She raced around the corner on her green bicycle; the tires making a dark skid mark and the brakes squealing as she managed to turn around completely. She was beginning to panic internally because she was already about ten minutes late for school. The bus was late that morning.
She had stopped off at her friend's house that morning to pick up her bike. Since her friend had gone on the way to school long before her unless she was late, Fox had picked up her bike by herself. She eventually pulled up to the school and leapt lightly off of the bicycle seat even while it was still moving. She unwrapped the red chain lock and entered the combination faster than normal and then ran off across the long green campus to the East building.
She hurtled towards her locker, twisted the dial to the correct number configuration and wrenched the door open. She threw her backpack into her locker, but not before she had gotten out her tennis racket. It was block G first that morning, which meant she had to go to the gymnasium with the other girls to do a tennis lesson. She had come already in her gym strip, as her regular clothes were in her backpack.
She was dressed in grey sweatpants, which had two white lines running down either leg. They were soft on the inside and she loved them. She had a black shirt on that bore the image of a fox, which was her favorite animal and the animal she took her name from.
"Hey, Fox!" Shouted a familiar voice from down the hallway. She twisted her head just in time to see a girl running up to her. "Oh, hello." Fox replied. It was her friend Michiko. She was in a different class than her, and had left the class on a bathroom break. "I had better get going back to class or the teacher will be upset." Michiko said. "Bye, Fox." She added, and she padded off down the hallway.
Fox wasn't even her real name. It was just a nickname she had earned the year before at a different school. She still went by it, because she was used to being called the name by her friends and equals. She sighed and blew a piece of hair out of her eyes and walked down the hall in a miserable mood. She wouldn't be let into the gym now, because she was so late. Not even with the note her mother had written her.
She walked down the staircases, in no hurry now. She had to walk across the campus again, to the West building, where her gym class was situated. She swung the tennis racket on her shoulder and it bounced there as she walked. She blew at that stubborn piece of hair again; It always got out of place. She looked to the sky as she often did. It was blue and grey, as usual on a day like then.
"What's that?" She absently asked herself as a spot in the sky grew apparent to her vision. The sky had been a normal azure blue, but now it had a spot growing in it. Rather, it wasn't growing in the sky, it was growing in the air just in front of her!
She stopped dead in her tracks, dumbly watching the spot fester and grow in front of her. It made a metallic echoing noise, and it took her a second to realize that the spot itself wasn't making the noise, it was coming from within it. With no other option for her own protection, she lifted up the tennis racket and brandished the handle.
All of a sudden, the spot exploded open in front of her, and then she saw the most confusing and weirdest thing. The spot appeared to have been a hole in the very fabric of space, and it opened up like a wall in front of her, displaying a forest with a dark purple sky and a metallic, hydraulic noise emanating from deep within the forest, fast approaching.
She backed up, away from the noise, but the fear and confusion inside her was bubbling up and beginning to paralyze her limbs, like thick molasses rolling into a mold. Eventually, she couldn't even back up anymore, and she just clutched the tennis racket so tightly that it made her knuckles white. She couldn't move; She couldn't even blink. She stood like a stone statue in gym strip, watching the spot in the trees just ahead that she predicted whatever was making that noise would come out.
The noise grew louder, it's hydraulic echoing booming across the forest. Eventually, the trees shivered and then fell down in front of her. They lay flat, crushed by seemingly nothing, fifty metres from where she stood, mutely holding the tennis racket still. There was an indentation in the flattened trees that looked like it was a massive footprint. That's impossible! Nothing stepped there to make it, and nothing's been that big in over sixty-five million years! This is insane! Her mind screamed at her.
She examined the spot of air just above the footprint. The air bent, like a twisted fun-house mirror gone hideously wrong. Her jaw dropped. She knew this kind of thing. She'd seen it before in her favorite television show and in sci-fi movies. It was an invisibility cloak that worked by somehow bending rays of light. It only made an object fully invisible if it remained stationary. Any movement would betray that something was there.
The curved light shimmered and then disappeared, revealing something red and black like paint washing over. It was hard and looked to her like metal. She finally could control her head and she looked up, following the leg up that joined the body of the massive mechanical suit. Somehow, she knew the pilot was situated in the chest cavity of the massive thing, the chest cavity with doors that closed forward into a point, with bars across it so that the pilot could see out of it as well as his visualization screens contained within the cockpit.
"Well, well, what have we got here, Chesta?" Asked a voice that came from the cockpit of the suit. Apparently, the voice was speaking to the other mecha suit, which appeared closely behind the first. The other one was similar, but some of the parts were a little different and the colour was blue, not red. She looked frightened, and looked behind her.
Her schoolyard had disappeared. There was no East or West building. There was no campus. There was only a wall of strange, tall, spidery trees and a rippling purple sky. She tensed her muscles and brandished the racket again. This was too strange.
"I believe we've found another human. What should we do with her, my Lord?" Asked the other voice, with a tone of great respect. The first voice was silent for a moment, weighing his options. "Well, we could kill her now," He suggested. Fox growled in a low voice so that the ... thing inside the mecha suit didn't hear her.
"How dare you think you can simply decide my fate right in front of me? Go ahead, step on me with that fantastic tin can of yours, go ahead!" She shouted back, and spread her arms in an open gesture. "I'm ready to die!" She shouted again. This bluff had better work, She thought worriedly. I hope I know what I'm doing.
The two voices were absolutely silent, presumably in stunned shock. "... Or, my Lord, we could bring her back to Zaibach for some fun." The one that was presumably named Chesta finally spoke up. "What!?" Came the reply. "Sir, not that kind of fun, sir! I mean, Lord, we could take her back and make her a soldier. It would be fun to watch her fail." He finished. "Hmmm." Contemplated the other voice. She was dead silent.
"Very well, Chesta. We'll take her back with us. 'Com the base, tell them we've got a guest, will you?" The one inside the red suit said. "Yes sir, my Lord, sir." Chesta's reply was instant. Both of the suits were unnaturally quiet. Fox could feel their eyes upon her.
There was a mechanical whine and the expellation of pressure from hydraulic valves, and the cockpit cage door of the red mecha opened slowly. A slim boy emerged, about her age, fifteen or so. He was dressed in a uniform type regalia, at the joints, a black leather catsuit was visible, and red armour adorned him. He had a tiara of sorts about his forehead, which had a purple jewel that rested simply in the centre of it. His hair was silver, and his skin pale, and it led Fox to believe the boy was probably an albino.
"Where are you from?" He asked her slowly, as if he thought she didn't comprehend his language. "I... don't know. I was at my school, and then... I was here." She replied rapidly. He blinked. "Oh good. So you do understand us." He replied simply, and looked slightly confused. It was hard to read the boy's emotions, as he kept his face as expressionless as possible. But, a slight flicker of recognition and confusement passed over his face. "You wear odd clothes. You must be from further East... Asturia, perhaps. Or maybe you're from where the White Dragon is." He suggested, half to himself.
"My Lord, do you think she is fit enough to be a soldier? She is a girl." Chesta announced behind him. "Don't be a dolt. Of course she is fit enough. Look at her. She's thin, yet her build seems to be strong. She could take some punishment. She looks like she is fast, or at least could be. She's tall... And she's also... Well, let's take her back. Have you 'Commed the base yet?" He asked. Chesta replied that he had.
Chesta saluted, bowed, and then he turned on his heel and went back to his mecha suit. The tall, slim boy turned back to Fox. "What is your name?" He asked her. She didn't feel like giving him her real name. "My name is Fox." She replied, and hastily added, "Sir." The boy smiled at this. "You learn quickly. Good. Is that your real name?" He asked her. "No... It's my nickname..." She said. "Sir!" He smiled again. "What's your real name?" He asked.
"My real name is Gabrielle, sir." She replied. "Gab-ri-elle," He sounded out. He spoke with a Japanese accent, even though he was clearly Caucasian. "Gabrielle. I like that. Well, you're going to be a soldier, and I'll be teaching you how to fight and fly." He explained. "Your codename will be... Fox. Since that's your nickname." He added. "Can you... Fight?" He asked slyly. "Yes sir. I can fight using a sword, sir." She replied. "Well, how's this then," He stated, and he drew his sword. "Wha-what are you doing? I'm unarmed!" She axclaimed. He cocked his head. "No. You have that... Thing... In your hand." He replied, and took a swing at her.
She blocked it with the tennis racket, and was relieved to see that he was only using the flat of his blade. If he'd used the edge, it would have sliced clean through her racket. He pushed his weight on the sword, attempting to drive her backwards. She thought rapidly about what to do, then looked to the left. She then leapt to the right, rolling onto the ground and back up on the other side of him, striking him in the calf of his boot. She then lifted the racket again to block the blow she knew was going to come, and then, quick and sly as a fox, she kicked one of his knees, making him kneel. She then swung the racket through the air with a flourish, making it stop harmlessly at the back of his neck.
"Not bad. Speed's good. Predictable though. Resourceful however." He announced. "Chesta! Shall we go?" He called up to the pilot who was watching from the open doors of the mech. "Yessir," He replied, and flipped monkey-like into the cockpit.
The boy turned to her again. He studied her hard. "Are you sure I don't know you? You seem so oddly familiar," He said, breaking the silence. "You seem familiar as well. But I don't think I've met you before." She said. He changed the topic. Obviously he didn't like talking about things he didn't understand. Understandable. She laughed at herself. Something that is not understandable is. She thought. "You'll be flying in my mech back to the Floating Fortress."He said, and she nodded.
She stepped up to the thing. It was designed very well. It had smooth edges for aerodynamic capabilities and also looked intimidating. She looked all the way up, then back at the leg of the thing. 'Alseides' read small writing etched into the metal plate. Why does that sound so familiar? She asked herself. This is all so strange, yet so familiar. Like I've been here before.
She didn't have time to think about it further. "Go up." The boy said, gesturing to the thing. She looked at the massive height. She loved heights, when she was inside something, like a plane. It was the climbing onto something with the risk of falling off that made her shiver. The metal was well polished and looked slick. "Ladies first," He said with a smirk. She took a deep breath and gripped the metal, pulling herself up onto the leg joint, advancing steadily.
The problem came when she got to the Alseides' hip mechanism. She looked down. "Nnnn..." She groaned as she looked down. The ground had never looked harder. She swallowed. "Climb further, you're almost there!" He shouted from below. The fact that he had to shout for her to hear him frightened her further. Her muscles froze. She was locked in place. He watched her not move for a moment, then advanced towards the giant mecha suit. He climbed up easily, with no hassle at all. He was right above her, sitting on the metal rim that jutted out from the leg joint. "The secret is not to look down. Eventually, you don't even realize you're up high." He said in an assuring voice. It was the first time she'd heard him betray just the slightest flicker of emotion in his voice. He was trying to be comforting, but all it did was make it worse. "I can't move." She announced. He crossed his arms. "Yes you can. Come on." He retorted. She shrank away from him, shy at his snapping tone, and she slipped on the slick red metal. She yelped. Her hands scrabbled to get a better grip, but she couldn't and then gravity realized she was hanging there in the air unattended and made her drop, making her hit the ground all fifty feet below.
Dilandau slid down the mech and picked her up off the ground. He held her with one arm and ascended the Alseides again. He couldn't help thinking she was cute, but he mentally slapped himself. I am not supposed to think those sort of things. He lectured himself, but he thought it anyways. He opened the cockpit doors, and he looked for a place to put her. The cockpit was fairly compact, designed to carry one person, the steering, navigational systems and other things like that. He looked at the chair. There was a spot next to it, and it looked just big enough that if he folded her up like a sleeping child he could fit her in beside him.
He did just that and then sat in the pilot seat. He 'Commed Chesta and then initiated the launch, and flew up into the air, spiralling and changing directory for Zaibach Empire's Floating Fortress.
Gabrielle awoke a while later in a bed somewhere. She didn't open her eyes for a moment, and prayed that she'd be at home in the morning. There was sunlight shining on her face; She could feel it. Yet, something was wrong about it. It just didn't seem quite right to her. She opened her silvery blue eyes and almost began to panic. She had hoped that it had all been just a strange dream, but it wasn't. It was quite real.
She was in a room that was a little dark, and one window. the window was fairly large, and she looked out of it. All she could see was sky. She sat up, but found that she was almost nude. Her ribs and top chest were tightly bandaged, and she was in her underpants, her left leg bandaged as well.
She pulled the covers up to her chin and tried to fold her legs up to her chin also, but cried out in pain when they touched her chest. She fell back upon the bed, tears stinging her eyes. It hurt to breathe. She did not cry, but she wanted to. There was a knock at the the door. "Miss, is everything all right?" Asked a feminine voice. Gabrielle couldn't even reply. The doorknob turned, and a slim woman of medium height entered the room.
"You have four broken ribs, miss. Your ankle was badly sprained. With our treatments, your bone should heal quite rapidly and be better in a matter of hours. Until then, you should rest." She said and smiled. "Do you want something to eat?" She asked. Gabrielle was famished, but she didn't know if she could sit up to eat. "I'm hungry, but I don't know if I can sit up." She said. "Well, just wait a little while. You should be able to sit up soon." The nurse assured her.
Gabrielle sighed and looked up at the wall. Why wasn't she surprised and shocked that she was in a different world? Why wasn't she weirded out completely? And why did that boy look so familiar? These and a million other questions flicked through her head.
She stared up at the crack in the ceiling. It looked like a dragon with outspread wings. A land dragon, because that one has smaller wings than the dragons built for the air. She wondered how she knew that. "Do you need anything to help you sleep?" The nurse asked her.
"No," She replied almost automatically. "I'm fine." She said, and the nurse smiled. "As usual," The nurse said and smiled. "What do you mean by that?" Gabrielle asked her. "Oh? Nothing." She replied. "Just press the button next to you if you need anything." The nurse said and turned to go.
Gabrielle felt as if her ribs would splay open and her chest burst every time she took in a breath. She said nothing. She didn't want to cause a problem and further more of a hindrance to everybody. She stared back at the crack in the ceiling, and she eventually found herself slipping asleep again...
She dreamt that she woke up and found someone at the foot of her bed. She looked closer. It wasn't a someone at all. It was a something. It opened its elongated, red scaly snout with serrated teeth. It's yellow eyes glowed and flashed, and its tongue formed out the word-
"Gabrielle." Said a familiar voice. She was still half asleep. The voice sounded distant and somewhat distorted; As if she were hearing it through a distance in a fog.
"Nnn...?" She muttered. She felt as if she were slowly rising out of the warm mist, her mind slowly returning to the surface. A sharp pain brought her all the way there with a sudden start. She screamed due to the pain. It was her ribs again; They had been touched. She had never been one to have a high threshold for physical pain. She could bear the mental pain better.
Her eyes snapped open. Nearly faster than the eye could follow, the nerve sent a jerking impulse to her spinal cord. It responded, and the reflex fired, charged with a sudden barrage of adrenaline dosage. She backhanded the person who'd hurt her, sending the person back several steps. She immediately clutched her hand and stared at it dumbly, her jaw open. She hadn't meant to have done that. It had just... happened.
"O-oh, my God, I am so sorry, I didn't mean to do that, it just happened and I don't know how or why! I am so sorry!" She was shocked at herself. She hadn't hit a single person in her entire life. She continued stammering apologies; She couldn't even look up and see who it was that she'd hit, she was so incredibly embarassed. Eventually the person silenced her. She shyly looked up, still holding her own hand like it was an evil pet.
It was the tall, slim boy who'd appeared in the forest. He had a large red mark on his pale face. He didn't even touch it, or even acknowledge that it was there. "I startled you." He said simply. "I was fixing the bandage. The nurse was busy with another patient." He said monotonously. "I apologize." He said, and she got the feeling he hardly ever apologized for anything he ever did.
"I came to check on you, and to inform you that once your injuries have healed substantially, you are to become a member of my squadron. You have to get a uniform and weapons. Once you have gotten those things, you are to go to the Launch Bay at level one for your first flight lesson." He explained curtly. "By the way, my name is Dilandau." He added, in a tone that suggested it was a trivial thing.
He looked to his left, and then his right, and then he completed a short bow. He turned on his heel and left, his boots making a clicking noise on the hard polished floor. She watched him until he was out of the room. She noticed that the light outside was getting dimmer. She was ravenously hungry, and had a longing to get out of the bed.
The nurse walked in just a moment after Dilandau had left. She had her eyes on the hallway as she walked in. She put her hand to her mouth and giggled slightly. "He must like you," She said, behind a concealed smile. "He's never so polite to anyone." She continued. "Well, except of course to the High Master himself, but everyone's polite to him. If he wasn't, the High master would have Dilandau sent back, so..." She trailed off. "Well. Yes. Back to duty!" She finished in a sing-song voice.
They were both silent. "You know, he came to check on you twice while you were still asleep." She said after a moment. "Really?" Gabrielle asked, a little bit interested. "Yes, he said he had 'orders' to. That's obviously a lie because he only takes orders directly from the High Master, and nobody else." The nurse smiled. "Like I said, he must like you." She added. Gabrielle was silent. "He doesn't even know me," Gabrielle finally said.
"Sure he does," Said the nurse, confused. "Um, okay." Replied Gabrielle, her gaze turning towards the fading window's light. She didn't like questioning things she didn't understand. The nurse obviously had her confused with someone else. The nurse finally spoke. "He watched you sleep," She said casually. She said it as casually as if she'd said 'Water is wet.' "What?" Asked Gabrielle. The nurse repeated it. "For how long?" She asked. "Oh, I don't know. Only a moment or so. I had to leave the room to attend to another patient, and he told me your bandage was loose. I checked it quickly and I said he could tighten it, because I had to go." She explained. "So he did, I guess, and you screamed. I heard a slap, and I figured you must have slapped him because he'd hurt you. He must have made it too tight by accident. Your pain should be gone now." She added.
The nurse was right. Gabrielle could breathe without a problem or any pain. "Where... Do I get clothes?" She asked the nurse. "Um, let me check. Where are you going to go? Do you know which group?" The nurse asked. Gabrielle blinked. "I don't know the exact name... But whichever one Dilandau is in charge of," She said. The nurse nodded. "Okay, did he specify which rank?" She asked. "Um, no." Gabrielle replied. "You'll take a blue." The nurse said. Gabrielle was confused. "Excuse me?" She asked.
"Blue. In colour. You'll need to get measured, of course and get the right size." The nurse said. "I'll send for someone. Hold on." She said, and the nurse left the room. Gabrielle looked at the bandage on her leg. She set to work undoing the knot and unwrapping the bandage. The pain had almost disappeared completely.
In a few minutes, a boy in a blue and black suit came towards her, the outfit was similar to Dilandau's, except this boy's was blue, not red. He asked her to stand up, and she did as she was told. He asked her to open her arms and hold them out to her side, and she did it without question. The boy withdrew a stick that must have been one unit of standard measurement in their world. He bent down and placed the stick pointing up from the floor.
He touched where the stick ended with his finger, and placed the beginning of the stick where it had ended before. He repeated the process several times. "Okay," Said the boy. "You'll take a medium, then. Please, follow me." He bade, and she reluctantly took a step forward. She cleared her throat. He half turned, and he saw her predicament. She obviously had to walk through halls with people in them, and she was clad only in bandages and her underwear. A faint blush line appeared across the bridge of his nose, but he showed no other sign. "I see." He said.
He told her to wait there for a minute, and then he turned the corner, only to return a moment later with her old school bag. She remembered she had taken it with her to the gym. He placed it near her and turned around, standing stiff as a board, looking without emotion to his front at the closed door.
She rooted through the bag. It contained her new package of batteries, her portable CD player and several CD's, as well as her regular clothes. She gladly pulled on her favourite pants. They were soft denim, and very baggy, with several pockets. The material inside them was soft. The inside right leg was ripped just a little from when she tried out her first boyfriend's bike and the gear chains had sliced open a hole in them. She didn't care, she loved her pants anyways. She pulled out her blue cowl necksleeveless shirt, and put that overtop of her, once she'd undone the bandages. She always had kept a sports bra in her bag in case something happened to her regular. She snatched her denim hat from her bag. She loved that hat, almost as much as the pants. They were the same kind of shade of blue. She tapped the boy on his shoulder to acknowledge the fact that she was ready to him. He nodded, and he started to walk down the halls.
She stayed close behind him, as the hallways were unfamiliar, and dark to her. They walked along many corridors, and she got quite a few stares. She found it odd that there weren't many females in the ... Wherever she was. She was eventually ushered into a room, and she was passed a pile of neatly folded clothes. They were all black and blue. She was then pointed in the direction of a changeroom, which she promptly used.
The clothes had knee high boots, which were blue, and they had a spike at the top. There were very tight black pants that clung to the smooth curvatures of her shape quite nicely, and there was a cloak that melded into a shirt at the top, with a collar that fitted high on the neck. She had shoulder guards, forearm guards, wrist guards, everything. She found it comfortable to move in, and quite flexible.
She stepped out of the changeroom shyly, and stood in front of the boy who'd led her there. He was blushing strongly. "Did I do something wrong?" She asked fearfully, and the boy shook his head convulsively, not breaking her gaze. "P-please. The ... Rest of the squad is waiting for us. Um, my name is Migel." The boy finished.
"Okay. Thanks, Migel." She said, and smiled very softly. "Mmm-hm. Y-you're welcome." Migel replied. He stepped in front of her again and led her down yet another hall. Am I really that strange looking? Do I have a second head or something? She wondered, almost sarcastic. "This way," He said, his voice returning to it's usual flat tone. They approached the room where the rest of the group was waiting for them. "Oh, by the way, the squadron is called 'The Dragonslayers.'" Migel said just before he knocked on the door. "Yes, sir." She said. "Oh, you're my equal, so just call me Migel. None of that formal stuff, unless you are speaking to Lord Dilandau himself. You must address him with a term of respect." He informed her, and then his knuckles rapped on the door.
They waited in silence for the space of one second. The doors flew open, revealing Dilandau standing at the doors, with his hands on the handles. He gave a poisonous look to Migel. "You're late." He hissed. Migel bowed.
"Apologies, Lord Dilandau. I was called in to fetch the new recruit." Migel responded in a soft tone that couldn't possibly have hidden any kind of disrespect to Dilandau at all. At the words 'new recruit' the rest of the group looked up. They all looked behind Migel, but Gabrielle was not visible to them just yet. "Fine." Dilandau replied in a dangerous tone. She could tell only idiots with deathwishes ventured to make Dilandau angry.
Migel stepped into the room, bowed again, and stepped to the left, revealing Gabrielle. The now bright light from the corridor made a golden glow on the shining metal and plastic and on the leather of her clothes. Her gaze dropped to the floor when Dilandau looked at her.
He barked an order to the Dragonslayers and they hustled to assemble in a line. Gabrielle tried to sneak into the line with them, but with a sudden movement, Dilandau caught her wrist and pulled her back to stand with him. He did it in such a way that it was firm, but didn't hurt her. She knew he could have easily, had he wanted to. He moved a single step and stood beside her.
"This is Gabrielle, but you will all call her 'Fox,' on the battlefield. Is that clear?" He snapped. Silence flowed around in the room. "Good!" He exclaimed. "I am assuming she has never flown a mecha suit, and she probably has little or no battle experience. Don't set the simulators so high that they will gut her like a fish." He continued in clipped speech. "Two of you will come with Gabrielle and I to the hangar to select a practise mecha for her. I want the two best mecha fliers to come with us. The ones left will obey the one with the highest rank amongst you. You will either practise fight, or train." He continued with a stiff, 'no-nonsense' tone.
He turned his head to Gabrielle. "You have already met Migel," He said in a different tone that was the smallest bit less harsh. "Next to him is Dalet, then Gatti, Chesta, and Guimel." He said, pointing to each boy as he said their corresponding name. "Chesta and Migel will come with us, and we'll teach you how to fly." He said flatly.
"Yes, sir." She said quietly. The last thing she wanted to do was get this boy angry. Chesta, the boy who had been with Dilandau when they had found her, stepped forwards. He saluted, and stood at the ready. "Awaiting orders, sir." He said. Migel stepped forwards and did the same.
She had stopped off at her friend's house that morning to pick up her bike. Since her friend had gone on the way to school long before her unless she was late, Fox had picked up her bike by herself. She eventually pulled up to the school and leapt lightly off of the bicycle seat even while it was still moving. She unwrapped the red chain lock and entered the combination faster than normal and then ran off across the long green campus to the East building.
She hurtled towards her locker, twisted the dial to the correct number configuration and wrenched the door open. She threw her backpack into her locker, but not before she had gotten out her tennis racket. It was block G first that morning, which meant she had to go to the gymnasium with the other girls to do a tennis lesson. She had come already in her gym strip, as her regular clothes were in her backpack.
She was dressed in grey sweatpants, which had two white lines running down either leg. They were soft on the inside and she loved them. She had a black shirt on that bore the image of a fox, which was her favorite animal and the animal she took her name from.
"Hey, Fox!" Shouted a familiar voice from down the hallway. She twisted her head just in time to see a girl running up to her. "Oh, hello." Fox replied. It was her friend Michiko. She was in a different class than her, and had left the class on a bathroom break. "I had better get going back to class or the teacher will be upset." Michiko said. "Bye, Fox." She added, and she padded off down the hallway.
Fox wasn't even her real name. It was just a nickname she had earned the year before at a different school. She still went by it, because she was used to being called the name by her friends and equals. She sighed and blew a piece of hair out of her eyes and walked down the hall in a miserable mood. She wouldn't be let into the gym now, because she was so late. Not even with the note her mother had written her.
She walked down the staircases, in no hurry now. She had to walk across the campus again, to the West building, where her gym class was situated. She swung the tennis racket on her shoulder and it bounced there as she walked. She blew at that stubborn piece of hair again; It always got out of place. She looked to the sky as she often did. It was blue and grey, as usual on a day like then.
"What's that?" She absently asked herself as a spot in the sky grew apparent to her vision. The sky had been a normal azure blue, but now it had a spot growing in it. Rather, it wasn't growing in the sky, it was growing in the air just in front of her!
She stopped dead in her tracks, dumbly watching the spot fester and grow in front of her. It made a metallic echoing noise, and it took her a second to realize that the spot itself wasn't making the noise, it was coming from within it. With no other option for her own protection, she lifted up the tennis racket and brandished the handle.
All of a sudden, the spot exploded open in front of her, and then she saw the most confusing and weirdest thing. The spot appeared to have been a hole in the very fabric of space, and it opened up like a wall in front of her, displaying a forest with a dark purple sky and a metallic, hydraulic noise emanating from deep within the forest, fast approaching.
She backed up, away from the noise, but the fear and confusion inside her was bubbling up and beginning to paralyze her limbs, like thick molasses rolling into a mold. Eventually, she couldn't even back up anymore, and she just clutched the tennis racket so tightly that it made her knuckles white. She couldn't move; She couldn't even blink. She stood like a stone statue in gym strip, watching the spot in the trees just ahead that she predicted whatever was making that noise would come out.
The noise grew louder, it's hydraulic echoing booming across the forest. Eventually, the trees shivered and then fell down in front of her. They lay flat, crushed by seemingly nothing, fifty metres from where she stood, mutely holding the tennis racket still. There was an indentation in the flattened trees that looked like it was a massive footprint. That's impossible! Nothing stepped there to make it, and nothing's been that big in over sixty-five million years! This is insane! Her mind screamed at her.
She examined the spot of air just above the footprint. The air bent, like a twisted fun-house mirror gone hideously wrong. Her jaw dropped. She knew this kind of thing. She'd seen it before in her favorite television show and in sci-fi movies. It was an invisibility cloak that worked by somehow bending rays of light. It only made an object fully invisible if it remained stationary. Any movement would betray that something was there.
The curved light shimmered and then disappeared, revealing something red and black like paint washing over. It was hard and looked to her like metal. She finally could control her head and she looked up, following the leg up that joined the body of the massive mechanical suit. Somehow, she knew the pilot was situated in the chest cavity of the massive thing, the chest cavity with doors that closed forward into a point, with bars across it so that the pilot could see out of it as well as his visualization screens contained within the cockpit.
"Well, well, what have we got here, Chesta?" Asked a voice that came from the cockpit of the suit. Apparently, the voice was speaking to the other mecha suit, which appeared closely behind the first. The other one was similar, but some of the parts were a little different and the colour was blue, not red. She looked frightened, and looked behind her.
Her schoolyard had disappeared. There was no East or West building. There was no campus. There was only a wall of strange, tall, spidery trees and a rippling purple sky. She tensed her muscles and brandished the racket again. This was too strange.
"I believe we've found another human. What should we do with her, my Lord?" Asked the other voice, with a tone of great respect. The first voice was silent for a moment, weighing his options. "Well, we could kill her now," He suggested. Fox growled in a low voice so that the ... thing inside the mecha suit didn't hear her.
"How dare you think you can simply decide my fate right in front of me? Go ahead, step on me with that fantastic tin can of yours, go ahead!" She shouted back, and spread her arms in an open gesture. "I'm ready to die!" She shouted again. This bluff had better work, She thought worriedly. I hope I know what I'm doing.
The two voices were absolutely silent, presumably in stunned shock. "... Or, my Lord, we could bring her back to Zaibach for some fun." The one that was presumably named Chesta finally spoke up. "What!?" Came the reply. "Sir, not that kind of fun, sir! I mean, Lord, we could take her back and make her a soldier. It would be fun to watch her fail." He finished. "Hmmm." Contemplated the other voice. She was dead silent.
"Very well, Chesta. We'll take her back with us. 'Com the base, tell them we've got a guest, will you?" The one inside the red suit said. "Yes sir, my Lord, sir." Chesta's reply was instant. Both of the suits were unnaturally quiet. Fox could feel their eyes upon her.
There was a mechanical whine and the expellation of pressure from hydraulic valves, and the cockpit cage door of the red mecha opened slowly. A slim boy emerged, about her age, fifteen or so. He was dressed in a uniform type regalia, at the joints, a black leather catsuit was visible, and red armour adorned him. He had a tiara of sorts about his forehead, which had a purple jewel that rested simply in the centre of it. His hair was silver, and his skin pale, and it led Fox to believe the boy was probably an albino.
"Where are you from?" He asked her slowly, as if he thought she didn't comprehend his language. "I... don't know. I was at my school, and then... I was here." She replied rapidly. He blinked. "Oh good. So you do understand us." He replied simply, and looked slightly confused. It was hard to read the boy's emotions, as he kept his face as expressionless as possible. But, a slight flicker of recognition and confusement passed over his face. "You wear odd clothes. You must be from further East... Asturia, perhaps. Or maybe you're from where the White Dragon is." He suggested, half to himself.
"My Lord, do you think she is fit enough to be a soldier? She is a girl." Chesta announced behind him. "Don't be a dolt. Of course she is fit enough. Look at her. She's thin, yet her build seems to be strong. She could take some punishment. She looks like she is fast, or at least could be. She's tall... And she's also... Well, let's take her back. Have you 'Commed the base yet?" He asked. Chesta replied that he had.
Chesta saluted, bowed, and then he turned on his heel and went back to his mecha suit. The tall, slim boy turned back to Fox. "What is your name?" He asked her. She didn't feel like giving him her real name. "My name is Fox." She replied, and hastily added, "Sir." The boy smiled at this. "You learn quickly. Good. Is that your real name?" He asked her. "No... It's my nickname..." She said. "Sir!" He smiled again. "What's your real name?" He asked.
"My real name is Gabrielle, sir." She replied. "Gab-ri-elle," He sounded out. He spoke with a Japanese accent, even though he was clearly Caucasian. "Gabrielle. I like that. Well, you're going to be a soldier, and I'll be teaching you how to fight and fly." He explained. "Your codename will be... Fox. Since that's your nickname." He added. "Can you... Fight?" He asked slyly. "Yes sir. I can fight using a sword, sir." She replied. "Well, how's this then," He stated, and he drew his sword. "Wha-what are you doing? I'm unarmed!" She axclaimed. He cocked his head. "No. You have that... Thing... In your hand." He replied, and took a swing at her.
She blocked it with the tennis racket, and was relieved to see that he was only using the flat of his blade. If he'd used the edge, it would have sliced clean through her racket. He pushed his weight on the sword, attempting to drive her backwards. She thought rapidly about what to do, then looked to the left. She then leapt to the right, rolling onto the ground and back up on the other side of him, striking him in the calf of his boot. She then lifted the racket again to block the blow she knew was going to come, and then, quick and sly as a fox, she kicked one of his knees, making him kneel. She then swung the racket through the air with a flourish, making it stop harmlessly at the back of his neck.
"Not bad. Speed's good. Predictable though. Resourceful however." He announced. "Chesta! Shall we go?" He called up to the pilot who was watching from the open doors of the mech. "Yessir," He replied, and flipped monkey-like into the cockpit.
The boy turned to her again. He studied her hard. "Are you sure I don't know you? You seem so oddly familiar," He said, breaking the silence. "You seem familiar as well. But I don't think I've met you before." She said. He changed the topic. Obviously he didn't like talking about things he didn't understand. Understandable. She laughed at herself. Something that is not understandable is. She thought. "You'll be flying in my mech back to the Floating Fortress."He said, and she nodded.
She stepped up to the thing. It was designed very well. It had smooth edges for aerodynamic capabilities and also looked intimidating. She looked all the way up, then back at the leg of the thing. 'Alseides' read small writing etched into the metal plate. Why does that sound so familiar? She asked herself. This is all so strange, yet so familiar. Like I've been here before.
She didn't have time to think about it further. "Go up." The boy said, gesturing to the thing. She looked at the massive height. She loved heights, when she was inside something, like a plane. It was the climbing onto something with the risk of falling off that made her shiver. The metal was well polished and looked slick. "Ladies first," He said with a smirk. She took a deep breath and gripped the metal, pulling herself up onto the leg joint, advancing steadily.
The problem came when she got to the Alseides' hip mechanism. She looked down. "Nnnn..." She groaned as she looked down. The ground had never looked harder. She swallowed. "Climb further, you're almost there!" He shouted from below. The fact that he had to shout for her to hear him frightened her further. Her muscles froze. She was locked in place. He watched her not move for a moment, then advanced towards the giant mecha suit. He climbed up easily, with no hassle at all. He was right above her, sitting on the metal rim that jutted out from the leg joint. "The secret is not to look down. Eventually, you don't even realize you're up high." He said in an assuring voice. It was the first time she'd heard him betray just the slightest flicker of emotion in his voice. He was trying to be comforting, but all it did was make it worse. "I can't move." She announced. He crossed his arms. "Yes you can. Come on." He retorted. She shrank away from him, shy at his snapping tone, and she slipped on the slick red metal. She yelped. Her hands scrabbled to get a better grip, but she couldn't and then gravity realized she was hanging there in the air unattended and made her drop, making her hit the ground all fifty feet below.
Dilandau slid down the mech and picked her up off the ground. He held her with one arm and ascended the Alseides again. He couldn't help thinking she was cute, but he mentally slapped himself. I am not supposed to think those sort of things. He lectured himself, but he thought it anyways. He opened the cockpit doors, and he looked for a place to put her. The cockpit was fairly compact, designed to carry one person, the steering, navigational systems and other things like that. He looked at the chair. There was a spot next to it, and it looked just big enough that if he folded her up like a sleeping child he could fit her in beside him.
He did just that and then sat in the pilot seat. He 'Commed Chesta and then initiated the launch, and flew up into the air, spiralling and changing directory for Zaibach Empire's Floating Fortress.
Gabrielle awoke a while later in a bed somewhere. She didn't open her eyes for a moment, and prayed that she'd be at home in the morning. There was sunlight shining on her face; She could feel it. Yet, something was wrong about it. It just didn't seem quite right to her. She opened her silvery blue eyes and almost began to panic. She had hoped that it had all been just a strange dream, but it wasn't. It was quite real.
She was in a room that was a little dark, and one window. the window was fairly large, and she looked out of it. All she could see was sky. She sat up, but found that she was almost nude. Her ribs and top chest were tightly bandaged, and she was in her underpants, her left leg bandaged as well.
She pulled the covers up to her chin and tried to fold her legs up to her chin also, but cried out in pain when they touched her chest. She fell back upon the bed, tears stinging her eyes. It hurt to breathe. She did not cry, but she wanted to. There was a knock at the the door. "Miss, is everything all right?" Asked a feminine voice. Gabrielle couldn't even reply. The doorknob turned, and a slim woman of medium height entered the room.
"You have four broken ribs, miss. Your ankle was badly sprained. With our treatments, your bone should heal quite rapidly and be better in a matter of hours. Until then, you should rest." She said and smiled. "Do you want something to eat?" She asked. Gabrielle was famished, but she didn't know if she could sit up to eat. "I'm hungry, but I don't know if I can sit up." She said. "Well, just wait a little while. You should be able to sit up soon." The nurse assured her.
Gabrielle sighed and looked up at the wall. Why wasn't she surprised and shocked that she was in a different world? Why wasn't she weirded out completely? And why did that boy look so familiar? These and a million other questions flicked through her head.
She stared up at the crack in the ceiling. It looked like a dragon with outspread wings. A land dragon, because that one has smaller wings than the dragons built for the air. She wondered how she knew that. "Do you need anything to help you sleep?" The nurse asked her.
"No," She replied almost automatically. "I'm fine." She said, and the nurse smiled. "As usual," The nurse said and smiled. "What do you mean by that?" Gabrielle asked her. "Oh? Nothing." She replied. "Just press the button next to you if you need anything." The nurse said and turned to go.
Gabrielle felt as if her ribs would splay open and her chest burst every time she took in a breath. She said nothing. She didn't want to cause a problem and further more of a hindrance to everybody. She stared back at the crack in the ceiling, and she eventually found herself slipping asleep again...
She dreamt that she woke up and found someone at the foot of her bed. She looked closer. It wasn't a someone at all. It was a something. It opened its elongated, red scaly snout with serrated teeth. It's yellow eyes glowed and flashed, and its tongue formed out the word-
"Gabrielle." Said a familiar voice. She was still half asleep. The voice sounded distant and somewhat distorted; As if she were hearing it through a distance in a fog.
"Nnn...?" She muttered. She felt as if she were slowly rising out of the warm mist, her mind slowly returning to the surface. A sharp pain brought her all the way there with a sudden start. She screamed due to the pain. It was her ribs again; They had been touched. She had never been one to have a high threshold for physical pain. She could bear the mental pain better.
Her eyes snapped open. Nearly faster than the eye could follow, the nerve sent a jerking impulse to her spinal cord. It responded, and the reflex fired, charged with a sudden barrage of adrenaline dosage. She backhanded the person who'd hurt her, sending the person back several steps. She immediately clutched her hand and stared at it dumbly, her jaw open. She hadn't meant to have done that. It had just... happened.
"O-oh, my God, I am so sorry, I didn't mean to do that, it just happened and I don't know how or why! I am so sorry!" She was shocked at herself. She hadn't hit a single person in her entire life. She continued stammering apologies; She couldn't even look up and see who it was that she'd hit, she was so incredibly embarassed. Eventually the person silenced her. She shyly looked up, still holding her own hand like it was an evil pet.
It was the tall, slim boy who'd appeared in the forest. He had a large red mark on his pale face. He didn't even touch it, or even acknowledge that it was there. "I startled you." He said simply. "I was fixing the bandage. The nurse was busy with another patient." He said monotonously. "I apologize." He said, and she got the feeling he hardly ever apologized for anything he ever did.
"I came to check on you, and to inform you that once your injuries have healed substantially, you are to become a member of my squadron. You have to get a uniform and weapons. Once you have gotten those things, you are to go to the Launch Bay at level one for your first flight lesson." He explained curtly. "By the way, my name is Dilandau." He added, in a tone that suggested it was a trivial thing.
He looked to his left, and then his right, and then he completed a short bow. He turned on his heel and left, his boots making a clicking noise on the hard polished floor. She watched him until he was out of the room. She noticed that the light outside was getting dimmer. She was ravenously hungry, and had a longing to get out of the bed.
The nurse walked in just a moment after Dilandau had left. She had her eyes on the hallway as she walked in. She put her hand to her mouth and giggled slightly. "He must like you," She said, behind a concealed smile. "He's never so polite to anyone." She continued. "Well, except of course to the High Master himself, but everyone's polite to him. If he wasn't, the High master would have Dilandau sent back, so..." She trailed off. "Well. Yes. Back to duty!" She finished in a sing-song voice.
They were both silent. "You know, he came to check on you twice while you were still asleep." She said after a moment. "Really?" Gabrielle asked, a little bit interested. "Yes, he said he had 'orders' to. That's obviously a lie because he only takes orders directly from the High Master, and nobody else." The nurse smiled. "Like I said, he must like you." She added. Gabrielle was silent. "He doesn't even know me," Gabrielle finally said.
"Sure he does," Said the nurse, confused. "Um, okay." Replied Gabrielle, her gaze turning towards the fading window's light. She didn't like questioning things she didn't understand. The nurse obviously had her confused with someone else. The nurse finally spoke. "He watched you sleep," She said casually. She said it as casually as if she'd said 'Water is wet.' "What?" Asked Gabrielle. The nurse repeated it. "For how long?" She asked. "Oh, I don't know. Only a moment or so. I had to leave the room to attend to another patient, and he told me your bandage was loose. I checked it quickly and I said he could tighten it, because I had to go." She explained. "So he did, I guess, and you screamed. I heard a slap, and I figured you must have slapped him because he'd hurt you. He must have made it too tight by accident. Your pain should be gone now." She added.
The nurse was right. Gabrielle could breathe without a problem or any pain. "Where... Do I get clothes?" She asked the nurse. "Um, let me check. Where are you going to go? Do you know which group?" The nurse asked. Gabrielle blinked. "I don't know the exact name... But whichever one Dilandau is in charge of," She said. The nurse nodded. "Okay, did he specify which rank?" She asked. "Um, no." Gabrielle replied. "You'll take a blue." The nurse said. Gabrielle was confused. "Excuse me?" She asked.
"Blue. In colour. You'll need to get measured, of course and get the right size." The nurse said. "I'll send for someone. Hold on." She said, and the nurse left the room. Gabrielle looked at the bandage on her leg. She set to work undoing the knot and unwrapping the bandage. The pain had almost disappeared completely.
In a few minutes, a boy in a blue and black suit came towards her, the outfit was similar to Dilandau's, except this boy's was blue, not red. He asked her to stand up, and she did as she was told. He asked her to open her arms and hold them out to her side, and she did it without question. The boy withdrew a stick that must have been one unit of standard measurement in their world. He bent down and placed the stick pointing up from the floor.
He touched where the stick ended with his finger, and placed the beginning of the stick where it had ended before. He repeated the process several times. "Okay," Said the boy. "You'll take a medium, then. Please, follow me." He bade, and she reluctantly took a step forward. She cleared her throat. He half turned, and he saw her predicament. She obviously had to walk through halls with people in them, and she was clad only in bandages and her underwear. A faint blush line appeared across the bridge of his nose, but he showed no other sign. "I see." He said.
He told her to wait there for a minute, and then he turned the corner, only to return a moment later with her old school bag. She remembered she had taken it with her to the gym. He placed it near her and turned around, standing stiff as a board, looking without emotion to his front at the closed door.
She rooted through the bag. It contained her new package of batteries, her portable CD player and several CD's, as well as her regular clothes. She gladly pulled on her favourite pants. They were soft denim, and very baggy, with several pockets. The material inside them was soft. The inside right leg was ripped just a little from when she tried out her first boyfriend's bike and the gear chains had sliced open a hole in them. She didn't care, she loved her pants anyways. She pulled out her blue cowl necksleeveless shirt, and put that overtop of her, once she'd undone the bandages. She always had kept a sports bra in her bag in case something happened to her regular. She snatched her denim hat from her bag. She loved that hat, almost as much as the pants. They were the same kind of shade of blue. She tapped the boy on his shoulder to acknowledge the fact that she was ready to him. He nodded, and he started to walk down the halls.
She stayed close behind him, as the hallways were unfamiliar, and dark to her. They walked along many corridors, and she got quite a few stares. She found it odd that there weren't many females in the ... Wherever she was. She was eventually ushered into a room, and she was passed a pile of neatly folded clothes. They were all black and blue. She was then pointed in the direction of a changeroom, which she promptly used.
The clothes had knee high boots, which were blue, and they had a spike at the top. There were very tight black pants that clung to the smooth curvatures of her shape quite nicely, and there was a cloak that melded into a shirt at the top, with a collar that fitted high on the neck. She had shoulder guards, forearm guards, wrist guards, everything. She found it comfortable to move in, and quite flexible.
She stepped out of the changeroom shyly, and stood in front of the boy who'd led her there. He was blushing strongly. "Did I do something wrong?" She asked fearfully, and the boy shook his head convulsively, not breaking her gaze. "P-please. The ... Rest of the squad is waiting for us. Um, my name is Migel." The boy finished.
"Okay. Thanks, Migel." She said, and smiled very softly. "Mmm-hm. Y-you're welcome." Migel replied. He stepped in front of her again and led her down yet another hall. Am I really that strange looking? Do I have a second head or something? She wondered, almost sarcastic. "This way," He said, his voice returning to it's usual flat tone. They approached the room where the rest of the group was waiting for them. "Oh, by the way, the squadron is called 'The Dragonslayers.'" Migel said just before he knocked on the door. "Yes, sir." She said. "Oh, you're my equal, so just call me Migel. None of that formal stuff, unless you are speaking to Lord Dilandau himself. You must address him with a term of respect." He informed her, and then his knuckles rapped on the door.
They waited in silence for the space of one second. The doors flew open, revealing Dilandau standing at the doors, with his hands on the handles. He gave a poisonous look to Migel. "You're late." He hissed. Migel bowed.
"Apologies, Lord Dilandau. I was called in to fetch the new recruit." Migel responded in a soft tone that couldn't possibly have hidden any kind of disrespect to Dilandau at all. At the words 'new recruit' the rest of the group looked up. They all looked behind Migel, but Gabrielle was not visible to them just yet. "Fine." Dilandau replied in a dangerous tone. She could tell only idiots with deathwishes ventured to make Dilandau angry.
Migel stepped into the room, bowed again, and stepped to the left, revealing Gabrielle. The now bright light from the corridor made a golden glow on the shining metal and plastic and on the leather of her clothes. Her gaze dropped to the floor when Dilandau looked at her.
He barked an order to the Dragonslayers and they hustled to assemble in a line. Gabrielle tried to sneak into the line with them, but with a sudden movement, Dilandau caught her wrist and pulled her back to stand with him. He did it in such a way that it was firm, but didn't hurt her. She knew he could have easily, had he wanted to. He moved a single step and stood beside her.
"This is Gabrielle, but you will all call her 'Fox,' on the battlefield. Is that clear?" He snapped. Silence flowed around in the room. "Good!" He exclaimed. "I am assuming she has never flown a mecha suit, and she probably has little or no battle experience. Don't set the simulators so high that they will gut her like a fish." He continued in clipped speech. "Two of you will come with Gabrielle and I to the hangar to select a practise mecha for her. I want the two best mecha fliers to come with us. The ones left will obey the one with the highest rank amongst you. You will either practise fight, or train." He continued with a stiff, 'no-nonsense' tone.
He turned his head to Gabrielle. "You have already met Migel," He said in a different tone that was the smallest bit less harsh. "Next to him is Dalet, then Gatti, Chesta, and Guimel." He said, pointing to each boy as he said their corresponding name. "Chesta and Migel will come with us, and we'll teach you how to fly." He said flatly.
"Yes, sir." She said quietly. The last thing she wanted to do was get this boy angry. Chesta, the boy who had been with Dilandau when they had found her, stepped forwards. He saluted, and stood at the ready. "Awaiting orders, sir." He said. Migel stepped forwards and did the same.