CE 74
Sarik awoke abruptly, unsure of where he was. All he could tell at the moment was that he was resting on a hospital cot located in some sort of cramped room. After giving himself time for the initial disorientation to pass, he realized that his leg hurt. A lot. Everything that happened during the past two days suddenly came flooding back to him all at once.
Still must be aboard the Ares, he thought.
The Ares-class Atmospheric Carrier prototype. It was the only craft of its kind, a one hundred fifty meter long combat airship with a design very similar to a fighter. It was capable of transporting and launching a variety of vehicles, including fighters, helicopters, and mobile suits. If filled to its maximum capacity, it could carry a squadron of twelve fighter craft or three mobile suits, using on board storage racks.
Sarik rose up out of his bed, cringing in pain as he put pressure on his wounded leg, which was now contained within a cast. After disconnecting the various devices that were reading his vitals from his body, he slipped a pair of shoes on and limped out of the small compartment and into the ship's undersized infirmary.
Sarik was almost knocked over as the doctor and a nurse barreled into him trying to get to the room. Apparently, they had noticed the lack of any vital signs on the monitors and taken alarm.
"Sir, you shouldn't be up!" the doctor exclaimed.
"I'm fine," Sarik told him.
"I'm under orders to keep you here," the doctor informed Sarik.
"Were they mine?" Sarik asked.
"No, sir," the man replied.
"Then leave me be," Sarik ordered him in an irritated tone.
Sarik barged out of the infirmary, albeit painfully, and walked towards the front of the ship, where the bridge was located. He arrived there after less than a minute's worth of limping.
Sarik strolled in, unnoticed at first. Someone lazily looked back several seconds later after registering that the automatic doors had opened. He jumped in surprise when he saw Sarik.
"Captain on the bridge!" the man yelled.
Everyone except the pilot jumped to attention.
"At ease," Sarik ordered.
"Welcome back to the land of the living," greeted the man who noticed him, who was still standing.
"I told you military protocol is unnecessary, Commander," Sarik reminded him.
"Yes, sir," the bridge commander complied. "Old habits."
"I understand," Sarik assured him. "Carry on."
Sarik decided to observe the bridge crew for a while before leaving. They all supposedly served as crewman aboard an Agamemnon-class carrier for the Earth Alliance during the last war, but at the moment, the way they lay about certainly didn't look like it. There were only four men on the bridge, and Sarik knew that they were probably the only ones aboard. The pilot seemed to be the only one intent on his duties, manually flying the ship the entire time Sarik was there. The bridge commander had started reading something on the ship's computer, not paying much attention to the outside world. The CIC officer appeared to be trying to sleep, his chair leaned back and his eyes closed. The only weapons officer was intently skimming through some sort of magazine, its contents something Sarik could only guess at.
Before leaving, Sarik limped over to one of the empty stations to access the ship's GPS system. After calculating the distance they were from Orb airspace, he left the bridge to continue his search for Stella.
Sarik walked down the cramped hallways of the ship back towards the infirmary, figuring it was the best place to start. He searched the other two medical quarters, but he was unable to find any trace of Stella ever being there. After inquiring of the doctor of her whereabouts, he discovered she had been moved to elsewhere in the ship. According to the man, she seemed at least semi-conscious when she was moved, which was a good sign, considering what she had been through.
Sarik left the infirmary and went about exploring the ship. He knew that most of the carrier was dominated by its large launch bay in the aft, so his chances of getting lost were next to none.
He checked the main deck's quarters, only to find three pilots and the helicopter crew chatting or sleeping. After receiving a few confused stares, Sarik left quietly and descended to the ship's secondary deck via the only elevator, where the cramped galley and the officer's rooms were located.
After grabbing a quick snack from the galley, Sarik proceeded towards the quarters, which were only a few meters down the hall. There he found a pair of guards standing watch in front of one of the dwellings. Nine out of ten chances were that Stella was in that one.
As Sarik walked by them, he realized the guards were from his own personal unit. They were Coordinators that he had handpicked personally after his parents death as bodyguards and operatives. He knew each one was completely loyal, even to the extent of taking a bullet for him or those they were ordered to protect. So long as the ridiculously high sums of money kept flowing, anyway.
Sarik nodded his head in greeting as he limped by the men, both whom returned it with their own.
He continued into the Captain's quarters, which were dark due to the lack of light. Sarik felt around the wall for a switch, then turned on the lights. What he found surprised him.
Resting under a heavy blanket on the large bed dominating the center of the room was Stella, several IVs in her arm and still clothed in his mother's dress. Beside the bed was a large, comfortable looking chair in which Sarah was sleeping.
Sarik crept forward and found a chair for himself, quietly drug it over beside Sarah's, and collapsed into it, still exhausted from the past days' events.
Sarah stirred for a moment before waking up.
"Well, look who decided to join us," she remarked sleepily.
"Hi," Sarik greeted dryly.
"You should still be asleep," the woman told him.
"It's hard for me to sleep in the middle of the day," he replied.
"Well, where we're headed, it's about four in the morning," Sarah informed.
"I know," Sarik assured her.
"It'll be worth the jet lag when we get there," Sarah told him. "We have a lot of things to go over when we arrive."
"Like what?" Sarik asked.
"It's pointless to go over it right now," Sarah told him. "I'm not going to let you uselessly stress over it."
"Then what do you fell we can discuss?" Sarik questioned, irritated at Sarah's attempt to elude him.
"Who were those men?" she questioned. "Let's start with that."
"They claimed to have been with Eurasian Intelligence," Sarik informed her.
"But you don't think so," she stated. "Why?"
"Because I think they might be associated with my brother," he speculated. "They were lead by one of the former guards from the prototype facility."
"If that's the case, then we've just stirred a hornet's nest," Sarah remarked. "I used to be a member. I know how Blue Cosmos works."
"But what of this other organization?" Sarik asked her.
"Logos?" she said. "I didn't even know they existed until recently. They did a good job at keeping a low profile all of these years."
"And no one else knows about them, either," Sarik stated. "Which makes them the most dangerous opponents I've ever had to deal with."
"They wouldn't dare come after you," Sarah remarked. "I'm sure they know very well who you and I are, and what we're capable of now."
"But what about Stella?" Sarik asked.
"What about her?"
Sarik remained silent for a few minutes.
"They sent a small army just to find her," Sarik reminded her. "They would have been willing to kill anyone who came into contact with her. They're not through."
"I'd like to see them get to you or her when we get you two to headquarters," Sarah remarked.
"We can't stay holed up there forever," Sarik said. "Especially Stella. She may wish to leave, and I will not force her to do anything after she can take care of herself."
"Which we may not be able to do for a while," Sarah informed Sarik.
"Is it that bad?" he questioned.
An awkward silence filled the room for a moment.
"She has had multiple memory wipes, and it shows," Sarah informed Sarik.
"In what ways?" Sarik inquired.
"Well, first off, her maturity level is a few years behind that of someone who is nearly seventeen years old," Sarah told him.
"She seemed to me more than capable of taking care of herself," Sarik told Sarah. "And she had no trouble interacting with me, the short time that she did."
Sarah sighed.
"It's not that she's lacking in skills, even social, but she just seems, I don't know...out of it," Sarah told him. "Some things just aren't clicking. At times, she seems more like an impressionable adolescent rather than a young adult."
"Brainwashing and memory loss will do that to a person," Sarik reminded Sarah. "You have to remember me during the first couple of years after I was bailed out of that place. Helpless as an infant."
"I wouldn't say that," Sarah contradicted, her tone slightly humored. "You were more than capable of breaking my bones on multiple occasions."
"But outside of a sheltered confinement, I was unable to function," Sarik reminded her once more. "Socially, that is."
"You managed catch up by the time you were ten," Sarah recalled.
"Only because of you and my parents," Sarik reminded her. "I have no illusions about what would have happened without you guys. I would be the same as her. Possibly worse."
"I know," Sarah assured him. "But she has us. We'll get her on her feet."
Sarah sighed again, this time out of fatigue.
"So, how are we going to proceed?" Sarah inquired after a moment of silence.
"In what areas?" Sarik asked.
"Let's start with Stella," Sarah suggested.
Sarik smirked as he thought for a moment.
"Well, first we need to work on her mental stability," Sarik told her. "We need to do anything that will force her brain to break down what barriers it can, and allow her to regain at least part of her memories from back then. I would prefer to use the less intrusive methods, if we can. If she is exposed to enough stimuli, she should start recovering. Once she has her memories back, the rest of our work will be much easier, if my experience is worth anything."
"What about her long-term problems?" Sarah asked.
"Any sort of major surgery will have to wait," Sarik stated. "Remember, I was down and out for nearly a year, and I was fifteen."
"But as a result, your life expectancy was increased from twenty-five years to sixty, and your mental aspects showed significant improvement," Sarah reminded him.
"Not that there was ever anything wrong with them," Sarik replied arrogantly.
"I'm inclined to agree," Sarah said. "But the sooner we go through with the procedure, the better the long-term results."
"I know," Sarik assured her. "But the way things are right now, Stella would be an easy target during her recovery. And even if the current situation cools down to a safe level, she may not wish to go through with it. Some of us don't put much values in our own lives. Not after the things we've done."
Both Sarik and Sarah remained silent for the next few minutes as they thought on their words.
"So, how is she?" Sarik inquired softly.
Sarah smiled and remained silent for a moment.
"She seems fine, considering her injuries," Sarah told him. "I spoke with her for a few minutes after we moved her down here."
"Why DID you move her?" Sarik asked.
"Because she was uncomfortable in that cramped room," Sarah replied.
"That's it?" Sarik asked.
"Isn't that enough?" she replied with her own question.
Sarik remained silent in thought.
"I guess for her, it is," he murmured in an amused tone.
"She was concerned for you," Sarah told him.
Sarik smirked and remained silent for a moment, then returned to his cold composure.
"I doubt that," Sarik retorted.
"Why?" Sarah asked, confused.
"Oh, I don't know," Sarik started with a sarcastic tone. "I smacked her around with a stick, knocked her unconscious with a lethal amount of anesthetics, kidnapped her as far as she's probably concerned, got her involved in a firefight in which she unintentionally fought against her own people, and bashed her in the head with an assault rifle."
"Anything else?" Sarah questioned, slightly amused.
"I, umm, kinda..." Sarik stuttered, his face turning red.
"You saw her naked," Sarah stated in a matter-of-fact tone.
"I was trying to be a little less blunt, but ya," Sarik replied, his face nearly bright crimson in color. "How did you guess?"
"She told me she woke up in unfamiliar clothing when I asked her for a brief account of what happened," Sarah replied in an amused tone. "Doesn't take much to put one and one together. And you're blushing like hell."
Sarik scratched the back of his head, his own little way of fidgeting when he was uncomfortable with a particular subject.
"That would probably be your first time, wouldn't it?" she asked playfully.
"It wasn't like that," Sarik replied in a defensive tone. "She was going into hypothermia, and her clothing was soaking wet. I had to change her."
"I understand," Sarah assured him, het tone implying that she was teasing him.
"Have you no sense of self-control?" Sarik asked in a disgusted tone.
"At your age, I didn't," she replied playfully.
"I really did not need to know that," Sarik retorted in all seriousness.
Sarik and Sarah remained silent for several minutes, as one was extremely tired, while the other was deep in thought.
"So what DID she say?" Sarik asked curiously, breaking the silence.
"Well, she asked more questions than anything," Sarah told him.
"Like what?" Sarik questioned.
"She wanted to know where she was, who we were, where some acquaintances were, things of that nature," Sarah replied.
"Anything else?" Sarik inquired.
"She wanted to know how you were doing," Sarah told him. "She was concerned about your gunshot wound. It's just a theory, but I think you managed to bring back some of her memories. You made a big impact on her at that facility."
"It was a only a few months," Sarik replied.
"And during that time, you and Stella managed to completely change the facility's training system, executed a near-successful escape, helped each other become expert fighters..."
"I get the idea," he assured her. "But from what we know, they didn't perform the final procedures on her until AFTER she was moved to Lodonia with the other Extendeds."
"So?" Sarah questioned.
"So, I had mine finished while I was at the prototype facility," Sarik reminded her. "I had contact with her AFTER the final procedure was done. It's different in her case."
"Well, there must have been a flaw in it," Sarah deduced. "I assure you, she remembers you. Enough, anyway."
Sarik let out a sigh as a rare, well-rounded smile formed on his face. A hopeful smile.
"So, how will we proceed with the corporation?" Sarah asked, breaking the silence a few minutes later.
"Well, I figure that my little fiasco in Eurasia attracted plenty of attention," Sarik told her. "We'll need to do a thorough cleanup at my place. I want no trace of that house left. Have the Cleaners recover whatever they can, then burn the rest."
"I already have people en route to the site," Sarah informed Sarik. "I figured you would react in such a fashion."
"And we need to prepare for some sort of retaliation," Sarik continued.
"I think SSI's security will be ample for our needs," Sarah stated.
"If the enemy's only option was to attack us with mobile suits, I'd be inclined to agree," Sarik speculated. "But we're dealing with an enemy who can attack in places we've never had to deal with before."
"You're talking about the towns on the island," Sarah deduced.
Sarik nodded his head.
"We have plenty of personnel whom have families living with them on the island," Sarik reminded her. "Without security measures, any one of our employees can be turned against us. We've never really had to deal with this before because the company was of little consequence in the world until the past several years."
"That could already be a problem," Sarah said. "Our eyes in the towns have noticed strange people in the area."
"There is such a thing as a tourist," Sarik remarked. "But we'll go about the appropriate measures, just in case."
"What's my primary assignment going to be when we arrive?" Sarah asked Sarik.
"I'll take care of the security," he told her. "You get Stella settled in. We'll try working with her tomorrow."
"All right," Sarah complied.
Sarik slumped down into his chair and relaxed.
"The world we live in is truly a crazy place, isn't it?" he asked Sarah ten minutes later.
"To say the least," she agreed as she relaxed into her chair.
Sarik waited for a few minutes to let Sarah fall back to sleep before rising out of his chair and left the room without another word.
Sarik ascended back to the main deck and walked towards the aft of the ship, entering into the hangar. He was surprised by what he saw. The technicians managed to get a pair of Skygraspers and a modified Astray Shrike battle worthy before the Ares had taken off.
Sarik moved deeper into the compact bay, navigating along its catwalks. He walked in front of the Astray and took a moment to simply stare at it.
Looks just like my M1A back home, he remarked.
Sarik hit a button on the side of the mech's cockpit, which was located in the chest. The panels slid apart, providing him with a ramp into the machine and an outcropping. He climbed aboard and sealed the doors, then sat himself down into the single chair that dominated the center of the cramped compartment.
Sarik decided to activate the Astray and take a look at its specs.
He didn't remember this configuration. When he brought up the specs on the computer, it showed the model number "MBF-M1+EF-24RXMP", a designation that he didn't recognize. The mobile suit was dubbed "Astray Shrike Avenger", a name that he didn't recognize. Glancing over technical data, he realized that this mobile suit was something entirely new, a piece the SSI techies must have created during the weeks he was away.
As Sarik was exploring the computer system, he noticed that the OS was outdated, even if it were a standard Astray in the military. This was probably the result of a new system that currently only fulfilled the most essential OS requirements.
After stretching his hands out as far in front of him as they would go, Sarik pulled the mobile suit's keyboard out in front of him and began typing at an inhuman pace.