Rondo in the Endless Sky
Chapter 18: Lost Children
Finally, after a miserable ride that life him and his passenger soaked, Alain finally arrived at the safehouse, a vacation cabin away from civilization. Like the Recta Base it was a property CROSS had gotten their hands on through their various connections. It wasn't much, but it wasn't like a fancy place was high on his priorities. Pulling the Runner under the cabin's outer awning, he was quick to lift Hilda up and get inside. He beelined for the bedroom and set Hilda down onto the bed, a wave of his hand turning the lights on. 'These things are way too useful.' He thought as he pulled off the Mana gloves and his thoroughly soaked jacket, before pulling out the first aid kit. In case he ever got injured on any of his missions, Maggy had taught him a few things about emergency first aid.
The first thing he checked over was Hilda's bruises. They were swelling but that would be easy enough to take care of with an ice pack. But of even greater concern was the shaking. 'Knew the rain wouldn't help.' Alain thought, rifling through the aid kit. 'I'll apologize to her when she wakes up… besides not like I haven't seen her naked a hundred times by now.' Once he got Hilda stripped down and tossed the ruined clothes aside, he hissed at seeing the full extent of her injuries. A few light bruises on her torso, and a darkening shoe-shaped bruise on her right shoulder and ribs. 'She doesn't look like she's having trouble breathing, so I doubt it's broken. Probably cracked though.' As he probed one a little too hard, Hilda have a wince of pain. "Sorry." He said aloud as he began dabbing salve on the bruises, using bandages and cold packs to keep the swelling down.
"Mama…" the soft whimper from Hilda made Alain stop. "Mama… why?" Alain sighed as he sat on the edge of the bed and covered Hilda in a blanket. His hands tightened when he saw the tears streaming down her face. 'Part of me wonders what happened when she found her mom… the other part of me doesn't know what I'd do if I did.' Alain knew what kinds of mess Hilda had walked into but he could only image what had actually happened and doing so made his chest flare in anger. As much of a bitch as she could be, Alain didn't think she deserved to be hurt like that. Without realizing it, he took one of her hands in his own, and her shaking slowed to a stop. 'I can find out more when she wakes up. I should sleep too.'
Somewhere, the sound of the wind rustling tree branches split through the dark, and Hilda groaned has she felt something warm on her face, the fuzzy darkness in her eyes turning into a dull light as she woke up. She groaned again as she felt a dull throbbing across her body. 'What… where am I now?' As she slowly sat up, the events of the previous day came flooding back to her. The rejection from her mother, wandering through the rain and being attacked by the police, then feeling like she'd been taken somewhere before she finally lost consciousness. So either was captured and locked in a prison cell or had been shipped back to Arzenal. 'But then why is the bunk so soft?' she wondered.
"No reason to put if off." She huffed. Once her eyes-or rather, eye, since one of them was covered for some reason-got clear of the morning haze, she looked around and found she was in the last place she thought she'd ever be. It looked like the bedroom of a log cabin. There weren't even bars on the windows like what Arzenal dorms had. "The hell?" She threw off the blanket covering her, yelping when she saw the state she was naked aside from some bandages wrapped around her still throbbing torso, along with those holding a thawed out cold pack over her left eye. "Who…" she wondered as she finally heard the light snoring. Hilda flinched despite the pain, ready to make a move if she had to, but the alertness quickly shifted into confusion when she saw who it was: In one corner of the room, Alain, leaned back against the wall and sound asleep.
Taking the blanket to cover herself, Hilda slowly walked over to him. 'What the hell is going on? First I wake up in a cabin and then I find him of all people here?' As it dawned on her that Alain was the one who'd stripped her, Hilda's face felt like it was on fire. "Hey! Wake up!" she yelled as she reared a leg back and kicked Alain's side. She regretted it just as quickly as the sudden shock made her injured torso sear.
"Oof?!" Alain gasped from the impact and shot too his feet. "Oh, you woke up."
"Don't act all-ow-casual!" Hilda hissed, as Alain tilted his head with an amused smirk. "You have some damn explaining to do! Like why the hell am I naked!"
"I'm pretty sure you know that one." Alain snarked, pointing at her bandaged eye. Hilda huffed and sat back down on the bed, glaring at Alain with the same indignance as before. The blue-haired boy sighed as he pulled up a nearby chair to sit in. "As for everything else, the short of it is that Jill sent me out to get you and Ange after you escaped… well, more accurately just to get Ange."
"Figures." Hilda spat.
"And as for this… I took it on myself to find you first." Alain's answer made Hilda balk at him, and he returned the expression by leaning on a hand as his eyes narrowed. "Someone had to. Look… I got friends out here. And they pretty much told me everything.
"And what would you know?!" Hilda snapped, Alain glancing to the side. "This is just… why would you even care to find me huh? I bet you kind of liked seeing those cops beat me if you saw that…"
"If by 'liked' you mean I was pissed off enough to break a few bones then yeah." Alain countered, Hilda glanced at him and tched like she didn't believe him. "There's dry clothes in the dresser you can change into. I'm going to see what my pals left in this place in terms of food. There's a shower in the next room over too. We can talk more after you get cleaned up." Hilda didn't response, though she heard him stand up and walk out of the door.
When the door shut, and Alain's footsteps faded away, only then did Hilda get off the bed. There wasn't much in the dresser, but she at least was able to find some underwear, a shirt, and pants that looked like they would fit her. It was when she got into the bathroom she felt thrown for a loop. With the disallowance of private showers in Arzenal, Hilda found a private one absolutely foreign. She was even more surprised at how clean it was, with everything one would need laid out for her. 'Wonder if he has cameras set up in here… not like he and I haven't seen each other naked dozens of times though.' Hilda had to wonder how she would be reacting to this situation if it were anybody but Alain she had woken up to as she hopped into the shower. It was probably ironic she could interact with him so easily, when she was sure if it had not been him, she'd have probably gotten violent.
After a brief shower that got the caked in mud out of her hair, she changed into the outfit she'd picked out, also finding a couple of bands in the bathroom to tie her hair up into her usual twin tails. As she checked herself in the mirror, she had almost expected the bruises on her face to be worse, but whatever treatment Alain had given her kept the swelling from being too bad. Though she still had a bit of a shiner at her left eye from where she had caught a punch.
"Ah come on!" Alain suddenly yelled. 'What now?' Hilda rolled her eyes as she exited the room while buttoning the shirt up. What she found when she got out to the main living room was Alain grumbling at the kitchen, one eye twitching as he looked at some packages in his hands. "Well this sucks."
"What sucks?" Hilda asked, leaning against the wall.
"These MREs." Alain flashed one of the packages before tossing both onto the counter, kneeling back down to rifle through the opened cupboard. "This place is a safehouse those friends of mine use. Since they're used irregularly, any food they pack in has to be non-perishable. Usually field rations or canned food. These two are the kind that suck."
"Can't be much worse than some of the food Arzenal serves." Hilda commented. "So, just what the hell do you mean by friends? Are you talking about humans or something?"
"Yes and no." That just made Hilda raise a brow. Alain grabbed a few of the packages in the cupboard and set them on the nearby table. "Hmm… roast and potatoes huh? Can't be the worst thing out of all this."
"Could I get an actual answer to my question first?" Hilda demanded, Alain sighed and gestured for her to take a seat as he cut the box open.
"Like I said, it's a yes and no answer. Some of them are. Some of them… aren't."
"And what does that mean? Is there some other Norma prison besides Arzenal you somehow know about?"
"It's less of a prison and more like a hideout." Hilda raised a brow high as Alain got to eating like he'd just said something totally normal for her to hear. "They're called CROSS. For the most part they're what's left of a group that worked with Arzenal over ten years ago. Though for… various reasons, as of late they've been bolstering their numbers with humans."
"Huh?!"
"Not every human out there is a total jerk." Alain said, pointing his fork at Hilda. "Some of 'em are like Momoka: They don't give a damn if someone's a Norma or not. I'm talking about people who actually have the brains to look at things around them and realize how bad it really is. Some of them actually want to help Norma."
"You're kidding, right?" Hilda argued, Alain shaking his head. "As if I would believe something like that! All the humans do is toss us Norma away like garbage! There's no way any of them would ever want to help us! Especially not when… dammit…" Hilda's expression broke for a moment. And as she saw Alain had a sympathetic look on his face, she growled. "Don't look at me like that! You don't know anything! Like all those other idiots you have no idea what my life has been like! Getting back here all just so I could…"
"What if I said I could understand?"
"LIKE HELL!" Hilda stormed back into the bedroom in a fury. Alain put a hand to his head as he groaned.
"Never have been the best at this stuff." Feeling his appetite leave him with the newly dour mood, he stood up and went to the couch in the nearby living room. As he sat down, Wyvern's terminal pinged. "What now?"
"It's a communication from Recta Base." Wyvern said. "Should I patch it through?"
"Put it through. Likely SkyEye checking in."
"Affirmative."
"Hope I'm not interrupting anything." Alain rolled his eyes at Ray's playful tone. "Kidding aside now, how's things on your end? You find the girl?"
"Yeah. Had to patch her up a bit, but she'll be fine after a couple days." Alain answered. "Physically anyway… mentally, that's up in the air. What about Tusk and Garuda?"
"Well… their situation got a lot more… complex." That did not reassure Alain in the slightest. "Like we guessed, Ange was walking right into a trap. Tusk saw it all go down. She left one hell of a mess, but they got her. The news in Misurugi was on fire the other night."
"That's more than just complex." Alain groaned.
"It's nothing those guys can't handle. Garuda may be a bunch of oddballs but they're one of our best teams for a reason. If there's anybody we can rely on to get it done, it's them. I wouldn't be too worried. For now I'd recommend just taking care of your friend before coming back here."
"Like I said, we're not exactly friends."
"Eh who knows, maybe you'll change that. Over and out."
"Over and out." As he lowered the terminal, Alain looked to the bedroom door. 'This is probably going to be a really dumb idea.' He thought as he rose and went to the door. "Hilda?" he gave a gentle knock, not getting a reply. "Look, I know you're in a mood but… there's something I wanna tell you."
"Just buzz off." Hilda replied.
"I meant it when I said I can understand how you feel." Alain continued anyway. "Because… because I'd give anything for one more chance to see my parents again too." To his surprise, the knob turned, Hilda peeking out through the small opening.
"I'm listening."
Tusk had to admit it, it was impressive how quickly people could get worked up for something like an execution. Royal guards were milling about the base of the Dawn Pillar like ants, working hurriedly to construct a gallows. It hadn't been long since the previous night that Ange's capture had been announced across the airwaves by Julio. 'What the hell kind of brother looks so gleeful about putting his own sister to death?' just the thought of it angered Tusk in a way he hadn't felt in years. It was taking all his restraint not to rush in and save Ange and her maid. And maybe give her brother a good beating while he was at it.
"Man, this is just a mess." High Roller muttered from his perch in a tree next to Tusk, a viewfinder in his hands as he scanned the grounds. "And they just had to pick the most heavily guarded place in the entire nation to hold it didn't they?" It didn't help them they were expecting a massive crowd to show up at the event as well. For a people who liked to act so peaceful and civilized, the Mana people were quite bloodthirsty if such a chance presented itself.
"And there isn't a lot of places to get to it from exceptright in the front." Tusk said, bringing his own binoculars around to the three main promenades that extended out from the Dawn Pillar. "I'd like more options, but we don't really have any."
"At least I can keep cops off our asses by hacking the broadcasts." Shamrock said. "If we don't have any choice but to have you four charge head on into the crowd, then all I can do is make sure the rest of the country doesn't see what happens."
"Yeah but we're talking about something going down at the Dawn Pillar!" High Roller exclaimed. "And I do not doubt His Holy Emperor isn't gonna miss out on a front row seat. Misurugi ain't even a religious nation. The hell does he mean by "Holy Empire" anyway?!"
"His own ego, what else?" Chopper suggested. Tusk looked off and spotted the team leader at the other end of the plaza. With a faux camera screen floating near his hands, he looked just like another tourist observing the grounds. "Just wait till they bring the girl out. Then swoop in and grab her once Shamrock knocks out the cameras. Make some noise and then get out while they're scrambling around. Then beeline it back to Recta Base before they can get anything done."
"Don't make it sound that easy." Huxian droned. Wherever the fox-faced operator was, they didn't have a clue. Only that he knew where they were. "They may thin out the guards because of civilians, but that'll be within their little event. It's the perimeter around here I'd be concerned with."
"And not like we can ask Trigger to come crashing in with the Wyvern. That's just asking to draw attention." Shamrock added. They all knew Wyvern could easily fly under the radar thanks to its particle drives but calling in a near twenty-meter-tall war machine to crash an event was not what any of them would call wise. It would be just as bad as the mess that ensued during the pursuit Ange caused. "We should at the least have a couple of days to put a proper plan together. Even at this pace those guys can't finish the set up that quickly."
"About the plan…" Tusk spoke up. "Jill gave me some… requirements for how she wants me to go about things."
"This outta be good…" Huxian sighed.
"She said if I was unable to get Ange before she was captured… to let events play out to the last second before jumping in." Tusk didn't like it at all. And the balking look he got from High Roller matched the noises the others told him they shared his sentiment. "I know, I know… it's insane."
"More than just insane." Chopper said. "That's outright reckless!"
"I don't like it either." Tusk said. 'Jill, this isn't the way to make Ange listen to you.' He thought. "But that doesn't mean we should do it that way… it all depends on the plan we make, right?"
"Of anything now that's just more motivation to do it our way." Shamrock said. "Boy won't Big Boss have words to say about something like that…"
"Yeah…" Tusk sighed. While his contact towards Arzenal had been basically nonexistence outside of Alain for years, he knew plenty about how Jill had changed over the years since the first Libertas. There'd been a time, when she still went by the name Alektra, that he would have compared her to Ange. He had even had a bit of a crush on her in his childhood. But from what he'd heard and now seen for himself… she wasn't the same anymore. The Jill of his youth had been rough mannered but kind, and now all that seemed to be left was a woman who desired results by her own terms. No matter what the cost. 'Something else happened to her ten years ago. But what was it?'
"Let's head back to the hideout and figure out specifics." Chopper ordered. "Shamrock keep your eyes on those news channels. We need to be sure 'His Majesty' isn't going to try and rush things."
"Got it." With Shamrock's confirmation, Tusk and High Roller dropped from their perches and ducked into the trees. 'Ange, I hope you and the maid are alright. Just hold on for a bit, you've got help on the way.'
Finding himself with Hilda's attention, Alain had elected to take a seat against the wall before starting his story. Especially since he had to prep himself for what memories this was bound to drag up in him.
"It was… a long time ago, before you arrived at Arzenal." He heard hearing shuffling from the other side and assumed Hilda decided to sit too. "You see, some of us were born there."
"Huh?!"
"I mean it. Not all of us were taken there against our will." Alain expected the shocked reaction from Hilda. By all accounts what he said sounded completely ridiculous. "It has to do with the group that would go on to start CROSS. Why that is… it's a story for another time. Simply put they're the remnants of the Pre-Mana Age, and like the Norma they can't use it. At some point, they found out about Arzenal, back when Jasmine was still the Commander, and they joined up with the place. As you would expect when a large group that's mostly men encounters a place like Arzenal, people tend to get together. My parents were two of them."
"Was it all boys?" Hilda asked.
"Nope. Salia, Naomi, and Chris are just a few." Hilda's gasp said plenty to him. "Like me they were also born at Arzenal. Plenty of others, but you don't know many of them… and some of them died years ago." One of Alain's hands tightened up.
"That… Chris never mentioned anything like that!" Hilda said.
"She doesn't like talking about her parents." Alain said. "It… brings up bad memories. It's not like they were bad people, far from it. Chris just… took it especially hard." Hilda just gave a hum. "As for why something like that happened… See, there was a reason these people joined up with Arzenal. To fight for a place of their own in a world that rejected them. It… didn't go well. Just when they were finally able to act… the place they were building that home up from was destroyed." Alain tensed as those flame filled memories rose up in his mind. "That day… those people were almost annihilated. And many of the Norma who chose to fight with them died as well. As a result, most of us lost our parents. Even ten years later, I can't forget what I saw that day."
"If something like that is true…" Hilda said. "Then why are you the only guy on Arzenal?"
"Because I chose to stay behind. The girls didn't really have a choice, obviously. But all the other boys left with the remnants of that first group… I didn't." Alain grasped at his scarf, gripping it tightly while also pulling out the pendant it hid underneath. The blue crystal at the end of the cord glinted in the soft lighting of the room. In the way Ange's ring was a "key" for Villkiss, the pendant was one for Wyvern. "I stayed behind at Arzenal because I felt like there was still something I had to do… I had to get stronger. Strong enough to make sure I wouldn't see that day repeat itself. And because I couldn't leave Arzenal behind. I understood why the others had left… but I couldn't."
"And why's that?" Hilda asked.
"Because my dad was the one who piloted Wyvern before me." Alain's fingers closed on the pendant, Jill's words about him being sworn to the idea of Libertus coming to mind. "The point is I get it. I get wanting to see your parents again. Me, others… some of us would give anything just for the chance to at least talk to them again. I admit I was kind of surprised to find out that's what was driving you for so long… and it's why I'm sorry."
"Don't give me that!" Hilda growled, her voice wavering as if she were about to break down. "You don't know a damn thing! Your parents just died. They didn't betray you or replace you or anything like what I went through!"
"You're right." Alain admitted. "It's not the same, but that doesn't mean the idea of it doesn't piss me off. The fact we live in a world where a mother would replace her own daughter fand not even appreciate it when she gets her back… it makes me want to burn the entire damn thing down!" Alain's closed fist slammed into the wall as he bit his lip. On the other side of the door, Hilda buried her face in her hands as the tears finally spilled over.
"I honestly thought if I had gone back, she would have accepted me." Hilda said. "When I was taken away, she tried to make them let me go… I still remember her running after the police car until she fell. It stuck with me so much, I thought that, if I go back, she has to accept me… she wouldn't have cried like that if she didn't love me, right?" Alain heard the thud of Hilda hitting the wall. "But what else could I expect? I'm a Norma. That's all we deserve in this damn world."
"It doesn't have to be that way." Alain told her.
"Don't give me that!" Hilda snapped. "What's the point of trying to change something you don't have a snowballs chance in hell of changing?! Try to sympathize with me all you want, but you'll never understand me."
"Well… you might be right." He admitted. "But I do think there's someone who would understand."
"What are you talking about?" she demanded.
"I'm talking about Ange." The door creaked open, and to his surprise, Hilda peered out with what could almost be construed as a concerned look.
"What about Ange?"
"Ange made it to Misurugi and walked right into a trap. I'm guessing you know why she ran too. We'd been suspicious about it ever since Momoka arrived. Turns out, Ange's sister only contacted Momoka to draw her out. And now they're going to have her publicly executed."
"What?!" The door yanked open as Hilda shot out and wrenched Alain up by his collar.
"Well that's a reaction. I thought you hated Ange." Hilda shoved Alain back and dashed toward the exit when he suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.
"Let go!"
"Hold on! What exactly are you planning?"
"To go save Ange! What the hell do you think?!" Hilda snapped. "We're not that far from Misurugi right? If I go now, then maybe I can get there in time."
"Again, surprising." Hilda glared back at Alain. His calm manner coupled with that smirk of his wasn't doing much good for her mood. "Like I said, I thought you hated her."
"I do!" Hilda growled. "But… dammit she's a Norma too! She escaped all so that she could see her family again. And they stabbed her in the back for being a Norma, just like Mama did to me. I'll be damned if I let those human bastards get away with it!" Hilda went from angry to puzzled as she saw Alain's smirk widen to a grin as he began to snicker. "What's so funny huh?!"
"I knew you had a heart buried somewhere in there." Alain said. "But if you honestly think I was going to sit this one out then forget it."
"Huh?!"
"You heard me right. I said stuff like that pisses me right the hell off." Alain let Hilda go and took a step back. "And that's far from the only grievance I've got with them. Besides, Jill's gonna rake me over the coals for getting CROSS involved. I need to minimize the damage by actually doing what she sent me out for too."
"I don't need your help." Hilda told him.
"That's where you're wrong." Hilda glared at him but Alain raised his hand. "Now hear me out. You're about to go rushing into what's likely to be a heavily guarded venue, with no weapons, and while heavily outnumbered. Doesn't it make sense to have someone watching your back like up in the skies?" Hilda had to admit he had a point. "I meant it when I said things don't have to be this way. We just have to give this world a good kick in the ass first. And I can't tell you why, but we kind of need Ange for that. And like you, the thought of letting those people get away with something like that pisses me off. So why don't we do something about it?" Hilda thought it over. As much as she hated to admit it, Alain was right about her chances of managing to pull something off on her own. And for all their spats, she knew from their sorties she could trust him with her life.
"Have you got a plan?"
"Honestly, no." He admitted. "But my friends who're already there likely do." Hilda shot him a doubting look. "I know you don't have any reason to trust those guys. But at least trust me when I say they're good people."
"Even though they're humans?" she asked, getting a nod. "Fine. But if I even think they might stab me in the back, they won't live long enough to regret it."
"Fair enough." He said. "I will warn you, they can be kind of an… acquired taste. You'll find out soon enough." Alain extended his hand and Hilda reluctantly accepted it. After they gathered some things up for the road, she followed him out to where his vehicle was parked.
"Doesn't this thing have a sidecar?" she asked as she looked it over while Alain set the supplies into it's storage compartment.
"Just get on already." Alain said as he mounted the Runner. Hilda groaned and gingerly climbed on behind him. Reluctantly she wrapped her arms around his waist, gulping at the feeling of her breasts crushing against is back.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Yeah." She said. "You just… feel different than a girl." Alain looked over his shoulder with a smirk and Hilda fought down the urge to slug him again.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"Shut up!" she said with a blush. "Get any ideas and I'll cut it off!"
As Alain and Hilda were emerging from the cabin to depart for Misurugi, what neither of them could have known was that they weren't as along as they would have liked. As they mounted the Air Runner, the shimmer of a deactivating stealth cloak concealed a figure in the trees. Even if he wasn't invisible, his face would still remain hidden beneath the hood and the sterling silver mask over his face. Adjusting a dial on the mask's side, the visor's scanner zoomed in on his targets.
"As predicted." A flick of his hand opened a Mana window, the communication line ringing softly before it answered. "Master Embryo, I have a new report on the targets."
"Do tell, Cipher." The smooth voice that replied came with an amused jilt. "How have those lost children been?"
"As presumed, they are headed for Misurugi. It seems this was merely a detour for the boy. If you wish, I could intercept them on the road."
"Is there any sign of the boy's machine?"
"None. It is likely he left it somewhere else."
"Then just continue following them for now. I've been bored for some time now, letting these children run around and make a show should at least prove for some amusement. Keep watch and wait for the machine to emerge. And when you do engage, be sure not to kill any prospective candidates."
"As for the machine itself?"
"If it appears then by all means make an attempt to capture it. If that fails… well, at least bring back the ND Drives and the core."
"Understood." Cipher closed the window. The engine of the Air Runner kicked to life and he turned to see the vehicle drive off, the boy at the controls and the girl holding on behind him. "So, it seems it will repeat… the clash between angels and dragons. Would you perhaps call this fate? Or mere coincidence? I suppose it does not matter… I'll cut him from the skies the way I did his predecessor."