Chapter 10
The Following
Eddie Montgomery how no idea how he was roped into this. Any of it.
From being taken out of the protective bubble that was Lumarina, across the world and through wastes. To Lacardia and beyond. Through the tournament that had changed so much and now being at Corps Castle, he really wasn’t sure how it all happened. All he knew, sitting in his own dormitory space that afternoon, joined by those he was proud to call his friends, was that he would have never traded it for the world. Of course, his best friend had to catch him staring at some point, tossing a pen that tapped him on the nose.
“Eddie, get your head in the game. This is serious stuff!”
“I know, Mera, I know.” He bent low to grab the pen, twirling it between his fingers while he stared at her. Meredith always looked so serious these days, he thought, driven by purpose. Vivian was the same, though when she caught him looking, she turned away. It wasn’t an unusual move for her, not lately. He didn’t mind it, either, flashing her a smile. “What do we have?”
“Two targets: Jay and Commander Frigas,” Meredith said, tapping their sheet of paper emphatically. It was barren, but for some of Emil’s crudely drawn pictures, each of which amused Eddie. He didn’t tell the boy, preferring to keep that a secret. “Obviously, if we’re thinking they’re involved with this, we’ll have to be very stealthy about tracking them or looking into them. It’ll require keen minds and sharper senses.”
“Stop talking. You’ll rule yourself out.” Vivian’s well-timed barbed nearly set Meredith off, but she instead snapped her pen in two and tried to continue on. Eddie sat back to listen.
“Point is, while Commander Masters is running point on the actual investigation, we need to figure out what’s going on with these two, neither of whom are on the commander’s list,” Meredith said, now using her finger to indicate. “Jay is being suspicious, between not answering the commander’s question to the strange sightings from Emil. We need to trail him. Since Eddie shares a dorm with him, you’ll need to observe.”
“I’m good for that. They don’t pay much attention to me unless I’m running exercises with them, ha ha,” Eddie agreed. It was another thing he didn’t mind. Providing support exclusively meant he wasn’t in the spotlight, and for a mission that required the kind of stealth he knew Meredith wasn’t capable of, it worked out perfectly. He also knew who his partner would be, though she looked ready to melt into the floor at the mere suggestion of it. “Joining me for any trailing activities will be Viv, right?”
“Yep.” Meredith didn’t notice, or perhaps refused to acknowledge, Vivian’s embarrassment over the two of them being forced to team up. “While Viv and I work together, it’d be weird and suspicious to sneak around in that pair. Having a different team-up when we’re all friends just feels natural.”
“People might get more suspicious from that, you know,” Emil pointed out. Meredith sat back, her nostrils huffing in challenge to Emil. The boy raised his hands in defense. “Just saying…I have no problems teaming up with you. Promise.”
“What are the tasks already? It’s getting awfully warm in here…” Vivian complained. Eddie once more held his amusement in. Though he wouldn’t dare to say it out loud, and definitely not in front of Meredith, Vivian looked rather cute when she wasn’t acting brash.
“You and Eddie surveil Jay. See what he’s up to. See if you can explain his erratic behavior last night,” Meredith said, putting it as simply as possible for all of them. “In the meantime, Emil and I will dig in on Cynthia. His janitor credentials can help us explain our presence almost anywhere.”
“Including the prison cells, I take it?” Meredith smirked, the drift of what she’d intended being caught by her partner. If anything, Emil looked excited at the prospect, reassuring Eddie that the two would be a good fit for the course of their investigations. He was pretty sure all of them were making a good team, and it brought a grin to his face.
“Hey, we need all the information we can get, right?”
“You can count on me. My keys are your support.” The two reached across the table and, in front of an eye-rolling Vivian, slapped their hands together.
Support, huh? Hearing those words put Eddie back in a different mindset. It had been a while since he’d thought of that, being so busy between Tempest Squad and cooking up a storm for all the Guardians at the base. Now, though, he figured it was his newest chance to show support for the friends that had gotten him thus far. A chance to support the Corps, too.
“All right. Do we understand our missions?” There was a collective nod at Meredith’s question and she threw a hand in. Despite earlier misgivings, they joined her. “This stays a secret between us and Amelia. Just us. We fill each other in at all times. We’re a team, after all.”
Wordless agreement followed, and they tossed their hands to the sky. Emil was the first to speak following that. “Where do we start, Mera?”
“Digging into the past would be good. Let’s head to the library!”
“Why did we leave it in the first place, then?!” Eddie could have told Emil that she was acting without thinking, no more obvious than when she hooked him by the arm and hauled him off with a near-cackle on her lips. It was borderline maniacal, and to this, Eddie finally broke, laughter rumbling up from his gut. Before the door shut, Meredith caught him doing so and winked at him. For what reason, he wasn’t entirely aware, but it was good to see her in good humor, and he pumped his fists to ensure he would keep moving forward for her. He looked to Vivian, pointedly looking everywhere in the dorm room but at him.
“So…um…where do you want to start, Ed-Eddie…?”
It was a good question, and one to which he tapped his chin. “Guess we should find Jay, huh? He’s probably at dinner.”
“Good idea,” Vivian agreed.
Eddie jumped out of his chair and offered a hand to the girl. Vivian hesitated, her hand shaking a little. She seemed torn, in a sense, but Eddie couldn’t clarify for himself in what way that was, and after seconds of deliberation, he reached forward and took it. “Come on.”
“O-okay…” She couldn’t stutter any more before they were off. Eddie couldn’t help but notice, as they navigated the halls, that Vivian never let go of his hand, and seemed to settle into something comfortable. It felt nice to him as well, in a different way from Mera.
Meredith’s was like the comfort of home. A friend and inviting fire he could always return to, and always know she’d be there, while he was always there for her in turn. Vivian was more like a small, but impassioned flame, tingling with warmth, and making him smile…when she wasn’t in one of her nastier moods, of course. He couldn’t remember seeing one of those for a while, though.
Part of Eddie wanted to say something, but when they neared the cafeteria, and Vivian slipped away from him, he shut his mouth, focusing on scanning the area for their quarry. He wasn’t there, not from an initial glance, but his squad-mates were. Eddie set off for them, only to bump into one of the Guardians.
“Hey, Montgomery, not behind the counter today?”
“Ah, sorry. Been running exercises with Tempest Squad,” he excused himself as he clapped his hands together and bowed. The Guardian looked disappointed, and he wasn’t alone. “I’ll be back to cooking up as soon as I can, promise!”
“Better be soon. This slop can barely feed a starving family, let alone an army.”
Eddie’s wan smile warded off the rest of the comments, while Vivian’s scowl took care of the rest, none wanting to cross her in that mood. They crossed the cafeteria to Kenny and Sal in serious conversation with Bruce and Trent, the latter two regaling them with tales of what had taken place in the dungeons below. Thankfully, Kenny noted them before they could finish their approach, eliminating the need to awkwardly stand around.
“Montgomery! Lacroix! No news from our esteemed captain, is there? It’s nice to enjoy a hot meal!” the boisterous, bearded man bellowed. Some other Guardians gave their table a wide berth, but Eddie found it rather welcoming. “Not that we’ve had too many missions.”
“Nothing yet, sir,” Vivian answered. Like him, she bowed her head, and that shyness she had exhibited earlier was replaced with the stony face he was used to. “Do you know where Jay is, though? I wanted to ask him something about what happened last night.”
If the circle around them had gotten any larger, Eddie was sure all of the Guardians would have left the room. The topic was a touchy one, and despite their wishes to pretend everything was fine, the murder had sent ripples through the Corps that were undeniably felt. Eddie coughed. “She means about the other prisoners. It is her job after all. I’m just along for the ride.”
“Well, aren’t you cute,” Sal said with a wink. Vivian became stiff, and Eddie laughed it off so she didn’t seem as embarrassed. “Hm…Bruce, Trent, do you know where he is? Now that I think of it, I haven’t seen him all day…”
“Uh, I think he said something about the phones,” Bruce suggested, though he looked equally perplexed.
“Then, after he asked us some questions, said something about contacting Guardian Tower? Or something with the Metropolis. I’ve no idea.”
“Well, that’s a start. Thanks,” Vivian concluded. Before Sal could tease any further, or those in the cafeteria could react to the topic more, the blonde turned heel and ran out of the mess hall. Eddie followed, allowing himself to be led through the thinning hallways and down some stairs, right towards the phones. For a moment, he contemplated giving his parents a call, but that was forced from his mind when Vivian placed a hand to his chest and held him back.
The evident voice provided the reason why.
“That so…? No, everything’s going fine. You just work on your end. Can’t have people thinking otherwise.” The words Jay was speaking to whoever was on the phone sounded suspicious. Too suspicious, if Eddie was honest, and he wondered if, like always, Mera had started beating them down the wrong path. He didn’t want to dispose of the behavior in any case, knowing it could come back to bite them in the ass if they let Jay’s current actions slide.
“Can you see who he’s talking to?” Eddie chose to whisper. Vivian peeked around the corner, into the room. When she didn’t pop right back, he followed her trajectory, leaning over the girl to get his own glimpse inside. Vivian almost fell over, but he grabbed her arm to hold her steady. Within the phone room, no one was present but Jay, the man’s back to them while he talked with someone. His voice carried, but it sounded like gibberish that was shooting the breeze more than anything of ominous content.
“This feels marginally pointless. Why does it seem like Mera and Emil got the better pursuit?” Vivian complained. He couldn’t see her face, but from the growl underneath, Eddie knew how unhappy the girl looked. “Seriously, he’s talking about meeting a girlfriend, no doubt.”
“Shh,” Eddie suddenly shushed her, the end of Jay’s conversation raising in volume.
“Don’t worry, I’m putting in the request for leave soon. Things’ll be getting crazy here. Best to get out before they do. Looking forward to seeing you in-person. Later.” The teens backed up, knowing that Jay was on his way out of the room. There was no chance to go incognito, and the best chance, assuming Jay didn’t stray off the beaten path, was a small, dark corridor to the side. Eddie yanked Vivian inside, their body heat pressing together as she flushed.
“This is a little too tight…”
“Just wait a moment, Viv. You won’t have to suffer it much longer.”
“That’s not the issue…” From their perch, Eddie saw Jay leave, whistling gaily. His earrings glittered in the fluorescent lighting of the castle’s halls, and he almost skipped. If he was a murderer or a mole, the man was certainly more than a bit jubilant at it. He didn’t turn their way once, and when he had gone further down the hall, the teens tumbled back out to follow him. Their distance made that a mite more complicated. “Where do you think he went?”
Eddie began to clap in his mind, the cadence giving a rhythm to his brain while he tried figuring things out. Vivian watched him, biting her lip but turning her mind toward the task. Neither took long to reach the answer. “He’s requesting leave!”
They clapped hands together, grinning in their shared revelation. No longer feeling they’d gotten the short end of the stick, they pelted down the hall to where they presumed Jay was going, dodging past the few Guardians there. Their presence and hurriedness were no object to those milling about, with not an ounce of suspicion directed to them. It allowed them to get close to where the Guardian named the taskmaster, a woman who looked wholly bored with her job, sat and took requests. Jay was in line, but not the first.
“Looks like we might be here for a while…” Eddie noted. His legs, just a bit achy from running, demanded to sit, but he slapped them to keep them sharp and awake. His ears were pricked, too, listening to all of the various complaints. Vivian hated it.
One Guardian was sick of their post. Another was asking to be moved as far away from the prison as possible, the Guardian requesting it notably shaking as they asked. Vivian growled under her breath at the seeming cowardice. Yet another was asking for their squad to have less missions. Jay happened to slap that one upside the head.
“Stop bitching,” he said. “You joined your squad willingly.”
“Thank you, Jarvis,” the older woman said, her eyes driving that last Guardian away. Once the timid boy had scuttled off with his tail between his legs, Jay approached with a cocksure grin. The woman shuffled papers. “What can I do for you?”
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“I need some leave time. Have some things I want to confirm.”
“Weren’t you involved in that debacle this morning?” It was evident that Jay was nodding, despite his head being low. “Want to get away before they clap you in irons, huh? Not that I’d blame you.”
“Hey, I was on duty, not responsible. Masters said so. But it’s something else.”
“Mm, well, no can do, lieutenant,” the woman answered. She slapped the papers on the counter, loud enough to make those in the vicinity jump. “I have an order to decline all Tempest Squad requests.”
“Don’t tell me there’s another mission?”
“Might be. I wouldn’t know. Marcus informed me, himself, though. Something about rumors in the Metropolis. You’ll have to ask the man for more details, but I doubt he’ll give them. Supposedly it’s info from Commander Frigas and Quake Squad, both.”
“Commander Frigas, is it?” Jay looked like he was ruminating over this, a twinkle blossoming in his eye. It was hard to know just what for. “I can work with that. Thanks for the info. Time to train!”
His slapping of the desk made the younger Guardians behind him jump. He ignored them, back to whistling while he walked away, his current intentions made plain. Eddie made sure to keep the pair of them unseen while Jay passed by. There was no need to guess where he was going, and he put the most obvious query to his partner. “Think we should follow him? It’ll be a really boring detail, and I doubt we’ll get much out of it.”
“Mera would skin our hides,” Vivian said, though she looked pretty nonchalant about that prospect. “That said…I can’t figure him out. If he’s part of this, he’s giving no hints, but acting suspicious all the same. What does he even want leave for?”
“If we follow him, we could find out.”
“O-or…” Vivian looked locked in a struggle. She wanted to say something but couldn’t quite get it out. When he put a hand on her to encourage her, she blurted it out so fast, Eddie had to parse through it before he figured out what she was saying. “We could always go to dinner and talk with Tempest Squad and find out what he might need leave for. And maybe…eat…together…”
Her face was a flaming red, and her fingers were twiddling together like mad. Eddie took in a breath, almost believing that this wasn’t even happening. Not from Vivian, of all people. With the offer on the table, however, it felt nice, and being able to accomplish a task felt like hitting two birds with one stone. He removed his hand, and Vivian looked up to meet his eyes. “Sure thing. Let’s go.”
She concealed any more of her blushes, and when Eddie took her hand once again, he couldn’t lie: he felt happy.
----------------------------------------
Meredith felt unsettled, leaving Eddie and Vivian alone together. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust either of them, because she did, or because she feared for them (if anything, Cynthia was the far more dangerous force than Jay). Rather, it was because she could see the looks that Vivian had been shooting her very best friend. Coupled with her admittance, it made the pair a bundle of hormones waiting to happen.
Which she wanted, but also didn’t want.
Emil had his own comments on the matter when she accidentally voiced this in one of the library’s study rooms.
“Why does it matter? If Vivian wants to make kissy-faces with Eddie-”
“Ew. Can you put it, oh, any way that’s more palatable?!” Meredith insisted. Her fist hit the table, causing the records on said table to bounce. “I don’t mind that Viv has an adorable, precocious crush. I just don’t want to know about it. She needs to spit it out, though. Let it sit and it’ll become unbearable. I have to live with her, you know.”
“You sound like a possessive girlfriend.”
She could see Emil’s point, even if she didn’t want to, and her head slumped on the rolls of parchments and other assorted books. Blowing upward, her bangs fluttered. The more she considered it, the more she realized why Vivian’s crush on Eddie, and his likely reciprocity, irked her so. “I just don’t want to lose my best friend…”
“Like Eddie would ever do that,” Emil assured her. He was leaned back, twirling a finger up in the air. Behind him, through the glass walls, Meredith could see Conrad stalking the shelves, occasionally looking in while he brought things to Guardians. “The same reasons Vivian likes him are the same reasons he is, and will always be, your best friend. He’s unfailingly kind, supportive, and will pick you up when you’re at your lowest. Even if you’re doubting yourself…even if you’ve betrayed others…he refuses to leave you behind. I think he has you to thank for that, and it’s a reason he’d never leave you.”
Meredith knew the boy across from her was speaking from his own experience, and a smile graced her face. How little she realized that Eddie, who she had always thought of dragging behind her kicking and screaming, was the one pulling them up all along. He had helped Vivian out of her despair. Helped herself remember what it was she fought for. Helped Emil choose a different path than the one of self-destruction Rico had started him down. There was a lot to repay for such steadfast loyalty.
Loyalty…Raymond’s words haunted Meredith, and his insistence on what to believe in. Shouldn’t loyalty be to the people? Not to the Corps itself?
It was a question she hadn’t given much of any conscious thought to, but was one she still found herself asking. Sorting through papers on the Corps’ history, looking for information on Cynthia, she had hoped to find some kind of answer, but couldn’t. All it did was draw her back to that night atop Communications Tower, where she’d so boldly stated that she’d take on Rico’s pain, her loyalty given to him as a Guardian. Glancing through the glass bubble, however, Meredith wondered just how many had taken that to heart. Had many Guardians sought the same? Or were they scared of that same pain being inflicted upon them?
It made her feel…lost.
“Hey, look at this photo,” Emil said, shoving over an old newspaper article. The date read it as nearly twenty years ago, long before Marcus had become chief commander, but he was plastered there on the front. “They look happy. Happier than they do now.”
“It was a different time, I guess,” Meredith remarked. “No Reaper. No Order. No responsibility.”
“No Renegades, either, I suppose…” Emil’s voice felt far away, whisking him into reminiscence. Meredith regarded the photo in her hands, all four of the commanders as she knew them splashed on the front. In the center was Marcus, a younger and less jaded Cynthia leaning on his shoulder. Amelia smirked at the camera, as expected, while Masters was, as ever, perfectly photogenic. Underneath their picture was a caption.
“‘An S-tatic Corps. The first four Guardians to have received an S-Rank on all their trials, chosen as the commanders of the four major squads’,” she recited. Emil brought himself back and listened. She decided to stop reading verbatim. “Amelia was captain of Tempest Squad, with her peerless wind magic; Masters of Flare Squad with fire; Cynthia of Frost Squad with ice…Ha ha, they don’t even mention Marcus’s magic because it’s so incompatible with Quake Squad!”
“Bet no one back then knew they’d become part of the Corps’ prime leadership.”
Meredith agreed, finding a small slice of happiness at the people on the page. Her eyes, inevitably, zeroed in on Cynthia. She was so much younger, lacking the glasses that she sported now. Her hair was shorter back then, and she was borderline unrecognizable to anyone who didn’t know they were one and the same. Amelia and Masters, on the other hand, looked the same as ever. It was no wonder the frosty commander had been chosen for her job.
“I wonder if she was loyal…or if somewhere along the way, the Order turned her, and no one noticed.”
“Who knows? People can be blinded by those closest to them,” Emil said. He truly was speaking from experience here, the regret in his voice leaking out with every word. “You can become so loyal, so attached to a person that offered you a chance, that you lose your way. Who can say what happened to her?”
“Ray would chastise me for even thinking she was against the Corps.”
“What about your Soul Magic? What does it say about her?”
Meredith tossed the picture on the table before she answered. “Honestly, not much. She keeps a tight lid on her emotions. But I do know she’s a devoted woman. Devoted to her cause. It’s very possible she murdered Gaius, if it kept her identity a secret and allowed her to remain on the inside. Though why would she…?”
“Plus, she was nowhere near the cells at the time.”
“It’s one heck of a conundrum.” Meredith shifted more of the papers around and then released a heavy sigh. “I thought digging into her past would help, but there’s nothing here. No documents about them that could tell us the truth.”
“We could always check the dungeons?” It was part of their itinerary, to be sure, but Meredith found herself doubting that this would be the best time. She tried to twirl at her hair, but had forgotten how short it was now and ceased her activity.
“Tomorrow morning. For now, let’s see if we can dig up anything else. There has to be something here!”
Dig into the materials they did, until the lights drooped low, and Emil fell off his chair from exhaustion. No one came to get them as they sat in the library in those wee hours of the morning, despite the abandonment of their duties. Still, they found nothing. Some rare articles scattered here and there spoke of the commanders in their fledgling years, an inspiring read if ever there was one, but most mentions of Cynthia Frigas had been scrubbed from the records. Rubbing her eyes when the first light began to shine in through the library windows, illuminating the drooling Emil, Meredith knew she shouldn’t have been surprised. The woman had gone deep undercover within the Order, a fact not known to all but the commanders until a few days ago. The lack of any mention had to have been to protect her identity.
It didn’t stop it from frustrating her enough to pull out her hair and stifle herself with a yawn. How were they supposed to figure out the commander’s intentions if nothing could point them in the right direction?
Knock knock knock
The sudden sound of glass rattling made Meredith jump, and she looked up to see Summer just outside, looking expectant. Now yawning widely, Meredith brushed her scattered papers aside, and opened the door. “You’re up early, Summer…”
“I like reading, and despite being something of an exchange student, there’s very little to learn outside the library when combat training is suspended. You’ve been busy.”
“Ah, yeah, researching Corps history.”
“You might want to consider the Golden Age section, then,” Summer said, pointing in the direction of which books she was talking of. “Can’t top our selection at Lacardia, but there are things even we didn’t know stacked in there.”
“Thanks, but we’re looking at recent history.” Summer “ahh”ed, indicating she got the drift. “So, uh, what are you knocking for?”
“Oh, right. Um, one of the commanders sent a note looking for you. You have a call down be…low…? Mera!” She was out of the room and running from the library as fast as she could. To not leave the girl hanging, Meredith yelled thanks, startling the drowsy Emil in the process. Both let him wake up on his own.
Choosing to waste no time, Meredith raced through the empty halls, only just receiving a trickle of Guardians waking up or coming off their night shift, until she arrived at the phone room and skidded inside. The Guardian on duty yelled at her, but she focused on picking up the phone and finding the line that was waiting for her. Brynn appeared on the screen.
“You have something?!”
“I don’t know if I’d call it something,” the girl said. She looked as exhausted as Meredith felt, having very clearly just been on a night patrol. “Your Corps did most of the work. I just used some foreknowledge.”
Without realizing it, Meredith began to frown. “What is it?”
“Not sure it’s safe to share over these lines, but let’s say…there are a lot of lines leading to the Metropolis.”
“Aren’t there always?” Brynn half-nodded, but Meredith found herself irked. “Brynn, just tell me what you found.”
“Links. I think I may have found out where these orders are coming from. Payments made, propaganda for the Abyssal Blade. My hunch is…Maria.”
“That witch?” Maria’s was a name Meredith hadn’t expected to hear, the woman having vanished just like the rest of her comrades. “What, is she trying to stir the pot?”
“It’s just a hunch, Mera. But it’s supported…at least a little. The rest of the Corps will be better off hearing it direct. I just wanted to let you know, because…” Brynn leaned in now, mouth close to the screen as she turned to a whisper. Meredith joined in, obliging her friend in the act. “I think the Order has something planned.”
“Are you saying that they wanted the Corps to find the information?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. But the rumors are flying. Order propaganda lines the streets. Guardian Tower is starting to run on a skeleton staff. People are running scared, and there’s a rumor that the Corps isn’t safe. Something about a murder?” Meredith’s breath caught, but she didn’t let it show. She guessed that Brynn had noticed it anyway. “Mera, be safe out there. Someone is leaking information from within the Corps, and you might not see it there, but people are getting antsy. For now, I’ll do my best to help whatever Guardians come my way. Supposedly, we’ll be receiving a squad today, meeting up with Quake Squad. I’m not entirely sure. Just be aware.”
“I’m always aware. And thanks, Brynn. Keep me in the loop.”
“When I can,” the pink-haired girl confirmed with a nod, terminating the connection. Meredith sighed, forehead hitting the screen. It was all too much.
Someone’s leaking information. Someone’s pushing the Corps. What did Gaius know? What is the Order planning from outside and within? The only, and most obvious, answer was Cynthia, yet the woman was clearly on lockdown with the other commanders, her every action likely scrutinized. Brynn’s theory of Maria was an option, as well, but Meredith had no idea how that could even be possible, not with the Renegades having vanished in the wind.
Meredith’s head hurt from thinking about it, wanting a distraction from all that was going on. Puffing out, she looked to the clock on the wall, realizing it was nearly time for her shift at the prison to begin. Placing the phone back in place, Meredith departed, beating the ever-familiar path back to where she was assigned. The less sleepy part of her brain wondered if Emil would be there as they planned, but when she descended the steps, she found no sight of him. She did hear pleasant humming though, and located Vivian, waiting for her on the steps below. The girl looked far too happy.
“Good night, then? Find anything useful?” Meredith asked.
“I might have a chance with Eddie?”
“I meant about Jay, you dolt.” Meredith, in her utter irritation, slapped her friend from behind. The usual sneer returned. “But I’m glad you had a fun time. I think…”
“Uh, Jay was requesting leave, but other than that, he’s very ambiguous.”
“So, we got nowhere. Surprise, surprise. This isn’t being made easy for us.” Without thinking, Meredith fell into the warden’s empty chair. Her mind drifted to the keys inside the desk, the ones used to open the door to the last remaining prisoner within. What did Caleb know? Her fingers itched to open that drawer. At the last moment, her pads on the handle, she resisted the temptation and looked to Vivian. “Anyway, you and Eddie…I’m surprised you acted.”
“It…” Vivian twisted back and forth, twirling locks of her hair together. “I know it was probably a little foolish but, yeah. Not that I’d tell my father. And you better not, either! I just…I want to see where it-”
“No need to tell me. I’m not privy to either of your dating lives. Oh, sir!” Meredith kicked the chair back, snapped to attention. Vivian had dropped it as well, both fixated on where the warden was stepping in from the hall beyond. He looked confused, tilting his head as the baldness reflected the dim light in the dungeons. “What are our orders for the day?”
“You’re…you’re still on duty?” he asked. It was their turn to tilt their heads at the strange reaction. “I thought Tempest Squad was shipping out. Aren’t you usually attached to them? Especially after yesterday? I was told you wouldn’t be-”
Meredith’s mind entered lockdown mode for just a moment, and the information clicked in her head. Her body had turned towards the stairs before she could even finish reasoning it all out. Vivian was quick to follow, regardless of whether she understood the reason why, both clomping up the stairs with all speed. The exhaustion cleared from Meredith’s head and she realized just why Emil hadn’t shown up despite their plans.
The duo was rebuffed by a sudden wind at the top of the stairs, sending them crashing into each other. There was only one source for that.
“I’m glad I anticipated the two of you running off the second you heard Tempest Squad was out on a mission,” Amelia spoke. She appeared at the top, framed by light, but becoming more visible with every step down. “And yes, they are. Eddie and Emil are with them.”
“And you didn’t tell us? Why aren’t we on the squad?” Meredith demanded. Realizing who she was speaking to, she coughed. “Sir.”
“For the same reason as before,” the commander said. “Your brother is removed from the squad, and both your names are well known. You need to be out of the spotlight, especially since you’re both still interns. Plus, you’re a pair. It’d be weird to send Lacroix with them and leave you behind.”
“But you still chose Emil? He’s just a janitor, isn’t he?” Vivian asked. The two girls managed to bring themselves into a standing position, the imposing commander not aiding them in the slightest.
“He has an apology tour. Going to the Metropolis is important. And Eddie’s been working with Tempest Squad in your absence. You two have a far more important task I want you on in the meantime. And no arguments. Their deployment is an order of Marcus, himself.”
“Because we’re closing in on the Order, aren’t we?” Amelia gave a noncommittal shrug, but Meredith didn’t need her to verbalize it to know that was exactly it. Brynn’s words and warnings came forth with a vengeance. “Just tell me, commander: where are they shipping off to?”
“Meredith, you and I both know the answer to that. It’s the only place where everything’s pointing to. Which is why you’ll let them fight their battles there, where Jay is, and you’ll fight your battle here, where the rest of our comrades and a potential murderer for the Order is,” Amelia said. She patted them on the head, as if she was trying to be condescending, but the encouragement lit a fire. “So, wish your comrades well from the sidelines, just like your brother. They’re heading back to the Metropolis.”