Stage Twenty One "Devil's Eulogy."
The sound of heavy artillery slams into the area nearby ripping off the Voulge's right arm and half the armor on its leg. A surge of electricity flows alongside the frame of the advance Knightmare while its polymer muscle system started to fracture. Feite jerked at the controls while the computerized voice continued to repeat damage over the internal speaker."They're getting desperate, shelling us where were running on Empty." She let out a smug smile while the Voulge sluggishly moved towards an emplacement.
"That machine is a beast, it should already be out of power, how is it still moving?" An infantry soldier yelled over the radio while the artillery was reloaded. The coordinates were conveyed over a loudspeaker while the converted Sutherland knelt down once more. Its massive finger moved towards the trigger while it slowly tugged against it. A large plume of black smoke flew out from the rear of the artillery cannon while its shell moved towards its target.
Soran's computer flashed red while the automated ejection module activated. His hands move desperately while trying to disable it but it was far too late. The ejection plugs exploded sending the backside of the customized Gekka with its pilot backwards. "Damn it, Feite!" His eyes widen while from above the artillery shell splits apart releasing small bomblets. His hand moved outstretched while fire rained down on the Voulge below.
The heat gauge shot up while the Voulge was completely on fire from the incendiary bombs. Feite jerked around in the cockpit with the sweltering heat surging around her. Her face was drenched with sweat while her breath became heavy. 'I will….I will not…" Her vision started to blur, fading in and out while the Voulge's cockpit went black. Feite's body fell forward with her arms falling limp at the controls.
The Voulge collapsed to the ground with charred fragments of its armor and internal components hitting the ground around it. The fires from the chemical based weapon were still blazing on the fragmented coat of the once prominent machine. The vents on the remaining shoulder unit and what was left of the head discharged coolant rapidly cooling the machine as best it could. The Voulge creaked while it collapsed to the ground.
Kasha stared at the video screen while he had his arms crossed over his chest. "Looks like we played them perfectly." The officer seated next to Kasha turned over with a blank look spread across her face. "Sir, the eleven we persuaded to betray the Black Knights is waiting for his payment." Kasha's eyebrow quickly shot up while he let out a sinister chuckle. "Payment? Very well, tell him he'll get his payment in full…order the men to massacre every eleven including those backstabbing devils." The officer let out a nod while relaying the message to all the ground forces.
Kazuya let out a small laugh while around him the clicks of safety being turned off filled the area. "Huh?" He turned around while the Britannian soldiers surrounding him had their weapons primed on him and his aides. "Hey, what's going on? We're allies right?"
The lieutenant let out a small laugh while he tugged on the trigger of his rifle. A burst of bullets flew into the crowd of the former Akishima rebels killing several in an instant. Kazuya's eyes widen while the blood of his second in command splattered on his face. "This can't be…we made a….deal." His hand moves towards his abdomen touching the fresh wound from a bullet. His eyes lose their luster and his body falls lifeless to the earth. "Begin cleansing of the area, I want all those damned elevens dead!"
Over the course of several hours, the massacre of Akishima was finished, and the prize still stood several feet from the main G1 containing Kasha. His eyes stare down at the burned Voulge while he rubbed his stubble covered chin. "It's time to see if the beautiful butterfly is piloting that machine." He threw his hand out and grinned. "Retrieve the pilot, and try to keep her alive."
A solider leaped onto the Knightmare's leg, and climbed up to its backside. He looked around for a moment at the backside of the machine. It was different from the other frames, as its cockpit was built into the main body instead of the cubic looking shell on a Sutherland. His gloved hand felt around until meeting a fragmented panel. The metal was peeled back from the shelling showing the handle and several buttons.
"I guess this is it." He pulled the metal off, and gripped the handle. With a gentle tug and twist of his wrist the cockpit discharged pressure, and the cockpit shot open. The seat pulled back with the unconscious Feite hunched over. The soldier's eyes widen while he rubs them to double check. He couldn't believe his eyes staring at the innocent looking face of Feite. "Sir, you won't believe it, but there's a Britannian Piloting this machine!"
Kasha's laugh filled the radio band while mimicking a move on a chessboard with his hand. "I already knew that you dope, now bring that girl to the brig, and have that god awful machine put into the bay. I know our scientists would love to take that machine apart."
Hours after the conflict several groups of the press had gathered to report the battle to the people of the Empire. One of those was a young brunette who held her microphone with both hands.
"As you can see we are currently seeing the smoke stacks rising from Akishima. The entire city is being leveled as we speak for the development of another settlement like Tokyo. The Akishima resistance group that had long since been a thorn in Britannia's backside has been suppressed. Rumors have been spreading that a Black Knight Member has been captured."
Lelouch clenched the remote in his hand while he eyed the television report. The pressure of his hand started to make a crack form in the middle of the plastic device. His eye trembled while C.C. stared at the reporter while the volume slowly turned up. "Captured?" He stood up in the chair while the image displayed on the monitor.
"The captured member of the black knights has been confirmed, but the military doesn't seem to want to bring the identity of the individual to the public eye. This is extremely odd, as this person deserves to be known by the public. This is a questionable decision, but we will try to uncover more as time goes on."
In the dark brig of the G1 command vessel, a gloved hand knocks Feite to the ground. Her bruised face quickly glared up at the sadistic expression spread across Kasha's face. "This is amazing, our assumptions, and data were all right for a change." Feite growled while she returned a similar look to her captor. "Shove it down your throat you irregular bastard." Kasha took a step back while he placed a finger to his lips. "Can you say that again?" He let out a small scoff while throwing his hand forward and gripping Feite by the collar. "You are below me worm. Last I checked you were under honorary status, and you're an exile. So don't talk to me as if we're equal." With his other hand he threw it straight across Feite smacking her once more.
Feite fell to the ground once more and spat out a small amount of blood from her mouth. Her body was far too drained to try to even escape. She could barely pick herself up, so the best option would to wait and see what would unfold from this scenario. "I can speak to you freely because I'm no longer bound by your pathetic laws on social status." Kasha walked over to Feite, and slammed the hell of his foot to her stomach. "Laws? Social Status? Hah, you're just a terrorist, and I should put a bullet in your head now. Sadly, I was given strict orders to keep you alive, but there were none about how far from death I can beat you to." Kasha removed a baton from his belt, and extended it before slamming it down.
In the student council building Milly stared blankly at Feite's empty seat. "This is most peculiar; we really didn't have a position for Feite, except for running documents, and helping out with bake-offs." Shirley looked up from a stack of papers, and sighed deeply. "Milly we're running behind already, you should really stop worrying about Feite. I'm sure she's doing fine." Milly let out a small pout while tapping her shoulder with a rolled stack of papers. "I know, it's just odd having her not at school anymore. I wonder what she's doing." She looked over at the corner of the room at Nina who was staring at a news feed. "Nina whatcha looking at?" Milly strolled over, and stared down at the news.
Nina shyly looked over and pushed her glasses up. "Its about Akishima, it seems some of the elevens that were opposed to Euphemia's plan were defeated. It's nice to see some news like this." She let out a relieved sigh while Milly glared at the secondary text. "It also seems that a member of the black knights was captured. This is amazing stuff…." The door creaked open while Lelouch walked in with a tube like package over his shoulder. "I'm sorry I was late, I had to help out a friend." Milly looked over with a grin on her face. "Stop lying Lelouch, I bet you were helping Feite with her apartment. How is she doing? I can't get a hold of her mobile." Lelouch turned his head to the side while letting out a disappointed gaze. Shirley managed to catch this, but Lelouch changed his expression once more. "Maybe I was…well I got the posters you wanted." Milly tapped her shoulder with the stack of papers once more, and sighed. "Good, well if you see her again, tell her to answer her phone."
Shirley looked over at Lelouch while she pressed the tip of a pen to her lips. 'Is Lelouch really him? It can't be…I must be hallucinating…there is no way…' Her mind was focused on the piece of paper that was ripped from her journal several weeks back. She shook her head and smiled at Lelouch while he passed by her. "How are you doing today Lelouch?" Lelouch paused and waved softly. "I'm doing well…."
In the cell Feite sat with her arms bound against the wall. Her head was hung low with several bruises and welts across her face. Her fingers twitch a bit while she lets out a pained groan. 'It's colder in here for…' Feite looked down to notice her flight suit had been removed, leaving her in her undergarments, and a tank top. Her eyes narrow glaring down at the doorway in front of her. 'That bastard will pay if he….' She positioned her legs into a proper sitting posture while still examining the shadow of a guard from the door's view port.
"Hey, is anyone out there?" Feite shouted at the top of her lungs with hopes of a single guard or two outside the cell. There was a few seconds of silence before the sound of a fist against the door filled the cell. "Be quiet until we get back to the settlement you traitor." The voice of a young sounding male echoed across the walls making a devilish smirks flash on her face. "I'm lonely in here…maybe you can give me a hand it's so cold in here since you took off my clothes."
The guard gulped for a moment while he slowly tried to peek at the small slit in the doorway. His hand gripped the rifle sling tighter than normal. Despite her face being so bruised, her beauty was still very much alluring. Her voice alone caused the young man to redden at the cheeks. "You Black Knights are so annoying…" He held his head up high while swiping the cardkey through the reader. The door let out a loud beep while the automated sliding door opened.
"Oh, you are such a gentlemen…" Feite looked up with a less than genuine smile on her face. She pressed her chest out while moving her legs in somewhat of a provocative manner. "It's so cold in here, I'm about to freeze…" The guard glared over at her and let out a mocking laugh. "I'm not a fool, you tramp so don't even try…." Feite turned her head away, and let out a small pout. "That is so cruel, or are you simply ill equipped for a woman of my caliber?" The guard's eyes narrow while he walked over and grabbed her by the collar. He jerked Feite towards him causing a small amount of pain to surge through her shoulder joints. "What did you say? I'm more than equipped to mess with a girl like you. I'd break you in so many ways; you wouldn't have your sanity anymore." Feite turned her head aside, and let out a small giggle. "Break my sanity? I've never heard that before, you must be quite popular….and I guess you were wrong about being a fool."
The guard's eyes widen while Feite threw her knee forward slamming heavily into the guard's groin. "You little…" He dropped to his knees while Feite pulled herself up and wrapped her legs around the guards head. "You are so easy to manipulate." She rotated her hips with only a crack exiting from the guard while his body fell limp to the ground. Her eyes scanned the guard's body while her toes moved to the guard's belt. She jerked at the belt for a moment managing to pull out the baton from its holster. Feite let out an uneasy sigh while trying to grip the baton with her feet. 'This is going to take some luck….'
Feite gripped the baton in between her toes, and pressed the extend button. A small current coursed along the exposed portion of the baton while her eyes were focused on the binding on her right wrist. 'Here goes nothing; hopefully it will short the lock.' She kicked her foot into the air while twisting her ankle to a certain degree before releasing the baton. The device flew forward and tapped against the metallic cuff sending a shock through the cuff and Feite's body. Her teeth clenched against one another while the current coursed through her body. It was a small shock, but her right arm quickly fell to her side. 'It worked….now this will be a little easier.'
Minutes later, Feite tugged on the guard's uniform while shaking her head. It wasn't the first time she wore the uniform of the enemy, and probably not the last. It was loose, but the body armor alone would mask it albeit slightly. 'Now it's time to get the hell out of this place…' Feite gripped the electro-baton while taking a deep breath.
In the wilderness along the path of the G-1 the Black Knights Supply unit was tracking the escorts, and the fortress itself. Soran with his arm in a sling flipped a switch inside the cockpit of a damaged Burai. "This is no good even with seven mines; we can't stage a rescue with what we have." He opened and closed the fist on his wounded arm while glaring at the escorts.
"We need to get her back; if we leave her there she's as good as dead. Britannia isn't quite lenient when it's their own." Haruka's voice filled the com-link while she herself was walking through the foliage several meters ahead. "If we want to do something, there's a bridge up ahead. We can get there before them, but we'll need your expertise in rigging those mines to blow the bridge out." Haruka looked up at the old concrete bridge, and sighed deeply.
Soran rubbed his hand across his stubble covered chin. "That sounds like a plan; it'll take me a few minutes to meet up with you and Tamaki. Are the others aware of this gamble?" He turned the Burai towards a clearing and started to move as best he could without alerting the escorts below.
Tamaki kicked the console in front of him while rubbing his nose. "Gamble? We're talking about one of our friends; if I was captured I bet Feite would go in guns blazing to get us out. Zero would probably kill us if we didn't try to get her freed."
"Ogi, did we get in contact with Tamaki and the support team yet?" Zero walked into the command center of the Tokyo Dockside base. Ogi shook his head and let out a disheartened sigh. "We heard the news report; do you think they captured one of us?" Zero crossed over to the map display, and brought up Akishima. "That is possible, if they did capture us they would bring that prisoner back to Tokyo." His gloved hand moved alongside a roadway from Akishima to the nearby highway. "They have to cross through dense foliage since the previous war destroyed most of the highways in the area. The only route large enough for a G1 vehicle to cross is this bridge." Tohdoh looked over from the wall, and nodded. "But, it depends if they have enough explosives to take out the bridge. If they manage to do that, how long would it stall them?"
Lelouch placed both hands on the side of the table, and took a deep breath. "Only for a few hours, Britannia knows that route is dangerous, but they might become blind since they massacred the entire Akishima resistance group." Ogi turned around with his eyes wide. "I thought they allied themselves with the Legionnaire Unit." Lelouch shook his head, and glared down at the map. "The leader of the Legionnaire hates Elevens, and he found a loop-hole enabling him to capture one of us, and eliminate the resistance group completely."
Feite walked through the corridors of the G1 with her presence being unnoticed by a few of the other patrolling guards. Many of them also held bruises on their faces from Kasha's unrelenting hate of his underlings. Sadly most of them were too fearful to act against their abusive commander. 'This is easier than I had anticipated, but it won't last much longer.' She looked over her shoulder at the general location of the brig. 'They'll find out that I killed one of their own and stole this uniform.'
She crossed through the corridors, and her eyes widen after hearing a familiar voice. "I can't believe how easy it was to kill all those cursed Elevens. Elderly, women or children they were all fun to see run like wild dogs." Feite's eyes slowly started to narrow while the grip tightens on the baton. Michelle Sturm, the ace pilot from Shikinejima that was easily dispatched by Feite crossed by her talking to a fellow pilot.
"Hey, you why do you have that baton extended?" Michelle looked over her shoulder at Feite with a pair of menacing eyes. Her partner also looked down at Feite with a look of confusion in his face.
Feite looked down with her fringe casting a shadow over her green hues. "Did you really enjoy killing women and children?" Her tone was filled with extreme hatred causing Michelle to smile over. "As a matter of fact I did they were our enemies, if we let them live they'll grow up, and breed more terrorists. Why the hell are you questioning me? What is your name?" The partner held up his hands and grabbed Michelle by the shoulder. "Michelle, calm down…" Feite looked up and glared Michelle in the eyes. "Feite Avalon…" She threw her arm forward slamming the baton across Michelle's face. The partner turned over only for Feite to focus on him. Her movements were quick sending a chop to the man's neck, and finishing him off with a slam of the baton. "You two are so pathetic….I should kill you for all those people you massacred…." She looked over down the hallway, and rushed down a separate hallway.
Mere moments down the hallway, the alarms sounded while Kasha's voice echoed through the hallways. "We have a white mouse running about the ship, everyone be on guard, and try not to get killed. You are to kill the prisoner on sight; her last known coordinates were on Level B"
Feite rolled her eyes at Kasha's poor sense of description while she ran through the corridor towards the hanger bay where the Voulge was most likely stored. The soldiers patrolling the hallway rush past Feite without giving her a glance. She let out a relieved sigh while continuing to hustle through the deck.
The G1 carrier moved into the bridge's view, but suddenly its treads stop moving and the escorts take a defensive posture. "What the hell is going on? Why did they stop?" Soran looked through his binoculars at the bridge, and back at the G1. Haruka lied in a nearby bush holding a scoped rifle. "I have no idea; something must be going on inside that thing." Soran ran his hand through his hair, and smiled at Haruka. "I have a feeling our blonde commander is making an escape." Haruka chuckled while turning over to her partner. "Shall we cause a distraction?" Soran flipped the detonator while he grinned. "You know me too well…"
Kasha glared at the main monitor while slamming his fist against the armrest of his chair. "Damn it why haven't they found her? She's just a girl, and you are trained soldiers!" He rubbed his temple while letting out a sigh. "Have the men surround the G1, if she wants to escape she'll have to use one of the many exits. Guard them…don't let her get near any of the exits." The operator turned around, "What about the Knightmare hanger? Wouldn't that be a place to guard?" Kasha growled over at his underling, and slammed his fist down. "Listen to my orders you wretch. All of our Knightmare's are locked down with bio-metrics. I doubt she'll be able to even get one of them working before we find out."
"Sir, an intense heat source incoming!" Kasha looked over while one of the escorts near the back of the G1 explodes after a rocket slammed into its light armor. "A surprise attack? Did the black knights have more soldiers here that we didn't defeat?" He threw his hand out while letting out a chaotic laugh. "Burn the trees down, I want those terrorists dead!"
The G1 buckled while Feite lightly pressed her body against one of the walls. She looked around while letting out a faint smile. 'They didn't listen to my orders…' She rushed forward to the main hanger bay and opened the thick doorway. A light breeze brushed against her skin while standing in a maintenance bay, the Voulge was stored. "Looks like they didn't remove anything from you…" Her eyes motioned over to the Glaive units standing across from it. "All I need is filler, while their confused I can manage to get it running again." Without wasting any more time Feite ran along the catwalk towards the nearest computer.
The computer flashed brightly while Feite typed quickly at its keys. "Everything is getting automated; whatever happened to the good old manual way." A nearby mechanical lift moved up behind the Voulge's filler unit, and unlatched the armor. A light amount of pressure shot out from the compartment expelling the half burned, and severely damaged energy filler. Feite let out a small laugh at the part while it was luckily removed without much trouble. "Hurry up; I don't have much time left." The door of the hanger bay opened while a pair of pilots rushed inside.
"Hey you, what are you doing?" Feite let out a small laugh while she waved her hand to the pilots. "Sorry, I'm not the type to stay locked up in a cell for long. Bye-bye boys." She turned her back and run across the catwalk. The pilots ran over in chase, but quickly stop while she effortlessly climbed into the cockpit and sealed the canopy.
The chest brace latched onto Feite while the cockpit slides forward. Her hands grip the controls while the main computer started to boot up. The bio-metric laser scanned across her eyes while the computerized voice spoke out. "Specify access code…" Feite closed her eyes and took a deep breath before glaring at the main monitor. "Aeternum Vale…"
"Input accepted welcome back…" The Voulge started up with its monitor displaying its heavy damage. A few of the nearby side panels were filled with static. "Damage at nearly forty five percent, suggest immediate repairs." Feite shook her head while pressing on the foot pedals causing the Knightmare to take its first step after being bathed in fire hours ago.
The catwalk warped from the sudden movement while sparks flew from the binding system. The Voulge's single eye flashed to life while it turned towards the pilots trying to board their own Knightmare. Feite placed her finger against the trigger and shook her head. "I don't think so…" The single Vulcan shot across the upper catwalk causing the pilots to dive for cover. "What weapons do I have left?" She looked at the side monitor while letting out a pained sigh. "They took everything except for the bullets." Feite looked across the hanger, and smirked at the wall mounted weapons. "Looks like I'll have to suffice with the Glaive equipment."
"What is going on?" Kasha jerked in her chair while the operator turned to him. "The hanger bay, the captured Knightmare is moving again!" Kasha growled while he threw his hand out. "I want reinforcements here now!" The operator pressed several buttons on her console and shook her head. "We're being jammed!" Kasha's eyes widen while from the front of the view window the hatch sealing the hanger bay was blown off. "Damn it!"
The Voulge took a step out of the G1 while the small arms fire from the escorts bounce off its remaining armor and revealed skeleton. Feite jerked at the controls turning the Voulge around. Its ominous single eye stared at the bridge. "Feite, glad you managed to escape without our help." The single Burai leaped out of the foliage and rolled over to the Voulge's backside. Its rifle discharged several shots at the nearby escort vehicles. They explode one by one while Feite glared up at the bridge. "Sayonara…Kasha."
Kasha's eyes were wide while he was completely stunned along with most of the bridge crew. "This can't be, damn those black knights!"
Feite raised the captured rifle, and pulled the trigger sending a barrage of fire into the small bridge. The glass shattered while the armor was ripped to pieces before exploding in a violent plume of smoke and debris. "Feite, we need to get out of here…." Soran's voice came clearly through the radio while Feite was breathing heavily. She thought that killing Kasha would remove some of the pain off her shoulders, but in fact it didn't even make a difference. Her eyes were shuddering at the flaming wreckage of the bridge while Soran jerked the Voulge with the Burai. "Feite! We're blowing the bridge, so hurry up." The Voulge stood still for a moment before turning towards the bridge. "Very well…
In a small clearing, the Voulge came to a stop beside what was left of the Akishima support group. Tamaki and a few others managed to get out with only a handful of the people that left with Feite. Feite wiped her forehead while letting out a deep sigh. She pulled the release switch opening the canopy allowing the chair to pull backward. The chest restraint moves forward while the fresh cool air from the outside pours into the cockpit.
Feite sat for a moment with her arms hanging at her sides in a relaxed manner. It was a moment of relaxation that was well needed. Her body was on the verge of total exhaustion, the only emotion that was pressing her body to move further was slowly dying down. 'I feel so tired….it's safe to rest for awhile…' She whispered while her head fell forward falling into a deep slumber.
Tamaki cross over the grassy clearing with hands tucked firmly in his pockets. He glanced up at the open cockpit, and smiled over at Feite while she slept. "What should we do about her? She's wounded, but I think she'll do fine." Tamaki turned over to catch Haruka walking towards him with two cups of coffee in hand. He let out a soft nod while grabbing hold of one of the cups. "Well, I'm glad we managed to get Feite back to us safely, but we lost a lot of good people." Tamaki stared at his reflection in the coffee, and stared at the evening sky. "I know, but Feite is kind of like Zero you know…" Tamaki looked over with a confused look on his face. "How so?" Haruka shrugged her shoulders, and took a sip from her mug. "Her charisma and attitude she never gave up. I'm starting to see why she was a founding member."
"I don't think Feite would like you talking while she's fast asleep." Soran walked up behind the pair with a smile on his face. He tucked his hands deep into the pockets of his jacket while shivering slightly. Tamaki took a sip while shaking his head in disagreement. "She's been through hell and back. We're pretty much complimenting her." Soran glared up at Feite while she slept in the uniform of a Britannian foot soldier. He shook his head while pulling out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. "That girl is exactly as I was told….a real life Minerva. I'm shocked that she can sleep at a time like this." Haruka covered her mouth while she let out a small laugh. "Leaving the job to us adults I figure." Tamaki rubbed the back of his head, and sighed. "You're not much older than Feite is last I checked." Haruka's face turned red while she pouted over. "Don't ruin the moment Tamaki!"
"So anyway did we manage to get into contact with the others?" Soran tapped the pack against his palm before removing a single cigarette. Tamaki crouched down and sat on the firm grass beneath him. "Yeah, Ogi was pretty happy. Everyone was concerned about the reports..." Haruka took a seat on a nearby rock and placed her mug beside her foot. "What do you mean reports?" Tamaki glanced up at Feite again, and sighed. "Something about the news report being censored by the governor general. I don't know what Ogi was saying if you ask me. He's probably overjoyed that we're safe." Soran lit his cigarette and took a drag. "I'm hope you're telling the truth, I don't want to fight like that again."
In the dimly lit room inside Cornelia's office, she stood in front of the window. A glass of wine was held in her off hand while Nonette smiled from a nearby chair. "Are you happy, or angry that Feite escaped Kasha's dirty claws?" Cornelia took a sip while her expression turned into an agitated one. "Neither, but I can only offer my thanks to her. Feite wiped his existence of the face of the planet." Nonette let out a small giggle while tilting her wine glass. "Is that why you ordered the news to censor her name? This façade is getting rather boring…I almost want to test her skills myself." Cornelia glared out the corner of her eye, and scoffed at her close friend. "That is not if I fight her first…"
The sound of yelling fills the hanger containing the Lancelot while Azalea stands beside a frantic and annoyed Suzaku. "What the hell is wrong with you? Feite is a criminal and yet you…" Azalea lowered the data pad, and her grave stare caused Suzaku to stop instantly. "My little sister is her own person Suzaku, she is not a puppet, and that is the only trait that I admire about her. It's unfortunate that she is our enemy, but she is my flesh and blood. I will not have you belittle her in my presence." Suzaku clenched his fist while Azalea quickly slapped him across the face. His eyes widen while he looked back over at Azalea. "You are exactly like her…a venomous snake ready to bite..." Suzaku was briefly interrupted by the sound of the bay door opening. The cool night breeze entered the hanger while Lloyd entered from the opening doors. "So this is where you two where, Azalea are you having a fun time studying my float system?" Azalea let out a fake smile, and nodded. "Yes, Suzaku was most informative about the system's specs. I learned a great deal about this and I hope to create a similar version for the Glaive series." Lloyd bowed and let out a small laugh. "This is odd, you usually are really hostile. Are you feverish?" Azalea turned her head to the side, and pushed her glasses up. "No, I've matured since we last spoke with each other."
Feite woke up to the touch of a heavy blanket. She slowly opened her eyes while immediately feeling the bruises from the battle, and the late Colonel Kasha's interrogation techniques. 'Where am I?' She paused for a moment looking around only to figure out that she was in the back of the moving ambulance on the highway back to the Tokyo Settlement.
Across from her Haruka sat wearing a paramedic uniform along with a few others familiar faces. "How are you feeling? We managed to get some of the swelling down." She let out a wholehearted smile at Feite while she sat in a temporary state of confusion. "I'm fine…but what is with the disguise?" Haruka let out a smile while looking at the driver. "It's a long story, we ran into a member from Kyoto, and it was decided we use the ambulance to get back into the settlement. It works since you look like you were in a traffic collision."
Feite laid her head back into the pillow of the gurney, and smiled. "I guess that's a decent back story, but I need to tell you something Haruka…" Haruka crossed her arms over her chest and laughed. "There is nothing left to say, just get some rest." Feite turned her gaze away while her expression turned sour. "I failed so miserably, I even got captured…" Haruka let out a sigh, and firmly shook her head. "Don't worry about it I said. Did we leave the confident Feite back in Akishima? Or are you perhaps an evil twin?" Feite let out a faint smile while turning her head to the side. "That is such a bad joke…have we gotten into contact with Zero, and the others?" Haruka let out a nod while the ambulance moved along the freeway towards the shimmering lights of the settlement.