Chapter 2 (Christmas special): The Greatest Gift of All!
"You're not really gonna play 'hide and seek' way out here, are you, Van?" the girl asked as she looked around the rock-infested plain.
"You aren't getting cold feet, are you, Candice?" Van teased as he led the group of his five friends through the crags and piles of limestone.
"I'm just worried that we'll get caught by the Black Wings. They say that there's a mad scientist that will do…"
"Oh, stow it. We're the fastest ones in Edelstein, remember!? Now go and hide, I'll count. One, two, three…" Van's friends Candice, Ulrika, Beigoon, and 'Smarts' ran in every direction to find good hiding spots among the rock piles and old mining equipment. Sure, it was dangerous, but that was half the fun!
"…Nine, TEN! Ready or not, here I come!" Van searched around until he heard a slurping sound inside an old mining car. Van stealthily ran to it and jumped up to the lip, taping Beigoon on the shoulder.
"Found you!" he called. Beigoon's shoulders dropped.
"Aw, come on! How do you always find me first? It isn't fair." Van laughed to himself as he climbed down and watched his tubby friend climb out.
"Because you're always licking a lollipop, fatty." Van thought to himself as Beigoon followed Van like a prisoner until they found Candice snickering in the entrance of an air duct carved into the rock. Disappointedly, she followed Van as they searched for "Smarts," who was easy to find since he hid behind a boulder.
"Alright, now comes the hard one: Ulrika," Van said proudly, puffing out his chest and tapping it with his fist.
"Just give up, Van; she's outsmarted you six games in a row," Beigoon whined, sticking the lollipop back into his mouth and slurping off the flavor.
"No! I will win over Ulrika one day! And I will make sure that I do! Now come on!" he commanded as he walked on, searching under, around, and inside everything he could see, looking for Ulrika. He was about to give up until he saw a small dark crag emanating a dark yellow glow from within.
"I don't remember this being here." 'Smarts' called. Van reached to his belt, pulled up his pants, and bumped up the back of his hat.
"You're mine now, Ulrika! You guys go back to town for now." Van growled as he squeezed through the crack and disappeared inside. Once squeezing through the opening, he thought he heard bubbles and flowing water through pipes. Slowly and carefully, he felt along the rocky wall, walking downhill, leading him into a ledge in front of a massive cave-like hole. On both sides of the hole, Van could see ten rows of glass tanks with people inside submerged in a bubbling blue liquid fading into the dark. He could see even more rows of tanks below the ledge as he walked closer, but the dark obscured his view to see how far down it went.
Each person had hoses clamped to their extremities and wire pads stuck to their body. From these tanks, metal pipes ran into the bottom and top. All the pipes converged towards the cave's center, disappearing into the dark. In the center of the room was a giant control board with wheels, valves, levers, gauges, and small LCD screens showing vital signs. Van walked up to the board and saw a lever marked 'lights,' pulling it down with a grunt. The walls lit up each tank one by one, revealing each wall having thousands of tanks, stretching so far away from the board that Van couldn't see where it ended. The air smelled of oil and body odor, while a low, rhythmic churning sound echoed in somewhere in the enormous room.
"What in Ossyria is this?" Van whispered, staring at the hundreds of people suspended within the liquid. To one side, a girl inside one of the tanks opened her eyes and looked up to follow the sound of the voice that she heard. Slowly, the girl moved through the thick gel-like substance and placed a hand on the glass. When she tried to speak, bubbles floated from her mouth, and nothing but garbled noises came out. It flowed along with the semi-warm liquid that pulled her pale golden hair up until she remembered how to speak.
Van was brought out of his daze when one of the screens flashed a message: 'Tend tank 00246. Stabilizer flux detected.' Van climbed up onto a chair and was about to try and find out what that meant when he heard a weak voice as if it were coming through an intercom.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" Van looked around, trying to figure out where it was coming from, when he saw one of the girls waving her hand within the tank.
"You… You're alive?" The girl smiled weakly: all her motions looked so slow and graceful, almost as if she were a mermaid, a legend Van had read about many times.
"Well, just barely. I can't remember the last time I stood on my feet." Van walked closer, hopping over the safety rail and inching to her.
"But you should get out of here before you get caught. The Doctor doesn't like it when other people other than the Black Wings officers are in here!"
"I can't leave you here like this. Is anyone else awake?" Van asked, jumping from the platform onto the platform where the girl's tank was.
"You don't get it. The doctor will put you in a tank if you don't get out of here!" Van jerked his head back when he saw her lips weren't moving when she talked.
"How are you talking?" The girl became agitated and pointed in the direction that Van had come.
"Go! You'll get in a lot of trouble! Please, I don't want to see anyone else get hurt!" Van chuckled and smirked as he put his hand on the outside of the tank.
"What's your name?" he asked. The girl seemed taken aback by the question, her eyes widening as she tried to think.
"Name? Did I ever have a name? Yes! Yes, I did, but what was my name?" she thought to herself as she pushed off the back of the tank and reached out to put her hand on his from inside the tank. The sound of voices began coming down the hall that led further into the mountain. Van looked to where the sound came from, then scooted behind the girl's tank as she returned to a calm state, trying to look like she always did when the scientist wasn't there.
"…jes jes I know zat sings aren't goink as fast as his Magician-ness vants eet, but eet takes time to break each person so zey vill just do as vee vant! Isssn't sat right, Mr. Snuggles?" The first man said, wearing a white lab coat and wooden glasses. A tuft of white hair tied with a hair band with two cherries and holding a teddy bear was atop his head.
"Then break them faster. The plan is in its final stages, and you have yet to produce as much as a gallon of stable Mana." The second said, seeming to be a high-ranking Black Wings officer.
"Jes jes, detailsss detailsss." The scientist said, setting down the teddy bear and checking over the control board.
"Ah, it seems zat our little iron bar in 00246 is still acting up! Zis ought to teach her to remain ashleep like a gut little girl!" the scientist said as he flipped out a keyboard and typed in a command. Van watched as two prongs shot out from the top of the tank, sending an electrical current through the liquid. The girl's body locked up while the power surged through the tank for a few seconds and then died away, leaving her floating limp.
"Zat vass only 125 volts zis time. But vake up again und I'll doble zat!"
"Gelimer, you can't afford to lose anyone. The town is already low on citizens, and The Master will not tolerate any losses." The officer stated. Gelimer looked back with malice and flipped the keyboard shut.
"Iff you vant me to break zese sings any faster you are goink to haff to let me do my verk! Ozzervise, you are doink nossing more zan gettink in my vay!" Gelimer shouted. Van gritted his teeth, seething at the scientist's disregard for human life; he had to do something! Feeling around in the dark behind the tank, he felt what appeared to be a junction box. Slowly, Van opened it so that it wouldn't make any noise and looked inside, using the glow from the tank to aid him. He felt around and found what appeared to be an outgoing cable.
"I hope this doesn't kill anyone!" he thought as he reached in and pulled a thick red wire from its place. The box sparked, and Van could hear the steady hum of some kind of machine whine down, and the sound of the liquid flowing through the girl's tank slowed to a stop.
"What happened?" The officer asked, taking his hands out of his pockets while the Gelimer typed madly at the keyboard, trying to find the root of the problem.
"Pump number seven hass overloated and burnt out. Eet can be by-passed vis zeh backup, but vee first neet to start zeh generator, und only I know how to do zat. Come vis me; I'm goink to need some muscle." the scientist grumbled, and he and the officer walked away with angry-sounding steps. Van remained still until their footsteps faded away, scooting from behind the tank when his hand brushed against something metal. He looked down and saw a large wrench left behind from construction. The girl opened her eyes, her frail-looking body hanging limp in the fluid after the electricity surged through it.
"Hang on; I'll get you outta there," Van said as he picked up the wrench and steadied himself.
"Vita." The girl said, making Van relax his arms.
"What?"
"My name, it's Vita," she repeated, turning to him with a weak smile. Van smirked and nodded.
"I'm Van. Now, get back a little; I'll break you out." Vita pushed away from the glass as Van hit it with everything he could muster. But the wrench only thudded against the thick glass. Van picked up the heavy wrench and swung again, hitting the same spot repeatedly until the glass began to crack.
"Get ready!" Van called as Vita reached up and hung on to the cords dangling from the top of her tank. With one last grunt, Van swung the wrench and broke through the glass. The liquid inside was thick like a gel and smelled like hot garbage. Van rushed in, catching Vita before she hit the grate on the bottom of the tank or cut herself on the sharp glass. That was proving difficult since her skin was slippery from the goo covering her. With a wretch, Vita coughed out the goo that was still in her lungs, coughing for a few seconds until Van pulled her up onto his back.
"Hang on tight, ok?" Vita nodded weakly and hung on as best she could while Van inched along the platform, jumping back onto the ledge where he had been before. Once safe, he set her down, put his jacket around her, and then zipped it up.
"That should keep you warm until you're safe," Van said. Vita weakly smiled as he picked her up and followed the pipes back out of the room. It wasn't long until he heard voices yelling and footsteps coming after him.
"THERE HE IS!" one voice said.
"Don't let her get away!" said a second. Van pushed his legs as hard as he could toward town, where he could hide and keep Vita safe.
"It's alright; just leave me and save yourself, Van," Vita whispered.
"No! I'm not leaving you behind! Not after all of this!" He almost felt the men closing in behind him when he saw a rope ladder drop down with a blond man scrambling to the bottom rung.
"COME ON LAD! YOU CAN MAKE IT!" he called as Van ran with all he had. The man chasing him stopped and then pulled a pistol from his belt, firing at the small aircraft hovering just behind a slurry pipeline. Van ignored the ricocheting bullets as he climbed partway up the ladder with one hand and hung on to Vita with the other.
"ACE! GET US OUTTA HERE!" the man called. The engines spun up and hovered higher into the air, pulling the ladder into its belly. The officer fired at the aircraft a few more times before putting his arm down and slumping his shoulders.
"Gelimer isn't going to be happy about this." He mumbled to himself.
"So, you let them get away, did you?" a voice growled, making the officer jump and fall to the ground when he saw who was speaking.
"Dragon! You…"
"It's Lord Dragon now. You are to report to the Chief Memory Knight in Edelstein, where you will be assigned to watch the border. You are stripped of your rank of Brigadier General, as have your privileges for leave. Here are your orders: show them to the Chief, and he shall post you." Dragon said calmly, handing him a stiff note of paper.
Meanwhile, Van and Vita were flown back to town, where the pilot brought the aircraft down behind a very tall clock tower. After touching down, a swarm of adults buzzed around the aircraft, picking up Vita and whisking her away deep into a garage. Van was about to go after her when the man hanging on the ladder called to him and clamped down on his shoulder.
"Just where do ya think you're going, laddy?" he asked sternly. Even though Van was smug and defiant most of the time, he didn't feel as brave right now, especially not with this powerful man holding him. After a moment or two, Van broke free of his grip.
"I'm going to see if Vita is alright," Van declared. The man shook his head and clamped down on his shoulder again, harder this time.
"You're coming with me." Roughly, he guided Van through the garage and out onto the main street, where he let go and then disappeared into the crowd. Van was confused: what exactly was going on? Was he in more trouble than he thought? He adjusted his jacket when he felt another hand placed on his shoulder.
"Well, Van, I didn't expect to see you out of school today. Are you feeling alright?" Van turned to see the headmaster of the school, Professor Ferdi.
"No, I'm feeling alright," Van answered sheepishly. Ferdi swished his mustache and felt Van's forehead.
"Oh, my my, this isn't good, no, not good at all! You have a very high fever!" Van was even more confused; he didn't feel chilly, and his forehead felt like it always did. He was fine! But before he could protest, Ferdi led him into the school building, locked the door, and then led him to what looked to be a drain culvert hidden by branches and grass. From inside, hammers hitting steel and wrenches tightening bolts hummed in the air like a song as they walked further into the pipe. It opened into a large machine shop and an office in the back, where Ferdi pointed him toward.
"Go and talk to her, she's expecting you." Van swallowed hard as he ventured through the shop directly for the office, where a woman with the sung black pants and corset waited. As soon as he entered, the woman smiled at him.
"Oh! You must be the one who helped rescue the little girl! Excuse Jay for his behavior; he's a bit rough around the edges. That was a very brave thing you did rescuing that girl. You can call me Claudine; what's your name?" She asked, walking to the front of her desk and leaning against it, crossing her legs and arms.
"Van. The name's Van." He answered, still wringing his hands, unsure if he was in trouble. Claudine held out her hand, which Van nervously shook.
"Well, Van, have a seat and tell me everything."
Lillianne pulled her fur-trimmed cloak tighter around her shoulders as a cool breeze blew over the waters within the Bay. The chill in the air brought with it smells of festive cookies, bread, warm cider, and other various treats. She had been to Rein with Aran and Lilin many times before, but the cold of that island was nothing like the cold that descended on Ossyria around this time of year. She quickly went through the town until she came to Matthew's quarters, calling out to him as she stood by the cloth door.
"Hey, Matt, you in there?" She called.
"No, I'm actually right here," Matthew said as he walked up behind her. Lillianne jumped and turned around, quickly grabbing his hand, half leading and half dragging Matthew with her until she was just outside town.
"What are you gonna do tonight for Winter's Eve?" She finally asked. Matthew raised an eyebrow, unsure of what she meant.
"What?"
"Winter's Eve! You know, the day you get lots of gifts and have a big party with your family and friends?" Matthew thought for a moment as his eyes lit up.
"Oh! Do you mean Christmas? Um… I hadn't thought about it." He nervously replied while scratching the top of his forehead. Lillianne's face fell as she became annoyed.
"You forgot about it, didn't you?" She asked, hanging her arms limply from her shoulders.
"No, I haven't. But I did accept a mission to go someplace special. Someone named Roony is supposed to meet me on the dock and take me there." Lillianne hung her head and groaned.
"Fine, I'll go get my halberd."
"No! I'm doing this alone. Nobody can come with me." Lillianne stopped and looked back at him.
"But Matt, I thought we were gonna…"
"Don't worry, I'll be back in time." Lillianne dropped her chin to her chest and sighed before Matt put a hand on the side of her head, guiding her down to kiss her gently.
"I'll be back soon; I think he's here." He said as he patted her shoulder and ran off, his jeans and leather jacket the only thing she saw as he walked off. She hadn't been able to see much of Matthew as of late and was beginning to feel a bit lonely. Jack appeared to be cultivating a relationship with Jenny, and Olsen was spending more time with Helen. Evan had Mir, Athena had Eckhart; everybody except her had their significant other with them. A small tear rolled down her cheek, pulling her cloak tighter around herself when she heard a voice behind her.
"Why are you looking so forlorn, Lillianne?" She looked up and wiped her eyes when she saw the Empress beside her.
"Oh, no, I just had something in my eye." Lillianne fibbed. Cygnus smiled and walked over to her, touching her shoulder.
"Don't worry. Matthew said he would return, and I have faith that he will. Your warrior isn't the kind to leave the ones he cares about behind." Lillianne's cheeks flared red.
"You heard?" Cygnus nodded and smiled slyly as Lillianne's cheeks flared ever brighter, looking down at her hands.
"Do you have someone special to spend Winter's Eve with?" Lillianne asked, trying to get the red in her cheeks to subside. Cygnus looked away as she sat on a wood pile, pulling her sky-blue down-filled cloak around her.
"Not the way you might think of it. I'm not completely alone since I have Shinsoo, but as far as being on the human plane, no, I don't." Cygnus tossed her hair back as she sighed, crossed her legs, and put her hands around her knee.
"Soon after completing my contract with Shinsoo, I was hurled into training to be the Empress, which didn't include courting. As the crowned empress, I was soon too busy for personal affairs. But now, I'm afraid it's a little too late for me. I don't have any kind of romantic experience." Lillianne chuckled and shook her head.
"It's never too late. Just look at Jin and Syl: they took a while and still managed to find what they needed the most." Lillianne and Cygnus both chuckled in agreeance.
"I can see why most men would fear getting close to you, though: you're the Empress of Ossyria. One wrong word or move could end in dire consequences for them." Cygnus looked up to Lillianne interestedly with a spark of hope in her eyes.
"What exactly do you mean?"
"Well, I'm not really sure how it's supposed to work within royalty, but in the normal world, a girl's heart is hers to give, not a man's to take. You just need to get out there as yourself: as just Cygnus, not as the Empress." Cygnus held her chin in thought when another voice spoke from behind her.
"It's just as I've been telling you, Empress. Lillianne may be young, but she speaks with wisdom." Shinsoo gently said as he snaked his head to where the two of them were. Cygnus nodded and smiled.
"Then, can you help me? I'm afraid I would be of no use by myself." Lillianne's face lit up in a smile as she brought Cygnus to her feet.
"First off, we need to get you dressed in something more casual."
"Why is that?" Cygnus asked as they mounted Shinsoo.
"So you can just walk around town and meet people. You might even find that you like someone you've known for a long time. Oh, this is going to be fun!" Lillianne laughed as they took to the skies on Shinsoo's back into Mu Lung and Cygnus's temporary palace.
It seemed like yesterday when truck 1503 was in the Rue Mine repair shop for a new axle. Quickly, Abi hopped off her stool where she sat eating ate her meager sandwich, and walked over to the tracked truck.
"What's wrong this time, Sam?" she asked, looking under the truck again to see if the axel was still holding up.
"I think the engine's going out. This old thing will barely move its own weight, let alone 10 tons of Rue Ore." Abi huffed as she put her sandwich on one of the tracks and pulled up the hood flap as a plume of black smoke billowed into her face.
"I hate to say it, but I think that thing is shot. It'll take at least a day to repair." She coughed when truck 361 rumbled by, backfired, and came to a bumpy stop.
"What's wrong, Jess?" she called from the repair station.
"Nothin' Abs, just hit the brakes before I hit the clutch." He called as the truck sputtered back to life and then rolled away.
"What's the problem? Why isn't this truck running ore back to the surface?" the marshal asked, walking up to the two of them.
"Because this truck is shot. And here's a list of what I need to keep your other trucks running." Abi said as she ran back to her machine shop and forced a clipboard into the man's chest.
"New Caterpillars for 4872, a new drive train for 201, new transmission for 834, shocks, clutches, safety glass, buttons, levers, cables. What's wrong with this one?" he asked with a staunch huff, pointing to 1503.
"The engine just quit. I've bored that thing so often that the cylinder must have blown out."
"So what can you do about it?" the Marshal barked.
"Nothing; the block is gone. I'd need new pistons, rings, block, and crankshaft just to get the thing to move again, and that's just for starters. Why can't you return some of this stuff to the town Garage? I hear the mechanic there is good at this stuff." The marshal growled and threw the clipboard to the ground.
"Enough of your insolence! To the air ducts with you!" he shouted, shoving a wire brush at her.
"What about the degreaser?" Abi asked. The Marshal looked back at her over his shoulder and spit at her before returning to his office and slamming the door. Abi growled as she walked over to the ladder and pulled open the air duct to climb in to scrub the grease off the fan motors so they wouldn't become caked and get overheated.
"Just hang in there, Abs, you'll think of something to get this pig up and running again." The driver called. Abi snorted and laughed, crawling through the air ducting to make her way to the first of six fan motors that would need scrubbing since she was the only one small enough to get to them. Abi was the daughter of a mechanic who used to run the repair station for the mine before the Black Wings took over. But just after her 15th birthday, the Black Wings moved in and sent her father to work closer to the mine face, and she hadn't heard from or seen him since.
Within hours, the management made her the new mechanic, often bringing her the Drill Mechs to refit new drills or joints changed. The bedrock the Rue's vein ran through was hard on the machines, sometimes even sheering a drill bit clean in half. As she made her way to the first motor, she passed by a vent next to the miner's break room, which was often empty since the longest break they would get was barely 15 minutes long to eat. She usually ignored the dull conversations, but something one of the miners said caught her ear this time.
"I'm serious, Jerry! Rumors are going around that some people in the city are gathering a rebel force!"
"Are you sure you didn't get hit in the head too many times with Rue Ore?" the second asked.
"No, I'm dead serious! Do you know what this could mean for the rest of us?" The first asked. The second miner snorted.
"That we'll be getting more recruits soon?" The first miner grunted in frustration.
"No! It means there's hope yet! We can break free of these Black!"
"And you know this for sure?"
"It's just a rumor at this point, but I hear that you can get a message to them and that they will come to your aid wherever you are. They are strong enough to resist the Black Wings! Isn't that great news?!" Abi didn't hear what else was said; all she could think about were the last few words the miner had said. There were people strong enough to resist the Black Wings. Resist: was that even possible?
She thought about what she heard for the rest of what she assumed to be the day, only stopping when her head hit the pillow that night. The next morning, she awakened to the sounds of miners all running to a circle where the sounds of someone being beaten echoed. Abi sleepily pressed her way through the crowd and saw an officer under the Marshal beating a boy no older than ten. She tried to run in and help, but another Black Wings officer stopped her. She looked around and noticed that Officers were holding back the crowd from helping the poor boy. Finally, the officer stopped and pulled the boy from the ground by his hair.
"Now, I will ask you again: who contacted you about the underground rebel faction?" the boy just looked up at the marshal through his bruised and bloody eyes and then spit a large glob of blood into the Marshal's face, smiling toothlessly.
"Can't get me to talk that easily, Old Goat." The boy grunted. The marshal reached into his coat and pulled out his kerchief to wipe the blood from his face.
"I see; well then, I have no more use for you. Corporal, do with him as you wish." The other man grinned darkly, throwing the boy to the ground and beginning to hit him with hard punches. The Marshal started to pace around and offer a disheartening speech.
"You may have heard rumors about a secret sect within Edelstein who oppose the Black Mage and the Wings. Anyone who is contacted by or attempts to make contact with these terrorists shall be subject to the fullest extent of the law. We will take you to see the Black Mage himself for punishment if necessary. Do not fraternize with these people. They are terrorists and seek to corrupt you." Once he finished, the corporal wiped his fists off and stood back up, before giving the boy one final kick.
"Now get back to work!" The Marshal shouted. Abi pushed her way through the crowd over to the boy, holding him off the ground for a while: he looked more like a living corpse.
"You have to get out of here: this is no place for a young woman like yourself." The boy garbled as blood filled his mouth.
"Don't talk; we'll get you some help," Abi said, getting ready to set him down when the boy grabbed her shirt collar.
"I can see it in your eyes; you want out. Get out and get to the resistance, and fight 'em. You have to fight back; it's the only way for Edelstein to be free. Fight 'em; fight 'em before they run us all into the ground. And give an extra hit for me." The boy desperately hissed before his grip faltered, and his head fell back. Abi could barely hold back her tears: there was a kid so much younger than her and was doing so much more to break free. And what was she doing?
But the death of that one boy before her eyes changed her for the better: she wouldn't just lie down and take it any longer. She would fight! No longer would she be Abi, the Mechanic; she was Abi, the Resistance Fighter. For the next few days, as other drill mechs and Ore trucks came in, she would pirate parts from them and hide them within the furthest part of her garage. With each new part, something began to form, something that would help her break free of these damned Black Wings for good.
After hearing the details of Van's gruesome tale, Claudine nodded, deep in thought and concern.
"So that's what the tanks are for. We've been hearing a lot about them, but we had no idea that's what they were for." She then walked past him and opened the door, motioning for him to follow her as she walked through the back of the garage to a makeshift mess hall. They still walked further until they came to a small medical bay. Some of the students under Belle, Deren, or Checky sat on cots having small cuts or minor plasma burns treated. In the back was Vita, where she was constantly being watched over by attending nurses.
"Claud, what are you doing back here? You hardly ever visit." Deren asked as he was walking down from the mess hall.
"Just taking Van here to see the girl he rescued. He's the only one she knows right now, and I don't want her to get too afraid when she wakes up. Where's Belle and Checky?"
"I think Belle is just wrapping up a training lesson for the other students and their pet panthers. Checky is helping with the new Attack Drill mecha and working on something huge codenamed 'SG-88'. Why?"
"I have some critical information I wanted to pass along to you. Find Belle and Checky as soon as you can. Tell them in a few days I want to have a meeting. I will talk to the girl and try to get more information." Deren nodded and left to find the others while Claudine stayed put and thought.
"I get it now: Mithril Crystal is an excellent mana conductor and a superior substance to transport and store mana. That must be what the glass of the tanks is made of. But why would they put so many people in mana tanks like that?" Claudine thought as she returned to her office, leaving Van with the girl.
Cygnus and Lillianne fussed around with clothes for what seemed like hours. Finally, they found something that made Cygnus look nothing like the empress everyone knew and loved—a beige jacket over a white blouse with a red bowtie and skirt. Lillianne had removed the medallion from her mass of golden hair and braided it.
"There! Now you look like any other woman in Herb Town." Lillianne smirked. Cygnus admired herself in the mirror, turning around multiple times, messing with her hair, and looking over her jacket.
"Are you sure this will work? I feel so conspicuous." She said, trying to find a way to make the skirt a bit longer.
"Just relax. We'll throw on some stockings, and then we'll head out into town!" Lillianne said as she came out from behind a divider and took a pose. She had changed into a tan pencil skirt, a black long-sleeved shirt, and a yellow-orange fitted jacket.
"Besides, if I were to let you loose on the town, you'd probably just stand in a corner. We're going to the center of town, where everyone will be having a blast!" Cygnus was slightly confused as she pulled on her dark stockings.
"What exactly is going on there?" she innocently asked. Lillianne chuckled as she thought.
"Well, it's kind of like a small carnival; there are treats, games, and even an open dance floor."
"What, exactly, is a carnival?" Lillianne stopped lacing up her boots and looked up at Cygnus.
"You mean to tell me you've never been to a Carnival?" Cygnus shook her head as she slipped on her shoes, then looked at herself in the mirror again.
"Oh baby, Prepare to have the ultimate next few nights of your life!"
Two days later, Deren, Belle, and Checky filed into Claudine's office, closing the door and pulling down the shades.
"So, what did you find out from the girl?" Deren asked. Claudine folded her hands as she took a breath and began.
"As you know, the Black Mage has been draining the land using Mana Drills to extract and store mana. Until recently, we had no idea where those tanks were. The informant said the tanks were near the mines, but we had to send out scouts with nothing definite. Unfortunately, they turned up nothing. Van, however, accidentally found where these tanks are."
"Well, then, what are we standing around here for? Let's go and get them!" Deren said, the top of his wand glowing brightly.
"Wait, Deren, there's more. Van and Vita, the rescued girl, told me that all the Mithril Crystal from the mines is used to make pipelines and tanks for mana. Another thing that puzzled me was what Vita had to do with those tanks. She and her family tried defying the Black Wings openly when they took over Edelstein. Officially, they were executed as a public example of what would happen to anyone who tried to resist them. To maintain the ruse, they were stuffed into these tanks, which are more like giant transformers for mana without the public's knowledge.
"Where are you going with this? If that's the case, we need to get to them now!" Belle shouted, holding her hands wide as if asking what they were waiting for.
"That's just it, Belle; we can't just barge in, smash the glass and take them. Raw mana will quickly become rancid without the presence of something alive. If that weren't bad enough, the Black Mage can't use the mana he's been pulling from the ground unless it's been stabilized. To do that, his head scientist by the name of Gelimer, subjects the people to harsh torture until their mind breaks and leaves them in a vegetative state. Once that happens, the people are stripped down and inserted into the tanks so the mana can seep into their skin and come in contact with their life force. Once stabilized, the mana is pulled out of their bodies and sent on its way as a pure product. Once this process has begun, a person must be exposed to a constant flow of mana. Otherwise, they will die."
"And this all came from Vita?" Checky asked.
"Yes. Vita was on the verge of snapping when Van wandered into the facility. According to her, it's only a matter of time before nearly a fourth of the more than eight thousand people there break. Some have already been broken and can never leave those mana tanks, so we need to get in there and keep the Black Wings guards away from the facility while someone uses their computer to find out who is still lucid and who is a lost cause." Claudine said with a muted tone as everyone remained silent for a while.
"I'm nearly finished with the SG-88, and there are only minor calibration issues on the remaining mecha. I'll get on that and then start formulating an attack plan." Checky said, leaving back to the garage.
"My students are coming along fine; only about twenty are ready for battle. I'll cue up some more training to be ready. I'll need about a day." Deren said as he picked up his wand and left.
"There are about thirteen students ready under me. I, too, need about a day to prepare and gather enough bolts for the crossbows and get saddles for the panthers." Belle announced. Claudine nodded as Belle left: in one day, the attack would begin.
Abi was exhausted: she had been staying up through the night for the past week trying to get her machine done. She still had control issues, so every couple of days, she would have to scramble and reload her control matrix, not to mention that the engine she had salvaged from 1503 quickly overheated. She could only cut off the back two cylinders from the engine and weld on a plate to make up the back of the motor. The hydraulic pump she salvaged from another drill mech was sketchy since she had to 'make' a new impeller, the leg's joint bearings hardly existed, and the battery she was using was missing half the acid and spilled all the time.
But after tonight, all that wouldn't matter: she would be escaping tomorrow at lunch when most of the guards and the marshal would be out. The next morning started like it always did, with a horn blast reverberating throughout the mines. Abi dragged her body from the cot, pulled on her greasy shirt, and pulled on the blackened overalls as she made her way to the mess hall, where everyone was gathering to begin their dirt work once again. Abi quickly ate and tried to seem calm as she returned to the garage to open it up just as truck 1284 came stumbling into the garage: the tracks were missing half their feet, barely rolling over the drive cogs and wheels.
"Hey, Clark. What wrong with the ole girl?" Abi asked, patting the side of the truck.
"I think it's a bit low on coolant; it's constantly stumbling and just smells hot." Abi nodded as she returned to the garage and grabbed the hose marked 'coolant,' pulling it over to the truck and telling the driver to shut it off. She grabbed the hood handle, able to feel the heat through her thick leather glove. After pulling open the engine over, she shoved the end of the hose into the 'coolant injection' bib, then ran back to the garage to begin the flow. While it filled, she checked the motor to ensure nothing else was wrong. As she leaned down to check, she saw the explosives in the truck's bed. Those would come in handy for her escape, but she couldn't just reach in and take a box; everyone would see her. Quickly, she looked around and then reached for a fuel injector. With one hard shove, the injector sheared off and began leaking gas onto the ground. Since the gas wouldn't ignite unless it passed through an atomizer at the end of the injector, there was nothing to worry about.
"Uh, Clark? I think this thing's had it."
"Why, what's wrong?" the driver asked as he leaned out the window to look back, where he saw Abi holding the broken injector.
"That doesn't look good." The driver moaned as Abi shook her head.
"It's not. I'll need to keep it here until I can get it repaired." Abi called.
"How long will that take?" Abi laughed to herself: it was an easy enough repair. Just wait for the engine to cool, then take a pair of pliers, unscrew the atomizer, and solder it back on. It would only take 10 minutes at the most, but Abi had other ideas.
"I can have it done by lunch."
"Well, that might be too late. Lunch is being moved up by an hour: there's supposed to be an inspection. These explosives need to be at the face before then." Abi tried to contain herself as the news hit her but calmly nodded.
"An inspection!? Great! That means there will be three times the number of guards here, and the Marshal will be here all day! Crap crap crap!" She thought, but Abi didn't let it detour her. She was escaping today, and that was all there was to it.
"I'll try and have it done ASAP." She called as the driver got out and walked away. In the meantime, she returned to her other repair duties, waiting for her chance to take out a crate of explosives. Slowly, the hours passed until lunch was nearly there, and the people around the garage were scarce. She ran to the truck and began trying to haul a box of explosives out of the bed when she felt a strong hand clamp down on her shoulder.
"What are you doing?" the voice asked. Abi turned around to see a Black Wings officer staring coldly at her from one eye uncovered by blond hair from under his hat. Abi wasn't sure what to say until she slapped his hand away.
"Don't touch me. I will no longer follow you or do anything you command! I want out!" The man slammed his hand on the tailgate of the truck right beside her head as he leaned down and stared her in the eyes. Abi flinched as the man then leaned closer and whispered into her ear.
"Don't say that so loud. Behind me, there are six guards. Don't look at th; just pretend you enjoy what I'm doing." Abi hated even being near one of these scum, but she forced herself to put her arms around him and tilt her head as though the man was kissing the side of her neck while he put his hand on the side of her waist as he continued.
"Reaching for explosives out of this truck will backfire on you since the box is a bit heavy and will just hit the ground. Instead, go to the side of your garage, where you will find a mini-gun and a box of ammunition. I'll be able to keep the guards busy for the next hour, maybe less, but do what you will do within that time. I know your frustration at the Black Wings. My girlfriend is being held hostage by them to make sure that the mayor does as he's told. She is his daughter." The man whispered before backing away and walking towards the mess hall where the soldiers gathered.
Abi didn't question what the officer said and ran to the side of the garage, where she found the Mini-gun with a turret and the ammo box. She took them as quietly and quickly as she could, mounted the Mini-gun on the side of her mech, fed a belt of bullets into it, and began trying to start the mech. Her hands were shaking so much she could barely stick the key into the ignition. But she managed to do it, using both hands, and turned the key. The engine turned over once, twice, three times, each turn getting progressively slower until the starter motor clicked in protest. She let go of the key and tried again, but the same thing happened.
"No, no, no, no! Not now!" her mind screamed. Quickly, she jumped out of the pilot's seat and opened the engine cover, turning on a flashlight and trying to wiggle around wires that led to the starter and battery. She tried the key again, but the battery died just as quickly. Abi hopped down, removed the battery cables, brushed off the corrosion, stuck them back on, and tried again. But the engine wouldn't start. Abi slammed her fists down on the control board so hard that the noise caught the attention of a guard walking back from the mess hall.
"Who's there?" Abi didn't want to answer because if she did, the man would come in, and it would all be over.
"Is someone there?" the man asked again, touching the gun hanging from his belt. Abi took a breath and closed her eyes tight.
"Please, work." She thought as she turned the key. The engine turned over once and then sputtered to life as the control board lit up. Abi looked around momentarily and then pushed the control sticks forward, making her makeshift mech charge through the shelves of parts and out into the mine before stomping down the main shaft. Before she had gotten far, she heard a sharp whistle and the sound of gunfire behind her. Bullets pinged off the metal of her mech. Soon, she could hear an army of boots running towards her, making her stop. Her path was blocked off while the marshal and the corporal stepped out from an adjoining tunnel.
"Well, well, little Miss Abi, I am impressed. But just where do you think you're going?" the Marshal asked with a smirk. Abi could feel the motor getting hot under her feet and reached for the mini-gun.
"I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!" She shouted and jammed down on the buttons, making the gun explode in a droning hailstorm of bullets and fire.
For Cygnus, the experiences in the middle of town were all new and exciting. She had never attended one of these celebrations as a civilian, often only making a ceremonial appearance during the beginning or ending. Different people would usually approach her as they wandered the square. Unfortunately, many of the young men among them would seem too rehearsed, and would quickly end a conversation.
Lillianne was going crazy, trying to help her be less formal, advising her how to catch someone's eye. But it seemed that Cygnus would always get nervous no matter what she did. The front of Lillianne's forehead was beginning to hurt from the thousands of times she smacked it in disbelief when Cygnus would turn down another guy.
"At this rate, you'll be alone for the rest of your life." Lillianne laughed as they drank a hot cup of cider.
"Didn't you tell me my heart was mine to give?" Cygnus answered curtly. Lillianne rolled her eyes.
"That's not the point! You won't let them talk to you long enough to determine whether they're worth getting to know."
"It's the look in their eyes: none seem sincere, and all are simply looking to temporarily fill the void in their heart," Cygnus sighed. Lillianne nodded: there were a lot of guys like that. Plus, despite changing her clothes, she was still recognizable as the Empress. Lillianne was about to suggest another approach when an announcer boomed over the crowds.
"Just a reminder, ladies and gentlemen, that tonight there will be a Masquerade! So, bring your masques and be ready to have a great time!" an announcer called. Lillianne's eyes lit up with an idea.
"Hey! You could go to that! The Masque will hide your face so no one would know who you are!"
"Are you sure people knowing who I am is the issue?" Cygnus asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't think it's the WHOLE issue, but it's a factor." Cygnus smiled, but inwardly, she doubted it. All the same, Lillianne grabbed her by the hand and dragged her to the masque station. Lillianne then dragged her back to the house, rummaging through Cygnus's clothes until she found an elegant violet ball gown for her to wear. Within a couple of hours, they returned to the square just as the masquerade started.
"Now remember, just act like yourself, but lose the formalities and 'proper' speaking. You'll be fine." Lillianne smiled, putting on her mask and disappearing into the crowd. Cygnus sighed heavily, pulled on her mask, and tried mingling, acting like the others she saw around her so as not to stand out so much. However, Cygnus felt she was making more of a spectacle of herself, trying to act casual rather than reverting to what she always knew. After ten minutes, Cygnus was about to give up when a tall gentleman approached her.
"Would you care for a glass of cider, miss?" he asked, holding a mug out to her. Cygnus tried to look him in the eye, but a thin fabric covered the eye slots of his masque.
"Why thank you," she replied, taking the cup and warming her hands.
"Are you having a good time?" he asked as she nodded. Inwardly, Cygnus sighed in relief; this man made her feel much more comfortable than the others, and conversation came easily despite not seeing his eyes. Before she knew it, she laughed hard enough that she sometimes had to wipe away tears.
"Would you care to go somewhere quieter to talk?" the man asked, offering his arm, which Cygnus took. She followed his lead while Lillianne watched as she walked away with the man. She was about to follow and ensure she would be safe when someone touched her shoulder.
"A gift, my lady?" a voice asked as a man shorter than herself walked in her way, holding a small present out to her. Even with his masque on, she could still tell that it was Matthew and threw her arms around him, hugging his head to her chest. Meanwhile, Cygnus walked with the man to a ledge overlooking the party, sighing contently.
"So, who helped you to be so lighthearted, Empress Cygnus?" Cygnus was startled as she turned and looked at the man.
"How did you know it was me?" She asked, taking off her masque.
"You stood out too much. Trying to seem like anybody other than yourself isn't your style." He said as Mihile took off his own Masque.
"Mihile? That was you the whole time?" Mihile nodded and leaned against a nearby tree.
"It's nice to see this side of you," he smiled. Cygnus looked to Mihile and studied him for a moment. She had never seen him without his armor. She had known him as a knight since she was crowned empress at 10. He was the youngest page of the five knights and had always trusted him more than the others. Now that she had seen him out of his armor and away from the pomp of the palace, she liked him even better. Mihile felt something wrap around his arm and looked down to see Cygnus holding his arm.
"Empress?"
"Let me stay like this for a while." She said, closing her eyes and sighing contently. Mihile smiled and patted her hands while they watched the ball below.
"This is Mike Alpha One, checking in with Overwatch. Alpha platoon in position." Checky said, cueing his mic.
"Overwatch, this is Bravo Mike Alpha, in position," Deren replied.
"Overwatch, this is Whiskey Hotel Alpha, ten seconds out," Belle said over the radio.
"Platoon Alpha actual, be advised there is a small army of black ants headed your way, repeat, black ants are closing on your position." Ace radioed as he hovered above them all in his aircraft.
"Roger that Overwatch, I have them on my radar. Alpha squad, on me. Delta squad, make sure your drills are spun up. How's the track squad?"
"Track squad leader here, 30 seconds out."
"Bravo Mike Alpha here. We're going in." Deren said as he led his group of attack mages into the crag where Van said he found the facility.
"Good hunting, Bravo Mike," Belle said as she and her students finally got into position.
"Whiskey Hotel Alpha here, come in, Mike Alpha."
"Mike Alpha here, go ahead."
"The black ants are splitting up, a group of about 50 plus heading further north."
"Overwatch, can you confirm?"
"Affirmative Mike Alpha: 50 plus black ants heading north."
"Alright, Delta team, head out, keep 'em busy." A mech with drills for hand saluted and then began running off in the group's direction as six others followed. Checky turned around and held his hand over the cockpit as he saw the Track Squad coming in.
"Overlord, this is Mike Alpha, proceeding with phase one."
"Overlord here: good, we should be able to get in and out quietly with…"
"NEW CONTACTS 5 O'CLOCK!" said another mech pilot. Every mech turned to see Black Wings soldiers running from one of the mine's mouths, then turning around and firing into it. Everyone could hear a loud droning from inside the mine as dust was thrown into the air while the soldiers dove to the ground.
"Ready up!" Checky called, holding his arms straight out to the mine while the three barreled machine guns rose from their arms and spun up. Everyone stood at the ready, waiting for whatever might come. It must be bad if it was enough to make the Black Wing's soldiers run. From inside the mine, a slow whine of actuators and low rumbles came from the mouth. What came from the shadows was a mech that looked like it was about to fall apart: pieces of metal hanging from their rivets and wires coupled with junctions hanging from the open panels.
"Stand down. It's a…" The hills came alive as soldiers burst from under blankets that hid them, each of them holding automatic weapons and beginning to open fire on the girl.
"Bravo Mike, get outta there! Plans have changed: We've got a mech pilot who looks like she just fought through hell to escape from the mines, but we're surrounded by Black Ants and caught in a hail storm. Whisky, where's the other group?" Checky asked as he and five other mechs ran for the girl. One of her leg joints broke and began to tilt to the right as she began to pass out. Just before she hit the ground, one of the other mechs reached out and caught her, opening his hatch and placing the girl inside: her face was covered in grease, dirt, and blood, and her arm revealed a large gash. Checky held up his arms and opened fire on the approaching soldiers, as the Mages and Hunters descended the hills to begin their assault.
"Whiskey Hotel here. The first group is closing in on your position, but the smaller group has stopped."
"DELTA! WE NEED YOU BACK HERE NOW!"
"Delta on the way." Checky and Keran, his student, opened the hatch for the flame thrower and blasted the area with liquid flames. Checky then clamped his fists as his forearms melded together, lifting his arms behind him while a giant jet engine formed in his hands. It slammed on the ground hard enough to shake the entire area.
One of the other mechs activated his targeting system: a small holographic screen with three targeting recitals zeroing in on each other and then turning red. Fire blasted from the wrist as he clamped his fist, rocketing into a band of soldiers and flattening them. The cable attached to it reeled the fist back, slamming back into the wrist.
Deren and his students used their wands like magically enhanced sledgehammers. Soldier after soldier went down while an aura gathered at their feet, making their attacks even more potent. The Wild Hunters thundered down the hill, firing high-powered bolts like machine guns. Belle then reached for the small spheres and pressed the button on each of them, tossing them into the air as mechanical parts formed a hovering turret, firing arrows into the ground where they exploded.
"Jay, I need the heavy! Ammo is getting low! Get it to me now!" shouted over the coms.
"Heavy inbound, 45 seconds." Checky turned around and watched as the Drill squad landed in front of him and slammed through the wave of soldiers, repeatedly turning and doing the same thing. The metal on one of the mechs began to ring as hailstorms of bullets hit the outside. The mech holding the girl aimed his hand at the group and opened fire, tearing through the soldiers.
"ALL MECHS! READY SEIGE MODE!" Checky screamed as parts of six mechs rearranged as a giant six-barrel chain gun flipped out from its chest and began spinning up.
"FIRE!" Checky screamed. Every mech squatted down and erupted into a wall of flames as their cannons fired simultaneously. But just as soon as it had begun, it ended with the sickening sound of hammers hitting empty chambers.
"Track unit! Take aim and fire! Mages and hunters, get outta there! Heavy fire incoming!" Checky commanded.
"Roger that. Track Unit beginning strife run." At the top of a far-off hill, the faint sound of cannon fire rumbled, shells howling down and exploding the ground around them. Checky and the gun mechs did their best to protect the girl hiding within the mech behind Checky, but the soldiers kept coming. Soon, low-level Black Wings mages began appearing amongst the soldiers, lobbing spells at them, denting or burning the metal of their mechs.
"KNUCKLE UP!" Checky yelled as he held his arm up; his mech's fist shot from its wrist straight at a mage, deflected to the side by a barrier. Bret aimed at another mage, but the same happened with Jeremy, Jane, Karen, and Silvia. Checky turned as he retracted one fist and fired the other, hitting another barrier.
"Alright, let's see how you like a hammer!" Checky growled as his mech's arms and fists melded together. Checky jumped into the air as rocket boosters on his back propelled him further up. As he fell, he started the jet hammer, swinging hard, making the ground collapse into a crater. A mage hit Checky with a powerful spell, tossing the ten-foot mech back.
"Captain Checky!" called Jane as she fired her fists repeatedly.
"I'm alright. Jay! Where's my Heavy!?"
"I thought you forgot about me. Look out below!" Checky looked up as a colossal crate fell from the aircraft carrying it, slamming into the ground.
"It's about time!" Checky said as he ran over to the end of the crate and pulled down a massive lever. A giant clamp grabbed his mech's waist, pulling him back as another clamp of cables plugged into the front and sides. He then reached his mech arms up and pulled down braces as another set of clamps closed around the legs of the mech. Each mage and soldier stopped and watched in dumbfounded awe as the crate unfolded.
The sides of the crate slid forward as massive arms pushed the crate up onto its end while Checky and his mech slid down to the bottom. Four giant legs unfolded, picking its weight off the ground on four huge wheels, while giant shoulder guards slid into place.
"Well, boys, I say now's as good a time as any to test out the Exo-suit SG-88!" he yelled over the external com as he held out his arm while the giant mecha suit was still in its final transformation stages. The arm split as a cannon rose from the forearm and a clip of cannon shells locked into place on top. With an earth-shaking roar, the gun fired, obliterating the soldiers and mages while spitting out the spent shells. The radar in his mech flashed red, showing little red dots standing behind him. The giant turned around quickly as doors on its shoulders opened to reveal hundreds of missiles.
Checky smirked as the missiles launched from their pods like popcorn and slammed into the mountain where the small platoon had been a moment before. Complete silence descended onto the area for a moment, and then erupted into cheers and cries when their realization that they had won hit them.
"Head back to base," Checky called. The girl stirred in the mech pilot's arm as he walked back.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"The name's Briggs. What's yours, little one?"
"Abi, with an 'I.'"
"Well, Abi, with an "I," you're safe now. You're with the resistance." Briggs smiled as Abi smiled, relieved, and fell back asleep in the mech pilot's arm: she had resisted and won!
It was two days before Vita could walk, but when she could, she was greeted warmly by everyone in the garage and soon became known as the Resistance's 'Miracle Girl.'.
"So Vita, what's it like to be able to walk about on your own power again?" Brighton asked, the lead medical technician. Vita thought for a moment, looked to Van, and smiled.
"Well, I say that it's…"
Not too long after the Masquerade party, Lillianne dragged Matthew along to find the Empress sporting her new Emerald pendant. They were soon joined by the other four, Helen showing off her new Amethyst ring, jacket, and gloves, and Jenny showing off her new ruby bracelet. As they admired each other's gifts, Cygnus walked down the path with Mihile at her side.
"So, how did you like just being Cygnus and not the Empress for a few days?" Lillianne asked when she spotted her. Cygnus smiled brightly and hugged Lillianne.
"It is by far…"
Abi woke with a start but found herself in a cot with her arm bandaged and dressed in clean clothes. A burly man touched her forehead as a pale-skinned girl approached her.
"Hi, I'm Vita.," she said, holding out her hand.
"Abi. Where am I?" She asked, looking around at the bare metal building. Vita smiled and sat on the cot beside her when another voice answered.
"Right in the heart of the Resistance's base: That was some feat you pulled off, battling your way through those soldiers with that rag-tag mech of yours," Checky called as he walked through the door.
"I know. That was all I could get since I couldn't find any new parts in the mines. But that's all behind me! Now I can turn around and fight for the people of Edelstein by helping you guys." Abi smiled. Deren grinned as he leaned against the medical room's door.
"So how does it feel to make up your mind and not be controlled by the Black Wings anymore?" Deren asked.
"Oh, that's easy. It's the greatest gift of all!"
See Profile for Notes about the chapter
