I looked in the mirror, and I gotta say... it's been a long, long time since I felt this way. Right now, I'm just a bit surprised, 'cause I feel just fine, and I might just touch the sky!
- Touch the Sky, Jeff Williams & Casey Lee Williams
November 19th, 2743
Hex, Jamie decided, was not a liar. She had gotten him up early in the morning, something he wasn't exactly used to even when he had school. She handed him his ridersuit and a pair of military training fatigues, that being a black tank top, dull green cargo pants, combat boots, and brown fingerless gloves. Before the simulators, she had them do basic training. It was simple stuff. Laps, push-ups, sit-ups, more laps, and a military standard obstacle course. However, she made them keep pace and never slow down. It was exhausting, even to those who've been under her command for years like Ingrid and Reagan. Jamie acclimated to it easily, keeping himself in shape back in Westwood, but even with that he was tired. Still, he was one of the ones leading the pack, and to him, it was basically doing what he did before, but harder. Hex wanted them to push the boundaries of their physical strength and endurance. Well, Jamie was already feeling his muscles burn.
After that, they moved to the simulators. Changing in the locker room was a bit awkward for the girls, since this was the first time a guy changed with them, but for Jamie, it reminded him of his PE classes, changing in a co-ed locker room. Even when they had their ridersuits on, he didn't even bat an eye, though he did pointedly try to keep his eyes off of his more endowed teammates like Ingrid and Hex. Jamie took a breath and looked down at his own ridersuit. It was like the others where it crossed over his chest, though it went all the way up, leaving no chest window like the girls suits. The legs also went up in a sort of tights design, leaving his abs and tips of his shoulders exposed. It was grey in color.
He chuckled when he looked behind himself, drawing his sister's attention, "What's so funny?"
"I have a tail." He said with childish glee. Reagan laughed while the rest of the girls giggled. Hex sighed.
"Alright, pair off and take turns. Reagan and Joey, practice the covering fire drill, Chelsea, Ingrid, and Maizy, swarm technique. Jamie, you're with me." Hex ordered. Everyone each went to a simulator while Jamie followed Hex. The older woman gestured for him to enter the machine. He did so, and shut the door behind him. Hex's voice came over the speaker, "Alright, first, connect your 'tail' to the port behind the seat." He searched for it and found the port, connecting the tip of the tail to it, "Now, grab the controls, and put your feet on the pedals." Following her instructions, Jamie found himself in a familiar position.
'It's like riding a dirtbike. The position anyways. Maybe Reagan was right.' Jamie thought, 'Though everything from here on will be new.'
"First off, para-mails have two forms. Flight Mode, which is it's basic mode, allows for faster and freer movement, and Destroyer Mode, which is used for greater combat against the DRAGONs. Main throttle's on the right handle. I'm not having you do the drills the others are doing, just some flying." Hex explained. Jamie looked around the simulator, seeing an exact copy of the hangar in the screens before turning and nodding at Hex's screen.
"Got it. Nothin' fancy, right?" Jamie asked. He knew from experience that trying to act like you're a pro within minutes is always a bad idea. He shuddered as he remembered that fence he crashed into.
"You got it." Hex said, typing in a few commands into the console, "You ready?"
"Yeah. Got a grip." Jamie said, rolling his shoulders in anticipation.
"Alright. Resting gear release." Hex commanded. Jamie pressed the button on the sim that would release the actual resting gear on a para-mail.
"Resting gear released. Unit Jamie, launch!" He slid forward as he exited out of the hangar. The first thing that caught his attention was the weightlessness of flying. It was way more intense than any jumps he hit on a dirtbike, and longer sustained too. It mess with his head, but he shook his head to try and clear it.
"Jamie! Pull up!" Hex called out, making Jamie refocus on the screens. He was falling, and that wasn't something he wanted in an aircraft. He pulled up on the controls, and he raised himself up. From there, it was some shaky flying consisting of ups, downs, lefts, rights, and twists. Even after an hour he was still having trouble keeping his balance. Balancing on air was much harder than two wheels.
"Alright, that's enough." Hex stated, signaling the end of the simulation. The machine shut down and Jamie leaned back and took a breath, 'That was so much more intese than motocross. Now I gotta worry about going down now too.'
He unplugged and exited the simulator. Hex patted him on the back after the door opened, "Good job. That was a lot better than new graduates."
"Graduates?" Jamie questioned as he took the towel Hex offered him.
"The young ones. When they turn twelve, they enter active deployment. A selection ceremony happens every year to select from the graduating class. Didn't pick any this year, so your the newest blood." Hex explained as they headed back to the locker room.
"I see. Sucks, but can't do anything about it." Jamie grumbled, not liking the fact that Norma are added to the active roster as such a young age. He still had minor problems about Reagan being on active duty currently at fifteen, "Also, I don't really feel sick. Was that just to scare me?"
"Oh it doesn't happen immediately. It'll take a few minutes, so probably when we're in the shower room." Hex said with a laugh.
"Aw fuck!"
And true to her words, while everyone was showering, Jamie was hunched over in his shower stall, puking his guts out into a bucket. The burn on his arm was tingling under the water's downpour. He slouched against the stall's wall.
"Yeah, it's not fun."
Jamie turned his head to see a naked Joey, peering over the stall. He gave her a deadpan stare, which she chuckled at him before moving over and helping him stand upright, "The worst should've passed by now though."
"It's not gonna happen again, is it?" Jamie asked wearily. Joey gave a confident denial.
"Nah, only happens the first time usually." She said. She washed his back for him as he leaned on the wall, hands holding himself up, "And before you ask, I'm completely okay with doing this. I'm ace, so all I see when I look at you is body with an extendible stick. Good call on Reagan for taking the farthest stall, though."
"Yeah, it's a bit weird seeing your sibling naked. Less I see the better." Jamie grumbled. It was absolutely weird. Just being naked in the same room as her made him feel wrong, let alone both of them showering. He wasn't no siscon. The thought alone almost made him want to throw up.
"Yeah, but you catch any glimpses at Ingrid? She's pretty stacked." Joey teased, laughing when Jamie threw a glare back at her, "I'm kidding! Chill, dude. I mean, you haven't been staring at all. Do you even swing that way?"
"I do, I just try to be respectful. Besides," He started before he retched. Nothing came out, "I'm a bit preoccupied with trying to stop my stomach from flipping."
"Ha, ha! Yeah, I hear that. But like I said, only happens the first time. Very rarely happens the second." Joey explained before she rolled her shoulders and reached for her towel, "Well, I'm all done, so I'm heading out. We're off for the rest of the day, so come find me if you wanna hang out."
With that, she exited into the locker room, Jamie's gaze following her before chuckling, "Yeah, I'll think about it." He then felt the urge to puke again.
Hex glanced at Jamie as he hurled, her laughter catching the attention of Reagan next to her, "What's so funny?"
"Nothin', just that you two throw up the same way." Hex said. She laughed again at the girl's reaction: an offended pout. She got her laughing under control before her gaze turned soft, "How do you feel? After the last day?"
"I feel... so happy that he's here, devastated about what happened to our parents," Reagan said, lowering her head under the shower, "But most of all, I'm scared about him getting hurt, or even killed by the DRAGONs."
"Hm. Well then, I'll make sure to train him so good that you won't have to worry." Hex said, grabbing her towel. She looked over to Jamie again, and saw him with a towel around his waist, being led out to the locker room by Chelsea one step at a time.
"Thank you Hex." Reagan said, thanking the goth, "You're the best big sis ever."
Hex closed her eyes with a grin, "I do my best."
"So how do I earn money while I'm training?" Jamie asked, checking his phone. He found it pretty neat that he could call anyone on base, but he only had his squadmates contact information, but right now, he was just checking the time. 9:24 AM. Still breakfast time.
"Work jobs. That's familiar, right?" Reagan answered from next to him, "Everyone makes some extra cash that way. Kitchen's always has openings. Ersha from Squad 1 and Tanya from Squad 3 work there. Chris works in the hangar, doing some repairs and upgrades on the para-mails. Hell, she's the only one who isn't strictly maintenance that Maria lets work there."
"Maria?" Jamie questioned. He hadn't heard of her before.
"Squad 7's personal maintenance chief. She's a bit rough around the edges, but she'll do her job." Reagan explained before getting back on topic, "I work in the mall. Jasmine's a greedy old coot, but she doesn't play, or pay, favorites. She pays everyone the same."
"I can imagine how that goes." Jamie said, snickering, "But the kitchens, huh? I'll check that out."
"You cook?"
"Yeah, I uh... started after you were taken." Jamie said, "Think I'm pretty good, though. Mom and Dad liked it when I cooked."
"Of course, that meant they didn't have to." Reagan said with a smirk. Jamie laughed before he held a shaking fist.
"I knew there was an ulterior motive!" Jamie said, fake indignation in his voice. This made Reagan laugh. Bringing up their parents caused her mood to begin to nosedive, but the joke helped lift it back up, "So how do I get paid for other jobs?"
"Just inform the bank of your job, then report to the person in charge of the place, like Jasmine for the mall, or Mei for the hangar. It doesn't pay as much as killing DRAGONs, but it's still something." Reagan said, checking her phone, "On that topic, my shift at the mall is about to start, so I'll see you later, bro!"
"Bye..." Jamie said, though his sister was long gone. He sighed at her actions, "Ten years later and she still hasn't changed. Welp, guess I'm off to the bank."
A short trip to the bank took him near the hangar, where after he registered to work in the kitchens, he met someone new and definitely unique.
As Jamie was rounding the corner to head back, he ran into a girl with dark hair pulled into a low ponytail. What she wore was actually surprising, as she wore the mechanic's jumpsuit, but the top half was tied off at her waist. It was plain to see that the girl was well endowed, and the only thing covering her voluptuous chest was a simple black tube top, making it hard for Jamie to not stare at her cleavage. It was stated before about how Jamie was able to block out nudity by focusing on what needed to be done, but even he wasn't blind. He's caught short glimpses of bare breasts before and he could admit to himself that he had a type, but before he could get carried away, he caught her face.
It was, to put it simple terms, a resting bitch face, and her yellow eyes held the aura of a perpetual bad attitude. In fact, he quickly found himself staring into those narrowed eyes.
"The fuck're you lookin' at?" She spat. Her posture screamed hostility, so much so that Jamie actually took a few steps back.
"N-nothing! You startled me, that's all." He said, trying to defend himself. Her gaze became flat as she crossed her arms, causing her 'assets' to become more pronounced.
"Uh-huh, yeah, I'm sure you weren't looking at anything else." She said, seeing Jamie gulp, "Look, you're not the first to check me out, and you won't be the last. I don't care anyway." Her glare hardened as she marched towards him, making him back up into the wall, "And since you're new here, I'll give you a warning. DO NOT mess with the 7th Squad's para-mails unless I give you explicit permission. Got it, newbie?"
Jamie nodded, frightened. The girl sneered as a form of acceptance before she walked off towards the hangar. On the way she knocked into Chris, who was coming from her early shift. She stared after the girl before turning to look where she came from and saw a dazed Jamie. She sighed as she cleaned her hands with her rag and walked up to him.
"So you met Maria, huh?" She asked, putting her hands in her pockets. Jamie's stunned gaze turned to her before he looked to where Maria walked off.
"That's Maria? The 7th Squad's personal maintenance chief?" Jamie incredulously asked, recalling Reagan mentioning her. He sighed, visibly sagging and closing his eyes, "Rey was putting it lightly when she said she was rough around the edges."
"Yeah, she's a bitch. Good morning, by the way." Chris said, casually cussing out another girl. She fished her phone from one of her pockets, checking the time, "Well, it's closer to noon."
"Morning. You work the hangar?" He asked, though it was obvious. Chris nodded, "Well, since you seem to be done, or at least on break, wanna come to the cafeteria with me? I just signed up to work the kitchen."
"You can cook?" Chris asked, to which Jamie nodded, "Good, maybe we'll have something edible to actually eat more than once a week." Noticing Jamie's questioning look, the girl elaborated, "Don't get me wrong, Ersha's cooking is great, but she only cooks on Wednesdays since she works at the child care wing most of the time. Tanya's good, but she's usually busy watching over the kitchen rather than cooking in it."
"Tanya's the supervisor, then?" Jamie asked. Chris replied 'yes', "Then I'll look for her. Any key features?"
"Purple hair, amber eyes, you can't miss her." Chris said as they neared the cafeteria, "Hey, I'm gonna clean up a bit. I get an hour break before I need to finish three more hours. Looking forward to what you make." With that, Chris walked away to clean the oil stains on her hands.
"I'll make sure to whip up something good." He said before entering the cafeteria.
Chris, meanwhile, felt like her head was spinning. She just met the man yesterday, why was she so comfortable around him? He just had this... presence around him that put her at ease. It was shockingly easy to get along with Jamie, especially since he doesn't hate Norma. Maybe that was why she was comfortable around him. Still, her mind went back to the previous day when she snapped at Hilda for what she was saying about the Kendrick siblings(It wasn't hard to reason that Reagan's last name was the same as Jamie's). Why did she feel the need to do that? Why did she want to be around him so much?
Why can't she stop thinking about him?
"So you're the new 7th Squader? And kitchen personnel?" Tanya questioned. Her golden eyes scanned his form as he stood at attention. She had to admit he was very attractive and easy on the eyes, and she'd normally be giggling like most of the Arzenal girls, blushing at seeing a man and fantasizing about what it'd be like to lay with him. However, there were a few factors that stopped her from doing that, those being she had a dedicated girlfriend, and he was now signed up for kitchen duty, something she took very seriously. It was hard work making prison food actually edible.
"Yes, ma'am." He replied cordially, which she immediately held up a hand to stop him.
"Alright, first, none of that 'ma'am' shit. This is a kitchen, not a military." She said. She heard a snicker behind her, "I'm aware that we're in a military prison, Cricket."
"Uh..." Jamie's eyes darted from Tanya to the other girl in the kitchen, Cricket apparently. She had golden blonde hair shaved on one side, which contrasted her purple eyes. It was funny. She and Tanya seemed to flip colors. Purple hair and golden eyes. Golden hair and purple eyes.
"That's Cricket, don't worry about her." Tanya explained off-handedly. Seeing Jamie's questioning gaze, she sighed before explaining, "Her name's Jessa, we call her Cricket because she told terrible jokes when we all met her. Whenever she tried, all she got were-"
"Crickets." Jamie finished. Tanya nodded.
"Fuck you, my jokes were great." Cricket said with indignation. Tanya simply turned a deadpan stare towards her.
"Then why did nobody laugh? I'll grant you that you've gotten better over the years, but when you started, you sucked." Tanya said. Seeing the light enter Cricket's eyes, signaling that her mind was coming up with a joke, Tanya cut her off, "An before you make an innuendo, might I remind you that the lunch rush is coming in the next half hour. Get stirring that beef stew, or I'm gonna let over a hundred hungry girls stir you."
Jamie laughed while Cricket grumbled and continued working on the beef stew, "Run a tight ship?"
"Not too much. All I doo is try to make sure the food everyone else makes is edible. Prison food sucks, so it's my job to try and make it not. Ersha's the best we have, but she's only here at lunches on Wednesdays." Tanya explained as she led him through the kitchen. Having cooked at his own home many times, he was familiar with most of the items. The bigger machines for bigger complexes were new, but Tanya reassured him that they function the same as machines he knew. A giant dishwasher is still a dishwasher.
"I gotta say, your schedule is interesting. Lunches on Mondays and Tuesdays, dinners on Thursdays and Fridays. I can't do anything about those workdays, but why those?" Tanya asked. Jamie shrugged.
"Pick n' choose? I kinda just chose whatever." Jamie explained, making Tanya sweatdrop at his thoughtless decision. She sighed and held her hand with her right hand, holding her hip with the left. The picture of exasperation.
"Well, whatever. Since it's your first day and you already know how to cook, right?" She asked, glancing at him. At his nod, she continued, "You can use whatever materials to whip up something. I can have some of the other girls help you since you will be feeding a lot of girls."
"Sounds good." Jamie said, taking the apron Tanya offered him. Since he was wearing his beanie, it kept his hair in check so no need for a hair tie. He looked around the kitchen, seemingly scanning what to make, what to use, and calculating how much to make.
Tanya watched with awe as he transitioned into this serious cook attitude, seeing him then make up his mind and move around the kitchen with ease as if he'd done so for years. He picked up ingredients and kitchenware and moved them to an area where he would work. She slightly jumped when his focus then snapped to her.
"Tanya, stop the stew. I've got an idea that's quick, easy, and delicious. Can you get the girls who will help me? I'd like them to follow along with my recipe." He stated. After a moment, Tanya nodded and took out her phone to call all the girls. As the first call was ringing, she glanced back at Jamie, who was washing his hands. Making sure he wouldn't contaminate the food in any way.
Perhaps the food here might actually start being good. That made Tanya smile.
"Vhat is ze name of zis place ve are going to again?" Wolfgang asked Briar from his seat. They were flying in a transport, much like a mana ship, but without the mana. It was foreign to the hunter, but it was a way to stay undetected. In his mind was the explanation Briar gave him, about DRAGONs and singularities and a prison island were the Norma are forced to fight them.
It made him sick.
They had no choice in what they had to do. Wolfgang felt similar in that he had no choice but to move with his parents, but his situation was infinitely better than the Norma's. Every day was a chance of death for both places, but the town had a much higher survivability rate. It sounded like the Norma were condemned to death.
"It's called Arzenal. Like the weapons storage, but with a z. Don't ask me who named it." Briar explained, getting a snort of amusement out of Wolfgang.
"A bit stupid."
"Isn't it?"
They sat in silence for the next few minutes, Wolfgang gazed out over the endless ocean before them, far from the mainland. It was a definite change from the cold monotone of the nameless region he was used to. So much lively color, everything back home was muted and dead. But he still loved it. This place and it's purpose however, took importance. He turned back to Briar.
"So zis place vill be filled vith girls?" He asked. Briar raised a brow at him.
"Does that bother you?"
"Not really. I simply focus on vat's important. And zat's alvays survival. I'm sure I vill be tempted a few times, but it is not somezing I think about too often." Wolfgang explained. Truly, he had low sexual desire, as he had honed himself into that of a true hunter, rarely letting emotions take over his reasoning and decisions.
Briar hummed at the explanation. From what he's observed, Wolfgang is a person of pure control, over himself and the situation at all times. He knew the choice Wolfgang would make once he told him about Arzenal, but he did feel guilty. He promised to tell the northerner everything, yet he only told him what was on the surface. He held back the origins of the DRAGONs, and the existence of Embryo. Just thinking the name made Briar's grip on the controls tighten.
Truly, there was no one on the planet he hated more that that man.
Casting a glance towards Wolfgang, he sighed. Even if he did hide it, the clock on the world was ticking down, and the truth will eventually be revealed.
He didn't want the teen to worry about Embryo right now, so he'd keep that under wraps.
Even if it did break his trust.
"Come on everyone, we've got plenty of sandwiches to go around so don't be afraid to take what you want!" Jamie called out as a varied selection of fresh sliced steak sandwiches were arranged before him. All of them were made with his special secret sauce he came up with himself. It was such a hit with his family and friends, he decided to try and make it at Arzenal. Thankfully, they had all the ingredients to make the sauce along with the sandwiches, though he was upset at the fact that Tanya had to use her own money to buy more inventory for the kitchen. Apparently the food drops the humans bring are pretty basic, having bread, potatoes, vegetables, and every now and again, beef, so Tanya(and Maizy if he had to guess) bought all the extra spices, sauces, and varieties of meats.
In turn, she isn't able to upgrade her para-mail often.
He was placated when he found out that as the cafeteria head, she earns a lot more than her squad, but a lot of that budget, as well as her own, goes to procuring more things for the Norma to eat. It sucked, but Tanya wasn't taking any future payments from him.
"It's bad enough that Maizy does it. I'm the head of the cafeteria, so I make the decisions, and since you work under me, you do as I say. No helping me pay for food shipments unless I explicitly ask!" She had said. Doesn't mean it made Jamie feel good. Though he did brighten when she said he could bring any meal ideas to her, "You've lived your life on the outside for seventeen years, and you say you're a cook, so if there's anything you wanna make from out there, let me know."
She was a bit strict, but she was awesome as a boss. In Jamie's opinion anyways. Not sure Cricket would say the same.
Since coming to Arzenal and finding Reagan, he felt... renewed. Like a piece of him finally was put back in place. He felt free. Ever since Reagan was taken, he felt like a part of him was taken too, and he had become someone else. Someone more subdued. His parents had noticed, and had hoped one day he would find himself again. The death of his parents, having happened only a few days ago, still was still a very sore subject for him, but he knew they'd be happy he'd found himself again. For the first time in a decade, he finally felt like himself.
"We've got more coming, so don't hesitate to take what you want!" He called out over all the girls, seeing a few being reserved and indecisive. He glanced back at the girls in the kitchen, smiling at seeing them continue to follow his instructions without his supervision.
"Oh my god! This is so good!" He heard one of the girls yell, and laughed at her delight. It felt good hearing how good his food is.
"Everyone looks like they're enjoying your stuff. Good job, newbie." Tanya said, patting Jamie's back. Jamie beamed at the praise. Soon, Chris appeared at the cafeteria counter looking at the sandwiches, seemingly having a tough time choosing. Jamie noticed and smiled.
"They're all the same, so don't worry about choosing." He said, making Chris' visible eye snap to him.
"They are? Wait, did you make these?!" Chris asked, surprised. Jamie told her earlier he could cook, but from what she was hearing from the other girls, these sandwiches are to die for.
Jamie nodded, proud, "That I did. It's my recipe, and the girls back there follow it to the letter, so we have plenty of these things. They're thin, so if you wanna have more than one, feel free. If you're hungry enough that is."
Chris looked back to the spread of sandwiches, Cricket having brought more to be eaten. Having had only a small breakfast, Chris took two sandwiches, thanked Jamie, and took off to find a seat. It was an late day for Squad 1, as they had training that afternoon. Having four squads meant two trained one day, and the other two trained the next. It was a pattern they've had ever since they lost Squad 5. Chris shivered as she remembered that. She wasn't on active duty yet, but remembered hearing the talk go around about Squad 5 being wiped out, making Squad 7 clean up the DRAGONs that did it. Squad 6 had been lost a few years before that, their captain, the only one left alive, was deemed unfit for duty. She went missing shortly after that, with no trace of her being found on Arzenal, or anywhere else. Vanished.
And Squad 4 had been gone for as long as Chris could remember. It was the first squad that was wiped out. Chris wishes it was the last.
When she refocused, she realized she was at her usual table, and she wasn't alone as Salia was also there. She was eating politely, but Chris could catch a small trail of drool before Salia noticed and wiped it away. Seemed Jamie's sandwich was beating even Salia, composure. The vice-captain then noticed her, "Hm? Oh, hello Chris. Would you like a seat?"
"Yeah, thank you." Chris said, sitting down. She tentatively looked over the sandwich, only to be reassured by Salia.
"It's fine, don't worry. Just eat it." Salia said, a soft command.
Chris took a steadying breath before biting into the first sandwich. The meat, the sauce, the flavor!
...Let it be known that Chris was not proud of the sound she made.
But she could not hold back the pleasured moan.
A bonafide foodgasm.
Chris immediately turned red as she held a hand over her mouth. Her gaze snapped to Salia, who looked at her in surprise. It was then that she realized that the cafeteria was silent. Chris' mortified gaze roamed over the cafeteria before her gaze met Jamie's.
He was frozen. But even from the distance between them, she could see a blush color his face. For some reason, through her ocean of embarrassment, a small part of her felt proud. Proud that she was the one to make him react like that. But still extremely embarrassing.
"Well~, in all the time in my room, I've never heard you make that sound." Chris jumped as she heard Zola's sultry tone behind her. Chris turned her gaze up and around to look at Zola, who pilfered a sandwich from a random girl(Who got rather upset that her sandwich was stolen).
"Zola?! W-what are you doing here?" Chris asked, though the answer was obvious.
"Lunch." The captain said before taking a bite. She made an audible sound of pleasure, but nowhere near Chris' moan, "It is good, no wonder you had a foodgasm, Chris."
"Please don't remind me of the sound I made!" Chris cried out before she watched Zola walk towards the kitchen area, "Where are you going?"
"To get another sandwich." She said taking another bite, "And to see if I can get Jamie's 'footlong'."
Chris huffed and turned her eyes away from Zola's swaying hips, taking a harsh bite of her sandwich and stewing in the sudden feeling of jealously she unknowingly felt. The flavor made the feeling lessen, but it stubbornly remained, no matter how good the sandwich was. Salia simply gave her a glance before she gave a hum and continued eating.
She was so busy stewing that she didn't notice Zola return until she sat back down. She raised her eyes in front of her where Zola was eating another sandwich.
"Back so soon?" Salia asked, eyes closed. Zola gave a laugh.
"He shut me down after my opening line." She said, shocking Chris. Someone who caught Zola's interest turned her down? It was unbelievable.
"You were rejected?!" Chris exclaimed, making her disbelief known.
"Can't believe it myself. But what he said..." Zola said, thinking back to the encounter just a few moments ago.
"So you're the mastermind behind this delicious meal." Zola said as she stepped up to the table. She eyed Jamie, licking her lips. She liked what she saw, "If you like, you can-"
"I'll stop you right there." Jamie said, holding a hand up. Zola raised her brow as he continued, "Hex told me exactly what kind of person you are. A hedonist who often takes what she wants by force. Exactly the kind of thing that turns me off." His tone was even, but his words were harsh. Jamie sighed, "That said, I understand why you do that. Chance of death any day, so you drown yourself in pleasure. On top of that, you're a good captain and you watch out for your juniors. If had one thing I need to say to you," He started, leveling his gaze at her, "Is that maybe you should be more careful of who wouldn't be receptive to your desires. Wouldn't wanna lose your other eye now, would you?"
Zola stood, stunned, for a few moments before letting out a low chuckle, "Of course you know that already. Damn, you're just like Hex." She cracked a smile as she looked at the younger men, "So I'm guessing I'm not your type, huh?"
"You got a few qualities I like," He said, noticeably eyeing her up before crossing his arms, "But your personality needs work. You got a nice body, but your missing a few pieces if you wanna get me. So no, you're not my type."
"But I'd say a certain blue haired girl is." Zola said as she took another sandwich.
"I don't have to tell you anything." Jamie said with a smirk. Zola laughed and turned away, heading back to the table. She felt his eyes follow her, but the gaze didn't feel lustful. It felt... challenging. Glancing back, she caught his challenging gaze. Zola smirked.
"Y'know, I think Chris really liked your footlong!" She called out. She mentally celebrated as he immediately turned red and got to work helping other girls with their sandwiches.
Chris regained her blush as Zola recounted her story. 'Great, Zola's gonna hold the sandwich thing over me forever.' She thought as she sagged. Soon enough, Rosalie and Hilda would find out about this, which Chris was terrified of how they'd react. Well... at least Vivian wasn't around to-
"Whoa, that sound super embarrassing!"
'Fuck!'
Chris snapped her attention to Vivian, who was sitting with them, and apparently long enough to hear the story.
"W-when did you get here?!"
"About a minute after Zola sat down." Vivian said before lighting, "Oh! Pop quiz! Who does Chris totally have a crush on?"
"What makes you think I have a crush on Jamie?!" Chris demanded, red seeming to be perpetually on her face.
"None of us said Jamie, Chris." Salia calmly informed, yet still getting in on the teasing. A rare moment of unprofessionalism for her.
Chris was as still as a statue for a few moments, realizing she sold herself out, before deflating and laying her head on the table in defeat.
'Now that Vivian knows, it's only a matter of hours, if not minutes before Rosalie and Hilda find out.' She thought as she brought her head up to stare at the ceiling, 'Just, please, let nothing else happen today! Especially during training!'
Thankfully for Chris' sanity, nothing did.
"Hold on, kid, we gotta stop and set down." Briar said as the aircraft slowed down. Wolfgang looked away from the window, eyebrow raised.
"Vhy?"
Briar simply pointed at a gauge, "Running low on fuel. There's an island near Arzenal I set down at to refuel. The guy who's there maintains the place well, along with the fuel I use."
"Someone is zere? Out in ze middle of novhere?" Wolfgang questioned. Briar sighed, shaking his head.
"It's a long story, but he knows everything you do. He salvages any para-mail wreckage that washes ashore and sells it back to them. He's trustworthy." Briar explained as they neared the island. Wolfgang decided to take his word for it, and watched the island come closer. When they did, Briar opened a communication channel, "This is The Freebird to Tusk, come in Tusk."
"I read you Freebird, go to the usual spot." A voice over the radio said, "Welcome back, Briar."
The aircraft slowly descended upon the large beach of the island, the sand being kicked up as the setting sun cast an orange glow over the scenery. Briar exited the aircraft first, heading to where the fuel he left was, while Wolfgang slowly departed, scanning the area. It looked mostly wild, like no one lived there.
"Hey Briar!" Wolfgang turned his attention to who assumed was 'Tusk'. A boy of similar height to himself wearing a green shirt, black combat vest, black gloves, grey military pants, and black boots. He was a fighter, Wolfgang could tell that from one look. But he could also tell he lost his will to fight.
A shame.
"Tusk. Good to see you. Where are the demos?" He asked when Tusk got close. Tusk shook his head.
"They're underground. A storm passed through recently and dislodged some rocks in the cave, so they're still patching it up." The teen said. The topic was something both Tusk and Briar knew about, but left Wolfgang guessing. Was it a ship? That's what it sounded like.
"Well, there is only three of them. Got the fuel?" Briar asked the younger man. Tusk sheepishly scratched the back of his head.
"Sorry, but the last tank is still filling, so you're gonna have to wait a while. The biofuel converter short circuited in the last storm, so it took a while to fix." Tusk explained. Wolfgang raised his brows at the mention of the machine.
"'Biofuel'? Like turning organic matter into fuel?" He asked, intrigued. Tusk turned in surprise to the other guy there. He looked him over, observing the unfamiliar face. He had long dark grey hair tied up into a knot on the back of his head, with his bangs falling down naturally. He had sharp orange eyes that seemed to watch his every move, yet held a warmth and no hostility. His most notable garment was the black parka he wore, over a white camouflaged button up. Grey pants and black hunting boots rounded out his attire.
"Yeah, exactly that. Mainly plants and stuff. Since it was damaged, it's running slower even after I repaired it. Who are you anyways?" Tusk asked, walking up to the human.
"This is Wolfgang. He's a hunter from the region north of the AR. I'm bringing him to Arzenal." Briar explained. Since Tusk said that the last fuel barrel wasn't full yet, he wasn't in any rush. Tusk looked at him in surprise.
"Arzenal? Are you sure?" He asked. He wasn't sure bringing a human to Arzenal was a good idea, especially since most humans were against Norma.
"He saved a DRAGON yesterday, and has no prejudices against Norma. Plus, he isn't the first one I've brought there." Briar said, surprising both Tusk and Wolfgang. Tusk hummed before turning to Wolfgang.
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Wolfgang." He said, holding out his hand. Wolfgang grinned and took it, shaking his hand. Tusk gestured for them to follow him, "C'mon, let's head back to my place and get comfortable. You probably won't be able to take off until tomorrow."
"Alright. Come on, Wolfgang." Briar said with a nod before Tusk started walking, "We need to discuss your 'charges' for arrest."
Wolfgang sighed as he was reminded of what was needed to get into Arzenal. A crime bad enough to get locked up in a military prison.
"Coming."
November 20th, 2743
Jamie looked in the bathroom mirror after washing his face, and he couldn't help but smile at his reflection. He couldn't remember the last time he woke up feeling... whole. The last morning was the same way, even when Hex beat them down in training. He just felt... good. Excited to talk and hang out with his sister and new friends. The previous day he had spent the rest of the day with Joey where she showed him the graveyard, where he watched silently as she visited one of the headstones.
She thanked him for his presence being there before they stayed up top, watching the clouds pass by. They listened as the alarm went off, signaling a singularity opening. They watched as the 3rd Squad was scrambled and flew off to kill the DRAGONs. They saw when they returned with two less members. Jamie was glad when he saw Tanya and Cricket in the hangar when he went to check, and mourned with everyone else for the two girls he never met.
A small taste of what life was like on Arzenal.
Everything got even more interesting when he returned to the hangar the next day after afternoon training at the gun range, which he excelled at, to see Jill waiting there with Inspector Bronson. The commander glanced at him from the corner of her eye, but remained facing the hangar dock. Deciding to hang back, he leaned up against the wall and watched. Chris had informed him that morning after Squad 1 came back from the gun range that she worked the hangar in the mornings, and had plans with Rosalie that afternoon, so she wouldn't be around at the hangar.
He had to admit that he liked being around her, since he was the first one around his age he met. His face heated a bit when the thought of calling her cute floated through his mind. He shook his head to clear his thoughts when-
"Oi, fuck are you doin' here?"
Jamie jumped before he looked to the side to see Maria. She was mirroring his posture, arms crossed and leaning against the wall, looking forward. He returned to looking forward as well.
"I was wandering around and found myself here after shooting practice." He explained. Maria grunted, but didn't say anything, "You know what's going on over there?"
"Haven't got a clue." Maria answered, shrugging. They continued to watch in silence and before long, a mana ship appeared, which gave Maria an idea of the situation, "Looks like another Norma was sent here."
"Hm." Jamie grunted, the idea of a Norma possible torn from her family souring his mood.
"Wait a minute..." Maria started, leaning forward and squinting, "That doesn't look like any mana ship I've seen."
"I've never seen one like that either." Jamie said, becoming more invested, "In fact, the green light looks..."
"Like their just light, not mana. Whoever's piloting that aircraft wants it to look like it's being powered by mana." Maria cast a glance to Emma, seeing her expression unchanging, "And it looks like it works." She said, pointing out the inspector to Jamie, "She looks like she has no idea it's fake mana."
"Huh, you're right." He said, catching the smug grin on her face when he said that. They saw the side door open and were surprised to see a male teen in a black coat walk out in cuffs, and behind him, a masked man wearing a NMB uniform.
"I guess we've got another boy." Maria said before looking around the hangar. All the girls stopped what they were doing and stared at the new boy, "And the girls look like they're shell shocked. Honestly, it's like they've already started to ignore you." She said, nudging Jamie.
"You know how it is. You get a new toy, you're obsessed with it for a few days before the shine wears off. I'd give it a few days before they're not staring as much." Jamie reasoned, knowing his own shine hasn't dulled. He's only been there for two days, so he still gets a lot of stares. As long as they didn't get crazy, he didn't mind.
"Hm, whatever. I need to get something, then I'm going back to work." Maria said, stalking away towards her corner, where her own projects lie. Chris had told him that Maria had many personal projects that Jill allowed her to start. When Jamie asked how she knew that, he was surprised when the bluenette said she was one of the few people Maria allowed in her area. Apparently, Chris was a really good mechanic. At least good enough by Maria's standards. Which were astronomically high.
Jamie continued to watch the exchange before him until Jill waved him over. When he reached them, Jill gestured to the newest arrival, "Jamie, this is your new roommate, Wolfgang."
"Pleasure to meet you." Jamie said, observing the grey-haired teen before smirking, "I'd shake your hand, but your not exactly free to reciprocate."
That got a laugh out of the teen, "No, I don't suppose I am." Everyone there was surprised hearing his accent, but the surprise faded quickly, "What did zey bag you for?"
"Mm... mass arson and genocide." He said plainly, but the look in his eyes told Wolfgang everything he needed to know.
'False charges meant as a cover for him being here. Briar told me about this, but this just proves it's true. That story sounded too terrible to be real, but it is, and he spun in a lie to make it seem like Jamie did it. It's horrible, being the only survivor of something like that, and then being blamed for it. It's a lot more heartbreaking than my false charge.' Wolfgang thought as he gave Jamie a sympathetic look before returning neutral.
"How about you? What'd they get you for?" The brunette asked in return. There was no way he was brought here on actual criminal charges, which means that he was brought here for the same reason Jamie himself was. Which admittedly was something he didn't know. Whatever the reason was, it didn't really matter, now they're both here. Which then drew Jamie's gaze to the masked man, 'Was he the one who brought me here?' The man's eyes could be seen, and he gave Jamie a wink which told him the answer, 'I think he did.'
Before Wolfgang could answer, Emma cut in, "Poaching! This vile man is a poacher!" She ranted, glaring daggers at Wolfgang, "A degenerate who illegally hunts protected species. It's bad enough that we have invasive species of animals, we don't need poachers too!"
"I'm a hunter, I do vhat I must to survive. Animals are ze same. I vill not change my vays because you von't change yours." Wolfgang calmly said, keeping the lie up. He could tell from the instant he met her, that Emma Bronson was someone who believed herself to be above everyone at Arzenal, so he vastly enjoyed pushing her buttons.
"Hmph!" Emma scoffed as she looked over the data with the light of mana, "You won't be hurting anymore innocent animals now that you're here."
"Zat implies zat zere is somezing to hunt." Wolfgang said with an eyebrow raised. Jill put her hands on her hips as Emma growled.
"You'll find out eventually." She said as she nodded for Briar to remove his cuffs. Wolfgang rubbed his wrists after they were off. Maria then walked up with a mana blocker, the same as Jamie had on his wrist, "Put this on."
"Vhat is it?" Wolfgang asked, watching Maria put the band on with a 'click'. He chuckled at her disinterested gaze before she went back to her corner.
"A mana-blocking cuff. Trust me, you'll need it for what's to come." Jill briefly explained before holding up Jamie's arm, "He has one too."
"I see..." Wolfgang said, observing the band before looking to Jamie with a smile. "Vell roomie, vhy don't you show me around?"
"That sounds like a good idea." Jill said, her tone filled with dry amusement, "Especially since I wanted Jamie here to tell Hex about her new squadmate."
"Wolfgang's going on 7th?" Jamie asked, surprised at the revelation. From what Hex told him, squads usually get the chance for new members once a year, at the year-end selection where the graduating class of young Norma get chosen to join a squad. From what he remembered, Squad 7 last chose Reagan, and that was three years ago. Suddenly, within a few days, they had two new members. And the only two males on Arzenal, "Sure, it's fine by me. C'mon Wolf, I'll show you around."
Jill watched them depart, ignoring the steaming Emma, and thought about Libertus and how adding the teen boys could help, 'It would be nothing but positives, but Libertus can't start without Vilkiss. One day, we will be free.'
Flying the aircraft back over the ocean to Tusk's island, Briar thought on the developments of the last few days. Since no one was around, he let himself vocalize.
"Adding Jamie and Wolfgang to Arzenal will definitely help morale, and I can tell that once they've honed their skills, Jamie and Wolfgang will be a force to be reckoned with. Especially Jamie. He's got a leader in him, he just doesn't know it yet."
He looked out the side window, gazing over the horizon at the setting sun.
"I just hope Embryo won't take control of them. That Maria girl is a genius, and bad attitude aside, she's perfect for making new inventions. That band completely shuts off mana waves to the brain once it's activated, so Embryo shouldn't even be able to touch them. Glad I gave Jill the recommendation a while back."
His eyes narrowed as another thought entered his mind.
"Embryo's not the only problem though, that android is dangerous too. A complete wild card, able to show up wherever and whenever. And not a clue to what he even wants. I have to step up my surveillance, and make sure another Westwood doesn't happen."
He sighed before looking forward again.
"For now, I need to check in with Burner, see how much that storm damaged their project I gave his team. Hopefully not too much. It's been eight years since Libertus failed, I won't let it fail a second time. We have to be ready."
He cast a forlorn gaze back towards the prison island. Even though he couldn't see it, he knew he was looking right at it.
"I just hope Jill's vengeance doesn't completely burn her up before then."
Hey! Another chapter appears! And just a few days from by birthday too. Anyways, more characters, more expansion of existing characters, and a job! A few mentioned characters and whatever's happening on Tusk's island will be revealed when the plot calls for them.
Anyways, I'm not sure that anyone really saw my notes from the previous chapter so I'll regurgitate them here:
The reason this fic is rated M is because I have plans for scenes with heavy violence, depictions of death and maybe even gore. Also because there are plans for some smut. I've already wrote some... aftersex scenes that have some important emotional plot points. I just wanna know if that'll turn some of you off to this story. I've never written for a community as small and connected as Cross Ange's before so I would like to know what you guys think.
I can easily rewrite those scenes to be more tame, but feedback is something I'd like to have on it.
I also went back and added dates to the days events take place, as well as the people who made the songs in the titles.
Also, Raggylad98, I love your artwork. If you wanna make art of this story, go right ahead, and if you need me to commission you to do that, that's fine by me.
Now, as the the character information, this time is Jamie's hotheaded little sister, Reagan. I won't do Jamie's info until he gets his para-mail in-story.
Name: Reagan
Full Name: Reagan Kendrick
Age: 15
Birthday: February 11th
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 92lbs
Ridersuit Color: Grey
Casual Attire: Sleeveless Arzenal jacket, Brown fingerless gloves, Light grey shorts, Arzenal boots
Hair: Dark Brown, Bangs split evenly framing face, Low ponytail reaching middle of shoulders
Eyes: Crystal Blue
Likes: Baked goods, Action movies
Dislikes: Boredom, Irma's 'artistic' rants
Para-mail: AZ-FZR340 (RG) Arquebus Reagan Custom
Squad: 7
Position: Long Range
Reagan is Jamie's Norma sister, having been hidden from society for five years before discovery. Throughout the last ten years, she held out hope that she would meet her brother again, and her hope payed off. She's rather excitable, giving everything her maximum effort, but she's also very hotheaded, which had gotten her into many fights with Squad 1's Hilda. She's one of the best para-mail pilots, ranking 7th overall, and has one of the highest DRAGON kill counts in the entirety of Arzenal. Now with her brother by her side again, she's sure to be extra motivated to take down DRAGONs.
