Section Thirteen
Chapter Two: Settling In
Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Training Room, Sparring Area – 900 Hours
The sound of a synthesized bell went off as Anton hit the padded floor, cradling his head.
"Statement: winner, Corporal Spade, by knock-out."intoned GD, sitting on a bench off to the side. "Assessment: currently, the score is 10 for Corporal Spade, 0 for Secretary Langsley. The average duration of matches so far has been-"
Arturia glared at him. "GD, that is quite rude."
"Apology: pardon me, Lady Lackland. As this is training, I merely assumed that to be pertinent information."
"I-it's fine," Anton grunted as he got to his feet, "this is good, anyway. I guess I've gotten a little rusty."
His opponent, on the other hand, looked far more concerned. "Are you sure, Anton?" Ace asked. "We could take a break if you need it."
Anton shook his head. "No, no, I can go another round – if youcan, of course."
They began again. The general idea was simple: keep Ace from pummelling him however he could; binds, projectile spells, anything. Simple in theory, of course, as when it came to simply steamrolling over an opponent you couldn't find anyone better than him. He fought using a self-taught style of Strike Arts that placed endurance above all else, and so far Anton hadn't been able to find a single thing he couldn't withstand.
Throughout the whole exercise, Alyssa had been watching him very carefully; she hadn't said a single word so far.
Soon enough, he ended up on the floor once again. With a sigh, he accepted the offered hand and off to the side. Neither one of them was in their Barrier Jacket at the moment; best not to escalate things too far on someone's first day.
"Well," he began, looking at the green tome, "how was that, Akashic?"
The Device took a moment to reply. "Mediocre, Young Master."she finally said.
He laughed. "I guess, eh?" Hesitantly, he looked over at his new commander. "How was that, Captain?"
Alyssa's chin was in her hands. "Well…" she began, paused, and then finally shrugged and said, "you kinda suck."
She stood up and began to walk around him. "I think I get the picture, though. You're definitely not an up-close kind of guy, and that's fine, you seem to know that already. But if you're gonna be any use at mid and long range, we'll have to step up your binds and projectile training, and make sure you can dodge long enough to actually use 'em."
Folding her arms, she sighed again. "It's sure not going to be easy." Her tone was a pleased one, however.
"I'll do whatever training you ask me to, Captain." Anton put in loyally.
"I'd sure hope so," she said, patting him on the shoulder, "'cause I don't feel like going easy on you."
Alyssa moved back to the bench, jerking a thumb at Ace. "Hey Spade, you're done for now." As the martial artist left to get a drink, she turned to regard the more…metallic member of their quintuplet. "GD, your turn."
Arturia looked up sharply as the droid stood. "782, lower yourself to-"
"Fiftypercent." Alyssa interjected cheerfully. "We have that meeting in like half an hour, after all." Arturia glared at her momentarily before sighing and sitting back.
GD nodded. "Acknowledgement: I will be careful, Captain, Lieutenant."
Walking over to across from Anton, the robot bowed. "Query: have you received training on facing AMF-equipped foes, Secretary?"
A bit surprised at the blunt question, Anton nodded. "Er, yes. It was scheduled for everyone, actually. Just in case, I suppose." He felt a bit awkward, but that was to be expected when you were admitting you'd been taught how to destroy something efficiently to that very same thing. GD didn't appear put, however, only nodding in agreement.
"Statement: ah, I had assumed such." He lifted up his claws. "Request: then please pay close attention, Secretary."
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Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Debriefing Room – 930 Hours
This was one room that Anton hadn't gotten the chance to view in what had meant to be his temporary visit to the complex, but sadly, at the moment he couldn't fully appreciate. Groaning inwardly, he squirmed in the chair, trying to get an arrangement that wouldn't bring a pang of complaint from his shoulders, arms, legs…well, let's be generous and say everywhere. GD had learned to acclimate among humans well enough, all things considered, but he hadn't quite mastered being gentle with them.
Forgetting that for a moment, though, the conference room of the base was a pleasant enough location. Located on the same wing of the second floor as Major Destin's office and room, it was a rather small affair, with enough room for a large computer screen and a long table, with nine – now ten – chairs arranged around it in whatever order the officers felt like. Authority was largely put to rest inside headquarters, as it typically was in the TSAB.
"Alright, let's see," Major Destin began from his seat at the head of the table, searching through some files in front of him, "the first business on the agenda is…oh yeah. Doctor?"
The screen lit up, and the old genius' face appeared there. "I was waiting, Major. Yes, I took the liberty of analyzing the readings Water Squad were kind enough to acquire yesterday, and determined that there was indeed a Lost Logia buried at that construction site. It had only been activated recently, I think."
None of the Riot Force Officers looked surprised – not that Anton was surprised, given what he'd heard yesterday.
"So, Anton, if you're going to be working with us, I figure you should probably know a few things about us and what we do." Destin had said. "Stuff that's a bit more...undercover, if you understand my meaning."
His mind had wandered back to his short conversation with Doctor Marion. "I might." he had said calmly.
Destin nodded. "Yeah, you looked like a smart guy. Well, you know how Section Six was formed to deal with that JS Inci – oh, no, you wouldn't."
Anton's eyes had widened, both at the flippant tone and the information it carried. "But I thought their purpose was-"
"Politics; I'll tell you later." Destin said with a wave of his hand. "To make a long story short, officially we're here to keep law and order stable while the city expands. Really we're here because of what this planet used to be," he leaned forward, "the Capital of a Belkan Empire."
"…really?" Anton had said lamely. The Langsleys went in for politics (although apparently, not perfectly), not history.
The Major nodded again. "Yep, and they sure liked their artifacts. Just in the last two months, we found a little more than a dozen Lost Logia, all deadly in some niche way. The Bureau higher-ups noticed that before-hand, so they called down the chain, and got me." He whistled. "Rounding up these guys wasn't easy, let me tell ya. But I told them what I'm telling you now: sure you're still up for it? I think you saw what other people are willing to do to get their hands on just one of them yesterday."
Anton had to think about it for a moment. A short one. "Absolutely, Major."
The Major's voice in the present brought him out of his thoughts. "I kinda figured. What can you tell us about it, Doc? Any specifics?"
Forrester appeared to consult some documents before him. "Well, let's see…oh, yes. Absolutely none. I apologize."
"Wouldn't be any fun if we knew all the facts right away." said Alyssa, shrugging.
"It'd sure be easier, though." Dwight sighed from his seat.
Doctor Forrester nodded. "Indeed. But I did manage to learn something quite interesting. It seems that the area the Logia was buried in was affected by a long-range transportation magic, most likely the work of a team of several mages."
"Is that so?" Captain Stromhold leaned forward. "Exactly how did we not notice that, then?"
The old man shrugged. "It wouldn't be particularly hard, in a battle as chaotic as yours tend to be. Even putting that aside, I was only able to uncover traces of it through my, ha ha, usual methods, so clearly subtlety was taken into account. I'd say there's a significant possibility that both those armors were a distraction, as well." His lip curled. "One of the few things they excel at after all."
GD tapped a finger on the table. "Query: have you managed to pin-point where the Lost Logia was sent to, Doctor?"
"I'm afraid not, sadly. The magical saturation from the battle was quite severe, and our sensors here weren't able to get a lock on the spell." His face grew grave. "Or, rather, at least a definite one. We've found at least a half-dozen places where the Logia could have been sent, but they're all seemingly identical. Some shenanigans they've done with it, I'm sure – hopefully it won't lead to an explosion."
Major Destin shrugged. "I doubt it'd have mattered either way; that bunch can cover their tracks like no-one else." A smile crept up on the corners of his mouth. "You might even say they're eely good at getting out of trouble, eh?" He paused.
Daniel scowled. "They probably just want to give us some time to stew before their next plan shows its face. What a pain in the ass."
"If you need something to do, then get ready for it, Librarian." His captain said, fixing him with a glare. "As much as you like to complain, we've always stopped them before. Just concentrate on doing it again."
"See, eels are slippery, and so are the criminals on Gardius, so I called them eely good."
Arturia cleared her throat politely. "Pardon me, Doctor, but what of the other matter? The War Armor we faced yesterday used two new weapons we had never seen before. Might you have information on them?"
"Ah," Forrester snapped his fingers, making everyone wince, "I had nearly forgotten, thank you. Yes, just as Miss Lackland says, we encountered some new toys yesterday." He clicked a few keys on the console before him, and the screen divided down the middle, the right side showing the strange missile weapon from earlier.
"This weapon is fairly self-explanatory, I should think: a portable weapon with the same properties as an Anti-Magic Field. When it exploded, a powerful pulse was released, one that instantly destabilized Captain Stromhold's barrier." He hummed to himself. "I imagine it would be fairly useless against any offensive magic, but any static fields like barriers or shields are most likely fair game."
The old man leaned forward. "There's more to it than that, however. Not only was the barrier dispelled, the missile also released a cloud of particles."
Jeanne nodded. "I thought I saw something in the air back then."
"It's a play on words, y'know: combining really and eel. Which they're like. Get it?"
"Yes, well," he liked his lips a bit before continuing, "it's difficult to explain. As far as I can tell, these particles analyze the exact parameters of the spell, and disperse across the area where it was originally case. If you had attempted to put up a second barrier, Captain, it simply wouldn't have worked."
The veteran raised an eyebrow, and leaned back. "Well, there's bad news I sure didn't need to hear this early. So they're playing for keeps now, huh?"
Alyssa frowned. "Not to mention whoever's making these things, if they've started making weapons like these. What about that barrier, Doc? You know, the one Arturia totally couldn't get through?" She smiled at the knight's frown.
"Oh, yes." The right side of the screen switched to a video displaying Arturia's failed attack on the War Armor from yesterday. "Watch closely now…there." It paused just as the barrier flashed into view. "Now, notice how it only appears when her Device comes close? This barrier is designed for much the same purpose as Anti-Magic Field Barriers, but with different applications. As shown here, it can guard against Armed Devices far better than them."
GD blinked a bit. "Impressed: that is quite startling information. No Gadget Droid would be capable of withstanding Lady Lackland's swordplay."
"So you're fond of saying, GD. If that were all, I wouldn't bother reporting it, but there's something more to worry about. While undergoing maintenance, I looked through the data readings from the 2nd Lieutenant's Device during the few moments it was nearby the barrier's field. The results I received were startling."
"I guess you don't get it; fine."
Arturia's mouth tightened a bit. "What of the results?"
The Doctor sighed and waved a hand casually. "Don't be melodramatic; there's no damage to it, or at least none that I could find…so, there's no damage to it. What I mean is, while it neared the barrier, the Device detected magic, as they are wont to do. His own, to be precise."
"I'm guessing that's not just his own feedback, either, is it?" Dwight asked.
"And," Forrester held up one finger like a gunshot, "that is where you would be wrong, Lieutenant. The readings are somewhat it's own, but differ in a key aspect: they were magnetized."
His single eye darkening a shade, GD glowered. It was an expression that came easily to a robotic cyclops. "Query: similar to the time you set up the metal pole in the center of the labs, then asked me to stand nearby it before running behind cover and flipping the switch?"
Doctor Forrester's goggles glinted. "Oh, quite, GD; thank you for the reference. Indeed, I could liken this new barrier to a magnet very well – so I will. As you all know – oh, I apologize, excusing Captain Triad and the Librarian's presence-"
"Bite me."
"Kiss my ass."
"-magnets react quite differently depending on their proximity to another of identical or opposite polarity. They will be attracted by one of opposite polarity, and repelled by alike polarity. Think of these readings as a magnet of alike polarity: the barrier detected the Device coming near it, and quickly calibrated its barrier to deflect it. I imagine a similar arrangement would occur for spells." He paused. "That means exactly what you think it does, by the way."
Dwight frowned. "So it's like we thought – whoever's been making these things have been using us for guinea pigs."
Anton nodded. "Right: it didn't have any effect on my spells."
"Is there a path through?" asked a quiet voice: Otavi, who had been silent since the meeting began. "Can it truly stop all magic?"
He shook his head. "In a word…no. No defense can be absolute, and this barrier is not unique in that respect. As Secretary Langsley was kind enough to demonstrate, it can only guard against attacks or Devices specifically programmed into it. With precision also comes weakness: a good lesson for anyone. Any spells you haven't used, or ones that have been modified, should be enough to pierce it."
With a puckering sound, the Doctor clicked his tongue. "There is also another method I suppose I should mention. Attacking the barrier with two different magic attacks should render it unable to completely block either. Of course, on the other hand, that implies the presence of, ahem, synergy. So, pros and cons all around."
Picking up the files before him, he tapped them slowly in a non-too subtle way. "Well, I believe that's all of the problems that require me, so I really must be getting back to my work. I'll call you, should any new developments come up to our current problem. Toodles."
The screen clicked off. The Major was stroking his chin. "Let's see…what else is there…"
Alyssa raised a hand. "Uh, Chief? You remember, you hired this new guy? Have anything to say about that?"
"…oh, right, that. Everyone, this is Anton, Anton, Everyone. He said he was good at paperwork, so I hired him. Be nice…or don't."
They had all learned about it yesterday at some point (it was impossible for someone like him to fade into the background here), but gave Anton polite nods anyway.
"Speaking of which," the Major drawled, standing up, "I think we all have a couple things we should be doing right now, huh? Everyone, dismissed. C'mon, Langsley, I'll show you to your work."
"Yes sir." Anton said, getting to his feet. He saw Alyssa give him a little wave as they all left.
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Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen, 2nd Lieutenant Lackland's Quarters – 948 Hours
"Request: Lady Lackland, may I ask a question?"
"What is it, 782?" Arturia asked, her voice deathly calm and distracted, as though she didn't fully recognize the droid's presence.
In fact GD was the only person in Section Thirteen who would fully understand what the Lieutenant was now undergoing. Even in this modern era, Verum Knights took their duty deathly seriously. Extinguishing a life, even an artificially created one, could never be taken lightly, and was considered only an absolute last resort by them. But it would be easy to think otherwise. Far too easy.
So, both knights and priests of the house routinely underwent a deep meditation to focus on themselves, and make certain of remaining on the right path. Doing so in the company of another, even a fellow brother or sister, was typically discouraged: thoughts could…blend in trances like these. But since Section Thirteen was nowhere near a synonym for absolute solitude, she had employed GD to serve as a doorman. There was no mind there to muddle – or at least none she knew of.
The Gadget Droid shifted awkwardly from his position near the door. "Query: what do you think of Secretary Langsley's reassignment to our Section? You seemed somewhat disaffected when you first learned of it."
Arturia's mouth creased downward. It couldn't be called a frown with no effort behind it. "The action itself I do not think much of. If the Major thinks he was worthy of it, then I have no problems. But I do wonder why he was assigned to Fire Squad: our purpose is for combat. The Captain has her experience and fire magic, I have my swordplay, and you and the Corporal are living weapons. What does he have? From what I have seen, he would fit in much better with our sister team."
She shrugged lightly. "Perhaps he will surprise me. I know the Captain has her eye on him, and if nothing else, she is often correct in these matters. But for now, 782, please be silent. I must have concentration.
"Apology: excuse me, Lady Lackland; I was merely curious."
The crease in the knightess' forehead indicated strongly that she thought otherwise.
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Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Training Room, Sparring Area – 945 Hours
"So, Ace, been meaning to ask you something."
The young man ducked under the swift punch, then let loose with a swift uppercut that was evaded by a graceful flip. "Oh? About what, Captain?"
"Those Boltheads you and GD fought yesterday. I know the War Armors got stronger, but what about them? I know we usually let you and GD handle them, but every time I ask him to explain something I can't understand half of it. Probably does it on purpose, too."
Parrying another set of punches, Ace grunted as one sneaked in and clipped him on the cheek. "Well, I don't know if I'm the best person to ask, but alright." While blocking a few more attacks, his brow screwed up in concentration. "I think they did seem a bit more on the ball, looking back on it," he said finally, "it felt like their shots did a bit more damage, and a few of them nearly hit GD."
Alyssa hummed a bit as she dodged backward from Ace throwing his weight out suddenly. "Heh, guess even having our data isn't much of an advantage for those rustbuckets. Still, if they're getting stronger, we'll have to do the same thing: hope that's not a problem."
Ace cracked his knuckles together and smiled. "That's never been a problem for me before, Captain. I won't let it happen now."
"Good to hear it." Alyssa grinned back. She stretched a little, limbering up her arms as a red aura overtook her body. "I think that's enough warming up for now. Let's get serious, eh?"
In turn, electricity began to run across Ace's frame. "Oh, I'm always up for that, Captain."
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Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Roof – 1000 Hours
"I thought I'd find you up here."
Jeanne didn't turn around at the deep voice, not even when Dwight had crossed to the rooftop's edge and sat down next to her. "So you guessed right," she muttered, "want a medal?"
"If there was one, I'd probably have it by now." the sniper said evenly. He looked out across the city – the headquarters' location gave it an unrivalled view of it. "You come up here every time you're upset, after all." Dwight added.
The Captain glared at him with one eye. "You always seem to be up here, too. Wonder if there's any coincidence?"
Dwight shrugged. "Maybe we both like the…view?"
The glare continued for a moment before Jeanne sighed, digging into her uniform pocket and retrieving a packet of cigarettes. It was angled roughly a fraction toward her lieutenant. When wasn't taken after a second, she slid one of the cylinders into her hand before retrieving a lighter.
"Good thing for both of us it's still in one piece then, huh?" she said as the tiny flame blossomed. "We didn't even have to lift a finger to make sure – lucky."
Dwight leaned his head back to look up at the sky, an unreadable expression on his face. He had been apart of Section Thirteen for barely two months now, but it had only taken him about two days to realize the Captain he was working under had, beneath the attitude of the average grizzly bear, the self esteem of the average sheep. If something could even be vaguely connected to being her fault, she'd consider it so, and react to anyone who said otherwise with her usual personality, squared.
He sometimes wondered why he bothered…well, no, he knew that. But he felt like asking all the same.
"It's too bad we don't all have precognition," he began, with the same caution as a man edging out over a waterfall, "you'd never have to beat yourself up like this then."
Fixing both eyes onto him this time, Jeanne took a lengthy drag. "Smooth, Jacobs – it take you a whole minute to come up with that one?"
She always seemed to save her best material for him. "Alright," Dwight said, shrugging, "I'll be blunt. What nearly happened yesterday isn't your fault, and I definitely don't know why you think otherwise. Better?"
A minute passed after he said that. Another thing about Captain Stromhold: she could outstare a brick wall.
Finally, after a few more long puffs from the nicotine stick, she flipped it lightly over the side. Dwight watched the flame spiral the long way down.
"Yesterday," Jeanne said, suddenly, "tomorrow. Next week, last week, or a month ago or from now. If it had happened any other day, people probably would have died. It might have happened anyway; there's no way to know, like you just said. You want to tell me not to think about it, Jacobs? I'll tell you to kiss my ass."
She got up and walked away. Dwight watched her go, his gaze lingering for a moment even after the door had slammed shut.
He shrugged. "Still better than last time I tried." the man murmured to thin air.
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Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Library – 1015 Hours
Anyone who had somehow viewed the last three conversations (through undoubtedly illegal means), might have wondered what introspection the latter two members of Water Squad had on this issue: surely they had some input? If you were to ask Librarian Trail at this moment, his would be somewhere on the lines of: "Do I look like I have free time to you, wise guy? Either lend a hand, or buzz off…actually, no, wait. Just buzz off."
This was because Daniel was currently undergoing his rounds. Many people might have called him scruffy, rude, and inconsiderate, and, well, he was all those things. But he took any job involving knowledge – even one a bit less hands-on than he was used to – deathly seriously.
And anyway, he didn't really think much of these new 'problems' anyway. Sure, the guys making these things were a bit creative, but they still couldn't hold a damp candle to the geniuses behind Ancient Belkan deathtraps. His body still held certain areas that wouldn't ever forget this fact, despite Doctor Marion's best efforts.
Speaking of Ancient Belkan…
"Take care of these, Otavi – the shelf over there, right?"
The enigmatic girl nodded, taking the books and moving toward the indicated shelf. Watching her for a moment, Daniel moved forward with his cart, sorting novels and texts with expert speed.
He sighed when he heard the clatter from behind him. Turning, he moved back to help her pick them up, with a demeanor that went further from merely suggesting that this wasn't the first time. As he did, he made sure to get a good look at her eyes: sure enough, the slight glaze was still there, like the old expression of staring into space…only without the expression.
He snapped his fingers in front of her, and she blinked, the illusion dispelled, before looking guilty. "Another 'no' one, huh?" he muttered.
Otavi nodded slowly. "I am sorry." she whispered.
Daniel looked at her face for a moment and then sighed. "Right, of course you are. Sorry."
He continued replacing things for the moment. Talking to Otavi was always weird: like she was some fragile sculpture you could break just by opening your mouth.
"So, what about that new guy?" he broached a change of subject cautiously. "I heard you talked with him a little. You like him?"
She didn't reply for a long moment. That alerted him instantly. If there was one person she was at ease speaking to, it was him.
Daniel turned to look into her face. "What's wrong?"
Again, Otavi said not a word, but the guilty expression said it all. He growled under his breath. "Don't tell me…you predicted it?"
The girl nodded timidly.
That was sure a new one, but it didn't surprise him very much. "...have you told him?"
Otavi shook her head vehemently. "I cannot." She didn't elaborate. She never did.
Daniel opened his mouth, only to then shut it again. "Whatever, it's your decision. If you ask me, though, a guy like that Anton would want to hear about it. Just my two cents."
Replacing the last few books, the archeologist moved back to his cart. Otavi followed him obediently, like a loyal dog. She would have gladly told the inspec – secretary about what she had seen. But she could not: it was a rule. Daniel did not seem to understand this. She did not know why.
She also did not know why it pained her to think about it lately.
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Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Secretary's Office (formerly broom closet) – 1100 Hours
In hindsight, Anton felt, he perhaps should have been a bit suspicious when the Major had suggested his current role, not only because it was something he wouldn't have been dragged back to by wild horses at that point, but also the (to Destin, anyway) subtle eagerness in his voice. It probably wouldn't have changed much, but he'd have spent less time kicking himself.
The broom closet (he was still going to call it that, no matter how illustrious the Major made its new purpose sound) was big enough for Anton to take roughly three paces, small ones, before he ran nose-first into plaster, metal, and of course, paper. Large mounds of it were heaped across the desk Ace had shoved inside in a way that could almost make you feel bad for the doorway.
Memos, forms, letters – all different fonts, sizes and purposes, all not important enough for the Major's direct attention. It seemed Captain Stromhold hadn't been simply blowing smoke when she'd spoken with him earlier. But if it left her free to do important things, he'd gladly shoulder the burden.
With a sigh, he returned to work. Back at the office, he'd handled paperwork from top to bottom, but here he'd already had to introduce a few new ones: most of them diagonal.
Taking an envelope from the top, more or less, of the pile, Anton read it and blinked. It was addressed for the Major himself.
At that moment, the door slammed open. "Yo, Anton!" Alyssa barked cheerfully. "Or should I say Secretary?" She'd had a lot of fun with that since yesterday. "How you getting along in here?"
"Oh, not bad." said the young man distractedly. "I'm just looking at this letter for the Major. I guess he has a friend in the city: someone named Angelo?"
Alyssa raised an eyebrow once the name was out of his mouth, her face turning less friendly. "Can I see that, Anton?"
Without waiting for his answer (although, Anton had to remember not for the first time, she was his superior officer), she walked over and plucked the envelope from his hands, looking at the name on the front. Thankfully she didn't open it – at least not yet.
"Yep," she said after a brief glance, "just like I thought." She tapped the envelope with one finger. "I think he'll want this brought to him right away. Don't get up, I'll handle it."
Anton blinked. "Oh, you know who it's from?" She seemed to know the Major a bit more than the rest of the Squad, so it would make sense.
The Captain turned back and gave him a look he was getting used to: wondering whether he was a total idiot, or just a misinformed one.
Fortunately, she just shrugged after a moment. "Guess he didn't feel like telling you then. Oh well." She waved the envelope. "You ever hear the name Quattro Angelo, Anton?"
"I don't think so," he replied honestly, "who is he?"
Alyssa nodded. "Yeah, I hadn't heard of him before coming here either. He's this bigwig who showed up here when Gardius started really getting developed. Nothing interplanetary, but his company's managed to buy out nearly every major business working to improve the city. Which wouldn't be any of our business ordinarily, but…the Major and Jeanne have a hunch that's not all he's in charge of: someone's been gathering up all the gangs in this city under one flag, and they're sure it's him."
"Well, that's not so surprising," Anton said, adjusting his glasses, "but why didn't he tell me?"
She shrugged. "He probably had some reason. Like I said, it's just a hunch; whoever's in charge is pretty good at covering their tracks, so we haven't found any proof."
Anton nodded. "I suppose if he thought there was a good reason, I'm fine with it. Maybe I'll ask him when I get the chance."
"Yeah, sure," Alyssa said distractedly, "now then…"
With a sigh from her new subordinate, she ripped open the letter. He tried not to listen while she muttered off a few parts of it-
-and then she stopped cold, her eyes narrowing at the bottom of the page. The atmosphere in the tiny closet seemed to grow a bit more oppressive.
He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off. "I'll see you later, Anton." Alyssa said tersely, gripping the paper tightly as she walked out, slamming the door behind her.
"…I'll just get back to work, then."
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Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen CO Office – 1105 Hours
In deep contrast to Anton, Major Destin's desk was spectacularly clean of any paperwork, save of course for the crossword – just the way he liked it. There were certain perks of being in charge of a base, he reasoned, and being able to delegate duties beneath you was one of them.
"Hm, seven letter word for something you usually don't have…"
The door slammed open.
"Oh, right, privacy, of course."
Alyssa crossed the room in a few strides, and slammed the letter down onto the desk. "Look at this, Maj."
Setting down his crossword reluctantly, Destin picked up the paper without a word. Anytime Alyssa sounded serious, something was up.
"Dear Major Destin of blah blah blah, you are formally invited to commemorative who cares celebrating whatever. We would be greatly honored, yeah right, if you could find time to attend in your busy schedule – he says like he doesn't know it inside-out already – and, if possible, bring two guests of your choosing, which I'm sure I will be judged accordingly for."
He set it down and sighed. "Wonderful news, Alyssa. You want to tell me my dog just died while you're at it? If I had one, anyway."
"Read the last part." Alyssa said calmly.
The Major took another look at her and did just that. "PS: we would like to personally thank Captain Triad for her part in destroying the War Armor yesterday. Blah blah blah, innocent lives, quick thinking, yaddah yaddah."
"The signature." The Captain's voice sounded dangerously impatient. The Major sighed, and looked there.
"What? There's nothing there but a…K" his voice trailed off, and he looked up. "You don't think-"
Alyssa folded her arms. "I think it's a letter that's talking about me, and has the initial of one of my siblings right on it. I don't think that sounds like a coincidence, do you?"
The Major leaned forward. "Maybe, maybe not, but I do know that tone in your voice, Alyssa. Is this going to be one of those…Things?" He pronounced things in an odd way. The Bureau was used to Things. It got a significant number of its personnel from them. But while they went on, they could be oh so irritating for the people actually in charge.
"Don't give me that, Maj." Alyssa snorted. "I haven't seen either of those two in nearly ten years. If she's here, you bet your ass I'm going."
He took another look at the initial; broad confident strokes, like whoever put it there were trying to send many messages at once. "But if this is from her, she's probably working for Quattro."
Alyssa shrugged. "Wouldn't surprise me one bit, coming from Katie. I don't have any problem teaching her a lesson. Come on, Maj!"
Major Destin tapped his finger on the desk for a bit. "…alright, fine. But if you're going, the second tagalong's going to be Langsley. I need someone there who won't go charging off half-cocked. Might be a good learning experience for him, too."
"Anton, huh?" Alyssa murmured. She shrugged. "Whatever. He can take care of himself…or at least not get in my way."
"Having you around will still be better than people knowing I didn't go." Destin shrugged. "Just try to keep in mind that this is a recon mission, okay? If Quattro is up to something – and I know he's up to something – I want to find out what."
Alyssa smiled and saluted. "Yes, sir! I appreciate it, Major, really."
Destin shrugged. "Yeah, yeah, don't mention it." He watched her leave, and then reached for the phone. "I wonder when she'll realize this will involve wearing a dress?"
"OH CRAP!"
"There we go."
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Planet Gardius – Angelo Offices Penthouse – 1150 Hours
To Quattro, these memos and forms were bittersweet. While they certainly represented a personal profit to himself and his company (in that order), they inevitably held dotted lines, queries, and minutes to take up his time. He naturally understood the necessity of a business having a head, but did all of this really have to go through him? It was such a lack of…initiative.
His night job friends, now, they understood the importance of taking charge. A person could go very far in a place of new opportunities like this, with only their wits and attitude about them, and to a man, they all intended that to be them. Naturally, this desire was quite fruitless with him at the helm, but it was endearing all the same.
It wasn't just people in his group, either. As he lifted a drink to his lips, Quattro's eyes swiveled to the corner of the room, where one of their robots now stood. This one was unique; instead of the dull black metal the weapons were typically forged of, its body was a dusty gold, and a bit bulkier in the limbs and shoulders. It also held a far more human stance than its counterparts, leaning back against the wall as it watched him.
"Good day," he said once he had set the cup down, "to what do I owe this unexpected as, aha, usual visit?"
The robot bowed slightly. "We were only curious about how you found the performance of our newest unit, Mr. Angelo. As one of our finest customers, your satisfaction is our guarantee, after all."
Quattro smiled sardonically, although not, oddly, with any humor. "Yet again, asking questions you know very well the answer to. As you saw, despite the new toys that particular War Armor came equipped with, it was ultimately still destroyed by Section Thirteen. Far be it from me to complain about something I paid for, but that doesn't seem to quite fit with the build-up you gave it."
"Oh?" the robot's voice rose in a mocking query. "But it was good enough for you to get your hands on that Lost Logia, right?"
The CEO rallied magnificently. "Just as I said, you have an ear to the ground about everything. I do hope you have no problems with what I use your products for? There are only so many possibilities for them."
"Not at all, Mr. Angelo," the robot purred, stepping forward in front of the desk, "if a client obtains such a bounty with our equipment, it's also a personal victory for us, hm? Who are we to find fault in that?"
"Exactly," Quattro smiled, nodding, "I'm glad that's settled. Now: why are you here?"
It tilted its head to one side in response. "You mentioned keeping heads to the ground? We happen to be aware that you have something…special planned, although of course not exactly what. Those weapons were far from the only improvements we've made. Several new models of our attack droids were just recently rolled off the assembly line."
Quattro leaned forward. "Oh? The same attack droids Section Thirteen routinely destroys without effort? You'll excuse me if I am doubtful."
"Not at all, Mr. Angelo," said the robot, which then waved a hand, "I made sure to bring first-hand evidence of their effectiveness."
As holograms lit up the room, a slow smile spread across Quattro's face. "I see…"
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Planet Gardius…? – Location Unknown – 1220 Hours
With a heavy sigh, the woman lifted the visor from her eyes and stepped back out of the VR Booth, blinking in the room's artificial light. Controlling one of those things might have done wonders for secrecy, but it was still murder on the head. Cybernetics? You could stuff it, as far as she was concerned; especially Leonard's rustbuckets.
"Well?" asked the old buzzard himself, nursing a cup of tea. "How did it go, if I may ask?"
She shrugged. "Well enough. Once I showed him what they could do, he bought an entire battalion's worth. Tch; can't stand seeing money get burned like that, even if it is going to us." Her expression suddenly changed to a grimace, and she doubled over, coughing.
Grasping a cane set nearby his chair, Leonard rose halfway. "Are you alright, Grace?"
Grace's hand moved to her mouth, and after a moment the coughs subsided. She wiped the hand off on her labcoat. "Fine enough not to need sympathy from you, Leonard. Worry about yourself. I'll leave delivering the package to you two."
Striding off, she left the room. Leonard watched her go with a worried expression on his wrinkled face. In societies under the Bureau's order, old men could live to be quite spry, even in their twilight years. He wasn't one of them. While he still had all of his original teeth, and his mind was still sharper than most other's, his body had failed him far less than recently. Any time he sat down, got up, or moved at all, he could hear his bones creaking, and his vision could waver even at the best of times.
Merely getting up in the morning would have been too much, if not for who was sitting next to him. "Lacerta, is Grace's supply of medicine running out?"
The girl blinked, like a computer being queried, and then replied, "At the last inventory, there were fifteen doses of Professor Flush's medication. It has been seven days since then, counting today; therefore, eight remain." Like many people, Lacerta preferred a particular color, and that seemed to be blue. Her long hair, eyes, and frilly dress were all blue of some shade, and even her personality was as passive and gentle as you'd expect from the color.
Leonard smiled gently – although a close watcher would have noted it looked more like a wince. "My, that was quick. I suppose there is no need to worry, then."
He sipped from his glass. "I must say, this is wonderful tea. You've outdone yourself, Lacerta."
The girl nodded. "Thank you, Leonard."
The old man sighed. "You're very welcome, Lacerta."
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Planet Gardius…? – Location Unknown – 1230 Hours
No matter how much she did it, Grace could never seem to keep from wincing when the needle pierced her neck. Discarding it after a moment, she looked up into the mirror. A magic-based society might have done good things for seniors, but for middle-agers like her, it was practically a god-send. A woman in her forties or even fifties could easily pass for a woman of half that.
But even if that weren't the cause, no-one could argue that Grace Flush didn't have beauty to her. Long golden hair hung down past her shoulders, punctuated by a pair of stunning eyes. It was also obvious even under a labcoat that she took good care of her body. A pair of glasses never hurt, either.
Moving back to her sleeping area, Grace stripped down to her sleeping clothes and sat down, touching the monitor next to her bed. It flicked on, showing the 'boss' himself.
His gaze flicked to her, and she made a point of not flinching. It wasn't easy; he could get the same effect with his eyes as people usually got from wearing sunglasses. He didn't react to her lack of clothing like the other two would have – the man had a mind as sterile as a quarantine ward.
"Grace." he said simply. "Word on sale of the new models?"
She nodded. "Angelo snapped them up: just like you thought he would."
"Obsession with Section Thirteen a weakness. Merely used knowledge of it."
Grace nodded. "Yeah, you're great at that, Cipher," she smirked, "but it's not like one that's exclusive to him. After all, who else do we have to thank for helping develop those new guys, huh?"
"Section Thirteen the most skilled mages in nearest vicinity. Easy to obtain data. Don't see what you are implying."
"Sure you don't." Grace replied, the smirk growing ever so slightly.
Cipher turned his eyes away. "That all? Have work to attend to."
Grace shrugged. "Whatever. I'm going take a nap, so tell those two idiots not to disturb me, alright?"
"Shouldn't be problem. Leonard busy with new units, Tucker with…his pets. Nonetheless, I will inform them."
"Thanks. Wake me up when the units head into battle, alright?" With that, Grace shut off the monitor and lay back. She smiled briefly. "Well now: I wonder how you'll deal with these opponents…I'll look forward to seeing it."
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Planet Gardius – Basement Lounge – 1415 Hours
Although under-lit and rather dank at times, the wide room was quite homey. A pool table was set up in one corner, along with several punching bags marked with portraits of well-known Section Thirteen officers. A few long couches and arm-chairs were in the center, usually used for impromptu planning sessions. If nothing else, Quattro treated his subordinates well.
"Boss, boss!"
Behind his sunglasses, Barnes' eyes snapped straight open. He turned in his armchair to regard the nearby underling, who probably thought the labcoat he wore made him look far smarter than it actually did. "Yes? Do you have some good news for me?"
The thug smiled, exposing his bare gums in several places, and nodded eagerly. "Sure do! We got that thing turned on, boss, and it's working…at least, if it's supposed to do what it's doing. We think, anyway."
"What you think you think isn't any of our concern," Katie suddenly said, looking up from a novel she was perusing, "is the Logia resonating with your magic?"
"Uh, uh, yeah," replied the underling, caught off guard, "glowed like a christmas tree when we shot some spells at it."
She nodded. "Excellent. Did you set up the equipment in the right way?"
He nodded back, getting comfortable again. "Yep. Me and the boys went through the whole building laying down that pipe-line. Huh, dunno where it's supposed to go, though, 'cause near as I can tell, it ends at a dead-"
"And I'm sure you're an expert on things, aren't you?" Katie purred. "I wonder if you're one on keeping your mouth shut…" she smiled. "That might actually be useful here."
The man gulped, backing away. "S-sure, Ma'am, whatever you say – forget I opened my mouth!" He turned and ran.
"That shouldn't be much of a problem." she said with a roll of her eyes.
Barnes frowned. "You know, I'd appreciate you not halfway giving my men heart attacks."
Katie stretched out on the coach she was on. "I am aware. But I think you should worry more about yourself today, dear Barnes; perhaps you should stretch, get that magic flowing. From Mister Quattro's stories, I'd say your losing streak could use a bit of buffering. It might even be possible, with me around now."
Barne's lip curled ever so slightly. "If not, wouldn't it be your fault?"
"Oh? Would you like to find out, Barnes?"
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Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen CO Office – 1830 Hours
"Always hate wearing these things…" Major Destin grumbled, getting his fingers tangled up for the umpteenth time. "What's the point of it, anyway?"
Finally getting his tie on, he looked himself over in the mirror. "Not too shabby, gotta say. Huh, that'd be good, if any of the women at these things ever had two brain cells to scrape together."
He was just about to leave (making Alyssa wait wouldn't be a guarantee of his health, commanding officer or no) when a beeping from his desk's computer reached his ears. Sighing, he walked over and clicked the monitor open: Doctor Forrester's wizened face appeared.
"What is it, Doc?" Destin asked, frowning. "I'm kinda busy here, if you weren't aware."
"I apologize," the elderly genius said dryly, "but I thought you might want to know about what I just uncovered. I've narrowed down the signals from that Lost Logia somewhat."
The Major raised an eyebrow. "Well, that sounds good, but could you be a bit more specific? How narrowed, exactly?"
"Well…"
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Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Briefing Room – 1840 Hours
"Four?" Jeanne echoed, frowning slightly. "Arranged how did you say?"
Forrester clicked a few keys, and the screen split into two once more; this time, the addition showed a birds-eye map of the city. Four select areas were colored in red. One matter of interest was how they were laid out.
"As you can see, these signals are identical in their exact radius, as well as their distance from a particular building…"
"Angelo Corporation's Headquarters," Dwight finished, "and the ballroom where the Major, Captain Triad, and our new Secretary are heading."
"Assessment: there are four possible locations for the Lost Logia, and seven available officers." GD summated. "In order to investigate all of them, at least one person must go alone."
All eyes turned to the present Captain – it was her call. After a moment, Jeanne leaned forward, speaking quickly and seriously.
"2nd Lieutenant, Sergeant, you take the northern spot."
Arturia gave GD a sideways glance, but nodded. "Yes, Captain."
"Both of you Librarians, take the western side."
Daniel frowned and kicked up his legs. "So, they go off to dinner, we go off to a total trap? Seems fair." For Otavi's part, it didn't seem like it mattered to her either way.
"Lieutenant, you head out with the Corporal to the east."
Dwight and Ace exchanged a long, slightly awkward glance: that wasn't exactly a standard deployment choice. One that had never come up once before, as a matter of fact.
"As for me, I'll be heading to the south. Whatever goons Quattro has there, I can handle them," she added, just as Dwight was about to open his mouth, "so don't 'worry'. Any questions, problems?"
Silence.
"Let's head out, then. Those three already did, so we shouldn't keep that smug ass' plan waiting. That'd be rude."
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Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Lobby – 1832 Hours
Anton looked down at the suit he was wearing, and couldn't help but feel a bit exposed. He hadn't expected to be going out to a celebration just one day after joining Section Thirteen. It didn't…feel right, somehow.
"Why not?" asked a quiet voice in his head. "Who knows what might have happened without you there yesterday? Don't you want to get any credit?"
He frowned, pushing it away. "Er, Major?" he said aloud.
"Yeah?"
"I heard from Captain Triad that you think Mr. Angelo is the leader of crime in this city. May I ask why you didn't tell me this?"
Destin sighed. "Yeah. Well…" he scratched the back of his neck. "It's not political, or 'cause I don't like your face, so don't worry. It's a little weird. You know how some people have charisma?"
"…I've heard about it."
The Major smiled wryly. "Hehe. Well, Quattro has a bucket-load of it. He likes to give people hints – bill-board sized ones – about what he really is." The smile turned upside down in a flash. "They ignore all of them, just because it doesn't seem right. I wanted you to see what he's capable of before seeing how he acts while doing it."
"So…" Anton blinked. "Why did you pick me to come tonight? There are people far more capable."
"Is there something else?" Akashic asked from the crook of his arm.
"You bet." Destin nodded. He leaned in. "Don't tell Alyssa I said this, but there's a very good chance she's going to go wild tonight…not in that way. Something about the letter we got tipped her off; she thinks someone from the past is going to be there."
Never let it be said that Anton couldn't make connections. "You don't mean…"
"I do: her siblings."
To be continued…
Next time, Anton, Alyssa and the Major head off to Quattro's soiree, while the rest of Riot Force Thirteen investigate the four Logia signals. Naturally, trouble awaits at every location – some far more personal than the rest.
Night Life, coming soon.
Kireas – Well, that certainly is quite a bit of feedback; thank you very much for your input! I suppose I'll answer your main points here:
That attack name is actually somewhat thematic: the 'Infinity' is talking about the Infinity Library. As a member of the Langsley family, Anton has a deep respect for such a bevy of knowledge, after all. I was thinking about naming it Alexandria Tornado, but that would probably be too much of a stretch. Kinda funny to think that a place like that would be nothing special to the Bureau, eh?
The Nanoha universe is a place where virtually any sort of spell can be created, so is it that strange that the set up process could be modified not to do that. But I digress: I didn't really think too much of that scene while I was writing it, I apologize.
Ah. I interpreted AMF as the 'proper' acronym for any kind of device in that category, so that may have been the confusion for you. The War Armor's generators of it are designed more toward protecting the unit itself rather than restricting it's assailants' powers – for the most part, they're nowhere near as numerous or agile as the Gadget Droids, so that would be a pretty fruitless endeavor. In case you missed it, the Boltheads aren't equipped with them, however.
Well, heh, it would be boring if I showed you everything they could do in the first battle, wouldn't it? Not to worry, though – the rest of the Riot Force will get their chance to shine next chapter. As for the War Armors, it's pretty difficult to get concrete information on things that blow themselves up whenever you beat them.
I hope this helped answer your questions, and not just create new ones, heh.
AluciusDawn – Well thank you. I particularly like to have casts of wide, diverse characters, so it's nice to see people who appreciate that sort of thing. I think I've pretty much finished the exposition, though, in case that was a bit of a drag, so look forward to more first-hand storytelling from now on.
(I know I picked Arturia, but what other Nasu naming did you see?)
Well, until next chapter, I hope I enjoyed you this time. See you.