Chapter Sixty: Culmination
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Selatapura, Usea.
October 30th, 2019.
0330hrs.
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Rosa was very well aware that she was not a soldier. Even long before politics and nobility took over her life, back when she was actually free to be her own person, she wasn't raised to pick a fight. She grew up searching for harmony. But she had learned as soon as her father took the throne that people could change, and when necessary sometimes they had to play roles they did not like. So, soldier or not, she was willing to step out on a battlefield if she had to.
No one would have blamed her if she stayed behind. In fact, they probably would have been thrilled given the stakes and circumstances. The coalition, once introductions were out of the way, briefed them on an operation that would require the utmost stealth if they wanted to succeed. In order to take back the space elevator's support facility they'd draw attention away from the main building, and then a team would be sent in to seize control of it from the inside. The team that had been put together was mostly Oseans, thankfully ones that Rosa was familiar with, but there were a number of refugees and Erusean soldiers that were among them.
Avril volunteered in spite of her bad leg, along with Major Foulke's father, Bandog, Georg, the journalist, Genette, and a large group of soldiers led by Major Grimm. Henri also offered his services before Rosa spoke up, and that only gave her more reason to go through with it. After a bit of a back and forth, trying to make them realize she could be an asset in negotiations and that she could hold her own, everyone agreed to let her go. She promised she could handle herself and she wouldn't slow them down, and she intended to keep that promise.
Even though it was a struggle not to fall behind and even though she was exhausted, she followed them all through the shadows. Rosa wasn't sure how they managed to move as silently as they did. She didn't have the same uniforms they did, but she was wearing the same heavy boots they were and she was barely managing to mirror the way that they were moving in them. She at least had had practice moving around in them, so she wasn't clumsily following them. And hopefully she wouldn't be the reason this operation went south.
Thankfully she wasn't on her own, wedged in the middle of the formation with Avril and Genette, a pair that unlike her were actually holding the weapons they'd been given at the ready. Avril had a rifle while Genette had a pistol she had learned was his personal weapon. Everyone but her seemed to be anticipating an attack. Everyone but her also seemed completely unfazed by all of this, even the refugees that had been hesitant to even leave Tyler Island.
Just in front of her, Henri showed no signs of strain, his condition having improved in the weeks that had gone by. He was her guide as they carefully, quietly moved between buildings and shipping containers and unattended vehicles, and she watched his every move to make sure she didn't slip up. She could only hope nothing was going to happen to them, not sure if she could handle watching another family member die.
The main building came into view before too long, patrolled more in the front than on the sides and in the back. It allowed their group a chance to pause and collect themselves, the time for their allies to do their part coming up on them. Rosa pressed her back against one of the steel shipping containers once she saw Henri and the others do the same around her. The small alleyway they were waiting in left some of them on one side, up against the shipping containers, and the others across from them lining up down the wall of the facility. They were lucky enough to be in just enough shadow, along with having a few crates and barrels stacked up to help conceal them.
They all stayed dead quiet. In fact, Rosa was pretty sure she was holding her breath as they waited for Major Grimm to radio their allies. All they could do was lie in wait. No one seemed bothered by that. It was expected, after all. Rosa just couldn't help but feel like she was on the verge of a panic attack. She wanted to let herself slide down to the ground, but no one else was relaxing that much, so no matter how much her legs and chest were aching she stayed on her feet.
Standing across from her, Genette gave her an empathetic look. When he spoke, it was free of the usual reverence of an Erusean or grudging respect of an Osean soldier. He spoke to her like an equal, keeping his voice barely above a whisper. "Are you going to be okay?"
Rosa swallowed and nodded, not sure how to respond. She hadn't said a word in several hours at that point. She wasn't sure she could say anything. But she forced herself to. "I'll be fine," she replied. "What about you?"
"I've been through worse," he said, putting on a small smile. That seemed to be his go to response for everything. Any time one of the LRSSG or any other soldier asked about his well being, he shrugged it off better than most that should be used to this sort of thing. It made her wonder just what he'd been through to be able to hide his nerves so well. Because if the look in his eyes said anything it was that he was nervous, he just coped well under the pressure. "And it's not my first time sneaking around in the dark."
"If you aren't careful how loud you're running your mouth then it's gonna be your last," Bandog's harsh whisper broke through the silence, his dog Sarge standing alert at his side while he kept a firm hold on her leash. He looked between the two of them. "It would suck for everyone if we made it this far just to die."
"And if you don't watch it you're gonna jinx us. You're talking too," Avril hissed at him, leaning over with her hands on her knees, all her weight pressed on her good leg to keep her upright. She kept her rifle slung over her shoulder while they rested. She let out a quiet huff. "Besides, let people talk, it relaxes them. This is nerve wracking, y'know?"
Rosa lifted her head some, trying not to look or sound too surprised. "You're nervous?"
"Yeah, who isn't? It's do or die at this point, pretty much," Avril said with a shrug, still keeping her voice low. She raised a brow slightly. "Don't tell me you're not nervous."
"I am." Rosa looked down at her feet. She wasn't sure how to feel. It didn't feel real, she could say that much. She had butterflies in her stomach, but not in the good way people usually got them. In fact, it was bordering on painful and nauseating if it was anything. But she couldn't back out. "I chose to be here, though. I'm the reason this all happened, I should see it through."
Henri let out a quiet sigh from where he stood beside her, angled so he could clearly see the entrance to their alleyway. He glanced over his shoulder at her. "Please, stop saying things like that, Your Highness," he said. "It shouldn't matter how we got here, what matters is that we fix this."
"Like it or not, we're in this together now," Foulke said. He didn't even look at them. He kept his weapon in hands and his attention fixed on the front of their group. It wasn't anger or indifference on his face, but focus. His voice was calm. "Not a crime to be nervous or to feel guilty or angry. Feel however you'd like about it, just don't lose sight of what we're fighting for."
Georg shifted beside him, his own blank expression slipping in an instant to a grief stricken one. The stuffed animal his daughter Fiona had given him was shoved into the pack he'd been given, though she knew he hadn't wanted to leave it behind. He swallowed. "Right…there are people counting on us," he agreed with a nod, putting on a reassuring smile and looking over at the Princess. "Whatever happens here, it's worth it for them, yeah?"
"Alright, everyone, keep it down," Major Grimm's voice cut through in a harsh whisper, silencing everyone. All eyes were on him as he radioed the rest of the coalition, verifying that they were in position and everything was moving along on time. In the distance, completely shattering the silence of the night, the sound of gunfire could be heard followed by the Radicals positioned outside of the facility all shouting and racing off to aid their allies. It caught Rosa and a few of the refugees off guard, but none of the soldiers were at all fazed by it. Grimm craned his neck and then signaled for everyone to follow him. "That's our cue, let's go. Quickly and quietly."
They all fell in line and quickly crept out of their hiding spot after a few more moments, making sure they gave the Radicals enough time to leave. On the outside the facility was left unguarded, what forces actually remaining nearby too preoccupied by creating a barricade in case the Osean and Conservative forces managed to push through. They wouldn't do that until they verified they had control of the facility from the inside though, or at least that was Rosa's understanding of it. It was also her understanding that going straight up to the front door wasn't the best plan, but it was the only entrypoint that didn't have an alarm set, at least according to the blueprints. So marching through the front door was their only option.
Only a small group of what looked to be four Radical soldiers stood posted outside, facing the direction of the diversion instead of the threat they should have been worried about. In the blink of an eye, before Rosa could even react, Foulke, Henri, and a pair of Major Grimm's men broke off from the group and got the jump on the soldiers meant to be guarding the door. She thought they were going to kill them for sure, but instead a few well placed blows to the back of the head with their weapons sent them down to the ground. A pair of soldiers stayed behind to zip tie them and drag them out of view, not that stealth would benefit them much by the time the night was over.
Rosa hesitated as everyone else started to file inside, staring at the unconscious Radicals. They weren't dead, but she still felt bad, yet at the same time she felt a small sense of relief that they hadn't killed them. There were enough casualties, and there would be more before this was all said and done if the Radicals didn't just surrender, so even four people being spared was something she was grateful for. She couldn't ponder that for too long, though, not standing like she was out in the open. Henri got her attention and snapped her out of her thoughts, and she followed him with only one more glance down at the Radicals.
Inside, the lobby they stepped into was a massive, empty space. Dimly lit, quiet, sterile…depressing, almost. It was far more unsettling than the atmosphere outside. No one else seemed bothered by it, though. Major Grimm's voice rang out, echoing even though he wasn't talking loudly, as he ordered to his men, "Alright, everyone fan out and search this place. Go in groups, watch each other's back, take out anyone that won't surrender. I'd like to get out of here with few casualties, but y'all's safety is my priority, got it?" A chorus of 'yes sirs' followed. Grimm turned back to face Avril and Bandog. "Mead, Bandog, Georg, you three and the Princess and Henri come with me. Genette, you too. Pixy…take your pick."
"I'll stick with you guys," Foulke said. He glanced at Rosa only briefly, though acted nonchalant as he added, "Figure you guys are gonna need all the help you can get."
"Right…well, lead the way, then," Henri said, not exactly eager but clearly restless after having nothing to do for so long.
Rosa stayed close by him and Avril as they fell in front alongside Major Grimm. Her attention was drawn to the very end of the lobby as they walked, noticing the large mural that had been placed on the wall. It was massive, though still not as large as the wall itself, and for a moment all Rosa could do was stop and stare at it. In the foreground, there were various people gathered around, celebrating…what looked like nothing in particular, actually. The main focal point of the painting was the group of men and women joining hands in a circle, dancing about while the other subjects of the painting watched and admired. Not all of them though. Some of them had their gaze fixed off the coast, towards the background.
Although the main focal point of the painting may have been to capture that dance, the background was what almost took Rosa's breath away. A row of space elevators was lined up at sea, against a sky that was painted shades of gold, orange, blue, and purple and shining with stars. It was beautiful. Enough to draw anybody in, even at a distance. But as she continued to look the painting over, trying to take in every little detail, something…or rather someone sitting in front of the painting seized her attention.
"Hey…hang on a second, is that a…kid?" Avril asked, halting suddenly and grabbing everyone else's attention. And the fact she took notice of that told Rosa that she was not, in fact, seeing things like she hoped.
Once recognition hit her, it was like her body just froze up. She felt unsteady. At first she thought her knees were going to buckle and she'd fall to the ground, but instead she couldn't move no matter how much she wanted to. She felt cold. If she shivered, she didn't know, but she was sure there were goosebumps forming on her skin. Because sitting in front of that mural was not just a child, not just someone she knew, but someone that was supposed to be safe and far away from all of this fighting. Someone Rosa was sure she had inadvertently hurt enough, especially now.
Alma was alone in the lobby. She looked poised to take off running, her stuffed bear clutched tightly in her hands and a frightened look on her face as she stared right at the group. Clearly she had noticed them the second they walked in, it was hard not to, but they had almost completely missed her. She was like a deer caught in headlights, quite literally, bracing herself to sprint if there was any danger but trying not to be seen. When she noticed Rosa, she also froze, her eyes widening and the fear fading ever so slightly. She looked much calmer than Rosa felt.
"There's no way that's…I would have thought for sure that…" Henri seemed a bit taken aback as well, though unlike Rosa he managed to speak.
"You two know that girl?" Foulke asked, looking over at the two of them and back at Alma. He looked more concerned than suspicious, his question not even giving away the confusion he must have felt.
Rosa swallowed and forced herself to take a few steps forward, but her legs and hands were shaking. She froze up after getting so far. Instead, she tried to call out to her. After opening her mouth several times and not being able to force a sound out, she managed to croak out Alma's name. More as a statement than trying to call her over. In fact, the echo from it was barely audible. "Alma."
0350hrs.
Pixy and the others had no other choice but to watch and then follow the Princess and the girl they stumbled across. She looked barely older than maybe nine or ten, and although she'd been hesitant she had approached the Princess and softly said something to her before she took her hand and spun around, dragging the Princess along with her. There wasn't anything else they could do but follow the girls deeper into the factory, weapons in hand and alert for any kind of trap.
None of them knew what a child would be doing here. Well, maybe the Princess did, but she wasn't letting them in on anything. It was like she had seen a ghost with the way she reacted. Although previously willing to help, taking bold stands, she ended up back to the meek girl she'd been when they first saw her on Tyler Island, like whoever this girl was had sent her into a downward, internal spiral. He doubted they were related, but they definitely knew one another. That much was obvious.
The hall that the girl – Alma – led them down was quiet. Almost to the point that it was unsettling. Pixy had been in more than a few battles on the ground, and when things were quiet that was usually when he worried the most. He held his rifle up, keeping an eye on their surroundings. None of the rooms seemed to have anyone in them, and the hallway was deserted just like the lobby they'd been in, so either they were trying to lull them into some kind of security before they made their move or they were so arrogant that they didn't think to leave the facility heavily guarded. From what he knew, it was probably the latter.
Vast windows lined the hall they were walking down, proudly displaying the factory part of the facility for all to see. The machinery was automated, at least judging from the lack of anyone there to man it, making a fresh line of drones to support the Arsenal Bird no doubt. If they had any hope at all of getting rid of these things, they'd have to start by cutting it off here, at its source. It made sense, but looking at the way that thing was just…putting drones together like it was nothing, it made him uncomfortable.
Pixy's thoughts drifted to Naomi. He'd tried to put her out of his mind, but given he was doing all of this for her that made it incredibly difficult. He knew she wasn't going to be able to do this on her own, but the way things were he couldn't help but put all of his faith in her. But in that same breath he was going to do whatever he had to do in order to make sure she wasn't in any needless danger. From the look of it, though, whatever he could do here might be pointless. Didn't mean that he wasn't going to try. Unfortunately, for now he could only take his own mission step by step and hope that things were okay on her end.
As they walked, though, he found himself uneasy. Whatever was going on, the girl and the Princess kept that between themselves, Alma reverting to a language that Pixy didn't understand but that the Princess clearly did, though she responded in Erusean. The girl seemed innocent enough, maybe a bit scared, and the Princess obviously had no reason not to trust her. But the lack of real communication was troubling. He had a feeling the others weren't feeling so great about it either.
Georg trailed along with a miserable look, keeping his focus more on the drone production than on his surroundings, though every now and then he'd glance behind them or check in a room along the way, clearly still alert. Bandog was tense and that tension traveled down the leash to Sarge in spite of his attempts to relax, keeping the dog in 'work mode' and making her restless judging from the way she kept her head up and ears pricked, tugging every now and then as if she was waiting for a fight. Jacob kept eyeing the Princess and trying to prompt her to communicate some, barely getting more than a promise they weren't walking into a trap. Henri followed right behind her, with a blank expression on his face, though there was worry in his eyes. Genette and Avril stayed close by, Genette offering to support Avril if she needed it but she insisted she wasn't a burden. She watched the Princess with a worried look on her face, keeping her rifle at the ready.
"Henri?" Pixy broke the silence, keeping his voice low, getting the bodyguard's attention, keeping his eyes fixed straight ahead. Once he had his attention, he asked, "That girl, Alma…what's the deal with her and the Princess?"
"It's…I think it's rather complicated," Henri replied, taking a deep breath. "I can't be fully sure myself."
"My Erusean's a bit rusty, so I'm out of the loop," Pixy told him, glancing at the Princess. He wasn't suspicious honestly as much as he was worried. And although he knew a variety of languages, it had been a long time since he'd properly spoken in Erusean. PJ's wife may have been Erusean but she didn't make it a habit of speaking with Pixy. "Did I hear her right when she said 'take me there'?" Henri nodded. "So…where is 'there'?"
"I don't know, but…I think it might have to do with Alma's sister, a friend of Her Highness," Henri said, keeping his voice low. The only one that looked to be listening in, though, was Avril and she was keeping quiet. Pixy didn't answer, waiting for Henri to go on. "I'm willing to bet something might have happened to her. This place is a maze, though. No telling if we'd be able to get there in time or not if something did happen."
Pixy didn't have an answer to that. He glanced over at Georg to find him watching the two of them out of the corner of his eye as they walked, and judging from the worried look on his face he'd been listening in. Actually, everyone looked as though they'd been eavesdropping on the last part of the conversation. They all had been hoping things would go down without a hitch, but knowing two kids were wrapped up in the middle of it complicated things a great deal. No more than dragging the Princess along, he supposed, but the Princess had learned how to shoot and the ten-year-old dragging her along shouldn't be put in harm's way in the first place.
There wasn't anything they could do about it, though. They just had to grit their teeth and make sure no one took a shot at either of those kids.
The whole walk they were treated to that view of the drone production, so Pixy tried to keep his eyes straight ahead. Not only was it a needless distraction but it was just going to upset him. Make him angry at best or anxious at worst. He needed to stay focused. All of them did. Thankfully, they reached the end of the hallway before too long and without running into any resistance, and the view was cut off as they came up on a corner.
Just as they reached the corner, Alma stopped and turned around, looking over each and every one of them. Then she said something to the Princess in a whisper and the older girl just nodded slowly, swallowing as she straightened up and turned to Jacob. "There are two soldiers posted guard outside of the room she's taking us to," she explained, clearly trying not to sound nervous and keeping her voice low. "She told me before that if we get to that room we can apparently take over the factory."
"Does she know what we're here for?" Jacob asked her.
"I do," Alma answered for herself, the first time she'd spoken a common tongue out loud and the first time she said anything to them. In spite of how small and timid she was and the fact she was holding on to her stuffed animal like her life depended on it, she hardly spoke like a child. "You want to take back the space elevator, right? That's what I hear the soldiers talking about all the time. My sister explained it…so I'm taking you to people who can help you."
Jacob paused, considering what she was telling him. He looked up at the Princess, who gave him no reaction, and then around at the rest of them. It was obvious that trusting the kid wasn't an easy option, but there wasn't much else. Either way he'd be risking their life and potentially others later on down the line. Once he thought it over, he sighed and nodded to Bandog. "Alright, Bandog, Pixy, you two come with me and take out the guards they've got," he said. "Genette, Mead, and Georg, you three stay back with the Princess and the girl. Cover us if something goes wrong."
None of them needed to be told twice. It had been a while since Pixy had been on the ground, but every movement he made was almost second nature once he got back into it. They rounded the corner, weapons at the ready, and once they sprang from the cover of the wall they fired. Jacob's shot hit the wall, while Pixy's ripped through one of the guard's shoulders, both obviously getting the soldiers' attention and prompting them to try and counter. Both of them reached for the weapons they had, but that was where Bandog and Sarge came in.
Bandog dropped her leash and ordered her to attack, and as soon as she heard the order and the tension from the leash vanished she sprang forward, sprinting down the hallway and launching herself straight for one of the Radicals' arms. The sudden force and Sarge's momentum sent the soldier stumbling off balance, crying out in pain as Sarge brought him to his knees with ease, while the man's injured companion seemed barely able to process what was happening. He managed to shakily raise his weapon and take aim, intending to shoot Sarge, but the three of them were already moving down the hall after her. Bandog reached them first, pressing the muzzle of his gun to the soldier's head.
"Try it and you're dead," Bandog said, his voice taking on a tone Pixy had never heard from him but that still was familiar to him. That was the voice of a man not about to let someone come between him and his family. Or his comrade in arms, in this case. "Drop the gun and get up against the wall." The man complied, dropping his gun to the floor with a clatter and backing up, clutching his injured arm. Bandog, knowing full well that Pixy and Jacob were right behind him, stared down at Sarge and the still writhing soldier. He kicked the man's gun away from him before he called her off. "Release."
Sarge complied in an instant, still barking from the sudden excitement at being able to do her job. Which, luckily for her, had the very likely unintended effect of making sure that the man she'd taken down didn't try and retaliate. Bandog praised her while Pixy ran to the soldier's side, and she stepped aside – still barking – as he pointed his own gun at the man, guaranteeing he didn't try anything or reach for his gun.
Pixy noticed the CAC clipped to the soldiers' uniforms, and he glanced up at the closed door and noticed the reader mounted on the wall. Thankfully it wasn't a code they had to put in, or else they'd have had a time getting that out of the soldiers. "Jacob." Once he had his attention, he gestured to the wall. "Get their CACs off of them, we're gonna need it to get in."
"Right," Jacob said with a nod. He paused only to look over his shoulder, back to the corner they'd come around. "It's all clear, let's go." As the five that had hung back carefully crept out of their hiding spot, Jacob snatched the card off of the disgruntled Erusean's uniform, keeping his gun on him with his other hand just in case. "Alright, get him up against the wall. Genette, can you handle watching these guys on your own?"
Genette didn't answer until he reached them, looking between the two soldiers, one bleeding out and the other nursing what was potentially a broken arm if not just an incredibly painful, open wound from that bite as Pixy hauled the latter to his feet and nudged him forward. He looked uneasy for a moment, but then he nodded. "I can if you need me to, yeah. Probably."
"Is it wise to leave a civilian out here with these guys?" Bandog asked, though he did back up and retrieve Sarge, letting Genette take his place.
"Do any of you want to stay out here with him?" Jacob asked, looking around, a brow raised.
"Not really," Avril was the first one to speak up, letting out a short scoff. "I wanna know what's waiting for us behind that door."
"Alma?" the Princess prompted the girl, concern evident in her face and voice.
Alma looked around, clearly aware that all of them were staring at her and also well aware of the seriousness of the situation. She swallowed her fear and answered them anyways, though, looking solely at the Princess as she did. It was probably the only source of confidence she had at that moment. "Just the scientists – you remember them, right? – and Ionela. But –"
Pixy and the Princess caught on to the fact she was trying to say something else, but Jacob didn't hear her. All he heard was the fact that there weren't any soldiers, though that could have very well been part of that 'but'. She probably would have led with that if it was an issue, but Pixy felt a bit nervous. He didn't get a chance to voice this before Jacob stepped forward with the card, holding it at the ready over the reader and looking around at all of them, waiting for them to get into a good position before he asked, "Okay, then. Everyone ready?"
One by one they all sounded off, and Jacob ran the CAC through the reader. The light went from red to green with a quiet beep and a soft click to confirm that the door was unlocked. From there, it was a simple push of a button to open the door, which slid open to allow them access. Alma dragged the Princess through the door first, almost the second it opened, but as Pixy and the others began to file in after them…the Princess suddenly gasped and shuddered, stopping short and letting go of Alma's hand. There was no warning and none of them thought anything of it as they moved around her, taking up positions on either side of the room. It was then that they realized what the problem was.
The room overlooked the main part of the factory, and although there were a few dim, fluorescent lights overhead most of the light in the room was coming from outside of it. It was somehow harsh and dim at the same time, especially considering the abrupt shift in lighting from the halls they'd been walking through. Pixy's eyes adjusted quickly, though, and he was able to take in the scene that they had walked in on. It was impossible not to pick up on it. Especially considering that the tension was almost stifling.
Four people stood around the room, three of them dressed in matching lab coats. The fourth was a girl, not much older than Alma and quite similar in appearance. Brown hair, sharp eyes, every movement she made was deliberate, but unlike Alma's quiet calm…this girl's calm was unsettling. At first, given the looks on everyone's faces and the fact they cut off two different people mid sentence, one might have thought that she was being held hostage. But one of the scientists, the older of the three of them, proved that wrong from the fear and concern written all over his face. She had him quite literally backed into a corner, keeping a death grip on his wrist evidently to keep him from using the computer that he stood over.
When they all walked in, for a moment everyone froze. The younger two scientists spun around and stumbled back, already jumpy from whatever had transpired, and who Pixy guessed was their superior just stared up at the door, all three too stunned to speak. The girl didn't even flinch, though. She looked over her shoulder at them, still maintaining her hold on the man's arm, and that was the only reaction they got at first. Everything else seemed to unfold in an instant, before anyone could process it.
The girl suddenly snatched something from the man's hand with her free hand, releasing her hold on his wrist. She looked them up and down, assessing them one by one. Then, in the blink of an eye, she tossed the chip to the ground with a clatter and marched towards them with a blank expression on her face. One of the other scientists, a girl with short red hair, reached out to grab her but she harshly shoved her away without so much as looking at her. Like she was locked on to a target or something, dead set on reaching it.
Sarge, having picked up on the sudden shift in the environment, started to tug on her leash and let out a few short barks. Her movements weren't exactly aggressive as much as they were anxious, and they weren't directed at the girl even though she was walking right for her and Bandog. Bandog, however, kneeled to the ground and pulled Sarge back to try and calm her, holding her head to his chest and muttering words in an attempt to calm her while the others all braced for the worst to happen. The girl saw the opportunity and took it, snatching Bandog's gun from the holster at his side the second he turned his attention to the dog. He released Sarge and jumped up to try and get the gun, but the girl already spun away from him.
"Wait!" The scientist called out, his eyes widening as he figured out several directions this could take. He moved to take a step forward, but Pixy wasn't going to allow it. He kneeled and took aim with his rifle, pointing it at the man and not at the girl, not sure whose side he should be on but not about to let anyone else get their hands on the gun.
"Ionela!" Alma cried out the girl's name, racing forward with a panicked look on her face as Ionela marched back over to where she threw the chip. She was either going to shoot the man or shoot the chip, and obviously Alma was smart enough to see that. She didn't get very far, though, as Avril jumped in front of her, shielding Alma with her body and holding her back as the Princess could only numbly reach out to both of the girls.
It happened almost in an instant. She handled the gun with ease, not afraid of it in the slightest, and carefully aimed it at the floor. The shot rang out, the sound practically deafening, and enough to shatter a wall of glass just opposite of her. Her target, the chip she'd thrown to the ground, was sent flying away from her with a gaping hole in it, landing as nothing more than a useless piece of plastic and circuits. Whatever was on it wasn't going to do anyone any good any longer.
And just like that the whole thing was over. Or at least so they thought. As the apparent adrenaline wore off, Ionela stood in place, her legs and arms trembling and her breathing deep as she tried to calm herself down. She still held the gun in her hands as she straightened back up, moving her finger off the trigger and lowering it to her side as she turned and walked back towards the scientist. Pixy and the others hesitantly lowered their weapons, all of them unsure what to make of the scene.
The older scientist appeared to be in a state of shock, putting on a defeated expression as he dropped to the floor, resting an arm on his knees as he lowered his head. Slowly he removed his glasses and wiped them off, putting them back on but not before he wiped the sweat off of his face. He didn't look up at Ionela as she slowly approached him.
Pixy watched as Avril glanced between the two girls and slowly moved out of Alma's way, allowing her to run to Ionela's side. She slowed her pace once she was right beside her, seeming hesitant to say anything when her sister – or at least, Pixy assumed they were sisters – didn't acknowledge her. Her voice was soft when she tried to prompt her to say something. "Ionela?"
The Princess took a step forward and at last found her voice. "Ionela…" she said, her voice shaking on every word. She sounded more desperate and scared than she sounded angry. "What on Earth were you thinking?"
"I was thinking it was about time somebody did something decisive," Ionela replied, her grip on the gun tightening. Her voice was cold. She didn't look over at the Princess, her attention now fixed entirely on the researcher she stood up. "None of you were taking a stand, so I took it for you."
Georg took a few steps forward to stand just behind her, able to see the man sitting on the floor more clearly. He was probably in the worst state of shock out of any of them. "What happened to you?" he asked the man in Belkan, who barely turned his head in Georg's direction. "You should have stopped when you still had the chance, Schroeder."
"I should have stopped, but I didn't," Schroeder answered him quietly, barely even loud enough for them to hear. He didn't answer in Belkan. Whatever he had to say, he wanted the others to know it. Pixy realized now that this was the man that had been brought in to work on the program. He wasn't even half as fierce as the drones he helped create, especially not with how he couldn't even look a teenager in the eyes as he spoke to her. "If you intend to kill me I won't fault you for it."
Ionela scoffed, and the gun was tossed to the ground with a clatter. "I never had any intention to kill you. If I resorted to killing, I wouldn't be any better than the rest of you," she said, her comment clearly a direct jab at all of them. "Now would I?"
Pixy wasn't about to argue against that. He knew what he'd done and what had been his livelihood for the last several decades. What he'd almost done to the world over superficial boundaries and anger. He was a killer. Just about everyone in this room had blood on their hands, whether direct or not, the Princess included. Probably the only people that didn't have something to atone for in this war were the two sisters, and Ionela had every right to claim the moral high ground.
Schroeder lifted his head slightly, not able to answer right away. He opened his mouth, then held back, and thought about what he was going to say. Then he made a desperate attempt to reason with her. Or justify his own actions. "You have to understand that nothing he did was a waste," he said, the 'him' he was referring to not really leaving much to the imagination. If General Shilage was the ace pilot they brought in on the program, that was the only person it could be. "All of this could have ended the war, it's just that…we didn't realize just what we were creating."
"Do you actually believe you were doing this for the benefit of anyone?" Ionela retorted. She clenched her fist, her tone taking on a heated kind of anger. "Who did you do this for? Is it for Belka? Or for Erusea?" He didn't answer her. By now no one knew what to say and they didn't have it in them to interrupt. "My grandfather never set out to create some…monster. His only wish was to continue soaring through the endless skies! That was where he felt alive! And you took that away from him! You helped send him to an early grave, giving him an opponent and some mad man's mission…and for what? You don't even know who or what you're doing this for! None of you do!"
The Princess couldn't even move, once again only able to stare, too stunned to do anything. All of them stood there in complete silence.
"But I don't even have a country to call home, let alone the sky. All I have is my family. The lands my mother cherished are gone, and I can barely even remember them…the black forest, the lake, they're no longer mine," Ionela continued, choking up a bit. They let her have her speech. At least for Pixy, Georg, and evidently Schroeder as well…they could all empathize with having no real home to return to. A home that was otherwise destroyed. She took a breath. "But we have got to learn to put that sense of nostalgia behind us and behave like mature adults. Look around and look at what you've gained from this? What has anyone gained? All of this is just a petty score between rulers. You could have built a better future, and instead you've done nothing but make the world worse." She let Alma grab her hand and give it a reassuring squeeze, and it calmed her some. "I hope you're all satisfied."
Schroeder hung his head, quiet for a long while. When he did speak, it was barely above a whisper. "I'm…sorry. I'm sorry."
Ionela stared down at him, but she didn't say a word in response. No forgiveness, no acknowledgement, she just turned away and her sister followed. She marched across the room, pausing only to glare at the Princess for a moment, almost as if she had something to say. But when no words came out, she just brushed past her and went to sit in one of the office chairs on the opposite end of the room, only saying something when Henri quietly checked on her, and even then it was a simple one word response.
Pixy didn't know if there was anything he had to say about the subject. He kept his thoughts to himself, pretty sure any opinion he had on it might just make matters worse. They'd all managed to fail spectacularly in their own ways in every moment leading up to this, leaving their children and whatever other generations followed to pick up the pieces from here. In a perfect world, no one would be standing in that room right now, at least not the way they all were. Assuming those girls were Shilage's granddaughters, he was certain that the General probably regretted his actions.
Jacob let out a sigh and approached Schroeder, ignoring the two assistants that watched the whole thing unfold with true horror written on their faces, and Avril walked along with him. He walked past Schroeder and scrolled through some things on the computer, clicking a few other things here and there, typing in a command or two…Pixy wasn't technologically literate enough to figure out what he was doing exactly. But after a few minutes, without tearing his eyes away from the computer, he said, "It says here all the data from that ace of yours – Mihaly – has already been installed."
"No, that's not the data from this facility. It's from one outside of Selatapura," Schroeder said, drawing in a breath and steeling himself. He looked up from his spot on the ground. "I pulled it before it was completed here, but…two other drones were already manufactured based on that data at one of the other facilities."
"Do you mean the Ravens?" Avril asked him, raising a brow.
"Yes. They…they were our trump card, so I wasn't able to stall the upload," Schroeder admitted, looking between her and Jacob. "But they'll know that the job wasn't complete. General Parrish, I mean."
Avril paused for a minute, looking out at the machinery, still moving along autonomously. "First thing's first, we need to cut this one off, or else the Arsenal Bird's gonna have too many friends," she said. "No chance we could just destroy the place and solve the problem, is there?"
"Like I said, this isn't the only one. There are countless others just like it across the continent," Schroeder told her. "We could potentially cut it off at the source, but that would require…"
He trailed off and Jacob nodded slowly, catching his drift. "That would require destroying the space elevator itself, wouldn't it?" Schroeder nodded and Jacob let out a quiet groan of frustration. "Well, that's out of the question."
"How come?" Avril asked. "If this thing is supposed to power the whole continent, and thus other support facilities around the globe, then getting rid of it would solve the problem."
"And how do you propose we destroy something of that size?" Jacob asked her. He glanced towards the doorway, likely wondering if Genette was listening in, then he continued. "Even if I wanted to, it's pretty much impossible. If it could be done I guarantee the Eruseans would have already found a way to do it."
"Then we think of something else. No matter how you look at it, it's the root of this chaos," Avril pointed out, letting out a sigh of her own. She looked back at Schroeder. "Think you can give us a hand with that or…?"
Schroeder nodded, getting to his feet. "Depending on what you're trying to do, I think I can try and help. My assistants, too," he said, looking up at the other two scientists. "Simon, Massa, we need your help." They both jumped, but slowly made their way over to him. Jacob stepped aside to allow him access to his computer. "I…I could probably give you the information you need. Factory locations, blueprints, that sort of thing. Something you can target."
"Okay…slight change of plan for now," Avril said, glancing over at Jacob. "You know how to use this place to send out a message?"
He hesitated, pausing as though he had to jog his memory, but eventually he answered her with a short nod. "Yes, I think so."
After that, Pixy stopped listening in. It wasn't long before they took care of what they were able to at that moment, getting a message sent out to rally the LRSSG, though it was sent all over the continent in hopes of reaching more people it was worded specifically so Naomi and those they knew could identify it as them. He hoped it would reach them, if nothing else. Not that he was looking forward to their upcoming fight by any means.
Shortly after, all of Jacob's men reported back and the other coalition forces did as well. They seized control of not just the facility but the man made island it rested on as well, but no matter how thoroughly they searched there wasn't any sight of the Radicals' leader, General Parrish. Schroeder commented that he guessed as much, figuring he probably made a hasty escape while leaving the rest of his men and those drones to fight his battle for him. They couldn't be sure about that, though, but the fact he was missing didn't really bode well in Pixy's mind.
He couldn't shake the feeling that no matter how prepared they were, whatever happened, they weren't going to be ready for it.
Tyler Island, Spring Sea.
October 31st, 2019.
0400hrs.
Naomi paced the room while she waited for Beckett to arrive, all of the pilots having been called in for a briefing maybe an hour and a half prior. He already told her what it was about, not that it was some big secret. She was restless, eager to get in the air, wanting to end this and get her father and the others back safe and sound. If this was going to be it then she didn't want to put it off. Not when they were this close.
All of them watched her pacing, mostly concerned more than anything but Count and the rest of Strider Squadron, along with Tabloid, all looked almost amused by the whole thing. The room was filled with several overlapping conversations, but Naomi tuned everyone out and remained focused on her pacing and her own thoughts until she heard Count's voice. "If you aren't careful you're gonna wear a hole in the floor, y'know."
She slowed her pacing, moving around in a smaller circle than before, and looked over at where he sat. He leaned back in his chair, legs and arms crossed, looking tired but still smiling ever so slightly. Although he'd been one of the only reasons she hadn't completely lost her mind over the last two days she wasn't really able to keep it together at that point. She didn't even have it in her to roll her eyes as she said, "Right, because I've never heard that one before."
"Okay, how about you look like a madwoman and you're making me nervous?" Count suggested, raising a brow, only half-joking. If he was nervous, he wasn't showing it. Or he wasn't at a glance anyways. She noticed that the smile he wore was barely there, and although his posture was relaxed he was still fighting not to bounce his leg a mile a minute.
"Sorry," Naomi said, giving him an apologetic smile. She still didn't want to sit down, pretty sure that wasn't going to make things any better. "I'm just ready to get out there already."
"Aren't we all?" Jaeger asked, not bothering to straighten up. He sat with his head leaned against the back of his chair, resting his eyes. "I'm sure we're all nervous, it's only natural after all."
"I'm more excited than anything," Tailor said, though the slight chuckle he let out was a nervous one. Unlike Count, he was not trying to keep himself from rapidly bouncing his leg up and down while he sat. When he got a few curious looks from everyone he explained, "I mean, think about it…once we get this done, it might end the war. That's what we're hoping for, right? Then we can go home."
"And with enough time to decompress before all the holidays, too," Hans mused, a bit of a hopeful glint in his eyes. He took a breath, lightly elbowing Kathryn to get her attention. "That's gonna be a nice change compared to last time, right?"
Kathryn gave a slight smile, clearly still tired, and slowly nodded. "Yeah. So long as it goes down without a hitch, I'm hopeful."
"You all might be excited, but some of us are terrified," Faun said, his calm demeanor slipping just enough for them to see that he looked a bit uncertain. "I mean, there's a million ways this could all go wrong."
"Not with Trigger on our side," Boggard said with enough confidence for both of them, smacking Faun on his back. "You oughta know that by now."
"I think it's safer to say most of us are feeling a lot of things about this," Tabloid said, leaning forward and resting his arms across his knees. He let out a chuckle, wringing his hands together. "I'm sure you won't let us down, Trigger, but also I'm scared out of my damn mind right now."
"Now do you get how I feel?" Naomi asked him with a slight laugh of her own. Her head couldn't decide what she was supposed to be feeling, and trying to just shut it down only made it worse. She needed an outlet, hence the pacing. She shuddered slightly from the chills her excitement and nerves brought on. "If I can't let you guys down then y'all can't let me down, deal?"
"Have some faith in us, Trig, yeesh," Count said with a huff, though he didn't sound irritated. "We haven't let you down yet."
"Y'all haven't let any of us down yet." Beckett's voice drew everyone's attention to the doorway. The door to the room was pushed open the rest of the way as the Colonel strode inside, Long Caster in tow not far behind him. Although they both looked visibly tired, they both wore faint smiles on their faces as they approached Naomi. She was worried for a moment they'd show up with bad news, but one look at their faces told her otherwise. Beckett was quick to take his place beside her, looking out at the rest of them. "I take it you're all raring to go…so I'm sure I don't need to tell you all that we've got good news."
Long Caster let out a light chuckle. "Well, as good as news can get all things considered," he pointed out, though he wasn't trying to bring the news down. Just manage everyone's excitement. "We still have a long fight to prepare for. It ain't gonna be easy, but you all know how close we are to the end."
"Just knock out that bird and go home, right?" Fencer asked, leaning his head back on his arms as he tried to stifle a yawn. "I'm just about tired of sitting around waiting like this."
"Have we heard back from our guys yet?" Lanza piped up, perking up a bit now that it looked like they were finally going to get somewhere.
"Sure did. Earlier we received a communication via the partially restored network, and it looks like it's from our guys. It's confirming a planned assault over Selatapura," Beckett said, turning to the screen they used for the briefings. It had already been set up, waiting the whole time for them to come back, centered on the space elevator. "You all know that the Erusean Radicals have gathered around the space elevator, as it's a source of energy. Give the warmongers a powerful energy source and you give them the luxury to keep on fighting. However, we've been able to confirm that Osean and Erusean forces have indeed joined forces in response to this." He nodded and Long Caster set up various pins meant to represent allied forces for him as he continued. "Their mission, upon taking control of the space elevator's support facility, is to take down the Arsenal Bird in a saturation attack from the air and sea. And once that's achieved, they'll take back the space elevator from the aggressors."
Skald shifted in his seat, an uncertain look on his face. "Has the source truly been verified?"
"It could be fake. That's why we sent our guys out there to begin with," Jaeger pointed out. He crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes on the map. "Anything in that message that tells us it's from ours? Assuming you didn't need any kind of key to break it."
"No, not exactly. But something else did give it away," Long Caster said. He pulled up some text on the screen, highlighting a specific segment with a slight smile on his face as he nodded to Naomi. "Why don't you take a look at what's written at the end, Trigger?"
Naomi blinked, turning to face the screen full on. She looked over the message, skimming the first half before moving onto the part Long Caster had pointed out for her. As she read it she couldn't help but smile, the excitement from before returning full force and managing to shove aside her anxiety. Even if just for a minute. Behind her, she heard Clown prompt her to share it with the rest of them, noting how Beckett and Long Caster both smiled as they watched her read it.
"Well, what's it say?" Clown asked, and she heard him shifting in his seat.
"Yeah, care to share with the rest of the class?" Knocker said with a short laugh, only half-joking.
"It says…heh. 'Hey, dumbass. If you want to bring the world back from the brink, go to the lighthouse. You can see the future there.'" Naomi turned around to face them, unable to keep from chuckling slightly and doing a poor job from keeping a grin off her face. There wasn't any doubt in her mind who it was from. She crossed her arms, watching everyone else process what had been said. "What do you make of that, huh?"
"'Dumbass'?" Tailor echoed, glancing over at the others, looking a bit lost.
"Well, now doesn't that sound familiar," Húxiān said with a smirk. She was sitting with her legs stretched out, rather lazily, but she too had straightened up for the briefing. Now she sat on the edge of her seat. "Three guesses who could've sent that our way."
"That's Avril, no doubt about it," Tabloid said, probably a little too quickly judging from the looks he got from the rest of Cyclops Squadron, along with Count and Húxiān. He shrugged it off, keeping a soft smile on his face as he added, "Bandog, too. Those two have a real way with words, I can tell you that much."
"It's from our guys. I think we can all say that much," Beckett said. He looked over at Naomi. "I think it's clear that part was meant for Trigger, but I also think it's a message to all looking to end the war. We won't be alone out there, that much is for certain, and with all of you on our side we stand a chance…don't think the same can be said for that Arsenal Bird, though."
Naomi looked out over all of them as they took everything in. She was sure they were probably terrified of the prospect of facing off against an Arsenal Bird again, but she couldn't think of any people better qualified to help take that thing down. She glanced over at Beckett before she asked her men, "So…you think we're ready for this?"
"Guess we're doing this," Count said, putting on an air of casual confidence. He actually did look ready for a fight, but she was willing to bet his nerves were probably still trying to get the better of them. "Honestly, I like our odds."
"Well, I'm thinking we go roast that damn bird," Skald said, a small smile appearing on his face.
"Same here," Lanza said, putting on a grin.
"I've been waiting for this since Stonehenge," Jaeger added with a shake of his head, less energetic than the others but still on board.
"Well, looks like we're all on the same page. I'll stay here with the refugees until it's safe to move them…I don't know what else to do short of dragging them through another warzone. It's not much safer here, but at least there's no Arsenal Birds," Beckett explained to them, but his tone suggested he wasn't happy about it. He wasn't trying to get out of doing more work, it was more that he probably wouldn't hold up very well out there anyways and putting the refugees in danger was hardly a good plan. He sighed. "We're all counting on you guys out there. It's time to end this war." He looked over at Naomi, giving her an encouraging smile. "Trigger, they're all yours. Take care of 'em."
"Yes, sir," Naomi said, taking a deep breath. Everyone was watching her, waiting for her order to head out. It wasn't going to be a walk in the park, but this was what they'd all been building up to. They could end the war in a matter of hours. Everything could be over before the day was out if they managed to take out those drones along with it. She tried not to think about how everything could go wrong or everything they could lose as she looked over each and every one of her wingmen, not sure if she felt like laughing off her nerves or crying. Eventually, she settled on a grin. "Time to fly, guys! Let's go get that Arsenal Bird!"
The room erupted in shouts and cheers of agreement as everyone jumped to their feet.
Author's Note: This was originally part of the last chapter, but it had to get split. I have...many mixed feelings about it lol
I really wanted Chapter 60 to be Operation Daredevil. Big chapter for a big mission! But that did not happen! It's fine, though, it kept me from accidentally psyching everyone out by seeing a 20k chapter and expecting something big. Or not, I don't know how y'all feel when you see the extra long chapters/mission chapters.
Anyways! Next chapter is the big one...well, almost the big one. I'm gonna try and have it out before the month is out, we'll see! This one threw me off a bit, but I have tons of ideas for the mission so hopefully it'll flow out without much trouble.
Hope y'all enjoy the chapter!