Kazuki's body shot upwards. His stress inhibitors failed. He drew his pistol. Pistol? No pistol present, in fact he didn't have any of his holsters. Not his blade holster, pistol nor his railgun. His eyes immediately calculated all assets in the room he's in… A second passed, the panic subsided, he felt a cold sweat drop pass by his cheek. He was in a hospital room. Looking to his left, he could see the distant high-rises, out the window. His face felt weird; raising a hand to the side of his face, he felt cracks from the side of his mouth towards his burnt cheek. Acid marks. Those won't recover, Kazuki thought. But… it'll help with his Contract-Breaker persona if he had a few more scars. And he thought nothing more.
Nothing… changed. Nothing really has changed… He was wearing hospital clothes and was hooked up to half a dozen machines behind the bed, pumping liquids into him. He felt his exospine weigh down on him, it wasn't powered. His head turned to the person sitting beside the bed.
Elizabeth Celeste-Delmara. She was sleeping, leaning over the duvets. She didn't seem exhausted. There were no dark rings around her eyes.
"Oh…" Kazuki trailed off, "So that's how you look without them." His bland and limited vocabulary couldn't bring his eyes and mind justice… She looked at peace, tranquil - and beautiful? He had no idea how to describe it, but it was the simplest way he could fathom the words out.
He… didn't know if he should wake her up. The past few days must have been stressful… Days? no… weeks? Now that he thinks about it, how long has he been out of the fight? Wait… what happened back there? Svenn, got away? He failed?
He didn't know. But his frantic movements earlier had started to wake her up, she made a groaning noise.
"I dun wannaa go to schoool mom," Eliza trailed off, half asleep, "Why can't Victoriaa go without mee?"
She moved around in her sleep as she slowly opened her eyes. Those crimson, life-filed eyes rose up to look at Kazuki's dull bulbs. She blinked for a few seconds, before shooting upwards.
'Archius!' shouted Eliza, into the uplink, 'He's awake!'
And with that, Kazuki could hear frantic footsteps as the door into his room slid open manually. Archius pushed himself into the room, looking directly at Kazuki. Archius rushed over. Kazuki needed a status report, pronto.
"Archius. Status report, how long have I been—"
Cutting his thoughts short, Archius immediately hugged him, pretending to be a clingy boyfriend. "Kaz! You're awake! Fuck's sake, some of us thought you actually got into a coma!"
"Get… off… me." Kazuki pried Archius off him with much difficulty, his limbs still achingly numb.
He grabbed hold of a water bottle and slapped it against Archius, sending him backwards whilst he rubbed his forehead. The colours were muddied, he couldn't see clearly what Archius thought. Not like he was able to to begin with. He slinked off him as he placed his head directly onto the duvet and mattress. Eliza gave Archius a short glare before glancing towards Kazuki, there was something he didn't understand under those optimistically determined eyes.
Archius asked, "By the fucking Eclipse, you remember who we are, right?"
"No, you two are complete strangers and I ask you to leave my room at once." snapped Kazuki in a serious tone. Archius shot an annoyed look at him before falling onto the floor of the room.
"Pft, your sarcasm's survived the fall."
"The operation. What happened? Lilly, Quinn, what about the rest?" asked Kazuki.
"Those two were lucky. They got out alive." said Archius, "Sixty percent casualties. Deltastring took a heavy hit. Heimfall got out intact."
Sixty percent… over two hundred dead. Lilly must be pissed. Doing the calculations, Deltastring only has a hundred or so operatives left, a strong number but it must be reinforced. He'll probably merge some other injured units in. Kazuki sighed, feeling the pressure ramp up on his mind.
Eliza looked at Kazuki as she shimmied the chair closer to him. He sat up against the backrest. Her face was muddled with guilt, she glanced away. A mixture of envy and jealousy in her eyes… Kazuki didn't understand. She glanced at Archius.
Archius was still on the cold floor of the hospital room as Eliza whispered to him, "I… can do that, right?"
"Do what?" asked Kazuki, wondering if she wanted to join Archius on the floor. He had no qualms about it, even if it was slightly weirder than usual.
Her face went tomato red as Archius slowly recovered. Before he could get up, she quickly hugged Kazuki. It was so quick that Kazuki wasn't even sure that it happened… But his memory does not lie. His face remained motionless whilst she reared backwards, was she… jealous of Archius? And then, Archius shimmied up on his knees, placing his hands on the side of the mattress.
"Welcome back…" Eliza said, in a solemn face and voice. What happened probably hasn't been resolved. She probably wanted him to help her… Or perhaps she missed him. Either way, he had nothing to say. Former was out of his forte, latter he genuinely had no idea how to respond to.
"Ugh… and things are a lot more complicated as well!" complained Archius, maintaining his friendly happy-go-mischief persona in a more public setting. He shook his head as the door slid open, two more entering the room.
The first was Sylvia Garreau. Silver hair, silver eyes. Tall. She was a friend of his mother and a medical expert. In fact, he distinctly remembered her being the ones that placed his cybernetics on him…
The second was Sato. She was eating chocolate sticks as she entered, wearing more casual clothes in contrast to Sylvia's full doctor attire. Sato waved at the trio, though only Eliza returned the wave. Kazuki tried, but his hands ached.
"Finally awake, huh?" Sylvia walked past Archius, humming to herself as she pressed a button on one of the many apparatuses attached to the wall. A gap emerged within the wall as a drone shot out. It slowly hovered and lowered its eye towards Kazuki.
"Alright, Mr. Gem-Ryzaku, we'll just run a few check ups on you to see if you'll be good for discharge." said Sylvia, taking out a device-reader as the drone expels out a box of rays, scanning Kazuki.
Sato leaned against the window as she looked down to Eliza. "Hey."
Eliza looked towards her as she pried her eyes off of the drone. "Good morning, so… things are still…"
"Awful," said Sato. Her tone filled to the brim with exhaustion.
Archius waited patiently as Sato's face made the first smile that he and Kazuki had seen in forever. She smiled down at Eliza. The two glared at the sight, it was unusual. But Kazuki guessed that Eliza got along well with Sato, after all the two were both incredibly dedicated and understanding people - even if Sato rarely showed her qualities.
"Don't worry, Eliza." said Sato, "Just… talk it out with them. Okay? I'll be rooting for you."
Eliza froze as she shot a glance towards Kazuki. He shrugged, so did Archius. Sato was not amused at them. She made a frown at the duo as they stared directly at her, wondering if she was the same person.
"Hey, I'm off the clock, so ya better not be asking me to do anything. I already have my hands handling the fallout." said Sato, "After all, someone has to keep Eliza safe till things chill."
The jab at Archius was profound, making him seem incompetent to Kazuki. But Kazuki saw through that. Looking towards Archius, Kazuki definitely saw envy in his eyes. Seems like a three way tug of war between Rivera, Sato and Archius was already in full swing… But Rivera's always level-headed, so it's probably more of a two-way war with her and Chizuru eating Sarisian seasoned popcorn from the sideline. If things get out of hand, he'll have to slap the two of them; Sato and Archius always fought with each other, even back during their Clandestine days.
Sylvia finished running the diagnostics. A bright light of holographic energy shot from the device as she said, "Alright, everything's fine… it seems. You can leave whenever you want. Most injuries have healed but I… would recommend you quit fighting."
"Why?" Kazuki asked.
"Your exospine. It's damaged, and unlike the other times, we don't have replacement parts… Safe to say, you need to be careful, you got that kid, or do you need me to spell it out for that memory of yours?"
Eliza's eyes lit up at that comment as she looked towards Kazuki. Kazuki touched his cheek, feeling the cracks in his skin, alongside the old burns. Kazuki sighed and nodded. He guessed that he had recovered from most of his wounds. His advanced healing and meds saw to that… but scars always remain.
"Wait… surely we can replace some of the parts, right? I'm sure… I could create some replacements," Eliza spoke up.
"My exospine isn't like others. Others are removable, supposed to be worn over armour with exoskeletons or braces," Kazuki said.
"If you want to go ahead, be my guest, but don't come crawling to me when your experiment kills Kazuki…" Sylvia said, leaving everyone silent. She continued, "Hyperbole, ever heard of that? No, DO come to me if that happens."
"Hartius' exospine is interlinked with his armour, his whole suit and vest-plate act as one… Frejya has hundreds of drug injectors modified into her body…" Kazuki trailed off, naming members of the Seven Mercs. "And all mine does is make me a little faster…"
Stolen novel; please report.
They were the only physical reminder of his suffering, but even if he could remove them: what was the point? He remembers it either way, might as well save time.
∗ ∗ ∗
Scars taught him the most critical lesson, that being he must continue bleeding for her sake— no, for all their sakes. Kaz met Eliza's eyes with his emotionless, golden glare. He's on the brink of death. If he fails, if he dies: then the justice he and Eliza desire will never come to fruition. He… cannot die. He can't.
"I guess we're lucky you literally have the healing capabilities of a Phoenicia…" Sylvia shoved the drone back into its compartment as she walked away, sliding the door open and close behind her. "Go talk to reception for the discharge."
Kazuki tried to move his exospine, only for it to slowly jam. This level of damage will take weeks to repair, he thought…
"I guess you'll be out of action for a while, Kazuki." commented Sato, "Probably for the best though… things have been tough."
"What is it?" asked Kazuki. The three of them looked at each other, exchanging glances of responsibility.
Eventually, Sato took up the mantle of breaking the news. "Our quote on quote friend, Senator Delia, is trying to fight against a motion to remove our Contract, given recent goings. And well…"
She pressed her uplink and activated the holo-TV opposite the bed. She skipped through gaming streams, movies and cooking shows, reaching the first news channel she found.
'—And let us not forget what happened half a week ago on Saturday,' said the news anchor. A massive picture appeared behind them of the Skyliner. It was captured footage of it falling and exploding. 'Police have currently not confirmed many rumours as some leaks indicate the possibility of mercenaries being involved, either working for or against the judiciary. However, these leaks are currently unknown at best—'
Kazuki remained idle. The skyliner was falling as explosions continued to ripple through it, crashing onto the surface as thousands of drones, shuttles and emergency vehicles hovered. Shuttle Mag-Locks from responders failed to tug the vehicle upwards as rain continued to pour down. The Floating Islands started to shift away, with more and more emergency vehicles rushing through.
Their tractor beams were not enough, however.
"Quinn saved your ass." said Sato, "Skydived directly into an evacuating shuttle."
Seems like some things with Quinn don't change. Hot-headed and rash as always. Something Kazuki always liked about him, he was reliable - even if he was a bit stupid at times.
'—Current confirmed casualties are in the thousands, with possibly tens of thousands more being injured or killed. Emergency responders are still looking through the rubble for survivors. Rumours have emerged that the perpetrators were that of the same pirates that dealt a hand in the P-1 Incident, though the Senate or Executive Branch have not commented as of yet. Coinciding with this, the Judiciary has yet to comment on a video sent to all major news outlets on the planet after the attack.'
"Pirates… they're wrong…" Eliza trailed off. She's not wrong, Kazuki thought. It was more than pirates, they were simply the scapegoat.
Kazuki's face brimmed with intrigue, even if he didn't show it openly. Archius glanced over, noticing his interest piquing. The anchor disappeared as a video was displayed, overlayed with the news channels' name.
Svenn was sitting down on a hover-chair. The location seemed dingy, probably a run down warehouse. He was wearing heavy armour as he spoke. Kazuki saw him clutching onto the side of his torso that was taken out. Behind him was a thousand crates… He recognised those crates, those were the same ones that were in the vans.
'I am Svenn Janstein, representing the Clandestine Defence Corporation. Due to recent incidents, our organisation has been under attack by the AGENCY… I'm sure we don't need to remind ourselves of who leads them, the Noble Contract-breaker… Some believe our organisation to be defunct, but I promise: we still thrive. And our new goal has changed from the upholding of contracts to the elimination of the rogue element that now works for the government…'
His face grew thinner and angrier as he leaned towards the camera. He lugged his corrosive pistol onto his lap. His white side-swept fringe blocked the view of his eyes.
'Kazu… I know you're watching this… I might have failed to kill you there on that damn Skyliner… But know this… even if I die… I'll smile raining hell on you… All of you.'
And with that, the video ended. Sato turned off the television. Raining hell… Kazuki remembered one conversation back during the olden days of the Eden Initiative…
Sato looked towards him. "Raining hell… huh?"
She thought for a moment, then smacked her own cheek, shouting at herself, "No, no, no, no thinking about work! I'm off the clock…"
"I think you should keep thinking. We all know how you absolutely crave productivity." snarled Kazuki.
Eliza found it somewhat amusing and chuckled. Meanwhile, Archius decided to gain brownie points with Kazuki, his head twisted towards him. "What do you think it means?"
"P2." muttered Kazuki, "He'll throw a station at Anagora and watch it all burn. This time, we know the perpetrators in advance."
Eliza's face darkened at that comment. Her expression gave off the thoughts of remembrance. "The Skyliner... these people are organised," Eliza said.
Archius rolled his eyes to the side. "Yes," he said, as if affirming a kid asking a dumb question. Kazuki had no reaction. "They're Loyalists, of course they're organised. You don't get into Clandestine based on whispers."
"Most of the time," Kazuki interjected.
Archius nodded at Kazuki, waving his finger in approval. "Yes, most of the time..."
Eliza said, "Loyalist... They're Clandestine, right? I thought most would have surrendered, especially after the company's disillusionment."
"Officially, they are defunct," said Archius. "But some still fight, Liz."
"Fight for what? For who?" she asked, confused.
Archius opened his mouth to speak, but no words sang their song.
Kazuki had to answer. "They're Clandestine Loyalists under Svenn Janstein. The AGENCY consists mainly of ex-Clandestine Contractors, under me."
"So… Kaz, you think they're after P2?" asked Archius, "Are we going based on your intuition?"
"My memory does not lie," Kazuki stated, twisting to Archius, before letting off a massive sigh.
"Want us to leave?" asked Eliza, "You must be quite tired."
"No. Sleeping's boring, not my thing."
She nodded. "Then what do we do?"
Sato shrugged. "I'll be going, you three better rest up, I'll inform Martinez of the situation," she said, waving as she walked away, closing the door behind her as she left.
The phase of the door left the three in silence… "I can do this. Right?" Kazuki glanced at the two.
"You took on Antonius, you can definitely take whoever this Svenn is," Archius commented.
Eliza nodded in agreement, probably having an even lesser understanding than what Archius has of his situation… Kazuki sighed again.
"But can I?" he asked again. "I'm not like the other members of the Seven… Felix has government backing; Hartius is soulbond to the Death Hazard; Emiya has the most advanced cybernetics in the galaxy and what do I have?"
"An army," Archius replied. "And let me tell you, ten thousand men are a lot better than one."
Eliza said, "And you have us." Archius' eyes glanced towards her in an almost mocking fashion. She didn't notice it.
"Still… Svenn's strong," Kazuki said. "Strength begets strength. Success begets success. I cannot allow Svenn to persist any longer. The AGENCY's hold can only withstand the Judiciary if we show sucess."
Archius chuckled, pointing with one finger at Kaz. "We can see that, tell us something we don't know. We need more men, to replace our losses... Martinez is already on it."
More men. Great. More faceless people to the slaughter. But what did Kazuki not know? White hair, twitching eyes. Svenn wasn't acting like Svenn. Then again, four years is a long time. No, that wouldn't explain how strong he is, considering he's been 'dead' for years, nearly five. No. There's only one conclusion he can draw from that.
"He might have a Hazard Shard." It was obviously not a Higher Shard, something weak - something under the radar. Professor Crankenhart is at Sarimba University. The presence of a High Shard would attract her ire... and her attention.
Archius' face rose in light, an interested smirk curling up his lips and hair. Eliza, on the other hand, looked rather confused. "Sorry… I haven't done much binge researching on Hazards…"
"Well, it's not on the NATs curriculum, so why should you?" asked Archius. Kazuki twisted his body, standing up slowly. His body felt numb. He looked out the window, seeing an orange blur stare back at him. "Learning about Hazard Shards doesn't help with making you into a the perfect slave, let me tell you that."
"Hazard Shards. They're similar to that brooch of yours," Kazuki said. He lightly tapped Eliza's brooch, as she shimmied backwards, cradling it with one hand. It was like she was protecting it. He continued, "Star essence inside brooches are akin to Hazard Shards. Except Shards are stronger, more powerful…"
"And Lethal." Archius added on. "You could go into the Eclipse, Kaz, get one yourself."
"Huh!?" Eliza sprang up, pressing her hands down against the duvet. "Wait… the Eclipse? No, absolutely not! Who knows what threats are in there… Leviathans… Hazards…"
"That's the point." Kazuki remained motionless in all features. "It's dangerous. Unstable. Prime place for Hazard Shards. Don't worry, it should take a few weeks at best. We've come along way from the Crusades and the Night of the Eclipse with regards to Hazard Usage."
"But in your condition…" Eliza glanced him up and down. Kazuki did the same. He wasn't looking too well.
"You're right… An expedition to the Heart of the Eclipse will kill me." Kazuki analysed the situation. She was right. It'd kill him, he thought. It was a risk he cannot take, under the circumstances. "But Svenn might have a Shard. That's a problem."
Eliza nodded. "But, how could you tell? From what I've heard, they're far and few between, not since the days of the Crusades - and that was well before even the Empire!"
"Exactly. That's what I'm confused about." He's too powerful, for someone dead for five years. "A Hazard Shard is the only possible explanation. But that itself provides—"
"—Even more questions," Eliza cut in. She covered her mouth as both Archius and Kazuki looked at her. "Sorry…"
She wasn't wrong. He nodded, placing a hand up against the window sill. "Entities long ago fed on stars, producing energy. For billions of years, they festered and evolved across the galaxy. The aliens that came before man harvested them, used them for weapons of war… Their power was immense," said Kazuki, pointing at Eliza's brooch, swirling with energy and weight. "After aeons, that is what's left of them. Just accessories, and tools."
Kazuki turned back to the window. "I'm guessing that's why they seem to weigh such a ton…" Eliza trailed off.
"Its usability scales with a person's willpower, their state of mind. Hartius is soul bonded to the Death Shard. He has no qualms about killing. His state of mind is not compromised," Kazuki said.
He turned around, watching as Archius stretched himself out on the bed. "What?" he asked. "My back's hurting…"
"You're not the one to talk about back pains." Kazuki gave him a sense of cold truth. "A brooch's so called 'aristocratic burden' is that weight. Nothing more than the residue of these entity's will to thrive, their will to not submit to someone weak of mind, or guilty…"
Glancing towards Eliza, he could see her bleed of worry. Of course she'd feel uncomfortable. Given what he just told her, Kazuki guessed that she knew. To some extent, at least. He never wore his brooch, never in his life after his tenth birthday.
And Eliza? She'll be fine. The weight of its burden on her is manageable, he thought. She did look winded, sometimes, but she always comes back, stronger, better. As long as she keeps doing that, she has her brooch under control.
After all, she's dedicated her whole life to finding the perpetrators… to bring Victoria's memory justice.
Well, here he was, realising that he was trying to run away again. How could he ever tell her? For once, Kazuki felt a measure of fear.
But as always, it quickly subsided.