A/N: BEHOLD, MY GREATEST CREATION, THE EGG CARRI—I mean, my longest chapter ever posted on this site! Capping at nearly 8k words, I think it's safe to say as far as chapters go that this is my magnum opus on this site. At least...for now. Who knows if any future chapters will surpass this one? Here is the long awaited jailbreak chapter.
I gotta tell you, these flexed up shifts cause of Black Friday are rough, BUT I soldier on and still seek to bring you guys content. My resolve shall not be broken!
Anyways, I hope you all greatly enjoy this one. I put a lot of heart and soul into it. As always, please read and review! I await your reactions...
A gentle smile.
She laughs, yet you hear nothing of your own words.
A smell so sweet, like honey.
Long, flowing hair.
The distance suddenly grows.
A ring of fire bursts around her.
She falls down.
You run over to her.
She is dead.
Another smiles at you.
Blue. Blue everywhere.
A lot of purple too.
You swear you saw her recently.
She takes your hand tenderly.
An assassin, glowing red eyes.
A knife through the heart.
A burst of energy dispels through the air.
A black crystal falls.
She is dead too.
Yet another woman.
Covered in white, skin dark.
She bows with great respect to you.
Suddenly, she sobs intensely.
A spear in her hands.
She stabs herself, and dies.
The shadow of Homura stands before a manifestation of impending doom.
The voice. The voice!
It screeches again.
.
Y̷̨̟̝͕̻͇̦̬̤̗͇͉̜͚̠̋̏̽͊͊͂̐͆̓͒̔͐̃̓͂͘͘ē̴̹̩͙͚͍͝t̸͙̜̺̗̯͖̔͂͗̽͆̓̔̃͒̂̚̕͜ ̸̢̨̧̤̤̻͇̻̤̫͚̹̞͐̾͑̃͗̽͌̄̌̾͂̂͆͒̉̽̚͜a̵̞͇̥͍̺͇̥̞̘͛̽̀́̂̑̒͘̚͝g̷͍̠͉̍͆̑͗͐͌͛̔͆̀̂̆͘͝a̷̩̩͍͎̝̪̝̲̝̺̼̪̮͛̇į̸̟̺͚͙̦̩̣̩̺͈̺͖̀̂̊͛̎̑͒͂̋͆̓̅̚n̵̨̛̛͙̩͓̬͚̻̤͉͕̄̈̉͑̀̍̈́̉͘͘͝͝͝͝,̶̢̗̬̥͔͈͓̟́̉̋͜ͅ ̵̟̲̪̤̫̈͐̅̈́̿̇̆w̸̙͇̩̦͌̀̾́͌̃̑͋̍̈̽ͅi̶͍̘͖̣̲̅̇͒̈́͋̆̃̀͂l̸͎̯͌̎̾̄̉̐̕̚͝l̵̼̗̰͓̔̆ ̸̧̧̧̫̺͎̼͖̩̦͕͈̬͔̯͖̓̀͆̓̌ẙ̵̡̩̯͈̰͖͙̉͋͂̇͛̏͌̚͝͝ö̶̻́̈́̄̇̔̇͒͐̒̽́ų̷̳̦̥̠͒ ̴̟̝͎͓͑̓̓̉͒̐͊ḍ̵̨̻̝̥̎̿́͋̕͜ṛ̶͖̖̦̥̣̯̭͙̮̞̪̹̇̑́͆͛̓́̂̏̄͋̋̑͝a̵̧̧̛̝͓̗̞̗̻̫̤͕͖̗͒̆̐̿̊̈́͘ģ̵̢͍̗͎̝̱̮̼̭̰̭͉̳̣͆́ ̴̱͇̺̠̲̞͈̩̰̺̯̺̮̗̼̮͔̊͒͝ą̵͙̹̙̮̩̭̠̝̯̜̻̩̠̻͑͛͗̾͆ͅ ̵̢̡̗̤̬͛̂̆̋́̿͋̔͝͠ẅ̸͇̝͚ͅǫ̶̺̻͉̺͕͙̗̝̺̏͌͝m̶̹̥̙̹̗̯̝̹̠̄͗̄̎̾̈̽͆͜ͅä̴̛̠̭͉͕͇̙͑̌͋̈́̃̔͛͐͘ņ̶̧͖̱̣̹̝̞̫͉̈́̍̐͒̚ ̵͈̜̩̫̪̞͍̤̙̬͂̈́͛̅̓̒̇̏̀̈́̂̑͘̕̕͝ĭ̸̞̞̳͎͕̹͎͍͉̀̇̀͑̈̀̈̒͆͊͊̚̕͝ͅn̷̢̥͖̩͕͙̤̜̼̤͉͖͂̀̍͑͗̀̃̑̓̑͋͘͝ͅt̶̻͈̙̖͈̄̓͐̀̓́̈ǫ̵̮̘̹͚̠̭͙̰̺͍̬͕̣̍̑͊͌̒̀̒͘ ̵̬̳͎̭̟͕̻͇̭̲̙͍̬̙̐͂͛͊͜͝ḑ̷̯͇̦̘̙̇̈́̅͑̎̽̑͘͘͝͝ḛ̴̄͆s̶̢͍̩̳͈͈̪͕͎̬͉̙̙̣̜̀̚ṕ̴̳̳͓̖̮̘̆̍͘ą̴̛̲̭̖̻̜͕̖̦̪͖̽̒̄̔̒͜͠ͅͅi̴̱̮̝͒̿̉̇͑r̶̟͖͔̙̤̙̱̅̿̎̌͐̂̌̐?̷̧̝̫̘̯͈̜̪͛
̴̡̙͚̖̲̤̻̟̤̗̯͙̉͛͗̒̔͛̔̓̀̍̋͐̌̚͠ͅ
̴̡͓͇̻̝̯̟̬̜̃̄̽̏̀͗̏̐̑̎̇̀̽͛F̸̛̛͖̳̆̔͗͛̌̈̿̀̉̉̍̈́͌̚a̷͈̼̹̩͍̖͉̽͆̇̂̀̍̿͂͐̄̉͝ç̷̨̢̲͚̣̖͇̳̯̟̞͈̻̥̣̀͜ȩ̸̻̲̘͙͚͎̻̭̜͕̻̞̤̬̮̰͆̀̏̃̈́̎̀̂̐͐͐̚͘̕̚͝͝ ̶̨̭͈͈͎̞̣͇̱̼̰̭̏̿̽̏̓̾̚̕̕͜͝ǐ̶̪̄̃̍̐̈̋̀́́͛͊̓ẗ̵̨͕͇͖̙̌̎͊̋̊̿̈́̅̓̒̍̏.̷̨̳̪̥̲̖̖̘͖̼̝͖̌̌́͜͠͠ͅ ̸̛̑̅̆͂́̔̊̓̔̈̅̔̌͜͝͠
̵͇͔̱̃̌͋̉͘͝Y̴̡̢̛̪͙͎͎̘͎̻̰̱̘̮̔̃̑͛̂̅̊̅͑̆̈́̃͜ͅȮ̷̡̲̭̮̦̞̳͉͊̑̀̕U̸͓̭͖̩͔͇͚̮̬̻̙͖͎̲͓͂́̄̆̎͌̉̉̅͘͜ ̸̛̳̙̱͓̫̣͇͖̞̽̒̈́́̋̉͛̍͊̒̎͝͝Ẅ̶̧̧̨̼̪̙́͂̊̈́́̎̾͆̀̓͒̾̄̕Ì̴̡͎̭̺̻͈̫͓̹͊̽̋̂̊͌͂̔̕͝͠ͅL̶͖̝͋̾̈́͋̓̓̌̃̐̄̀͒̀̈́Ļ̴͓̖͖͉͕̹̖͇̱̞̎͂͂̿̅͘̕ ̸͍͈̟͖̮̼̣̻̗͔̖̩̟͑F̵̼̭̰̯̟̪͇͇̱̯͕̣̮̠̫͙͐̾̅̎̋̓̈́̏̔̀̊̃̾̐̚͜͝͝Â̴̛͎̺̦̣͚͇̈́̿͋͂͗̾İ̶̛͈̳͔͙̒̌̑͒͘͜L̷̯̅̾̅̍̏͗̄͊̏̊̄̕͠ ̸͎̪͔̠̱͔͎̮̫̺̝̭̺̹͖͐͊͆̀̒̈́̅̂̑̽̎̔͗̓̚͝ͅḤ̷̢͙̦̯͓͕̟͔͉̦͌͗̈́̅̃̋͝E̵̠̅̓̐͒͋̈̓̅̒͘͠͝R̷̨̮̙̭̮̥̲̐͋͊̾͊̓̈́̃̾̓̃͒͛͘̚ͅ.̴̨̜̺͈̝̖̖̩͍̤͙͗̎̉͆̃̇͊
̶̢̛͎͍͚̓̀̆̂̍̒̈́̀͆͌͂͘͠͝͝Y̶̧͔͕͚͓̫͔̟̖̗̺̋͒̈́Ô̶̡̙̞̝͈̪̖͓͔͙̩͔̿̋̌͒̈̍̋͐͒͌̇̀͊̕͜͝͝Ư̴̬̬͈̙͚̳̠̙͔̤͔̮̹̔ ̷̢̧̠̲͇͔͔͖̝̬̹̊̊͑̔̿̅́̆̓̆̓̅Â̸̡̦̣̻͈̖͇͍͖̖͎̤̣̥̐̾͂͐̾̕͘͜͝ͅL̸̢̦̰̗̩͚̠̦͇̖̩̿̿̒̆͐̏͗̾̄́͒̎́̈́̀̕ͅR̴̻̲̟̱̄̅͑̓̇͋̓E̴̗͓̮̮̗͖̊̈́̃̊̅̐̀̋̏̉͠ͅA̴͖͚̭̘̪͇̤̺̪͈͍̽͜D̸̢̰̉͗̌͆͋͘͘Y̶̡͙̺̞͕͕̞͈͓̰̰̑̇̿͌̃̈́̒̕ ̴̠͚͉̰̰̬̦̣̤͙͉̦̾͌̉̓̐̀̓̇̽̏̐͋̃́͘̚͠H̷͙͐̂͆̈́́̚Ą̶̡̱͔̺͈̖̥̲͎̬̗͗͜͠V̸̢̹͂̈́̔̐̍͐͛̑͛͋͛Ę̸̨̢̪͎͖̫͔̮̻̱̠́͐̊͑̆́͛͠.̴̧̛̘̣̗̭̖͆̾̋̌̋͆͑͝
.
Rex gasped awake, somehow finding himself in a bed, under sheets, and dressed down to nothing but his shirt and underwear. He had no idea how he was missing clothes, but he knew for sure the bed was not very comfortable or soothing. Felt like the cheap crap you would probably find in prisons.
Wait a second...he rant that thought through his mind again. Prisons?!
He whipped his head all around to get a bearing on his location. It was then he pounded the bed with his fist as he grunted.
"Dammit!", Rex cursed aloud.
He was in prison. And he didn't even know how or when! Everything to him after going into that alley was a blank spot in his memory, a passing blur. But he did remember one detail. Those Ardanian soldiers!, he recalled.
That was it, that was how he got here! And moreover it was because of that blue woman, Brighi–
"Damn, my head!", he groaned. Just even sparing a thought for her brought on another headache. It wasn't nearly as bad as it was when he awoke, this time only a hard pang before it dulled out into a low but consistent, dim pulsation.
He exhaled through his nose as he attempted to forget the hurt. However, being awake now, he found pain wasn't the only thing plaguing his head. He also had a weird sense of vertigo-ish dizziness. A lightheadedness yet without nausea. Almost...pleasing?
Great. He knew exactly what was going on. The muddy thoughts, the pleasurable sense of disassociation with the world. He remembered the lectures Azurda gave him all these years that he accepted without question of how he knew about it. To put it plainly, he was drugged and probably a little high because of it.
He didn't know what to do at this point. At the very least, he wasn't impaired in any way, shape, or form, considering he could still think relatively clearly and coordinate well. Plus, his vision wasn't affected either seeing as how he wasn't seeing double of himself. He deduced it to be less of a "in the moment" high, and more of the kind that was a sort of high just before a sobering from whatever drug he was forced to take.
And yet, amongst all the grumbling and begrudging thoughts about his intoxicated state, he gained a bit of "high creativity". It was probably the best idea he had. Or so his mind thought.
That idea was to get past the pain of remembering now while he wasn't fully sober.
He knew one thing for sure after having to deal with this bullshit for years. He had to get over this soon. Rex found the headaches and manic episodes really getting on his nerves lately. And if the voice in his head is anything to go by, it seems he doesn't have much time. After all, he recalls his exact words about being let out sooner or later.
If there's one thing he learned while salvaging, it was that the best way to get over pain was to brute force through it. And so that's what he did. He focused his mind on Brighid and the memories that flooded in.
Just as it began the twinge in his head returned, but it was currently masked under the drugs. For once it seemed Rex was not getting small inklings that he couldn't process. He could actually feel the memories return to him. What came back was truly...intriguing.
One of the memories that returned to him in that flood was her somehow lying in bed with him. Was it him? Honestly, he found that he couldn't remember what exactly he looked like in that moment. Everything was covered in a blur, like that of a dirtied pair of glasses. All he knew was that he definitely didn't wear blue back then.
He continued to think more and more about her until the headache eventually went away. Or it numbed due to how much it hurt. He didn't know which was which at this point.
Though it seemed he could recall specific moments, he couldn't remember everything with exact detail. Nor was it in a linear, chronological fashion. The placement of his memories in a timeline was just as spotty as the details of each moment.
From what he could gather, the two of them were very deeply interconnected at one point, perhaps even a romantic connection. Perhaps a very close friend or something along that nature. That much was true, considering he deluded her as smiling at him when they "first met".
Despite his blue mood of his inability to fully recollect, there was something he was very proud about. He managed to completely rid himself of that headache, and relieved that area of amnesiac stress. The detail that he wasn't even high anymore didn't register. All the more positive for him!
Though, it did lead him to wonder just what the hell he was doing to deserve getting drugged like a sick dog. Anymore in his system and he would have died from a fatal overdose. Maybe he could grab some collars later. For now, however, he needed to get the hell out of here. Homura was nowhere to be seen, nor was her sword, and that worried him greatly. Moreover, he was basically almost naked.
What's more, inspection of his body revealed his bandage had been removed, the Core Crystal exposed. "Shit!", he jeered. His Core Crystal was...very odd to say the least.
It was still surrounded by the scar of that accident that ran down along his chest, stopping at the intersection of a strange cross shape it made. As if that wasn't enough of an eye catcher, therein lie the Core Crystal just as the scar stops.
Obviously everything about the X shape was drowning in the same color as Homura's. However, dead center in the X was a rhombus protrusion, extending out to a single rounded point which of course was in the center of that shape.
Upon further inspection, this part still had that emerald hue but it was obviously having a slight tint of a bright, whitish-blue as well. Along with a single, small, but still somehow noticeable yellow dot in the middle of the extended edge which sat in the middle of the rhombus.
Rex touched it gently, his ungloved hands tracing over the strange crystal. "So...the colors mixed huh?", he mumbled. "Great, they probably know for sure now."
Well, they knew as long as the people inspecting him passed basic color theory as a child in school. Any of his self-introspection was replaced by pure frustration. Where was his money? His weapons? Or how about his clothes?
He checked under the sheets and confirmed he was still in nothing but his shirt and underwear. Placing his palm on his cheek, he blew air from his mouth.
He was finished the moment Captain Paxel called him a cannibal and exposed him, much to the unknowing of his party. If only he had put more layers on that bandage, the glow would've been concealed under a thick cloth at least. His eyes wandered the room as he began to ponder the possibilities of wearing a turtleneck for his own safety.
Inspecting his room further, he found he thankfully still had his jacket and pants, albeit it was hung up on the opposite end of the room from his bed. He also noticed his boots, gloves, and all that armor. Especially that upper arm armor on his left sleeve. Even his grappling hook was still there! Rex smirked.
"Those idiots didn't suspect a thing, did they?", he felt as if he just won the lottery. They really didn't find out the truth even after all that time, didn't they? Or did they have enough reasonable doubt to not even consider it? Either way, he was relieved, but more so at the fact that those soldiers were probably too bothered to dismantle the anchor. Or confused. Both are great.
They definitely underestimated him, and things were going his way. He lurched up as he wobbled over to his coat, and put it on. Despite his soberness, nothing could really prepare himself for how quickly he got up. Once he found himself reoriented and ready, he tapped the jewel which rested on his arm band twice, the jewel now turning from an ocean blue to a deep, blood red.
He held out his hands in front of him as a new weapon formed out of Ether, then attaching to his arms and adapting to his present armor. A similar forearm guard materialized on his right hand, and then on top of it was a thick layered metal on the same side as his backhand. On his left, the armor plating adjusted and changed his anchor/grappling hook, enlarging the hook slightly and making the wire much thicker.
Most importantly of all, armor of the same blue color with glowing golden accents wrapped around his glove cuffs, and large metal hands inserted themselves and locked into the cuff, fitting snugly over his fingers. He balled his hands into fists and then opened to check them, smirking when they moved perfectly, as if he wasn't wearing these gauntlets at all.
"Ah, I missed you.", he whispered to his weapons, walking up to the door. First, he placed an ear on it, listening intently for sounds. Nothing. No guards walking around. He had a perfect opportunity to bust himself out. "Right, let's do it."
He backed away, extending his arm out as the hard knuckles on his gauntlet touched where he assumed was the lock. He pulled back slightly, inhaling, then exhaled as he softly tapped the metal, slowly pushing his fist forward as he visualized the motion.
"Hragh!", he then reared suddenly and sent a fist flying with great speed and force, denting the door with a loud, reverberating hum, hearing a click signified he busted the lock. "Yes!", he pumped a fist towards him in victory. Next, he slowly opened the door, peeking out both sides and tip-toeing out the door. He gently attempted to close the door behind.
"Hey! What the hell's going on over there?!", his body froze as he placed his back on the door.
Crap. Guess there was at least one Ardanian soldier nearby to hear that loud sound. He quickly shut the door behind him, aiming his hook towards the ceiling before zipping up, placing his feet and free hand on the ceiling to steady himself. Boots made "gunk" noises as they smushed against the wooden flooring of the ship. And the single soldier arrived, leaning towards his door.
"You! Quit making all that racke–...what in Eden…?", he leaned in towards the slight dent in the door, noticing it especially since the door creaked open by itself. Little did he know of the "spider man" stuck to the ceiling above him.
Rex released the hook and elbow dropped the poor soldier, knocking him out cold. Thankfully, this time the sound was muffled thanks to the soldier's body catching him. "That was close…", he blew air through puckered lips. He then checked out the soldier, and the surrounding area, and then back to the soldier...and what do you know? The guy was around his size and stature!
"This is almost too easy…"
He darted his eyes around the hallway, reassuring himself no one else was coming before reopening the door and dragging the "sleeping" Ardanian inside by his arms.
"There is Titan battleship!", Tora whispered, pointing his tiny little "hand" towards it, the group looking out from behind a short stone railing.
"Mor Ardain is really readying for war with Uraya, huh?", Azurda muttered to himself.
"Guys, look, there's the root I was talking about!", Homura leaned over the stone railing slightly and pointed down towards it. "And look, it comes right up to that chute! We should be able to climb down and get Rex back!", she animatedly hopped as she too whispered.
"Excited, are we?"
She turned to the tiny white, larval Titan and nervously rubbed her knees together. "Well, it is my first jailbreak…and I get to rescue Rex!"
"No more talk! Move before nearby moving patrol spots us!", Hana whispered.
She nodded, and the group dashed off to the safest place to go down from.
Rex closed the door behind him, but this time assured it was actually settled in so it wouldn't open on its own again. He was covered rather awkwardly from head to toe in an Ardanian uniform that bulged a little due to his clothing being directly underneath it. But he didn't really have a choice, unless he wanted to foolishly leave behind his coat with his weapon core on it.
"Sweet dreams. Thanks for letting me borrow this.", he jokingly whispered as he looked out among the other cell doors. He felt it as he concentrated. The Ether signature of another blade. No way., he began walking towards the door farthest from him, the one that was just a left turn from his cell.
He stopped at the door and leaned in, hearing Dromarch's light tiger growls. He knocked three times on the door before sliding the peek hole open and peering inside.
"What? Have you come to boast? Did you think that banging around wasn't enough?", his muzzle scrunched up as he slowly bared his fangs in an attempt to intimidate the soldier.
"It's not what you think. Dromarch, it's me, Rex!", he hoarsely whispered through his helmet, attempting to push his voice through it without raising it to a volume where passersby would catch wind of him.
The tiger's ears flicked as his eyes raised, black sclera and eyes piercing him. "R-Rex?! How did you-"
"Shh!", he held up a finger to his helmet and harshly shushed him by pushing air through his teeth. "Don't yell! You'll blow my cover!"
"I'm amazed you stole his clothing...and that it fit! Where is that guard now?", Dromarch immediately lowered his volume to just barely over a whisper as he trotted closer to him.
"He's napping in my cell. Hey, you got good animal ears, right?", Rex asked, still whispering and occasionally stealing a glance behind him to watch for any other guards coming. "Do you know where the keys are kept? I'm gonna get you out of here."
He vigorously shook his head and slammed up against the door, shoving his face towards the peep hole, making Rex flinch and stumble backwards. "No!"
"What do you mean, "no"?!"
"Save my lady first! She is much more important than I am."
He was taken aback by his fervent commands and staunch loyalty. "How noble…", he commented, "...okay. I'll free her, get her to a safe hiding spot, then I'm coming back for you. The guards won't suspect a thing."
"I uh...doubt that.", he checked him over and felt a sweat drop fall at those bulges.
"Don't worry. Even if I'm found out, these guys are nothing to worry about. I can take 'em.", he reassured, looking over his shoulder just one more time. "You never answered me, y'know. Do you know where the keys are?"
"I overheard something from the guards when they threw me in here. Try checking the battle room near the bridge."
"Thanks."
"Rex."
"Yea?"
He stared right through the helmet's goggles into his eyes. "Do not come back for me unless you have guaranteed my lady's freedom and safety."
Rex held up a pinky. "You got it.", he shut the canopy.
Rex then turned around and began navigating out of the cell block, spotting a patrolling guard, who nodded at him, albeit turning his head a little at his "comrade's" weird body shape.
Please don't notice, please don't notice.
He didn't, shrugging it off. "I understand. Stay warm. Take your break in the engine room if you have to. It's just up those stairs.", was all he said before continuing his back and forth patrol. Rex let out a silent exhale.
He went back to thinking. Okay, battle room...battle room...where is that?!
He then came to the steps heading towards the engine room, noticing immediately how damn warm it was. No wonder he recommended this place. It felt like a sauna, and he was only just entering, not even reaching the core of the room!
He had hoped for no one but measly engineers and mechanics to be here, but it seems there were a lot more soldiers than he anticipated. He gulped, and attempted to say nothing, going directly for the opened wire gate door which was the entryway to the stairs.
However, his worst fears were realized when he was noticed by another soldier and a Driver who had a beast-form generic Blade, both leaning against the wireframe fencing. The Driver waved. "Howdy! How's the shift?", he spoke in a strange accent.
Great. All that he needed to blow his cover was a talkative, friendly soldier. He cleared his throat and tried his best to imitate the generic deep tone the majority of the soldiers spoke in. "Uh, it's going! Can't complain about anything but the cold!", he kept up the lie.
"Tell me about it, these paper-thin uniforms are freezing when we're not at home in the desert! I get cold so easily.", the soldier agreed. "That's why I'm taking my break here in the engine room! I like its warmth."
"Uh, not to sound rude or anything, but you sound a little funny, son. You good?", the Driver asked.
"Yea, now that I think about it, he's right. You do sound a little stuffy. Are you okay?", the other added.
Think Rex, think!
"Ah, I'm just a little under the weather! It's uh, allergies! Sore throat and...yea..."
"I feel the same!", the strange accented Driver held out his hands. "Torigoth here done wrecked up my sinuses with its fauna! I was blowing my nose for a straight hour! The steam in here really helps clear 'em up, y'know?"
Rex must be the luckiest man alive if he managed to have multiple people buy into his lies within a couple of days. Much less trained soldiers. Normally people aren't convinced considering his poker face is really bad. It seems having a helmet on to hide his face worked wonders for his believability.
"Alright guys, I gotta head back to the battle room. Break's over for me.", the soldier waved his hands and walked off.
"Me too. Don't work too hard now, you hear! We got some criminals to take care of."
"Uh, yea, you too.", Rex waved as they left. "Oh, hey wait a second!", he caught up to the regular soldier on the stairs.
"Uh, what is it?"
"I uh...dropped something in the battle room. Mind if I tag along?"
"What'd you drop?", he waited for a response for only a second. "Oh, right, sore throat." He shrugged his shoulders. "Why not? Come on, let's go. I bet you'll need someone to help communicate with that sore throat of yours."
So far his disguising act was going great as far as he could tell, however he was still uneasy about talking so much to people.
Okay, gotta be careful and shut up from now on. I don't know how much longer I can keep this up if I talk to everyone I pass.
Rex continued, going up the stairs and following the soldier closely. He quickly mulled over the basics of the plan he had in his head again. Alright, grab the keys, grab Nia, hide her, get Dromarch and book it!
"Ah, that's mighty high up.", Azurda put a flat hand on his brow as he looked up towards the garbage chute.
"How am I supposed to get up there?", Homura complained.
"Not to worry, Big Sis HoHo!", Hana raised a hand, stepping in front of her and holding both arms out.
"B-big sis?!", she muttered, gladly accepting the hug, quickly silencing a yelp as Hana rocketed up to the port, letting down Homura softly as she dashed back down to grab Tora, placing him just before her when she came back up. In the meantime, Azurda simply flew up there.
"Wow, that's amazing, Hana!", Homura congratulated.
"Yes! Hana did great job!", Tora also praised her.
The little robot girl smiled. "Hana is artificial Blade. This no problem! Hana most happy that Masterpon praised her!", she stood proudly with her hands on her hips.
"Hey now, don't celebrate. We're not out of the woods yet.", Azurda reminded the group adamantly. "But yes, Hana. You did a good job. We're very proud."
Her initial pout became a big old smile again. Who knew that Azurda had such a way with children? Or, well, robotic children, in this case.
"Okay!", Homura pumped her fists close to herself. "Let's get going! Rex has got to be in here somewhere!"
"Roger! But, try not to alert guards. If alarm sounds, this be very bad for everyone.", Tora interjected with some wisdom of his own.
She nodded, leading the group up through the waste chute.
Rex couldn't help but feel everything was just too damn easy. It was almost like: a) this was planned, or b) something sinister was about to happen. He could feel it. After all, he just lied to a guy, swiped the keys and nobody saw it or said anything at all. And that soldier assumed he found his "good luck charm".
Either something's up or they're really this confident about their own security.
Rex hoped it was the latter, because yet another lesson he remembered from Gramps was that overconfidence yields failure. Which, obviously he was exploiting. He understood before, but now he felt he gained a new level of wisdom not even imparting it verbally could do.
He exited out a different door, this time the one that connected to a hallway leading to the bridge. Instead however, he turned left and went down the staircase, turning right after that and walking straight through the mess hall, ignoring the soldiers who were eating in their dinner break.
He went straight through, peeking around the corner of what looked to be a doctor's office, with one soldier wearing distinct clothing. This must've been the local medical professional the army has on this ship. He noted in his mind the myriad of windows that surrounded it.
That complicates the escape plan a little.
He ignored him however, continuing to follow his instinct and trailing through a hallway with multiple right angled turns. He kept walking until he noticed three cell doors, with one guard standing there and staring him right in the face. Or well, as best he could with his helmet on.
Damn! This is gonna get rough, he directed his gaze back to that doctor's office. He silently tried to plan how he was going to get her out without anyone seeing her through the windows at that doctor's office.
"Uh...what're you doing here?", Rex refocused on the soldier who continually stared at him suspiciously.
"Uhh, well, I'm on my break and I just like to wander. It's been a habit since I was young.", he fibbed.
"Um, okay. But you really shouldn't stay around here, y'know. You could get the both of us in trouble. Why don't you go back to the mess hall or over to one of the balconies?"
"Eh, don't feel like it."
"Well, I don't care if you do or don't, just get out of here.", now he could tell the soldier was getting frustrated.
He looked around. No one was nearby. He knew the doctor's office door was closed and there was no way the window's viewing angle even came within a inch of where he was. Go time. "Ah, well...um...holy shit that's one giant bug!", he pointed towards the ceiling behind the soldier.
"What, where?! Miss Meleph will have a fi–"
Lights out for the soldier as Rex summoned only one gauntlet above his armor, using his right hook and slamming his fist into the back of his neck while he looked away, the soldier going unconscious and hitting the ground with a thud. Funny how these things work out with the placement of the armor. He exposed this weakness before with Homura back in that alleyway.
Shit! Okay, no time to lose, gotta move now!
He initially pulled the keys out of his pocket and began fumbling with the ring until he realized that was stupid. It would be more time efficient if he just knocked first to figure out which cell she was in. He rapped at the first door he was in front of, the middle one.
"What?!", a muffled scream pierced through the metal door.
Well then, someone's a little cranky.
He then began to quickly test out the keys on the key ring, going through each one sequentially. "Come on...come on…"
Homura and Hana looked out over the tiny hallway, peeking by leaning out from the corners of the open ventilation hole. A soldier lay knocked out on the balcony behind them, just out of eyesight.
"Hana detects one soldier. L pattern recognized in patrol. Recommend for Homura to knock out soldier with blunt force.", she whispered to the red-haired Blade. "Coming back now."
She grunted with affirmation, noticing the guard was now coming up to just below the hole. Pulling out the sword but not activating its flames much like Rex did before in that alleyway, she jumped down and bonked the soldier on his weak point in the shoulder.
He silently went down with a thud, the others hopping down, their feet making clunking sounds against the wooden boards lined with steel. Hana immediately took off, leading the group to take the path on their right. Her orange pools burned into the steel door just down from her.
"Masterpon, Hana detects Blade.", she pointed out at the door, waving her arms quickly up and down in a jerking motion.
Tora was stunned. "Hana...how can Hana tell?!"
Homura knew the answer to that one, but she let Hana explain it herself. "Not sure. Hana feel signature similar to Hana."
"Amazing, but not really answer…", Tora shuffled his feet. "Not understand."
"I'll explain it later, Tora. But for now, let's go check it out!", Homura spoke.
"But how? We not have keys.", Tora lowly huffed out as he joined everyone in jogging up to the door Hana directed them to.
Homura smirked. "Don't worry about that. Leave this to me!", she held out her hand, a fire erupting from thin air and burning in her palm and growing with intensity. She slowly stepped closer and closer to the door as the fire grew bigger and bigger.
"This better be quiet!", Azurda took it upon himself to keep watch over the corner for them the entire time.
"Jeez, this last one better be it!", he muttered, this time much more frantic, his hands starting to tremor out of frustration and suspense. He didn't know what to think of the balancing act of bad luck he got to find out that the entire key ring so far didn't work. He knew there was not much time left before somebody found the keys missing and connected the dots to the "allergic soldier" he professed himself as.
Words could not describe the sheer joy he felt when it actually fit. "Yes!", he turned the key, the lock making another click noise as it unlocked. He pulled open the door to see her ears lowered, and a sad face staring at the floor. She looked like she was going to cry.
In her mind, she was having flashbacks to Jin rescuing her, when she was in the same situation long ago. Stuck on an Ardanian ship, horrible fate awaiting her. She sat just like this too. Then the door opened and Jin appeared as if he was an angel, and held out his hand to her. Of course, she was about to smile thinking he had come for her again.
She flashed a quick look up to see an Ardanian soldier, then back down to the ground. Any hopes of it being Jin coming to her rescue were gone and was torn to pieces, as well as the gusto she would've had earlier in scratching his eyes out and escaping. She had effectively given up, tears visibly springing up in the corners of her eyes.
"What do you want?", she deadpanned.
"Nia, are you okay?", the muffled voice of the helmet spoke softly.
Her ears slowly went up, as did her brows. She recognized that voice. "It...it can't be…"
He pulled his helmet off, gasping in some air. "Man, these helmets suck!", he blurted out, bending his neck back down so his head and eyes faced her. He smiled. "Sorry I'm late. Keys were a pain in the ass to figure out."
She became angry again. "Get out. You might as well should've left me!"
He was confused. "What?! But I've come to rescue you."
"I'm not going with some whack-o nutcase with self control issues! It was because of you that I'm here in the first place!", she hoarsely rasped at him, letting out a cat hiss as her ears stood back.
Rex was hurt. "Nia...I'm sorr–"
"Save it! I don't want to hear your excuses!"
"Nia, please. We gotta–"
"No!"
He clenched a fist. "If you won't escape for me, at least do it for Dromarch!"
She gave him a venomous stare and equally so hiss. "What did you do to him?"
"I didn't do a damn thing!", he retorted, meeting her venom with a rant of epic proportions. "I was going to rescue him first and come get you, but he insisted you should be freed first. In fact, I promised him I wouldn't come back to get him until you were safe!"
She was taken aback as he went on. "That Blade really values you above all else, even his own gains. Most people I know would've taken that chance to run free and leave you behind. Are you going to throw away the chance Dromarch sacrificed to give to you?!"
She visibly reeled and gained a look of regret. He continued, his tone molding into something more laid back and gentle. "Don't get me wrong. I'm freeing you not out of obligation to Dromarch, y'know. I'm doing it because I care about you."
They met eyes. Her ears flicked at the words. "I want to be your friend, Nia. Replace your old "family". I get that I'm a screw-up, but that's gotta be better than those bastards who were trying to kill you, right?"
She mulled it over in her head, sniffling and wiping off the dried tears from her eyes. She had to admit, no one in Torna actually said the words she wanted to hear. Yet here was Rex, giving it to her for free, even despite her angst. "Yea.", she sighed, getting up to a full stand. "I hear you."
However, even given the circumstances so far, she still stubbornly held on to that lack of trust. "But just know this, I'm doing this for Dromarch, not you."
"Fine by me."
She didn't know whether to be thankful or pissed off at his response. She did know one thing, however.
"I'm thankful that you came. I didn't think anyone was coming at all.", she confessed, but immediately held up a finger. "But I'm not forgiving you until we get out of here and everyone is alive. And if you promise me to never do something like that again.", she let Rex know, crossing her arms at him.
"I...can't promise that. I'm not strong enough.", was he disappointed?
She gave him a look that wasn't exactly dirty, but wasn't happy either. It was like something in between disappointment and "this jerk". Nia couldn't care about what his face told her, those words were enough to drive her up a wall.
"But...I can promise to tell everything so you know how to help me, and stop it from happening again. We can even help each other.", he held out a pinky. "Next best thing, right?"
She...smiled. What a sap., she felt amused inwardly. Even after I told him all that, he still has room to forgive me and won't stop trying to help and befriend me.
"Sure, manchild.", she wrapped hers around his. "Now c'mon, enough melodrama, let's get out of here.", she strutted out with Rex's head following her.
He scratched his head. "But...never mind.", he muttered. It really wasn't worth arguing about, plus she had a point. As he jogged in front of her, he placed the helmet back on. "Get behind me. Hope you're good at sneaking."
"Never underestimate a Gormotti.", she quipped, letting him get in the lead.
The group gaped at the hole Homura left after she melted through more than just the lock. She nearly turned the whole door to sludge!
"Homura?!", Dromarch gaped, still ducking on the floor.
"I'm sorry! I didn't hurt you, did I?", she peeked through the hole at the tiger, trying to spot any burns or singed fur.
"Tora nearly lost perfect eyebrows…", he muttered, still hiding in the corner away from where Homura directed her fire. Hana flatlined in unamusement at the remark.
"I said I was sorry!", she whined. "It's hard to judge the power sometimes…"
Tora popped up and peeked through the now blackened metal hole. "Ah! You alive! This very good!"
Next came in Hana who was donning a wide, proud smile. "See, Masterpon? Hana knew Blade here."
Homura in the meantime was blushing out of embarrassment. Tora, for all his cute optimism, really knew how to drive it close to home.
Dromarch slowly got up in puzzlement. "Forgive me but...who are you all? And where is Master Titan?"
"You mean Azurda? He's keeping watch.", Homura walked up to and told him. "This is Tora and Hana, his artificial Blade. We can explain everything later, we need to hurry and find Rex!", she reached through and pulled the door open for the tiger who stepped through.
"Rex? His cell is here…"
"Really?!", Homura's eyes beamed. She can't believe she was going to free two people for the price of one!
"...but he already got himself out a long time ago.", Dromarch regrettably finished.
"Eh?!", Homura was absolutely floored. How the hell did he get himself out?! She had a hunkering feeling, this strange sense she always got after giving him her life force. But she thought it was just a side effect of what she did. She was definitely going to ask Rex about it once this was all over.
The nightmares...that voice...busting yourself out...just what are you, Rex?, she wondered. I'll never leave your side but...it's hard to ignore the secrets you keep.
It was then that sirens suddenly blared, red lights flashing, making the group flinch. All of their eyes widened at the same time except for Dromarch. He practically expected it.
"...That's probably about him.", Dromarch mentioned nervously.
Rex continued slinking through the hallway, getting him and Nia past the doctor's office with ease despite the windows, and heading towards a large arch which led to a more mechanical aesthetic room with a locked door, indicated by a large red light.
He crouched down and moved silently with Nia to get behind some crates. Once behind, he slowly moved up to take a peek from behind it. He then got back behind it.
He silently made notions with his hands. First, he held up a single finger to indicate there was one guard. Next, he pointed in the exact direction at him. With the same hand, he chopped the air and held a finger up to his mask where his mouth would be, signalling to take him out quietly. She nodded, understanding the gist of it.
The two then split up around the boxes and slowly got up to a full stand, walking very slowly and not making a sound to get behind him. Rex and Nia both steadily raised their hand, ready to knock him out. Closer...closer...closer! They were so close! All they had to do now was take him out, unlock the door, and make a break for it! But then...
The long whine of an alarm blared.
"Intruder alert! Intruder alert! All personnel! The intruder is disguised as one of our men, and may be freeing the terrorist and her Blade! Stay alert and keep lookout! Broaden all patrols!"
The two of them panicked and stopped, looking up towards the PA placements in the room. The soldier was too. Then he turned to them. "What the hell?! The intruder and the terror–!"
Smack!
He was out cold after Rex slammed his open palm into the pressure point on his shoulder.
"I'll open the door! When the light is green and it opens, run!", Rex scrambled to the control panel and began fumbling with the buttons frantically.
"What about you?! What about Dromarch?!", she yelled out over the alarms.
"Don't worry about me, I'll get him out even if it means I die again!"
"But, Rex–"
"I know! I'm leaving Homura in your care if that happens! Now get ready in front of the door, I almost got it open!"
She choked, wiping away tears as she hustled to the door, readying herself to run. She couldn't believe him! Just how much faith and trust did she put in her to let her inherit the Holy Grail?! She couldn't understand it. She hunched low to the ground like an Olympic sprinter to prepare herself for the mad dash to freedom.
"We've got to move, now!", screeched the Titan as he bolted to the group who was standing there.
Homura could not believe what she was hearing. Not only did Rex get himself out, he was disguised as an Ardanian soldier! Talk about a run of dumb luck!
Dromarch lowered his back as he readied to take off. "Follow me! I know where my lady is because of our link!"
"Okay! I think I feel Rex too, he's probably near her!", Homura noted.
The tiger dashed off, barrelling through the arriving soldiers as if it was nothing as the group did their best to keep up with him.
"Wait up! Tora not very fast!", he panted heavily while doing his best attempt at a sprint before he squealed loudly when a resolute, flying Hana picked him up by his overalls and dangled him.
Homura unleashed her sword's flames, slashing through the soldiers easily before taking a huge leap and running up the chain link fence, vaulting over the railing on the top-most floor in the engine room, following Hana who precisely blasted through the doorway and up the stairs like an ace pilot. Dromarch was last as he pounced and jumped off the walls to reach the height.
Soldiers were charging from behind Nia, she could hear it.
"Rex!", she yelled out worryingly.
"Almost there!"
Tension brewed, the world seemed to be in slow motion. Her heart rate picked up as she witnessed each stomp of an Ardanian boot, and a group of brandished rifles. These were the soldiers from the mess hall, along with that medic from the doctor's office.
"Rex!", she called out one last time.
The line turned green right as she turned around towards the door. "Now!", he hollered.
Nia bolted through the door the moment it opened while Rex took off his helmet and threw it with great force at one of the soldiers. He booked it and belly flopped to prone just in time for the crates to protect him from the rain of gunfire, the helmet blocking one of the bullets and spinning in mid air, its trajectory pushed off to the side as it bounced on the floor.
Rex got up as quickly as he could and began charging at them while they reloaded, but immediately went down on the floor again as Hana blazed through with a screaming Tora. He was then promptly dropped just outside the door to the mess hall, Hana extending both fists out knocking the soldiers down like bowling pins. She directed her flight upward and hovered down gently in front of the door.
Unbeknownst to Rex, Nia actually didn't run all the way into the hangar, she instead stopped and observed as the scene unfolded. Tora groaned as he got up. "That really hurt…", he grabbed his drill shield and hooked it onto his back as he scrambled to Hana, trampling over Rex. It didn't hurt, but it wasn't pleasant.
"Rex!", Homura and Azurda called out, one running and the other flying. Homura put away the sword on the back of her hip and crouched down to see Rex's spiky brunette head of hair above an Ardanian uniform that was badly fitted on top of his clothes. Azurda flew just in front of Rex, standing over a knocked down soldier's helmet.
He felt her soft hand on his back as he reared up, before promptly getting back down with her after seeing a jumping Dromarch. "My lady!", he called, running out into the hangar and stopping right in front of her.
"Dromarch!", she cried out, giving him a big hug. "Oh, I'm so glad you're OK!"
"As am I!", he howled out. "I am so sorry, milady!"
Rex slowly got up, as if expecting yet another interruption. Thankfully, he saw none, and rotated around to face a crying Homura. "Good to see you, Homura. Gramps."
"Oh, Rex!", she pulled him into a tight squeezing hug, his head resting on her right shoulder. "I was so afraid for you! All that screaming and you getting captured. Then you go and free yourself, and then those alarms! I was so worried!", she almost bawled. "Don't you ever do that again!"
He smiled as he stroked the back of her hair comfortingly before she parted from the embrace. "It's okay. I'm fine now. Thanks for coming to save me, Homura."
She sadly smiled, cupping his face with both hands as they touched foreheads. "Please, never do that again.", she whispered.
His reply was the same as with Nia. "I can't promise that. But I promise I'll tell you everything, and we can work through this together. As Driver and Blade."
Okay, mostly the same.
Homura could never be mad at him. Even in his failure, he seeks a way to grant her wish. Her thoughts that night near Gormott's stomach were confirmed. His heart was truly pure to her, his spirit benign. She felt so appreciative that he was her Driver instead of...whatever Torna was planning.
She grabbed his pinky and interlocked. "I'd be happy to help."
Azurda cleared his throat. "Are you two lovebirds done yet?"
The two jerked away from each other, each of their cheeks dusted with pink. Azurda chuckled before he spoke again.
"She really was quite upset, y'know. With what you did and what she sacrificed, I oughta chew you out right here and now!", Rex shut his eyes as Azurda balled up his tiny fist and shook it at Rex. "But...I won't. For now, I'm just glad you're alright.", he smiled at his "grandson".
He opened one eye. "Sacrificed?", he turned to her.
"It's...it's no big deal.", she murmured.
He looked up and down but couldn't make heads or tails out of Azurda. That is until…
"Hey! Your earring is gone!"
She shook her head. "It's fine Rex! Don't worry about it.", she professed to him. "I don't care about an earring. It was all to save you, so I'm fine."
I guess I'm not the only one who needs to do some explaining., he smirked at her.
"By the way,", Homura added, reaching behind her shoulders. "Picked this up along the way. One of the soldiers was playing with it.", she handed back his trademark diving helmet.
"Thanks! God, I hope those dumb Ardanians didn't break it.", he muttered, getting up to a full stand and hooking it onto his back once more after he forcefully ripped apart the uniform to reveal his regular clothes underneath, stunning everyone around him in the process.
Rex blinked. That soldier wasn't kidding when he said it was paper thin. Was the Ardanian government that strapped for cash, or did he just not know his own strength?
Regardless, Gramps flew up and happily snuggled himself inside, grinning from ear to ear as he finally got to rest his wings again.
"Uh, Tora hate to interrupt touching moments, but we must leave!", he yelled out to the two of them as he joined Hana's spot. "More soldiers coming!"
"Yes! Masterpon right! We should hurry!", Hana agreed, nodding her head.
It was then that everyone realized the sirens stopped. No, they had stopped. How else was Rex able to hear Homura's whisper? The group looked up once again. Rex lowered his brows. "I knew it. The jig is up."
"You...knew it?", she turned to Rex, helping him get up from his kneel to a stand.
"Yea. I got a disguise and blended in way too easily. Whoever owns this ship clearly doesn't have soldiers that stupid to plan security the way they did."
"You're right.", the flame girl began walking side-by-side with him through the hangar door to join Nia and Dromarch, following suit of Nia and Hana. "The patrols around you and Dromarch's cells were way too light. There was only one other guy after the one you knocked out."
"Hmm. Tora think that too. Alarm say broaden patrols, but no more soldiers appear."
They all looked at the door and started heading to the exit. "I have a feeling we'll know why right about…", Rex paused. "...now."
"You won't get any further!"