It was as if the hurricane arrived at the door, ready to destroy anything on its path. Shin's foul mood emanated from his usually stone-cold face. He hadn't said a word since coming inside. Anju, Kurena, and Raiden looked exhausted, barely staying awake on the couch, and Theo was the only one standing in front of a huge corkboard. He had craziness in his eyes, mumbling something while pinning more stuff to the display.
"Shin! Finally. We were waiting for you. Took you long enough, but never mind. Sit. Listen. There is so much to discuss." Dark bags under his eyes suggested Theo hadn't been sleeping for more than one night. He resembled a madman, or maybe he was one. The numerous markings and notes clipped to the board were chaotic, not making any sense at first glance.
"Get to the point. My patience is wearing thin." Shin crossed his arms, glaring at the perpetrator of all this fuss. Theoto Rikka seemed completely unfazed by the threat, beginning the story with unwavering enthusiasm.
"So the message advised to meet with Marquess Seymour, who no one seemed to recognize or remember. No trace of this family name exists in the Imperial Library, we even checked every single Marquess since fifty years ago. Louis Schaper, Bruno Segert, Pepe Silvia, Henry Sieper, Paul Spengler. Those were all close, but clearly not enough to be confused with Seymour. We hit a dead end. There was so little data to go off, an impossible task. OR SO IT SEEMED. Until IT hit me." The boy was like in a trance, gesticulating lively throughout the story. He put his hands on Shin's shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes like he was about to disclose secrets of the universe.
"Yeah, it was hard and you are smart. Now tell me, what have you found." Captain assessed that in this state there was no point in arguing with him, so the only solution left was to get it over quickly.
"We all assumed the Marquess is a person. THAT was our mistake. The message said "go to the Marques Seymour", not talk to him, or inform this guy about the situation. The Marquess wasn't SOMEONE but SOMEWHERE! Do you get it, Shin? That changes EVERYTHING. So anyway, I started blasting. Cities, villages, mountains, landmarks, any idea I could think of. These guys here also added their two cents, and we ended up with a list of WHAT a Marquess might be. It took us many hours, but one of the anciently old city guides mentioned an old bar on the outskirts of the Sankt Jedar, Blauer Engel. You might think "huh, so what about it.". WELL. The note under it mentioned, that it's a spot frequented by the engineering students, who call the place differently, to honor the first owner. It's like a fraternity tradition, known only to the grads and the bar regulars. How did they call it you may ask? Marquess Seymour, after some honest, generous bartender, was famous for turning a blind eye to students' debts over two hundred years ago. I rest my case, the place we have to visit is an old college pub." Theo ended his rant with the passion of an experienced PhD student, defending his final thesis.
"And Zelene studied engineering here, so she knew the place. Smart move. This way, if you can't reach the Imperial Family, the message would only make sense to her fellow scientists, or acquaintances she familiarized with the term. Even if the enemy forces like the Republic intercepted the signal, it would be practically useless." The more he thought about it, the better the puzzles seemed to fit together. Could they find a solution to their problems there?
"You did what you wanted, can we all go to sleep now?" Kurena, who didn't move an inch during the presentation, groaned with desperation. Anju was already asleep on Raiden's arm, and the man himself dozed off with his head hanging back.
"Yeah, yeah, you can go now. Shin confirmed that my theory is valid. You were useless lackeys anyway, constantly complaining. But be prepared for tomorrow. We have to go and check the place out ourselves. Six in the morning would be enough?" The man was practically living inside his head, occupied solely by this mystery. Shin sighed at his friend's proposition, as the sun was already long gone.
"Give them a break. The place was made over two hundred years ago, and a day or two more won't make any difference. The Legion is far away, and we aren't expecting a mission soon. Let's rest properly first." Shin commanded as their leader, concerned about others' health. He deliberately avoided getting involved with Theo's research, so he felt guilty about adding to their suffering.
"Whatever man, you just don't get it." He snarled in response, but there was no room for discussion. Shin woke up the others, making Anju and Raiden go to the proper beds. The girl had to lean on her friend, as her eyelids were losing the fight with gravitation. Theo begrudgingly covered the corkboard with a blanket, and as a protest, decided to sleep right next to it. The Captain had no strength to argue, so the only person left was Kurena, still sitting on the couch's edge.
"Shiiiiiiiiin… I have nooooo strength in my legs..." Her exhaustion mysteriously skyrocketed in the span of seconds, absolutely not in the hopes of being carried like a princess by her crush.
"Then ask Theo to move a little and sleep here with him." Shin replied without missing a beat. Kurena tried to refute his words, but he had already run away to the bedroom. There was only one woman he wouldn't mind carrying to the bed, but she wasn't here right now.
During the same evening, a nervous teenager was constantly pacing around her room. She was going in circles for around three hours, making her the Fedders wonder, if she was all right. Vladilena Milizé was talented at accurately analyzing everything, besides her disastrous love life.
"Oh God. I closed my eyes when he leaned forward. What was I thinking? What is HE thinking? Does it mean anything? Maybe I had an eyelash on the cheek. Am I misinterpreting his intentions? Why did I hold his hand so aggressively…" She ruminated about every word that was spoken and every gesture that was made hours ago at that flowery field. The questions kept piling up, making her more shaky with time.
When a doorbell rang, her forehead was aggressively red from constant head banging on the wall, and her silver hair was in complete disarray. She panicked, not wanting to show Shin this pitiful version of herself, but there was no rescue in sight. Lena grabbed the nearest blanket and put it over her head, like a giant hooded cape, meant to hide her from the vicious world.
"Who's there?" She asked in a trembling tone, barely opening the door. Using the excuse of getting sick might be questionable at best since they saw each other earlier, but she was seriously considering it.
"Silly, it's us! Have you already forgotten about your dear friends?" Annette's familiar voice was like a godsend to Lena's toiled heart. After getting outside she also saw Charlotte's bright smile, reminding her of their days in the Republic.
"Annette! Char! You're both here! How did it happen? I was sure the backlog and observing Primevére would push our meeting back for at least a week." Their primary plan was to meet with the girl after a while since she was their eyes and ears in the refugee camp.
"Sophia took over. She makes a much better spy than me. You wouldn't believe how much people let their guard down when a baby is being carried. Nathan is an excellent accomplice. You have to get him candy later, as a reward." Charlotte's speech was unimaginably better than when they met, making Lena proud. She was her most loyal subordinate, surpassing all her expectations.
"You should've seen her "pitiful single mom act", she could be a prominent actress. They are stationed in Primevére's camp in the west, with around fifty thousand people. The Federacy was smart, splitting them into multiple smaller bases instead of one big one. Yvonne is too eager to start a riot." Annette sighed dramatically, and the girls burst out laughing.
"Not to be rude, but… what are you wearing?" Char pointed out Lena's comical blanket outfit, which she totally forgot about.
"Pretend you don't see it. It's… a long story." Usually, she would get immediately flustered, but this day was a pinnacle of self-embarrassment. Those two saw her after weeks of not showering properly in the middle of an active battlefield, so one messy look would hardly faze them.
"Long story, huh? And this story isn't somehow connected to a certain Captain visiting your quarters alone?" The woman with the glasses crossed her arms menacingly, raising one eyebrow with suspicion.
"Annette?! How do you even know that? I thought you were drowning in workload, but it turns out you had plenty of time to spy on my private life!" Lena was shocked because she purposely didn't inform her about the meeting, to avoid endless teasing.
"I've got my sources. Don't think you can wiggle out of this. I'll press you some more later. We had our hands full, but they decided to move us closer to the center. It's annoying moving back and forth when the higher-ups constantly drag us to the deliberations. Like we couldn't answer on a video call! But here comes the good news. They got me a room in a fancy hotel near the plaza, and I pulled some strings to get two additional rooms next to it. You have to talk to the higher-ups about the cost, but considering what you have done, this should be the bare minimum." She grinned from ear to ear, showing the hotel's pictures on her tablet. It was impressive, resembling the Republic's finest palace, with a magnificent ballroom and a vast garden.
"You're a treasure, you know that?" Lena threw her arms around Annette's neck in gratitude, and Charlotte swiftly joined the group hug.
"I also carry some news from the headquarters. Vladilena Milizé, you've been officially invited to an interview to get your former job back. The interviewer is none other than the Federacy of Giad's Commander-in-Chief, President Ernst Zimmerman." Charlotte saluted duly and handed her an official crimson envelope.
July 25th Republic Year 357 (Stellar Year 2138)
38 days until the Start of the Legion War
*tw: alcohol, drugs and overdose mentioned*
The room started to shake as if the button had triggered an earthquake. Liz thought they were already done for. The familiar tingling in her belly suggested that gravity was pulling tricks on them, and she was bracing herself for an impact. To her surprise, the violent quakes subsided after less than half a minute. A pinging rang out from behind the panel, and the space they entered through before opened once again with a screech.
"...holy fuck, this was the most stressful elevator ride in my life." William was as shocked as her, with their hearts pounding faster than ever.
"Mine maybe the third, but still, wouldn't do it again." She tried to crack a joke, but her nervous laughter only added to the tension. The corridor in front of them was dark and ominous, not inciting the urge to explore.
"My eyes might be deceiving me from the cold and stress, but are those clothes hanging on the rack?" There were three sets of clothing, resembling the medical scrubs and one white butchering apron, covered in something red.
The two reluctantly got closer, but since they didn't sense any imminent danger, Liz helped him to change into the clean set. It was far from his size, but his unnaturally thin legs made it possible to put the pants on all the way through. His calves were left uncovered because of Will's height, but there was nothing they could do about it. The shirt was too tight to fit in, so Elizabeth reluctantly gave him her looser blouse, while putting on the medical one.
"We look like the most mismatched and incompetent doctors on Earth." Liz commented, after assessing the bizarre outfits. She pondered if giving him the apron would warm him up even more, but the metallic smell coming from it made her skin crawl.
"To not be stereotypical, you can be the tough doctor, and I will be your sexy assisting nurse. The only question remaining is if we can find the uniform with the appropriately inappropriate neckline. For me, of course." He winked, but she noticed his hands were trembling. Liz decided to wrap him with the blanket like a cocoon, to preserve as much heat as possible.
"Stay still, I will be your engine and steering wheel for a moment. We have to get out of here as soon as possible." Elizabeth said confidently, pushing him back to the mysterious elevator.
"Wait. I hate myself for suggesting that, but are you sure? Everything about it smells like some shady business. You are at the mercy of your aunt. Isn't that a perfect occasion to tilt the scale? If you find something to hold over her head, you can negotiate the duration of your stay, or maybe even some allowance later on." William tried to explain the potential gains while looking like a gigantic green worm.
"We don't negotiate with terrorists! Don't you know it's the basic rule? Zelene would probably rather kill me than give me my freedom back. For an uninterested, xenophobic relative, she is weirdly obsessed with keeping me on the Empire's grounds now." She responded in full seriousness, pondering on the possible reasons.
"Come on, now I'm getting heartburn from this flaming curiosity. Five minutes to sate it, and we can go back. Pretty please!" He put on a sad puppy face, with his charming silver eyes attacking Liz's heart relentlessly. The giant blanket worm form somehow magnified the effect.
"Ugh, fine. I'm kind of curious myself. Although Uncle John from next door always yelled "CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT, BUT I CAN BE FASTER THAN THE CURIOSITY." whenever I pried into his business. Nothing drives knowledge into your head like a belt. He was a weird man, but also my Granddad's drinking buddy... Don't mind me, I'm rambling from anxiety again." Elizabeth noticed Will's bewildered gaze, looking at her face with a mixture of pity, anger, confusion, and something else. She didn't mean it as a serious comment, just a trivial story from her childhood. Liv briefly forgot the boy probably grew up sheltered, and this must be like a trauma dump to him.
"Oh fuck, I'm so sorry you went through that. Shit, I feel like an asshole for invoking those kind of memories. Unworm me anytime you need a hug." Will tried to end it with a joke, but the sorrowful voice showed his genuine concern.
"Nah, It's fine. He was a decent fella, at least when he was sober. John had some substance issues and a business closely related to them. Even Grandpa cut him off in the final years, but he used to be a lovely uncle when I was a little child. Scary how a few chemicals can wrack up your brain irrecoverably." She sighed, recalling all the friends she lost to the addiction. Taking drugs wasn't unusual in her circles, but most of the people managed not to cross the line. Not all of them though.
"Yeah, that one I can relate to. Liberté technically has a pristine reputation, but the underworld is doing better than ever. When you seemingly have it all, absurdly many people decide it's the synthetic thrill they lack." He knew about many illegal clubs hidden in the capital, thriving in popularity with the corrupt elites.
"Shit! You're from the Republic? No way, I was CONVINCED you were from some Giadian village. If you have an accent, it's indistinguishable from the local for me. How did I not catch that? I'm such a scatterbrain recently…" Elizabeth got embarrassed by not knowing this basic fact, as she wanted to be seen as attentive and caring. Usually, she was the one to be great at remembering her friend's birthdays, but even the best have their weak moments.
"The Empire doesn't exactly have a positive opinion about my country. I tend to avoid mentioning it, as people get weirdly hostile after that one info. I'd appreciate it if you keep it to yourself."William chuckled uneasily, embarrassed it came out this way. The discussion was awkward yet absorbing, enough so, that the friends forgot they were currently in the secret underground facility. After a moment of silence, Will looked at Liz with a silent question, and she responded with a heavy sigh.
"But at the first sign of danger, we get the fuck out." She threatened him with a finger, but the boy was basically at her mercy anyway. The blanket made it difficult to move, as she made sure to wrap him tightly like a burrito.
"Yes, ma'am!" He would salute if not the tied hands.
They moved slowly, and with each step taken the automatic lights activated in front of them, guiding the path forward. A big bifurcation at the end of the corridor forced them to make a choice. Since there was no specific plan for their venture, they decided to use the "always turn right" foolproof maze escape rule. It led them to the solid metal door, amazingly left unlocked. They carelessly entered the room, not prepared for what was waiting inside.
The sight was simply bone-chilling. Multiple white dissection tables lined up in a row were tinted by blood, both dried and still liquid. Brains were scattered everywhere, in different stages of dismemberment, covered by a weird greenish substance, stinking like a rotten egg. The enormous glass container located in the center was holding eerie silvery fluids, rippling fitfully in the green matter. It was connected to an advanced computer set, higher than two meters.
The psychogenic gag reflex shook Elizabeth's stomach, ending up in the whole breakfast being thrown up in the small bucket. She was trembling uncontrollably, not being able to understand what she had stumbled upon.
William was in no better shape, pale as a ghost, frozen in his wheelchair. There was no trace of curiosity left in his eyes, with only the fear remaining. They didn't even notice mechanical structures lined up at the back wall, which would normally be terrifying enough by themselves. Elizabeth's frightened whisper broke the silence.
"Zelene is not just a witch. She is a stone-cold psycho."