Southeastern district, City of Valostra
Lee's house...
"Hello?" A muffled voice of a woman came from the other end of the line, and both Lee and Liskarm finally sighed in relief. The two of them glanced at each other, as if unsure who would even be the one answering the call.
"Hello? Is anybody there? Is this another prank call from the HR department? Because I swear to the goddess of Kjerag I will-"
Liskarm swiftly grabs hold of the radio and speaks, cutting off the misunderstanding from the Doctor.
"Doctor? Doctor! Do you hear me? This is Liskarm speaking." The Vouivre said, glancing at Lee and giving him a determined nod.
"Liskarm?!? Oh my goodness, we've been contacting you for the past 4 hours now!" the voice of the Doctor was that of excitement and concern, making Lee somewhat grateful. "Are you okay? How about Franka and Jessica? We heard the news about the attack on Valostra, what's the situation on the ground?"
Liskarm shifted on her seat, before answering the Doctor's question. "We're okay, Doctor. Jessica suffered some minor bruises, while Franka is in need of caster treatment. She suffered some wounds and lacerations on her legs after our car was hit by a mortar, but we managed to stabilize her for the time being."
"Okay, okay this is progress. I'm glad you managed to contact me, I'll prepare an extraction team of two to get you out of there. Please don't turn off whatever device you are using, we'll use it to contact you." The Doctor said, her tone switching to a more serious and professional one.
Liskarm saw movement in her peripheral vision, and saw Lee waving his hand at her. He mouthed 'give me the radio' so she handed it to him.
Lee cleared his throat grabbing hold of the radio. "Hello, Doctor? This is...Morian Fitzroy speaking. I'm a specialist officer of the VPD, and I'm currently with Liskarm right now. I'll escort and protect them to the designated landing zone once you secure a place to land."
Even though he could not see whoever this female Doctor was now, the surprise in her voice was audible from the other end of the line.
"A VPD officer, huh? Thank you for helping Liskarm and her team. Are they perhaps staying at your station right now? If so, can you give us the coordinates so we can find a preferable landing zone?" the Doctor said.
Lee had a sheepish look on his face, which made Liskarm tilt her head a bit as she observed him. "No, they're currently staying in my house. They needed some patching up, so I'm helping them out of the city. I'll send you the coordinates, hopefully you'll find a landing spot near us."
After reciting his the current location of his house; the street name and address, complete with the block number, the Doctor finally responded.
"Thank you so much for helping our operators. I will call back after an hour, we'll tell you if we find a suitable landing zone in your area."
"Don't mention it, Doc. We'll wait for further instructions. Morian, out." Lee responded and clicked the screen of the radio, before exhaling hard.
He places the device on the table and yawns loudly, stretching his impressively long legs and arms until he feels a great numbing sensation spreading over his body as the joints popped and his muscles relaxed. He was already feeling tired after all the shit that happened earlier today.
"Hey, that was some good communicating skills there. Not everyone makes the Doctor sound like their friend instantly, and you just did that." Liskarm says and leans forward, eyes fixed on Lee.
"Well, being in law enforcement does that to you. I can tell you address her in high regard, and her position exerts authority. All I did was respectfully converse with her, nichts besonderes." Lee said, earning a nod from the Vouivre.
"Ehh, you speak Leithanien?" Liskarm said with a surprised tone. She recognized the language immediately because of the accent, since there were quite a few Elafia who can speak Leithanien inside Rhodes Island.
"Yeah, I can speak a little Leithanien, but it's not that good. And I also feel like I doxxed myself just now." Lee responded with a laugh, but soon stopped when Liskarm wore a confused look on her face.
"Errr, what's with the look?"
"Nothing, I was wondering what 'doxxed' mean? I've never heard the word before." The Vouivre uttered as she massaged her wrist after removing her tactical watch.
Lee thought she was joking just now, but he suddenly remembered that Terra was different from Earth in so many ways. Even some of the most basic slangs that they; teenagers or young adults during the Golden Age used to converse, was non existent here.
"Ah...doxxed or doxxing just means, like when you accidentally or deliberately got your exact home address leaked to the internet. Since I revealed where I live to the Doctor, I basically just doxxed myself." Lee explained, earning a series of nods from the curious Vouivre.
"Hmm, the more you learn, eh? Also, Is it okay if I ask something?" Liskarm suddenly queried, earning a look of interest from the tired blonde. She thought of the foreign looking picture she saw in the locker in his room, but she decided it was best not to bring it up.
He cocks his head towards her. "Oh? I can answer a few, given we still have time until the Doc calls. What's on your mind?"
"Hmm, let me think of something." The Vouivre said and puts a finger on her chin, feigning like she was really thinking of something. "Uhh, you're not a native from Valostra, yeah? When's the last time you left the city?"
Lee's eyes suddenly turned serious, and the seasoned BsW operator noticed it. "Yeah...well, I moved here 4 years ago from Leithania. Just stayed there for 6 months, and before that I was living a year off on Higashi. And a year before that I applied as an analyst in the LGD down on Lungmen."
He said without so much as a hint of lie in his voice. The man was already used to lying with a straight face, for he has already done it countless...even immeasurable times during his tenure at Kurono ops. Well, in reality, what he said was basically true. The only thing he will leave out is his... arrival in this world.
"Wow... that's a lot of places to be. Don't you miss your hometown? I mean...at first glance you look like a Sarkaz, but now I'm not so sure. A Kylin, maybe?" Liskarm asked, squinting her eyes as she did so.
Lee just laughed it off, but he couldn't help but feel an immense wave of nostalgia hitting him because of her question.
'It's not her fault,' Lee thought, 'She's just clueless about it...don't put the blame on her.'
"I... To be honest, I actually want to go back there. Not in Kazdel, no, but in my real hometown. You could say it's pretty devastated by war too..." He said with a hint of longing in his voice.
"And as for where that is," He continued, glancing at the Vouivre with a smile, "that's a story for another day."
Liskarm smiled back, taking the hint. She respected his desire for secrecy, because everyone has the right to do so. She just stands up and holstered her pistol, before turning towards the stairs.
"Well, at least I got to know more about you. Can't have you calling me a friend without me knowing anything about you, now can we?"
Lee just smiled back and lifted one of his legs in the center table, before leaning his body on the couch. "Hah, I guess so. Now go take some shut-eye, I'll wake you up when the time comes."
He waves her off and rolled his head to the side, closing his eyes in the process. He hears Liskarm's footsteps fading away as she climbed up the second floor. He gave a glance to where she stood earlier, before reaching out for the radio on the table.
"Better have it near me..." Lee muttered and closed his eyes, finally feeling a sense of calmness washing over his body. After a couple of minutes or so, he finally descends into sleep.
.
..
...
Unknown location, somewhere in the middle of nowhere
Rhodes Island Landship
Flight hangar
A tall hooded figure stood on the metal walkway overlooking the docking bay. Just by looking at the bulky raincoat/protective gear the person was wearing, one would not know that she was actually a woman. The addition of a helmet with a single horizontal eye slit helped conceal her identity from the outside world.
But of course, Ikura Schafer-Ishizaki was already well known throughout the ark. Having the moniker 'The Doctor' made her stand out. Well, wearing that bulky ahh helmet and coat is the main reason really, but she just pretends it's not. A muffled sigh came out from her mouth as she watched what was happening on the flight deck.
Some flight crews were preparing for a mission; they were tasked with flying two extraction teams, to be frank. They were moving some supplies inside two heavily modified Ka-27 Allouette helicopters, of which they recently acquired 12 of them from Columbia. The partnership with BsW is proving to be quite fruitful.
Ikura turns her head to the side and saw a small Cautus girl emerge from the airtight door that led inside the landship. Her brown ears twitched as she approached the Doctor.
"Doctor, there you are. I've been looking for you after the meeting ended, I wanted to discuss some things regarding the mission plan."
"Amiya, when's the last time you took a break?" The Doctor asked, her voice sounding naturally muffled and concerned at the same time. "Those bags under your eyes will stay there if you don't give yourself enough sleep."
Amiya's ears dropped a bit after hearing that.
"Doctor, we have so much paperworks to finish. I can't just leave them in your desk, and besides, the situation right now calls for urgent action, so resting right now would be very inappropriate for me." She says with the same soft tone she uses, before standing beside the Doctor.
Ikura regarded Amiya for a moment. The small Cautus was always wasn't always like this; too young to be leading an entire organization. She was just in her early teens, and she shouldn't be out here exposed to real world events a normal girl her age shouldn't experience. It was actually quite devastating to see.
The only reason The Doctor couldn't steer the mantle of Rhodes Island herself was because of her condition; being recently hauled out of cryosleep just three months shy this day, her physical and mental health are all strictly monitored by medical operators. Having her deal with all of the paperwork, now that's a good way to make use of her.
"Hmm, you're sounding more like a leader now, Amiya." Ikura turns her head and smiles at the Cautus. However, her tone suddenly changed after realizing something.
"But...you really should be playing with your friends. Kids your age, you know?" The Doctor said and puts a hand on Amiya's shoulder. The Cautus stood there for a moment, contemplating what to say in silence.
"It's a...cruel world, Doctor. Someone has to step up." Amiya smiles as she glances towards the Doctor, the glint in her eyes carrying behind a huge burden.
Ikura was stunned by her words, but it was the truth. They were all fighting for something bigger here, bigger than the reasons of all past and bygone empires combined. Really, someone has to step up, else their cause would return to dust.
"It really is cruel. But don't forget we're here with you...so that means you shouldn't skip sleeping." The Doctor sighs and ruffles the little Cautus' hair, before staring at the flight deck again.
"All of these people, these operators, they're all fighting for something too, don't they? Be it our cause to help the infected, or a personal reason that gives them the drive to keep moving forward, they're still looking up to you, Amiya." Ikura continues.
"Having you at the top doesn't mean you don't have to take care of yourself. You're still young, and I'm old," The Doctor remarked, earning a chuckle from Amiya, "so let me handle this operation. And I mean this when I say you should take a rest for now. Kal'tsit will understand, I'm sure of it."
Amiya stared at her for a moment, before smiling with her eyes closed. She reaches out for Ikura's hand and gives it a gentle squeeze.
"If you insist, then I'll go. You have full control over the operation now, Doctor. Just...inform me immediately once Miss Liskarm and her team are back, okay?" Amiya said before turning around, going back the same way she went before.
The Doctor watched as the Cautus disappeared inside the airtight door leading inside the ark, before heaving a sigh. Amiya can be stubborn sometimes, but all she needs is a little persuading. The Doctor then takes the flight of stairs leading down to the hangar deck, passing a few flight crews in the process.
They were all actively readying other helicopters on the offset that the 2 combat teams assigned to extract the trapped operators in Valostra met any trouble. The Ka-27 Allouette was a versatile transport/ combat craft, hence why they chose to purchase it. It has a medium sized cargo capacity of 8, plus the pilot and co-pilot.
Ikura brushed her gloved hand on the missile tube equipped under the craft's belly, amazed at how many it can carry. It was a terrifying piece of equipment, really; able to carry 14 unguided originium infused missiles. It would surely level an entire block if they ever had the need to use it, but she hopes it wouldn't come to that.
Equipped on the left side of the helicopter was a three barrelled, rotary machine gun that was manually operated by a person via a slidable tripod. The long, 20 inch barrel of the gun jutted out from the open sidedoor of the craft, making it an imposing sight to see up close.
"Doctor!"
Alas, the familiar voice of Blaze came from behind, prompting the Doctor to turn her head to the source. The Feline was lugging her iconic chainsaw behind her back, its huge appearance covered by a special type of sheath designed specifically for her needs. She wore a smile on her face as she approached the Doctor, her squad of operators not far behind.
"Blaze, is your team ready to go?" Ikura asked and glanced behind the Feline, spotting five other operators walking towards their direction.
Blaze gave her a wry smile and flexed her biceps, before tapping it with excitement. "Ready as we'll ever be, Doctor! Let's go and rescue Liskarm's team already."
"Hai, hai, I'll brief you once the other team is here. In the meantime..."
The Doctor glanced at the members of Blaze's temporary extraction squad; namely Sussuro, the designated medic, Firewatch and Sesa for long range scouting and ordnance. Matterhorn, in approval of Enciodes SilverAsh, is their assigned defender. And lastly, the easterner Oni that is Matoimaru as the rearguard.
"Doctor, it's a pleasure to be part of this rescue team. Master SilverAsh sends his regards." Matterhorn said in his usual respectful tone.
"Hmm, tell SilverAsh to stop by the office sometime. I need to update him on some developments regarding our partnership agreement." Ikura said and pats the Forte on his arm.
"Doctor, when are we going to upgrade your gaming set-up!" The red haired Vouivre exclaimed as he playfully locked his arms on the Doctor's neck. "I'm dying to show you the latest custom builds I made, so give me a time and date, will ya?"
Ikura untangled herself from Sesa's arms, before flicking him hard on the forehead. The Vouivre naturally yelped in pain. "Sesa, you can show your pc builds to me once we finish this operation. In the meantime, please check if that gun is loaded before you guys take off." She points at the tri-barrelled gun resting on the tripod.
"I gotchu Doc, can't wait to blow up some goddamn reunion nigg-" Sesa's voice faded just in time as he clambered inside the helicopter.
Sussuro and Firewatch mostly kept silent, with the occasional small talks with Blaze and Matterhorn regarding their contingency plans. Matoimaru, well, is quite the talkative one and can't stop yapping about her being excited to cut down some reunion heads.
"Please keep the collateral damage to a minimum, okay? We don't want to further degrade Valostra's environment." Ikura remarked after Matoimaru began sharpening her modified Yari with her back up knife.
"Ara, Doctor, It's not the buildings I'm after but the heads of those soldiers! Don't worry too much!" The Oni gave her a light slap on the back; well, light being almost all her strength as the Doctor staggered to her feet.
As Ikura regained her composure, she hears the airtight door that led to the 2nd floor of the ark open, causing her to cock her head to the side. She saw the other extraction team coming out of the doorway, led by the Radiant knight Nearl. Her team consisted of Shining and Nightangle, both medic operators that are really inseparable.
"Doctor, we've prepared the necessary supplies for this operation. Just brief us when you're good to go." Nearl said and lifted her warhammer to rest on her shoulders, before walking towards Blaze's group.
"Hi~ya Doctor!" Meteorite, who was the assigned ordnance expert for this team, waved at Ikura before joining Nearl and Blaze to converse with them. The bowgun on her back rattled as she jogged.
Ambriel's big Halo made The Doctor squint as the carefree Sankta passed by, chewing on a chocolate pocky as she lugged the huge anti-personnel rifle in a gun case. She acknowledged the Doctor with a simple fist bump, before sitting down the ledge of the open sidedoor of the helicopter.
Flamebringer, although very hard to command in terms of being in a squad, was adamant to join the extraction team after learning that the Doctor was coming along with the operation. He walked towards Ikura with confidence, his gait reminding her of a devil walking through fire.
'Well,' Ikura internally thought, 'he does look like one.'
"Doctor." The Kazdelian Sarkaz said as he approached, the two uniquely shaped swords strapped in his hips making a 'clinking' sound as he walked. He towered over everyone currently in the hangar; even Matterhorn, whom Ikura considers as a man gifted with a great physique, looks smaller beside this olympian-like Sarkaz.
"Flamebringer...I'm surprised you personally applied for this operation. Well, it's a good thing Nearl and her team has a remarkable swordsman to guard their ranks." The Doctor remarked as he stopped to stand beside her. She could see the flames of excitement in his amber coloured eyes.
The Sarkaz eyes her for a bit, before nodding slowly. "Well, it's you who's commanding us after all. I kinda want to see that side of yours again." He finished his sentence with emphasis on something, and Ikura knew what he was talking about.
"I...well, I still can't remember it." Ikura said with a sigh, making the Sarkaz smirk.
"Oh, Doctor. I'm sure it'll come as naturally as it is for you...once we step on the battlefield, that is." He says and turns around, before walking towards a nearby weapons crate.
Ikura just shrugged it off. She knows from the HR reports that the Sarkaz was somehow part of Babel in the past, the now defunct organization Rhodes Island replaced. She may or may not have directly commanded him, but he keeps on insisting about a specific that occured when he killed the 'Traitor'. As for who that was, she has no knowledge of.
Seeing that all of the operators are already geared and set up, The Doctor claps her hands loudly, attracting their full attention. She lifts her arms to her neck, feeling the familiar lock of the bulky helmet between her fingers, before popping the lid off. She quickly lifted the helmet in one fluid motion, revealing her face so that she could speak more clearly.
"Still as pretty as ever, Doctor." Blaze gave her a huge smile before adding in a wink.
"Oh, bug off, you." Ikura says and fishes out a data-pad on her coat pocket. " Okay, now that you're all here, here's the mission plan. You all have heard the news about-"
"Well, I haven't." Sesa remarked, causing all of them to glance at him.
"Are you serious?" Blaze deadpanned.
Sesa glanced around, raising his hands in surrender. "Hey now, don't blame me. I was at the engineering department the whole time. Where are we going again?"
The carefree Ambriel finally cracked a laugh, causing Matoimaru to do the same thing. Nightangle just stared at the Doctor with those blue eyes of hers in silence, ignoring the commotion the two female operators beside her was causing.
"No, but seriously, I know we're blowing up some Reunion punks and rescuing Liskarm and her group, but where exactly?" Sesa said in an amused tone.
Ikura just cleared her throat, controlling her urge to laugh at the red haired Vouivre's lack of information. "Sesa, we're heading to Valostra. You're familiar with the name, I suppose."
"Oh, that repurposed Gaul city huh. A shame they attacked it though, I heard they're the most lenient and welcoming place for the infected. Wonder what made them do it." Sesa uttered the last part of his sentence before shrugging his shoulders. "Well anyway, at least I now know where we're going."
"Talulah's gone insane. That mad woman... I want to cross blades with her one day." Flamebringer, who was standing behind the group, said with an eerie grin while biting his thumb. Even Matoimaru, who was known to have a knack for bloodlust, eyed the Kazdelian Sarkaz in awe.
Nearl and Shining, however, gave him a sidelong glance, their eyes casting a suspicious look at the seemingly deranged look he had on his face. Ikura vaguely remembers that Flamebringer brought up Shining's name once in a conversation they had, saying that 'she is a waste, her swordsmanship truly was outstanding. Unfortunately for her, after that incident with that Confessari, she's reluctant to even raise her blade again.'
Blaze, who was beside the Sarkaz the whole time, lightly smacked him in the shoulder. "Oi, get your head out of the clouds. Let the Doctor brief us about the mission plan before you plan on killing anyone."
Flamebringer collected himself, adjusting the strap of his sword and clearing his throat. "Their deaths are inevitable. Leave the advance guard for me, I'll soften up their ranks. And besides..." He casts an expectful look towards Ikura.
"...the Doctor would certainly like that, wouldn't you, Ikura?" His eyes squints a little, causing the Doctor to sigh heavily.
"...alright then, I'm changing the battleplan." Ikura says and swipes a finger on her data-pad, dragging the Kazdelian Sarkaz's chibi picture out of the 2nd extraction team's roster.
"Flamebringer will bring up the vanguard, and he is to act accordingly to the situation. He will be followed by Blaze's squad, while Nearl and her team guards the helicopters once we land. We'll set up a line of defense once we secure the surroundings." She pauses, before studying the map of the southeastern district of Valostra.
The unmanned drone they sent to do a fly-by at the city was sending real time pictures and short videos regarding the situation on the ground. She saw that most of the fighting is taking place down on the central part of the city, with multiple counter attacks made by what she thought were units from the Valostra Police Department.
Swiping her finger eastwards, she saw a huge swathe of buildings that are either burning or already crumbled heaps of dust. She didn't know what caused that huge of a destruction in such a short amount of time, but given Reunion's usage of originium infused mortars, it wasn't hard to pin that as their doing. She continues sidewards until she arrives at the exact location of where Liskarm was.
"This is where Liskarm and her team are currently hiding. I've accessed Valostra's public records and it shows that the house is indeed owned by an officer." The Doctor explains, remembering the caller's name.
"His name is Morian Fitzroy, and he's going to guide our operators to the designated landing zone which is..." She flips the screen of her data-pad, showing it to all of the extraction squad.
"... roughly in this area right here."
"That has a lot of open spaces, is that a recreational park?" Blaze queried, putting a finger on her chin as she examined the terrain.
"Indeed. It's a kilometer away from their location, so I guess your team will have to move in haste and meet them along the way." Ikura says, pocketing the device.
"You can count on us, Doc. We'll get this over with before the day ends." Blaze said with confidence, earning a nod of approval from all of the operators involved.
"Alright, that's the gist of it. Let's get Liskarm and her team back in one piece."
Seeing that all of the operators assigned in this mission was battle ready, the Doctor orders them to board their assigned helicopters. The rotor blades of the aircraft began to spin and whir as the pilots activated the controls.
As they ascended away from the landship, Ikura glances outside the open sidedoor of the helicopter, with Meteorite manning the machine gun. The view from above was astonishing, to say the least. Ikura feels like she's already on top of the world, and realizes how much of her memories was lost.
But in her mind, away from the knowledge of Kal'tsit and her operators, lies a dormant part of her past self. She feels a sudden wave of coldness splash all over her skin after she thought about it. To be ruthless is one thing, but to be a murderer...well, there's a special place in hell for that.
And the Doctor knew full well how much blood is in her hands.
To be continued.
Yezzir finally finished the rewrite. Chapter 5 is up next was well as a new and revamped operator file for Lee, which will include the Doctor's files too. Enjoy reading!
Old word count: 2467
New word count: 4480