"I'm sorry, Donovan." Johnny lifted the cigarette to his mouth and flicked on the lighter. Instead of lighting it ablaze, the flame bent around the tip. He sighed, putting both back in his pocket. "You shouldn't have to bear that."
"It was my choice." I guess I can't get a proper job now, huh Mom? Guilt welled in my heart, the realization that my path was becoming irreversible weighing heavily on my shoulders.
Our feet touched the ground, and Johnny took the lead. "I know. She's… frustrating."
"Never took the Detective for a prostitute."
Johnny shot me a glare and I immediately raised my hands in surrender, a wave of shame smacking me in the face.
"Sorry."
He let out a quiet sigh. "At least we'll get what we came for."
I touched the back of my neck, feeling for the seal. "What exactly does this let her do?"
"I don't know, and even if I did, I couldn't tell you." We exited back into the central hall, quickly alighting the stairs and arriving before the blonde receptionist, who I assumed was Ariadne.
"Welcome back!" She smiled radiantly. "You seem to have a glow about you, young Donovan."
I glanced at Johnny in confusion, and he simply shrugged. "Thank you. We were told to have you take us to the Bastion...?"
"Ah! Right away. Please follow Mariam here." She gestured to a black-haired woman who looked to be in her mid-forties. Mariam had a stern face and muscles that were defined even through her robes.
"Hello. Follow me." Without waiting, she pivoted and began to march down one of the side hallways.
The walkway stretched and turned with massive stained-glass windows interspersing every few meters. Golden radiance trickled through, illuminating every white-robed passerby in a holy glow. We passed the entrance to a library, and although obsolete, it was ornate, cared for, and occupied. Worshippers wandered between the shelves, sat at tables and moved between the tiered balconies, soaking in the knowledge and history of ancient civilizations long deceased.
I let out a sigh, slowing slightly as we passed. Oh, how I longed to be there… studying and sinking into my work instead of here, fighting a battle that could very well snuff out my life. But for my mom, it was worth it. Casting my gaze ahead, I strode on, catching up with Mariam and Johnny.
Mariam's black hair stopped bobbing as she came to a halt before a large ornate wooden door. "Here."
I glanced at the golden artwork engraved on the rich reddish-brown base, then at her. Not much? Johnny pushed open the door, and a large closet sprawled ahead of us. The shelves were filled to the brim, and despite being quite clean and organized, it somehow felt messy. Ariadne closed the door behind the three of us, latching it with a thick steel bar.
My hand slipped down to my belt, quietly unclipping my knife with slightly trembling hands. "This leads down to the Bastion?" And you're not going to harvest my organs?
"Correct." She remained expressionless, pushing a box of chemicals away, revealing a slightly cut portion of the wall. With a tap and a hiss, it slid to the side, revealing a keypad. "Avert your eyes."
We both did so, and a series of twenty-some beeps resounded from behind us. The ground began to descend with a loud clank, plunging us into a poorly lit shaft. Slowly but surely, the illumination from above was blocked out as another version of the very floor we stood on pulled itself into place, making it as if nobody had been there. The whir of cable and the occasional yellow light were our only company as we rocketed downward, and before long, we came to a large gate resembling the entrance to a castle.
A massive, white marble hall supported by thick pillars led up to a giant golden gate, just like the main temple. Emblazoned on the massive door was the symbol of the Legion: a massive rising sun cresting the horizon with curled wings on either side and an armored figure supplicating the radiance in the center. However, unlike the upper temple, instead of two guards in Sledge armor, there was one for each of the ten pillars. My breath quickened as a humanoid visage rose from its cross-legged position. The figure was adorned in one of the most famous armors to come out of the TitanForge. It was sleek and refined— worked to perfection. It looked as if a human body had been coated in metal and given free movement. Without having seen it in the tournament, I would've thought it to be alien.
Made from a proprietary material, Pseudo-Steel, stood the pinnacle of the Pseudo-Titan line: The Progenitor.
White and gold metal glimmered in the warm yellow light as it rose to its feet. Light blue luminescence pulsed along its body like veins, running from a fist sized azure gem placed in its sternum. Its eyes were inhuman, black-slitted pupils set in aqueous gems that resembled an ancient dragon. Its body and helmet were angular and streamlined, lacking any humanity, expression, or mercy.
Its blues eyes flicked to me, and the crushing weight of my own weakness felt multiplied on my shoulders. I couldn't help but shake, my heart beating into my ears as sweat raced from my pores. Then, a woman's voice resounded from the Progenitor. "Vivianne sent the two of you, correct?"
"Yeah." Johnny nodded, still fiddling with his cigarette.
"Understood. Mariam, you may return to your station. Thank you."
Mariam nodded in response, not saying a word as she quickly turned tail and re-entered the elevator. The Progenitor turned away, and as she faced the door, it swung wide open on silent hydraulics. She cast a gaze over her shoulder, the draconic pupil sending shivers down my spine. "Follow." With that simple command out of the way, she began to march, each footfall like a cannon striking the earth.
The opulence remained, even in a strict military environment. High archways, golden fixtures and white surfaces. Even the ceiling had its own unique mural similar to the temple above; Vivianne, framed by a new dawn, leading a charge of thousands of men in the colors of the Brilliance toward an army of dark shadowy beings. Who are they? I frowned, almost asking our guide before being promptly scared witless by her fearsome armor.
Several paths spread out ahead, each labeled by a large plaque adorned with large lettering and tiny scripture. The large text read, "Engineering/R&D," the smaller text, "To seek and apply knowledge is but the creed of our lord, for every action taken to enlighten oneself brings one ever closer to our great Lord."
Why R&D? Once again, I didn't dare to ask.
My jaw dropped in sheer amazement as I beheld the massive hangar that was the engineering department. The massive steel gray walls stretched into infinity, turning and branching off to create further subdivisions. Overhead floated networks of conveyer belts suspended by glowing orange flares of light. Even above that, floated an array of vehicles, slowly being moved from place to place, occasionally descending to be worked on as new ones joined the precession. The shouts, calls and curses were only second to the banging of metal, sparking of electricity and sounds of drilling pervading the space. It reeked of oil and sweat, almost so much that I believed I was in a factory of the Axiom.
Large racks held Sledge after Sledge armor, each one in various states. Some disassembled, some mostly together with wiring on the outside, others backs were simply open, waiting for a pilot to jump inside its padded interior. One plodded past us, its size even dwarfing the size of the Progenitor. The Sledge gave us a wide berth, proving the sheer difference in presence between an armor of the Pseudo-Titan line, and one by an upstart. Or it could just be that they're afraid of their superior.