Broker Chapter 238

Ishtar lost.

The wind roaring past her helt woke her from her stupor. Every cell in her body hurt, her bones ached, her mind spun, her muscles scread, and the cybernetics grated against her insides. She flipped end over end as she hurtled into the sky, through clouds and rain and snow as she ascended further. Ishtar’s vision swam and she tried to create a berry in her mouth. Instead, all she could taste was a sickly battery-like flavor lingering on her tongue. She swore, lights flashing in her helt, her HUD warning her of systemic damage throughout her body. She could see notifications that Amos was trying to contact her. Other nas popped up, but she couldn’t hear them. The speakers were ruined, the helt too damaged to hear through her technopathy. Her head lulled back as she continued to hurtle farther and farther away.

After everything, he’s still so much stronger. Maybe I made him that way. Is this my fault? Can I do this without you? Sonya. What happened to you?

She closed her eyes and slipped into the void. An empty blackness that stretched out as far as she could see. She looked down at her hands, luminous in the bleak place. Her entire body aglow as it floated in that realm within her mind. She held her hand out and called for Sonya again, but she’d felt it. The mote truly was gone. Scattered like the million stars above her head.

Stars?

She looked up.

Her lips trembled. Grief rolling through her chest that drew clouds into the sky. Nothing she did had worked. Nothing she did had pulled her better half, her little sister, out of that place. Nothing had been good enough. Sonya’s presence had assured her she was fine. But here she was, alone. For all her power and her scheming and her plans, it all felt pointless. Thunder clapped as she lowered herself to her knees, her fingers running across the velvety blackness beneath her feet. She curled forward and pressed her head to the ground.

Is this my fault too? Did my existence weaken her mind so much that she couldn’t hold together any longer? Was I out for too long? But I couldn’t wake her! I couldn’t- Her shoulders heaved. “What’s the point in holding on to this fake life if you aren’t there?” she croaked, “This is your story, damn it!”

She slamd her fist against the ground, the little world shook as she sat up and looked back up to the stars. “I hate how pretty it is,” she muttered, “You would have loved it though.”

“Man, she’s already writing off. That’s a little rude.”

The words echoed out throughout the world like a thunderclap. Ishtar started and spun, searching for the source. “Sonya?”

“Seriously! Like, what kind of villain mopes about like that, huh? Oh wow, wait, that’s real rich coming from , isn’t it?”

She spun around again, “Sonya!”

“Gim a second,” Sonya’s thunderous voice said as the stars began to shine above. Ishtar watched as the light collected at a single point before taking shape. Sonya hopped out of it with a skip and a bound, her hair fluttering around her head. Yet it wasn’t the very reappearance of Sonya that arrested Ishtar. It was her smile. Wide, a little mischievous, and so achingly genuine. A smile that reached her eyes. A smile that promised that campfire’s worth of warmth in the lonely dark. Sonya made a show of brushing herself off, “Man, that’s tougher than I thought it’d be. Taking shape in my own head, I thought I was getting good at it.”

Ishtar raced towards her, grabbing onto her arms, squeezing her, her thoughts a whirl of confusion, joy, anger, frustration, grief, and- she hesitated. I can feel everything so clearly.

“Sure can,” Sonya said with a laugh before putting her hands on her hips, “Good hanging in there, sis.”

Ishtar looked at her, her lips trembling, “You- I felt you go.”

Sonya scratched her nose, “Did I?” she tilted her head.

“Your mote, it shattered,” Ishtar said, “I saw it disperse.”

Sonya cracked a smug grin, “Nah, It just got a little bigger,” she said and pointed up.

Ishtar looked to the starry sky, to the clouds, Clouds? The void … she turned and looked and saw sky, a horizon. A wind rushed past her and color filled the world. A blue sky hid the stars, white clouds, and an endless field of green grass. She spun around at the beautiful but oddly empty realm around her.

“You were hiding a lot from ,” Sonya chuckled, “Got yourself a sexy divine private tutor? Don’t worry, I’ve got three now so it's fine.”

Ishtar whirled back, “I-” she looked down, “Yes. I an-” she chewed her lip and gave Sonya an irritated look, “Oh you know what I an!” she grumbled and crossed her arms, This little- Scaring like that. I’ll give her a piece of my- she paused and concentrated. “Wait- three? What do you an? Where have you been? What took you so long? Why can’t I read your thoughts? Your mind feels so solid.”

“I’m better now,” Sonya said simply.

Ishtar blinked, “Better? Just like that?”

Sonya laughed, “I’d say a few centuries thinking about everything tends to clear stuff up,” she said offhandedly and then rubbed her chin, looking Ishtar up and down, “So this is how you see yourself huh? Not bad! It’s a good look for you. Not the ‘big sister sneaks into my room at night, onee-chan’ look I was expecting but hey! You do you,” Ishtar opened her mouth and tried to find any way to respond to that, failed, and shut her mouth. Sonya burst into laughter, wrapping her arms around herself and throwing her head back in a fit of giggles, “Oh man! You should see your face! I finally got you speechless! Oh! Oh that was so worth it!”

Ishtar felt her chest tighten a little, “You really are… whole, aren’t you?”

Sonya stopped laughing and sighed, returning to that easy smile, “Yeah. Thanks to you.”

Ishtar looked away, “I didn’t do anything. A world conquering villain and I couldn’t even touch whatever it was that was holding you.”

“You did enough,” Sonya said, “You reached for when I needed it most,” she said softly and held out a hand, “Besides, I was in a trap set by a dead god! Little outside our current pay grade, don’t you think?”

“A dead god?” Ishtar blurted.

“Yeah, sothing, sothing, Titania’s a bitch, sothing, didn’t want to die, blah blah, she imprinted herself on her ability’s blueprint. It’s a whole thing,” Sonya said with a dismissive wave of her hand before relaxing. She shrugged her shoulders and then sighed, “It wasn’t easy. Sis. I uh… I caved for a while there. I went further down than I ever thought was possible. You saved . You and the others.”

Ishtar didn’t know what to say, “Is she still… We still have her ability.”

“Not for long,” Sonya said with a huff, “You learned so neat stuff about Broker from Pandora, didn’t you?”

Ishtar frowned, “You weren’t in a place where I could share any of that.”

“No, No I was not!” Sonya laughed, “Nope, I would have fucked that up,” she said and looked up to the blue sky, “Yeah. I learned so pretty good stuff too, though.”

Ishtar watched her, her body language, the world around her that was the inside of her mind. Clarity. No obstacles. No pain. The emptiness was gone and filled with sothing strange and beautiful. She doesn’t need anymore, does she? She can handle the rest then. I’ve served my purpose, she thought and smiled. What a relief. What a relief to be able to feel relief. Now I can-

“Nah,” Sonya said loudly.

Ishtar blinked. “What?”

“Just because you can’t read my thoughts doesn’t an I can’t read yours, sis. I know, a little unfair, but hey! I can’t let you know what I’m thinking right now,” Sonya teased and t her eyes. Ishtar stiffened and took a step forward, Sonya didn’t budge as Ishtar got right in her face, “I’m not changing my mind. Sis. I’m not letting you go.”

Ishtar’s eyes widened, “You’re finally healthy! I won’t let you-”

Sonya opened her eyes to the waking world and took a deep breath, she barked out a laugh. “Like you’ve got a choice in this!”

Ishtar whipped her head to the right amidst the noisy wind, “I have every right to choose whether I continue existing or not!”

Sonya spun around in the air, giggling, “Then do sothing about it!”

Ishtar took control again, “Sonya Chernovna, don’t you dare!”

Sonya wrenched Ishtar out of the drivers seat and snickered, “Sorry! I’m the bad guy this ti, and you know what?” she threw her arms out wide, “I’m gonna get away with this one too!” she rolled with laughter as they passed through a cloud, “If the world can’t stop , what makes you think you can?”

Ishtar went silent. Sonya listened to her thoughts, felt her feelings, smiled and nodded. “I know you’re scared. I was too. But we’re okay. There’s nothing wrong with us. We are who we are. Now it’s my turn to protect you just like you’ve been protecting all this ti. I’m not letting you fade away just because I’m better.”

Ishtar stood in that grassy field and closed her eyes with a resigned smile, “At least you finally have the mindset down. Fine. Do whatever you want, you wicked brat.”

“Always have been,” Sonya laughed into the sky, “Now! I do believe I have a deal to make.”

Sonya drew a deep breath into her lungs, the injuries on her body healing and the pain that had wracked her from Otis’ blow subsiding. She reached out with her senses as she drew her gaze away from the world that had slamd to a halt in the wake of her awakening. She felt the mana in the air even from where she was now. The remaining dungeons in the region were out of imdiate danger but if the fighting continued they would inevitably burst. One more had already gone up. The three-way battle was going badly. The world was teetering on the verge of destruction yet again. First Vegas, Then Tokyo, Then Seattle, now here.

“Can’t have that,” she said, trembling with the excess power burning inside of her from her pact.

Certainly not, I should do sothing about all that, shouldn’t I? Ishtar thought.

“Maybe make a show of it,” Sonya said with a smirk, “Gotta make a grand entrance, don’t I?”

I most certainly do, after all, what is more important to a villain than-

“PRESENTATION!” She laughed and darted into the sky.