The overwhelming darkness wrapped around them not long after entering the cave. To avoid being detected they had to give up on the scarce ray of light slicing through the abyss, wholly depending on their sensors and the built-in night vision. The security was lax, but it was no surprise, considering this land remained uninhabited for many years, with any human settlement hundreds of kilometers away. Thanks to the foul weather their expedition has been yet unnoticed, allowing them to pass the singular Ameise with little to no effort. The partially natural formation had many cavities and ridges, making hiding the three Reginleifs possible.
"This labyrinth seems endless. I anticipated a straight line, a quick in-and-out, but now I'm starting to doubt we'll venture much further." Theo was equally mesmerized and dismayed by the structure, as the dreamlike inside unveiled increasingly unbelievable scenery. Places formed by nature for thousands of years displayed a myriad of geological phenomenons, never even imagined by the Processors. Legion was uninterested in rare minerals insignificant to their mission, resulting in the machine-made passages going through the many wonders of nature. If the Republic hadn't fallen, this place could have been a bustling mining center, excavating the geological resources hidden underground.
"Man, I wish I could sneak a peak with the light on, just a tad of this wall would make me set for life. Whaddaya say Reaper, in for getting the Queen a lil souvenir? I'll bet mine will be prettier." Shiden burst out laughing, but the thought of getting Lena something she'll cherish and keep with her was tempting.
"Cyclops, focus. If we drill anything the Legion will immediately know we're here, don't screw us up." Shin reprimanded her, but there was a part of him that knew, that if the circumstances had been different, he'd probably picked up on the offer.
"Buzzkill…"She muttered disappointed, turning her attention back to the sensors.
"Lena, I mean, Handler One could be back any minute, so stop the bickering, or we'll all get scolded. I don't want to be lumped in with you, I'm innocent." Theo lamented his fate.
"Loosen up Sketcher, she said it'll take a while and to call if we have an urgency. Besides, that kind of wooing won't even phase her, after everything that old geezer pulled off." She joked with a hint of disgust.
"Old geezer?" "Wooing?"The boys said almost simultaneously.
"Oh shit, she hadn't told ya? Fuck. Forget I said anything, dammit."Cyclops continued cursing her recklessness in revealing her liege's apparently secret ex-fiance.
"Holy shit, you can't leave us hanging after dropping such a bomb!"Theo forgot the caution he preached about moments ago and pressed the girl for answers.
"I also want to know what you're talking about, why did you suddenly dummy up…" Shin clenched his jaw unknowingly, his whole body tensing at the mention of the secret admirer. Lena had never told him anything, so this was news to him.
"Q-queen will be back any second now, ah shit, forget this ever happened, she'll kill me…" Shiden panicked and connected Colonel to the call.
"What is happening?" The voice filled with immense worry entered everyone's head.
"Y-you see, we are approaching the end of the first cave, and the hallway seems to split. On the map, it looked like one big area, but that's not the case, what do we do?" Cyclops promptly inquired in an unusually stiff tone, asking about the first thing that caught her eye.
"It is indeed problematic, Undertaker, please assess the Legion's positions according to the split."She requested to get a broader look to make the right decision.
"…" The young man was still stunned by the revelation, but he knew it was neither time nor space for such intimate conversation.
"Do you see something alarming? Please respond right now."Lena misinterpreted the silence as potentially disturbing news, suggesting they had to prepare for a disaster.
"Sorry, I zoned out, it won't happen again." He mustered all his strength to put it temporarily past him and focus on the mission. "This is the weirdest element I've noticed the past few days. There are many active, coherent voices, but at the same time, they feel different from what I'm used to. I can't explain it, but all of them hadn't moved once since I started observing, so maybe they are connected to the production plant?"
"Very well then, we'll change the course. Leave the explosives in the trifurcation, go to one of the motionless clusters, and evaluate if the detonation can reach the plant. Best case scenario you'll move them closer, the worst you'll be able to flee instantly."Colonel adjusted their goal to the situation at hand, feeling that further exploration into the main corridor might result in a lethal encounter.
"Roger that!" Shiden exclaimed with gladness, that the attention was redirected away from her blunder. Lena disconnected again after seeing the situation was under control, as her guidance was useless in a chaotic, unknown space. She was doing her best to prepare the surface for any upcoming challenge and contain the whole convoy.
Three massive machines suddenly entered the well-lit space, filled with intense white light. The room looked absurdly out of place, with the smoothly leveled surface covered with tile-like material. In the center of the bright workshop were countless cyan glass containers, occupying most of the space. It took their eyes a minute to get accustomed to the sudden luminosity, with details of the things before them sharpening slowly.
"T-this… I can't believe it. No…." Theo was the first to notice what the room actually was. The tanks were filled with cyan fluid, obscuring the horrifying content from the distance.
"Those are…. People…" The usually imperturbable Shinei held his breath in the shock of the discovery. They all felt their insides turning, looking at the human bodies floating in every one of the jars. The tangled silver cable-like structures poured from the ceiling, penetrating the lifeless body from the top of the head through the length of the spine.
"What the fuck is that…" Shiden felt the creeping dread, deterring any thought of cracking a joke about what they were seeing.
Some people looked peaceful, as if they were merely sleeping, and others had their viscera spilling into the fluid. Under closer inspection, none of the vessels looked the same, with every individual having different positioning of the wires. This was clearly an experimentation site, with Legion testing some ominous new technology.
"I can hear some of them, albeit distorted. Only two sound like living beings, the young man on the left and the woman in the back row. The rest of them resemble the Black Sheep." Reaper concentrated on the noise, feeling like the mentioned individuals were trying to talk to him. Suddenly, an alarm rang in his head. "Shit, they noticed us!"
"We can't just leave them as is…" For a moment, the boy got distracted by the reminder of his fallen companions, but he noticed that all of the half-corpses were Alba.
"Shit. Fuck. I'll regret it later." Cyclops abruptly smashed the aforementioned containers, loading the two carcasses where the bombs were before. The silver cords ripped out from their bodies and roamed like enraged snakes, falling motionless after a few moments of struggle. Why were they using the whole bodies, not just the heads?
"We don't have time for this, HURRY!" Shin yelled as the swarm of Ameise had gotten closer.
"How far do we have to be to blow it up?" Theo screamed while using his ropes to travel as fast as he could to the exit.
"I don't fucking know, outside! Stop blabbing and shield us a little, fuck the unstable walls." The woman judged the Legion was too close to avoid the clash entirely, so Laughing Fox in the highest position ahead should fire a few rounds behind them.
"Don't do it, I'll slow them down myself, we can't get buried with them." Undertaker used his high-frequency blades to slice through units pushing against him, creating a bizarre stopper made of machine remains.
"Clever, now get to the other side of the cave and let him FIRE!" The last part was shouted with such insistence, that Shin had given up the cautious plan of leaving without using a single bullet.
"Theo, NOW!" He jumped to the front, exiting the vast cave area.
Laughing Fox executed the order without objection, making the whole structure shake in response. Ancient stalactites had fallen from the ceiling, alongside the rocks strengthening the passageway.
"We hear the rumbling, are you still inside?" Colonel reconnected instantly, alarmed by the earthquake.
"Queen, no questions, DETONATE NOW!" Shiden had hoped that her superior believed her insight enough to depend on it without explanation. The grand explosion that followed confirmed Lena's full trust in her loyal knight. All the three of them could now do was watch the swamp sinking where they had stood moments ago, dangling inertly from a mountainside.
June 27th Republic Year 368 (Stellar Year 2149)
59days until the Legion's Large-Scale Offensive
The hours were running out on Lena when she waited alone for the trial to begin. Her resolve to refuse Nicolas's revolting offer deepened, as the young woman spent countless hours contemplating what went wrong. It was this man stretching the truth that put her in such a hopeless position. If she caught the rope he was handing her, Vladilena Milizé would be on his mercy until the Legion's arrival, if this noose wouldn't kill her beforehand. The cruel sociopath could easily use and discard her before she'd even have a chance to fight back. Lena had no illusions that the man would give her any freedom and aid her efforts meaningfully. The scorching sun shone directly on her face when the prison guard knocked on her door.
"Inmate 491343, you've got a visitor. Stand up and face the wall with hands up." A plump man around fifty ordered callously. There were not many guards in the San Magnolia prison, with the inmates being mostly people convicted of petty crimes. Her ward, however, consisted of those with heavy charges against them. After two weeks she easily recognized every face and name, with Philip standing outside being one of the preferable options. Most of the guards lashed out verbally at the prisoners, with sporadic cases of physical abuse covered up by the institution. Almost everyone here originated from the poorest sectors, with rarely anyone from the upper class gracing it with their presence. Lena was an exception, but she still couldn't understand why to that extent. Luckily after Nicolas's promise, no more physical harm had befallen upon her.
"I'm ready." She had no idea if it had already been time for the court or if the visitor was an unexpected salvation. To her surprise, Margareta Milizé waited in the meeting room with a worn-out face.
"Lena… You look shabbily, like you've lost a few kilos. Do they feed you properly?" Motherly concern was expressed in a half-worrying, half-scolding tone.
"Hi Mom, I'm alright. More importantly, how are the lawyer's negotiations going?" She asked hopefully, but from her mother's grim expression, it was clear, that no deal could be reached unless she had plead fully guilty.
"He tried his best… but I don't know why we pay him such a ridiculous amount if he can't even put you on bail. Unprecedented that more families are not protesting, but it seems every one of them tracks Pivot's movements and reacts accordingly. I've always known, your fiance was a lousy man, but to demand pleading guilty for all charges and servitude in the form of unequal marriage is a preposterous offer. No doubt he would hold it over your head all your life. Who has heard about a marriage where one person renounces all their rights, including the one to divorce? It is nothing short of a slave contract!" She started hyperventilating in a panic, as the upcoming trial was getting closer by the minute, and the only alternative would ruin her daughter's chance for happiness forever.
"I know, I've seen the proposal. Don't worry Mom, I won't give up! It'll be an uphill battle, but we have yet to get the verdict, so there is some hope!" Lena tried her best to cheer her mom up, but it was no easy feat when she felt petrified. Everyone close to her searched day and night to find a solution, but proving she was innocent was like tilting at the windmills.
"Baby, think about your future. Maybe admission of guilt for the lesser charges would be enough to satisfy Alexander Pivot? We could try talking to him separately, I'm sure he wouldn't want to have a convicted daughter-in-law." Mother had said in good faith, but shortly after realized the implications. "Oh honey, I didn't mean to sound like that…"
"Convicted criminal label doesn't exactly suit the Milizé's heiress, I think your betrothal plans for me will have to be put on hold…" Lena tried to crack a joke, but her mom only responded by tearing up. A few months ago, all she would have expected was a disappointed look and a firm scolding, but despite the unfavorable situation, Margareta tried her best to support her daughter. It had turned out that the cold, distant woman had a soft spot for her until recently estranged child.
"I will fight like a lioness, no matter the cost. We will set a motion today to move the main part of the trial to a later date, citing your harsh condition. In the meantime, we'll sweep the whole San Magnolia to find the evidence of your innocence!" The out-of-character burst of emotions spread a warm feeling inside Lena's chest. To think there ever would've been a day, her mother would wholeheartedly support her little Princess, despite all their differences. If she were to lose, at least some people had faith in her till the end.
Not long after Philip entered the room informing both women that the hearing was about to begin. They were escorted to the courthouse, Lena in two sets of manacles on her upper and lower extremities. The amount of protection was a bit amusing, the short teenager was treated at least like a serial killer, making for a grimly comical sight. The two rows of jury, sitting across the podium, looked at the defendant with confusion.
"All rise! Judge Jonah Goteborg is entering." The bailiff announced loudly. After the senile judge had taken his seat, the order was resent.
"Please be seated. We are gathered today on a trial of Vladilena Milizé, former military captain, charged with listed offenses. Corruption, illegal purchase of explosives, industrial theft…" The list went on, with the jury's faces filled with disbelief. How could such a young, promising woman have committed so many severe iniquities? The question seemed to be on everyone's mind. Lena took it all calmly until the last sentence took her by vicious surprise. "...terrorism, treason and desecrating the evolution, by degrading herself to a status equal to a non-human. Therefore if found guilty of all charges the punishment will be carried out in accordance with the special law about traitors of the nation, including the possibility of stripping her of all civil rights or carrying out the capital punishment."