Chapter. 26

"Incoming message from the committee for social selection." Spoke the accessory.

Connar blinked a few his to readjust to his eyes to the normal world, a light tone played in the cell and Percy was on his screen. "Greetings sinner! Wash out your ears, because I'm here to announce the results of the code 4 exam. Ready or not, here it comes..."

Connar crossed his arms and tapped his foot, losing his patience with the bear.

Percy clapped his hands. "You passed!"

"Can we get on with it!"

"Hooray! Well done you! Now you can contribute even more to your panopticon! I'm happy to..."

Connar had zoned out on what Percy was saying and began thinking about what Aries had told him.

"... For the greater good!" Connar snapped and punched his screen as Percy disappeared.

"What would you know about good." Connar shook his hand to numb the pain. When it stopped hurting Connar pressed the screen to call his weapons facility. "Hey, got a weapon order for you." Connar showed his hidden blade. "I want you to make a pair these with flare knifes as the blades."

"You want what?!" Asked the citizen.

Connar tapped his foot. "You heard me. I want hidden blades made with flare knifes."

"What you're asking-"

Connar extended his hidden blades. "I don't ask. So will you make them or will it be done by your surviving kin?"

"I-I'll get my team together." The citizen cut the connection. Conner pulled out a flare knife and extended one his hidden blades to measure it to the knife.

His accessory spoke once more. "Natalie "9" Woo requests to meet with you outside the cells."

"Damn Beatrice, this is why I covered the things mouth." Connar walked out of the cell, wishing he had more metal to make his accessory stop talking.

...

Down in the code 4 cell block Beatrice, Mattias, Uwe, Alice, Leon, Natalie, and her accessories were gathered. Connar approached the crowd and stopped when his saw a girl in the center. She was a foot shorter then everyone, had short blue hair, a white shirt with yellow sleeves, tan shorts and long blue socks with a supply bag on her right leg like Uwe.

Natalie sees Connar coming and nods. "You're all here? Good. I'll keep this brief. We are under attack from Lemurian forces." Natalie raised her voice. "It is your duty to defend your panopticon. Refusal is not an option."

Mattias looks over the girl. "What's with the kid? What is this, bring your daughter to work day?"

The girl grabs Mattias by his shirt caller and drags him down her eye level. She sways her hips with her free hand on her side. "Watch your mouth, or you'll be picking up your teeth."

"Elfy?"

"Who...!" The girl shun around and stopped when she spotted Connar.

"Elfy it's me, Connar."

The girl stared a bit then gave a big smile. "Connar!" The two gave each other a small hug. "It's been thirteen years, weren't you going to be a citizen?"

"Things changed, but look at you. You've... gotten a little bigger." The girl threw a punch but Connar caught it. "No longer to frail kid you knew Elfy."

Everyone was confused and a bit shocked. Here was connar, the most trigger happy madman they've ever see acting like nothings wrong.

"You ah, you mind telling us who this chick is?"

The girl went to punch Mattias but Connar beat her to it and knocked him down. "Show some respect."

"Connar! That's five hundred years!" Shouted Natalia.

Everyone was ready for another throw down between the two but Connar just shrugged. "Whatever." Natalie was caught off guard by Connar's restraint.

Natalia pushed up her glasses. "Anyway... Uwe introduce her."

"This is Elfriede Cabrera... my daughter."

Beatrice raised her hands to her lips in surprise. "What?!"

Alice did the same. "You have a daughter?!"

"You're kidding me?!" Said Mattias getting up.

"Hey, if I told you, it would've spoiled the fun." Laughed Uwe.

Connar folded his arms. "Thirteen years later and I finally meet the father of my best friend."

Elfriede punched Connar lightly to get his attention. "Dad told me about you, though I did think it would be the same Connar."

"Would I be correct to guess it was... colorful?"

Elfriede nods yes. "But I'll hold off until after I see it for myself. I think judging a book by its cover would be a bad idea in both our cases, don't you? That kind of slack judgement had no place on the battlefield."

Connar smiles and holds out his fist. "The thief and the brawler, together again."

Elfriede fist bumped Connar. "If you need anything, just ask. I'm always ready to teach old dogs new tricks."

"Are you quite finished?" Asked Natalie.

"Yes we are." Said Connar.

"G-good." Natalie looked at Elfriede for a second then continued. "For this operation you will split into two platoons. Mattias, Beatrice, Alice You're coming with me. We're going to deploy a pincer movement and pin the enemy down. Lemuria are nothing more then Hourai's lackeys. Don't let a single one of those worthless rats make it through."

Natalie turns to Uwe. "You, Elfriede and Connar will guard the back way. The operation has been issued and assigned. Make your preparations, and move out." Natalie and her team went in the lift behind them.

Uwe clapped his hands. "You heard her, you two ready?"

"Always!" Connar and Elfriede say together.

...

Connar, Elfriede, and Uwe stood outside the desert outpost waiting for the incoming invaders. Father and daughter put on their brass knuckles and Conner drew his sniper rifle.

"If the enemy punch a hole in our defense here, our whole front line falls apart. Whatever it takes, don't let that happen." Said Uwe.

Elfriede casts her gaze down. "They're deployed full battalions to protect other areas You want to ell me why it's just us here?" Elfriede notices Connar looking at her. "What are you looking at?"

"Just so glad to see you again Elfy. With the two of us are the full battalion."

Uwe chuckles. "Check that confides, it's a slow killer."

"Come of pops, Elfy and I were great partners."

"That was thirteen years ago Connar." Pointed Elfriede.

"Which means we got better, or I did at least."

"I remember kicking your ass a lot as kids."

"That was thirteen years ago, I'm much faster now. What about you, did you learn to hit harder?"

Elfriede stopped closer to Connar. "Why, you want to find out?"

"Yeah. I'll watch you punch people while covering you."

"Hey focus you two!" Shouted Uwe. "if you lose focus out here you die."

Connar loaded his sniper then checks the scope. "so it's the three of us against who knows what."

Uwe grunts. "Some sectors are better protected by small, crack units then big deployments."

"Fine with me. No dead weight to slow me down."

"Besides, I get to spend some time with my daughter and son-in-law."

"You know about that?"

"Their here!" Pointed Elfriede.

Over the horizon a wave of sinners were approaching. Connar aimed his sniper and took off a sinner's head. An accessory rushed to help but Connar shot it's head off too.

Uwe and Elfriede charged into the fray, punching anyone that got in their way with Connar keeping them covered.

More sinners came running from behind some rock pillars. "On you three!" Connar spoke on the comlink then shot one of them.

"I see them." Elfriede drew a minigun from her will'o case, as it revved up a pair of sinners closed in on her. Uwe threw his thorn at one to pulled them away while Connar sniped to other one. Elfriede's gun was ready and fired a into the hoard of sinners.

The sinners turned to run but Elfriede tore them apart. From where the sinners were running to a giant metal spider appeared.

"The hell is that thing!?" Connar shouted over the mic.

Uwe answered the call. "A paradox abductor, one used by on high. Hourai must has reversed engineered it."

"Lovely..." Connar reloaded his gun and fired at one of the legs, but did little if any damage.

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