Black Feather: Episode XXIII
"Horizon of Refuge"
Haven Road of Wyndon City
5:41 a.m., 03/11
A palette of early morning hues painted the sky. Rays of a new dawn stretched from the violet mountains as the sun peeked from the edges.
Iris had been awake for half an hour, waiting for the sun to rise. But, she knew somewhere in her heart that she was really waiting for Qastor. Iris sat by herself in the back of the transport. "At least I get some time to think to myself..." Iris thought. The others were asleep. How Valkyrie, Royal Mist, and the others managed to break Rose, BB, and herself out still bothered her, but she was happy she was out. "I should be happy, right.?" Little did Iris know that the prisoner cell next to hers and Rose's was Qastor's. Her eyes were fixed on the purple sky. The swirl of hues welcomed her mind to wander...
After Qastor had saved Iris at the crater, she was left in the infirmary until the next day. Qastor had been by her side since carrying her to the doctor all by himself. In the next morning, she found him asleep on a chair next to her. Doctor Taylor came in, but left as soon as Iris informed him that she wanted some time to talk to Qastor. Iris looked at Qastor for another hour until he woke up to her eyes.
Iris told Qastor everything that had happened. The one thing that disturbed Qastor the most was what made the mission so irresistible to Iris. Sphere threatened to assassinate Malirant if she refused to accept the contract.
_____________________________
In truth, Sphere needed to get rid of Rey Vyn as soon as humanly (or inhumanly, if one should consider the conditions) possible, and in the quickest and most silent way. One that wouldn't leave even the tiniest of evidence. If one molecule of Rey Vyn's blood was unaccounted for, even that could get Sphere into trouble. At that time, Rey Vyn occupied the crater, blocking Sphere's efforts to extract ancient information from it. Sphere was searching for something and the way they were going about their ways, they didn't want any of the other corporations to know of their intentions. Mirage's strength increased significantly despite the fall of The Controller. Crest, a former advocate of The Controller, suffered irreparable scars. It is during this time that internal disputes and conflicts are erupting. This eventually led to the separation of the corporation. Union suffered similarly, despite their victory over The Controller.
Gaidoz noticed the irregularity in Sphere's actions and decided to investigate. In the process however, his efforts were thwarted by Sphere in the form of the gang "Darkness." Sphere had hired the gang to capture his AC. Things seemed to be safe until the gang rebelled. With the help of Gaidoz's AC, they launched a successful skirmish on one of Sphere's outposts. Sphere called on the services of Qastor, but as soon as they noticed his ring (Rey Vyn's ring), they launched their own forces, attempting to capture and question him. It proved unsuccessful with Iris' intervention, and Rey Vyn was still alive and bouncing. So, they tried another way. They pulled Malirant into their scheme, eradicating their own dummy troops and Malirant. They knew if Malirant was given the mission of eliminating Rey Vyn that he still had the option of aborting the mission. In order to terminate this factor, they almost killed him and offered Iris the mission with Malirant's life on the line. However, the mission failed. Qastor and Iris survived along with Rey Vyn. Vulture had his own suspicions and followed Qastor, eventually stalling Rey Vyn in time for their escape. Sphere resorted to extreme measures and bombed the crater, knowing that some or most of the information will be lost. Qastor and Iris posed a threat, as they might divulge Sphere's intentions. Taking a large risk, they launched a full-scale assault on the main surface Global Cortex base, with Qastor and Iris' deaths in mind. They failed, but caught Qastor instead. Using this to their advantage, Sphere decided to extract from him answers of Rey Vyn's now-unknown whereabouts. Their efforts were once again thwarted. This time by Rey Vyn himself, among many other non- interwoven factors. _____________________________
They arrived at the Wyndon City gates. A towering, half-oval arch greeted them. Rose woke up just in time to witness the moment.
Wyndon City's Global Cortex shined in the sunrise. The group was now fully awake and stood outside the transport.
"Global Cortex? Why are we here?" Iris was first to speak.
"We'll take refuge here until things turn back to normal." Kyrie was still sleepy and yawned when her sentence ended.
"Until then, we do what?" Rose was lost in the peacefulness of the structure. It felt like forever since she could just sleep in a soft bed without worry or fear.
"That's what we're working on. Virgil, Legionnaire, and Kyrie have already decided to stay here. I guess I'll follow suit." Royal Mist sounded flat. He was still unsure of his future.
"What about BB here?" Rose turned to BB, who was leaning against the transport nursing his wrapped up wounds. He heard his name and waved reassuredly.
"He'll be fine by himself, I'm sure. You all go on inside. I'll load the ACs into the hangar." Royal Mist headed down to the hangar.
"I'll..." Iris' voice was pale against the new breeze.
"Yes?"
"I think I'll go look for Qastor once everything settles down." Her voice was stronger and more determined.
"Ya sure 'bout that?" BB finally spoke. He turned back to his wounds when Iris nodded.
Kyrie strolled towards the base entrance. Rose followed, looking back at BB. After poking a cut on his right wrist for a moment, he decided to head in.
Iris gazed into the horizon. Smoke from the detainment facility was still visible from three hundred kilometers away.
"Somehow, I'll find him. And when I do, I..." Iris stopped. She was unsure what would happen once it's all over.
Iris closed her eyes and held her necklace.
"Horizon of Refuge"
Haven Road of Wyndon City
5:41 a.m., 03/11
A palette of early morning hues painted the sky. Rays of a new dawn stretched from the violet mountains as the sun peeked from the edges.
Iris had been awake for half an hour, waiting for the sun to rise. But, she knew somewhere in her heart that she was really waiting for Qastor. Iris sat by herself in the back of the transport. "At least I get some time to think to myself..." Iris thought. The others were asleep. How Valkyrie, Royal Mist, and the others managed to break Rose, BB, and herself out still bothered her, but she was happy she was out. "I should be happy, right.?" Little did Iris know that the prisoner cell next to hers and Rose's was Qastor's. Her eyes were fixed on the purple sky. The swirl of hues welcomed her mind to wander...
After Qastor had saved Iris at the crater, she was left in the infirmary until the next day. Qastor had been by her side since carrying her to the doctor all by himself. In the next morning, she found him asleep on a chair next to her. Doctor Taylor came in, but left as soon as Iris informed him that she wanted some time to talk to Qastor. Iris looked at Qastor for another hour until he woke up to her eyes.
Iris told Qastor everything that had happened. The one thing that disturbed Qastor the most was what made the mission so irresistible to Iris. Sphere threatened to assassinate Malirant if she refused to accept the contract.
_____________________________
In truth, Sphere needed to get rid of Rey Vyn as soon as humanly (or inhumanly, if one should consider the conditions) possible, and in the quickest and most silent way. One that wouldn't leave even the tiniest of evidence. If one molecule of Rey Vyn's blood was unaccounted for, even that could get Sphere into trouble. At that time, Rey Vyn occupied the crater, blocking Sphere's efforts to extract ancient information from it. Sphere was searching for something and the way they were going about their ways, they didn't want any of the other corporations to know of their intentions. Mirage's strength increased significantly despite the fall of The Controller. Crest, a former advocate of The Controller, suffered irreparable scars. It is during this time that internal disputes and conflicts are erupting. This eventually led to the separation of the corporation. Union suffered similarly, despite their victory over The Controller.
Gaidoz noticed the irregularity in Sphere's actions and decided to investigate. In the process however, his efforts were thwarted by Sphere in the form of the gang "Darkness." Sphere had hired the gang to capture his AC. Things seemed to be safe until the gang rebelled. With the help of Gaidoz's AC, they launched a successful skirmish on one of Sphere's outposts. Sphere called on the services of Qastor, but as soon as they noticed his ring (Rey Vyn's ring), they launched their own forces, attempting to capture and question him. It proved unsuccessful with Iris' intervention, and Rey Vyn was still alive and bouncing. So, they tried another way. They pulled Malirant into their scheme, eradicating their own dummy troops and Malirant. They knew if Malirant was given the mission of eliminating Rey Vyn that he still had the option of aborting the mission. In order to terminate this factor, they almost killed him and offered Iris the mission with Malirant's life on the line. However, the mission failed. Qastor and Iris survived along with Rey Vyn. Vulture had his own suspicions and followed Qastor, eventually stalling Rey Vyn in time for their escape. Sphere resorted to extreme measures and bombed the crater, knowing that some or most of the information will be lost. Qastor and Iris posed a threat, as they might divulge Sphere's intentions. Taking a large risk, they launched a full-scale assault on the main surface Global Cortex base, with Qastor and Iris' deaths in mind. They failed, but caught Qastor instead. Using this to their advantage, Sphere decided to extract from him answers of Rey Vyn's now-unknown whereabouts. Their efforts were once again thwarted. This time by Rey Vyn himself, among many other non- interwoven factors. _____________________________
They arrived at the Wyndon City gates. A towering, half-oval arch greeted them. Rose woke up just in time to witness the moment.
Wyndon City's Global Cortex shined in the sunrise. The group was now fully awake and stood outside the transport.
"Global Cortex? Why are we here?" Iris was first to speak.
"We'll take refuge here until things turn back to normal." Kyrie was still sleepy and yawned when her sentence ended.
"Until then, we do what?" Rose was lost in the peacefulness of the structure. It felt like forever since she could just sleep in a soft bed without worry or fear.
"That's what we're working on. Virgil, Legionnaire, and Kyrie have already decided to stay here. I guess I'll follow suit." Royal Mist sounded flat. He was still unsure of his future.
"What about BB here?" Rose turned to BB, who was leaning against the transport nursing his wrapped up wounds. He heard his name and waved reassuredly.
"He'll be fine by himself, I'm sure. You all go on inside. I'll load the ACs into the hangar." Royal Mist headed down to the hangar.
"I'll..." Iris' voice was pale against the new breeze.
"Yes?"
"I think I'll go look for Qastor once everything settles down." Her voice was stronger and more determined.
"Ya sure 'bout that?" BB finally spoke. He turned back to his wounds when Iris nodded.
Kyrie strolled towards the base entrance. Rose followed, looking back at BB. After poking a cut on his right wrist for a moment, he decided to head in.
Iris gazed into the horizon. Smoke from the detainment facility was still visible from three hundred kilometers away.
"Somehow, I'll find him. And when I do, I..." Iris stopped. She was unsure what would happen once it's all over.
Iris closed her eyes and held her necklace.