-Plotting-

Not much else was said as we all returned to the house. We now knew more, the hard facts that weren't to anyone's liking. LenZ, the rest of the kids and I were all in the kitchen around the small table, silent.

"LenZ, are you ok? Are the bad people gone?" Asked Lou.

"Yeah, they're gone."

"I'll leave you alone dad, I'll just be out back," said Amuu'lia.

"Same," I said following along.

We exited the house again and headed around to the back to lean against the house.

"A decent swing you pulled back there," I complimented.

"Thanks."

We continued to peer out into the brush. Somewhere out there, were our problems still at large; the kidnappers and a submarine. If anything, the submarine was probably one of the few which remained after the segregation war itself. They were primarily used to quietly deploy troops and supplies, to anywhere where flowing water could permit access. Today they are mostly out of use, with only the occasional reconnaissance trips to locate any exile boats headed for Highrell... at least before the kidnappings began it seems.

"Hey, you said... You said that you were almost killed, if it weren't for LenZ."

I sighed.

"Yeah, by a moving train and by a bullet."

"... Jeez."

"Sceptical?"

"... Not really."

"Well I wouldn't blame you if you really are sceptical in all honesty. Fact of the matter is, I'm still kind of sceptical of myself. As well as the times from when I was still a hunter, doing my job of trying to catch LenZ, I regret... when I lashed out, out of fear, after I was turned on by the police."

I held my pistol hand up, curling my fingers around an imaginary trigger.

"I couldn't aim, but I still pulled that damned trigger."

Amuu'lia was looking at me, with a focused gaze.

"I had LenZ cornered. I had my pistol, but I couldn't... do it. LenZ had saved me twice from while I was still a hunter, and... I guess he actually saved me a third time there, by still helping me, for the situation we were both ultimately in."

I faced Amuu'lia.

"Your dad, he has a very kind heart, one I didn't believe was possible and one that I'll probably never have."

"Hmmm."

We both paused. Heart was a word that resonated with me... that's right, LenZ was the one who said I had a good heart. Still...

"You're honest at the very least, I'll give you that."

I quietly nodded. Amuu'lia quietly scoffed.

"Just two girls trying to find their way huh?"

"Yeah."

"I'll be honest, that story from before I ever met LenZ, I never told him about it, or really to anyone else. It nerves me just thinking about it."

"... guess that makes two of us."

We both peered back at the open vast of savannah.

"LenZ's dad, his father was a soldier that fought in the segregation wars."

"Yeah, he mentioned that when we were heading out of the city."

"... I can't imagine how much hurt he feels for him, to be reminded of war in any way. I've never asked, but it's probably why LenZ was so kind to us in the first place. To keep some peace."

We fell quiet again over the next few minutes, contemplating everything that had been said as per our confession session. Kaden soon came around a corner of the house.

"Hey."

"Hello again," I said, putting on a smile.

Slowly, he walked up to me, with his head down.

"Um, thank you, for saving dad."

"... You're most welcome," I solemnly replied.

With thanks in order, Kaden slowly came up to me to hug around my waist.

"Oof."

"Huh?"

"Sorry, it just, still kind of bruises there."

"Oh, sorry."

"It's ok."

Kaden moved away a bit.

"What are we going to do?"

"Not sure Kaden," said Amuu'lia.

"That Akiro may still be right though, we may eventually have to fight back," I said.

"I'm all for resisting, but how?"

"Don't know. Maybe some practice would be a good place to start," I said gesturing to Amuu'lia's staff.

"I suppose so."

"Can I watch?" Asked Kaden.

"If you like, sure," replied Amuu'lia.

" * * * "

What is going to happen? A dozen thoughts were flooding my mind as I sat at the table. Do the guards plan to stay here, or do they intend to confront our problems directly? What of the kidnappers and their submarine? What of Nina and the others still trapped in Highrell? Is there really anything anyone can do? Lou took a seat next to me.

"Dad, you alright?"

"I guess not."

I looked over at Lou who had his hands crossed in his lap as he stared blankly at the table.

"But I'll think of something."

I reached out with my right hand to scratch behind Lou's ears.

"They could come back, there were others that came home, even when they disappeared," Lou quietly said.

"Maybe..."

It was certainly a possibility, but it wasn't the kind of possibility that we were banking for. The people who returned had their memories wiped. Such a thought alone was enough for me to fear what was still out there, enough for me to take action. The best chance we had of returning the peace to the savannahs was in taking that trip into Highrell. Yet even with our best chance, the trip still achieved very little. I traced my fingers in circles along the timber rings of the table as I continued to ponder about the...

Hmm, come to think of it, we've been worrying about the kidnappings itself, what of the people who did return. What if there is something we're still missing about the kidnappings? What if there is something else with those who returned that we haven't seen yet? After spiriting people away, did the kidnappers gain anything else from returning them with their memories altered? I tried to think back to those few weeks ago. In the days following the wave of people who returned, they were questioned extensively, but they gave nothing, not surprisingly due to their memory loss. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened surrounding those who were kidnapped and... No, this isn't anything new at all. This just leads back to the same fundamental question I've been asking myself for a little over a month now, even while I was injured from the kidnappers visit that very night, long ago. Why?

I sighed. Damn it, of course there's something still missing about the kidnappings. But I can't think of anything new though! And never mind me, in the time the guards had been here and informed from all over the savannah, they probably know more about this situation then I alone ever could, or at the very least, they already had my inclinations of thought in trying to solve this. I didn't want to openly admit it, especially not in front of Lou here and the others, but I am useless now. Amuu'lia I guess was right in saying that I did do everything I could, above and beyond what was expected of me as a mere glass maker... which reminds me, I better check on the glass room. If I plan to be somewhat useful with my time, clearing my head might do me some good.

Moving out of the kitchen into the glass moulding room, the furnace in the corner remained unlit, while all my tools were all neatly lined and laid out on the nearby workbench, waiting for their user to come by.

"Some traders had been asking for panes of glass while you were away?" Said Lou coming in.

"Which sort, windows or lenses?"

"Windows mostly."

Well then, I guess I better do some stocking up.

" * * * "

"Go again!"

Amuu'lia came out swinging with the staff through the ordered moves I was teaching her. She certainly possesses the power and enthusiasm, but she was still lacking a little in technique. Though considering her basic background in fighting techniques from when she grew up with, this was certainly a start. Within seconds, she finished in the final position again, with her staff poised to the ground towards an imaginary, downed enemy.

"Watch the footwork again... sorry, I mean paw-work, as you come down to the last thrust and swing."

"Right."

"One more."

Starting a few paces back to face the back of the house, Amuu'lia let lose the next flurry of swings and thrusts. Kaden continued to watch on, as he sat cross-legged, planting short twigs upright into the dirt. Quickly, Amuu'lia came to the end of the routine once more.

"Good, um... You're moving quite well."

"Could I try going lower with the hits?"

"Yeah, that could work... sorry, for one I'm not exactly a professional trainer, and second, I was trained with the word plantigrade in mind, single jointed movement."

"Hmm, improvise?" Said Amuu'lia springing up and down on her double jointed legs.

"I suppose so; in having your kind of spring to your step, you could try to focus on attacking low to the ground."

"Then I could jump up to strike?"

"In theory, it's..."

Stopping mid sentence, I could hear someone moving around the side of the house. Coming around the corner came one of the settlement guards, the very same guard who approached me earlier after that fight.

"Hi. Am I interrupting anything?"

"Not really, no," I replied.

"Just thought I'd come by, and well, thank you, for earlier."

"For the smugglers capture?"

"Yeah, those guys," the guard flatly answered, "they aren't exactly the kind of individuals I take pride in missing."

"They were living up to their name if anything," said Amuu'lia.

The guard sighed, clearly looking somewhat defeated.

"I best be off then, err, wouldn't want anyone else sneaking in."

We briefly waved each other off as he turned to leave us, pulling out his... hand radio... wait a second...

Oh damn it Kyu, damn you, why didn't think of this sooner!

"Hold up a second."

The guard turned back.

"Yeah?"

"Your radio."

"What about my radio?"

"Is there any way I could borrow it?"

"For what?"

"To try to radio the people still trapped in Highrell... wait, don't you have larger equipment supplied for long distance radioing?"

"No, with what little equipment everyone has, these things aren't exactly cheap. Even my radio is somewhat rare to come by; it's specially issued only to various members of the RG ranks."

"Well, I'm not exactly going to eat it."

The guard frowned.

"I don't think the Captain would approve. Which people in Highrell?"

"Well can I run it by him then?"

He remained silent, being somewhat indecisive.

"Just one request, I've already spoken to your Captain twice now."

"... Not enough for him to really get to know you, but fine, one request, follow me."

I started to follow him out.

"I'll be right back," I said turning to Amuu'lia.

"Alright."

The guard and I made our way back to the RG tents to find the Captain in his usual stance. There was an air of tension amidst the rest of the regional guards; they all seemed to be discussing about what little they could do.

"Captain," I said in address.

"Yes Kyu."

"I should've considered this earlier, and for that I apologise. I might be able to use a radio to contact Nina in Highrell."

"Hmm, how? You know of a radio frequency we could use? Assuming we had the range... which we probably don't."

"Well, the radio frequency in question, it's a Highrell police frequency, not something that would be directly linked to Nina, but it's perfectly possible that she might be listening in on that frequency... with, Nina being a Demo and all."

"As in that city resistance you were telling me about?"

"Yes."

By this time, some of the guards around me were starting to have their interests piqued.

"You sort of failed mentioned that detail about your friend."

"I... I only found out about her involvement from that phone call she managed to get through."

"Is there anything else you might've forgotten to mention?"

"Yeah, Nina I believe stated that she did successfully get some of the settlement's people away from the HEA attack. Presumably, she's keeping them with the rest of the Demos."

"Mhmm."

He paused to think, turning his back on me to stare at his board of pinned up statistics.

"Tell me, what do you plan on saying over this police frequency exactly?"

"Ask about what their situation is, if she is in a position to get furred out of the city, further information about the kidnappers... and perhaps collaborate..."

I stopped, realising a flaw in my plans.

"I'll ask again, what do you plan to say over a 'police' frequency?"

At first without properly thinking, I was going about seemingly obvious options. But given a relatively open police frequency, any unwanted ears prying in might learn something about what I might be planning to do, or learn something that could compromise Nina and the other Demos safety, along with those rescued from HEA.

"I understand your urgency to try to make the connections, to act. We ourselves are pretty dry on ideas so we're glad that you've been able to bring something forward. However, there's the problem of whether or not your idea is one that could ensure the continued safety of those abroad, as per a police frequency.

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

I sighed.

"Anyway, there's range you have to consider. These hand radios aren't exactly telephones."

"Isn't there a way to potentially extend the range of one by extending the antenna?" I asked.

The Captain thought for a moment before having to turn to the guard who escorted me in.

"Well, err, don't quote me on it sir, but I think that's possible."

"Would there be the risk of damaging a radio if we were to make this modification, from what few radios we have?"

"It's possible I believe sir, but I don't recall other divisions of the RG doing this sort of thing."

"Look, assuming we can get it to work to contact Nina, only ask about if she and the others are ok in general, nothing about her location, and..."

I was wracking my brain about what else I could ask, that was a fine enough balance between knowledge and secrecy.

"... That's it I guess, until we can figure a way to safely get more info."

"Better than nothing, even if it's minimal."

Perhaps it wouldn't achieve anything, but it was better than nothing. On the optimistic side of things, we might still be able to safely glean something, if at all by chance, for if we got the opportunity to start the conversation.

"I'm certain there is a way of extending the range of the radio. And I think I know how, as far as I know from my experiences within Highrell."

"Go on..."

I looked around the tent to note one of papers tacked onto a nearby board; a map. It showed features of the region outside of Highrell, a sight that I certainly wasn't familiar with. It had many borders, states and names. This aside, my interest pulled back to the part of the map near Highrell.

"For a start, we should try getting closer to where Nina is potentially located, to shorten the range. Somewhere outside this side of the city. Then it becomes a matter of boosting the signal, by attaching an extended antenna. If done right, it shouldn't break the radio, it'd just be a matter of removing the shorter, pre-existing antenna."

"You think you're qualified enough to handle one of the few radios we have?"

"Isn't there an engineer of sorts that could do this?

"As few as they come like radios, no."

"Then, I guess it would have to be down to me."

The Captain pauses for a moment before gesturing to the guard next to me to hand over his radio.

"Alright, we can look into this, show me exactly what you plan to do," Jake said, pointing around the radio's antenna.

I spent the next half an hour with the Captain trying to detail and assure him of how I could do this without damaging his equipment. It was fortunate to note that the pre-existing antenna could be unscrewed to leave the terminal and its wires exposed. I wasn't much of an engineering whiz, but it looked like the screwable antenna could be used to fix the planned extension in place. This would remove the concern for any close soldering that could leave heat damage. Eventually, things became quiet as the Captain was making his final decision on the matter.

"... Ok, we can try. But this will mean we'll be short handed on radio equipped squads, of which we have three."

"So... three radios?"

"Four, including my own. One squad has the job of staying within the settlement limits, the other two patrol the North and South, all the while as I coordinate between the three squads with their leaders, by radio from here."

"Right."

"That information is on a need to know basis, I hope you realise. If it wasn't apparent to you about why we hold these radios so dearly, I hope it is now."

"Of course, I understand."

"We'll go about deliberating which people to send on this assignment, as well as what we can do to retain the protection around this settlement. Though I do believe that should be pretty straight forward," concluded the Captain.

"Alright, thank you for your time Captain," I said.

I turned to the guard who escorted me in; who I could assume was a squad leader.

"Call me Pathro."

"Thank you Pathro."

I turned to leave, nodding by some of the guards outside. I then saw Amuu'lia waiting by the front porch of the house, along with Kaden. LenZ then came out followed by Lou.

"How'd it go?" Amuu'lia asked.

"How'd what go?" LenZ asked inquisitively, "you spoke with the Captain?"

"Yeah."

"What about?"

"... A way forward."