Return of the Angels
A new day; clear, sunny and bright, what more could you ask for?
The gentle morning light had brightened upon her face, gently waking her from her slumber. Blinking open her eyes, she slowly lifted herself from the bed and rubbed at her sleepy eyes. Glancing at the table clock beside her makeshift bed, she slowly withdrew the blanket from herself and stretched her arms high above her, closing her eyes deeply. She opened them and instantly looked out the window that was to her right and saw a portion of the sky show itself to her. It was all bright blue, hinted that colour by the glowing sun and there was no clouds that rested below the colourful sky. Tainting her face with a smile, she pushed herself off the bed and landed lightly on her feet.
The coldness of the ground sent shivers to run up her spine, but she felt giddy from it. Uncurling from her ball, Mai raised her head and growled low in her throat. She instantly tucked her head against her body and refused to wake because the sun had declared slumber to end. Smiling at her travelling companion she strode over to her and lightly touched her with her bare foot, moving her toes along the cold metal of the organoid's back. Raising her head once more, Mai glanced at her with her green eyes and finally stood up from where she had comfortably been curled.
Where had Mai been when Celine had met up with everyone?
Well she's been out hiding, wagging her tail happily that she would probably created a sand tornado with the sheer power of her tail.
Luckily, that hadn't happened.
She nudged Celine with her nose and she stroked the gold metallic life form she had created to be so similar to humans that she was far from being an organoid. Well everyone knows how and why Mai was so completely uncharacteristically not organoid like at all. In the belly top and short shorts she slept in she walked out the room hoping to find the bathroom. Mai trudged along after her. Rubbing at her sleepy eyes again, her bare feet pattered on the cold metal floor behind her but the lack of warmth in the floor didn't bother her. She opened a door she had hoped to be the bathroom, but it turned out to be Karl's sanctuary. She could remember the smell of him and the scent wafted from this bedroom.
The room was a mess, like all the previous times she had caught his room in such a state. Clothes were piled on the floor and magazines were endlessly thrown across the room. The bed wasn't even made and the sour smell she could instantly recognize it as Karl, was his sweat from when he appeared to have failed to step into the shower or get his sheets into the wash. This time it appeared to be from failure of showering. She had automatically known it was Karl. She was used to picking up his slack after him.
"Celine…" a male breathed behind her.
She turned around and saw Karl standing there.
"Bathroom…?" she asked, almost a little uncomfortable as he was.
He was a grown man, had been when she was picking up after him, and now wasn't the time for her – a near adult herself – to be picking up after some other person. She couldn't be doing all the chores of the base because all the males were slackers in that category.
"Was you too sleepy to see the other door in your room?"
"Must have been…" she yawned, covering her mouth with her hand, "my bathroom right?"
"I know how much you like your privacy. I asked them last night to prepare a room that had its own personal shower in there before giving it to you."
"Gee, thanks Karl, I owe you this time." She padded back down the corridor to her bedroom.
Mai wagged her tail as Karl gave her a smile and a wave before she followed after Celine. Racing into her room before Celine closed the door, she stood guard over the bathroom door just in case there were any surprise visitors. Gathering a towel and a hairbrush she went into the bathroom and the next minute, Mai heard the soft click of the lock activating and then the shower sputtering on before the water blasted down onto the floor before it was obstructed, making the sound of water muffled, by the body that stepped underneath it.
She had been standing guard over the bathroom for what seemed like ages, but was only thirty odd minutes. She unlocked the bathroom and stepped out in the bath towel that was wrapped underneath her armpits. Her hand was slowly moving the brush through her hair. She suddenly placed her butt on the bed and Mai realized that she was going to be taking it easy, considering she is the type of girl to be rushing and doing lots of things all at once. She ran her fingers through her hair as if they were a comb. She had decided that her hair was done.
She grabbed her clothing, allowed the towel to slide off her and made her stand exposed in front of Mai. The pair of them was used to it; there was no need to be shy. The difficult part of the one piece suit she wore, was actually getting inside of it. First she placed her legs through the short shorts holes and pulled them up till they rested comfortably around her legs. She then placed both her arms in the short sleeves that when in place, clasped her arms as if refusing to ever be separated from her again. She put the material over her breasts and zipped it up to where it stopped, showing cleavage.
She had noticed with annoyance that her breasts were not only perfectly made, round firm but yet soft to the touch, but they were large in size as well. As she placed the material over her breasts, it cupped them from underneath and raised them, the top of the material seemed to have formed the top of a heart, and the zip was between them. She could do nothing about her breasts, even if they were pushed together by the material, making the cleavage big. She huffed and Mai snorted in disagreement. She looked over at her with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm not going there with you Mai," she declared as Mai was ready to have that argument once again. She chuckled as Mai huffed, disappointed for not having the argument. "Let's go to the others." To this she happily agreed to.
They left the room with the door sharply closed and preceded through the building. They passed Karl's room and she silently laughed remembering what had happened earlier. Their footsteps could be heard for several minutes in the quiet corridors and then she recognized the room that was straight ahead of them. Opening the door, she walked inside and saw the conference room that she had come into when there was a disagreement with her being there. Now she was as welcomed as much as people loved food. The double doors were opened by the two soldiers standing guard. They greeted her with smiles first of all.
The first person she saw was Herald. She raced up to him and jumped into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. He enveloped her into his arms and laughed as they twirled around together for a while before he set her feet back on the solid ground. May, Ray and Storm were the next victims of her hugs, and then in turn it turned out to be each of her old friends, including Karl, and just a shake of hands with Kristen. She had taken her seat when everyone had become introduced with everyone. So now they all know who May, Ray and Storm were.
May and Storm sat on either side of her, Ray however sat on Storm's other side. Celine raised an eyebrow up at that, but she was the only one to find it fishy. She looked back at everyone with a smile caressing her features. The whole gang was back together with added people for bonuses. Isn't that even better? But she now knew that this was no time to be all happy and what not. This was a serious meeting that she was attending. She was part of the past that she had everything to do with. So her not being involved would be a waste of their time and her talents.
"This meeting is about Raven's return." Kristen began.
"Can't this wait till after breakfast?" Van complained.
"It most certainly cannot." Kristen told him with a slightly raised voice.
"What's his current location?" Celine asked, crossing her arms and practically taking over.
"We know he's out west, that's about all we have with his location." Kristen replied.
"He's current statistics, any insight of that?"
"What do you mean?"
"What is his status? Does he have a zoid or not? What are his conditions, that sort of thing." she nearly snapped.
"Sorry…" he apologized. "He currently has no zoid and he remains with his organoid. He's probably died out in the desert somewhere because he's got no food or water."
"Don't misjudge him…" Celine and Van stated at the same time. They shared a look, smiled slightly at each other, before focusing back on Kristen.
"Raven isn't one to give up; he's like Van, stubborn as shit." Celine continued, shrugging her shoulders at Van who glared at her.
Kristen regained her attention. "So you're saying he's alive?"
"Correct!"
He sighed. "Are there any places in the west?"
"The western city that holds no rule, besides the one that governs the income of food, drinks and keeping business alive – in other words, money." A map suddenly appeared on the table top. She stood up and pointed at the western city. "The one that keeps this place running does not appear to be of the leadership type but he is good at persuasion that's why they've survived for as long as they have. If there was some place that Raven would go in the west, it would be here."
"You seem highly positive of this."
"I am!" she closed her eyes for a mere second. "I was once the same kind of soldier as him, and I could understand each of them in turn. So think, if you were Raven, what would you be doing?"
"Well I would naturally be killing or exacting revenge."
"If you were weak from food and water deprivation…?"
"I would seek out a place to get some food…"
"With what money…?"
Her eyes were a glare upon him. It wasn't that she saw him as Raven or hated Kristen; it was a test so far. Put yourself in someone else's shoes; think how they would be thinking. It was the only way for them to try and track down Raven without having to be too conspicuous. Celine already had everything in her mind. She took over the operation so easily, almost as if she was born into the role of leadership.
She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms, closing her eyes as well. "There is a restaurant that sympathizes with weary travellers and near to death people who happen to stumble into their restaurant. Raven would go there, seeking the help from the weakest, the one who is not able to refuse someone's asking of help." She opened her eyes. "So having no money and needing food, water and a place to stay, he would be having this one, namely a girl, to host him."
"Let's head there and capture him." Kristen stated impatiently.
"Not so fast…" Celine interrupted them from getting out of their seats. "Don't be so hasty." They retook their seats and waited. "Normally I'd agree on your terms to easily apprehend him, but not this time. Raven would need to recuperate and would most likely being thinking of a plan. We need to find out this plan without him being alerted of us."
"We'll interrogate him here." Irvine spoke out.
"We can't, he'll be too far stubborn that he won't cooperate with us." Irvine backed down knowing she was right. "We'll need to send in an undercover team, get close to him, any ideas who?"
"I select you, Celine." Karl instantly stated before anyone else could suggest anything.
"Me…? Any reasons why?" She clearly did not like the idea.
"You're the one he won't recognize and not only that, but you clearly have had experience with him before." Karl replied with a small smile.
"I clearly opt for someone else for the job." She turned away.
"Karl's right, you are the best for the job. Not only are you not recognizable to him, but clearly your name has changed, so surely he won't recognize you at all." Irvine confirmed and everyone else nodded.
"If it makes you all happy that the mission will be completed to your standards, fine I'll do it. But I ain't getting too chummy with him, got it?" They all nodded and she stood up. "Where's the cafeteria? I'm starving…"
Van suddenly laughed. "I'll take you." He put his arm around her shoulder and indicated for her all of them, including her three friends, to come with them.