Outer edges of Kazdel's border,
Babel headquarters,
Rhodes Island landship.
As she reviewed the reports taped on the wall, Elizabeth made a mental note. The last few phrases of her team's report were highlighted as she drew a line through them with her pen.
She was completing the report as quickly as she could because it was already dusk when they returned from the operation in Victoria and she didn't want the Doctor to give her a hard time.
It was a miracle they didn't have to confront the killteams Armatek dispatched in county hillock, since she hoped before the operation commenced that everything was going to go smoothly on their side.
They can still be a problem to deal with, even though it was determined later on that the dead troops that ashen haired Sarkaz slaughtered were only a tier 4 killteam. The feline's ears twitched as she heard heavy footsteps coming down the hallway, stopping her in her work and forcing her to look up.
It was Ace and Scout, and she was able to tell something had gone very wrong by the expressions on their faces. It wasn't everyday occurrence that there are attacks from Theresis' forces, is what she initially thought.
“What's with the two of you? Did the Doctor give you an earful?” Elizabeth asked, sliding the papers on the brown folder on her desk.
“We need you on the clinic ASAP, Kal'tsit's orders. That crazy lady we brought took Closure as a freaking hostage!” Scout said, tossing Elizabeth's sheathed short sword at her. She caught it midair and wore a confused expression.
“Wha... Hah? She's already awake? I thought you said 3 dosage of that dart was enough to keep her asleep for a day?” Elizabeth asked in annoyance as she puts on her combat gear, which was hanging beside her table.
“I mean it should be that, but I don't know how... Wait, she might have a high immunity on tranquilizers!”
“Get a move on! We'll talk on the way.” Ace roared at them, forcing them to go.
Elizabeth hastily slapped on her belt buckle, before clipping her sheathed sword on her waist.
“How did she manage to take miss Closure as hostage anyway? I thought you left a group of operators to keep an eye on her?” Elizabeth asked as the three of them ran in the hallway, their presence alone paving a path in the crowd of regular mercenaries.
"We reviewed the CCTV footage in the command center. She suddenly sprang into action and knocked all of the guys out, before making a beeline towards the exit. Unfortunately, some of our medics and engineering crew were unluckily mingling near the door, so she just grabbed the nearest person she saw." Ace responded as they rounded a corner.
“She did make an effort to fight back, but Closure was easily overwhelmed.” according to Scout. They reached the section of the hallway that connected the cafeteria and hospital ward.
There, they saw a huge crowd of combat ready operators in the entrance, most of them were senior operators, specifically Ace's squad members.
Upon closer inspection, Elizabeth spotted Blaze and a couple more operators inside the medical ward, seemingly communicating with the ashen haired Sarkaz.
Weedy was among them, who, in the cover of the others, was setting up her water cannon as a means to knock the unruly girl unconscious.
She also spotted Logos and Misery, who were both visibly ready to take action the moment an order was given. Spark and Stormeye were also standing by near Blaze.
“Dr. Kal'tsit!” Elizabeth called out to the lynx-lady who was talking to a certain white haired Sarkaz. They turned around and saw the trio walking towards them.
“Dr, your orders?”
“Just in time, Elizabeth. We're still assessing the situation as to not anger her.” Kal'tsit said, referring to the ashen haired Sarkaz.
Elizabeth glanced towards the room and stared at the Sarkaz holding Closure as hostage. She was standing in the middle of the ward with her menacingly looking sword aimed at Closure's neck, who was kneeling on the ground with her hands tied with a ripped cloth.
“Hey, Closure isn't hurt now is she?” The feline asked Scout, who was busy calibrating the scope of his sniper crossbow.
“As far as the footage goes, that Sarkaz gal just gave her a not-so-nice handchop to the head when Closure tried to fight back.”
“Hmph, guess we're in the bargaining side now.” Elizabeth sighs and turns towards Kal'tsit.
“By the way, where's Doctor (Y/n)? Wasn't he notified by this incident?” she asks, mortified that the man who ordered their operation was nowhere to be found when the target was making a fuss in the ark.
“He should be here any moment now. Theresa was... adamant that she wants to talk to that girl, and so (Y/n) fetched her.” The lynx lady responded with a sigh, probably annoyed that they have to go through this whole ordeal.
Soon, they heard quiet murmurs from normal Sarkaz mercenaries that were amongst the crowd.
Elizabeth and Kal'tsit simultaneously turned towards the direction of the hallway leading to the elevator.
As soon as the doors opened, the appearance of the very woman that leads Babel makes the others go silent.
She was the one who is fighting for Kazdel's unification, a noble goal to unite all Sarkaz. And she was just walking alongside commoners.
The Sarkaz king, Theresa, was here.
And walking a couple of steps behind her was none other than (Y/n), here to mediate the situation.
.
.
.
_____
Alpha's P.O.V
The bright lights of this medical facility annoyed me to the core. It's like I'm in a filming set of ‘breaking in’, a pre golden age era movie that I used to watch when I'm bored.
(A/n: Yes, it's a breaking bad reference, though the casts are probably black, hence the title.)
I made an audible click of my tongue, making the shaking vampire-like lady kneeling beside me look up with a hint of fear in her eyes.
I gave her a look that probably, in her eyes, said ‘don't do anything stupid’, since she inhaled sharply after our eyes met.
After I took her as a literal bargaining chip, i tied her hands using a torn cloth from a spare hospital gown, which was just scattered all over the place.
An hour has almost gone by after my attempted escape. Who would blame me though, waking up in an unfamiliar place surrounded by armed men and strange doctors.
Yet here I am, standing in the middle of the room like the mad woman I am, surrounded by a bunch of amateur looking mercenaries.
They were rugged looking, I'll give them that. Although they have the same black jackets adorned with blue stripes on the sleeves and the distinct tower logo, their clothes varied altogether.
Some, on the female side, wore skirts and leggings, which made me cringe a bit since it's not a practical gear for combat, even though I, too, am wearing the same pattern of clothing as them.
‘Fuck, imagine being that hypocritical.’ I mentally berated myself.
These mercenaries, or ‘operators’, as they addressed each other, formed a human barrier on the main entrance, with most of the sword wielding ones situated in the front.
Ranged units, as I have names them in my head, were behind temporarily placed blast shields, their crossbows aimed towards me.
‘Heh, I doubt they'll let those arrow bolts fly though, since I've got someone important here with me.’ I glance again at the woman sitting in the floor, her eyes darting back and forth across what I could just describe as a sea of people.
From the moment I got out of the medical bed and knocked the guards out cold, to running towards the exit while spooking every personnel in the medical ward, and eventually taking this ‘head of the engineering department ’ as hostage, it was only that time that I realized I had no garments on, except for this paper thin hospital gown.
I might look like a dork right now because I took a bedsheet and draped it on my shoulders like an oversized towel, but I'm still a girl.
I can't have me showing all my private glory towards the world. Not that I'm assuming I have sufficient... assets to be proud of, it's just the most practical thing to do.
And that is to cover your nearly-naked body.
“Hey,” I nudged the vampire-lady with my foot.
“What's up with the commotion over there?” she followed the length of Sakura as I leveled her towards the many glass window of the room, specifically to where a clusterfuck full of people were standing.
“I, I have no idea. Either the water filtration system broke for the 68th time this month and an unlucky mercenary slipped, or the elevator got stuck.” the woman answered, the shakiness in her tone slightly fading as she finished the second part of her sentence.
‘Phew, imagine if it's this organizations' leader appearing or whatnot, that'd be quite a pain in the ass to deal with.’
“...They kept calling you Closure. Is that really your name?” I asked again after a minute of silence, making her avert her full attention towards me. She seems hesitant to strike up a conversation with me, though I can't blame her.
“Y-Yeah, that's correct, though it's like a codename of sorts. What's wrong with it?” Closure responded, instinctively massaging the top of her head.
“Luh, didn't hit you that hard though? I'm surprised it even knocked you out cold.” I shook my head, earning a frown from her.
“Idiot! That's a hard hit for a noncombatant like me!” Closure hissed back.
Our little conversation didn't go unnoticed, even though we were talking in hushed tones.
(We were not.)
“Closure! Are you alright?” A dark, bluish haired feline shouted, breaking my near incognito-like state.
“D-Don't worry Blaze, just a minor headache! Ahaha...” Closure answered back, raising her handcuffed wrists in the air with a forced smile.
“Why don't you just...put your weapon down? We can talk things out and at least explain ourselves to you!”
The girl named Blaze said, referring towards me.
Her chainsaw wasn't revved up right now and was slumped across her back, but the memory of me nearly killing her is still fresh in my mind.
It must have had a profound change on her, but she's doing a good job facing me without showing any hint of fear. I commend her for that.
“Why not just let me walk away? You guys are technically the one holding us both hostage here.”
I retorted, the first sentence being a serious one, while the latter was filled with biting sarcasm. It was the kind of attitude that I missed in Lee, to be honest. Our arrival in Terra managed to change Lee, and although not entirely a bad thing—
My eyes suddenly widened and went into slight defocus as I realized something...grim and unsettling. Lee and Jane, both of them weren't here, and I failed to meet up with them back in the house after I killed those soldiers.
What...what could have happened to them? I started to think of all the possibilities, and most, if not all of them, ended badly.
My grip on Sakura's delicately adorned handle tightened as my heart suddenly began pounding hard. Lee is a very strong and capable warrior, and his aforementioned achievements back in Earth proves my statement right.
However, this world is entirely different, different with the fact that the ‘humans’ in here are able to strengthen, harden and imbue themselves with so called arts, which I still couldn't get my head into.
And even if Lee is a tenacious fighter, he could only go on for long before he reaches his limit...as a human. Jane too, is a soldier, and although I know she has her sets of skills under her belt, with overwhelming numbers, numbers can beat strength.
So the billion question is, where are...
“You Babel folks...” I raised my sword at them with a piercing gaze, causing the operators to visibly shift from where they were standing.
Even the feline named Blaze hastily revved her chainsaw as she called out to a certain Doctor for orders, and I felt a subtle change in the air as it seems to heat up a bit, just like back then in our skirmish in Victoria.
“Where are my friends? Don't tell me you fucking killed them both?”
My voice was low and cold, but filled with an intent to kill. I felt a tug at my bedsheet of a dress, which made me spare a quick glance towards Closure.
“A-Are you mad serious right now?! You're gonna take on a bunch of senior operators all by yourself you know?!”
She hissed angrily, though I doubt she cared about the consequences for her hostage taker, she seemed genuinely concerned of her pre conceived power difference between me and these amateur looking mercs.
“I'll take on as many as you guys can muster.”
I say in utmost confidence, holding my katana's handle with both hands as I adjusted my footing. I heard Closure scurry away from me and towards the corner of the room, as I readied myself with the fight that was about to come.
I needed to get out of this place as soon as possible.
However.
!?
“You don't have to do that.”
A gentle, almost angelic soft voice made me snap out of my angered state, causing me to divert my attention towards my right.
I instinctively took a step back and adjusted my combat stance as a woman with black mismatched horns stood there with her hands clasped with each other. I hear a couple of indecipherable shouting, most of them telling me to not dare harm her
“Killing, I mean. Haven't you had enough of it?”
She asked in the most gentle tone ever, which made me feel goosebumps all over my body. Her tone and pacifistic approach was a contradiction to what clearly was about to unfold mere moments ago.
Aside from that, there was an otherworldly and unexplainable feeling in my mind as I met those murky eyes of hers. A feeling of lightheadedness with a mix of a calming sensation that spread to my body. However, I shut my eyes tight and shook my head, before facing her with an annoyed grimace.
“You...what the hell did you just do to me?” I pointed my blade at her, yet she remained unfazed by the threat.
“It's a sort of calming arts, one that you very much needed.” She whispered, before extending her hand out towards the sea of operators and soldiers. It was only then that I realized they were moving towards me, but this lady just stopped them with a single command.
She must be the leader.
“Killing me won't make much of a difference. If you bring that sword of yours down my neck, how can you find out about those friends you mentioned?”
?!
I stare at her, visibly repulsed as to how she read mind just now.
“What...how did you...just who in the world are you?” I asked in a mix of bewilderment and amazement.
She was more troublesome than I anticipated. Not only did I not notice her presence earlier, she's also able to manipulate other's feelings, and can also read one's thoughts?
‘What the heck have I got myself involved into?!’
“To answer your question, I am the Sarkaz king, Theresa. Leader of Babel, a paramilitary organization fighting for Kazdel's reunification.” She extends her hand out and smiles, making me glance wearily at it.
“Welcome to the Ark, Alpha.”
.
.
.
______
Columbia, City of Ironforge
Approximately 45 km near the border of Kazimierz.
When Lee regained consciousness, he was already inside a well lit and unfamiliar room, with the blinds slightly open and the warm rays of the sun shining on his face.
He rubbed the side of his face, feeling small stubbles starting to grow on his chin. As his eyes adjusted, the unfamiliar ceiling made his body tense up.
He immediately got up to his feet, which was a decision that he regretted doing, as his head suddenly began throbbing which made his vision spin.
There was also the slight muscle pain all over his torso, specifically around the areas of his arms and back, as well as his chest.
“God...what the fuck. Where the hell am I..?” Lee winced in pain as he took a deep breath, scanning his newfound surroundings.
He was in the living room, and apparently he slept hard on the couch, as evident of the crumpled fabric of the Columbian styled couch.
Classy, is what he thought.
Lee stopped himself from gasping audibly by covering his mouth with his hand. The layout of the house, or unit which he is in, was huge.
So huge that the living room was spacious enough to be an equivalent of a normal house. He touched the marble table on the kitchen, surprised that it was squeaky clean.
That's when he realized he wasn't alone.
“Oh my, you're finally awake.” A mature, female voice came from above him, causing him to turn around and glance upwards.
There, walking on the spiralling staircase that down where he was standing, was a tall lady with gray, waist length hair. She wore a red robe clumsily draped over her loose black dress, which made her cleavage a little bit visible.
“Are you experiencing any sort of pain in your body?” she asked Lee, who was in a state of disbelief that he had to shake his head and step backwards a few times.
“Lady, I don't know who you are...but I'm feeling really angry and confused right now.” Lee answered in the most calm tone he has ever mustered. He was still, in all honesty, out of it. The reality check hasn't dawned upon him on what exactly is going on.
She wore a neutral smile on her face, and though not eerie to look at, it reminded him of a female character in a romcom and totally slice-of-life manga dating back to the pre golden age era named Kamika.
The title was ‘Chainsmoker Man’ if he's not mistaken. (A/n: Yes, she smiles like Makima, and yes, it's a CSM reference.)
“Oh? Well, at least you~, are an honest, and might I add, charming young man, telling me how you feel straightforwardly.” The woman said with a smile and walked past him, before sitting on a lavishly built cushioned chair beside the dining table.
“Why, stop dilly dallying around there and have a seat! You won't let a young maiden like me drink alone now, would you?” She added, though the last part of her sentence sounded a bit more...commanding.
“...” Lee glanced around, noting the open doorframe on what seems to lead to an open balcony. He side eyed it a bit, before walking towards the kitchen, albeit cautious. After a couple of seconds, he sat on a chair across the woman, with only the Ursine inspired table between them.
“Now, I apologize, truly. You're confused, angry, and quite possibly scared as to what happened to...what was her name again?” The woman said and poured him a glass of Bonnie Walker, a top whiskey brand from non other than Victoria.
“...oh right, Jane.”
Lee's eyes landed on the glass of alcohol in front of him, before landing on the woman's exposed neck. He felt for his knife sheathed in between his belt, but found nothing. The movement of his forearm muscles didn't go unnoticed either, yet the woman surprised him when she just laughed at his action.
“Hah... I suppose that's expected. I'm gonna tell you right now; She is safe and sound, recovering in one of our advanced clinics inside Londinium. She only suffered a light wound on her arm when she came to aid you. Rest assured, no harm will come to her.” She said in a calm manner, which made him more annoyed and ticked off.
Realizing that he wasn't answering because of the sudden surge of new information that she relayed to him, the woman then cleared her throat.
“Ahem, oh lord, where are my manners.” She wipes the edges of her lips with her handkerchief, before presenting a business card towards him.
“I am The Manager of Hannya Armatek Corporation, Hera Ottovordemgentschenfelde, although I just put it as Otto on my resume. Who would try to pronounce that anyway?” Hera lets out a dry chuckle.
“Well, to be honest, that's a pretty long surname. And since you started the introductions, my name is Lee.” He takes the glass of alcohol and drinks it in one go, earning an amazed look from The Manager.
“Now, answer me Miss Hera. What happened to Jane when I was out?”
“Lee, now that's a very eastern name. Tell me, have you ever been to Higashi before?” Hera asked, clearly sidestepping his question with a seemingly random question of her own.
In all certainty, Lee knows where Higashi was in terms of the geography of this chaotic world. It has a massive frontier of a border with the Empire of Ursus, as well as Yan.
Although he hasn't made a bucket list on which places he wants to go, Higashi an interesting place. Not only did it resembled the feudal era of Japan centuries ago, it also has modern aspects into it.
“No... I haven't. Now tell me what the hell happened to Jane or this pretty house of yours will be in shambles!” Lee slammed his palm on the table, which spilled the contents of Hera's drink on the tablecloth. He gave her a threatening look, but she just remained unfazed.
“Hey hey, easy now. You still don't believe me that your girlfriend is not in good hands? You're a bad~ man.” Hera pouted and puffed her cheeks, throwing a cellphone towards the end of the table in the process. Lee caught it with a look of confusion, before staring at the video playing in the device.
It was a live camera footage, and he saw that Jane was soundly sleeping on a single hospital bed. There was a lot of medical equipment in the room, particularly an Oripathy detection device, which made his body tense. A few nurses were walking here and there, but that's the only notable thing.
“Hey...she didn't contract Oripathy now did she?” Lee asked and stared at her emerald eyes intently. It was then that he noticed that her eye lashes and eyebrows were also grey.
“As far as her blood density reads at the moment, she's in the clear. Relax, didn't I told you that she's in good hands?” Hera flashed him an attractive smile, before interlocking her fingers. She seems to be studying him, just by the look of her eyes.
“Well, you raided our peaceful home, wrecked our newly built bakeshop and blew up our front yard! How the hell am I supposed to trust this Armatek company you own, let alone your words?!” Lee exclaimed, his chest heaving up and down as his temper rose.
The audacity of this woman, if only he had his–
“I've had enough of your constant yelling.” A voice laced with warning came from behind him, followed by the familiar cold sensation of a muzzle resting on the bottom of his nape. He suddenly froze, before slowly straightening his posture while putting his hands to his head.
“Raise your voice one more time and the last thing you'll see is that ceiling above us.”
“N-Now, now Franz, let's be civilized here.” Hera said and suddenly stood up, and for the first time since Lee woke up and conversed with her, he saw a visible change in her seemingly nonchalant and neutral expression. As of right now, she was showing a look of concern on her face, as if afraid what would come next.
“He's annoying. You really think I'll let the disrespect slide?” Franziska pushed the gun, which made his nape hurt. He immediately thought of something.
“Look, lady with the gun, I have my reasons to be mad, alright? You just kidnapped me and ruined Jane's house–” With a quick spin of his body, he takes a hold of her hand and flips her wrist, before disarming her and taking the gun.
“–and if someone takes my freedom away from me, I won't hesitate to take theirs too.” He extended his hand and aimed the muzzle of the gun directly at the woman's forehead, who had blue horns similar to him. And for a moment he thought he was looking at an alternate version of himself. He glared at her with eyes full of determination, and she returned the favor.
“Heh, impressive move, princess. I'll take you to the after life with me though.”
Franziska's frowning expression was unchanging, but her way of speaking sounded excited. That's when Lee, and Hera, who was shocked by what happened just now, looked down towards Franz's second gun. The muzzle was directly aimed at Lee's jaw.
‘How the hell did...just when did she move her left arm?! This one is troublesome...’
Lee thought as he calculated the situation. He could make a spin move and grab Hera by the neck and take her as hostage, or just pull the trigger.
The first one wasn't good, since given the fact that Hera already told him that Armatek is essentially a private military contractor, if he takes The Manager as hostage, he would be dead in no time.
The second one, not the best either. What if he pulled the trigger, but it wasn't loaded? And this blue horned Sarkaz seemed to have thought about the possible consequences if she aimed a gun at him, so she readied a reserve weapon. He doesn't know what course of action he should go for now.
“Both of you!” The two of them cocked their heads towards Hera, who was standing in the middle.
“Lower the guns! Unit 4 is asking me permission to fire a shot through the window, goddamn it! They think we're having a scuffle here already!” She was fuming, which made Franziska lower her gun first.
Lee hesitated for a second longer, but ultimately chose to lower the gun. He examined it in his hands as he did so, and found that the thing was indeed unloaded.
So it really was just a bluff. However, what made him feel goosebumps on his skin was that there was a sniper aimed at him all the time.
“Unit 4, it's The Manager speaking. Stand down and observe sector 7 for the time being. Everything is under control here.” Hera said as she spoke to the transmitter in her wrist.
After confirming that the said sniper team was en route to their new location, she sighed and made eye contact with Lee.
“*sigh*, shall we start over?”
«‹⟨ TO BE CONTINUED ⟩›»
Published: March 11, 2023
Words: 4576
A/n: (Here's the latest chapter! Hope you enjoy it, kindly leave a vote if you want to!) ( ꈍᴗꈍ)
Note#1
(Just updated a few misspelled and missing words.)
Date of revision: March 21, 2023