The hivemind is conquering for me?

’I failed?’

My thoughts slowed to a crawl as I looked up. The Drakoshi firing towards my cover once more did not phase me. My eyes were fixed on the weapon.

’This is my fault and I- Uughh’

My entire body began to violently hurt.

My origin began to thrash around in place. My Psionics became turbulent like a violent storm. I then heard a voice scream through my Mindspace, almost shattering it with the power in each word.

"WE! NOT! FAIL! NEVER! FAIL!"

Each word felt like a fact, not a statement.

My Origin has not spoken up in a long time. It had no reason to, it hadn’t tried to kill me in a while and we had achieved peace finally, but this... This had thrown everything off balance. So I thought to myself.

"I have done everything I can! I’m pinned down. I can’t-"

"We. Can. Do...ANYTHING! Like. Jewel. Like Lover."

My Origin and my body fell into turmoil. We were both the same, but the conflicting thoughts began to eat at us. The result of the inner turmoil of its fact against my reality left me in a state of paralysis. I couldn’t move. I just continued to stare up at the massive gun while my mind continued to fight itself.

*Crrrrrkkk*

As I could hear the Drakoshi close in on my position, The torrent of emotions inside my mind suddenly turned silent and I could finally see clearly. The weapon up above, the boomstick, it moved. Tipped. Ever so slightly.

It was more damaged than I thought... Perhaps it could still be destroyed, perhaps I had not...

...

Sound returned to my surroundings in full and time seemed to end its dilation as my thoughts became ones of action once more. With that being the case, I sprung to action and injected myself with one of my stims. I couldn’t have another bout of vain egoism at this time.

Peeling from the corner I was stuck behind, I positioned my body at an angle and began firing with my minigun at the nearest Drakoshi. My bullets turned the closet into mincemeat as I ran, but I also instantly began to get peppered with fire. My suit sounded like an abused steel drum as I ran, but I didn’t let it bother me. The Drakoshi were low on ammo apparently, but they still had more than enough to waste on me...

Onyx was asking if she should come back out to aid me, but there were too many now. The only way she could be of help was for her to be in her true form and that was not tactically sound.

Making it back to the building-cum-metal beams. I began to ascend. Jumping from beam to beam. Firing and being fired at all the while.

The more open I got, the more damage my suit was taking. Dents began to form deep in the armour from the bigger rounds and some very few had penetrated the joints. But I kept going. Until I reached the top once more.

At the top, I assessed the damage. The gun took more damage than I originally thought, but was still in firing capability. In truth the gun was extra tough, I doubt the explosives I had used on the weapons depots would have helped, however, over half of the support beams were destroyed while those remaining were heavily damaged by the blast, explaining the movement I saw.

Calculating quickly my options. I could blow up the weapon with a mini sun, but that would end badly for me as well or I could not damage the weapon, but get rid of it so that it would be useless in tomorrow’s battle.

The latter option sounded more favourable to me so I moved, ignoring the bullets bouncing off my armour. Ignoring the shots that penetrated my flesh. I positioned myself under the weapon.

Between two beams I anchored myself and I started to push with every fibre of my being and unleashed all the rage that built up within me over my failure.

"RAAAAHHHHH!"

...

"We need to leave! Where are they!" Skaja yelled as her squad began engaging with Drakoshi that were closing in on the ingress point.

"Over there!" Nerissa yelled, firing her Deimos rifle with deadly accuracy.

Skaja looked for a brief moment and could see two pink haired women and a snake below them about to climb the wall.

"Give covering fire!" She ordered and her troops did just that till they were at the top."

"Alright! Let’s move! We need to fall back now-Aahh! Son of a bitch! Where is Apollo!" She yelled after a round grazed her cheek and ear."

Tamara, Willow and Sithrik all looked behind them in shock, expecting Apollo to be there, he wasn’t...

The look on their face said it all. Skaja looked up at the weapon still intact and cursed. "Shit. We can’t wait for him. Everyone. Over the wall! Now!"

Her troops began to listen, pulling back and jumping over the wall, which was followed by a loud splash at the bottom.

Willow looked like she wanted to argue, but Rhea grabbed her by the shoulder and dragged her over the wall.

Tamara also seemed hesitant. Her friend was still up there, she wanted to go help him, but... She couldn’t get back up there again.

*fwwosh*

Especially not now as Zircon escaped her grasp and began flying back up to the top of the base. She let out a rageful scream and then jumped over.

The process resumed until only three individuals were left atop the parapet. Skaja Nerissa and Sithrik.

"Nerissa, we have to go!" She commanded, but the Praetorian would not listen. She continued to fire her weapon through multiple Drakoshi at a time.

Listening to her spear, she then shouted once more. "Nerissa! We order you in the name of your goddess! Leave this wall. It is a lost cause. We cannot wait for-

"-I am not leaving Apollo! I follow him where he goes! If my life ends here. So be it!" 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Artemis was shocked hearing that. For a nymph to speak to her like that... She encouraged Skaja to look up for a moment at where she could sense Apollo. ’I wonder...’

Skaja then spoke up as she fired. "Very well Nerissa, I hope you all make it back."

...

After Skaja jumped off the platform, Nerissa and Sithrik gave each other a glance before continuing the fight. Nerissa, desperate for Apollo’s safety, was going to make sure this parapet was clear when Apollo returned, or she would die trying. She vowed to herself as long as she lived, she would never lose another Apollo. The grief of one was too much, to lose another she cared so much for... It would push her over the edge.

Sithrik was a loyal concubine. Although not laying intimately with her mate yet, she had fallen hard for his exotic looks, his mind and elegance. His status as king was merely a sweet dessert after her meal. So, she would continue to burn hotter and hotter in his name. She would stay here until she knew her mate was safe, or she was no more. With that thought, the very stone underneath her began to turn molten as she began using her Pyrokinesis to its full effect. Anything that dared attempt to lay their filthy commoner touchy appendages on her form, that was exclusively her king, would lose them and their life.

....

"RAAAAGGGGHHHHH!"

I screamed in agony. My muscles were tearing as I used all my power, breaking my limits as I used all my Gyrokinetic might to push up and against this colossal weapon. My armour was being torn apart, my body was becoming bloodier by the second.

But my name was Apollo. A name given to me by my darling hive. I would not fail while I held this name as it would be failing her. And that is why I will not stop until.

"AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"

I continued to push so hard I was seeing red. My veins were building outward from my muscles. I kept pushing and pushing. Using all my energy. Physical and Psionic until I heard metal crying out.

Screaming violently, the metal beam began to move on its own and I lost my balance.

Falling, I saw the Boom stick underneath me instead of above me. It too was falling, destroying walls as it fell. I did it.

’I need to rest.’

Closing my eyes I allowed myself to fall until I felt myself suddenly stop.

’Weird, I’m not using Gyrokinesis?’ I thought groggily before realising something was sticking in between bits of my armour holes. Looking down, seeing who it was, I smiled.

"Zircon... Such a good girl. Did the others make it... out."

My fatigue left me in seconds as I looked in the direction of the ingress point.

"No, you idiots! Get out!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, before my empty stores of Psionics somehow found something in a hidden corner of my Mindspace.

Ignoring my bleeding, battered body. I stopped my descent before jumping off the air and aiming for that location.

I was not losing my people. Those I care about.

That would be failure.

And I do not fail.