It's okay to fall apart. Tacos fall apart, and we still love them too. Except for those ones with cilantro in them, like, I know what you're going to say. ‘You just have a gene; that's why it tastes weird.’ It's a Southeast Asian herb in Mesoamerican cuisine. What is it doing there?
Foxfire, 2027 in a speech that would go on to go viral under the title "foxgirl cilantro rant"
I felt hollow as I lay flat within the Anemone, contemplating everything that went wrong. Everything that was going wrong. Everything that could go wrong.
I tried to push the thoughts out of my head, but they came back like the tide.
I sobbed weakly, hugging myself tight.
Macy…
Kyos was doing her best to console me. But she was just a chip in my head. I couldn’t get physical comfort from her.
New Purchase!
Class 0 Great Blue Shark Plush
From a similar side compartment to where the Mark II Requiem Piercer came out of, a shark plush the size of my body popped out, landing next to me. I clambered to hug it.
Kyos sighed.
I know I’m not supposed to buy things with your points, but you need the comfort now.
I nodded, letting a silent thank you fall through my lips as I let myself wallow within the fluffy comfort that was my new shark plush.
Macy…I’m sorry for yelling at you. I didn’t know how to snap you out of your state. You were in a greatly disturbed mental state and trying to push yourself into greater danger than you could feasibly handle.
I didn’t respond. I was still too raw for that.
There was a loud thud, and the module lurched.
“What was that?” I weakly asked.
Pay it no mind. Just Bruce getting thrown about.
Kyos let out a long exhale.
I didn’t want to do this, Macy, but you leave me no choice.
I paused my wallowing for a moment as Kyos said that. Something dark in the weave of the universe was coming, and I was not ready for it.
Baaaaby Shark do do do do do!
No…
“Kyos, please no,” I thought as I pushed myself up a little, thrown mildly by the absurdity of what was happening.
You’ll have to try harder than that. Baby Shark do do do do do!
I couldn’t help but let out a breathy, broken laugh as I tried to talk Kyos down.
“Kyos, please, not right now; it doesn’t feel like the time.”
Make it time, Macy. You need this more than I do.
I shook my head with a half-hearted grin.
Fuck. She was right. I was smiling. Everything still hurt, but I was smiling. The feeling that everything might be ok flooded through me as I giggled a little.
“Seriously though, Baby Shark?”
It worked, didn’t it?
“I can neither confirm nor deny,” I quipped back, and then slumped back down with a sigh. “Bleh. Why do depressive attacks hit like a train…”
Hormones, as well as emotional drain. I didn’t realize how much self-hatred you had. I wish I had helped you address it before…all of this.
“It’s ok. You couldn’t have known. I try to keep up a face to be happy for everyone and be fun-loving. I’m just a broken girl underneath.”
A rumble of thunderous sounds echoed from outside, coming close before pushing away.
Broken is fine. Just means that you need some time and help to bring yourself back together.
I let silence reign for a minute as I contemplated those words, turning them over in my head to fully grasp them. I then let my own thoughts sift to the surface as I drew upon why…why I was like this right now.
“...Did you know that Nate was the first person to see me as more than just…my father’s child?” I let the question linger in the air for a moment before continuing. “He’s supported me for years, cared about me for years, and made me learn to care about myself, at least as far as normal standards could go. He’s…”
I paused for a moment, letting the next words toss about my mouth, trying to let them sink in as I prepared to speak.
“He’s more family to me than my own blood family. So it hurts a lot, hearing that he’s in danger like he is.”
How many other people are in danger in this situation, Macy? And how many do you have the capability of saving right now?
“I…well…”
I thought about it for a moment. For a second, the pod’s lighting flickered, but powered back on. Something bigger might be out there. I wasn’t ready to deal with that yet. An idea then bubbled up from the depths of my mind.
“I can save myself…but I can also try and save the people on that yacht. Does that yacht have an autopilot?”
Now you’re thinking. And yes, it does, but I will need a catalog to override it. Class I Basic Cyber Warfare Utilities will allow me to hack in and take over.
“Let’s do that. Shouldn’t be too much of a dent, being a Class I catalog.”
It isn’t.
Unlocked!
Class I Basic Cyber Warfare Utilities - 100 points
Points reduced to…7024
“Oh, I got a few more points. Neat.”
The Anemone and your Sharks have been very busy for the fifteen minutes you had been unable to act.
“Fifteen minutes! Wow, ok, time really slipped away from me.”
Yes, it did. That said, you will be getting that token for getting the ship to a safer location.
“Neat…alright.” I slapped my cheeks with both hands. “Protector-grade therapy go brr. Probably gonna be things for later to deal with, but for now? That should be enough.”
I then fully noticed my new wristlets.
“What can these do? Fully, I mean?”
Well, you can tether up to three small to medium objects to you at one time, allowing you to teleport those items directly to your location. The Anemone has already been keyed as one of those objects for the purposes of these wristlets.
“Can I key my Requiem Piercer to it?” I asked, moving my left hand to rest over the Requiem Piercer lying to my side.
Yes. Thinking of some shenanigans?
“You know it.” My smile smoothed out, as I finally felt like I was getting back into the groove. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
“Alright. Let’s try this again. Eyes wide open.”
Wait!
“What’s up?”
Put the Blahaj away.
“Oh. Right.”