CHAPTER 37

THE FILE

(Prepare for your jaws to hit the floor.)

It was mid-morning by the time a sliver of green finally appeared on the horizon. 'There it is,' Cal realized. 'The Mainland.' All his life he had dreamt of one day setting foot there and now here he was, on a mission to locate Ange and Hilda. As the coast came into view, it rose up to form a sheer cliff topped with forest. Checking his Navcom, Cal confirmed that there were no settlements within range and pulled back on the controls, causing the Skyhook to lift off the surf and gradually rise up at an angle until it cleared the cliff. Once on dry land, Cal settled in the middle of a dense grove of trees. First order of business was to establish contact and he typed in the security code for Tusk's radio on the data tablet given to him by Jill.

"Hello..." he broadcast. "Tusk come in. Do you copy? Tusk this is Cal do you copy? Over." There was a brief delay and then a response tinged with static.

"Cal…is that you? Over."

"Copy." He confirmed. "It's good to hear you man! Over"

"You too Cal. What's your 10-20? Over."

"I've just arrived at some forest near the coast. The Commander told me to find you and head to some place called the Enderant Harbor once we find Ange. Have you located her, Momoka or Hilda? Over."

"No, they didn't stick around once they landed. The NMB have the plane and Darwin Forest surrounded so I'd avoid that area." Tusk warned. "The good news is they stumbled onto a safehouse and got ahold of a Pre-Mana bike with a tracker on it. Bad news is they've split up. The other Norma took the bike and is moving towards Enderant. Unfortunately, Enderant Harbor can't risk sending anyone out to look for her due to all the NMB activity. They've lost two major bases in the last couple of months so they can't afford to be reckless. Over"

"What about Ange and Momoka? Over"

"It looks like they're heading for Misurugi but no clue on their ultimate destination. Any ideas? Over."

"The Misurugi Imperial Palace. Momoka received a Mana call from Ange's little sister. She's going to be executed so Ange busted out to rescue her. Over."

"That doesn't sound right." Tusk mused. "Mana users have ways to seal off Mana communication. If they really were going to execute her then they wouldn't allow her to contact anyone. This whole thing reeks of a trap. Over." Cal realized Tusk had a point. It hadn't occurred to him until then that Momoka showing up at Arzenal just in time to receive that call was a little too convenient.

"Either way, we need to get them back to Arzenal. Tusk, can you do me a favor? Over."

"Sure what is it? Over."

"Jill said that Ange was the priority and if we can only save one it should be her." Cal scowled a bit at how callous Jill could be sometimes. "But I can't just turn my back on Hilda. Could you go after Ange and Momoka while I track her down? Over."

"Jill isn't going to like that." Tusk warned. "Over."

"Well," Cal said, "she didn't say specifically that I was the one to pick her up. Besides, you already have a head start on Ange. Over"

"Well, it would be nice to see her again." Tusk agreed. "Okay. And I think I might have a lead for you. In a village called Surry, there was a dress shop broken into. Witnesses say they saw a redheaded girl with twin tails fleeing the scene." 'That's gotta be Hilda.' Cal decided. "Just be careful. If you find you need to move through an urban area, hide the Skyhook somewhere in the wilderness. I doubt the citizens will realize you're a Male Norma. Just keep your distance from them when they're using their Mana. And here." A light flashed on the console and Cal looked down to see a message listing coordinates '625-925' appear on the screen. "It's Enderant Harbor's location. Major Malta is already expecting us. Once we get Ange, her maid, and this Hilda girl; we'll head straight to the base and get you and them back to Arzenal. Over."

"10-4. I'll see you there. Over"

"Good luck Cal. Over and out." Once the radio call was cut off, Cal quickly scanned over the GPS navigator. He was a few hundred miles away from both the Village of Surry and the Enderant Harbor. 'I don't envy you Tusk.' Cal grimaced, knowing how stubborn Ange could be. But he did manage to survive an entire week with her on that island. And come to think of it the time Ange spent with him had softened her quite a bit so maybe he was the better person for the job after all.

With his destination set, Cal took off towards the west. With Ange and Momoka taken care of, now he could focus on Hilda.


The smell of hundreds of fresh apples filled the air. Even after over 11 years the scent still felt the same to Hilda, as if it were only yesterday. The orchards and the fields and cottages dotting the landscape hadn't changed. Hilda took in a deep breath of fresh air from the place she was born and with it the wonderful memories of her mother and the apple pies she always made. Those memories were the only thing that kept her going to endure Zola and to survive all the pain and bloodshed from fighting the DRAGONs. But it was also a reminder of that nightmarish night.

"Hilda!" Her mother yelled, desperately struggling to throw off the three policemen holding her back!"

"Mama! Mama!" Hilda kicked and flailed, but those hard hands dragging her away held firm and roughly threw her in the back of a police car like a sack of grain.

"Please don't!" Her mother pleaded. "She may be a Norma, but she's my precious daughter!" But her words fell upon deaf ears as the police got in their cars and drove away from the little cottage.

"Mama! Help me!" Hilda cried, her face and hands pressed against the rain-streaked rear window.

"Hilda no! Give her back! Give me back my daughter!" Her mother chased after the car only to slip and fall onto the muddy ground. Hilda could only watch helplessly as her mother faded into the distance, her anguish scream carrying across the rain. "HILDA!"

Parking the bike outside of the village fields, Hilda quickly changed into the pink buttoned up dress and the white shoes she had taken from that shop; a more adult version of the same clothes she had worn the night she was taken away. It had been so many years and she wanted Mama to recognize her the moment they set eyes on each other.

'Just a little longer Mama and we'll be a family again.' Hilda promised, a joyous smile on her face as she headed down the road on foot.


Morning turned to noon, and it dawned on Cal how hungry he was becoming but he pushed thoughts of lunch to the back of his mind. At least the forest gave him plenty of cover save for when he came across a road. Thankfully, his path took him across no major highways and the backroads were mostly deserted so he was able to cross without being seen.

Finally, after hours of cruising he saw on the Navcom he was nearing the Village of Surry. Coming to the edge of the forest, Cal parked his skyhook and opened the cargo pod. He took out the GPS tablet and his sidearm and, after equipping it with a suppressor, stuck the pistol in the back of the waistband of his jeans. After covering the Skyhook with a camo screen, Cal steadied himself and stepped out of the forest where he stared in amazement. Over the hillsides and nestled in a valley was a small village, the white stone and red brick buildings a sharp contrast to the emerald green fields and woods surrounding it.

'Well here I go,' he decided, his stomach doing loops as he set off towards the village. Along the way, he passed a park where families were spending the day in picnics or playing games. A few he passed had Mana screens floating in front of them and Cal made sure to keep a wide berth so he wouldn't bump into and break them. Thankfully, none of them seemed to notice. 'Holy shit! They have no idea a Male Norma is in their presence!' Cal realized and suppressed a snort.

When he finally reached the village, Cal felt like he was in a dream. The entire town was like something he had only seen in movies or Manga. A drastic contrast to the sterile, rough stone walls of Arzenal. Even the concrete was so clean and smooth it was like walking on ceramic tiles. In front of a store window, a crowd was watching the news on the Mana Screen and Cal stopped to listen from the back.

"Record breaking temperatures have hit all 7 nations this spring and show no signs of slowing down. Experts have reported to expect another drought this summer across the farmlands." No news on Ange or Hilda but Cal supposed the government wouldn't want to risk causing a panic by announcing two Norma had escaped and were running loose in their midst. Once the newsbreak ended, Cal moved on.

"Did you hear? Someone broke into Juneberry's dresses last night." Cal heard a woman gasp to her husband in passing. "Absolute disgrace! Misurugi might be going crazy after the Norma's baptism but that doesn't justify in someone over here acting like a Norma."

"Exactly right dear." The husband nodded. "Hopefully the police will catch those responsible and teach them a lesson." As Cal walked through the streets, he eavesdropped on other conversations and the break in at the store seemed to be the talk of the town.

"Maybe a Norma did it." A gang of high school girls were gossiping.

"Maybe it was."

"Oh wow. What if they break into our houses?!"

"Don't be silly. If it was a Norma the government would tell us. You really think they'd let one of them run loose?"

"Yeah, you're right." One snickered. "Or maybe they already found and shot her."

"Good riddance. They all should be exterminated at birth." 'Say that to my face you bunch of stuck-up skanks!' Cal fumed. 'If it weren't for us you'd all be DRAGON chow. Worthless ungrateful pricks.' Before he did something to blow his cover, Cal hurried off but not before the girls noticed him.

"Who is that? I've never seen him before."

"I don't know but he's kinda hot." Wandering further into the village, Cal occasionally stepped into a nearby alleyway to check the GPS tablet to see he was going the right way. Finally, he arrived at the dress shop Hilda had broken into only to find three police cars parked out front.

"Damn it!" Cal swore. There was no way he'd get close enough to find any clues without drawing any attention. So where else could he look? 'Tusk said Hilda was on a Pre-Mana motorbike,' he remembered. He didn't see any tire tracks on the road he came in on, so Hilda couldn't have left town that way. Checking the GPS, Cal found the other major road out of town and he scored a jackpot. Heading Northeast were a pair of tire tracks leading off into the surrounding hills. 'Now we're getting somewhere.' He smirked.

Returning to the skyhook, Cal took off again to the Northeast. Luckily, the path Hilda took went through a mix of empty farmland and woodland so he was able to remain unseen. On occasion though, he would have to backtrack when he checked the road and found no trace of the tracks. He had just picked the trail back up when the tablet device suddenly pinged.

"This is Cal," he answered. "Tusk is that you? Over."

"10-4. I've got some good news. Enderant Harbor's zeroed in on the bike's tracker. I'm sending you the data now. Over."

"Great. What about Ange and Momoka? Any luck? Over."

"Unfortunately not. They're keeping low to ground. It looks like I'll have to wait until they make their move before I can zero in on their location. It looks like my hunch was correct though. Security around the castle is surprisingly lax considering the circumstances. It's almost as if they want her to come barging in. Over."

"Alright," Cal nodded. "I'll hurry up and find Hilda than beeline over to Enderant Harbor. Once she's safe I'll head your way and help the search."

"10-4. Good luck. Over and out." Checking the map, Cal saw to his relief he wasn't too far away from the bike's location. 30 miles at most and stationary seeing as it wasn't moving. An hour later, when he was less than five miles away, the forest thinned out into apple orchards and Cal decided it was better to continue on foot. As he walked on, he realized the hunger was becoming unbearable at this point. Though he remembered Ange bragging back when she first arrived how humans didn't need money, between the risk of being exposed and his desperation to catch up to Hilda, Cal had decided not to risk it. As luck would have it, as he turned the bend what should he see but an Ice Cream truck with a small mob of people waiting in line. Hanging back, Cal watched and studied how they ordered. It didn't look like they were using Mana to do so. They just went up to the vendor, a large beefy man with a thick mustache, and told him what they wanted before he gave it to them free of charge. When the last person in line had left, Cal decided to risk it.

"Hey there son." the vendor greeted him with a smile. "What can I get you?" Cal looked over the Mana menu when his stomach growled loudly. "Hungry huh?"

"Sorry." Cal apologized. "I've been traveling all day and I haven't had time to eat."

"Well that's not good." The vendor frowned. "I think I know just what you need." Turning aside, the man pulled some ingredients out of a fridge and got to work. In a paper bowl he set two bananas and some chopped strawberries, scooped vanilla and chocolate ice cream onto it, and topped it in a mass of chocolate sprinkles, whipped cream, waffle chips, chocolate coated pretzels, a cherry, and two pocky sticks. "This is what I call a, Supesharu Choko Sandē. It's my signature dish. People come from miles to try it."

"Supesharu…Choko…Sandē!" Cal said dreamily as if in a trance.

"Ha ha, you said it!" The ice-cream man laughed cheerfully as he handed Cal the ice-cream cone. "Enjoy it kiddo."

"Oh I will!" Cal said as he accepted the treat. "By the way, you haven't seen a girl with long red hair around have you. Purple eyes and twin pigtails."

"Not that I recall. She your girlfriend? She sounds like a real looker."

"Uh…yeah. I was supposed to meet her."

"Well if you find her, bring her around. I've got another creation that's just perfect for a romantic date." 'Somehow I doubt even that would work with Hilda.' Cal mused. After moving on a bit further down the road, Cal took a seat on the fence and dug in. Even if it was just a snack it went a long way towards revitalizing him. The blend of sweet creamy ice cream, hard crunchy bits, salty pretzels, and fresh fruit blended together in a way that even the best food on Arzenal could barely compete with.

After finishing his ice cream, Cal wiped his mouth and hands and continued on his way. As he did, he thought over in his head what he would do once he found Hilda. He really wanted to give her such a smack for blindsiding him back on Arzenal. Maybe he'd get her a Supesharu Choko Sandē on the way back and dump it over her head for good measure. But most of all he wanted to know why she left. Life on Arzenal was hell but how could Hilda abandon everyone. Ange at least had a reason so how could Hilda just turn her back on Rosalie, Chris, or even Miranda who he thought was becoming her protégé. How could she have left him to? His mind trailed back to when she had hugged him after they ran into each other during the festa. He could still remember how warm she felt or how soft her hair felt as it brushed against his face. But he also remembered how tightly she gripped him as if she didn't want to let him go. 'Fine, I'll give her a chance to explain.' He decided. 'But if I don't like her reason then she and I are through.'

Suddenly a slightly cold, prickly feeling ran down Cal's back that made him feel as if he was being watched. He walked on, hardly aware of the route he was taking, every few steps glancing back over his shoulder, expecting to see that slender black figure from his dreams only to see empty fields. A fork in the road came up ahead and Cal picked up the pace, trying to focus on his pursuit of Hilda. He was just about to check the GPS tablet to confirm which road led to the bike's location when he looked up and his eyes widened at the name on the sign. 'Terrace Street.'

Cal's legs felt like jelly and he had to grab ahold of the sign post to keep himself from falling. The report Momoka had read to him back before the Festa, it said this was the street where Dr Trager worked. The one who Gramps worked for and supervised the experiments that gave birth to him. 'Don't think about that!' Cal scolded himself. It was bad enough he kept on reliving what Jill, Jasmine and Maggie had told him about Gramps' past in his nightmares along with occasionally dwelling on it in his waking moments. 'Don't go over there. It's not worth it, just get Hilda and get out of here.' He had a mission and he couldn't afford to waste time on anything else.

'You…are…not…alone.'

The cryptic phrase from his dream flashed across Cal's mind and he suddenly found his gaze turning down the road and the suburban community. What did it mean? Were Jill and the others hiding something else from him? Or was it something even they didn't know? And then there was the image of all the Norma who were locked up and tortured, turned into human Guinea Pigs for some sick bastard's experiment. Including his own mother who he never even got the chance to meet. Why should that bastard get to live in comfort and luxury after all he did? Wouldn't it be poetic justice if Cal did kill him? After all, Trager was willing to kill him just for being born a male Norma. 'No, I can't.' Cal argued. "It goes everything I promised Gramps.'

Then with a blast of poisonous cold, Cal's spine felt it had turned to ice as a familiar voice whispered in his brain. 'Forget your orders. All you ever wanted to know is right there.' Cal's feet began to move on their own as if a parasite had possessed his body and mind. 'Don't listen to those who see you as little more than a tool or a replacement. Stop your struggling. All the answers are here.' As if under a puppeteer's control, Cal turned away from the road Hilda had taken and went down the other way. When he finally reached the suburb, Cal kept an eye out for any mansion but all he could see was ordinary houses and the occasional shop. As the frustration began to grow, Cal pulled out the GPS, not taking his eyes off the screen as he rounded a corner and bumped into something.

"Oof!" Someone yelped as Cal snapped out of his mood, accidentally dropping the GPS onto the ground. Before him, a young woman lay sprawled on the ground, a paper grocery bag lying on its side and its contents spilled out.

"I'm so sorry ma'am." Cal winced noticing the cold shiver had vanished as he hurried to help the woman up. She was a little older than him but slightly shorter. She was also rather pretty with bright green eyes, medium length brown hair, and a surprisingly kind face.

"It's alright," she assured him. "I should have been watching where I was going." Cal knelt down to help her pick up her groceries, realizing too late how strange it must look for him to not use Mana. However, when he looked up, he saw she wasn't using Mana either for some reason. "Oh dear, I think I broke your tablet." She worried as she picked up the GPS tablet, its corner and screen cracked from the impact. "I swear I'll have this fixed up. My friend is really good with old technology."

"Hey, it's okay. I should have been paying more attention myself." Cal said, thankful he had gotten off so lightly.

"Sarah is everything okay?" someone asked. Cal looked up and approaching them was a young man. He was a head taller than Cal with unkempt, wavy black hair that fell over his brown eyes and Cal couldn't help notice the cautious look he was giving him.

"Yes Aaron." The young woman told her partner as she placed a restraining hand on his arm. "We just bumped into each other. He even helped gather up the groceries." Her assurance seemed to put her companion at ease and he relaxed. "I accidentally broke his device though. Could you?"

"Yeah sure," he said as he offered his hand. Cal handed over the GPS tablet and from a safe distance, watched in amazement as a green light spread from his hand and over the tablet, the crack in the screen vanishing from sight. "There you go." He said as he handed it back.

"Thanks." Cal smiled. "I really appreciate it."

"Well it's the least I could do." Aaron smirked as he pointed at Sarah. "Especially after she assaulted you." His playful teasing earned him a sudden elbow to his ribs.

"Jerk." She half smiled-half pouted.

"Could you do me one more favor?" Cal asked. "Do you know where I can find Dr. Trager's house?"

"Trager huh?" Aaron asked. "You must be here for the Science Festival."

"Something like that…" Cal lied. "But I'm a little lost."

"Yeah I know. Mana reception can be a little awkward out here in the boonies. Sarah and I are just passing through as well but according to the signs, his house where the festival is occurring is just outside of town proper. Just keep going up that way and turn left once you reach the end of the main street. It's a pretty big mansion so you should see it once you get out of town."

"Thank you."

"Just be careful and watch out for any patrol cars." Aaron warned as he picked up Sarah's grocery bag. "There was some sort of trouble in a nearby town and I'd hate for you to get held up by the police just because you were a stranger out wandering around."

"I'll keep that in mind." Cal promised. As the two walked off, Cal was amazed at how nice the two of them were to him. They didn't even question why he wasn't using Mana. 'Maybe Sarah's a Norma too and Aaron's protecting her the way Gramps protected me,' he thought sarcastically. 'Yeah right. And maybe Hilda's his girlfriend in another life.' Now that he had directions, Cal followed the main street until the houses began to thin and he turned left. Just as Aaron said, within five minutes what should appear in the distance but easily the largest and grandest abode for miles around, the same one Cal remembered from his dream. It stood on a hill, overlooking the fields with many decorations and stalls set up across its two massive, outstretched lawns, just like the festa. And with all the empty land around them, no one would hear a struggle take place.

'Don't give in to hate.' Gramps' final words had told him. 'Judge a person by who they are not what they are.'

'I don't hate him because he's a human.' Cal decided. 'I hate him for what he's done.' But for Gramps' sake he'd give Trager a chance to explain himself first. If for some inexplicable reason he had a believable excuse for all the pain he caused the Norma, Cal would just give him a good beating and leave him tied to a chair before resuming his search for Hilda.


Cleaning his glasses with a silk cloth, Trager began to check over the final preparations for the Science Festa outside his front lawn. Though tedious at times the event was always a chance for students and graduates to show off their future potential. And Trager had found more than a few promising talents over the years. But that was the last thing on Trager's mind. He still had Dutch Villson to deal with.

A sudden knock at the door made Trager's stomach drop. 'No not again, please don't be Dutch!' He prayed. Quickly checking his front door camera via Mana screen, Trager breathed a sigh of relief seeing it was just a boy. 'Now who could this be? Must be some student trying to barter for a good spot in the Festa.' Trager was no stranger to obsessive fans because of his celebrity status, but he was in even less of a mood to deal with them with all that was going on. He would just have to tell the kid to come back another day. Trager went to his front door but instead of opening it to greet this young man, he slid open a small hatch so only a part of his face was visible on the other side of the door. "Hello, can I help you?" Trager greeted.

"Hello Doctor Trager…it's a…pleasure to…meet you." The young man stuttered in an odd tone.

"Do you want an autograph kid? The science festival doesn't start in 4 days. I can talk to you then, but I'm very busy at the moment."

"I just wanted to ask you some questions on your past studies. I've followed your work all the way back to your original work at the old 'Resource Development & Tech Corporation' building. Can you please let me in?"

"I'm flattered." Trager tittered; he might as well hear the kid out. "What past work are you referring to?"

"About the Norma." Trager felt the color in his face drain. 'How does this kid know about the Norma we kept there?!' Now it all made sense.

"Oh now I get it!" Trager raised his voice. "Did Villson put you up to this!?"

"Huh…no…who's…?" The kid stammered, but Trager didn't allow him to finish.

"Leave my property now or I'll call the police!"

"Please it's important. I just want to ask a few questions."

"Didn't you hear me boy? I said I'm busy! Now go away!" Trager screeched slamming the hatch shut.


Throughout the entire time Cal crossed words with Trager, the effort of keeping himself from breaking the door down and unleashing hell upon the man required all his self-control. But what surprised Cal most was Trager's age, he sounded a lot older than he thought he would. "Okay," Cal sneered through grit teeth. "Plan B."


The little white cottage with its scarlet red roof and smoking chimney finally came into view, the same one Hilda had envisioned in her dreams all these years. She was finally home. Opening the front gate Hilda suppressed happy tears as she skipped to the front door. "Mama I'm home!" Her hand reached for the doorknob, but she hesitated. 'Why am I so worried?' She thought pushing her apprehension down. 'It will be okay. Mama and I will be okay.'

Opening the door and stepping into the cottage, Hilda was filled with exuberance. Everything was exactly how she had remembered, even her favorite music box that Mama had kept all this time laid on the table.

"Hello." Hilda's heart gave a great leap, that voice she had never forgotten was behind her. "Who might you be?" A middle-aged woman stood at the kitchen doorway, and there was no mistaking that shoulder length red hair, violet eyes and kind face that even though it had aged was still recognizable after 11 years.

"Mama." Hilda whispered. Her mother gave her a peculiar look. "It's me, I'm your…"

"Oh you must be a friend of my daughter Hilda." Her Mother said quickly.

Hilda stared at her in a mixture of confusion and worry. "No…I…I'm your…"

"It's very nice of you to visit." With a flick of her mother's hand, the living room curtains and window opened, and Hilda looked out to see the porch table where she liked to eat Mama's apple pie. And her favorite apple tree she loved to climb still stood across the garden near the low hedge. Once the curtains tied back on their own, Hilda watched as her mother retreated to the kitchen. "Make yourself at home dear, I'm sure Hilda will be back soon." She said before turning back to face Hilda with a mellow smile. "Excuse me, I have to check on that apple pie. It's kind of a household favorite." She chuckled.

Once her mother returned to the kitchen, Hilda wondered outside to the apple tree in the garden. Stroking the bark Hilda couldn't believe she was finally home but Mama barley recognized her. And the way she talked, as if Hilda was still living with her. Had Hilda being taken from her traumatized her so much that Mama's mind had broken. What could she do to make her recognize her? Before she could stop them, tears spilled from her eyes onto the velvety grass at her feet. "Mama, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I took so long."


Cal vaulted over the high wall and set off across the parched grass around to the back of the manor. A rainstorm was blowing in and the overcast was making the dim lights within the windows as bright as day. Since he couldn't bluff his way in, Cal would just have to break in. Keeping low and slow as if he was stalking prey back on the island, Cal sneaked behind the hydrangea bushes below the windows. He peeked through the dining room window and saw it was clear so tried to pry it open only to find it locked. As were the others along the ground floor. Then to his luck he spotted a second-floor balcony whose doors just happened to be open along with a drainpipe right next to it. Thanks to the years of climbing trees with Gramps, Cal shimmied up the pipe and swung over to the balcony. Looking in, he saw what looked like a private study with a fireplace to the left just past the desk. To the right side of the room was a door that stood ajar leading to a large bathroom so the door in front must lead out to the hallway. Cal's ears pricked for any sound of footsteps or a voice, but all was quiet.

As he entered, he noticed something strange at the bottom of the bookshelf next to the fireplace. There was a dim light shining through from under the base. Before he could investigate any further however, Cal heard footsteps out in the hallway and flung himself into the adjacent bathroom just as the door opened.

"You cannot afford any more mistakes Trager." A man spoke. "Once Villson retrieves Subject Alpha for me, we can't overlook anything we might have missed regarding his successful birth." Cal knew that voice. It was the same one he had heard in his dream, nightmare, vision or whatever it was. There was no mistaking that condescending glint of superiority in its tone. There was a pause and Cal peeked out the door and saw a figure in a lab coat speaking to someone by Mana screen. To say he was shocked would be an understatement. The way the Commander and Momoka had spoken of him, Cal had envisioned Trager as some imposing, domineering figure. Instead he was short and fat with balding grey hair. Cal tried to see who Trager was talking to but at the distance he was at, the only thing Cal could make out on the screen was the shoulder of a dark green suit jacket and long blonde hair that fell past it.

"Don't worry master, I've checked over all of Donnie's theories and research. And I think he might have solved the problem in all the still births and failed pregnancies that we overlooked until the file you sent me confirmed otherwise." Trager said assuredly

"I sincerely hope you have. Because if all fails, my plans for the future, and your own will be in serious jeopardy." The man replied, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "If we only knew how important Subject Alpha and his mother's blood was 10 years ago. I could have had everything I needed with the former princess of the Galia Empire. But she turned out to be more than a hand full." The man's tone changed to amused, like he had a big accomplishment to look forward to. "This time it will be different with the exiled Princess of Misurugi."

"It's a shame, Subject Alpha would have been a great asset to the new world if the traitor Gavin hadn't caused that fire."

"On the contrary Trager. He might still prove to be very useful once he comes to my side. His life is more important to us now, more than ever." Cal was waiting to pounce once their conversation ended, but the more they spoke the more confused he became. 'What did they mean by that?' Cal wondered. 'They wanted me alive? But Jasmine, Jill and Maggie told me they planned on killing me! That's why Gramps saved me. He told them so! And what did this have to do with Ange and this Galian Princess?'

"I assure you Master; all will come to plan and our hard work will finally pay off. The bloodline of a Royal Norma was the answer we were looking for. It's the reason Subject Alpha was a success regardless of whether he was born human or Norma." Trager said proudly. "I just need a little more time. The circular is almost complete."

"Just make it quick. Because we don't have a lot of time left."

"As you wish Master." The call ended and Trager sat at his desk as Cal's fingers flexed over the pistol stuck at the back of his jeans.


Trager let out an exhausted sigh as he took out his old research papers on Norma #66 from his desk's bottom draw. Her blood was truly something spectacular. The gene pool of the old world remained in the royal families. Including the exiled princess, another Norma. After all this time Donnie's theories were correct. 'Donnie you truly were the future and would have been better than me.' Trager thought proudly as he got up from his chair and looked out the glass doors to the fields. 'Though I can't say the same for your brother.' Trager could only hope Dutch would hit a dead end before everything was in order. Or even better that Blackadder would kill him and put him out of both their miseries.

From under his desk, Trager pressed the secret button and his bookshelf slid aside. He picked up his papers and approached his secret research to return them to their file when there was a loud bang like a door had been kicked open. Before Trager could turn to see what had caused the noise, he was whacked over the face and his cheek bone shattered with a sickening crunch beneath steel. Trager cried out in pain and fear, his eyes blinded by hot tears then was forcefully yanked up and thrown onto his desk. "Don't hurt me, mercy…please!" Trager pleaded to his attacker.

"What about my mother!?" The attacker yelled. "Did you show her mercy!? Did you!? ANSWER ME!" He roared as Trager was flung onto his back. One arm forcefully pressed down on his neck while through his blurred vision the barrel of a silenced pistol pressed hard against his forehead. Trager's vision came into focus and looking back at him was a young man with spikey short black hair, the same one who was just at his door, his face insane with rage.

"Wh…what are you doing?!" Trager whimpered. "Who…what do you…want!?"

"Tell me what happened." His attacker growled. "Tell me!"

"I don't know what you want!" Trager croaked as the attacker's arm pressed harder into his throat, choaking him. Trager's eyes locked onto his attacker's and he recognized those sky-blue eyes, the same ones identical to Norma #66, and Trager felt his bladder release and run down his legs. "You…you're…Subject Alpha!"


Cal's face felt it was on fire as the blood rushed to his head. "Ashley! Her name was Ashley!" Cal began to slam the back of Trager's head repeatedly on the desk. "My Mother, how was she different!? Why was I born while all the other babies died?!" Cal eased his grip from Trager's neck so he could speak more clearly.

"It was just luck…many scientists before me tried…to find a suitable Norma to birth a healthy human baby." Trager breathed heavily. "But you were born a Norma…the program was a total failure…"

"I don't believe you!" Cal cried out. "I heard you talking with that man. You weren't planning on killing me the day I was born! Why?" Trager's eyes widened and witnessing the abject terror in Trager's beady eyes made Cal understand for the first time in his life why his existence as a Male Norma instilled terror into the hearts of humans.

"Someone help!" Trager tried to call out, but Cal put the old man into a tight choke hold.

"Tell me! TELL ME!" Cal demanded loudly in Trager's ear tightening his grip. "If the humans weren't going to kill me then why?"

"It was…all a lie…a story we told…to fool the research team…we…we couldn't risk…them discovering…what the purpose was…behind the program…you don't know…the whole story…it wasn't my fault…" Trager spluttered in between words, gasping for air.

"Not your fault!" Cal repeated, a furious pounding in his ears. Every bitter and resentful thought Cal held in the past few months about Gramps' past, his mother and the revelation about his birth was pouring out of him. "You caused my mother's life to be a living hell. I guess that's all I need to know!"

"I only did…as I commanded…" Trager gasped, a note of urgency in his voice. "It wasn't my idea…I was only…following orders."

"Then who was behind the idea of my creation?!"

"You don't…understand…he'll kill me."

"And you think I won't!?" Cal threatened. "Who was behind all those experiments?!" Cal voice shook more than ever as his arm tightened around Trager's neck as he started choaking the man, spit flying out of Trager's mouth.

"If…I tell you…you'll let me…live?"

"Who was the one behind it?! WHO?!"

"Em...br…yo..." Trager croaked as Cal once again was surrounded by the icy mist.

'Kill him Cal. He deserves it.' An ice-cold venomous voice spoke out to him in a hiss. Without knowing what he was doing Cal's arm pressed down even more, his mind a white haze as Trager's flailing became more desperate. Then without knowing how much time had passed, Cal felt the man in his hold go limp and stiff as blood seeped from Trager's mouth and dripped onto the sleeve of Cal's jacket. He aggressively threw the lifeless body off the desk, and it hit the floor with a dull thud and Trager was no more.


Atop of a run-down factory roof, Tusk mounted his skyhook and waited. Pulling out his binoculars, Tusk scanned through the tree line, hoping to spot the Light of Mana from any vehicle traveling where it shouldn't be. It would be faster to move in on the Imperial Castle in a vehicle rather than on foot and if Tusk was correct, Ange and her maid Momoka would be coming up south of the Dawn Pillar. "I wonder how Cal's holding up?" Tusk thought aloud. "I hope he found Hilda." He made a mental note once he got Ange to patch through to Cal to check on his progress.

Sure enough, a red dot appeared on his skyhook's radar and was coming in closer. Suddenly more red dots appeared. And Tusk saw through his binoculars two Mana aircrafts shining their light down at the forest surrounding the Dawn Pillar as five newly formed red dots on the screen blocked off the single one. How did they manage to find and ambush her? Checking over the Mana hacking device provided by Major's team, Tusk read off a dispatch that reported Ange had stolen an Iaria sled from Ho-oh Acadamy only to run into a former associate of hers named Akiho. According to the dispatch, Ange had restrained her so she must have gotten free and ratted them out to the police.

Moments later, gunfire roared through the night followed by a deafening explosion as a ball of fire and smoke erupted above the treetops barely two miles from Tusk's location. "Holy!" He gasped in surprise as police sirens blared through the forest and the four remaining red dots gave chase after the first one. "Oh, brother. I knew something like this might happen." Tusk groaned in annoyance. "Did the works 'sneaky', 'covert', and 'subtle' get left out of her dictionary? But I guess that's just how she is." Tusk knew personally how impulsive and violent Ange could be when she was in a mood.

Through his binoculars, Tusk spotted a white sled like machine burst through the woods and onto the path. Ange rode in front and her maid at the rear controlling it with the Light of Mana while four Mana police cruisers closed in hot on their tail. Ange fired her rifle, but Mana shields immediately formed on the four police vehicle fenders. One managed to move in right behind them and a cop stuck out from the window and manifested what looked like a Mana net around Momoka and the back of the Iaria sled. Although Tusk was ordered by Jill to only engage Ange when her life was in direct danger, this was going too far. Before he could launch however, Ange destroyed the Mana net with a tap of her hand and returned fire on her pursuers. Tusk held his breath seeing the cops now began firing net guns to capture the girls but they just missed as Momoka swerved out the way while Ange kept up her counter fire. Now the two Mana aircrafts were closing in from above in an attempt to box them in when to his amazement, Ange managed to throw a grenade into one of their engines, causing the now crippled machine to slam into its ally and both of them crashing to the ground in an explosion of sparks and splintered trees. 'Taking down a DRAGON with nothing but a knife was one thing, but that was something else!' Tusk thought. 'She truly is a warrior suitable for Villkiss.'

As Ange and Momoka broke through the woods Tusk lost sight of them and when he checked the radar, found that they had vanished. The police seemed to have lost them as well and were frantically scrambling all over the place to locate them. 'There's an underground drain canal in that area,' Tusk remembered. 'Clever girl. But if my hunch is right then there's going to be an un-welcoming committee waiting to greet them at the other end.' This was getting out of hand and even if this wasn't a trap, Ange had attracted too much attention. He just hoped Cal was having an easy job on his end with Hilda.


As the rage began to fade, Cal stumbled back against a nearby easy chair and stared shaking down at the motionless body of Dr. Richard Trager. 'What…what did I just do?' he wondered. In the heat of the moment, something had just snapped and he had killed a man. He had broken a promise to Gramps not to give in to hate. 'But he deserved it,' he argued with himself. 'My mother and all the other Norma who suffered because of him. He deserved it.' So why did Cal feel like he was going to throw up? 'There was so much more he could have told me. He could have told me everything about my mother. What do I do now?'

Turning away from the body, Cal looked down and saw the papers scattered around the floor. Whatever Trager was talking about with that figure on the Mana screen had something to do with this so he picked it up and began to flip through the notes and lab reports.

ROSUMBLUM GENEALOGY HISTORY REPORT

BY DR. RICHARD TRAGER

THE DOCUMENTS GIVEN TO ME BY MASTER EMBRYO AND HIS INFORMANT HAS NARROWED DOWN THE SOURCE AND KEY INGREDIENT TO SUBJECT ALPHA'S SUCCESSFUL BIRTH. SOMEHOW THE GENETICS IN A ROYAL NORMA'S BLOOD AND BIOLOGY IS THE KEY TO IT ALL. I'LL HAVE TO CONDUCT SOME MORE TESTS ON THE BLOOD SAMPLES WE TOOK FROM SUBJECT ALPHA AND WORK OUT ALL THE KINKS TO HIS AND ALL THE 7 ROYAL FAMILIES' GENETICS.

Cal read off a family tree for the entire Rosenblum family, starting at the bottom with Fiona and Misty Rosenblum and up to their mother Felicia Rosenblum. Beside that name was another, Ashleigh Rosenblum. Though from what Gramps had once told him about the royal families, the current Queen of Rosenblum didn't have a sister. And what did royal blood have to do with his birth? Curiosity overriding this lingering guilt and horror, Cal noted that the report was relatively new and turned his attention to the room hidden behind the bookcase. Inside was a non-Mana console on a stand, the same type used on Arzenal, and several steel file cabinets. The console most likely was password protected but the cabinets were unlocked so that was where he decided to continue searching. Opening the top drawer on the first cabinet, Cal took out the first file and flipped through. Inside was a photo of a woman who looked the same age as Maggie with short red hair.

REPORT By Dr. Bernhard Ahlers

PATIENT NORMA #991

SEED SAMPLE #00, FAILED

THIS PATIENT ALSO, UNFORTUNATELY, FAILED TO PRODUCE A HEALTHY HUMAN CHILD. THIS IS THE 5TH ONE ON HER RECORD AND HASN'T MADE IT PAST 4 MONTHS WITHOUT SUFFERING A MISCARRIAGE.

Cal examined the documents further and saw that the file was dated back almost 200 years before he turned the page over and his eyes fell upon a horrific sight. Pictures upon pictures of dead fetuses in jars of yellow liquid almost made him throw up. Snapping the file shut, he pulled another one out of the cabinet.

PATIENT NORMA #348, SEED SAMPLE #00 FAILED.

This one was from only 57 years ago. Cal threw the dark green file aside and red through another and another.

PATIENT NORMA #131 DECEASED, SEED SAMPLE #00 FAILED. PATIENT NORMA #099 REPORT, SEED SAMPLE #00 FAILED. #132 FAILED. #96 FAILED. #475 DECEASED, SEED SAMPLE #00 FAILED. #333 DECEASED…

With a scream of rage, Cal threw the file to the ground and shoved the cabinet onto the floor. 'Those monsters!' He fumed, driving his fist into the console and shattering the screen. 'Those filthy evil bastards!' How did this make any sense?! They used the same seed sample dating back centuries ago so why did it work with him?! Cal kicked at the piles of paper littering the floor and stopped as something caught his eye. Before him on the ground was a file in a blue folder rather than a manilla one. And as Cal knelt down to pick it up, his heart almost leapt out of his chest at the black title printed upon it.

R.D.T.C, SUBJECT NORMA #66

'Is this my mother's file?' Cal wondered as he opened it up. After skipping over a few pages of complicated math he didn't understand, he stopped at a photo of a young woman with long blonde hair laid upright in a hospital bed, cradling twin babies in two pink bundle blankets. One was blond like the mother but the other had jet-black hair and under the photo were their names. 'Felicia and Ashleigh Rosenblum.' Turning the next page was a mugshot of a woman. She was young still in her teens, but looked very beaten down with lank black hair and eyes just like his.

"Mom." Cal whispered weakly. He didn't know how he knew it was her but he did. Like from a dream half remembered.

ASHLEIGH LOUISE ROSENBLUM. SUBJECT NORMA #66

Cal felt a lump form in his throat as he turned the page where he was greeted by a picture of a baby boy with spikey black hair. 'That's me as a baby.' He realized, tears spilling from his eyes and splashing onto the papers. Finally, Cal managed to put two and two together. Cal's mother was of royal blood and so was he. She was the sister to the queen of Rosenblum which meant Princess Misty was his first cousin. The shock of the revelation nearly made him collapse and he leaned back against the wall for support. So that's what they meant by a Royal Norma but why would that make any difference? And what about seed sample #00? Who was his father and where could they possibly get the same sperm for over 200 years? It was impossible. The file didn't say, and his attention was suddenly caught by the sound of the rain starting to fall. Slipping the file into his jacket, Cal realized he had better leave before someone came and found Trager's body. He had wasted enough time and he still had to find Hilda. He'd give the file to Commander Jill and maybe she'd be able to make better sense of it. Cal had just stepped back into the main study when his foot trod on another file the same royal blue color as his mother's.

Despite his urge to leave, something about the file and how it stood out from the dozens of manilla folders seemed to scream for him to pick it up. Not bothering with anything more than a quick flip through, Cal came across a photo clipped to a list of months marking development stages. The picture itself was some weird globed shaped tank filled with a dark greenish liquid that made identifying whatever was inside extremely difficult. "What the hell is this?" Cal looked closer and realized the thing inside looked like a baby, kept alive inside by a breathalyzer mask.

'CASE NUMBER: 174, CONSULTATION DATED: 2156.09.13, INITIAL DATE OF SUBJECT CONSULT: 2156.05.25, PATIENT AGE: 8 MONTHS, GENDER: MALE, OBSERVING PHYSICIAN: DR. RICHARD TRAGER.'

Cal stared at the header and realized the dates weren't far off from the day he was born and continued to read.

'SUBJECT HAS ACHIEVED PURIFICATION STAGE THANKS TO THE AURA PROGRAM. SUBJECT HAS SHOWN A HUGE SPIKE IN GENETIC INCREASE AND GROWTH. IT'S EVEN A MIRACLE THE SUBJECT SURVIVED BUT WE'VE HAD SUCCESS WITH THE THEORIES DEVELOPED BY DONNIE VILLSON BEFORE HIS PASSING. WITHOUT HIS RESEARCH ON SUBJECT ALPHA AND THE BLOOD SAMPLES TAKEN FROM BEFORE ITS DEMISE, I FEARED WE HAD ANOTHER FAILURE ON OUR HANDS. BUT NOW WITH A FEW ADDED ADJUSTMENTS, THE SUBJECT WILL BE AN EVEN GREATER SUCCESS THAN SUBJECT ALPHA.

So the experiment that created Cal was part of some larger project? Cal franticly flipped through the file to find more photos. What was this baby? How was it connected to him? And what was this 'Aura Program'? Finally, at the very back of the file, Cal found something that made him gasp in horror and revulsion.

It was as though Cal had flipped over a stone and revealed something ugly and blind but worse a hundred times worse. The creature in the photo had the form of a human baby except that Cal had never seen anything look less like a baby. It was slimy with dark, raw, reddish black scales. Its arms and legs were grotesquely deformed and twisted and its face, no child alive had a face like that. It was flat and serpentine looking, with gleaming sky-blue eyes the same color as Cal and his mother but its sclera were jet black and its pupils were slits like a cat's.

Cal snapped the file shut, not wanting to look further upon the horrifying fiend and saw the name upon the front of the file, flickering in the fire light. His legs finally gave way as if he was hit with an iron clad punch and was forced to realize the reality of what those pictures were and what that thing was.

SUBJECT BETA

With an icy surge of comprehension, terror and foreboding, Cal recalled what his dream or vision was telling him. And what that angel like woman had warned him. 'You…are…not…alone.'

TO BE CONTINUED…