Chapter 18 - Der Unbewußte Gott
Siba
The sky overhead was a dark grey, pouring rain down onto Siba Capital. In the storm, Ferraz Delahaye moved through the desolate roads and alleys to where she had been given instructions to go. She had fully defected from the TSAB - this propped-up government run by Midchilda - and looked to join the resistance. The woman in her mid-twenties with a half-cut of dark purple hair shuddered as a tree she passed under concentrated the rain hitting its limbs into a torrential spout dropping in her way.
She turned off the road to a side-area, where a path turned down a small hill before going under a bridge formed by another path above it. With the dark clouds in the sky blocking most light, Ferraz could see some figures standing on the path below the bridge, but only as black silhouettes against the light from the other side of the bridge. The figures seemed to be waiting for her. The ground mage walked to the edge of the part that was under the bridge, then stopped. She didn't like the situation it looked like she was getting herself into.
For safety, Ferraz held onto the standby form of her device, the dark purple rose-shaped gem of Subrosa. She held her other hand out in front of her, palm facing up, and summoned a ball of bright light. She grabbed the ball of energy and pushed it forward into the dark area. Sure enough, as it moved in a straight line through the air, it lit the sides of the area and revealed several other people who were here at this meetup. None had any weapons drawn, but all of them were facing her or at least acknowledging her presence. Ferraz' eyes briefly scanned over them before one of the figures in the middle of the path caught the ball of light and stopped it from continuing. When Ferraz got a good look at them, she gasped.
It was Lova Somna and Lucra Kern - The pair that went by Dancer and Dreamer in their past fights. Both women recognized Ferraz as well.
"What?" asked Lova, her quiet voice fighting against the rain to reach her audience. "Were you expecting something different?"
Ferraz stood frozen, conflicted between approaching as she was or activating her device and charging in. These two, who had fought so hard to bring the planet to its knees…
"Come on!" yelled Lucra. She gestured with one of her cybernetic arms towards Ferraz. "Get over here so we can have a normal conversation already."
Ferraz grunted in frustration but finally followed along. She walked under the bridge, glancing back and forth between the rest of the group that was standing by and watching - partly to make sure none of them surprised her if this was a trap, but also partly to avoid eye contact with the women she was now standing in front of.
"I know it must be a surprise to you," said Lova. Her voice was airy - delicate, almost. "I can see it in your eyes - when you let me get a glimpse of them. But there is not reason to be afraid, Miss…oh, what was your name again?"
"Ferraz," the ground mage spat. "Ferraz Delahaye."
"Lieutenant Ferraz Delahaye, right?"
When Ferraz tried to answer, she found herself shaking. The curve ball she'd been thrown with this situation genuinely was unexpected. It upset her, and it also brought her far too close to ruining her chances of joining the fight again Midchilda.
"N…not anymore. I - I…I left of course, you know, like a lot of others, a lot of others leaving and…d - doing this…"
"Those bastards from Midchilda just came down from above, took control and told you that you were scum," Lucra added. "I get it."
"We get it," said Lova. "We understand it far too well. All of us in your 'rebellion' as you called it. Ignored. Silenced. Punished. Banished, if needed, out of public eye. All in the name of 'restoring peace'. Restoring the status quo. We have known that feeling for a long time, and now it has finally happened to you."
In one quick motion, Ferraz reached out with her device, transforming it into its weapon form as an energy sword. The glowing purple energy blade rested dangerously close to Lova's skin. As several people on the sides of the area activated their own devices, Lucra pushed forward and held an arm out in front of her partner. She stared daggers at Ferraz, and Ferraz answered back with the same.
"Don't you dare go there!" Ferraz yelled. "This is not the same at all. You broke the law, and when you met the consequences, you all decided to just burn the place down. You're anarchists, nothing more than that. I was on the Bureau, I fought for the planet, I tried as hard as I could, but Midchilda made me redundant! Just for being a Siban, I am wrong. And I guess I must say out loud, to you - to them - to the world! - that I'm sorry for having too much heart to let them do to our planet as they see fit."
Lucra still glared at Ferraz.
"That's all well and good," she replied, "but while you're here, you better put your device away right now and don't you dare even touch it until you're told."
"…and why does it have to be you two…" Ferraz mumbled.
Lova reached up and grabbed her partner's arm, pushing it out of the way. Lucra glanced sideways in concern but Lova was focused on Ferraz.
"If we are to win this," said Lova, "there cannot be this sort of…lingering fire inside you. You cannot leave their Administration Bureau yet still think you must fight for them. There is no 'you versus me' anymore. We are on the same side, and this fight is 'us versus them'. Now, I will ask you some questions, and your answers here determine how we proceed. You can join our fight against the Bureau that's put you and your fellow Sibans out in the cold, or we can have a pointless, meaningless fight wrapped in the safety blanket of your own convictions. It's all your choice, Ferraz."
Still trembling, Ferraz just breathed in sharply and spat her response back.
"Fine. Go ahead."
"Good. Now, the most important thing to determine - will you take an order?"
There was a hidden part of that question that Ferraz picked up on, and Lova caught Ferraz' eyes widening as the former officer processed it. Would Ferraz take an order from the two women she was standing in front of? As much as Ferraz didn't want to say it, she knew what her one and only choice was here.
"…Yes…" she finally said.
The green haired woman smiled in response.
"Then put away your device."
A tense silence sat around the women. Nothing happened at first. Ferraz continued to aim her weapon toward the two who had been her enemies until just now. Now, Ferraz only looked at Lova and Lucra. The rest of the world disappeared from her focus completely. It was all so unimportant compared to this conversation. The last thing she wanted was to follow the instructions of someone she wished she could beat to a pulp this very second. In her conflicted mind though, the thought of turning away to go back and be a proxy for Midchilda's efforts was next to it in intensity. But then, there was the thought of how Ferraz left - with a failed attempt to take her subordinates with her. She could never go back after that.
With an anguished grunt, Ferraz deactivated Subrosa and put the gem away. She showed Lucra and Lova her empty palms in an exaggerated motion before her arms lowered.
"There. I - I did it, I - I did what you wanted."
Lova nodded. She took slow, deliberate steps towards Ferraz as the green-haired woman continued.
"Very good. But I still see tension in you, uneasiness… That isn't unwillingness, is it?"
"N - no, no it's not," Ferraz raced. "I told you, I can't go back, I - I can't do that now."
"No, you can't. So, next question, will you fight for us?"
Ferraz tried her hardest to nod through that paralyzing tension. "Yes, yes, I'll fight against Midchilda."
Lova stopped walking. She was right in front of Ferraz now. Inches separated them, and her piercing look into Ferraz' eyes seemed sharper than it had ever been. She smiled again.
"Will you fight for me?"
Another cold chill ran through Ferraz' body. She'd been putting off the thought for as long as she could, but it had to be a part of this now. Ferraz wouldn't be equals with the two she'd fought so hard to stop; she'd be their soldier. She'd be a pawn. They would give her orders and she would follow them.
No. Dammit, this was wrong. This wasn't what she wanted! She had pride. She was fighting back for her planet, not for the will of these anarchists. Her face went hot. Embarrassment, not anger. To imagine herself taking orders from the ones she had fought so hard…but yet, it was unavoidable. They were right. They and she had common enemies. And she might as well accept that now and get this whole initiation and realization over with; it was only this embarrassing because she allowed it to be. She could follow along. She could bow her head and nod when asked. Or maybe, she could just cut these two up into a million little pieces right now, and damned if she survived the fight or not…
"Ferraz," Lova said again. The former officer's thoughts all stopped and she was brought back to the present. Lova continued. "This is your last chance. Will you fight for me?"
"Yes," Ferraz answered. "Yes, I will-"
"Say my name when you speak to me."
"Y - y…yes, Lova, I will fight for you."
Lova smiled again. She titled her head slightly.
"Good, good. That's what I wanted to hear."
She lifted her hand up to Ferraz' face. Ferraz watched as Lova gently placed her palm on Ferraz' cheek. Then, Lova moved her thumb down and put the tip of it in Ferraz' mouth. The ground mage gasped in surprise and started reaching up to push Lova away.
"No," Lova ordered. "Don't move."
Ferraz slowly lowered her arm again. Her eyes were once again focused on Lova's, but they were now searching for a clue. She dared not glance down as Lova slowly moved her thumb around Ferraz' lips, rubbing it across her teeth and pressing up against the lips from inside so Ferraz clearly felt it. Then, Lova pushed her thumb between Ferraz's teeth, shifting her hand to hold Ferraz' head tighter. Ferraz grunted once from surprise again, but that was all she dared to do. As Lova slowly ran her thumb across Ferraz' tongue, she laughed softly and muttered to herself. She enjoyed this; it was a small victory against the mage she and Lucra had dealt with before - blindly loyal, brutal and brash, unreachable. Oh, she could reach her now. Yes, she could…
When Lova felt she'd made her point, she pressed her thumb once more against Ferraz' tongue and pulled her hand away, pausing to see the saliva trail that stayed between her thumb and the ground mage's open mouth for a moment. Lova broke that trail and stepped back, wiping her hand on the side of her shirt.
"Come with us now," she called out. "We've spent enough time here."
She turned to walk away and Lucra did the same. The other mages in the shadows stepped out to follow as well. Ferraz finally looked down, realizing her mouth was still partially open from what Lova had done. She clasped her hands in front of her as she closed her mouth with an autonomy that momentarily felt alien to her. She stood frozen for a moment before looking up again and seeing the group leaving her behind. She suddenly grew nervous of what Lucra and Lova would do if she trailed too far behind, and she raced to catch up.
Deep in the dark city, Teana and Subaru were fighting back. Another group of bandits had attacked among the rubble and the two girls found themselves fighting to survive. The rumors were true; this was more than untrained fighters. Some had weapons that meant they'd been a part of the Siban Bureau.
Teana ducked behind the cover after firing back. She looked over at Subaru, concerned. Her friend was seated, back pressed against the wall with blood running out of a gash on her leg.
"Keep it raised, idiot!" Teana yelled. Another round slammed the barricade and shook both girls. Teana focused down on her device as it began charging mana.
"I'm trying, Tia!" Subaru cried back.
"You can still move, right?"
"Yeah, just…ahh, it hurts…"
"We can't stay here forever. Especially if those Gauss Staffs still have cartridges. Okay, Cross Mirage, Cross Fire Full Burst!"
She stepped out into the open again and pulled the trigger. The orange energy burst shot from the barrel but quickly froze in front of her and broke into multiple energy balls. The Enforcer glanced around quickly at her attackers and determined her targets. She swung her arm forward and the group of energy balls surged forward. A couple of the shots went out toward individual targets, to push them back into cover. The rest grouped up to target two closer mages. Both had to stop and put up protective barriers to stop the enhanced attack. They too were momentarily held back. Teana ducked around the cover again and looked out from what was alongside their cover. She took a deep breath and held her hand up.
"Fake Silhouette."
Next to her and Subaru, a holographic image of Subaru formed in. The image shot out of the cover on a blue ribbon of energy, as if Subaru was using Wing Road. As Teana hoped would happen, a flurry of energy shots struck the wall in the path of the illusion, but none were fast enough to hit the hologram and break it.
"Okay, Subaru, now's our chance!"
Teana helped Subaru up and they both moved into a building that was nearby. It was a warehouse. The floor was mostly open, but there was a partial row of boxes near the back. The two girls got around the row and got Subaru at the end of the corridor. She released her arm from her partner and gasped in pain as she fell back against the wall and slid to sitting down again.
"Okay," Teana muttered rapidly, "let's regroup, it'll be okay… Cross Mirage, how many cartridges do you have left?"
The orange gem inside the pistol pulsed as it answered.
[ONE CARTRIDGE REMAINING]
Teana would have yelled her curse out if she could afford to raise her voice.
"I am not letting this happen to us on this broken backwater planet, and especially not from a bunch of stuck up brats who won't let us do our work!" she said.
Subaru shut her eyes tight and laughed.
"Aha, Tia…"
"It's true! Don't you agree with me?"
"Well, yeah, but…"
Subaru trailed off, and Teana looked back at her.
"Okay, Subaru, I'm going to run back and try to hold them off. If that doesn't work, then…then you just need to do the best you can, okay?"
The Enforcer gripped her weapon tightly with both hands and was ready to turn and leave when Subaru called out.
"Wait, Tia! If we die, then-"
"I never said anything about dying, idiot!"
"But I just want to say, if we die, then…"
The blue-haired girl shut her eyes tightly again with a wide smile and pressed her hands close to her chest.
"…then I'm so happy you've been there and done everything you have for me! You're the best friend I could have ever asked for."
"Subaru, please, keep the sentiment to your-"
Teana paused. She didn't finish her sentence. The best her partner knew, this was the time and place for that. And as much as Teana wanted to ignore that, she had the thought that this might just be it. Last chance for anything to be said. She sighed and then knelt down in front of Subaru.
"You know what, Subaru? Thank you. I appreciate that, and I feel the same."
"Really? Wow, Tia!"
"I mean, what, could it have really been different than that, I mean, it's not like I was always…well, okay, I was, sometimes, but you know I didn't mean it, and…"
She shook her head free of all the various tangents she was going down. She had something clear to say.
"Subaru, what I'm saying is that I'll be kicking myself till the end of time in the afterlife if I don't do this now."
Teana closed her eyes, leaned in, and kissed Subaru. The blue-haired girl looked wide-eyed for a moment before finally processing this. She shut her eyes too and went along with it. Eventually, Teana pulled back again and looked at Subaru with wide eyes. She just stayed like that for a bit, and Subaru's happy smile eventually showed slight confusion.
"Ahh, Tia? Did…did you like it?"
Tia stayed frozen for a moment more, before finally whispering something under her breath.
"Delicious…"
Behind her, one of the aggressive mages rounded the corner on the row of boxes. She saw the two Bureau mages and stopped in her tracks.
"Found 'em!" she yelled. "And they're mine…"
The attacker reactivated her weapon - a pole arm with energy blades along the two ends. She cried out as she ran at Teana and Subaru. Teana felt a newfound determination to fight, and she listened behind her without turning her head. When the attacker got within striking distance, Teana shot up to one foot and aimed the other at the person's head. She timed it perfectly, and the attacker was struck backwards from the kick and stumbled to the floor. Teana turned to look down the corridor now, and she manipulated her weapon so she pulled her hands away to have two identical pistols. She fired with both, a barrage of energy that blasted the mages back who got in its way. Teana moved forward. She kept the barrage up and sent her enemies diving for any cover to protect themselves. Teana reached the mouth of the corridor and looked out to see the open exit of the Warehouse again.
"Subaru!" she yelled.
"I'm on it!" her partner answered. Subaru was back on her feet, racing over to Teana on Mach Caliber. As a light blue path formed under her skates, Subaru began to rise into the air. She passed behind Teana, and the Enforcer held an arm up for Subaru to grab and pull her up as well. Teana clung onto Subaru's back as they sped across the warehouse but also lifting higher.
"Tia!" shouted Subaru.
Teana looked forward and knew they weren't ducking down to go through the door. She aimed Cross Mirage and fired at the window they were barreling towards, shattering it before her partner would have hit it. The two continued on the road of energy, away from the battleground, above the road, over to wherever safety would be.
Eventually, the two touched down by the ruins of the Siba Capital TSAB Headquarters. Since the initial eruption of the magic from the ground that took all those people, the headquarters had been almost inaccessible. The building had collapsed, and nothing but rubble was to be found in the area around it.
"Oh no…" said Subaru, shocked. "Could it really have done this?"
"You're looking at it right in front of you," said Teana. "Can't lie to yourself."
So many people, paralyzed in white…reaching up with grasping hands to a god they could not reach.
"Let's go, Subaru. I can't stand this place."
"Wait! Wait, Tia, I think I see something!"
The blue-haired girl raced off before her partner could stop her. Teana groaned and ran after the girl. Soon, she caught up as Subaru had stopped to see something.
"Is that… a person?" Teana asked.
"And they're alive! Hey, we're coming!" Subaru yelled. She hurried off once again but now Teana followed intently. Next to the rubble, there was a woman with medium length red hair slouched over. She breathed in and out, but it was slow and raggedy.
Subaru's Disaster Prevention training kicked in. She checked the woman's condition. Pale skin, a thinness that had to come from starvation…
"Hey, Miss, can you hear me? You're going to be okay."
The woman weakly looked up at the two girls.
"I'm…not…" she croaked.
Both Teana and Subaru felt like they recognized the face when they saw it. It was Teana who realized it first. Her blood went cold as she responded.
"Negati?" she asked.
Negati Kardenis shut her eyes and coughed several times. They were quiet but pained.
"I'm not…not leaving him…"
Teana and Subaru finally noticed what was next to the woman. It was a male body, long dead, with a chuck of metal from the structure of the collapsed building piercing into his left side. The base of the metal was caked with dried blood. The man's eyes were open in one last pained expression. The stains around his mouth indicated he'd choked on his own blood. Resting by the body's right hand was a gem - green in color, with a mostly circular shape aside from some pointed areas that stuck out like rays from a sun. it was held close to the man's wrist with a cord that wrapped several times around the wrist and also ran through the top of the gem itself.
It was Aphelion - Bathory Kardenis' device, still wound around the arm of its dead master.
"No…" Subaru gasped with shock. "Bathory…"
"I'm not leaving him…" Negati whispered lightly. "My husband…"
Both Teana and Subaru knew that. It was only a few weeks ago that the couple was on Midchilda for a night before leaving for the first of Hayate's efforts, and both girls had seen them that night. Now, Bathory was gone and Negati was waiting on death's doorstep to join him.
"I'm…I'm going to call for an extraction…" Teana said. She stood, trying to maintain professionalism as a safeguard from the scene before her. Subaru did her best to comfort Negati, or at least distract the woman as best she could. Neither could afford for the unnamed feeling to hit and take another victim away.