XVII:

Purpose

Fiona didn't know where to begin to comprehend Ambient's words. Questions, too many for the organoid to possibly answer, suddenly and unrelentingly filled her mind to the brim. She'd felt something, something that no one could explain. A destination without a path. What she couldn't understand was how it led her to Ambient and, in turn, how he wanted to lead her. 'We were called.' Called by whom? As far she was concerned, there was no longer a Zoidian force on Zi that could draw her. The Zoid Eve was gone, buried once again and never to be disturbed. This must've been some sort of trick, a ploy he was using to reign her again under his influence. He couldn't be trusted, not after everything that happened.

"I don't believe you," she said at last. "I don't know what led me here, but it wasn't you."

Ambient stared back her, his emerald eyes unyielding and devoid of emotion. He turned aside from her, glaring up at the moons. "There is much you don't know about yourself, your past." He looked at her. "Aren't you curious in the slightest?"

Fiona shook her head. "I know who I am. I don't need to know anything else."

"Any yet, you're here with me," replied Ambient. "If you know so much about yourself, then why flee? Why not return to your humans under the scrutiny of their fear and misunderstanding of you? You continue to delude yourself, Elise Linette. It's painful to see."

"There is nothing can say to convince me of anything," Fiona reinforced. Her hands clinched into fists. "I'm here to bring you back with me and—"

"And then what?" interjected Ambient. "The humans will suddenly no longer fear you? No longer view you as a threat? Your delusions are infuriating. They can't be trusted, not even in the simplest matters. Let's say I return with you, likely by force, because there is not an ounce of me that will be detained by those vermin. What happens then? Nothing will change. You will forever be a danger to them, and I will be an experiment. Neither of those interests me. You know I'm right."

Fiona's lips tightened. "I don't care what happens to you."

Ambient took a chance. He closed the gap between himself and Fiona, walking up to her until he was standing within supreme striking distance of her. The Zoidian's power was practically radiating from her body, untapped and uncontrolled. She had so much to learn. "See through your rage and listen. As we speak, your once trusted allies are hunting you… as they are hunting me. There is no home for you now." He turned his back to her and began walking away. "I will continue towards the call. I'm closer now than I've been in months. Maybe another days' journey, perhaps two. The choice is yours, Elise Linette. Follow me and discover everything you need to know… or, you can return to your people. I've made my choice."

Ambient limped away into the darkness without another word, leaving the Zoidian behind in the wake of his footprints.

Fiona stood there, alone with only the nocturnal insects chirping and buzzing around her. She turned around and took a few steps before stopping. Her rage had ebbed, leaving the organoid's penetrative words to linger. Was he right? Was there a possibility that the Battle Commission was mobilizing a hunting party after her, with Van at the helm? Would he hunt her? She knew Van, better than most. If he came after her, which he undoubtedly would, it wouldn't be to fight. Or maybe she was wrong. She couldn't take him for granted. Maybe she'd struck the dormant nerve inside of Van that awakened the famed soldier he was at his core. There would come a time when she would be face to face with him again. Until then, the question marks in her mind needed answers; she just despised the fact that Ambient may've been the key.

The sensation remained, strong and unapologetic. Hard to ignore. She'd felt it once before, what would ultimately lead her to the Zoid Eve. It scared her of what she might find. Since it was no longer the Zoid Eve calling to her, then what was it? Ambient didn't know, for even he was being led by the same unnatural force from an unknown source. She could track Ambient, capture him, and return him to the Battle Commission and Dr. D for study. However, it wouldn't change what had transpired. The people she'd hurt or killed would still be fresh in their minds. In this world, in this time, she was not looked upon with favor, only fear. Coming back with Ambient wouldn't alter that. She imagined what Van would do if he were in her situation. It was easy. He'd bring back Ambient and let the rest sort itself out somehow. His moral compass always pointed true north. Her compass, however, didn't have a direction. The needle wildly pointed in multiple directions without coming to rest. She figured, in time, she would know.

Fiona tightened the straps to her backpack, turning around to walk after the crimson organoid until she caught up with him. He hadn't gotten far in his condition, maybe 100 yards. She increased her pace, stepping out in front of the organoid to halt his next step.

"You're in my way," he growled, patience withering.

Fiona tilted her head back to meet Ambient's eyes. "I'm coming with you. Let's be clear: I'm only doing this because I need to know what I am. If I can know that, then maybe everything will make sense." She squared her stance. "But if I don't find anything, you're coming back with me. Like it or not, even if I have to drag you."

"You'll have to kill me."

"I can do that, too."

Ambient seemed to relish in her answer, the lens of his eyes glowing a tinge brighter. He didn't reply to her answer, walking around her and proceeding forward. Fiona exhaled, rolling her eyes as she followed after him. They marched for two hours through the dense forestry, Fiona remaining a healthy distance behind the organoid. When he stopped, she stopped; when he changed direction, she changed direction; and when he rested, she rested. She had yet to reason on how he knew where he was going, but she chalked it up to instinct. It would've been so simple to grab the nearest rock and bash the back of his head in, hitting him so many times that he would be unrecognizable. Fiona controlled her emotions. He was useful, for now.

The two of them traveled for another stretch, crossing a stream where Fiona refilled her water canteen before reaching a clearing in the forest. Emerging from the treeline, Fiona and Ambient were greeted with a valley of rock and sand with shallow crevasses. Oxide bands striped the interior of the rock, sprinkled with small mounds of shifting sand that was a reddish brown in color. By way of estimate, Fiona reasoned the valley stretched a few miles. The forest continued on the other side, a days' trek. They wouldn't cross it before daybreak, but it was better to get started now than wait any longer.

"After you," Fiona obliged, extending her arm out toward the valley.

Ambient said nothing and descended down the rocky slope. Bits of rock and sand careened down in his wake as Fiona followed suit. The bottom of the valley was covered in smooth sand, no more than a few centimeters deep. They walked in silence for half an hour, moving around the unique rock formations by the likes Fiona had never seen before. She imagined if Dr. D was with them, as he'd undoubtedly explain how thousands of years of water erosion and other natural phenomenons carved the rocks to what they resemble today. He was dearly missed, working tirelessly to help her when she was comatose. If she ever received the chance again, she would thank him.

It was then that Fiona refused to take another step. She adjusted the straps to her backpack and tilted her head skyward and inhaled. Ambient stopped, turning to see the Zoidian a few paces behind him.

"A storm is coming. A bad one," Fiona announced. "We should find some shelter. Preferably up high. This valley looks prone to flash floods."

Ambient raised his eyes. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. He didn't argue. More than likely, she knew what she was talking about. He pulled himself along, each step ticking down how much time he had left. It crossed his mind that the Zoidian girl was plotting his death, but he imagined she would hold off until an appointed time of her choosing. That was fine with him. He just needed to reach the calling, to see for himself. Maybe it would be enough to suspend her vengeance for a moment longer.

"There." Ambient gestured his head toward a cavern resting atop on of the outcrops to the northwest.

Fiona inspected it. Good. It was high enough from the ground to protect them from any flooding. She walked past him, climbing up slanted face of the valley wall to reach the jagged ledge that looped around to the cavern. Ambient struggled behind her, clutching the footholds of the rock with the best of his failing strength. He eventually gained enough leverage to propel himself upward, following Fiona into the cavern where she had already began to prepare for the night.

She unslung her pack on the ground, unzipping it to fish out her water canteen for a generous helping. She'd been so consumed with Ambient that she hadn't realized how hungry she was. All she had was a few packets of crackers and canned meat. Her appetite, however, vanished when Ambient entered into the cavern with her. He kept his distance, opting for the opposite end. As long as he knew to stay out of her way, Fiona could stomach him for a little longer.

Within those silent moments, as she suspected, the once clear, starry sky was smothered with thick clouds. They rolled in with aggression and strength, holding over them for an hour before releasing their plentiful contents. The rain came down hard, coupled with flashes of lightning and booming thunder. Torrents of water flowed and churned below them, running through the valley the unapologetic wrath. For a moment, Fiona saw herself in the water. It was never clear, but she would often receive memory tidbits from the massacre at Capital City. There were surges of rage, of power. Sometimes she felt it was coming from her, but not her totally. Some of it belonged to an unknown source she couldn't pinpoint.

She pulled her focus from the rushing water and directed it at Ambient. He was looking out into the darkness, seemingly unfazed by the incensed elements around him.

"Where did you go?" she asked him.

Ambient turned to face her, perplexed by the question.

"After the attack. Where did you go?"

"Far away."

"That's a vague answer."

Ambient didn't know what she exactly wanted to know. What was there to say, really? His answer wouldn't grant her any solace. Or maybe she was fishing for something. He played along, curious. "Prior to the destruction of the Fuzor, I relinquished my control over its core. Had I not, the both of us would've been vaporized. I fled, to the deepest recesses of this world where my discovery would be a remote possibility."

"For how long?" Fiona followed up.

"Time is a concept relegated to the limited. I simply exist until my next purpose."

"And in this case, to obliterate humankind?"

Ambient shifted his body, turning his back to the mouth of the cavern. "Not all of them, just enough for them to realize their place in this world."

Fiona covered her face with her hands and sighed. "That makes no sense. Who are you to decide where out place in their world should be? What vendetta do you have against everyone to the point where you want to exterminate them?"

"They destroyed us, forcing us to flee into hiding in the wake of the Deathsaurer. Had we remained a proud people, Zi would've never been infiltrated by the vermin we see today. With them out of the way, we reclaim our place. A second chance."

"You're holding tight to a grudge that happened thousands of years ago."

"To some of us, it's almost as if it happened yesterday."

Fiona stood up. She'd heard enough. "I don't know what you're planning, not really. But I'll tell you this: whatever it is, I'll stop you before it happens."

Ambient pulled himself to his feet, limping to face Fiona until he was face to face to her. "Perhaps. I, though, envision something else. That when it's all said and done, you'll be standing there right beside me. I see it. I feel it. Underestimate me if you will, Elise Linette. This is only the start of something beautiful."

Author's Note: I want to thank all my readers who remained patient through my hiatus with this story. There was a certain direction I wanted to go with this story, and when I lost sight of that, I took some time to reinvent that. Special shout out to the anonymous reviewers who gave me motivation to continue. You know who you are. Once again, thanks for your patience and I will update as soon as possible.