Chapter Text
So I don’t have time to get you caught up, just know there’s a CombatUnit involved in this botched mission now. Two actually, fuck. Believe me, I’ve tried persuading them and offering the hack, it’s working about as well as last time which is to say not at all. ART for whatever reason can’t reach out and squash them and is just yelling at me to disengage, but I can’t pay attention to that right now when I’m dodging two pairs of fists and I think I might be smoking from so many energy shots at this point. Everything sucks, that’s all you need to know.
Hostile One is throwing a kick at my face as I’m bent over to avoid Hostile Two’s punch, so its boot gets me right in the nose with a spurt of fluids. I reel back and Hostile Two shoves me forward into Hostile One’s incoming jab to my chest and something caves in there. I try to make a grab for Hostile One’s face to go for the eyes but Hostile Two grabs my right wrist before I can reach forward and twists hard enough to shatter the metal framework inside. Can’t use that arm anymore. Hostile One stops my other one as it continues aiming for its face and rams the palm of its other hand into me. I watch my forearm spit out sparks as it breaks in half, the gun inside unusable now. So that’s two arms out of commission, fantastic.
The way is clear, disengage and return now. Yeah, yeah, I know, ART, what the fuck do you think I’m trying to do? Do you really think I’m enjoying this? I really hope the crew isn’t seeing this, they all better be aboard by now. If they’re sticking around to try to help me I’m going to lose it.
Fuck it, I try to run but of fucking course Hostile Two grabs me by the waist and flings me to the ground. It’s a little harder to get up without my arms and I barely sit up before Hostile One comes over and stomps its foot into my chest with a crunch. Getting a little hard to breathe now, shit. I spit fluid on its boot so at least I did some damage.
“That all you g-?“ Another kick to the head. One eye has lost visuals. Hostile One sits heavily on my chest and starts pummeling my face. I barely even register whatever the hell Hostile Two is doing to fuck up my legs.
Tarik is coming-
No is all I can respond with how delirious I’m getting from all these hits. I don’t know how I’m going to get out of this but I know it would be worse with the humans around. This is what I’m supposed to do, take the hits so they don’t have to. Go.
Not without you. Even barely functioning I can hear the sharp determination in ART’s voice. Looks like I’m going to disappoint it.
Hostile One puts its grubby hands on either side of my head and starts twisting. There’s creaking in my neck as the metal barely resists breaking, but not for long. Well, I think this might be it. I go to my media folder, select a scene, package it, and send it to ART. It’s when Solicitor Rin, hands tied and being pushed forward to meet her death, looks toward her bodyguard alongside her and says “Same time next week?” I always thought it was a cool line to go out on, especially for a season finale. I could never think of cool lines on the spot like that. Hostile One jerks my head harder. I can feel myself ripping.
You fuck-
-ing idiot.
That’s the last thing it hears me say. Its presence in the feed goes out and I suddenly lose all trace of it. It’s just gone.
Respond.
Priority message: Respond.
Respond.
Please respond.
Respond. Respond. Respond.
Murderbot. Please respond.
The banging at the hatch gets worse as the two CombatUnits join the SecUnit already attempting access. It won’t hold if this keeps up.
“Peri! Update!” Martyn calls out. My crew have blockaded themselves on the bridge, crouched behind control stations, preparing for the fight to come to them next. They’ve taken guns from the armory and are all aimed at the door. They are all sufficiently trained, including Iris. I never want to see her shoot a gun at a living being.
I hear myself say, “This mission has been redesignated to recovery and extraction.” I partition the part of myself in shock and let myself take control.
Martyn and Iris look up with wide eyes. Seth grits his teeth. Tarik stays perfectly still, not taking his eye off the sights.
“SecUnit- No-“ Iris breathes. She is capable but doesn’t have the same discipline as Tarik and wavers, the gun facing up toward the ceiling as she curls in on herself.
Seth flicks his eyes to her and then back to the door. He says flatly, “Peri, how are we supposed to get the body? We can’t leave the ship.”
“I’m working on it.” I’ve already been working on it this whole time. I will find a way. I won’t leave without it.
There is a hard bang and the hatch dents in. Hatch integrity at 43%.
“Peri-,” Seth warns.
“Wait.” I’m thinking as fast as I can, hundreds of processes burning through impossible scenarios. I have to find a solution. I always have a solution. There has to be a way. The likelihood of successful retrieval is 1.4% and decreasing.
Another dent in the door. Hatch integrity at 29%.
“We have to go.” Seth gets up and goes to the control panel, gun in one hand, and starts preparing for an emergency release from the station.
“Dad, we can’t just-“
“Seth, I am still-“
“Peri, release from the station.” He doesn’t look up, continuing the manual override.
I block him off. “We are not abandoning it.” I can’t just leave it here.
“If we stay, we’ll all die,” he says impassively, “Undock from the station. Now.”
It’s so close to the hatch, not even fifty feet, if I could just seize control of the units-
Hatch integrity 11%.
“Peri-!“
-if I can make a distraction, if I can hack the station, if I let them in and trap them-
Hatch integrity 5%.
“Perihelion. Undock from the station now. That is an order.”
I can’t override him.
“Yes, Captain Seth.”
I unlock the couplings from the gangway, ripping the metal as I simultaneously begin to propel away from the station. Dozens of alerts sound from my system and theirs and I silence them all. The constructs stumble before being shunted out to space, trying to grab hold of any way to return to safety. I know I should have some sympathy for them. I don’t.
I maneuver away, grinding against the side of a ship docked next to me. I prepare to create a wormhole as two shuttles fly out from the station and begin shooting. They are nothing compared to me. I aim precisely and decimate them with my guns as I fly off. I’m not concerned about the casualties.
A tear in the fabric of space opens wide and I throw myself into it. We won’t be found here. We’re safe now.
Iris crumples against the navigation console and softly starts to cry. Martyn comes to her and pulls her into his arms, wordless. He looks as horrified as I feel, eyes wide and rocking her back and forth. Tarik lowers his gun with a heavy sigh and stands, leaving the room. Captain Seth stands with his hands flat on the control panel, his shoulders hunched and eyes shut tight. I can’t look at him.
I have never left crew behind.