Chapter 23: Dirty Worker
Emma could not possibly think she felt more stressed out than she was that morning. After two Norma had not only managed to escape under her watch by kidnapping none other than Lady Misty, she hadd spent the days waiting for the verdict. And her worst fears had come true. Rosenblum was sending an official, a very high ranking one, to come and investigate the state of Arzenal and rate her performance. And she could not be dreading it more. 'I worked too hard to get into this position. The Norma are troublesome but what I get out of it is far more worth it. But just… agh, damn those two runaways!'
And she had no clue how she was going to explain herself. Perhaps the biggest issue was none other than Alain. Not only was the idea of a male Norma an utter anomaly, but his record was so sparse it was almost as if he'd just popped into existence at Arzenal out of thin air. Then there was that machine of his. There weren't any records of a Para-mail like that in any of the base documents. During previous Festas the issue had seemingly just been brushed aside by the Rosenblum family, so she just set it aside. But now they were sending a General with a record for being incredibly hard on Norma facilities that below his standards. Who would undoubtedly be far less lenient with these oddities than the royals bizarrely were.
"You're looking quite stressed." Emma almost went flying out of her shoes when Maggy just appeared behind her. Arzenal's head doctor had a bad habit of sneaking up on people. "You really need to find a way to relax, Ms. Inspector."
"You'd be stressed too if your entire career was suddenly on the line because of two reckless Norma!" Emma snapped. "Now if you will excuse me, I need to go have a talk with the Commander about how to keep this place in some semblance of order! Gugh, I would've liked to have just dealt with the issue personally. Especially after what those two did to Lady Misty. I can't believe she asked me to be lenient with them!"
"Hmm. Well good luck with that. In the meantime, I lined up something to mess with Alain and I can't wait to see the results! That precious maid made it too easy!"
"What did you put into that girl's head?!" Emma's objection didn't reach Maggy as she sauntered off. That was Emma's other worry. Ever since Ange had her property rights revoked in confinement, it now meant Momoka was the sole property of Alain. The Inspector had to give Arzenal's sole male credit, he was quite hands-off with Momoka in the weeks since her arrival. But Emma was not ignorant of his attitude nor what he did in his spare time. 'They're all so… lascivious. Could they spare a shred of decency at times?'
She could only imagine what if would be like for the general to arrive and hear about that kind of thing because some Norma wouldn't keep their traps shut.
For now she had other matters to focus on. And sorting issues out with Commander Jill came first on her list.
"Commander!" Emma called as she barged into Jill's office, finding the Commander placidly looking at files. The woman barely paid her mind as she strode up to her. "You do know who's coming today don't you?"
"You mean Rosenblum sending some big wig to give us the do over?" Jill said, snubbing out her cigarette. Emma covered her nose to block the scent. 'What does she even like about those horrible things?' she thought. "Of course I've heard about it. What is it you're in such a panic about?"
"What am I in a… what am I not in a panic over?! Taking this position was supposed to be my ticket up in the military! And now I have a General known for his crack downs on Norma facilities coming here! If this goes wrong who knows what'll happen to me?!"
"Nice to know your priorities are in order." Jill placidly ignored the glare Emma gave her. "If you're here to demand I keep things in order, you have nothing to worry about. I can handle some big wig from the mainland."
"That's not the issue!" Emma's brow cricked as Jill gave her a raised brow. "I'm talking about the boy and his damn Para-mail! What do you think is going to happen when they see those incomplete files?! I've kept quiet about it considering it was perhaps classified information I didn't have clearance for, but now I don't know what to think either! And not just him! What about Ange's Para-mail? I have just as many questions about it! There's nothing in the database about those two machines ever being produced!"
"Inspector, relax. It's simply that the two prototype machines that were sent here for testing. When they were deemed to impractical for mass production we were allowed to keep them. That's all."
"And as for Alain?"
"An anomaly, a rare case that isn't supposed to be known." Jill tented her hands as Emma kept glaring. It clearly wasn't enough for her. "Do as you will. Just know we're both biting it if the General gets a bad impression."
"I am well aware! Be sure we don't have another mess."
As Emma stormed out, Jill went back to the files she was browsing. Mei had come to her in a surprising hurry the previous day after Snowbird's sortie. Jill of course was interested in what data the girl had uncovered following the usage of the ARISE System again. If it was a weapon that could be used for Libertus, than she saw fit to ensure its use as soon as possible while she planned on what to do once Ange's tenure in confinement was over.
"ND Drive Synchronization… Twin Drive." She repeated the name on the copied file. Wyvern had always been an enigma of a machine, and now that enigma was becoming just a bit clearer. ND Drives, particle engines that produced energy without the need for external charging, a system that released their limitations to draw out more performance, and yet something about it had still remained oddly out of place. And Mei's theory that there was more to it than just having two engines working in tandem had turned out to be correct.
"If possible… it may mean Wyvern just has the capabilities to not just go up against the Ragna-mails… but perhaps even outclass them." Jill found the idea almost amusing. 'Was humanity really so desperate to defeat God that they would create a demon like this to do it?'
"Sir Alain? Sir Alain, are you awake?"
Alain let out a drowsy groan as he finally woke up. After yesterday's events and trip to the graveyard, he'd been in the mood to just sleep in a bit that day. He could get away with it. Though his own internal clock would have gotten him up in time for morning roll call anyway. Though then there was another matter for him. After that long talk with Chris, she'd spent the rest of the day with him, up to insisting on staying the night. 'I actually just expected she wanted someone to just sleep near. Why I only expected that I don't know.'
Maybe it was a sign he at least was able to get his mind out of the gutter every now and again. Though it also probably spoke about a lot of things on Arzenal. 'Not like we have much else to get up to sometimes…' So, as was probably far more common than it really should have been, Alain was groggy because of a long night. He had to admit it was kind of impressive how much stamina Chris had going for her, despite being probably the smallest member of Garm after Vivian. 'And she only seems more aggressive than she was before. I need to have a chat with Rosalie.'
"Sir Alain?"
"I'm up I'm up." Alain muttered, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. Glancing down, as he expected Chris was next to him. But she was still snoozing. 'So who…?' he got his answer when he glanced over and spotted Momoka. "What?"
"Well, I figured since it will be some time before Lady Angelise is released, I may as well serve you for a while." The maid answered. Alain's eyes widened as he finally remembered.
"Right… that contract. I forgot about that." He rubbed his eyes and managed to clear his vision. Nothing really seemed out of the ordinary. "You don't have to ya' know?"
"Consider it a token of my gratitude for helping me stay with Lady Angelise. And I see Ms. Chris is with you too. Good thing I made plenty for breakfast then!"
"You really don't." As his vision finally cleared out while Momoka was checking the cart she'd brought with her, he had to double take. He rubbed his eyes again just to be sure. And he was not in fact seeing anything. For some blasted reason – he already suspected who – Momoka wore only her apron, and preserving her least bit of modesty with a swimsuit underneath. "Momoka… what are you wearing?"
"Hmm?" Momoka froze and flushed a bit as attention was drawn to it. She turned around and cleared her throat. "Well… you see, I have only ever served Lady Angelise. So I am quite unaware of how I should go about serving a young man such as yourself."
"And how did you go about learning?"
"I went and asked Miss Jasmine if she had anything that could help me when Dr. Maggy up came and told me she had something!" 'I already don't like where this is going…' he thought. "It was… rather odd. A manga I'd never heard about before that involved a maid. Dr. Maggy said it would serve the purpose, so I studied it dutifully these past couple of days!"
"Of course she handed you something like that."
"She also said boys your age quite like this kind of attire, though… I couldn't quite bring myself to wear nothing but the apron."
"God. Fucking. Dammit." Alain slapped a hand to his face and dragged it down. He caught the quizzical, painfully innocent look on Momoka's face. And he cursed himself for being unable to resist looking her over. He couldn't deny Momoka was definitely a pretty cute girl, and she had a surprisingly gracious figure going for her as well. 'I am however not keen on being on Ange's bad side once she's out.' "Look, Momoka… please don't listen to Maggy. Ever."
"Hmm?"
"Maggy is a demon in a woman's skin. What she showed you? That was, well… porn." Momoka's face burned as he said it so bluntly. "Don't take anything that happens in it as a thing you should do. I can't exactly say I dislike the view, but… just if you are going to insist on helping me around until Ange is out, do it like you normally would."
"I… I should have realized there was something wrong." Momoka shrunk away. "I was wondering why the maid in that book did such things with her master but… I will get changed right away!"
"Just use the screen near the other dresser." Alain sighed as Momoka ducked to cover. "I am going to kill Maggy one of these days."
"You wouldn't seriously go through with that anyway." Chris said as she sat up, leaning into his arm. "Also… thanks for yesterday. I don't think I'd have actually gone to dad's grave if you hadn't been there."
"You're welcome. Next time let's go there with Rosalie so she can say hello. Your mom too. They basically treated her as their own anyway." Chris nodded while Alain ruffled her hair.
"Oh! I did hear some news from Miss Emma as well!" Momoka leaned around from the drawn screen, finishing up putting her proper uniform on. "Apparently because of what happened, a general from Rosenblum is coming to investigate Arzenal."
"Well shit." Alain muttered, Chris's grip on him tightened up as her eyes gained a hint of fear in them. 'I hope the guys at CROSS have picked up on this, because we're screwed if they don't do something.'
A short while later, Alain had found himself being dragged to the internment cells by Jill. She'd been fuming since she'd gone to get him during breakfast, and he could only assume it had to do with the similar mood the Inspector was in. No doubt thanks to the news Momoka had told him about.
"You two, wake up!" Jill barked at Ange and Hilda once they got to the cell, the two girls slowly rising off their cots. And after three days without any kind of bathing, Alain could practically see their funk. 'Well… good thing I smuggled some things in.' He was planning to stop by anyway, so he'd had Momoka help him stash a few things into his coat.
"What time is it?" Ange groaned.
"A bit past breakfast." Jill said.
"About time you showed up." Ange huffed. "Are you going to give me some answers now?"
"Like I said, I'll tell you once you've served your punishment. Not a moment sooner. There's something else I want to talk with you two about."
"Couldn't it have waited till we ate?" Hilda groaned. "And why'd you bring Alain?"
"He needs to hear it too. Thanks to your antics, the Management Board is sending one of their best from Rosenblum to give us the do over. Arzenal is supposed to be inescapable, but you've gone and proved there are kinks in the system. And I can't have some big wig general looking into our affairs."
"It's that Libertus thing, right?" Hilda smirked when Jill looked at her in surprise. "Alain and his buddies told me all about it. It's why I want answers too."
"Then you should know keeping the humans out of it at all costs is a must."
"I don't really give a damn." Ange said. "But it's not like I'm planning to tell them anything about your little secret. I've got my own plans to worry about." Hilda chuckled to herself and Alain rolled his eyes. Ange being such a bitch was almost admirable in some ways.
"I won't say a thing either." Hilda said.
"Don't see why I need to be here." Alain muttered, ignoring Jill's small glare. "But, whatever."
"Actually… I also came to say the person who'll arrive won't be who Inspector Bronson is expecting." All three looked to the Commander in surprise. "As much as it frustrates me, CROSS got word of this long before I did. They already have somebody on it. They wouldn't say who though."
"Whoa whoa, when the hell did you get a comm from them?" Alain asked.
"I didn't. Jasmine did. Should've known she had one of those old communicators stashed away." Alain looked away as Jill grumbled. She still didn't know he had one too, and he was not about to hint at that. "I still want you to keep quiet. I don't like CROSS shoving their noses into my affairs. That goes double for you Alain."
"Yes ma'am." Alain saluted as Jill left, and once she was gone, he let out a long sigh and sat down. "Man she is just gonna make this worse. CROSS better be sending someone who knows what the hell they're doing."
"You got any clue who it could be?" Hilda asked. "Better not be any of those guys from that one team."
"The only guy from Garuda who'd work an op like this would be Huxian. And playing dress up isn't exactly his forte. So I'm stumped on who they've got 'filling in' for this one." Alain paused in thought for a moment, his brow netting up. "There is someone I can guess but… I've got no idea if he'd even agree to it."
"Who?" Ange asked.
"I'll save it for when we find out." Ange rolled her eyes at the deflection. "Look it's safer not to speculate. Apparently they're showing up in a few hours by my guess. Anyway, how's three days in lockup been?"
"Boring." Ange grumbled.
"And… smelly." Hilda turned away, Ange and Alain catching her face flushing a bit. Alain chuckled and reached into his coat.
"Figures. Luckily, Momoka helped me come up with a way to sneak some stuff in." He reached into some freshly sewn pockets, pulling out a few small bottles of soap and shampoo. "It's not much but it should be enough to let you wash off at least a little bit. I can also probably sneak in some food if you want. Something better than whatever crap they've been feeding you these past few days."
"How's Momoka anyway?" Ange asked as Alain passed the items through to them. "You haven't done anything have you?"
"I have not." Alain said. "I am going to need to smack Maggy later though. Damn witch tried to retrain her with some… interesting material.I told Momoka to burn it."
"Good." Ange simply said.
"I could go for some fruit of some kind." Hilda said. "Just anything but apples."
"Gotcha. Now let's hope the guys got this one on lock. They better…"
The glittering expanse of the ocean rolled underneath the marked Rosenblum transport that was blazing it's way to Arzenal. Only interrupted by the occasional emerald speck of an island, and with the sky open of clouds it was definitely a beautiful day to be on a flight.
However, the passenger of this craft wasn't in the mind to take the sights in.
General Grisha Herman sat in the passenger hold with knitted hands and a crick in his brow. It wasn't some pleasure trip he'd signed on for, and he was plenty irritated. The news about Norma escaping from Arzenal had made one hell of a mess in Rosenblum, much less the news the escapees had kidnapped the Princess to use as leverage. The man was still in disbelief Lady Misty had asked the Inspector to be lenient with the Norma once they had been returned. However, he had to admire the girl's kindness, as misaimed as it might have been.
And then there was the Inspector. Emma Bronson had been foolish enough to let the Norma get the best of her, and he was planning to give her the lecture of a lifetime over it. Had it not been for her father the woman would have been court martialed immediately once news of the escape happened. But those weren't the only reasons for his ill mood. Unlike some, Grisha still in remembered the events of ten years ago. This was not the first time the Norma had gotten ahead of themselves, and he was sure it would not be the last. Another insurrection seemed just on the horizon, and this time, the General was keen to nip the bud before it bloomed. The attack on the Dawn Pillar several days ago had told him something was at play here. Why else would those dissidents go out of their way to rescue a Norma?
"Everything good back there, sir?" The co-pilot of the craft asked.
"Fine. How much longer until we arrive?"
"I'd say we've got about half an hour."
"Very good." As Grisha leaned back with the intent to get at least a bit of shut eye, the craft suddenly seized up and rocked like it had been struck. "What in the bloody… what was that?!"
"Engine malfunction. We'll have to set her down." The co-pilot said while the pilot wrestled with the controls.
"Where?!"
"There's an island that's about ten degrees to the left." The pilot said. Grisha made his way to the window and looked out, spotting a single island with a low jungle covered mountain dominating its core, a few coves dotting its perimeter. "The southern beach should be enough to accommodate her. We'll set down, check engines, and then be on the way."
"Make it quick. Bloody hell, they couldn't have bothered to check this thing?" Grisha sat back down with a growling breath, then glanced up when the co-pilot moved into the cabin. "While you're grabbing those tools, get me something to drink. I need one at this point."
"Yes sir." The co-pilot said. There was something about his salute that seemed… off. Like he was trying to be insulting about it. "What'll it be? I think they've got a good whiskey around here."
"That'll do."
"Oh, there is a thing I know… they call it a mindkiller."
"Mindkiller? What the hell kind of…" Grisha's eyes widened when something stung his neck, leaping up and covering the spot as he drew his gun, spotting the co-pilot spinning a now spent hypodermic pen in his fingers. "You… you're one of them aren't you?"
"You could say so. Nighty night General. Don't worry, it ain't gonna kill you."
"When did… how did…" Grisha wavered as the world started to spin. Everything became a wash of color and sounds as he stumbled back. "How… what are…" and then his words failed him as his legs buckled and he collapsed back into the seat, now not much more than a drooling mess.
"Whew! Gotta thank Dok for this one once we're back!" Louis threw off the helmet that had been keeping his face hidden once the General was finally out cold, slapping the man's face to make sure he was out of it. He'd shot the General up with quite the cocktail of hallucinogens, and he was frankly quite surprised it wasn't lethal. "Man, that is some strong stuff. Dok's a madman."
"We're just lucky the bastard was too focused not to notice anything odd." Huxian leaned back from the pilot's chair as High Roller and Shamrock came out from the side compartment. "Though being able to use Mana even in a limited manner has it's uses."
"Didn't suspect a damn thing!" High Roller chuckled, he and Shamrock hefting the unconscious general onto a stretcher as the craft set down.
"Let's get this done so we can scram. It's risky enough as it is." Shamrock said as the hatch opened. Louis waved the two forward as they scurried onto the beach. A submarine posted on the other end of the island would be their destination, and while they did that, Louis turned as Leon walked out from the trees, trussed up in a fitting Rosenblum officer's uniform.
"So, whaddya say, Major, you ready to go?" Louis asked, Leon chuckling as he stepped onto the craft.
"As I'll ever be. Let's get Operation Dirty Worker underway."
The Command Center at Arzenal had quite the tense air about it as the operators kept their eyes on the radar for anything incoming. And the cause of it was mostly Emma, the Inspector all but carving a trench into the steel floor as she paced back and forth. Jill let out an annoyed sigh and snubbed the cigarette she'd lighted earlier, giving the Inspector a hard look as the woman's leg bounced.
"Would it kill you to settle down a bit? Your anxiety is affecting everyone."
"You'd be feeling the same way if your entire career was on the line! Ugh, what is even taking so long? Wasn't the transport supposed to be here by now?! Agh, what if something happened? The General's safety is also supposed to be my responsibility! If the Board finds out something happened to him before even arriving I'm as good as dead!" Jill tapped a finger of her prosthetic on the console. She had half a mind to just tell the hysterical woman and rat CROSS out for sticking their noses into things, much less for going through Jasmine first. 'Though I suppose they would have done this with my input or not… bunch of fools.'
"We have an aircraft approaching from the west." Hikaru called out. "Commander?" Before Jill could respond Emma pushed past her.
"It's obvious who it is, just patch them through!"
"Yes ma'am. Attention unidentified aircraft, you have entered restricted airspace, please identify yourselves."
"This is special transport Jigsaw 3. We're transporting a priority one VIP due to arrive for an inspection tenure." To the surprise of the operators, the voice that greeted them was a man's. They were used to Alain's somewhat high tenor, so the deeper, scratchier voice that spoke was something new to hear.
"Wow. That's a voice." Pamela mused, clearing her throat when Emma glared at her.
"It's our guests. Direct them to land on the secondary landing strip." Jill ordered.
"We read you Jigsaw 3." Olivier gave the signal. "You're clear to land with the VIP. Please land on the secondary airstrip."
"10-4."
"Well then," Emma said. "if you'll excuse me Commander, I have to go and greet the General."
"I'll come with you. Might as well get meeting the guy over with. Pamela, you're in charge until I return." As Jill followed Emma out, there was a burning thought in her mind. Everyone in her inner circle, Ange and Hilda included, had been warned about this. But, while her past experiences with CROSS told her they knew their way around an operation, she still had her doubts. 'Whoever they sent, I'll be sure to rip him a new one for shoving themselves into my affairs.'
From the cabin of the transport, the panoramic view of Arzenal was quite the nice one. From what Leon could tell, there were couple of new facilities built onto it since last time he had paid a visit. 'Has it really has been ten years?' he wondered.
"You know, from up here I'd say the place looks inviting." Louis said, leaning on the edge of the window. "Tropical island in the middle of the ocean, nothin' around but you and cute girls. Needs more beaches though. Sheer cliffs ain't that romantic."
"And then you get down there and realize it's hell." Leon scoffed. "So, it's definitely all good? I'm gonna need you guys to make sure Herman's superiors stay off my ass."
"Don't worry about it. Dok's cocktail's gonna keep that guy out of it for so long they ain't gonna hear a peep from him! You just gotta make sure the Inspector gal isn't suspicious of a damn thing."
"And while I do that, everybody else gets things ready to intervene if the Nations act." Leon checked a hand mirror, adjusting a few things. To work with the role he had, he'd taken a few extra steps to play the part. Colored contacts that changed his grey eyes to blue, and a quick coloring gel that made his hair a shade of red. Adding on the requisite hat plus the flashy medals he'd picked out, he struck quite the image of an officer in the Rosenblum army. "Once you get word from Tusk, patch in and I'll get to work. I'll get Alain in on things while I try to convince Alek-Jill, to cooperate."
"Your tongue slipped." Louis teased. "Huxian, let's roll!"
"This is Jigsaw 3, coming in to land."
Emma felt like her heart was about ready to jump out of her chest as she watched the transport set down on the runway. She and Jill had just arrived in time to watch it settle onto the tarmac. Emma wiped her forehead off with her handkerchief, when a cigarette case was brandished near her face as the characteristic sound of Jill's lighter went off.
"Want one? Does wonders for me when I'm stressed." Jill said as she took a drag, Emma shoving the case away. She wasn't sure if the Commander was being sincere or not. She could never tell with a Norma.
"I'm quite fine. And please try to refrain from smoking much around the General. We'll likely make it out of this week with both of our hides intact if we make his stay pleasant."
"Sure. And maybe you can get transferred to a place more agreeable than this." Now Emma was sure Jill was being sarcastic about this. Of course though, Emma didn't expect Jill to understand how important of a post Arzenal was. She'd practically begged her father to get assigned here, all to be the start of a glorious and shining career in service of humanity. And now thanks to two blasted runaways, it could all come crashing down. And furthering that was her still present worries about Alain and the Wyvern. She'd heard plenty about General Grisha and his handling of Norma, much less his intolerance for incompetence. Just how would such a man respond to learning of those two anomalies? "Here he comes."
Emma went rigid as the transport's rear boarding ramp opened. One of the crew exited first and saluted, though Emma could have sworn there was an odd quirk in the man's face, like he was attempting not to laugh for some reason. But it wasn't the General who disembarked.
It was a younger man, dressed in the pristine white and blues of the Management Board's Rosenblum branch, the tails of the longcoat he wore billowing from the dying blow of the craft's engines. One hand was keeping his hat down while the other held a service issue duffel bag over his shoulder. The stripes adorning his shoulders marked him as a Major. His blue eyes looked over the area as he returned the salute from the pilot.
"No way…" Jill said so under her breath. Luckily, Emma didn't hear it as she was distracted herself. She had been posted at Arzenal for around a year, and now she was starting to realize how much she'd miss the sight of a man. Well, one that wasn't the kind of svelte, almost feminine sort like Alain. Even with the bulky coat on, she could tell the man was well built and solid. It was like she'd seen a recruitment poster model come to life. As they approached, the crewman ducked back into transport, its ramp lifting as it started to take off, leaving the man on the runway behind. 'What?' Emma thought. 'Where's the General?'
"We should go greet him, right?" Jill said, taking quite the long drag on her smoke.
"Y-Yes." Emma nodded and strode forward, intent to find out just what was going on. As she approached the officer, she was about as surprised at how unconcerned he seemed at the idea he was now here alone on an island populated by Norma. Even the biweekly crew for shipments were hesitant to go far from their crafts when making deliveries. "Welcome to Arzenal, sir."
"Second Lieutenant Bronson, right?" The man's gravelly voice was another thing Emma took as a pleasant reminder of the things she'd missed over the past year.
"Y-Yes sir!" She snapped herself to attention quickly and saluted. 'Get yourself together! You're a soldier.' Thankfully for her, he didn't seem to notice her zoning out and returned the salute.
"Major Vincent Snow. On behalf of the Norma Management Board, I'm here to inspect Arzenal over the next week."
"Of course sir. But… about that, we were informed that General Herman would be the one doing the inspection."
"Yes, of course. I have to apologize, but we fed you false info in order to preserve the secrecy of this operation." The major said. "Aside from the escaped Norma, I'm sure you heard of the terrorist attack that happened in Misurugi."
"Well, yes, but, what would that…"
"We suspect it had to do with a group sympathetic to the Norma. Did you know that attack was carried out in particular to secure one of the escapees?"
"N-No sir, that wasn't in the report." Now she was really wondering about what was going on. "And as far as I know, retrieval was handled by one of ours. The special case I'm sure you've read about. The male Norma."
"I've seen some of the documents pertaining to him." Vincent said. "Norma #2185-22. We've heard a few things about him back at the Board. We can discuss more about this once we're inside though. There is a nice breeze up here but it's no place to talk business, wouldn't you say so, Second Lieutenant?"
"O-Of course sir! Follow me, we can discuss things in the Commander's office." Emma turned on her heel and marched off. As the Major followed her, his eyes met Jill's. And a smirk broke Leon's face.
"It's been a long time, Alektra." The man said, tapping her shoulder as he passed. Jill crushing her cigarette in her prosthetic's hand.
"Of all the people to send… they had to pick you."
A/N
I feel like I should mention here a majority of chapter titles are references to songs from Armored Core and Ace Combat. Also at this point the comparisons between this and Knight of Hilda are getting kind of amusing to think over. Sometimes you just can't come up with a different plot device than the other guy. But that is why differing contexts exist. Thanks Erich, and I do not mean it sarcastically.
