Chapter Text
Since the moment Bronya stepped through the doors of the subterranean chamber defined by the advanced digital equipment, hundreds of computer terminals, and the screen that spanned an entire wall, she never deluded herself into believing their endeavour would be anything resembling an easy task. High in the atmosphere and deep within the bedrock that formed the base of the airborne island known as Schicksal HQ, she and hundreds of the world’s best minds laboured as one in an attempt to break into the databases of the organization that called itself World Serpent. To further cement their alliance, Schicksal and Anti-Entropy had started a joint task force dedicated to this goal. At any given moment, at least many dozens of their task force members could be seen entering and leaving the chamber, tapping away at their workstations, and focusing their attention on little else.
When Bronya first saw the chamber over a month ago, the potential it offered had impressed her. Always attuned to the intricacies of electronic devices and electronic warfare, she welcomed the opportunity to put her hacking skills to the good cause of unearthing whatever she could glean from World Serpent. It was a cause that gave her endless frustration.
I understood from the beginning that this wouldn’t be easy, but I never expected to make so little progress after this long. I don’t want Mei’s intel to go to waste. She didn’t come back to us just for us to fail her.
For it was Raiden Mei, one of Bronya’s oldest and closest friends, who had joined World Serpent before she found the courage to defect and come back to those who loved her. It was love that made her come back, and it was information that Mei had brought back. During her stay at the mysterious organization, she learned only a little about their stratagems, but what she revealed to them was enough to spark Schicksal and Anti-Entropy’s clandestine efforts to proactively take a stand against World Serpent and its leader.
Bronya stared at the endless patterns of code dancing and racing on the terminal in front of her. It had become a familiar sight, even if no given moment looked the same. The strings of code were as diverse and myriad as the falling snowflakes Bronya had watched with her friends at their orphanage in Siberia. In their own way, the code was as beautiful, but beauty was not what Bronya was searching for. What she and her allies sought was a vulnerability, however slight, that could let them delve into World Serpent’s hidden secrets. Over a month later, they had uncovered little more than a money trail amounting to a handful of dollars in the hands of nameless owners. I give credit where it’s due. World Serpent’s tech is good.
Bronya sighed, both from frustration and to remind herself to breathe. Her lack of progress frustrated her like nothing else, but she still found the experience calming, almost serene. The chamber’s quiet, focused environment appealed to her. Bloodshed and battle would always remain a part of her, but she found her true calling in the calm, quiet, and technical act she performed now, something else she had been valued for when she was still a slave soldier to a warlord. Bronya banished those thoughts of her past and focused on the present and future.
Kevin Kaslana, the Sire of World Serpent. The strongest soldier of the Previous Era. Kiana’s ancestor. When I encountered him in the Sea of Quanta, I knew the danger he presented. I may not be able to do much against him on my own, but if there’s a way that I can, it’s this. After escaping from the Sea of Quanta that had been his prison for the last millennium and a half, Kevin’s first action as the Sire of World Serpent was to attempt to wipe out an entire city with a Honkai-powered bomb. For what reasons, none of them could say. They claim it’s for the greater good of humanity. The most worrying possibility is that they’re right. An organization like World Serpent, and a man like Kevin Kaslana, doesn’t go around nuking cities for fun. Mei was right to leave World Serpent and return to her loved ones, but Bronya questioned why Kevin seemingly allowed her to leave. Kevin wanted her at World Serpent for a reason. But what?
She shook her head. Speculation would not serve them. Nor would labouring for hours without rest. Even the Herrscher of Reason needed periodic breaks. Her mental endurance was vast but finite, and it was for that reason that she set the new program she had designed running before she stood from her terminal and left the hall.
A series of corridors led to the surface of Schicksal HQ. Along the way, she passed personnel not only from Schicksal but also from Anti-Entropy. Schicksal had opened its headquarters to its new, trusted allies, and it relieved her to witness how seamlessly the two former enemy organizations had integrated after the death of Otto Apocalypse and the transition of power to his granddaughter, Theresa. Bronya’s headmistress had proven herself to be more than an adept Overseer, and Bronya would not ask to be led by anyone else.
When the sunlight shone on her skin again, Bronya took to the air and watched the many buildings and structures on Schicksal HQ pass by below. Several dining halls were spread across its surface in spaced intervals, but the one she flew to was the one she and her friends visited the most often. It was held within the residential complex at the heart of the island and offered nearly every meal she could name. The Herrscher of Reason, like any Herrscher, needed no sustenance, but Bronya went there not just to experience the taste of a much-needed meal but to share it with those closest to her.
Bronya landed by the entrance of the large building not far from the apartment complex where she lived with Seele. They had agreed to meet there at this time, and when Bronya walked through the doors and entered the hall, she found them already waiting for her. Seele, Kiana, and Mei were seated together at a nearby table. When they saw Bronya, the last two waved her over as Seele rushed from her seat and greeted her with a tight hug. Bronya eagerly returned it.
“I’m so glad you could join us,” Seele said after she let her go, smiling.
Bronya smiled back. “I’m always glad to see you, Seele.”
Seele led her over to their table. They sat down beside each other with Kiana and Mei opposite them and bowls and plates of steaming food in between. Bronya was pleased to see many of her favourite dishes there, including her single favourite, borscht. Seele must have chosen them for her.
Mei nodded at Bronya in greeting. “We’re glad you could make it.”
“Yeah,” Kiana said. She pointed at the large clock on the wall. “Seele was starting to get worried that you wouldn’t show. But we got all your favourites. You must be hungry after all that hacking.” Kiana smiled at the in-joke. She knew better than anyone that Herrschers never needed to eat, drink, or even breathe again, but nothing could stop her from filling herself as she had during their days together at St. Freya Academy.
“What I’m working on is taking more time than I want it to, but I will always make time for you,” Bronya promised them. She picked up her spoonful of borscht. The borscht she and Seele made together was better, but it satisfied her enough to take her mind away from work. A few spoonfuls later, Bronya was talking with them as if the morning had never happened.
“So, how’s the hacking?” Kiana asked her some minutes later.
Mei was at full attention. Bronya had hoped to avoid that discussion. The truth was hard to tell. “Slow. Steady. But we are making progress. I implemented a new program that I developed. I hope it’ll do better than the last.”
“I know you’re doing your best,” Mei said. “I wish I could help, but…”
“You already have, Mei,” Bronya assured her. “If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t even be trying.”
Seele reached over and touched her arm. “Bronya, please make sure not to overwork yourself. It’s not good for you or anyone if you do.” Her blue eyes, always so soft and caring, showed how strongly she meant her words.
“Seele is right. Your health comes first,” Mei said.
“I know. That’s why I’m here with all of you. Seeing you again makes my work possible. Let’s continue our meal.”
They seemed as unwilling as she was to continue that line of discussion, so they did as she asked. They turned to lighter, softer topics. Kiana was telling them about the new manhua series she started reading, Mei shared the new cooking recipes she wanted to try, and Seele and her alter ego had made strides at better coordinating their shared lives.
“So that’s why the other me decided to start writing down her days in a diary,” Seele finished. “She had always watched as I wrote in mine, and she wanted to save her own memories for the future. Sometimes, I feel that we’re one person.” Her voice became quiet. “Sometimes, it feels like we could become one person.”
Bronya looked at her, and even though she would never truly understand life with a second half of herself, she did understand why Seele would feel that way. “That the other Seele is taking more of her life into her hands is a good thing. When can I speak with her again?”
“She’s resting at the moment, but she’ll be ready later today.” Seele smiled at her. “She told me she looks forward to beating you in Homu Fighter.”
“She can try,” Bronya said, managing to force a smile.
Seele, always perceptive, noticed the strain Bronya tried and failed to hide. “Bronya…is everything alright? You don’t seem like yourself.” She touched Bronya’s hand. “You know you can tell us anything.”
Even Kiana looked away from her food. Concern showed on her face.
“Is it about the task force? I know you’re doing all you can,” Mei asked.
“We are. We’re doing our best not to let your intel go to waste. But…”
“Bronya? You can tell us anything,” Seele told her.
Bronya collected herself. “I’m sorry. I’m no longer as confident as when we started that we’ll be able to uncover anything from World Serpent. Their cyberdefense is stronger than anything I and even Schicksal and Anti-Entropy have ever encountered before. The technology used by the Previous Era was more advanced than ours, and it’s the same technology that World Serpent uses. I will continue to do what I can, but I can’t promise anything.”
Bronya paid particular attention to Mei, who had sent them on this path to begin with. The violet eyes of her best friend had changed much in the years Bronya knew her, but the look she gave her now was one Bronya had hoped not to see. It was fear.
“If anyone can do this, it’s you, Bronya,” Kiana told her, and Bronya knew her best friend was genuine. “I trust in what you can do. So does Mei and everyone else. That’s why you volunteered to do it. You know it, too.”
“Believe Kiana when she says that,” Mei said. “She may still be an idiotka at times…but when she means something, she means it.”
Seele took her hand again. “Bronya, the day they took me from the orphanage was the day you used your skills to rescue me.” Seele smiled, and at last, Bronya returned that smile.
I know they believe in me. I can’t let them down, even if their words don’t change the situation…
Before Bronya could answer them, the small drone floating at her shoulder spoke first. “Tracer program successful.”
Seele, Kiana, and Mei waited as the drone gave Bronya a holographic readout of her program’s findings. She read it. Then she looked back up.
“Mei, you need to read this.”