Having routed back to their now "unhorsed" horses, the three of them managed to quickly find their gears and collect themselves, starting to head back to the open area they found everyone in. Surprisingly, despite their readiness, they didn't manage to find a single trace of an official military or paramilitary force that they had prepared for, instead just found everyone who was called to arms on the ground, panting and exhaling deeply, as they relieved their stress from the scene that was to be a battleground. Gaz was conversing with another young man on the side, he too visibly anxious, with sweat running down from his head to his chin, as he rubbed it off with his arm while talking.
"Man! What the hell? I really thought it was actually do or die." Anya sighed.
Yuno stopped merging with Lass, "Remember that whole talk about flexing power? Think that's what this was about?"
"I literally have no clue. All I can think of right now are the...horses." Lass burped softly as he held his mouth, reminding himself about the vile pictures he came across.
"They were in...parts" Ikarisa remembered along with him.
"Maybe we should've hidden them better?" Anya scratched her head.
"No shit?" Lass spread his arms, "But I'd be more worried about what that explosion was about, right now. The air smells weird, I don't know if it's just debris, chemicals from the explosion or something else."
"Trust me, Big guy. Considering they have such a high class and feared weapons from the black market, it's highly likely that if the bomb or missile or whatever that was, actually a chemical weapon we would be dead already. Doesn't take a general to know that if you want to win in stuff like this, you win like doing math. Get to the correct result, no matter the equations used."
"Checks out. But who's that guy Gaz is talking to? He looks...nothing like the others. In fact, that's an actual police suit, isn't it? DPD on his shoulder." Lass looked at the Delpha police's logo on the man's shoulder.
"Nothing we will find out without going up to them to find out." Ikarisa started walking towards them.
"You really want to inject yourself more into things you shouldn't?" Lass warned her.
"I doubt anything will change more than it already has since we run paths with these guys," she answered him while walking forwards.
"She does have a point. As it stands, just...I dunno, walk forward with your fingers crossed." Yuno shrugged.
Lass sighed, "At least I can save my "Follow my plan" card for later since nothing happened. You know...aside from the fact that we lost the very expensive, alive inside mecha-horses within a week. In the way we did too."
As they walked up to the two of them, they very soon realized that the man talking to Gaz was indeed part of some sort of official force, wielding what looked to be heavy weaponry and some achievements on his chess. The regular navy blue color was monotonously layered all over his clothing as well, with partial white fabric around the area his weapons were stored underneath, making it clear from a distance that he was armed and ready. Even his back had a partial white fabric underneath what looked like a case for a long knife, branded by none other than the official flag of Delpha. His arms crossed as he rubbed his elbow with his thick, combat gloves, it was clear that the matter at hand that they were discussing with each other made both him and Gaz equally anxious.
"And what do you expect me to do? I was lucky to prolong it as long as I have." the man said.
"Prolong it? With a missile strike that close to camp?"
"They saw very heavy signatures coming from that spot, Gaz. You know that they would immediately act if they saw any sort of suspicious or high activity within the danger zone. What the hell were you guys even building there?"
"Building? Nothing, I swear that on my own life!" Gaz worryingly said.
"Then what were the three very high-class radio signatures a few meters from here?" the man asked again.
"Uh. That would probably be three mecha-horses with most of our electronic devices collectively emitting radio frequencies. Although, I guess it's more the horses than our personal devices. Thankfully their storages were reinforced and nothing happened to our gears but...the horses." Ikarisa stepped in.
"You brought mechanical horses in the danger zone? Seriously?" the man face palmed.
"They aren't from here. In fact, I think you'd recognize them."
The man specifically took a second look at them all, tilting his head as he started connecting more and more dots. He specifically locked his eyes on Lass, staring him down briefly, a little more than the others, as he tried to make more connections in his mind.
"Hey, you. Do I know you from somewhere? You look around my age too." he curiously looked at Lass, "Riko, by the way. That name ring a bell?"
Lass thought briefly, "Uh...yeah, actually. I think I got a gig for Obsulyte-infused weapons from you. Although, most people who make them solo or recruited by big institutions have a ton of those gigs nowadays, especially me."
"Yeah, I remember ordering from you actually. The knife has been doing its job really well, I owe you one for that. But something a little more...familiar?" Riko kept glancing at Lass.
"Probably their images and IDs specifically broadcasted to you from Reingard's Ministry of Diplomatic Affairs? We stole and copied their files among transition before they got to you. Like with everything else." Gaz pointed out.
"Oh, wait, yeah. Now I remember...unfortunate timing before we got this over with. You're lucky I disabled the firewall generator from our systems, by the way. Most people who worked there are, of course, fired, and they took the codes with them, so I'm left alone to manage it. So, how did you like the city up until now?"
"I got shot with an anti-Obsulyte user weapon." Anya folded her arms.
Riko sighed, "Yeah that sounds about right. Look, the situation is hellish at the moment, if you guys could leave and come back in a couple of months, I'd appreciate it."
"A couple of months? Really?" Yuno asked.
"Wait, who's that one?" Gaz looked at Yuno.
"My Guardian, mascot, whatever. Hard to explain, but he's with us." Lass answered him.
"I won't be the last mutation Obsulyte cause, mind you. Just look at Ravangers, that's a cool creature." Yuno pointed out.
"I'd get you over those any day, spawns of hell versus a shrimp." Gaz lightly joked.
"If only he knew." Yuno shrugged.
"Anyway! Besides that. What has been going on here? Because you know we aren't leaving if we don't make things right, or try to. Can someone please brief us on the situation already? Please?" Ikarisa pleaded.
"Are you going to tell her or am I going to tell her?" Riko asked Gaz.
"You're the same age, I guess your words would echo better."
"Alright. So, let's start off by my name. Riko Arsen. I'm the son of Neviro Arsen. We got to this city a few years back, alongside with Gaz and Terna Matune, this guy right here. We lived here for a long time, I also studied here and became head of the police department for two reasons, one being that I'm an Obsulyte user, and two, because my dad...well, he kind of took over. Violently. Around a year ago is where he went into office and I don't really know how. The point is, he became insanely strong before he did so. That happened around a year and a half ago when I saw him change more and more by the day. Talking wasn't how he got into office, of course, when he began doing really nasty stuff, killing basically anyone who opposed him."
"So your dad is effectively a dictator?" Lass pointed out.
"Won't even deny it. Yes, he is at this point. Unfortunately, not the good kind of dictator either, taking power to save his people. I don't know why his powers escalated so quickly, but when it did, he did a bunch of awful things. For one, that gun you got shot by. Oasis Eagle I suppose? It's been deemed legal here."
Anya was left dumbfounded, "You're joking."
"Not at all. I learned about this first, since I was also forced into the head position of the DPD which also intertwines with the paramilitary forces by previewing Delpha laws. I am an Obsulyte user, so is my dad, and we are in fact not complete demi-humans while we are, but the stance he took on Obsulyte users is extreme, to say the least. Because of it, as you saw here, many workers from companies who were actually Obsulyte users began to be treated very differently just a mere two months after he went into power, and around six months ago was when it really devolved into chaos. Though not official, I can very well say we have both a divide and a civil war that isn't recognized by anyone here. Military forces are somehow completely loyal to my dad and are actively wanting to fight back and provide stability for the city again. Terna, who is an up-and-coming industry idol send out multiple messages around that time too, flyers and songs with lyrics completely filled with underlined messages against my dad, which is something I secretly supported. When that went down and the blowup happened, I almost made it a routine to secretly supply Gaz and the rest of the people here with everything I could."
Gaz stepped in, "None of them is soldiers, just average people. I am an old veteran, you see, from the great work years ago. Also a few proxy wars after. I was alongside Terna when I helped her escape here from our old war-torn city. She harnessed her talents at a company called Musica and became an idol of sorts. Her contract had me as her security staff chief too...sweet girl of mine. But when the situation did escalate here, I couldn't sit back. I left Terna somewhere secured and came back to train anyone who was left around here to fight back. In around one month, with all the gear we managed to get from raids on storage buildings or otherwise and my training, we got a half-competent team of rebels.
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
There's surprisingly not a casualty recorded officially or mentioned inside our circle yet, which is more than good news. I hate seeing undeserving young fight a war they didn't start. But every day, despite Riko's efforts to keep the military and other forces siding with Neviro to actually bust in and start killing us all, it looks like that's where we're heading at more and more. I hate to admit it but...there aren't professionals.
One coordinated massive raid like the one I have in mind, I'm telling them all to drop their guns and surrender. Even though, the reason why I trained them in tactical drills is that I knew that most of the boiling blood around here won't surrender, with or without training here. Older people too, since companies have a wide age range in this city. Those who didn't flee for Vardard, in an Obsulyte user-safe environment, actively chose to fight back."
"So that idol girl is the reason why everything came to be so unbelievably bad?" Yuno asked.
"I mean...no. Before her, it was already getting way too heavy and the pressure just kept on piling up. Honestly, if we stretch it, maybe you can say that her songs inspired people to go ahead and revolt but...I honestly don't know." Riko answered him.
"That's precisely what it is. Her pride on the stage reflects on everyone below it, especially with her Obsulyte powers being as transmittable and potent as hers. However, due to that reason, she tried to escape from the safe location I had her in. It was a small underground studio in the headquarters behind me. She sang and sang, broadcasted those songs and her words until they began retracing the signal and found her. She's missing ever since, and we really could use her pride and courage once again. If you want my humble opinion, much like her concerts, this is coming to a grand finale right about now. Delpha's way of life has always been a straight and narrow stability and people will definitely jump once last, big time to make it like so again. But that doesn't mean that it'll be a good one. Again, if the military or anyone siding with Neviro does choose to assault us, I'm telling all of my guys to put their weapons down...if they listen to me or not. I've seen bloodshed for no reason, and this most definitely will be without any reason if it happens."
"And I'll back you up on that statement, Gaz. Find Terna, and do it now. Because, like I told you...I can't hold them back anymore. They are already making plans, the military for a wipeout and the paramilitary, including the DPD SWAT teams for arrests on a mass scale.
Either way, people will die, but if I had to choose, I'd much rather go with the SWAT option, since I've been assigned leadership of it. Don't question the why and how...dad always took care of that part for me. Delpha will regain stability in one way or another, but in terms of whether it'll end up being the way of life we knew or under my dad's rule, only time will tell. But...I'd choose to act against him regardless. Something tells me that what happens inside Delpha, if it continues in the exact same way it does now, won't be inside Delpha where it ends."
"So, just find Terna and we're good, right?" Anya said.
"Good luck finding her. I tried as much as I could, but I can't get any reports from the people who actually were assigned to go after her, or actually enter the building she was in without being either attacked by sheer anger or kept on a leash by the other rebels here, so much so that it compromises my work efforts. If, however, you get access there, I'll give you my number right now. Video call me and show me the place. Few years I studied criminology should help, but do it in about an hour. I will wrap up today's shift in the police department and act as if I plan to do overtime alone. Now, I'm off. I was supposed to negotiate something with you but I forgot. Not that it mattered anyway. Stay safe, Gaz, you too guys. There's hell coming. Here's my number, Gaz."
Gaz copied Riko's phone number, "Got it. We will act with these three. If it comes to a boil before we can at least have a chance with Terna, maybe with their Obsulyte powers, we might have a chance."
Riko scoffed, "Relax. The military is also comprised of Obsulyte users, not all of them but a very sizeable chunk. No matter how strong you guys are, you'll never be invincible. Take care and think through everything you do."
With that, leaving the others behind, Riko took his leave away from the open area. As the sun started to set, Gaz invited the others inside the rebel's headquarters, guiding them through what looked like a precise copy of the previous company headquarters although with different branding and decorations, keeping major locations in practically the same spots.
They passed through the same rooms, though this time filled with people instead, all not daring to look anyone but Gaz in the eyes, as they passed through the hallways. Several chattering and whispering voices were heard right after they passed every room, as opposed to when they were right outside of it, creating an almost awkward and uneasy atmosphere for the four of them. Even soldiers they cross along their way towards where Gaz was leading them to, fell silent upon approaching nearby, even though they were obviously conversing beforehand, resuming right after in a more silent tone as they went behind everyone's backs.
As they spend not even ten minutes going around, Anya once again took the initiative and went to ask Gaz a question, seeing as he was much more conversable and understanding compared to others in the area.
"Alright, so this is a record company, right? Where did you hide your star?" Anya asked.
"Way below. Come with me over here." Gaz leads the way towards the stairs.
"To where exactly?" Yuno curiously asked.
"Most companies have an unused basement level that has all the old and unneeded documents and rooms in it, forgotten after they expanded all of the buildings here and made them nearly identical to each other. Probably done to avoid bickering between companies and how one has a more efficient or bigger office to work with. We are going to that basement level."
"But the elevator is right there." Ikarisa pointed out.
"Purposely broke the elevator so that it doesn't have access to the bottom floor. Blamed it on random accidental property damage too when police first arrived and asked, when
we hadn't gone into full-blown conflict yet."
"They were looking for that girl even back then? Wow, they are persistent as hell." Yuno said.
"Terna has never been too kind to injustice. The moment Neviro decided to step up, she began opposing him and passing the message along at light speed. Unfortunately, given her status compared to other idols in the company, not a lot of people came to hear those messages."
"And why didn't any of them do the same? That's just lame." Lass said.
"Some of those young girls and boys had families and some others were over-depended in the company for their profits to live. Others, well, didn't care, so long as things kept being the way they did. And for all three, opposing the force by the current leader was easy career suicide. Heard about their troubles all day from Terna, other staff and even myself when everything was still up and running. Many people despised those girls right after, instead glorifying Terna as a leadership figure, because she chose to warn them instead of playing into it. Both ways you look at it, everyone besides a handful of people in this company, driven by the obvious prospect of money, deserved it. I was genuinely sad when I had to ship off some of those girls and other male singers away to safety, undercover." Gaz exhaled deeply, "Now, over here."
Leading them down a standard set of stairs, Gaz brought them two empty, eerie floors down. All of them seemed hollow, indeed having everything from their devices, furniture, doors and even wallpapers stripped away, forgotten as empty shells of offices they used to be, with all of them passing by before they eventually were forced to a stop. A very large accumulation of chairs, desks and other furniture were tossed left and right, on top and under each other, completely blocking off the third floor downwards from that point on, with lights illuminating the rest of the stairs broken and unusable, making it a nearly impossible to walk on, hazardous path.
"Ok. Want me to start destroying?" Anya cracked her fists.
Gaz chuckled, "That won't be necessary. Here, let me show you." he sat on a desk that was flipped upright, "We made a little bit of something special that other companies didn't have. When you all sit on this desk, scoot yourselves a little bit forward and you'll drop down a couple of meters, ok? Watch your feet." he dropped down.
Everyone followed after Gaz, one by one sitting on the upright desk before dropping down into the darkness. They all landed with a loud thud that reflected the echo of a wooden structure beneath them. They briefly tried to find their way around the darkness before having a bright light shine upon them from Gaz's flashlight. Looking down, they were standing on a multitude of desks and office chairs cleverly stacked on top of each other, creating an entryway to the last ground floor, well hidden from an outside perspective. Before them, right in front of the small deck area made out of desks, was a set of 3 stair steps, each made from a glossy wood-like set of two chairs.
"Let me guess. For the cops too?" Anya gazed around.
"Had to put a lot of ingenuity into this one, but others helped? Won't even notice if one of us doesn't go ahead and show you from the outside. As you could probably tell, I am pretty proud of that one."
"Don't worry, I can. Now, can we go further down?" Lass pointed forward.
"Gladly. Follow me." Gaz led the way.
Taking them further inside the area, Gaz flicked a switch that lit the entire lower floor, giving everyone a slight bit of a surprise when they found out that the lights were still properly working. Further in, besides the reception area in front, they saw a most difference in scenery room than the emptied out and hollow front area. Pink in color primarily, with a burst of other shades and colors of all colors splattered around the area, they saw a recording room through the glass window at its right side, looking inside at a left angle.
Furniture, tables and even a small library were inside the recording room too, with instruments of all types laid out side by side, and either schoolgirl or pure pop idol uniforms firmly hung on the walls and available for wearing at a moment's notice. Letting them in through the unlocked door, they came to take a closer look around, smelling a fragrant, flowery aroma in the recording room's every corner. Being able to see the further left corner now, they also saw an open computer connected to a big pile of machines and a microphone laid in front of it, with a board webbed to the brim with pictures of all sorts of faces, including Riko's who they just met, and a marked out map. The group looked around in the sizeable room, while Gaz sat at the main desk with the computer, being silent as he looked around at the open computer. After they had finished looking around, trying to connect any dots, they sat around in the chairs beside the recording area, or on the poofs on the right side of the room's door, being somewhat frustrated at the lack of evidence availability.
"So...this is a recording room? Pretty big." Ikarisa grabbed a nearby guitar and placed it on her lap as she sat on the chair, stroking its strings with the tip of her nails lightly.
"It's a 'creative area'. Usually, idols come into groups of three here, to form an idol group. Usually coming in a variety of lyricists, composers and vocalists. Small rooms like these were sort of a safe space with echo cancellation of course, where they could come up with certain hits for the company." Gaz answered.
Anya crashed on a poof, "That actually sounds nice. Though from that desk, I can tell it kind of got converted to some more recent events." she looked at the marked map behind Gaz.
"Yeah...it did become her safe space after all. Tried our best to conceal her after what happened, since she essentially was the only publicly active speaker against Neviro. Used all these systems to 'illegally' broadcast all her messages and everything. Although it did take a very considerable effort from Riko's side to do so. I'm telling you, that kid is a savior. Terna always had a very good habit of making friends and sticking with really good kids...unfortunately, Riko was the only one of those good kids that survived to come here. Well, fortunately for Riko, unfortunate for the other kids. Too young."
"From where exactly? I mean, Riko did say you 'escaped' here, right?" Lass asked.
"A small town or I guess large-sized city, up in the Victorian north. Great War and everything wiped that off the map. But we escaped, barely."
"Wait, wait, I do remember that town! Oh my god, guys, I think I do know this girl! No way in hell though, right? She was a classical singer!" Anya sprung up.
"Oh, wait...now that you did mention it again, I remember Terna performing on some sort of opera stage. Are you perhaps...that little demi-human wolf friend of hers?" Gaz asked.