In her final days, Aurora raved, in synch with the howling winds outside. When they would rise in fury, so would her broken vocal chords rasp with quiet horrors. It was in this time that she spoke only of two gatekeepers who would take away her shield, and of an Ancient Spider who possessed an intense green eye within a claw that burned her body and drove her mind into darkness upon beholding her.

Georgi could not be sure, but he told his compatriots that this was probably her diseased memory of the final encounter with some sort of Radiation Gun-bearing Cybrid. Alas, it was worthless information, because they were never to learn why the Cybrids had left her alive, or whether she had defeated them all, or... All Georgi was certain of was her affinity with her weapon, and her blessed innocence of all humanity.

In any case, on the twentieth day of her convalescence Aurora died. Pavlov did not sob, because if he had it would have been nothing but Vodka. Katarina did not wish to be present. Ashitaka was there, for he, like Pavlov, had grown fond of the little girl, and homesick for his own daughter on Europa. Georgi supposed that in this context it was good that the poor Derm had gone, for she had done nothing but drive his personnel into depression since her arrival. He gave a speech at her funeral, in the manner of his beliefs:

"For though God will save from death only those, uh, who have hardened themselves against all evils, he will take those who have accomplished this goal and yet are not, uh, born, uh, in the time of the Messiah. So it says in the Epistle, and so it is. Aurora has been taken from this world either because she was too, uh, weak or because she was already in the utmost favor of God, and had proven the strength of her soul to him in the bravest of combat. Uh, I give to God the judgement of Aurora in this respect, but I keep with my own heart the respect which I gave this precious soul. May her sword forever be remembered and her soul ever salved, until the day of our Messiah and the final Test, uh, Amen."

* * *

The freezer was cold and dark for Aurora. She sought light and warmth.

* * *

It was on the third day after Aurora's death that Commander Georgi Manilov of Hero Ghost Base Camp stumbled out of the freezer room with a smoking candle gun in his hands. Special Officers Pavlov and Katarina apprehended him and placed him under psychological observation for two days, after which he was deemed sane and allowed to return to active duty. Georgi, for his part, seemed deeply moved by whatever had transpired in the freezer, but he would not speak of it.

Within his mind, however, he wondered. Had the Cybrids some hand in Aurora's change? Did the immortal machines feel some sort of awe at such an ethereal, impermanent creature who gained immortality as a tool of God? And was this a message from them, was this a sign? For God gave man the sword and the ability to make War, but was the Messiah to be both Sword and Man? It was taught that Man would throw down the sword, but what could better pass the test? Perhaps...but no. No, the dark children could not be of His plan.

All that congealed was a conviction that she had not been natural. So pale and perfect, with eyes of azure serenity, how could she have been allowed in this world? How could she have been human... or machine?

THE END

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