Location: Terra Colony Andromeda
North Sector - Draco Outpost - ROOM [REDACTED]
Date: February 1, 2050
Time - 0300
Oh, this doesn't bode well. Arielle was certain of that, so she kept her hands at her sides, making her intentions clear. She wasn’t going to run or weasel her way out of whatever was going to happen next. She’d listen and she’d follow along. Tunelessly, she hummed to herself as her heels clacked along the floor of the corridor. Ahead of her, a group of armed CSU personnel lead the way, their holstered sidearms adding to the near paper thin tension in the air. Not good, not good at all. Just what is going on? And did I really need an escort?
It had been a few minutes since her encounter with the Maid, Izuna. To say that their conversation was amicable was a white lie so mired in numerous layers of deceit. That was when it had started, that feeling of unease swirling in Arielle’s chest. The petite maid had an air of nobility to her, though that wasn’t what truly unsettled Arielle. What did was the person underneath the maid’s outer appearance.
Looks could be deceiving.
Where are they taking me? And why do I feel like a prisoner? Arielle wasn’t the paranoid sort, but caution was her motto at times like this. It’s not like I’m a criminal, I haven’t done anything, but it sure damn feels like it.
Drawing her attention up from the floor, the hiss of a compartment door brought her back to the situation at hand. A couple meters at the front, the Maid led the way inside. Arielle was hesitant to follow. She had no idea where she was, or where this part of the facility was in the outpost.
They had gone down a number of elevators and lifts, taken turn after turn, so Arielle’s sense of direction was far from accurate. She imagined that this was at least an underground section of the outpost. That, though, was as far as she could get in her deduction before Izuna’s sharp glare hurried her inside.
Alright, Alright. Arielle wordlessly cringed under the maid’s overwhelming yet unassuming presence. You don’t gotta be like that.
The double doors shut as she crossed the boundary and pasted over the black and yellow striped line on the ground. Partitions rose and descended on the door behind her, sealing it shut as their metallic locks clicked close. The noise would’ve drawn everyone's’ attention, yet no one in the room batted an eye.
“Good.” Said Izuna. “We can get started now.” She gestured for Arielle to join an assembly of people on one side of the room. “Please, get comfortable. Someone will be with you in a moment.”
Arielle was about to protest, but that was when the Maid turned away, the skirt of her servant uniform fluttering with her long raven black hair. She was beautiful, but harsh and thorny. Nevertheless, she had a heart racing appeal. In some lights Arielle could see the Maid pulling off a boyish kind of style or even a daring womanly kind of look. The thought of it made her shiver, both from how disgustingly perfect it would seem and a mixture of awkward emotions from her out of context imagination.
“Guess they dragged you here too.” Said a taunting voice Arielle recognized. The silly girl in question patted Arielle’s shoulder as a kind of comfort. “Think we’re in trouble?”
Arielle sighed and quickly grabbed at the girl’s antlers, putting her in a headlock under her arm. Haruka blustered as Arielle ruffled her leafy green locks. It was more for the sake of Arielle’s sanity that she tussled with her long time friend. They were like sisters, except Arielle would never admit it in public.
“Quit it!” Haruka attempted to wrench herself away from her. “Hey! Stop! It took me forever to get my hair right! Wait! NO!”
Getting her fill, Arielle eventually let Haruka go and shuffled them both to where everyone else was. The apparent waiting area in the corner of this vast room had a good number of comfy chairs and couches to accommodate their little gathering. As Arielle settled into a beanbag chair, Haruka was muttering her disapproval of how knotted up her hair now was.
Arielle would’ve retorted and gotten into a spat with Haruka, telling her to not be such a baby. She didn’t. The mood at the moment was still tense. Sinder and Bubi were a couple of faces she saw in the seats around her. When Arielle found Garnt and Hime among them she realized that everyone gathered here were explorers hired for the training exercise.
So maybe I’m not in trouble. Arielle breathed a little easier. This must be a debriefing, or something. She glanced about, taking in what the others inside the room were doing. Rows of monitors lined the wall on the far side while rows of consoles and computer screens littered a majority of the floor space.
A command center? But for who? Arielle wasn’t sure if this was a CSU, CAU, or CDU facility. There aren’t any markings on any of the personnel’s uniforms. Which branch of the academy are they from?
A group of 4 young men entered from a door to everyone's right. They strode in on heavy steps, their bodies clad in black armored plates and a sleek powered bodysuit. From the corner of her eye, Arielle caught them turning their bubble shaped helmets in her direction. Arielle was sure her heart had stopped at that moment.
1 of the 4, with the number 02 emboldened on his shoulder plate, walked to one of the console operators. The man at the controls was tall and had a scar on his shoulder that went down to his knuckles. Built like a tank, he was someone you’d never wanted to stand in front of. Yet, the young man did and raised his helmet’s gaze up at him. The difference in height between them was immense enough to see. Arielle couldn’t hear what they were saying, though it seemed like a fight was going to break out with how the larger of the two wrinkled his brow in obvious irritation.
The taller of the two shifted his gaze to the corner of the room where the Maid, Izuna, was standing. He turned back to the young man in front of him and cracked a sneering smile. The pair exchanged a few more words before the young man moved to meet with Arielle’s group of onlookers.
“If I could have your attention?” Said the young man, his voice emitted from the speakers of his helmet. It was electronically digital and somewhat scrambled. “Izuna? Is this everyone?”
The maid came to stand beside him and nodded.
The young man twisted off his bubble shaped helmet and clamped it to his side. “Good, then let’s begin.”
Arielle perked up when she saw his face. She blinked a few times in bewilderment, unable to believe what she was seeing, and before she could stop herself she was shouting, “What the hell!”
The outburst silenced the ongoing side chatter, and all eyes went to Arielle. Realizing that she had taken the spotlight, she blushed. Great.. I walked into that one.
“Did you have something to say?” Asked the young man. His familiar blank black eyes met Arielle, and she was certain now, this guy was Itsuki. “If not, can I continue?” He asked. “Or are you going to just stand there looking like an idiot?”
Arielle grimaced and shook her head before sitting down. Haruka scooted over closer to discreetly hold her hand. She was no doubt chuckling at Arielle’s expense on the inside, but the same questions were probably on her mind as well. In fact, Arielle was sure that Sinder and the rest thought the same as well.
Itsuki, the guy who had been on the brink of death and had seemingly lost his memory a couple hours ago, was completely back to normal. The last time they had all seen him was when they were pulling their little prank when he was asleep, recovering in an infirmary bed. They were sure he wasn’t going to get up any time soon, maybe not even for days.
But here he was, all better, and as if nothing had happened. It took considerable effort to keep their confusion from their faces throughout the ensuing debrief. As Arielle had surmised, this gathering pertained to the training exercise. Itsuki was presenting the goals they’d set and the points of interest, specifically the of note students who had performed outstandingly. In all, it was a boring spiel, and Arielle hoped that this would end already so that they could get to the meat of their next conversation.
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“Any questions?” Itsuki asked. With no response from his unenthusiastic crowd, he had his answer. “I see. Good, then you are all dismissed until the student’s briefing. Get some rest and report in when we call for you.”
The crowd broke up and Haruka was about to drag Arielle off to wherever her scatter brain had in mind. She wasn’t one for these long talks, but Arielle didn’t budge. The same went for Sinder, Bubi, Hajime, Garnt, and a number of others who were in the know. By the time most of the crowd left the only ones remaining were Tricky, Vienna, Sinder, Garnt, Hajime, Ironmouse, Bubi, Arielle, Haruka, Bao, Numi, and Yuzu.
They all exchanged uneasy looks with one another.
Itsuki stepped forward to get their attention, and he set his sights on Arielle first. “Arielle, I’ve heard about the recent commotion you made concerning the recent security intrusions you made on the base.” He swung his head to all of them, as if sizing them up. “I also understand that you all were present when it happened?”
Hajime crossed her arms under her substantial breasts, her comfy sweater wrinkling under the tight press of her nails. “Yeah? Got a problem with that? Not like we did anything wrong.”
“I’m not saying you did.” Itsuki sighed. “I would say thank you for your help, but you really didn’t need to.”
Sinder bristled at that. “What do you mean! Are you saying we should’ve just sat back and watched you die?”
“Perhaps you should have.”
Itsuki said that so casually that everyone was taken aback at how cheaply he valued his life. Sinder pulled a face, thinking that something was wrong with Itsuki's head. Arielle on the other hand was certain that this guy was still the same asshole as ever. She’d gone out of her way to help, and this was what she got in return.
But what is this about? Arielle put her hand to her chin and watched the other three young, armored men who Itsuki had walked in with. They all had the same appearance in their gear, and the only difference between them was the number written on their armor’s shoulder plate.
Sinder crossed the floor over to Itsuki and abruptly grabbed his face, studying to see if he had his head on straight. “Hmmm.. you seem okay, but are you really right in the head? You were acting strange before.”
“I’m fine.” Itsuki muttered, his voice garbled by Sinder’s constant tugging on his cheeks. “Can you let go?”
Sinder didn’t relent. She continued to frown at him, gave his cheeks a hard pinch, then released him before turning on her heels to go back to her seat. She was all abashed, pouting like a child, and annoyed at how nonchalant he was acting. “We were worried about you, you know.” She murmured to no one in particular. “You freaking jerk.”
“So what’s this about?” Haruka asked, leaning back into her bean bag chair. She yawned and her lazy attitude helped to bring the mood back to normal. “I would really like it if this talk could be short, I need to get to bed already.”
“Well that depends.” Said Itsuki. “Arielle, what was it that you were trying to dig up on me in the computer’s system? If you give me a straight answer, I can dole out your punishment a lot quicker.”
“Excuse me?” Bubi cut in. “I know it isn’t my part to say this, but I don’t think a punishment is in order. You do remember that she was the one who helped you get out of the medical tank before you were terminated? Right?”
Garnt and Hajime nodded their approval.
Itsuki pulled a disapproving face. “Protocol is clear for times like this. There was a reason why the failsafe I had installed in my medical vat was put into place. Arielle, I need you to come clean. What were you looking for? I know you didn’t have time to extract or pull any data, but I need to know why you were snooping around.”
“And why do you need to know?” Asked Arielle. “Why does it even matter?”
Itsuki hardened his gaze on her. “Because I need to know if you are my friend.” His tone then turned cold. “Or if you are my enemy?”
They all tensed. Sinder and her friends seemed ready to pounce if Itsuki tried anything, and even Bao was taking this seriously. Itsuki didn’t react, and neither did any of the personnel in the room. Arielle was now putting the pieces together. These people worked under Itsuki, like a little private army, and that was why they had brought them here. If anything happened now in this room, it would be hidden from the public eye.
And now the situation is shitty again. Arielle now had a choice, to either lie or tell the truth. In either case, Itsuki was going to take action. What she said next would determine what kind of action he’d make.
Arielle sat up straight in her seat. “If I tell you, will you not involve the others?”
“I can’t guarantee that.” Itsuki studied each of them. “What I do will depend on what their reactions will be when I hear what you have to say. Now, spit it out already.”
“Fine.” Arielle sighed and shrugged. All this tension wasn’t doing anyone any good. “I was mainly searching for any info on your abilities. Is that so bad?”
Itsuki raised one of his eyebrows at her, he didn’t understand. “And why would you do that? I’ve already told you what it is. I have a perfect memory, it’s as simple as that.”
Arielle laughed, she wasn’t buying that. “And you think I’d believe you after what you showed us today? How does having a perfect memory explain how you pulled off all those techniques during the training exercise. Last time I remember, Grunt type explorers like you are limited in how you can use your core energy. So, was all that from before just my imagination?”
Itsuki paused, then smiled, it was foreboding when he did that, like a monster coming out of his cave. “As always, Arielle, you have good eyes.”
“Uh, thanks?” Arielle rubbed her arm, unsure if he was complimenting her or not. “So what now? I told you the truth.”
Itsuki closed his eyes for a few moments. Arielle made sure to watch for if he pulled out a weapon. This could turn into a brawl and her first priority was to get Haruka and the rest out of here. Bubi would help, and they could delay Itsuki for a few minutes if they needed to.
“Relax.” Itsuki said, as if he were reading their minds. “This isn’t going to get violent, so lighten up. I can literally hear your muscles clenching.”
He fished for something in one of his belt’s pouches as he walked over to Arielle. With a flick of his wrist, he threw a small cube like object that Arielle caught from the air. The thing was colored a transparent crystalline blue and had six evenly proportioned faces. It was like a dice, only unnervingly perfect in shape.
“What is this?” Arielle asked, turning the perfectly geometrical object over in her hand. “Some kind of toy?”
“It's the answer to all your questions.” Itsuki gestured for the three young men in the corner to join him. “And it’s also your test.”
“A test?”
“Yes, and not just for you, but for everyone here.” Itsuki pointed at what was in Arielle’s hand. “That’s a master access key to the core system archive of the academy. All of you can access everything we have in our databases, and that includes the tidbits myself and the headmaster have stowed away. You’ll find what you're looking for and you’ll be given new material to study to further your careers as explorers.”
Arielle clenched the cube tighter in her hands. It now felt like it weighed a ton. “What’s the catch? I know there’s always one with you.”
“That’s for you to find out.” Itsuki pointed to each of them. “I’m giving all of you a chance, a possibility to grow from what happened today. The information you’ll find out using this key will determine what you’ll do in the future, and what you’ll grow to become.”
“To grow?” Bao asked. “You mean, to get stronger and stuff? Aren’t we already strong as is. We’re all explorers already and we’ve been doing a pretty good job at that.”
“Yes, you have. But all of you are still young.” Itsuki said. “And that includes you too Bubi.”
Bubi made a noise as if he were offended, but he let the comment roll off him. “Is there anything else?” He sounded so done with this conversation. “If that’s all, then I’d like to be on my way.”
“No, not yet.” Itsuki made a few hand signals to the trio of armored young men beside him. “I have one last thing to give you. An answer to Arielle’s earlier snooping.”
Arielle rolled her eyes. “I wish you didn’t call it that.”
One of the three armored up individuals, this one having the numbers 04 written on his shoulder plate, touched the underside of his helmet, and an electrically garbled voice came to life. “Do we have approval to tell them, 02?”
Itsuki nodded. “We’re fine, 04. 06 has given his approval. Take off your helmet and show them.”
“Understood.”
image [https://i.postimg.cc/y8nBD4Br/1695712197515.jpg]
As one, the trio of armored up individuals removed their black bubble shaped helmets. Arielle wasn’t sure what to expect, but this hit them all hard. It was like a slap in the face. Sinder and her friends stared in slack jawed shock. Hajime and Garnt started cracking up, laughing at how they hadn’t realized it sooner. Bubi was shaking his head with his hand to his forehead as if he were having a headache, while Ironmouse hid behind him like some threatened little cat.
“Jesus christ.” Arielle said. “Things just got a whole lot more complicated, haven’t they. What do you think, Haruka?”
But Haruka was already fast asleep, face first into her bean bag chair and limp like a wet noodle. The airhead hadn’t even been following along, and that was probably for the best. Arielle envied her friend’s ability to be so scatterbrained. Sometimes being dumb and dense had its perks since you didn’t have to deal with the complex shit in life.