Rondo in the Endless Sky
Chapter 6: Keep Alive
The day had started bad and it wasn't getting any better.
The grey clouds that had formed over Arzenal perfectly fit the mood in the infirmary. As soon as retrieval had returned with Ange, Jill had immediately called Garm and Alain in for a briefing. It wasn't good, to say the least.
Ange had survived with only a few major injuries. But, nothing that would keep her down for too long, at least by the standards of Arzenal. To make sure she didn't try to run again, Jill had ordered Ange to be restrained to her bed. But, going from the bandages and her listless gaze, Alain didn't think she'd be going far anytime soon even if she tried. Alain and most of Garm were gathered at the foot of Ange's bed, while at another, Rosalie and Chris were sobbing inconsolably over Zola's remains, encased in a body bag. And going by the shape of the bag, it was probably a good thing she was covered. From what they were told, Ange and Zola's units were only good of whatever spare parts could be yanked from them, whole Coco and Miranda's units had likely sunk into the ocean along with whatever was left of their pilots. And worst of all, the DRAGON had gotten away.
"These are the consequences of your desertion, 'Princess'." Jill lectured Ange. "I hope you're proud of yourself. Do you have anything to say in your defense?" Alain bit back the urge to point out that Jill shared most of the blame herself. Ange didn't say a word.
"Say something dammit!" Rosalie shouted, Maggy waving her down.
"Don't go hurting her now." Maggy said. "She's injured enough as is." 'Not helping Maggy.' Alain thought.
"I only tried to go back to my nation." Ange slurred. "I did nothing wrong."
"It's your fault that Zola… she's dead because of you!" Rosalie shouted.
"Murderer. Murderer!" Chris screamed.
"Murder? Norma aren't human." Ange muttered. "You can only murder humans." A shock went through the entire med bay, and even Jill seemed pissed off. Alain thought back to Coco and Miranda, how barely even a day ago he'd just been talking to them. How the young girls had looked up to Ange despite her arrogance. And that was all she had to say? He felt his anger flare again, but someone beat him to it. Pushing Salia saide, Hilda snapped her leg up and brought her heel down on Ange's bandaged shoulder, producing a sharp scream of pain from the girl.
"You're seriously messed up you bitch!" Hilda growled. She took a fistful of Ange's blond hair, pulling back her other hand to a tight fist. But before she could do more, Alain and Salia snapped back to their senses, both grabbing Hilda. "Let go of me!" she yelled while getting pulled away.
"Stand down!" Jill barked. Slowly, Hilda relaxed and was let go.
"How are you okay with that?" Hilda grumbled, but taking a moment when she saw the glower Alain was giving Ange."
"I'm not." Alain answered. "But it won't change a thing, so what's the point?" Hilda clicked her tongue and turned away in response.
"Alain's right." Jill nodded. "Our priority now is to regroup and locate the Brig in order to counterattack. Salia, Hilda, your positions are now finalized. Alain, Mobius Squadron will be permanently attached to Garm until further notice in order to shore the numbers. Return to your posts but stay alert, dismissed."
"Yes, ma'am!" Garm turned to leave, but Alain stayed behind. He had an extra errand to run.
"And the answer is," He caught Vivian saying. "everyone died except Ange!"
"Be quiet." Salia ordered.
"Fiiiine." The young pilot sighed. Once Jill had left too, Alain turned to Maggy.
"I'm guessing you wanna go check up on her?" The buxom doctor asked.
"Has there been any changes?" Alain asked.
"None so far. Though let's hope she wakes up soon." Maggy pulled out a file. "Cause the longer she stays out for, the deeper her debt'll go."
"I'll cover that when she does." He assured, then cricking a brow. "Maggy, do you mind?"
"Hmmm?" Maggy leaned forward more with an all too familiar smirk. Alain adjusted his eyes to avert staring down her cleavage. "You sure you don't need a checkup? Ange's blood is nice, but yours is so much better."
"I'm fine. I'll be going now." Alain turned on his heel and bolted out. He wanted to get out of there before he ended up strapped to a bed like Ange.
A short trip down the hall lead Alain to the Intensive Care wing. He couldn't think of a time when the area wasn't being used, but nobody ever stayed for long. As Jill could and Zola would have attested, there was little that excused a Norma from combat duty. It also helped that Arzenal had a policy of charging a million cash for every day one missed. Anything a Norma couldn't live without or just be replaced was considered preferable to that.
At the moment, there was only one resident in the wing. She was a unique case in Arzenal, a Norma falling into a coma after a DRAGON encounter due to her injuries. Alain himself hadn't seen it happen. He'd been away at one of Jill's missions. But he still remembered when he'd gotten back the day it had happened… he was lucky to have learned a couple of valuable lessons from that experience.
His destination was at the far end of the hall. Through the clear glass of the wall that separated the room from the hall, Alain could see a girl laying on the bed. Naomi, 17 years old. A long curtain of bright pink hair fell around her shoulders. Were it not for the breath mask, tubes, and cables attached to her; she would've looked like she was sleeping. The month spent in bed was beginning to show. A body that had once been athletic but slender and well-proportioned was slowly starting to waste away. Regular electrotherapy had slowed it, but not stopped it.
"Hay, Naomi, sorry it's been a while since I last visited. Thing's have been kinda busy." Alain took one of the chairs and leaned on his hands. "Maybe I should at least start with the good? I dunno… the nursery kids are doing well. They miss you but Ersha is keeping their spirits up. Clara turned eleven the other day, and she's excited for when she can become a pilot. Ersha and I are starting to get through to this newer girl named Kira too. As for the squads… I wish I had something better to say."
Alain let out a sigh. He knew speaking like this wouldn't do anything. But, it felt at least better for him than sitting around and staring. He was holding out the hope Naomi would wake up one of these days… so he couldn't let himself think she wouldn't.
"Garm wound up getting three new members. Coco and Miranda got put in. You remember Coco right? The one who always went on about wanting to meet a real Prince someday. The third is named Ange. She got here late like Kira, and I mean really late. She'd just turned 16 when they caught her. I know she's still adjusting but… damn did things go wrong." He leaned forward a bit more, to where his head was almost pressing into the glass. "Long story short, we got called out on an excursion. Ange tried to run. Coco tried to follow after her but… now Coco and Miranda are dead, and so is Zola. Part of me still doesn't believe it. We always thought that Zola was too stubborn to die, but I guess even her luck was bound to run out."
Alain's attempted laughter turned to a bitter sigh. His teeth gritted and his hands tightened. He couldn't express how much he hated this.
"Dammit I miss you, Naomi. Things aren't the same for any of us without you. I at least want that chance… the chance to not lose someone I care about again. I won't go acting like I could've changed things by saying 'if only I'd been there'… but dammit this is all frustrating. It just feels like I keep losing people. My family, my friends. Jill says she has a plan but what's the point if everyone dies in the process?" Alain took a breath to calm himself as he started shaking. "But… just please, wake up soon alright? I'll convince the others to throw a base wide party when you do. Also, I was able to strike a deal with Jasmine and Mei. It's costing me, but your pet project's safe. I know how much it means for you."
"Alain, a message came in." Wyvern said, Alain pulling up the terminal. "From Commander Jill. She wants you to meet her and Jasmine at the passage to the graveyard."
"They must be getting ready to lay down the new graves. Alright, I'll be there soon." Alain nodded as he stood, leaving a hand on the ICU. "I'll be back another time. Sleep well, Naomi."
The residents of Arzenal had a lot to hate things to hate about their home. And if one part of it topped most everyone's list, it would be the graveyard. Precariously located at the western cliffs, its only access point being a tunnel carved through the peaks of the plateau's rear edge. The rows and rows of tombstones were a testament to all of the Norma who'd been thrown away by the world. And it was as much a monument to the lost as it was a reminder of the inevitable fate of all the Norma.
At the end of the passage leading out, Alain found Jasmine and Jill speaking. Ange was with them, swaying from her injured leg and back to her good one, still dead-eyed. From what he'd heard on the way there, her letters had been rejected. Not that he found it surprising. By Jasmine's side, Vulcan turned as soon as he picked up on Alain's presence and trotted over. The young man took a moment to greet the dog with a pat to the head, also noticing the wooden cart carrying three gravestones.
"Punctual as can be." Jasmine said, handing a closed umbrella to Alain as he approached. He'd need it since the clouds had broken into a steady rainfall. "We were just wondering when you were going to show."
"You could've at least called the rest of Garm too." Alain said, popping the umbrella open. He didn't have a clue why he'd been the only one called to this.
"They'll get their chance to mourn." Jill assured. "But today, Ange is going to be carrying them." Ange looked up with a confused expression. Surely they weren't expecting her to do something so strenuous in her condition? "The survivors are responsible for burying their fallen comrades. That's how it works here on Arzenal."
"Bearing the weight of their lives makes sure you remember them." Jasmine said. "We Norma may be damned to die by the orders of the humans, but we care for our own. Don't worry, you can pay me in installments. Not like you're going anywhere."
"Is now really the time to be money grubbing?" Alain sighed, Jasmine snickering. "But, that's how it is. Maybe you don't think our lives matter, but to us they do. I remember the names of each and every Norma I know who's died. Both to keep them alive in some form, but also so I don't forget why I'm still alive."
The walk was a long one. Ange spent about half the time just getting the graves out to where they would be set, stumbling and getting covered in mud and left sopping wet because of the rain. But it got done eventually. Jill had been offered an umbrella of her own, but had neglected it, leaving herself soaked through as well by the time the graves were finally set.
"Zola Axberg, Coco Reeve, Miranda Campbell… they're all good names." Jasmine spoke as the group looked at the freshly set sites. "Arzenal girls finally get their names back when they die. Their real names, the ones given to them by their parents. Zola's womanizing was her only real flaw. She was smart, hard-working and always looked out for her squadmates. She valued her comrades more than anything. It's a shame she's gone." Vulcan punctuated his owner's words with a mournful howl as Jasmine glanced to Alain. "You want to say something? I know you two argued a lot, but there was a time you were good friends."
"Not really." Alain sighed. "Yeah, we didn't get along at times, and I guess we just drifted apart as things… changed. But she wasn't a bad person. She was a hell of a pilot and a great leader. She didn't deserve to go out like that." Alain cut a look to Jill, recalling her offer to get back at her at another time. "Let's just hope she finds some peace wherever she ends up."
"What's going to happen now?" Ange said. "What am I supposed to do?"
"Fight and kill DRAGONs." Jill answered. "That's all."
"What are those DRAGONs?" Ange's mind flashed back to Coco's death, and the images of the things that had killed her now burned into her mind. "Why do I have to fight them?"
"We don't know." Alain said. "Just that we do, and the Norma fight them because we have no other choice."
"Besides, weren't you listening in class?" Jill added. "We Norma are allowed to live only as weapons to fight DRAGONs."
"Isn't that what you'd want as a princess?" Jasmine said, a sardonic bite to the old Norma's tone. "You're fighting to protect the world, you should feel honored." Ange gave Jasmine a confused gaze.
"Think about it." Alain said. "Why do you think the human nations are so peaceful? It's because we fight the DRAGONs, and the humans don't have to get their hands dirty. It also lets people think their world is perfectly fine and totally free of strife and worry. And what do we get out of it? We get tossed aside like yesterday's trash."
"He's right." Jill said. "While your world was drunk on peace, we Norma were here, fighting and dying, unknown to anyone, to protect you. And now it's your turn."
"But that has nothing to do with me!" Ange shook her head. Her voice was nothing but denial. "I'm not even a Norma! I don't deserve to be here!"
"If so, then try this." Jill reached into her pocket and pulled out a pen, dropping it into Ange's hand. "This is the Overseers. She can use it with Mana just fine. If you're not a Norma, then you should be able to do the same, right?"
"Light of Mana." Nothing happened and Ange's face twisted in confusion and despair. "Mana. Light of Mana!" but, nothing at all. The pen didn't so much as budge. Ange slumped to the ground as her hand shook. "Why? It's just… it can't be. I just… can't use Mana right now."
"Will you stop with the excuses already? It's just pathetic." Alain turned to Ange, not with a look of anger or annoyance, but pity. "You get it now? It's not working because you can't use Mana."
"And for that I have to get thrown into this hell?!" Ange yelled. "It's outrageous!"
"Who do you think put us here?!" Alain dropped his umbrella as he grabbed Ange by her jacket. His anger had flared, but it was a cold breed of it. "You, your rotten family, every ruler of those nations, they're the ones who made things this way! Norma are violent, anti-social monsters. That's why they reject the Light of Mana. That's how it goes, right? Do you even remember it? The person you told that too?!"
"What… I… you were…?" Ange's eyes were wide. What Alain had said was almost word for word what she'd told to the mother of a Norma baby. She had to wonder, had that woman been looking at her with the same cold disdain Alain was now?
"Her name is Serra." Alain kept going. "That little girl, who did nothing wrong but be born incorrectly by the twisted standards your former people made. She's not even a year old, and they threw her in here all because she was born without the ability to use Mana. But now it's suddenly not fair because you're the victim this time?!"
"She's not wrong about it though, Alain." Jasmine said, kneeling down and petting Vulcan. "Of course it's not fair. Coco had just turned twelve dammit."
"Twelve?" Ange repeated. "She was the same age as… no! No! That… that thing was not like Sylvia! She wasn't human!"
SMACK
The quick sting of Alain's palm across Ange's cheek sent her sprawling across the mud.
"What the fuck does that make you then?!" Alain yelled, tears visible at the edges of his eyes. "You can't use Mana so neither are you! But because you just couldn't deal with it… now three of those people are dead! Three of my comrades! Do you even understand that idea!?" the sound of footsteps splashing in the rain drew attention, Salia running up behind them.
"Commander!" The young captain reported. "We've located the Brig." Jill nodded and shoved Alain aside, roughly pulling Ange up to her feet.
"Get up." Jill ordered. "Snap out of it. The world is unfair and unjust, so kill or be killed. That's all there is for you now. So, kill the DRAGONs for your dead comrades! If you can't do that much then lay down and die!" Slowly, Ange straightened herself out, her tears mingling with the rain.
"Then just kill me now." Ange said. "I can't live like this! I'd rather be dead." 'When I thought she couldn't be more selfish.' Alain thought, a hand tightening up.
"No." Jill said, looking to the graves. "You'll die in battle, just like they did. That's your duty as a Norma."
"But, Commander." Salia interrupted. "We don't have any working units." Jill smile, and Alain already knew what the woman was thinking.
"But we do. That one." Jill's remark got Jasmine to show a grin, Salia giving a small gasp.
"You don't mean…"
"She does." Alain said, Salia looking to him as he wiped off his eyes. "Villkiss."
The door to the storage hangar opened with a grind as the gears rusted by sea air wearily came back to life. Alongside Jill, Alain and Salia had come with her to fetch Mei so they could pull Ange's new unit out of storage.
"We're really sending it out?" the young Armorer asked.
"Yes." Jill answered, Mei giving a wary look back towards Ange.
"And you really think she can…"
"We'll just have to find out." the Commander shrugged. "Can we at least start it up?"
"No problem! Give me twenty minutes!" Mei hurried ahead of the group as the group went further into the hangar. A row of lights flashing on illuminated the same wrecked Para-mail that Jill and Alain had checked in on a few days ago. Salia's face sported a troubled expression, her eyes trailing to Jill.
"This is your new machine." Jill shoved Ange forward a bit. "Its name is Villkiss. It's pretty old and hasn't seen any decent repairs in years. The engine's in shambles, the energy regulation is a mess, and its transformation gears are totally shot. It's a deathtrap that could fall apart right in the sky. Perfect for someone who wants to die."
"I can die if I ride this?" Ange stumbled forward like she was sleep walking. "I can be Angelise again…"
"Jill, wait." Salia whispered, stepping a bit closer to the commander. "If the Villkiss gets damaged…"
"Insubordination isn't going to be tolerated, Salia." Jill warned. Salia looked taken aback by the subtle threat but Jill's expression softened as she laid a hand to Salia's shoulders in what looked like a reassuring gesture. "Now let's move out. It's your first sortie as a Captain. I'm expecting good results. Alain?"
"Yeah yeah." Alain sighed. "Of course I've got her back. I've got all their backs." Jill gave a cool smile as if she was satisfied with his answer and left to head to the command center. "Come on Salia, we need to suit up ourselves."
"But, Alain what if she…"
"I won't let that happen." He assured her. "I've got as much riding on this as you do. Look…" He took Salia by the shoulder, stepping aside with her as he cast a look back to Ange and the derelict machine. "remember what we talked about?"
"Yes." she half sighed.
"I'm almost at the end of my patience with Jill too. But right now, Ange is our only option. From what Jasmine told me, Alektra was pretty similar to her back then. Always in despair, but Villkiss gave her something to believe in and keep going. There's a reason Libertus hinges on the thing. So for now, let's just trust Jill's judgment and see where things go."
"Okay." Salia nodded, and she flinched when Alain put a hand to her head. "Alain…"
"It'll be fine, trust me." He assured. "Let me worry about Ange and Villkiss. You've got a pretty full plate yourself after all."
"I guess you're right." Salia smiled. "At least I know you're with us for good for a while. Stick with Trigger and you'll make it. Right?"
"Still wish I knew who started that saying." Alain folded his arms, and Salia chuckled a bit. But there wasn't hiding the way her expression fell when she looked back to the Villkiss. 'I've still got a lot of work ahead of me for this one huh?' he thought. 'But… if this works, and Ange can reawaken Villkiss, we can actually get moving again. And if not, then Zola, Coco, and Miranda's deaths will have been for nothing. And I won't let that happen.'
The launch bay scrambled with energy as Garm was prepping for launch to go after the Brig. Alain was running final checks on Wyvern while Mei was perched just at the top of the hatch, checking her own data pad as Alain ran his hands across the control console's keyboard.
"Drive integrity is looking good, and all systems good. How's the OS Alain?" Mei looked down, Alain shooting her a thumbs up as he pushed the keyboard aside. "Good. I got Villkiss in as good a state as I could with the time I had. If this works out, I'll be sure it never ends up like that again."
"If this does work your probably won't have to." Alain joked, Mei sticking her tongue out at him, the boy giving her a playful look before the Armorer jumped off his machine. A press of the button closed the hatch, and Alain placed his hands to his controls as the cockpit display flickered to life. "Ready to go Wyvern? Not gonna be rusty despite being grounded for a few days?"
"I understand your attempt at humor, but don't see the need for it when we just finished diagnostics." Alain groaned at the AI sandbagging his joke like that. "But, I am prepared to move out."
"You could have at least played along with my joke." Alain sighed as he flicked his visor down. His eyes trailed over to the Villkiss as one by one, Garm began launching ahead of him. When the derelict unit finally took to the air, it was just barely keeping pace with its fellow units.
"Mobius One, cleared for launch!" Hikaru announced.
"Mobius One, taking off!" Alain drove the throttle forward. Wyvern's engines roared to life as it lifted up and launched, streaking off after Garm as the squadron was getting into formation. As usual the assault members; Salia, Hilda, and Vivian; took point while artillery; Ersha, Rosalie, and Chris; took the rear. Alain would normally be part of the assault team, but with Villkiss trailing behind and Ange looking like she could barely keep it in the air, he brought up the rear to make sure she wouldn't just plummet into the ocean.
"Why the hell is she here?" Rosalie said. "We're supposed to be fighting alongside the person that killed Zola?"
"I'll kill her! I'll kill her! I swear I'll kill her!" Chris muttered; her almost unusual vitriol was clear as day.
"Stingy, Ghost, cool it." Alain pulled a bit further to get alongside the other two, his tone all business. "I'll keep my eye on her so she doesn't try and repeat last time, alright?"
"I heard she wants to die." Hilda said, her image appearing on the console with a smug grin. "So why don't we watch to see how Princess falls? Hey Trigger, wanna place a bet on how she does it?"
"Don't push your damn luck Count." Alain grumbled. He was not in the mood for Hilda's usual attitude right now.
"Hey hey, Alain!" Vivian suddenly cut in. "What's that machine?" she thankfully made a welcome distraction for Alain. Of course she was bound to be curious about the Villkiss. "Salia, Salia! That thing's pretty awesome right? Isn't it, Salia?"
"Edge, code names when we're on a mission!" Salia barked, Vivian wincing as she chuckled. Vivian always was the one who never followed protocol until she was told to.
"Enemy shadow detected." Pamela's voice said. In time with it, a dark blot appeared on the water. The surf split, and the purple Brig that had cost Garm three members rose. As it took to the air, Alain took note of how a good chunk of it was still frozen, likely from the few freeze bullet shots that had been landed during the previous engagement. 'In that state it won't take much to kill the thing. But something doesn't feel right.' He thought. Alain didn't know why, but something in the back of his mind told him not to get cocky yet.
"So, what should we do, Captain?" Hilda sounded almost mocking in tone as she matched pace to Salia.
"Finish it off, it's almost dead." the new captain ordered. "All units, attack formation! Load freeze bullets!"
"Yes ma'am!"
All of the Para-mails slowed and transformed into their Assault Modes. On each unit's left arm, a slot on the forearm opened and revealed a barrel loaded into it, a green spike projecting from the opened armor. The only (known) way to kill a large DRAGON was, simply enough, to freeze it solid. Para-mail freeze bullet launchers only came loaded with a handful of the rounds however, so the usual strategy was to get in as close as possible to ensure a hit or to plug the DRAGON with it point blank.
"Tight formation. All units attack!" Salia ordered, followed by the team rushing forward. It was a standard formation for sure. Assault units circling the larger enemy like a swarm of angry hornets, artillery at the back and peppering the Brig with canon fire. 'I still can't shake that feeling.' Alain clicked his tongue as he glanced around, keeping Wyvern at the edges of the battle. 'It shouldn't be this easy unless…' and Alain's eyes widened at the realization.
"Everyone move!" No sooner had Alain shouted had the Brig triggered its trap with a roar. A circle of energy rose above the waves, followed by a storm of the Brig's scales erupted into the skies. The pilots rushed to get clear, but Rosalie and Chris's units were hit, the former losing half a leg and the other one of her wings.
"Hang back for now you two!" Hilda shouted, her unit raising its rifle and firing a counter barrage at the razor-sharp projectiles.
"Cheater!" Vivian said, her unit fanning it's rifle at the scales while lashing its razor boomerang at ones she missed. Salia was countering herself, but inside her cockpit, her eyes were wide. This kind of situation was one that just didn't happen.
"There wasn't any data about a Brig attacking like this…" Salia muttered, her eyes flying around in a panic.
"Get it together Salia!" Alain shouted as he rushed in with Wyvern's rifle firing off, the blue energy bolts cutting through the swarming scales. He swiped the rifle around as Ersha got rushed from multiple sides, a few quick shots keeping her orange Hauser from taking too much damage, but one of her canons got the barrel sliced. "Shit!"
"It's alright Alain!" Ersha assured, her unit going back to back with his. "Salia, we're in danger if this keeps up! What do we do?"
"First off, don't gather up!" Alain shouted as the remaining units began gathering. "Split off and keep moving. Don't let the things corner you!"
"R-Right!" Alain felt a bit bad about taking control of the situation from Salia like that, but now wasn't the time to worry about those kinds of things. "Loosen up the formation and find an opening past the scales! Trigger's right. If we get cornered the Brig will just take us all out at once!"
"Well look who's actually thinking for herself!" Hilda almost laughed as the five units split off further while keeping up the counter barrage. As Alain expected, the Brig came rushing in towards the clustered squad, only to miss when they scattered. For its trouble, the Brig got a freeze bullet from Wyvern to the back, ice spiking up at the impact point. Unfortunately, all that seemed to do was make it angrier as it wheeled around for another pass.
"Tch, too high up." Alain clicked his tongue as he cycled the next round in. "Two shots left."
"Alain." Wyvern warned. "Incoming from eight o'clock." Alain looked back at the warning, his eyes going wide as a certain derelict machine streaked by him.
"Ange don't go in!" Alain shouted, being stopped from trying to match the Villkiss by a streak of scales getting between them.
"Almost… almost…" Ange mumbled over the comm line. "Almost. I can almost say goodbye."
"What is she doing?" Salia shouted.
"Trying to get killed, what's it look like?" Hilda said. 'Dammit no!' Alain growled. He may not have liked her, but he was far from wanting Ange dead, especially with what was at stake. Unfortunately with the scales still circling them, Alain and the others couldn't get to her. When Ange was within distance, the Brig whipped its tail around to slap her out of the sky, yet Ange suddenly veered to the side, only taking a grazing hit to the underside of her machine. Villkiss easily recovered, despite the shuddering of the damaged frame. Alain gave a sigh of relief, when on his console, Ange's face took on a confused, somewhat distressed expression.
"No… one more time…" Ange moved back in close again. The Brig's body glowed and a new wave of sharp scales was sent flying. Again, Ange waited until the last second to dodge away. The Brig gave chase, and each time it attacked, Ange dodged. Despite saying she wanted to die, it was becoming increasingly obvious her body wasn't matching her mind. "No… I have to die properly."
"Alright, enough is enough." Alain broke a small smirk. Wyvern took aim as he adjusted his controls, a burst of energy bolts arcing from the barrel, cutting off the Brig in its pursuit of Villkiss. "Get it together Ange!"
"Stay out of it!" Ange yelled, the cut on her scalp reopening and causing blood to drip down her face. "I don't want your help! I just want to die!"
"Then why aren't you!?" Alain challenged. "Think about it! If you really want to die then why is your body still moving? Even if you're fate's been decided, you don't just surrender to it! You fight and live no matter what it takes! That's what it means to be a Norma! Or do you want to end up like Zola and the others?" Wyvern's rifle was beginning to overheat due to the constant use, so Alain slung it to the machine's waist hardpoint. The shield also rotated back to free up the other hand. In the place of the rifle, Wyvern drew both of its beam sabers and began cutting through the sharp cyclone around him. "Your life is your own, so fight for it!" No sooner had Alain said that, had he felt a pulse from the Wyvern, almost like a heartbeat. It's eyes gleamed brighter and the streams of particles from its engines grew stronger. Inside the cockpit, Alain felt the air become thick and heated, the pilot feeling as if time itself had begun to slow. 'What's going on?' he wondered.
"My life is… my own?" Ange put her still bandaged covered hand to her head. The bandages slipped away, and from beneath them something gleamed. The last strip came undone, and Ange's eyes went wide to see the green gem of her mother's ring once more adorning her hand. And then she finally remembered them. Her mother's last words to her.
'Live on, Angelise…'
A sudden screen pulled Ange out of her stupor. Ange looked up to see the Brig roaring as it was baring down on her, it's massive jaws ready to crush her.
"I have… I have to live. I can't just die here! I don't want to die. I want to live!"
The gem of the ring glowed bright as Ange tightened her hand and Villkiss was encased in a radiant shell. A flash of light, and the years of wear and tear was cast off like shed skin, leaving a machine once more in its prime. Gleaming white armor streaked in blue and black gleamed in the sun as the clouds split, and beneath the formerly rusted frame gleamed golden. The once derelict machine shifted to Assault Mode, the eyes within it's visor gleaming red, while the crest adorning it's forehead bore a statue in the visage of a goddess. As it took form, the wings opened to an array and burst with new life that gave it an angelic visage.
"Took her long enough." Alain's muttered. He'd let Ange take this one. He had his own objectives. Still feeling as if he was moving through a thick morass rather than air, he gunned the Wyvern's throttle. Outside, the scales appeared as if they'd slowed to a near halt. As easy as they were to target, in this strange mental state, Alain was finding it hard to breath. Whatever this was, he needed to finish it quickly before he passed out.
The rest of the squad could hardly believe it. Just as the scales had begun to close on them, Wyvern suddenly gleamed red. Before they knew it, Alain's machine rocketed off and was darting across the sky so quickly it was as if it were in two places at once. It was as if a blazing tornado streaked in red had formed in the hurricane of razors and was quickly clearing them out.
A short way off, Ange and the Brig were circling each other like angry sharks. Ange fired her assault rifle, and the Brig raised a barrier against it. Between Ange's speed and the relentless assault, the beast couldn't even mount a proper counterattack.
"I don't want to die!" she yelled. "I won't die!" In an attempt to get past it's defenses, Ange switched back to flight mode and took off at full speed. In response, the Bring launched another barrage that Ange rolled past with surprising ease. The scales whirled in the air to follow after her, and Ange shifted back to Destroyer Mode. Her sword was pulled from its hardpoint and sliced down on any that got too close. From the corner of his eye despite his own fight, Alain saw that the attack had herded Ange right into the direction of the Brig.
"Look out!" He managed to shout despite feeling like that would only make him pass out faster.
"Die!" he heard Ange yell out. At the last moment, Ange juked upwards and rammed her sword right into the DRAGON's eye down to the hilt. In its pain and confusion, the beast roared as it flailed while the attack it had launched at Ange instead came around and shred its belly wide open in a spray of blood. And was quick to capitalize on it, and with a final scream, Villkiss's plunged back against it, Villkiss's palm slamming into it as the freeze bullet launcher opened, firing all three shots in a burst. Spikes of ice erupted all across the DRAGON's body as it began to fall while Villkiss pulled back. The resulting splash created a massive pillar of water that immediately froze over, also freezing the surface of the water along with it. And as the last scales were finally cut down, Alain felt the weight in the air fade away as Wyvern lost its red glow. His breathing was ragged from exhaustion and his arms felt like lead.
"Alain, are you alright?" Wyvern asked. "Your bio-signs are showing heightened levels of distress."
"I'm fine." he gasped. "So… that's Villkiss huh?" Alain relaxed a bit as the rest of Garm returned to flight made and began hovering in the air. "Ange, you alright?"
"I...I don't know," she whispered. "This feeling...it's so...NO! This is not who I am!"
"Ange it's okay," he assured her. "You not only survived you won. What you're feeling is perfectly natural."
"But killing just to survive...it's selfish...filthy...and..." and Ange's voice was lost as she began to sob hysterically. Alain guessed he shouldn't be surprised. The first kill was always the hardest. She'd collect herself and settle with it soon enough, they always did.
"Wyvern, connect to Villkiss. Ange isn't in any condition to fly it back." He said, tapping a few buttons on his controls.
"Understood."
"Salia." Alain called.
"Right." Salia answered. "All units return to base. Target eliminated, so the mission is complete." Overhead, the clouds began to part, the amber light of the afternoon sun pouring down across the area. Alain couldn't help but feel like it was some kind of omen of things to come. He just hoped he wouldn't have many regrets when it was over.
"Wyvern," he then remembered. "what happened back there? How did you do that?" It wasn't just a performance boost. He could have sworn it felt like his mind had connected with the machine's OS.
"I cannot answer that query." Wyvern said. "There are locks in place to my OS which I cannot bypass myself… all I can say is in that moment, one of those locks was undone."
"Guess Villkiss isn't the only machine with some mysteries behind it. Any damage?"
"None that I can determine. Also, you may wish to check your nose. It began bleeding around the same time as that event."
"Eh?" Alain just then noticed the warm feeling on his lip. He reached up and pulled back his fingers to see them stained in crimson. "When the hell did that happen?"
"I would suggest some caution in using that feature in the future." Wyvern said."The increased G-Forces are more than the Inertia Store Converter can process for long."
"For some reason I don't think that was G-Forces." Alain brushed the thought aside for now as he wiped the rest of the blood off on his glove. Today had proven to be quite something, all of it highlighted by the awakening of the Villkiss and now, this new mystery about the Wyvern and just what it even was. 'Talk about a hell of a time. I really wanna just sleep after all this.'
As the sun was finally setting over the ocean, a lone figure stood at the Arzenal graveyard. The evening sun had painted the sky a burning orange, the clouds turned a shade of red. Ange stood before three graves.
ZOLA AXBERG
MIRANDA CAMPBELL
COCO REEVE
"Goodbye," she said. "Father, Mother, Sylvia, Brother."
"You could at least tell them goodbye too." Ange turned and grimaced at the sight of Alain approaching from her left. "Fine, just don't forget their names. You owe them that much." Without a word, Ange pulled out her knife. Alain took a stance, wondering if she was about to take some revenge for the training sessions. But instead, she took a hold of her golden hair, a quick cut from the knife shearing it down to her chin. Ange held the locks for a moment more before letting them go. "I take it you're finally settled." Alain commented, watching as the cut hair caught the wind and drifted off over the cliff's edge.
"There's nothing left for me. Nothing that I need." She replied. "No past, no name, nothing. I won't die as easily as they did."
"I suppose that's one way for you to put it." Alain tried not to feel aggravated by the nature of that remark. 'Considering it's your fault they're even dead.'
"To survive, I'll do what I have to. Claw the ground, drink muddy water and vomit blood." Ange balled a hand, looking towards Alain. Her eyes weren't those of a princess in denial of the truth, but the stone-cold look of someone determined to survive. "I'll live on… even if it means killing to survive."
"Try and remember you won't be the only one doing that." Alain said. And it certainly wasn't going to be easy, considering the grudge several of her squad mates would likely still hold against her. "You're gonna have a lot ahead of you, fair warning. Piloting Villkiss isn't the same as what the others do. Jill's going to expect a lot from you."
"She can expect whatever she wants. Doesn't change how I'm going to live. My life is my own, right?" Alain chuckled as Ange turned that back on him as she left. "Just don't get in my way."
"It's not me you should be concerned about." He said, Ange just scoffing as she continued on. Alain sighed to him and turned to the graves. "Zola, Coco, Miranda… I hope you're someplace better than Arzenal. Don't worry about us, we'll be fine. Zola, I'll keep Garm safe for you, I promise. That's the least I can do to pay you back, even with how things ended up."
Alain looked up to the flame painted sky. He shifted a hand with his thumb and pinky spread out like wings, raising his hand up until his arm was fully outstretched, right to the heights to the sky.
"Higher and higher… I'll carve my trail into those skies until all of us are free from this kind of life. Dad, Mom… I swear. I'll make sure that dream I inherited comes true."
A/N
And now that sees the opening episodes finally come along to a close in all of this. Whooboy. It's gonna be fun from here on out as this keeps going. Because there is PLENTY to do.