CHAPTER 19
SIEGFRIED'S RETURN
As the sun began to rise and turn the sky a blood red, a single Mana transport flew across the oceans like a metal hawk. Inside, both rows of seats were filled with soldiers dressed in black tactical gear with the white initials of the Norma Management Board printed on their flak jackets. Amongst them was a blonde man, noticeably younger than his comrades, staring at a picture of his family taken weeks before his father's death. Jeffry had just graduated the Academy and his father stood tall and proud next to him while over on the sofa, his mother sat with his little sister in her lap. The young girl of 8 had long blonde hair like her mother's that was curled at the bottom and was smiling happily. One of the last times Jeffry saw her smile since father passed.
'Don't worry little sis,' he promised. 'I'll make it through this. I won't die and leave you and mother alone.' At the entrance to the cockpit, Commander Dutch pulled up his Mana screen to check the positions of second squad.
"Lieutenant Jadis what's the status of team BRAVO and CHARLIE?" He asked. The tall silver haired muscular woman appeared in the corner of Dutch's Mana screen as she removed her diving mask. Both her and her squad were dressed in black scuba diving gear.
"We've currently breached the underwater system." Jadis informed. "Once team CHARLIE finds the mine entrance, we'll prepare to breach."
"Excellent, I'll contact you once we've roped down and entered the pump system. They won't know what hit them getting ambushed from 3 sides at once." Dutch cut the screen off and looked up to address his men. "Alright everyone listen up!" he announced, calling everyone's attention. "Once we infiltrate the enemy base, I want you all to show them no mercy. Use stun grenades if the enemy use their Mana to form a strong shield wall. If you come across any Norma, don't hesitate to put them down. Our entire world is at stake here. If we fail then more of these traitors will emerge to help the Norma which will put our homes, families, and our very way of life at risk!" The threat of Norma being allowed to roam free motivated his team even more as the Mana transport slowed to a halt. As it hovered in mid-air, the hanger doors opened as rappel robes were dropped down onto the wet sand from which a large sewage pipe emerged from the rocky overhang. One by one the soldiers grabbed their gear and descended the rappel lines though Dutch noticed Jeffry looked somewhat nervous. "Just remember your training and be smart about your situation." Dutch reassured his protégé.
"Yes sir. I'll make it through this. Not just for my sake but my family's." Jeffry vowed. "Without father here, I'm the one who needs to protect them, not just from the Norma but these filthy traitors to mankind!"
"Then make your father proud." Dutch said as the youth hurried down his line with Dutch following after.
For not the first time since the Category 5, Emma woke up feeling uneasy and on edge. Following a shower and change into her uniform, she looked around her quarters which had recently been prepared following the attack. Being in familiar surroundings helped put her mind at ease and she was thankful that for a Norma, Zhao Mei had a work ethic second to none. Not to mention a more respectful attitude that most of the other residents. The young armourist hadn't even questioned Emma when she ordered her not to touch the closet in the back of her bedroom, the one full of Perolina plushies and posters. Emma was just about to order breakfast from the mess hall when the ping of an incoming Mana call made her jump though she forced herself to calm down when she saw it was her father.
"Hello Emma, have you been sleeping well?" he asked.
"Yes Papa, I've been sleeping a lot better since my private quarters have been repaired." She replied.
"Have you made a decision on keeping your position or do you wish to leave?" Mr Bronson asked. "There's no shame in coming back home after what happened." Emma pursed her lips. Being Inspector of Arzenal was an important responsibility and Papa had pulled a lot of strings to get her stationed here. But if she stayed Emma knew that next time a DRAGON attack reached Arzenal she wouldn't be so lucky.
"I don't know Papa," she said. "I don't feel safe anymore, but I can't just give up."
"Well, I had a talk with the NMB," he told her, "and they said you'll have until tomorrow to give your decision. The NMB have a strict deadline so be absolutely sure or they'll decide for you."
"I understand Papa. I'll let you know by then." Ending the call, she leaned back and checked her calendar. Today was the 16th birthday of Princess Angelise of Misurugi, meaning she would be baptized at the Dawn Pillar. Emma did find it odd that the middle daughter of the Imperial family would be situated into government instead of her elder brother but she had other concerns. She could not just shut herself in her quarters anymore and perhaps a day of attending to her duties would help her make up her mind.
Taking a deep breath, Emma opened her front doors and walked along the pathway. She looked across the long stretch of fields and saw a group of Norma in the midst of their morning run. In the very lead was Zola and Cal, running at a speed that looked like they were competing for first place while everyone else tried desperately to keep up. 'Even he's pushing himself hard,' Emma though with no small annoyance. 'Do I really want to be shown up by that pervert of a male Norma?'
After finishing morning training, the first squad sat down to a light breakfast of canned fruit and porridge. Zola, Hilda, Chris, and Rosalie sat on the opposite end of Cal, Salia, Ersha and Vivian. The bags under his eyes had gone and his face was full of color as if he finally had gotten a decent night's sleep. "Good to see you're eating up." Zola laughed seeing his mouth covered in porridge. "You did well today. It's been a while since someone's given me a run for my money."
"Will you slow down! I swear your worse than Vivian." Ersha tittered wiping his mouth with a hankie.
"What…its tastier…today" Cal said through a mouth full then swallowing it whole. "Besides, I need the energy. I'm going to start training harder so I can push past my limits."
"That's good to hear." Zola smiled. "At least you're not letting what happened drag you down. Plus it sets a good example for the newbie." She pointed at a nearby table where Miranda was sitting with the rookie armorers Mary, Nonna and Marika.
"Is it true about your money troubles?" Chris asked. "I heard your debts are higher than anyone has had in 4 years." Cal went blue at the thought.
"You're telling me, it's gonna take me weeks to get out of it." Cal chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. "But hey at least I'm not out of action."
"Which will give me an excuse to save your ass again. You still owe me." Hilda smirked.
"Point taken, just not something too extreme." Cal begged.
"What do you have in mind?" Zola grinned evilly as she nudged Hilda. "Maybe I could join in." Cal and Hilda both coughed and gagged as they turned red in embarrassment.
"I'd rather kiss a toilet seat than kiss him." Hilda fired.
"I doubt I could even get past first base since her breath stinks." Cal joked. Vivian nearly fell out of her seat with laughter as Hilda grabbed her tray and readied to slam him over the head but managed to contain herself.
"You're in for it during sparring." She warned, her face redder than her hair.
"Aw c'mon it's not that bad Hilda." Rosalie admitted.
"Yeah, it's just…different." Chris added with a blush. "Really different!" Cal grinned with a perverted expression as Salia pouted and pinched his arm, making him wince. Zola saw this along with the hickeys on both their necks and smiled maliciously.
"Well you're the last one to the race since Salia's beaten you to it." Zola announced.
"Captain!" Salia hissed mortified.
"Not in front of Vivian." Ersha sighed pointing at the bubbly younger Norma.
"What's going on?" Vivian innocently asked. "Are you all planning a slumber party?"
After sparring they changed into their pilot suits for simulator training though Cal groaned while trying to change, his crotch throbbing as Hilda smiled in triumph. At the back of his locker was the black bracelet with the red gem which he snapped onto his wrist. When asked about it, Cal had simply told his squad mates it was a gift he had gotten from Naomi the night before she died and that flying with it helped him cope. They seemed to believe it and while he hated lying to them, he also knew it was safer for both himself and them than knowing the truth.
"Hey Big Bro!" Vivian suddenly sang. "I hear we're getting another rookie today."
"That's the rumour," Cal admitted. 'And I hope it's who I think it is,' he mused. As they arrived at the hanger, who should be waiting for them but Commander Jill. Behind her, to Cal's joy, Coco stood with a nervous expression. Miranda beamed seeing her best friend while Coco tried to make herself look professional and ready for action by standing up straight and putting her hands behind her back.
"Salute the Commander!" Zola barked. Commander Jill returned the gesture and beckoned to the girl behind her.
"She's all yours Zola. I'll leave her in your hands." Jill took her leave and once introductions were made, Cal came forward and patted Coco on the head.
"I knew you would make it." He praised.
"Welcome to the first squad!" Vivian cheered clapping Coco on the back
"It's all thanks to you Cal-senpai." Coco beamed. "You said if I worked hard enough, I would make it." Forgetting her professional manner, she hugged Cal around the waist.
"Alright enough with the fairy tale crap we have work to do." Zola interrupted. "Ersha, take the rookie to the locker-room and get her into a plug suit. Cal, Commander Jill has some kind of special training she wants you to undergo. Salia has the program. Everyone else, meet up with the other squads. Let's see if we can pull off a decent formation this time." Setting up the furthest simulator in the row, Salia felt more than a passing nervousness. It had taken Mei quite a while to load up all of Cal's data into Siegfried and his suit's plenum chamber, now it was time for the real thing. 'I hope Cal manages to use Siegfried well, just like Jill's knight did.' Those stories she had been told as a kid were like something out of an epic legend.
"Mei had your M4 Rifle and dual blades equipped to Siegfried," she informed him. "She also added something special. For now though, I want to start with the basics since the controls are handled a little differently."
"Then let's get started." Cal said pumped his fist into his hand. "We've got a lot of work to do if we're going to pull it off." Salia smiled by his determination but sensed something was bothering him.
"Don't push yourself too hard," she advised him. "Just take it one step at a time."
"I know," Cal interrupted. "But I meant what I said. I don't want anyone else to die on my watch. And I want to fight for everyone's freedom so that what happened to Gramps or Naomi won't happen to anyone again."
"Cal," Salia said as Ersha appeared with Coco dressed in the standard grey and pale blue pilot suit.
"Looking sharp!" Vivian praised though Coco looked very uncomfortable in the garment.
"I'll never understand why your suits are that revealing," Cal cringed. "I mean, I don't mind with you and the others but a 12-year-old it's a bit too much."
"She'll get used to it," Salia sighed. "It's mostly to save cash by only using the bare minimum of materials. Though," and Salia paused as she giggled, "I remember how much you hated your first green one when you first arrived."
"I was glad to be rid of it." Cal scoffed.
"Why? What were you so sensitive about?" Salia pressed
"Maybe how those shorts sewn into it kept riding up the crack of my ass," Cal admitted. Salia was about to comment when the deafening scream of Arzanel's alarm echoed across the base.
"Attention, everyone all squads to launch hanger immediately." Jill's voice came from down the intercom. "This is a code red! Category 4 encounter confirmed! And it looks like that red bastard is back."
"Shit." Zola spat. "Looks like your training will have to wait until tomorrow newbie."
"What shall I do?" She asked as she looked around in fright.
"Just stay here," Ersha told her. "You can't fly out without knowing the basics."
"Don't worry Coco we'll be back." Miranda assured her as they all sprinted for the hanger.
Observing today's training stats through the security cameras, Jill watched with approval at the progress Cal was making. He had almost beaten Zola in the morning run and now with Siegfried back in the picture she was both eager and on edge to see how Cal would perform.
"It's nice to have you back." Jill said to Emma who was sat in her chair typing her daily report on her Mana screen.
"Thank you." Emma said professionally. "After all, I couldn't just abandon my role as Inspector. Someone has to keep you Norma in line." Though annoyed Jill found it amusing that she had returned to her usual self.
"In any case, I hope you stay. Maggie will be very upset if you left." Emma was about to counter when the phone suddenly rang.
"Yes?" the Inspector answered. At first ring, the Command staff down on the lower deck had snapped to attention as usual.
"Commander we're picking up a signal 15 miles to the north," Pamela informed.
"It's forming slowly but I'm detecting a Category 4," Hikaru added as her face turned blue. "Commander that same electromagnetic pulse is coming through the singular!" 'So, he's back,' Jill grimaced as she made the announcement. 'Okay Cal now's the time you show us what you can do. The rest is in your hands now.'
Steading his breath, Dutch and his team quickly and quietly planted the last of their charges against the crumbling brick wall. Large rusty metal pipes ran along the roof of the sewer tunnels while the murky green and brown knee-deep water drained into their boots and the horrific smell filled their nostrils. All and all it was a fitting place for vermin to hide. "Lieutenant Jadis are you and team BRAVO in position?" he called over his mouthpiece.
"Yes. We have the explosive charges in place and can hear multiple hostiles on the other side."
"Team CHARLIE, what's your status?" Dutch asked.
"We're currently waiting at the cave entrance in the middle of the woods. It's hidden behind the large water fall and we're detecting multiple enemies and outdated military vehicles inside." The Sergeant answered.
"Good. Once I give the order storm in and flush the cockroaches out." Once everything was in place, he and his men moved back down the tunnel and away from the blast radius. Jeffry took in a deep breath as he pulled his balaclava down and attached his silencer to his rifle.
"Get ready." Dutch said. "Blow it now!" A loud bang followed by the sound of crumbling bricks and cries of pain echoed through the tunnel as Dutch and his team activated their targeting lasers, staining the cloud of smoke and dust crimson. Through the hole they found themselves in a new chamber lit by wall mounted oil lamps. At their feet were two men, their faces burned and battered almost beyond recognition from the shock of the blast. Dutch fired a round into each of their heads to make sure just as ten hostiles came running down one corridor with guns blazing. "Open fire!" Dutch roared as he formed a Mana shield in front of him and his team, the bullets bouncing harmlessly off of the glowing barrier. "Push forward!" Stun grenades were lobbed over his shoulder and Dutch shielded his eyes. The enemy however failed to recognize the trick and when the flash and bang left them disoriented, their shields dropped and left them as easy targets for Dutch's team.
"Sound the alarm!" One man shouted as he and a wounded comrade fell back. Once the shooting was over, Jeffry looked over the bodies strewn over the floor and saw that they were all dressed in casual clothes. They looked like ordinary people so how could they have been harbouring Norma?
"Jadis, status report!" Dutch called.
"We've breached through the doors. We're taking heavy fire but we'll handle it."
"Keep pushing them back. The only way out of here is through the waterfall and team CHARLIE will be waiting to pin them down if they escape."
"Incoming!" one soldier yelled as a grenade bounced down the hall towards them.
"Don't block just cover your eyes and ears!" he ordered. The soldiers did as he told and as he expected, what looked like a standard fragmentation grenade burst in a flash. A few soldiers in the front weren't fast enough to avoid being disoriented but their comrades pulled them away.
"How did you know?" Jeffry asked.
"These traitors use Mana same as us," he told the youth. "They know its weaknesses just as well as we do. They won't use lethal ordinance unless they know it'll work." Turning towards the rest of the squad, Dutch beckoned them forwards. "Move in and secure the interior. Watch for booby traps and ambush sites." As his troops mobilized, Dutch couldn't help but notice the look of confusion on his protégé's face. "You're not getting any second thoughts, are you?" he asked.
"No sir!" Jeffry snapped. "It's just...I don't understand. How can these people kill other humans? All for the sake of Norma?" Dutch nodded and rested a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Believe me, I asked the same question when I found out the man I considered a brother had betrayed us all. There's no logic with these people so don't bother trying to understand them. Otherwise, you'll just let the tragedy of your father repeat itself." The memory of his father's fate seemed to assuage the young man's doubts and he nodded.
"I understand. I won't hesitate Commander."
"Glad to hear it," Dutch praised. "Now let's move out. We've got a lot of work to do."
As the 3 squads watched their Para-mail lift into position, everyone's attention was suddenly drawn by the presence of a frame they had never seen before. All except for Cal. Instead of its old black armour, Siegfried had been repainted a dark blue, same as Cal's old Glaive, while the Arzenal and first squad logo had been printed in gold on the shoulder plates. However, in addition to his swords and rifle, a weapon unlike any they had ever seen before had been hooked to the hardpoint on its left wing. Dark grey and red, it was shaped just like a crossbow but without any cables or wires. And situated beneath the barrel was a rotating chamber that held multiple freeze bullets.
"Holy, look at that thing!" Vivian drooled with stars in her eyes. "So cool!" Beside her, Irma and Tanya gawked at the huge machine and by its 4 long red booster wings.
"Where the hell did you get this thing?" Chris asked.
"No wonder you're in debt if you've used it all on something like that," Hilda sighed as she shook her head. Zola however raised her eyebrow in bemusement. 'Where have I seen that machine before?' she wondered. 'It looks so familiar.'
"That weapon looks pretty powerful," Scarlett whistled. Salia however was a bit more apprehensive as she gazed at the red gemmed bracelet on his wrist. She had been hoping to at least have a few days to get him properly situated to Siegfried's controls so a Category 4 was far from an ideal scenario. Especially considering they were going back up against the First Of that had killed Naomi.
"Just do what you usually do," she whispered to him. "The controls are a little heavier but hopefully all will go well."
"Alright squad move out!" Zola barked as they mounted up. From over by the loading area, Coco stood behind and watched.
"Good luck everyone." she called as Miranda looked back and gave her a thumbs up. On the back of Siegfried, Cal plugged his chamber cord into place and gripped the handles, getting a familiar sense of the controls as he stared at the red cracked gem on his wrist that began to glimmer slightly.
"Unit Cal are you ready back there?" Zola called.
"All systems go!" He called back releasing the arresting gears. As he did, he swore he could feel a difference in the vibrations, almost as if the machine itself was eager to fly once again after being asleep for 10 years.
"All units launch." Zola ordered as first squad shot out one by one out of the launch bay and out across the open sea. As Cal was stationed last just behind Miranda, he waited for her to get some distance away before taking off. So far; the cockpit, indicator, throttle, gears, and breaks worked the same just like a regular Para-mail. Everything else however; its speed, movement, accuracy, and the new weapon; was totally unknown.
"Alright Siegfried let's see what you're made of." Cal said. "Unit Cal, taking off!" He gunned the throttle, and the 4 engine wings ignited with a roar, sending Cal shooting forward with enough speed to make him yelp in surprise before he pulled back on the accelerator. 'Holy crap does this thing move.' As he maneuvered into position, he also found he had to put more effort into maintaining control. Siegfried had a heavier feel than his old Glaive which made movement and turning stiffer and more rigid.
"That thing is awesome!" Vivian called to him.
"It's kind of clunky," Rosalie admitted, "but damn that thing can move." Salia meanwhile breathed a sigh of relief. Cal had somewhat got a hold of Siegfried's heavy controls and speed but the real test would be in battle. 'You've got this Cal.' she prayed. As second and third squad caught up, they lowered to cruising speed and finally came within sight of the familiar red ring of an opening singular. And pouring out was the army of DRAGONS. 80 schooners, 5 Corvettes, 1 Brig and something much larger than the rest. Scarlet red and flying with tremendous speed out of the portal before it closed, the Large Scarlet Demon spotted the oncoming Para-mails and charged, its body crackling with yellow lightning. 'I've been waiting for this,' Cal though as he gritted his teeth.
"Alright everyone," Scarlett called. "We now know what that thing is capable of, so we won't get caught by surprise. This time, no DRAGON is getting near base. So let's show them what happens when you pick a fight with Arzenal." With the target closing in, all three Captains took point position with Zola in the middle.
"You three ready?" Zola asked.
"You bet." Scarlett agreed.
"Let's do this!" Eleanor cheered.
"FORMATION OLYMPUS!" The three Captains ordered. Forming into a perfect diamond shape, the pilots focused their sights on the red First Of, the other DRAGONS flying around it.
"Get ready everyone, battle scenario TAYLOR!" Zola bellowed as the Scarlet DRAGON let out a fierce roar and they all charged at each other head on.
On a lonely island adrift in the never-ending oceans, a lone figure holding a fishing rod stood atop the tide smoothed rocks along the beaches and patiently waited for a fish to take the first bite. Wiping his shaggy brown hair out of his eyes Tusk felt the jerk of his rod and gripped it tightly before drawing the fish in. Though lanky and sinewy he was used to pulling in fish as big as him due to the many years he spent alone on the island he called home. Winding it in, he pulled the rod up as a large salmon shot out of the water and dropped it flopping onto the beach.
'Another day, another tomorrow, it's all the same.' Tusk sighed to himself as he placed the fish in the bucket. 'I wish I could be doing more. Father and Mother would be so disappointed. But it wouldn't make a difference so there's no point dwelling on it.' Tusk reset the fishing line ready to catch another fish when from the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of red as the clouds began to twist and shift.
'A singular!' Tusk gulped picking up his rod and bucket and hiding behind a large tree. Peering out he watched as huge swarm, Category 4 by the looks of it, poured out. And leading the charge was a crimson specimen he had never seen before, it's body crackling with yellow lightning. 'That one looks like trouble,' he thought. 'It must have been that one I saw about a week ago.' On occasion, encounters would happen close enough to the island that Tusk could watch them through his binoculars. And there had been a pretty bad one not so long ago. It had been pouring rain but judging by the flashes of gunfire, it looked like the DRAGONs had managed to make it all the way to Arzenal before being repelled. He just hoped Alektra and the rest of the Norma had managed to better prepare themselves for the rematch.
Right on que, a number of Para-mail zoomed in towards the horde, the blue lights from their EM thrusters standing out against the dark grey clouds. Assuming a Diamond formation, Tusk had never seen that many units deployed at once.
And then, he saw something that made his eyes widen in shock. "4 engine boosters? No, it can't be." Pulling his binoculars, he zoomed in and managed to make out a Para-mail with a bulky yet lean build to it. And while it's color had been changed from black to blue, there was no denying what he saw.
"It's Siegfried! Dad's old machine! But who's piloting it?"
The whole sky erupted like a thunderstorm. The Hauser's unleashed their heavy artillery cannons at the wings of the Scarlet First Of. The damage was minimal but the point was to slow it down and hopefully disable its EMP attack. Everyone else dealt with the smaller DRAGONS, forcing them to break away from the cover of their heavy hitter. Scarlett swerved out the way of the Brig's long-winged claw and boosted forward, shooting down a Corvette that almost pounced on Miranda. Vivian threw her boomerang through a hoard of Schooners then darting upwards as she caught it and fired her sub-machine gun, dispersing a second group near Miranda who seized the opportunity rush in cutting them down one by one. Across the battlefield, Ersha managed to blast off half of one Corvette's face at close range when it almost got the jump on her. Cal meanwhile steadied his aim trying to adjust to Siegfried's different style of controls. On more than one occasion, he found himself reflexively trying to shoot his old artillery canons only to come up empty. As if sensing the difficulty he was having, one Corvette turned and flew straight towards him.
"Cal!" Salia broadcast as she weaved through a mob of Schooners. "Use the Ice Bullet Launcher! Twist the chamber to load and then fire like a crossbow." With the Corvette bearing down on him, Cal switched weapons, mounting his rifle and drawing the crossbow like weapon. A turn of the lower chamber, and a green shard lifted up into the barrel as the metal crossbars that pointed forward now snapped back like a normal crossbow, the staves glowing with a green light as the weapon began to power up. With no time to spare, Cal lifted and took aim as the Corvette's jaws filled his viewscreen. A second of calculation for wind speed and distance, honed by all the years hunting on his home island, and Cal adjusted his aim 15 degrees to the right and fired. A flash of light and the glowing green bullet launched at a speed far faster than when he had fired from the launcher built into his Para-mail's arm, piercing through the Corvette's neck with such force that the beast nearly flipped over in mid-air. It barely even had time to cry out in pain before shards of ice erupted from its neck, nearly decapitating the DRAGON as it fell seaward.
"Woah this thing is awesome!" Cal cheered. In the Corvette's wake, Hilda shot down the 2 schooners that had been flying alongside it and and pouted that Cal had stolen her kill.
"Hey, since you owe me how about letting me keep that weapon," she pleaded sarcastically.
"Not even if you sleep with me," Cal boasted.
"Guys watch out on your 4!" They heard Eleanor yell, noticing their screen glitching madly. On reflex, both Hilda and Cal jinked out of the way as the Scarlet First Of unleashed its beam attack where they had previously been.
"Dive!" Salia ordered.
The echo of gunfire was getting louder as inside a large room full of antique consoles, a number of armed humans and Norma barricaded the two large metal doors with chairs and tables. "Dolton, hurry up they're getting through!" A gaunt man shouted as he and the others braced themselves against the barricade. On the other side, the doors began to swell as the enemy began using their Mana to force them open. At the central console, a dark-skinned young man with black spiked hawk hair franticly typed away at his stations until he at last broke through the base's security passwords.
"The download has started. Just hold them off a few more seconds!" Dolton shouted. His brain going into overdrive, Dolton's hands worked their magic. Finally, the bar reached 100% and the data was securely transferred to a storage drive. After pocketing the disk, Dolton typed in the command code and the virus began ravaging the systems. They couldn't allow any of the data to fall into the Government's hands.
"Done!" he said as the system began to crash. "Let's get out of here!" With the data secured, Dolton and his comrades raced for the exit as the doors finally gave way and the enemy began pouring into the room.
The moment Jill announced a code red, all of Arzenal's air defences were cleared for deployment. "At least we'll have the day light to our advantage this time." Jill assured Inspector Bronson who still looked rather nervous.
"I hope so, that thing is a monster," Emma gulped. "Even by a DRAGON's standards."
"Have faith Inspector, that monster won't stand a chance against all of our pilots." As Emma observed the footage from the pilots' onboard cameras and the remote surveillance drone, she realized something was off.
"Commander I must ask, what is that Para-mail the male Norma is piloting? I've never seen a model like that before."
"It was an old prototype of an unused model called a Magunum from over 15 years ago." Jill told her. Ever since Siegfried had been sitting around collecting dust, Jill had a story planned out in case anyone ever asked or found Siegfried by mistake. "Cal's Glaive was still too heavily damaged for flight and I couldn't afford to let him sit this one out, so I had it pulled out of storage."
"A Magunum?" Emma furrowed her brow. There were so many failed prototypes of Para-mail that it was hard for her to keep track of them. "Now I remember. But wasn't that model deemed unstable and too heavy for use?"
"I had Mei make a few adjustments to the older model, just like when she remodelled the Maganac into the Razor." It was a gamble, but Emma knew commander Jill was nothing if not pragmatic.
"Okay, I suppose I'll accept this. I just hope it's enough to kill that monster." Though she wished the Norma would hurry up and win. Radar showed the incursion getting closer to base and Emma swallowed the lump in her throat.
"Inspector, you should get to the emergency shelter," Jill told her. "I'll meet you there if anything goes south. Olivier, Hikaru, Pamela go with her. I'll handle coordination with the pilots." The three technicians did as they were told and quickly escorted the Inspector from the Command Centre. Once they were gone, Maggie and Jasmine walked in from where they had been waiting within Jill's office. "Are we ready?"
"Everyone is in place," "Jasmine assured her. "If that thing gets near us this time, just give us the signal and we'll blow it clear out of the sky."
"Let's hope this works." Maggie hoped. "You think it was a good idea to send Cal out there in Siegfried? I don't think Salia was even able to train him on it yet."
"Considering this a final test," Jill told them. "Let's see if he's really worthy of being Villkiss' Knight."
"Rosalie get above it quick!" Zola instructed, following the Brig from behind as she saw the yellow Glaive dart up above the clouds to its attention. "Chris you're up!" The green Hauser opened fire from both gun and cannons and successfully dispersed the protective barriers the Brig had formed around itself. The DRAGON screeched in anger and prepared to dive after its new target as Chris fell back still firing and in doing so left its rear wide open. "Rosalie now!" Before the Brig could counter, the yellow Glaive came darting out of the clouds to plant her axe into the Brig's skull. Blood spurted everywhere as it lurched up in pain and Chris raced forward to plant a freeze bullet right under its jaw.
"Great job Chris." Rosalie praised, surprised by Chris' quick thinking. Even Zola was impressed though she was a little sour Chris had stolen the kill.
"Excellent work girls but we aren't done yet." Zola pointed out. "Now let's go after that red bastard!"
With one last shove, the doors sprung open, sending chairs and tables flying across the room as Jadis and her 20-man squad sprayed the room with bullets. They managed to get a few bringing up the rear but most had managed to escape through an escape tunnel on the other side of the room. "Keep after them!" Jadis ordered. She ran for the door when without warning, one man sprung out from under a table with a shotgun in hand.
Jadis formed a shield and managed to block the shot in time before grabbing a hold with her Mana and ripping it right out of his hand. Though disarmed, the man boldly charged and swung only for Jadis to divert his punch and drive her knee right into his stomach. The impact was strong enough to make him cough up blood and he doubled over as she brought up her knee a second time, striking him hard enough in the face to knock out a few teeth before he fell backward over the table. A second man, tall but gaunt, came at her with an axe and she ducked though not fast enough to avoid a few of her silver hairs being shorn off by the blade.
Enraged, Jadis struck at his face hard, again and again before grabbing his head and slamming his face into the wall with enough force to kill him. The last person to take her on was a woman in her mid-20's. She came at Jadis with a stun baton and when she raised a Mana Shield, to her shock the woman managed to smash through it.
Before Jadis could counter, the Norma drove the electrified tip of the stun rod into her chest. Luckily, the rubber of Jadis's scuba suit helped insulate against the shock and before the Norma could get in another jab, Jadis grabbed onto her arm and twisted, snapping the elbow like a twig. The Norma had just barely let out a scream of pain before Jadis snatched up the baton and cracked her across the face hard enough to break her jaw. As she panted and winced form the lingering sting in her chest, Jadis looked back to her men who stared at her in a mixture of shock and awe.
"Well don't just stand there! Go after them!" Not wanting to get on her bad side they raced through the doors after the fleeing terrorists. Jadis followed after them and surveyed the interior of the terrorists' base as she stepped over the bodies littering the floor. Just past what had to be the command centre was a hallway lined with several beds that, judging by the size of the beds and the toys scattered around the floor, had been occupied by children.
"To think that Norma were living free in this place." One of her men grimaced.
"It's an outrage," Jadis snarled. "Who knows what they and these traitors have been planning. These traitors deserve even worse than what the Norma get!" Pulling her earpiece, Jadis sent a progress report to Dutch. "Commander we're in pursuit of targets. They're making a getaway for the entrance."
"Keep following them," Dutch ordered. "The tunnels lead to the waterfall. We'll trap them there."
Now that all of the other DRAGONS had been taken care of, that left just the Scarlett Demon which was now only 3 miles away from Arzenal. The overwhelming barrage from the Hausers rocked the huge red DRAGON as they attacked from every angle at once before it once again curled up into a ball, its wings crackling with the rising charge. "Here it comes, everyone move!" Zola yelled. The squads shot off for the sky just as the Crimson DRAGON snapped itself open and unleashed its EMP attack. Once it passed, Zola looked down and growled as she saw half the pilots had still gotten hit. Cal, Hilda, Scarlett, Eleanor, Ersha, Vivian and a few other pilots had managed to avoid but everyone else was stuck in mid-air. "Bastard!" she hissed though gritted teeth. "Hilda use your stun weapon and get these units running again! Everyone else, keep it away from the others! We can't let it reach Arzenal"
"Yes Ma'am!" As Hilda began pushing the crippled units together, those who could still fly closed in on the enemy.
"Let's see if this bastard is tough enough to take all our freeze bullets at once!" Scarlett growled. Eleanor rushed in first, swerving past its claws and as she and Scarlett lodged their freeze bullets right in its weak spot of its sternum. Shards of ice burst out of its flesh but the First Of seemed more angry than injured. Still, they managed to distract it long enough for Zola to fly in and impale her falchion right into its eye cluster, blinding it long enough for Zola to fire her own freeze bullet into its face.
Shards of ice burst forth and sliced off a chunk of flesh but firing it at such close range resulted in the arm of Zola's Arquebus getting caught in the ice. Thinking quickly, Zola pulled out her blade and sheared off the trapped limb at the elbow. However, even after freeing herself, Zola wasn't fast enough to avoid the claw swipe that knocked her out of the sky.
"ZOLA!" Scarlett yelled in desperation as she watched her old friend hit the sea. She hurried after her but was forced to divert course when a blast of yellow energy nearly sliced her in half. From where she had just finished rounding up her crippled allies, Hilda watched in horror as Zola's arquebus vanished.
"You bastard!" she hissed. "YOU BASTARD!" With a scream of rage, Hilda shot forward, tears coating her face as she charged the enemy.
"Hilda wait!" Ersha yelled. Already, Hilda had placed herself right in front of the enemy and ready to fire her freeze bullet when the First Of clapped its wings around her. The sudden shock left Hilda stunned and unable to escape as the enemy grabbed her in its claws and pulled her towards its jaws when a Green shard flew in to lodge itself up its snout, triggering another eruption of ice from its face and knocking the DRAGON hard enough to let her go.
"Hey up here!" Cal yelled, the ice bullet launcher in hand. Shaking its head, the DRAGON regained its bearings and let out a furious roar as it hurled itself after him.
Running for his life, Dolton felt his lungs start to burn as he and the remaining base personnel along with their Norma allies rounded the corner into a large round corridor that led to the waterfall entrance. "Dolton get your ass over here now!" A short broadly built man with a bald head shouted by the open sliding doors.
"Sargent Janos, I got the data transferred." Dolton told him.
"Good, get everyone in the elevator. The outside of the waterfall is completely blocked and surrounded by the NMB. We'll just have to hope they didn't find the underground river system." From behind, Janos could hear oncoming footsteps coming from the corridor Dolton and the others had just came down. "Take position and hold them back! We can't let them take the children!" Making their last stand at the large round corridor, a few humans and some of the older Norma took their places behind corners and doors. "Get ready everyone!" Janos ordered before as if on que, NMB soldiers came running around the corner towards them, Mana shields raised and guns blazing. "Hold position!" The few Mana users among them raised a shield but there weren't enough to make complete wall and the enemy was quick to locate the gaps in their defence.
"There's too many of them!" One Norma panicked.
"Sarge we're not gonna last much longer!" One of the men shouted, wincing in pain as one bullet snuck past the barrier to graze his arm.
"Hold!" Janos ordered as he pulled a device from his belt. 'Just a little further,' he prayed. Finally, the hallway was full of soldiers and Janos triggered the explosives built into the wall. Once the fireball faded and the smoke cleared, Janos smirked as he saw the bodies strewn all over the corridor until the light of a Mana barrier shone. From out of the ruin and slaughter walked a lone figure. Janos squinted his eyes then widened in horror as he saw the slick backed black hair and the orange flamed eyes, those same ones from 10 years ago. 'It's him,' he realized. 'The commander of the NMB, the same one who killed Captain Zoltan.'
"Is that all you got," Dutch mocked. "I'm disappointed."
"Retreat!" Janos shouted. As the others fell back through the doors, Janos threw a frag grenade, holding off Dutch just long enough for Janos to pull the lever and slam the metal doors to the chamber shut. Over on the other side of the cave beside the waterfall, the last of the survivors filled inside a large steel caged elevator built into the cave walls. Janos however, remained outside.
"Sarge what are you doing?" Dolton demanded.
"Buying you time. I've fought all my life for the freedom of my people and the Norma. If this is where I die then I do so gladly." From behind Dolton, four men shoved past the Humans and Norma to join their comrade.
"Us Ancient Folk stick together," one said. "If you're making a last stand than so are we." Janos nodded to his old friends before turning back to Dolton.
"Once you get down to the submarine set the coordinates to 0801-2066. The autopilot will take you all to the Sanctuary. Tell Captain Jacob I'm sorry, but I have a score to settle. Now get going." Dolton frowned and nodded as he swallowed the lump in his throat. After a final salute, Dolton shut the elevator grate as it began to descend to the hidden submarine bay. After sealing the cave walls to hide the entrance to the shaft, Dolton turned back to his team as the NMB began to force open the hallway doors.
"Scarecrow, Frost, Shark, Maple take the skyhooks and attack the soldiers outside. We need to keep them focused on us until Dolton and the others escape. Lets show them just what Team GOLDFISH is made of. Just like the good old days!" A unified cheer erupted from them all as the 4 men mounted up on their skyhooks and shot one by one out of the Waterfall, leaving Janos on his own. Already, he could hear the screech of metal as the doors began to give way and he climbed up on the last of the antipersonnel cannons. 'Come and get me you bastard,' he vowed. 'I'll kill you for what you did to Zolton, my people, and all the Norma who suffered because of you and your false god!' The doors finally burst open and a swarm of soldiers rushed out only to be torn apart by the barrage from Janos' artillery. And in the back was Dutch. Janos adjusted his aim and at his primary target just as Dutch engulfed his entire body in the Light of Mana, the emerald field extending out from Dutch in into the surrounding rubble as Janos poured on the assault.
'It can't be,' Zoltan feared. 'He can control it through will alone!?' As if Dutch had heard the very thought, he smirked and clenched his fist, increasing the intensity of the Mana even further as the entire room began to shake like an earthquake, dislodging rubble from the ceiling and forcing Janos to jump out of the way as one particularly large slab came crashing down right on top of his gun emplacement. Before he could recover, Dutch had already rushed over and with a Mana infused kick, snapped Janos's arm in two, leaving him powerless to fight back as a tall muscular woman rushed in behind Dutch to restrain him.
"I think I remember you from ten years ago," Dutch commented. "Compared to the fight your former Captain put up you were quite pathetic. Restrain him, then search the place. I doubt they all managed to get out. They have to be hiding here somewhere."
As soon as they broke through the waterfall Team GOLDFISH blasted away the soldiers that were waiting for them outside. They may have had the numbers, but the 4 skyhooks were too fast to establish a lock. Within minutes the Mana forces had been successfully routed, leaving nothing more than wrecked vehicles and soldiers fleeing for their lives.
"Great shooting Scarecrow."
"Thanks Frost, but we need to get back in there. Can't let Janos have all the fun."
(Persecution Of The Masses, Shin Godzilla)
The 4 skyhooks began to fly back to the waterfall, only to halt when a blast of green energy rained down from overhead and obliterated Maple's Skyhook in one shot.
"Maple!"
"What the hell was that!?" A huge dark shadow fell over them from above, followed by more energy bolts as the remaining skyhooks scattered and shot up towards the sky. Radar showed something approaching from behind and the three men stared in frozen horror at a large black armoured figure closing in behind them.
"Into the clouds!" Frost ordered. "We have to try and lose it if we..." before he could finish, the black Para-mail shot him down, his Skyhook consumed in a ball of fire. Scarecrow and Shark scattered hoping to throw the machine off, but it was much faster than they were, and a large pink energy blade cleaved through Scarecrow's ride. With nothing left to lose and his comrades dead, Shark launched a suicide run on the enemy, his skyhook's machine gun pelting the cockpit. In response, a pink diamond shaped energy barrier manifested from its forearm as it charged forward and with its free hand, plucked Shark right from his seat. Shark struggled to free himself from the iron grip of the enemy Para-mail when the cockpit slid open and a tall slender young man stood before him. Dressed in a black and navy uniform with gold highlights, blonde white hair draped down to his waist while his eyes were hidden behind a pair of shades. Without the slightest bit of emotion, the pilot drew his gun and the flash of gunfire was the last thing Shark saw before darkness claimed him.
The Scarlett Demon whipped its tail in passing but Cal darted out of its reach, his arms beginning to cramp from struggling with Siegfried's controls. Even with the assistance of the other pilots it wouldn't leave him alone. "C'mon Hilda hurry up," Cal panted, trying hard to catch his breath as Scarlett, Eleanor, Ersha, Vivian and the assisting pilots sped out of the way of the large DRAGON.
"Get after it, we need to get it away from Cal!" Scarlett yelled.
Another beam of energy missed him by inches as Cal swerved at the last second, feeling his arms could break at any moment. Banking up, he turned around but before he could reach for the Ice Bullet launcher, the DRAGON had already closed the distance and swiped at Cal with its long stretched out leathery wing, the impact sending Cal bouncing off the interior of his cockpit. Cal's head spun and through blurred vision, was barely able to make out the fanged jaws of the Scarlet demon ready to clamp down on him.
'Jill was right,' he thought as time seemed to slow. 'Who am I kidding? I was never cut out for this in the first place.' Tears streamed down his face and his grip on the controls lessened as his body felt empty and hollow.
"Don't cry Cal." Cal's eyes snapped open at the sound of a voice he had longed to hear one last time. The entire world had turned into an empty void and floating in front of him, a familiar blur of pink that solidified into Naomi. "You have to live on. Not just for yourself but our friends and everyone that is counting on you." A soft hand touched his cheek as he looked into her beautiful violet eyes. "So don't die here. Get up and FIGHT!"
"Naomi," he whispered as a single tear splashed onto the red gem. From within the void, a red light began to shine around him as the entire cockpit and screen blazed shiny red." You're right. I...I WILL NOT DIE TODAY!"
(Gundam Unicorn OST-Hiroyuki Sawano)
Scarlett pushed her Arquebus as hard as she could, but the large DRAGON had already grabbed Cal and was bending over to crush him in its jaws. "Big Bro no!" Vivian cried. It was too late. They weren't going to make it.
Or at least that was what they thought until a crimson pulse spread across Cal's Para-mail and exploded into a red light that outshined even the sun. The Crimson DRAGON screeched in alarm and fear as it let Cal go and fell back.
"Wow!" Vivian squealed. "What's happening to Big Bro's Para-mail?!" As the light faded, before their very eyes crimson red stripes glowed with power across Siegfried's blue armour. Its bronze pneumatic gears now shined a bright gold and the blue energy that glowed from its engines now changed to a blazing red.
As she watched the scene unfold on the overhead screen, Jill slowly rose out of her chair in disbelief. Behind her, Maggie and Jasmine stood in awe of Siegfried's transformation, the same one it took over 10 years ago when Istvan piloted it.
"He's done it, hasn't he?" Maggie asked.
"Yes," Jasmine beamed. Jill's fists clenched as her body shook and her jaw tightened into a wide grin that spread across her face.
"It's astounding." Jill laughed. "This boy really is something else. He broke through the locks. This...THIS IS SIEGFRIED'S TRUE POWER!"
Within the cockpit, Cal's eyes shot open as he felt a pulsing fiery energy rise inside of him. Something had changed. Siegfried felt different than before, as if it had come to life itself. Through the corner of his eye he saw a glint of red light and stared down at his wrist. The red gem glowed brighter than ever, and the crack had vanished as if it had never even been there. But there was no time to take in this unexpected surprise as the Scarlet Demon recovered and charged at him once again.
Cal kicked off from the air as Siegfried shot away faster than ever, the controls so light and smooth it was like the machine was an extension of himself. He moved with such speed that the entire world was a blur while the DRAGON that had once pursued him without effort was now struggling to keep up with him.
"Come on you bastard, just a little higher." Cal spurred on as he went into a controlled loop, brushing the ocean before rising higher and higher into the sky. The Scarlet Demon fired a beam of yellow energy, but Cal weaved around him as he darted and spiralled around it, his rifle and gun striking all over and distracting it long enough for the other pilots to close in. With Hilda and the reactivated pilots leading the charge, cannon and gun fire rocked the DRAGON's body as it blindly lashed out.
"Finish it off!" Scarlett ordered. The Hausers blasted apart its leather wings, crippling its flight abilities as the Arquebus' shot out its eyes. The Glaives rushed in towards its open sternum to use their freeze bullets but the DRAGON wrapped its wings around its body before slapping them away.
"Shit it knows what we're up too" Eleanor swore.
"Then we change our plans!" Cal growled as he launched high above the DRAGON, shooting down at its head.
"Cal what are you doing?" Salia called.
"Hey up here you fat piece of shit!" Cal taunted at maximum volume. The DRAGON cocked its head and darted up as fast as it could. Pulling the Ice Bullet launcher, Cal charged it up as high as he could. Scanners showed 200 meters and closing. "This one's for you Naomi!"
"Watch out!" Ersha yelled.
"What the hell are you doing you idiot!" Hilda cried.
"That's it, come on right up here!" he goaded.
100 meters.
"Get out of the way!" Rosalie shouted.
"Cal don't do it!" Chris pleaded.
60 meters.
The Scarlet Demon opened its mouth and Cal stared down at the gaping jaws as the Ice Bullet launcher began to shake and heat up.
40 meters
"Get away!" Miranda cried.
"Big Bro watch out!" Vivian shrieked, critical warning signs flashed all across Cal's screen as his weapon began to glow white hot.
20 meters
"Come on open wide, open wide…" Cal bellowed. With a fierce roar, the DRAGON opened up to clamp its jaws on its meal. "…and say Aaahh!" At the very last second, Cal finally pulled the trigger and swerved aside, missing the snapping jaws by a matter of inches. Before their very eyes, the Scarlett demon's body convulsed in mid-air before shards of ice erupted from all over its body and the yellow light in its eyes finally went out.
The whole sky erupted in shouts of cheer and joy while the frozen body crashed into the water and sank below the sea as everyone's screens and visor communications turned back to normal. "Hell yeah!" Cal said as he punched the air and slumped back into his cockpit.
"That was awesome!" Vivian squealed.
"You did it!" Salia cheered. But as everyone in the air was celebrating, a single Arquebus hovered above the sea desperately trying to find Zola. Something caught her eye and Scarlett let out a cry of anguish. Half sunk into the water, Zola's purple Arquebus rested against a stone reef, the cockpit totally submerged.
"Zola you skank!" Scarlett cried punching her cockpit in anger and grief. "Don't leave me like this!" Tears began to fall into her lap as the reality that her childhood friend and ex-lover was gone sank in.
"I'm over here dumbass!" Scarlett's head snapped up as she looked over and spotted a purple figure clinging to one of the larger rocks. Bolting over, Scarlett landed on a stable enough mount as she leapt from the cockpit and ran over to pull Zola up out of the water and into her arms, sobbing uncontrollably into Zola's shoulder.
"Don't you ever do that to me again." Scarlett sniffed. "How the hell did you survive?" Zola smiled and pulled Scarlett's face into her ample cleavage.
"I jumped just as I hit the water and swam for the nearest land. Don't worry it will take more than a DRAGON to take me out."
"Captain, are you okay?" Hilda worried as she hovered overhead.
"I'm perfectly fine Hilda." Zola assured them. "Honestly I'm missing for 10 minutes and you all act like a bunch of crying pansies." Looking up to Cal, Zola smiled and shot him a thumbs up.
"Well done everyone," Commander Jill broadcast. "All units return to base."
"Can I bum a ride?" Zola asked Scarlett.
"Sure, why not?"
"Alright let's get back home. I'm starving." Vivian beamed. As everyone gathered together and flew back to Arzenal, Salia felt incredibly relieved and happy. Despite lacking the training, Cal had managed to awaken Siegfried which meant Libertus now had a chance. Cal meanwhile flew alongside Hilda and noticed a glimpse of sadness in Hilda's face.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah sure," she answered. Though as she cast her eye back towards Zola and Scarlett, Hilda wondered if her Captain would have the same reaction if she was in her place. It wasn't lost on Hilda that for whatever fondness Zola had for her, Hilda would never have the level of intimacy that Scarlet had with her. It made her wonder if she would ever find someone who would care for her like the two captains did for each other.
"I know what you're up to back there," Scarlett warned feeling Zola's hands creep up to her breasts.
"Come on its not my fault you have such a nicer pair," Zola said with a perverted grin as Scarlett rolled her eyes.
Through his binoculars, Tusk watched breathlessly as Siegfried burst into a red light as its stripes reappeared and it killed the large red DRAGON single handedly. As the Para-mail regrouped and turned back towards Arzenal, Tusk bolted through the forest, almost trampling on top of a couple jungle vipers in his mad dash towards the cave that he had made his home. Pulling a data pad from his desk draw Tusk flipped it open and began to type away.
'Who was that? I thought Uncle Jacob told me we weren't to reappear until Vilkiss was back.' Tusk thought. 'But who could be piloting it? It couldn't be another of our people could it? Unless...that male Norma Father told me about. I thought he and the human who saved him were still in hiding. Why would he be at Arzenal?' After opening a secure line, Tusk sent the message to Sanctuary. He didn't know if Alektra had maintained relations with the rest of the resistance, but they needed to know.
'Uncle Jacob, Siegfried has returned...'
Across the cave crevasse, the waterfall splashed against the rocks as the last of the captives were rounded up and ordered on their knees. Once secured, Dutch had his team separate them into humans, Norma, and children.
"Mommy!" One little girl wailed as she ran up to one Norma as the soldiers tried to wrench them apart.
"Well look here, it's like a Norma breeding ground for the traitors." they laughed.
"No don't take my little girl, take me instead." The Norma pleaded.
"Come light of Mana!" The little girl called as a small feeble shield appeared. Dutch stared in bewilderment while Jadis looked absolutely livid.
"If that child has a Norma as a mother, then how can she use the light of Mana?" She questioned.
"It's impossible!" Dutch gaped in shock. "Subject Alpha was proof of that, if that is untrue then Trager and Master Embryo need to know about this."
"Disgusting." Jadis sneered, trying to get a rise out of their prisoners. "How can humans like yourselves breed with these things?"
"Shut your mouth you ugly whore!" One man bellowed. Jadis's response was to shoot him point blank in the head.
"Daddy!" one girl yelled as the other children screamed in fright.
"Shut these brats up or I'll shut them up myself!" Jadis snapped. Dutch meanwhile kneeled down before the bound and battered Janos.
"There should be more of you in here," he told him. "If you tell me where they are then I will be inclined to show mercy."
"Go...screw." Janos gasped. Dutch frowned as stood up and brought his knee right up into Janos' face.
"Anyone else feel obstinate?" he asked. Before any of them could answer, the waterfall suddenly parted from a shield of Mana and a long haired figure stepped into the chamber.
"Well done Mr Villson," Blackadder congratulated. "It appears you aren't as useless as I perceived you to be."
"May I ask why you are here?" Dutch demanded, doing his best to keep his annoyance in check. Blackadder simply gestured for Dutch and him to talk outside. Dutch gritted his teeth in anger but followed him.
"My master has instructed me to tell you that due to your successful completion of the mission, you have now reclaimed your position of head of the NMB committee." Dutch felt he could do a backflip but felt uneasy by Blackadder's tone.
"Thank you Major," Dutch said. "Although, it was unnecessary for you to come all the way out here to tell me."
"Master Embryo ordered me to observe your progress. And it was a good thing I did as some of those Ancient Monkeys managed to route the guard you had stationed outside the waterfall. Luckily for you, I was able to stop them before they could cause you any trouble."
"I appreciate that," Dutch said trying to keep his anger in check. "One other thing, Master Embryo might find some of these mongrels interesting. Some of them can use the light of Mana despite being conceived by Norma."
"No matter," Blackadder hummed.
"What are you talking about? Dr Trager and my brother spent years trying to find the cure for the Norma on Embryo's orders. This is the answer he's been looking for."
"Don't trouble yourself with matters that aren't your concern," Blackadder warned. "It's best you worry about your own responsibilities."
"Who do you think you're talking to boy!" Dutch snapped ready to strike his smug little face. Then, as if an invincible cord had been wrapped around his neck, Dutch felt himself lift off his feet as Blackadder raised his hand.
"You might want to watch your mouth Villson." Blackadder warned in a way that sent shivers down Dutch's spine. "You are the one who has no idea who you, are talking too." Finally, Blackadder released him and Dutch fell on his rear. 'This boy!' Dutch thought, his mind racing. 'Does he have the same power as Master Embryo!? How is this possible?' "Now do we have a problem Mr Villson?" the Major asked.
"No sir," Dutch said in defeat.
"That's good because if we are to work together, I would hate to have tensions between us." Blackadder then began to walk backwards and stepped over the edge of the cliffs and dropped from sight. "What the…" Dutch gasped before a towering, huge black machine rose into view. Jet black, its hull streaked with azure blue trim stripes, Dutch recognized it as being similar to the Villkiss from 10 years ago. Unlike Villkiss however, it had engine pods attached to both of its large blue booster wings and atop its forehead was a single curved golden horn. And standing on top of the open cockpit was Blackadder. "What in…?"
"It was a gift from my Master. Its name is Xerxes." As he spoke, Blackadder showed off a gold and black ring adorning his index finger with a dark blue gem fitted inside. "Master Embryo says do what you wish with your prisoners." Blackadder vanished inside as the cockpit closed and the jet-black Para-mail shot off into the distance as Dutch's body filled with boiling anger over how he had been humiliated. Entering the cave, Dutch wasted no time in finding a way to vent.
"Okay, I want this scrapped clean. Gather any evidence we can get our hands on to locate any other groups."
"So what is to be done with the prisoners?" Jeffry asked.
"We can't send the traitors to prison or the Norma to Arzenal. They'll talk." Jadis pointed out.
"The Norma will be going to the Galian Labour camp where they will spend the rest of their dying working days building Para-mail for their disposable kind." Dutch ordered. "And I want you to be taking command of the place like you did at Arzenal Lieutenant." Jadis smiled hungrily and saluted.
"I'll be sure to put these Norma to good use." Jadis then saw the anger and complexity of Dutch's face and knew he was having an internal conflict in his mind. "What are you planning to do?"
"I'm going to have a word with the egghead I used to work for and see if he knows what's really going on." Dutch replied. "As for the traitors and mongrels, execute them all." In a panic of screams and yells, the Norma tried desperately to reach their children but were prevented by soldiers who hit them over the heads with the stock of their guns.
"You evil monster." Janos spat in horror as the soldiers rounded up the captives to stand them against the cave walls.
"Please no don't kill my baby boy." One Norma pleaded.
"Take me instead!"
"No! Don't hurt my baby!"
"Mommy!"
"Mother help me!
"Do it NOW!" Dutch ordered as the soldiers opened fire, and the whole cave erupted in screams of horror. From the side, Jeffry watched transfixed at the carnage that erupted before him. Once they were all dead, a burner turned his flamethrower on the bodies and the stink of charred flesh filled the entire cavern. 'This is necessary,' he told himself. 'We're doing this to protect our homes and families.'
So then why did Jeffry feel as if he was going to vomit?
Upon return to Arzenal, all three squads were greeted by the sound of cheering armorers and base personnel. Miranda was embraced by Coco who brought her into a bone crushing hug. Mei meanwhile, in a fit of rage and annoyance kept whacking Cal on the head with her wrench. "You idiot, you almost broke it!" Mei hissed.
"Hey, it worked didn't it?" Cal pleaded as the other armorers held her back.
"If you overheat the Ice bullet launcher again, I'll have Jasmine charge you quadruple in repairs for it!" From the lift to the command centre, Jill, Maggie, and Jasmine emerged, the latter of whom brought him into a tight hug.
"You did it Cal, your Gramps would be so proud of you."
"You were truly spectacular." Maggie praised. "Breaking through Siegfried's locks and killing that monster on your own." Jill walked up to him, her face full of warmth for once instead of her usual cold demeanour.
"You did something that I thought was going to take years or was not even possible." Jill admitted smiling at him. "You surprised me Cal." She stuck out her prosthetic hand and Cal shook it. "You did good."
"Thanks Commander Jill." Cal said as he saluted her.
"I have faith in you Cal, just don't let me down. Because from here on out, it's only going to get harder."
After washing up, all the pilots gathered at the bank to collect their cash from the Sortie. Most had earned almost 1 million or more from causing damage to the Scarlet demon, But Cal, even after deductions for repairs and his debt, had earned over 50 million from getting the direct kill. Rosalie, Chris, and Vivian drooled over the tray of cash that was like a mountain compared to theirs.
"Well you definitely deserve it since you got rid of that monster all by yourself." Zola said.
"What do you plan to do with that amount?" Ersha asked.
"Oh think of all the cool weapons you could buy." Vivian suggested. Cal simply pushed the tray of cash back through the slot and whispered to the cashier girl behind the window. The girl gave him a shocked look, but Cal simply nodded and she shrugged.
"Depositing 10 million to personal account," she announced. "Depositing 40 million equally to all of Arzanel's pilots."
"What!" They all said looking flabbergasted.
"I'm sharing it." He said plainly.
"What are you doing?" Salia asked. "That's your money."
"Have you hit your head or something?" Rosalie gasped.
"Cal don't." Scarlett begged despite Sadie and Betty struggling to cover her mouth. "You worked so hard. Why give it to us?"
"What do you think we are a charity case?" Hilda demanded.
"I just don't need that kind of money," he told them. "And you all deserve it since you all helped me kill that monster."
"He is crazy." Miranda said in an almost awed voice.
"Cal." Zola whispered. "That's got to be more than a million apiece from you."
"Yeah, think of all the chocolate eclairs that is." He joked.
"Cal please…" Ersha began.
"Listen." He said firmly. "If any of you don't take it, I'm throwing it over the cliffs. I don't want it and I don't need it. Just do me a favor all of you and treat me to a nice big meal now and again. Now why don't we all celebrate with a party. I'd say we all deserve it from coming back from that attack without any of us dying." No one said another word and without warning Cal was hugged very tightly by Zola first as everyone else joined in squishing, tangling and smothering Cal in a huddle of arms, cheeks, breasts, and kisses as the younger Norma were left outside of the huddle from the much older and taller girls.
"Jasmine a little help here please…" Cal wheezed his face covered in lipstick.
"Aw I wanna give big bro a hug too!" Vivian moaned as Miranda cringed.
"Don't worry Cal-senpai, I'll save you!" Coco vowed trying to climb over.
As the residents of Arzenal crowded in the mall to buy food and drinks for the celebration, Jasmine was in heaven by the number of customers and money she had received. "Here you go girls." Jasmine said as she handed Coco the keys to her new quarters she shared with Miranda. "Have fun." Coco and Miranda waved bye as they headed for the cafeteria where the celebration was being held. As she began to close up, who should Jasmine see to her delight but Cal walking over. Vulcan jumped up at him in excitement to which Cal scratched his neck in response, the dog wagging his tail vigorously.
"You need a little help clearing things up?" Cal offered which earned him a smile from the elder Norma.
"I'd really appreciate it hon." Jasmine had him move a few boxes and stock up for tomorrow. "Shall I expect you here again?" He looked back with a happy cheeky smile on his face.
"Who else is gonna bring the customers in." He joked as Jasmine rolled her eyes in bemusement. After a few minutes of changing the food in the vending machines Cal was about to leave when Jasmine walked up to him.
"Here. There's something I want you to have." She handed him a photo and he looked down at it to see a younger Gramps with his arm around Jasmine's waist. She wore the same uniform as the Commander and in her arms was a small black spikey haired baby. Cal smiled as he felt a tear weld in his eye.
"Thanks Jasmine." He hugged her as she embraced him as if it were long overdue.
"I'm sorry that we kept all of this from you, but you have to understand it was to protect you." She said attentively. "Gaz told me if he had a second chance, he would do it all over again. That's how much you meant to him." Cal pulled away and sadly touched his Gramps's face in the photo.
"I was so mad Gramps never told me that I didn't think I could ever forgive him." Cal sighed. "But maybe I would like to start trying." Jasmine wiped a tear from her eye as she put her arm around his shoulder.
"C'mon then. It wouldn't be a party without you." she suggested as she led him out of the mall to the cafeteria. 'Oh Gaz you would be so proud. You did everything you could and you raised him into a good man.'
The celebration continued through the evening as everyone crammed into the cafeteria. The pilots in particular enjoyed a tastier meal than usual with their winnings and extra cash from Cal. At the command table sat Emma with Jill who was looking down at the busy cafeteria. "All shout hip, hip hooray to Cal, The Demon Slayer!" Vivian cheered.
"Vivian no don't…" Cal covered her mouth but too late.
"THE DEMON SLAYER!" Everyone erupted in celebration as Cal slammed his head on the table in embarrassment. Emma rolled her eyes at the Norma's behaviour and decided to address her situation to Commander Jill.
"I've decided to remain here at my post as Chief Inspector." she announced.
"Well I'm glad to hear of that." Jill admitted, feeling more at ease knowing that bitch Jadis wouldn't be setting foot on the island ever again. "However, there will be a little change that my Papa has made to ensure my safety."
"What exactly?" Jill questioned, not liking the sound of that.
"My Father is making a request to the committee to provide me with some protection. Someone who has worked professionally as a royal bodyguard to the royal families. Once he's been selected, he'll be coming here in the next month or so."
Well that was less alarming than Jill had thought but it still meant an additional complication for her to deal with. Before she could grill Emma for further information, Maggie, who heard the conversation and clearly having had too much wine, came over with a smirk.
"Oh my, your own personal bodyguard." Maggie cooed in a sexy tone. "How greedy of you keeping a big strong man all to yourself."
"It's just for protection, nothing more," Emma said with a disgusted grimace. "I'll have you know my Papa is picking out the best at their job and they don't take any nonsense. So I want you all to be on your best behaviour."
"All the more delicious." Maggie joked making Emma go red when an unexpected ping made her flick open her Mana screen. Jill saw Emma's eyes widen as her eyes scanned over through whatever she was reading. "Commander we have a new Norma arriving." Emma announced.
"So what's the problem. It's just another new arrival. When does she arrive?"
"At 23:00 but she's…" Emma stuttered, Jill tilted her head in confusion.
"She's what?" Jill asked.
"It's the princess of Misurugi..." Emma gulped.
Kneeling down, Ersha could hear the celebration going on inside as she placed a fresh batch of fresh azure and violet roses by Naomi's grave. "We're all safe Naomi, that monster is gone all thanks to Cal." Ersha paused as she wiped a tear from her cheek. "The school kids miss you so much. They miss their big sister." She then felt a warm firm hand on her shoulders and looked up to see Cal standing behind her.
"They look pretty, she would really like them." He said with a sad smile.
"Are you okay now?" Ersha asked, putting a hand on his cheek.
"Yeah," he nodded. "I just needed to pay my respects, say one last goodbye." Ersha pulled out a bracelet and neckless and Cal's heart swelled as he recognized them as Naomi's.
"I thought you deserved to have these," Ersha sniffed. "A little something to remember her by." Cal accepted them but to her surprise, Cal tied the gold necklace with the indigo gem around her neck.
"Oh Cal, you don't need to." She protested.
"She was your friend to. You knew her all your life. She would want you to have this." Ersha's eyes welled with tears and she leaned in to kiss him but he tilted his head down slightly. "What's wrong?"
"Sorry, it's just…" he stuttered not looking at her.
"It's okay, just talk to me," she assured him as she held his face.
"It's just...if you and the others want to get together that's fine but...I don't think it could be anything more than that just yet." Though sad Ersha, understood what he was feeling but kissed him passionately on the lips.
"Whenever you're ready, we all take things differently." Without speaking they simply held onto each other, the setting sun beginning to turn the sky orange as the wind began to pick up.
"You go on inside I just need to say goodbye." Ersha nodded and took her leave while Cal stared down at Naomi's grave, her rose gold bracelet in his hand. 'I hope wherever you are, you are at peace from this life.' Cal thought as the wind blew against his face, signalling a coming storm. 'I know you told me to never give into hate Gramps, but I might have to in order to save the people I care about.' He placed Naomi's bracelet on his wrist as he clenched his fist, his eyes narrowing. 'I hope you can both forgive me for what I might or have to do, but I'll do everything in my power to return the favour for everyone else here.' He vowed as he gazed at the sun. 'I swear to be burned, chained, beaten or struck down if it means giving my life to fight for the freedom of every Norma in this world.' There was no point in worrying he told himself. As his Gramps once told him, what would come would come, and he would have to meet it when it did.
THE END OF ARC 1
(EPILOUGE)
200 miles from the nearest civilization, the Velda mountain were considered the harshest environment in the world. Temperatures dropped to -20 with winds so powerful it was enough to tear trees from their roots. It would seem almost impossible to live in these harsh conditions to humans yet inside of the mountains, 'The Sanctuary' bloomed with light and warmth. Tunnels, rooms, and transportation hangers had been dug out for the safety of any Human that rebelled against the system or innocent Norma luck enough to avoid capture. The place was alive with Norma children who played together in the nursery while adults both human and of the Ancient Folk ran diagnostics on the various systems, performing maintenance on various machinery, and performing conference calls with allies outside of the Sanctuary.
On this day however, tensions were running high due to the Galia Falls base being lost and a distress message sent by Dolton. In the captain's office, the leaders of the Sanctuary had gathered to discuss their next plan of action. Long left parted greying brown hair and dressed in a black and red tactical suit with a long black cloak draped over his shoulders, Captain Jacob pulled out his cigar and took a long draw, his face heavily scarred by fire contorted with anger. "The Galia falls has been compromised." Captain Jacob told his 4 most trusted comrades. "The humans are onto us." As he spoke, Jacob's black eyes scanned over the data he had received from Dolton. "Janos and team GOLDFISH have both died in action. Most of the non-combatants were able to get out, but we still suffered significant losses to both personnel and non-combatants."
"How did they find them?" spat a man in his mid-20's spat, his fist slamming onto the desk. "Damnit!" Despite having a tall lean frame, Lucas was considered the strongest, most skilled amongst his comrades and had a reputation for having a bad temper. His messy navy blue hair almost covered his cold navy blue eyes and running down his face was a large scar.
"Calm yourself brother." A young woman told Lucas. Like him she had navy blue hair, that unlike his was neat and straight that fell down her lithe, Athletic frame to her waist. It was easy to tell that the two were twins by their identical looks. "Most of our allies made it out of there." Lucia reassured. "Including Dolton. Having a guy like him over here with his Mana hacking skills would help us dearly."
"Did Dolton and everyone else manage to destroy any evidence that could be used against us?" A hunched old man asked.
"He did Hosea." Captain Jacob answered. Hosea was considered a legend amongst the sanctuary due to being the oldest surviving ancient human at the age of 65. Once a formidable soldier and Lieutenant for Libertus he now was top advisor for Captain Jacob's council. "Dolton managed to transfer all the files, data and security to a portable drive. The submarine is set to auto pilot and will arrive here within a week. Dolton also sent me this from a remote camera he managed to set up in the entranceway before he escaped." As he turned the data pad over for all to see, Lucas' eyes filled with a rage that almost made him flip the desk over.
"That fucker!" He seethed, clenching his jaw. Lucia held his hand though she too was angered, and horror stricken by the footage.
"Those animals!" She whispered, the pile of burnt bodies made even Hosea want to vomit. But what got both Jacob and Lucas' attention was the man, the same man they had come face to face with during Libertus' massacre.
"That's him, isn't it?" Hosea asked.
"Yes, he was the one who killed Zoltan and hunted us down like rabbits." Jacob told him his fist tightening as he puffed almost half his cigar. Lucas felt his scar tingle as if feeling the slice of the blade across his face as if it happened yesterday.
"That bastard is going to pay for what he did to father." He vowed his eyes filled with a burning rage.
"Do any of our allies know who this man is?" Hosea questioned.
"No," Jacob answered. "We gathered all data we could but he's like a ghost. No doubt he leeches off that bastard Embryo, like a loyal dog."
"Now's the time to strike back and strike hard." Lucas argued. "We need to come out of hiding and contact Arzenal."
"No, we have to be careful." Jacob disagreed. "One wrong move could put not only us but all the Norma in jeopardy."
"The captain is right Lucas, we can't let our emotions get the best of us, once we have the right resources and information, we'll be ready." Lucia said trying to calm her brother down. "Trust me I want that man dead for what he did to our father, but it won't help us if we aren't patient."
"Patient? We've been sitting on our asses for 10 years!" He shouted making her flinch. "Captain, we could go to Arzenal and contact Alektra. She of all people will..."
"Sit down Lucas!" Jacob growled, making the young man back down. "We will, but not now and this is the reason." Jacob clicked away the footage and in its place was a message from his godson Tusk.
'Uncle Jacob, Siegfried has returned, I saw it amongst the other para-mails and whoever it is piloting it is well skilled. He took down an unknown DRAGON type all on his own and has awoken it's power just like Father did.'
"Wait how is that possible?" Lucia gasped.
"Who's piloting Istvan's machine?" Lucas demanded. "It can only be piloted by a male."
"It appears our old friend Gaz and his boy has come out of hiding." Hosea smiled.
"Impossible, Alektra wouldn't trust Siegfried in the hands of some rookie." Lucas argued. "He must have been seeing things Captain."
"Tusk wouldn't send me a private message unless he thought it was absolutely crucial." Jacob said. "We're due to meet him next month to pick up any spare Para-mail parts, then we'll see what's really going on."
The city of Misarugi had plummeted into chaos over the events of the baptism and the revelation that their beloved princess was actually a Norma. In his office, Dr Trager watched the footage over and over again when a sudden prickle on the back of his neck made him as if someone were in the room with him. He turned around when with a flash of lightning, Master Embryo was standing before him.
"Ma…Master Embryo…" He stuttered as he leapt back. "What brings you here?"
"I apologize Doctor I didn't mean to scare you." Embryo chuckled lightly. "But I had to discuss something important with you."
"Of course Master." Trager said. "What can I do for you?"
"Well you know our proposal and what I intend to achieve." Embryo reminded him. "My associate Blackadder has informed me that Dutch Villson and his team have discovered children born from the Norma can use the Light of Mana. Villson will start asking questions and I trust you'll keep his brother and our intentions with Subject Alpha a secret?"
"To the grave." Trager replied. "No one can know what we told Donnie. That man was the real deal compared to his hot-headed idiot brother. I still can't believe Subject Alpha was alive and kept hidden away by Dutch's friend all this time."
"Despite it causing us problems I have to admit I admire determination like this Gavin displayed," Embryo admitted. "But we have all the pieces we need. All that I need now is Subject Alpha. Just imagine the potential he has with the blood he carries."
"Both the Alpha and the Beta together, they will be unstoppable." Trager laughed. "You have my word Master not a word." Embryo smiled coldly and disappeared in a flash of lightning as Trager opened up a secret compartment in his desk and pulled out a file titled 'SUBJECT BETA.' "No one can know." He threw them into the fire and stared as his most brilliant success was consumed by the flames.
The base of Arzanel was the only beacon of light in the evening storm. Lightning cracked and thunder roared as the rain lashed at island base when suddenly, there was a scream that cut through even the storm. "NOOOOO!" Cal shot up from bed as if the scream was right next to him, his heart thumping against his lungs. It sounded the same way he had screamed the night Gramps died.
"Cal, what's wrong?" Salia moaned as she wiped her eyes. When the party begun to die down, Salia had managed to sneak Cal away before her rather large number of competitors could get their hooks on him first.
"Sorry Salia I thought I heard something." Cal laid back down as Salia nudged against him, their naked bodies warming each other as Salia's hair covered them like a second blanket and they fell back asleep.
Inside her office Jill cleaned the last of the blood off her prosthetic index finger. The joints felt stiff and she couldn't clutch it fully. 'Dammit. That stupid girl made it 10 times worse thrashing around like that.' She thought irritably as someone knocked at the door.
"Enter," she called as Jasmine and Maggie appeared.
"What's going on Jill?" Jasmine questioned. "Why did you call us here this time of night."
"I'm still hung over from the party," Maggie moaned.
"Gaz's intel was right." Jill said as she lit a cigarette.
"What do you mean by that?" Maggie asked.
"The princess of Misarugi, she's here." Turning her console around, Jill showed them the footage from the interrogation room. In the darkened cell, a young blonde girl lay curled up on the ground, her body wrapped in a torn and bloody dress. Angelise Ikaruga Misurugi, former princess of the Misurugi Empire, lay in a state of shock and humiliation as tears fell from her ruby red eyes.
"Was that really necessary Jill?" she asked. Even when she was Commander Jasmine hated doing cavity searches. "I doubt a girl like that even knows that trick."
"Consider it a reality check," Jill said. "Someone like her is going to need some extra effort in bringing to heel."
"So then, does this mean…" Maggie asked.
"Yes," Jill smiled, her eyes cold with gleeful triumph. "With her here and Siegfried back in action then Libertus is a go ahead."
ARTHOR'S NOTES
Wow finally the first arc is finished, it's been quite a journey especially with the hardships we've all face with this year and last year. I honestly didn't think it would be this long but I had so much fun writing this story and can't wait to finally delve into the real story with Ange in the picture as now there are greater and unfortunate things to come. A great huge shout out to Eric Micheal Kline this story and chapters wouldn't have been as good without him, please check out his work. Also if any of you want to check out Siegfried's design then check out my Devintart account Raggylad98.
