***NA***
"And then once we get that triangulation, we can make our strike against the rebel base!" Sandstorm kept his hands on his hips, grinning towards Foxfire, who was glancing from the datapad that Sobek had given her and giving Sandstorm a strange look.
Sandstorm made a motion with his hand. "I mean, it's just a suggestion, but I think it's a good idea."
"...mm…" Foxfire looked back towards the datapad, though Shadow was giving Sandstorm a weird look.
"Wow. YOU actually came up with a decent plan for once." Shadow muttered lightly.
"YEAH! I thought you didn't have much up there, being trained under Fefnir and all!" Sobek grinned widely, receiving a glare from Sandstorm.
"...Well considering Sandstorm is under Commander Leviathan's command while YOU are currently under Commander Fefnir's command…" Foxfire continued to scroll through the stolen datapad. "...what does that say about you Sobek?"
Sobek put up a hand...before he made a face, to which both Shadow and Sandstorm snickered in his direction.
After a moment, the teleporter activated, making the four Lieutenants look up expectantly. First Leviathan arrived, a scowl on her face. Behind her was Phantom, Harpuia, and then ultimately Fefnir.
"You. Absolute...MORON!"
The Four Lieutenants went silent as Leviathan turned and pointed towards Fefnir accusingly. In fact, the entire room seemed to get silent…
Fefnir put up his hands. "It was an ACCIDENT! I wasn't-"
"You weren't paying ATTENTION!" Phantom shook a fist at Fefnir. "Now what are we going to tell Master X!? You've set us back YEARS!"
"It was an ACCIDENT- GAH!" Fefnir held his head where Harpuia swiftly SMACKED him.
"You should have been paying ATTENTION!" Harpuia snarled.
As they argued, Phantom stormed past the four Lieutenants, making them glance at each other...before Foxfire quickly ran after Phantom.
"C-Commander Phantom!"
She suddenly gasped and stopped in her tracks when Phantom turned and glared at her. Foxfire tensed up and shrunk slightly. "Uh-.." She put up a hand. "C-Commander Phantom….what happened? Are you alright? Are you injured?"
Phantom turned to face her. "I'M fine, Lieutenant." His gaze rested on Fefnir, and he pointed at his brother accusingly. "But SOME people are going to feel the wrath of Master X for completely WASTING our opportunity!"
"I SAID I WAS SORRY!" Fefnir flailed his arms wildly.
"Yeah, because 'Sorry' can fix EVERYTHING." Phantom snarled sarcastically, before turning and storming deeper into the building. Not far behind him was Leviathan, followed by Fefnir who was trying to argue with them.
The four Lieutenants glanced towards each other, before Sobek and Sandstorm followed after Fefnir and Leviathan, while Shadow and Foxfire stayed behind.
Foxfire had mixed feelings about going after Phantom...he didn't seem like he was in the mood to be consulted…
She glanced towards Shadow, who gave her just as bizzare a look, before they both looked towards Harpuia, who was still by the transporter, rubbing his forehead.
Foxfire glanced towards Shadow...before she slowly approached Harpuia.
"...Commander Harpuia?" She asked softly, watching him glance very slightly in her direction. "...are you alright? What just happened?"
Harpuia was silent for a moment, before he made a motion towards the direction that the other three guardians had just disappeared down. "During our recent mission, we managed to snag the information the rebels had...but in the process, Fefnir foolishly killed the Raven."
The statement made Foxfire pause, a look of horror on her face.
"...Wha-"
"Now Master X will not be getting the sky fire." Harpuia growled, putting two fingers to his forehead.
For a moment, Foxfire seemed to be horrified...before she looked down and seemed to be contemplating the statement. So...Fefnir...KILLED...Raven?...
…..then where was her body?
"...Commander...you said...Commander Fefnir killed the Raven?" she asked slowly.
"He shot her in the chest." Harpuia waved a hand in the air for emphasis. "The shot threw her out the window...she fell SEVEN stories into a glacier-fed river...and even if she HAD survived the fall; her core temperature can not survive those freezing waters after that hit…"
Shadow and Foxfire glanced at each other, before Foxfire seemed to ponder deeply about this.
"...so...she fell into a river…." she mumbled to herself.
Shadow on the other hand looked back towards Harpuia. "Commander Harpuia, what should we do about Master X...certainly he's not going to be pleased with this outcome…"
"No...No he's not." Harpuia confirmed, crossing his arms and looking towards Shadow. "We need a chance to compose ourselves before we bring the bad news to him."
"...Commander Harpuia?"
Both Harpuia and Shadow looked towards Foxfire, who had a hand up slightly. "...Would...it be alright if I took my ship and went to scout the area you just left?"
Harpuia rose an eyeridge at her. What did she think she would find? "What for?"
Putting up a hand, Foxfire motioned towards the ships. "Think about it, Commander Harpuia….the Raven has been one of the resistance's top fighters after Zero. She could very well have intelligence and data with her that we can provide Master X as compensation." She paused for a moment and continued.
"Besides...as the keeper of one of the fires...if she really is deceased...the ability should be finding a new host as we speak…"
Harpuia thought about her logic for a moment, before he made a motion with his hand.
"Very well...Shadow, retrieve the datapad."
Shadow nodded and allowed Foxfire to hand him the datapad she had been holding, before Harpuia faced Foxfire. "Take a squadron of my soldiers and scout that area." he ordered, motioning towards some soldiers that were overhearing the conversation. "I expect you back within two hours."
Foxfire suddenly paused at the idea of bringing other soldiers along. She quickly reached out for Harpuia as he and Shadow began walking away. "N- Wait- Commander Harpuia that's not necessary, That's-"
He didn't even look back at her, but continued to walk away, making Foxfire sigh lightly. "...fine…" she glanced to the side for a moment, before she turned and started heading to her ship.
As Harpuia and Shadow walked, Shadow glanced back towards Foxfire...before looking towards Harpuia. "...you do realize she's going to find SOME way to squirm around your back-up orders, right?"
"I know." Harpuia replied calmly. "I'm the one who trained her...I know her habits."
As they walked away, Foxfire made it to her own ship and activated the cockpit, making sure the jet was warming up and getting ready for take off. Taking out her own datapad, she programed a certain set of coordinance and narrowed her eyes.
I seriously doubt they killed her...This has happened before...she's done this before…
She glared at her datapad. I am NOT falling for it again…
Foxfire heard other ships warming up around her and she paused, glancing behind her. Five more ships with two pilots each were preparing for take off. Many of Harpuia's pilots were preparing their jets, others were watching her to make sure she was ready…
Pursing her lips, Foxfire glanced at her own ship….before she made her way towards one of the Sergeants.
He perked up as Foxfire approached him and quickly saluted. "Lieutenant Foxfire! The Strong Air Battalion force 5 is preparing for launch and awaiting you orders, ma'am!"
Foxfire loosely crossed her arms...and glanced to the side for a moment, before she looked back at him, smiling. "Wonderful! You boys keep preparing your ships. I'm going to take off and you join me in thirty minutes."
The Sergeant's face fell for a moment, a look of concern on his face. "B-...but Lieutenant...Commander Harpuia specifically ordered-"
"I know, I know," Foxfire quickly waved a hand at him, nervously grinning. "But I scout the best when I don't have others hovering over me, see." She made a motion towards her own ship. "Commander Harpuia set a 2 hour time limit for me to get all the info and scouting I need done. All I'M asking for is 30 minutes to do my own pattern, and you can join me!"
The soldier winced and glanced towards another soldier, who also had a concerned look on his face. The entire REASON Harpuia was sending them with her, was because it was a WELL KNOWN fact that Foxfire wasn't the best fighter…
...HECK! She hardly ever TRAINED with the other Lieutenants unless it was a direct order...and she was always the first tagged out of any fight! The only reason she was a Lieutenant was because she was the best at scouting, information collecting, and her strategies RARELY failed.
For a moment, the soldiers hesitated, before Foxfire pipped up.
"Listen, If Commander Harpuia has an issue, WHO is the one who's going to get in trouble?" She pointed towards herself. "Me. Not you. Me"
"Well...I mean...if it's an order-"
"It is...it totally is" Foxfire grinned and quickly made her way to her own jet. "Timer starts now! And if you're still nervous, how about this? If I don't respond to a hail in thirty minutes, you can contact Commander Phantom, how's that?"
"Wha- But Lieutenant-"
He didn't get to finish his sentence, because Foxfire had already hopped into her cockpit and activated the thrusters on her ship. Without fail, the jet rolled off the runway and took into the sky at top speed…
….leaving Harpuia's soldiers watching the jet take off, bewildered looks on their faces.
"...How does she DO that?"
"She's a smooth talker...that's how."
"...Not around Commander Phantom…"
"True."
***RB***
"Zero! Zero hold on!"
Ciel tried to chase Zero down the halls. "You need to get yourself completely treated before-"
"I only returned to drop off the intelligence agent." Zero replied firmly, deadset on getting back to the ship that was awaiting his return. "I have to get back there and find her."
"I'm not opposing that, but Zero!" Ciel quickly got in front of the reploid, putting up her hands. "You need to at least have your systems checked! You can't just go head-first back into the area, you JUST left and it will be CRAWLING with guardian security!"
"She fell into a river." Zero pointed towards the exit. "A river that was high tide and rushing with freezing water!" He narrowed his eyes slightly. "The ONLY thing that kept me from diving into it while I was there was Colbor had sustained injuries and needed to get back here."
Zero put his hand on Ciel's shoulder and gently, yet firmly pushed her aside. "I'm not leaving her there."
"Zero, I'm not Asking you to leave Raven alone to fend for yourself!" Ciel quickly grabbed his wrist. "If you go without knowing what you can or can't do, you'll be less of a help!"
Zero stopped walking and glanced towards the rebel leader, who was looking up at him pleadingly.
"Zero, just let me run a quick diagnostic, and you can go….What happens if your systems are too damaged to properly carry out your abilities?"
He sighed and turned. "Fine….but make it quick."
Ciel nodded and quickly took out a device, putting a wire in his arm and quickly typing at a few buttons.
Zero glanced towards the exit, scowling. How long was this going to take? What would happen to Raven if he couldn't get there in time? Why did he sound like X?...Is this what X really sounds like? Sure he had lost some of his memories of his past with X, but some of them were still there.
Why had Raven played them for fools? That was a risky move she pulled…that cost her LIFE if he was too late…
"Don't worry, Zero…"
He glanced towards Ciel, who was taking the wire out of his arm, and looking up at him. "Raven is a fighter...and her ability keeps her strong."
"Her ability…" Zero frowned. "You mean the ability that the guardians have been calling her by? The Sky Aurore fire?"
Ciel paused for a moment and pursed her lips. "Actually Zero she-"
"Zero!"
Both Zero and Ciel looked over, seeing a reploid flagging them down. "Your ship is ready for take off!"
Zero nodded and started running for the exit, leaving Ciel watching him leave.
***SW***
"...ungh…"
She could hear the sounds of rushing water...the sound of waves hitting rocks…
...holy CRAP her head hurt!
Raven moaned and slowly managed to open her eyes. She could hear a beeping sound in her helmet...and a ringing sound in her ears. Taking in a breath, she managed to move her arms slowly.
Painfully...and VERY slowly, she managed to push herself to at least sit up as much as she could. Her entire body was SCREAMING in pain...and it didn't help that she was freezing cold.
Raven managed to glance over herself. She was laying in a shallow pool of water that was just barely away from the rushing river and was connected to a cave of all things.
Perfect. Shelter.
Raven forced herself to move...to slowly drag her beaten up body and slowly edge for the cave. It took her several minutes, but after a long, excruciating journey of 15 feet, she finally managed to rest on dry land and against the cave wall.
She panted and winced sharply, glancing out the cave mouth and watching the rushing river.
...How the HECK did she survive that fall? Pure dumb luck?
Raven rested her head against the wall of the cave and let out a painful groan. Her body felt like it was on fire...WHILE also feeling the numbness of freezing temperatures.
The beeping in her helmet never subsided.
She growled and painfully managed to put a hand to her head.
"...Th-...This is Raven…" she mumbled weakly. "...Raven to Ciel…"
There was nothing but static on the line. Raven gritted her teeth and tried again. "Ciel...Ciel please….this is Raven…"
Static…
"Ciel...Zero...ANYBODY…"
Still nothing.
"Slaaaaaaaag…" Raven rested her head against the wall, panting in pain. She felt something warm and thick against her side.
Three guesses as to what THAT was.
Gritting her teeth, she managed to bring up her arm and press a button on her wrist gauntlet.
...After a moment, a light started blinking, signaling that it was sending out a homing becan.
At least THAT was working!
Raven trembled...and sneezed, before crying out in pain.
"...SCRAP that hurt…."
***NAB***
Foxfire walked around the edge of the gorge, looking downwards towards the raging river below.
A gorge...it just HAAAAD to be a deep gorge, didn't it?
She paced back and forth for another minute, before glancing towards her ship that she had parked a few meteors away. It was closer to the structure that the fight had happened in, and there were still soldiers crawling around it.
Most of them were under Fefnir's command...so...they weren't exactly the brightest bulbs on the planet.
Looking back down towards the river, she gritted her teeth. She couldn't exactly perform scouting via ship...it flew far too fast to allow her time to look over EVERY detail of the river…
...and she was already pushing 15 minutes...in another few minutes, Harpuia's soldiers would be calling her and joining her.
...IT JUST HAD TO BE A FLIPPING GORGE, DIDN'T IT?!
Letting out a breath, Foxfire slowly made her way to the edge. She felt her entire body begin to shake. Fear was gripping her…
...too high….she was WAY too high without her ship…
Foxfire swiftly turned around and clutched her chest, panting quickly, her eyes wide. Breathe! Breath Foxfire...you can do it...you...can do it…
Panting, Foxfire shut her eyes and slowly extended her arms...
Before she plain jumped backwards, headfirst into the deep ravine. The initial fall looked rather graceful.
...but as SOON as she opened her eyes and felt herself falling, she let out a yelp and flailed, quickly activating her jet stabilizer that rested on her back. After a moment, Foxfire found herself hovering in mid air…practically scrunched into a ball.
Foxfire panted and panicked for a few moments, before she heard a commotion above her. Letting off a sarcastic look, she glanced upwards.
Sure enough, a couple of Fefnir's soldiers had rushed to the edge of the cliff to see if she was alright. Clearing her throat, she looked back towards the river, before quickly shooting into the sky, trying to keep her mind on the task at hand.
Find Raven...just find Raven...don't think about how high it is...just find Raven…
This didn't stop her from glancing downwards...and a shrill shiver went down her spine.
Shaking off her vertigo, Foxfire narrowed her eyes and FORCED herself to start scanning the area below.
For a while, all she could see was rushing water...rocks...rocks...oh and look...more rocks. She bit her lip slightly and her eyes continued to scan the area.
If Raven fell in here...surely she would wash up somewhere down stream. With her body weight and the current...she couldn't make it ALL the way to the sea that was 200 miles away…
Rocks….Rocks….Water….a Blaster...Ro-
Foxfire suddenly slid to a halt and quickly turned to double check what she had just seen….Causing her to PLUNGE into the water.
After SLAMMING into the water, there was nothing but silence...before Foxfire suddenly BURST out of the water, scrambling to the shore and coughing excessively. After a few moments of coughing and panting, she shivered.
Holy. CRAP. That water is COLD!
After a moment of panting, Foxfire slowly got herself up, spitting some water out of her mouth and groaning. Looking ahead of her, she found what she had spotted.
Raven's blaster.
Narrowing her eyes, Foxfire made her way over and picked up the weapon, looking over it.
Sure enough. A rapid-fire X8 blaster. Definitely Raven's type, even if she did prefer that blasted naginata. Foxfire frowned and glanced further down the river. If the blaster had washed up here...depending on if Raven dropped the blasted thing during the fall or the impact...would mean that she couldn't be too terribly far away.
Foxfire breathed out and twirled the blaster lightly. What the heck did Raven see in thi-
"Lieutenant Foxfire!" came a call over her radio.
PEWPEW!
Foxfire's eyes widened, and one eye twitched as the gun was set off…
For a moment, she stood still...before glancing to the side towards her left wing…
...which now was sporting a large gaping hole in the middle of it.
Eye twitching, Foxfire grumbled and disarmed the blaster. Putting a hand to her helmet, she gritted her teeth. "This is Lieutenant Foxfire."
Static.
"...Lieutenant Foxfire to base…"
Static…
A sarcastic look came to Foxfire's face. Nice...I shot out my own radio...She rolled her eyes, before she trudged along the river bank. Pressing a button on her wrist, a sound beeped, signaling that her ship was being summoned to her location.
"Walking it is." she mumbled under her breath.
***NA***
"I'm not going to call him! YOU call him!"
"Absolutely not! YOU call him!"
"He'll KILL me! I wanna LIVE!"
"He'll do the same to me! And I'M Sergeant! And My order is, YOU call Commander Phantom!"
There was a groan that came from the soldier, before he opened up a channel.
"...C-Corporal Chill to C-C-Commander Phantom...please come in."
There was silence on the other line for a moment, before a grumble was heard on the other line.
"What?"
"Uh…" The Corporal swallowed lightly. "Lieutenant Foxfire….she...uh-...well she-"
"Spit it out."
"She- uh- asked Commander Harpuia to...scout the area where you and the other commanders recently fought Zero at."
"Yes. I'm aware of this." Phantom's unamused voice replied. "I've already been briefed. Aren't you with her?"
"Um...well Uh-" The soldier looked at his partner, who was wincing and making a 'shooing' motion. He then looked towards the other soldiers in the area, who were refusing to look towards them.
"Well...uh...you see...Sir- She-...She asked for thirty minutes...alone." He stammered.
"That's typical." Phantom muttered over the line. "Your point?"
"Well...you see….It's been 45 minutes...and…we tried to hail her..." The soldier swallowed. "...she still hasn't responded."
There was a long pause on the other line, before Phantom's heated reply came back. "What?!"
"W-W-We're looking for her!" The solider quickly stammered. "We're currently searching for her right now!"
"Y-Y-Yeah! We're in the area her ship was last seen!" The other soldier quickly said. "...though….her ship isn't here..."
"But she's probably...around here….somewhere…." There was a pause, before the soldier quickly looked towards the other soldiers.
A lot of them still weren't looking at him, others were making shaking motions with their heads.
"You guys still haven't found her?!" one soldier asked.
"We've searched everywhere! We're trying to get Fefnir's soldiers to tell us where she is!" another panicked.
On the other end of the line, the two trembling soldiers could hear the tapping of fingers against a desk, signaling the commander on the phone was NOT pleased in the least.
"Have you FOUND her, or NOT?"
The two soldiers looked towards each other fearfully. "...no sir...she's not here-"
"I'm on the way."
The line suddenly went dead and the soldiers winced.
"...ooohh craaaaaap…."
***CN***
Raven found herself slipping in and out of consciousness, barely able to stay awake. She knew the longer she could force herself to stay alert, the more likely she'd be able to hear a rescue vehicle from the resistance…
...that was...if they were even looking for her.
She knew she tended to do things her own way, and wasn't exactly the most...agreeable person in the resistance…
It was just her nature...she wanted to do it her way. After all...the last time she had done it 'the right way'...
...no...she wasn't going to think about that…
Raven winced sharply as another shooting pain went down her back. Her side was killing her...it was like she got stabbed or impaled or something.
Note to self...never go swimming in a raging glacier-fed river.
Tap...Tap...Tap…
It will leave you writhing in pain from freezing cold water, and against the wall of a cave that was ALSO cold.
Tap...Tap...Tap Tap.
Was she hearing footsteps?
Raven panted, but kept her eyes closed...it hurt too much to open her eyes. She listened intently...sure enough, she was hearing footsteps approaching her. A small laugh came from her lips.
"Please...spare me the lecture, Zero." she mumbled painfully. "Yes I was acting...yeah I probably should have told you...and no I'm not going t-"
Raven opened her eyes and looked up…
...coming face to face with Foxfire, who was standing over her.
Raven was quiet for a moment, her mouth going agape. "...to apologize…" she finished slowly, her eyes narrowing slightly.
Foxfire's eyes also narrowed, continuing to stand over the wounded rebel. After a long moment of silence, Foxfire took two steps to Raven and knelt down beside her.
Raven glared at her. "...so...what now?...You gonna kill me?"
"No." Foxfire responded hotly, before putting her hands on Raven's broken breastplate...and YANKING it off, causing Raven to cry out in pain.
"HEY WATCH IT!" Raven yelled, leaning her head back and panting heavily. "THAT FREAKIN' HURT!"
"Oh no DUH." Foxfire scowled, examining Raven's wound. "You've got a deep gash with river water in it." She crossed her arms and scoffed. "Good news is, cold water slows down bleeding. Bad news is, you've got flipping bacteria getting into it."
"Bacteria doesn't live in cold water." Raven huffed. "I'm fine."
"Bacteria survives in cold." Foxfire grumbled, taking out a first aid kit and soaking a cloth in a liquid. "It simply can't grow. But in your flipping BLOODSTREAM...yeah. Prime habitat."
Foxfire firmly placed the soaked cloth against Raven's side, and Raven let out a loud yell.
"OOOOOOOOOOOWWWWW!"
OOOOOOOWWWWW!
OOOOWWWW!
OOOWW!
The echo of Raven's scream slowly came to a calm, and Raven glared at Foxfire. "What, you WANT to kill me?!"
"Considering we're on opposite sides of the war?" Foxfire grumbled as she cleaned the blood from Raven's undershirt. "I PROBABLY should."
"Then what's stopping you?" Raven asked hotly, earning a glare from Foxfire.
"You know DAMN well what's stopping me." Foxfire sat up and pointed at Raven accusingly. "Traitor!"
"Oh I'M the traitor!" Raven scoffed, pointing towards Foxfire. "You LICK the ground that Hidden Phantom WALKS on, while he bows to a genocidal maniac!"
"Oh not THIS again." Foxfire snarled, putting two fingers to her forehead and growling. "What would Master X have to gain by killing reploids? There's NO evidence that-"
"JUST because I don't have evidence, little brat lieutenant, doesn't make me wrong!" Raven spat.
"No. Being WRONG makes you wrong" Foxfire shot back, sneering.
Raven laughed, still glaring at Foxfire. "How are you so certain YOU'RE the one who's in the right? You're blinded by your infatuation to a soldier who's blinded by loyalty to a murderer!"
"Well, at least I'M not the one who DESERTED someone, trying to prove a point!" Foxfire snarled. "You ABANDONED me, Raven! You left me to fend for myself!"
Raven was silent, the loss of blood and the treatment that was working on her was making her dizzy. "...I didn't think you wanted to come."
"Well you never asked, did you?" Foxfire spat, poring more liquid on the wound, before wiping it and beginning to bandage it.
Raven frowned, wincing at the pain in her side, before resting her head against the wall of the cave. "...you know my homing beacon is on...you need to get out of here….before they show up…" her voice trailed off as she slipped into an unconscious sleep.
Foxfire paused and looked upwards towards Raven, checking her over. She put two fingers to the girl's neck...before letting out a breath and continuing to bandage the wound.
The Lieutenant had a bitter look on her face...a look of bitterness that was masking a look of concern mixed with relief.
It had been so long since she had seen this slagging person...She hadn't changed in the least. She still had a smart mouth...she still had a hot temper…
...she was still the same person she had once been a teammate to…
...so why did it have to change?
Foxfire finished dressing Raven's wound and glanced at her hands that were covered in blood.
...Were the Rebels aware that Raven was a-
"Don't...move…"
Foxfire gasped lightly at the new sound. A voice...a deep voice. Foxfire slowly glanced over her shoulder...seeing Zero at the mouth of the cave, aiming his blaster at her.
"...step away...from the rebel." he growled.
Foxfire narrowed her eyes slightly.
"...your 'rebel' is a human." she responded lowly. "I doubt you have the correct medical capabilities to tend to her wounds."
Zero looked taken aback, but only for a split second. "...then step away from the human...I'll get her the treatment she needs."
Foxfire narrowed her eyes.
Zero narrowed his eyes.
...Before Foxfire swiftly took out her two sai at her sides and SLAMMED them together. Before Zero could even react, the sai were glowing and formed a barrier around Foxfire and Raven.
Zero gasped and fired a warning shot towards Foxfire- which was promptly refracted by the shield that she had put up. Zero cursed under his breath. NOW how was he supposed to get to Raven?!
"I knew you rebels couldn't be trusted." Foxfire growled, standing up slowly and keeping her shield up. "I'm not an idiot, Zero...I don't accept deals, I MAKE them."
"So you're holding my partner hostage." Zero scowled. "How very like a soldier of the fake X."
"You know absolutely nothing, do you?"
"You're one to talk."
Foxfire scowled, keeping her forcefield up. "It's called a life for a life. You let me outside and to my ship...I release your rebel human to you."
Zero kept his blaster trained on Foxfire, narrowing his eyes. "What's the catch?"
"I just TOLD you the catch!" Foxfire barked. "You don't let me go, I don't let her go! How is that difficult to understand?!"
Zero raised an eyeridge. This girl wasn't very cool under combat pressure, was she? Raven was right, she wasn't a fighter...he could see it in her knees….she was trembling.
Narrowing his eyes, Zero took a step to the side.
Foxfire mirrored his movements, keeping her shield up. Slowly, the two made a circle, never turning their backs on each other...never letting their eyes leave one another…
Foxfire heard the sound of a jet arriving behind her, and breathed out lightly, still keeping her eyes firmly planted on Zero.
Likewise, Zero watched Foxfire like a hawk, as she slowly started walking backwards to her ship. It was then he became aware of the ice building on her wings, as well as the gaping hole in her left wing…
...had she and Raven fought? And if they did….why didn't this girl kill Raven?
He paused when Foxfire swiftly jumped into her jet and quickly took off into the sky.
After a moment, Zero lowered his weapon and watched the jet fly off, before quickly running to Raven and kneeling down beside her.
"Raven?" He asked, looking over her for a moment, and letting his mouth hang open.
...was that...blood?
Zero slowly put a hand to Raven's bandaged side. Flesh...flesh under Reploid-looking armor.
The Neo Arcadian soldier was right.
Raven WAS human.
...And the repliod that just left had bandaged her…
...Why?...
Shooting through the air, Foxfire let off a sigh of pure relief. She was safe in her ship, and Raven was going back to the Resistance.
...which was rather bittersweet, if she was being honest...she'd MUCH rather have Raven come to her freakin' senses and come back to Neo Arcadia.
But she was a stubborn brat...she had always been a stubborn brat...she had-
WHOOSH!
Foxfire's eyes widened when a jet SAILED past hers...followed by six more jets. Her pupils shrunk and she glanced behind her.
The seven jets that had past her suddenly looped around and were now coming after her…
...and the lead jet had the Cutting Shadow Squad leader symbol on it.
Foxfire shrunk in her seat and groaned lowly.
***NA***
Hearing the sounds of jets, Sage Harpuia turned to watch eight jets landing on the tarmac...one after the other.
When he saw a specific jet that was teal with white markings on it, he let out a small sigh of relief, before slowly making his way over.
Soldiers came from their own jets, as did Phantom, who jumped out of his much smaller jet, and landed dramatically. He stood up straight and slowly started walking for the teal jet, making eye contact with Harpuia as both of them approached the jet.
After a moment, Foxfire jumped out of her own cockpit and landed on her feet, before facing the two guardians…
...who gawked at her condition.
Her armor was developing ice all around it, there were scuffs and scratches all across her armor...and she was sopping wet.
"Foxfire…" Harpuia gawked. "Wha-"
Slowly, Foxfire made her way to the two and gave a small salute.
"...Commander Harpuia. Your rebel is still alive." she reported.
Phantom and Harpuia looked towards each other, before looking back at the beat up Lieutenant.
"What makes you so certain, Lieutenant Foxfire?" Harpuia asked slowly.
Foxfire took out a rapid fire blaster and handed it to Harpuia, who looked it over. After a moment, he looked back up. "Lieutenant...one blaster is hardly enough pr-" he started to say, before she rose her arm and made a motion to the gaping hole in her wing.
Harpuia winced, and Phantom gawked at the condition her wings were in. Though after a moment, Phantom's gawking turned into a scowl. "...she shot you?"
"If you two will please excuse me," Foxfire mumbled. "I need to get to the ward for repairs."
She made her way past the two guardians and tried to ignore the stares of the other soldiers as she made her way into the building...turned the corner…
...and let out a huge breath.
GOOD….the less they knew that SHE had accidentally shot herself….the better….