CHAPTER 35

A DARING ESCAPE

That afternoon was the most fun Cal had in a long time. The sports competitions had many events from the outside world that Cal had seen on Gramps' Mana screen such as Volleyball in which Chris and Ersha had been the MVP's. To Cal's surprise, Chris had found a previously unseen motivation to win every single sport. She along with Rosalie had even managed to beat Cal and Scarlett in the three-legged race. Cal would later come in second behind Scarlett in the pull up competition and a chicken fight in the water ended with Cal and Miranda as his partner actually managed to defeat Ersha and Vivian.

Some of the competitions however were more unique to the point that Cal couldn't even partake in such as the egg carry, where the girls would use their bosoms to carry hard boiled eggs across the beach to deposit in their team's basket. On the verge of a nosebleed, Cal watched Salia struggle to balance a single egg while Ersha and Scarlett each carried nearly an entire carton. Desperate to make it to the finals, Rosalie crammed as many as she could, but her lack of balance caused by a slightly sprained ankle caused her to drop some.

"Damn it!" she cried as one fell off only to be caught by Chris on her bosom.

"Just leave it to me!" Chris offered, shooting ahead and zig zagging through the competition like a lightning bolt. Across the beach, everyone stared wide eyed and slack jawed at the usually meek natured girl who was now dominating the fest.

"That was awesome!" Cal cheered at Chris who smiled shyly, drawing more than a few envious stares her way. As the points were tallied up, Chris was now tied in first place with Eleanor, captain of the third squad. Occasionally, Cal would catch a glance at Corporal Lawrence who was still looking for Ange. And with the Inspector searching the rest of base, Maggie had taken the chance to encircle her arm around his. 'That woman's braver than I thought?' Cal thought.

The sky was beginning to turn bright orange when the final event was finally announced. "Alright competitors the final round is Soccer!" Jasmine announced through the megaphone. "As Chris and Eleanor are tied in first place, they will be team Captains and whoever's team score the most goals is the winner of this year's prize!" The crowd of girls erupted into cheers as Chris and Eleanor chose their team. Chris as Blue Captain tapped Cal, Salia, Ersha, Irma, Tanya, and Miranda while Eleanor as Red Captain chose Scarlett, Betty, Sadie and a few members from her squad; Tanisha, Lauren and Margret. Ersha and Scarlett were chosen as goalkeeper and Ms Mary the teacher acted the referee.

"Now I want a nice clean game this year." She said pointedly. "I want no foul play this time. Team captains, shake hands." Chris and Eleanor approached and shook, though to Cal it looked they were each trying to break the other's hands. As everyone took position, Cal saw Miranda looking nervously at Margret.

"Hey." He said in a hushed voice. "Don't worry about her. If you can take down that Bighorn, then this will be a piece of cake. Just pretend she's a DRAGON and take her out."

"Everyone ready! 3…2…1…" Ms Mary blew her whistle and the crowd erupted in cheers as the players ran for the ball.

"And the ball is taken immediately by Cal of the blue team. Check out those moves! Especially in those shorts right girls?"

"Vivian!" Jasmine snapped as the crowd started catcalling. As her voice was getting tired, Jasmine had decided to let Vivian handle commentary while she took a break. It was only now she realized that doing so was not her best idea.

"Okay, okay," Vivian agreed, "Blue team still in possession, Cal passes it to Salia, heading to the red team's goal. ARGH! Ball blocked by Sadie. Margret in possession tearing up the beach. Nice interception by Miranda who gives it to Tanya, now to Irma, nice curve around Lauren…SHE SCORES! 1-0 TO THE BLUE TEAM!"

Irma punched the air as the blue team supporters screamed their delight.

"GYAAAH!" Irma cried out as Sadie smashed into her.

"Sorry." Sadie grinned maliciously as half the crowd booed. "Didn't see you there." Her smirk was short lived however when Chris kicked up a cloud of sand into Sadie's face.

"That will do!" Ms Mary split up the confrontation. Now it was Red Team's turn to dominate. "Lauren in possession, passes to Eleanor, to Betty…" Vivian cheered. "YES, I DON'T BELIVE IT, ERSHA SAVES!" Vivian squeaked. "Betty takes it away from Irma." Cal whirled back around near the blue team's goal as Sadie who now had the ball passed it to Tanisha. Cal positioned himself to block, but Sadie jumped in front of him, pulling her bikini top open slightly to flash him, distracting him long enough for Tanisha to score.

"1-All." Vivian shouted as the red team supporters cheered.

"Cal what the hell!" Chris hissed. "You let her get past you!"

"It's not my fault she caught me off guard!" Cal said in exasperation astounded Ms Mary had missed that.

"Blue team in possession, no red in possession! NO! Blue team back in possession. Nice steal by Cal and its big bro streaking up the beach. Come on big bro you've got…HEY NO FAIR!" To stop Cal from scoring when he was ignoring her dirty tactics, Sadie jumped up and outright kneed Cal in the gut, completely winding him. "So, after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating…"

"Vivian!" Jasmine growled.

"I mean after that revolting foul…"

"Vivian I'm warning you!"

"All right, all right. Sadie nearly kills Big Bro which can happen to anyone. Penalty kick to Big Bro!"

Ms Mary rewarded Cal with a penalty and with that Cal put the ball past the red team's keeper.

"2-1! TAKE THAT, YOU DIRTY, CHEATING…"

"Vivian if you keep this up…"

"I'm just telling it like it is, Granny! YEOWW!"

"Call me Granny again and you'll really get it." Jasmine warned with a brandish of the death stick as Vivian rubbed the lump on her head. Back on the field, Tanisha was about to shoot but Cal blocked and stole it away. Sadie and Eleanor were closing in from both sides, but Cal chipped the ball overhead them and slid right underneath Eleanor's legs before the two girls collided with a thud.

"Ha haaa!" Vivian yelled as Sadie and Eleanor scrambled to untangle themselves. "Too bad losers! You'll need to run faster than that to keep up with Big Bro! And Cal's in possession again. He passes to Salia, now to Chris. Tanisha coming up alongside her. Poke her in the eye Chris! It was a joke Jasmine, sorry, it was a joke! Oh, no, Betty in possession and she's nearing the blue team's goal. Come on now Ersha save!"

But Betty had scored. Red team supporters erupted with applause and Vivian swore so badly that Jasmine tried to tug the megaphone away from her.

"Sorry Jasmine, sorry! Won't happen again I swear!"

"You've already done enough of that!"

For the next 30 minutes, the red team resorted to any means necessary to keep the blue team from scoring and the blue team were starting to retaliate in a more aggressive manner. Betty slides tackled Chris, Margret pushed Miranda into the crowd, and Lauren shoved Salia. On their side, Miranda booted the ball at Margaret's face, Irma tripped Sadie, and Tanya pulled Tanisha's hair. It was turning into the dirtiest match Cal had ever seen.

Finally, with only 2 minutes to go and the score 6-6, Cal managed to get possession of the ball again. His path was clear as he was nearing Scarlett when suddenly, Sadie dove in and managed to yank down his trunks.

"Why you…!" Cal was angry enough to kick Sadie in the face but was too busy trying to get his shorts back on. Ms Mary was beside herself though more than a few in the crowd suddenly developed nosebleeds.

"Foul! I've never seen such tactics!" Ms Mary screeched.

"YOU CHEATING SCUM!" Vivian was howling into the megaphone, dancing out of Jasmine's reach. "YOU FILTHY, CHEATING SKA…" Jasmine didn't even bother to tell her off. She was too busy running onto the beach, death stick in hand, chasing Sadie across the sand. Cal took the free kick, but he was so angry and embarrassed he lost his concentration and missed by several feet.

1 minute left. The blue team was losing concentration and the red team were being spurred on to greater heights. "Red team in possession." Vivian groaned. "Betty to Margret. Now to Eleanor. Wait! Salia takes it away. She passes to Tanya, Chris, Irma, Miranda!"

30 seconds left.

"Oh, no! Tanisha gets it back. She passes to Betty. Now Big Bro has it, now Irma, Chris…" Vivian couldn't keep up. A sudden kick sent the ball went streaking up in the air as half the teams' players collided into each other and landed in a tangled mess. The crowd held their breath as Miranda took control and raced towards the goal with Margret hot on her tail. The ball came down as Margret leapt for Miranda just as Blue Team's last hope bounced the ball bounced off her head and right underneath Scarlett's arm.

"Game over! Blue Team Wins!" The entire beach exploded with cheers. Miranda barely had time to catch her breath when Chris and others raced towards her and tossed her into the air.

"We won, we won!" Chris cried.

"You did it Miranda!" Cal cheered. "I knew you could do it!" Miranda couldn't believe it. They had won and she had scored the winning shot. She looked up to the sky and knew Coco was looking down on her with pride. And even better was the sour look on Margret's face. Finally, Jasmine returned along with a battered and bruised Sadie and holding a giant prop check under her arm. Despite the many unexpected headaches he had encountered over the course of the day, Cal was the happiest he had felt in a long time. Nothing could possibly spoil it.

Not daring taking her eyes away from Misty, Ange packed up as many supplies and ammunition from Jasmine's mall as she could into the cart she had taken. Nearby, Vulcan gorged himself on the bowl of hamburgers from the vending machine Ange had distracted him with while Misty told her everything that happened. On the day Ange was exposed, her father had been condemned as a traitor to his people and subsequently hanged while Julio and Sylvia were allegedly under house arrest. "The other nations turned against them," Misty anxiously explained. "They deceived everyone, which means their penalty is execution." Ange felt her insides turn to jelly. She could care less about her brother Julio after what he did to her. But Sylvia was innocent. She had no idea what was going on among their family.

'I won't let them hurt Sylvia.' She vowed. "Not if I have to say anything about it!" After tossing a bag of cash onto the counter, Ange scooped Misty up onto of the cart and beelined for the launch hanger, Misty squealing in fright the whole way. But no sooner had she arrived at the entrance to the hanger when Ange heard two people speaking.

"I'm sorry but I can't. I can only accept orders from Lady Angelise." Was that Momoka? Well at least she wouldn't have to go searching for her. However, her relief turned to apprehension when she heard the click of a pistol being cocked.

"You sure about that? You can't serve your princess if you're dead you know." 'That's Hilda's voice,' Ange growled to herself as she charged into the open, a rifle from the cart pulled and aimed at the redhead.

"Lady Angelise!" Momoka gasped. "And…Lady Misty?"

"Well, well look who decided to show up." Hilda said in her usual mocking tone. "Oh and you've made a friend."

"What the hell are you doing with Momoka?!" Ange demanded.

"She wants me to fly this plane so she can escape lady Angelise." Momoka revealed.

"Escape, why?" Ange questioned.

"None of your business burn princess!" Hilda hissed, turning her gun to Ange.

"I won't let you."

"Like you can stop me. And even so what do you care?"

"Because I need that plane too." Ange said and Misty gasped.

"Excuse me?" Hilda gawked as Momoka gasped in realization

"You want to save Sylvia, don't you?"

"Yes," Ange admitted. "It's my fault Sylvia lost the ability to walk. I won't let her die just because she had the bad luck to be a Norma's sister." She wished that she could have gone to Cal for help but it was too much to ask for. Especially after all he did for her. Still, she knew she couldn't do this alone. "Momoka, you want to come along and help?"

Momoka tearfully smiled. "Yes! It would be my pleasure, Lady Angelise."

"Well it looks like we have a mutual interest." Hilda sardonically chuckled. "Wanna join forces?"

"Do you think I'm stupid enough to trust you?" Ange countered.

"Then how to you plan to unlock the restraints?" Hilda asked, beckoning to the arresting locks on the plane's landing gear. "If you force them off, you'll trigger the alarm. Not to mention risk damaging the plane. Luckily, I've been planning this for far longer than you think, and I know how to release them. So, like or not, you need me. Are we a team?" Ange grimaced as she lowered her gun.

The sun was beginning to set and still Inspector Emma Bronson was unable to locate Ange for Princess Misty. She made sure to contact Corp Lawrence every 30 minutes to check on his progress but even he hadn't located her. 'I hope Lady Misty hasn't fallen asleep.' Emma fretted as she double timed back to her Villa. 'Father will be disappointed that I let down our nation's second born princess.'

Taking a moment to catch her breath before entering, Emma opened the door and gazed upon the horrifying sight before her. Lady Misty's royal bodyguards lay slumped across the floor. "Lady Misty!" Emma cried as she frantically searched the Villa but her princess was nowhere to be found.

"LET'S GIVE IT UP FOR THIS YEAR'S WINNER, CHRIS OF THE FIRST SQUAD!" Jasmine announced into the megaphone. The whole beach erupted in applause as Chris stood proudly on the winner's stage, holding up a gigantic check in her hands for 1 million cash. For too long she had felt the lowest in her squad and now she felt taller than all of them. As the cheers began to die down and the sky started to shift from orange to purple, the exhausted crowd began to wind down and enjoy the end of the festa. Over the moon with herself, Chris assisted Rosalie to one of the beach tables to elevate her braced ankle.

"You were amazing today, Chris." Rosalie praised as they drank together. "I'm sorry I was unable to help you in the finals."

"Do you maybe…want to have a fancy dinner?" Chris offered bashfully. "It can just be the four of us, Me, you, Hilda…and Cal. It can be like a double date."

"You know that sounds great," Rosalie agreed. "And if we get them both drunk enough, maybe we can get Cal and Hilda to join us later." But then it suddenly occurred to Rosalie. 'Does Hilda even like Cal that way?' Did Chris know something she didn't?

"I never knew Chris was capable of such an erratic strategy and leadership." noted Salia, feeling proud of her meek squad mate.

"I never would have thought Chris would win of all people." Miranda commented.

"She got you to thank for that." Vivian patted Miranda on the back. "Dance like a butterfly and sting like a butterfly, genius strategy!" Miranda blushed and laughed. Knowing she had beat Margret in something made it all the better.

"It was an impressive performance." Ersha agreed.

"Not as impressive as that cute butt of yours." Scarlett snickered, making Cal turn red with embarrassment.

"Oh, shut it." Cal scowled as everyone burst out in laughter, only to be interrupted by a loud whistle followed by a bang and an eruption of colourful sparks against the night sky. The kids 'oooohed' and 'aaaaahed', at the display and Ersha held Abigail on her shoulders to get a better look.

"Awesome!" Vivian squealed. Though Cal had seen fireworks in movies before in movies, it was nothing like how they looked in rea life. A pair of fingers entwine with his and he looked down to see two dark pigtails resting on his shoulder.

"I was wondering when we would get some time alone again." Salia hummed.

"I'm sorry for running out on you, but I promise I'll make it up to you." Cal apologized.

"Well, you can do so tonight." Salia smiled as she stroked his arm.

"When did you get so bold?" Cal grinned back and put his arm around her.

"I have you to thank for that." Salia sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. Never in her wildest dreams did Salia think she'd ever get to watch the fireworks with a man. It was like a dream come true. Tomorrow, it would be back to regular drills and battling the DRAGONs. But for now, they could just enjoy themselves. 'One day, we will be able to live like this all the time.' Cal vowed. If today confirmed one thing, it was that Cal wanted nothing more than to see everyone here free from this hellish life. It made his drive to make Libertus succeed that much stronger. One Norma however was finding it hard to enjoy the full experience as she looked around at the other Norma couples embracing each other in this moment. Scarlett's eyes teared up a bit as she realized she'd never get the chance to spend another festa with Zola. 'I know there's no point dwelling on something I can't change.' She thought. 'But I'd do anything to have her back.'

Glancing back to Salia, Cal felt glad she was happy to be with him in this moment but seeing all the Norma couple so warmly together made him feel both slightly empty and confused. He wanted to feel happy with Salia but did she love him like Naomi did, no even Salia said herself their relationship was a beneficial thing between them and Ersha it was out of necessity rather than a deep connectional bond and love. Thinking about it made his heart ache for Naomi.

"Hey Cal," someone called. Cal looked up snapping out of his gloom to see Pamela and Hikaru standing before him, a gift basket full of treats and souvenirs in Pamela's arms. "Would you mind delivering this to Olivier?"

"We'll go and save you a tray of any leftover stall food in exchange." Hikaru promised. Cal looked to Salia with puppy dog eyes, and she sighed.

"Go on." She relented. "I feel bad she had to miss the festa anyway." Now that he had permission, Cal jumped up and took the gift basket, being sure to sneak away in the shadows to keep from being jumped again. A quick ride up the elevator and Cal found himself back at the Command Centre.

"Hey, Olivier. I've got something for you." Cal peered in but she was nowhere to be found. 'That's strange.' He thought. Olivier didn't seem the type to sneak out when she on duty. Maybe she went to the bathroom. As he was debating whether to wait for her or just leave the basket on her chair, a sudden burst from the fireworks cast a shadow across the floor and he looked down to see a boot sticking out from under one of the consoles. "There you are. What are you doing down…Olivier!" Dropping the basket, knelt down and cradled the motionless girl in his arms. "Olivier speak to me! Are you alright?!" He checked her pulse and to her relief found she was just unconscious. Feeling around the back of her head, Cal felt a rising bump as if something had struck her.

'Who would do this? Why would someone attack Olivier?' She didn't have any enemies so far as he knew. He was just about to run off to tell the Commander when his eye caught something that made him double take. A single long red hair on the shoulder of Olivier's jacket. "Hilda!" Cal whispered in shock. But why would Hilda do this? Laying Oliver on her back, Cal checked over Olivier's console and pulled up footage from the security cameras to try and locate Hilda. And what he saw made his stomach drop. One of the cameras that overlooked the entrance of the launch hanger showed Ange with Momoka behind her. Ange was wheeling a cart full of weapons into what looked like a Mana aircraft. And on top of the cart, gaged and tied up was Princess Misty.

"Shit! What the hell are they doing?!" Cal charged out of the Command Centre and ran as fast as his leg would carry him to the launch hanger.

Feeling uplifted for a change, Commander Jill sipped on her pint of beer as she watched the fireworks. Like everyone else, even Jill found time to relax on the festa. She observed the many couple embracing each other lovingly and couldn't help but give a subtle smile at Salia with Cal. As the fireworks neared their finale, Maggie came skipping over like some schoolgirl. Along with Corporal Lawrence who looked like he was reaching the end of his patience. "Now are you sure Ange is around here?" He said restlessly.

"Yes I think I saw her standing near the crowd to watch the fireworks." Maggie cooed. She leaned in closer to Jill and whispered. "Any spares?"

"You've been saying that for the past 3 hours." Corporal Lawrence groaned. "Now do you know where Ange is or not because I don't like having my time wasted."

"Aw I never knew I was such a waste of time." Maggie moaned trying not to smirk as she carried two mugs of beer. "I thought you enjoyed our little meal together."

"That's not what I meant." Corporal Lawrence face palmed.

"What's this about Ange?" Jill questioned.

"It's the Rosenblum Princess, Commander." Corporal Lawrence said uneasily. Jill caught a glimpse of his cheeks going red and guessed he was still ashamed of himself for walking in on them changing. "Princess Misty wanted to see Ange and the Male Norma in person. We already found the later, but we're unable to locate Ange."

"Why was I not informed earlier of this?!" Jill said, dangerously looking at Maggie who winked as she handed the Corporal a mug of beer. 'Just when I thought I could just relax for a change.' Jill thought irritably.

"Will you give it a rest!" The large man roared at Maggie as she wrapped her slender arm around his large powerful one.

"Commander!" Inspector ran across the beach, her face white as a sheet, panting in and out of breaths. "Corporal, what is the meaning of this?!" She demanded, seeing him arm in arm with Maggie and a mug of beer in his hand.

"Ma'am, I swear…this isn't what it looks like." He stammered, trying to shake Maggie off who held on with a death grip.

"Don't worry Inspector I've kept him company." Maggie teased.

"Never mind!" Emma shrieked. "Commander, Corporal…it's lady Misty, she's been kidnapped!"

With Misty gagged and tied to her seat, Ange and Momoka loaded up the last of the supplies onto the Rosenblum plane. "We have to hurry the Festa is almost over." Hilda broadcast through their earpieces. "We'll have to wait until they set off the last of the fireworks display. It'll give us the cover we need to get away." Ange watched from the boarding ramp as Hilda used a hairpin to pick the lock of the manual control station.

"Momoka are you sure you can fly this thing?" Ange asked nervously as her maid took the controls.

"How hard can it be?" Momoka supposed. "It can't be that different from Iaria." 'I'll hold your word to it.' Ange wanted to say. Hilda was still trying to pick the lock while Ange stepped out of the plane to grab the last box of ammo when suddenly she heard a click.

"Hold it right there." Ange dropped the box as her body froze with shock. "Turn around slowly." She did as she was told and saw the barrel of a pistol staring right at her. "What the hell are you doing Ange?!" Cal demanded.

"Cal just put the gun down." Ange said calmly, trying her best to keep her composure. 'Why did it have to be you?' She was so close to escaping and the last person she hoped she wouldn't have to face was right in front of her.

"You better start explaining yourself." He warned. "Otherwise, I'll put a hole in your knee." Ange's eyes shifted to the manual controls and to her relief saw that Hilda had manged to avoid being seen and was sneaking around behind him.

"Cal please, you have to let me go." Ange said cautiously, keeping his attention on her.

"You're not going anywhere Ange." Cal ordered. "Kidnapping a human and stealing a Mana plane. You have no idea how dangerous this is. Or what's at stake. We need you here Ange." His eyes locking onto her royal ring. "Now step away from the plane and get on your knees with your hands behind your head!"

"Lady Angelise is everything okay back there?" Momoka called from the plane.

"Cal please…" Ange felt a lump form in her throat as Cal's stony expression didn't sway.

"I'm not going to repeat myself Ange! Get on your knees!"

"Fine, just shoot me then!" Ange dared. She couldn't let anyone, not even Cal stand in her way from saving Sylvia.

"Why are you doing this?!"

"Because of my sister Sylvia!" Ange finally confessed, the words choaking out as her vision blurred. "I got a distress call from her and she's in trouble."

"What?" Cal's expression softened a bit and his aim lowered slightly. "But how…how do you…why didn't you tell me this?" Ange saw the betrayal and hurt in his face. "I thought…that you could trust me."

"It wasn't your responsibility." Ange said quietly. "My sister is in danger all because of me. Because I'm a Norma. And I didn't want to endanger you. What if the world found out about your existence? You'd be shot on the spot!"

"That's not the point Ange!" Cal yelled. "Don't you realize what you're getting yourself into? Or what the bastards who run this place will do the Norma here?!"

"I know and I don't care." Ange clenched her fists and slowly closed in the distance between herself and Cal as Hilda did the same from behind. "The only thing that matters to me is my sister. So, if you want to shoot me, then do it!" Ange yelled.

"No! I can't let you leave." Cal refused. "We can do this the right way. The Commander can help you. There's people who could…" Finally, Hilda moved into position and Ange leapt out to grab Cal's wrists. Before he could shake her off, Hilda leapt out and cracked the barrel of her pistol across Cal's head and he slumped to the floor.

"You didn't have to hit him that hard." Ange cried as a trickle of blood seeped down Cal's scalp.

"He's been through worse. A little bump on the head is nothing." Hilda shrugged. Ange however narrowed her eyes at Hilda. Aside from her lingering grudge against her, not knowing why she was so intent on escaping was starting to irritate her.

"Are you really going to leave everyone else behind?" Ange questioned as she folded her arms. "What about Rosalie and Chris? Miranda!? Are you really going to abandon them?"

"You don't know anything Princess!" Hilda seethed. "Now stop whining and help me move him out of the way." Working together, the two of them dragged Cal by his legs across the hanger to where he wouldn't get hurt by the launch. "Why is he so heavy?" Hilda heaved.

"I'm not surprised with how much he eats." Ange puffed. "Momoka, get ready to launch before anyone else shows up." The Mana conduits running along the transport's hull began to glow blue as Momoka powered it up and Ange climbed back up the ramp just before Hilda finally managed to unlock the arresting controls. A few seconds stretched into eternity as they all waited for the finale. Finally, a rapid series of explosions lit up the night sky and Hilda unlocked the restraints.

"Yes!" She cheered as the plane began to move slowly. Hilda made a run for the plane and gave one final glance back at Cal. 'I'm sorry, but I have someone more important waiting for me.' Well, with all the girls he had for company she doubted he'd miss her anyway. Hilda was only a few feet away from the plane when she saw the dispassionate look Ange was giving her.

"Momoka take off." She heard Ange ordered.

"What! But Ms. Hilda isn't on the plane." Momoka gasped through the earpiece.

"Who cares?" Ange said coldly. The Plane was starting to pick up speed and Hilda was beginning to fall behind.

"What are you doing? Wait up!" Hilda cried as she picked up the pace.

"Do you think I've forgotten how you sabotaged Villkiss?" Ange reminded her, an icy glare in her ruby red eyes. "I went through a week of hell because of you."

"Aw c'mon that was a long time ago!" Hilda panted, moving her legs as fast as she could, just barely keeping up speed with the moving plane.

"That's not all." said Ange reproachfully. "You back stab me every chance you get. You use your girlfriends to harass me. And that Perolina costume smelled disgusting."

"I didn't have anything to do with that last one." Hilda cried as she felt her stomach drop. This heartless bitch was really going to leave her behind. "Besides I helped you buy back the maid remember?"

"Only because Cal strongarmed you. The point is, I can't trust you."

"STOP! STOP RIGHT THERE!" Hilda felt an icicle stab her heart as she chanced a look back and saw Corp Lawrence charging at her like an angry bull, his face livid and rapidly gaining on her despite his bulk. Behind him were Commander Jill, Maggie, Inspector Bronson and Jasmine who stopped and knelt at the unconscious Cal. Shock and fear turned to adrenaline as Hilda's legs went into overdrive, running faster than she had ever ran in her life. "I SWEAR ONCE I CATCH YOU TWO…!"

"Momoka, take off now." Ange ordered before giving one final contemptuous look at Hilda. "Have fun in solitary." In the cockpit, Momoka's finger hovered over the control pad, but she hesitated. Yes, Hilda had been excessively rude to Lady Angelise and had threatened her at gunpoint, but for some reason it felt wrong just leaving her. Meanwhile, the Mana engines shifted forward as the plane revved louder but Hilda refused to have this opportunity snatched away from her.

"Bullshit!" She screeched as she dived for and landed on the ramp. The wind whipped at her as the plane began to pick up speed and she dug her fingers against the grooves for dear life. "I've waited years for this." She gasped, every emotion she kept bottled in pouring out. "I let myself be Zola's plaything so I could survive. I made friends with people I can't stand. I did what I had to do!" Hilda looked up and Ange's face was now a mixture of shock and surprise upon seeing the crazed look in Hilda's eyes as she frantically clawed her way up. "After all I've been through, I refuse to let this chance slip away! I…I'M GOING HOME TO MAMA!"

"Mama?" Ange whispered. There was a loud CLANG and Hilda looked back in horror to see that the Corporal had also jumped onto the ramp and was now crawling his way towards her. His outstretched hand seized Hilda's ankle just as the plane began to rise and Hilda felt herself being pulled back as Corp Lawrence lost his grip and began to drag her off with him. Hilda shrieked as she felt herself sliding back to the place she called hell for 11 years. It was just like that night she was dragged away from home. Time slowed to a crawl as Hilda realized she had failed and hoped the fall would put her out of her misery when something grabbed her hand and pulled her back up. Hilda felt the Corporal's hand slip off her sweat slicked ankle and she looked up to see Ange's hand around hers. Behind them, Corp Lawrence tumbled onto the tarmac and rolled from the impact, almost slipping over the edge as the Plane climbed into the sky.

"Momoka we have another passenger." Ange informed.

"Good!" Momoka replied happily. Ange pulled Hilda up inside just before the boarding ramp closed behind them and Arzenal vanished from sight.

The four women could only watch, powerless to do anything as the Rosenblum royal plane took off out of sight. Emma Bronson screamed in panic as she rushed to her bodyguard who limped to his feet while Maggie began checking over Cal's head injury, lightly slapping his cheeks lightly to wake him up. 'Those idiots, what were they thinking?!' Jill cursed, her temper rising to a dangerous pitch.

"You let them buy you off with Hamburgers?" Jasmine scolded a shamed Vulcan. "What kind of a guard dog are you?" Emma meanwhile managed to help her bodyguard walk over to a nearby crate so he could sit down. His arms, legs and one side of his neck and face were covered in red scrapes and his nose was bleeding.

"Are you okay Corporal? Nothing broken?" Maggie checked.

"I've had worse." Corporal Lawrence.

"What are we going to do?! Lady Misty has been taken hostage!" Emma panicked before she fainted into her bodyguard's arms.

"Not again." He groaned.

"Corporal get yourself to the infirmary." Jill ordered. "I'll handle this." As two nurses arrived to cart Cal and the Corporal away, Jill beckoned Maggie and Jasmine over for a private conversation.

"What do we do now? Maggie asked.

"We should call Tusk," Jasmine suggested. "He's our best chance of getting them back." Jasmine may have been right, but Jill hesitated. Tusk's true loyalty at this point between her and his godfather was still uncertain. The last thing she wanted was for someone else to gain any influence over Villkiss' pilot. And Jill still didn't trust the humans that were in Jacob's ranks.

Then Jill had an idea. It was a long and dangerous shot, but it might work. What she needed was an inside informer. One that could use this opportunity to learn the insides of the Ancient Folk's new army.

"Do it." Jill whispered. "But tell him not to engage unless her life is in direct danger. For now, just locate and keep her under surveillance."

"Excuse me?" Maggie interrupted, an incredulous look on her face.

"I need to contact Jacob and bring him up to speed." Jill explained. "Jasmine get Cal some fresh clothes. I've got a very important mission for him."

"Now hold on a second!" Jasmine argued. "If you're suggesting what I think you are…"

"Without Ange there is no Libertus!" Jill hissed. "I think Cal would agree that it would be worth the risk. And besides, who better to bring back our wayward princess than her knight?"

TO BE CONTINUED…