Silent Mobius Fan Fiction ❯ Red Destiny - Book 1: New York ❯ Time Enough ( Chapter 12 )

Silent Mobius: Red Destiny

 

Book 1: New York

 

Chapter 12: Time Enough

 

Authors: OSTOCOM

 

Email and Website: See our profile

 

Rating: R for language

 

Disclaimer: We do not own Silent Mobius or its characters, but we do own our own characters. See Book 0 for complete disclaimer.

 

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Feritzia sat outside the office rigidly, scuffing her high heels on the dark marble floor. She didn't dare look at the door to her left, as what would happen beyond it was already overwhelming her imagination. (This is it,) she thought with clenched teeth. (This isn't Adara or Mackenzie…this is the Chief of Naval Operations. He's going to look at my record and…I might as well start packing my things now.) Feritzia breathed out heavily, thought for a moment, then immediately began fussing with her hair.

 

"Ms. Feritzia Ricci?"

 

Feritzia jumped at the sound of a sharp voice. She turned and saw an auburn-haired woman with eyes of ice staring at her. She was dressed in a well-tailored suit, and Feri thought her a woman of dangerous, pointed edges. "The admiral will see you now."

 

Feritzia got to her feet and followed the woman into the office. She steeled herself for the moment she'd have to face her superior…and all her resolve melted the moment she saw him.

 

The Chief of Naval Operations was seated behind an expansive, impeccably clean desk. He was surprisingly young-looking for his age, although a few distinguished grey hairs graced his temples. His most startling features however, were the intense turquoise eyes that held Feritzia captive, stirring long-dormant memories. He smiled as Feritzia entered, and held his arms open. "My dear Feri."

 

"Jerel!"

 

Feritzia suddenly felt the world and all its worries dissolve around her as she ran forward and buried herself in Jerel's arms. All of the confusion, the frustration, the loneliness she had felt since being revived amounted to nothing. She found icy tears sliding down her face, but they were tears of happiness. "Jerel, I…I thought you were dead…"

 

Jerel laughed softly. "Hey there, settle down." He pulled her back and wiped her tears away. "Look at you…after all this time you haven't aged a day."

 

"Well, neither have you," Feritzia responded.

 

"I guess that's to be expected." Jerel brushed the lock of silver hair behind her ear. "You must tell me what happened! After that night everything was insane and I wasn't able to find you."

 

Feritzia finally seemed to realize her position, and she found a seat for herself. "I don't know what happened. I just remember it felt like the world was falling to pieces. I didn't want to do anything or see anyone. I just wanted to disappear. And then it all got cold…colder than even I can stand." Feritzia shook the unpleasant memories out of her head. "But that doesn't matter now! You're alive, and you're here, and…I can't tell you how happy I am!"

 

She reached out to hug Jerel again, but he just smiled and held her back gently. "I trust you got my gift?"

 

"You gave me Prism!" Feritzia brightened with understanding. "I didn't know where it came from, but I was still glad I got it. Why did you send it to me?"

 

"I thought it might come in handy. I had heard about a new member of the infamous Equine Cleanup and Control, and it only took a little investigation to find out it was you."

 

"Why didn't you come and see me right away?" Feritzia asked.

 

"All sorts of terrible reasons. You can imagine that I'm kept very busy here. Besides, I wanted to give you some time to recover before seeing you."

 

Feritzia's face fell slightly. "I didn't need time to recover…all I really wanted was to see you again."

 

"Well, I'm here now," Jerel reassured her. "I heard that your group was in town, and I thought I'd come up with a good excuse to meet with you. I really want to hear about what happened to you at the Silent Crisis."

 

Feritzia looked confused, and her gaze fell to the floor. "I don't want to think about that…all of it was just horrible. Besides, I didn't do anything except what you told me to do."

 

"I'm sure you didn't. But there's still a question as to what went wrong. It's important to me to know what happened so that it won't happen again." Jerel's voice sounded firm.

 

"Look, I just don't see why it matters anymore," Feritzia said, tossing her hair back. "It's not like there's going to be another Silent Crisis."

 

Jerel narrowed his eyes at Feritzia in a way that was both inquisitive and calm. "Certainly not now…now that your friends are becoming so startlingly successful in fighting the Lucifer Hawk."

 

Feritzia's eyes suddenly widened and she turned to Jerel, her face full of concern. Jerel just shook his head and patted her hand reassuringly. "You don't have to worry about that, Feri. You're the only one who knows, and I trust you with that knowledge. It would be better for everyone if we left things as they are…no need to cause an unnecessary panic."

 

Feritzia nodded, and entwined her fingers in Jerel's. "It's just…now that I found you again, I'm afraid something will happen. Something will happen to you…"

 

"I'm more concerned about something happening to you," Jerel responded. "It sounds like you had quite a scare at the fight the other day. Guess it was a good thing your teammates were there to help you out."

 

Feritzia's tone suddenly became sour. "Ugh, don't even get me *started* on the rest of ECC…none of them really appreciate me. It's such a pain being around them all the time!"

 

Jerel folded his hands in front and smiled with interest, apparently pleased that he had "gotten Feritzia started." "You don't like how things are going? Why?"

 

"Okay, first off, Adara has this *total* superiority complex and thinks she can just order anyone around when she doesn't even *think* about the fact that they may not have good shoes or didn't get breakfast that morning! And then she's all blaming *me* and saying I don't follow orders! And Maris! She's loud, rude, selfish, and worst of all she has no taste. She thinks she's all macho 'cause she catches lobsters and can breathe underwater and has a talking sword and he never talks to *me*, anyway. And I have to share a house with her! And of course Miakoda likes everyone *except* me, and she's always trying to give me this 'spiritual advice' that I never asked for. As if all this isn't bad enough, I can't tell any little white lies 'cause Amber's a truthsayer and she gets all huffy when I lie, and then when I tell her that her cooking stinks she gets all huffy about that too, and that's when I'm trying to tell the truth! And…" Feritzia stopped for a breath and a thought. "Calixta's nice to me, I guess. But she talks to herself sometimes, and she lives in a computer house that's really creepy."

 

"Seems like you needed to get that out of your system," Jerel said, raising a questioning eyebrow.

 

"I'm sorry. It's just…you're like the first person I've really wanted to talk to since I woke up. I needed to tell this to someone who cared." Feritzia sighed heavily. "Nobody at ECC seems to care. All they ever do is yell at me, and they always blame me when something goes wrong. I'm tired of always being the stupid little ice girl. I don't want to have to take care of myself or prove I'm a good fighter or whatever they want."

 

"And they shouldn't have to. They should accept you for who you are," Jerel said.

 

"I know! But no matter what I try and do, it never seems to be enough…"

 

"Well you know, I *could* try and do something about it," Jerel offered. "I am directly in charge of your division now; Mackenzie and her subordinates get their orders from me."

 

"Could you?" Feritzia's excitement returned. "Could you talk to them for me?"

 

Jerel nodded slowly. "I'd be happy to. Anything I can do to make your life easier would be my pleasure."

 

"Oh, thank you *so* much!" Feritzia bounced in her seat. "I *know* you'll be able to talk some sense into them! They'll finally be able to understand me if you explain things."

 

"I'm sure they will," Jerel pulled out a pocket calendar and began to flip through dates. "Perhaps this coming Friday over lunch? I'm sure you could ask them to come for a brief visit…after all, it'd only be fair since you had to come see me."

 

Feritzia nodded, and then felt confusion return again. "What about me? When can I see you again? I mean, I just finally found you, and…"

 

"There'll be plenty of time for that," Jerel reminded her. "Don't feel obliged to make up for lost time, Feri. I won't have our relationship spoiled…not after all we've been through."

 

"I totally understand," Feritzia said with only a little sincerity. "But you will talk to me again, right?"

 

"Of course."

 

Feritzia stood up. "I can't wait! You have to call me soon, Jerel…and tell me how things go with ECC!"

 

"Oh, and also Feri…" Jerel gave Feritzia a rather serious look. "I'd like you to call me Peter Melcastle when we're around other people from now on. Jerel is more of a private name for me. You understand?"

 

"Yes, of course I understand," Feritzia replied, confusion at the request and frustration with his condescension edging her words.

 

Jerel stood as well. "I bet you're glad you're not in as much trouble as you thought."

 

"More than you can know!" Feritzia said. She followed Jerel to the door, and he opened it for her. She turned emotion-filled aqua eyes up to his unnaturally bright turquoise ones and held his gaze for a moment. "See you soon, Jerel."

 

"Melcastle."

 

"Yeah. Melcastle."

 

Feritzia stepped outside the office, and the door closed heavily behind her. She strode down the hallway as if walking on air, her mind filled with all sorts of pleasant memories of her and Jerel together. But as soon as she was outside and felt the hot summer air on her face, the thoughts seemed to fade, and she realized what they really were…just memories.

 

(Why was he acting that way?) Feritzia couldn't help but wonder. (We've been apart almost 30 years, and yet he seemed so cold and distant. During the time I was frozen…how much did he change?)

 

(But that doesn't make any sense! If he really stopped caring about me, why would he see me now? Why would he act like he still cared?)

 

Feritzia decided not to think about it. She was too happy with Jerel's return to disillusion herself with thoughts of lost affection. At least, she was fairly certain she was too happy.

 

------

 

Jerel kept the smile on his face until Feritzia's footsteps disappeared down the hall…then the smile disappeared as well. He turned his turquoise eyes on Erika, who sat at the opposite end of the room with an attentive glare. "Well human, I have done what you asked…you'll get that exclusive meeting with your daughter and time to release any aggressions you want on her and her little friends."

 

"And you have back your long-coveted Feritzia Ricci," Erika sneered. "Although she's not quite the compliant little bitch you made her out to be."

 

"At least not when it comes to information on the Silent Crisis," Jerel growled. "Which, ironically, is what I need the most. What she believes our relationship to be is of no importance…as long as she sees me as trustworthy."

 

"Well, I'm glad that we've finally reached an agreement on this matter," Erika said, stretching her hands forward and cracking her knuckles loudly.

 

Jerel gritted his teeth. "You can leave now."

 

Erika narrowed her eyes and sat up curtly. She strode toward the door and exited, leaving Jerel with a bitter, ashy scent in his nostrils. He scowled, and had to remind himself several times why he shouldn't bite this woman in two.

 

"An impressive act, even if it didn't yield the results you were hoping for," a new, sultry voice spoke from out of thin air. Jerel froze as the apparition of a long-haired human solidified in front of him…Ganossa Maximillian.

 

Jerel assumed his Lucifer Hawk form, hoping it would help cover up his initial surprise. "You're back here already," he growled at his superior.

 

"Only for a brief while," Ganossa said. "But long enough to investigate into your supposed progress."

 

"Progress enough, I believe," Jerel sneered. "Things have been going according to plan. I don't see the need for you to return here and berate me when I'm sure you have more important matters to attend to."

 

"I am taking care of the Key at this moment," Ganossa turned his gaze away from Jerel. "But as you know, I have many…'projects' to oversee. Which is why I've put you in charge of the ECC. What I want to know is why you've been having so many difficulties."

 

"We've taken care of things," Jerel said shortly.

 

"Such as these new members?" Ganossa questioned. "I know your reasoning behind Feritzia Ricci. But Amber Ramirez and Maris Lynn…one is a truthsayer and the other wields a sword with a will. Both are highly dangerous."

 

"A threat is best hidden between two allies. Besides, it would have been very suspicious if I approved Feritzia's admission and not theirs," Jerel explained. "And in most cases, I was informed after the fact."

 

"Speaking of being informed, I had hoped that you would have better control over the ECC leader, Mackenzie Jameson," Ganossa said bitterly. "Power over her is vital to controlling ECC. Yet you are allowing nineteen years of planning to amount to very little indeed."

 

Jerel stiffened. "Marshall is in control of the situation."

 

"This Mannos do Kaus…" Ganossa continued. "Did you know about him? If you did, why didn't you take care of him? And if you didn't, how will you know if he has others with him?"

 

"As you've said, I have many things to attend to." Jerel shifted his massive bulk closer to Ganossa, hoping it would seem intimidating. "And sometimes it's difficult if I'm not certain what my superiors expect of me."

 

Ganossa faced Jerel again, and narrowed his eyes. "And just what are you insinuating?"

 

"A few months ago, a virus attacked ECC's computer system. It severely disabled their defense systems, and cost tens of thousands to repair. Worst of all, some of our own men entered the premises and were killed." Jerel glared harder at Ganossa. "And believe me…I know for a fact this was not the work of the Rebels…it was the doing of you or one of your other subordinates. Why wasn't I informed?"

 

Ganossa just smirked. "That was merely a test, and certainly nothing for you to be concerned about. Although you may think you have many things to attend to, believe me…I have more."

 

"The Key, of course."

 

"There is a very short window of opportunity," Ganossa said, his smile fading. "And as you well know, it is imperative that the mission be accomplished now, rather than in a few years' time."

 

"Since time is of the essence to you." Jerel smiled inwardly. As much as he had come to admire Ganossa Maximillian, he always took pleasure in seeing Ganossa's struggle with his curse.

 

"Time enough, progress enough…" Ganossa shook his head. "Mere illusions. And of little importance, as long as we are the ones that remain in control."

 

"I don't see that changing," Jerel said.

 

"In that case, I shall observe this supposed progress for myself." Ganossa took a step forward, then stopped. "Oh, and Jerel…if ECC hears from AMP, please make sure they're occupied. The last thing we need for our New York girls is influence from their Tokyo friends."

 

Before Jerel could answer, Ganossa disappeared once again. Jerel ground his teeth together with displeasure. "Whatever you say, Ganossa Maximillian," he muttered to the empty room.

 

------

 

Thousands of miles away, across broad country and endless ocean, Kiddy Phenil crouched behind a Toyota Crescent and cocked her graviton gun. She ventured around the side of the car and saw Katsumi, Lum Cheng, Yuki and Nami also stationed in various hiding places. A persistent hum above her head told her Lebia was still standing by in the Simurgh…just as they had all been for the last ten minutes.

 

Kiddy's patience was wearing thin…and considering her patience's normal thickness was equivalent to about four sheets of paper, she was fairly agitated. "Lebia, where's that damn Hawk?!" Kiddy snarled into her communicator. "The longer we wait, the more likely it'll kill someone else!"

 

"Patience is a virtue, Kiddy," Lebia sighed, hoping to mask her own frustration. "I can't get any definite coordinates…"

 

"Cleanliness is also a virtue…I wanna get home and take a shower," Kiddy grumbled.

 

"Since when did *you* ever care about cleanliness?!" Lum Cheng pointed out.

 

"Look who's talking, Ms. My-desk-resembles-a-toxic-landfill," Kiddy shot back, sticking her head out from behind the car to do so.

 

"They're here!" Yuki called out. As she spoke, a horde of bat-like Category Threes rained down from the tops of the buildings to their stakeout. Although not very intelligent, they moved with definite purpose.

 

"Reinforcements!" Kiddy yelled, downing three Hawks with her graviton gun. Lum Cheng stepped in with a fire spell from Jesso, and Nami's summoning of the griffin spirit finished off most of the Category Threes. The rest circled above them warily, as if awaiting further commands.

 

"Where's that Category Two gone?" Katsumi asked no one in particular. She couldn't help but feel like all of these Threes were just a distraction…that the Hawk they were originally after was up to something else entirely. She held Grosspoliner firmly, and tried to keep her thoughts focused…but they kept drifting back to her son. (He's safe back at Headquarters,) she reminded herself. (It's much better for him to be with Rally and Mana than me right now…)

 

The Lucifer Hawk sense in her picked up on a similar presence directly behind Nami, and she and Yuki called out a warning at the same time. Nami dodged, barely missing the massive claws of the Category Two they'd been pursuing. The women of AMP formed a semicircle around the Hawk as it emerged from the wall.

 

"Gotcha now, you bastard!" Kiddy said confidently, aiming her firearm at the Hawk's head. "No way you're getting away from us!"

 

The Hawk laughed a throaty, unnerving laugh. "On the contrary, ignorant humans…it is you who will never escape."

 

"Brave words for dead meat," Kiddy scoffed, and fired at the enemy. The Hawk teleported behind them, but not before the shot grazed its shoulder. The women spun around to face the apparently unfazed Hawk.

 

"Kill me if you like…it will still be time enough for us to accomplish our mission," the Hawk said. "Time enough for us to finally obtain the Key."

 

"How many times do I have to tell you…I'm not coming with you!" Katsumi exclaimed. "I've sacrificed too much to give in to you now!" She held Grosspoliner upright in front of her, and closed her eyes to prepare a spell.

 

The Hawk's throaty laugh returned. "Is the famed Katsumi Liqueur so foolish? What makes you think that *you* are still the Key?"

 

Katsumi's eyes snapped open. Her breath stopped in her throat as she finally realized what all of this distraction was leading to.

 

"Roy!!"

 

Without even thinking, Katsumi ran for the nearest exit from the back lot, ignoring her teammates' yelling. She collided with something hot, and was thrown to the ground. Katsumi looked up, and saw a crackle of electricity across the alleyway.

 

"There's some sort of electrical interference!" Lebia said over the communicator. "I can't get the Simurgh to respond!"

 

The Lucifer Hawk loomed above them menacingly, while the Category Threes continued to circle overhead. "Just as you trap us within your damned barriers, so we have devised a barrier for you. And you would be wrong to think that killing me will destroy this barrier, for it is not controlled by me." The Hawk sneered. "I hope you feel your efforts are worthwhile…it's the most you can hope for."

 

------

 

Robert Gigelf Liqueur was busy destroying the world. Already the post office and the elementary school had met their doom…and the fire station was next. "Oh no! Can nuffeen stop this monster?!" Roy narrated the story as he shuffled the fleeing Lego townspeople away from the toy Godzilla which was busily stomping all over his playset.

 

Mana watched Roy warily from the couch, then glanced back at Rally, who was seated at her command desk. Mana sensed the same thing Rally did…that something wasn't right with the other women.

 

"Lebia, report," Rally said into the communicator. "I can't make out your position. What's happened?" The only reply Rally received was static. Her eyes widened, and she scanned Dewey II for any information on her team. No response.

 

"What's going on?" Mana stood and faced Rally. She stopped as she noticed Rally's attention focused elsewhere…on a hairpin crack that was growing across the broad window pane in front of Roy.

 

"Rooaaar! There goes the police station!" Roy cried, scattering his toys across the floor.

 

Mana leapt from her desk, grabbed the startled Roy and rolled out of the way just before the window shattered inwards. When she looked up again, a ridiculously huge Lucifer Hawk stood before them, and instantly she knew it was a Category One.

 

"I am sick and tired of replacing these windows!" Rally yelled, striding from her desk towards Roy and Mana. She wasn't going to waste time trying to figure out why a Lucifer Hawk had invaded their office. It obviously wanted a fight, and she was ready to fight back.

 

"I am here for the Key to Nemesis," the Hawk said flatly. "Stand aside."

 

Both women shot a look at one another, simultaneously finding the last piece to a horrifying puzzle. The Hawks were no longer after the competent and powerful Katsumi Liqueur: they were after her 4-year-old son. Mana placed the frightened Roy on his feet and told him, "Roy, run for the safe room we told you about! Don't stop and look back, just run! We'll come get you!"

 

"But I…"

 

"Run, Roy!"

 

Roy nodded, eyes wide, and ran for the office door. He was almost at the exit when the Lucifer Hawk extended its arm towards him, stopping the boy in his tracks. Mana immediately placed her fingers together, muttered a quick prayer, and cast the incantation onto the Lucifer Hawk. Pieces of its flesh were torn off by the attack…then immediately grew back. The Hawk didn't even register Mana, but instead clenched its raised fist. Roy snapped up as if being gripped by invisible fingers, and was dragged back towards the Hawk.

 

"No!" Mana cried out, and cast her spell on the Hawk again, this time with more force. The enemy flinched somewhat, but otherwise ignored her. Roy cried out in terror as he was pulled into the Hawk's waiting claws.

 

"Enough of this! Katsumi's son will *not* be taken by the likes of you!" Rally declared, standing defiantly before the Lucifer Hawk. The red mark on her forehead began to glow, and the Hawk sensed that this human had a power similar to its own. It raised its other hand, and Rally suddenly flew across the office and into the opposite wall. She fell to the floor with a groan.

 

"Ganossa told me to expect resistance from you," the Hawk droned. "But I had expected more than this."

 

Rally picked herself up, and glared dangerously at the Hawk. "Then Ganossa has underestimated us once again."

 

The glare seemed to take form as a wave of energy spread from Rally's forehead, hitting the Hawk dead-on. The force of the impact caused the remaining windows to splinter. The Hawk was visibly affected, as it took a step backwards and roared in pain. More pieces of its body disintegrated, and this time didn't reappear. The Hawk stared back at Rally with rage. "Foolish half-breed! If you try anything else, the child will pay for it!" It squeezed its prey, and Roy only managed a whimper.

 

Rally saw Roy's face, and hesitated. The Hawk's image began to fade, and the women realized it was preparing to teleport. Mana immediately placed her fingers in a new position, and summoned a shield around the Hawk. The shield seemed to slow its escape, but it was still trying to get away. Roy was now screaming.

 

His desperate cries for help were closely followed by an explosion of sound…Rally and Mana yelling, the Hawk roaring with frustration, and then the sound of engines humming. Rally and Mana looked up from their various attacks, and saw the Simurgh hovering close to the broken window.

 

"Wait!!" Mana cried out.

 

Flashes of light emitted from the ship's hull, and the Hawk was suddenly bombarded with a dozen missiles. At the same time, Rally released a massive psychic attack, and she felt as if all her joints were being torn apart from the effort. The Lucifer Hawk doubled over with pain and let out a final roar of hatred before its entire form disintegrated within a ball of light. But Rally and Mana weren't concerned about that…they were listening for the little boy that the Hawk had been gripping.

 

When the light disappeared, they saw Roy lying on the glass-strewn office floor. The edges of his clothes and hair appeared scorched, and he wasn't moving.

 

"Oh no…"

 

Mana ran forward and scooped up Roy. For a brief moment of absolute terror, there was no movement…then Roy blinked, and looked up at Mana with water in his eyes. "I…I want my mommy…"

 

Mana didn't say anything, but just held Roy to her chest, thanking anything and everything that he was still alive. How he could have survived the combined energy from the Lucifer Hawk, Rally, her and the Simurgh was beyond comprehension, and she didn't want to dwell on it now. Behind her, Rally collapsed on her knees, overcome with the exhaustion of her efforts.

 

"Chief, what's happened?" Lebia's anxious voice sounded from the communications console. "I just got here…there was an electrical barrier, but Yuki was able to counter it enough for me to get out."

 

"Leave the Category Two…tell the rest of them to get over here," Rally said between gasps for breath.

 

Twenty minutes later, the Simurgh returned once again to headquarters, this time with the rest of AMP. The moment the Category One was destroyed, the barrier had finally fallen, and the women were able to defeat the Category Two and its minions. The victory didn't make anyone happy, however…certainly not Katsumi. She rushed immediately from the transport to her son, who was waiting in Mana's arms.

 

Roy buried his face in Katsumi's chest, sobbing. He had spent the last few months putting on his brave face, trying to show his mommy he wasn't afraid of these monsters. But now he was genuinely frightened, and all he wanted was the comfort of his mother's arms around him.

 

Katsumi was not so fortunate…she didn't have anyone to calm her fears. (It's finally happened…) she realized through her own tears. (What I've been dreading for the entire last half year. Nemesis came after my son, and I wasn't able to save him. If Rally and Isozaki hadn't been here…) The rest of her thoughts disappeared in a blur of turmoil. All of this fear, this anxiety, this pressure…she couldn't take it anymore.

 

Katsumi looked towards Rally, who was still attempting to recover. "Chief…we need to talk."

 

------

 

Rally and Katsumi sat across from each other in Rally's private office, which thankfully hadn't been hurt by the attack. A day's worth of rest had not helped either of them much…and now things were even more serious.

 

"Katsumi…" Rally sighed, and rubbed her forehead. "I understand that you're very upset about what happened yesterday. But I'm not at all confident about this plan. There are far too many risks involved, not just for us, but for the rest of the planet."

 

"I understand, Chief." Katsumi looked intently at her superior. "But at this point, I feel we need to. I just…I can't stand this anymore. We've got to do something that'll stop the Hawks once and for all."

 

Rally didn't respond, but just nodded in understanding. She picked up the phone, and dialled for the one friendly contact they had on the other side of the world.

 

"Mackenzie Jameson?" Rally asked as soon as the other line picked up.

 

"This is she," Mackenzie answered.

 

"This is Rally Cheyenne in Tokyo. I hope I haven't caught you at a bad time…"

 

"Not much can be done about that," Mackenzie sighed. "I've got another meeting with the naval committee in an hour and half. What's the matter?"

 

"Just yesterday we experienced a very serious Lucifer Hawk attack…we're certain Ganossa was directly behind it. We were wondering if we could request your team to come visit us in Tokyo."

 

There was a brief pause. "So is the famed AMP actually asking for ECC's help in fighting Lucifer Hawks?"

 

"We do need your help, but not with Hawk-fighting. Katsumi has suggested that we take action to purge the Lucifer Hawks from Earth forever…sealing the Gates to Nemesis. For that we'll definitely need your help."

 

"Sealing the…" Mackenzie stopped short. Rally could feel the other woman's uncertainty from across the globe. "How certain are you about this?"

 

"As certain as you are," Rally responded. "The only thing we know for sure is that we can't do it alone."

 

There was a very long pause. Katsumi didn't realize that she was holding her breath until right before Mackenzie answered. "I'm really sorry to say this, Rally…but I don't think my team can make it out there now. You have to understand, we've been swamped with attacks as well, and we're going through a difficult time with team cooperation. ECC is undergoing evaluation by the Chief of Naval Operations, and unfortunately it's not something we can jump up and leave in the middle of."

 

"I understand," Rally said, closing her eyes. "This is a stressful time for all of us."

 

"I know this is important to you, and I believe it's about time AMP and ECC met again, anyway. We just can't manage it now. However, I'll definitely call you when our next opportunity comes up."

 

"Thank you, Jameson," Rally finished. "We'll be waiting to hear from you."

 

Katsumi looked at Rally anxiously as she hung up. "They can't make it? What are we supposed to do about the Gate?"

 

"There's not much we can do without the ECC," Rally stated simply. "We'll just have to hold out and wait."

 

Katsumi cringed…the image of her injured and crying son kept returning to her. "But will we have time?"

 

"We'll have enough."

 

------

 

"So who are we all getting dressed up for, exactly?" Maris asked incredulously, fiddling with the collar of her white dress uniform.

 

"The Chief of Naval Operations, Peter Melcastle. And he's a very nice man who's helped us out a lot, so you better be civil to him." Feritzia directed her last comment at Maris. Her voice practically radiated confidence and pride.

 

"Man, don't know why *you're* so happy…" Maris rolled her eyes.

 

The rest of the ECC complained less as they attempted to groom themselves around the same tiny hotel mirror. However, they all secretly agreed with Maris's observation…they had never seen Feritzia this excited.

 

"Feritzia, are you sure Chief Mackenzie is okay with this?" Miakoda asked. "We haven't heard from her at all since your appointment on Tuesday."

 

Feritzia glanced up from doing her hair, apparently rather distracted. "Hmm? Oh, I'm sure he's told Mackenzie. Don't worry about it."

 

Miakoda didn't respond. Calixta waited until Feritzia was out of hearing range, then leaned over to Miakoda. "It's obvious you're still worried. Would you care to share with the rest of the class?"

 

"It's just…I'm not certain about this at all," Miakoda said. "Pardon the cliché, but I'm getting a very bad feeling about this. Ever since Feritzia came back from her meeting she's been unusually happy. Not that I'm against some happiness for Feritzia, but I'd figure a confrontation with the CNO would produce the opposite effect, especially considering her performance in the last battle."

 

Amber fingered her pink crystal necklace. "The thing is, I'm almost certain Feritzia isn't lying. She is genuinely happy, and yet…"

 

"…Not quite," Calixta finished. "I think we're all getting mixed readings. The best we can do at this point is be prepared."

 

Maris apparently took the advice to heart. She finished messing up her tight military collar, then attempted to stuff her Evian in her inner coat pocket. Feritzia looked on with alarm. "You are *not* going to bring Nauticus with you, are you? You won't need him!"

 

"Nauticus? What Nauticus? It's just a water bottle." Maris smirked.

 

Feritzia gave her a withering glare.

 

"Besides, I don't care if I'll *need* him," Maris said firmly. "I feel a lot better this way, so suck up and deal."

 

Feritzia groaned, and decided she didn't have the drive to fight with Maris today. Just then, the hotel phone rang. Adara, who had been watching the other girls converse, picked it up. A moment later, she hung up with only a quick "I will, hold on."

 

Adara turned back to the ECC with a serious look. "That was the Chief…we've got trouble. Some kind of weird incident at the south end of town. Not sure on the details, but we need to report."

 

Feritzia's face fell. "But…what about the meeting? We can't just suddenly cancel, it's extremely rude!"

 

Adara wanted to answer with a sarcastic "It's also extremely rude not to try and save peoples' lives," but she was not in the mood to argue, either. "Fine, whatever. Feritzia, Calixta, you come with me and we'll check it out. The rest of you can go meet with the CNO."

 

"Why the hell don't *I* get to fight?!" Maris complained.

 

"Why do *I* have to go fight? I want to go meet with Peter Melcastle!" Feritzia complained even louder.

 

Adara was about fed up with this. "Ensign Lynn, I order you to go to this meeting and relax. Ensign Ricci, I order you to calm down. I'm sure the CNO will understand if only three people show up…after all, we're only doing our job. And as for you, you've already had your meeting with him, so it'd make sense for you to come with Calixta and me." Even as she said it, she briefly wondered if Admiral Melcastle actually *would* understand.

 

"But I…" Feritzia started to argue again, but finally dropped it at a look from Adara. She firmly planted a characteristic pout on her face, which did not appear as though it would leave anytime soon.

 

"Right," Adara said decisively. "Let's move out."

 

------

 

Half an hour later, Maris, Amber and Miakoda found themselves seated at a dimly-lit Greek restaurant, watching the booth across from them remain mysteriously empty. Maris fumed, and screwed and unscrewed her Evian bottle cap. "Huh, I wonder what Feri'd have to say about this. She gets all fussy about only three of us meeting for lunch, and this asshole boss of ours doesn't even bother to show up."

 

"Keep it down a little," Miakoda warned, wincing at Maris's unnecessarily loud comment. "I'll admit, this is really unusual for a naval officer, but we don't need to broadcast the fact."

 

"No one here knows we're in the Navy," Maris retorted.

 

"Ahem…" Amber cleared her throat at Maris, then pointed to their very obvious Navy dress uniforms. Maris sighed, and kept fiddling with her water bottle.

 

Miakoda looked up as a new woman entered the restaurant…auburn hair, icy eyes, and a well-tailored suit. She noticed the three ECC members, and instantly headed in their direction. "Erika's here," Miakoda said, surprised.

 

"Who?" Maris asked.

 

"Adara's mother," Miakoda answered under her breath. Maris also looked surprised, but not very pleased.

 

Erika seated herself in the opposite booth with a large yet unconvincing smile plastered on her face. "Good, I found you all here! Or three of you, anyway…" Her smile faded somewhat. "It seems Adara couldn't make it."

 

Maris instantly decided she didn't like this woman. "She's busy doing her job."

 

"You must be Maris Lynn," Erika said. "Terribly sorry I haven't had the chance to meet you before. And Amber Ramirez…I do remember seeing you, but I haven't had the opportunity to talk with you yet. I'm glad to finally meet you both." Amber nodded, but couldn't help but feel her crystal necklace briefly.

 

"I'm sorry, but…I'm just surprised to see you here," Miakoda said. "Are you in direct contact with Peter Melcastle? I know you said you worked with the military, but I didn't know it was for our superior officer."

 

"Just something I neglected to mention," Erika said with a small, shrill laugh. "The whole naval chain of command is easy to get lost in. I'm actually Admiral Melcastle's secretary."

 

"Huh," Amber responded. "So where is Admiral Melcastle himself? Feritzia said we would meet with him."

 

"I'm afraid he had to attend to another matter that came up unexpectedly," Erika said, making it clear that she wasn't going to share the details. "He asked me to come and meet you in his place."

 

"That's very considerate of you, although without Admiral Melcastle here, the appointment is moot." Miakoda sighed. She could feel the frustration coming off her companions in waves, especially since their colleagues were heading into an unknown confrontation without them. The fact that it was once again the result of bureaucratic misunderstanding didn't help the fact.

 

"Well, we won't let this time go completely to waste," Erika said decisively. She signalled to the nearest waiter. "Excuse me! Three gins and a vodka over here, please."

 

Amber and Miakoda started to object to the gin, but were too late. Miakoda looked longingly at Maris's Evian, and Maris gave her a short but pointed glare. "So tell me about yourselves," Erika turned back to them. "Adara is stingy in talking about her friends…she takes the whole military secrecy thing so seriously."

 

When nobody said anything, Amber decided she might as well be the polite one. "I joined ECC just about six months ago, after being a reporter for the New York Sentinel. I'm a truthsayer." She expected some sort of reaction out of Erika for the truthsayer comment, but Erika didn't seem fazed.

 

Erika nodded. "That's very interesting. I've gotten to talk with you a bit…Miakoda, was it? Just so you know, I really appreciate your attempts to get Adara to reconcile with me. It means a lot to me."

 

"Yes. I'm sorry she couldn't make it," Miakoda said.

 

"Oh, don't worry about it…I'm sure I'll be seeing her again soon." Erika's plastic smile returned. Just then, the waiter delivered their gin and vodka. Maris immediately gulped down one of the gins, figuring she was going to need it. Erika, Miakoda and Amber didn't touch their drinks.

 

"Just out of curiosity, why are you so eager to get friendly with Adara again, anyway?" Maris asked.

 

"Oh that's right, you weren't there when I explained before." Erika waved her hand at Maris. "I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, but now I realize what I should have done all along. It's time I showed Adara how I really feel about her and our relationship."

 

Amber's eyebrows furrowed. Erika wasn't lying, and yet…there was something in her tone of voice…

 

"But this is for Adara and I to discuss, of course." Erika dropped the subject hard. "You must be wondering why Admiral Melcastle wanted to meet you in the first place."

 

"Damn straight," Maris said none-too-pleasantly.

 

"Well, you all know your team is undergoing evaluation now," Erika said. "I know; all the paperwork has to go through me. Anyways, Admiral Melcastle met with Feritzia to discuss her conduct in battle. He thought it was only fair that he was able to personally meet with the rest of ECC as well."

 

Miakoda decided not to point out that they already knew all that. "Yes, but what did Admiral Melcastle discuss with Feritzia? She doesn't seem to have been reprimanded. Which," Miakoda coughed slightly, "I'll be honest, is what we expected."

 

"Ah…Ms. Ricci and Admiral Melcastle have an understanding between them, at least from what I've heard." Erika tapped her long fingernails together.

 

None of the three ECC girls said anything, buy what they were thinking was plainly written on their faces. Amber's throat suddenly became very dry, but the gin in front of her still didn't look very appealing. Her eyes strayed to the Evian in front of Maris. "Hey, um, Maris…can I have a sip of your water?"

 

Maris gave Amber a look of horror. "You want to drink my sword?!"

 

"Just a little bit! Besides, it doesn't matter if the bottle is full, does it?"

 

"Ugh…fine, whatever." Maris scooted the Evian over. "Just don't get any spit in it."

 

"Thanks Maris." Amber ignored the last comment and took a few grateful sips of the Evian. She was so used to seeing Nauticus come out of the bottle that she half expected there to be some complaint from it.

 

"I'm fascinated by your water sword! Could I see how it works?" Erika suddenly leaned forward, and grabbed the Evian as Amber started to set it down. In the process she fumbled with the bottle, and its contents spilled all over the table.

 

"Shit!" Maris yelled, standing up as the water dripped all over the floor. "You spilled him!"

 

"Oh, I am SO sorry!" Erika apologized vehemently, trying to soak up the spill with napkins. "I really am! Ugh, what a terrible mess…"

 

"Hey, it's partially my fault." Amber also stood. "I'll refill the bottle for you."

 

"Oh no, allow me." Erika snatched up the Evian before Amber could reach it. "This is entirely my fault. I'll fill this up right away." She disappeared in the direction of the bathroom.

 

Miakoda sighed as she grabbed some more napkins from a neighboring table. "That was odd."

 

Maris groaned, and looked down to realize part of her dress uniform was also soaked. Her thoughts were a little less friendly. "Clumsy bitch."

 

Erika headed into the women's bathroom, and made sure that no one else was sharing her company. She drained out any remaining water from the Evian bottle into the sink, then unscrewed the cap on a bottle of vodka. She pursed her lips into a smirk as she carefully emptied the clear vodka into the Evian bottle.

 

------

 

Adara, Calixta and Feritzia all noticed Mackenzie standing outside their rendezvous point as the spinner came to an abrupt halt. She looked very agitated, but Adara couldn't tell whether it was from the fact that only three of them were there, or something else entirely. Mackenzie came to meet them as Adara exited the spinner, followed closely by her two teammates.

 

"Were we too late?" Adara asked worriedly.

 

Mackenzie shook her head, irritated. "Far from it…it was a false alarm. Some stupid kids playing a prank."

 

Adara sighed…she could practically feel Feritzia's outburst starting up. "Well, at least it was just that."

 

"That's not what's bothering me…" Mackenzie responded. "It's the fact that somebody like Admiral Melcastle could mistake a kid's prank for a Lucifer Hawk attack. After all these years of supposedly competent service, you'd think he'd have more sense than this."

 

Feritzia looked concerned. "How would he know about something like that?"

 

"He got a call from Marshall," Mackenzie explained. "He told me about it personally…I spoke with him not half an hour ago."

 

"But that can't be right!" Feritzia shook her head and looked at the ground. "He can't be here. He's supposed to be meeting the other three girls for lunch."

 

Mackenzie looked directly at Feritzia. "What?"

 

"He promised me that he was going to talk with all other ECC members personally," Feritzia explained, suddenly not liking Mackenzie's response. "He also said that he would let you know about it."

 

"I've heard nothing of the sort, and I just spoke with Admiral Melcastle," Mackenzie stated. Adara and Calixta looked at Feritzia with identical accusing glares.

 

Feritzia didn't even notice, but seemed to look past everyone to a situation she didn't understand. "He promised he'd get this all sorted out…"

 

Mackenzie's face set. "I think I'm about through trusting Admiral Melcastle on this. I'll go talk to him and find out exactly what's going on. You three try and find the others." She turned on her heel and left without so much as a farewell salute.

 

"Feritzia…" Adara began. Feritzia cringed at the tone in her voice. "I know full well that you don't respect my authority, and that you've given me stupid excuses for your behavior in the past. But this…*what* makes you think you can supersede Commander Mackenzie?" Her voice rose. "What possible selfish reason could you have for lying to us about what your superior officers have said?"

 

Feritzia sucked in her breath. "First off, I did *not* lie to anyone," she responded with defiance, although her voice cracked. "I had no intention of lying to anyone. I was just trying to do something right for once! Melcastle promised me he'd have everything arranged!"

 

Calixta suddenly wished that Amber was available to verify all this. Things just weren't adding up, and Calixta was beginning to suspect who exactly was to blame. "Feritzia, the point is that you've given us false information without consulting our superior officer to verify it. This time it was just a prank, but next time the consequences could be a lot more serious."

 

"Doesn't Admiral Melcastle outrank Mackenzie?" Feritzia asked. "He'd be our *real* superior officer, right?"

 

Somehow, Calixta was disturbed by this thought. "I'm not talking about just rank and file, here. I mean a superior officer that we *trust.* Just because someone is a higher rank doesn't mean they're more honest, or correct."

 

"I *do* understand that. And I trust Melcastle. I trust him more than…" Feritzia trailed off, turning over the words she just said in her mind.

 

Adara and Calixta's surprise was obvious. "You trust *him* more than Mackenzie or any of us?" The hurt was evident in Calixta's voice. "You hardly know him! I mean, the first time you've seen him was this last meeting." When Feritzia averted her gaze, Calixta began to wonder. "Or was it?"

 

"Just…you guys don't understand!" Feritzia took a few steps away from them, her aquamarine eyes heavy with emotion and fear.

 

"You've met Melcastle before, haven't you?" Adara approached Feritzia cautiously. "What exactly is your relationship with him?"

 

"I…I don't know anymore," Feritzia confessed. "I knew him a long time ago, before things went bad everywhere. He was kind to me. He and I were…"

 

"Oh man…" Adara sighed, and put a hand to her forehead. Her hands were getting warm, but it seemed more from anxiety than anything else. "Feritzia, why didn't you tell us this earlier?"

 

"Because I didn't know he was the CNO!" Feritzia whirled back on Adara. "I didn't even know he was alive! And since when is it my business to tell you everything about my life, anyway? I don't expect you to give me all the gory details about you and Richard! Melcastle is the one person I've recognized since *you* all woke me up; the one familiar face…"

 

Adara tried to think of an appropriate reprimand, until she realized that there was none. For once, Feritzia was right. Assuming she had known Melcastle before she met them, and especially if they had a deeper relationship, she would of course trust him over the ECC. The thought struck Adara hard, and she found herself disturbed by it. (After all we've done these past weeks…working so hard to get Feritzia to work with the group…this is the best we can come up with? We've fought Lucifer Hawks left and right since we found Feri, and we're still having trust issues?)

 

"But again, I don't expect you to understand," Feritzia sighed. "I know you guys have more important things to worry about than whether or not I'm happy."

 

"Feritzia…" The annoyance fell out of Adara's voice. "It's not like that at all. We just wanted you to feel like you could trust us. I know we fight; I know we bitch about our issues with each other…but if we can't learn to trust each other on a basic level, then the problem's not just yours, it's ours."

 

Feritzia stopped, and turned back around. "You're saying you don't think this is my fault?"

 

"I'm saying that all of us have screwed up at some point or another with this. Yes, this is partially your fault, but it's ours as well. We've been…" Adara looked at Feritzia and then at the ground, wondering if she had dropped the right words. "…a little insensitive to your situation, considering we don't know all the circumstances behind it."

 

Something about Adara's statement caused the worry lines in Feritzia's face to fade. It was something she had wanted to hear for a long time, and somehow felt much more genuine than what Jerel had said. "Listen, I'm…I'm sorry if all I've been is a problem for you guys. I never wanted all of this in the first place. All this time I've been angry because it just doesn't seem fair—waking up, losing the life I had. Things haven't gone well for me at all. I know you must think that I deserve what has happened to me, and maybe I do. And I know I said that I didn't care what you thought about me. But now…I think I do care. Maybe I always have."

 

Calixta blinked. She looked from Feritzia to Adara, then back to Feritzia, then Adara again. It took her a moment to process what had just occurred, and she suddenly felt honored to witness such a miraculous event. "Did you two just…reconcile?" she asked with one raised eyebrow.

 

"Okay, Adara *still* has issues," Feritzia said in her normal, haughty tone. "And don't think I'm going to be Little Miss Happy-Perky-Team-Member-Feritzia. I'm just saying that I agree with Adara that we've both screwed up. She's just screwed up more than I have."

 

Adara twitched a little at the comment, but decided to take her victories where she could get them. "Er…something to that effect. We'll work on it later."

 

"Who would've thought that group therapy session would actually do some good?" Calixta said.

 

Adara snorted sarcastically. "If by good, you mean we've now sent that poor therapist to an early death by lung cancer, then yes."

 

Feritzia suddenly looked worried as the reality of the situation came back to her. "Oh no…if Melcastle wasn't there…Maris is going to kill me, isn't she?"

 

"Yes," Calixta said. "Tragic, really. Just when we were all becoming such good friends."

 

------

 

Mackenzie strode briskly up to the front desk of the naval branch office, her boots clacking loudly on the polished floor, getting more and more agitated with every step. "I need to speak to Admiral Peter Melcastle," she demanded.

 

"I'm afraid Admiral Melcastle is busy for the moment," the secretary said without even glancing up.

 

"He's not busy enough," Mackenzie said, doing her best to keep the venom out of her voice. "I spoke with him not half an hour ago."

 

"I'm sorry, but—"

 

"James!" a new voice interrupted the secretary, and Mackenzie looked up to see Damien Marshall walking towards her. She relaxed somewhat, and Marshall led her away from the desk a few steps. "Jameson, I'm terribly sorry about the whole mix-up with the prank…it was our mistake entirely."

 

"I know that," Mackenzie said. "I still need to talk to Admiral Melcastle. There's been some kind of misunderstanding among my subordinates, and I need him to clear it up for me."

 

Marshall hesitated before answering. "Admiral Melcastle is occupied right now…you'll have to try again later."

 

Mackenzie stared at Marshall, surprised. She had expected this kind of bureaucratic behavior from other aides, but not Marshall. "Honestly, Damien, it won't take that long. If he is in a meeting, it'll be early enough for me to interrupt. I just need this favor from you."

 

Marshall just shook his head. "Sorry to deny you on this one, James, but I really can't. The last thing I should be doing right now is ruining the reputation of Admiral Melcastle and myself."

 

"Ruining the…what are you talking about?" Mackenzie's mind raced at Marshall's tone; at the cold glint in his eyes. "This is nothing compared to other things I've asked you to do in the past! Why are you so uptight now? Ever since Admiral Melcastle entered the picture, you've been very distant from me. I don't understand what's happened to you."

 

"Frankly, Mackenzie, I don't know what to say…" Marshall's gaze remained disconnected. "What I'm asking is not unreasonable, either. Your subordinates are in no immediate danger. I am sorry for the misunderstanding, but there's nothing I can do about it right now."

 

"You mean you don't *want* to do anything about it right now." Mackenzie glared back. "Just like you don't want to tell me things that happened to me before the accident."

 

"You are a very competent, intelligent woman, Mackenzie Jameson." Marshall shifted his weight away from her. "But there are still a few things you need to learn."

 

Mackenzie narrowed her eyes and also drew away. For the first time in years, the man in front of her looked like a stranger. All those years she had spent trusting Damien suddenly felt empty and meaningless. Mackenzie felt it in the pit of her stomach…it was a horrible feeling.

 

"Excuse me, but I think I've wasted enough of my time here," Mackenzie said through clenched teeth. She turned and headed back for the door, too upset to even bid Marshall farewell. She could feel him looking into her back as she walked away, and she knew it wasn't an approving gaze.

 

(None of this makes sense…) she thought, feeling the early stages of a headache building up behind her eyes. (First Peter Melcastle, then Feritzia, then these Lucifer Hawk attacks, now this…why don't any of these things fit together? Why can't I seem to understand anyone's motivation?)

 

She breathed a hard sigh as she exited the branch office. Damien Marshall was no longer as trustworthy as he had once seemed. But who else was there to turn to? (There is no one else…you're going to have to take your own advice on this one, Mackenzie.)

 

She remembered the phone call she had gotten from Rally a few days back, and how desperate Rally had sounded. Perhaps it was time to get back in touch with AMP after all.

 

------

 

"Well, I've thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the three of you better," Erika said with something resembling pleasantness. Miakoda, Maris and Amber all relaxed simultaneously, figuring this meant Erika would finally leave them. However, their hopes were dashed by her next statement. "But before we part ways, I'd like to ask a big favor of you."

 

"What, exactly?" Miakoda said before Maris could protest.

 

"Like I said, I've had to sift through your paperwork, and I've kept encountering a problem with some peoples' records of non-planar offensive measures." Maris and Miakoda cringed at the overly bureaucratic terms. "I've got my superiors breathing down my neck about it. Could you perhaps look over things for me; make sure my assumptions are correct?"

 

"If you think it would help…" Miakoda once again answered for the group. This time, both Maris and Amber looked upset.

 

"Thank you very much! I hate asking you to take time out, but this would help me a lot." She stood. "Everything's over at my apartment, which is just a short drive from here. I'll go and get my car…be back in a sec."

 

As soon as Erika was back out of the restaurant, Maris turned to glare at Miakoda. "What'd you do that for?! I'm sick enough of this wasted lunch; I don't want to go redo my fucking paperwork with Ms. Prissy out there!"

 

"Because if there's one thing I've learned from political activism, it's that you *always* go out of your way to make a good impression on the middleman. They're the ones who'll tell their impressions to their superior officer…in this case also *our* superior officer," Miakoda explained. "Besides, we really have no reason to distrust her."

 

"Yes, we do." Amber's voice was cold. "The entire time she's been giving me mixed readings, but that last request was definitely a lie."

 

"See? Why would she lie like that?" Maris asked.

 

Miakoda was obviously disturbed by this thought. But somehow, she couldn't help hoping that Amber was wrong. If Erika had lied to them now, what could she have said to Adara, right when Adara was ready to forgive her? "I still don't see any reason for refusing her. Even if something were to go wrong, we can defend ourselves, or call the others for backup. You don't think three of us can take on one woman?"

 

This statement seemed to settle Maris and Amber somewhat, but not much. Just then, Erika re-entered the restaurant and motioned for them to follow.

 

They passed the drive to Erika's apartment in silence, although an unnamed tension still hung thick in the air, and seemed to make the atmosphere around them uncomfortably warmer. The ride there took longer than most of them expected, and the apartment itself appeared run-down and isolated…certainly not anything that would belong to the secretary of the Chief of Operations. The more Miakoda saw, the more on her guard she subconsciously became.

 

"Sorry for the mess…I think the building's undergoing repairs," Erika chirped as they entered the apartment complex. A quick but confusing path of corridors soon led them to what appeared to be a sparsely-furnished office space. The desk and floor were littered with poorly-organized paperwork.

 

"Undergoing repairs for what?" Maris asked, unconvinced.

 

"Oh, I don't know…" Erika's voice suddenly became sharp and cold, and her eyes flashed dangerously. "Something about a fire hazard."

 

Amber yelped and jumped out of the way as the stack of papers on the desk next to her suddenly caught fire. Then another stack, then another, until all of their supposed paperwork was going up in flames. The fire caught to the walls unnaturally fast, causing the wallpaper to blister and peel and sending choking ash into the air.

 

"What the hell…" Maris turned back to Erika, and she, Miakoda and Amber all noticed the drastic change. Erika was grinning psychotically, paying no attention to the growing fires around her. Her own hands were wreathed in sparking flames, and she laughed as the flames jumped from her hand to the floor.

 

"Have you ever seen Adara do something like this?!" Erika's shrill voice rang out above the moan of splintering wood and concrete. "Burn down a building in a matter of minutes? Of course not, because she's the perfect daddy's girl, the star attraction, the leader of the pack, the master of fire! Well, she's not going to be outshining her decrepit old mother anymore."

 

"What do you think you're—" Amber cried out, but her words were cut short as she coughed on inhaled smoke.

 

"I'm doing what I've wanted to all along…showing up my little bitch of a daughter," Erika said, letting the flames in her hand trace their way up her arms and across her shoulders. "Nemesis has rewarded me handsomely for my loyalty. I'm twice the fire elemental Adara will ever be…and it's time I let her know it."

 

Erika reached her hand forward and shot a column of flame at the ECC members. They dropped to the floor just before it hit, and the attack hit the opposite wall and shattered the small office window. All of the choking smoke and heat suddenly rushed for the exit, causing a back draft and a larger explosion.

 

"Ah, well…" Erika licked her lips and sneered. "It would've been a shame if you suffocated before being burned alive."

 

"Fuck you!" Maris yelled, and attempted to stand again, her blue eyes blazing with fury. "Cut the crap and get us out of here!"

 

"No…I think I'd rather be honest when I tell Adara three of her friends are dead." Erika snickered. "She's wanted me to be honest all along…might as well start now."

 

"No…" Miakoda gasped, feeling her throat choke up with more than just smoke. (I should have trusted my instincts; I should've listened to Maris and Amber…) Miakoda's guilt quickly turned to anger as she realized that Erika was doing this only to get back at Adara. "You can't do this!" she called out, but her words were swallowed by the heat.

 

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm afraid I must attend to a little…family reunion." Erika turned and walked back through the roaring flames without so much as a blink. As she left, she raised her hand across the doorway, spreading a ring of fire across their only escape. The doorway began to cave in on itself, sending splinters and bits of concrete everywhere.

 

"All right, I've had enough of this," Maris challenged their burning prison. She whipped out her water bottle and began to unscrew the cap. "Nauticus, come—"

 

"Look out!!" Miakoda suddenly leapt forward and knocked the Evian out of Maris's hand, splashing a bit of liquid on both her and Maris.

 

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" Maris demanded. Miakoda just pointed to the water bottle, which was quivering fiercely on the floor. A spark from the fire caught to it, and its contents suddenly exploded, propelling a ball of fire at the three girls. They screamed and tried to avoid the explosion, but only with mild success.

 

When Maris looked down again, she cried out in pain…her entire left hand and part of her right were covered in reddish-black blotches from where the explosion had burned her. Miakoda clutched her own wrist, trying to stave off the pain from the burns and blisters she had also received. "Vodka…" Miakoda groaned. "She must have switched…"

 

"Shit!" Maris roared, her face twisted in pain from the burns. "She tricked us, that goddamn fucking BITCH!"

 

Amber rubbed the smoke and ash out of her eyes, and fumbled around on her belt for the communicator. "Hello, Adara! Calixta! Is anyone there? We need help—"

 

Amber was cut short as a large chunk of the ceiling crashed down just a few feet from them, sending more sparks and splinters into their faces. The smoke was becoming so thick that it was barely possible for them to see each other.

 

"We're trapped!" Amber continued to yell into the communicator, although she was getting no response. "We need help right away! We've been injured…"

 

"Where the hell are they?!" Maris yelled, then broke into a fit of coughing. The three of them bent down to avoid getting the worst of the smoke.

 

The realization finally dawned on Miakoda. "Even if we did reach them…they wouldn't have enough time to reach us."

 

------

 

Calixta tapped on her communicator, trying to make the static noise it was producing disappear. "What's wrong with this thing now?" she groaned before finally choosing to ignore it.

 

Feritzia and Calixta looked up as Adara exited the Greek restaurant where the others were supposed to meet Melcastle. Adara looked puzzled and a little annoyed. "They're not there. The manager said they came in for a little while, ordered drinks, and left. There's no telling where they could have gone now."

 

"Oh, Maris *is* going to kill me…" Feritzia moaned. "She'd probably out buying bullets right now."

 

"If Melcastle hadn't shown up, they probably would've tried to contact us," Calixta pointed out.

 

Before Adara could answer, a chirping ring sounded from her jacket pocket. She reached into her pocket, and pulled out her pen cell phone. "Speak of the devil," she said, putting it to her ear. "Hello?"

 

"Adara? Adara, it's your mother."

 

Adara froze at the sound of Erika's voice…she definitely hadn't been expecting her mother. "What is it?"

 

"I'm so sorry…" Erika sounded near tears. "There's been an accident."

 

---------------------------------------------

 

Next episode preview:

 

Adara: "Things are finally coming to a head as we race to undo the damage that has already been done. It's time for me to finally confront my past, and to confront the one woman who holds the key to events in the present. Erika. Mother."

Episode 13: 'Inferno'