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While Roche wanted Sona to be brought to the destined area, it was clear Roche was implying otherwise. Mai would not involve Sona any further. A schemer would be a great asset to Mai's power, and not giving Roche what was needed or wanted allowed her to see Roche's aptitude. With the supposed ability in hypnosis and conducting complex operations, Roche should be able to make use of what Mai was going to give to her.
Moreover, trust was an important factor especially towards a schemer. Clever, cunning, subtle, and almost always able to pull the strings even in the most impossible, hopeless situations was worth noting. One of such schemers known were: 'Aristocrat', Mashiro, and Yukino. There were more, but very few in numbers that could be easily mistaken for a schemer. Aside from the numbers, schemers could be both an ally and an enemy, which had been for Roche.
"Hello? Is this Mrs Sona's hand phone?" Mai spoke behind the mask, standing on the rooftop of a building that was closed.
"Y-yes… Who is this?" Sona tentatively spoke, despite of the voice that sounded somewhat familiar.
"Don't be afraid. It's me, the Masked Heroine that saved you from the theatre and flew you over to Avena Hospital until there was a gunfight there." Mai hoped Sona was not too stressed out, because it was clear Sona just wanted to go home with at least knowing her wife was safe and recovering soundly.
"Yes, I remember. I'm sorry, but can you help me?" Sona's hopeful voice made Mai guilty at not letting her get involved.
Mai decided to give half of the truth, "Not yet, but do you remember the woman who wanted you captured at the theatre? I need her as an asset and she knows the whereabouts of Mrs Tia." She braced for the outrage thrown at her, but she was met with silence instead.
Nervous was an understatement. While Sona did not know that it was Mai who was the masked saviour, Mai would rather not have another encounter like this ever again. Fortunately, Sona responded and enquired further.
"Alright, where do I meet you? Are you the one behind all this chaos?" Sona sounded weary, but determined to believe in the 'Masked Heroine' because of Tia at whatever cost.
"Hold on there. I'm not giving you to her and no I wasn't. It's your choice, but I want to test her aptitude in what she does best, scheming. I only need a part of you: accessories, jewelleries, clothes or whatsoever. Then, I'm bringing you to a safe hideout where my buddies can take care of you." Mai explained to her, and was returned with a frustrated sigh.
"Saving me and then putting myself in another's clutches, while… *sigh* Will I see my wife there when you 'save' her?" Sona said.
Mai assured Sona confidently, "I promise to save your wife, and I will bring her there and make sure to call you to hear her voice at the same time." She lightly smiled as Sona replied sincerely.
"Thank you. Where will you take me?" Sona asked.
Mai chuckled sheepishly, "Well, I'll come pick you up wherever you are, just look for my light. And I hope you don't mind being around goths."
"I beg your pardon?" Sona's puzzled voice brought a grimace to Mai's lips just as the communication was over.
After some time meeting up with Sona and bringing her to safe a place, a castle lounge of goths, the 'Masked Heroine' had quite the chat with her. Although Mai already knew much about what happened to Tia, Sona had told her about what happened as she asked of it. It was to cover Mai up a little, but there was suspicion in Sona's eyes.
Still, Sona told Mai that she was left alone going through the tents and speaking with the medics on the whereabouts of her wife. What they told to Sona was that Tia was escorted by the police because of a special case of sorts. They mentioned a detective had Tia escorted safely elsewhere because of the dangers she would bring. The medics agreed as they had their hands full and did not need any more danger. Moreover, no one was able to help Sona get in contact with the escorts, or that they were unwilling from her perspective.
Sona was tired and would not rest until she personally saw Tia before her. Sona begged of the 'Masked Heroine' to save Tia even if it cost her life. Mai replied that it might come to that, though she would rather not. Sona gave Mai a ring that both she and Tia wore on their marriage. Their initials were engraved on it and should be well off as proof with Tia's ring.
Mai inquired if the ring had been taken off from Tia when Sona had last seen it on Tia. As Tia was recuperating after the surgery, Sona put it back on after asking the doctor if it was allowed. There was no harm to it, so the doctor agreed and Tia was wearing the ring on her ring finger without a doubt. This information was vital to Mai and Roche to be put to use if they were going to use the couple's rings.
With that knowledge and upon arriving to the safe fortress, as Mai had called it, Sona was met with a bunch of sombre, dark-humoured goths keeping Sona safe. The goths were not bad really. Sona surprisingly found them fondly interesting because of their dark poetries. That relieved Mai's mind as she did not want to make Sona feel cramped and stressed into exhaustion. Truthfully, the goths kept to themselves and were very observant of who they approach and talk to. So they sometimes would come off as unapproachable or uncertain to socialize with.
With the ring safely stored inside the satchel's pouch, a stack of smoke grenades and EMP bombs inside the satchel burrowed from the goths, Mai journeyed towards a car park far off from the city to meet Roche. Mai did not expect for the meeting to be located at a military outpost. Roche warned Mai that depending on what Mai brought to the meeting, she would come up with an improvised plan. Roche has her henchmen and hypnosis, but it would be no match to the firepower of armoured vehicles and elite soldiers.
One thing that bothered Mai was, why have the police go to a military outpost? It brought too much attention to the public eye not to be nosy. Then again, ASIC possessed nation-wide powers to hush the media and public. Either way, Mai hoped she was not going to be their enemy or that she would be dragged into a part of Roche's plans. It was all in a gamble that Mai daringly charged into and exhilarated from it.
And so, Mai arrived at the car park where the road was headed towards a military outpost. Behind Mai was the city far away until the skyscrapers roof could be barely seen. A single limo was parked there at the centre of the car park amongst the rest of some vehicles. Roche stood next to the limo with a cigarette lit between her fingers, arms crossed and head turned to look at Mai with grin. It seemed like Roche was alone, aside from the driver. Mai landed before Roche and pulled out the ring Sona gave to her, but Roche stopped her.
"There's no need to show me. I knew what you brought." Roche said, pinching her fingers to the lit end of the cigarette before giving it to her driver to dispose of it.
Mai tilted her head, "Your fingers alright?" She asked, surprising Roche.
Roche huffed and did not bother to answer, pulling the door open and sat inside the limo. Mai shrugged and followed after. The two settled inside the limo as they waited for the driver to return shortly.
"You carried more than an olive branch." Roche looked to the satchel hung next to 'Lady Fists' hips.
Mai chuckled, "I'm going in alone with a viper at my side, and into the wolves den to rescue a sleeping warrior." She patted her satchel to hint to Roche she was carrying a dozen items in it.
Roche smirked and snapped her fingers as the driver got in the driver's seat. The driver started the car and drove towards the outpost.
"So, you can hypnotise people, but how is it any different from other hypnosis?" Mai enquired.
Roche amusedly smiled, "Interviewing me already, Lady Fists?" She turned her brown-eyes, holding a long, boring stare at Lady Fists.
Mai quirked a brow behind the masks, but as she gaze at those brown-eyes, she felt strangely slippery at grasping her mind.
"Somewhat." Mai tersely replied, and found herself unable to turn her head away.
Roche smiled, a smile that salaciously carved her lips in a slight purse. As if being drawn to the odd motion of Roche's lips, Mai's own lips followed.
"My dear, perhaps you would find something about me." With a gentle tilt of Roche's head, the bangs of her coppery-hair falling to the side of her cheek, and the slight descent of her eyelids, she had Mai drawing closer to her.
Encroaching into Roche's personal space and with every slightest tilt as Mai got closer, she gasped as Mai said.
"In your dreams." Mai leaned back on her seat and laughed at the incredulous look on Roche's face.
"But how?" Roche was shocked that Mai had just tricked her from the trance and almost successfully hypnotism.
"I like younger people; no offense to you. You're beautiful, but not my type." Mai answered, evasively curbing the truth that she was trance-fixed by Roche's beauty.
Roche huffed and scowled as she leaned on the car's window. All those years of perfecting techniques at hypnosis that Roche had studied, tested, and even endangered herself to master hypnosis; and eventually becoming the best schemer. Every twitch, angle, attraction, perception, observation, and analysis from another were used by Roche into a mind game of alchemical exchanges. Start an encounter or event, prolong the connection without causing caution to the motions around them, luring them by their will as their motivations were indulged on a persuasive illusion that would not be fulfilled and extended, and then end the ties with a hopeful naivety towards their supposed success.
Yet, encountering someone like 'Lady Fists' to have repelled Roche's pre-trance hypnosis was a marvellous encounter in itself. Roche needed 'Lady Fists' to cut ties with ASIC, the organization that she had fallen into their hands. Relying too much on hypnosis, Roche was the predator-turned-prey when she tried to hypnotise a prime minister to her own bidding. Now possessing knowledge in divination, hypnotism, and strategy, Roche would become a formidable foe and ally just yet, after betraying ASIC and deemed her worthless to their organization.
"I have a plan." Roche started, folding her hands over lap and leaning her back on the seat.
"Alright, let's hear it." Mai said, to which Roche smirked and looked at her with an odd mischief in those brown-eyes.
Roche giggled and opened a compartment right in-between their seats, a rather large compartment for a human-body to go inside. Mai frowned and glared at Roche.
"No need to fret Lady Fists. Let them take the satchel in while I keep them busy from opening it. You will be launched when it is time. From there onwards, you will adapt and begin whenever you are ready." Roche explained and eased back on the seat.
"How do I know I can trust you? What exactly are you or I have to do?" Mai questioned, and she earned a knowing look and giggle from Roche.
"Do what you do best at Lady Fists, and that is rescuing Mrs Tia. While I will weave about what you have brought upon them." Roche said.
"That's being cryptic." Mai's deadpanned tone amused Roche.
"Is it? It's very simple to understand truly." Roche quipped, waving a hand to the compartment, prompting Mai to go inside after putting the satchel on the passenger seat.
Mai scoffed as she entered, "Sure. Sass me lady. Don't start complaining when I do something that's not up to your standards."
"I am a schemer, after all." Roche smiled as shut the compartment.
"That doesn't rectify anything." Mai's muffled back.
Roche laughed and shook her head as she lowered the window. The after silence let Roche know that Mai could hear the air whip into the car. The outpost was still a distant away until the limo crossed a small bridge over a ditch. That would be where the limo would send Mai off from underneath the trunk. As for the satchel, Roche would not touch it and let the guards from the outpost take it. For 'Lady Fists' to have simply agreed to Roche was suspicious. The satchel must have a trap should Roche open it. Perhaps it was better to leave it in ASIC's hands and let them take the fall.
Then, after a shift in momentum of the limo going over a speed bump, it was time to begin.
"Good luck." Roche slapped on top of the seat behind the compartment and sent Mai off towards the side of the limo.
Just as the front bumper of the limo went through thick bushes on either side, Mai was dropped onto the asphalt and slide across into the bushes, her back on what looked like a board with wheels. It seemed like the limo going through a car wash, a shrubbery one at that. But no, in the thick bushes were cameras directed on either sides to look into the limo. Mai had slid right under one of the cameras and rolled further down pass the bushes and into the thicket.
As the board rolled down the bumpy slope of dirt in the thicket, Mai raised her head to look below. Just as Mai did that, the board suddenly stopped itself with a hook clawing into the dirt. Mai slid off the board and tumbled down the slope on her rear, thankful to have worn the suit protecting her from the rough surface of the dirt. And before falling into the ditch below Mai, she grabbed onto a tree and successfully stayed rooted.
Getting up on the slope with the aid of the tree, Mai easily found her balance on the rough dirt and trekked back up. The visor relayed to Mai that security was online. Tapping into the cameras as well as its location, Mai avoided its line of sight and hid inside the thicket and bushes. Suddenly, Mai had a camera on a vantage point overlooking the bushes and thicket of the bridge and ditch. Immediately Mai got into a prone just as the guard raised her rifle to look into the scope.
The sentry was looking from the bridge first, and Mai quickly rolled back down the slope, clawing onto the dirt and laying prone. The camera highlighted Mai's figurine with a faint orange outline of her hands. The sentry looked past Mai, and she lowered her rifle to go to another vantage point. Mai quickly got back up the slope and crawled towards the outpost.
A myriad of questions stormed inside Mai's mind. Roche 'knew' that she carried something of Sona's in the satchel. It was hard to believe Roche, who was so sure and certain at reading the future. Though, considering that Roche had negotiated a deal with Mai and that she had set up a trap without Mai considering of it. Mai thought that it was just coincidences or that Roche had known all along. Mikoto seemed to believe the source of information wherever she got it from however. Mai's gut was telling her that she should agree with the latter.
After all, Roche did not expect Mai when rescuing Sona and got away. Then again, it was best not to think too much of it other than what Roche would do after severing from ASIC. A schemer was necessary to the oncoming plan that Mai had built up over the years with the underworld and secret organizations.
Mai got up on her knees and peered over the bushes to see a fence blocking her way. Mai was getting closer to the outpost and needed to infiltrate inside without alerting anyone of her presence. The visor pulled out a map of the outpost showed several locations of the cameras, securities, and most importantly the satchel tagged with a tracking device. Should the satchel be opened up, the tactical intelligence would alert her and allow her to remotely detonate the items inside in a scattered release. Props to the goths for the trap.
By the looks of the purple dot on the map, the satchel was being brought inside the outpost. Based on the movements going from the lobby and heading towards a section of the corridor with but one room at the end, that must be the meeting. No cameras were looking at that corridor or room, which made it even more dangerous and suspicious. Was Roche playing the double coins on Mai? Mai could try to get some info out from one of the guards, but that would immediately put time at risk. What could Mai do now?
For now, Mai trust her gut instinct and do what she did best at. Go in, disable the securities, sabotage any armoured vehicles and mounted turrets, and find Tia and get out with or without Roche.