Note
Here I am again!^_^
This has been the most difficult chapter to write, but at last I'm quite satisfied.
From now on I'll probably be a little more slow to post new chapters, because following a friend's suggestion I'll start a Gunslinger Girl Short Story, but I promise you that I'll try to be as fast as possible.
Thank you so much to all that ones that have added this story to the followers or the favourites, and obviously to all the rewievers.
And yes, Mary's strange way of talk is not a coincidence: I took inspiration on Chaika from Hitsugi no Chaika!^^
See you soon!^_^
Carlos Olivera (on youtube, CJ Spencer)
...
4
Ruka continued to press on the accelerator to put as much distance as possible between them and the camp, while Mayu tried in vain to convince her to go back to look for Ashley and Sylvia.
"How can you be so calm?" she asked to Helen, noting her apparent imperturbability. "Your lady, Sylvia, could be dead."
"If that's true, crying and despairing won't bring her back to life," she said, turning her eyes toward the children grouped at the bottom of the vehicle. "Right now the priority is to save those children, which Sylvia, Ashley, Viktor and Mrs. Carmody have defended to the death."
Then her lips toke the form of a comforting smile.
"Anyway, I'm sure the young lady and Ashley are fine. After all they've been through in the last twenty months, it will take more than that to kill them. "
Unfortunately, the Bulldog had received only temporary repairs, barely enough to allow it to move, and after a few more kilometers it broke down again, forcing the group to stop.
"Cursed piece of crap!" yelled Ruka kicking it. "I thought that I designed you to overcome far worse situations!"
"Can you fix it?" asked Mayu
"Let's hope that I took all the necessary pieces." and she immediately began to work supported by a pair of mechanics.
The occasion also proved favorable to make a count of those who had managed to escape, and the results, in spite of everything, was quite comforting: orphaned children were nearly all present, and so many Norma and their families.
The point where the Bulldog had stopped, along a dirt road that headed north crossing the hillside that overlooking Sophia, was hidden enough to be a good place to stop, but also high enough to be able to see the field that, in the distance, was still burning, lighting up the night like a beacon.
Seeing that vermilion light getting up in the middle of nowhere, many of the survivors began to cry; they had managed to escape, but many of their friends had remained there, killed by those machines.
"I hate to admit it," Helen said, clenching her fists. "But perhaps what they said about Normas was not entirely wrong. What human being would be able to perform such a massacre? "
"Don't start a witch hunt, Helen" admonished Mayu. "Like you said, let's just try to stay alive for now."
"How did the count go?"
"In addition to children, we have twenty-five survivors with us. But perhaps someone else was able to leave Sophia in time. "
"I hope so," replied the maid looking toward the burning camp. "With all my heart."
...
Sylvia would never have thought that she would wake uo eventually.
When that silver monster hit her she already saw herself in the afterlife, facing all those who died that night paying the price of her ill-advised choice to stay.
Instead, even before her eyes fluttered open, she felt a pain throughout the body; the most visible proof that she was survived.
She felt damp grass beneath her, and something rough behind her back.
Struggling with her numbness, she finally managed to lift her eyelids, and felt a great astonishment when she realized to be in the middle of the forest, probably not too far from Sophia.
Probably someone had moved her, gently resting her against a leaning tree and putting some leaves under her head.
She tried to stand up, but her head was still spinning, and seeing herself surrounded by charred wreckage she wondered what on earth had happened: the last thing she remembered was that tremendous crash against the wall and the silver para-mail hanging over her, but she had no idea how she had gotten there.
She was trying to clear up her mind when she heard a noise on her left, and instinctively put a hand behind her back looking for the gun.
But she had no time to pull it out, because shortly after the last person one would have expected to see in a place like that appeared from a bush.
She was a little girl. She was ten, maybe even nine years old. She had the hair of a white lilac, almost silvery, the eyes large and blue, full of life, and delicate features, like a porcelain doll.
She was dressed in a simple way, with only a sleeveless white dress down to the ankles, almost a nightgown. At the foot she wore some sort of hospital shoes, also white, and she was awkwardly holding in hand, trying not to spill it, a wombat piece of bark full of water.
As she saw her, Sylvia immediately hid the gun behind her back, earning a puzzled look.
"Onee-san, awake!" said the little girl with a beautiful smile.
"O ... onee-san !?" said a disbelieving Sylvia.
By no means intimidated, the girl approached her, handing her the improvised pitcher.
"Taken for you. Drink. You'll be better."
Sylvia was actually very thirsty, so, despite that absurd situation, she accepted her weird savior's gift, letting the water come down her throat and relishing in the pleasant relief.
"Thanks," she said, receiving a smile in return. "What's your name?"
"I, Mary. And you?"
"My name is Sylvia."
"Glad meet you, Sylvia onee-san."
That child seemed the last person able to survive in a world like theirs, Sylvia thought, noticing her happy and innocent expression.
She certainly wasn't a survivor from Sophia, because she didn't remember to have ever seen her, but then the question was a very simple one.
"Mary, where are you from?"
"I come from the cradle."
"The cradle?"
"I slept. Long time. Then Eric onii-chan woke me. Now we travel north. He says I will be safe when we get to the north. "
"Safe from what?"
"I do not know. But he says many bad people want me. And so he protects."
"He's a good onii-chan then. He protects his little sister. "
"He's the best of all. He does zac, and then boom, and all the bad ones run away. "
Seeing her rudely mimic the feats of a brother who clearly loved her warmed Sylvia's heart, and for a moment she almost lost herself listening her stories.
Then, however, the memory of what had happened came back in strength, and she realized they could not stay over there.
"Onee-san, do not you get up," said Mary when she laboriously managed to get up. "You still weak."
"I have to reach my companions. And surely those para-mail are still looking for us. I cannot stay here. And you should get back to your Onii-chan. "
Then Mary, after a moment of bewilderment, looked down as mortified.
"I do not remember where is Eric onii-chan. I fear I lost ... "
An astonished Sylvia looked at her.
"You got lost!?"
"I saw light in the sky while onii-chan was sleeping. Entered into the woods and I found you. But when I went to get water, I realized I lost the way. "
Obviously it was not conceivable to leave her alone in the middle of nowhere, so Sylvia resigned herself to take the difficult decision.
"Listen sweetie, come with me," she said, lovingly caressing her head. "When I'll find my companions, I will help you regain your onii-chan. All right? "
She looked at her as puzzled, but then she nodded.
"Yes. Also Sylvia onee-san looks strong and good, after all. I trust you. "
So Sylvia took the child and started to walk toward Sophia; she knew they were going in the mouth to the enemy, but it was also the only way to see if someone else had survived.
...
Meanwhile, at the field, everything was now over.
The buildings had all collapsed devoured by the fire, and instead of what was supposed to become the new capital of Misurugi there was only a hell of fire and ash surrounded by a fence of red-hot plates; those walls should have been a defense for the people against external dangers, and yet, for many of them, had turned into a death trap.
The streets were a carpet of corpses: men, women, children and old men.
No one had been spared.
After the massacre, most of the para-mail had settled on the ground, with only a small group remaining to guard the perimeter, but it was only in that moment that the true horror had begun.
The three commanders landed next to each other in the central square, and the first to come down was the Norma piloting the black one. She was beautiful, with black hair and big dark eyes, yet in her eyes there was a cold, almost icy determination, enough to leave her indifferent to the macabre spectacle in front of her.
Instead the emotions coming from the emerald green eyes of the vermillion para-mail's pilot was completely different; she was apparently a little older than her two companions, she had a long, pink ponytail and a carved physical, almost as a model.
"The area is safe," said the black haired girl to the radio. "Start the harvest."
At that point the two cargos that had dropped the paratroopers landed, and about twenty Norma went down armed with a giant electronic syringe connected by a tube to some sort of backpack slung behind their backs.
One by one, they began to draw all the blood from the bodies, spearing them with their equipment and absorbing, besides from their blood, also all the other liquids, leaving behind nothing but skeletal and mummified bodies which were then burned by their comrades, equipped with flamethrowers.
At that sight, the pink-haired girl looked away, and some tears seemed to appear in her eyes.
"Control yourself, Jamie" scolded the black haired girl
"I can't believe that there's no other solution, Yuko. I mean ... we are killing innocent people. "
"You know full well that this is the only chance we have. It's the fate of us at stake."
"But ... to think of having to do such a thing ... what makes us worthy of being saved if we act like this?"
"Put it this way, it is a matter of life or death. True, we kill people, but this will save countless more lives. "
"Maybe, but what will be the price?"
Yuko then turned her attention to the silver-haired woman, intent on fixing hew own para-mail, looking decidedly displeased; the rocket's explosion hadn't been too serious, but it had caused a very evident dent and blackened the fuselage, as well as significantly damaging the right arm's maneuverability.
"That filthy whore will pay for this."
"It's your fault, Ingrid. Anyway, you have violated the orders again. Carry out the mission that has been assigned is one thing, but you shouldn't be such sadist. It is already shameful what we are forced to do, but joking about it the way you were doing with those children is beyond any common sense. "
"Did they have common sense when they destroyed our lives and made us into cannon fodder?" she cried angrily "Everyone reaps what he sows!"
"Commander Ingrid!" said one of the para-mail at her service coming back from a patrol. "I found some tracks heading to the north.
It must be that armored vehicle. "
"What!?" said the woman, maliciously smiling. "Perfect! Gather the others! "
So, remaining deaf to the calls of Yuko, Ingrid returned inside her para-mail, moving away at high speed followed by three of her companions.
"I'm going with her" Jamie said before going after her. "If that maniac unleashes herself, no one can stop her anymore."
"Good idea. At least sometimes she listen you. "
...
Aboard the Bulldog, the repairs were going rather slowly.
Mayu had ordered to stay silent and turn off all unnecessary lights, because although they were at quite some distance and well-covered, the risk of being noticed was still there, so apart the mechanics, some sentries and herself, all other survivors were back inside the armored vehicle, surrounded by darkness.
The children in particular were understandably upset, looking at each other searching for some consolation.
"Sylvia onee-chan will not come back, isn't right?" said a little Norma
"Don't dare to say it!" warned Hilda. "I'm sure Sylvia-sama is still alive! She will come back, without a doubt."
"But ... Mayu onee-chan said that she has fallen in the forest with Ashley onee-chan after that monsters hit them.
If so…"
"I told you, Sylvia-sama will return. I'm sure. She is much stronger than those heartless barbarians."
Meanwhile, outside, the situation showed no signs of improving.
"How much more time do you need?" Mayu asked for the umpteenth time. "We are too exposed."
"A few more minutes and we should at least be able to move," said Ruka without stopping. "Piecing together this monster again is not exactly the same thing as changing the spark plugs of a car."
Sylvia couldn't understand how it was possible, but after just a few minutes since she and Mary had started to walk, all the pain she had felt the moment she had woken up was almost completely gone.
Not to mention the wounds; for someone who, hearing Mary, had fallen from the sky, she had just some scratches.
But at the moment there were other priorities: the important thing was to find her companions.
Despite this, Mary was proving to be a very special person. Her simplicity was simply disarming, as if she weren't be able to realize the corrupt and hostile world where she lived.
"So," asked Sylvia. "Don't you remember anything? Your parents? Your house?"
"I don't remember anything before waking up in the cradle," she said dejected. "First thing I remember is Eric onii-chan's face. He woke me."
"I see. I'm sorry"
"You should not be sad. Me, not sad. Eric onii-chan is very good person. He said he leads me to other good people."
"Do you really care about your Onii-chan, don't you?"
"Knowing him recently, but I know that he is very good. He defended me so many times, but never killed anyone. He says that killing is bad thing. "
"It's a good point. Unfortunately, sometimes, kilingl becomes the only possible solution, although one would never want to do it."
"Eric onii-chan says he killed in the past, but has vowed never to do it again. And he is keeping the promise. "
They walked in darkness, guided only by the stars, and Sylvia was paying close attention to every little noise, for fear of seeing those infernal machines again any minute now. Therefore, when she sensed a flicker between some bushes beside the path, she quickly took the gun, bringing Mary behind her to keep her safe.
At the same time, however, another weapon appeared from the darkness, pointed against them, but recognizing its owner the girl's eyes widened in amazement.
"So you made it, too," Ashley said gritting her teeth before collapsing, exhausted.
The wounds all over the body and blackened clothes told that she had gone through a pretty rough time, but it was well known that much more than that was needed to kill off the indestructible Ashley Lescott, the only Norma in history who had managed to safely escape from Arzenal.
"I swear I'll never complain about the fights against the dragons anymore," she said while Sylvia was trying to help her. "Fighting other para-mails is completely different, damn it. "
"How do you feel? Can you stand? "
"Honestly, I wonder how I managed to survive. After the explosion the cockpit remained miraculously intact, but I went down like a meteorite. I managed to escape from that cursed trap just in time, then immediately after that what was left of the para-mail burned down to ashes. "
"I'm sorry that I'm not able to help you," said a mortified Mary helping her to stand up. "But I used all my strength to help Sylvia onee-chan."
"Don't worry. Our Ashley certainly won't die for such a thing. "
"Excuse me for the question, but who is this girl?"
"It's a long story. I'll tell you another time. Now we have to find out if we can still save someone. "
"Mayu and the others managed to escape, and they shouldn't be too far away. Shortly before being knocked down I saw the Bulldog heading to the hill towards the north. "
"Then let's hurry. When the sun rises it will be better to be as far as possible from here. "
Then the two girls began to march.
The hills where, according to Ashley, the Bulldog was were not too far away, and in fact in just a few hours they managed to reach them, with only a few hundred meters to separate them from the old road that surely their partners had followed in order to try to pass the mountains.
They were about to start the final climb, when, like a bolt from the blue, a light appeared from the road just above their heads, uncertainly pointing first at the sky and then directly at the forest.
"What the..." Ashley swore, ducking to escape the light cone.
"I recognize it, is the Bulldog's beacon!" Said Sylvia. "Maybe they are looking for us!"
"Are they crazy !? In this way they'll be seen by those para-mails too!"
...
Hilda had finally managed to convince the other kids that Sylvia was alive, and that therefore they had to find them.
So, secretly, she and some of the others had climbed onto the bulldog's roof, and fumbling with the commands Hilda was able to turn on the huge lighthouse, pointing it not without some difficulty into the woods in search for a signal, a movement; anything that might be a sign of the presence of their leader.
As Mayu and others noticed it, they sweatdropped.
"What are you doing!" yelled Ruka climbing on it and literally ripping the lighthouse's cords. "Turn it off right now!"
"But we have to find Sylvia onee-san ..." Hilda tried to protest .
But it was too late.
A light so strong in a place dominated by darkness couldn't pass unnoticed, and when she saw it lighting up along the hill also Ingrid's eyes lit up with a sinister glow.
"Found you" she grinned. "Let's go!"
Like vultures on a carcass, in a few moments Ingrid and her three subordinates were on the Bulldog, who fortunately in the meantime was been fully repaired.
"All inside, quickly!" Shouted Ruka.
Ingrid was so excited and out of himself that a missile almost hit her, but fortunately Jamie managed to intercept and shoot it down with a precise shot.
"Ingrid, you're too close!"
"Get out of my way, they're mine!"
Meanwhile the Bulldog had started at full speed, firing at the same time all that it had in against its pursuers, but its size and the narrow road made it so slow that for Ingrid and there was no problem to keep it up.
"Normally I would have been excited to chase you, but this time I'm really angry!"
So, without wasting any more time, Ingrid immediately fired a pair of missiles.
"Go to hell!"
Fortunately the Bulldog was provided with an electronic system that immediately kicked in, producing an electromagnetic cloud that disturbing the missiles' signal diverted their trajectory; unfortunately, even out of control, the two devices continued their run in another direction, passing the vehicle and exploding on the road a little further, making it collapse.
Ruka managed to stop just in time, with the front wheels and the nose of the Bulldog dangling over the abyss, but at that point the only escape route was lost.
"End of the game, my dears."
"Do not exaggerate, Ingrid" Jamie admonished her. "We need their energy."
"We just need their blood, the fact that the bodies remain whole is secondary!"
Only one of the two phalanx still had some ammunition, but even though it managed to destroy one of the para-mails it was finally taken out by one of its two companions.
One of the survivors, in a panic, opened the door trying to escape, but Ingrid came over, stabbing him with both her metal gloves and lifting him up over her head. Then, she horribly butchered him, letting herself dip by a blood rain.
"Superb! Truly superb! There is no more beautiful color in the world than this! "
Ruka and the others could not do anything but watch in horror, knowing that it was the end.
Ingrid, still covered in blood, stood up, ready to strike the final blow.
"Die!"
At that moment, Sylvia, Ashley and Mary reached the road, but they were too far away to do anything, and neither Ashley or Sylvia had the necessary weapons to stop that beast.
So, all they could do was stand still watching helplessly.
But not Mary.
"Protect them, my light!" Shee shouted stretching her arm.
There was a sound, like some sort of whistle, then a flash.
And then, as if by magic, a giant circular barrier appeared between the Bulldogs and the para-mail, and Ingrid, completely caught by surprise, ran into it, finding himself trapped inside some sort of magnetic field.
«What… what the…» she exclaimed astonished
After having trapped her, the barrier in the same way rejected her, but not without causing such a powerful electric shock inside the para-mail to literally burn the right arm's mechanisms; then, as it had appeared, the barrier vanished, while a deathly silence full of amazement hovered in the air.
As the shield vanished Mary almost fell on the ground inanimatwe, but she was immediately caught by Sylvia.
"I can't believe it," she said. "This girl… has the mana..."