Once they arrived back at the SSS building, Lloyd and the others reported their findings to Sergei and Dudley. From the oddness of the bus schedule, the empty bus on Ursula Road, to the eerie silence of the hospital. They told their superiors about the dormitory, their effort to get the key to the hospital building, and how Juna singlehandedly defeated the mafia inside the hospital and reassured the patient and staff, so the SSS job was easier.
Then they reported about the rooftop, their subsequent infiltration into the research ward building, and the meeting with Ernest inside Joachim's office. All of them took turns narrating the fight and Ernest's escape. They didn't forget to explain how Hartmann was blackmailed. After that, Lloyd explained his analysis about the suspected place where Joachim, Juna, and the other missing person were, the Sun Fort.
"I see..." Sergei massaged his temple as he absorbed all the information the SSS gave.
Dudley, meanwhile, just clicked his tongue in frustration. "What is Joachim Guenter hoping to accomplish? And what does he have to gain by intentionally leaving behind incriminating evidence?!"
"All valid questions, Dudley," Sergei replied. He then turned towards the SSS. "And with our initial suspicion of him, there is no way this isn't a setup. Good job on that, Lloyd. I guess Guy's spirit really lives on you."
Lloyd nodded bashfully. Despite having his own stellar career, being compared to his brother would always trump any accolade.
Randy sighed beside him, "It's like the bastard is taunting us."
"I agree," Tio nodded at Randy's casual complaint. "Judging by these files and how obviously he craved our attention, I felt as if this whole series of events was nothing but a fanatic's provocation. And then there is KeA and Juna to consider, too..."
"Right... What's so special about the kid that would make him so obsessed with her? And why did he think Juna would become a thorn in his side that he kidnapped her to get her out of the way?" Sergei asked the questions, but they didn't know the answer.
"Is Dr. Guenter the one who put KeA in the Schwarze Auction?" Elie also wondered aloud.
Lloyd shook his head at Elie's question. "I had time to consider things when Renne was still with us, but I think Dr. Guenter isn't the one who did it. Juna did say that whoever released KeA would one day take her back, but I'm halfway sure that it isn't Dr. Guenter. Remember, the timeframe between the Auction and our visit to Dr. Guenter is just one week. It wouldn't make sense for him to release KeA only to recover her one week later."
"But that would mean..." Tio trailed off, eyes widened when she realized the implication.
Sergei was the one who finished her words. "There is an unrelated third party who knew things and kidnapped KeA from that doctor's grasp."
"It made sense," Randy nodded to himself after thinking over Sergei's words. "That's why Joachim insisted on taking KeA when you visited him."
"He's desperate because the girl stolen from him was in front of his eyes," Elie frowned at their conclusion.
The Joachim problem hadn't even been solved, and they had another mystery on top of it.
Dudley shook his head, "We can shelve that for later. Right now, it's Joachim." He indirectly told everyone to focus back on the current problem.
"Right. Dudley. How is the top brass reacting to the situation?" Lloyd asked the First Division officer.
Dudley shook his head in defeat. "Unfortunately, we've received a report that the prison has been attacked. And to put a cherry on top, I've heard that the police academy, plus the training grounds nearby, were raided, as well. The entire department is a hornet's nest right now. No one knows how exactly to deal with the situation."
"Then we can't count on their backup anymore," Lloyd sighed at the situation. "For now, let's move forward with asking the Bracer Guild for help. I'm sure they want their star intern back from the cult's grasp."
"I can see that, yeah," Elie agreed with him.
"But that was not all," Lloyd continued. "We will also ask the Bracers Guild to get KeA out of the state. Joshua and Estelle should be strong and well-connected enough to fend off Dr. Guenter's attempt. And besides, Liberl should be relatively safe and free from the cult's influence."
The revelation of Lloyd's plan caught the other SSS members off-guard.
"Liberl, eh? Agreed. That would be the most secure place for her right now," Sergei nodded in agreement. "I'll ask it again, though. Are you really okay with it? You'd be throwing away your ability to watch over the kid yourself. Is it worth it?"
Lloyd exhaled. "This isn't about my pride or self-satisfaction anymore. You can argue against this all you want, but if there's the slightest chance that KeA can be safe, I'm taking it. I promised Juna that KeA would be safe."
Technically, he promised that he'd keep KeA safe, but now it was clear that he couldn't fulfill it anymore. Juna was kidnapped, and Joachim was targeting KeA. If giving away KeA for a time would make her safe, then Lloyd wouldn't pick any other choice.
"Lloyd..." Tio looked at him in amazement.
"Man. There's no stoppin' you sometimes, is there?" Randy sighed at his words.
"If that's your plan, you'd best not dawdle. The last international flight leaves at 9:30. If we hurry, that girl could be on her way to Liberl by the night's end."
"All right, then. Contact the Bracer Guild. I'd offer Arios' name, but knowing him, Arios wouldn't want to leave Juna with the kidnapper," Sergei advised.
Lloyd nodded as he brought out his Enigma. "That's why I didn't consider him. If the situation were something else, I would like to formally request his assistance."
Lloyd then pressed some buttons and waited.
"Hellooo! You've reached the Crossbell branch of the Bracer Guild!"
When Michel finally answered the phone, Lloyd quickly went straight to the business. "Michel? This is Lloyd Bannings from the Special Support Section. Do you have a moment? It's an emergency."
"Oh, hey sweetie. What's the matter? If you were wondering where any of my bracers are, none of 'em made it back yet."
...
Lloyd suddenly had a bad feeling.
None of them had made it back?
"Even Joshua and Estelle?"
"Those two? Well, they should be in- Wh-Who...? Identify yourself! I hope you aren't foolish enough to cause trouble in the Bracer- Gah!"
Lloyd gasped. "Michel? What's wrong?!" He shouted at the phone.
"Bannings! What's the situation?!"
"The Bracer Guild seems to have been attacked by someone or some group. Just before our call cut out, I heard the sound of machine gun fire," Lloyd quickly answered Dudley's question.
"Don't tell me that the mafia's behind this! The Bracer Guild? Seriously?!" Randy shouted in surprise.
"Considering the circumstances, I'm not sure if I'd even be surprised," Sergei sighed, no doubt imagining the headache the attack would cause.
But there was something that caught Lloyd's attention. "I'm not so sure about that. A mafia raid? It doesn't add up."
"And what doesn't add up?"
"The sound of the machine gun. It didn't sound like the one Revache used. And Revache is controlled by Dr. Guenter... Damn it, what if he controlled some other group?!"
Elie gasped. "That's right! The shipping document clearly stated that Dr. Guenter shipped Gnosis in large amounts to several places. Some of them might not be manufactured for the mafia."
Suddenly, the phone in the lobby rang loudly, catching everyone's attention. Lloyd quickly went outside Sergei's office and answered the call, followed by the other SSS member and Sergei and Dudley.
"Special Support Section."
"Oh, Lloyd, is that you?! Th-Thank Aidios, the call went through!"
The voice was familiar.
"Wait... Sergeant Major Seeker?"
"Yes, it's me! There's something that I need to let you and the others know about! Contact with the Bellguard Gate forces has been completely severed!"
"Wh-What?!" Lloyd shouted loudly. Bellguard Gate? "How could that even happen?!"
Noel was under Commander Baelz, who oversaw the Tangram Gate. The two gates should have never lost contact.
"I-I don't know! We're trying to look into it right now... Deputy Commander Baelz instructed me to report all this to you, just in case!"
"
Roger, thanks for the heads-up! Oh, by the way, the Bracer Guild is assaulted by an unknown group," Lloyd informed her. Though, Lloyd mused inside his mind. It might not be unknown at all.
All the relevant information was inside his mind, and Lloyd couldn't not connect them all. Was this how it felt, Juna?
"The guild was what?!" There were two seconds of silence from Noel, waiting for Lloyd to drop the joke. But Lloyd wasn't joking."I-I understand! I'll report everything to the deputy commander ASAP! I'm not exactly sure what's going on, but be extremely careful, okay?!"
"We will. The same goes for you, too!"
Lloyd closed the phone before turning to everyone with a serious expression.
"Something happened to the Guardian Force?" Sergei asked, feeling the dread.
With Hartmann's connection, Joachim could've distributed it to any group without fearing the consequences. The Bellguard Gate squad might be one such case. After all, the sound of the machine gun Lloyd heard was different from the one Revache had. It closely resembled the ones deployed by the Bellguard Gate's soldiers. Randy would know. And speaking of Randy, didn't he always talk bad about the commander of the Bellguard Gate? If Lloyd remembered correctly, that was one of the reasons Randy joined the SSS.
And so Lloyd nodded.
"There is a big chance that the Guardian Force from Bellguard is compromised and controlled by Dr. Guenter," he explained. "Prepare yourselves. We might be next."
Not even a second later, Zeit jumped towards the front door and growled.
"Zeit?" Elie asked in concern.
Tio then translated the growl. "'Surrounded! Everyone, watch out!'"
"Everyone, prepare to evacuate. Lloyd, take KeA with you, understood?" Sergei commanded as everyone prepared themselves. "Tio, keep an eye on our surroundings. Elie, provide support. Dudley. We'll watch over everyone's six."
Lloyd then grabbed KeA and carried her gently. "KeA. Hold tight, and don't let go."
"Yes! Ehehe..."
"All right, everyone... Try not to break formation, eh?"
As Sergei said, the building window was bombarded by bullets. Two CGF members jumped inside and brandished their weapons. So, Lloyd's guess was correct.
"Go now! Evacuate through the back door!"
Everyone quickly ran towards the back door leading to West Street. Sergei and Dudley fired some bullets to cover for their escape.
After exiting the building, they stopped near the way to the Central Square.
"So they're really from Bellguard Gate?" Elie questioned Randy, who was stationed there before.
"Yeah. I recognize some of them," Randy nodded, confirming Elie's suspicion. "Damn it, Lloyd. Don't go pull a Juna out of nowhere like that! Especially when you're correct!"
"So Dr. Guenter's influence reached the Bellguard Gate, too?" Tio voiced her question.
"The commander was Preston, wasn't it? He's in Hartmann's camp, I believe," Sergei informed them.
"No wonder they fell easily," Lloyd frowned.
"Damn that shitty commander!" Randy shouted in frustration.
Everyone's attention was turned when Zeit growled again towards the West Crossbell Highway. A military vehicle came and stopped.
"Damn... They've cut us off!"
"Let's retreat to Central Square for now!" Sergei commanded, and everyone quickly ran towards the Central Square.
Once they entered Central Square, they stopped when Lloyd noticed the parked car with several soldiers observing the SSS building.
"Crap! What do we do?"
"We can try cutting through the Administrative District!" Elie tried offering a solution, but Tio shook her head when she felt something entering her senses.
"Negative."
More soldiers were coming from the Administrative District to Central Square.
"Through the Back Alley! Move!" Dudley gave a command. Everyone quickly moved through the back alley, being chased by the soldiers.
As Lloyd and the others reached the end of the Back Alley and entered the Entertainment District, Dudley and Sergei stopped to hold the soldiers off.
Lloyd panted in exhaustion.
"Are you okay, Lloyd?" KeA asked him in concern. He must have looked worse than he felt because even KeA had to ask him.
"No, it's fine!" Lloyd answered, not wanting to hurt the little girl's feelings.
"Oh, if it isn't Lloyd and crew," a familiar voice called out. Ilya Platierre came out of the Arc en Ciel building casually. Damn it, this was bad timing for them, Lloyd cursed inside his mind.
"E-Everyone..." Rixia greeted them.
"Hehe, look at these two cuties. You've even got your big puppy with you. I've gotta say, that's one interesting troupe you're traveling with."
Lloyd shook his head. "I'm sorry to cut this short, Ilya, Rixia. But it's better for you to take cover. We are being chased all around the city."
Ilya looked around before turning back to Lloyd. "By whom? Ah, I see. You just want to take these girls all for yourself, huh? What would Cecile say, lil' bro."
As if the soldiers heard that, a car suddenly came and stopped in the Entertainment District. From inside, six soldiers came out and were ready to engage the SSS.
"Damn it! Just how many are they settin' on us?!"
Tio and Elie fired their weapons to halt their advance.
"H-Huh? What was that? Is this some kind of new tourist thing? It sure looks like the real deal! Bravo!" It looked like Ilya still didn't understand the gravity of the situation.
"Please, you all need to hide! Now!" Elie said between her shots.
"Rixia, bring Ilya inside, please," Lloyd asked.
"R-Right."
Dudley and Sergei emerged from the Back Alley. Seeing the SSS engaging in a fire made him click his tongue.
"What the hell are you guys doing?!"
"Head to CPD headquarters ASAP!" Sergei commanded. All of them nodded and ran behind to the Administrative District. Though Lloyd dearly hoped they didn't have the soldiers barricading themselves there, considering they had a group of soldiers from the Administrative District before.
Indeed. When they entered the Administrative District, the CPD headquarters' front door was being hit by the mindless soldiers. Thankfully, the door was reinforced with steel shutters. Anyway, they sneakily went to Central Square via the fountain, but it seemed like some of the soldiers noticed them. Elie, Dudley, and Sergei had to cover for Lloyd and the others.
Once they entered Central Square again, it was devoid of any soldiers. So they were safe for now.
"Yay, we're back!"
"The Guardian Force appears to have dispersed for now," Tio pointed out after looking around Central Square.
"Did we shake 'em off, then?"
"Most likely," Lloyd answered between his panting.
"Everyone," Sergei called the SSS. "Listen up. From here on out, we're splitting up. Take East Street and get the hell out of Crossbell City. Most of the guardsmen running amok look like they're from Bellguard Gate. And if none of Sonya's subordinates are here, we can assume that they're still sane."
Sergei then continued his explanation. " After you reach the highway, contact Tangram Gate and get them to come pick you up. Then you can use their help to check around the Sun Fort."
"Roger. But, Chief, what about you two?" Lloyd asked the older officers.
"Dudley and I will stay here to throw 'em off your track. You better believe I'll grab their attention by the horns, all right."
"What the hell, Chief?!" Randy shouted in anger. Sergei basically told them to abandon him and Dudley.
"Relax. For the two of us, pummeling these ingrates and retreating will be child's play. Now, quit standing there like fools and go! There's no time to waste!" Dudley reassured the group.
"Dudley..."
"Let's go!" Elie waved everyone to go to East Street.
"Chief! Be careful, okay?" KeA shouted as Lloyd started to go.
The SSS ran through East Street and stopped in front of the Bracer Guild building. Noticing the state of the building, Lloyd couldn't help but be angry that they missed Joachim getting the Bellguard Gate under him. So far, with Juna's help, directly or indirectly, they had managed to stay on their toes. But this time, they completely missed it. Was that why Joachim took Juna with him?
Michel emerged from inside the building and greeted them. "Oh, it's you guys?!"
"Michel. Thank goodness... How's the situation here?"
"I'm fine, fortunately. I managed to make my escape during the attack and hid until they finished. After they left, I snuck back into the guildhouse, but I doubt they've left the city already," Michel explained.
So Lloyd gave the complete assessment of the situation to Michel, though he had to skip some unimportant things because of time constraints.
"I see. So that's what's going on," Michel nodded. "Y'know, it's about time for the Bracers to return to the city. I'll send in reinforcements immediately upon their return, so make haste for the highway!"
"Thank you!"
Lloyd and the others quickly ran towards East Crossbell Highway. Their destination was the Tangram Gate, with the intention to cooperate with Sonya and possibly track Joachim around the Ancient Battlefield.
Once they entered the highway, they managed to take some breath before a group of people ran towards them.
"Oh, come on!"
It was Revache.
"They must be a separate squad from the one attacking the hospital," Tio noted.
"Well, they do have around 300 members. Throwing some spares at us is easy," Randy sighed.
"I don't think we have much choice but to break through them," Elie declared to everyone's agreement.
Lloyd put KeA on the ground. "KeA. Get as far behind us as possible."
"Okay."
Once KeA was safe, it was time for battle!
The SSS easily dispatched the mafia goons, but their cheers were short-lived as more mafia members came from the highway.
"Damn... Doesn't look like we can keep moving forward, Lloyd. No time for mopin'. Let's turn around and head for the Downtown District," Randy told the others to lead as he kept an eye on the incoming Revache vans.
However...
"Ah..."
The mind-controlled CGF from inside the city finally caught up with them. They were trapped between two prongs.
"Wh-What are we going to do?" Elie asked nervously.
"We're really backed into a corner now..."
Lloyd gritted his teeth. He had to do something to protect KeA. And there was still the matter with Juna. No matter what, they had to save her, too.
Just when all hopes were lost, Lloyd heard the sound of another car.
"That's..."
From afar, a red car came trotting in full speed towards their direction.
"Mr. Crois' limousine!"
The limousine rushed through the Revache members and stopped in front of them. The door was opened from inside, and Mariabell's head came out, "Hurry up and get in the car!"
"Right!" Lloyd carried KeA as Tio and Elie bought time for them all to enter. The two then followed with Zeit jumping to the limousine's top.
Inside the car, Dieter told them that he and Mariabell were coming back from Calvard when he was attacked near the Tangram Gate. Running into the SSS was just a coincidence. A happy coincidence. Dieter then brought them to the IBC building, where the front gate was reinforced by steel. He offered them a safe haven for the night.
