The Truth That Lies Beyond The Lies
An AcceleRacers Fanfiction
By: Wings of Speed
Disclaimer: If you really feel the need to read it flip back to Chapter 1, you'll find it there.
Summary: Within the dark recesses of Trinity's mind are memories pertaining to the Silencerz that probably should be left where they are, but when the imperative reasserts itself, things are not as they should be. The past collides with the present as we get a look at what happens within the Silencerz Organization. Last Chapter
The Truth That Lies Beyond The Lies
Chapter 17: Conditioning of a Silencerz Agent
Light flared within the darkness, only to flicker and fade into the nothingness again. Again there was a bright pulse of light, almost lending it's brightening source to the darkness, almost creating shadows where earlier there had been nothing but blackness…almost but not quite. The light flickered into nonexistence again, only to flare momentarily again moments later, shadows playing against shadows as apparitions appeared to walk in a state of limbo, then just as quickly as it had flared to life the light was extinguished again. This continued for what seemed like an eternity, the light flaring into existence only to be extinguished like flames suddenly plunged into water. There was also a gray haze swirled within the darkness, creating an illusion of smoke or the clouds just before a thunderstorm, as well as the encroaching darkness.
With each pulse of the light more images were formed, only to fade back into the inky darkness. To become nothingness once more.
The light pulsed again, a baby's cry echoed in the darkness, seeming to reverberate off of nothing, bouncing like a remembered echo from a time long past. The cry of a second infant splintered the silence. The darkness encompassed everything once more and the wailing of the infant twins slowly ceased into nothingness.
Again the light pulsed, this time it was accompanied by the sound of clattering metal. An image of a bike slowly falling to the ground was formed, but just as quickly as it had appeared it was engulfed once more by the murkiness of the darkening mists.
Light again, this time the sound of a car's engine revving. The shadowed form of a young girl could be seen peering beneath the raised hood of a car. A horn suddenly sounded from the encroaching darkness and a soft curse was heard as the girl jumped, her head smacking off of the hood. As the image faded, swallowed up by the darkness once more, there was the sound of another young girl laughing.
The light pulsed once more and the sound of squealing tires eerily wafted through the inky darkness. A silhouette of a car could be seen, its tires spinning in an attempt to gain purchase on the road beneath. Then it was suddenly gone too, disappearing into the night-like darkness.
The light flared to life, bright in its intensity as it pushed the shadows and darkness to the far recesses of this strange world where nothing seemed at all as it truly was.
Trinity stared around her in horror, she knew this place and it was one place she didn't want to be again. It was a part of her life she wished beyond hope she could forget, though she had enjoyed it greatly, it was the beginning of the end for her.
It was here that all hell would eventually break loose and things would never be the same. It was here that she drew attention to herself, attention that she sure as hell wished had never been thrown in her direction to begin with.
It was here that she had begun her short journey in the normal world of the military, before the Silencerz had shown an interest in her. Then her world was anything but normal, and it would eventually come crashing down around her.
She watched as her past self walked across the airfield, stopping beneath the wing of a Stealth Bomber. She had worked on many different types of military issue vehicles, but the Bombers had been her favorite. They were sleek, and beautiful to watch in flight; and deadly as all hell. Was that what had drawn her to them? Was it their dangerous nature, the promise of death that lingered just around them in indefinite waves?
She watched as her past self removed a panel from the area on the main body of the Bomber, just beneath the left wing. She remembered that a bunch of wires and cables had been exposed to her then; there was something wrong within the mechanics of the Bomber. For some odd reason the computer in this particular jet had not been responding to all commands of the pilot. It seemed to have developed a mind of its own and only responded when it saw fit, which was only about twenty-five percent of the time. The other seventy-five percent of the time, the jet was as dangerous to friendlies as it was to the enemies. The jet had become a rogue fighter in the worst possible way.
Again there was a brief flash of light, then total darkness as the airbase suddenly disappeared, as if it had never existed in the first place. She knew it had though. As much as she wished it hadn't, she knew it had.
The light flared to life once more, expanding in its radiance only to coalesce and condense, finally revealing the inside of the Silencerz base. The training room of the Silencerz base to be precise. She saw herself and five others seated at a series of tables, and at the front of the room stood a woman who appeared to be in her late thirties, maybe early forties.
Serena was there, and Courtney as well; she couldn't remember the names of the other three trainees. It wasn't all that important; they hadn't made it through the initial training.
Hadn't made it through the initial training?
She felt laughter bubbling up within her throat. Insane laughter. Hadn't made it through the initial training? Indeed, they hadn't lived through the initial training! They hadn't been able to deal with what had been expected of them and three weeks into the training they had…She shook her head, not wanting to remember it but it seemed someone else had other ideas in mind.
The image before her shifted and she watched as three prototype Silencerz cars whipped out onto a practice track. Everything had been done within the Silencerz base, everything. One never had to leave the base; everything you would ever need was there. Food, R&R, there was even a type of holo suite, which could be programmed to show anything you wanted. The base was truly something out of a Sci-Fi movie.
But she, Courtney and Serena had all left the base on countless occasions, but their excursions had all been in connection to their mission. They were to retain their notoriety as street racers, but how were they to do that if they just all of a sudden disappeared from the scene?
She turned her attention back to the three prototype cars, these three had never been truly fleshed out; they're specifications had been literally thrown into the trash. They had never been used in any of the Realms, at least not after the three drivers had managed to prove that they were not worthy to become true Silencerz cars.
Another set of three cars throttled onto the track, unlike the first three the second set held formation, staying closely together, almost as if they were watching one another's backs. Trinity remembered what the whole reason had been for this training: To see how well the six recruits held up under extreme conditions.
It had been a demolition derby of sorts, but instead of just trying to mangle the living shit out of your competition, your objective was to totally annihilate them. You were supposed to make certain that not only was the car a total loss, but that there was no way possible for the other driver to walk away from their car. You didn't necessarily have to kill your opponent though.
But it was the best means to the end.
Trinity sighed, remembering how the scenario had ended. She, Serena and Courtney had come out of the skirmish untouched, the other three weren't so lucky. She hadn't understood at the time that they were actually going to kill the other drivers, hadn't understood exactly how cold-hearted those in the higher positions of the Silencerz were.
She definitely knew now.
Her attention was pulled back to the track as a loud explosion rocked the surroundings. The first of the other three cars had just gone up in a display worthy of the fireworks on the Fourth of July. Soon, the other two would join their teammate.
Serena had taken out the first car, Courtney had reduced the second to a heap of twisted metal and Trinity had literally detonated the third car into an explosive fireball as she forced it into the smoking remains of the first.
They hadn't known until later that the other three trainees had been driving those cars, hadn't known that they'd taken another human's life in that ill-fated training exercise. They had been led to believe before the exercise had started that robots were controlling the three other cars.
How wrong they were!
The Silencerz only wanted the best and there was no room for error.
She and Courtney were devastated when they'd found the truth out, they couldn't believe that they were murderers! Serena hadn't seemed phased by the whole ordeal. It was all in the line of duty, she had said later on.
It still haunted Trinity, as much as it did Courtney.
The destructive scene before her faded and with it the guilt ridden pain she had so keenly felt. The guilt was still there, a heavy burden on her heart, but it had lessened slightly with the vanishing of the image. And with the passing of time since those months that seemed so long ago.
If only she had known, then she would never have agreed to become an agent for the Silencerz!
Another image burst to life before her and she felt a groan well up in her throat. Somehow, she had known that this particular scene would pop up at some point.
They were once again in the training room, she, Serena and Courtney, this time there were several other instructors with them, including their uncle, Vert's father. Various pictures and computer pads littered the tables and piles of paper and documents could be seen peeking out of neatly piled vanilla folders.
She watched as her past self reached for one of the folders off to her left and slowly opened it up. She closed her eyes, not wanting to relive this. Not wanting to remember what this training had been all about.
"You know this person?" the woman from before asked. The instructor, the woman in her late thirties, early forties…the woman who Trinity had grown to hate with a passion. There were no emotions to this woman, no kindness, no gentleness. She was hard and cold and seemed to care not all for those she had been instructed to teach. The mean look in her eyes told that she hated these three recruits she had been ordered to teach, hated them with almost the same passion that Trinity had come to hate her with.
Trinity's past self glared up at the woman, "Of course I know him. He's my cousin." Her blue eyes flickered toward her uncle, waiting to see if there'd be any reaction from him. He didn't even so much as glance her way, he was staring at the back of the room like a good little soldier.
She heard a snort come from the woman and watched as her past self forced her blue gaze back to the stiff as a brick bitch. "The only relatives you have are those in the Silencerz, this you would do well to remember." The woman responded.
Trinity's past self rolled her eyes, "And you'd do well to remember that I don't take orders from cantankerous old crones like you."
Trinity closed her eyes, but she still heard the loud smack that signaled the woman had just struck her past self. She could still feel the sting of it across her cheek. Instinctively she put a hand up to her face, knowing without looking that her mirror image was doing the same thing.
A low growl had filled the training room, "So help me lady, you ever lay a hand on me again, it'll be the last thing you ever do!"
Trinity opened her eyes and watched as her mirror self, blue flames sparking in her eyes, glared at the old crone. The old crone had the audacity to actually laugh at her!
Even now, knowing that the images playing before her weren't real, the woman's laughter still sent shivers of dread running up her spine.
"We'll make a proper Silencerz out of you yet," the woman cackled and this sent chills coursing through Trinity's body. The woman's words had been true, they had made a proper Silencerz agent out of her.
The cantankerous old crone picked up the picture of Vert that Trinity had only moments ago held, she then turned her attention away from Trinity, her cold stare taking in both Serena and Courtney. "Vert Wheeler," she said in a monotone. "Son of Major Jack Wheeler and as I well know, also your cousin."
"And your point being what?" Serena asked, her eyes giving the impression for all the world to see that this whole thing was boring her greatly. Indeed it had been, Trinity's twin had wanted to get into the action part of the training. She hated sitting on her backside and preferred first hand experience. She hated the whole scenario of sitting in a classroom learning, it just didn't fit with her style in the least.
"My point," the crone had sneered, her eyes directly focusing on Trinity, "Is that though he may be blood related to you, you owe no loyalty to him, at least not any longer. You are Silencerz agents, you drive for us now and we own you. We are your family and no one else." She held Vert's picture up for each of the three young agents to look at, a cold gleam entering into her eyes. "He means nothing to you any longer. Your bonds to him have been broken and your bonds to us have been forged. From now on, you have no family outside of this organization. Is that clear?" With that, the old woman actually ripped Vert's picture in two and allowed both halves to flutter to the floor.
"Yeah, crystal clear," Serena has said, rolling her eyes with her words. She really hadn't given a care for a word this woman uttered or anything else that happened to come out of her mouth. Serena had just wanted to get to the good part of the training…more destruction and mayhem.
"Yes ma'am," Courtney had softly muttered. She hadn't been able to agree with the standards that the Silencerz enforced. Forced coercion was not high on her lists of likes, still wasn't.
Trinity herself had refused to answer, had refused to agree to what was being ordered of her. She suddenly flinched as something was slammed down on the table before her past self. She remembered what it had been, she also remembered having it come down hard on one of her hands. A wooden ruler, though where the vicious old bitch had pulled it from she still wasn't certain of. One second it wasn't there, and the next it was, slamming down hard on one of her hands.
"Ow!" she heard the other Trinity yell in outrage and pain.
Trinity flinched, she remembered what was coming next and what the next couple of hours would be like. Something she would give anything to forget! The torture…the beatings…she still held scars from it all, scars she hid well.
The Silencerz expected 100 cooperation from their agents, and those that didn't give it were punished. Punished severely.
"What was that for?" Her past self growled.
Trinity closed her eyes, fearing what she knew was coming next.
Nothing happened. There was no sound of flesh hitting flesh as she knew was to happen. There was no sound of her outraged scream or the yell that had erupted from her throat when she had vaulted over the table, fully intent of taking this old woman out. Or the scuffle that had ensued when security had been called in to rein this thing back under control.
There was nothing, no sound…just silence.
This was not right.
She cracked an eye open and was greeted once more with darkness. The scene had vanished like the ones before it.
A sigh of relief passed by her lips, she was suddenly glad for the reprieve from remembering something that she really didn't want to relive.
A light pulsed in the darkness, so very dim at first then brightening until she had to place a hand before her eyes to blot it out. There was the sound of voices around her and the quick sounds of keyboard buttons being hit.
She slowly removed her hand from before her eyes and glared at the scene before her. It would figure, go from the frying pan to the fire.
They were in another classroom this time, but with a different teacher. This teacher was an older gentleman, in his mid to late fifties, perhaps a little older. He had a balding head and light gray eyes that almost appeared silver in their coloring. He was soft spoken and Trinity liked him a lot better than the cantankerous old crone that had been their teacher previously.
She walked slowly around the room until she was standing behind her past self, looking over the other Trinity's shoulder at the computer screen that flashed various images before her. They were being debriefed on the Teku and Metal Maniacs, discovering where their weaknesses and strengths lay. Discovering what the easiest ways would be to destroy Tezla's teams. It was the main objective of the Silencerz, to beat Tezla and discover exactly what was at the end of the Racing Realms and to be the first to do it.
And woe be to any that got in the way of their main objective.
They had finished their research on Vert, Nolo and Karma of the Teku and Taro, Markie or as he preferred to be called, Wylde and Tork of the Metal Maniacs. They were just starting on Shirako and next would be Monkey, then they'd move on to Kurt and Pork Chop.
"Shirako Takamoto," the teacher, she couldn't remember what his name had been, was just starting to say, "He, as we discovered with Karma, Nolo and Tork, is new to the Realms. He did not participate in the World Race as some of the others did and had not met Tezla before this.
"His main strength seems to lie in his music, which is boosted to the point of being able to throw audio waves into the air to force his competitors off the road. He has not proven to be much of a worry as he seems to always be near to if not at the end of the pack. Our data suggests that he's not so much worried about winning in the Realms, not as much as he is about his music."
"Then why should we even worry about him?" Serena had questioned.
Their teacher had turned his steely gray gaze to Trinity's twin, a sparkle entering into his eyes. "Why should you worry about him?" he repeated. "Because Serena, a team is only as weak as its weakest link and this Shirako may prove to be the Teku's weakest link. As a Silencerz you must learn to exploit your enemies every weakness, even ones that don't seem worthy of your time. Underestimating your competition can lead to a fatal error and that is something we are not willing to see happen."
Trinity had snorted, "I highly doubt any system he has installed in that truck could compete with what Bass Assault is equipped with. She's got the latest everything."
"Again, do not underestimate your competition Trinity. They may have some surprises in store for us, the same as we do for them. Only time will reveal this."
Trinity had rolled her eyes, "Yeah, and the dragons on Assault will take off and fly one of these days," she had countered.
"They do fly," Courtney had pointed out.
"Only when I'm driving," Trinity had shot back.
This had resulted in a debate that had lasted for nearly half an hour before the teacher had finally had enough and turned the discussion back onto its original track. Back towards Shirako Takamoto and his weaknesses and strengths. There weren't many to be found since not much was known about the young Asian man.
They had records of his birth; when his family had moved from Japan to the United States; when he had received his driving license and what his first vehicle had been, which surprisingly enough had been a hand me down, a '76 Buick Skyhawk.
Other than that, there wasn't much information to be had other than his love for loud music…something Trinity could understand since it had been possible to hear Bass Assault coming from miles away.
They also had records about Bassline's specifications; when the truck had originally been built. The Silencerz probably knew about as much as Shirako knew about his car, perhaps even more.
Next they moved on to Monkey, but they'd had the same problem with him as they'd had with Shirako. They knew his true name; date of birth; when he'd received his driving license; his interest more in things beneath the hood than actually racing; and the fact that he was quite literally a coward. But between Takamoto and McClurg, Monkey was the more vocal of the two. Other than that, there wasn't much more information on the Metal Maniacs resident mechanic.
The images before her started to blur, receding into darkness once more and she silently hoped that this whole thing would finally be over with. Why she was being forced to remember all of this was beyond her, she just didn't understand it at all.
"He won't agree to it," she heard someone say from the darkness. "He's happy where he's at, he won't want to leave his friends and join us."
Shadowed figures started to walk in the darkness before her and even before they started to take solid shape she knew what she was about to see. She didn't like it, didn't want to remember it. Didn't even want to think about it! If she closed her eyes would it go away?
She highly doubted it.
She didn't have much choice though as a bright light suddenly erupted from no where and she found herself staring at her past self again, along with Serena, Courtney, Admiral Graymond and Uncle Jack. There were a few others in the room, but she couldn't remember their names and didn't deem them important enough to even attempt to. They weren't the ones who were trying to destroy the lives of Vert and his friends after all.
"He won't have much choice in the matter," Admiral Graymond had sneered.
"How do you know it will work?" Courtney had softly asked.
"We've been planning this for months, there's no way it can go wrong," the admiral had answered, turning his beady eyes to Courtney. He checked his watch then glanced around the room, his eyes once more returning to Court. "You're expected at the med-bay in fifteen minutes, you'd better be on your way."
Courtney had nodded her head and silently left the meeting room. Discussions were to be made and it had been decided beforehand that Courtney would not willingly participate in the planning phase of the discussions. She was to be included in the plans, just not to her knowledge, she wouldn't have a clue of what was actually being planned. She only knew that one way or another the Silencerz were going to recruit Vert Wheeler, whether he agreed to it or not. Vert Wheeler would in the end be theirs.
The door had closed with a hiss behind her, after which Admiral Graymond had turned his attention to those still left within the debriefing room. "Now, onto the real plans." He chuckled as he rubbed his palms together, an evil glint entering his eyes.
"We already know that Vert won't agree with our plans, he won't want to join his father and cousins within our ranks, so it's up to us to come up with a plan to ensure his cooperation."
Something had entered Major Wheeler's eyes at the moment, something similar to regret over what was being planned. Trinity continued to wonder if her uncle hadn't agreed with what was being formulated for his only son. Had he really wanted Vert to join the Silencerz or was he being coerced like most everyone else?
"We already know from our undercover agents that the Drone's have captured Markie Wylde, it's only a matter of time until those within Tezla's teams decide to try and rescue their teammate." Serena had spoken up. She seemed to be the only one that agreed with the plan to force Vert into the Silencerz. She didn't seem to have a problem with it at all.
"Correction, we already know that Tezla's teams are planning on rescuing Markie Wylde. Tezla just doesn't know it yet." Admiral Graymond responded.
"We also know that Gelorum is planning on attacking the AcceleDrome," Trinity commented.
"Yes, and the computers have come up with several possible outcomes and we need to plan around all of these." Graymond responded. "And from the plans we have already made there are other possible outcomes that need to be planned for. All possible variables have been added in, it all depends on what scenario is played out in the end."
"And what are the possible outcomes?" Serena asked.
The images before her faded, but she didn't need to relive what had happened afterwards, she already knew. She remembered everything with perfect clarity, even if she so wished she didn't.
"If in the event he should escape, this plan will go into effect, but only if he should escape." She heard Graymond's voice. She forced a breath from her lungs, hoping that all of this would be over with soon, she was getting highly annoyed with reliving all this crap she really didn't want to be! Why was it happening in the first place? What could have happened for all these images to come flooding back to her consciousness? Try as she might, she couldn't remember anything about what had happened before she found herself in this blackness that was forcing these images upon her brain.
"I'm still dead?" Serena had asked.
"Yes, you're still dead, how many times do I need to repeat this?" Graymond had snapped. They were still in the debriefing room but now it was several hours later and everyone's tempers were showing to be short-fused.
"Why am I the one who has to die? Why not Trinity?" Serena had nearly whined, showing exactly how fatigued she was becoming. Serena never whined, it just wasn't something she did. Yell, holler, scream at the top of her lungs; yes, but whining was not something she ever did.
"Because Vert shares a stronger bond with Trinity than he does you," Major Wheeler had pointed out.
"Yes, and we need someone he's going to trust. We know from records that he'll trust Trinity far more than he will you," Graymond had explained, a note of growing boredom entering his voice. "And for this plan we need someone he's going to trust without a doubt. That person is Trinity."
"I don't like it," Trinity had responded. "It's not going to be fair to him to tell him that Serena's dead."
Graymond's eyes had narrowed at this, "No one ever said that the Silencerz played fair. We do what we must to further our objectives along and if a bit of lying and cheating end up in the mix, it's beyond our control."
"I refuse to go along with this, I refuse to lie to Vert!" Trinity had yelled, the palms of her hands hitting the table's surface with a resounding slap.
Graymond had slowly walked around the table, his hands fisted at his sides. Trinity had slowly sat back down in her seat, suddenly realizing that she had overstepped her bounds. She was in trouble now, and she knew it.
"It seems another trip to the OT is in order, you seem to forget your place Corporal Wheeler." The admiral's voice had lowered to the point where she had barely been able to hear what he had said, but she knew just by the wicked glint that surfaced in his eyes that she was way beyond being in just deep trouble, she was now in some serious shit.
Trinity closed her eyes, her lungs sucking in a deep breath. Oh God, this was really something she didn't want to remember. Something she would just as soon forget, push it to the furthest recesses of her mind and pretend it had never happened. If only she could.
Darkness engulfed her once more and this time there was no flashing or flickering of lights. No images surfaced, there were no voices echoing in the darkness. Only complete and utter silence.
The Silencerz condition their agents for complete and utter obedience. Those agents that seem to have issues or complaints with the rules and sanctions of the Organization are quickly subdued and shown their proper place. Torture and physical abuse are not above their actions and they'll resort to severe punishments for those that even give the slightest inkling of not agreeing with the motives of the Organization and are quickly shown the errors of their ways.
Trinity's mind was lost in the darkness, her mind flitting from one thought to another, remembering things she had been taught and learned. Things that the Silencerz had programmed into her psyche, things that no matter how much she may fight against, it would prove to be a useless war. She could not win against their programming, in the end it would overpower her mind and she'd do what she had been bidden to do in the first place.
In the end, she would deliver Vert Wheeler to those that she saw now as the enemy.
In the end she would betray her cousin and those that she had come to think of as friends. She would betray those she had come to care for. Those that she loved.
It was the truth beyond the lies.
She was a Silencerz agent; she drove and worked for the enemy. The truth beyond the lies was that she would betray Vert, and though she wouldn't do it willingly, she would do it nonetheless. She would hand him over and there was not a thing she could do to stop it. Not a way she could stop herself from betraying both him and her own self…not a way she could end the torture she was being put through.
Technetium will be delivered in just a matter of a few days. Vert will never suspect what is happening until it's too late. He'll never suspect that I work for the Silencerz and that he's been set up. He'll never discover the truth until it's too late and by then there's nothing that his friends will be able to do. He'll be lost to them forever. He'll be a Silencerz agent, like the rest of his family.
Well, this chapter didn't exactly go as planned and I think it raised more questions than answers, but that seems to be a normal occurrence for me at any rate. Oh…and did I mention that this is the last chapter? The End! No more.
Hope you enjoyed the read…and of course keep checking back for the sequel. I'll have it started at some point here…not sure when though. Though if my reviews keep dropping the way they have been the sequel may never get off the ground. In other words, if you want to read the sequel you'd best review!
Be sure to watch for And The Lies Continue To Crumble!
Shout outs…
Wbwjcmichael: Wow, now that name is a mouthful! Yeah, I'm a 'Mom' writing this, kinda weird, isn't it? My little boy is 7 and he's definitely the main reason why I'm interested in the AcceleRacers…fast cars and action help out a lot as well. Glad to have you onboard and hopefully you continue reading as the sequel debuts in all it's glory.
Royal Union: You bring up a valid question and one that I'm really not ready to answer yet, but there is an explanation to why the AcceleChargers have basically been overlooked. That'll be gotten into later…maybe.
C-chan: Well, there's the next chapter…can't say it's all that great or anything but as things go, I think it left a lot of questions to be answered with very few answers given. A lot to be explained in the sequel, no?
Dragoneian: Definitely glad to see that you are back. As for the plot thickening…yes indeed, it is, and it's only getting thicker as it goes along. But this was the last chapter for this story, hopefully within the next couple of weeks the sequel will be up and running. I do so love cliffhangers.
Kara: You girl, I'll just talk to later. I've got a few details I need to weasel outta ya. Like what was the whole theory on the sequel! Brain lapse, lol.
Chase: I don't feel like typing the whole Racerboy thing (even though I just did) so I'm just gonna go with Chase from now on. As for Shirako getting his thing going on…oh yeah, that'll come in later…after all, Katana has to come around somehow, but right now he's not seeing any major action, lol. He will later, that's a guarantee. Now update!
Kawaii: Again I'm being lazy and not typing everyone's full name. YES, you lost Shirako to Trinity! I know I'll talk to you later so there's really no need to put a whole lot in here. I'll catch you online at some point, as long as our schedules cooperate. Be well girl, we're all thinking of you.
Dark672: My mouth honestly fell when I first started reading your review. I was like…Oh crap! But I'm happy, I got more than it's good outta ya! That's an accomplishment for me, lol. Glad you're still reading.
Moriko: What! How can you not like romance? Ok…so it is sappy and all, but it's so romantic! Ah forget it, I'm burying myself in this argument. Wylde had better not be demolishing Shirako's speakers! Wylde can't find his way out of a wet paper bag…how's he going to manage to find Bassline? Sorry, couldn't resist. Leaving now before you attempt sicking Wylde on me yet again. I'll just go hide behind Shirako.