Chapter 14 - Part II

(Merkala)

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Classical Newtonian physics says that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

To be honest, I’m not sure how that works.

If every action I take is countered, then how is it possible for me to move from point aye to point bee. If I tried to open an unlocked door, and was opposed equally, I wouldn’t be able to.

I will admit I failed miserably in physics class.

So I rationalized the events that transpire around me in a different way.

For every action I take, there are consequences to reckon with.

The arrival of the Public Security Section Zero drones was an example of said consequences.

My hiding spot behind a support column was some two hundred and twenty meters south of the nearest smuggler van. To my right, and approximately twenty-two meters away, Sofia hid behind another column.

When we first sighted the smugglers, I instructed Sofia to summon her Siren Maiden. The girl lacked the skill and training to use her Fragment’s effect-fields to camouflage herself from passive and active sensors. However, with her Siren Maiden manifested, she would be able to hide from any active and passive sensors with ease. By pure chance, she had been close to me when I first sensed an active sensor sweep, a minute or so before sighting the smugglers, and it was my belief they had swept the area to see if they were alone or not before beginning their transaction. Using Seraphim’s fields to mask my presence, I’d also inadvertently hidden Sofia who happened to be walking behind me.

So why were we out here?

Sofia was here because she’d chosen to tag along, but I wandered through the Old Docks for my own reason. It wasn’t that I couldn’t endure being cooped up inside the Pantra while Maestro and his crew ventured into the habitats to imprint more hapless Aventis to the cause. Rather, I wandered through the abandoned docks because I was certain that trouble would come calling, and when it did, I was determined to face it away from the Pantra.

Remember, for every action taken there are consequences to them.

Consequently, over the past couple of days, I had gone on a handful of long walks through the Old Docks, with the intention of dealing with the consequences before they endangered the Pantra.

During my journeys, I’d spied kids racing on lev-bikes and lev-boards, watched a large group of young adult revelers party long hours into the night, observed some shady deals go down between unsavory individuals, and so forth. In many respects, this outing was no different from others and I wasn’t in the least surprised to encounter these smugglers.

That changed a little when the Enforcer drones initiated their sting operation. Yet, as they were preoccupied with someone else, I wasn’t overly concerned. But the appearance of the Public Security Section Zero machines, with their shiny white plasteel bodies and ornate blue livery, all but confirmed that it was time to face the music.

I watched one giant floating donut with Section Zero markings approach the Enforcer relay drone. In moments, both machines were staring at each other through their multiple camera eyes, giving the impression they were squaring off against the other as one division tried to muscle out the other. Then without warning, the ninety odd Public Security drones surrounded the area. As they outnumbered the Enforcer drones by more than three-to-one, they had no trouble establishing a cordon that was several hundred feet in radius. That brought them awfully close to us, and I sensed Sofia was on the verge of bolting away from her hiding spot.

Maestro’s voice came through clear into my head.

*What do you mean they’re here for you?

I sighed and took a quick breath. *There’s something I haven’t told you.

*Such as?

*The other evening when I went to observe the unofficial match between those high-school Familiars, I was followed home, so to speak.

There was a moment of stunned silence before Maestro literally screamed into my head.

*WHAAAAT!

*Yes…my bad.

Though he was reputed to be a cool operator in times of pressure, I had the distinct impression he was hyperventilating.

*When were you planning to tell me this?

*I wasn’t.

A moment of heavy silence followed before he continued. *Then would you care to explain now? What do you mean you were followed?

I sighed inwardly. *There was a girl observing the match, but after a while she began observing me. I knew she was a Familiar with a Fragment because I sensed her Awareness-field when she directed it at me.

*And?

*And after the match ended, she followed me on her lev-bike as I rode back to the ship.

*And?

*I stopped and asked her what she wanted.

*AND?

*She said she just wanted to ride with me and get to know me better.

*AND DID SHE EXPLAIN WHY?

*She said it was because she found me attractive.

He may have choked on his tongue. *And you believed her?

*No, of course not. Certainly, I am attractive, but I’ve never been propositioned by women before. Men, definitely. But women, no.

*And then what happened?

I hesitated for a heartbeat. *I chose to deal with the situation as quickly as possible, rather than regret it later.

*And how—pray tell—did you deal with the situation?

*I lured her deeper into the Old Docks, summoned Seraphim, and then I killed her.

I peered around the smooth corner of the column, and used my Awareness-field to enhance my eyesight and hearing. The smugglers looked confused by the sudden turn of events. However, they had yet to pull out any heavy weaponry to deal with the drones, and the woman amongst them looked unnervingly calm as she stood close to the sleek runabout ship with her arms crossed.

I narrowed my eyes in thought, wondering if she had expected this situation. Perhaps she was strong enough to deal with the more than one hundred drones, and ensure her cohorts escaped cleanly.

Maestro’s voice drifted into my mind after a significant pause.

*Say that again…please.

I made no effort to hide my sigh. *I killed her.

*You just…killed her.

*Well, she did put up a fight. She was stronger than I expected, which is why I believe she was a spook.

I briefly remembered the look of despair on the girl’s face when she realized her life would in a heartbeat or two. It was such a delicious memory to savor. The terrified scream she issued was especially delectable. It gave me Goosebumps even now. The one high-pitched scream, cut off an instant when I decapitated her. Only a girl could scream like that. Men just didn’t die the same way. It was something for me to treasure.

Maestro cut into my reverie. *And where is this spook now?

*I disposed of her body inside Seraphim’s Pocket Space.

Again, it sounded as though he’d chocked on my reply. It certainly took him a while longer to recover and resume shouting inside my head.

*Are you telling me that you’ve been wandering around with a DEAD BODY INSIDE YOUR POCKET SPACE?

*There’s no need to shout, I replied calmly. *And no need to worry. I’ll be dealing with the repercussions on my own.

*And how will you do that?

I swallowed, and for the first time in a long, long while, I actually felt fear trickle faintly down my back. *I will take responsibility for my own actions.

I glanced at Sofia hiding behind a support column, clad in her white Siren armor. The girl’s face was ghostly pale, which was more or less what I expected from her if she was listening in on the conversation.

It also confirmed for me that Sofia had no stomach for killing.

She doesn’t belong with Crescent. She simply doesn’t.

Looking back toward the drones and smugglers, I addressed Maestro. *However, for now I need Sofia to remain exactly where she is. No matter what, she has to stay hidden. Once this is all over, she can safely return to the ship.

*What are you planning on doing? he asked gruffly. *You expect me to leave the girl with you while you act on your own again?

*If she remains calm and waits out the situation, she’ll make it back to the Pantra safely.

I stepped back from the support column, and summoned Seraphim.

I had the choice of summoning her in two, four, or six wing configuration.

When I killed the girl who expressed a suspicious interest in me, I had used only two wings. Truthfully, with just two wings I could overwhelm all Familiars with melee type Fragments.

With four wings, I could pummel most Familiars with unlocked Artifacts.

With six wings, I could take on an entire Kill Crew and win comfortably.

In other words, Seraphim and I were overpowered. But that power came at a cost. I could only wield Seraphim in six-wing configuration for roughly ten minutes. Afterwards, I wasn’t able to summon her in any shape or form for a couple of hours, leaving me vulnerable to attack. So I tended to avoid using Seraphim’s highest combat setting, preferring to keep it as a measure of last resort.

Since I would be dealing with more than a hundred drones, and one unknown Familiar, I decided to make my grand entrance with four wings.

There was one more reason for not revealing my true power just yet and it concerned the bastard who ruled Section Zero.

When I said ruled I did not say so lightly.

There are only a handful of known Ruler Class Artifacts and Fragments in use: the Kaiser’s Blessing, the Leonidas’ Resolve, the Nemes of Ramesses…and the Arturio's Pendragon.

The last one troubled me the most because the bastard who wielded it was the only man to ever force me to turn tail and run. Since that encounter, I had grown stronger and promised myself I would run from no man ever again. But deep down, I wondered if my resolve was paper thin. I wondered and feared it would crumble at the mere sight of him.

This was why I had to stay.

I had to face him, and thus face the fear I’d harbored for the past ten years.

Until then, I would remain shackled to the past, unable to progress beyond my accursed defeat.

With this many of Section Zero's drones deployed, I believed he was nearby, watching through the eyes of the drones, and so it was inevitable that I would face him.

As the black mist that accompanied an opening of Pocket Space faded away, I settled to the ground on tapered feet, the Celestial armor that was my Seraphim clad around my body.

I spared Sofia one more glance, and saw the girl stand steady behind a support column, her eyes turned toward me.

The expression of fear on her face was priceless.

However, I had no time to savor it.

Hefting the twin-bladed sword-spear in my right hand, I stepped out from behind the support column I’d been using to hide from sight. Seraphim’s four angel-like wings fluttered once, raised high, then manifested a multitude of maneuver-fields and levitator-fields that propelled me forward toward the cordon of Section Zero drones with lightning speed.

Swinging the sword-spear with well-practiced ease, I bisected the nearest three drones before the wreckage of the first crashed to the ground.

By the time I’d cut down the ninth drone, the remaining machines – including the Enforcer drones – finally swung their bodies around and let loose with the electro-shock cannons.

I almost blessed their efforts to stop me with a laugh.