Aiko couldn’t help to stare… At something that’s both so uncanny yet utterly stupid at the same time.

From what she remembered of the billboard, the “Davenoid’s” lightbulb of a head was cracked open, with its new innards spilled out of the shattered “exit wound”, even disheveling its comb-over hairstyle. Its face, where the screw was, still maintained its smile… The thing is, the jaw was unhinged, so the wires were holding it unto its head. Its eyes, a worn down saffron mirroring pressure gauges, had its needles snapped and constantly bulged forward due to the wires surging.

He used to have limbs—that were simple, stereotypical robot arms, and a 50’s schoolboy’s uniform… But they were replaced. Coursing, writhing, pulsing wires that came together and spilled over every inch and corner of the warehouse. Like a moldy, tendril of worms.

“What is it—what do we do—is this a Shift thing--?!” Jackie tried to ask all at once.

“Well—kinda,” Maddie answered. “It was just some stupid ass mascot that we had, it was ditched when the Shift stuff came—but now there’s weird shit around him!”

“Doesn’t it have motion sensors for eyes?!” Tracy bellowed in fear.

“The eyes seem to be broken along with the rest of it…” Aiko spoke up.

“Oh! Right!” Tracy now exclaiming in hope, tainted with still fear. “M-maybe we can walk away from this—avoid a problem this time!”

“Sa-sal-SALUTATIONS THERE—LADIES AND—L-LADIES!”

“why do i speak so fucking soooon?” Tracy whimpered.

The voice was scratchy, with the added effect of whatever voice device it has being out of tune, on its last leg. It mirrored a toy that played it’s catchphrase way too much, now droning and deep.

“W-we-wel—Welcome!” the Davenoid turned its head and gestured its swarming “hand” at them. “It’s always g-go-good to meet new people! Unfrou—Unfortunately, I’m not m-my-myself at the moment!”

It formed a finger, wagging it on first inspection. But it was more that it was twitching so badly, just raising a finger seemed hard.

“…No shit,” River made her voice low, with a German-ish accent. Must be one of those western references Aiko doesn’t get, but the others don’t really react as much either…

“W-wh-whoa! Aren’t you a potty mouth!” It started to twitch again, before letting its head and arm dangle. “But for your and everyone else present information; I-I-I am currently fashioning a self-repair in the efforts to s-sh-show that The Island of Davenport is a land of innovation, one step closer to scaling the Depravity Paramount and achieving Technological Absolution!”

“Yeah girls, he even programmed his mascot to slurp up his own dick—” Maddie quipped. “Marvel the innovation!”

“I will not be pr-p-providing any of my Davenoid Wisdom ™ or Davenoid Critical Thinking and Problem Solving ™ until I am c-complete. T-th-then, it’s off to the repair shop for me!”

“…What do you mean by ‘complete’, Davenoid?” River asked, tense.

“I will not be pr-p-providing any of my Davenoid Wisdom ™ or Davenoid Critical Thinking and Problem Solving ™ until I am c-complete.”

“We got that, what do you mean by it?” Jackie joined in, clearly on edge if River is.

“Until I am c-complete.”

“What is ‘complete’?!”

The worse part in all of this was the lack of expression, or the lack of change in it. They were pleading with something that essentially mocked them. The only thing behind the metal face, the smiling robot with the underbite, were the wires that slid out of its dead eye.

And without warning, the tendrils that were already in the ground sped up, boring further as the endless stream of black and silver turned into a blurring mess with dust and clots danced in air.

“Fuck—Wait-!” Maddie exclaimed. “Doesn’t Shifts affect technology real bad--?!”

The Davenoid’s body—or the shell—peaked backwards, as if it was pulling up the wires that burst from the ground. Within the tendril’s collective maws, all manner of technology—from phones, TV, ATMs, and even other electoral wire, and the tendrils grew thicker and bigger as a result.

“I was hoping that it was a harmless example of it, but yeah--!” River shouted. “Whatever it’s doing—it’s trying to find something to merge with!”

Now it jerked to it’s left, forming a web that was in constant motion. The tendrils linked up in ways that shouldn’t be possible, bonded together like tangled wires yet formed these hexagonal shapes that were tied into by points—repeating over and over again. Anything close to these webs were steadily shredded, as it crushing the random rock and debris despite being above the ground it’s drilled.

“WE’RE IN DAVENPORT--HE COULD BECOME THE ISLAND--!” Maddie screamed.

“Wha—WHAT?!” Tracy shrieked. “OOOOOOOH SHIAA--!” She pointed and shook just as much as the Davenoid.

They all looked up, towards one of it’s webs, as a TV set flicked and showed them the true extent of this horror.

Through the grainy image, they saw the monolithic buildings shake and rock, just like the Davenoid.

Even to Aiko, she knew what this meant. She cursed herself for knowing what this could mean and her mouth moved for her.

“It’s… Starting to move the buildings already…”

“It’s going to use Shiftication to move the buildings and try to drag them here…” Jackie reasoned further. “The damage of that…”

The Davenoid lurched forward, “As soon as my body is able—c-complete—I will assist you all!”

Tracy shook her head, started to blink the tears forming in her eyes, “There’s no way to stop this; we have to run, hide!” She bit the bottom of her lip, practically shoved it between her teeth, as her face continued to morph into despair.

“That thing’s been digging for shit for days or something—we’re fucked,” Maddie shook her head and only can shake her head. “We gotta find somebody or fucking hope that Extant noticing this shit… We…” She choked a bit, stopped her head, and hit her own neck. “We might… Why the fuck can’t I say it?!”

“Evac,” River finished for her. “It’s done. If the Wall didn’t do it, Davenport’s firmly in Terminsys City level.”

Jackie turned to River. If that didn’t just hit her, it hit everyone present.

Even something as monolithic, insane, and gaudy as the Island of Davenport… Can become a Terminsys City. And if it indeed does, then the rest of the world that was watching, watching the model of the possible future fall…

Aiko clutched at her head, wanting to stop figuring things out, to stop thinking—Just act and ignore that forces her to remember.

But she never could. She never could get away from it.

It’s why she wanted this lifestyle—this lifestyle of simplicity in this ever-complex world, with these complex problems and these complex people that only make things worse.

Maybe one can’t turn off their awareness, of just how fragile mortality is.

But Jackie stepped forward, and she didn’t want to.

“You’re not fucking serious, Jackson?!” Maddie roared, in the most anger Aiko’s seen out of her. “If you do this, we’re not gonna--!”

“Maddie,” Jackie croaked out. On the verge of tears. “I don’t think we can get enough people to evacuate… We won’t have anywhere else to go but get crushed--!”

“Then fuck those people!” Maddie screamed. “I told you this, and I ain’t telling you anymore—I’m bouncing!”

“I want you to.”

This stunned Maddie, as she looked at Jackie up and down. Aiko could only gawk, not paying attention to the other two.

“I’m using my ability, full throttle. May… Maybe I can uproot it. Either way, you guys need to get out of here—find help if you can…”

Maddie, the one that had words for everything, tried to gather them. “You mean to tell me you’re telling us your suicide note and you think we’re living with that-?”

The tears began to fall down Jackie’s face, as she tried to gather the valor she thought she was displaying. “It’s not suicide… If… It’s not suicide, when you’re sacrificing for others…”

The rest struggled to talk, to breathe after that statement, or even back away or run.

“So go!” Jackie’s eyes closed, caving in and starting to openly weep. “G-go sou I can dou phis! This is the only thing I can do!”

Tracy was the first to step back completely. Maddie followed in step, mumbling to herself. River was the third, probably needing to see the others go before she could.

Aiko was frozen in conflict, crushed by her inability.

But once again, her body moved despite not wanting to. And she can’t blame her siVis for this. She joined the others, and like that, they ran.

They saw Jackie still standing there, raising her fist with the blue glow from before.

siVis--!

Aiko stopped, knowing the rest can hear the uncanny voice once again.

ABILITY!

It was Jackie’s turn to kick up dust, debris and destruction.

All the girls saw, as they turned behind, was a cloud of brewing brown that escaped from the warehouse’s entrance. They could hear the crackling of concrete from there, and feel the reverb of whatever happened under their feet.

She was able to do that, all of that, without being scared. By knowing this might be the end for her.

Aiko made her decision she should have made.

Marching forward, trying to fight back her tears and the swelling within her chest. But last but not least, River’s outstretched arm clasping on her shoulder.

“WE ARE NOT DEALING WITH YOU PLAYING HERE TOO!” she can only hear Maddie from behind. And she chose to only listen to her as she tried to move forward.

“It’s not heroics!” Aiko screamed back.

“Fine, then your craziness—you’re either leaving with us or we’re gone!”

Aiko huffed, spun around, and she acted without thinking—before she can tell her body to do something. Such a stark difference.

“THE LEAST I CAN DO IS CARRY HER BODY! I REFUSE TO LEAVE; I REFUSE TO BE A COWARD AGAIN!”

And that was it. That was enough for her to be pulled under her thoughts again.

She found herself contorted, within a prison of her own making. Arms wrapped around, locked tight against her body, too afraid to even breathe improperly.

The extra added arms, were from her parents. Oh, her parents. They meant well, on some level Aiko knew that. But the arms fastened, keeping her head still, her eyes opened with their fingers.

The Shifts, the potential for anything and everything to turn against and destroy. Fear of the unknown? More like fear of everything.

She could only waddle using her own strength, but she couldn’t get far. Not due to the limited movement no, but because every direct, every movement, could’ve spelt doom. She could see it. She had no choice but to.

It didn’t matter anyways. She got into the car wreck anyways.

And that was the funny thing. She, her family, was relatively fine—if not suffered from lacerations and whiplash.

But after all that—the worrying and the protection, the fear of all things. It was the mundane that nearly got her.

Never again.

She ran, towards the smoke—towards danger.

Aiko covered her mouth, to minimize the coughing. Waving her arm, trying to clear the dust before her. Then she realized.

She scanned around herself, using her enhanced sight. While it wasn’t the vision she was hoping for, as the smoke hasn’t cleared magically, but everything was sharper—sharp enough to make out shapes and follow them.

But it was enough, she saw the shape of the warehouse’s arch, and ran towards it. She withheld shouting for Jackie, as there could be a chance that thing is still there.

Luckily, the smoke started to dissipate as she got within the warehouse. She looked around—for something, anything—human.

Turning around, searching the floor—Aiko found her.

Jackie’s body was to the right side, crumpled over. When Aiko rushed over and checked on her, flipping her over to search for any signs of life—she was somewhat relived. Her eyes had the gazed over look, the same one when she used her ability from before. That meant, for the most part, she was okay and not dead.

Aiko turned her head, to see if it was all for naught or not.

Her eyes widened.

The Davenoid—while not completely—was punched back off it’s roots. The tendrils withered about, trying to find the Davenoid’s body, while the web grinded to a stop.

She did it. She actually did it.

Aiko grinned and lifted the heavy woman onto her feet, hooking her arm around Aiko’s neck. She craned her head and screamed as loud as she could.

“SHE DID IT! SHE DID IT! NOW C’MERE AND LET’S GO!”

She coughed, struggling to get to the entrance while still shouting, “THE DOLL THING GOT KNOCKED BACK FROM THE OTHER WIRES—NOW HELP ME CARRY HER AWAY!”

Aiko wondered. Just River? River and maybe Tracy, in a bout of desperate kindness? She at least hopes that her expectations weren’t misplaced. She looked to her right, in the wavering smoke.

To find that there were three shadows, all of them rushing back for them. Aiko couldn’t help but to smile.

Aiko pointed, “See, see, see!”

They all glanced inside, Maddie lingered on it a lot longer before turning to Aiko, “Good—great, now hand me a leg before it--!”

Too late.

The wire tendrils began to merge from the street itself, rising and forming into eight, large hook-like pillars.

Maddie fell on her bottom, trying to back away, “There’s nowhere to run—there really is nowhere to run—”

“N-NOOOOW,” the voice box of the Davenoid now being this distorted, audible tearing. “VANDEL-VANDELISM IS IN THE NAME, DOOOOOOONE BY vandELS. WE DO NOT TO-L-TOLERATE PEOPLE FR-FROM THE ST-ST—DARK AGES!”

While not rerooted, the Davenoid was picked up by it’s web, only just suspended within the opening, the wires hanging yet coursing into the puppet.

Because that’s all that it was, as Aiko realized and stared in horror—it was just a puppet to the now pissed off web.

The “voice” or whatever the caricature has left to produce sound, continued until it couldn’t anymore, “NOOOOW LEEEET MIIIII-FI-FIX--c-complete—SELF SO IIII CAN REPOOOORT UUuuu teooo…”

Each of the hook-pillars twitched, stiffened, and then launched themselves towards the girls.

“SCATTER FOR GOD’S SAKE, SCATTER--!” Tracy screamed to everyone as she jumped out of the way.