PROLOGUE
1962, National Museum in Bruruil... 2212 hours...
The 19 year old Ursula Hartmann was there while some important artifacts were being moved. Normally at the sight of all the artifacts, she would know that all of them are important. But one thing's for sure: They were also a part of human history. They were artifacts recovered from different parts of the middle east, Australis, and even Orussia itself. All things considering the fact that even a significant and guarded artifact was in the museum as well.
She decided to use a payphone in the museum while some lights were on near the entrance. The payphone was located at the reception. She was calling the Rosario Research Facility about the hidden artifact. She knew that being the one in charge of the placing is a responsibility she needed to be strict about.
"Yes, it's here. The third and final package is good and secured." Ursula giggled while wearing her glasses and African explorer uniform. She came straight from Africa after recovering a new kind of metal, which was then given to this museum after a good research. "So, what's next?"
"Get back to the lab." An old male said.
"Aww... It's late already. Can't it wait for tomorrow? The drive there is rather a long one."
"I understand, but you're going back here for something you must pick up from the last job. You still remember it, don't you?"
"Yes, yes. I have to continue my research about rare magic. Is weapons development the only thing you can think of?"
"Nonetheless, it may be used economically, Professor Hartmann."
"True."
"You know the applications to it."
"But the whole material is unstable. You know that it won't be ready unless it's tested. And it hasn't gone through full testing yet. You must understand."
"If I might understand, you agreed that it would be ready in the months to come. You must understand how Orussia takes weapons development seriously especially at these times when they were about to show advancements in rocket science."
"I know." Ursula answered sternly. "You wanted to let them win a contest against Liberion. Let me remind you that Xing is getting a cut from Orussia. You're involved in the affairs from Xing."
"I don't know what you're talking about..."
"YOU ARE SIMPLY THE LIAR, aren't you?!"
"Miss...?" A male said behind her.
"What?!" Ursula faced the man in fury, only to see an innocent security guard. He was wearing a naval blue shirt, black pants, black tie, and black shoes. He had blue eyes and brown hair. Then she calmed down, realizing she shouted at him on impulse from her conversation. "I'm sorry." Then she focused on the man on the other line. "We'll talk about it tomorrow. As you wish, I'll head straight back to the lab to see if the research is there. But don't think my suspicions of you disappeared." Then she slammed the handset on the phone before sighing. "I'm sorry of what you've heard. How long were you around anyway?"
"Oh... Just now. Don't worry. What you talked about with him ain't my business."
"Tch. Tell me about it. Er ist ärgerlich. (He is annoying.)" Then she started to walk the museum just at the direction of where the exit is. "So, how long have you been here? I haven't seen you from the guard's roster."
"Sorry. They didn't update the roster. I'm just new here."
"Wanna tell me your name?"
"Reynold Presley."
"Presley? You mean the rock and roll star in Liberion?"
"Sorry. I'm a different one. I got around from New Mexico to here. I'm actually from Brooklyn, New York, but then I got transferred to Bruruil. At least a flight here isn't so bad. As for New Mexico? Well... My relatives live there. I go there sometimes to visit."
"I see. But your salary isn't cut for trips like that."
"I ask favors to get me cheap flights back and forth. I pay them with what they need."
"At least you know your way."
"You come here often?"
"Yeah. I'm a researcher, actually. I work alongside different people for research terms. I even got to Africa to bring back a rare metal. It's studied and it's good before I got here giving it to where it originally belongs."
"Really?"
"Yeah. The metal was considered to be around when the Spanish aztecs were still occupying this region. They used the rare metal usually for ceremonial rites until they collapsed. How it arrived in Africa is a mystery."
"Well don't tell me the details. It'll give me a headache." He chuckled, but she didn't. It meant that she's not accustomed to jokes like that. "Oh, sorry."
"Huh? What are you sorry for?"
"I thought you'd laugh at the joke when I'm..." Then a distant boom and explosion had happened from within the museum and they looked back in surprise. Then the alarms have sounded. "Damn it! Stay right behind me!" He then un-holstered his Colt 45 ACP pistol before...
"NO SE MUEVA! (DON'T MOVE!)" Yelled a man from the left as they saw he had a Kalashnikov AK-47 held. He was wearing a black attire composed of his balaclava, the body armor, the pants and the boots. "Suelta el arma! Suelta el arma!"
And he knew what it meant. He knew he had to follow his order, considering he has a good stance of holding the rifle and his finger properly placed at the trigger ready to be squeezed. 'Okay. Calm...' He put his hands apart, letting him hold the gun away and sided before he bent down. As he was about to drop the gun, he sprang forward, got on his belly, swung his gun up front before he fired. It happened so fast, the armed man never knew his knees would get hit before he would kneel. Reynold fired again to his head before the man finally drops dead backwards. Then he heard a glass break from above. Immediately, he rolled to his back before seeing a small broken glass roofway before seeing a repelling black armored man like the one he encountered. He squeezed the trigger many times putting bullets into the armed assailant before he fell to the floor by force after being shot. Then he looked at Ursula. "TO THE EXIT! MOVE!" He got up and saw her run to the exit before she got through followed by him before he got out as well.
Ursula was scared as she ran. "Who the hell are they?!"
"Priority Target extracted! Strike team, move in! Objective is compromised!" Reynold shouted through his earpiece transponders, letting Ursula stop.
"Wait, what do you mean...?"
"We gotta keep moving."
"I AM NOT GOING ANYWHERE UNTIL MY QUESTIONS ARE ANSWERED! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" But Ursula stopped before sensing something stick to her neck. She then took off the dart... 'I feel... Uggh...' ...before she moaned and fainted. 'Oh...'
"Oh, come on!" Reynold's voice of disappointment came before her mind finally slipped away.
Ursula moaned as she knew her eyes were closed, and she slowly started to open her eyes. She was hearing a faint sound of music, and she immediately recognized the brightness of the morning sun coming from the window to her right. She was in a patient's robe, while on a medical bed. 'Last night must have really happened.' Then she tried to sit up, knowing she's fine, but noticed her right hand was handcuffed. "A handcuff?" She groaned loudly before trying to pull it off the railing. "Willst du mich verarschen?! (Are you kidding me?!)"
"Nein." She stopped and turned her head to see a gray leather black tied suited man. He was the same security guard she met that night. "Wir haben keine Witze über die Sicherheit zu machen. (We don't make jokes about security) If it had to mean something, it even had to involve a witch. So don't try it." And after he said it, there was a glare between her and him.
It took a moment for Ursula to lose that glare and groan. "Then why the hell are you afraid of me?"
"It's not about being afraid, Ms. Hartmann."
"How do you know my name? And I'm sure you already know that I'm to be held against my own will, right?! That museum had important items! Why would men with guns want to be in there in the first place?!"
"Hey, calm down."
"I am not calming down unless you answer me." And Ursula's glare returned again. "This time, I want the truth."
He thought about it for a while before he walked to the other side of the bed. He browsed his pocket, revealing he held a key, and he held the handcuffs before he used the key. Eventually she was released from the cuffs while seeing if her wrist was hurt. "Happy now?"
"Thank you. You didn't need to hold me like that."
"We never know, right?" The man just decided to walk away from the bed to the door before he stopped and looked at her again. "If you wanna know, you're coming with me." He pointed somewhere to her right. "That paper back over there contains fresh clothing. You're gonna need it since we had to examine you while you were knocked out. Tranq guns really aren't a pleasant ride while dreaming."
"I still..." Ursula sighed. "I still don't know your name. Can I at least trust that you can tell me?"
"Kelvin Fray. I'm an agent of League Intelligence."
"League... You mean you're from the League of Nations?"
"Something like that. League of Nations Intelligence Agency. It's an intel agency for countries allied with each other especially after the second world war. I'm sure you know that countries don't want to fight each other but just be competitive. The rise of rocket science just screws us all up." Kelvin chuckled. "Wouldn't you agree?" And she still glared at her. "You still don't trust me?"
"You knew about last night."
"Sure I did. But I can't tell you about it here. If you dress up now and follow, maybe you won't miss it."
"You're leaving me in the loop until we walk and talk?"
"Get with the program, lady." And his statement made her wince. "Sorry. I shouldn't have called you one."
"It happens all the time. Now leave. Like you told me, I'll dress up. It's not like I have any other choice, do I?" And Kelvin just laughed at her sentence. "What's so funny?"
"You're straight, Hartmann. I like it. You know, instead of going through public research and being scandalized like that man you talked to, you should come work with us. Maybe we'd see what multiple countries could do with your research, and how it would be used right. I mean, dark magic? That's a rare substance we can't use yet. And if someone is rushing it for weapons, then you were just looking at a warlord who pays you." This got her surprised. "We tracked Anthony Reagan, that same man. He had enough records to get him to jail for a long, long time. He was in Liberion when he was selling information about dark magic. We had to put him away, and make sure the information didn't pass to anyone else. You were stabbed in the back."
This completely got Ursula surprised. So League Intelligence was able to really capture Reagan? "You're... You're very serious people."
"Dark magic is a breakthrough, scientific or not."
"So you were serious the whole time? You were keeping an eye on me and my research?"
"We have been doing that ever since you won the international fair of sciences in Hamburg. Your theory about Anti-Matter being existent in this planet made us think of following you, knowing you got a bright future ahead. And with our knowledge that you're a witch like your sister, proved to us that you didn't cheat. You got a good family member and you worked hard your whole way, while she served the military."
"I guess that explains why you know me so much."
"Look, enough's enough. Will you listen when we walk out?"
"Of course. I trust you, Kelvin."
"Oh, first name basis now, Ursula?"
"Why not?" She replied, and he took time before he smiled at her.
"Alright. I'll wait for you outside." Kelvin said before he left the room.
48 hours later... Signalling beacons were activated, marking four sources: Karlsland, Orussia Major, Ostmark and Australis. Each of the beacons were believed by League Intelligence to contain neuroi shards, the remnants of the first neuroi species which neurified human aircraft and tanks in engagement against humanity. Each beacon signalled a deployment of the neuroi species, not as a sign of integration, but colonization, through war. And thus, with Karlsland being hit much badly than the rest, Orussia Major, Ostmark and Australis are being fought out by humanity's allied forces against the neuroi race. Fronts have been established, and humanity is in war against the aliens for long...
The neuroi have invaded. The fight has been taken to Earth. The battle for survival and supremacy, has begun.
I'm making a special mention to atikabubu who has approved of THIS idea! Thank you very much, if you read it yourself. ;)This is a fiction in which THERE IS NOT a SINGLE SIGN OF NEUROI from 1900, but of the 1950's instead. Well? If you help me very much with this story by putting ideas, I would certainly like that and place them in this fiction. This is still a Strike Witches universe no matter what, ok?
Post a review, leave me a PM for a private one, or better yet, please return the favor by contributing ideas to my story so it could bloom properly. ;) Wish me luck, fellow strikers...
