First day of training. Klo was assigned to introduce Filia to firearms. While Filia encountered firearm users in the past, she had never used one before. For most of the day, she's just going to be paying attention and working, much like class. At the very least, she was well rested, since she was given a room with a large king sized bed. Breakfast was provided by another resident, Anita. She'll probably get to meet the rest of the residents once she's done with today's lessons.
The feral lead the Medici to a table of guns laid outside a large open field of green grass. Several targets had been set up for shooting, and leftmost of the standing targets was seemingly a large obstacle course made crudely of wood and other crafting materials, as well as making use of a wide trench. As makeshift as it was, it looked sturdy from afar, but whether it'd hold up to intense training runs is a story she'll have to find out about.
On the table of guns, were several different firearms. Klo began by picking up one of the guns. It was handheld, small enough to be easily concealable within a coat. "This here is a handgun. Typical self-defence gun. Specifically, this is an M45 Semi-automatic handgun."
Filia nodded. "I see."
Klo continued on: "Fires a .460 Rowland round, a pretty hard hitter. Holds 14 rounds per magazine." The feral step by step explained how to use the weapon properly before finally offering a loaded M45 to the Medici. "Now, don't point a gun at anyone, and never put your finger on the trigger unless you're engaging a target."
Taking the weapon in hand, she felt the weight and character of the steel frame weapon. It fit her hand very well, and due to its small size it could be hidden very easily and brought to arms with little effort. "It's… Interesting. I still don't understand why I need to know how to guns." Judging by Samson's hum, he didn't understand either.
"As much as you can take on people with your theon, there are always enemies who will fight at a distance that your hair can't reach." Klo explained. "Plus, using a gun can be less tiring and often it's always good to know how to use different weapons."
Moving on to the larger gun, Klo explained that it was known as an Assault Rifle, due to it using 'intermediate' rifle rounds and of smaller frame than full powered rifles. "This is the Vladof U1. One of the main service rifles of the UF." Showing how to use the weapon, he had her pay particular attention to the way the rifle is correctly held and proper firing positioning: leaning forwards with the stock tightly pressed against the shoulder, dominant leg back and secondary leg supporting forwards. "You don't wanna stand stiff when shooting."
Taking the empty weapon, she felt the weight, and like the other weapon, it also had a sense of character. This weapon alone, burdened with a tougher task to provide a man or woman with enough firepower to become a warrior. It felt natural, though she didn't know why. Taking advice from Klo, and her own instinct, she positioned herself properly, aiming the rifle and pulling the trigger, though it simply clicked empty of course. "Nice. Think we should give it a test run?"
Samson scoffed. "I don't see why she'd use it when she has me."
Not responding, Klo simply handed over a tactical vest for Filia to wear. As she took it, he went to the table, and took a box of ammunition that read '7.62x35, Jackhammer .300 AAC, 110gr'. Opening the first box he took, he started inserting them to one of the magazines. "I'm glad we got the 'Jackhammer' brand of ammo. It works great with our rifles." The feral said before handing over the loaded magazine to Filia, who had fitted her vest properly. "Heavy?"
The Medici shrugged. "It's nothing." With the knowledge of how to function the weapon, she inserted the magazine into her rifle before taking position. "Alright, give me a short guide."
He pointed at the charging handle: "Alright, pull the charging handle. This'll load a new round into the chamber. For the most part, when you fire a magazine empty, it locks back and you just press the bolt release." He explained and pointed and took a rifle of his own, before helping Filia with some ear buds. With his own rifle, he demonstrated charging the weapon, both under and over charging. Taking another magazine, he loaded it and charged the rifle, taking the magazine out. Firing the chambered bullet, he showed that the bolt locked back, to which he loaded back the magazine once more before pressing the 'bolt release'. "Your turn."
Surprising both her parasite and her mentoring mix-breed, she mimicked exactly what Klo did. Realising this, she lowered her aim. "That was pretty cool!"
"Yeah… That was." He cleared his throat. "Let's work on transitions this time."
Checking up on Kneesocks who was busy monitoring the GeoScape, Kazuo handed over the daily coffee. "What's the story?"
The demoness took the mug and a sip of the black hot beverage to wake her senses. Returning to typing, she had the hologram before them reveal details of some of the VIP's that were to be located. "Reala had already sent out some of the 'Oldies' to go after them. Your Grandfather is going for 'Cerebella'. We also have Nikki going to Little Innsmouth."
The Junior Captain nodded: "What about the others?"
"Your auntie had arranged a meeting with Lab-8. 'Carol Painwheel' happened to be there. Alas the last VIP on the list confuses me." Typing on her computer at blazing speed, the hologram changed to an old family portrait of a young girl and her parents. It focused on the young girl as the computer generated shapes encircled and pointed her out before the details were given. "Sienna Contiello. Deceased, at fourteen. And that was at least sixteen and a half years ago."
"Wouldn't that mean that we're just looking for a Skullgirl's minion?"
Kneesocks shook her head, despite her confusion. "Reala stated it was of utmost importance, and he is sending out Micheal."
The hybrid fox-cat nodded. "More or less we'll be deployed eventually. The Skullgirl sounds pretty… Intimidating." He admitted as he fumbled with his revolver's holster. Then, something bothered him when he took a closer look at the portrait. It looked like a sharp white arrow at the corner of the image, hiding behind the father of Sienna, or something similar. Pointing it out, Kneesocks zoomed in on it for him. Neither said a word as they still didn't have a clear visual of whatever it may be.
"I'll look in to this more. You should go help Klo. Probably be a good way to speed up the training process."
"Gotcha."
Having met Nikki with her VIP's, Takamichi Takeo drove the police oriented transport van through the busy streets of New Meridian. The VIP's in their care were named, Cerebella, Nadia Fortune and Minette. "Are the streets always this busy?" Takamichi asked as he stopped behind the long line of traffic. The long haired black cat turned to his companion who leaned back in her seat, swaying her long rabbit ears behind her head. Today she wore a new red coat, with a black long sleeve shirt, probably to look a little more professional. He could barely see her eyes which was covered by her silver bangs but more than likely she is taking a nap.
Looking at the streets, the VIP with mint green hair simply agreed with a hum. Her eyes kept to the streets, albeit blankly. This was Cerebella, a former circus performer and Medici enforcer. But not anymore.
In between her and the feral, Nadia Fortune, was Dagonian, Minette. Though timid, she broke the silence. "The streets are busiest during the afternoon. Even Little Innsmouth would be crowded." Taking a look at the two passengers she sat between, she noted how they kept shooting short glances at each other, but nothing hostile.
"We'll explain more about why we need to speak to you. This isn't an arrest, so you can relax." Nikki explained. Sitting up and grunting at the little progress they had made since the trip began, she scoffed. "This is a fucking joke."
The feral cat who sat patiently in her seat shrugged. "I'll just sit here in the corner." Nadia said, slyly smirking.
Realising that was a pun, Nikki chuckled. "Reminds me of you."
Meowing as a response, Takamichi drove on again. "I just hope we don't run in to the Medici's, or their Private army." The thought of fighting them in the middle of the streets was something he found distasteful, considering there were many civilians. However, if the files are correct then caution is extremely important. Having mentioned 'Medici', he took note of Cerebella and Nadia both grimacing at the name.
Not continuing on the subject, he continued driving and found himself on a clear freeway. "Good. We should be on the way."
Drawing two pistols hidden behind her coat, she spun them in and fiddled about with them. They were of custom design, both with their own respective colour. One was silver and the other was black, and were larger than most pistols, at least from the arsenal that Cerebella had seen in the past. Holstering them back, she chuckled: "That never gets old. I don't see why don't use a semi-auto."
"I like my Mateba. It's got character." He explained. "Sorry if we're talking about guns, it's probably something you guys don't talk about much."
Smiling as she sat up, Cerebella retorted: "Nah, guns are okay. I use to know someone who had a gun for an arm." Not mentioning any names, she continued on: "I mean, I think they can be really used for sports, or even tricks at a sho-…" Stopping herself, she relaxed in her seat again. Folding her arms, she sighed.
"I won't ask."
The Dagonian raised her hand, though timidly retracted it. "But can I ask a question?"
"Shoot." Nikki said.
"Can we really know why we're being taken? If we're not being arrested…"
Nikki looked over to Takeo whom nodded, allowing her to explain. Sitting up straight and shaking her head to awareness, she turned to the passengers at back: "What usually happens every seven years? Something everyone knows about." The three passengers stared at her for a moment before understanding what she talked about. Neither of them needed to answer the rhetorical question. Turning her eyes back to the front, she relaxed in her seat again.
"It's happening again…" Cerebella murmured.
"To make matters worse, we're dealing with… 'Them'."
Klo continued to run drills with Filia, mostly target shooting and improving on her weapon handling skills. He was fairly surprised at the progress she had made, being very capable with tactical reloads, quick magazine changes, emergency reloads, transitions to pistols and marksmanship.
Taking note of Filia's grades in school, she was fairly competent in many areas, though from her file given by Ms Victoria, she was constantly absent. Not to mention, Filia did suffer from amnesia, and Klo suspected that was because of Samson. She probably would've had to go through revising a few years' worth of work to compensate, however she still succeeded as one of the top students in her class. Perhaps her life as a Medici gave her the chance to work with weapons before. Just as he was to sit up from the table that was laid out for the weapons, he was greeted by Kazuo who placed a friendly hand to his shoulder.
"Didn't expect her to run 1-5 drills in such short time." The Junior Captain said as he started loading a magazine with rounds. As he did so, he paid close attention to Medici who fired at three targets, working from left to right then right to left, one round, to two, to three and so on.
Klo nodded. "She's pretty good. Not too bad with the accuracy as well. Her transitions were amazing." On all accords, she was within military standards in target grouping, weapon draws and transitions and even reaction times. In a way he was envious that she became capable of such feats in short time, but he still suspected that she had previous experience.
"Yeah but the M45 just doesn't suit her." Placing a small briefcase on the table besides Klo, he proceeded to open it. Within the case was another 1911 handgun which had a black and silver finish in comparison to the M45's olive finish.
Refraining from reaching for it, the feral with long ears merely admired the custom sidearm. The handgun had 'FILIA' engraved on the slide, similar to how his own handgun had his own name engraved on the slide. Drawing his 1911, he compared the two. Filia's gun was more similar to a Government Special 1911, whilst his stayed closer to the M45 which was based on the Strayer Voigt Infinity. "He got this done in one day?"
"Well we'll see if she's ready to have this." Closing the case, he called out to the Medici.
When she heard her name, she turned around, removing her finger from the trigger and slinging the rifle behind her. "They're calling us Samson."
"I think they're more interested in you, kid." The theon said as he wrapped a few tangles over the gun. Doing so he also removed a couple of straps before throwing them aside. "You don't need straps, you got me."
"Much appreciated." Approaching the two ferals, she straightened herself to her Captain and mentor. The fox-cat, whom she fought before, had his arms folded. Though he didn't have a large frame, his arms were relatively muscular. His eyes were emerald green, his hair black with bits of pink. He also had orange fur, probably sides from the fox descendant of his parents.
Kazuo waved his hand and shook his head. "No no it's fine. No formalities. Name's Kazuo. Some call me Captain Foxhound but it's still something I'm not use to." He swayed his arms out of fold, and chuckled nervously.
The mop of hair on Filia chuckled. "Fresh into the deep fryer? You remind me of a certain guy. Didn't like formalities and shit."
Klo smiled and wrapped an arm around his friend's neck. "Dude got Captain because he's always the one keeping the team together. He's the real bro of the group."
The group moved on to an obstacle course that had been set up for the benefit of Filia. The rifle was still slung behind her, though Klo brought her to an elevated platform marked with a red 'X'. Taking an extra magazine, Klo handed it over. "Two magazines, and your sidearm. This is a course, designed by Colonel Gabriel Magilligan, who designed it under the principles of reflexes. You get one warm up and Samson is not allowed to help you." He pointed to the table with ammunition. "And if you wanna try again, just fill 'er up." Leaving her on the platform, he moved to the monitoring booth. Next to the booth was Kazuo who waved at her and then gave a thumbs up before leaving her to the course.
"Alright Kneesocks, I'm here. This place is creepy, and I'm really weirded out." Micheal said as he took a shovel out of one of the recently dug up graves. Uncomfortable with the idea that he'd be digging out the possible corpse of a girl that had been dead for at least sixteen and a half years. Either way, Reala sternly made it clear that he was to find her regardless of whether she was dead or not. Of course, what was to be done with the corpse is anyone's guess.
Micheal was never a fan of graveyards, and especially during the night. He brought as much firepower he could, hidden in a gym bag of course. Stopping for a moment, he decided it was best to equip his armaments, in case of the zombies. Opening his gym bag, he took off his leather jacket before putting on a tactical vest, and then produced a large machine gun from the bag. Leaving that to the side, he took the spare ammunition drums and fitted them in the convenient pouches around his waist before taking the weapon in hand again.
Belt-fed, weighing a fair amount, the M260 was his favourite weapon to bring to the table, despite his role as an assault medic. Bolting the charging handle, he slung the weapon to his right side before proceeding with the shovel again. Though the weapons and ammo were heavy, he never had trouble carrying the weight. He has his parent's blood to thank.
"You would think he'd be obvious about what we need a dead body for. Even your mom said nothing before she headed off." Kneesocks said on the TacCom.
Micheal nodded to himself as he waltz slower towards the co-ordinates given. "She's either dead or a zombie. Owing to the Skullgirl." While he didn't know much about the stories behind the Skull heart and the Skullgirl, he did understand that even the most moral of women can become corrupted by the evil entity. Perhaps the situation is much bigger than just a woman with dangerous powers, but she is possibly being supported by someone.
Finally seeing the grave of Sienna Contiello, he took note that she buried alone, with none of the other family members buried beside her. Shaking his head, he started to use the acquired shovel to dig away the dirt. "Reminds me when we had to fox hole down at the desert, your team and our team, rifles and grenade launchers."
"An inexperienced Egret squad, and a shit load of bandits. You were brave for running out into gunfire." Kneesocks said genuinely. "Took quite a few shots. But of course a few bullets to the chest are nothing to people like us."
Micheal chuckled. Though he wasn't exactly of full demon blood, Kneesocks always refers to the team as 'abnormal.' Demons, Angels, Vampires, hybrids… As a mix-bred sub-species, he couldn't pinpoint what he was to be, but he is content with that. It meant that he wasn't to be identified as one or the other, and that he wasn't to be expected to be anything that should be expected of him. The only thing his parents could wish for him was to be what he wanted. But he persisted to become much like his parents. He had to make use of his powers somehow.
His older sister followed their mother's path more closely, preferring to work with her. His father, Kizza, was busy travelling the world. Of course he keeps close tabs with the family, and eventually he'll return home to mother Nikki. The fox-rabbit wanted to make his parents proud but also use his powers for all the good he can. That's pretty much one of the reasons why most of the others are part of the Reapers and juniors, but of course there is more to life than being an anonymous hero. He wondered what else he could do with his life.
Stopping midway, he started to hear a voice, a voice of distress… Within the grave. "Holy shit. Do zombies talk?"
"I can hear it too. But that doesn't make any sense…"
Stepping back as he noticed several beams of bright light protrude from the ground, he took cover behind one of the graves and had his weapon at the ready. "Well at least this won't be boring." Suddenly, the grave exploded brilliantly. Looking away from the explosion, he zeroed his target once again. "Kneesocks, you seeing this?" He asked as he stood and approached a now standing figure.
"I see it, I see it. Holy balls…" Micheal kept his eyes on the target, the HUD from his glasses continued to transmit the footage to Kneesocks who watched from the GeoScape. Keeping a short distance between him at the figure, the dirt mist faded away and he was able to get a clear view of the standing corpse… Well, at least that was what it should've been. Standing at least five three, wearing an odd purple dress with a skull design covering her chest, red stripped arm sleeves and socks… He skin was pale blue, but her face was still much like they were in the photos, not a speck of decayed flesh. One of her hands were stripped of its flesh and nerves but it still was functional, and her hair was dark purple, with a fringe covering left most of her face.
Groaning, she fell back on her bottom and rubbed her eye. Protruding from her right ear and a hole out of the left side of her head was a serpent like creature. She shook her head and yawned, stretching her arms out. "It's good to be out…" Slowly opening her eye, she noticed the feral fox-rabbit staring at her.
The serpent turned its dragon head to the feral, and noticed the firearm in hand. "M'lady… It appears we have a warm welcoming."
Micheal lowered his aim before slinging the rifle to his side. "The files didn't say anything about… A theon." He murmured to himself. "Sorry if I seemed dangerous. I'm not used to seeing the dead emerge from their graves." He admitted.
She squinted her eye, and slowly pushed herself up from the ground. She didn't approach but kept her eye on him. Was he dangerous? What would he want with her? He was armed, and possibly looking for her. Regardless, she was confused. "What year is it?" She asked sincerely.
"Well, it's been two and a half years since the last Skullgirl appearance…"
Upon hearing this, she gasped. The serpent's jaw dropped as well, both were silenced by the news for a moment or so. "That doesn't seem right!" The serpent exclaimed.
"Sienna Contiello, my boss asked me to escort you to New Kord. Away from the Canopy Kingdom. I'm here to ensure your safety." Just as he finished speaking, he then saw that her mouth was sewn shut, albeit loosely, he was able to hear clear words from her mouth all the same.
The white dragon scoffed, raising his chin and looking down upon the feral. "Carrying a weapon like that doesn't really convince me you are here to provide 'safety'."
Contiello raised a brow. The Skullgirl's influence shouldn't be able to reach outside the Canopy Kingdom, which she understands. If she were to be taken away from the kingdom, she may not be alive. But somehow, she felt the strong energy within her, far more sharp and overwhelming than that of the last Skullgirls… The current one not only has emerged prematurely, but has strength that overshadows the worst of the last few.
At first she was hesitant to trust the feral. His reassuring shy smile and reserved standing said a lot about him however. It was as if he kept looking then turning away from her. It made her feel shy, but she swayed her hair to try and cover her missing eye. Deciding he meant no harm, she walked up to the fox. "Well. If you insist." The dragon protruding from her head loosened his stiff frame and relaxed its head on her shoulder.
Reaching out slowly, he offered his hand. "Sergeant Micheal Mason-Fox, ma'am."
"You may call me 'Squigly'." She giggled.
"I'm Leviathan. It is my sword duty to protect madam Squigly from harm. We only ever emerge when the skullgirl returns as well. I keep her influence aback."
"A noble task, sir. There weren't any files that mentioned a Theon being part of the Contiello family." Micheal explained.
Leviathan nodded. "I haven't heard anyone call us beings a Theon for years… I am a dragon parasite.
Micheal smiled and nodded. Scratching the back of his head, cleared his throat before pointing his arm towards the exit. "After you. We should be going." Just as she started walking, she paused, and he looked directly at her… He felt something off… And she did too. Pushing her away and diving behind a thick tree, he threw himself back behind the cover of a large grave stone. The crash of gunfire repeatedly filled the air, and bullets were thrown at him.
Looking at the undead Contiello, he noticed how she curled into a ball and cowered behind her cover from the gunfire. She was shaking, and whimpering…
He could only guess that the sound of gunfire was enough to trigger her fear; unfortunately he had no choice but to use his machinegun. Raising it to shoulder and leaning forwards, he slowly sidestepped as he begun to lay down the law. Short trigger pulls, short controlled bursts… With every burst of fire, he took a step closer to Contiello.
Reaching around the corner, Leviathan had a good look at the attackers, but all of them were masked. The only thing that was notable about them was the fact they wore high grade military gear. "They're awfully irritated!"
Kneeling towards Squigly, he nudged her, hoping to get a response. "We can't stay here! We have to go!" Slinging his gun once more, he shook her by the shoulder. "Sienna!"
Lifting her head up from her knees, still startled by gunfire, she stared right into diamond blue eyes. She could barely hear anything, but she forcefully focused her attention towards the fox-hybrid. It all seemed safer with him around… Despite the graveyard being overwhelmed with flashing lights and the rapid crashing of gunfire, it was his voice that she heard.
"Leviathan, you're a dragon right. You think you can turn up the heat?"
The Theon nodded in agreement with a smirk. Squigly also nodded as she was his guide. Still ignoring the crash of gunfire, she rushed out from the protection of her tree and into the line of fire. As the serpent curled around her left arm, she viewed the attacks with fierce eyes of ruby, and tightened her right fist 'til it shook… Pulling her arm back and swinging it forwards, she lead Leviathan straight, and he unleashed a tidal wave of flames.
Taking advantage of the situation, Micheal rushed towards a grave stone, using it as a platform to leap from. Hurling himself into the spewing flame, he emerged unscathed and right towards the attacking soldiers. Tackling the first one, he quickly rolled to the side and threw a volley of fast punches at the second soldier at his chest. The plated armour did little to soften the blows and he made short work of him.
The third soldier was a dagonian, and she quickly rushed at the hybrid with a long, thin bone sword. Using his machinegun to block the sword, he held her in a lock before swaying her to the side and thrust kicking her in the chest. Two more soldiers rushed in with rifles in hand. Micheal closed the distance within milliseconds, and the two quickly switched to bowie knives.
Mason-Fox sweep kicked one of the rushing soldiers, and crossing his wrists together, stopped the other from driving his knife into him. Throwing him back, he stomped the downed soldier and with the stumbled attacker, a powerful straight punch to send him flying. The dagonian however stood back up and retrieved her sword, and helped up one of her other comrades, before they took to the hybrid once again.
Barely dodging the needle end of the blade, Mason-Fox shoved the dagonian aside and took hold of the other mercenary's combat vest, lightly throwing him at the dagonian, stumbling them both.
Neither of them had the chance to stand as Squigly quickly rushed in to finish the job. Pulling her right arm back and swinging it upwards at the two, Leviathan curled over the arm and engulfed himself in a neon-purple flame. "Draugen punch!"
As the last two mercenaries landed back on the ground, the fox-rabbit hybrid surveyed the area. There weren't any other attacking mercenaries, and so the battle was over. Kneeling down, he searched through the downed soldier's gear, moving from one to the next until he found the keys to a vehicle. Judging by the insignia on their combat vests, it was indeed the Medici's private military. Standing, he urged the songstress to follow him out of the graveyard.
The odd couple then approached a 4x4 truck which was parked unevenly besides the entrance/exit. Tending to the undead songstress, he used the key to unlock the vehicle before opening the front passenger door. "Ladies first."
She giggled, and rolled her eyes as she took the seat. "Such a gentleman." She sarcastically said. She wasn't familiar with vehicles, and this one looked unlike anything she had seen within he previous ventures to the city. It was large and looked almost like a brick, but it was elegant with its smooth and simple design and comfortable décor and furniture. "When did people start using such vehicles?"
The hybrid shrugged, and tended to the undead opera singer by doing her seat belt for her. Cars were not common during her time and so he made sure she was comfortable, even leaning the seat back for her. He made his way to the driver seat, closing Sienna's door gently before he did so. Once he entered, he took the driver's seat and closed the door. Taking his machinegun from his side and throwing it at the back, he then locked in his own seat belt. "Safety first." Inserting the key into the slot, he turned it, and the car roared to life.
The journey began as he casually drove into the busy streets of New Meridian. "I didn't expect you to keep a mean punch. You fought before?"
"Only when it's necessary." The undead girl responded, her attention mostly drawn in by the bright neon lights and crowded streets. There was a dark tint to the windshields, which she noticed from the outside that you couldn't see what is within. At the very least she wouldn't attract unwanted attention this way due to her state.
Leviathan simply rested on his host's shoulder, before turning his head to the driver. "I'm surprised you weren't hurt by the fire."
"It stung, actually." He admitted. He stopped the truck at a red light. "We should find a place to stay the night. The Medici's are probably looking for us right now."
Surprised that those soldiers were members of the Medici's, Contiello sighed and realised that they are still a powerful party within the Canopy Kingdom. Agreeing with a nod, she allowed her body to lie back into the seat. Whether she could trust the feral or not, she'd have to wait and see. But so far, he was courteous and friendly.
There was a silence for a moment. None of the three had a topic in mind to talk about. It wasn't until they passed an advertisement board, promoting an opera performance that Sienna gasped and smiled before it faded thereafter.
Clearing his throat, he broke the silence properly: "So… Would it be alright to ask what you and your family used to do?"
"Oh. I suppose." She smiled. "The Contiello family were esteemed opera singers. I was supposed to take after my parents…"
Micheal smiled. "Awesome. I love opera. My mom use to take me to performances all the time." Stopping again behind another red light, he continued. "It's hard to find music like it. The voice is what counts."
"I suppose that's the beauty of opera." Leviathan added.
Micheal nodded. "A family of opera singers. That's classy. I'm a little envious. You guys were probably wealthy, am I right?"
The undead Contiello chuckled. "We were… Well off, but we didn't try to show off. Wealth wasn't something that I took pride in." She leaned her head back on the seat, pausing herself for a moment. "The simple things in life is what I enjoy the most." There was nothing like the simple things. Her life now is all but simple, and now she always thinks back to the past. The days spent in the garden, the hours wilted away as she enjoyed the fresh spring and summer air, and the days where she practiced singing are the days she missed the most…
"I getcha. Can't go wrong with simple. Gotta appreciate what you can get." Finally moving away from the streets and parking the truck, he turned off the engine and turned to Squigly: "I'm sorry for what you had to deal with back there… I'm not going to assume anything, but when someone hides from gunfire…" He stopped himself and decided not to finish his sentence. Opening the door, he walked around and opened the door for Sienna. "I think this'll be alright…" He pointed at a large building… A familiar one. "This is the 'De Santa' hotel. Come on, let's get a room." Taking his machinegun and hiding it in a gym bag, he also took off his combat vest and hid it within.
"Oh it seems a bit much…"
The hybrid scoffed. "It's fine." He led the way to the entrance. The reception was laden with expensive décor, furniture and had a strong pattern of red and golden yellow. The chandelier hanging above was large, and brightened the atrium with a strong gleam. The reception was almost desolate of any people, besides the few receptionists.
The two approached the desk… The first receptionist was a dagonian male. "Hi, how may I help you?" He didn't take notice of Squigly's slightly deformed appearance.
"Room for two. Two separate beds."
Sienna took rest to her designated bed; it was much more comfortable than the coffin that she was confined to during her slumber. The silky smooth velvet sheets, the fluffy feather filled pillow… Micheal was on the other bed, tinkering with his firearm. He had unloaded it prior to making use of his tools on it. The size alone was heavy to her eyes.
It wasn't something she'd like to be near, but she was curious. "So… Is that… Gun… Something your organisation usually carries?"
"Kind of. I picked it out of preference." He explained. "This is called the M260, Squad Automatic Weapon. Military grade, light machinegun."
"I see…"
"You know, you really shouldn't ask if this kind of thing makes you nervous." Micheal finished tinkering with the weapon and put it besides his bed. It was still unloaded however, so it wouldn't be of any use to him if they are attacked again in the room.
She frowned. "Was it that obvious?"
"Don't worry about it… Tell you what… First time I had to shoot someone, it wasn't easy." Lying back on his own bed, resting his head on his hands, he sighed at the memory. It hadn't been that long ago that Micheal was fresh out of training, and had to shoot down his first target. Like everyone said, the first kill is never easy under normal circumstance. At the very least, he doesn't feel guilty about it. "It doesn't get me down, but I felt raw… Like… You know when you do something that you know it's the 'lesser evil', but in the end you still feel a little shitty?"
Sitting up, she turned to Micheal. "It was… How I died… I was shot."
Micheal acknowledged with a hum. "I thought so… But fear is normal. You'd have to be crazy not to be scared of something…" With that in mind, he decided that he'd have to be conservative about shooting any firearms within Squigly's presence. He didn't want to turn her into a nervous wreck.
Sienna lied down in her bed again. Leviathan had simply fallen asleep, coiled around her arm and comfortable. She had a few questions as she couldn't fall asleep. "So… What made you want to be… A… You know, a soldier?"
When he tried to think of a reason, it all points to his parents, specifically his mother's career. "My mother and father work for the organisation too. I'm just continuing the work. It's a bit of a dirty job but someone has to do it."
"Don't you tire of it?"
He hadn't thought about that. But when he did, he wondered if there was anything for him outside the life of being a soldier. He had friends, and enjoyed social meet ups, but perhaps he was still lonely. "Well, whenever I get home, it's always to friends. Good friends have your back, I get that. It's just that you really want someone important in your life. I guess I haven't met the right one." His love life was mostly within his high school years, and ever since, he hadn't been with anyone. Relationships are hard to come by. "Well, aren't you tired of being abruptly awoken by the call of the Skullgirl? Don't you just wanna… Settle down in one side or the other?"
"Hmm… Yes… I do…" She admitted… "You're not a normal person, are you Micheal?"
He smiled. "What gave you that idea?"
"You don't 'feel' normal." She smiled as she said so. "But I won't ask…"
The fox-rabbit hybrid held back a laugh. "You know your mouth is sewn shut."
"I've noticed. The last time I woke up actually." It came to her as a surprise. But she knew who would've humiliated her… It was a message from Lorenzo. But thanks to Leviathan, and that the threads have become slightly loose, she can speak. However, Leviathan's power allows her to speak fluently, otherwise she would've been a mumbling corpse. "You have nice blue eyes. Like… sapphire. Or… Something."
"Hmm? Really? Well. I love your ruby eyes."
Hearing 'ruby', she realised that she hadn't noticed. Before her death, she had blue eyes, much like Micheal's. In a way she was envious, but he found her eyes pretty in a sense. "It was party… It was a mass family gathering… I was wearing a yellow dress, hand crafted." What she would do to find that dress or something similar, she would love to get rid of what rags they gave her before they buried her.
"Go on…" Micheal urged. "Take your time though…"
"Everything was going well… But then these women… They… Burst through the door and…" She stopped herself.
Micheal nodded to himself. "You don't have to talk about it. Just rest easy." Whilst she took his advice, the hybrid couldn't sleep anymore. Sitting up, he looked at the sleeping undead Contiello… He felt saddened by her state, that she can't live normally or die peacefully. Stuck in the void between life and death when called to by the Skullgirl's influence. There was no one she could turn to, no family or friends.
He stood from his bed and made way to the door. As he was to leave, he looked back at the sleeping duo, but paid particular attention to Sienna… He stared a good moment before clearing his throat, opening the door, and shutting it gently behind him. "A yellow dress…"
Klo's eyes had become baggy, and he could barely keep them open. It was dark, but flood lights had been set up for Filia who repeatedly went through 'The Pit'. She had used a lot of ammo, went through many obstacles, tripped over, and ran in to walls and so on… Yet she continues to try and compete with Kazuo's top time. Her determination was one to behold…
Reala also watched, leaning besides the monitoring booth. "You should go to bed. I'll keep watch."
"She's been at it for hours. She's the one who needs to get some rest."
"Leave her be…" As Klo sluggishly stood from his seat and shuffled out of the booth, Reala took his place and watched the Medici work the course again. Even as she had cuts around her arms, legs and bruises as well, she wouldn't stop until she was on the board.
He could see that there was so much fight in her, and add the fact that she fought the previous Skullgirl and others without fail is what interested him. Filia had a lot of strength hidden within her, but she wasn't trying to hide it. The young Medici had the will to keep going, and going, and going… He watched a good half hour as Filia tortured herself, but her effort had finally set a record on the board…
Whilst it didn't beat Kazuo's, nor did she meet second best, Reala could tell from the tired smile that she was proud of herself. Leaving the booth, he approached the trainee who lied back first on the finish line, catching her breath and laughing hysterically… The Commander began to clap his hands, smiling at her. "Points for effort, and points for getting where you need to be. I didn't expect you to do so well in such short time…"
Helping her up, he held tightly to her right arm… Hardened, bloodied but hardened nonetheless. No wonder that she was barely phased by pain. Even as the adrenaline started to fade, she still didn't take notice, or probably didn't feel any of her cuts or bruises. Perhaps by early morning she will feel it, but it still was amazing. "Go get cleaned up, and get some rest. Training continues tomorrow." Reala patted her on the shoulder before handing over a small briefcase. "This is yours."
She took it, and eagerly opened it. The handgun before her was custom engraved, with a black and white finish. On the slide, was engraved her name: 'Filia'. "I don't know what to say…"
"No need to say anything… Just take care of it, and it'll take care the both of you."
Reala walked pass the two, but looked back to Samson who looked at him. The Commander smiled first, and was met with a smile, albeit a toothy one. He continued on and parted ways with the young Medici. "Your parents would be proud…"
After a good shower and patching her cuts with band-aids, she traversed the maze-like corridors of the mansion. If she remembered correctly, her room was left most the west wing at the end. Though judging by the signs, she was in the east wing. Passing a set of double doors, she stopped… Unlike the other doors which had simple key locks, this one was locked electronically. There was a number pad to the right, but she didn't know the code.
"Curious, eh?"
Turning to her left, she was greeted by a red skinned woman, silky white hair shaped into a pony tail, black frame designer glasses and wearing a beige uniform with knee length socks. "No worries, you can come in." She inputted the code, and allowed Filia to see: '0115'. The doors unlocked and she opened the door for her. "Name's Kneesocks. Call me Knee."
"Filia. And this is Samson." She pointed at the parasite that was attached to her head, which slept peacefully but didn't snore. Entering, she took notice of the large hologram of the world… "Whoa…"
"This is the GeoScape. A software to help us monitor threats around the world. The Canopy Kingdom, Chess Kingdom, Gigan Nation, New Kord…" She took a seat behind one of the computers, and began to type as fast as her nimble fingers could allow her. "Not only is it good for monitoring the kingdoms, but we can also use it as a database." Seconds after, pictures of Filia replaced the hologram of earth. The pictures were old school photos.
"That's amazing!"
"Yeah, it really is. You can have a look around, just try not to touch anything." Kneesocks went back into monitoring the world.
The trainee explored the room, mostly surrounded by computers and technology that she's not really good with. This is probably how the Reaping Roses find out whether something bad is going to happen before they respond to it. But what caught her attention was a wall of photographs… Beneath it, an isolated clothed table with a couple of bottles of whiskey, shot glasses, and a knife stabbed right through. The photos were of different men and women, none of which she knew.
Each photo had a written name on it, and it was a diverse range of people stuck on the wall: gigans, humans, ferals, dagonians… "Who are all these people?"
Kneesocks stood from her seat and came to Filia's side. "They are the United Forces soldiers who have fallen. We pay close attention to who dies in the field… We get a photo, write their name on it and stick it here. To every fallen member, we take a shot in remembrance. No one should be forgotten." She poured a shot for herself and gulped it down… "For the most part, we never even knew who they were, but it doesn't mean that we should just ignore them." Placing the shot glass back on the table, she returned to her seat at the computer.
So many pictures, so many soldiers… She frowned at the sight… "Has anyone within the Reapers died yet?" She asked.
"Not for a long time. But here's hoping that doesn't again happen anytime soon."
Filia nodded and took a seat besides Kneesocks. "Does the Skullgirl worry you?" She asked the red skinned demoness.
She nodded slightly. "Our team has never gone up against something this big. The Juniors I mean… But if we're going to live up to the oldies, and save the world, we have to do it."
The mood was interrupted by Kazuo who burst through the doors. "Hey!" Despite him killing the serious mood, both girls smiled at each other, thankful that they can transition to light hearted topics. "Sorry if I'm interrupting, but I heard someone set a new third record." He closed in on Filia with a smile and patted her on the shoulder.
"All in a day's work." The hair parasite said, as he awoke from slumber. "Didn't even know she had it in her."
Kazuo nodded. "Well. Get a lil' rest, tomorrow we're working on some hand to hand." The Captain rushed out the room, to attend to other business. As he left, he bumped in to Reala. "Commander?"
"I need you to send this down to Nikki." He said as he handed over a document. "She'll be at New Meridian."
Light struggled to flow through the curtain, but there were bright rays that did slip through the cracks and gaps that the large red curtains didn't cover. Particles of dust were visible within these concentrated rays of light, and their aim was erratic. These bright rays of light were enough to get the attention of the sleeping Contiello…
Sitting up, she disturbed her sleeping parasite. Leviathan groaned and wobbled about, unable to stay up straight before falling back on to Sienna's shoulder. "Malady… The morning shines bright ahead of me…"
Squigly shook her head and took a moment to build up the will to stand from her bed. What she noticed was that the bed besides her own was already well made and empty. Micheal's bag and equipment however was still besides it, so he is probably just getting something from reception.
In a way, she found it funny, but also cliché that someone like Micheal would be around to help her out of a jam. Like a knight helping a damsel, though the damsel is not a damsel. At the very least, he was very gentleman-like, and always put her ahead of himself, out of politeness of course. She wondered if the organisation that he worked for teaches good manners as part of their training, but that would be unlikely.
Well. First morning in a long time… A long time ago, she would've been sat at the breakfast table with her parents, enjoying freshly baked bread slices with cheese… A glass of cold milk… But unfortunately, with her sewn mouth, she couldn't eat. Even though she had been 'dead' for a while, she did get hunger pains from time to time. She would ask for someone to cut the stitches, but since her flesh is fragile, it could cause a lot of damage. The young Contiello can thank Leviathan for allowing her to communicate in the first place.
Her trail of thought was interrupted when the door opened. It was just Micheal, returning with a few paper bags. He looked different today, though probably something to do with the leather jacket he wore. She didn't notice how slender he looked whilst he wore his combat gear, but taking a good look him now she's surprised that he had the strength to carry something as heavy as his machinegun and whatever else he carried last night.
"Good morning. I hope you're well rested."
"Well, some get sleep better than others." She pointed out the half sleeping dragon on her shoulder. "So… What's with the bags?"
He handed one over. "A few gifts."
Taking a peak into the paper bag, she couldn't help but gasp in surprise… Taking it to hand, she felt the smooth, silky fabric against her skin… Spring yellow with sewn in black to segment the frills around short sleeves and the hem… The waist area was fitted with thick black laces, like a corset, and with the dress came separate long fingerless gloves of similar design and black boots that reached below the knees. "You didn't have to…"
"Hey, I like yellow too. It's always nice to get what you like, right?" The hybrid left the room and awaited outside. He didn't count for how long, but from what it felt like, probably fifteen minutes had passed. Even in death, women (and some men) take a fair amount of time just to get ready. After another ten minutes, the door opened, and there she was…
The dress was a perfect fit, allowing a fair amount of leeway without being too loose. He really did like yellow… The dress wasn't cheap, but Mason-Fox was glad that it wasn't a waste of money. Why did he buy it? He didn't know. Impulse buy perhaps, or was it?
Contiello raised her arm to chest, looking away as she felt herself blush… How long had it been since she had last turned red cheeked?
Leviathan sighed. "Are we going to go yet?"
Snapping out of a trance, Micheal nodded. "Yes sir. Right this way." He escorted the two towards the elevator. As he did so, he stayed behind Sienna, but felt as if he was being watched. And rightly so when he noticed the glowing yellow eyes staring directly at him. Leviathan looked displeased at the very least, but said nothing. Not wanting to bring it to attention, Micheal kept his mouth shut as well.
Elsewhere, Painwheel was in the back seat of a Humvee. The ride was long, but she took the time to have a good nap. The driver seemed like a young, feral cat. Of course, looks can be deceiving, and she could be older, or younger. The feral went by the name, 'Moka', a member of the Reaping Roses. Since the Reaping Roses were established, Lab-8 was taken over and given secret financial support. It has helped rebuild what was destroyed before.
Even though the funding has helped support the ASG program, a lot of their hardware and software is becoming inadequate. Dr Avian's best efforts were limited at best, especially considering that the hardware that they're using for tracking and maintaining laboratory experiments are proprietary. There have been attempts to replace some of the old computers with new ones, but one of the more important computers had been left alone as it handled life support for one of the most important ASG's Lab-8 took care of.
Painwheel's visit may have been short, but she was reassured by Big Band that everything was going great. Since Avian's disappearance, Big Band has stepped up and took leadership over the lab. He was considered 'smooth' when it came to handling operations and all. With rumours circulating about the Skullgirl's return, he made sure that everyone didn't panic and that if rumours were true, that they would be able to support the collaboration between the Reapers and Egrets.
As for Carol, she was notified about the Reapers coming to collect her, and though she was hesitant, she agreed to go nonetheless.
Awaking from her nap, she sat up in her seat. "Well, this is taking time…"
"Yeah, well I tried my best to make it quick. Sorry about that." Moka said. The road was clear at least, so it was a smooth ride from then on. "I've never really met anyone with two synthetic parasites before."
"I'm sure it's not normal. Hence, why I'm not normal."
Moka chuckled. "So you think I'm normal?"
The Anti-Skullgirl raised a brow. She seemed normal by appearance, but as she noted, looks can be deceiving. "Care to give me a tip?" The feral smiled as she offered her right arm to Carol. Deciding to have a feel at it, she squeezed only so slightly, but it felt as if her skin thinly coated something extremely hard. She knocked on it, and it clanged as if it were steel or some sort of metal alloy. These had to be synthetic arms of some sort, no doubt about it. "Wow."
The feral smiled: "That's not all." She pointed at the top of her head. "Plated skull, with a powerful computer chip that enhances my thinking. And upgradable too."
Painwheel smiled as she finally felt like she wasn't alone in this world. Her mind was formerly altered by Lab-0, and despite Lab-8's best efforts in trying to restore some of her humanity, she still felt inhuman. Her Buer Drive was still part of her spine, and many scars and veins were visible if she didn't wear long-sleeved shirts, long length skirts or trousers to hide them. Going to school was difficult, and whilst she was never made fun of up front, she always felt withdrawn. Filia was there for her however, and from what she knows, stood up for her.
The ASG wondered where her friend could be right now… The thought perished once they closed in on a large looking Mansion. The vehicle stopped at the gates, and the Reaper went on to speak to the radio and confirm who she was. As the gates opened, Carol looked around, mesmerised by the rich looking environment that she was surrounded by.
When she was allowed out the Humvee, she opened the door in a hurry, and the first thing to catch her attention was the fountain. It's just like in the movies, or pictures or books! A fountain in front of a big mansion! In the middle was a statue carved from stone into a flock of swans flying, spewing water from their beaks.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
Turning to see a man in a dark red trench coat approach her, she assumed that he was the owner, or in charge of this place. She straightened her stance as she stood up to bow.
"You don't have to be polite. My name's Reala, let's keep it at that." He had long black hair, no nose, pale skin, and was fairly tall and well built. Even more perplexing was the odd energy that she felt emitting from him. But his tone was solemn and genuine as can be. "Carol, is it?"
She nodded. Tilting her head to the left to try and get a better view from an angle, she still couldn't put her finger on what kind of power he has. His coat also obscured most of what he wore, besides the black boots.
When the feral that brought her here approached, she waved an arm at him. "Here she is Commander. I'm gonna head to the lab, you'll send Carol up soon enough right?" She asked rhetorically as she walked passed her superior, and through the front double doors.
"Come now. Let's get you settled in. And maybe a slice of cake or two whilst we wait for the others to arrive."
Painwheel smiled. "That would be lovely." Making their way to the door, she was allowed in first before the Commander. He was a gentleman surprisingly, and she can tell that he was trying to be as welcoming as possible. As she entered, she was greeted by the rich décor of the main atrium. Marble flooring, cream coloured walls and a long red carpet that reaches all the way up the stairs. This wasn't a dream, but she felt like she needed someone to pinch her just to double check that this indeed was reality.
Shaking her head, she calmed herself down so that she didn't embarrass herself in front of the Commander. He simply smiled however as he led the way. "Sorry."
"Don't be. You're not the first one to become excited here."
The hours slowly withered by as they kept to the road… But Micheal stayed awake as he drove through the mostly empty freeway. Sienna was asleep, though her serpent like theon kept an eye out on the road much like Micheal did. "You would think that sleep would be something she wouldn't need…" Micheal commented.
"I assure you, she tires very easily."
The hybrid nodded as he chuckled at the thought. "I was once like that. But I'm sure she doesn't have much to worry about when you're around."
"I wouldn't say so… The Skullgirl's influence is much stronger this time around… It could be very well our undoing…" Leviathan said, wilting to his statement.
Micheal scoffed. "I think you're doing a great job Leviathan… It's noble that you stayed around rather than move on to the next live host… It shows dedication."
The dragon raised his chin up a little, feeling reassured at Micheal's comfort. He turned to the hybrid: "As much as this is a mission simply passed down to you, I see you do want to help…" The theon said sincerely. From his beady eyes, he saw a gentleman behind the messy style of clothing and hair, and the gruff military wear. The boy was odd, but Sienna's interest in snakes could be considered odd by society's standards… The last time they surfaced, there was no one willing to help the undead Contiello. Had Micheal not been around, both he and Sienna would've been sent back to the grave permanently.
It was expected that the Medici mafia would still be strong despite the years. Time has been kind to them, and they were as active as ever with a stronger establishment of resources. Perhaps the most perplexing thing is the idea that they might be working with the current Skullgirl, though he doubt that would be the case. If so however, it may very well be an all our war… The serpent only hopes that Micheal's employer will really help them for the greater good. Though the fox-rabbit's manners were very good, and he saw that he had a good heart, what's to say that the employer is not the same?
Changing the subject, Micheal asked: "Where did Sienna learn to fight like that?"
The serpent smiled as he arched himself back. "I taught her through the use of ballroom dance. It is… Rough at best…" He admitted. Personally he felt that the style had a sense of elegancy that he hadn't experienced with his predecessors. The thought trailed to whether their corpses had been revived as well or not… Shaking the thought aside, Leviathan asked in response the same question.
Micheal shrugged at first but the explanation came to him eventually: "My parents taught me everything I know. They're active demon hunters, and day time Private Eye detectives."
"That's an actual thing?" Then again, the Skullgirl exists, demons existing is plausible. Going back to the fighting style, Leviathan felt that the hybrid's style was brutish in comparison, but it was refined and fully fledged. This might be the perfect opportunity to teach Squigly another style of fighting to combine with her own. The key to utilising her full potential could be this very solution, but he kept the thought to himself. He didn't want to trouble him or his parents with a favour.
"We're almost there."
That phrase alone was enough to slowly wake the undead Contiello. Rubbing her eyes, yawning and groaning groggily, she forced herself awake. "Goodness, how long had I slept for?" She asked.
"Couple of hours, but a few minutes more and we'll be at my HQ." If he was talking about the large mansion she can saw from a distance, sign her up for the parting gift…
As the expected 4x4 vehicle closed in, Reala remotely opened the front gates to allow it in. It didn't take long to close the distance, but it slowed as it settled right into a parking space. Reala could only welcome the driver who helped the passenger and her theon out of the car. Once the two were out of the vehicle, he approached the two and nodded at the hybrid with a smile, then turned to inspect the guest… He bowed firstly to welcome the two. "Welcome…"
His large figure was intimidating, but his voice and charming greeting warmed her to him. This is probably where Micheal gets some of his manners from. In response to his politeness, Squigly took the ends of his skirt, raised them slightly and bowed. Leviathan also accepted the gesture as he closed his yellow beady eyes and arched down to his host's shoulder.
The three stood straight again, and the man in red began: "I am Commander Reala, and I am the prime Commanding Officer of this establishment. But please, do make yourself comfortable…" He turned to Micheal. "How'd it go?"
"We ran in to the Medici's. But Sienna and Leviathan pulled a fast one." He said, exaggerating what really happened. The two looking at him with a smug smile indicated they took it as a compliment.
The Commander clasped his hands together and nodded in acknowledgement. "Terrific. Aside from that, Micheal, would you be kind to bring them to the Laboratory? We need to have a look at you, if that's okay." Breaking the hold of his hands and dropping them behind his back, he waited for a response.
It couldn't have been bad, since Reala wanted their permission first. Sienna and the parasite had a quick glance at each other for reassurance. "What is it that you need us there for?" Squigly asked.
"Standard procedure. We usually do this with all our new members. We just finished up a couple of the others. Later, we can have some tea and sweets…" He felt guilty saying that as he noticed the stitched mouth. "Sorry… I didn't realise…"
"It's fine…" She said with a smile.
Curious to how she could clearly speak, he took a closer look. "Hmm… Interesting… They're loose. Maybe if your mother was here, she could take these out without doing permanent damage."
"Probably." Micheal said as he shrugged. "Oh, forgot to say my mother has a medical licence too." That's reassuring.
"Yeah, if only she was around. She just left not too long ago to CK."
"Unfortunate. But we'll see her around soon enough." Bowing and allowing Sienna first along the pathway, Micheal pointed the way and followed after. The front doors were opened by a black, pink and orange furred feral.
He greeted the two with a simple wave and allowed them in first. "Hey, come in! Sup Mikey, how was the trip?"
"Exciting as always." Micheal said sarcastically. "This is Sienna and Leviathan."
"Oh please, call me Squigly." Sienna insisted.
The black furred feral was a tad shorter than Micheal, though like him had a balanced build. He wore a black shirt, blue denim jeans and a pair of dark brown combat boots, mostly hidden behind the denim. "I'm Kazuo, Kazuo Takeo-Foxhound, but just Kazuo."
"Or Captain Kazuo." Micheal added.
The feral shrugged. "You don't have to worry about politeness. We're friendly people." They took to the stairs and made their way up to the second floor.
The house was humongous! It's hard to believe that it would be used as grounds for a headquarters. Passing through the west wing hall way of the second floor, the décor consisted of rose red carpet, cream coloured walls, golden chandeliers that shone bright as the sun (artificially alight with bulbs), and hanging paintings of the members in different scenarios. One painting had Micheal and a few others posing together besides a swimming pool… He was shirtless and only wore swimming trunks, and Sienna hid a smile when she noticed.
The hallway was laden with doors, mostly single doors, some double doors. Most of the doors were dark brown, and all were simple doors with handles instead of the conventional door knob found in New Meridian buildings. Some doors however had been personalised, with posters, drawings, some were scratched purposefully and others were repainted all in all.
"We don't have any maids or butlers here. This place is our home, so we take care of it on our own accord. Everyone gets a room, even Guests." Kazuo explained. "I'll get a room sorted for you."
"That's okay. I was thinking more about staying in…" She couldn't bring herself to say it, but instead just glanced at Micheal.
Kazuo looked at Sienna and nodded. "Alright. First thing's first, standard check-up. Micheal, go clean up your room bro."
The hybrid shot a glance back to Sienna before he left with a smile on his face. He tried his best to hide it from her however.
The doors were different to the others. They were metallic, automated doors that can only opened via a code on the keypad on its left. Though this was no problem for Kazuo who knew the code already. "The code's '0115'. I'm sure you're going to be visiting here a few times for a while."
The serpent-like dragon nodded. "As long as we are not given anything against our will…"
The doors opened, and Kazuo allowed Sienna in first. As she stepped through, the doors closed behind her, and she was left in a dimly lit laboratory. There were two beds, one already occupied by a young lady who was heavily scarred and full of veins. She waved at the two however, and seemed comfortable where she was. The disfigured look on the girl did intimidate her however, and she stood in place.
Emerging from behind one of the machines, a tall, thin feral entered, wearing a white lab coat and a pair of thin latex gloves. "Good! Glad you can make it. I was just preparing all the test devices. Don't be shy, I don't bite." She said, urging the undead Contiello forwards.
Taking it slow, she found herself tiptoeing towards the other bed. What purpose tiptoeing would serve when she is in plain sight, she didn't know. She just found it natural by the time she found herself sat on the bed.
"Carol. Some call me Painwheel."
"Sienna. You can call me Squigly."
"Leviathan." The three greeted each other.
The scientist approached Sienna first, and eased her to lie back on the bed. To the dragon, she petted and stroked its head to calm the theon as well. Turning to the other girl, she did the same, though without the need to tend to a parasite. Finishing up, she went to one of the computers. "I'm Moka by the way. I'll be running some tests, and then you girls can go downstairs and chill out. Okay…" She turned to type into the keyboard and the devices that were above the two girls started to move. "This won't hurt a bit. The scanner will document a few details. If you girls feel uncomfortable in any way, I will stop the tests for you." The feral said as the scanning device activated. She kept an eye on the computer screen which filled with text, phrases and sentences of incoherent nature and at blazing speed. How this woman was able to keep up at all was beyond the two, but they assumed that she could spot a problem in milliseconds.
The two were still as a light trailed over them slowly, as well as the parasite who tried not to slither and sway. "Interesting… Uh-huh… Facinating…" Moka said to herself. As the machines finally stopped after a few more minutes, they retracted to whence they came. The scientist gave a strong thumbs up and assured the two with a smile. "All good, just gonna do a couple more checkups first." She took a few tools from a tray: a stethoscope, a few test tubes, a small magnifying glass with mini-flashlight and a few wooden sticks.
Starting with Carol, she paid very close attention to her scars and veins. She pressed against a few, though was gentle as she did so. There was an odd combination of hardness and softness, akin to the strong muscle but smooth skin. "You've been working on this haven't you?"
"I try my best…" Painwheel said as Moka worked her magic. After a thorough check-up, she took one of the wooden sticks. "All good, just need a bit of saliva. Mind opening up wide? Say 'ah'." Carol did as she was told, opening her mouth and allowing Moka to take a swab of saliva straight from her tongue. She nodded to Carol and then turned to Sienna to tend to her. As with Carol, Moka pressed and examined Sienna's body to some extent, and even did quick looks on Leviathan. She sat her up and noted every finding of interest. "Warm to the touch…" She whispered.
"Is that a bad thing?"
The feral shook her head. The examination continue. At times, Moka would use the magnifying glass to take a close look at things. One thing she noticed was the lack of rotting flesh left behind from a wound…
She moved her focus to the dragon, and had a very close look at Leviathan's segmented structure. His exterior felt like typical bone, but the segments were not connected in any way to each other. The tiny gaps between the bone-like segments exposed what appeared to be nerves and a layer of flesh that probably covered up the thin parasite's organs.
"Alright. Just need a sample. Can you work a gap for me?" She asked, taking another wooden stick. It was nice of Moka to consider that Squigly's mouth was sewn. Sienna slightly forced her mouth to open, just enough for the examiner to quickly swab a sample of saliva and taking it back and putting it away in a test tube. She took a sample from Leviathan thereafter and put it in another test tube. "Nice, I'll run these through." She took to a machine in the corner of the room and placed the test tubes on a tray. The device began its handywork. "Normally I'd ask for blood samples but this is alright for today. We'll sort this out another time." She took off her rubber gloves. "You girls can go now."
"Thank you. But aren't you coming?" Leviathan asked as his host stood.
"Nah. I got work to do. But don't worry 'bout me, have fun."
Carol and Sienna both nodded and made their way to the door, though Kazuo opened it for them. "Just head downstairs. I'm sure you'll find the main dining area."
Again, the girls nodded and left, as Kazuo entered. The door closed behind him: "So what's the news, Auntie?"
"Lots of potential, with a lot of fascinating abnormalities." She turned the chair behind the computer so that her back would be facing the screen and desktop. She took a seat, and handed Kazuo a cable. "Hook me up." She said as she lifted the hair behind her neck to reveal a port for the cable. The cable connector fitted perfectly into the port.
Kazuo then connected it to the machine, and from there, his Auntie took over and began to quickly flow through files and images that the scanner took earlier. "It's always a treat to have you around Auntie."
"You bet. Anyways…" She started with Carol, and had several images slowly show of different points of interests. The veins and scars. "Carol has been through a lot. Her scars are a result of the implementations of an artificial parasite, and they never healed properly."
Kazuo nodded and studied the photographs. "A lot of visible veins, and she seems so pale…" The documentation of the saliva sample came up to cover the images with information. "Her saliva is full of theonite. Lab-8 said that her blood consisted of the stuff right?"
"I assume that it helps her to regenerate now. It's imperfect, so at best she's a little fragile. I can work with that. On the subject of Lab-8…" She brought up a set of documents on the computer. "Their research and training drills with her shows that she is strong, and mentally capable as well considering she broke free of Brain Drain's mind manipulation."
Kazuo nodded, and wondered if he could get a refresher course ready for Carol. In the case of the other girl, Sienna… Her scanned images popped up, and slowly changing to different points, there was something amiss… "I didn't notice those scars on her back earlier."
"They're recent. They just healed. Her body is healing…" It's abnormal. Of all the corpses that she found under the Skullgirl's influence, none of them regenerated in any way. In Sienna's case, it was different. Even as she entered the room, she noticed an odd feeling around her. She'd have to have more tests with Sienna and keep a good eye on her. "I'll keep checking on this. You can go on ahead."
"Don't work yourself too hard…" The Junior Captain said as he left the room.
Moka unplugged herself from the computer and shook her head. Standing and taking the phone to ear, she dialled for a friend... The line rang for a good few seconds, before a beep indicated that the call was taken. "It's been a while. A good… Seven years?"
Filia and Carol hugged each other, both glad to see each other despite promising to go their separate ways. "I guess we'll be stuck around each other a while." Carol said. There were others at this gathering, all drinking tea or other beverages, and taking confectionaries and sweets.
Filia turned to the undead girl who was introduced by Carol. Her name was Sienna Contiello… The parasite on her head knew the parasite on Contiello's head… An interesting reunion. "Well worm… I guess you're as noble as ever."
"I stay true to the Contiello value. I will serve it with my life."
The Medici smiled and hugged the Contiello, surprising her and Carol. "I'm so sorry for what my family has done to yours… It wasn't right…"
There was silence between the three, and the two parasites. Eventually, Sienna responded by hugging back. She acknowledged from this gesture, that Filia was a Medici… But actions speak louder than words, and she trusted her from that simple friendly hug. "Thank you. But you mustn't apologise for what you haven't done yourself."
The two released each other and both smiled. Carol smiled for them.
All of the party goers stopped when they saw the Commander walk in. Though he smiled as he took a cup for himself. "We're all here for a reason. From today and onwards, we train to better ourselves. The Skullgirl is out there, and the Medici's as well. I welcome all of those new, as family. Everyone has a role in this task…" He pointed at the three girls. "I welcome Sienna Contiello, Filia Medici, and Carol, who will be helping us push the frontline." He then approached the acrobat and feral cat. "I welcome Nadia Fortune and Cerebella, who will help us in gathering information regarding the rumours of the Medici and Skullgirl working together." And he turned to the dagonian. "I welcome Minette, who will be training as a GeoScape monitoring agent."
The Reaper members all greeted the newcomers with handshakes and 'hi', 'hello', and assuring phrases like 'nice to meet you'.
"Training begins tomorrow. I will see to it that everyone is accommodated, and taken care of. Welcome to the place where roses bloom."
Several members approached their assigned trainees. For Filia and Carol, they were approached by Kazuo, and his squadmates. "Hey you two. You're with us." Kazuo said as he stood with his team. "Me, Klo and Kneesocks here will try our best to run everything smoothly."
Micheal was accompanied by a blue furred vulpine that stood slightly taller than the other, and had a slightly larger build. "Sienna. This is Marcus, he's one of our finest medics."
"Please, call me Doc." He offered a handshake, which was taken by Squigly's skeletal hand. He then stroked Leviathan as greeting. "You must be Leviathan. It'll be an honour to work with the two of you."
"The pleasure's all ours." Contiello said.
Approaching Carol, was a wolf-cat hybrid. The feral was of a thin build, and only just taller than the disfigured ASG. His was primarily of black, but there were patches of red and white here and there. He had a wide smile, but also was reserved in his approach. "I'm Lento. Nice to meet you." He said, offering a handshake that was taken welcomingly. "My mom told me she drove you here."
That caught Carol off guard. "Your mother is Moka?"
"Yeah. It's… Weird, but that's okay. I'm here to help you out whilst you're here." He scratched the back of his head, and chuckled nervously. "I've never really worked with anyone before."
Painwheel smiled. "Me either."
Her face was hidden behind a mask, her right arm was synthetic, metallic at best and detachable like a screw on machinery. Her tall and thin body was complimented by a velvet dress that reached all the way down to her knees, and white frilled scarf. Despite the years, she felt not a year older than thirty-five. The Medici's and others refer to her only as: 'Black Dahlia."
The large elevator took its time as it ascended towards the top of the tower. Despite the initial destruction several years ago, Lorenzo was more than rich enough to pay for the best contractors and architects to bring it back to its full glory. But the last Skullgirl's capabilities were prominent, and even the infamous Contiello killer herself was intimidated. Most of the budget that was left over from the previous trades was used to hire an army of mercenaries. The varied soldiers were all infamous in their own way… But the recent spout with the unknown army that had been supporting the Black Egrets have become a burden. The last set task of intercepting a lone soldier was foiled.
Who were they dealing with? She didn't know, but the new deal that Lorenzo took with their new 'associate' is something to look forwards to. The promise of more men and greater chances of taking the Canopy Kingdom, and then some… The deal was sweet, and even more so is that she finally has an arm to use again. A shotgun for an arm was one thing she enjoyed, but an arm that is stronger than steel and capable of crushing skulls… It's like signing a contract and being given the expensive pen for free.
The elevator finally reached the top floor, and the former ASG approached… "Lorenzo, you called?" She asked as she slowly walked towards the desk, her legs smoothly swaying over one another as if she were a model.
Behind the desk, was Lorenzo in his chair; his aging body still there, but thanks to their new 'friend' he was given some of his youth back. Though, he still found himself envious of the thief who took the life gem in the past, but there was no point of going after it. He stood slowly, but kept his head down to look at his desk. "Whoever these people are, they do mean business…"
"What should we do sir?"
"We can only rely on 'her' help for now… Perhaps it's best we fortify our positions."
Black Dahila nodded and agreed to her leader, before stepping in closer and having a seat opposite him. "We finally have the power to destroy… And yet it's bittersweet."
Lorenzo curled his hands together in a ball and nodded. Sighing, he stood from his chair and limped over to the glass pane that shielded him from the world. The view of New Meridian was still a sight, the brightly lit neon lights, the honking of car horns in traffic, and the crowds of people trying to make it through the busy streets to work, to home or elsewhere… What would he give to have control of it all…? "We have no hope now… We have sold ourselves to the she-demon."
The Medici was right… And the truth was painful… To abandon her role as a keeper of justice was one thing she didn't mind, but the fact that she worked for the Skullgirl is something she still couldn't justify personally. She had hoped that the Medici's would have control of the Skull heart, one way or the other. They now have it, but control of it was another story. Perhaps Doctor Avian was right…
Regardless, she shook off the notion that the Medici's have lost control. They might be able to sway the situation to their advantage. They would just have to make sure that 'she' went after the unknown soldiers herself. It's only a matter of time.
"Dahila… Darling… I ask a favour of you."
"Anything Lorenzo…"
He took a document out with a man with red hair, a cowboy hat, and behind him a large bag, heavy to the eye. "This man has been trouble with us… Find him… Eliminate him."
"Yes sir…"
"So you're sure that the Medici's and the Skullgirl are working together?" Rye asked as he stuffed his gob with a slice of pizza.
Mason took a slice to mouth and nodded as she chewed. Clearing her throat and swallowing, she put the slice down into the box. "And no doubt about it, I think the Medici's have you in their sights." Of course, that was part of Nikki's brilliant plan… "They'll probably be around sooner or later." She said cockily.
Rolling his eyes, Rye shook his head. "You really have a way of putting others in danger."
"Comes with the job, does it not?"
Jack shrugged. "So you'll lead a trail of breadcrumbs here, then what do you do?" He asked, curious as to where 'Nikki's Brilliant Plan' would lead to.
"The party begins. And this party's gonna start out ugly!"
