Chapter 8
Bait and Switch
(Just a heads up, the next chapter might be a bit delayed. I'm taking a vacation so I'll be offline for about a week.)
The shock of the cold water splashing over her yanked Ange back to consciousness and she flopped sputtering on the hard stone floor. Her eyes opened and she found herself in another prison cell. What happened? she wondered. The last thing she remembered was walking up to Jill and Salia on the beach. She had a long list of questions for the Commander but before she could ask, something had struck her in the stomach and everything went black.
"Are you awake now?" a familiar voice asked. On the other sides of the bars; Salia, Vivian, Ersha, Rosalie, and Chris stood with expressions ranging from contempt to disappointment. Only Vivian showed any sign of being happy to see her. Someone coughed beside her and Ange looked up to see Hilda lying next to her. Her long red hair hung loose and she had been stripped naked. A sudden chill caressed her skin and Ange gave a tiny cry as she realized she was also naked.
"Hey," Vivian said, "welcome back you two!"
"Vivian!" Salia scolded. Immediately, the overly energetic pilot pulled herself back as the captain held up the clipboard in her hand. "I will now read your punishment notice."
"Where's Momoka?" Ange demanded.
"Ange and Hilda," Salia continued, "for deserting your squad you will spend one week in confinement. Additionally, all of your assets and possessions have been confiscated, including your respective Para-mails AND the servant you purchased, the latter of which has been reassigned to the guest house."
"Oh, is that all?" Hilda asked. "Guess I'll just have to buy it all back later." From her place by Chris's side, Rosalie's face suddenly twisted in rage and she flung herself against the bars.
"Do you think this is a joke?" she yelled. "Because of you we've all been benched! All the other squads are making money and we're stuck on standby!" Rosalie bit her lip and her expression softened a bit. "Why didn't you talk to us? We would have helped you."
"Oh come on!" Chris scoffed. "We both know she never once saw us as friends." Rosalie looked to Chris in shock.
"You got it," Hilda smirked. "You two were just a means to an end. I only put up with you as way of making my life here just a little less miserable." Rosalie's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open when Chris suddenly pushed her aside and spit onto Hilda's face.
"It would have been better if you had just died," she growled. "Oh, and I bought back all of Captain Zola's stuff while you were away. You're not allowed anywhere near it." Christ stormed away and Rosalie gave one last sorrowful look at Hilda before she followed after.
"I just don't understand," Ersha said. Ange looked up to her and the pink haired girl's eyes were barely holding back tears. "Why did you two run away? All of us...we've been in here our entire lives. We don't know the outside world or any of our families. There's nothing for us out there. So why?" Ersha's eyes were so full of sorrow and hurt that Ange almost felt it herself.
"Because she's not like us," Salia said as she walked off. "The commander was a fool to trust you. You never deserved Villkiss. Or anything else." Ersha gave the two of them one last remorseful look before she left as well. Vivian though remained behind a second longer as she suddenly rummaged through her pocket and dropped something at the foot of the cell.
"Vivian?" Ange asked.
"I won't tell if you won't," Vivian said with a wink as she ran after the others. Ange reached through the bars and pulled in something wrapped in plastic. She opened it and smiled at the contents: a Perolina keychain and two hair scrunchies.
"Here," she said as she tossed the binds to Hilda.
"She really should mind her own business," Hilda grumbled.
"So, are you okay?"
"Yeah sure," Hilda said as she picked herself off the floor. "It's better this way. Keeping up the charade was getting exhausting anyway."
"You could have said you were sorry," Ange commented. Hilda tched and pulled her hair back into its usual style.
"I don't need to hear that from you," she grumbled. "Besides, it's not like I came back for them anyway." On both of their bunks, a basic uniform had been placed alongside a simple woolen blanket. Well at least they gave us that much, Ange thought as she dressed. Across the cell, Hilda secured her skirt around her hips and Ange finally saw the fading shoe shaped bruise just beneath her left breast.
"That looks pretty bad," she mentioned. "What happened?"
"Oh this? I... just got jumped by fifty cops."
"Fifty?"
"Yeah, and while I was kicking their asses one of them got in a lucky shot."
"Really?" Hilda shrugged and sat down on her bunk.
"I don't know about you Princess but my time on the outside was hell. After beating down all those cops, I had to sleep in muddy diches, dig through trash for food, and then I had to go and save your sorry ass."
"And that Rio guy?"
"Ugh he was the worst," Hilda groaned. "I needed some patsy to help draw their fire so I said that if he did a good job I MIGHT let him sleep with me. And you know what? He somehow thought that meant he could try and cop a feel every chance he could get. I had to keep my gun close all the time or else I'd catch him trying to stick it in me."
"So is that why you got so upset when Momoka thought he was interested in me?" Hilda glared at her and laid down with her back to Ange.
"Shut up!"
As the sun set over the ocean, Rio sat in Tusk's cave and scanned the documents HQ had sent him. A cup of black coffee sat on the table before him alongside a plate of boar jerky and jungle fruit while outside, an orchestra of crickets provided music. For the time being, he had the entire island to himself. Tusk had left earlier that afternoon to perform surveillance around Misurugi. If Embryo was going to make his move then sooner or later that was where he was going to unveil his plans. It was from Misurugi after all that the Light of Mana was transmitted to the rest of the world. And it was also where the DRAGON corpses were taken after the Norma of Arzenal dealt with them. Though for why exactly no one really knew. The Network had tried time and again to sneak a mole into the Dawn Pillar but each time they had been found out before they could breach the inner chambers. It's a shame the Network couldn't identify the princess as a Norma until it was too late, he thought. That would have been the perfect chance for us to finally blow the lid off of Embryo's secrets.
Setting the pad down, Rio grabbed a nearby lantern and went for a walk. Despite the tropical climate, the weather here was surprisingly pleasant at evening. Cool winds blowing off the water helped to offset the humidity of the day so a person could sleep comfortably. Up the central hill the path spiraled until at last, he reached the peak and found himself before a hanger that had been carved into the rock. A smaller sub-door within the main one granted him access and the glow of the lantern cast a light on a pink Arquebus Para-mail that lay half covered by a cloth tarp. He's really done a fantastic job keeping it up over the years, Rio thought. But considering it was all Tusk had left of his mother it was no surprise. Rio petted the nose and his mind began to wonder about his own mother. The last time they had spoken was just before the Network had recruited him. He wondered if she and his father were alright. Did they miss him? Did they mourn for very long after he faked his death? Despite the bitterness he had felt toward his parents for how they had reacted over Sarah, a part of him still longed to see them. But after the Network had showed him the truth he couldn't live as they did. No, he had made his choice and it was too late to go back. All he could do was keep moving forward until he finally reached his goal.
In the middle of his thoughts, his foot stepped on something and Rio looked down to see a socket wrench in the shadow of the old Arquebus. He picked it up and carried it back to the work bench when something else caught his eye. On the tool rack hanging over the bench, a photo had been secured to the wood which he pulled free so he could better examine it. Two of the people he recognized as Tusk's parents; Istvan and Vanessa. The other two were a muscular middle-aged man with a greying black beard whose arm was around the shoulder of an attractive woman with blonde hair and who carried a puppy in her arms. The man he recognized as Boss, back when he went by the name of Blitz and was the Network's number one agent. The woman had to be Jasmine, who was the commander of Arzenal during the first Libertas. Between the two pairs was a young woman in a black rider's suit whose black hair was done up in a ponytail. That must have been Jill, he realized. As he looked closer, something about the way Jill was standing stoked his interest. Her shoulder turned towards Tusk's parents, or rather towards Istvan, was tenser than the one facing Boss and Jasmine. And it was pulled back slightly as if she were afraid that she would be burned if she touched him. Was it possible something was going on between them? Rio looked to Istvan and to his relief saw none of the tension in his stance which meant that it was entirely one-sided. Rio replaced the photo and wondered if Tusk knew but doubted it. Tusk was a good soldier but in a lot of ways he was incredibly naïve. Still, this little tidbit of information could come in handy later in case he needed a bargaining chip.
As he left the hanger, Rio gazed out across the sea in the direction of Arzenal. The sun had finally set over the horizon and the last lingering rays refracted off the clouds in way that made the sky itself seem as if was on fire. It's the same shade as her hair, Rio thought. He wondered how Hilda was and hoped that whatever punishment Jill was inflicting on her wasn't too severe. In the midst of his thoughts, a sudden chill blew in from over the water. If he had to guess, it be rain tomorrow.
With a whimper, Hilda raised her head and found herself in an endless black void. Chains around her wrists hung her from a wooden arch and Hilda shivered as a chill raced up her naked body. "Help," she whispered. "Someone help me."
"Why did you come back?" From out of the dark, an older woman and a little girl suddenly appeared, both with hair the same shade as hers. "I was finally happy," the woman said. "And then you came back. Why? Why did I have to give birth to a beast like you?"
"Momma," Hilda whimpered. "Please." The little girl cried and buried her face in Momma's apron.
"Momma I'm scared," the little girl cried.
"It's okay," Momma said as she turned away from Hilda. "That horrible monster will never bother us again." Next to Momma, four policemen appeared, their batons tapping against their palms as they sadistically grinned at Hilda.
"Get away," she pleaded. "Leave me alone." Someone clapped their hands and more people appeared, all of whom Hilda recognized from Ange's execution.
"Hang her up," they chanted. "Hang her up. Hang her up." Someone chuckled and to her shock, Hilda turned and saw Zola with her arm around both Chris and Rosalie.
"Zola," she begged. "Help me" Her former lover tossed her head back and laughed as she fondled Chris and Rosalie's breasts.
"You expect me to help you now? That's rich."
"Why should we help a traitor like you?" Rosalie asked.
"Yeah," Chris agreed. "We've had enough of your little games."
"You know Hilda," Zola said, "I didn't mind protecting you. After all, you gave me what I wanted so it was only fair. But I always saw my end through and never went back on it."
"Which is more than you ever did," Chris reminded her. "At least when I bought back Captain Zola's room, I did it because I wanted to remember her." The crowd parted and another human appeared. Ange's brother. He smirked as he tossed back his overly groomed hair and gestured for the crowd to silence.
"For the crime of being a Norma," he said. "I hereby sentence you to death!" The crowd grinned and began to close in around her and Hilda shut her eyes in terror.
"Stay back!" she begged. "Stay away!"
"Leave her alone!" Hilda's eyes burst open at the sudden outcry as the entire crowd turned to the speaker, a young man who glared at them with defiance in his blue eyes.
"Rio!" Hilda gasped. "Rio don't!"
"And why should we," Ange's brother asked. "What is she to you?" Rio looked to Hilda and held his head high.
"Because she's my friend." A stunned silence fell over the mob and was quickly replaced by righteous fury.
"Traitor!" they hissed. "Filthy Norma lover!" Hilda struggled to break free of the chains but the bonds held firm.
"Too bad for him," Zola laughed. "I guess he should have minded his own business."
"It's his own fault," Chris mocked.
"At least we knew when to drop her," Rosalie added. Now the crowd had him surrounded as one of the cops raised his nightstick and brought it down across Rio's skull. The others followed after and soon, Rio was lost in the mob as a hail of blows rained down on him from all sides.
"No" she pleaded. "Leave him alone! Stop it! RIO!"...
...Hilda launched upward so hard she almost flung herself head first into the bars of the cell. Her heart pounded in her chest and her breath came in ragged gasps. Outside, rain splashed through the bars of the window and peppered her back and head. "You okay?" Hilda looked over and grimaced at the sight of Ange who sat across from her on her own bunk.
"I'm fine," she grumbled as she rubbed her eyes. Why couldn't she get that guy out of her head? Wasn't she miserable enough without having to deal with guilt?
"You know," Ange said. "For all you claim about what a creep Rio was you really seem to miss him." Hilda gave a start but ultimately relaxed. She was too tired to keep it up.
"Well," she admitted, "maybe the time I spent with him wasn't all bad." Looking back it was actually kind of nice. "You know, he saved my life."
"Really?" Hilda covered her face with her hand. The last thing she wanted was for Ange of all people to see her cry.
"I thought Momma would be different. That she'd still love me. But she didn't. I didn't even care if I died after that. But he did. I don't know why but he didn't reject me. No matter how hard I tried to make him. And then..."
"And then he helped you save me," Ange interrupted. "And he got his ass kicked for it." Hilda grit her teeth and grabbed her head in her hands.
"ARRRGH THAT IDIOT!" she yelled. "Why did he do that? I never asked him to get beat up!"
"Don't ask me," Ange said. "Maybe he doesn't know you as well as I do." Hilda smiled bitterly as she remembered the dream and how not even Zola had bothered to come to her aide.
"You're right. He doesn't know a thing about me." Turning away from the window so the rain wouldn't splash on her as much, Hilda lay back down with her hands behind her head. "Honestly, I don't even know why I'm so worked up. It's not like I'll ever see him again." And if that girl who had tried to smother him on the beach was any indication, it wasn't as if Rio was going to have trouble forgetting her.
"Look on the bright side. At least your idiot isn't always shoving his face in your crotch." Hilda curled up on the cold hard bunk and sighed.
"You know what the worst part is? I did offer to sleep with him since he was helping me. But he didn't even try to." Ange stared at her in surprise.
"So wait...are you saying you wanted him to sleep with you?" Hilda didn't answer. If Rio had then at least he would have made sense. And maybe she wouldn't feel so indebted to him. Reflexively, Hilda touched her face beneath her left eye which had finally stopped swelling. She could still feel the warmth of Rio's lips on her cheek. It didn't mean anything, she told herself. He only did so to keep those kids from being suspicious. So why couldn't she get her mind off of it?
And why did she wish she could feel it again?
With an exhausted sigh, Salia exited the Para-mail simulator and sipped from her water bottle. The others soon emerged from their units and gathered together for a post-training discussion. They may have been relegated to base defense and support, but Salia had no desire to let them sit around and get soft. "That's it for today," she announced. "Tomorrow, we'll take the Para-mails themselves out for some maneuvering drills."
"What's the point?" Rosalie griped. "With us stuck on standby it's not like we'll even get any money. Thanks to the breakout sisters."
"It's all their fault," Chris grumbled. "Why couldn't the humans have just killed them? At least then we could have gotten some new recruits." Salia looked at the silver haired girl but didn't say a word. Since taking over their late Captain's former room and property, Chris's usually meek and submissive personality had begun to show a more darker side of itself.
"Now now," Ersha said. "Let's not say such mean things. I'm sure Ange and Hilda are very sorry about what they did."
"Sorry they got caught you mean," Rosalie corrected as Vivian bounced up.
"Pop quiz time!" she announced. "Who can guess what's on the menu tonight?"
"Is it some of my left-over curry from yesterday?" Ersha asked.
"Bingo!" Vivian cheered. "Come on, let's change and shower quick so we can get there before its all gone!" The squad dispersed and headed for the locker room except for Salia who stayed behind. Not surprisingly, Ersha was the only one who noticed.
"Are you alright Salia? You look a little on edge."
"When is she not?" Rosalie joked. Salia dismissed the comment with a wave of her hand.
"I'll catch up later. I just need some time to think."
"Okay," Vivian said, "but don't blame us if the curry's all gone by then." Once the others were gone, Salia finally allowed herself to relax and walked from the training area all the way to the first troop's hanger where she found Zhao Mei busily overlooking her maintenance checklist.
"Oh hey Salia," she called. "How'd training go?"
"Not too bad," Salia answered as she wiped her brow with her towel. "Any chance you've found a way to improve the ventilation in those simulators yet."
"I do, but you know how the humans are. If it doesn't serve a practical purpose then they won't okay it. I guess they think stale air and B.O is good for Norma." Salia nodded and went up to the real reason she had come, a white Para-mail whose design was far more elaborate and detailed than the others.
"How's Villkiss?"
"He's holding up. You know, for all the strain Ange puts on this poor guy, I think he really misses her." Salia clicked her tongue in annoyance. She could tolerate some of Zhao Mei's more eccentric quirks regarding her maintenance of the Para-mail, but after Ange's defection she was not in the mood to hear about Villkiss's "feelings." No matter how powerful it was, a Para-mail was still just a tool. It was the pilot that made it special. Without one, it was just a useless hunk of metal. I'll prove it, Salia vowed. Now that Ange is incarcerated, Jill will have no choice but to entrust Villkiss AND Libertas to me. It was then that she noticed the Para-mail next to Villkiss, a heavily modified crimson Glaive.
"What about Hilda's old unit? When do you plan to strip it down?"
"Well," Zhao Mei said, "I've got a lot of work that's been piling up now that we only have two functional squads. Plus, your own squad is badly overdue for required maintenance and inspection. I'll get to it eventually." Salia glared at Zhoa Mei and the young mechanic relented. "Okay I admit it I'm stalling. I'm hoping that the Commander will let Hilda reclaim it after her punishment. I mean, Hilda and her unit have a really strong bond with each other. Wouldn't it be better in the long run to have her use a machine she knows rather than having to break in a whole new unit?" Salia sighed and shook her head.
"I won't say anything. But don't blame me if the Commander or the Inspector catches on to your little plan."
"I don't think we have to worry about Ms. Bronson," Zhao Mei laughed. "She's too busy worrying about our guest. Speaking of which, he arrives tomorrow right? Is everything ready?"
"From what the commander says, it seems so." Of course, that's even if it works, she thought. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that the entire plan hinged on the Inspector's gullibility. If anything happened out of place then the whole thing would come crashing down around them.
"Well I for one am excited. For a while, I thought we'd have to go at it alone. But if the Network IS back on our side then maybe we have a chance this time." Salia wasn't so sure about that. The Network's unwillingness to fight was one of the reasons that the original Libertus had failed in the first place. Not to mention how Alektra had lost her arm and the ability to pilot Villkiss. "I'm actually surprised that you aren't the same."
"What do you mean?" Zhao Mei grinned mischievously.
"Well think about it. A man actually here on Arzenal for an entire week? I would have thought that would be a dream come true for you. Especially with what Vivian told me." Salia's eyes shot open and her entire face felt as though it were on fire.
"Th... that is completely irrelevant to the situation!" Turning away, Salia half fled from the hanger. Damn you Vivian! she silently cursed. Was it too much to ask for a little respect for her privacy? Retreating behind an alcove, Salia took a moment to collect herself before anyone else saw. A man actually here on Arzenal. Her mind suddenly drifted back to the beach yesterday morning and the two men who had brought Ange and Hilda back, especially the one who had spoken to her and Jill. He wasn't at all like the boys in her library. Aside from being slightly older he was more rugged and chiseled than they were. And his face. Despite how badly beaten it had been, she could tell that under normal circumstances he was actually quite handsome. The more she thought about him the more her heart began to pound. Did he and Hilda actually do it while they were together? Impossible! How could someone like him possibly fall for someone as selfish and abrasive as Hilda? But what if he met her instead? Salia felt herself smile and giggled as she imagined what it would be like to be rescued by a man like that, to be secluded all alone with him, to be protected like a princess in a fairy tale before being gathered into his arms and...
"Um, are you okay?" Salia snapped out of her daydream and looked up to see Tanya and Irma of Betty Squad staring at her. Her face flushed in embarrassment once more and she fled before any further questions could be asked.
After the rain ended and the skies cleared, Rio went down to the beach for some fishing. According to Tusk, the local mullet schools came in with the afternoon tide and he was in the mood for something fresh. With a fishing net draped over his arm and shoulder, Rio stood on the rocks overlooking the lagoon until something sparkled under the water and he tossed the net. He pulled the line in and the catch went in to the bucket sitting beside him. Again and again he tossed the net into the surf until he finally had enough for a meal. Back at the cave, with his fish roasting over a fire, Rio stared at his reflection in the mirror over Tusk's wash basin. His face was shaven clean but his hair was a bit longer than he would have liked. Well, hopefully his mark would be too intimidated by his presence to notice. At least the Light of Mana had healed the beating Rhino and the others had given him. It wouldn't do for him to look as if he had just stepped out of a bar fight.
Pouring himself a fresh cup of coffee from the stove, Rio opened the file Chaplain had sent him. Emma Bronson. Second Lieutenant in the Rosenblum National Guard. Inspector General assigned to Arzenal. Aptitudes for logistics and administration but all other skills baseline. Psychological profile suggests a task-oriented personality that leaves her ambitious but submissive to authority. Apparently, her father was Senator Charles Bronson of the Rosenblum Parliament. Well that explains why Jill was able to reinitiate Libertus right under her nose, he thought. Being overseer of Arzenal wasn't that challenging of a post but it was a critical one. The only way a mediocre soldier whose only skill was beaurocracy could possibly be assigned there was through connections. Just then, the datapad began to vibrate and Rio answered the call. "Everything ready?" he asked.
"We got our guys in place and we'll be arriving sometime just before dawn," the voice answered.
"And you got everything I asked for?"
"You got it. Even got a hold of a few medals to decorate your uniform with."
"10-4. I'll see you in the morning." Rio cut the line and leaned back in his chair. This is it, he thought. Tomorrow I give the performance of a lifetime.
From down the hall, the door to the prison ward clanged open and footsteps echoed on the stone floor. Dinnertime already? Ange wondered. She looked up just in time to see the guard escort one of the kitchen staff who pushed a cart in front of her and Hilda's cell. Behind them, a familiar figure in an officer's uniform stared down at them with a disapproving glare from behind her spectacles. "Inspector," Ange said. "Nice to see you." Inspector Bronson bristled at Ange's indifference and she leaned closer to the cell.
"Is that all you have to say?" she demanded. "Do you two have ANY idea of the trouble that you've caused me? And stand up when a superior addresses you!" Across the cell, Hilda groaned as she got off her bunk and stretched out the kinks in her back.
"Remind me again how bad it is that you have it," she said. The Inspector's face flushed red as a tomato and it looked as if she were about to explode. It took all of Ange's will not to burst out laughing. However, the Inspector took a deep breath and calmed down.
"I should have expected no less than such a flippant attitude from a pair of Norma," she said. "Really, you'd think that you'd be grateful not to have been put in front of a firing squad. You certainly deserve it after what you did to poor Lady Misty. The only reason you haven't is that she herself sent me a message requesting leniency on your behalf. And while I disagree, the Commander feels you might be rehabilitated into more obedient soldiers." A lifetime of fighting DRAGONS, Ange thought. A dream come true. Pulling a key from her belt, the guard unlocked the cell door and allowed the cook to bring in two trays and two cups of water. Ange looked down and grimaced at the browned food loaf on her tray, the same thing she and Hilda had been fed twice a day since being locked up. As far as she could tell it was a mix of ground meat, grains, and vegetables. It looked like crap and tasted like it was well. "In any case, I recommend you enjoy yourselves while you can. A special investigator from the Norma Management Board is coming tomorrow for a week long inspection and I can't guarantee that he'll show you the same compassion."
"Any chance of getting a shower before then?" Ange asked. "I'd like to look my best if I'm expecting company." The Inspector tched in response and turned away.
"You know," she said. "I still can't understand why you two did that. There's nothing for you out there. You should be grateful that you serve a purpose that benefits the world. What more could you Norma hope for? Where did you even think you could go?" The Inspector left with her two helpers in tow and Ange stared down at her questionable food loaf that had been left to her. It was true. What more could the Norma hope for than this?
"How about Neo-Zion?" Hilda muttered.
"What?" Ange asked.
"It's where Rio said the Network has its home base," she explained. "Apparently humans and Norma coexist there. He claimed I could be free if he took me there." Hilda took a bite out of her loaf and grimaced at the disgusting taste. "But you heard his friends. Whatever this 'Libertus' is, it's caused them to abandon it. So what other choice did I have but to come back here?"
"Free huh?" Ange asked. "Could you go anywhere? Even leave if you wanted? Because if not then it's just another prison. It doesn't matter if the guards are nicer there or not." Rising off her bunk, Ange gripped the bars of their cell until her knuckles were bone white. "Freedom? Hope? There's no such thing in this disgusting world. Not for Norma. The only thing we have guaranteed is a life of suffering, war, and a violent death. And all for them. Those hateful, disgusting, pigs! They owe their lives to us but they throw us away just because it's convenient. Frienship, family, bonds; it's all a lie. We've both seen it. People we loved, people we trusted. The instant they found out what we were they turned on us without hesitation."
"Yeah they did," Hilda agreed. "But...he didn't. And neither did his friend, that guy who saved you."
"Maybe. But all they amount to is the exception that proves the rule. Face it, if this Network really had what it took, Norma wouldn't find themselves here in the first place. This whole world is rotten and hypocritical and it makes me sick just thinking about it." Ange leaned against the bars and suddenly smirked as an idea came to her. "So since Norma are so violent and destructive why don't we do it?"
"Do what?" Hilda asked as Ange spun around.
"Why don't we give them a reason to be afraid of us? If Norma are monsters then let's be ones then. Why don't we take our Para-mail and every weapon we can carry and do some damage to the humans. After all, they aren't omnipotent. We already proved that when they failed to kill me. And most of them are spineless cowards."
"Hold on a minute!" Hilda said. "How would you even leave? We're thousands of miles from anywhere and the Para-mail can't fly that far."
"Then I'll just have to build a machine that can."
"And what about food and supplies?"
"Plenty of fish in the sea. And everything else I can steal from humans."
"You going to fight them all by yourself?"
"I'm sure there are plenty of Norma here that are sick and tired of waiting to die for those who don't even care about them. And we can ask Tusk, Rio and their friends for help. And if they don't, well then they'd better stay out of my way." Walking up to the lone window of their cell, Ange stared up at the slowly darkening sky. "This world has taken everything from me. It's shamed me. Hurt me. And wronged me too many times. It's time I started hurting back."
"You know," Hilda finally said, "Rio said that he and the Network wanted to change the world to one where everyone can be happy and free. And for a while, I actually believed it was possible. But you're right. Before it can change, the world we have now has to go. And to be honest, there's a few things I'd like payback for as well." Rising off her bunk, Hilda extended her hand to Ange. "I'm in. Let's tear down this world the humans are so proud of."
The world around Rio was a haze but the path beneath him was a clear as day. It stretched out before him until it suddenly forked. And from that crossroad came other forks in the path. But it wasn't just one path before him. All around him, above and below, other paths crossed and intersected the one he was on, breaking off and rejoining into each other until they formed a web whose complexity stretched the limits of his comprehension.
"One life is not a life unto itself." Rio rolled his eyes in annoyance. He couldn't remember when he had first heard the voice. Or even how often. All he knew was that it had a fondness for speaking in parables. "As one traverses his way through existence, his path crosses with others. And through these encounters, a path may change. Look behind you." Rio turned and despite the complexity of the different routes, his own was actually quite easy to trace. First, he saw himself extending a hand to Hilda who kneeled on the ground before him; from when he had offered to help her save Ange. Further down, he saw a younger version of himself standing with Boss; the day he had been invited into the Network. The road went back even further and at last he saw himself as a boy extending a hand to a crying girl the same age; the day he had met Sarah and he promised to protect her identity. "Through these encounters, you were presented a choice. And the choices you made brought you to where you stand now." Feeling a presence behind him, Rio turned and saw two people kneeling on the ground before him. One was Sarah, seemingly no older than the day the humans had captured and taken her away. And next to her was Hilda.
"Aaron," Sarah begged. "You promised you'd protect me. You said you were my friend."
"Rio," Hilda begged. "Don't reject me like the others did. You said you were my friend." Rio tried to reach out to them but his hand suddenly froze. And then, a wall of flame suddenly erupted between them and forced Rio back. When the flames lowered, both were gone.
"Your path will soon cross with hers once more," the voice said as the world began to fade and a slight buzzing began to ring in his ears. "And a choice will have to be made. For your past or your future. To stand or to die..."
...As the buzzing of his datapad pulled him back to consciousness, Rio sat up on Tusk's bed and rubbed his throbbing temple. Already the dream was fading except for the voice's cryptic warning. To hell with that, he decided. I won't throw away one friend for another. I made a promise to both of them and I'll keep it. No matter what I have to do. As he rose off the bed, Rio checked his datapad and saw that it was a few hours before dawn. Just enough time for some breakfast and a quick bath before the sub arrived. The operation would begin as soon as the transport landed on the beach.
"Wake up you two!" Still half asleep, Hilda opened her eyes and groaned. It was now her third day without a shower. Her skin felt disgusting and her hair as if a bucket of grease had been dumped on it. Across the cell, Ange sat up on her bunk as well. She looked about as grungy as Hilda felt. And the smell travelled all the way to her side.
"What time is it?" Ange croaked.
"A little before dawn," the voice said. The two girls looked up and there on the other side of the bars was Commander Jill.
"About time you got here," Ange said. "Have you finally come to answer my questions?" The Commander smirked and shook her head.
"Sorry but as I told you on the beach, you'll have to wait until after your punishment is over. In the meantime, there's something I want to talk to you girls about."
"Couldn't it have waited until after breakfast at least?" Hilda asked as she rubbed her throbbing head.
"Unfortunately, no," Jill answered. "Especially since you two are at fault for our current situation."
"Does this have anything to do with that investigator the Inspector mentioned?" Ange asked.
"Exactly. The humans didn't take too kindly to two Norma escaping what was supposed to be an inescapable prison. So they're sending someone to investigate Arzenal and its troops' performance. I can't have that."
"Because of this 'Libertus' thing?" Hilda asked, eliciting a raised eyebrow from Jill. "Don't act so shocked. Rio and his friends told me all about it."
"Then you should know that we need to keep its existence from the humans at all cost."
"So you came down here just to tell us to keep secret about it," Ange said. "Look I don't give a damn about this Libertus whatever it is. I've got my own priorities to worry about. But I've no desire to cooperate with the humans so your secret is safe with me." Hilda chuckled to herself. Ange could be a real bitch sometimes but she was starting to admire that about her.
"That goes for me as well," she agreed. "This guy can do whatever he wants but I'm not telling either."
"Actually," Jill continued, "I didn't expect you to talk. I came to give you two a heads up. You see, the investigator isn't the one Inspector Bronson is expecting. He's actually someone you two already know." Hilda and Ange exchanged puzzled glances. Wait a minute, Hilda realized. She can't possibly mean...
As the morning sun rose over the ocean, the seemingly endless expanse of water glittered like a field of crystals. Occasionally disrupted by the random emerald green of a tropical island, the only other color was the grey shadow cast by the Mana transport that flew over the water. Adorned with the Royal Crest of the Rosenblum Kingdom, the airship flew as fast as its engines could carry it for the sake of the passenger on board.
Within the transport, his arms crossed in irritation, Colonel Felix Ackerman was neither impressed nor humbled by the limitless blue in either the sky or the water. This was no pleasure trip he had set himself on, but a mission of utmost importance. The kidnapping and assault of Rosenblum's beloved Princess Misty was an unforgiveable insult. And all because that idiot Bronson had underestimated the cleverness of the Norma. If it weren't for her father's influence she would have been court martialed the instant those two Norma escaped. But the injury to his nation's pride was not the only source of his ill temper. For years, ever since the Norma had attempted to rebel against their rightful masters, Ackerman had argued for the establishment of a greater human presence on Arzenal to ensure no further incidents occurred. He knew it was just a matter of time before the Norma attempted another insurrection. And while the two Norma who escaped had been recaptured, his instincts told him that something else was at play. The terrorist attack on the Dawn Pillar was proof enough. If a Norma-sympathist group was that determined to attempt a rescue an escaped Norma, then clearly they had plans for her.
"How much longer?" he asked.
"At least half an hour sir," the pilot answered. Ackerman took another sip from the glass of bourbon he had poured from the aircraft's liqueor supply when the transport suddenly lurched and began to shake like a giant had seized it.
"What the hell is going on?" he demanded. Up in the cockpit, the pilot wrestled with the control stick while copilot began flicking controls.
"Engine malfunction," the pilot said. "We're going to have to put her down."
"Put her down!" he cried. "Where exactly."
"Five degrees to starboard," the copilot said. Ackerman lurched to the window and saw an island come into view. A single low jungle covered mountain dominated the center while a U-shaped cove jutted out of the western coast. "That beach should be able to accommodate the craft. We'll land. Check the engines and then be on our way."
"Fine," Ackerman growled. "Just be quick about it." The transport dipped towards the island, the VTOL engines rotating upward as it slowed and descended down onto the sand. Exiting the cockpit, the pilot grabbed a tool case from the rear storage before lowering the boarding ramp.
"Just wait here sir," he said. "I'm sure it won't take too long." Ackerman grumbled and settled back into his seat.
"Can I get you anything while you're waiting Colonel?" the copilot asked.
"Another bourbon," Ackerman said. The copilot saluted and went to fetch Ackerman his drink.
"Can I get you a mindscrew while I'm at it?" he asked as the liquor cabinet was opened.
"What's a mindscrew?" Ackerman asked just before something stung his jugular. Leaping out of his chair, Ackerman clutched his neck as he turned to the copilot who grinned at him as he spun a hypodermic pen in his fingers.
"What you're about to experience."
"You!" Ackerman growled as he pulled his gun. "You're one of them!" He pointed the weapon and prepared to fire when suddenly, the world began to twist. Colors and shapes merged and shifted into one another as his equilibrium faltered and the pistol dropped from his hand. "What...what did you do...to..." and his voice failed him as his legs buckled underneath him and he collapsed drooling into the seat.
Once the cocktail of hallucinogens took affect, the co-pilot picked up Ackerman's gun as two men in fatigues entered the craft. Siezing the colonel by his arms, they pulled him from his chair and out onto the beach. If Ackerman had been a bit more focused on the now instead of his destination, perhaps he would have noticed and questioned why neither of the crewmen had pulled up any Mana screens. As the pilot watched them take the colonel to the submarine which waited on the far side of the island, he turned to the other figure who waited in the shade of the jungle bordering the beach. "You ready?"
"Let's do it," the other said. "Commence Operation Bait and Switch."
Though it was a quiet morning in the Arzenal command center, there was considerable tension in the air. And all of it coming from one woman. While Commander Jill reviewed yesterday's reports at her station and the three technicians monitored their consoles, Inspector Bronson frantically paced back and forth with her arms crossed, her eye twitching with each tick of the clock.
"Please try to relax Inspector," Jill requested. "Giving yourself an aneurysm isn't going to help the situation."
"That's easy for you to say!" Bronson cried. "You're not the one whose career is on the line!" Jill sighed and tried to ignore her as she went back to her paperwork. "Where are they?" she continued. "The Colonel should have arrived by now. Oh no, what if something happened? The Colonel's safety is supposed to be my responsibility while he's here. What am I going to do if his plane crashed into the sea? What am I going to tell the committee?" Jill tapped the finger of her prosthetic hand on the desk and resisted the urge to outright tell her what the delay was. After a week of hearing Bronson gripe and moan about what a terrible fate had been dealt to her, Jill's patience was nearly depleted. Still, the delay was a good sign. It meant that the Network was actually coming through for them. Just then, down on the lower deck, a girl with long blonde hair suddenly leaned over her console.
"Commander," Pamela said. "I have an aircraft approaching from the west." Before Jill could answer, Bronson shoved past her.
"Patch them through!" she ordered. To Pamela's right, a second girl with short green hair looked to Jill who nodded in consent.
"Attention aircraft," Olivier said, "you are entering restricted air space. Identify yourself immediately."
"This is special transport Zeta-3 requesting permission to land," a voice said. "I have a priority one passenger here to inspect the base's operation." On the other side of the deck, a third girl with boyishly cropped red hair suddenly perked up.
"Whoa!" Hikaru gasped. "Was that actually a man?" A warning glance from Jill was enough to send her back to her console.
"We're expecting them," Jill announced. "Have them land on the secondary landing strip."
"Yes Ma'am," Olivier answered. "We read you Zeta-3. Circle around and land on the guest platform off the eastern cliff."
"10-4." Once the line was cut, Inspector Bronson turned and made a beeline for the door
"If you'll excuse me Commander. I must go and meet the Colonel." Jill snuffed out her cigarette and rose from her chair.
"I'll come along. I'll have to meet with him eventually anyway. Might as well get it over with. Pamela, you're in charge until I get back." As she followed the Inspector, Jill had more than a few doubts about this plan. But it wasn't like she had any other options. In addition to her personal circle; Ange, Hilda, and Momoka had all been warned as well. She just hoped this guy could play it as well as Boss claimed he could.
As the transport circled over the island, it offered a panoramic view of the plateau that jutted out of the sea. Surrounded by a ring of rock spires, the only beach was a tiny patch at the very rear of the island. A jagged spine of mountains ran the length of the northern cliffs and partially down the western. Amidst the mountains on the far eastern edge, a communications and radar tower stood nestled in a narrow crag. Within the southern cliffs, a multi-story hanger had been installed into the rocks along with a launch/landing strip that extended out over the water. A training field of some kind lay overlooked the landing strip and as the craft flew past the mountains, a graveyard could be seen on an empty patch of land perched on the western edge. Just past the mountains, a secondary strip jutted out from the eastern precipice which the pilot angled towards. "You know," the co-pilot said, "from up here it almost looks inviting. I mean, a tropical island in the middle of the sea, populated entirely by cute girls. For most guys this place is a dream come true. All it needs is some beaches."
"And then you land and you realize what a nightmare it actually is." Peering over his shoulder, the co-pilot looked at the passenger they had picked up after dumping Ackerman. He certainly looked the part, although it would have been nice if he had picked some flashier medals after all the trouble they had gone through to supply them. Taking a white tissue, he dabbed at his brown hair and nodded with satisfaction that the gel had dried. "In any case," he added as he put on his hat, "just remember to keep Ackerman's superiors off my back."
"Don't worry," the co-pilot assured him. "With the drugs Doc cooked up, he's not going to be in any condition to call in. And Chaplain himself is supervising all the transmissions being sent to the Norma Management Board. You just worry about keeping this Bronson woman distracted long enough for the Norma to make their move." The passenger nodded and the craft suddenly came to a halt.
"This is Zeta-3," the pilot announced. "Descending now."
Between the hurried rush she had made to the guest landing strip and her own nervousness, Bronson felt as is her heart were going to explode out of her chest. She and the commander had barely arrived when the Colonel's transport descended down onto the runway. She dabbed her forehead with her handkerchief to make sure no sweat had ruined her makeup when a case of cigarettes was suddenly brandished in front of her face.
"Want one?" the Commander asked. "They do wonders for me." Bronson frowned and wasn't sure if Jill was being sincere or sarcastic. You never could with a Norma.
"I'm fine thank you very much!" she huffed. "And please try not to smoke too much in the Colonel's presence. If we make his stay as pleasant as possible maybe both of us will make it out of this week with our hides intact." Jill shrugged and took one for herself.
"I'm sure you'll do just fine. Who knows? Maybe this is a blessing in disguise and you'll be assigned somewhere more agreeable." Bronson tched and turned away. Now she KNEW the Commander was being sarcastic. She had no idea what an important and valuable post being the Inspector of Arzenal was. It was going to be the first step to a bright and glorious career in the service of not only Bronson's country but all of humanity. That was why she had begged her father to use his connections in the National Guard to have her placed out here. And now, because of two undisciplined and ungrateful Norma, it was all about to come crashing down. Bronson had never met Col. Ackerman but from what she had heard, he tolerated neither insurrection nor incompetence. There was no telling what sort of disciplinary action he might have in store for her. For all she knew she might very well spend the rest of her career scrubbing toilets in a recruitment office. "Well here he comes." Bronson looked up and saw that the aircraft's rear boarding ramp was coming down. One of the crewmen exited first and saluted as a passenger disembarked.
"Oh...oh my!" she whispered. Standing before her was a young officer dressed in the uniform of the Rosenblum National Guard, the fabric so white it almost gleamed in the morning sun. A half-cape adorned his left shoulder, the hand of which carried a service grade duffel bag. Mirrored sunglasses covered his eyes and on his shoulders were the marks of a captain.
"Interesting," the Commander observed. "He must be an assistant to the Colonel." Bronson didn't answer. Even from this distance, she could tell by how he moved that he was well built. Tall, lean, and hard as an iron pole, his uniform so crisp and sharp it could cut like a knife; it was as if she were looking at a recruitment poster come to life. She had been Inspector of Arzenal for over a year now, and it was only now how much she realized how badly she had missed the sight of a man. As they watched, the officer returned the salute and backed away as the crewmen went back inside. The boarding ramp closed, and to her surprise, the transport lifted off the guest platform and flew away, leaving the young officer behind. What is going on here? she wondered. Who is this person? And where is Col. Ackerman?
"Shouldn't we go greet him?" the Commander asked. Bronson snapped back to her senses and straightened herself out.
"Of course we should." Straightening her glasses, Bronson led the way with Commander Jill following behind. Whatever was going on she fully intended to find out.
As he stepped out of the transport, his shades adjusting to the increased brightness, Rio, or Captain Joseph Algren as he would be known by for the remainder of the week, took a moment to survey his surroundings. At the foot of the guest runway, a large house stood at the base of the mountains that rimmed the northern cliffs. That must be where I'll be staying, he realized. As the transport took off behind him, he saw the base's welcoming party coming towards him, Commander Jill and another woman he recognized from the files as Inspector Emma Bronson. Steadying himself, Rio adjusted the duffel bag hanging over his left shoulder and went to greet them. Here I go, he thought. Arzenal...I finally made it.
Author's Notes
In this installment, I'd like to introduce another OC:
Boss (formerly Blitz)
Age: Mid to late 50's
Height: 6' 3
Weight: 95 kg
Build: Muscular
Hair: Grey (formerly black)
Eyes: Blue
The leader of the Network, Boss was formerly its top agent where he went by the name of Blitz. Boss was the one who brought Rio in to the Network and supervised his training. As a result, the two share a relationship similar to Jill and Salia albeit on a more sincere and trusting level. I based his design on that of Old Joseph Joestar from Stardust Crusaders. In his civilian life, he was an engineer whose daughter allegedly died from unforeseen complications during childbirth; the trauma of which eventually led his wife to commit suicide. It was later learned however that his daughter was born a Norma and the doctor who delivered her had euthanized her. Even worse, the doctor had only been given a mild punishment by the authorities. The outrage over the injustice done to his family motivated Boss to reject the prejudice of humanity and join forces with others who sought to defy the persecution of the Norma. He has a prior relationship with Jasmine as well as being a friend of Tusk's father. Following the failure of the first Libertas, despite Tusk rejecting his offer to join the Network, Boss arranged a way to still support him with supplies in exchange for the wrecked Para-mail Tusk salvaged.
