24
by Aspirator
At the Third Hour
2:05
Yue was pacing. He marched back and forth, wearing away the cement flooring of the hallway just outside Kero's lab. He had stomped out of the room in rage and frustration. The damn animal infuriated him to no end.
And then there was the report from an Enforcer captain. "No updates?" Yue pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why the hell are you coming to me with no fucking updates?! You lose them. You fucking go after them."
The said Enforcer captain stood nervously in front of the angry commander as a hologram through their high-technology communications system. "S-sir, uh, I - I tried, sir. Uh, there-there was interference in our communications once they entered the target location -"
"Then you go to the target location!" Why the hell was this so complicated?
"We didn't know where...uh…." The Captain fidgeted. Obviously embarrassed that there was a lack of communication between him and his charge, he changed the subject. "We tried to check for vitals through their Nets…" Every Enforcer had a single chip embedded in their body called Nets. The technology is conveniently connected to their vitals. "uh, there-there was no heartbeat, Sir. None of them."
Yue stilled. His breathing evened out. "So they were killed." He stated lowly. "Thirty soldiers...killed by a rebel group." That's definitely unheard of. They must have had help. "You checked their vitals on their Nets...but not their location?" Yue's voice rose and he turned to glare at the captain.
"I-" The captain opened and closed his mouth like a fish.
"What is the purpose of you?"
"I'll- right on it, Sir. I'll find them."
"You better." Yue muttered, touched the thin strap on his wrist - their communicator - to terminate the conversation. The captain's holograph disappeared.
2:10
"Plain magic." Naoko stated, her eyes boring into Takashi's expectantly, "we move things right? Small things. We turn off the light switch, we levitate files into our bags."
They were back to sitting at their lab table, but Naoko was sitting across from Takashi and Chiharu was sitting next to him.
"Okay?" Takashi was kind of seeing where this conversation was going but not really. "Did they advance it somehow?"
She ignored him. "You know chemistry. Molecules and atoms, that sort of stuff. They're small, microscopically small. So small, they're invisible to the naked eye -"
"Okay, they're teeny." Takashi cut in, "I get it."
At this, Naoko glared at him. "When they use plain magic, instead of moving objects, they move molecules, and even atoms. Since they're so small, you can't really tell what they're doing, but that's what they're doing."
"Trust me, she knows what she's talking about." Chiharu cut in at Takashi's half-confused, half-dubious look.
Chiharu spoke up next. "First, the guy with the sword? His name is Syaoran. He is the best swordsman and martial arts master ever walked on Earth. He doesn't do a lot of that plain magic thing."
"But where does the sword come from?"
"People think it's the tattoo on his arm, where he separates the molecules that make up his sword and stick them on his arm." Chiharu shrugged, "but nobody knows, really."
"And then there's Meiling. She takes those pieces of paper - and you know about the composition of matter, right?"
"I'm still a journalist, not a chemist." Takashi dryly commented.
Naoko rolled her eyes as if it was such a chore to explain things to him. "Solids have tightly packed atoms to form those objects. Molecules in liquids and gases move around freely, gas molecules more so. Right?" At Takashi's nod, she continued. "So back to solids. The molecules in solids are arranged differently in different solids. That's what makes diamonds stronger than plastic." Takashi nodded again. "So what Meiling does is she takes the paper and packs the molecules in paper tighter than they were, which makes them stronger. Ever got a paper cut?" Takashi nodded. "Imagine if the paper was as strong as steel." Takashi shivered.
"Tomoyo, that's the girl there with the long hair and pretty purple eyes." Chiharu pointed her out for Takashi. "She doesn't really fight. They say she's skilled when it comes down to it, but she doesn't usually do it. She's better at moving things from afar. That's how she suffocates people, she feels for the oxygen molecules is a person's lung, then compacts them into something like a molecular wall in their lung so that other oxygen atoms can't get in or out."
"But Eriol's the best when it comes down to using magic." Naoko cut in eagerly. "That disappearing act? He's pulling apart all the molecules that make up his own human body. It's amazing."
2:21
"We are in the sewer system. We can get rid of the bodies." Meiling frowned at the bodies. "It's just the nasty stuff we gotta do. Thirty times."
The other Cavalry members didn't answer, looking just as disgusted with the task. Seeing as they better get started rather than stand around and stare, Eriol crouched down by the bodies. Syaoran followed suit.
Bending down by one body, Meiling had formed a paper blade again. She turned the body around, taking the blue and white helmet off of the Enforcer, then dug into the skin on the back of the Enforcer's neck with her paper blade. After bloodying her hands and the paper blade she produced a small microchip. With disgust, she threw it on the ground, and stomped on it. The small microchip shattered to pieces.
Methodically, the four members of the Cavalry removed the small microchips from the Enforcers.
2:32
"Doesn't that take a lot of plain magic?" Takashi asked as he leaned back. "Moving molecules around?"
"That's the thing," Chiharu's eyes glinted in admiration when she said. "It doesn't at all. They have the same amount of plain magic as everyone else. They've just manipulated it in the most genius way possible."
"So any People can become a Cavalry. They just need training and concentration."
Naoko stared at the journalist as if he had two heads. "It's not easy honing in your magic to the molecular level. Have you tried levitating one speck of dust?"
Point well made. The journalist didn't answer. Takashi glanced absently at the Cavalry's movements. "So you told me about those four, but what about her?"
Chiharu and Naoko followed his line of sight. A small petite lady with short auburn hair and bright Emerald eyes hovered by the door of the Cavalry's new room.
"I don't know. They came with her," Chiharu shrugged. "Looks like someone they know. Or a damsel in distress. She was unconscious when they brought her in."
"I talked to her briefly." Spoke a rebel passing by their table. The rebel paused just beside Chiharu. "She seems nice."
"Point is, she's not the Cavalry." Naoko wasn't to be strayed from her point.
"Oh..." Takashi nodded, realizing that maybe not knowing the science behind it all would've been more admirable. It's not as cool anymore when he knows they're just moving molecules around. "That's smart, I guess. They've reached the level of Varia-"
"Don't you dare," Naoko narrowed her eyes at the startled journalist, gritting out, "compare the Cavalry to those."
Apparently, Takashi didn't know when to stop and let things go for he asked, "How is Cavalry any different from -" "-don't say it!-" "So obviously, you know we're not all equal. What's your grudge against the You-know-what?"
"Are you kidding?" Chiharu asked incredulously.
"Variants are evil creatures." Naoko's eyes darkened and her lips formed a fowl scowl. "They're not even People. They destroy everything they touch -"
"Have you seen them?" Takashi interrupted.
Naoko begrudgingly admitted, "No."
He turned expectantly to Chiharu, who frowned. "No."
"But the stories were enough."
"You believe every story people tell you?" Takashi raised his eyebrows.
"No, of course not." Naoko scowled, "but do you question everything people tell you? When someone tells you the sky is blue, do you ask them why?"
Takashi smiled slightly, "No, but I look outside to make sure it actually is blue."
"They're telling the truth. I can tell, remember?" Chiharu spoke up. "The ones who told us those stories."
"Maybe that's because they believe in the stories." Takashi turned to her. "Maybe that's because their ancestors' ancestors told them those stories and as they're passed down, people began to believe in them."
"Or maybe they're true."
"Have you seen a Variant?" Takashi asked again, to prove his point. He was completely unfazed by both ladies flinching at the sound of the word itself.
Frustrated with the conversation and Takashi's questioning of their society's beliefs, Naoko glared at him, then with a huff she stood up. Addressing Chiharu, she said, "Why did you bring him here?" But she didn't wait for an answer before stomping off.
2:33
Syaoran knew it before he looked up. Sakura was lingering by the entrance of the room they had just come from. She wasn't as good as they were in masking their expressions.
Her Emerald eyes glazed and her soft pink lips parted. Slowly, he stood up while the other three continued their work.
"Sakura…" He let out unintentionally.
Her brilliant green eyes snapped to him at his first mention of her name since their reunion. It stayed on him as he approached her.
Syaoran stopped three feet away from her, not daring to go any closer.
She spoke first, her voice small and fragile, "Thirty people."
"They're Enforcers-"
"They're human beings." Sakura cut in, her voice stronger.
Syaoran set his jaw.
"Thirty, Syaoran," Sakura repeated. She tried to look past him, but he shifted to block her view.
His voice was reserved, resigned. "Go back inside, Sakura."
Her eyes lifted to meet his. The tumult of sadness, conflict, grief, and mortification almost threw him. But he held his ground. His voice softened, "Sakura, please."
2:41
"Their Nets were down." The Enforcers captain sheepishly reported.
"Down." Yue repeated dubiously. His nails dug into his flesh and Yue hissed, unclenching his fist. "How can you not get a signal on their Nets? It's fucking in their bodie-" He stopped suddenly, his silver eyes lighting up in epiphany.
The Enforcer's captain looked to his superior curiously.
"The Cavalry."
"Sir?"
"The Cavalry is here." He repeated. Again, without even a dismissal, he pressed his wrist-communicator to end the conversation. He straightened his back, marching through the hallway. The commander grumbled under his breath, "She teleported four people - I should've seen it." His posture stiffened more and more as he continued through the hallways. He needed to talk to Big Brother.
2:44
Yukito was pacing. He munched on a donut as he paced in front of the rebel group that gathered before him. "How did they find us?"
The rebels shifted, glancing at each other nervously.
"You."
Takashi didn't have to look up to know they were all looking at him.
"You're new. Did anyone see you when you came? Did you make sure you weren't followed? Watched?"
Takashi answered readily, "No."
"Lie." Chiharu dished out quickly, but didn't look in his direction.
Yukito's eyes bore into Takashi's expectantly.
Takashi swallowed. "There was a couple making out by the beach when I -" he saw the leader's expression quickly change, and his voice rose as he tried to explain himself. "but they weren't looking!"
Yukito looked as if ready to yell at him, but then breathed deeply. He took another bite of the donut; munching on it seemed to be calming him down. In a gentler voice, he stated, "Rule number twelve. Nobody's ever not looking."
2:55
Yue looked up into the large black screen, an unreadable expression on his face.
I GAVE YOU 24 HOURS. I DON'T CARE THE COMPLICATIONS. IF YOU CAN'T BEAT THEM AND GET RID OF THE VARIANT IN THE NEXT 21 HOURS…
IT'LL BE GRANATOPOLIS ALL OVER AGAIN.
The Commander of the Enforcers sat grimly. Yes, he remembered Granatopolis. That was where they battled the Variant - who he thought was the only descendant of Clow - with Level Fifteen magic. It was early when the Enforcers were less organized and he was only Captain.
The Enforcers kept piling in, but they couldn't beat him. Big Brother wasn't going to sacrifice the entire Enforcers army, so he sent in one last plane.
They dropped a nuclear bomb on the entire city, wiping out the Enforcers they had there and the two thousand people that lived there...
Yue survived because he was the pilot.
"There's 2.4 million People in Carlisle City." Yue stated, careful not to show any emotions in his voice in case it was taken as insolence.
SO THE WORLD WILL BE 2.4 MILLION PEOPLE LESS IF YOU DON'T BEAT THEM.
3:00
DISCLAIMER: the scientific concepts are pretty valid, the applications of those concepts is entirely fiction.
Ermahgawsh such kind reviews! I couldn't respond to guest reviews like I would normal ones, so here goes a general response; thank you so much for reviewing!