While John was hiding somewhere, Larial kept her eyes on the approaching girl. At first Larial thought it was Lucas but the bulge on the incoming girl’s upper body was unmistakable despite her loose jacketed appearance. Then there was the part about her silver hair and her ever-shifting eye colours.
Larial felt a little dizzy when she stared at the running girl’s eyes and so, she watched the intruder's footwork. Twenty…ten…one meter...she’s fast! The specialist immediately assumed a defensive stance as she thought Anna would charge straight at her. Contrary to Larial’s expectations, the girl easily slipped past her.
“Hey, what are ya doing here-” Larial launched both of her arms like spears in order to catch this fleeting invader. She didn’t succeed for several times. Hae-Vyul-Do Turn?! Idystema Dance?! Who's this bitch?!
The girl was like a slippery loach, deflecting every Larial’s attempt to grab her. On top of that, she even had the luxury to shout, “Big Brother? Where are you? Anna want to meet Big Brother!”
“Oh, fuk-ya. I’ll cave ya face in!” The specialist became enraged. It’s one thing to deflect her attacks, it was another thing entirely to literally ignore her. Larial balled her fists and adopted an aggressive stance. She punched more than seven times in rapid succession.
Anna didn’t even glance at Larial as she danced as graceful as a swan among broken machinery parts in the area, “Big Brother! Anna knows Big Brother is here! Anna can sense you!”
“Oh man, oh man!” John was scared beyond belief. The knocking and rumbling sounds out there only added to his terror. “Why is she here?!”
“Oi! This is a restricted area!” Luke finally reacted after he managed to track the girls’ movements. He used simple approach of a full-on body tackle, all seventy-two kilograms of it.
The intruder spun on her feet, avoiding Luke by a hair-breadth. However, her legs were tangled a second next, “Ouch!” Anna stopped on where she stood. With a coy tone, she extended her right arm on an intercept course, “Um...Sister? Anna didn’t know Sister have such wants!”
“What?” Larial exclaimed. Then she opened and closed her left hand a few times. What's this soft and springy thing? The specialist immediately blushed, “Uh, no! It’s an accident!” She withdrew her hand in haste. The warmth was still lingering in her fingers, “I…I…didn’t mean to grab ya chest! Honest!”
At this point, Luke finally caught upon them after lifting himself out from a broken piece of man-sized machinery, “Hey you! Why you trespass my depot?!”
“Aha, Sister─” Anna avoided the furious engineer again and, strongly pulled one of Larial’s hand, “if Sister want to, Sister just need to ask!”
Her sudden action caused Larial’s guts to feel funny, “What! Why are ya pulling me, ya brute?! Let go!”
“Hm? The dwi-colour chocolate?” The offending girl spotted a curious object in the background. She stopped pulling, “Sister! How come you have Big Brother’s chocolate?”
However once in motion, a large momentum wasn’t easily negated. Larial collided with the girl, “Wargh!” Her face was buried between two well-endowed mounds that were like large puddings packaged in soft plastic, “Urgh, sorry!” Larial struggled to get up next but this girl didn’t let her. “Hey?! Let me go! Leader?! Leader, help me! Gahk!”
“Oh Sister, so bold!” The intruding girl hugged Larial tighter like a power claw, “Sister want hug? Anna gives hug!”
Out of curiosity, John went out of his hiding place after hearing all sorts of bangs and crashes, “Ma’am Anna? Wait! Let go of the specialist!” The thin man ran helter-skelter at both girls, “Her face is blue! Please, release her!”
“Big Brother!” Anna did as John said. She simply chucked Larial to the side, “Why is Big Brother here? Anna didn’t find Uncle Gerasi-mov!”
“Ge-Gerasimov?!” The engineer, Luke, halted when he was a few meters away from the pouting girl. His nose smelt trouble. He quickly made himself scarce, “Uh…guys? I…I have an emergency. That’s right. I will come back later! Take care, John!”
“Gahk!” Larial finally gained her bearings with a loud cough. She wanted to shout but only whimpers came out, “Why…ya…wear an exo…that’s…cheating…urgh.” The specialist puked on the spot and fainted not long after.
John flinched; he saw how Anna knocked out Larial with a hug. She’s wearing…an exo? He slowly retreated backwards, “Umm…Ma’am? Please, uh…stay there? I…I’ll listen what you want to say, from, uh, here…no offense…”
“Big Brother?” The platinum hair-coloured girl advanced forward at the same time, “Why Big Brother is backing away?” She was puzzled on John’s action.
She’s coming closer! Come on, John, think! The thin man began to sweat inside. That girl was definitely bad news. “Uh…my stomach doesn’t feel well so, uh─” By coincidence John’s stomach growled, “Yeah! I don’t feel so good, Ma’am!”
“Uhm, do Big Brother want Anna to bring Big Brother to triage?” The girl asked innocently. John suspected her methods were all but wanting. Indeed, as she moved closer, the faint sounds of servos emanating from her became clearer.
As John backed himself to a dead corner, an idea hit him at this moment. “Anna! If you behave, I will give you a Sa'lushan chocolate!” He slipped his hand into his nearby synthetic paper bag, “See, this one! Ma’am just need…to stay there!”
“Wah, a chocolate?” The girl was elated beyond mention. In her excitement, she repeatedly punched a nearby piece of armour that was as tall as her, “Do you really mean it, Big Brother?!”
John saw how the poor thing was absolutely battered, dented and twisted from multiple truck-level impacts. Okay, she definitely wears an exo…He steeled himself, “Yes Ma’am! Just…stay there. I will give this limited-edition chocolate to you, by…myself!”
“Wow, this is Anna’s luckiest day!” She jumped up and down. John wasn’t wrong; the chocolate he shown to Anna cannot be purchased and only gifted by Sa’lushan dessert meisters. The girl restrained her excitement lest John ran away, “Anna is waiting here! Big Brother, please give Anna the chocolate!”
John was pained for giving the chocolate hourglass dessert away but he didn’t have much of a choice to calm this tiny tempest in front of him, “Umm…open your hands and close your eyes. I will give you the chocolate, Ma’am.”
“Is that it? Okay!” She did as what John instructed. Sometime later, she definitely felt something was deposited on her open hands. Anna was so happy that she lunged at John, “Oh Big Brother, thank you, thank you! Anna will give a hug!”
“Ma’am?! No, you will crush the chocolate!” Thankfully, John requested her to close her eyes and thus managed to avoid her charge in time. Otherwise, he would end up as Larial. He tried to reason with her, “One of its kind, Ma’am! The hourglass! No replacement!”
“What?” Anna stopped just in time and shielded the dessert box from being crushed. She felt a sharp pain at her scalp next, “Ow! Who dares to hit Anna?! Anna will get angry!”
“Ehem. P-I mean, Anna…? What are you doing here?” John knew this voice. It was Gerasimov, still with his disguise.
“Oh, thank you, Sir Gerasimov!” John was moved beyond tears for Gerasimov’s unexpected aid. He gave a hasty salute, “Well met, Sir!”
Gerasimov was still clamping his left hand on Anna’s head, “If it isn’t John! Well met! I see Anna had caused you much trouble.” The old man let go of her head after she stopped resisting, “Nice job of pacifying this troublesome squirt, haha.” A few moments later, he took what was in her hands, “Oh, I will compensate you for this chocolate, so don’t worry about that, John.” Gerasimov surveyed the area afterwards, “Did something blew up in here, John? Did this naughty Anna did it?”
“Hey Uncle! Anna did not-thing wrong! This place already like this!” The girl voiced her protest. She eyed the chocolate like a hawk.
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John backed her up, despite still being terrified by the feisty girl. “Yeah, Sir Gerasimov. This…isn’t her handiwork.” He pointed at the fainted Larial a few meters away, “I and…uh, my specialist did something wrong.” John continued, “So…Director Alisa came here and told us…to fix this power armour as punishment.”
Him? I don’t see how he made this thing all banged up in the first place. Gerasimov didn’t buy it but decided to go with the flow, “You’re brave, aren’t you John?” The old man laughed, “You remind me of the good old days, tinkering stuff and getting things blowing up in our faces, haha.” He smiled next, “It’s…good to be young, but remember the first rule in our Dynasty; safety first.”
“Uh…okay Sir. So, uh…who is Anna?” John was a little relieved that Gerasimov seemed to eat his lie. He moved in to check Larial, “Specialist? Wake up. Wake up please.”
“Anna is th-!”
“Anna? Did you forgot what I said earlier?” Gerasimov shifted backwards and clamped Anna’s mouth shut. He gave a sinister smile, “Do not…run around or I would be forced to take some measures. Like…taking this chocolate from you. Forever!”
“Mmm-mm! Mmm!!!” Anna shook her head with all of her might. The exoskeleton underneath her outer attire creaked from the immense external strain. She quickly kowtowed when Gerasimov released her. “Okay, okay! Anna is sowwy, Uncle!”
“Really now, Anna?”
“Really sowwy! Promise, Uncle!”
“I hope you behave this time, Anna.” Gerasimov gave back the confiscated chocolate to the pouting girl. He turned to face John next, “Anna is…my friend’s, hm, daughter, John.”
“Daugh-ter?” John queried. He heard differently when the old man was addressing her for the first time. John brushed it aside, “Uh, if that’s what you say, Sir. What brings Sir here?”
“Well…” The old man shifted his gaze to Anna, “Some little bird told me that you’re being…harassed, John?” As the girl shrunk away her neck, Gerasimov glanced at the busted power armour again, “How did you make this standard model…blow up?”
“Gahk!” Larial forced herself to stand. She beckoned John to prop her up, “It…it is…my…fault. Positive…feedback.”
“Overload? Hm…” Gerasimov gave Anna an intense glare, making her to stay seated. Then he approached the power armour’s backside or what was once one, “A high level routing.” He gasped a little, “Wait…all safeties failed?”
“I…I told Specialist Larial to uh…” John tried to cover up for his squad member. He cooked up an excuse, “change some of the power settings for uh…burst power? Yeah, burst power!”
Gerasimov saw through it right away, “It isn’t good to lie, John. Our power armour didn’t have the required banks to store all that excess energy.” He explained further as he looked at the left arm of the machine, “nor the generator for it. We don’t use classical fission to power ours.”
“Umm…Sir…sorry for lying…to you…” John hid his head out of shame. Gerasimov was right. The thin man continued, “It’s just that…”
“I know what you’re thinking, John.” Gerasimov stopped him from talking. The old man tapped his head, “I lived long enough and know what you’re getting at.” He immediately snapped his gaze at Anna, “Young girl, did I say you could leave?”
“Opps...busted…” The girl faked a laugh. She turned as docile as a kitten. “Sowwy Uncle…Anna will listen to Uncle now…”
Gerasimov scratched his grey beard, “You know what?” He had a mysterious grin, “Anna, you work with them.”
“What? Why should Anna do all the heavy work?” The girl wasn’t happy in the slightest. Cleaning all of surrounding debris will take so much time. She hid her chocolate lest the old man snatched it again, “Anna want to eat chocolate!”
“Didn’t you say that one day, you’ll help Uncle?” Gerasimov reasoned, “Help Uncle with PAs?” He threw a bait, “If Anna did well…Uncle might buy Anna more chocolates. And that thing you wanted from Neven? That only one hundred people can get in this star system?”
John was amazed; this old man was an expert in handling the troublesome girl. Nevertheless, he cannot help than to voice up, “Uh, Sir? But this is…an official punishment for me and…Larial. Director Alisa said so, Sir.”
“Hah!” Gerasimov snorted, “The way I see it, you need at least three people! Where’s that Army Engineer ran off to?” The old man was slightly angry, “What’s his name, Luke Kiri-dov?”
Oh no, no trouble please. John said, “Sir is correct. Engineer Luke is just…uh…going to the Maintenance…to order parts for us.”
“Really, John? Are you…really sure?” Gerasimov had an amused tone. He knew this young man was still lying right in front of his face.
John wanted to cry but he resisted Gerasimov’s ferocious gaze, “Yes…yes, Sir. Finger’s crossed. As it happened on…Engineer Luke’s watch, it…stands to reason that…” The thin man tried to hide his tremble, “he was also responsible, Sir. He is personally watching our…work. It is also a test for me, Sir.”
The old man looked at John up and down. Why is he willing to go so far for people he barely knew? He sighed, “Well…if that’s what you say, so be it. What is the time frame given to you, John?”
“Forty-eight hou-”
“Kuhk! Forty…seven and…two thirds hours now…J-J-John…”
“Larial? Stop talking! Take a rest!”
“Anna did not-thing wrong, Uncle Gerasi-mov! Hon-hon-honest!”
This girl…Gerasimov facepalmed. He commanded the errant girl, “Anna…? Help them.”
“But…Anna wa-”
“Help them.” Gerasimov repeated the same sentence with a deeper tone. The girl was still reluctant. He intensified his insistence. “Help them.”
“Uuuh…. okay…sowwy…” The girl simply cannot win against the burly old man. She lightly bowed to both John and the barely standing Larial, “Anna…will help…Big Brother and…Sister. As Uncle…said.”
“I hope this will be a lesson for you, young girl.” Gerasimov harrumphed. He changed his tone, “I will tell Director Alisa of your new assistant, John.” The old man glanced at Larial next, “and maybe you need to get your specialist decked out in the wards.”
“I…I…I’m fine, Sir.” Larial left the surface she was leaning on and tried to act tough, “Nothing, gahk! Nothing…can pin me…down.”
“Umm…Anna…Anna…Anna is sowwy...really sowwy…” The platinum-haired girl profusely apologised. She almost gravely injured Larial.
The old man stared at Anna and made her to silently back off. He talked to Larial next, “My dear, at this moment, you’re not fit to lift anything let alone walk! I’ve called the triage to pick you up.” Gerasimov then faced the still nervous John, “Eh, don’t worry too much John. My friend's daughter might have a few screws loose in her head but I guarantee her strength. Verily so.” He rubbed his chin, “If I want to put it…it’s almost as the same as your brawny Gunther friend.”
“But Sir? Specialist Larial…uh, know a lot about…PAs?” John wasn’t convinced. An emergency vehicle can be seen in the far horizon. He tried to argue with Gerasimov, “I am not sure…if Anna knows about PA? And…I will be breaking…Director Alisa’s directive, Sir.”
“Oh, that can be arranged, John.” Gerasimov tapped on his communicator that sat above his left ear, “Just use conproj mode.” He stared at the unruly Anna next, “Besides, you’ll be doing me a favour, John. I can’t be everywhere all at once.”
“You mean, to…supervise her, Sir?” John audibly gulped. He knew how strong Anna was when she was boosted by her exoskeleton. The medevac vehicle came closer, causing sense of urgency in John, “This is way above my…uh, work-scope, Sir.”
“What’s that word used by Engineer Luke?” Gerasimov hinted otherwise, “A test? Let’s imagine this a test for you, John.” He waved his hand at the incoming medevac, signaling on where to stop, “You’re in the Army for so long, so it’s about time you do something.”
“Sir…I can still wor-” Larial spoke a few words before she fell into deep sleep. Two triage personnel had come to get her and sedated her for easier transport.
“Thanks guys. Classify it under Unexpected Incidents IV section. Faulty gauges or something, you know.” Gerasimov whispered at the third triage personnel that was inquiring about the situation. He sternly instructed Anna next, “Do as you’re told, little girl.” The old man then faced John, “I take it you agree with the terms?”
“Uh, I don’t have much of a choice, is it…Sir?” John tried to run away but his conscience said no. “That…every soldier needs to operate on any…given order?”
“That’s right, John. You’re a quick learner.” Gerasimov chuckled, “I meant that as a compliment, by the way.”
“Sir, before you leave?” John watched the medevac team whisked Larial away, “Is Sir…someone important in the top brass?”
“Pfft!” Gerasimov patted John’s shoulders for multiple times, “Hahaha─my sides!” It took several seconds before the old man caught his breath again, “Oh John, you little rascal! Well…let’s leave it as that. Yeah, I’m someone important in the top brass, pfft, haha.”
“Uhm…okay Sir. Orders…received?” John gave him one final salute.
The old man tried to restrain his unending laughter, “John oh John. Sometimes you’re not the brightest tool in the shed!” He finally stopped laughing, “But I like that about you. Do your best, John.” The old man turned once more before leaving completely, “Don’t forget to visit the Archives, John. And you, Anna. I’ll watch your work.”
“Yes…yes, Sir.” The thin man nodded at the departing figure. Anna was tugging at his left side, prompting him to look at her, “So…Ma’am Anna, what is it?”
“Umm…did Big Brother…forgive Anna?” She was half kneeling on the charred ground.
For some odd reason, John extended his right hand and gently patted her head, “Uh…yes. I forgive you, Ma’am Anna. Let’s…uh…get to work, before your Uncle comes again.”
“Okay! Anna will do her best! Just tell Anna what to do, Anna will lift it!” The girl quickly gained her spirit.
John mumbled to himself as he watched the girl started to clear a portion of the area, “What did I do to deserve…this…?”
Everything happened too fast for John to make heads or tails from. He looked at Anna; that girl was cheerfully raising several hundreds of kilogram-worth of stuff with ease. What a…monster! John fortified himself for there were much more to be done. The time was ticking and waited for no one.