Chapter 20: Harrowed Data
If she hadn't been wide awake, Natsuki might've insisted that she was hallucinating. But here she was, staring at a note that at some point had been pushed beneath the door. Should she open it? Apprehensively she stared at the folded paper between her fingertips. Placing it to her ear cautiously, she warily brought it back before her. 'Calm down, there isn't a bomb. It's just a note—of course there isn't a bomb?!' There isn't even a damned place to hide it? The paper crinkled inside her iron grip until she realised a moment later. Relaxing, she released a strained breath and quickly flipped the note open.
"I know you're awake. In the corner is an old floorboard that can be removed. Put the note in there after reading it."
Glancing over towards the opposite end of the room, Natsuki could see one of the floorboards angled upwards slightly. That was definitely the one, and this handwriting? It was Helene's.
"Schwartz have tried taking control of the academy. I have locked them out of the Founder's System and scrambled the database. What they don't know is there's an older section of the system I am using to transfer data to the Administar. There will be a short time to materialise tonight at 4am. Make sure the Archmeister is ready. I have your GEM."
—H.
What?! Natsuki's heart thundered in her chest. They were having an uprising?! Scrunching the note into her fist, Natsuki haphazardly started pacing. "Shit... Shit... Shit!" What is she going to do?! The note dropped to the floor as her fingers tugged into her hair. "What the fuck am I doing to do?!" Noticing the note had dropped, she rushed to scoop it back up and hurried to the corner. Throwing the folded paper aside, she felt around the edges of the floorboard—it lifted enough, and she slipped the note inside the dark crevice.
"What am I supposed to do?" 'What can I do?!' Is there anything that can be done in the first place?! Natsuki was terrified; nor did she know the circumstances outside her room—her prison, essentially. What were Schwartz and Artai doing to her academy?! Jumping up, she restarted her pacing. Were the staff and students well? For all Natsuki knew, they could be dead! The possibility petrified and enraged her. How dare they? Halting in her tracks, the Headmistress slowly shifted her gaze to the Archmeister. She was knocked out cold in bed.
Ever since returning, Shizuru had been fatigued. Natsuki wasn't… she… Sighing, she clasped her cold, sweaty palms to her face. Why couldn't they just catch a break?
That and, well; Helene could no longer show up. Schwartz had indefinitely seized control of the lab by the sounds of the note. But Helene herself? Where was she in this? Was she for or against Garderobe? Or…? Suspecting the medical scientist was obscene, but still.
"...Hmhm… Natsuki…?"
Twisting around within her squatting position, Natsuki watched as the Archmeister sluggishly rolled around in bed. The woman's bandaged arm slipped from the blanket, reaching around the bed.
"Shiz." Drifting over to the woman's side, she grabbed the Archmeister's hand. Leaning in closely, she said; "It's an emergency, Shizuru. You need to wake up; it's Helene. There's going to be an uprising soon."
An uprising? The Archmeister's eyes flew open. "When?"
"4am."
Prising herself up in bed, Shizuru automatically brushed her bandaged fingertips to her GEM. Awaiting a signal, there was nothing but static greeting her ear. She caught the woman's stare exhaustedly, sliding her unwounded palm to her eyes. "Then we only have one chance." She mumbled tiredly, pushing sleep from her eyes. "Is anything else known?" How on Earl was she going to be at her best when partially deaf and injured? Was she to become a mere burden for Natsuki?
She… she was scared.
Two knocks echoed inside of the room quietly. "Headmistress, Archmeister; it's me. I am coming inside." Without a pause, the click of the lock sounded and the door was gently pushed open. The scientist crept inside warily, almost bumping straight into Natsuki. The two women stared at one another, neither unsure what to say.
"... Helene." Natsuki started quietly, standing in front of Shizuru who exhaustedly sat at the foot of the bed. "You look awful."
"Likewise." Helene's hand remained on the door handle. Cautiously she closed it shut, and faced the Headmistress fully. "We don't have long. The Founder's System is about to activate. The predicted duration is twenty minutes—probably shorter. Armed guard is constantly down here, we only have a few minutes." Hurriedly cramming her hand into her coat pocket, Helene passed over a small box. "It's your GEM."
"How did you manage to keep it hidden?" Natsuki opened the small box, revealing the Ice Silver Crystal.
"Schwartz would never dare touch Hazakura Sakura." The underweight scientist smiled gravely.
"Hazaku-..." The Grandmother of Artai! Of course. The safest place is right under your nose. The Taiyuan royal had requested to be entombed in Garderobe rather than Artai. With a husband such as Nagi Dai Artai's father, it wasn't all that surprising, sadly. Natsuki would never have imagined checking in the seemingly most obvious location. "But why hasn't Shizuru's GEM been taken?"
"Schwartz considered her far too weak—please, Natsuki." She gestured to the door as movement was heard outside the room. Looking towards it hesitantly. "We can only stand our ground for so long, the stud-"
"The students?! Why didn't you say so?!" Natsuki hissed, throwing the box aside and carefully inserting the GEM through her pierced ear. Surprisingly the piercing had healed closed already. No matter, it was easy enough to break through.
"Natsuki, I am joining you." The Archmeister stood beside her.
"No, I-" Glancing at Shizuru, Natsuki closed her mouth a moment later. "Alright. I trust you." Her anxiety was tenfold. Absolutely everything now stood on their shoulders. Would they honestly prevail? There was no time to think any longer.
"Materialise!" — "Materialise!" The two Columns spoke in unison. Their transformation sequence illuminated the room brightly, causing Helene to angle her head away from them. They were blasted by static from their GEM intercoms, meaning they were only semi-connected to the Founder's System.
Once fully materialised, they paused as the robes glitched before fixing back together again. "Helene?!" Natsuki stared at her arm in shock, watching as the robe continued to flicker in and out.
"I'm sorry, scrambling the Founder's System did this." Manoeuvring away from the door, the medical scientist quickly warned; "The students—the ones who went missing. Schwartz experimented on them, they're GEMless Otome now."
The Headmistress could only stare coldly.
"Natsuki, I-"
"Natsuki." The Archmeister grabbed for her shoulders. "We m-"
"-What the fuck have they done to my students, Helene?!" Tearing her hands into the woman's coat collar, Natsuki dragged the woman close to her. "Answer me-!"
"What's going on in there?" A heavy, masculine accent demanded from the other side of the door. The three women froze, their attention shooting to the obstacle. The door handle was forcefully slammed down, and the door was opened roughly. Just as the door swung open, Shizuru slammed it shut against the riot-geared soldier. "Пидорас!"
Throwing Yohko aside against the wall, Natsuki charged the soldier, tearing the door asunder like Zipangese paper. Shards of wood flew into the corridor, smashing against the wall and soldier whose wind was crushed from his lungs. He gasped out, only for the Headmistress to snatch him by the throat. "Never underestimate me again." She seethed, bending his arm slowly backwards until a sickening snap was heard.
The man's scream carried across the labs as Shizuru burst through the door next, briskly heading for the end of the corridor. As she summoned her element, a volley of gunfire ricocheted towards her. Leaping backwards, she shouted: "Three!" Another crunch sounded from behind her, the shriek dying as Natsuki threw the soldier's rifle at Helene. The scientist barely caught it, having stumbled after them.
"Use it. I don't care how."
B-but she had never even fired a gun before?! Yohko stared after the Headmistress horror-struck, cowering downwards as more gunshots pelted against the corridor. Just make it end!
"Two rifles, one pistol. Pistol user is a Schwartz scientist." Shizuru informed quickly as Natsuki caught up. "I will distract them. My robe is stronger than yours."
"But our robes are failing!" Pressing into the wall as another wave of ammunition was unloaded their way, Natsuki made a grab for the Archmeister. "Shizuru, no!" No! Not again! Not like this!
Vaulting forward, Shizuru swung her double bladed naginata out, the extended blades arcing towards the three soldiers. Their legs were ripped from underneath their bodies without a moment's notice. Terrorised bawling flooded the lab once they realised what had happened to their bodies. Body parts, soaked blood and fleshy bits went flying across the chamber, as another soldier rushed in from down the metal steps.
"Stairs! Top side!" Shizuru bolted for cover as machine gunfire was bombarded down onto the lab platform. The bullets bounced against the metallic floor, sending scores of projectiles all across the chamber. One blitzed into the monitor of the system's computer, corrupting the Column's nanomachines. The duo collapsed as an agonising shockwave peppered their insides unrelentlessly.
Next, a full squad of soldiers rushed the steps and surrounded them. Machine guns and rifle barrels were aimed squarely upon them.
"You two never learn."
Natsuki's worst nightmare strode down the steps after the soldiers lazily. Revolver in hand, Arashi made a stop in front of Shizuru and Natsuki. "Helene! Be a darling and come here!"
What?
Natsuki's mind fogged over from the pain and the slow realisation. As the medical scientist terrifiedly approached them, she cooly eyed the woman as her head was crammed to the floor by a rifle muzzle.
"I suppose I should reward your loyalty." Arashi started, but was interrupted as Helene said:
"N-Natsuki, Sh-izuru, I-I'm sorry. They were going to ki-" Thrown over by a hit to the jaw by a rifle butt, all guns except for Arashi's aimed at her.
The apparent Grand Duke lifted a hand to stop the soldiers. "To think that you would go this far and attempt to trick me though." Her annoyance escalated dramatically as the three amputees continued to sob. Three sky-piercing shots blasted, barraging the chamber into a terrifying silence.
One second.
Ten seconds.
Thirty seconds.
One minute.
Two minutes.
"Your precious Founder has been corrupted. There's no saving Garderobe, unless…" As the three women were hauled up onto their feet by the soldiers, Arashi continued: "I'm sure you understand the consequences. But 'Oh, Arashi. How did you know such secrets?!'" Arching her shoulders, the Artain lifted her arms in mock puzzlement, a sinister smile splaying across her lips. "Right, Natsuki?"
No. No. N-o.
"But no matter, our experiment is working flawlessly already!"
"...What have you done?" Natsuki spat bitterly. "You b-"
Two swift shots tore the staff's unprotected eardrums, and the duo didn't realise what had happened until it was far too late.
From the corner of her eye, the Archmeister watched as Natsuki's body fell backwards, slamming into the floor beside her. Blood sailed after her messily, painting the floor and others like modern art. Distraughtly, she stared blankly at Natsuki's body.
"Helene, get her prepared for the experiment-"
Total oblivion unfolded. The Archmeister was sent into an uncontrollable rage, her adrenaline forming an impenetrable drive that aided her. Striking the nearest soldier in the throat, he stumbled backwards. Curses and bullets proceeded to litter the lab, the Archmeister's rage unstoppable.
Shellshocked and in no fit state to do anything, Helene blindly reached for the downed Headmistress. Her hands staining red as they jittered hysterically in her attempt to seal the stream of blood. It was hopeless! She's a medical scientist, not an army medic!
If the carnage wasn't enough already, more soldiers—not Artain—rushed down the steps. At some point a flashbang grenade was launched into the group, blinding and momentarily deafening Helene. As her eyes stung, and her ears rang painfully, an ouraged scream sounded behind her.
"You! You did this, didn't you?!" Arashi roared at Helene who flinched.
Before the Artain could pounce, Shizuru set upon her. The revolver went flying somewhere as the woman was flung over. The Artain soldiers had either been shot or disarmed; the rest could only watch as the Archmeister straddled her, her hands curling around Arashi's throat mercilessly. "You shot her; you shot Natsuki." She hissed terrifyingly calm, forcing herself into the woman's space. "I am going to destroy you."
"Fa-faugh-got." The sickening woman smirked, gagging for breath as her throat was constricted even tighter.
"Move out of the way?!" The Brigadier General of all people tore through the crowd of Windbloom and Aries soldiers. Finally inside the wartorn hellhole, Haruka could only stare at the gorey disaster that was still unfolding before her. As Nao and co pushed through the steadily increasing crowd, the redhead could only curse.
"Holy fucking shit."
The rest was a total blur for Shizuru who was heaved onto her feet by Haruka. Try as she might to reach Natsuki, the Ariesian blonde refused this. She sobbed, begged, hit the woman and cursed to the heavens. Instead within this mayhem, Natsuki was quickly removed from the room. All the Archmeister could do was fall to her knees and scream.
A/N: I was going to make this chapter the finale for Twanged Nerves and start a sequel. But having this beside such a short (two-three chapters) story is off putting. Nevertheless, don't worry; we aren't finished here yet for a while.
Thank you so much for the reviews. Please point out if something seems amiss in the story so I can wrap everything together nicely.
Next… Chapter 21: Shattered Dream