I've been immersed in Cross Ange for a few years now and I've been kind of disappointed in the lack of good stories. Or any stories really. Knight of Hilda, Glitch in the System, Rondo in the Endless Sky are practically the only stories on here. So I'm going to take my crack at writing a Cross Ange story off of actually watching the anime like, last week just to get the characters down.
So first and foremost, this is an OC-centric fic, with the main focus on OC/Chris, and later expanding to Male-OC/Chris/Female-OC/Rosalie endgame. Add in some more OC/Canon pairings(Multi likely), along with Ange/Tusk/Hilda(And giving Hilda more than what she had. She's a great character, love her).
I've also seen a common theme of someone subservient to Embryo, or some force working under Embryo. I'm doing something different here, where the second major antagonist doesn't work with Embryo until late in the story. This also starts somewhere over a year before Ange goes to Arzenal, so I'm adding some original arcs too. Stay tuned for those.
This will also likely not be my only Cross Ange fic, so watch out for future stories too. I'm interests in writing stories jumps from one document to another.
But without further ado, let's begin.
Nothing from nowhere, I'm no one at all. Radiate, recognize one silent call as we all form one dark flame. Incinerate!
- Miseria Cantare, AFI
November 17th, 2743
The world.
It's peaceful.
Everyone can use the Light of Mana, and there is no conflict. No need for fighting or wars. The Light of Mana has solved everything. Well... almost everything.
There is one thing that destroys the peace.
Norma.
Girls who are born into the world that can't use the Light of Mana. In fact, they destroy it on contact. This has caused society to believe that they are violent psychopaths who will inevitably kill. Why? Because they can. And so they must be arrested and shipped off to prison, never to be seen again. Everyone believes this.
Almost everyone.
There are those who know the truth. That Norma are not the violent beings society says they are, but rather, just normal girls, prejudiced against since birth.
These Norma sympathizers are typically seen as mentally damaged, and so society believes it must correct them. But you can't correct everyone. Some refuse.
Some of these people were fed up with the treatment of Norma and Norma-sympathizers, so they split to the west and created the Annex Republic, where Humans and Norma can live free and equal. The other nations leave us alone as long as we do the same. Trust me when I say they'll use any excuse to take us out.
I myself live in Westwood, a coastal city situated on a large hill, in between large stone cliffs which act like walls. A good portion of the city is built within these walls, but a majority of the city rests on the incline.
I'm fortunate enough to live in the Annex Republic. But I didn't always live here. We used to live somewhere else.
I used to have a sister.
But one wrong move and they took her away.
I'm happy with the life I live right now, but I want to see my sister more than anything. I want to know if you're still alive.
Reagan, if you are still alive, just hold on. I'll find you one day.
- Jamie Kendrick
A young man closed his journal and looked out the window, seeing the treeline behind his house illuminated by the setting sun.
"Wherever they took you, I'll find. I promise that."
"Jamison! Dinner's ready!"
"Coming, Mom!" Jamie responded. After a moment of clearing his desk, he stood and left the room, heading downstairs to the dining room.
As he headed into the dining room, he caught the TV and saw Princess Angelise and her family being showered in love by the people of Misurugi. He scoffed as his father passed by.
"Seems the royal family is taking another joy ride today." Jamie said, getting a chuckle from his father.
"That's what royals do, son. They don't do much else."
"Yeah," Jamie said, casting one last look at the TV. It was focused on the princess, "Hmm, there's something about her that just doesn't feel right."
He walked over to the table and sat down just as his mom was putting his plate down.
"Perfect timing, sweetie." She said with a smile. Jamie looked down at his plate and smiled at the dish prepared. Spaghetti with the meatballs. The meatballs made it special since Marissa Kendrick only made those on special occasions.
"Somthin' special, huh? What's the occasion?" He asked as his father came into the room.
"It's our anniversary today, son." Mike said as he sat down. His glasses reflected a glare from the sun coming through the window.
"Well happy…"
"20th. Three years before you were born." Marissa said, setting down her husband's food.
"20th." Jamie finished. After a few moments they began eating. During the meal, Jamie's eyes kept drifting towards the empty seat, which had an empty plate in front of it. It was Reagan's seat. A seat that had been empty for ten years now. He had only eaten about half his plate, but suddenly lost his appetite. Marissa noticed his behavior.
"I know, honey. It hurts us too. All we can do is hope she's still out there." Marissa said with a pained smile, holding Jamie's hand.
Jamie sighed as he stood up, "I think I'm done. Maybe save the rest for leftovers?"
Marissa nodded and allowed him to leave.
"Where're you going?" Mike asked.
"To the park. I was meeting with Lee and Jakob later, but getting there early couldn't hurt." Jamie explained. Mike nodded.
"Alright, just remember to dress warmly. It's getting colder." Mike said. Jamie smiled and nodded, glad for his dad looking out for him.
Jamie was sitting along the fence to the soccer field. He was dressed for the crisp weather by wearing a zip up hoodie and his favorite beanie. His long hair stuck out about an inch from under it, with it being just below chin length. His bangs were shorter and reached his cheek bones. He once saw this old, old picture of some professional wrestler from 2008('Damn, that was something like 700 years ago' Jamie thought at the time) called CM Punk. The hair that 'CM Punk' had at the time was longer than Jamie's currently is, but that was only because he started growing it out months ago. He wanted the facial hair to go with it, but it hadn't started to come in yet.
Sitting on the ground along the fence, Jamie thought of his sister. How she was caught. They got sloppy. Careless. Just supposed to be a fun time rolling down the hill, but Reagan had veered towards a thorn bush, and Marissa reflexively used the Light of Mana to catch her, forgetting it wouldn't work. That led them to be discovered by the other family there, and then it was all over. The police came, and left with Reagan.
"What're you mopin' about over there?" Jamie looked up to the owner of the voice and standing there were his best friends.
On the left was the person who spoke, Leannah Morrison, known to everyone as Lee. She had long dark blue hair that was slicked back and reached her shoulders. She was slim in size, and a couple inches shorter than Jamie, who was 5'8" himself, at 5'2". She was average in the chest department, but it was something she preferred. Without the added weight of a larger chest, or a taller frame, she was easily the quickest of their friend group, often running circles around them. Small enough and light enough to be able to completely change directions while running at full speed. She often chooses to dress simply, wearing a zip up hoodie, black tank top, black leggings under jean shorts and black boots. But there was one important thing that separated her from her friends.
She was a Norma.
Which was a fact that didn't matter here. She was just as much of a person legally as Jamie and Jakob.
Speaking of Jakob, he smirked down at Jamie, "Thinkin' 'bout how you got throttled last week?"
All three of them competed in motocross, with Jakob being by far the best of them, though Jamie and Lee weren't too bad themselves. Jakob Hanneman stood at a similar height to Jamie, but the similarities ended there. Jakob had long bright blond hair, as opposed to Jamie's dark brown, and it was cut into a mohawk, though right now it was down and pushed over to the left. He was never seen without a set of his motocross shirt, pants, and boots. He was almost addicted to riding. To prove himself right, Jamie tilted his head to look beyond them and yep, dirtbike. They rode here together.
All three of them were as close as siblings, something that partially filled the hole in his heart left by Reagan. Eight years ago, Lee found him sulking on the stairs of their school and hasn't left him alone since. A year later, they met Jakob, who literally crashed into their lives on a dirtbike.
"I'm not moping, and no, I wasn't. Just waiting for your slow asses." Jamie said as he picked himself up. Jamie spotted the soccer ball in Lee's arm, "I see you came prepared."
"You boys ready to get your asses kicked?" Lee asked, all cocky. In their special game of three-way soccer, there were three goals, and whoever scored in another person's goal gained a point. Simple right? Well, maybe not, since, despite her speed and athleticism, Lee has never won a single game. Jamie and Jakob simply gave her a look.
They then turned to each other, "So what's the wager?" Jakob asked Jamie. Lee cried out at being ignored. Jamie waved him off.
"Nah, nothing tonight." He said dismissively. Jakob gazed at Jamie for a moment before shrugging.
"Hey guys." Lee said, drawing their attention, pointing to something over the sea. Jamie and Jakob followed her finger, trying to see what she wanted them to see, "What's that?"
Jamie squinted his eyes. Whatever it was, it was getting closer.
"Is it a plane?" Jakob guessed.
As it got closer, Jamie's eyes widened as he realized what it was.
A missile. A missile that as it got closer, split open its body, letting hundreds of smaller missiles shoot off.
"Oh shit! RUN!" He barely managed to say before his world was engulfed in heat.
As Jamie came to, the first thing he felt was heat. As he raised himself up, he felt dizziness clouding his mind. And as the dizziness faded, he felt scorching heat. His eyes finally focused, fuzziness clearing up, and all he saw was flames. Everything was burning around him, and the sky turned grey with smoke.
The destruction and fire around him made him focus immediately. He looked around his general area. The soccer field was destroyed with craters, but the fire was far enough away to not worry about for now. He saw Jakob, face down, but still breathing. Looking around however, made his blood run cold.
Lee was missing.
Jamie saw her hoodie lying on the ground, but no sign of the Norma. That worried Jamie terribly. Hearing a groan, Jamie turned to Jakob, who was pushing himself up.
"Ugh, what happened?" He croaked out. Jamie scrambled over to help him up, and it was only then he noticed what was going on around them, "Uh, hey J? Why's everything on fire?"
"Maybe because some psycho launched a cluster missile or some shit at us." Jamie answered as Jakob got his footing. He shook his head to clear it as Jamie continued, "Fields destroyed, there's a wall of fire just beyond it, and I can't find Lee."
Jakob's head snapped up as he said that last part, "Lee's missing?!" Jamie solemnly nodded. The school nearby crumbled, drawing their attention, "Well, we can't worry about that right now. We have to get down to the pier. If Lee or anyone else survived, they'd head for the boats."
Jamie looked conflicted before nodding, "Yeah, good idea. Let's go to my house, see if my parents made it out."
Jakob nodded, and they raced to the knocked over dirtbike. It was practically untouched, simply knocked over from the explosions. The boys rode out of the school's zone and raced down the hill, through the city that was now lit up in flames. About halfway down the main road, they saw the tram car knocked over, so they slowed down to get around it before heading down the right side road that Jamie's house was on. As they neared, they noticed the house ablaze, and Mike outside.
"Dad!" Jamie called out as they neared. Mike turned his head to where his son was coming from.
"Jamie!" He said running over as they stopped. Jamie noticed his mother missing.
"Where's mom?!" He asked, worried.
"She's still inside, on the top floor. I got outside moments before you got here." Mike said, taking a look at the house before pointing, "Look, top windows open. She's there, but can't get out since it's a straight drop. All the bushes are on fire too."
"I see her. Stairs are the only way right?" Jamie asked. Mike nodded, staring at the house. He then turned to Jamie, a seriousness in his eyes.
"Listen to me, son. If… we don't come out, go with Jakob and go down to the pier. Ricker's got his company getting all the boats out for rescue." Mike explained, looking at both of the boys. Jakob nodded, but Jamie's brows furrowed.
"But…" Jamie started to protest, but a hard stare from Mike left no room for protest, "Okay, Dad."
"Good. You boys need to get out of here safely." He said, taking a look over both of them, seeing someone missing, "And I hope Lee's safe too."
With that, he turned and ran back into the house. Jamie kept his eyes on the house, while Jakob looked around the street craters, fire, and… bodies. Not even burnt, just… dead. Despite the heat, a chill went up his spine. He was thankful for where he stopped, since it looked like the street was the safest place to be.
Jamie watched the house intently for minutes. Just a minute had passed since his mother left the window. He continued watching, and eventually he saw his father and mother come down the stairs from the window.
And then, tragedy struck.
The ceiling just above his parents, gave way and caved in, right on top of them. Jamie almost jumped off the bike had Jakob not restrained him. His sorrow and agony was silent, his voice seemingly lost as he soundlessly cried out for his parents.
"We have to go." Jakob grit out. He wasn't doing much better, but was able to keep his mind on survival and Mike's instructions. Jamie stopped struggling and sat back on the bike, gripping Jakob's shoulders as he quickly turned and tore down the street.
Taking a look back, Jakob saw Jamie's expression. His eyes were unfocused. It was like the only thing that kept him tethered to the world was his grip on Jakob's shoulders, which was like iron. As if that was the only way to make sure this was real. Jamie turned his listless gaze on the streets as they rode down them. The dead littered everywhere, the buildings ruined. His life, as he knew it, had changed forever.
Even Mr. Dillinger's fruit stand was on fire, the apples being grilled without remorse.
As they neared the pier, they noticed few people loading onto the boats, likely the last to board. Richter saw the boys incoming, and waved to them, "Come on, boys! We're leaving!"
Jakob put the dirtbike into another gear to get to the boat in time. But the tragedies were not over. As they neared the boats, all of them were hit with more missiles, the explosions creating a deafening boom. The explosions were so big, they knocked the boys off the dirtbike and even backwards.
Jamie's vision flashed white as he landed, but was able to recover and look around. His heart dropped as he saw Jakob, slumped over against a wall with some debris on his lap, pinning him down. He raced over and tried to lift the debris off of his friend. He managed to get it off and tried to shake Jakob awake. Then he noticed the blood on the wall. And the blood on the back of Jakob's head. Jamie stumbled back, realizing what had happened.
Jakob had died upon impact with the wall.
With manic desperation, Jamie raced around the pier trying to find people to help. He found someone and lifted debris off only to find another corpse, or someone who didn't have time left.
There was barely a difference here.
Jamie kept trying, moving from one spot to the next, lifting debris only to find more loss of life. Over and over, through the splinters and stones Jamie kept digging, but with no luck. No survivors, and no one who could survive.
Eventually, he collapsed, face down on the ground, his right arm tingling.
It felt like an eternity before he heard a sound. Something like, a jetpack or something jet propelled. Jamie looked up and there he saw it.
A man. But… not. It looked too human, like something trying to mimic human features. Panel lines and black joints made up this man, and it's eyes… his eyes were shining red, like LED lights. And they were focused on him.
"Well, it looks like someone survived. I'm getting sloppy." He said, a mechanical echo to his voice, "Not that it matters. He'll die eventually."
Oh, he was talking to himself. He was speaking like he didn't just commit genocide on a city. The thought made a surge of anger flare up within Jamie.
"You… BASTARD!" Jamie said, slowly crawling to the android. That's what he was, an android. His mechanical eyes spin, like they were focusing and actually seeing Jamie for the first time.
"I am, aren't I. I'm everything that's evil in this world." He said as she stepped over to Jamie. He grabbed the human's chin, forcing Jamie to look into his mechanical eyes, "Are you going to try and stop me?"
He shoved Jamie's face away. Jamie turned back to the android and lunged, but his speed was too slow. He missed by a mile, the android watching him, amused.
"You can't even stand up. You're not good enough to kill me. Not yet. But I'm going to give you a chance. I'm going to let you live, and see if you can kill me." With that, the android took off, flying away. Jamie tracked his flight until he couldn't stay awake anymore.
And right there, in the burning ruins of Westwood, Jamison Kendrick passed out, and his life would never be the same.
The sky was pitch black over Arzenal, yet one person who was up was Commander Jill. She was woken up by a transmission from an old acquaintance who seemed to have another Libertus hopeful. This "Wandering Wraith'' concealed his identity, but he was someone she knew from a long time ago, one who called himself 'Briar'. So now here she was, waiting for his arrival.
Soon enough, a small aircraft came into view. It was nothing like aircrafts nowadays, not requiring mana to operate it. It was older, much older.
The ship landed and the cargo door opened, and out stepped a hooded masked man carrying a young man in his arms. Briar. Jill had never seen the man's true face, or his true voice as the mask also modified it. She honestly didn't trust him too much, but the man did occasionally bring her outstanding pilots.
What was different this time was the person in his arms. A young man of about seventeen with long brown hair. This was the first time Briar had brought her a boy.
"This is new." She simply said as Briar walked up to her, "You do know there are only girls here, right?"
"I am aware, Alektra." Briar said, his mask making his voice sound mechanical. Jill's glare turned harsh when Briar called her by her real name, "But I've watched this one for a while now."
"And?" Jill asked, raising her brow. She needed to hear a reason why she should keep the teen at Arzenal.
"He would do well for your plans." Briar stated. Seeing Jill's stare remain, he explained, "He has spent the last ten years of his life in a Norma-friendly town. A town which was recently burned to the ground by that… entity I mentioned before."
"The robot, right." Jill said. She didn't believe this robotic boogeyman Briar had told her of before. There was simply no proof.
"It left no survivors other than him." Briar said, nodding his head to the kid.
"How are you going to convince the inspector to let him stay here?" Jill asked.
"I have already forged an arrest record. He might not take kindly to being accused of slaughtering his town, but it will be enough to keep him here." Briar explained, laying the boy out on the ground.
"And who is he?"
"Jamison Kendrick."
"Kendrick?"
"Yes, same as her. Her older brother actually."
"Hm."
"She is still alive right?" Briar asked, but only got a stare instead, "Right, it's not my business. Regardless, whether or not you like him, he will be an asset to you. He has great leadership skills, even if he doesn't know it yet."
"So what will you do now?" Jill asked after a few moments of pondering, "Find more to bring to me?"
"Have I done anything else for the last few years?" Briar countered while simultaneously answering the question. Briar had been responsible for bringing a few Norma he believed could prove to be beneficial to Jill's plans, easily forging documentation for each and every one of them. It was easy, since all the girls had to do was be a Norma to be locked up, a fact that made him grit his teeth in anger. Forging a record for Jamie was a bit different, having to list actual crimes that warranted being locked up in Arzenal, a Norma prison island.
The android's attack made it easy to pin the blame on Jamie, but if he were to bring more males to Arzenal, he'd need to get a bit creative.
He looked out to the sea, "I'm going to look for any survivors. The kid is owed that much."
"Then I'll be seeing you." Jill said, picking up the kid from the ground. Her robotic arm made it easier for her to do so despite the teen being taller than her. Briar nodded and boarded his ship, and proceeded to take off within minutes.
"You do realize keeping the engines warm will just make you use more fuel, right?" Jill muttered as she headed back inside. As she did, she saw the inspector Emma Bronson walk up, groggy.
"What is going on at this hour? Was that a shi-, who is that?" Emma Bronson, the Inspector General of Arzenal asked, groggy from just waking up, but sobered when she saw Jamie, "He shouldn't be here! Why is he here?!"
"He's a criminal. And criminals go to prison." Jill said, walking off to take the teen to the medical wing.
"But that can't be right? What did he do?"
"An entire city was destroyed by him. Burned." Jill said, sending a glare back to Emma, who flinched.
"T-that has to be a mistake. Perhaps an accident?" Emma said, hopeful of her proposition.
"Accident or not, people still died." Jill said, moving again, "I was informed that his record's in the system. Check it yourself if you don't believe me." With that, she turned the corner, leaving Emma in the landing bay alone.
Emma stared blankly for a moment before sighing and summoning a mana screen. There, she saw the teen's new record.
"I suppose even if it was an accident…" Emma said, resigned. Her eyes moved down the screen before stopping on a specific name under the family section, "Her? Maybe it's just a coincidence. To be the sibling of a Norma… Well, he is from the Annex Republic. Those degenerates."
November 18th, 2743
Jamie's vision was blurry as he opened his eyes. It was bright, and the room he was in was unfamiliar. He groaned as he slowly sat up, palming his face.
"Well good morning, handsome. You look like you've had a rough night."
Jamie blearily looked around the room, "Wha-? Where am I?"
He spotted a woman in her mid-20s with dark red hair walking over to him. She gave off a sultry aura, but her eyes were calculating, much like that of a surgeon, "You're at Arzenal, a prison island for Norma. I'm Maggie, the medical professional and surgeon here." And a surgeon she was.
"Prison island for Norma? How did I get here?" He asked. Maggie noted that his tone only held confusion, not anger or malice of any kind. Going over his profile while creating his medical record, she noticed a Norma sister listed. Having gone over that file again, she reread the part where the girl stated her family protected her for as long as they could, and now the brother was here. His tone just now confirmed for her that Jamison Kendrick held no hatred for Norma. A rarity for his kind.
"You arrived here unconscious. Do you remember anything before you passed out?" Maggie asked as she moved to perform basic tests on him. Vision, hearing, range of motion, even taking some blood.
"It was… sundown. I was with Lee and Jakob when…" He cut himself off with a sharp breath. Maggie thought it was because she poked him with a needle to take some blood, but when she looked at his face, her eyes widened.
He was crying. And the look on his face was one of horror, "Oh, fuck…"
"What is it? What's wrong?" Maggie asked gently as Jamie covered his face with his hands.
"They're all dead." Maggie felt the weight of his statement. It was crushing. She's heard Norma say those words before, and the weight never got lighter. The fear, the horror. The trauma, "He killed them all. Mom, Dad, Lee, Jakob." He let out a deranged chuckle, "Even Mr. Dillinger at the corner of the street selling apples."
Maggie let out a sad sigh and gently embraced him as his manic laughter turned into sobs. He gripped her sleeve tightly as his tears stained her lab coat. She rubbed his back in a soothing manner, hoping to calm his breakdown, "It'll be alright." She said softly. Despite being a sultry and provocative woman, she knew how to be gentle and comforting. Perhaps she just had a bleeding heart, and it hurt to see someone hurt as much as Jamie was in one night.
"I saw my parents house fall in on itself, and I saw Dad get crushed through the window. I know Mom didn't survive. Everything was burning. Everything I had ever known for the last ten years burned right in front of me. All because of him." Jamie's voice became enraged as he said that final word.
"Who is 'he'?" Maggie asked with morbid curiosity.
"Some kind of android." Said a different voice.
Maggie turned and saw Jill. She didn't hear her enter, but she was here now. Jill looked at Jamie with a sneer.
"Hey, kid. Are you going to pull yourself together any time soon?" She asked with some bite. Maggie's eyes narrowed before sighing. Sometimes she forgot the Jill of today wasn't the same Jill from long ago. This Jill was cold, and didn't care about lives unless they served a purpose. Her purpose.
Jamie let go of Maggie and wiped his eyes, "Y-yeah. I'm good. How did you know about-?"
"The man who brought you here told me." Jill said. Maggie immediately understood who she was talking about.
Briar.
Maggie has never personally met Briar, but has seen him drop off a few girls before. And now, he dropped off the first male prisoner of Arzenal.
"Personally, I don't believe his story of an android-"
"It's real." Jamie said, with a fierceness in his eyes and a quiet confidence in his voice that what he saw was the absolute truth. Jill grit her teeth.
"Don't ever interrupt me again. I am the Commander-in-Chief of Arzenal," Jill smirked when she saw his eyes widen as he realized who he snapped back at, "Call me Jill. Now that you're awake, go clean yourself up in the bathroom, I'll be back with your new clothes."
And with that, she left. Maggie sighed as she turned back to Jamie, who was getting out of bed, "Be careful with your arm, the burns are still fresh. And they'll scar."
"Is she always like that?" Jamie asked.
"Never used to be. But there came a point in time when she lost everyone she loved, and so became the ruthless woman you just met." Maggie explained. Jamie stared in contemplation before nodding sadly and entering the bathroom.
*Knock* *Knock*
Jamie was examining himself in the bathroom mirror, tracing the bandages that went up his right forearm, the burns underneath tingling. He didn't rmember how he got the burns, but he guessed it was when he tried to find and help people, for all the good that did. At some point, he burned himself, but was too deep in his despair that he didn't notice the pain. Feeling it now though, the sensation made him wince, but resigned himself to the pain now that he had the mana-blocking cuff on, stopping him from healing it himself.
As if he even knew how to do that. Lack of use causes a muscle to atrophy, and the same could be said about the Light of Mana.
Thinking of his new Commander, he thought of what he observed. He was good at reading people, and what he saw in Jill, he disliked. She was consumed with some kind of vengeance, and was willing to do whatever it took to get that revenge. Even use other people's lives if Jamie had to wager.
And the worst part was, he saw some of himself in Jill. He wanted revenge against that android no matter what it took.
"It's Jill, open up."
Jamie let out a single sigh as he went to open the door. He sent an amused look at her when it was open, "I don't really have a choice, now that I take orders from you."
"Smart kid." Jill said as she took in his shirtless form. He was lean, but had some hidden muscle. Overall, above average, but she would have to see if he had the athletic skills to match. She also observed the bandages on his arm and torso. The burn on his arm would scar according to Maggie, but the cuts and bruises everywhere else should heal up fine, "All the girls here have a jacket and boots somewhat like this. Usually, the girls have the same jacket, but since you're not a girl, I had these custom made overnight."
"Really? Well now I feel bad for the girl who stayed up all night doin' this for me." Jamie said as he picked up the black jacket. It was black with accents of blue and grey. The boots with it were the standard design, but inverted colors as well, black and blue instead of white and red, just made to Jamie's size. Overall it went well with his black jeans and grey shirt. He had a very monochromatic sense of style. Jill waved off his concern.
"Vera usually sleeps during the day, so she's up all night. Don't worry about her."
"Okay then." Jamie said as he put his shirt on. Jill just now noticed it had a black skull on it, which looked like Jamie did himself as it was rather sloppy. But it fit him. Now with the jacket and boots on, jeans going over them, Jamie was ready, "So, what's first?"
Jill smirked, "Time for you to go to class."
"Oh... joy..."
"Dimensional Rift Attuned Gargantuan Organic Neototypes. DRAGON." Mary said to the kids, "We have a very important job as the Norma: To stop all the DRAGONs here at Arzenal." She moved to the window to pull back the curtains and reveal a section of the base, "And kill them for the humans."
Jamie was sitting in a way too small seat towards the back of the classroom, with Jill standing behind him. He raised his hand, drawing all attention to him. The teacher, Mary, seemed somewhat put off by his presence, but called on him, "Yes...?"
"Jamie. What the he-" He paused and glanced at the kids, "-heck is a Neototype?"
"That's what we call their species."
"That… doesn't narrow it down any, but guess it doesn't matter if we're killin' them anyways." Jamie said, crossing his arms.
"Indeed. Anyways, exterminating the DRAGONs is the only reason why Norma like you and me are allowed to live in this world." Mary heard a scoff from the only male on base, "And anyone they send here I suppose."
"Not what I got upset about." Jamie muttered. Only Jill and (somehow)Mary heard him.
"Let's keep that in mind as we do our best on the battlefield, okay?" Mary continued as she asked the kids.
"Yes ma'am!"
"You getting all this?" Jill asked the teen.
"Yeah. It's pretty crazy though. That these things exist." Jamie said as he sat forward.
"Our life is death."
"It shouldn't be that way."
"...We agree on that. Your education is complete. You haven't eaten in a while, you must be starving." As if to prove her point, Jamie's stomach grumbled, "As I thought. Come on, let's get you to the dining hall."
"Hold on... I might be stuck in this chair." Jamie said with a sliver of panic in his voice.
"I told you you didn't have to sit in it."
"I show respect for my teachers by sitting in my assigned seat."
"Get up and stop wasting time."
All the while, Mary watched the human and her Commander banter back and forth, amazed.
'This human is so much like us...'
"So you sympathize with Norma." Jill began as she and Jaime walked down the hallway to Jamie's new room. It was midday, so all the girls on the base were busy by now either having lunch or going on a mission.
"Much less sympathize and more see for what they really are." Jamie said.
"And what's that?"
"People." Jamie simply answered.
"Is that so?" Jill asked. She was testing his belief.
"Besides my sister, I've known a lot of Norma. I lived in the Annex Republic for years, so there were plenty of Norma to interact with. And I found that they're just like us. They have feelings, dreams, lives. They're not lesser. If anything, I'd say they're better than us."
"How so?" Jill asked, interested.
"The Light of Mana is a crutch. I've gone so long without using it that I forgot I have it, but Norma don't have it at all, meaning they don't have that crutch. And they're stronger for it."
"You might have to relearn how to use the Light of Mana if you want to be useful." Jill suggested.
Jamie sighed, "If you say so."
'There's no way we can let this one go. I hope you know how to fight kid, 'cause if you can, you're very valuable here.' She thought as they reached the door, "Here it is. You can decorate it however you want when you get enough money to do so."
"You guys have money?"
"I forgot the Annex Republic has its own currency."
"Yep. Good to know there's something I'm familiar with."
"That's one less thing I'll have to explain to you about." Jill said as they reached the room, "I assume you haven't had anything to eat since you woke up, correct?" Jill asked. Jamie simply nodded, "Then let's get you down to the mess hall. A soldier can't function properly without enough food."
"Yeah, ya gotta keep your energy up when you're fighting flying lizards or psychotic robots, or whatever." Jamie sarcastically said.
"I don't quite believe you about the robot story." Jill said. Jamie sideyed her.
"But…?"
"I believe you when you say you didn't do it." Jill said, making Jamie sigh in relief.
"It's nice to have someone believe me." Jamie said, thankful, before he bumped into someone, knocking them over, "Oh, sorry."
On the ground was a teen girl, around 15, with light blue hair and pink eyes. Her hair covered one of her eyes. Her visible eye was looking up at Jamie in fear.
"Ah, hello Chris." Jill said.
Internally, Chris was freaking out, 'Oh shit! Oh shit! It's a human! Why are you here?! Are you here to hurt me?! Please don't hurt me!' She panicked as she closed her eyes.
"Hey, are you alright?"
Her eyes opened at the question. She didn't hear any underlying malice or fake concern. It was real. She looked up at him. He was looking at her in concern, genuine concern. He held his hand out to her.
"Hey, I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going. You're not hurt are you?" Jamie asked. Chris numbly shook her head in denial, "Ok, good. I just got here last night. I don't want to hurt anyone this fast by accident."
Chris jolted as she remembered his hand was out to help her up. When she reached out to accept it, something strange happened to her. The moment her hand touched his, a slight spark of heat rushed to her face, "Th-thank you."
"It's no problem." Jamie said as he brought her to her feet. She was shorter than him, "Call me Jamie."
"C-Chris."
"It's a pleasure to meet you Chris." Jamie said with a smile that made Chris turn even more red. If possible, steam would be coming out of her ears. A scoff interrupted the moment.
"If you're done, I have an assignment for you Chris." Jill said, arms crossed. Chris panicked a bit as she turned her attention to the Commander.
"Y-yes ma'am?"
"Bring Jamie here to the food court. He hasn't eaten in a while so he must be hungry." Jill stated.
"Understood, I'll take him there now." Chris said, partially upset that she couldn't go and see Rosalie like she planned.
"Good, get to it. And when you're done, take him around the base." Jill said.
"B-but what about my squad?" Chris asked, nervous. She didn't want to draw the ire of her squad. Well, Vivian wouldn't care, Ersha would understand, as would Rosalie and Salia. It was Hilda she was worried about. While she may love the redhead, she was also afraid of her. Zola… who knew how she'd react.
"Consider yourself freed from all work today. Dismissed." Jill said as she left. Chris let out a sigh and visibly sagged, like a weight was just lifted off her shoulders, when the Commander turned the corner. Jamie noticed this and let out a breathy chuckle.
"She puts you on edge?" He asked. Chris perked up when she heard his voice, remembering that he was still there.
"Yeah... she can be pretty strict too. Anyways, the food court is this way." Chris said, pointing down the hallway before walking down it. Jamie trailed after her.
They walked in silence, with Chris consumed in her thoughts, 'Dammit, I wanted to go see Rosalie when she was done helping Mei. Why did Jill stick me with this... human!?' Chris stole a glance at the human following her, who was stopped and looking out the window they were passing until he noticed her staring, making her quickly turn her head back, blushing once again, 'But he's so hot! A-and he's so nice. He didn't spit any insults at me, and offered to help me up. Ugh, I'm so confused!'
"So, you got a full name?"
"Huh?" Chris asked, snapping out of her thoughts.
"Got a full name?" Jamie reiterated, crossing his arms behind his head nonchalantly.
"T-that's only for people I trust. Sorry." Chris apologized, "Besides, we just have one name here."
"Ah, don't worry about it, I understand."
"What about you?"
"Me? Heh, I'll tell you when I trust you." Jamie said, throwing a smirk at Chris, who sighed at a version of her own words.
"I guess that's fair."
"Jamison Kendrick." Chris' eyes snapped open when he said his name.
"What? B-but you said-!"
"I know, and I meant it."
"B-but we just met!"
"Yeah, and?"
"You trust me that quickly?"
"I'm great at reading people, even ones I just met, and I can tell that you're a good person. Someone I can trust." Jamie said, moving his crossed arms to his chest.
"R-really? What can you tell about me?"
"Well, you're shy, a bit fragile, and a slight bit perverted." Jamie stated, making Chris blush at the 'perverted' part, "But I can tell you've got a very perceptive mind and a sharp tongue, though even with that, I know you're good at heart."
"T-thank you..." Chris said softly, blushing again, 'I'm doing that a lot here. What's wrong with me?'
"Don't mention it. This is probably the most free I've felt in years, so thank you." Jamie said, earnestly.
"That reminds me, why are you here in the first place?" Chris asked. Jamie let out a dark chuckle at that.
"Why? Well, you're looking at a supposed mass murderer." Jamie said as he deactivated the mana-inhibitor and summoned a mana screen. Since he hadn't used the ability in years, it took a small effort to just summon the screen, but when he did, it showed his charges. Jill told Emma to allow him to have access to his arrest record for whatever reason. Chris flinched at the sight of the Light of Mana, but paid attention to what was written on the screen.
As the bluenette read the charges, her expression got more and more shocked, "You... did all of this?"
"No."
"What?"
"It's all fake. Just a cover to keep me here. I remember the village burning, but then I blacked out, and woke up here." Jamie said softly, dispelling the mana screen. It was then that Chris heard something in his voice. Something that didn't sound right. Like something that was being buried was now coming to light. He didn't look at Chris and continued, "How far are we? We've gone a ways now."
"O-oh, um, we're almost there actually. Through those doors." Chris pointed out. Jamie nodded as he took the lead.
As he opened the doors, all eyes focused in on him, almost instantly.
"Hey, everyone. Name's Jamie, and I'm Arzenal's new pilot starting today." He said, looking out over everyone.
"And what the hell is someone like you doing here?" An angry voice eventually called out. Jamie turned his head to see an angry redhead marching towards him, "We don't need your kind here."
"Well sorry to say sweetheart, you and I don't get a choice in the matter." Jamie said, looking down on the redhead. Jamie was known in his community to pick fights with anyone who pissed him off, which wasn't something that happened often. Already he was quite irritated by this girl's tone, "They sent you and I here for the same reasons. They consider us both dangerous."
"And you expect me to believe that load of garbage?" She asked.
"H-Hilda, I think-"
"Butt out Chris." The now named Hilda snapped at Chris.
"I can handle myself, Chris, no need to worry. I'm not about to lose a war of words to this ginger joke." Jamie said, smirking at Hilda, who sneered at him. A round of 'oooohh's rang out around the cafeteria.
"Ginger joke, huh? Lose a war of words I may, but if we're fighting I'll kick your ass."
"I'd like to see you try. I'm interested to see if you can back up the shit that comes out of your mouth." Jamie said. He felt Chris tugging on his arm, but his eyes remained locked with Hilda's, challenging each other to make the first move.
"If neither of you are gonna make a move, then I'll break this up before it begins." A girl strode up, getting in between the two. Her messy black bob turned to Jamie, and her purple eyes locked with the teen's, wordlessly telling him to back down. Jamie huffed before letting Chris pull him back. The girl then turned to Hilda.
"Why don't you go run back to Zola like the little pet you are, and let someone with authority take care of this." She said. Hilda glared at her.
"You're lucky you're a Captain, Hex."
"I didn't ask to be, but it does give me power over girls like you. Girls who start shit they likely can't finish." Hex said with a smirk. Clearly someone else who didn't like the redhead.
Hilda scoffed and turned away, "Whatever, come on Chris, let's go." When Chris didn't move, nervously looking at Jamie, Hilda snapped, "Let's go. Now."
"Lay off her. Let her do what she wants, she doesn't answer to you," Jamie said before turning to Hex, "Right?"
Hex shook her head, "Hilda's just a subordinate."
"Okay then," Jamie said, turning to Hilda, "So fuck off."
Hilda's face scrunched up in pure anger, but walked away anyway. Hex turned to Jamie, now relaxed.
"Sorry about her. Might have to ask Zola to keep a tighter leash on her. As you can tell, she doesn't like humans, much less men." She said, holding out her hand, "I'm called Hex, Captain of the 7th squadron."
"Jamie." Jamie replied, shaking her hand, "You're a Captain, huh? Hope I'm in your squad."
"Heh, well, the rest of my girls are out on a mission. I'm on temporary medical leave since I got sick recently, so my Vice-Captain led them out. It's a good exercise in leadership for her. Hate the pay cut though." Hex said, motioning for Jamie to follow her, which he did, with Chris following him.
"Pay cut?" Jamie asked, falling into step with her.
"Yeah. Miss a mission, you don't get paid, and since I've been out the last few days, I haven't been earning any money." Hex explained.
"That bad, huh?"
"Yeah. Don't think you'd know about it, you having the Light of Mana and all."
"Nah. I don't use it out of habit. Came from the Annex Republic, so I haven't used it in a long time." Jamie said, shrugging. They reached a table and sat down, Jamie across from Hex with Chris next to him. He rolled up his sleeve and showed his new accessory, "Besides, I couldn't use it anyways."
"Annex Republic. You sure are lucky, though maybe not if you landed here. How'd that happen?" Hex asked. Jamie shook his head.
"Lucky is understating it. Had our own monetary system, though it seems it worked about the same as yours. I've known a lot of Norma, so I know you guys are alright. About how I got here…"
Hex nodded for him to continue while Chris listened in rapt attention. Jamie took a breath before continuing.
"I don't know if any other towns got hit. Yesterday, this… robot guy showed up and started burning the town, killing anyone he saw. Since we were surrounded by trees, the fire had become uncontrollable quickly. I lived on the edge of town, but I wasn't in my house when the fires started. I got to my house just in time to see it collapse in on itself, my parents inside. I watched everyone I knew die. And that bastard left me alive simply because he wanted to see how I reacted. He was bored and wanted to ruin someone's life. And I was that lucky someone. I couldn't save anyone, no matter how hard I tried."
'That's what it was. It's… depression. Seeing everyone you knew and loved all killed within hours. And not being able to do a thing about it? I don't think I could handle that.' Chris thought, finally figuring out what that hidden 'something' was in his voice earlier, 'The depression is unmasked when he talks about it. He's trying not to think about it.'
Hex noticed the heavy atmosphere and decided to relieve the tension.
"You tried to save others in a situation where you could've died too. You're a good guy, Jamie." Hex said with a soft smile. Tension left Jamie's body as he smiled along with her.
"I try my best. Got burned for it too." He said, rolling his sleeve up further and showing his bandages.
"That's cool, I dig that." Hex said, nodding, "Anyways, I assume you're hungry, since you're here, so let's get some grub, yeah?"
Now finished with the food, Hex suggested they go to the docking bay where the para-mails are launched. Chris followed them, pointedly avoiding Hilda's glare on the way out.
"Why are you called 'Hex'? Don't think that's a normal name." Jamie spoke up.
"My real name is Helena, and per Arzenal tradition, my name was changed to 'Hel'." Hex explained.
"Soon we found her interest in occult and we started calling her 'Hex'." Chris added. Jamie understood with an 'ah'.
"So from Helena, to Hel, to Hex." He recapped, "What's next? Just 'H'?"
"I hope not, I actually like 'Hex'." Hex said, taking pride in her given nickname.
"Yeah, it's a good one." Jamie said, "Y'know something just crossed my mind." Hex looked at him to continue, "You seem pretty alright with me being here. Why is that?"
"I want to know that too. It's a different reaction to when I first saw him." Chris said, looking up at Hex, slightly embarrassed at her previous fear of Jamie. Spending some time with him showed she had no reason to be afraid.
"That's because of my sister. She's a human, but she always told me not to judge someone by what they are, but rather who they are. It's stuck with me ever since."
"Those are great words to live by."
"I miss her."
"I'm sure she misses you too, if she cared about you that much." Jamie said, trying to be reassuring.
"No, she's… she's gone." Hex said, eyes downcast. Jamie and Chris looked at her in sympathy, "With Light of Mana, you can treat any sickness or disease. Not terminal ones."
Hex let out a shaky breath as she continued, "She started getting weaker and weaker. Eventually, she was gone. After that I told my parents I was giving myself up, 'cause I didn't want to burden them. I called the police and the next thing I know, I'm here, as I've been for the last ten years."
The silence between them was deafening before Chris broke it.
"I'm… so sorry. I can't imagine what that's like to lose someone like that." Chris said. She had known girls who eventually died, but no one who was especially close to her.
"I don't even want to imagine going on without my sister. Just the hope that she's here and alive is what keeps me going."
The air got heavy once again. Hex noticed and sighed.
"Let's just move on. Through these doors." Hex pointed out, leading the other two into the hangar.
As soon as they entered, a purple haired girl's head popped up, "Hey! What's up, Hex?"
"Nothin' much, just showin' the new guy around." Hex replied.
"New guy? Oh! That guy." The other girl replied.
"'That guy' is right here, y'know." Jamie said, pointing himself out. The girl stepped out from behind a piece of machinery. She looked young, at least a couple years younger than Jamie himself. She came up to Jamie and offered her hand, which he shook.
"Zhao Mei, maintenance foreman. Call me Mei." Mei introduced herself.
"Jamie." Jamie replied before what Mei said earlier caught up to him, "Hold on, you know about me?"
"Mei here is a part of Commander Jill's inner circle. If anyone would know what big things are going on, it's her." Hex explained. Jamie nodded in understanding.
"Yo, Chris! There you are. What took you so long?"
Jamie and Hex now looked to who spoke, seeing a busty ginger walk over to the bluenette. As if reading his mind, Hex answered Jamie's next question.
"That's Rosalie. She's a squadmate of Chris' and is pretty close with her." Hex explained.
"I was heading here earlier, but Jill sort of... gave me an assignment, and the day off." Chris explained. Rosalie raised an eyebrow, and Chris gestured to Jamie as a result. Rosalie put on a questioning look as she approached Jamie.
"And who are you?" Rosalie asked, poking Jamie's chest.
"I'm Arzenal's newest resident, Jamie. Nice to meet you." He said, offering his hand. Rosalie didn't take it, so he drew it back.
"Oh really, and what's a Human like you doing here? What, did you destroy a town?" Rosalie asked sarcastically, but Jamie diverted his eyes and sighed, making Rosalie falter, "Wait, seriously?"
"I didn't actually do it, but someone had to take the blame." Jamie said, voice becoming hollow.
"Damn." Rosalie said, now upset at his misfortune. Just then, Hex's squad was returning to the hangar.
"Yeah. I just hope my sister's still alive." Jamie said softly, making Rosalie's face soften.
"I never asked, what's your sister's name?" Hex asked. The pilots were disembarking from their para-mails.
"Rea-"
"Jamie?!"
"-gan." Jamie finished, wide-eyed. He turned to the voice, and saw the one person he missed most in the entire world. Reagan.
Reagan ran forward and immediately hugged Jamie. Jamie was hesitant. He dreamt of this moment for so many nights, and was unsure if this was real. When he finally wrapped his arms around her, he broke down as he held her tighter.
"F-finally." He got out between sobs. All the other girls watched the heartwarming scene with small smiles.
"Well, ain't that lucky." Hex said with a smile, commenting on the sight.
Letting out a shaky breath, Jamie held Reagan in front of him, "Is this real? Are you real?" He asked, not sure if he was dreaming.
"Y-yes, yes I'm real you idiot." Reagan said as she drew her brother close to herself again. Jamie let out a breathy chuckle.
"Sorry, I've just dreamed of this moment so many times, I didn't know if I could trust myself." Jamie said, tightening the hug, "Thank god this is real."
Officer Connor Daniels had a feeling that today was going to be a bad day. First, his milk turned out to be expired, having not paid attention to the date, leading to a very sweet flavored cereal. And he didn't eat Froot Loops. Then, after a string of all nighters trying to solve a vandalism case, he fell asleep in the bullpen, leading to him being chewed out by his boss.
But that didn't compare to now. Right now, he was on the way to an assault. A new and frightening phenomenon that saw multiple innocent people hospitalized, or even worse killed in some sort of violent altercation.
Everyone said it was the work of a vicious Norma, but Connor didn't think so. Ever since his father had made an unorthodox Norma arrest, he told Connor to never judge by what others say, but from what you see yourself. Connor hasn't seen the perpetrator of these crimes, but he firmly believes it wasn't a Norma.
As he pulled up to the scene, he spotted a few other officers doing the same. He got out of his car, and another officer called out to him, "Hey Daniels, ready to make your first Norma arrest?"
"That has yet to be decided." Connor said, his answer vague. His colleague chuckled.
"Better decide quickly, it's just around this corner." With that, he and three other officers walked down the alley, with Connor rushing to the front.
What lay beyond the corner was a sight Connor would never forget.
Blood, all across the walls, and bodies littered throughout. Some breathing… some not. And there, at the end of the alley, was the one responsible. A teen, just four years younger than Connor himself, holding a lifeless man by the throat. The teen then noticed them, glancing behind him. The stare he gave sent a chill up Connor's spine. Forget what everyone said about the Norma.
This was a monster.
"Hah, finally…" The teen rasped out, turning fully towards the cops, "More."