Location: MID UCTF
Time: 3:58 PM, February 16th 2108
After what I’d been through only a few days before, I wasn’t expecting to come back to the Urban Combat Training Facility so soon. Some traces of damage were still visible, most notably the burnt down cabin we’d been staying in. The training facility was supposed to be closed off until the Ministry of Investigation and Defense could finish their investigation. I used my authority to gain access while it was still empty.
It’s not like my presence would actually disrupt any investigation. The whole thing was an act. There wouldn’t be a real investigation. The outcome was decided before anything happened. Her Highness did not reveal to me why she orchestrated it to happen, but I knew enough to determine that she had complete control of the situation. It was safe to assume that at least the MID Director Kalder Kaldsen was working with her.
As for why I came back here, well, the reason was simple. I couldn’t think of anywhere else that fit my needs. Her Highness wanted me to keep Hana and Vier away from downtown. She also suggested that I should consider eliminating Vier if possible.
For the former to work, I needed to get them somewhere far enough away that neither of them could make it back to the city fast enough, even if they realized something was off.
And as for the latter, well, I didn’t think it was going to happen either way. Vier wasn’t going to be taken care of that easily. Still, I had to do what I could. I figured in an area like this it wouldn’t matter if Vier went on a rampage. I would certainly die, but since there would be no witnesses, Her Highness could frame my death however she wanted.
Perhaps that was her goal from the beginning. Having Vier kill me would give her justification to mobilize more resources to eliminate him properly. If that were the case, she could have just told me. I’d gladly fulfill my purpose, even if it led to my death.
Getting Vier out here wasn’t hard either. I just asked Hana to call him out. People as strong as him have no concept of traps. Actually, he would probably welcome the idea of someone trying to get the jump on him.
[So that’s the guy the Sanguine Princess wants me to take care of, huh?]
Seven pulled a cigar out of a small metal case as he spoke. He was the one Her Highness had called upon in order to eliminate Vier. Even in the February heat, he wore a fine suit and a long matching jacket. On someone younger it might have looked ridiculous, but on an older man with a face as defined as his, it didn’t look odd at all.
He had the look of someone’s fancy grandfather, but his name gave it all away. And based on the fact that it was in English, he was one of the oldest Numbers around.
Having an older Number come from the Pacific Empire rather than the Free Cities isn’t too unheard of. When they made the first few generations of Numbers they hadn’t yet perfected the process. From what I understand, the first two generations didn’t have any kind of personality dampening at all. Meaning that from the start they could say no to their owners. That led to plenty of Numbers leaving the Free Cities in an attempt to go somewhere they wouldn’t be treated like tools.
I assumed that’s what happened to Seven.
The question was, could he stand against Vier?
Almost certainly not. It’s not her fault, but I believe Her Highness made a slight mistake. She just didn’t have enough information to act on. I’m sure she hasn’t had many opportunities until now to deal with Numbers. I’m sure she’s met a couple like Seven who fled to the Empire, but the vast majority of Numbers live and die in the Free Cities. An outsider wouldn’t be familiar with them.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
That’s probably why she thought a distinguished Number from the Empire would be a match against a Number from Velstand. The problem was, not all Numbers were created equally.
Or rather, there weren’t any numbers that were Vier’s equal, and only a handful that could match Hana.
The ARA specialized in hunting down augmenteds, so Vier had already killed more Numbers than Her Highness realized. I’ve even heard Oliver complain about having to take down a number with his coworker’s help before.
Numbers were strong, no doubt about that, but they weren’t all powerful.
Vier, on the other hand, was all powerful. At least he seemed that way to me. And on top of his impressive base stats were years of training to kill other augmenteds.
Seven momentarily held the cigar close to his lips while staring down Vier. After a few seconds, he opened the case back up and slid the cigar inside.
[Nope. I’d like to think I could give him a few good ones, but killing that guy ain't in the cards. Even if junior here helped me, it wouldn’t change much. Doesn’t look like she planned on helpin’ me none anyway.]
I didn’t think it was very likely that Hana would help either. She didn’t seem to have much interest in listening to anything I said anymore, so there was nothing I could do about it.
[Insulted. Obviously. Defiant. I would take Father’s side, even though he wouldn’t need my help. I’d mostly just make sure to keep Mistress Oakley safe while Father finished things.]
[I get it, that makes sense. I’m impressed you managed to recognize the imbalance between us so quickly. That must mean you’ve met people like me before. People stronger than you.]
Vier’s response was positive. It would appear that I wouldn’t be dying then. I didn’t know much about the unsealed Vier’s personality, so I didn’t know if I should expect mercy. Even without Seven boldly declaring that Her Highness brought him here to fight Vier, he would have been able to figure it out. Why else would I have called him to an uninhabited area with a strange Number from the Empire?
I initially thought I’d be killed for sure, but considering how unconcerned Hana was I changed my thinking. If she meant to protect me as she claimed, she’d never allow me to do something like this if it was risky.
Hana must have heard me sigh in relief, because she started signing something to me.
“Positive. I told you. Unless it is for work, Father will only hurt people who put up a fight. He loves violence, but only when the other side is fighting back.”
[I never fought ‘em for keeps, but yeah. The head of the Royal Select and the Emperor himself give off the same bad vibes you do. Couldn’t say who’d be top dog from the three of ya though.]
Seven casually respond to Vier’s inquiry. Perhaps it was a sense I didn’t have, but Vier and Seven seemed to decide that they wouldn’t be fighting each other. They weren’t even treating each other as enemies.
[Interesting. Then-]
We had been standing across from each other, but as Vier moved closer to Seven to continue the conversation, my glasses shorted out. I took them off and looked toward Hana.
“Bored. Shall we head back? Things have not unfolded as the princess intended, but it would appear that Father has been successfully distracted. Jealous. He will probably spend the next few hours discussing things with Seven.”
“What are they talking about?”
I didn’t have any personal interest, but Her Highness would certainly ask me for the details when I reported this to her.
“Curious. About how feasible it would be for Father to meet the Emperor if he challenged him to a fight. And as to whether it would be a fight to the death or not.”
“Isn’t that cause for concern?”
“Uncertain. Seven is now suggesting that should Father ever end up in the Empire he can stay in his guest room. Jealous. It would appear that the two of them have become friends.”
That fast? And I know things work differently there, but should a member of the Royal Select be having a casual conversation about potentially killing the Emperor?
Actually, wouldn’t Vier killing the Emperor be a good thing? It would be one less obstacle in Her Highness’s way. Perhaps I should consider removing my father from the picture as well.
I tried to check the time on my watch, but it was currently ticking backwards. An unsealed Vier was already proving far more annoying than I predicted. At least his personality wasn’t as bad as I feared.
Either way, I was certain enough time had passed for us to start heading back to the city.
“Hana, let's go. I need to talk to Her Highness.”
My report back to her would no doubt be unexpected. She might even be displeased by the turn of events. However, I succeeded in accomplishing the goal set out for me. Unsurprisingly, even at the end, this was still an epilogue on purpose.