OTHERGIRL #1

Arantia. The Constellation of Ursa Major. 3678 (Earth Equivalent Year).

"Your orders are this. Arantia is sympathetic to Eden. Edenics have set up a base there and the dominant population there, the Arans, have allowed the Edenics to thrive. We must assume that the Edenic dogs have forced them into submission and we must free the locals from their grasp. You see an Edenic, you kill them. As you all know, they're allergic to Radium. Use that against them".

A voice came from the back of the capsule.

"What about unidentified life forms?"

"The only other people you need to worry about are the Gorrans. Our sensors have picked up a Gorran fleet nearby. Mind you, if that bloody Queen of theirs is sensible she'll leave well enough alone..."

The ship enters the atmosphere and races to the ground. The forces of the Black Triangle are ready to launch their assault on Arantia.

"REMEMBER, FREEDOM IS PEACE AND DEATH IS FREEDOM".

As the ship hovers above the ground; the 50-something soldiers all prepare to be ejected into what could be a complete onslaught or an easy takeover. They just don't know. The whole war has been like that.

The siren goes and the floor gives way. The soldiers land on the ground, raise their weapons and start to investigate the surroundings. It's all quiet at the moment but this was sure not to last too long. The Edenics were definitely here and it was only a matter of time before they appeared.

"L-1-Z, is there any movement where you are?"

One of the few female soldiers in the platoon raises her hand and talks back into the communicator on her wrist.

"Negative, Commander. No movement here so far. Will keep you updated".

"Do. And remember, Garrett is in the mothership. He expects great things from us".

"We won't let him down, sir".

Static. L-1-Z continues to look around a bit more. It's all too quiet and she doesn't like it. Suddenly, something appears on the monitor over her right eye. Something moved. She stops and signals to her platoon to stop.

"What is it, L-1-Z?"

"I saw something over the ridge...it registered as Edenic..."

They all raise their weapons towards the ridge. It becomes tense for a moment...the tension in the air is electric...suddenly...a robotic head pops up from behind the ridge. In view of the platoon. They all look confused.

"Apologies for the intrusion. My sincerest apologies. Am I to believe you are the Black Triangle?"

"The hell is that?"

"Is that an android?"

L-1-Z zooms in on it to see its code. She sees it and recognises it.

"IDENTIFY TARGET AS ARTRON, ANDROID OF EDENIC ORIGIN!"

They open fire towards the droid. Who panics and then hides once more. After this, some ships appear on the horizon and start firing towards them. The Edenics have arrived.

"PLATOON, OPEN FIRE ON THE EDENIC VESSELS! MAKE THEM FEEL FIRE!"

L-1-Z raises her weapon and continually fires them at the ships. The lasers coming out of them hit the ships and cause minimal damage. But damage nonetheless. Edenic soldiers fly down from the ships and engage them in combat. L-1-Z turns to her platoon.

"USE RADIUM WEAPONS!"

The platoon changes their weapons and fires them upon the hoards of Edenics coming to meet them on the battlefield. As they fire; Edenics fall down left, right and centre. But just as many of their troops fall too. L-1-Z looks around her tries to find someway of completing her mission more efficiently and claim the planet area as Black Triangle territory. She turns to the small settlement near the fighting and orders her troops to retreat towards the town.

"SIR, SUGGEST WE MOVE TOWARD THE TOWN. BETTER COVER AND MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR SNIPERS"

"GOOD PLAN. SEE THAT IT'S DONE! YOU'RE IN CONTROL NOW".

She gives the order and the thousands of troops who have landed on the planet on different capsules retreat towards the town. As they reach it; they take cover where they can. There's a slight pause in the fire.

"Ok, guys, listen up. I want all sniper units on top of all buildings in the area ready to take them out when they approach. Don't forget that the Edenics have abilities so there might be some impervious to fire. If they fly, shoot them down. Tear their wings off if you have to. Just make sure no Edenic reaches the town hall!"

The sniper units do so. L-1-Z looks around and sees the townspeople trying to escape the horror as the Edenics move towards the town and the Black Triangle soldiers take route. One townsperson runs up to L-1-Z and grabs her shoulder. She turns around.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? WHY ARE YOU HERE!?" The man shouts.

"CALM DOWN, SIR, WE'RE HERE TO RESCUE YOU!"

"RESCUE US!?"

"FROM THE EDENICS!"

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? THE EDENICS ARE KIND TO US. YOU'RE THE MONSTERS! AND NOW YOU'RE BRINGING YOUR DISEASE HERE. I HOPE THEY KILL YOU ALL!"

He runs off. L-1-Z looks shocked for a moment before turning back around and continuing her mission. The Edenics are now moving closer to the town. Closer...closer...and closer...

"OPEN FIRE!"

They do. Edenics start to drop to the ground. Some of the soldiers laugh as they do. An explosion occurs behind them and a tower, which resembles the spire of a church, crumbles to the ground and ends up in rubble.

"KEEP FIRING!"

L-1-Z leaves her position to try and find some new ground to take or some shelter so that people can reload then they need to. The odd Edenic, who's gotten through the tirade of fire, takes a pot shot but she gets them instead. She keeps running through the town before finding herself ambushed by a group of townspeople with weapons of their own. She looks around at the angry people waiting to shoot her. Any could at any time. And, with the amount of weaponry, the healing pods wouldn't be able to fix her. This was it.

"LISTEN, WE'RE HERE TO SAVE YOU!"

"SAVE US!? YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU GUYS HAVE DONE TO THE GALAXY!"

"WE'VE BEEN SAVING IT FROM THE SCOURGE OF THE EDENICS!"

"THE EDENICS ARE THE PEACEKEEPERS! IT'S YOU HUMANS WHO ARE THE BELLIGERENT ONES!"

Their pink skin shakes as the desire to shoot her grows within them. L-1-Z can see this and she awaits death. 

"WE'LL BE DOING THE UNIVERSE A FAVOUR BY WIPING YOU FROM THIS WORLD!"

"Then do it...you obviously want to and I won't stop you..."

The group raise their guns. L-1-Z closes her eyes and waits for the inevitable. She waits patiently. However, instead of gunshots, she hears rushes of wind. And the confusion of the townspeople. She opens her eyes to notice two missing.

"WHAT IS THIS!?" One cries out.

In the blink of an eye, another goes. And then another, and then another. Until L-1-Z is there all alone. Confused as to why someone saved her, she raises her weapon trying to find who it was. Until...

"You looked very odd when you were waiting for death..."

She turns around to see a young man. He's leaning against the wall of the building chuckling to himself.

"...You need to learn to take better care of yourself!"

"Who are you?"

"Call me your guardian angel".

"I don't believe in angels..."

"Ok then. Call me something else. Whatever. I don't particularly care".

He walks around her to the other side of where she stood.

"Oh and, you know, don't thank me or anything! I only saved your life and stuff".

She activates her eye monitor.

"I'm going to ask you very nicely to order your troops to retreat. You need to stop this battle".

"Why should I?"

"Because you're going to cause a bloodbath!"

"The Edenics are doing that for us!"

"You're both to blame".

"Ha. You say that, whose side are you on?"

"Neither",

The monitor beeps. She looks at it and then points her weapon at him.

"You're a fugitive..."

"Correct".

"You're coming with me!"

"Incorrect. That's an odd word isn't it..."

"I know who you are...Torah al-Nivah. I know all about you".

"I'm sure you do".

"You're an Edenic who abandoned the Eden Corps..."

"Yup".

"And now you're branded a terrorist..."

"I prefer 'non-aligned freedom fighter".

She moves closer to him.

"You're coming with me..."

"I'm really not".

"It's over, Torah".

"I don't go by that name. I hate it. My mother gave it to me and, well, you know all about her too I guess. She's bat-shit. Why would I go with the name she gave me?"

"Then what name do you go by?"

"My Earth name".

"Then it's over...whatever your name is..."

"It's really not. I'll be gone before you know it. You won't even see me go..."

"Don't make me shoot you...I have a radium weapon you know..."

"Which I deactivated".

She checks it. It is indeed deactivated. She looks up angrily but laughs.

"Very good..."

"Thank you".

"So what did they call you on Earth?"

The man smiles.

"Funnily enough...they called me 'Speedfreak'".

L-1-Z chuckles.

"Ok, then, 'Speedfreak'. Come quietly and I won't hurt you".

"Not happening".

Speedfreak runs around a circle near him and creates a vortex. It rises further into the sky the faster he runs. L-1-Z looks at it in horror as it nears her. She can feel herself get dragged in. As she gets near, she puts her foot into the blur running around. Speedfreak trips up and flies into a nearby building.

"STAY DOWN, SPEEDFREAK!"

"No chance!"

He runs again. This time, running right into her. She flies into another building.  She quickly recovers, gets up and reaches for her laser gun. Speedfreak stops and settles in one spot. He smiles.

"Do you know what the funny thing is about all this?"

"What?"

"One day, you and I are going to be good friends!"

L-1-Z laughs.

"I'd never befriend an Edenic like you!"

Speedfreak laughs.

"Yeah, well, I'm a time-traveller. So trust me!"

"Oh yeah? Trust this!"

She fires a laser from the gun but Speedfreak moves out of the way. It misses him completely. L-1-Z repeats this action multiple times with the same result. Eventually, she gives up and Speedfreak stops once more.

"Don't worry, your aim does get better!"

She gets up and runs towards him. They enter hand-to-hand combat. L-1-Z gets a few good hits in but Speedfreak manages to avoid the majority of them.

"I don't want to hurt you!"

"That feeling isn't reciprocated!"

They continue. Speedfreak gets some hits in too. They end up in a fist lock at one point. L-1-Z tries to break free but Speedfreak won't let her.

"Let me go and end this. I'm too much for you..."

"Girl, I've been getting most of the hits in!"

"Getting tired with all that running?"

"Never..."

"Shame..."

"You can still stop this you know...the war...if only you knew what the Black Triangle are doing across the galaxy..."

"We're helping people. Saving them from your kind!"

"That's the brainwashing talking! You guys subjugate them and kill them in droves! You make the Holocaust look like a raindrop in comparison to what you do across the galaxy! But the Liz that I know wouldn't stand for that! You didn't then and you don't now...I know she's in there!"

"You're mistaken! We give them freedom!"

"Since when was death the same as freedom!?"

"Freedom is peace and freedom is death. And death is better than living under Edenic rule..."

They pause. Speedfreak looks serious for a moment.

"I'm sorry you think that...I really am. And it hurts me to hear you say that...but I'm taking comfort in the fact that there will be a time when you realise what you guys do is wrong. And, for what it's worth, I'm sorry for this..."

Speedfreak breaks the lock free. His fist blurs to the point of invisibility. L-1-Z sees it happen, looks confused, and looks up once more before Speedfreak punches her in the head. The impact knocks her out instantly. As she falls back, Speedfreak catches her and lays her softly on the ground. He rests her head on the ground and looks down on her for a moment.

"I know one day you'll forgive me for that. And perhaps this is what makes you, you".

He stands up and looks down on her again.

"See you soon, Liz..."

He looks sullen for a moment before zooming away in the blink of an eye. She lays there looking lifeless. But she's only sleeping for the most part. Her internal healing factor is busy repairing the damage. But there's been a fault. She can't be fixed completely. Her head, which is partly cybernetic, has been corrupted. A new programming has got her. And it's manifesting...