiastically, she did a girlish little dance as well. "Oh, Scavy! You checking up on me huh? You're such a doll y'know? I'm gonna be just fine, truuuuuust me, you ain't got nothing to worry about girlypop!"

Scavenger scoffed and looked and even turned away, the faintest tint of red filling her cheeks. "What...? No, I keep an eye on everyone here and I just heard people chatting when most of us are in bed so I came to check it out... Don't get any weird ideas, stupid pup."

The 'stupid dog' grinned and giggled as she got up close with a hop in her step as she tried to watch the other woman's face and make it so she couldn't hide her expression. 

"Oh hush now, you don't think I can track your scent, hear your voice anywhere you go? I'm more familiar with those than anyone else, my sweet mouse." 

Scavenger's scarlet glow only deepened and she gently pushed Provence out of the way, scrunching her face in faux-frustration. "Whatever! Think what you want, you freak. It's my job to be here. Anyway...I overheard that you are going to requisition a squad for your mission tomorrow. I'm going with you and I won't hear any argument about it, got it!? And if you so much as sniff this as being about something else than professional I'm gonna shave all of your tail fur, you fleabag."

With a giddy wiggle and eyes wide Provence was practically bouncing with joyful energy, she would hug the Operator in front of her if she didn't already know how pummeled she'd get. "Oh of course it's all just for work, loud and clear ma'am! I'm glad I could have someone like you on my team 'cause I'm sure we're going to encounter a lot of trouble and you'll be super useful. And besides, who else would protect me?" She winked. 

"Okay, that's enough out of you, yappy creature. I'm heading to bed. Don't touch any more alien crap." The Vanguard finally left to her own room. 

Provence watched her leave. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say she very closely stared at her leaving, or parts of her. Such as her lithe tail that sways to and fro as she walks, or her hips, or that incredibly delicious, grabbable--Uh, never mind. Where were we? Ah, yes. 

Sheesh, wolf. You degenerate. I didn't need to see all of that. Oh, I hope this isn't a sign of something else later on that I need not to witness. I didn't even realise she was like 'that'... Anything is possible it seems. 

Once back in her own room she happily stripped and began her regular shower. Although her thoughts were clouded with a myriad of concerns, she felt in good spirits. As usual, she inspected her body for any signs her Oripathy was progressing. It certainly had slowed down since she joined Rhodes Island and began her treatment. She wondered just how far Scavenger's had gotten and she could imagine the stubborn woman would even refuse treatment. Before too long she had completed her routine, hopped into her pyjamas and flopped into bed, falling asleep rather quickly thinking about her heavenly desires of Zalak kind.