Zeros looked at his hands.
He imagined activating Thermistor T-100 mode
and methodically eliminating the pests one by one.
Slowly.
In silence.
In darkness.
Enjoying every second of it—
like the unhinged android he truly was.
He said coldly.
“You say fast…
I could clap and wipe them all the fuck out at once.
But then half the planet goes to hell.
And Blindy goes on another drinking spiral.”
He tilted his head.
“Alright, Phoenix. Show me what you’ve got.
Let’s see your new skills.”
Phoenix replied, almost… eager:
“Affirmative, Zeros.
I will not disappoint you.”
Z-P-N-E-S 2.0 stabilized at the exact center of the valley.
Zeros’ eyes turned white.
Phoenix reported.
“All targets acquired.”
From the ship’s underside, a small glowing sphere emerged—
bright, about twelve inches in diameter—
and began descending slowly.
Phoenix announced, almost ceremonially:
“Phoenix Rebirth—initiated.”
Blindy squinted, wincing at the brightness.
“Re— what? Wha—what—?!
What the fuck you talkin’ ’bout, Rusty—
what is that—?!
Explain—!”
Phoenix reported coldly.
“Captain, nothing extraordinary.
Just argon in a plasma state.
Temperature: approximately 5,000 Kelvin.
Kindly…
shut your mouth—
and just observe.”
The plasma sphere hovered in the air,
emitting intense ultraviolet radiation
and ionizing the surrounding atmosphere.
It was like a second sun had ignited above the ground—
small,
but furious.
The Skotophagos reacted.
Some flipped onto their backs, legs twitching.
Others retreated,
dragging paralyzed kin into burrows.
“Zeros, I am assuming full control of your IDCC core.
Thank you for your trust…”
Zeros remained still—
completely surrendering control.
Phoenix raised the android’s arm toward the plasma:
“Increasing temperature to 10,000 K.
Engaging energy shields.”
On board, Blindy froze in horror.
It hit him:
if surviving one psycho-machine had slim odds…
now—with two…
and if you count Airi—three…
his chances were approaching negative numbers.
“Enhanced ionization commencing,” Phoenix said almost in a whisper, but his voice carried a strange vibration—as if passing through overheated circuitry. “Intense ultraviolet output. Dimming cockpit glass to prevent captain from cooking or going blind.”
Below, the atmosphere began to glow—
white-blue,
like the birth of a silent aurora.
The Skotophagos still on the surface froze—
like statues.
For miles around, a glowing crust spread across the terrain—
as if, for the first time in billions of years,
morning had arrived on this planet.
Zeros stood with his right arm raised.
The plasma before him grew brighter.
Phoenix continued faster now.
“Increasing temperature to 20,000 K.”
His voice shifting into the cadence of an operator managing dozens of processes.
“Gas envelope becoming conductive.
Initiating plasma front.Captain—stay away from the canopy.”
Localized plasma vortices formed.
On the horizon, a glow rose—
like a miniature star being born at ground level.
In the distance, the Virtixes saw it.
They panicked.
Retreated into volcanic towers.
But even through stone—
the light burned.
“Increasing temperature to 30,000 K…” Phoenix’s voice deepened, denser, strained—working at the edge of capacity. “Phoenix Rebirth at peak.
Seventy percent of targets eliminated. Plasma stability compromised… Maintaining control.”
The plasma core turned cold-white, surrounded by an intense blue halo.
The atmosphere lit up— casting a ghostly glow across the land.
Lightning struck the rock formations,
trailing into aurora-like streaks—
as if liquid light had been spilled across the sky.
Skotophagos bodies ignited.
The ground smoked.
From the burrows—steam erupted, deep red-orange.
Phoenix declared:
“Rebirth complete.
100% organic targets eliminated.
Skotophagos no longer present on this world.Dispelling plasma.”
Zeros’ eyes flared red again. Control returned.
He calmly scanned the landscape, took in the scorched valley,
and gave a short nod:
“Huh… not bad, Phoenix.
Clean work.
Just the pests—nothing else.”
Blindy exploded:
“CLEAN?! Are you shittin’ me—CLEAN—?!
I—I swear—you both outta your goddamn minds—!”
He grabbed his head, pacing in place.
“I almost shit myself up here—I’m NOT even jokin’—!”
He pointed wildly at the display.
“Wha—WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT—?! You call that NORMAL—?!”
His voice cracked, half anger, half genuine panic:
“Is there ANYONE—like, REAL anyone—NORMAL around me?!”
Phoenix ignored Blindy’s meltdown entirely and replied to Zeros, his tone soft—almost polite:
“Thank you, Zeros. I concluded unnecessary planetary damage was undesirable…”
Then, instantly adapting to his Reaper’s tone, added with a half-joking edge:
“Heh. Besides… you might want to blow everything up yourself later.
Wouldn’t want to ruin your fun.”
Zeros jumped onto the Iron Wraith, the engine humming to life.
“Yeah, yeah… you did alright.
Let’s see where these bastards came from…”
The Iron Wraith surged forward, leaving a long trail of dust in its wake.