CHAPTER 41

ENDERANT HARBOR'S SECRETS

Everything was dark, silent, and Cal felt as if he was once more floating through some dark mixture of water and air. He opened his eyes and through the darkness saw a dim light enticing him like a moth to a candle.

"Come on Kiddo it's time to wake up." A voice echoed out from the light.

"Gramps?" Cal said wearily as he began to swim upwards, the light growing brighter as he rose higher. "Hold on Gramps I'm coming." Suddenly, the light died and everything changed. Cal's body now felt smooth, powerful, and flexible. He was gliding like a ghost between hundreds of tall trees. In the distance, he could see a campsite of tents appear and though the rain lashed down on him he was completely dry. Below he could just barely make out figures in black and green camo patrolling the area as a familiar smell hit his nose coming from the second largest tent. He descended lower and saw two figures, their shadows cast from the light inside the tent, a man and a woman judging by their voices and immediately he tasted the man's familiar scent on the air.

"Jadis you need to calm down!" The man scolded.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" The woman yelled. "That filthy little trollop killed Winston. And instead of tracking them down we're just sitting here!"

"You think I'm not frustrated as well Jadis!? I would have had subject Alpha if not for those damned dissidents! Do you have any idea what Embryo will do to me if he finds out Subject Alpha is not only outside of Arzenal but escaped a second time?" The man kicked something against the tent wall and Cal felt the nerves rising under the immense pressure his little nuisance was under. "I can't afford any more mistakes, Jadis. Not at this juncture. And now, I've just received word of a massive breakout from the Galian Labor camp. The prisoners you captured were among them. Both of our necks are on the line if we don't produce results soon!"

"Poor pathetic fool." Mocked an ice-cold voice devoid of any human emotion, that issued from Cal's own mouth that was not his own.

"So what do we do now?" The woman asked, her voice still seething with rage but calm.

"For now, work on a strategy to take the next base." The man ordered. "They needed a transport to move Subject Alpha so it's only a matter of time before we trace their flight path. After he's in my grasp, you can do whatever you want with his comrade." The flap of the tent flew open and the man exited, topless and covered in bandages and gauze, his orange flame eyes shone with fury and across his face was a long healing scar. Cal longed to erase the man for good but he needed to be patient. All would be taken care of in due time. For now, he had other matters to attend to. He touched down softly to the ground and entered the tent to see the woman with her back turned to him. She was sitting in a chair by a small desk with her head in her hands.

"Winston." She softly wept. With her mind in disarray, it would be easy to bring her into his little circle of followers. If nothing else she could help him keep an eye on Dutch Villson. From the corner of his vision, Cal raised an arm and saw a pale hand that was blackened and shriveled as though the flesh was decaying. He was about to touch the woman on the shoulder when he glanced into the small circular mirror on the bench and sky-blue eyes looked back at him with slits for pupils.

"NOOOOO!" Cal screamed and suddenly felt a jerk behind his navel as he was pulled back and sent flying back through the void into a chaos of swirling, spinning imagery and sounds. And through it all, those evil blue slit eyes stared at him as the icy mist once more wrapped around him until all sensation was cut off…


"Lucky the fall wasn't too steep. I'm surprised he didn't end up with a concussion, broken ribs or even a broken neck." Whoever was speaking now they seemed different. Even friendly. It sounded like three women. But who were they talking about? All he knew was that his entire body ached. Even breathing hurt.

"He's lucky to be alive. Both of them for that matter. That poor girl got pretty banged up herself."

"I've never thought I'd hear two Norma escaping an entire squad of NMB soldiers."

"I must say he is rather handsome. Even with all the cuts and bruises."

"And those abs. I've heard Arzenal's Norma were tough, but I never thought they'd be able to hold off and entire NMB squad by themselves."

"No wonder Alektra chose him to be the next pilot of Siegfried." Hearing his machine's name snapped Cal back to reality as his burst open and lurched upright. Ignoring the pain, Cal yanked off the ice pack pressed over his right eye and tried to get his bearings. All metal walls, some medical equipment, it looked similar to the medbay at Arzenal. But instead of Maggie, three women in white medical smocks he had never seen before had clustered around his bed, jumping back in alarm when he had woken. He spared a glance down at the gauze and bandages wrapped around his body and everything came rushing back. He launched himself off the bed, nearly collapsing to the floor as the three women regained their composure and surrounded him.

"Easy there!"

"Hey it's okay!"

"Just lay back down. You're still injured!"

"Wh…What's going on? Where am I?!" Cal panicked. His hand blindly felt for a weapon and latched onto something hard and flat. He waved it in the faces of the three women who stepped back in alarm then chagrin at him for threatening them with a tongue depressor.

"Don't worry we're here to help you."

"Just calm down. We're not going to hurt you."

"We're friends. You're safe here."

"Where is she!?" Cal shouted. "What have you done with Hilda?!" As if on cue, the door flew open and a familiar pair of red pigtails dashed towards Cal. "Hilda!" He gasped in great relief as she flung herself at him.

KANG!

The sound of aluminum on bone echoed throughout the room as the bedpan Hilda grabbed connected with Cal's head, the three nurses wincing as the backed away.

"OW! What the hell is wrong with you!?" Cal clutched his head and fell back on the bed. "Are you trying to give me brain damage!?" Rather than answer, Hilda advanced on Cal, smacking every inch of him she could reach.

"You…complete...utter…stupid…ASSHOLE!" Hilda yelled; every word punctuated with another blow as Cal could do nothing but shield himself with his arms. "I…was…so…worried…you…were…DEAD!" Finally, Hilda ceased her assault and Cal looked up to see tears streaming down her face. "Don't ever do that to me again! I was so scared I'd lost you, I thought…I thought you left me…I…I…" Hilda's voice cracked as she dropped the pan and threw herself against him, crying into his chest.

"Dear, if you're not careful you actually will kill him." One nurse deadpanned. Now Cal was in even more pain than before but he forced it down and gingerly wrapped his arms around Hilda.

"Don't worry." Cal said quietly. "I'm not going anywhere and that's a promise. I would never leave you."

"Wow I wish I had brought some popcorn." Someone laughed from the open door, and Cal raised his head to see a young man standing in the doorway. He was slightly older than Cal, dark skinned, with dark green eyes hidden behind a pair of large glasses and sported a faux hawk haircut. He nodded and grinned at the nurses who blushed and fluttered their eye lashes at him. "Hello ladies, just dropped in to see how our guest was doing."

"Who are you?" Cal said. Whoever he was he didn't seem hostile but Cal had no real reason to trust him either.

"It's okay, he's a friend." said Hilda.

"Here. It should help with the pain." One of the nurses handed the young man a cup and he approached the bed.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, as he handed Cal the cup. "You took quite a beating and had a nasty fall. Here drink this. It should help." He held the cup to Cal who grimaced at the black currant colored substance inside.

"I'm not taking that. It looks like poison."

"Suit yourself." The young man said with a nod to Hilda. With a sigh, Hilda pinched Cal's nose and Cal reflexively opened his mouth to take a breath, allowing the visitor to tip the stuff down Cal's throat. He coughed, as a peppery sensation burned his throat as the liquid trickled down into Cal's stomach.

"Wh…what is that stuff?" Cal splattered. Now not only was he in pain but he felt like he was going to be sick.

"Just a little something to get you back on your feet." The young man smiled before introducing himself. "I'm Dolton by the way, head of tech and Mana communications and your assigned escort. I was the one who managed to help track down you and your girlfriend." Hilda shot Dolton a threatening look and the young man coughed as he wisely changed the subject. "Anyway, you're both very lucky. If we're so much as a minute late you both would have been taken out of our reach or worse."

"How long was I out? What happened? And where are we?" Cal asked, a hundred questions racing through his mind at once.

"For over 10 hours. It's now evening." Dolton answered. "As to where, you've arrived at your destination good travelers. Welcome to Enderant Harbor." He spoke in an overly theatrical manner which made Hilda roll her eyes.

"Oh, well thanks. I thought I was almost…" It was then he noticed with a sudden lurch in his stomach that Siegfried's bracelet was gone. "Wait, where's…" Cal panicked. Thankfully, Naomi's rose gold charm was still on his right wrist. "Where's the bracelet to activate Siegfried?! Did the humans take it?!"

"Relax." Dolton urged. "We took it off you when we brought you in. It's in a safe place." Cal breathed a sigh of relief but still felt a little on edge that Siegfried's bracelet was in the hands of people he didn't know. "Right now, the most important thing is you're both safe." He then adjusted his friendly expression to a more professional and serious one. "Now then, the Major wants to talk to you both. She has a few questions about what happened with those humans you were fighting. Are you able to walk around?"

"Yeah, just a little stiff." Cal said rubbing his shoulder.

"Are you serious?" Hilda asked as if Cal was insane. "You look like you got stepped on by a para-mail. You should rest."

"He can't walk around yet. We haven't fully assessed his injuries." One nurse insisted. "Wouldn't it be better for the Major to meet him here?"

"Try telling the Major that." Dolton sighed.

"It's fine, I can walk." Cal said. At the very least he needed to assess the place and its inhabitants just like Commander Jill had told him. He had to know if these people were to be trusted when Libertus began. Still, the nurses insisted on at least giving him a cursory exam before he left.


It took over half an hour for the nurses to reassess Cal's injuries. They redressed his bandages and applied new strips of gauze around his body which was covered from head to toe in bruises, cuts, and other injuries. Some of the deeper wounds had been stitched up and while most of the bruises were already healing, Cal checked in the mirror and saw his right eye was slightly swollen and pink but was glad the grazes and cuts on his face weren't too deep enough to leave scars. At least whatever that disgusting blackcurrant liquid was, it started to work as he could move around somewhat easier. Once finished, the nurses gave him a pair of grey sweatpants, sweatshirt, and white moccasins, identical to what Hilda was now wearing before he stepped out into the hallway where Hilda and Dolton were waiting for him.

"Let's get going. The Major is not someone you want to keep waiting." Dolton cautioned. As they followed after, Cal took a moment to assess his surroundings. Unlike Arzenal; the circular hallways were made entirely out of metal which gave it a cold and clinical feeling. "When you meet the Major, it's best if you keep your questions and answers simple." Dolton advised. "She's not exactly the most patient of people, especially after what happened in Misurugi yesterday."

"Why, what happened in Misurugi? Wait! Did something happen to Ange? Is she here?" Hilda asked startled. Dolton's lips pursed and Cal knew he had uttered something he wasn't supposed to tell them.

"Hang on a moment." He realized. "Is she, Momoka and Tusk in trouble?!"

"Who's Tusk?" Hilda asked. No sooner had they turned a corner, then standing before them was a familiar head of shaggy brown hair and lank frame now wearing a black tactical vest over his green shirt. Three individuals were standing with him, and the feeling of dread only increased when he realized none of them were Ange or Momoka.

"Hey Tusk!" Cal called hurrying towards him. "What happened? Where's…"

"Get lost kid!" The tallest of the group stepped towards Cal. He had pale skin with a long scar that trailed over his face, and short navy-blue hair that failed to hide the dislike in his narrow dark blue eyes.

"Stand down Lucas." said the smallest of the bunch and her appearance made Cal flinch a bit. She was bald with a massive ugly, deep scar that ran from the top of her head to her right brow, and her stone-cold eyes pierced through Cal as she approached him. Whoever she was she made Jill look like a saint in Cal's eyes. "So, you're the Male Norma." She said in a hollow tone. "I must say I expected…more."

"So erm…," Cal said nervously, "Are you the Major?"

"Major General Malta." She corrected; her lip thinning in annoyance.

"You wanted to see me?"

"I did, but that will have to wait. I have more pressing matters to attend to first." She glanced at Dolton. "Don't let these two out of your sight. Get them accommodated around the base first. I'll call for the male Norma in an hour or so." Dolton saluted but before they could walk away, the question playing on Cal's mind came bursting forth.

"Where're Ange and Momoka? What happened Tusk?" Tusk's eyes darted to the Major who looked at him darkly as if he was not permitted to answer Cal. But despite her piercing stare, Tusk bravely spoke up.

"I'm not gonna lie Cal, it's bad." He then told Cal and Hilda how he located Ange and Momoka, and their sudden capture by her brother and sister at Misurugi. "It was a trap laid by both siblings." Tusk grimaced in a mix of shame and disgust. "It's my fault. I wasn't quick enough to catch her before she made it to the palace. And that's not even the worst of it. A few hours ago, that bastard brother of hers made a worldwide announcement that he's going to give the city a public execution; right in front of the Misurugi Palace." Cal's insides churned, beyond appalled that anyone could do that to their own family.

"We've got to do something." He demanded to Major Malta.

"We're already organizing a plan to rescue her. And though I have my reservations, you will be aiding our team in the extraction."

"If Cal's going then I'm going to!" Hilda suddenly announced.

"Not happening." Lucas cut in.

"The hell it's not!" Hilda said sharply as Cal shot her an incredulous look.

"I thought you hated her." He reminded her.

"I do." Hilda said. "But if you're going to rescue her then someone has to make sure you don't get yourself killed."

"Out of the question." Lucas scoffed. "You've caused enough damage in Enderant. Both of you! The male Norma is needed for this mission. You on the other hand are returning to Arzenal first thing in the morning. We've heard a lot of things about you from Tusk. When the Princess was stuck on his island, she told him all about how you and your little clique made her life hell on Arzenal. Deliberately targeting her in combat. Sabotaging Villkiss and almost getting her killed. I wouldn't trust you around her as far as I could throw you." Hilda's face paled before her head bowed in shame and Cal felt a strong urge to sock Lucas right in the jaw until the tall woman next to him stepped forward. She had long blue hair the same shade as Lucas and looked like she could almost be his double. She was also really pretty and was built in a way that rivaled even Zola.

"That's not fair Lucas." she said. "Whatever problem they had with each other it looks to me like they got over it. And Hilda's records show that she's a damn good pilot herself. We'll need all the allies we can get so..."

"That's exactly my point Lucia." Lucas interrupted. "This Ange is the pilot of Villkiss. She's the key to everything so why should we trust someone who almost cost us everything? She doesn't deserve our trust and neither does the Male Norma."

"You better watch your mouth." Cal warned as he squared up to Lucas, his hands balling into fists and silently daring the older guy to make the first move.

"That's enough! Both of you!" Lucia snapped getting between the two.

"Major Malta, wouldn't it be best for Hilda to be a part of the rescue mission to?" Tusk suggested. "After all Cal is the rightful pilot of Siegfried and Ange's knight." He paused slightly as Cal' Lucas and Lucia looked at him sympathetically seeing the shame in his eyes. "But if he trusts Hilda then so do I." Hilda stared in bemusement at Tusk. Who was this guy and why was he arguing on her behalf? And just what was his relationship with Ange?

"Look." Cal said as he calmed down. "Ange is one of us and we don't leave our squad mates behind." Major Malta narrowed her eyes as she looked him up and down, almost as if he was something filthy, she didn't want to touch. Cal swore she recoiled slightly once she looked into his eyes, as if recalling something, or someone.

"Let me make one thing clear." Major Malta said impassively. "You're only part of this mission because you're the pilot of Siegfried. Nothing more, nothing less. If it were up to me, I'd send you both back to Arzenel after the trouble you've caused. Thanks to you, the NMB is undoubtedly on our trail after they failed to capture you. So, from now on, neither of you so much as sneeze without my consent." She gave him one last contemptuous look before gesturing Tusk, Lucas and Lucia to follow her.

"Hey!" Cal called after her loudly, his temper getting the better of him. "Ange needs us both. I promised to protect her and unlike you, I don't plan on hiding in the dark anymore!"

"Watch yourself, boy." Lucas turned his head halfway to Cal with a cold sneer. Behind Lucas Tusk gave Cal a quick thumbs up, giving Cal some relief knowing Tusk would try to vouch for him and hopefully Hilda as well.

"Don't worry." Lucia said quietly once Lucas and Major were out of ear shot. "That's how my brother treats newcomers. No matter how charming they are." She smiled warmly at him before hurrying after the others.

"You sure know how to catch a girl's eye there stud." Dolton teased and noticed Hilda's slight pout. "Better be careful. Your girlfriend's looking rather jealous."

"Cal, do you think they'd hold it against me if I crushed this guy's balls in a vice grip?" Hilda threatened. Dolton got the message and wisely backed away from her.

"Let's go get something to eat!" He suggested. "Some good grub will take your mind off things!"


The food wasn't as bad as Hilda had expected, due to the fact she had eaten Arzenal's mediocre grub for over a decade. The Enderant Harbor's food was a slight step up though it lacked that finesse from her mother's cooking and the luxurious food the humans ate. Though smaller in size compared to Arzenal, like the med bay and everywhere else Enderant Harbor's cafeteria was entirely metal, giving the place a gleaming shine from the ceiling lights. And the place was packed with both humans and Norma. Hilda and Cal sat alone at a table in the corner and as Hilda was digging into her tray of food, the abrupt stares from passersby and people at their tables made her feel uneasy. Though she quickly concluded she wasn't the one being looked at.

"You've barely touched your food, what's up with you?" Hilda asked as Cal had done nothing but sit with his elbows on the table looking gloomily at his own tray. "It's HIM, isn't it? You did what you could. Your Gramps would be proud that you fought as hard as you did. And It's because of you that we're still alive."

"Maybe," Cal sighed. "But I've always have been a marked target. Ever since that night Dutch and his lackies came for me and Gramps. Guess I never really understood what that meant until now." The anger rose in his cheeks and his jaw clenched. "I just hope he's still looking for me. Because next time, I'll be ready for him." Before Hilda knew what she was doing, she placed her hand on his.

"I get it," she assured him. "Just don't try to go it alone. We're in this together." She smiled sweetly and Cal smiled faintly back as they both looked into each other's eyes. 'Was she always this pretty?' Cal wondered. 'Back in the cave I think she was actually about to kiss me.'

"Whazzup!" A highly energetic voice howled, causing Cal and Hilda to jump. "So you're the male Norma huh? Crazy." A young teenager unwelcomingly sat next to Cal, slamming his tray onto the table. He had a mischievous and energetic round face, slightly tanned skin with large amber eyes and wild, fiery red hair that stuck out all over the place.

"Who the hell are you?" Cal edged back for personal space as the young teenager stared at him as though transfixed.

"The name's Frenzy, nice to meet ya!" He shook Cal's hand very fast without invitation.

"Sorry about him." Dolton appeared with his own tray and sat on Cal's other side. "I promised Frenzy I'd introduce him to you. He hasn't stopped talking about you since we brought you in." So Hilda's assumption was right. All the stares thrown their way; it was just like when Cal first arrived at Arzenal. Though she had gotten use to the concept of a Male Norma, it reminded of her just how abnormal Cal's existence was in this world, even to these people.

"Is it true you fought an entire NMB squadron? That's so awesome, you gotta teach me your moves." Frenzy said breathlessly.

"Er…okay." Cal said hesitantly.

"So awesome!" Sitting and having a meal with two humans felt very odd to Hilda, though it wasn't the worst thing in the world. And despite her distaste for men, she found herself slightly warming up to them. 'I guess they're not all bad.' she thought reluctantly. Even Cal seemed to calm as he began to eat though at a slower pace compared to him usually scarfing it down like a pig. However, Frenzy was just as bad, stuffing his mouth with mash potatoes making Hilda grimace. It was like looking at a double of Vivian.

"You still haven't told me where my bracelet is for Siegfried." Cal finally said to Dolton. "I need it back."

"It's under lock and key by Lucas." Dolton explained. "Don't worry it's safe and will be returned in due notice."

"What's that guy's problem anyway?" Hilda wondered. "Especially with Cal?"

"Don't hold it against Lucas. He's a good guy." said Dolton. "He's just got a lot going on with keeping this place safe."

"What is this place exactly?" Hilda asked, noticing a Norma playfully teasing a human by deliberately destroying his Mana screen when he was clearly in the middle of something important. "I never thought I'd believe, let alone see humans that actually like Norma, or…" Her eyes bulged to the size of golf balls witnessing the same Norma and Human share a passionate kiss. Dolton sniggered at Hilda's flabbergasted expression as the couple were practically snogging like a pair of eels all over the place.

"It's an independent underground base that was established by us renegade humans eight years ago." Dolton explained. "We humans and Norma freely live together and help each other. Some even fall in love and have started families." Hilda couldn't believe her ears. The idea of a human and Norma having children together was never heard of in history.

"Wait so does this mean," Cal perked up, "that there are other Male Norma like me?"

"Sorry but no." Dolton sighed. "All the Norma born so far at our bases have all been female and the males are always human."

"So there are other places like this as well?" Hilda gawked.

"Yep. One of them is located overseas across a chain of islands called the 'Tripartite Pack,' the very first pro Norma human alliance. Our largest is a colony called 'The Sanctuary', built within the Northern Velda Mountains and serves as our main base of operations. I was stationed there for a short while after…"

"After what?" Cal asked who along with Hilda noticed the troubled look in Dolton's eyes.

"Well, we used to have two more bases." Dolton said heavily. "The Galia Falls and Apex. We've recently lost them both after the NMB discovered their location. It's been difficult for everyone. We've lost so many people, friends, family. Even some of the children and parents didn't make it."

"That's awful." Hilda said. And just when she thought humans couldn't be any crueler. Across the cafeteria, Hilda noted a group of kids who looked the same age as those back at Arzenal's preschool. "So they're orphans?" Dolton nodded.

"Those bastards will pay for what they done." Cal said bitterly. "I'll make sure of that."

"Nothn u com du bot it." said Frenzy, his mouth so full of mash potatoes it was a wonder he could form any words at all. "The only thing we can do is look out for each other. Those little ones have got a lot more folk looking out for them here than out there. Considering where some of their mothers came…"

"Frenzy!" Dolton snapped, his eyes darting towards Cal, almost as if Frenzy was about to tell them something Cal was not supposed to hear.

"What did you mean by that?" Cal asked, his sudden change making Frenzy go pale. Immediately, Frenzy stuffed his mouth to exploding point again and was saved from questioning as Lucia strolled in and approached their table. Most of the guys in the room, as well as a few Norma, had their attention now drawn to her, including Frenzy. Even Hilda felt slightly jealous and a little bashful by Lucia's striking, beautiful looks.

"Glad to see you two making friends already." Lucia grinned as she perched herself next to Hilda whose face went even redder. "How are you finding the place? Wait until you see your room."

"What's happening about Ange?" Cal immediately asked. Lucia cleared her throat.

"Well, the major thought about what you had to say, though me and Tusk had to persuade her slightly. She's agreed to speak to you both separately."

"About what?" asked Hilda. Most likely it had to do with the NMB soldiers they fought. Hilda glanced at Cal and decided whatever he wanted to tell them about what happened with that Dutch guy was Cal's choice and right to tell. "I want to help. I won't leave Ange to die."

"Don't worry." Lucia reassured her. "If all goes well, she might consider letting you join in Ange's rescue. Because like it or not, you're apart of Libertus now."

"Yeah about that?" Hilda interrupted, "What is Libertus anyway?

"Major will explain everything you need to know about our allegiance with Arzenal." Dolton told her.

"Speaking of which we need to get going." Lucia gestured for Hilda to follow. "Dolton, the tech staff need your assistance with the navigation consoles. Looks like the Mana sensors need strengthening to keep our tabs on the Misurugi Palace."

"I'm on it." Dolton sighed. "Honestly, how many times to I have to show them. Cal, you stay here until I get back."

"Frenzy it's your turn to help get the children to bed remember." Lucia reminded him.

"Oh yeah," said Frenzy, who had obviously forgotten. "Hey…hey, you lot! Midgets!"

"Frenzy!" Lucia scolded

"Well they are. They're tiny." Once Dolton had left Hilda felt her heart pump faster than normal, but one reassuring nod from Cal calmed her nerves. 'I'm doing this for Ange.' she told herself fiercely. It was as if she had left some part of herself behind in that cave, not just towards Cal but with Ange too. 'She helped me get on that plane. Even if things didn't turn out as I hoped, I at least owe her for that.'


"See you later." Cal waved to Hilda as he watched her and Lucia disappear. Once they were done, it would be his turn to meet with the Major.

"See you around Cal." Frenzy flashed Cal a thumbs up as he guided the young Norma and Human children past Cal's table. They all seemed very small; even younger than most of the kids at Arzenal. He grinned and gave a small wave to them as they passed him by. A little blonde Norma nudged her human friend and whispered in his ear. The boy's eyes widened in surprise and looked at Cal in a mixture of amazement and curiosity.

"Are you really a male Norma?" he asked. Caught a little off guard, Cal shifted in his seat as he felt every eye in the room turn towards him.

"Yeah." He finally said.

"Whoah. That's so awesome!"

"Did you really fight a whole army of bad guys by yourself?" Another boy asked.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" One little girl asked.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Frenzy interrupted. "Save it for later short round. My man Cal's got better things to do than be pestered by you shrimps." The kids awed and whined but Frenzy shooed them out the door. But even after the kids left, it felt as if even more stares were being thrown his way.

'It's been a while since I felt like this.' Cal thought, listening to the hushed whispers of the people near him. It was just like when he first arrived at Arzenal. The atmosphere wasn't exactly hostile but feeling as if he was some display on exhibit didn't make him feel any less uncomfortable. Then there was the thing Frenzy had mentioned about the kids' parents. Something about the way Dolton had hushed him raised Cal's suspicions which his mind wouldn't allow him to let go. 'Come to think of it,' he realized. 'Dolton said that all the Norma born at their bases were female. That means humans and Norma were successfully breeding and producing healthy human children too. But why are they successful when all the pregnancies at Trager's lab were miscarriages?'

Finally, Cal reached a point where he couldn't take the stares anymore and made his way out of the cafeteria. He passed by a gym, armory, and a huge stockroom. At least here fewer people stopped to give him second looks. To most of them he was just another guy. Which was probably more than he could say about the rest of the world.

'It's a shame all Gaz's sacrifices in the end were for nothing.'

Dutch's words ate Cal up from the inside and deep down, he knew his enemy was right. Gramps sacrificed everything to keep him safe and yesterday, he had compromised his existence in front of an entire group of civilians. 'So why haven't I heard anything about it?' Cal wondered. 'It should be front page news so why does some of the people here act as if they don't even recognize me.'

"Haha stop it!" The sound of giggling snapped Cal out of his thoughts. "That's cheating daddy!" To his left down another passageway, a man was using the Light of Mana to float a red bouncy ball in the air while a little girl was jumping as high as she could trying to reach it.

"Remember what I told you. Eat your vegetables and you'll grow big and strong." The father teased, and Cal guessed his daughter must be a Norma.

"But I hate vegetables." The little girl sulked.

"Honey, what have I warned you about teasing Fifi?" From behind them, a woman appeared and poked the ball with her finger, the green Mana barrier shattering as the little girl caught the ball.

"Thanks Mommy!" The little girl beamed. "Daddy's being mean."

"You spoil her too much." The father chuckled. "It's hard enough dealing with you, let alone a little double."

"Keep talking like that and you'll be sleeping in the forest tonight." The mother teased.

"Kinda reminds me of our poker night?" He retorted, earning him a pinch on the cheek. From afar Cal watched them as they walked down the hallway, the little girl laughing as her parents took her by the hand and swung her back and forth and vanished around a corner. While the sight made him happy, knowing that humans and Norma could live together, it also left him feeling sad and a little envious. How many times had he wished he could have a family like that? To see what his mother would look and sound like if she was alive, or even knowing who his real father was. Gramps had loved him and he never fully appreciated it. And now, Gramps was gone and he'd give anything to just spend one more minute with him.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Cal wandered blindly through the base. Eventually, he found himself back in the med bay but not the ward he was in. In the distance, he suddenly heard yelling and people frantically rushing and he instinctively hurried towards the source. Was something wrong? Could the humans have found them already? Cal picked up the pace and turned a corner to see a small crowd with their backs turned, peering through a large infirmary window.

"Hey, what's going on?" he asked a woman on the outside of the crowd.

"It's Roxy!" she joyously cried. "She just had her baby."

"It's a boy!" Someone added.

"Can you believe it? Roxy had her baby." Inching to the edge of the window, Cal managed to crane his neck over the crowd to see an exhausted woman in her late 20's laying on a bed surrounded by several nurses. A man knelt by her side and in her arms was a small bundle of light blue blankets.

"Is it a Norma or Human?" Cal asked.

"Seriously?" a nurse half laughed. "He's a boy. Of course he's human. Why would you…?" And then her face suddenly paled in shock. "Wait…are you…?" The sudden atmosphere of joy shifted to shock and dread as every eye turned to Cal, making him feel as if he had stepped into something he shouldn't.

"Yes. I'm Cal. I'm the male Norma they brought in." No sooner had he identified himself than several nurses immediately lunged forward and shoved him back. "Hey, hey! What are you doing?!"

"Get away from the window!" One of them ordered as the rest of the crowd formed a barrier to keep those inside the room from seeing what was going on. "You can't be here!"

"Why not?" Cal demanded. "What the hell is your problem? I thought you people were sympathetic to Norma but just because I'm a man I'm…"

"It's not that!" one of them argued. "Look, Roxy…she's been through a lot. If she sees you and finds out who you are…it's just better for you to leave. Please?" Cowed by the group's pleading stares, Cal turned and half fled down another hallway. Once he was a safe distance away, Cal's mind began to race. Who was that woman and why did the nurses freak out so much when they realized who he was? 'They said that woman had been through a lot.' He remembered. 'So what would I have to do with it?' The only explanation would be…no it couldn't be.

"Cal!" Someone shouted and down the hallway came Dolton who looked quite annoyed. "There you are. I've been looking all over for you. Why didn't you…" And Dolton stopped as he saw the simmering anger grow on Cal's face.

"That woman who just had a baby." Cal whispered in his held back anger. "Who is she?" Dolton raised his eyebrow in confusion, and then realized who Cal was talking about. "Why was it so important that she not see me."

"Uh it's nothing." Dolton stammered. "You know new mothers are under a lot of strain and…" but Dolton was cut off as Cal grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the corridor wall.

"Tell me!" he yelled as he raised his other fist to take aim at Dolton's face.

"Okay, okay just take it easy!" Dolton begged. Cal let him go and Dolton adjusted his glasses.

"When Roxy was a girl, she was confined to a research facility run by the NMB. They were conducting, horrific experiments on them, which Roxy and a few of the other Norma who were old enough for program suffered greatly. Thankfully we busted her, and a few other Norma out a few years ago.

"What kind of research facility?" Cal demanded. "What kind of experiments were they doing to the Norma there?"

"Do I really have to say it?" Dolton asked. Cal felt his stomach drop into his bowels as it all came together. How could they still have been experimenting with Norma-Human breeding after Gramps destroyed their lab? And many of these labs were there and how could those Norma now have given birth to a healthy human baby when all those before except for Cal were miscarriages?

"How long have you all known about them?" Cal demanded. "How many more of them were forced to be lab rats after I was born? And what about their children?"

"Cal please you have to understand, we had orders from Captain Jacob."

"Don't bullshit me Dolton!" Cal seethed almost on the verge of strangling him.

"For eight years." Dolton said feebly. "The Sanctuary, the Tripartite Pack, Galia falls and Apex, they've all known."

"So even after the Ancient Folk and you lot got in contact with us, you decided that information might not be important for me or Jill to know!?"

"Cal please calm down." Dolton urged. "You don't understand…"

"I don't need to understand! Just stay away from me! All of you!" Cal warned as he stormed off. 'Commander Jill was right. These people can't be trusted. The sooner we rescue Ange the better I can get the hell out of here!'

But as he stormed away, he failed to notice Lucas leaned up against a wall behind a bend, overhearing everything that had transpired.

TO BE CONTINUED…

ARTHOR'S NOTES

Hey everyone, hope you all had a good Christmas and New Year's Day, let's all look forward to a better 2023 this year. With the holidays now over, chapters won't take as long to get done. Can't wrap my head around that it's almost over 2 and a half years since I started this story, but I'm looking forward to getting it finished as we're nearing the halfway point of the anime cannon timeline. Big thanks to Eric Michael Kline, without him these chapters wouldn't be as good with his impressive writing skills.

Finally to leave off, here's another character bio, which some of you have been wanting for ages. Anyways take care guys and see you in the next chapter.

Lucia

Height: 5' 10", 178 cm

Age: 25

Eyes: Dark blue

Hair: Navy blue.

Weight: 55kgs

Build: Athletic

Voice Actor: Nicole Sullivan (Shego, Kim Possible)

Backstory: Lucia was the second born behind her twin brother Lucas, daughter of the first Captain of the Ancient folk, Zolton. Lucia was brought up on the island of Xeon training at a young age along with the Norma of Arzenal and her people the ancient folk. She had a loving relationship with her father Zolton after her mother's passing due to complications and always tried to impress him and became very skilled with a bow, wanting to contribute welly to Libertus. But tragically 10 years ago their Connolly Island was discovered by the NMB, wiping out most of her people and the Norma there, including her father by the hand of Dutch Villson. For over a decade she and her twin brother have been in hiding and have fought up the ranks of leaders to protect not only their people but their new allies of runagate humans and newly alliance Norma. Lucia is extremely close to her brother but fears as Libertus is drawing closer, he is losing himself to strain, responsibility and his heart's desire to take back their people's rightful machine, Siegfried.