Zone Of The Enders Fan Fiction ❯ Zone of the Enders: Triad 2177 ❯ Even Deeper ( Chapter 8 )

A man in a cloak sat alone inside the wreckage of a large ship in the wilderness of Callisto. He lit a single candle on a table in the middle of the hollow area he was in. He leaned back and chuckled. He stood up and walked quickly to one side of the hollow area and grabbed a brush and tray of paints off another table near the wall. He began to paint on the wall, the dim illumination from the candlelight showed a grand mural that was painted all over the walls and ceiling on the inside of the hollow area.

A green-haired girl walked in, her heeled boots clicking on the diagonal metal floor half of the chamber.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to disturb me while I complete my mural, Sylfa?" the man in the cloak said in a raspy, emotionless voice.

"Forgive me, sir, but I have grave news. Urenbach has begun his plan without your consent," the green-haired girl said, folding her arms behind her back and leaning on one leg. Her hair was long and put into a ponytail with her bangs handing down. Her white flight suit was form fitting and the pauldrons were gold and pyramid-shaped coming off shoulders, her arms coming out of the down-facing side of them. Along her white belt were two armor plates coming down her left and right sides. The flight suit ended along her trunk, leaving all of her thighs exposed. A gold perero hung off the front of her belt and a wider one hung off the back. Her boots were knee-high and heeled with intricate lines of gold on them. Off her shoulders hung two silky white sheets that hung to her lower back.

"Heresy! He who dares to defy the will of God, may the Angel of Death smile upon him. If not, then us, the choir of the Lord himself, shall bring our wrath upon the heretic," the cloaked man preached.

"Your words are law, Lazarus. I'll pass it along to the other Seraphs. Please excuse me," Sylfa said, nodding.

"He who defies the vengeful God looses his humanity and becomes nothing more than a demon, a lowly swine among God's righteous. It is up to us to carry out God's will and maintain the sacrament given to us, his holiest followers. Never forget that, cherub," Lazarus preached, raspy and emotionless.

"By his and your will be done, sir," Sylfa said, walking out.

"My Lord, may your blessing shine upon us, the most devout in worship," Lazarus said with a hoarse laugh. "And may your blessing of forgiveness be upon your lost angel, whom I fear will never see your glory again."

"It's all clear boss, we're ready to set up things," a thug in one of the Phantomas said over the comlink.

"Bloody hell, that was easy!" Tarver said, smiling. "Good, proceed with the plan. We stick that jalopy in the Catapult, power it up, and wait with our finger on the button to launch while they piss their pants and pay up. Soon, our little friends in the ocean will all be free!"

"Sir, we have a small problem. I think the reinforcements are here," another thug chimed in over the communication line.

"Eh, no problem! Let's go boys! The rest of you stay 'ere and finish setting up. We'll be done in two shakes of a stick!" Tarver said arrogantly.

"Targets are coming in from coordinates X-20, Y-39, and Z-55!" another thug yelled.

"Time to rack up some more kills, boys!" Tarver yelled. Shango took off towards the location specified and the seven Phantomas rocketed after it. After a moment or two of charging headfirst, a spray of missiles flew into their path. Tarver yelled and put up Shango's shield, a sphere-shaped shield come out of the shield and formed around the Frame, protecting it. Behind him, four of the Phantomas were hit, exploding instantly. The rest of the squad stopped.

"Where the hell did someone get such powerful missiles? They sure aren't black market crap like those Makrarovs," a thug in one of the surviving Phantomas said.

"James! They killed James! Boss, where are they? I'm gonna kill their asses for that!" another thug screamed angrily.

"Calm down, mate. If we're flustered, they've already won," Tarver said, looking around slowly.

Three shapes appeared in the distance. Tarver squinted hard on them, leaning forward in his seat. In the blink of an eye, the three shapes shifted to a humanoid form and flew past Shango, attacking the remaining Phantomas head-on. Shango whipped around and Tarver watched as the three mysterious combatants easily defeated each Phantoma with an armblade to the midsections.

"What bloody brilliant LEVs, but what in the hell are they?" Tarver asked himself.

The three LEVs turned toward Shango and stared blankly. A request for communication opened on Shango's screens. A terrified look formed on Tarver's face as he activated the comlink.

"Before we request your unconditional surrender, I'll introduce myself. I am the commander of 'East Wind'. Our group has been tracking you for the past year and this, your big move, was foreseen months ago. Now, give up your Frame and order your men back from the Catapult and we will let you live. All we want is the Frame," a white-haired man in a space suit said from the cockpit of the LEV.

Tarver's look of fear melted to a smile. "Wait a minute, you're the wanka' that made a big fuss on Mars three years back," Tarver said, grinning. "You're that...um...Dingo, Dingo Egret!"

Dingo cleared his throat. "That doesn't matter. Give up your Orbital Frame now and we will not resort to use force," Dingo commanded.

"Most men might be scared as hell of you, but you ain't got your pretty little Frame with you, I see. What was it called? 'Jet Jelly'? 'Jem-hooty'?" Tarver said mockingly.

"It was called Jehuty! I've had enough, I'm going in!" Dingo yelled angrily. His Vic Viper shot at Shango and threw its right blade at Shango. Shango blocked quickly with its shield and pressed forward a little.

"I don't care what it was called, I'm gonna kill whoever gets in my way," Tarver said, smiling evilly. Shango swung its sword back.

Dingo cringed and ducked the sword slice, flying back and lunging forward for another stab at Shango. Shango was caught off-guard and the stab hit the Frame's chest. Shango fell back, the puncture fizzling slightly.

"Not bad, you got your counter attacks down, but what about yer' blocks?" Tarver said, winding back for another swing.

Dingo reacted quickly and crossed the ends of the armblades, catching the broadsword. Both the Vic Viper and Shango reeled back.

"Time for the big one. Come and get a lickin'!" Tarver yelled as Shango began to surround itself in an aura of electricity. The aura formed a sphere around the Frame and lightning surges shot from the Frame into the spherical aura.

Dingo sneered and switched to flight mode. The Vic Viper began to fly around Shango in a tight circle.

"Dingo, I'm sick of waiting. I'm gonna help!" Leo said over the communication line.

"Alright, but don't get near him. That Burst Attack he's readying will leave him wide open. Approach from the flank!" Dingo commanded.

"Right," Leo said, nodding in agreement.

"Yer' up shit creek now, wanka'! Take this!" Tarver yelled. Shango drew the aura into a large sphere at the end of the sword. Shango shot the sphere into Dingo's flight path.

Dingo yelled, lowering the Vic Viper. The sphere exploded above him, sending the Vic Viper careening downward. He switched back to humanoid mode and checked his sensors. "Damn, he managed to singe me. Oh well, only a scratch," he said, smiling and sending the Vic Viper flying back towards Shango.

Miryhn yawned and stretched out in his seat. Vera stared into space over the video link.

"You know, for such a powerful Frame, they sure move slow as hell," Miryhn said to himself.

"The Frame is traveling at a reasonable speed," ADA said.

"Reasonable, but slow!" Miryhn said, lifting his brow.

"Quit whining, man. Let's get the plan straight, ok?" Vera said, adjusting herself in the seat.

"Ok, plan is that since you're so concerned with Ganymede's well-being, you take care of the Catapult. I'll go kick Tarver's ass and hand him over to the cops, ok? Sound like a good plan?" Miryhn said, smirking.

"Yeah, whatever," Vera said, indifferently.

"Better be careful, though. Your three good buddies are already up there," Miryhn said, inspecting the radar.

"Say what?" Vera asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The squad of V2's that you took on back during the little high speed chase to Ganymede," Miryhn said, leaning back in the chair.

"What the hell are they doing out here?" Vera said, surprised.

"They must be concerned citizens like us," Miryhn quipped, grinning.

"Whatever, I'll handle the Catapult and you go collect your stupid reward," Vera said as Freya switched to normal mode, taking out its spear and spinning it a few times before holding to the side.

"Like you said so long ago, Vera, 'It's go time!'" Miryhn said with a chuckle as Masamune switched to normal mode and dashed off after Shango.

"Got lucky there, wanka'!" Tarver said, making Shango jerk its sword in front of its face horizontally in a pose while looking down at Dingo's Vic Viper.

"Idiot!" Leo screamed, throwing a heavy stab into Shango's backside.

Shango lunged forward and quickly spun around, slashing across Leo's Vic Viper's midsection. The sliced area fizzled a moment, but the Vic Viper put it's arms up again, ready for another attack.

"Don't pull that shit with me!" Tarver yelled angrily, aiming its sword at Leo's Vic Viper.

"Less talk, more fighting, asshole!" Leo yelled back.

A shower of missiles came flying off from the side. Shango put up its shield and jetted around, dodging each missile.

"Ken! I didn't give the order to attack yet!" Dingo yelled, his Vic Viper veering away from the missiles' path.

"I got bored! Gimme a break!" Ken whined, swinging her Vic Viper around for another pass at Shango.

Leo screamed and threw another stab at Shango. Shango instantly blocked it and both held the block.

"You're a pretty wild one, aren't cha', kid?" Tarver said, grinning evilly.

Leo sneered, pressing against the block harder. Suddenly, a flash of blue flew past the back of Shango, knocking it down and to the right. Leo's Vic Viper stumbled over the top of Shango and stopped itself. Leo looked to the right and turned the Vic Viper. A blue Orbital Frame floated there, its back to him.

Dingo's Vic Viper flew up beside Leo's and looked at the blue Frame as well. "Great, now what?" Dingo said, looking at the blue Frame closely.

"Hey, Tarver, mind picking on some folks with your own Frames?" a familiar voice said over the communication line.

"Hey, you sound familiar. Identify yourself!" Dingo commanded.

"Yeah, who the bloody hell are you?" Tarver said, Shango righting itself and flying away from the Vic Vipers and the blue Frame.

A window opened, showing Miryhn with his shirt open and a small grin on his face. "Don't be so serious, guys. I'm just here to kick this guy's English ass for shooting me in my fucking leg!" he said shrugging.

"Huh?" Leo said, puzzled.

"I know you now. You're the mutha' who tried to cart me off to jail!" Tarver said angrily. "Might as well get the hell outta 'ere. A Frame isn't a toy, only folks like me who had special trainin' can handle them."

"Just shut up, already, ok? I'll deal with you in a minute," Miryhn said, directed at Tarver. The blue Frame turned around, showing it's front side.

"Hey, Dingo, isn't that-," Leo started to say.

"It's freak'in Masamune! How the hell did Tarver manage to loose not one, but two Frames?" Ken said in surprise.

"Heh, I guess this all works in our favor," Dingo said, smirking. "Ken, Leo, fall back. We'll deal with the Catapult while this guy fights Tarver. Luckily he can take out his Frame and save us a lot of trouble."

"What? You wanna trust one of the primary objectives to a total stranger?" Ken said, an angry look on her face.

"You beg me to start giving commands and I finally do, now you won't follow them?" Dingo said, raising an eyebrow.

Ken moaned and closed her vid-window with Dingo.

The three Vic Vipers took off for the Catapult. Shango glanced at them. "Hey! What the hell?" Tarver yelled.

"They're so nice, leaving me to deal with you. However, my comrade is already there kicking your men's asses. Now, let's get started, shall we?" Miryhn said, grinning.

"You're so dead!" Tarver yelled as Shango dashed towards Masamune.

Masamune and Shango locked sword to armblade. They both flew back from the other and continued, swinging, blocking, and locking attacks. Masamune flew in for a quick strike and Shango swung in a wide arc. Masamune spread its arms and flipped over Shango. It dashed downward, striking Shango across the back again. Shango flew downward again and Masamune dashed towards it. Masamune sliced it four times with its armblades before Shango threw its shield into the attack and blocked a fifth hit.

"Fucking wanka'! How'd you get to be so good?" Tarver said, flying back a short distance.

"I play a lot of video games," Miryhn said, grinning.

"Aw, go to hell with that rubbish. You aren't no ordinary bounty hunter, are 'ya?" Tarver asked.

"No, I'd say I'm as normal as can be. But, maybe I should get serious. I'm just wasting time with you now," Miryhn said, digging into his breast pocket. He fished out his sunglasses and put them on. A serious look drew on his face as he cracked his neck in each direction. Masamune flipped its armblades back down and reached for the sword sheathed in its left sheath. It drew a long katana out and held it in front of itself with both hands.

Tarver laughed. "What the bloody fucking hell is this? You think that fishing pole can take me down?" he said, Shango readying itself.

Miryhn didn't reply.

"Oh, silent treatment, eh? Well, take this!" Tarver yelled as Shango charged itself again. The energy wrapped around the sword and Shango dashed towards Masamune.

Masamune remained motionless.

"Aren't you gonna do anything! I'm gonna take you down in one shot!" Tarver screamed at the top of his lungs.

Masamune remained motionless. Miryhn, though, grinned eerily.

In a bright flash, Shango's sword sliced across Masamune's midsection. As the flash from the attack dimmed, Masamune and Shango were traveling away from each other, both in the finishing stage of an attack. Both Frames drifted slowly for a moment before a large surge of energy erupted around Shango's body. It twitched and convulsed uncontrollably. A long cut ran from the chest downward, just missing the cockpit.

"What's happening?" Tarver yelled, shaking his hands on the control spheres helplessly.

"My counterattack struck a blow to the Anti-Proton Reactor of your Frame. It will eventually self-destruct. I suggest you eject the cockpit now," Miryhn said, Masamune turning and sheathing its sword. A small cut fizzled on the right side of Masamune's midsection. "Didn't think you'd get a scratch on me, Tarver. Guess you had some skills after all," Miryhn said, looking up at the cut.

"If it ends here, I will. I spent my whole damn life trying to save the Sea Rodents and I'll see it through!" Tarver said, tears welling up in his eyes.

Miryhn remained stone-faced. "Fool. If you die here, so will your ambition as well as my reward money. Eject the cockpit now before I do it for you," Miryhn commanded.

"I bloody am gonna refuse that, wanka'. You beat me, now just leave," Tarver said, crossing his arms as Shango convulsed wildly.

"Fine, I'll do it for you!" Miryhn shouted, Masamune drawing its katana again. Masamune dashed toward Shango, slicing the cockpit off. Masamune shoved its katana back into the sheath with the right hand and grabbed Tarver's cockpit with the left.

"The Frame is about to explode. Please reach the minimum safe distance," ADA said.

Miryhn nodded and Masamune shot away from Shango at top speed, carrying Tarver's cockpit. A distance counter on ADA's console lowered as Masamune flew away from the exploding Frame. When the counter hit zero, Masamune whipped around and looked on as Shango exploded in an electric mess.

"This can't be happenin'! I worked so hard for this, I can't believe this," Tarver said, weeping.

"Quit crying, sheesh, at least one of us is gonna get what he wanted from this," Miryhn said, shaking his head. Masamune turned again and headed back towards Ganymede.

"Humph, leave me to do the boring work," Vera grumbled, Freya floating in front of the Catapult with pieces of the freighter floating around it.

"The target has been completely destroyed. In its current state, it would be harmless even if launched at Ganymede," ADA said.

"Cool, guess I gotta wait on Miryhn now," Vera said, sighing.

"That won't be necessary. We'll be taking both those Frames unless you want to self-destruct them and save us some trouble," a voice hailed over the communication line.

"Oh, lovely, it's you people again," Vera whined, looking over to her right. The three Vic Vipers dashed up and switched to humanoid mode. They quickly surrounded her and readied themselves.

"Just give up now, you aren't going at full speed near a ship to shake us off now," Ken said sternly.

"Just you and us now," Leo chimed in.

"Surrender now and give up the Frame. We will use force if you do not comply," Dingo commanded.

Vera laughed out loud. "Sure, I'd be happy to. But first, you have to do me a favor and answer a question. You seem a lot more informed than I am," she said sweetly.

"Depends, shoot," Dingo said, raising an eyebrow.

"Why did Tarver want three Orbital Frames for this, his 'big move' anyways? More importantly, how did he get them?" Vera asked.

Dingo lowered his head. "That's something not even we are sure of. My best guess is that he wanted a bit of overkill involved. Another thing is that he might have been forced to do it this way," he explained.

"Dingo, why are you telling her?" Ken said, gritting her teeth.

"As I just said, we know nothing more than she does. Doesn't hurt to speculate when she's just going to give up," Dingo said, smirking.

"Give the man a prize, he guessed it right," Miryhn's voice butted in.

Dingo, puzzled, turned his Vic Viper around. A cone-shaped object crashed into his Vic Viper and rotated off wildly. Dingo righted the Vic Viper and looked up at it. It was the detached cockpit of Shango.

"Tarver spilled the beans while I was coming over here," Miryhn said as Masamune flew into view. "Someone put him up to this and said he'd supply him with Frames. Seems that someone was rather insistent and even put Tarver through the ropes of Frame running. He took the offer even though he knew it was overkill for his plans and went through with it. He said if he didn't he'd be a dead man. What I wanna know, though, is why you three want them so badly!"

Dingo sneered and shook his head. "Shut up! That matter is beyond either of you's comprehension! Now, both of you surrender now! I'm sick of being made a fool of!" he shouted.

"Sheesh, we reach the resolution of the conflict and all this guy can do is bark out orders," Miryhn said, adjusting his sunglasses.

"Miryhn, let's just get out of here. I think I can rest easier now that I knew I had a hand in saving Ganymede. Looks like my buddies in the force will owe me one!" Vera said, Freya backflipping and dashing off in between two Vic Vipers.

"Couldn't agree with you more," Miryhn said with a grin, grabbing Tarver's drifting cockpit. "I'm gonna have a nice Oriental dinner with the reward money!" he added, Masamune dashing off behind Freya.

"Hey, you can't just fly back to Ganymede in two Frames and not expect the cops or the military to be all over you!" Dingo said, dashing towards them.

"Aren't you suppose to be attacking us since we haven't surrendered?" Miryhn asked, scratching his head.

Dingo sneered again. "That's it! Go after them, now!" Dingo shouted.

"Dingo, we're outta time. U.N.S.F. Phantomas are approaching. Time for us to make ourselves scarce!"

"That's right 'Dingo', he who fights and runs away lives to fight another day!" Vera quipped, grinning widely.

"What a cheesy line," Ken said, rolling her eyes.

"Alright, everyone back to the ship on the double. This isn't over, not until we get those Frames back," Dingo said, an angry look still on his face.

Miryhn and Vera landed the Frames inside the abandoned hangar Miryhn left Masamune in earlier. He placed Tarver's cockpit on the ground

"Miryhn, I'm surprised. Earlier you were gung-ho about getting rid of Masamune. Why didn't you just hand it over to them? They seemed eager to take it off your hands," Vera said, climbing out of Freya, control unit in hand.

"I do wanna get rid of this Frame, but I'm not handing it to them, that's for sure. 'Dingo' said something about them wanting it for something we could never comprehend, right?" Miryhn said, climbing out of Masamune with the control unit folded over the rim of his shorts. He removed his sunglasses and put them back in his shirt pocket.

"Right," Vera said, nodding.

"Well, I could care less what that reason is, I'm not getting involved. Still, the fact is I'm not turning it over to them if that's their best reason," Miryhn said shrugging and knocking on Tarver's canopy.

"You're not the least bit concerned?" Vera asked, joining him beside the cockpit.

"I'm no hero, or, at the least, I'm not a private investigator. I'm just a humble ship pilot," Miryhn said with a grin and a shrug. "Now get your ass out here, Tarver! I think I can already taste that bourbon chicken and rice...the won-ton crackers and duck sauce," Miryhn said happily.

Tarver, crying, opened the canopy. Miryhn dragged him out by the arm and tossed him on the ground.

"Miryhn, wait. If what you said he said was true, then I just have to know something," Vera said, nodding to Miryhn.

Miryhn nodded back and put his foot on Tarver's chest. "Alright, answer the pretty lady's question and I'll go easy on you heading to the police station," Miryhn said, looking into Tarver's eyes.

"Tell me...who put you up to all this? Who threatened your life unless you used such an extreme force as these Orbital Frames fate seemed to throw to us instead of you?" Vera said, leaning over Tarver's face.

"What the bloody hell do you care? If you turn me in, they'll know it was you two in the Frames and crawl all over you wantin' to know where the Frames are," Tarver said in between sobs.

"Goddamit! He has a point!" Miryhn groaned.

"Just tell me, now!" Vera shouted, stomping her heel into Tarver's fingers.

Tarver whelped in pain and cringed hard. "Alright! It was some cloaked bloke who called himself 'Lazarus'! That's all I know, just please stop! Turn me in and let this nightmare end!" Tarver begged.

"'Lazarus', eh? Doesn't ring a bell of any infamous gangsters, mob bosses, or sleazy business folks. Guess he's new," Vera said with a shrug. "But that worries me if 'Lazarus' has access to unknown Orbital Frames and just entrusts them to whomever he wants."

"Who cares? 'Cuz of that guy, I have an Orbital Frame on my back that I can't get off," Miryhn said, glancing at Masamune.

"Miryhn, this is serious! What if another obscure eco-terrorism group gets their hands on some Frames supplied by 'Lazarus'?" Vera argued.

"Then let some other hapless pair of salvage ship crew members deal with it. It's obvious our turn is up now," Miryhn said, shrugging.

"Well, fine! While you be all wishy-washy about that fucking Frame when it's obvious you wanna keep it, I'm going to do some right in the solar system and put a stop to 'Lazarus' since we're the only ones with a clue!" Vera said, pointing her index finger at Miryhn.

"Um, do ya' mind talking about this later? I'm laying on a rather uncomfortable piece of plaster here," Tarver said, still upset with tears rolling down his cheeks.

Miryhn rotated his pinky finger in his ear, sighed, and flicked some earwax off his finger. "Look, I don't want to argue about this, let's just ditch the English patient here and head back to the ship. We can settle all this in the morning," Miryhn said calmly.

"Sounds good to me," Vera said, nodding. "Problem is, he's right. We can't just turn him in. They'll know it was us in the Frames and we'll be captured."

"Well, shit, then we'll just have to mug him," Miryhn said, rolling Tarver over with his foot. He bent down and searched Tarver's pockets, fishing out two cash cards. "These will do nicely for a reward."

"You can't do that! That's his money!" Vera said, shocked.

"He won't need it where he's going," Miryhn said with a chuckled, pocketing the cards and yanking Tarver up by the arm.

"Miryhn, you..." Vera started to say before growling.

"Give it a rest, Vera. Geez, drop the good gal act for once," Miryhn said, climbing out while yanking Tarver by the arm. "By the way, do we have any extra rope?"

"Shift's over, Charlie. I'll see 'ya tomorrow," one police officer said, walking up to the small checkpoint building near the entrance to the parking lot.

"Cool, see 'ya tomorrow, Chaunsey," Charlie said, getting up from the chair.

Chaunsey sat in Charlie's chair and spun around once before propping his feet on the table and grabbing the pot of coffee.

Charlie walked out the door and down the sidewalk. He whistled casually. Suddenly, he shouted and ran back to the checkpoint building.

"What? What is it?" Chaunsey asked, setting down his cup of coffee.

"Chaunsey! It's Tarver Urenbach! He's tied up on the sidewalk just down the way a little!" Charlie yelled before running back.

"You gotta be shitt'in me!" Chaunsey yelled in disbelief as he jumped out of the chair and ran out the door behind Charlie.

Both policemen dashed down the sidewalk and stopped at a man bound and gagged on the sidewalk. Chaunsey took out his flashlight and shone it on Tarver, looking closely at him.

"See? What'd I tell 'ya? That person in that weird LEV on the news and in the report must have dropped him off here and didn't want the reward," Charlie said, pointing to Tarver.

"Yep, that's Tarver Urenbach. I guess they were scared we'd have to take 'em in 'cuz of that weird type of LEV him and the person fought each other in. Oh well, take 'em in, Charlie," Chaunsey said, scratching his head under his cap.

"Wait, there's a note here in the ropes," Charlie said, reaching down and grabbing it. "It says: 'Hope you like the convict I caught for you. Give 'em life for shooting me in the leg. Signed, Hesperia Gales'. Hesperia Gales?" Charlie said, raising an eyebrow.

"Whatever, just get him off the freak'in sidewalk," Chaunsey said, rolling his eyes.

Vera followed Miryhn back to the ship, still angry with him.

"You didn't have to take his money," Vera pointed out.

"You're lucky I turned him in. In the circumstances, I would have shoved him off a bridge and dropped the subject," Miryhn said, walking slowly in the hangar.

"And just where have you two been?" Jim asked as the lights cut on.

Vera jumped back, Miryhn squinted.

"Yeah, I kinda noticed you two running out of here in a hurry," Nash added, him standing behind Jim in his tacky gray bathrobe.

"And while we're at it, why's Freya missing? My buyer will be here in the next few minutes," Jim said, jutting his thumb at the empty container.

Vera moaned nervously. Miryhn sneered.

"Well? What's your story? Tell me now or I dock your next three month's pay!" Jim shouted.

"No need for that, they were just working for me," a voice said behind Vera and Miryhn.

Vera and Miryhn whipped around. Two men in business suits were standing there. One had a mop of brown hair and was slightly taller than his partner who had a tight, black ponytail.

"Mister Countras, what are you talking about?" Jim asked, raising an eyebrow and walking towards them.

"Well, at least, I'd like for them to work for me. You see, they just defeated Tarver Urenbach and his squad of Phantomas. That was quite a show of skill running and Orbital Frame, I'm very impressed," the brown-haired man said, smiling.

Miryhn and Vera stared at each other and then back at Countras puzzled.

"Mister Hauser, it's no secret. You see, these two were chosen by the Orbital Frames themselves to be the Runners. See? They even have the control units on them," Countras said, pointing to each of their waists where they had clipped the control units.

"So, that means you won't be buying the Frame?" Jim asked, distraught.

"No," Countras said, lowering his head, closing his eyes, and smiling.

Jim roared in anger. "You long-haired idiot! You little bitch! How could you two ruin the best deal I've ever had?" he yelled furiously.

"Please, calm yourself, Mister Hauser. This only works out in both our favors," Countras said, looking up and opening his eyes, retaining the smile.

"Then what's your game, Mister Countras?" Jim said, leaning on one leg.

"I'll offer you and your crew part-time mercenary work. You see, lately a number of Frames have been mysteriously turning up in the hands of some shady characters, not like your crew of course, being a class act. I'd like for these two to aid me in eliminating the other shady characters and protect my business," Contraus said, starting to pace back and forth. "You see, the only source of Orbital Frames left is Nereidium Universal Technologies, our, Ryan Corporations', competitor. I fear that these random Frames turning up underground the officials' detection might be a threat not only to the general public, but also to my business. I really have no idea what is going on, but being such a concerned citizen, I'd like some help, eh?"

Miryhn shook his head. "I don't care what's going on, I won't do it. I don't want anything to do with Orbital Frames anymore."

"Miryhn, don't be a lunkhead! Of course you'll do it. 'Cuz if you don't, I'm firing your ass!" Jim ordered.

Miryhn looked into Jim's eyes. "You serious?"

"I am not kidding, Miryhn," Jim said firmly, looking back.

Miryhn groaned and dropped his head. "Alright, I guess I'm in."

"I'm in if it means innocent lives. I'm not going to duck out of that kind of responsibility," Vera said, looking down.

"Responsibility?" Miryhn said, surprised.

"Yeah! Like some famous twentieth century man said, 'With great power comes great responsibility'! We, Miryhn, have a great power at our fingertips and now we have to use it for the better of everyone!" Vera said happily, putting an arm around Miryhn's back.

"Whatever," Miryhn grumbled and sighed.

"Now, I trust that we'll get paid handsomely for this, right Mister Countras?" Jim said, rubbing his chin.

"Yes, I even have a small down-payment ready at the moment," Countras said, tossing Jim a cash card.

Jim caught it and reached into his back pocket for his card scanner. He slid the card through it and his eyes widened seeing the amount.

Nash whistled. "Now that would buy a ton of spare parts, boss," Nash said, reading over Jim's shoulder.

"Mister Countras, you shouldn't have! This is an incredible!" Jim said, being humble.

"Think nothing of it. I have your number and I'll get in contact when I need your services," Contraus said, walking out. "Oh, by the way, you can activate a camouflage system on those Frames what will make them appear as simple civilian Phantomas. That'll help you keep those Frames away from the prying eyes of the government."

"Thanks, Mister Contraus, you're a saint!" Jim said, smiling and waving.

"No, thank you, my dear disciples," Contraus said before walking out of sight with the black-haired man.

Miryhn scratched his head and started to leave.

"Where are you doing?" Vera said at him.

"I hope you two are going to go bring back those Frames to stash in here. There's no sense in leaving them wherever you put them," Jim said, folding his arms. "Go bring 'em back, shut the hangar door, and get some sleep, damnit," Jim said before turning to leave.

Vera sighed and ran after Miryhn. She caught up to him and walked in pace with him.

"Ever get the feeling you're walking into something that's way over your head?" Miryhn said, not turning his head to her.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Vera said, looking over at him.

"Sure, this may be part of our jobs, but I mean Contraus obviously has something in mind here to grab two random people who happened to net two Frames and can actually pilot them. Something is not right about all this, but we have no choice. We either do it or not have a job," Miryhn lamented.

"I see what you mean, but the money is good. That's all that matters right now," Vera said, nodding slowly in agreement.

"Just something is very fishy about all this and I can't shake the feeling for nothing," Miryhn said, shaking his head.

The next day, Norris Contraus walked into his office on the top floor. He shut the heavy wooden doors and pressed a button on a remote. Large blinds along the windows opened, revealing the skyscrapers and many other office buildings outside. He smiled contently and strolled to his chair. He rolled it over to a small table nearby his desk and opened an ancient phonograph. Reaching into a small box beside the table, he pulled a large black disc from a paper sleeve and put it on the phonograph. He flipped the switch on and put the needle on the disc. Within a moment or two, loud orchestral music filled the office from speakers placed along the cathedral ceiling. Norris leaned back in his chair and folded his arms behind his head. He slowly closed his eyes and laid there quietly.

After a few minutes of the song, the black-haired man burst into his office. "Mister Contraus, we have a report! We think we've found the first of the ten!" the black-haired man shouted excitedly.

"Mister Lamar Rivers, how many times do I have to tell you not to disrupt me while my music is playing? I don't like it when I can't listen to my music," Norris said, not opening his eyes.

"I'm sorry, sir. I just thought this would be the company priority," Lamar replied innocently.

Norris put his hand over his face and started to laugh. "Give me that, ok?" he said in between laughs.

Lamar obeyed and handed it to him, then stepped back.

Norris threw the folder open and read it over quickly. He slid it across his desk and leaned back in his chair again.

"Is there a problem, sir?" Lamar said, folding his arms behind his back.

Norris sat there, looking upward. He sighed and smiled, then sat normally. "You know what, Lamar? Beethoven is a damn brilliant composer. His works always have such good, powerful openings. Problem is, after that, they just get a little boring. Why is that? Did he just want to hook in his listeners and then drag them through some slog until he got to the big finales?" Norris said, looking inquisitively at Lamar.

"I'd have no idea, sir. I don't listen to Beethoven much," Lamar said plainly.

"Well, when you feel like going out and getting some good music, buy some Mozart, ok? I'm sure you can find it anywhere these days. Obviously not on vinyl like me, though. These have been in the family for over two hundred years!" Norris said, pointing to his phonograph.

"I'll do that, sir," Lamar said and bowed. "Please excuse me," he added, and then left quickly.

"Yep, starts out bold and engaging, then ramps down to slog. Beethoven, you bastard," Norris said with a chuckle.

Lazarus kneeled before the table in the center of the hollow area. He carefully placed a book with a cross on it on the table and lit the two candles on it. He put his hands together and talked quickly and quietly to himself, ending in "Amen". He stood up and walked to the other side of the room, picking up the paint tray and brush. He began to slowly paint onto the mural, taking the utmost care and precision.

Sylfa walked into the hollow area. He kneeled at the small table and, like Lazarus, put her hands together and recited a short prayer to herself ending in "Amen". She stood up and walked halfway between the table and Lazarus.

"Do you bring good news, cherub?" Lazarus said in his low, gravely, emotionless tone.

"I regret to inform you that Tarver Urenbach has failed. He was captured and turned into the authorities on Ganymede. The news reported his defeat was at the hands of the two Orbital Frames he lost. It's poetic justice, sir," Sylfa said with a smirk.

"God's will is that the powerful will destroy themselves with their own power, leaving only the weak and blessed in the wake to restore the lively word. How can that happen if the power we have worked to bestow to them was compromised by outside forces?" Lazarus preached, his voice remaining monotone and emotionless.

"I know not what interfered, sir. Perhaps if Enders attacked the transports and mixed up the delivery...then one of them was an ex-pilot with a military force and knew how to operate one then maybe it was an occurrence to some degree like that-" Sylfa explained.

"Silence!" Lazarus cut off, raising his volume slightly. "Divine intervention is obvious in this instance, cherub. It is our role to carry out God's will, not to question it or try to reason it. God's judgment is just, fair, and absolute. Whatever the reasons he may have for removing the swine before his plan is carried out, God is the only one to decide that," Lazarus preached, continuing to paint.

"I agree, sir, I shall let it be. But there is one matter left unattended. I believe that the Angel of Death did not appear before man tonight. Tarver was spared and only his men were killed, but by a group of LEVs not identified. If the true Angel of Death was there, then nothing would have survived," Sylfa explained, folding her arms.

"Agreed, I doubt he would have been there. The Angel of Death will arrive when God wills it so. Otherwise, we must merely standby for our brethren to arrive from among man. Now, go and remain vigilant. Our goals are long from being met," Lazarus ordered.