LAST ORIGIN ~ CALLING TO A NEW DAWN
A LAST ORIGIN FANFIC BY: TENHAMOUCHI
TAGS: Story, Porn With Plot,  Science Fiction, Post Apocalypse, Iron Parasites, Last Origin - Freeform, Romance, Harems, Sex
Follow along here!: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52839739/chapters/133652572

CHAPTER 40: SHROUDED WILL

CHAPTER DESCRIPTION: After experiencing the terror of the Predator, Atticus makes a difficult call. He doesn't care who witnesses, he will get the girls out of here alive. But will the guilt of Griffon's sudden departure eat away at him until he cracks?

Blinding panic. He was back in Iraq; the bodies of his comrades lay strewn about. In the resulting gunfight with rebels his entire squadron had been wiped out. He tried again and again to resuscitate Curtis. Nothing. He yelled at Josie to get up, but he noticed shards of her skull… Brandon! He’d forgotten all about Brandon. Not the greenhorn. Please. Anything but the fucking greenhorn. He had a single daughter back home and had come out here to the dustbowl to try and provide for her.

If God above had any mercy, he would’ve taken Atticus and not Brandon. He rolled him over, the brown hair of his comrade even dirtier thanks to the Basra sand. Atticus looked for any signs of life, shaking him, calling his name, and trying to feel his pulse. Nothing. But Brandon looked fine! Sure, his eyes were closed, and his helmet was missing, but the man hadn’t taken any…

Atticus looked down and felt bile rise into his throat. He’d taken a grenade to the chest. There wasn’t anything there. No vest, no little tendrils, or cartilage, nothing. This man had one of the biggest fucking hearts Atticus knew. All that remained of said heart? Ash. Ash and cauterized flesh from what must’ve been a powerful grenade. He held Brandon there, hugging him tight, and letting out a wail. But as soon as he started to cry, survival instincts kicked in.

He… didn’t want to leave his comrades there, but he did. He ran. Ran for safety. Ran for life. Ran for the future which had been robbed from everyone else. He ran because there wasn’t anything he could’ve done for them. They were dead. The blame lay squarely at his feet.

But no… No! This wasn’t him at all! They’d died shielding him! They wanted him to live! And he never ran, he found a way to get their bodies back to HQ! This wasn’t Atticus, it never was! The terrors of war were fleeting, but his will to survive was stronger! The sands of Basra started to blow, his vision blurring while he drove back to the rendezvous point. Back…

To the street in Deception Bay. Everyone was standing still; all the girls had the same shocked expression on their faces. The beast stomped its feet, letting out small, roar-like vocalizations. He wanted Griffon back. He wanted her to be ok. Wanted to tell her he was sorry and that he should’ve stopped her.

“Damn it, Griffon! Do you want to fucking die out here!?” The voice of his past self in their first encounter with an advanced unit echoed in Atticus’ mind.

He was right then with Griffon, now he had to be right by himself. This was terrible, but he didn’t dare think about losing anyone else.

Fuck. That.

Atticus’ eyes darted for a place they could escape to. Somewhere, anywhere this beast wouldn’t recognize. They fell upon a nearby church, its cross still shining like a saving beacon in the sun. His mind worked fast, but his mouth worked faster.

“Everyone, on me! Fall back, girls! Retreat!” he screamed.

Amy scooped up LRL, carrying her like a football. Mighty ran faster than Atticus did, joining up with Poi and Maria. He didn’t look back, instead taking charge of the situation and making sure everyone was with him. He tried not to think about Griffon. Out on the battlefield, you couldn’t afford to think about things like that. Grieving and PTSD were byproducts of survival.

He heard the Predator roar and started to chase. Its footfall sounded like concrete smashing against a wrecking ball. He wouldn’t let it get any more of them. Even if he was vital to all of this, Atticus would’ve rather died than let it take any more. Griffon. Griffon. GRIFFON.

Church. To the left.

Atticus darted behind the building and kicked open the back door. Everyone followed him inside. For good measure, Mighty blocked the way with a palette of wood. Flimsy in the face of an iron tyrant, but it was enough to keep it from noticing an ajar door. Into the main hall, and then amidst the aisle of pews, Atticus finally caught his breath. Even so, the situation kept trying to run away from him. Griffon…

No. No! He wouldn’t let himself spiral— she wouldn’t have wanted him to! If she were here, she would’ve scolded him! Hugged him! But he let her do that. He didn’t stop her, didn’t order her to get back. No. And now she was gone. An ally, one of his first friends in this apocalypse— gone, like ashes in the wind.

He clenched his fist, bringing it close to his chest. He wouldn’t let it take anyone else. Atticus felt his bile quaking about in his stomach. What was he going to tell everyone back at the Orca? That he failed as a Commander? That he fucking let Griffon die? Fed her to the Predator?

He inhaled through his nose, his heart throbbing against his chest. This was a battle, not a war. In war, the true winners were those that survived— soldiers who adapted. They knew they might’ve not seen their friends again, but that didn’t stop them. For all those they lost, there were still people who prevailed. He would prevail, he would get everyone home. Griffon. He promised her.

Atticus gripped his head, his vision went blurry while he heard the muffled voice of Maria trying to calm him down. Visions of blueprints flashed through his mind; it was followed by the voice of someone he didn't recognize. They sounded clinical, almost like a surgeon in pre-op.

"The Predator is the latest solution to the Iron Parasite problem," it explained. "Aside from being able to absorb both biological and nonbiological materials, it has an adaptive factor. In simple terms, this means that it can both regenerate and grow stronger the more it is challenged. They won't be able to eat it whole or infest it with other Parasites if it's constantly changing!"

He heard the Predator itself roar again, and in his blurry peripheral, he saw it. Through a window that wasn’t stained glass near the front of the church, the Predator skulked about. It had a lot of wounds, and looked like it was moving slowly. Because of the light, he saw it better now. It was about the size of what Atticus assumed must've been a small dinosaur. Its construct was much the same.

It had a large, beak-like head. Tumorous growths, pulsating red like the gems of its Iron Parasite brethren, coated its body. It had two gigantic, strong-looking arms with appendages that looked like excavators. It walked on eight small appendages attached to a large, thorax-type lower body. It didn't have a tail or spines, but it did have contour and armor. It made those little skittering noises as it walked, followed by large, pounding footsteps when it ran.

Atticus clutched his head. Amidst the noise the Predator made, he swore he heard something else. It sounded like chattering almost. These little, varied voices all saying basic things. It felt like his brain was going numb. He felt Maria grab a hold of him, but he couldn't hear her amidst the cacophony. Who was talking? It didn't sound like the girls, and they didn't sound like anything he heard before. Then, there was another voice amidst all of it. It sounded deep, intimidating, and gruff.

"The prey... is gone. The hunt... resumes. Must collect material, shall consume," it growled.

He looked in the direction of the voice, and felt his eyes bulge when he saw the Predator. It was walking away, using its arms as extra feet to propel itself further. Atticus groaned and took a deep breath. All at once, the sensation of everything returned. He nearly collapsed, Maria catching him and sitting him down on a pew.

In her blue eyes, he saw not fear, but concern. She spoke in a soft, caring tone, "Master, are you alright?”

Atticus didn't know what the hell was wrong with him. But he saw the concerned glares of the other girls. LRL looked like she was about to start weeping. This must've been so hard on her. Even though she didn't get along with Griffon, the last thing she'd want was for her to just die. Poi, Mighty, and Amy were taking this better. Though Poi wouldn't stop clutching Atticus, either. He took a moment to rub his eyes and shake his head out. This was beyond him, but he had to reach out into the unknown and help everyone get a hold.

The dust particles floated about in the faded sunlight and Atticus gathered himself. He nodded to Maria to make sure that she understood that he was fine. She still looked concerned. Poi wasn't going to let go of his leg anytime soon, either. No one wanted to say a thing. That sensation of being the person they waited on took over again. As fucked as this situation was, he was a Major and the Commander of the Orca. Majors became Majors because of the rigorous leadership they exhibited, even in the face of pain and misery.

"Alright. I won't beat around the bush. What happened to Griffon was horrible and shouldn't have happened," he said, pinching his nose. "We will have time to process it later, but for right now we need to survive. This is a hostile situation; a war zone. The only way we're going to get out of this alive is if we stick together." He looked among them, his eyes feeling like they were being pricked with needles. "I still understand it; most of you are either in pain and or scared. To see that happen to someone you know is something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy."

Everyone remained silent, staring at him.

"I will not deny the emotions of my soldiers, I have always refused to do so. There is, however, a way to process them on the battlefield. And that is through survival, that is for prevailing against the odds in spite of the pain," he said. "Leave time for emotions, but also recognize that you're in a situation of life or death. I promise you, I will get you all out and back to the Orca."

Poi tightened her grip and mewled. Mighty pumped her fist while Amy covered her mouth. Maria patted him on the back, but LRL looked like she was still going to cry.

"LRL," asked Atticus, walking over to her, "what is the situation like outside?"

In a voice full of hurt, LRL replied, "T-The Iron Parasites have fled the area, the beast followed them out. They looked panicked, and I... I..."

"It's alright, LRL," Atticus whispered, leaning down to pat her head. "I promise you, we'll make it out."

"Commander..." LRL let out a hiccup.

Poor girl. He was going to make sure that he comforted her when they got back. Now there was a new issue. Namely, his PDA was vibrating inside his pocket. He pulled it out, and noticed the transmission signature he was getting a signal from. It read: "NUMBER 102 - COCO IN WHITESHELL". The icon below it looked like an eye above a moon interlaced between a fence of hexagons. The name: "ORBITAL WATCHERS" flashed below it, which must've been her bioroid series. He pressed the accept button without delay.

"This is Atticus Hadley, Commander of the Orca," he said, puffing out his chest, "Coco, are you the Coco who's sent the transmission to Constantia?"

Before anything else occurred, the PDA flashed, and a holographic screen emerged. It displayed the inside of what looked to be a factory floor... but there was nobody there? Atticus cocked his head.

"Coco?" he asked. "I cannot see you."

"Oh!" a little voice squeaked. "Sorry, sorry! The camera is too high... There we go!"

Sure enough, the voice matched the face. Atticus felt the wind knocked out of him again when he saw a little girl. True to her name, she had dark, chocolate colored skin. A little head of purple hair swept neat around her head, contrasting her bright blue eyes. He noticed that she was wearing an astronaut's suit, complete with a fishbowl helmet! Also, another a fucking child? Seriously? Who made these bioroids?

"Coco, we are from the Orca," he repeated.

"From the Orca!? Did big sis Constantia send you!?" she asked, her eyes bulging.

"That she did."

"Ah! Right, right! Coco Mercury of Squad 1, Unit 1, reporting for duty! I never thought I'd get to you by random communication but here we are!" she chirped. "Ah, Commander probably wants to be brought up to speed, right?"

"I take it that the Predator attacked you?" he asked.

"You saw it... too? It attacked our headquarters, and Captain Marie had to withdraw to the secondary base. I was about to run away, too, but that big, nasty bug showed up!" Coco held her shoulders, shivering. "Seeing all those other bugs stuck on its body grossed me out... A-Are you all alright?"

Atticus gritted his teeth and clenched his fist before replying, "We're down a member, but we're hanging in there."

"You all are safe now! I'm really glad... Captain Marie called back a lot of her unit. Then she put me, and a few other sturdy bioroids in charge here. But... we weren't really a match for it," Coco sighed. "Captain Marie told us to hide after that, and that big bug chased us until we found the factory. Now I'm here... and it's dark... and..."

"Say no more, Coco," Atticus whispered. "Could you send us your coordinates? We'll be right over."

"Oh, Commander, thank you!" Coco chirped, pumping her fists. "Yes, yes, I'll do it right away! P-Please hurry!"

"Calm down, Coco," he said, his voice taking a gentler tone. "Deep breath, deep breath, we're on our way. I promise you, we're going to get you out, alright?"

"I read you, Commander! Alright, Coco out!"

With that, the transmission ended. And with it, Atticus found himself at yet another crossroads. Atticus knew damn well what he had to do, he didn't want to lose anyone else. He inhaled and got to his feet, dusting his pants off and regarding the room. Whether it was the sparkling light coming through the stained glass windows or the glimmer of Poi's eyes, he felt a surge of inspiration.

Where there was shadow, there was also light. But they needed to be in the shadows. He realized it back when they'd fled to the church, but the Predator had almost a limited sense of vision. If they could've stuck to the shadows and tried to draw as little attention as possible, maneuvering would be that much easier. The Predator, whether known or unknown, had made the mistake of making its nest in an area with a ton of buildings and trees. They'd made the mistake of taking it head on, but now they were going to slide right past it. With a crack of his knuckles, he readied himself. It was time to get to business.

"Alright. Our goal right now is to get to the Hephaestus Factory and get Coco out of there. That's what we came to do," he said with a firm tone. "Stick with me, everyone. And if at any point you feel the nerves are getting to you, we'll stop, go into a building, and calm it down. The key to survival here are calm, stealthy steps. The Predator is an obstacle right now, not an enemy. We need to avoid it as much as we can." He pointed to his eyes and then heart. "Am I made clear?"

"Yes, Commander!"

Some of those replies sounded shaky, but Atticus couldn't blame them. Despite that, they had to get a move on.

He withdrew his BRNO and motioned for everyone to stick with him. Out from the church, Atticus peered around both street corners. After no signs of the Predator, other than its tracks, he moved along. Instead of taking the streets, Atticus had them cut through yards. Most of the fences that surrounded the homes here, unlike the community they'd visited prior, remained broken. They rounded a corner of a small house and Atticus saw the street sign hanging on by a thread; 'BAYVIEW TERRACE' flickered in the sunlight. But, Atticus saw something else underneath it.

It was a sign that had something he hadn't seen since he was back in Kansas. It was a sign for a fire station. It read: 'DECEPTION BAY, FIRE & RESCUE, THIS LEFT', and it also had a number below it. He decided on making a mental note for that, as he had the one back on Bribie Island. Fire Stations had valuable equipment that Fortune could've refined into something far greater. For now, he turned his attention to the other end of the Terrace.

From here, according to the PDA, they had to take Old Bay Road, and that would lead them to the front of the factory. But as they walked along, Atticus felt like it wasn't going to end up so simply. This Predator may have not had the best vision, but it was smart. And as he heard the familiar skittering of Iron Parasites, he knew well...

That for every half-mile they walked, the Predator wouldn't be too far behind.