Chapter 16: New Mission
Like everybody else, Jill found her time to relax during the Festa. While being the Commander of Arzenal was a rather lax post due to her lack of combat deployments, it wasn't like she wasn't kept busy for other reasons. And she didn't think there was much better on this night with fireworks than a cold mug of beer to go with it. She just made sure Alain was nowhere in sight she knew the brat would never let her forget it if he caught her smiling at all.
"Hey…" Maggy said between draws of her own mug. "How much you wanna bet the kid has been dragged off to a bedroom by Garm?"
"Really?" Jill droned, "Do you want him to die?"
"Eh I just think he deserves a rough time every now and again."
"You really are quite the sadist." The light mood was suddenly shifted when the two saw a panicked Emma sprinting across the sand. 'What's got her in a mess now?'
"It's an emergency!" The inspector shrieked, slamming her hands onto the table. "It's… it's Lady Misty! She's not in the residency and… I checked the security footage… that darn girl from Garm is responsible!"
"Ange did what now?" Maggy asked.
"No time! She took her to the launch bay! We have to stop her before it's too late!" Emma sprinted off without a moment to spare.
"It just had to be tonight. Jasmine!" Jill shouted, the elder Norma poking her head out of the tent. "We're following the Inspector!"
"I'll go check the mall to see if they lifted anything!" Jill nodded as Jasmine ran off in her own direction. When the remaining three reached the tarmac, it was already too late. The royal transport was too far off to catch. And right behind it, Hilda was sprinting after the thing before making a leap onto the still opened boarding ramp as it lifted off and flew towards the horizon.
"O-Oh no!" Emma wailed, shuddering like a leaf. "Lady Misty's been kidnapped by Norma…" With a sigh, Emma's eyes rolled back as she passed out, Maggy catching the young woman before she hit the tarmac.
"Well this is a mess." Jasmine grumbled, approaching with Vulcan, turning to the dog as she crumpled a wrapper. "And you! You were bought out by some hamburgers!" Vulcan gave an apologetic whine. "At least the girl bothered to pay."
"Jasmine, we're getting Alain." Jill said. "Wyvern can catch the transport easily. Maggy, take the Inspector to a room while we get him."
"Aye aye." Maggy hefted Emma up and walked her back inside. Jill was downright fuming as she and Jasmine made their way back to the beach, a mood that only went up more as they looked around and didn't see any sign of Alain. Nor Garm Squadron for that matter.
"Oh boy…" Jasmine sighed. Thankfully, she spotted Vivian trotting around. "Oi! Vivian!"
"Hm? Oh, Aunty and the Commander, wassup?" Vivian greeted the two with her usual gusto.
"Where's Alain?" Jill demanded, Vivian humming.
"Well, last I saw Big Bro he was with the others. You shoulda seen it! They all just hefted him up and took him inside! I think I heard Chris say something about cashing in on her other prize." As Vivian explained, Jill pinched her nose while Jasmine slapped her forehead. "Why're you looking for him? Is something up?"
"No, nothing. Just enjoy the rest of the night." Jasmine said.
"Gotcha! See ya later!"
"Well… didn't expect my little prank to suddenly bite us in the ass." Jasmine grumbled as Vivian skipped off. "I'll take the blame for this one. The girls aren't just gonna let him off for no reason. The only one we could tell would be Salia. We're going to have to tell him in the morning."
"Dammit." Jill cursed. "Fine then… let's do what we can. Contact Tusk and tell him to see if he can track them down. If I'm right, Ange is likely to head for Misurugi."
"Don't forget Hilda." Jasmine pointed out. "But why would she of all people be joining up with her?"
"Don't know and don't care. Ange is the only one that matters. Just tell Tusk. I'll brief Alain early." Jill stormed off, her right hand clenching up. 'And things were going so smoothly… there just had to be a snag in things, didn't it? Never think anything can be easy… that's how you get killed.'
Stoic as her face was, Jill was cursing to herself as she strode down Arzenal's hallways. She almost wished that all she could be bothered with after the Festa was the a Singularity. That was easy to manage and wouldn't demand her to take steps under Inspector Emma's nose to deal with it. But it just had to be something that had never at all happened in Arzenal's long history. 'An escape of all things' she fumed. "If this has any other consequences it'll be the end of me.'
Once she got to Alain's door, she gave it a hard rap with her prosthetic. When there wasn't a reply, Jill banged even harder. She knew the situation, but she wasn't in the mood to deal with any of the antics the younger ones got up to. Putting her ear up to the door, she heard what sounded like labored grunting.
"I'm coming in." Jill warned as threw the door open. She had expected to walk in on something, but she had not expected to see Alain prying himself out of a mess of bodies on his bed. Even the stoic Commander couldn't help but show her exasperation as Alain sat up, the young man surrounded and pinned by Ersha, Naomi, Salia, Rosalie, and Chris. "How are you not dead?"
"I'm kind of asking myself that question." Alain muttered, coughing a bit. "Definitely need some water that's for sure…"
"Alain…" Naomi groaned, her head flopping across Alain's lap as her eyes pried open. "You were like a demon last night…"
"Give me a break." Jill groaned. "Once all of you sort out… this, Alain, I need you to report to my office for a private briefing. Make it quick."
"Yes ma'am." Alain lowered his arm from saluting as Jill left and slammed the door shut. "Is it just me or is Jill in more of a mood than usual?"
"Not just you." Naomi murmured. "She's definitely mad about something."
"And if she's asking for a private briefing…" Salia muttered, a hand at her back as she rolled over. "I pretty much know what that means. You're about to be gone for a while again aren't you?"
"It has been a while." Ersha said while stretching. "My, I haven't been this sore after a night in ages. What got into you?"
"No idea." Alain replied. "Still, Jill really did seem mad. Did something happen last night? It was the Festa so what could've…"
"A morning like this and you're already in work mode." Rosalie draped herself across Alain's back, the boy sighing. "And why the heck are you leaving? They can't give you a few days after the Festa before sending you off on one of those stupid "expeditions" or whatever?"
"Can't you just… not?" Chris groaned, rolling over to look at Alain. Who then promptly flicked both girls on the forehead.
"It's not like I'm ever gone for more than a week. That and you two were all over each other half the time last night. It's not like you'll be lonely." Alain's snark was then met with Ersha grabbing him next.
"No but some of us will be, so be quick alright?" Ersha then hummed. "I thought that would get some reaction out of you."
"After what I got put through last night, I think I'll make the week just fine." Alain snarked, earning laughs from the others. Then he put a hand out to the center, the girls placing theirs over his. "Now for the other post-Festa ritual. For luck up in the skies for another year!"
"So that all of us make it through safely." Salia said, the group throwing their joined hands up. "So, Naomi, welcome back to the fold. Hope you're ready."
"Trust me Salia, I'm good to do." Naomi then clapped Alain on the back. "Once your back Alain, make sure you're on the team for my first go!"
"You can bet on that." Alain tapped a fist with Naomi. 'Though… I do feel like I have an idea what Jill's attitude could be about… I almost hope I'm wrong though.'
"I'm sorry but… what?" Alain almost couldn't believe what Jill had told him. But, he also knew Jill wasn't much for openly lying about things. Maybe holding back the truth, yes, but not outright lies. "Ange and Hilda? Escaping together? When the hell did this happen?!"
"Last night during the fireworks." Jill said. "We would have sent you out to stop them before they could get anywhere. But thanks to Jasmine's little stunt, you ended up… occupied." Alain could see Jill's festering anger in her eyes, so he decided against saying anything smart. "You're being sent out to locate our escapees. Ange is your priority. We've also contacted Tusk, so you should link up with him once you arrive."
"You know… there is actually something that might help." As Jill raised a brow, Alain unclipped Wyvern's terminal. "Wyvern, play the message you intercepted."
"Affirmative."
"Momoka, can you hear me?! Did you find Angelise? Is my older sister there?! Ah! Let me go! Big sister! Angelise, please save me!" As the message ended, Jill folded her hands, her eyes darkening over a bit.
"So, my guess was right. Ange is heading for Misurugi. Damned fool! There's no way it's a coincident a message like that arrived after the maid shows up."
"I was thinking the same thing." Alain agreed as he sat down. "We still don't know just how Momoka knew where Arzenal was. The only people with that information are world leaders. And the only way a menial like her would find out is if she either overheard something… or somebody told her."
"Meaning Ange might be walking into a trap." Jill lit a cigarette and took a long drag. Alain couldn't blame her. If he was the sort to smoke, he'd probably take one himself. "Absolutely fantastic. This makes things far more complicated."
"You said they stole a transport." Alain said, Jill nodding. "Those things aren't all that fast, and it's not like they could just drop down in Misurugi itself. If I head there I always park Wyvern in the woods outside of the city. But… I can't really know where they would've landed. If it was just Ange this'd be easy but why would Hilda…?"
"Hilda's not my concern." Jill told him as she blew out a puff of smoke. "Sooner or later the humans will find her, and either they'll kill her or ship her back here. Ange is the only priority you need to concern yourself with. Is that clear?"
"Yes ma'am." Alain said through gritted teeth.
"Above all, be discreet." Jill added, lowering her hands. "Try to get Ange back here quietly without causing a ruckus. If she doesn't go and cause one herself and gets caught. I doubt those Misurugi folk will take kindly to her showing up on their doorstep."
"I can do quiet." Alain said. With a salute, Alain stood and turned to leave. As he made his way down the hall, he couldn't help but wonder what Hilda's role in all of this was. It couldn't be a coincidence the two of them had decided to work together on this. The only thing he could think of was that Hilda had somehow overhead the same transmission as him. But if so why didn't she just blow the whistle on Ange? That was the sort of thing he'd expect her to do.
'Unless there's somewhere she's trying to go.' He realized. Like Ange, Hilda had been a late arrival to Arzenal. Was it possible she was trying to rejoin whatever family she had out there? Was everything he knew about her one big act? 'Either way, there's no way I'm going to just leave her out there if I can avoid it. But, I'm going to need more info if I'm going to track her down.'
Alain pulled out his CROSS communicator and plugged it into Wyvern's console. He'd been flying low over open water for a while now, and now was the best time to open a line. "Communications code RX-78. Callsign, Mobius One."
"This better not be for some dumb favor!" Alain snickered as Bandog greeted him. "Quit laughing. Why the heck are you calling this time?"
"Relax Bandog, I'm not putting you guys on the spot again. I mean… I do have a favor to ask, but it's for a job. I'm actually on my way to the mainland right now, and I need some information before I show up."
"Something reasonable. Alright, that I can manage. Been a while since you were out in the field anyway. What's Jill got you doing this time?"
"Let's call it… asset retrieval. Of the personnel type."
"What?" It was a rare day indeed when the crass Bandog was left speechless.
"I only found out this morning. Last night during the Festa, a couple of Norma managed to escape Arzenal by stealing one of the transport's from Rosenblum." Alain explained. "Jill's sent me out to find them… well, one of them. She had Jasmine contact Tusk, though I'm not sure if you've heard anything from him about it."
"Whoa whoa, slow down! Some Norma escaped?! Why the hell would they even want to leave?!"
"Well, one of them was Angelise Ikaruga Misurugi herself, for one."
"Oh… ohhhhhhh." Alain heard typing as Bandog went silent, then a long sigh followed. "Okay, we actually just got an alert. The guys in Rosenblum said a unit was sent out because the Royal transport was seen entering the airspace. It set down some time in the morning. Looks like that one got solved… but why in the hell would the princess want to go back?"
"Her sister contacted her through the maid." Alain said as Bandog hummed in thought. "Yeah I thought there was something fishy about it too. But… well, if there is some kind of trap there's no way Momoka is aware of it. That girl's loyal to a fault."
"We should have seen this coming. There's no way she'd have found out about Arzenal unless someone fed told her. I see why Jill sent you out now. I can get some of our guys onto that. Garuda Team's pretty close to Misurugi. They should still be able to meet up with Tusk if he's heading there. Now, what about the other one?"
"That's the million-dollar question." Alain leaned back, tapping a finger on his controls. "Her birth name's Hildegard Schlievogt. She was a late arrival old enough to have known her family. I need you to look up her file in the NMB's database. See if she has any relatives out there that could tell us where she's headed."
"What's the ID number?"
"Norma #3192-14." Alain leaned on a hand as Bandog fell silent. It was convenient that CROSS could use their connections to Rosenblum to track these kinds of things. A little-known fact was the various countries had a quota of Norma to send to Arzenal each month. Most of them, once they hit that quota, were all too happy to do whatever they wanted with any others. CROSS had long since taken it on themselves to save the Norma they could that were not sent to the penal colony. "Got anything?"
"Don't rush me." Bandog snapped. "But… right here. Let's see what we got… Hildegard Schlievogt, retrieved from the Enderant Union at six years old and sent to Arzenal. Was taken from her home where she used to live with her mother, father was regularly out due to work. According to records, since she was taken, the Schlievogts have remained quiet… oh you have got to be fucking with me."
"Hmm?" Alain did not think that was a good sign as Bandog let out a strained growl.
"According to the record as of this time the family has a new daughter. Want to guess what her name is?" Alain felt something go dark as the realization hit him. "And this is why I hate these people sometimes. They replaced their own daughter and acted like she never even existed. Fucking hell…"
"And there's no way Hilda would know any of that…" Alain grumbled, his knitted hands shaking as he tightened up. There wasn't any point in getting angry, but he couldn't help but feel a flame start rising up at the idea. He'd seen it before, parents who had their daughters taken from them right in the open because of the child being a Norma. Something that couldn't at all be helped. He had a hard time trying to forget the anguished faces of each one he'd seen, and it made him wonder how some of them could just go on and have a new child afterwards like nothing had happened. The thought of it did not, and would not, ever sit well with him. "Well… at least now I know where I can find her."
"So we've got two targets." Bandog said. "One in the Holy Empire of Misurugi and the second in the Enderant Union. If Tusk got called up, I say let him and Garuda handle Misurugi. I can tell by your tone you're pissed. I'll get with SkyEye and see if we can't get any more info before you land. Head to the base we've got set up around the border area. SkyEye's been there so he'll fill you in with anything we find out."
"Thanks." Alain said. "Over and out." As the line closed, Alain leaned back, taking a few breaths to try and relax himself.
"You became awfully tense after hearing that." Wyvern said, Alain looking at the now changed panel. "Is it not logical that after losing one child to have another in order to carry the family on?"
"Logic isn't the point buddy." Alain said. "Humans aren't always logical about things y'know. Besides… isn't the point of a parent to love their child unconditionally? Why the hell would they give their new child the same name if they weren't just replacing her?!"
"I do not have an answer for that." Wyvern said. "I for one, see nothing but irrationality in the ways in which Norma are treated. While their inability to use mana is due to a genetic difference, I do not understand why it is they must be cast out. All of the Norma of Arzenal operate perfectly fine as their own society. So why is it those of the mana kingdoms treat them so differently?"
"And that a question for the ages? Besides, this system only exists because of him. But… can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"If something… happened, and my friends were in danger, what would you do?"
"Protect them, of course." The AI answered. "Logic or not, I have been around the Norma and Ancient Humans for a long time. To me… I am not sure how you would describe it. I do not feel emotion as humans do, yet I cannot help but choose that as my immediate answer. If ever you or those you care for were in danger, then I would do all in my power to protect them. I can assure you of that much."
"Thanks. It's reassuring. So… let's save them both."
"I would expect nothing else from you, Alain."
Since it wasn't like they could have just gone right into Misurugi with the transport, Ange had directed Momoka to bring them down at the first forest they found in range. It still meant they were probably a day out from Misurugi, but Ange had been sure to load up the supplies for that. Hilda's somewhat unexpected addition to things had snarled up Ange's plan a bit, but since they were going their own ways at some point, she didn't think much further on it. Hilda had her reasons to leave Arzenal, and Ange had hers. That was enough for her at the moment.
"Though I can't say being this far out is something I'm familiar with." Ange expressing her displeasure at needing to make such a lengthy trip got a chuckle from Hilda and a sympathetic look from Momoka.
"Well we do what we have to." Hilda said, adjusting the Armorer's jumpsuit she'd pilfered to wear instead of her swimsuit. Ange had also taken some proper combat gear from Jasmine's shop, which like the guns were shoved into the duffel bag on her back. At least left the money to compensate Jasmine with.
"Maybe we should try to find a vehicle?" Momoka suggested. "There's an old pre-mana station over there. Perhaps it has something?" Momoka directed the two Norma's eyes to a derelict building just off the road. Ange had read plenty about the pre-mana days as a child, how some places in the world still had the remains of such times littered around and left to rot. "I think it's one of those… what were they called, gas stations?"
"Better than nothing." Hilda said. She checked the front of the building, and was quick to find something that brought a smile to her face. Covered in a tarp inside the main building was a motorcycle and sidecar. And in surprisingly good condition too. "How about it? You ride behind me and Momoka takes the sidecar."
"At least as far as the crossroads." Ange said, helping pull open the rusted door. "Enderant is further away."
"How considerate, Princess." Hilda mused, looking for anything else as she pulled the tarp off of the motorcycle, finding a black riding suit neatly folded on the seat. "How convenient. It's almost like somebody left this here just for us."
"Who knows?" Ange said, dropping the duffel bag into the sidecar. "Let's just get going."
"Fine by me." Finding a key hanging from a wall hook, Hilda started the motorcycle up, a satisfying rumble sounding as the engine kicked to life. Once they got it on the road, it wasn't long until they came to the crossroads the map had lead them to. Ange couldn't help but stare as the sign for Misurugi was dashed out. Just what had happened to her old home in the months since she'd been banished? 'Sylvia… don't you worry, I'll be there soon.' "Guess this is where we part ways, right?"
"I suppose it is." Ange said, hefting her bag over her shoulder. Hilda nodded and revved the cycle as Ange and Momoka headed off the other way, though then she came to a stop.
"Ange!" Hilda called out. "You better not die out there."
"You too, Hilda." Ange said as Hilda drove off. Ange looked off as she and Momoka continued on their own way. She didn't know what would be waiting for her once they arrived in Misurugi. Ange did know she'd be ready for whatever was thrown at her. 'If it gets between me and Sylvia, it won't get much of a chance to stick around.'
As Wyvern was coasting over rolling stretches of green hills and trees Alain was glad for it's stealth. It wasn't clear why, but something about the particle drives interfered with mana sensors. It was why he could sneak in and out of the Mana society so easily. Especially since he could only fly so low in unpopulated areas like the land CROSS had occupied for their operations.
"On approach to rendezvous point now." Wyvern pinged. Right in front of them was a lake with a few scattered vacation homes around the hilly terrain surrounding it, fed by a waterfall coming from a low cliff. "Sending out landing request now."
"Forward Base Recta, this is Mobius One from Arzenal requesting permission to land."
"We knew you were coming Mobius." SkyEye's voice greeted him. "Come on in."
"Ten-four." Alain reduced his speed as he neared the waterfall, which parted as a pair of struts extended out from behind it. As the Wyvern passed through the opened gap, the struts retracted, and massive pair of sliding doors shut behind the falls as Alain set down in the designated space that had been cleared. 'A bit quieter than I was expecting.' Alain thought as he climbed out of Wyvern. 'Was expecting a bit more of a welcome.'
"Expecting a party? Well unfortunately, everyone was in a scramble once Bandog relayed your message." Alain turned around, wand walking towards him was a young man wearing mechanics coveralls and pulling a headset down from his dark grey hair, the CROSS operator Alain knew best as SkyEye, Ray Nagase. "So unfortunately, right now all you've got is me."
"Hey I'd rather be greeted by you than Garuda." Alain said, taking Ray by the hand and then bumping his shoulder. "Those idiots would've barely let me get out of Wyvern before swamping me with questions."
"Well lucky for you they'll be swamping Tusk instead." Ray laughed. "So, how's the big guy?"
"I am fine." Wyvern answered. "Though I would ask we do not spend too much time chatting. I doubt we have much time to find Ange and Hilda before something happens."
"He's right." Alain agreed. "Bandog said you'd be looking into stuff. You find anything while I was on the way?"
"A few things actually." Following Ray into the other room, Alain saw that among the communications equipment, a tactical table had been set up within it. Ray turned the table on and a map of the surrounding region was displayed on the screen. "A little while ago, I got a signal from one of our supply posts out in the boonies." The image scrolled along to a more remote area, stopping at a point marked with a red triangle. "And take a gander at what the hidden cameras caught." As Ray typed on the console, the screen zoomed opened a series of windows. Exactly as Alain guessed, the blurry images of Ange, Hilda, and Momoka appeared.
"That's them alright." He sighed.
"Yeah, our little wrench in the works." Ray muttered. "If you and Bandog were right about this being some kind of trap, then we need to work fast. As for tracking them… well we know where those two are going. As for the redhead…" Ray cleared the windows, and a blip was shown leaving from the marked location, pausing at a crossroad before heading off towards Enderant. "Luckily they didn't stop to think why a perfectly good pre-Mana bike was in the middle of nowhere, so they didn't bother to check if it was tagged."
"If Ange and Momoka are going to Misurugi by foot, then it'll take them a couple of days." Alain hummed. "What about Hilda?"
"I've already run the numbers for you." Ray said. "She'll be in Enderant by nightfall. If you want to catch up then you'd better leave now."
"Would be faster if I could just use Wyvern." Alain grumbled, leaning on the table.
"Except even with it's ability to avoid mana detection you can't turn invisible. You do park in the woods for a reason most of the time." Ray pointed out, Alain nodding with a sigh. "But don't worry. There's an Air Runner here that you can use."
"What about supplies?" Alain asked as they headed back out to the hangar. "Jill wants me to keep things quiet, but I'm basically going to be looking for a needle in a haystack here."
"We did think of that." Ray answered, stopping at one of the worktables. "First off, a piece of kit that'll help out. Take a look." The young man opened up a case, Alain lifting a brow at what seemed like an ordinary pair of fingerless gloves linked by power cords to a pair of armlets "How about a demonstration? Put 'em on and I'll tell you what they do."
"Okay." Alain did as directed, replacing his own gloves and clipping the armlets on. "Now what?"
"These are a device we finished a few weeks ago for the Ancient Human operators." Ray reached to the armlets and pressed switches on them, Alain's eyes widening as they flashed with a green glow that then went along the wires. "As you know, those of us with implants retain a limited capacity for using Mana." illustrating his point, Ray craned his head and pulled some of his hair back, showing a black hexagonal chip at the base of his head. With a flick of his hand, a brief glow appeared around one of the handguns on the table and zipped to his palm. "It makes it easy for us to blend in when we need to. As for guys like you… well, you've told me plenty."
"Yeah I pretty much always have to play it safe. Can't even be in a situation I'd even need to try and fake using Mana." Mimicking the gesture Ray had done, Alain's eyes widened again as another of the handguns flashed, hovering for a moment before going to his outstretched hand. "Now that is cool."
"Definitely. The things use special capacitors that draw in ambient Mana. Though they can't use much so the best you'll be able to do is move small objects and project mana screens. Though when it comes to mana communications, you'll still need Wyvern for that. As for the other thing that should help you out…" Ray then turned around the tablet he was carrying, Alain taking it and glancing at the screen. "Heartbreak suggested we put together and identity for you to use. Better to make sure you have a story, so some of the operators in Rosenblum chipped in. As of right now, you're an operative with the NMB, fresh from the academy and on his first assignment already."
"Alain Lampert… you couldn't have given me a better name than that?"
"Beggars can't be choosers." Ray said countered. "It's just supposed to make sure any suspicious police look the other way. Hopefully, they'll also let you take your friend back if they find her first."
"Friend is a… hard term to use when it comes to Hilda." Alain muttered.
"She one of your 'special friends'?" Ray smirked.
"No! Just… we don't really get along that well. I try to be friendly where I can… but you know me. I'm the type who gives what I get. If someone gives me attitude, I give it right back. But I want to help her anyway. Besides… Jill doesn't care what happens to her. Someone has to."
"Especially with what I heard she's walking into." Ray shrugged. "So, looks like you've got your op figured out. Try not to make a mess of it."
"I can do quiet." Alain insisted. "So long as the situation works with me. I can at least promise not to leave a trail of bodies." Alain set the handgun down as Ray turned off to another room. "What do you think Wyvern?"
"I believe haste would be good. The sooner we act, the better. I believe if we are quick enough, after retrieving Hilda we could head to Misurugi with time to spare." Alain turned back to Ray as the operator came back with another case.
"I can at least tell the guys while they're on standby you might join up with them." Ray said. "But, I can't assure they won't act if they need to."
"Fine by me. Tusk has his own reasons to wanna help Ange out anyway. I'd hate to steal his thunder."
"What's the story behind that anyway?" Ray asked. "We tried to get it out of him, but he just went red and wouldn't talk." Now it was Alain's turn to smirk.
"Pull up a chair, I'll tell you while I'm getting ready."
