CHAPTER 53
A HELPING HAND
Just when it seemed as if the day couldn't have gotten any crazier, the sudden arrival of two ancient folk and three humans sent shockwaves throughout Arzenal. Of course, Jill had to spin the story that Lucas and Lucia were Norma when addressing those present in the upper hanger and the news within minutes traveled like wildfire. The whole unforeseen situation was pandemonium and with the massive crowd that was growing larger by the second, Jill was forced to usher them along with the fake Corporal Lawrance, whose real name turned out to be Ralph, into her office. With Maggie running interference while still tending to the injured and Mei and her crew busy with trying to get the main power grid back online; only Cal and Jasmine had joined her in getting to the bottom of things. Since she had already encountered them during her little excursion, Hilda had been included as well.
By the time they had all assembled, the other humans had used their Mana to fully heal Ralph's injuries. Jill however was in such a towering mood that it took all her restraint not to throw the lot of them right off the tarmac. As it turned out, Ralph was a resident of the fallen APEX base and was sent by Jacob and Hosea to keep the NMB suspicions of Arzenal's secret activities under wraps.
"So let me get this straight," Jill interrupted, her temple throbbing. "It wasn't Dutch or anyone from the NMB the maid overheard you talking to, but Jacob?! You were sent here on his orders?" She fixed Ralph with a scornful glare. Even three cigarettes didn't deflate the stress bubbling in her chest.
"That's correct." Lucas answered. "Intel at the Sanctuary discovered that right after Cal took out the 'First of', the Senator and the NMB were planning to send a dangerous enforcer within the Rosenblum ranks to act as a fake bodyguard for the Inspector."
"From the information we gathered, the real Corporal Lawrance was a part of the team that wiped out Xeon." Dolton explained. "Senator Bronson and the NMB were planning to use him as a double agent to start digging around Arzenal after they became suspicious when Siegfried and Villkiss reappeared." 'So, those bastards used the Inspector's close brush with death to investigate if Villkiss and Siegfried were in use again?' Jill thought bitterly. She supposed she had no one to blame but her own carelessness. The thought of finally striking back had allowed her to get sloppy.
"We couldn't let that happen and allow such a powerful human to bring Arzenal, Libertus and the rest of us down to the ground." Lucia continued. "We had no choice but to intervene without blowing our cover to the NMB or Arzenal."
"All that was needed was a gorilla lookalike to fit the part." Chimed in Frenzy as Ralph threw him a menacing look.
"So where is the real Corporal Lawrance?" Jasmine asked.
"We intercepted his transfer ship the night before he was to arrive." Ralph boasted. "Last I heard, he and his crew are still drugged out of their minds inside the Tripartite Pack's cells." Jill paced around her office unable to calm herself, the smoke from her fourth cigarette drifting around the room. The nerve of Jacob to keep something like this from her. Did he think she was that naïve to see he had another agenda in mind? That half-faced bastard intended to sway Ange and Cal's loyalty from her to gain the upper hand when it came to take command over Libertus?
"You expect me to trust you all after this?" Jill growled, the tension in the air growing noticeably thicker. "Why was I not informed of any of this?"
"Jacob feared if you knew of the plan then the Inspector might've become suspicious and alert her father." Answered Lucas keeping his tone respectful. "Though I argued against it, I fear my captain has grown too dormant in his old age to take more direct actions when it comes to our enemies and Libertus." His gaze shifted darkly to Cal. It seemed there was tension between the two of them and Jill guessed it had to do with Siegfried. "He didn't have faith you'd trust him and I don't blame you. But you can trust me, Commander Jill." Jill raised an eyebrow. The young man was certainly brazen but she admitted he had a point. 'At least this one is more straightforward than his captain.' She mused.
"Jacob might be many things," Jasmine stated coldly as she cast a heated glance at Lucas, "but everything he did was to keep you, your sister, your people and Arzenal safe after Libertus failed. You five coming here sure hasn't helped matters and now, the cover for our past involvement with Libertus has been blown wide open."
"And about time too." Lucia argued. "Now's the time we forge an alliance instead of treading on eggshells with each other. Just like the old days."
"Those days have passed." Jill said, taking a seat back at her desk. "Before it was just us Norma and Ancient Folk. I don't trust humans, especially those who've lied to us. I've got half a mind to throw you all off this island this very minute." Ralph approached Jill's desk, his usual intimidating presence as Corporal Lawrence was gone, and the man before her exuded calmness and courtesy.
"You may distrust us but if it weren't for me, you would be without a pilot for Siegfried."
"What do you mean?" Cal asked.
"Throughout my time here, I've been giving Senator Bronson false reports." Ralph explained. "It's how Villkiss and Siegfried have been kept under wraps from the world leaders. But if that's not enough to trust us then how about this? The night when Cal was sent away to rescue Ange and Hilda, I followed you down to the caves. I saw and heard everything and once you sent him on his way, I informed Jacob straight away."
"If it weren't for Ralph, we wouldn't have known that Cal had used Gaz's old skyhook to get to the mainland." Lucas told Jill. "It's how we managed to pinpoint his and Hilda's location before they were cornered by the NMB in the woods."
"Why didn't you tell us any of this before?" Hilda demanded, though their story did explain a lot.
"Because we couldn't risk our cover being blown." said Lucia. "One mistake could have cost us everything. And we've already lost three communities because of our recent mistakes."
"And now you've made another in coming here where you don't belong." said Jill snapped, her purple eyes burning dangerously. "I'm not going to allow your stupid decisions to bring us down too!"
"You're wrong Commander!" Cal suddenly spoke up. "The only ones to blame for what happened to any of us lies with Dutch and Embryo! What happened to the humans and their fallen communities is exactly the same as what happened to the Ancient Folk and Xeon." Jill gave him a disapproving look. She would have thought Cal at least would be on her side now that Libertus was hanging by a thread. "While we sit here and argue amongst ourselves the enemy is out there planning their next move. If we stay divided like this, they'll just pick us off one by one. But together we might stand a chance."
"I hate to say it Commander but he's right." Jasmine nodded. "We might not survive another attack with the wreck this place is in. I doubt the humans in charge will help rebuild this place and it's about time we finally put this life finally behind us."
"Wait a minute?" Hilda gasped. "What are you saying? That we won't have to fight the DRAGONs anymore?!" Jill's lips pursed in frustration. Were they this naïve to trust humans in helping them, even after Jacob had lied to them about his spy?
"Commander please, let us help you." Lucas urged. "Because Cal's right, we need each other now more than ever."
"I've made my point clear. It's not you Ancient Folk I don't trust, even after going dark on us for 10 years. It's them!" Jill said with disgust at Ralph, Finn, Dolton and Frenzy.
"Now listen lady!" Finn growled furiously before Lucas could stop him. "Are you forgetting that without Ralph then these two brats wouldn't be alive right now!"
"He's not wrong commander." Hilda spoke up. "If there was anyone here with reason not to trust these humans, it's me." Ignoring the knot in both her throat and stomach, Hilda proceeded to tell everyone in the room of her reason for escaping and what she had walked into when finding her mother. "Even after what happened, I was reluctant to trust these people. But if it weren't for them then me, Cal and Ange would be dead and you would be without your two favorite pilots. And without Ange and Cal we all would have died today." As she finished, Cal took Hilda's hand for support and she tightly grasped on to it.
"We've been helping you since the Princess and Villkiss went missing. And it was our duty to try and keep her and Cal alive by any means necessary." Ralph added. "Not just them, but all of you."
"Commander please, listen to them." Cal urged. "We can't do this on our own, we need their help as much as they need ours." With everyone on the same page Jill could not see any other way around it. Especially since the entire base would know by this point that humans were here to help. Perhaps despite her gut telling her that it was too early, maybe it really was time to finally leave this place for good.
"Fine." Jill sighed, taking a final drag out of her forth cigarette. "It's not like I can hide what I told my girls. As of today, Libertus begins. I want all hands-on deck in stocking the Aurora for the months ahead. But first, we need to get this place up and running again. Whatever your people can do to help get this place working again will speed things along to get Aurora prepped. We all leave this island tomorrow night!"
"Yes Ma'am!" Everyone saluted and Jill caught the pleased look on Jasmine's face. Lucas and his group proceeded to shuffle out of her office with Jasmine behind them but in the corner of the room Jill noticed Hilda whispering to Cal.
"You sure you want to go along with this now?" he murmured.
"I have to know everything before going forward." Hilda told him and Cal gave her a curt nod. She then gave him a quick peck on the cheek before shutting the door, leaving Hilda alone with Jill.
"Don't you have duties to fulfill now you're in command now, Captain?" Jill asked curtly.
"That can wait." Hilda answered approaching the desk. "I know everything about Cal's past and about his Gramps. I also know you're keeping things from me and I can't lead if I don't know everything. I know Lucia and her brother can't use Mana and they told me they're not Norma. Who is this Embryo Cal has mentioned. And what is Libertus and Aurora?" There was no point hiding it from her as Hilda was already involved after her little adventure. Jill had lost her trust in Salia but maybe Hilda might prove more useful to her now that she was Captain.
"Okay." Jill complied with a slight smile. "Take a seat."
Closing the office door behind him Cal tried to cool the burning in his face, still feeling the soft warmth of Hilda's tender lips on his cheek. Though he felt apprehensive leaving Hilda with Jill alone, she was strong headed enough to handle the truth about this world, Embryo, Libertus and the Ancient Folk. Cal only wondered how her perception of things going forward would change. For him the only thing that mattered was ensuring that he keep fighting until the day all Norma were free from this life. Or at the very least, not go down until after he had taken out Dutch once and for all.
For now, Cal pushed these thoughts out of his head as he caught up with the others. Lucas and his group however were not particularly happy with the Commander's attitude towards their human compatriots. Her words seemed to get under Finn's skin especially.
"Just leave it Finn." Lucas told the big man. "We've accomplished what we set out to do."
"Just who does she think she is?" Finn seethed. "Stuck up one armed…"
"Cool it Finn, just focus on getting the Aurora prepped." Ralph advised.
"Just give her time." said Jasmine. "She'll come around eventually. It took most of the Norma back in the day over a year to get used to Gaz."
"He was an honorable man." said Lucia fondly. "One of the best we had during Libertus."
"The guy's a legend back in our communities." Frenzy told Jasmine. "The stories Jacob, Hosea and the rest of ancient folk told us about him. Gaz has inspired hundreds of humans to join our cause." Jasmine smiled appreciatively; however, Cal felt a mixture of pride and resentment. These humans all spoke about Gaz with fondness and respect, the same that Cal used to feel for him. But those memories of the man who raised him was forever tainted with the revelation and realization that Gramps saw him as a replacement for his dead daughter and yet couldn't love him as a true son. Cal just prayed that in time he could truly forgive Gramps in his heart. For now though, it only fueled his grudge against Dutch. His whirlwind of rancorous thoughts however was broken by Dolton's voice.
"Thanks for having our backs in there. We owe it to you and Hilda."
"Don't worry about it." said Cal as he regained his focus. "I'm just glad Arzenal, the Sanctuary, and the Tripartite Pack are finally in an alliance together for Libertus. It'll make all the difference for your people after losing two bases and the Endurant Harbor." No sooner had he spoke than Lucas and the others stopped to stare at Cal in shock.
"How did you know we lost the Enderant Harbor too?" Lucas demanded. Cal bit his tongue but was spared giving an explanation of seeing visions of his clone Blackadder as Jasmine pulled them all into what had formerly been the third squad's meeting room to divey up whatever jobs needed to be done.
"Okay, we don't have much time so it's all hands-on deck for the next few hours." Jasmine announced. "The main power grid and base radar is still offline, so I'll need a volunteer to help the girls in the Command Centre to reset the systems." Dolton volunteered right away and was led off by one of the security staff. "We'll also need some muscle to clear out our armory and bring the entire stock to the storage area at the mall." Finn stepped forward and Ralph decided to go with him as he knew his way around the place. "Lucas, I want you to come with me and help Mei and her crew move all the Para-mail parts and weapons to the Hanger elevator. The quicker we get this done the less likely the Inspector will suspect something once she wakes up. Cal, Lucia; go find Maggie and inform her of the situation. All medical supplies will need to be moved to the mall along with the armory."
"Hey what about me? What can I help with?" Frenzy eagerly asked. Jasmine gave him a bemused look, unsure if someone of Frenzy's caliber would be able to perform a task without deviating towards the hundreds of girls around him.
"We'll need all essentials on Aurora too such as food, water, clothes…you get the picture. Head to the kitchens first and tell the chefs to move all food stock to the mall before tomorrow morning." Frenzy saluted and dashed off in a hurry. "I'm counting on you three especially. The sooner we get off this island the better." With their assignments given, Cal guided Lucia through the hallways towards the med bay and came to one of the private rooms where he knew Maggie would be. He slowly creaked the door open to see she and two of her assistant nurses were still tending to Scarlett's injuries. They had changed her into a black midriff tank top and grey track shorts, her exposed head, arms and legs covered in gauze while her bloody and tattered plug suit had been cut away and placed in a disposable plastic bag.
"How's she doing?" Cal asked, the knot in this stomach tightening.
"She has a few minor lacerations, but I've managed to bring the swelling on her head down." Maggie sighed, the exhaustion radiating off of her like a heater. "She just needs some rest and she'll be fine." Once she saw Lucia was behind Cal, Maggie ushered her assistant nurses out of the room so they could talk in private. As he looked down at Scarlett, an overwhelming relief came over Cal, followed by immense guilt at the reminder of how he had failed to save the rest of second squad. He took a seat by the side of her bed and grasped both hands tightly On to Scarlett's.
"How did she survive the discord phasers when her entire squad was decimated?" Lucia asked in pure bewilderment. "Not even a fifth of Xeon's residents lived through an attack like that."
"I don't know, she's the only one who can tell us what happened once she wakes up." said Maggie before getting to the topic at hand. "I hope Jill wasn't too harsh on you, your brother and your companions." Lucia looked to Cal who proceeded to tell Maggie that Libertus was now a go ahead. "Well, I'm glad Jill didn't decide to kick you all out. But how are we going to get the Para-mail down to the Aurora if Mei can't get the base's main systems back online?"
"I'm sure they'll find a way; Dolton knows his way around these sorts of things." Said Lucia. "But if another DRAGON attack occurs, we'll join you on sorties." Cal, still holding onto Scarlett's hand felt the anger boiling in his stomach again.
"Don't worry about that because if any DRAGONs decide to show up again before we leave this place, I'll throw them back where they came from." Lucia and Maggie glanced at each other, both showing equal concern for Cal's current mental state.
"We'll worry about that later." said Maggie. "You on the other hand need something to eat before you faint from hunger."
"I'm not hungry." Cal murmured, but his rumbling stomach betrayed him.
"Cal you haven't eaten since breakfast and everyone else has had supper. Now get yourself to the cafeteria!" Maggie ordered.
"Don't worry I'll help as much as I can before you return." Lucia promised and Cal did as he was told. Before leaving, he took a final glance at Scarlett and as he walked slowly through the corridors, he only dreaded the heartache and grief Scarlett would awaken to discover all her squad mates had perished. 'I swear Scarlett, I'll do anything in my power to avenge our comrades and those we lost because of those monsters.' He vowed, thinking of Zola, Coco, and Naomi. As he did, that familiar cold inhumane rage swept over him as his surroundings were smothered in a suffocating icy mist.
The entire Command Centre was a wreck. Though the dead corpse of the Schooner had been removed, broken glass covered the floor, wires hung loose from the ceiling, the walls were covered in DRAGON gore, and the central console was damaged beyond use. Though the base's lights had been restored, Arzenal's radar, intercom and main power grid were still offline. And without the main console it left the others without any connection to reboot the base's systems.
Set within their chairs the Command staff had plugged in a desktop CPU from the mall to try and transfer the necessary files. But the three Norma's minds were on something more fascinating as Olivier recounted what she had witnessed in the mall.
"I never knew there were such places where Norma lived with humans." Hikaru whispered excitedly. "And another Male Norma! I thought Cal was the only one. Do you think there are more? What did he look like?"
"Well…" said Olivier carefully. "He's tall and has a nice lean body like in those model magazines. But he's quite scary looking with that scar across his face. The girl seems to be his twin sister. But it's not them I'm worried about. It's the three humans that came with them. Can they even be trusted?"
"The Commander said they're here to help." said Pamela. "We can trust her judgment at least."
"Just think about it, a place where Norma and humans lived together. Think of all the guys that'll be there. One for each of us?" Hikaru said dreamily, jubilant that she wouldn't have to constantly be competing for Cal's affection anymore. As they continued to work, Hikaru let out a tired groan. "I'm almost out of storage."
"We'll have to go see if Jasmine can spare us another…." Pamela's voice suddenly cut off and the other two looked up to see a tall dark-skinned man with glasses standing in the doorway.
"You girls need some help?" Dolton casually asked as Pamela and Hikaru's mouths hung open in awe.
"No, no, we've got it under control." said Olivier anxiously untangling her feet from all the wires across the floor when Hikaru elbowed her in the ribs. "Ow!"
"Yes! We could use some help!" She said rather quickly, ecstasy etched into every part of her face. Olivier frowned and rubbed her side.
"We don't know who this guy is. He's not Cal and he's human." she whispered.
"The Commander told us they are our allies, now scooch over." Hikaru tried to get Olivier to shift from her chair in the hopes Dolton would sit next to her, but unfortunately Pamela had already offered him a seat. Unlike Olivier, Pamela also seemed to share Hikaru's excitement in being in the presence of another man but kept a more professional front. Dolton ran a quick scan on Pamela's console but was denied access to the file systems.
"We tried that already." Pamela explained. "We can't access the necessary files to reboot the intercom, radar, or the main power grid without the main console. And this CPU we got from the mall doesn't have enough memory."
"Whatever that enemy Para-mail did sure did a number on this place." Dolton sighed as he adjusted his glasses. "No good using a desktop CPU as a substitute. Even if we had enough storage for all the files, they just don't have the hardware designed to run them."
"So then do you have another idea?" Pamela asked hopefully. Dolton grinned as he pulled up a single Mana screen and began to connect the Mana connective web to the damaged console.
"The thing about Mana is it has an unlimited capacity to store information from a single none-Mana device." Dolton explained as he accessed the central console's database. However, to do so he had to access Olivier's personal cloud and accidentally pulled up a picture of Cal in his sport speedos at the festa. Olivier quickly slapped her hand on the screen, shattering it immediately, her face scarlet with embarrassment. "Okay, that was something." muttered Dolton as he restarted the process. Several minutes later the two working consoles came back to life and Pamela and Olivier got to work while Dolton stood in the center using his own Mana screen to correlate between them.
"Okay, let's go over the start-up procedures." Dolton cracked his fingers and began typing away.
"Slow down, it's not that simple." said Pamela. But Dolton was in his element and couldn't stop himself.
"Did you fire up the radar enhancers? Activate the simulator relays?" Dolton spoke quickly as Pamela and Olivier struggled to keep up.
"Yes, yes, I did all that! Will you…"
"Uncouple the base's compensators?"
"Yes of course I…" Pamela face palmed. "…shoot, no. I didn't." Dolton smiled at her, and Pamela grinned back which made Hikaru pout with jealousy. In no time at all they got the base back to working conditions. The launch platforms were back up and working for the Para-mail to fly out if another attack occurred, the simulators were back online again and the main hanger's elevator was up and running again; allowing them to begin transporting all the Para-mail down to Aurora. That just left the base's intercom and radar to deal with.
"Wow, you're really smart." Hikaru purred as she crept closer to Dolton. "Where did you learn all this?"
"Well, studying at the university of I.T does have its perks. Such as extensive surveillance and intelligence gathering." Dolton boasted. "It's how me and my supervisors back at our base manage to hack through the N.M.B's databases. Though I've never seen radar scanners like these before. If I can clean out the memory cache I can perhaps boost their range of detecting a singular's intel."
"Here let me help." Hikaru clutched onto his arm and dragged him to her console, her breasts brushing against his arm. Once she sat Dolton in her station, Hikaru began to show him how to correctly use the radar scanner by running a full sweep of Arzenal's airspace. "If you need more help in knowing how to work Arzenal's systems, I give private lessons in finding things in the dark." She offered, fluttering her eyelashes at him.
"Hikaru come over here, I need some assistance." Pamela called her over before hissing in her ear. "Back off, I saw him first."
"Yeah, well I called dibs first." Hikaru grinned smugly and the two began to bicker quietly while Olivier rolled her eyes.
'It's a wonder how Cal has managed to survive this long without getting eaten alive.' Dolton mused.
As the evening grew darker the whole base was in high talks of Arzenal's unexpected guests. Most Norma were torn in two between hostility or admiration. Some groups of Norma who were lucky enough to pass by Ralph, Dolton, Finn and Frenzy through the corridors would mutter darkly to each other behind their hands. Others would start giggling excitedly while most tried their best not to stare as they walked past. Even the preschool children couldn't settle themselves down for bed as the fear of another DRAGON attack had somewhat subsided knowing humans who liked Norma were here to help.
"Are they here to stay like the Corporal?"
"What do you think their secret place looks like?"
"Are they here to take us away from here?"
"Okay kids settle down." said Miss Mary as she and Ersha tucked them into bed. "You've still got your usual studies tomorrow." The kids moaned in complaint however Ersha noticed that Abigail seemed somewhat quiet compared to the rest.
"Don't be so down." Ersha told her as she sat beside Abigail and put an arm around her shoulders. "We've got brighter days ahead of us now that there are people to help us."
"Do you think my Mother and Auntie are with their group?" Abagail asked.
"I wouldn't know." said Ersha not wanting to get the young girl's hopes up. Once the kids finally settled in, Ersha turned off the lights and gazed back at the many peaceful sleeping faces, grateful that they were still alive. Though the battle had passed, the terrible dread still sat in her stomach after witnessing Cal almost die giving his life to protect Miranda and the reminder of what that red enemy Para-mail's blast could have done. Without the children, her squad mates and Cal in her life; Ersha feared beyond anything she would have nothing left to live for. 'I wish I had a unit like Ange and Cal's. I would do everything in my power to protect everyone so Cal wouldn't be so burdened.' She thought.
Coming up to a bend in the hallway, Ersha was so deep in her thoughts she failed to notice two others coming to her left, causing the trolley they were pushing to bump into the side of her hip and spilling cases of bullets onto the floor. Ersha's eyes widened seeing it was the fake Corporal Lawrence whom they called Ralph and the other larger human of the group with blonde straw hair and mean little blue eyes. "Oh I'm sorry." Ersha said nervously.
"Leave them, I'll do it." The blonde human grunted as she was about to help with the mess.
"Don't scare the girl Finn, it was an accident." Ralph advised before turning his attention to her. "Have you seen Cal anywhere. I need to have a word with him."
"No I haven't seen him." Ersha noticed Ralph's persona was very calm compared to his gruff intimidating demeanor as Corporal Lawrence. Suddenly, Ralph gave an odd grin, but he didn't seem to be looking at Ersha. She looked around and saw Maggie with the foreign blue-haired Norma emerging from one of the private infirmary rooms.
"You go ahead Finn I'll catch up later." Ralph told his friend as he followed where Maggie turned down a corner. "Don't get to friendly with her, or Cal will clobber you again."
"Dickhead." Finn muttered grimly.
"Huh." Ersha frowned.
"Oh, nothing." He said as Ersha resumed her attempts to help clean up the mess she caused. "It's okay I got it." As he bent over to pick up a few shot gun shells, the locket around his neck dangled loosely, giving Ersha a clear view of the picture inside.
"Brody?" She gasped. Finn's eyes expanded as he clutched his locket and shoved it back down his t-shirt. There was an awkward silence as they collected all the fallen bullets and put them back in their boxes before Finn spoke in a surprisingly quiet voice.
"Did you know her?"
"Yes." Ersha said uneasily. Judging by Finn's glare he wanted to know more details. It had been over three years, but Ersha never forgot a name or face even after their passing. "I didn't know her that long, but she never missed the chance to show her skills against me, Hilda and my friend Naomi on the air hockey table." Finn's face constricted painfully and he swallowed hard.
"It's nice knowing she made friends here." His voice was hoarse with grief. Clearly Brody meant a lot to him, but it was still odd seeing a human open up towards her, a Norma. "Can you show me the way back to the mall? Jasmine wanted this stuff out into the storage room and this place is like a maze without Ralph." Ersha nodded and guided Finn through the corridors that led straight to the main upper hanger.
"Why didn't you use your Mana back there, you could have picked up all those bullets in one go?" She asked, unable to resist.
"I only use Mana when needed. I've got two perfectly working hands after all." Finn answered. "Living with Norma taught us using our Mana for such trivial tasks is hubris and that we should learn to live without it. So we use it for combat and defense only."
"Cal use to say the same thing about his Gramps when he first arrived…but now he barely talks about him."
"What's up with Cal, he seems different somehow." Ersha hesitated and let out a deep sigh.
"Everything's so different. He used to be so innocent and full of life when he first arrived here. Now he's so angry and withdrawn. We've all lost someone we cared about one way or another but it's hard to watch someone you care about lose themselves in the process. I don't know what to think anymore."
"Look er," Finn stumbled.
"It's Ersha."
"Ersha…us humans and Norma back at our place, we watch out for each other. Even when we've lost someone, we never give up hope that things will get better."
"You sound so sure."
"I'm not. But it's all I know." Finn admitted. "Sometimes people need an ass-whipping to get their heads on straight. Cal sure gave me one the first time we met. Guy nearly split my head open." Ersha frowned at him. "Don't get me wrong sometimes it's needed for those who are too stubborn or hurt to see sense." Finally, they came to the main hanger where over at the end they saw a few armorists still repairing a few damaged para-mail, the sight of them made Finn freeze in awe.
"Have you never seen one before?" Ersha asked.
"We don't have many units at our base. And to be honest I've never set foot in one myself. It would be a thrilling experience to fly them, though I doubt my ass will fit inside."
"Well maybe I'll let you borrow my Hauser for a test drive. So long you don't get into any more fights with Cal." She offered.
"I'll keep that in mind." Finn laughed. "Anyways thanks for showing me the way." He waved goodbye and entered the storage area behind the mall, leaving Ersha to reflect on his words. Both he and Hilda were right, they needed to give Cal some hard truths for him to see sense. Because little by little she was slowly losing the man she loved dearly which in turn was having a negative impact on both Salia and Miranda throwing their own lives away to protect him. She just hoped it wasn't too late to bring him back from this path of revenge against Dutch and the other humans that ruined his life.
Although Arzenal's guests were the main talk of topic around Arzenal, even Ange wasn't safe from gossip and constant questioning from Norma that bumped into her. Though some guessed the circumstances of her, Hilda and Cal's true association with Lucas and his crew, some had gotten lost in their bullshit fantasy. Some speculated Ange had visited their secret base or had escaped to join them. But the worse rumor was she had seduced Lucas whom they all thought was another male Norma and those who passed threw her jealous glares.
Alone with Momoka in their quarters away from the annoying gossipers, Ange leaned further back against her pillow. She had deeply missed resting on a soft mattress after having been confined to a cold cell in Misurugi and Arzenal and promised herself to never take the simple things like hot meals, refreshing showers and space to walk around, for granted ever again. Suddenly, her stomach growled and Ange remembered that in all the excitement, she hadn't eaten anything since that morning's stale bread and water.
"Let's go get to the mess hall before it closes." Ange told Momoka who after a week of not being able to share a meal with her mistress for almost a week beamed in ecstasy. "Did the Inspector and Corporal whoever his name is treat you well?" she asked her maid as they made their way down the halls.
"They weren't so bad." said Momoka. "It was almost like doing my old job again. But the worst part was not being by your side lady Angelise." Ange smiled and was about to agree when they passed by the firsts squad's locker room and heard running water along with a cold venomous voice that somehow was both familiar and alien. Ange opened the door cautiously and peeked inside but didn't see anyone in the changing room so she followed the sound of running water to see Cal leaning against the wall with his head under the shower.
"Cal? Cal what are you doing?!" Cal snapped his head up and took in a huge gulp of air as if drowning. Was he sick? He did look rather pale. Or was it the stress of everything that had happened that day?
"Ange, Momoka." Cal gasped. "God, where…where am I?" He sounded normal, but there was no way that was Cal's voice coming from behind the door a few seconds ago.
"Is anyone else here?" Ange asked as she checked the shower stalls and the outside onsen. "We heard another voice."
"Huh?"
"Sir Cal come sit down. You're not well." Momoka pleaded as she helped him onto the locker room bench. Cal was shivering all over, his lip quivering uncontrollably. Yet when Ange felt his forehead, he seemed perfectly normal. It was then Ange noticed that the whites of Cal's eyes were oddly dark at the edges, but she dismissed it as a trick of the light. "Should I get Maggie?"
"No, I'm okay." Cal assured them. "I just needed to clear my head is all." Though the color was now returning to Cal's face, Ange looked at him suspiciously. She had seen this before; as though Cal had been in some sort of short-term trance. Like the time he pinned Momoka against the wall when she refurbished his old room. And Hilda had mentioned to Ange in their shared cell that Cal was in a similar state when the crowd chanted for Ange's death during her execution; almost blowing their cover.
"You've got to get a grip on yourself." said Ange angrily. "You're pushing yourself too hard. Weren't you the one who taught me that being part of a team doesn't mean you need to fight on your own. You've got to let us take some of the load off your back." She braced herself for him to argue but instead he just nodded.
"You're right." Cal agreed. "I guess I just need something to eat and then some sleep."
"I think that would be for the best." Said Momoka and as she rewrapped Cal's head injury in a fresh strip of gauze the locker room door burst open and who should appear but Frenzy.
"Hey gang!" Frenzy said brightly and both Momoka and Ange suppressed the urge to groan. "Am I glad I found you three. I'm a little lost in finding the kitchen and most of the girls I've run into don't seem very friendly."
"Was that before or after you started acting like a pervert towards them?" Ange glared. 'This guy is 10 times worse than Tusk.' She thought. Though most of the older Norma here acted like dogs in heat when it came to Cal, Ange guessed even they had limits when it came to someone like Frenzy. Come to think of it did he find them by accident or was he trying to hopefully peep on any girls that happened to be showering?
"Come on then we're heading there anyways." said Cal as he stood up.
"Ladies first." Frenzy held the door open for Ange and Momoka, winking at them.
"After you then." Ange replied back coldly and Frenzy going blue with fear got the message as he stood aside.
"Hey wait up!" Called Vivian rushing down the hallway towards them. "Let's get some chow, I'm starving! HEY DUDE!" She held up a high-five for Frenzy who froze on the spot, his face slackened as though he had lockjaw. "Okay keep me hanging then killjoy." Vivian groaned, oblivious to the young human's stupefied state. "Come on Big Bro, Ange, they've got jam roly-poly for dessert tonight!" Vivian swept her small arms between Cal and Ange and dragged them off to the cafeteria hall with Momoka and Frenzy on their tail.
The cafeteria hall rang with chattering voices all in high talks over the newly arrived guests. Their presence on Arzenal divided many into attitudes of admiration, wonder, indifference or fear.
"Idiots." Chris muttered darkly, stabbing her food with her fork. "Have they forgotten they've shared the same space with two guys for months already. They're not even that good looking compared to Cal." She had barely touched her food and was looking more rigid and meeker than ever. Like Chris, Rosalie was in a down mood herself albeit for different reasons.
"I'm surprised they're more interested over these new guys showing up rather than our pay having been postponed." The news of this had already gathered a small protest in the bank which the girl behind the glass screen tried to defuse. "Why on earth would the Commander not give us our money…unless." The realization dawned on Rosalie. "You think the rumors are true that those two Norma and their human companions are here to take us away from this place?" The Commander had told them herself that their guests had a secret community where humans and Norma lived together. It reminded Rosalie of the fantasies she used to have when she was a little kid.
"Don't make me laugh." Chris bitterly spat. 'What's up with her lately?' Rosalie thought. For the past week when they weren't training, she and Chris had spent all day and night in Zola's room embedded in each other's arms. But during their time together of passion and lust, Chris had become more aggressive, almost desperate. And Rosalie had noticed that same grim cast in Chris's eyes that was becoming more pronounced every day. The same as Cal's since his return. Truth was she was missing spending time with Cal. Not just his touch but hanging out with her buddy, playing arcades and watching that dumb anime he and Chris liked. Though she hated to admit it, she was also missing Hilda too and so was Chris. 'I know she's still upset about Hilda,' Rosalie thought, 'but Cal's right we have to let go of past grudges; everyone here is counting on us.' Maybe fixing things with Hilda might bring Chris out of this gloom she was in. She was just about to press Chris on the matter when Irma and Tanya suddenly joined them at their table with excited looks.
"We got them Rosalie." Tanya announced, rummaging through her satchel.
"You're kidding let's see 'em." Chris looked up and frowned at the polaroids the two girls brandished in front of them.
"Irma managed to capture a few pics without their notice." Tanya handed Rosalie a dozen pictures of the three new humans and the male Norma twin whom Rosalie was intrigued by the most. He had a tall and lean muscular build which was further emphasized by his tight shirt. But his firm cold face even without the scar would take some time to get used to.
"Does this guy even smile?" Rosalie wondered. "You think there are more Male Norma like him and Cal?
"If we copy more of these they'll sell for millions." Irma said giddily.
"Haven't you already copied a few for yourself?" Tanya commented. Irma flinched as her face flushed bright red.
"It... It's not like that!" she cried. "It's just for drawing purposes…I can't keep using Cal as reference. An artist must explore their horizons."
"You've explored Cal's horizons too much from some of the drawings I've seen!"
"Shut up!" Irma cried as she turned deep maroon and Rosalie had a wonderful, spectacular idea.
"Let's up the risk and explore our horizons before we miss our chance." Irma and Tanya, intrigued, huddled more closely as Rosalie dropped her voice to a whisper. "Let's try and get some more exclusive pics of them…in the showers." Both blushed but Tanya pulled them both in closer.
"We'll have to be careful, unless you have a plan to sneak…"
"You know there's other ways to getting your way with guys without having to spy on them." Rosalie hinted, pointing at her cleavage. "It worked on Cal after all." Just then there came a collective silence over the mess hall and Rosalie turned around to see one of the humans appear from the lower entryway along with Cal, Ange, the maid, and Vivian. He was the same height as Chris but was rather skinny for Rosalie's taste; while his spiky fiery hair and eccentric face reminded her of a monkey running riot in a zoo.
"Shame he's not a little older." Irma frowned. "Who do you think will get to him first? Margret, Mei or Holly? Maybe our three new pilots might have a chance." Rosalie studied the young boy intently as he separated from Cal and the rest and proceeded to the kitchens.
"I think I'll wait a few years on him." said Rosalie. "Who was your type out of the lot, Chris? Chris? Chris?" Realizing Chris had disappeared from her seat, Rosalie looked around and spotted her descending down the stairs to the exit and caught up with her further down the corridor. "Chris, hey wait up, what's the matter?"
"You want to be with one of them instead, don't you?" Chris whirled around, and Rosalie was surprised by the cold glint in her eyes.
"What are you talking about?"
"You want to get with one of those humans back at their secret place don't you!? Just like all the others!? They're not Cal! Did all of you forget that their kind abandoned us when we were just babies!?" Rosalie stood dumbfounded by her best friend's outburst.
"Will you get a grip!" she warned. "What are you so worried about, that I'd leave you for them? I know you're still angry with Hilda but maybe it's time we…"
"Fine side with Hilda, I knew you would!" Chris snapped, her pink eyes behind her bangs full of betrayal. "Guess you've grown tired of me too just like Hilda!"
"Hey, hold on a second Chris." Rosalie reached out but Chris slapped her hand away.
"Just leave me alone Rosalie!" Chris stormed off without even looking back. "Don't bother coming to Zola's room tonight. Go and sleep with Hilda or one of the humans like you clearly want to!"
"Chris…" Rosalie mouthed, too shocked and upset to speak as it was all becoming clear to her why Chris was so worked up. Given up by her parents had always been a sour topic for Chris and now with all these humans showing up along with Hilda abandoning them seemed to open up some old wounds along with the hard truths that instilled in them by Captain Zola.
(Over 4 years ago)
"EEK!" Rosalie squealed feeling someone grope her behind.
"You're still so skinny Rosalie." Captain Zola warned with an intimidating smirk. "You're almost 13 years old and will be growing into womanhood soon. Do I have to keep reminding you to eat more if you want to keep up with the first squad?"
"Captain! I told you I don't like it when you do that!" Rosalie complained. Ersha, Salia and several of her older squad mates frowned at Zola's antics. The oldest of the bunch who sported dark blue hair in a messy bob-cut along with black lipstick stepped forward to confront Zola.
"Will you leave the girl alone Captain." Warned Vice-Captain Ichiko. "You're supposed to set an example for the new recruit joining us today."
"Okay I'll make sure to behave." Zola cooed at her latest bed partner. "But let me check if you've been keeping to your eating and exercise routine."
"Get your greasy paws away from me you pervert!" Ichiko squealed and ran for it as Zola chased her around the hanger trying to grab her butt. Once changed into their pilot suits they waited by the simulators and Rosalie saw with delight a small blue-silver haired girl led by the Commander coming towards them. It was Chris, her best friend since they both could speak. Rosalie was delighted Chris had passed her final exams with top marks out of this year's senior class so she could get into the best squad of Arzenal.
"Welcome to the first squad of death." Zola introduced herself as she leaned into the young girl's personal space, making her nervous and uncomfortable. She gave Chris a forceful shove on her butt towards the other squad mates, a tradition Zola always did with her new recruits. "Get yourself acquainted with everyone because hell is about to begin for you virgin."
"I'm so hungry." Chris said groggily after they had finished training drills for today. Rosalie couldn't blame her. It took over 30 minutes until Chris stopped vomiting after her first simulation. But it was better than wetting yourself. Rosalie still got flak for that fateful day.
"You'll get used to it after a couple of weeks." Rosalie assured her as they both got a table to themselves in the mess hall.
"The Captain wasn't lying, this is hell." Chris complained. "What's her deal anyways? She grabbed my butt and said I was too skinny. She scares me."
"I really don't like captain Zola either." Rosalie agreed, having to put up with Zola's rough massages for five months.
"I really considered joining the armorers or maintenance staff." Chris said meekly. "I only wanted to be a pilot, so I'd be with you and Hilda again all the time like when we were little." Rosalie felt herself smile at that. Five months after graduating senior class and being assigned as a pilot didn't give her a lot of time to hang with her two best friends much as Chris had exams and Hilda was assigned to third squad with her archrival Naomi.
"Thanks Chris." Rosalie got up to Chris' side of the table and hugged her tightly. But the gratitude soon turned to dread and guilt knowing that it could cost Chris her life from the hell that awaited them in the skies. The guilt would not leave her throughout the day, continuing into the night.
"Hey Chris, do you remember your mother?" she asked as they lay back in their beds, hoping it would ease away the dread that still sat in her chest.
"No, it seems my parents turned me in right after I was born." Chris replied, pulling the sheet over her chin. "Some parents huh."
"I don't remember much either." Rosalie admitted recalling a dream of a baby at its mother's breast. "But I have this memory of a nice smell and being held to something soft and warm." It was nice to share these memories with someone as Rosalie had been without a roommate since her last squad mate Kym had died in battle almost four months ago.
"I see…" Chris said quietly, and Rosalie detected a sorrowfulness in her tone. "That sounds nice." Rosalie was about to ask Chris what was wrong when the sudden blare of the alarm made them shoot out of bed. "ATTENTION! TYPE 2 CATEGORY ENCOUNTER! FIRST SQAUDRON PREPARE TO MOVE OUT! I REPEAT, TYPE 2 CATEGORY!" In no time at all they rushed to their lockers to change into their pilot suits. Chris however couldn't stop shaking and was having trouble putting hers on.
"Your first mission, huh, virgin." Zola put her arm around Chris' shoulder, her reassuring touch seemingly eased Chris. "Don't die okay. If you come back, then it's the first step to being one of us and the great rewards that come with it."
"Okay." Chris gulped. Thankfully, the Category 2 attack was dealt with without incident. Chris had managed to score her first kill but a close call by a Schooner would have ripped her to pieces if Zola hadn't shot it down.
"Chris I'm so sorry I should have seen it." Rosalie whispered, doing her best to tried to sooth Chris who in addition to being covered in DRAGON blood had also wet herself. "Come on let's get you washed."
"No…no…I can't do this..." Chris trembled. "Fighting monsters that big and terrible…I just…I want my Mama…"
"Chris!" Zola scolded. "That's enough!"
"I'm sorry." She wept. "I just…I can't stop…shaking."
"Your family isn't coming!" Zola grabbed Chris' shoulders firmly and looked into her eyes. "No one is coming to save you, or any of us. We can only look out for each other and keep fighting against those monsters out there. Do you understand?" Chris didn't answer but continued to cry and Zola pulled her chin up to meet her gaze. "You've got to be hard now Chris. You too Rosalie. Humans only see us as collateral. Nothing more. So don't waste any tears on those humans who abandoned us to this place. They aren't your family. WE are your family now."
"Yes Captain." Chris wiped her eyes and managed a small smile.
"That's my good girl. You fought hard so come on. I'll let you wash my back for doing such a good job on your first Sortie. Care to join in, Rosalie?" Zola offered and when she stripped down, they both winced at Zola's exposed back that was riddled with thick long scars that she bore from the former sadistic Inspector, Jadis.
Rosalie, Chris, Hilda and many others when they were in preschool looked up to Zola like a heavenly older sister. She was beautiful, strong and an inspiration to her recruits and the kids. But after bearing the brunt of Jadis' cruelty and losing her eye, Zola had turned into a former shell of herself and the woman before them was abrasive, cold natured and broken inside. But at times like these she would show a glimpse of her former self when looking out for her girls.
(Present)
"Get your fingers out the cookie dough!" Everyone in the cafeteria heard head chef Jannette bark within the kitchens. "Your hands are filthy you animal!"
"Hey, I'm just doing my job lady. The old witch doctor looking granny wanted all this equipment and food taken to her mall. I was just testing this stuff out for poison."
"Frenzy!" Cal raised his voice to a firm boom so that even those in the kitchens could hear him. "Don't make me come in there or I'll throw you over the balcony!" Frenzy's now nervous face appeared through the hot plate gap and saluted in response. "Jannette, me and the other humans are giving you and your staff special permission to whack him with your rolling pin if he doesn't behave. Now Frenzy, do your job!" The other Norma around the cafeteria began muttering to one another in amazement. It was an odd scene having a Norma give a human orders.
"Ersha wasn't kidding you're really taking your role as Captain seriously." Ange smirked. "You were just as annoying as that pervert in there when I first met you."
"Yeah well, I haven't got time to be carefree anymore." Cal responded.
"Frenzy does almost reflect how you use to be Sir Cal, though not as perverted." Momoka teased.
"Heesh nod a pahvard." Said Vivian through a mouthful of Jam rolly-poly and custard, her gaze fixed on Frenzy's red spiky hair whizzing around the kitchens. "He's kinda boring. Even the Corporal wasn't that quiet." 'Wonder how long until she'll figure out why he's being so quiet in front of her?' Cal thought. Although he was feeling better with a full stomach and with the company of Ange, Vivian and Momoka; the truth was Cal was feeling extremely guilty for not been truthful with Ange back in the locker room. The moment he felt that blast of cold within his own skin he knew Blackadder was close, but he could not remember much after that. There seemed to be a blank period of time that had passed when he finally came back to reality because he didn't recall walking into the locker room. 'Just what the hell kind of power does Blackadder possess?' Cal wondered. No doubt it was all Embryo's doing in creating a purified clone of Cal but that didn't explain how his clone was using this unknown ability to penetrate into Cal's mind. He had wanted to tell Ange all of this back in the locker room, but he had sworn to Jill, Jacob and Jasmine he'd keep the matter under wraps until Jacob and his people could dig up some more info.
'When the time comes, when I should appear to you in person again, when you finally see the truth kept at Arzenal and all the Commander's lies are out in the open; I want you and your friends to join me.'
Blackadder's message never left Cal and feeling his presence twice today put Cal on high alert. The last thing he wanted was for Blackadder to realize his close relationships with his squad mates and use them as bargaining tools against Cal.
'The Commander's lies will be exposed.' Cal recalled. No, it was just a way to poison his loyalty to Arzenal. But a part of him knew that was a lie. After all, Jill hadn't told him and Salia the truth about Villkiss's power. Cal finally made his mind up and decided that despite how angry he was at her recklessness, he should talk things out with Salia. He owed her that much after snapping at her.
"I'll see you later." Said Cal as he stood up. "There's something I…" however he stopped mid-sentence when he spotted Lucas standing at the cafeteria exit and beckoning Cal to come over. Ange saw Lucas too and spoke up before Cal could leave.
"Cal wait there's something I need to talk to you about."
"It'll have to wait Ange."
"It's urgent."
"Not as urgent as this." As he began approaching Lucas, Ange chucked her spoon at the back of Cal's head.
"ASS!" she muttered, just loud enough for everyone on their level of the mess hall to hear her.
"Guess our pilot of Villkiss is still a brat." Lucas commented once Cal clambered over to him.
"This better be worth my time." Cal warned.
"The Commander wants you to help me set up defenses inside the base."
"Why?" Cal asked. "We'll be leaving this place for good in just 24 hours." If he weren't mistaken, he swore he spotted an unsettling glint in Lucas' eyes.
"I found a room away from prying ears. Come with me." It was rather startling to see him this agitated. Though Lucas has never been one would describe as "easy going," the manner was less his usual antagonism and more like a genuine emergency. On their way out, they passed by Frenzy and two chefs pushing two layered trolleys containing food and other kitchen supplies as Jannette brandished her rolling pin threateningly at Frenzy. Minutes later, Lucas took Cal to one of the empty classrooms where he'd spread out several blueprints of Arzenal's interior across the tables.
"What's going on?" Cal asked. Lucas took one final glance out the door to insure no one would barge in before closing it firmly.
"It's not good news. Not too long after we got you back here, Tusk was sent back to Misurugi to run reconnaissance on Ange's brother. And from what he's recently discovered, the royal brat along with the other world leaders and Embryo are planning to destroy the world."
(Minutes ago)
Sitting at his desk in the luxuriant private office that once belonged to his traitorous father, Holy Emperor Julio waited in anticipation for his invitation to a place called the Garden of Eden. A private virtual chat room reserved for the rulers of humanity; the Garden of Eden was used to discuss vital world issues. And the sudden DRAGON attack on Arzenal and the events that took place, had forced them to come together. Though he had been instructed to be alone, Julio kept his loyal confidant and lover Riza at his side.
Finally, he received the activation invite on his Mana screen and as soon as he pressed the accept icon, the scenery around him had changed as though he had been teleported to another world. Gone was his office as he found himself on a cliff overlooking the sea. A cluster of small islands floated peacefully in the sky with their many waterfalls flowing down into the crystal blue water that stretched out as far as the eye could see while in the distance, towering white mountains stood so tall they broke through the cloud line.
Julio gazed around in fascination and saw he was under a large white pagoda that had been built over a large round marble table. Riza was nowhere in sight, but the other five world leaders had already taken their seats. Without so much as a greeting or pause, the rulers of mankind got straight to business and studied the Mana images in the center of the table, their main focus on the red para-mail that led the attack on Arzenal.
"This is dire. The DRAGONS have managed to stage their own attack." Said the Galian Emperor, a greying gruff man in a fancy brown uniform.
"How were they able to build their own Para-mail?" Fretted the King of Rosenblum, a snobby looking blonde elder man dressed in a white royal suit with purple and gold trimmings. "Duplicating the Ragna-mails' discord phasers. This only spells more trouble for our world."
"It's the Misurugi family's responsibility to manage the singulars." The Queen of the Velda Dynasty reminded them, an olive-skinned woman dressed in the finest robes dotted with gleaming gems to further enhance her beauty. "Emperor Julio, you owe us an explanation." All of them glared at Julio but he gazed back with equal disdain. He wasn't going to let these upstart relics intimidate him, knowing how little they thought of him due to his age and shame brought on his family thanks to Angelise and the terrorists.
"I assure you, I along with a team of my finest investigators have seen to the matter thoroughly and we have discovered no evidence that the Dawn Pillar had been activated."
"Preposterous!" Barked the General Secretary of the Marmeria Republic, a short stubby man who compensated for his size with his voice "There's no other way a singular could have opened. Not so long as we still have Aura!"
"We have more pressing matters than pointing fingers," the Rosenblum King interrupted. "Now, I propose we send aid to the Norma and rebuild Arzenal immediately before the DRAGONs launch another attack."
"Out of the question." The Galian Emperor insisted, opening up a new stream of images that displayed two of Arzenal's units engaging the red enemy. The first was a white Para-mail and the second a lean dark blue armored model with red glowing stripes, the likes of which the others didn't recognize as one of the four-unit types Arzenal used. Just like the enemy red unit, the white one was coated in the same gold light and firing Discord Phasers of its own. Julio studied the white machine specifically more carefully, recognizing it from his father's files and traced his fingers across the purple eye patch encrusted with the gold Phoenix of Misurugi that covered his damaged left eye. He already knew with the greatest of loathing who was piloting it.
"No. Could it be…" the Endurant President gasped, a slim man dressed in a light blue suit. "Villkiss?" There came a collective gasp of shock from the six world leaders who all seemed to lose their composure.
"No…I was certain that it was destroyed in the uprising over 10 years ago," the Rosenblum King whispered.
"Your family is responsible for maintaining Arzenal's security!" The Marmerian General Secretary yelled as he angrily pointed at the elder man. "How did you not notice this?!"
"Senator Bronson's daughter has never mentioned anything like this in her reports!" The King argued. "And neither has Corporal Lawrence. Myself and the Senator had personally chosen him to investigate Arzenal's activity after the Male Norma started piloting that unknown unit that took out the unidentified crimson DRAGON that almost cost the Inspector's life."
"Just what is that blue unit?" the Galian Emperor wondered flicking back to its image. "Those red stripes. It's shape. It looks oddly familiar."
"The Ancient Folks' Ragna-mail copy!" The Queen realized going ghostly white as did the others. "Then that means…"
"The Norma are planning another rebellion!" The Galian Emperor growled as he glared at the Rosenblum King. "Your people are so incompetent! They couldn't recognize Villkiss as well as that disgusting copy those heathen apes created! No wonder your daughter was kidnapped so easily! For all we know she may even be a sympathizer herself like the terrorists! After all wasn't your wife's twin a Norma?"
"How dare you!" the King snapped. "I won't stand by while you smear my daughter or my family's name!"
"Gentlemen please be civil." Emperor Julio requested, finding their bickering grating.
"Silence boy!" the King answered. "May I remind you it was your sister who kidnapped my daughter!"
"That creature," Julio coldly replied as he pointed at his eye patch, "is not and never was my sister. Is this not proof enough?"
"Save your excuses!" the Marmerian Secretary snapped. "We've had enough of your family and their lies. They should have followed protocol and came clean of their secret after what happened with Princess Alektra!"
"Shut your mouth!" The Galian Emperor yelled with bared teeth. "Never mention that…thing's name in my presence!"
"Enough!" the Velda Queen interrupted. "For now, we must draw up a strategy to protect our world and ensure its survival." It was then that the Endurant President finally spoke up.
"If the Norma can no longer fight, then perhaps it's time we humans take up arms for ourselves against the DRAGONs." Nobody answered. Clearly the president had a point but without the Norma to rely on the prospect of dealing with the enemy on their own was an overwhelming prospect. It was then that there was a quick snap of a book being closed as someone behind an apple tree mere feet away from the pagoda stood up slowly.
"You're all hopeless." Announced a smooth, fluent voice that exuded a great air of refinement, but was intimidating enough to install upmost silence into all present as the true ruler of the world emerged to join them. Master Embryo rarely got involved with the world's affairs, but with him here it only heightened the gravity of the situation that transpired at Arzenal. "The way I see it, we have two options," Embryo said as he held up a finger, "one, we surrender and return Aura to the DRAGONs."
"But…but that would sacrifice this world's only prosperity!" The Secretary General argued. "Our world will come to complete destruction." Embryo held up a second finger.
"Two, we make peace with the Norma, the surviving Ancient Folk, and the renegade humans and unite to defeat the DRAGONs."
"Impossible, they will never join us." The queen noted.
"Well, there is a third option." Embryo held up a third finger. "We reconstruct this world." Every eye across the marble table widened, their faces stunned and startled by this prospect as a tiny bright blue songbird fluttered onto Embryo's hand. "It's something I've been considering for decades. Think of it as a sort of reset." He clicked his fingers and the tiny bird changed from blue to green without harm. "We stamp out the vermin, purify the soil, and reseed the land, to fix the glitches in this world's system for good."
"Starting over at the beginning." Julio pondered. "But is something like that even possible?"
"Why indeed young Emperor, but we'll need to collect a few things. First, we'll need all seven Ragna-mail, including two of my newly constructed versions to complete the process. Along with seven Norma to pilot them. I've already compiled a list of potential candidates."
"Excellent!" Julio cried, jumping to his feet. "Then let us begin immediately! This world was full of flaws to begin with, but after the reconstruction is complete then we won't have any more need for the Norma to fight for us!"
"Now just hold on a minute!" The King of Rosenblum protested. "Let's think about the consequences here. We can't just throw away our entire existence. And what will we do with the Norma resigned to Arzenal?"
"That's simple." Said Julio. "They can still be some use to us in order to help us defeat the DRAGONs. We shift them all to the Galia labor camp to build us weapons and more Para-mail for our military. We train our soldiers to fight like the Norma to take on our common enemy in the hopes of eliminating the terrorists and the DRAGONs once and for all. However, if any of you have any better ideas, I'm all ears." The others didn't answer, and Julio knew he had won. If all went well, he'd finally be able to wipe away his family's shame and the other world leaders wouldn't have the authority to intervene. "Please Master Embryo, allow me to gather everything you need."
"In that case, allow me to grant you the tools needed for this task." Embryo stepped forward and placed an access key in Julio's palm.
"Thank you Master Embryo. You shall have everything you need in 72 hours. I'll use the time to prepare everything to extract all the Norma and the chosen Ragna-mail pilots from Arzenal…UNHARMED."
"My loyal assistant Blackadder will contact you shortly with more information." Embryo added to Julio's confusion. He had never heard of the man.
"I thought Dutch Villson was…"
"Villson has other important duties to deal with. You deal with bringing all the Norma to the camp alive and collect the Ragna-mail pilots. Villson in the meantime will take care of the last of the terrorists around the world." Julio bowed his head and once he raised it back up, he found himself back in his office with Riza still standing by his side.
"Come Riza." He ordered. "We have work to do." As he made his way around the palace he passed by Sylvia's room, still unconscious. The doctors couldn't explain her sudden unexplained collapse, but Julio knew it was due to shock and crippling anxiety. 'Just you wait Angelise,' he vowed, 'I'll make you pay for what you've done to us both.'
Several miles from the palace, within the shelter of the underground waterway, Tusk listened in on Julio's meeting over the bug he had planted under Julio's desk. Even with the Sanctuary's gear, Tusk wasn't able to hear what the other leaders were saying as Embryo's Mana was too advanced to hack through. But he was able to get the gist from Julio's words.
"Destroying the world and rebuilding it from scratch huh?" Tusk murmured. "And those at Arzenal will be enslaved to build Para-mail for humans." Not If he had anything to say about it. Gathering his equipment and storing it into his skyhook, Tusk dashed out the underground exit and flew into the cover of the forest, setting his routes to the highest vantage point to get a signal to contact the Sanctuary, the Tripartite Pack, and Arzenal.
An hour had passed by and the last of the orange in the sky had faded to the dark of night. In that time Lucas and Cal made some great progress on the base's defenses. Many of its passages and hallways had been labeled or circled with red markers to indicate where to place traps for Julio and his army. Lucas informed Cal of every detail Tusk was able to make out which left Cal visibly infuriated but eager to strike back at their enemy. Lucia had joined them minutes later after she and the others had received the details from Jill.
"It's a good thing Julio doesn't plan on invading this place for another two days." Lucia smirked. "By the time he arrives, we'll be long gone."
"So long as we take out as many of his men and the NMB soldiers as possible the better." Cal mused as he marked down a hallway exit to plant a trip wire. "The real problem is Dutch and what he does." Tusk wasn't able to decrypt what Julio and Embryo had mentioned regarding Dutch but there was no doubt in Cal's mind the bastard was coming for him.
"If we draw the bastard out then we can corner him alone." Suggested Lucas thinking along the same lines.
"But how will we do that?" Questioned Lucia.
"Bait." Answered Lucas.
"Bait…but…" Figuring it out, Lucia looked to Cal apprehensively.
"Dutch is after only one thing and that's me." Cal told her. "Once everyone here is safe onboard the Aurora, I'll stay behind to get him on his own so I can fight him one on one." Cal showed the section of Arzenal's lower levels. "The NMB know nothing of this passageway that leads to the southwest cave entrance you came through. I can lead Dutch in there and then trap him inside by blowing the passage. After I deal with him, I can then make my escape on Siegfried."
"The hell you will." Lucas said rather bluntly. "You're the pilot of Siegfried now, so leave Dutch to me. You'll be down in Aurora with everyone else. Or is your revenge more important than your duty?"
"I could say the same thing about you." Cal snarked back.
"Watch your mouth." Lucas growled, his eyes flaring.
"You two better reign it in or I'll slap the both of you." Lucia warned, having enough of them arguing all the time.
"You may be able to bullshit the Commander, but you can't pull your crap with me Lucas." Cal continued. "Your crew may have wanted to come with you to rebuild bridges with Arzenal but I know you had other ideas. You wanted to stay close to me so you'd get your chance to kill Dutch because I'm the one he's after. I don't have time to both look after you and deal with Dutch so stay out of my way if you don't want to die."
"That's enough! Cool it both of you!" Lucia ordered. "Cal, look, I know this is personal for you but you can't take that monster on your own."
"Do me a favor and stay out of my way. It'll only get you and those you care about killed." Cal growled at Lucas.
"Oh you think your better than us? Do you think the Commander chose you as the pilot of Siegfried because you're such a great pilot?!" Lucas snapped.
"What are you saying?" Cal scoffed, his hands clenched and shaking.
"Jasmine told us all about it. You almost threw yourself off the cliffs because you lost your girlfriend. What was her name? Naomi right? The Commander only chose you to keep you alive. If you were so special then why didn't she give it to you way before the category 5? Maybe then Naomi wouldn't have died." That was it. In a blur, Cal shoved Lucia aside and grabbed Lucas's tunic, slamming him hard against the wall. "Go ahead." Lucas dared. "Hit me if you want. It won't change anything."
"Lucas shut up!" Lucia cried as she grabbed on to Cal's arm to hold him back. "Cal for God's sake!"
"Don't you ever mention Naomi or anyone else I've lost! Not now, not ever!" Cal roared. "Don't you think I already know that I'm a freak? A glitch in the world's system that never should have been born! I'm nothing without Siegfried! It makes me a better soldier! You just want it for yourself!" The words came tumbling out of Cal's mouth, all his deepest fears and insecurities spilling out to the surface.
"And if you really believe that, then all the more reason you shouldn't pilot it." Lucas said dismissively. With a growl of rage and disgust, Cal threw him aside and onto the floor.
"Screw the both of you!" Cal spat as Lucia tended to her brother. "Next time you two to get involved with my life, don't bother!" Storming out, Cal slammed the door behind him as he raged down the empty hallways. 'What do they know about all the bloodshed I've fought through to get to this point?' Cal fumed. 'What the hell do they know? They spent ten years hiding away while we Norma were left to the mercy of the humans and DRAGONs.' But deep inside, a part of Cal knew what Lucas had said was true. Was he truly the right pilot for Siegfried? He didn't feel it knowing that he failed to save so many Norma today. 'It was Ange who turned the tables in the battle not me. We would have all died if that red unit used its weapon again. And I was powerless to stop it.'
None of this was getting him anywhere and Cal decided to resume gathering medical supplies for Aurora to take his mind off things. He opened the door to the infirmary inventory and was one step inside when he experienced a lurching pain in his chest as if a snake was coiled tightly around his heart. He did not know where he was, whether he was standing or laying down, or even who he was. Maniacal laughter was ringing in his ears as though he was happier than he had been in a very long time. He felt jubilant, ecstatic, triumphant…a wonderful, wonderful thing had happened…
"Cal? CAL!"
Something hit him across the face and the shock of it snapped him back to reality. Bit by bit the maniacal laughter died away and he realized it was coming out of his own mouth. Slowly, his vision cleared and he found himself lying on the floor. His heart and body both throbbed and Ange was bending over him, her ruby eyes filled with worry.
"What's wrong with you?"
"I …don't know…" Cal gasped as he sat up. "He's happy …really happy…"
"Who's happy?" Ange demanded, looking deeply disturbed and worried. "Cal you're not well."
"No you don't under…" Cal didn't even finish his explanation before Ange yanked him by the collar of his tunic and pointed a threatening finger in his face.
"Listen dumbass!" She warned. "Now you either tell me what's wrong or I'm going straight to Maggie. Or better yet, I'll knock you out and drag you to her myself by your junk." Cal considered for a moment. It was becoming too overwhelming to bear this secret himself and Ange was here with him, practically begging for the truth because she cared.
"Okay." Cal sighed, willing himself to tell her everything. Ange had saved his life as well as everyone on Arzenal. He owed her that much. For the next ten minutes, he told her everything that had happened in Trager's mansion and the discovery of his clone's file, the strange visions he had experienced of Subject Beta he had mistaken for dreams, that Blackadder had been stalking him for months through his mind and now recently being able to feel in his very skin and soul whenever Blackadder felt a particularly strong emotion. When he finished Cal expected her to think he was insane, but Ange simply leaned back and nodded.
"Who else knows about this?" Ange asked.
"The Commander, Jasmine, Maggie and Captain Jacob." Cal was shaking all over as badly as he had in the locker room and he felt very sick. "But you're the first I've told in our squad. Not even Hilda knows about this. Just my Gramp's story and past. They have no idea that Trager and his boss planned to keep me alive for God knows what. Their announcement to their staff about euthanizing me was all a lie to cover up their true plans."
"Your clone was the one piloting that black unit that looked almost identical to Villkiss." Ange realized. "So you and him have some kind of mental connection because you share DNA and all of the experiments they did on him?"
"It's the only conclusion I can think of. And I fear that whatever they did to him they would have done to me if Gramps hadn't busted me out."
"What did you see just now? You were laughing like a…well…HE was laughing like a lunatic."
"Something good has happened to him." Mumbled Cal. "Something he's been hoping for."
"You've got to tell someone who can help you with this." Ange advised. "If this…Blackadder is invading your mind then you need to find a way to block him out. Maybe the humans might know what to do."
"I don't think so Ange." Cal sighed. "All the information and answers that could have given me in those two files was lost when I fought Dutch in the Endurant forest."
"Well, I'm glad you told me Cal. Dealing with something like this alone is enough to break anyone. Just promise me you'll let Lucas and his crew know, because we need you. I need you. And Miranda needs you most of all."
"I know. I feel bad for being so tough on her after all she's been through lately. I'll be sure to have a talk with her by tomorrow."
"Good, just make sure you're still standing by the end of it." Ange told him. Cal nodded and smiled at Ange as she helped him to his feet.
"I told you all I'm still here. And I never break my promise." Ange gave him a quick hug before going on her way and Cal knew she was right. The first step to overcoming this was to get some help from his friends and allies. Miranda herself was struggling and he wasn't going to let her down now. But one thing still bothered him. What had happened to make Blackadder the happiest he had ever been in his life?
"You've done well my sweet Julio." Riza purred, her naked form swimming in the light of the moon that shone through Julio's darkened quarters. "We finally have everything we need to make us happy." She was so close to getting everything she wanted. All that was needed was to persuade her pet a little more by giving him the best night of his life.
"It's all thanks to you." Julio smiled dreamily up at her as she guided his hands to her breast. "Now I have another chance to get rid of my wretched sister. She'll finally be out of our lives in just two days." Riza leaned down as her wings expanded to full length.
"Two days is far too long. Why wait when we can be rid of her by tomorrow?"
"Your right!" Julio beamed. "With the garrison in my control, she'll be powerless against us."
"Not just your sister." Riza purred as a drop of purple liquid trickled from her finger and into Julio's mouth. "But all the Norma too. The Ragna-mail pilots and especially the male Norma. They all need to be exterminated." Julio moaned as Riza took charge. "I'm sure your master will forgive you if you stage our attack as a means of self-defense. After all, the Norma are barbaric savages who would rather die than come quietly."
"As you say my love." Julio's eyes turned purple, drugged from both in lust and her pheromone venom and Riza grinned in triumph. "All those disgusting Norma will be wiped off the face of this earth by tomorrow afternoon." With her plan secured, Riza kissed him, her tongue dominating over his as he allowed her to have her way with him. The plan was coming together like Dutch had promised. Once the Norma were destroyed and Julio was eliminated for disobeying Embryo's orders, it would only leave Dutch. And if he kept his promise and allowed her to be his right-hand woman then it would make it all the easier to deal with him the same way she dealt with Julio. And then her people would make their final move and take back what was stolen.
'Don't worry holy mother, we'll save you from the clutches of this world's false god.' She promised as she embraced the night with Julio. Momentarily gazing out of the window, Riza's mind wandered to where Dutch was and what he was planning now that he had her pills. She could only hope he was as drunk for power as she hoped he was. If so, then the pills would finish him off for her.
But known to the DRAGON and her pet, a pair of sky-blue slit pupil eyes were watching them from the deepest darkest corners of the night.
Through the pitch black dark out in the middle of nowhere, a single flashlight shone through a forest clearing. The brush was too narrow and thick to pass through by car, forcing Dutch to continue his journey by foot. Although it had been over three decades, Dutch knew these woods like the back of his hand and would get to his destination in less than two hours tops. Up ahead, the flashlight blazed upon the sign, 'ROCKINGHAM.' And in the distance, he could almost hear the echoing laughter of him and Donnie running through the forest they loved so dearly.
"This way Dutch, I found something amazing." Donnie's voice called out as Dutch hurried after his little brother.
'If this is the only trail I've got, then I will find what you left behind.' Dutch vowed as he disappeared further into the wilderness. "I will find the truth behind Subject Alpha and Beta's creation."
TO BE CONTINUED…
