Private Nuts and Bolts

[Aerith Krayt]

Location: Unknown, Location Access Blocked.

Aerith had lost count of what was happening for the last few days. The wires that had been inserted into her body were...uncomfortable to say the least. Movement restrictions, neural pathway blockers, and of course the sensation of someone crawling around in her head. The battle of Mandalore had been a disaster as far as she was concerned, both from a tactical and performance aspect on her behalf. She had not only failed in her mission, but worse than that she had nearly killed Shai. The Mandalorians were more than likely going to put her to death, and given what all had occurred, she didn't blame them; she deserved it, though she wondered why it was they spared her. Without her cybernetics, she was no threat, especially in her current position. Given the bare cell she was put into, and the wires and plug ins that had been slotted into her access ports to restrain her, it was rather evident just how powerless she was in this situation. Her hand reached up, touching the gauze that had been inserted over her wounds. She had second degree burns around her upper chest, and a severe gunshot wound that had been the blow to knock her unconscious. According to information she had found in the system before they cut her feed, the internal bleeding had nearly killed her; not to mention the collapsed lung. Truth be told, she was better off dead. A small part of her wished that Shai's aim had just been up a tad bit more. Would have saved both of them a world of trouble.

She only hoped that Shai was okay, and that the woman would move on past what had occurred. The hardware that had nearly killed her friend was still inside her, and Aerith had no way to break the cycle. Her hand fell away from her face, setting in her lap as her body remained slouched forward. She had been kneeling on the floor for most of the day, feeling a dull ache in her chest, a crushing sense of guilt smashing down on top of her. She was too weak to stop herself. Too weak to be of any good to her owners. Scrap metal, that's all she was destined to be now. The one friend she had made in this world would forget about her soon enough, and then she'd be entirely alone in the galaxy; not that it mattered, she wouldn't be a part of it in the long run.

Shai Maji

 

[Shai Maji]

After the battle, Shai spent every minute in the medical wing of a star destroyer, recovering from her injuries and also learning how to use her new mechanical arm. However the damage done to her body didn't come close to what she felt on the inside. The emotional and psychological effects of what happened was clear in her appearance. Her fur and mane, usually soft and neat, was course and unkempt. Her proud stature that she picked up in her training was reduced to a slouch and the bright glimmer that used to adorn her bright red eyes was gone. She felt like a husk. Technically she wasn't supposed to be out and about, but after hearing what prisoner they had onboard, she was inclined to ignore what the doctors told her.

She drifted through the halls towards the holding cells, dressed in a simple shirt and trousers she picked up from the quarters she was given before the attack. She needed to see her, it was as simple as that. She couldn't simply sit back when she knew the two of them needed to talk. But deep down, she had several thoughts about seeing her again. One was guilt for shooting her best friend. However the other was a combination of fear abd disappointment. She was afraid of Aerith, afraid that she could lash out or her programming could take over again... and she was disappointed in herself for thinking such awful things about her.

She finally reached the detention area and, after an argument with the guards, walked through the halls towards her cell.

Once she reached it, she stood behind the ray-shielded entrance and simply stared at the awful sight in front of her. She lowered her gaze from Aerith towards the guard standing behind her. He deactivated the shield and reactivated it once she walked into the cell. "Hey." she muttered as she looked down at Aerith.

She walked around her and sat down in front of the girl, trying to crack a smile but unable to. She didn't know what to say. For the first time in a long time, she simply couldn't think of something smart, funny or worth saying. Finally something popped into her mind as she looked over Aerith and then lowered her gaze. "I probably should have told you what I am. But I was too afraid of what your programming would have done if I admitted to it. So... surprise!" she explained weekly with a timid voice, her smile clearly forced.

It quickly faded as her cybernetic hand gently rested on her friend's shoulder. However it quickly retracted when she noticed the lack of feeling in her hand. Her lower lip started to quiver as her eyes teared up. "I... I'll never be able to feel anything with this hand again." she muttered softly as she stared at her hand, a tear rolling from her cheek.

She finally lost her composure as she threw her arms around Aerith, burying her face into the cyborg's neck as she broke down into a sobbing mess. " And look what the kark they did to you!" she practically shouted, holding her tightly. "I don't know what's going on anymore. What do we do? " she admitted to her, hoping that somehow Aerith could help her.

Aerith Castiella

 

[Aerith Krayt]

She had thought that she was hearing things at first, hearing the voice of Shai calling to her, but as Aerith raised her head, she found that wasn't the case. The gaze faltered rather quickly though, seeing the new limb that hung from Shai's arm. The same arm that she had shot off on Mandalore. It felt as if someone had poured acid into her soul, the sting just didn't fade. The blond said nothing as Shai spoke, her face hanging down in shame, her body unmoving despite the sheer pain she was feeling inside, knowing she had nothing to give the woman, and having to bare with it all the same. Shai tried to put on her bubbly personality, tried to make it seem like all was well, when in fact it was most certainly not so. The touch of metal on metal was evident, as Aerith could see the hand approach, make contact, and swiftly withdraw. She understood the sensation all to well. She had lived it for most of her life, being unable to feel. Her eyes shut, feeling the sting of tears that were threatening to break loose. This was all her fault.

If she hadn't been weak.

If she just had the decency to die.

Neither of them would be in this situation if she had just died.

An apology couldn't fix the situation, it wouldn't make things right, nor would it bridge the vast chasm that had opened between the two of them. Aerith's mind was too blank for words, too crushed for expression to be conveyed. At this point, she was just waiting to be executed, knowing the only reason they hadn't done so now was because they wanted to fish data out of her head. Her actions had damaged Shai, probably to a point that she would never fully recover. Aerith sat in silence for a long moment, before finally giving a sign that she was alive. "There's nothing we can do. They're going to execute me soon enough." She replied rather curtly, her face tilting up to look towards Shai more directly now, a stream of tears flowing from the fleshy side of her face. From a break in her hair line, Shai would notice that someone had torn off the false skin around the rest of Aerith's face, revealing her cybernetics to any who looked at her directly. "I'm sorry Shai. I've been nothing but a blight in your life." She spoke, her gaze sinking back to the floor, as she could feel the mental probes at work again. Seemed they had found something they liked. Her countdown started now. "I'll be out of it soon enough though."

Shai Maji

 

[Shai Maji]

Aerith finally spoke up, causing Shai to pull back as she looked at her with pleading eyes. "What? No they're not." she muttered with fear in her voice. It hurt her to see Aerith like this. Not only was her false skin gone in places, showing what she really was. But to hear Aerith talk like this and completely lose her hard exterior wasn't right.

She went on to apologize but Shai merely shook her head. As the cyborg's head lowered, Shai took hold of her cheeks and lifted it up again. "No you weren't." she said but got distracted by the irony of her situation. Both of them had their organic sides touching. Shai couldn't stop herself from gently caressing Aerith's cheek for a second before snapping back to reality. "I wanted to help you, Aerith. I still can. These guys got serious tech, they can help free you from your programming." her mind immediately ran through options like an obsession to try and help her again.

But she stopped herself, realizing what she was doing. She let go of her cheeks and sat back in front of her. Her gaze lowered to her arm as she moved her fingers and played with her wrist, trying to get some sort of feeling out of it. "It wasn't you, you know. I'm not angry at you. You could never do that out of your own." she spoke up, looking to Aerith for comfort as she reached out to hold her hands.

Aerith Castiella

 

[Aerith Krayt]

Shai had always been the more positive of the two, no matter what the woman tried to keep a positive outlook on the world. Unfortunately, it was lost on Aerith here and now. Despite Shai's insistence to the contrary, Aerith couldn't see a situation in which she got out of here alive. Her head slowly shook, her expression remaining unchanged. "I killed two Mandalorians, nearly killed you. I'm the enemy Shai. I always have been." She muttered, her eyes fixated on the durasteel plating of the floor.

Feeling a pair of hands seize her cheeks, Aerith found herself looking directly at Shai, her eyes devoid of any true emotion aside from guilt. "All I've done is made things harder for you. You try and help, and I've blown it every single time." She continued, her voice wavering. She had nearly gotten murdered Shai on Nal Hutta, gotten them in trouble on Zeltros when she lost it in the medical lab, then there was the most incident on Mandalore. Shai had insisted they could help her, use their tech to undo the damage that the Sith had done to her head. To Aerith, it seemed like lunacy, there was no way in her mind it was going to go that way. She was Sith, had been for years. Death was a certainty in her mind, though it seemed strange after all this time she would go out in this manner. "You can't fix what's already broken Shai."

Wasn't that the truth.

She didn't feel anything in this moment, aside from a sense of guilt, and a pain deep in her chest. It felt like a vibro-knife being worked through her chest cavity. Experience told her it was anxiety, but she was hoping it was her cybernetics failing. Feeling a hand try and slip in to seize her own, Aerith closed her eyes, her metal digits clasping around Shai's hand. "You nearly got killed and it was my fault. I couldn't stop myself then, and I can't now. What if it happens again, what if-" She paused, feeling the probe begin shifting into the data device in her hippocampus, wincing as she felt a draining sensation overtake her. With the sensation fading, Aerith finished, her voicd cracking as a tear streaked down her bruised face. "I can't risk killing you Shai. I don't want to live with that." The feeling that she has thought gone returned, as a silent sob took over.


Shai Maji

 

[Shai Maji]

No matter how much Shai tried, Aerith seemed to have given up altogether. She listened to what Aerith had to say, shaking her head in defiance at her comments. "The whole point of broken things is to fix them. You don't simply write off a perfectly fine starship simply 'cause it's got some issues. You fix it. And you can be damn sure I'm not gonna stop trying to help you until we've run out of ideas completely." she stated with fading confidence, hoping she could somehow get through to the stubborn woman.

Once again Aerith took the blame and a sigh escaped Shai. She looked down at their hands as Aerith spoke, growing more and more desperate to get this cyborg to see what she was trying to do. At her last comment, Shai looked up with a harsh frown on her brow. "For kark's sake, Aerith, stop making yourself the villain!" she practically ordered the woman. She pulled her hand free of Aerith's grasp and took hold of her wrist to bring it up to her neck. She forced the woman's fingers around her neck and held on to make sure she didn't pull back. "There you go! If it was all on you and not your top dogs, then finish the job. If you can't stop yourself then just do it already." she growled at her with glowing crimson eyes. After a few seconds of eyeing Aerith, she let her hand go and instead took hold of her shoulders again. "Where's the fight in you, Aerith?! Are you just gonna sit on your knees and give up? Well sorry to disappoint you, but you're not! I can't let you. I like you too much to just let you karking drop like that." she scolded the woman, not fully realizing what she let slip out.

She stood up and took a step back, looking at the woman. "I heard them talking earlier about not just going on an execution spree. A lot of people were brainwashed or stuff so they wanna help them. I can talk to them and try to get you out like that. If that works, then they can fix you up. Don't you want to be fixed? This is the best chance we've had! You can even start a new life with these people, Aerith. I can adopt you into my clan as a foundling, you can join me in this gig. If this isn't your best way out, I don't know what is." she talked down on the woman with tears in her eyes. "So, what's it gonna be? You gonna sit on your knees and give up? Or are you gonna try and work with me on this?" she asked her as she held her hand out for Aerith to take. She felt horrible for talking to Aerith like this. But she needed to get through somehow. She never gave up on her friends. And even now, she was going to keep fighting to try and help her.

She dropped to her knees again to look into the woman's eyes. "Please. Don't just give up like this. If not for yourself, then do it for me." she begged her as she pulled the woman into another hug which wasn't going to end soon.

Aerith Castiella

 

[Aerith Krayt]

Shai was still trying to put everything back together, but it just wasn't that simple. Aerith wasn't surprised that the woman couldn't comprehend how she felt, hell Shai probably didn't even know what her 'people' were doing to her right now. "They don't want to fix me Shai. They want to use me. That's all anyone wants to do with me. Fix me up, and use me to their own ends." She spoke, her eyes glazing over as she felt the probe delve deeper into her mind, overpowering the restraints that the Sith had put on her memory retention. A stifled groan came from Aerith's lips, as a slow burning pain welled up at the back of her head and began to push through the rest of her body.

Shai snapped at her, choosing now of all times to try and pick an argument with her. As Shai took hold of Aerith's hand and moved it to her neck, the wiring that had been shoved into the cyborgs joints tugged, sparks flying from the connection piece as Aerith winced in pain. Her motor functions were crippled for all intensive purposes, as even if she had it in her to do what Shai was demanding she'd do, the cybernetics would not respond. Her eyes flickered close, her hand moving slowly upwards, and cupping the back of Shai's head, as the limb would almost pathetically pull the Mandalorian in close; though it had nothing near the strength required to do so. "I'm tired of hurting people Shai. I'm so fething tired of being used to kill people." She rambled, her head adjusting to rest against her friend, as she could feel the probe at work in her mind. "Even now, your people are combing me over. They're in my head trying to pull all the data they can, not caring what the-" Aerith stopped, wincing as it felt like someone was drilling through the back of her skull for a solid moment, before a sensation akin to ice water began to fill her skull. They had extracted something out of her, though she hadn't a clue what. Probably some info on her 'owner'.

Feeling Shai's warm coat against her battered face, Aerith sighed, seemingly shrinking against her friend. "Shai, please. Just...I don't want you to get hurt anymore. Look at everything you've done for me up til now, and look where it's gotten us." Aerith raised her voice as best she could, though it was a hollow echo of who she once was. She couldn't open her eyes as she spoke, keeping them shut, afraid of what she might see if she did so. Aerith shook her head, another steam of tears pushing out past her eyelid, as she knew Shai was going to hate what she had to say. "I can't let you take the flak for me again. Not this time. If they don't get all that hardware out, it'll fall back on you Shai, and I don't want that." She sobbed, the dredges of self loathing, guilt, and heart break rising out of the emotional pit she had felt building in her gut.

She had been a tool for so long, she didn't know what to do with herself now.

Shai Maji

 

[Shai Maji]

Aerith's hand snaked around her head in a sad attempt to try and pull her closer. Shai didn't resist and simply leaned forward to rest her head against hers in an attempt to comfort her. She remained quiet as Aerith spoke, knowing what it was the Mandos were doing to her. She hated that they were doing it, but she understood the reason perfectly well. And as much as she wanted Aerith free from the wires, she hoped that they could figure out how to help her with all of that information. A naive thought which she hated but couldn't ignore even if she tried.

When Aerith winced in pain again, Shai moved forward to straddle the woman and wrapped her arms around her to hold her in a comforting embrace. She tried again to point out how she was a problem to the Shistavanen, but Shai refused to see it that way. "I see where it's gotten us." she muttered, pulling back to plant a tender kiss on her organic cheek. "It's given me my super awesome 'borg friend." she admitted as she hugged her close again. She felt Aerith break down in her embrace, sobs and tears escaping her as she tried to avoid giving Shai more trouble. She shook her head and nuzzled Aerith's face, trying to figure out what more to say. This was a hard situation for her. Nothing she did or told Aerith could get her to open up or ignite her fighting spirit. She sighed into Aerith's shoulder as she gently rubbed the back of her head.

"I want to take you on a date again." she perked up softly, still holding Aerith tightly against her. "I was thinking Rishi. We can walk on the beaches, swim in the ocean, just enjoy our time together. The wet mutt smell might be a problem but I can figure that out." she explained with a sad chuckle. "But I can only take you on one again if you stick with me. I'll worry about the details, the trip, all that jazz. All you need to do is work with me to get fixed up and get out of here in time for us to go." she continued, pulling back to look at Aerith directly. Out of nowhere, she leaned in and placed a peck on her lips, pulling back with a smile. "Think about how nice that would be. Just us two on the beach. Nobody to tell us what to do or to give us weird looks." she spoke softly, reaching out to hold her by her sides. However she quickly pulled back with a grimace as she grabbed hold of her metallic arm.

She whimpered in pain as she pressed her head into Aerith's chest. "For kriff's sake..." she muttered as she clutched at her arm. "It's not even there anymore, what the kriff...?" she asked with a whine, holding tightly onto her arm as pain ran through it.

Aerith Castiella

 

[Aerith Krayt]

Music

A sensation of relief swelled in Aerith's chest, as she listed to her friend. The light peck to her check caused the corner of her face to twitch ever so slightly, though she remained stoic through Shai's words. Despite everything, Shai still wanted her as a friend. "You still think that?"

The Mandalorians would have all the info they want soon enough, as Aerith's eye began to give a yellow flicker, a sign that the data extraction was underway. It felt like icy water being drawn from the back of her skull, though it was being dug out by the galaxies smallest ice pick. Her eyes squeezed shut to embrace the pain, holding her breath before releasing it as a sigh. It wasn't the worst pain imaginable, and force knew she had experienced far worse before. When she opened them, she found Shai still pressed against her, the fur around her closed eyes wet with tears. She found a strength she didn't have before, as her remaining arm secured the embrace, taking in a breath as she distracted herself from the pain.

Shai had given so much of herself for this. Aerith had no right to give up now, not if Shai was still trying to hold out on her. Assassin or not, she had made a promise to be there for Shai. If she was worth half the metal she was made of, then she had to keep going; even if deep down she didn't want to. A smile slowly worked its way across Aerith's face, as the pain began to become a forethought.

She listened to the date Shai wanted to take her on, and how once again Aerith wasn't going to have to worry about anything, that Shai was going to deal with it all. Though truthfully, that was the last thing she wanted, if they were going to go on a date they were both going to plan it next time. "You've done too much already Shai. I'll do the planning this time around." She spoke, hoping to change the dynamic of their relationship around. Shai had been the instigator throughout this whole process, and it was time Aerith started to pull her weight.

Then things took a turn for....well, Aerith was sure how to classify it. Shai came at her quick, before the cyborg could respond, a pair of lips were pressed against her own. The room felt as it was spinning, as she was left trying to comprehend what was going on. Her look to Shai was one of confusion, though she could understand the words that were being spoken to her in spite of that. Yea, it would be nice to be their own thing, but the galaxy never tolerated people like them. Shells of people, that's what they were deep down, both her and Shai.

She had told Shai once that she wasn't ready for a commitment, and that still stood. It seemed Shai on the other hand was in need of it, in need of her, desperate in fact. These feelings would have to be grappled with later though, as Shai's comments about her arm resignated with the cyborg. She remembered what it was like losing her limbs, how the sensation faded, and no amount of tech could make it feel just like you remember. Yea, she knew the sensation all too well. As Shai buried her head into Aerith's chest, her hands gently stroked the back of the woman's head. "It's just an extension of you. A work of art made by man and machine. You learn to live with it, and in time, you accept it." There was no need to tell Shai that it wasn't easy. Some days, Aerith herself still struggled with it. She would for the rest of her life. Assuming she found a way out of this cell that didn't involve a chopping block.

Shai Maji

 

[Shai Maji]

The pain was excruciating, as if she was hit by that shot all over again. Pained whimpers escaped her as she pressed her head into Aerith for comfort. Her words completely went over her head, but Shai's interpretation of it did elicit a small chuckle from her. Finally the pain started to subside but she didn't pull back yet. "You're probably the first person in the galaxy to call me a work of art." she muttered with a smile. Finally she could think again and pulled back to look at Aerith. "I wasn't even supposed to be there." she admitted as her smile faltered. "I was supposed to be a pilot... or something. I'm not a fighter. But for some reason I got picked for the first wave of attack." she explained, looking down at her arm. "This never should have happened."

She looked back into Aerith's eyes. "But if it weren't for that mess... I would never have been able to get you out." she stated, her tired eyes studying her features. "I'm holding you to what you said. We're gonna go on a date again. And you're gonna plan it. But that's only gonna happen with you out of this cell." she stated with a tone indicating that she wasn't looking for an argument on this matter. She gave Aerith one final bearhug and rose to her feet. "I'm gonna get you out of here. Got it?" she dictated before walking past her towards the ray-shielded doorway. The shield lowered and she exited, turning to take one last look at Aerith before leaving. "I want to talk to the people in charge of this. Now." she said to the guard nearby. After a bit of arguing, she managed to convince him and soon she was off towards whoever was in charge of Aerith's predicament.

For several hours she was gone, pretty much the whole duration that Aerith's data was being siphoned from her head. But as it neared the last few minutes, Shai came crashing back in with a hopeful look in her eyes. "I got your stuff!" she shouted as she did a power slide past Aerith and got back up to sit in front of her. "I talked to the dudes, they gave me issues of course. But I managed to convince them to not kill you! All that's needed now is to reverse the crap in your head." she looked down and held out her cybernetic arm, focusing hard on it. "Oh come on, how does this thing..." she muttered, but was cut off when her arm split and her hand switched out to produce a dataspike. "AHA!" she triumphantly called out, looking back to Aerith. "This is the codes to clear your stuff. They explained that it would be able to wipe your protocols and all that jazz... there's a catch though." she explained, giving her a serious look. "There's a... small chance... that it might backfire due to your security stuff. They could do it, but I'd rather do it myself. That way we got nobody else to blame if this goes south and..." she trailed off, unable to say the words. But the look in her eye spoke loud enough what she meant to say.

Shai let out a deep sigh and placed a hand on Aerith's shoulder. "So... you wanna give it a try?" she asked her, though she was going to go through with it either way once those cables disconnected...

Aerith Castiella

 

[Aerith Krayt]

Shai was insistent on the fact that Aerith would be getting out, and if Aerith knew her friend, Shai typically got her way; though alot of people were usually left fuming when it was all said and done. Smiling fully for the first time today, Aerith nodded, being wrapped in a warm embrace that she could actually feel this time. "Just...don't push too hard Shai. I'm an asset to them, probably don't want you to fry my software." She joked, though the thought behind it was rather bleak. As her friend pulled away, Aerith could feel the restraints on her limbs release, motor control starting to come back to her as Shai departed. She forced the smile while the woman was in sight, but once Shai disappeared, Aerith slumped forward and exhaled; the stress and tension from the data extraction wasn't exactly comfortable. Shai had seemed so certain that Aerith would be allowed to be among the Mandalorians, and yet the Cyborg couldn't see why that would be allowed. She was the enemy after all, why would they of all people show her forgiveness?


As Shai returned, Aerith began to pull herself back from those dark thoughts, though what Shai had to offer was...less than ideal. How did they get the codes? She was a bit too scared to ask honestly. There were risks of course, and the risks could very well end with her being rendered comatose. "I....don't know. Honestly I'm scared Shai. This...stuff has been inside me for years." She muttered, her mind wandering once again, thinking of what all could go wrong. Though as Shai began to disconnect her cables, there was a sense of urgency that came over Aerith. So long as she had the codes in her head, she would be a threat to everyone around her, including Shai.

She only had one real way to free herself from the Sith, though it could cost her everything she had earned up to this point, but at the same time her programing would do the same.

It seemed obvious what she had to do now, as the words escaped her lips. "Yea, lets...do this. It needs to be done."

She could only hope it wouldn't kill her, but no need to concern Shai with that.
Shai Maji

 

[Shai Maji]

She understood the hesitation in Aerith. She would hesitate too. There was no guarantee that this would work. And if it didn't, she would be living with the knowledge that she killed her best friend. But rather that than someone else. Then she knew fully who would be to blame. She gave Aerith a gentle nudge against the shoulder as she held the data spike up, waiting to hear what Aerith's final decision was.

Finally she made up her mind and agreed to the stunt. She gave her a warm smile and one final kiss before rising to her feet. "It's gonna work. Don't worry. Just a few more minutes and you're free forever." she reassured Aerith as she came to a halt behind her. Gently she unplugged the wires from her spine and skull before getting ready to inject the spike into the socket in her head. She stood for a second, stealing one last glance at Aerith's features. "Here goes nothing." she commented, lowering to her knees. A hand snaked around Aerith's shoulders to hold her while her other arm carefully inserted the dataspike into her head.

She bit her lower lip as she hugged Aerith in hopes of comforting her. This had to work. There was no other options. It was no different than working on a droid. In the back of her mind she could feel thoughts coming up. It wasn't going to work. She was going to kill her. She never did anything right, why would it work now? All these negative thoughts bounced around in her head but she pushed them aside. However there was one thought that was stuck in her mind as she hugged Aerith.

"Hon, you'll live much longer if you stop trying to suck up to me like some desperate whore. It's pathetic. Don't insult yourself by carrying yourself like this."

That queen's voice echoed in her mind, even after two years. Still, she was right. Shai knew why she was doing this. She was trying to win Aerith's affection, as simple as that. The more she thought about it, the more negative her thoughts became. Finally she pushed them aside and simply held on as the spike spiralled and slotted deeper into the socket. "It's almost done. Almost done." she muttered as she held onto the girl.

Aerith Castiella

 

[Aerith Krayt]

Aerith could see Shai was eager to get this done and over with, though the cyborg wasn't exactly comfortable with the whole situation. As Shai moved in to try and kiss her, Aerith's hands caught Shai's shoulders, holding the woman back before she could make contact. This was just too much right now. She needed more time to process this, to grapple with everything going on. "Shai just...not now. Please." She said, her voice a tad weak, not wanting to struggle with the clash of emotions and headspace going on. "I feel like my heads in a blender right now, and it's about to go back into it. If...this goes south, I just want to have my own thoughts if it goes that way." As Shai tore out the connection ports to her head, the disconnect shocked the hell out of the woman, causing a lapse in consciousness as the connection was severed and redirect back to herself.

As Shai wrapped an arm around the woman, Aerith's eyes closed trying to accept the affection being given to her; and yet it felt entirely undeserved. As bad as it might have sounded, a small part of her just wanted to die, and finally be free of all this mess. "Sorry, just....plug it in Shai." Aerith muttered, taking in several long breaths as she gathered herself. Feeling the spike lodge into the back of her skull, Aerith's body shuddered, her eyes widening as the convulsions started. Her body toppled over onto Shai, muscle and limb control becoming nonexistent as it seemed that Aerith was suffering from some sort of seizure. For Aerith, flashes of memory blinked by, numbers, sensations, brief glimpses of scenes exploding before her eyes as she was struck by the short circuiting of most of her brain. There was no pain thankfully, only a feeling of relief, like taking the first breath after a deep plunge into the ocean.

Then it finally all went to black.

For the first time in her life, she actually felt free.

Shai Maji

 

[Shai Maji]

Not for one moment did Shai let go of Aerith. It was painful to see her in a state like this, but she didn't give up. She couldn't stop now. As Aerith collapsed into her, she shifted and held her tightly to keep her stable. "I'm sorry, Aerith. It's almost over. I promise. It's gonna be okay" she whispered into her ear with clenched eyes as the data spike whirled and spiraled deeper into her skull. It only had a few more rotations left. But for Shai it felt like hours. When the final rotation finished, it released and Shai pulled the spike out of her head. Her hand transformed back and she stared at Aerith expectantly. A hopeful smile was on her face as she brushed a few strands out of her face. But nothing happened. She was entirely unconscious.

Her smile faltered as worry crept into her heart. "Aerith? It's over. Please wake up. You're free." she muttered as tears formed in her eyes. She felt alive. There was still a pulse... but that meant nothing if her brain was utterly fried.

She shifted to sit on the ground behind the cyborg and leaned Aerith back into her. Her arms wrapped around the girl as her head rested on her shoulder, nuzzling her cheek against Aerith's. Her legs pressed against Aerith to comfort her as she held her friend against her in a gentle embrace. After what felt like an hour of holding her, a sniff escaped her. "We're gonna go on that beach date, you karking clanker. You hear me? You're gonna wake the kriff up and we're gonna go on it. We can't do it if you're comatose so wake up. You're tough, Aerith, this can't be what karking ends you." she spoke into her ear with determination as she shook her in an attempt to wake her up. She even went as far as to give a light slap but after that, she simply held her.

She had to wake up eventually. She had to. But if she didn't... it was only fair that Shai was there to keep her comfortable. There was no way in hell she would be abandoning her now...

Aerith Krayt