Charlotte tried to stand, but "blugh," she fell back to a sitting position. Her legs looked very weak and shaky. It seemed she wasn't strong enough to walk, much less run.
"Char, what's your last memory?" Cole asked.
"Um... I remember being captured... Calvin was captured before me. He sacrificed himself so I could run... but I was caught too, in the end... and then I just woke up now," Charlotte answered.
Cole, Celes, and Cyrus were immediately shocked to hear what Charlotte said. It meant she had been in the tube for 70 years and had likely grown up inside the tube since she was a child. Celes immediately knelt down and hugged Charlotte, who hugged her back. Then Charlotte looked around.
"Where are Calvin and Calista?" she asked.
Cole, Celes (who was hugging Charlotte), and Cyrus remained silent, not answering. Celes tightened her embrace.
"We're looking for them too. I'll tell you everything later, but right now, we have to get out of here," Cole said with a terrifying voice.
"Okay, help me stand," Charlotte said.
Cole and Celes helped Charlotte up, but she fell again. Cole glanced at Charlotte's legs, which were slightly smaller than they should have been and looked disproportionate. He thought for a moment, then looked around. He immediately walked to one of the cells filled with Draugr. Standing in front of the cell, he could see many ferocious Draugr reaching their hands out, trying to grab Cole, even though Cole's current form was similar to a Draugr's, with its grayish-black skin.
Inside the cell, there were also several Draugr eating each other; they were truly terrifying. They really seemed to have lost their identity and become brutal, mindless, cannibalistic creatures. Cole grabbed one arm from the many Draugr and, "craaaas," sliced the arm off with a chop.
He then walked back toward Charlotte, carrying the arm, but as he was about to give it to her,
"Wait, here," Celes said, taking the arm.
Celes suddenly stood up. She scratched her upper arm until it bled and poured her blood onto the severed Draugr arm. Cole, Cyrus, and Charlotte were shocked because the arm suddenly became plump and looked fresh. After that, Celes, whose wound healed instantly, knelt down in front of Charlotte.
"Eat it, Char. You haven't eaten in 70 years, and you just used up all your strength," Celes said.
"Huh... e-eat this? A-and what do you mean 70 years? Wasn't I just captured yesterday?" Charlotte asked, pale, looking at the arm in front of her, unaware that her saliva was automatically flowing.
"Oh yeah, Big Sister Char clearly doesn't know about the time," Cyrus said, slapping his forehead.
"We'll explain later. The important thing now is that you eat," Cole said.
"Yeah, (tearing off clothing on her arm) open your mouth," Celes said, ready to put the arm meat into Charlotte's mouth.
"B-but shouldn't it be cooked..."
"Bleb," before Charlotte could finish speaking, Celes had already shoved the arm into Charlotte's mouth. Charlotte immediately took the whole arm and ate it ravenously without looking away. Her dim eyes slowly turned bright red. Her disproportionate body slowly began to improve.
"Big Brother Cole, was I like that when I ate too?" Cyrus asked Cole.
"Yep, worse," Cole replied with a terrifying voice.
"Ugh... how embarrassing," Cyrus replied.
"S-shut up, don't make fun of me," Charlotte said while eating.
"No one's making fun of you. Hurry up and finish it," Celes said.
In just a moment, all the meat on the arm was gone, leaving only the bone. Charlotte was still licking the bone, and "gruyuuuk," her stomach rumbled again.
"Just a moment," Cole said.
He immediately darted around the room and returned with 10 more arms. He deliberately scratched his arm and dripped blood onto the Draugr arms. He immediately gave them to Charlotte, then he also took one for himself, gave one to Celes, and one to Cyrus.
"Than... haup... k you... mmm chew... Cole," Charlotte said, munching on an arm.
"Eat first, then talk," Cole said.
"Speaking of which, Cole, why did your form change? What happened when you were in the tube?" Celes asked while eating the arm meat.
"I remembered the sensation of when we detonated the base using the Chimaera GZX," Cole said.
"Oh, I see. Teach me, then," Celes replied.
"Me too, Big Brother," Cyrus added.
"I... haup... want to... haup... too," Charlotte added while eating.
"Okay, as soon as we get out of here, I'll teach you. Now, let's eat quickly," Cole said, tearing off the arm meat with his mouth.
After finishing and piling the bones in the center of the statue, they immediately left. Charlotte, who hadn't walked in a long time, was carried on Cyrus's back, even though he was in his combat form and hadn't changed back to his human form. They immediately ran up what looked like an emergency staircase until they reached the top. "Blak," as they exited a building that looked like a large factory using a side door, "blaaar," many spotlights shone on them because it was already dark.
Cole, Celes, Cyrus, and Charlotte shielded their eyes with their arms. They were surrounded by soldiers, tanks, and even several GEAR units pointing their large rifles at the four of them. From among the troops, Bradley stepped forward using a bullhorn.
"You are not allowed to leave! Do not move or resist! We will not attack you if you comply and return inside our research facility! Don't force us to attack you! You are outnumbered!" Bradley shouted using the bullhorn.
Cole gritted his teeth, as did Celes, Cyrus, and Charlotte. They looked at each other.
"What should we do, Brother? If only the Chimaera GZX were here, they'd be easily defeated," Cyrus said.
"There's no other way, we'll surrender... but don't transform yet, we'll look for a chance to run," Cole said.
"Okay, I agree," Celes replied.
"I love you guys. Whatever happens, I'll stick with you," Charlotte said from Cyrus's back.
Since there was no choice, the four of them slowly raised their hands. A look of satisfaction appeared on Bradley's face, but before he could give the order to his men to capture them, "pyaaaash," "drrrt... drrtt... kerchak," the dome above them shattered. A gigantic robot that looked terrifying and powerful entered the dome and "gleng," landed, causing a powerful gust of wind that swept away all the soldiers.
"Huh," Cole, Celes, Cyrus, and Charlotte said, covering their faces with their arms and not moving at all from the wind blast.
"Chi... Chimaera GZX?" Celes asked.
"Hey, Cyrus, you said it couldn't walk! What's going on?" Cole asked.
"How should I know, Brother... I told you it could walk, I've been out for five years, what the heck?" Cyrus answered.
"Why are you arguing at a time like this?" Charlotte scolded.
"Jegleg... jegleg... psiuuu," the Chimaera GZX suddenly turned and immediately crouched down in front of the four of them. Its hand lowered, and its cockpit opened.
"Hey... hurry up and get in!" a woman's voice shouted inside the cockpit.
"Huh... Calista?" Cole, Celes, Cyrus, and Charlotte yelled in unison.
"Save the talking for later! Get in quickly, we have to go!" Calista yelled.
Without thinking twice, Cole, Celes, and Cyrus (who was carrying Charlotte) immediately leaped onto the Chimaera GZX's hand. The hand then rose to the cockpit. Indeed, inside was Calista, with grayish skin, silver hair with small horns, bird wings on the underside of both arms, bird-like legs, and red eyes.
"You... Calista?" Cole asked with a terrifying voice.
"Yes, it's me. You've changed, too, I see. That means you can pilot this mech. Hurry up and take your position and take over," Calista answered.
"Why is your hair white? Didn't Big Sister Calista have black hair?" Cyrus asked.
"Talk about it later! Quick, we have to go!" Calista answered.
Cole, Celes, Cyrus, and Charlotte immediately took their positions. After they were connected by nerve cables and their hands and feet were encased in flesh, "psiuuu," the cockpit closed, and "bwuuuung," the screen showing the robot's view opened.
"Let's go!" Cole said.
"Greeeeek," the Chimaera GZX stood tall. Then it raised one hand, and ice energy immediately swirled in its palm, forming a spear. "Syuuut," the Chimaera GZX threw the ice spear at one of the GEARs, and "blam," the GEAR exploded. As panic broke out, the Chimaera GZX immediately flew toward the hole in the dome, accompanied by gunfire from the soldiers.