CE-1
October 14, 1084 (1:30 PM) \ Sunny
Chi City, Rose Residences
Anne's Room
Anne was reading the fifth chapter of Azure Path, a comic about female humanoid mobile landships fighting each other, when the door to her room burst open. "ANNE!" her adopted sister exclaimed, flopping on her bed like a fish out of water. "ANNE, SHE'S HERE!"
Anne raised an eyebrow at her younger sibling. "Taylor Rose, please explain Mother's rule about entering someone's room?"
A giggle from the doorway indicated that her sister's friend, Emma Barnes, was amused by her best friend's silliness. "Knock first before entering," Taylor muttered, looking chastised. "Then ask if I can enter."
Anne nodded, closing her manga. "Emma?"
"May I please enter your room, Anne?" the redhead asked in a polite manner.
She nodded while the younger one grumbled on the bed. Placing a bookmark on the page she was reading, Anne closed it before turning to her sister. "Now, what is your message?"
"Remember when dad posted that ad for a roommate/assistant?" Taylor said in excitement. "Then we got a bunch of weird offers that had mom and dad fuming mad all about? Anyway, dad got one good offer that he interviewed two days ago. According to him, she hit the right marks for his checklist and invited her today for another interview!"
Now that was news for Anne. Given her condition (Oripathy with narcolepsy-induced memory loss), living alone would be akin to a death sentence for her. "Anyway, she's downstairs now. Dad's entertaining her while Mom's in the kitchen making a meal." She then jumped out of the bed, dashing out of the room. "COME ON!"
"Taylor, wait!" Emma cried out, though her sister was already out of earshot. "I'm sorry Anne."
"Do not worry, she'll come back soon." Anne assured the younger girl. Standing up from the bed, she made her way out of the room, with Emma trailing after her. "How are you, Emma?"
Taylor's best friend gave a sad smile. "It's...okay." she murmured. "Dad's...dad's getting better now."
Anne gave Emma a comforting pat on the head. Things had been going bad for the Barnes family recently. After Emma's father lost his job at a law firm, her mother died in a horrific accident. Coupled with medical bills and growing debts, Mr. Barnes became depressed and neglected Emma. Thankfully, Anne's father managed to get him to sober up, though Emma would be staying with them until things got better for her family.
"He actually got another job recently!" she continued, brightening up. "Working as a lawyer for this new company, Penguin Logistics, I think."
As Emma continued her story, they reached the main staircase of the Rose Residence. Their home was a modest two-story house - well, modest given her parents' jobs. Her adoptive father, Danny Rose, was the head of the Dock Workers Union, a local logistic company in Chi City. Meanwhile, her adoptive mother, Annette Rose, was the principal of the Arcadia Private Learning Institute.
"...and so where is your sister, young lady?" her father asked as the two came down the stairs. When Taylor gave no reply, her father sighed as they entered the living room. "Taylor…"
"Do not worry, Anne Rose has arrived." Anne announced her presence, making the three people there turn towards here. "You called, father?"
"Ah, Anne, you're here!" Father greeted, smiling at her. The lanky Liberli patted the open seat beside him. "Sit here. Taylor, tell Annette Anne's here."
"Got it!" her sister exclaimed, dashing into the kitchen as Anne took her seat. Emma ran after her, trying to make her best friend slow down. "MOM!"
Smiling, Anne turned to the teenage girl sitting opposite them. She was a young woman with bright yellow feathers growing among her hair, wearing a nice blend of brightly colored clothes that complimented her hair. "Uh...hi?" the visitor began, looking nervously at them. "I'm Paige Mcabee."
# # # | # # #
February 05, 2011 (6:30 AM) \ Sunny
New York Airspace, En Route to New York City
Inside the Dragon Transport
"...and that is how I fell asleep as Paige introduced herself." Ptilopsis finished.
Myrddin nodded, leaning back on his seat. "Do you think she'll recognize you?"
The Liberi medic was quiet for a moment. "Unknown. Facial features of Ptilopsis have changed since last meeting. There is also a chance that her current state will make her unable to recognize me."
The Justicar had to wince, understanding her concerns. According to Dragon's investigation, PRT NY had abused her rights to an absurd degree. Not only was her right to legal counsel restricted, they also restricted her access to basic necessities. It got so bad that the entire branch was put under investigation, with the Chief-Director and a hand-picked team coming in to clean the house.
"Attention," Dragon announced via the onboard speakers. "We are now approaching NYU Langone Health. If you look out of the window, you'll be given a beautiful view of New York in the morning."
"Oy auntie, look!" Ifrit exclaimed, awe in her voice. "It's even bigger than Brockton Bay! Is this what a non-mobile city looks like from above?"
Myrddin chuckled, amused by the young Sarkaz's reaction. It reminded him of his first time flying to Los Angeles, unable to comprehend how these humans could build a city of this size. "Shocking, isn't it?"
"Indeed." Ptilopsis agreed, looking intrigued by the city skyline. "The people of this Earth are very innovative."
Taking a look out of his window, Myrddin noticed two people standing a ways off as their helicopter-sized VTOL landed on the hospital helipad. He spotted Legend easily - his skintight sky blue costume with white lightning/flame designs was very noticeable - though he didn't know who the other woman standing beside him was. "Welcome to New York, everyone!" Dragon announced cheerfully as their VTOL landed with a thud. "Legend and Brandish are waiting for you outside."
'Ah, so that's the face of New Wave.' he thought as the trio exited the VTOL. "Legend, Ms. Dallon," Myrddin greeted as the two waited for them to step down from the helipad. "Pleasure to meet you both."
The head of the New York Protectorate gave him an easy smile. "Likewise, Myrddin." the hero replied back. "Dragon wasn't forthcoming with the details though."
"Understandable, Rhodes Island requested the information to be strictly confidential until the patient has been verified." Ptilopsis answered, thrusting her hand forward. "You are speaking to Operator Ptilopsis, database maintainer and combat medic."
"Carol Dallon, Ms. Mcabee's lawyer." the blonde, short haired woman in a business suit introduced herself. "You said that you have information that would clear the charges against my client?"
The Liberi nodded. "Please direct us to Paige Mcabee to verify the information we've discovered."
"You three go ahead," Myrddin quickly added. "I got some Protectorate business with Legend here."
Dallon raised an eyebrow but continued on, leading the two operators into the building. "Dragon sent your message," Legend began, crossing his arms as he faced him. "You wanted to confess something?"
Myrddin nodded. "I lied about my Case 53 status." he confessed, making the cape frown. "I had it tattooed before I signed up for the Protectorate 11 years ago."
Legend just stared at him without expression. "Myrddin-"
"I'm not lying, Legend." Myrddin raised his hands in the air. "I'll explain more in detail, but the gist is, an incident in Terra brought me to Bet. Somehow, your hidden society found me and gave me a cover in exchange for a few favors from time to time."
That got a reaction from the Protectorate leader. "You know about Cauldron?" he whispered, making sure his voice was low enough.
Myrddin gave him a short nod. "I'll fill you in on the details later." he stressed. "We're too out in the open."
Legend nodded, no doubt being wary about operational security. As the two headed for the rooftop entrance, Myrddin brought out his phone and shot the fedora bitch a question. After Contessa dropped him with the Cauldron bombshell last week, he needed to know one thing from her: did Legend ever know about the Case 53s?
# # # | # # #
February 05, 2011 (6:30 AM) \ Sunny
New York City, NYU Langone Health
Room 423
Paige Mcabee stared at the dull, white ceiling of her hospital room, replaying the day she ended up on Earth Bet.
She could still remember the day she and Anne arrived at the Rhine Lab - Chi Office for their workplace tour. Anne was excited when one of her classes announced that they were going on a field trip to one of the premier technological companies in Columbia. She could still remember the excitement in Anne's voice as she regaled the announcement back in their dorm room - even dropping her quirky speech pattern in the process.
'I hope she got out alive,' she thought, a wave of sadness filling her chest. The Rhine Lab tour Anne's class took happened on the same day a prototype device was being tested. Paige wasn't so sure about the details but from what she remembered from her best friend's explanation, it had something to do with wormholes and alternate energy sources.
Her class had front row seats to the event - which, in hindsight, was a bad idea. One moment they were turning the device on, the next moment Paige found herself on the ground with Anne unconscious. The viewing room, which was originally clean and white, looked like it was ravaged by a Catastrophe. Meanwhile, the device Rhine Lab turned on now had a greenish-blue portal forming.
Fearing for their lives, she dragged her friend to the nearest exit before the portal started acting wildly. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to close the exit in time for the portal to suck everything up. Anne crying her name out was the last image she had of Terra before finding herself in the back alley of New York, where the Fedora Lady was waiting for her.
"Paige?" the voice of her lawyer, Carol Dallon, shook her out of her painful memory recollection. "May I come in?"
Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself before answering. "En...enter!"
Hiring Carol Dallon was the last 'suggestion' the Fedora Lady gave her before she was accused of a crime she didn't commit. Originally, she didn't want to change lawyers but given how...powerful the Fedora Lady was, she had no choice but to follow. In hindsight, she was grateful that she agreed to it in the end.
Mrs. Dallon entered the room, giving her a small smile. "How are you feeling today." she asked, walking up to her bed.
The singer pursed her lips. "...tired." she mumbled. She wasn't lying - after enduring three weeks of isolation, getting barely enough food and water to live, she was drained. In fact, her voice was still hoarse from all the abuses she took. "Is...there...anything...you...need?"
Mrs. Dallon nodded, taking a seat beside her hospital bed. "Due to a series of circumstances, PRT ENE ended up doing a test on your blood." her lawyer explained. "They ended up discovering some anomalies they were hoping to clarify."
That made her freeze. 'The Fedora Lady assured me that my medical records would hide my status as a Liberi!' "What...kind?" she asked, coughing.
"The specialist they sent wasn't forthcoming with the details." Mrs. Dallon continued. "I can call them in to explain the details further."
Nodding, her lawyer stood up and opened the door. "Dr. Ptilopsis, you can see her now."
Paige's breath hitched, eyes widening as a white-colored Liberi walked in along with a young Sarkaz carrying some sort of Arts device. "Paige, this is Dr. Ptilopsis of Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals." Mrs. Dallon introduced.
The singer stared at the two Terrans before rubbing her eyes. Surprised they were still there, she turned to her lawyer. "This...not...a...dream?" she asked, hoping she wasn't hallucinating. There was also something familiar with the white-haried Liberi, though Paige couldn't pinpoint what.
Although confused, Mrs. Dallon shook her head. "Is there something wrong?"
Gulping, she turned to the two. "Are...are...you...from...Terra?"
Dr. Ptilopsis nodded, making her heart jump in joy. "I am not surprised you haven't recognized me, Paige." she continued, confusing her. "Then again, it is understandable given it has been eight years since we last saw each other."
"You know my client?" Mrs. Dallon interjected.
"Indeed - in fact, I specifically chose our apartment back in college. Not only was it the closest to the university we were attending, Paige loved the 'killer recording room' it had."
'The only person I told that was…' "A...Anne?" she whispered, her heart racing. 'Please let this not be a dream - PLEASE!'
"Yes Paige." Dr. Ptilopsis - no, Anne Rose - gave a sad smile, her eyes glistening in tears. "It's me."
Awesome Notes and Notification:
Gasp! Another update?
How you all like the new chapter. I do wonder why Myrddin hates Contessa. Is it because he found out the reason behind the Case 53s?
Enjoy everyone! Leave a comment, critic, etc.!