The airship flew eastwards. From the bridge, Arkulus looked down at the sea.
"Lucya, what progress is there on my...project?"
"It has already taken shape, master." said Lucya's voice, over the speakers.
Arkulus entered the airship's main elevator, entered the code to move up to the highest level, stepped out, and entered a large room with a transparent cylindrical tube in the middle. Inside the tube was a humanoid body. Arkulus placed a bony, gloved hand on the tube, and exhaled through his nostrils.
"Might I ask what that is, sir?" asked Lucya.
"If it works, Lucya, you'll find out soon enough." said Arkulus.
There was a short pause.
"I understand." Lucya said, softly.
Arkulus turned to the left, and approached a nearby console. He typed in several commands on the keyboard, and the screen turned on. On the screen was the Desktop, which displayed several folders and applications. He pressed his index finger against the lower-right corner of the screen, where a folder reading "Journal Entries" was tucked away. A textbox opened up:
ENTER PASSWORD!
Arkulus typed the password, and the screen blacked out for a second, and then turned white. A list of video files were displayed before him on the screen. He pressed his finger against one labeled "2/17/53". The screen blacked out, and then Zorndyke's face appeared on the screen. His expression showed that he was distraught about something, and he was hanging his head down, so that his forehead was just a few inches away from touching the camera.
"Hello, Gregor." Zorndyke said to the camera, solemnly. "Come to check up on me, have you?"
Arkulus exhaled silently through his nostrils.
"Jung, I heard about what happened to your family." said a voice, coming from an unseen individual. "What those abominable...men...did was unforgivable."
"That, Gregor, is the greatest of understatements." said Zorndyke.
His eyes grew watery.
"Are you going to be okay over there?" asked Gregor.
"I don't know." said Zorndyke, softly. "I don't think there's anything left for me to be 'okay' with. My wife is dead. My son, his wife, and their daughter. All butchered by the very people I've vowed to help. Is this the thanks I get for all that I've contributed for the benefit of mankind?"
He blinked twice, and tears ran down his cheeks.
"I understand your pain, Jung." said Gregor. "I too have lost family. But there are ways to bring them back. I...can help you."
"Yes, I know all about what happened to your daughter, Gregor." said Zorndyke. "But I'm afraid that there is no way one can truly bring back those that have been seized by the unbreakable grip of Death. Not even you can do it."
"What?" asked Gregor, an uneven tone in his voice. "But...what about all the achievements we've made? The Musucas, the Kumos. Imagine what we could do with the replicant project..."
"It has to stop." said Zorndyke. "I'm sorry, my friend. But I'm afraid that it just won't be the same. My family is gone, and there is no changing that. I just don't see any point in continuing to help mankind after what I faced this past week. I've already severed all ties with my colleagues at Project Blue."
"But what about me?"
Zorndyke said nothing. He just stared ominously into the camera.
"So what will you do now?" asked Gregor.
"The only thing that I can do." said Zorndyke. "I am going to do everything in my power to help my other children."
"The Chimerans?"
"Yes." said Zorndyke, nodding his head. "I will speak with you later, Gregor. If I can bring myself to do it..."
The video ended. Arkulus crossed his arms, and muttered:
"I will prove you wrong, Zorndyke." he said. "Just give me more time..."
He turned around and looked at the body in the tube.
"Master, Verg has been successfully transferred to the eugenics labs." said Lucya.
"Very well." said Arkulus.
He approached the elevator.
Amonyushuu and Andrei walked down the corridor from the sickbay. Only twenty seconds passed before they came across a familiar face being tended to by a young Japanese woman with brown hair.
"Mr. Deidson!" gasped Amonyushuu.
"Hey!" said Deidson, clutching a gunshot wound on his arm.
"Will you be okay?" said Amonyushuu.
"I've been hit worse than this during the war." said Deidson.
"I'm just glad to know you made it."
"I would say the same about you."
"Don't worry, I've got it under control here." said the woman, smiling broadly.
"Are you sure of that, Rin?" asked Andrei.
"Yep." said Rin, waving her hand. "Now run along and see the captain."
Andrei chuckled and nodded. He beckoned Amonyushuu to continue following him. Before he was out of earshot, Rin called after him.
"Andrei! After I bring Deidson to the doc, I need to check the Grampuses and make sure those bots didn't wreck 'em. Think you can come back and help when you're done with her?"
"Da. Of course!" replied Andrei.
He turned to Amonyushuu.
"Rin Sagami." explained Andrei. "She and I are engineers, but also pilot the Prawn."
"The Prawn?" repeated Amonyushuu.
"It's a Grampus built for repair and maintenance. We'll have to get into it to fix the damage made to the sub's hull. Now let's keep moving, da?"
While Iga was speaking with the Chimerans, Yuri was placed in charge of the rest of the vessel. Blue-6 was being searched thoroughly for any remaining crab-drones still aboard.
"This deck is secured, sir." said Jonald.
"And how many casualties have we counted so far?" asked Yuri.
"Nine dead, sir. And seventeen injured." Jonald bent his head down and exhaled heavily.
"Chyort!" cursed Yuri. "Search the next deck."
Jonald nodded, and walked over to a nearby hatch. He opened it, and climbed down the ladder. Kino and a few other crewmen walked up to him.
"Engine room's secured." said Kino.
"Same for the reactor room." said one of the other sailors.
"How extensive is the damage?" asked Yuri.
"The tower's been hit very hard." said another crewman. "I don't think it's safe to try ascending it without proper maintenance. It also looks like we might not be able to dive underwater again without sectioning off several areas aboard the sub."
"Once we're done in Greenland, we'll have to bring Blue-6 to our nearest base." said Yuri.
"We've also counted a total of thirty-six robots destroyed."
"Well, at least that's some good news today." said Yuri. "I want the most intact one you can find brought down for examination. Maybe we can find out who sent those things to attack us."
Hayami joined Mutio and the crewman as they were brought to the meeting room. There, Iga and two armed crewmen were waiting for them. But to Mutio's surprise, there were several Chimerans already in the room with them. In addition to Levina, there were three Chimerans with both pig and canine features, each carrying crudely-made axes in their large, muscular arms. There were also two nereids, who both immediately glared at Mutio upon seeing her. They were flanking a tall, lean Chimeran wearing spiked body armor, steel-toed boots, and a brown longcoat. It was not Verg, but a monkey-like Chimeran covered in a mixture of fur and fish scales. He was twirling a long metal pole in his hands like a baton. The monkey-man had shaggy dark hair that stuck up in the back and around the ears, and he had a large underbite that jutted out from between his lips.
A small greenish-yellow parrot-like creature with leaf-shaped fox ears, a dark purple plume extended from its head like a mane and eyes of a matching color, and a feathery Pomeranian-like head with a bright purple-and-yellow bird's beak was perched on his left shoulder, like a parrot on a pirate. Mutio gasped. The bird-creature opened its wings, and flew over to a nearby seat, perching itself on the top rail.
"HWAAAHHHHK!" it screeched.
"That's an interesting bird you have there, captain." said Iga. "More of your papa's handiwork, I take it?"
Bolzano nodded.
"What's going on here?" demanded Hayami.
"Hayami, I had a feeling you'd come along with Mutio." said Iga. "It looks like we've met with the other Chimerans. There are two Musucas circling Blue-6 as we speak."
He turned to look at the monkey-man.
"This is Bolzano, captain of Musuca-12."
"And I was just thanking your captain for doing our work." said Captain Bolzano, with a gruff voice. "Those machines were meant for us. But you guys just so happened to be there, too. Boy, was that fun to watch! You let both machines get away, though. So we blew 'em up for ya. You're welcome."
His face bent into a smug grin. Hayami was immediately starting to dislike him.
"So anyway, we have to find Admiral Verg." said Bolzano. "We lost contact with the Musuca carrying him, Musuca-8, just yesterday. We think that something, like that flying machine, might have destroyed it."
"Where was Musuca-8 when you lost contact?" asked Iga.
"In the ocean, probably eight or nine kill-o-meters to the West of what you humans called 'Thule Air Base'." said Bolzano.
The bird-creature tilted its head.
"Kill-o-meters?" asked Hayami.
"Hey, lay off me!" snapped Bolzano. "I have trouble pronouncing some words. So don't rub it in!"
The bird-creature quietly made a noise as if it were snickering.
"Shut it, Trento."
"Oh, don't mind me." said the bird-creature, who spoke with a smooth, eloquent voice and a posh English accent. "I already promised you I would make no attempt to criticize your poor pronunciation of certain words."
"Good." said Bolzano, crossing his arms proudly.
"Your pet talks?" asked Hayami.
"For your information, I am nobody's pet." said the bird-creature. "I am Trento, captain of Musuca-26."
"You're a captain?!" Hayami exclaimed.
Mutio and the other Chimerans in the room nodded to verify this.
"Yes, yes, yes." chuckled Trento, ruffling his feathers sheepishly. "I don't mean to boast, but I had to go through quite a few hoops to be placed in charge of a Musuca."
"So...yeah." said Hayami. "What do you guys have planned, anyway?"
The door opened, and Amonyushuu came in.
"Ah, Amonyushuu." said Trento, spreading his wings.
He took off and hovered half a foot in front of Amonyushuu's face.
"Smashingly fantastic to see you alive and well!"
"Thanks, Captain Trento." said Amonyushuu. "Were you able to find Brother Verg?"
"Unfortunately, no." said Trento, his beak bent as if he were frowning. "But Bolzano and I already have a strategy as to how we will deal with that. Also, we still have our Musucas intact and well-manned, and we can bring you aboard either one of your choosing. You will find either one to be perfectly worthy of transporting you to-"
"Thanks, captain." said Amonyushuu. "But I think I'll stay aboard Blue-6 for now."
Trento looked at her dumbstruck, and perched himself on her shoulder. He whispered into her ear.
"Erm, are you sure about that?" he asked her quietly. "I highly recommend leaving...now. It's what your brother would want, after all. You wouldn't want him to think you're deserting us."
Bolzano nodded.
"Yeah, especially after what happened with her."
He pointed his pole in Mutio's direction.
"Though, it's probably for the best." said Trento. "Bolzano is going to be sending his Kumos to search the surface for Admiral Verg. I will be searching the water near where Verg disappeared. Either one will be very dangerous, but at least you would've been safe with us."
"I feel perfectly safe with Blue-6." said Amonyushuu.
Levina shook her head at her, and let out a low growling noise.
"Yes, I'm aware what almost happened." said Amonyushuu. "But it didn't, because the crew did everything in their power to make sure we were safe."
"Levina, I want you to stay with Amonyushuu, and make sure she doesn't get hurt again." said Bolzano. "Basically, what you've already been doing."
"And what should we do about Mutio, hmm?" asked Trento, turning his head around.
"Uh..." hesitated Bolzano. "She can stay too, I guess. At least until we find Verg."
Trento flew back to Bolzano, and perched himself back on his shoulder.
"Actually, I'm going to need both her and Giorgia." said Trento. "I'm running short of pilots for my Musuca's Kumos...especially since the other Musucas got the good ones...bother it all."
Mutio's eyes widened, and she looked at Hayami. Her lower lip was quivering.
"Hold on, bird-boy." said Hayami, approaching Trento and Bolzano. "Mutio's my responsibility. I'm not letting you just take her."
"Hayami...!" said Iga, grabbing him by the shoulder and pulling him back."
"Why not?" asked Bolzano, half-laughing. "She's one of us. And we're both Musuca captains. We outrank her!"
"Besides, I don't think you have a say in this." said Trento. "This is between us captains."
Then Mutio went up to the Chimeran captains, and hissed anxiously at them. She made several gestures with her hands, including pointing at Hayami a couple of times.
"Of course we know who he is." said Bolzano, before turning to Hayami. "Admiral Verg told us to watch out for you. You're lucky we were the ones that found you. Most of the other captains wouldn't have been as nice to you."
"But still, our mission is to watch over your kind and make sure nothing happens that could cause another war." said Iga. "Captain Trento, would you object if I were to send some of my Grampuses to assist you in your search?"
"Assist us?" asked Trento. "You can barely assist yourselves."
He wasn't saying this in a boastful manner, but a concerned one.
"Don't you worry about us." said Iga. "We can handle ourselves. This boat still has plenty of juice in her."
"Very well, Captain Iga." said Trento. "I don't exactly have a large crew, anyway."
A/N: I modeled Trento's appearance after Murugu from Yu Yu Hakusho. Hopefully, he won't turn out to be as annoying as her.
