“General Okayama, we have conflicting investigative reports on-“
“Hoooold,” the pearly headed young man leaped off of the furnace in the diminutive, yet saturating apartment. Clothes, plates, all accounts of food, mainly pasta, splattered over the kitchen sink in a muddled vogue, and the ceiling fan was missing three blades. He squatted down on the kitchen table, knocking down an assortment of silverware in the process. He folded his arms over his knees, which were folded just below his face. He looked on with a glum yet estranged expression. Despite his appearance, it was obvious he was a high ranking member of a military squadron. He didn’t look any older than 18, and he adorned a high honorific badge across his right shoulder. “Why are you here, Major Kazin? It’s after 5 pm, I have no more business at the IMO headquarters.”
Major Kazin looked up, and sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose, looking down and taking notice of his superior’s untidy apartment. He adjusted his high trimmed shades and stared back at Okayama. “I apologize. Should I have knocked first?”
“That would be a start, though it wouldn’t hurt your credibility to bring me a Jalapeño Popper.” Okayama replied irately, glaring up at his nearly 7 foot tall underling. “It must be important if you came down here though, it better be worth interrupting my after hours.”
“Yes well, regarding the investigation of the Channel 05 News Station in Heretic,” Kazin began, adjusting his shades, filing the report in his hands, he scanned the report. “We had evidence that pointed it the source was by an external induced explosion.” Okayama nodded with a slightly irate sigh, resting his hands on his chin blankly, as if annoyed he was getting information he already knew crammed back into his cranium. “Recent examinations say this may have been a collapse on the internal structure. One of the support beams in the building had collapsed which is a possibility of a collapse. Or more like, it was destroyed.”
“Humph, what is that supposed to prove?” Okayama questioned, Kazin looked up. “We have stronger evidence and countless eye witness accounts that suggest it was an explosion. Challenging that is rather redundant, don’t you think? It’s like cutting down a tree with a fish.”
“I’m not challenging the initial theory sir-“
“You said you had contradicting evidence. Pinpoint me exactly where that contradiction is, and why it’s relevant, and stop wasting my time. You’re boring the shit out of me.” Okayama said impatiently, narrowing his pure white ominous eyes. Kazin cleared his throat professionally and stood tall.
“We believe the perpetrators were inside of the building during the collapse, and there was a third party responsible for the destruction of the building on the outside.”
“That’s a strong argument you make, but it’s rather fruitless without evidence. What’s the proof?” Okayama stood straight on the table, now staring on even grounds with his subordinate, his white hazy eyes looked on irksomely.
“We found a body inside.”
“Were you honestly expecting to find something else?” Okayama replied sarcastically, folding his arms.
“I mean one of the bodies was unique.”
“Did it sprout a tail?”
“She was identified as Clara Underwood, the Anchorwoman for Channel 05.”
“So she didn’t have a tail?”
“No, sir, she didn’t have a tail.”
“Fascinating. Well, I know about her death. What about her is unique?”
“She was found inside of the debris of the News Station, yet she died of a gunshot wound.”
“As opposed to being crushed and flattened? That is news, from Clara Underwood.”
“Right,” Kazin sighed. “We believe the station was attacked by two parties, they didn’t appear to be working together. The good news though, and the main reason I came here, is because one of the cameras in the debris, by some long shot, managed to pick up an image of the perpetrators leaving the incident.”
Okayama’s eyes widened lightly, he grinned. “Now, why didn’t you just say that from the get-go? So then, who was it?” Okayama folded his legs, sitting back down on the table.
“The Golden Eagle of the Rose.”
Okayama laughed heartily, for the first time, showing genuine interest in the case. It was a name he apparently didn’t expect to hear. “Well, that is interesting! Very well, this is what you’re gonna do. Gather the assassination and interrogation squadron and surround the Vault’s perimeters.”
Kazin nodded. “Very well, sir. Will you lead the expedition?”
“Nah, I told you, these are my off hours. I’m on salary, so fuck you and your crew,” Okayama rested the back of his head on his hands. “Though, there is someone I’d like to recommend to you. Since we are dealing with Vault, you may want to consider calling up her.”
“You can’t mean-“
Okayama smiled cockily with a tilt of his head. “Velvetti.”
-~-
“Welcome to the team, Travis Reid. Good to have you in,” Willy said, standing by his fellow crew members in the assorted hallway, all four of the members (excluding Sabre) looked on, poised and professional, except Rubie, who fidgeted with her royal colored cape as if bored to bereavement. Willy raised his hand, offering a shake to Trav. Trav lightly smiled, accepting Willy’s firm handshake.
“You know, it doesn’t seem fair he didn’t take the initiation test,” Rubie blurted out, raising her hand as if being called on. She lowered her arm to her level, pointing to Trav with a quirky smirk. “This little punk should take it too, otherwise, we won’t know what he’s really worth.”
Ten’s green eyes examined the area with a profound interest. “A test? I never took a test?”
“She’s lying,” Jesse said coldly, folding his arms, his blue scarf covering his bottom half facial features. Jesse’s words were as chilled as frost. “There is no initiation test.”
“Right,” Willy said, glancing back at Trav, raising a smirk. “Ready for your test, Trav?”
Trav’s eyes widened. “A test? You just said there was no test-“
“They’re only fanatical; they have a lot of team spirit. They only want the best for our team.” Random enthusiastic habitats of the Vault surrounded the room, throwing up their hands in unison.
“The spirit of Ares blazes within us!
“Our heart is a raging dynamite ready to explode!”
“My eyes glisten with the inferno of courage!”
Trav scratched his chin, looking back up at Willy. “So, is this a loyalty test or something?”
Willy simply looked on and smiled peculiarly, “Something like that.” Trav raised a brow. From Willy’s mystique, it could be anything. He wasn’t the easiest guy to predict. He waited further, when Willy spoke up again. “You have to fight-“
“Darn, I knew it. I have to fight you, don’t I? Are you an idiot? Why are you always dragging me into your battles, man?! Now you’re even making me fight against you?! Where is the righteousness in this situation!-“
“Ten.”
Trav stopped, looking up at Willy, removing his hands away from his head he was clutching in disbelief and anguish. “What?”
“You have to fight Ten.”
Ten waved. Trav wiped his nose, his eyes shrunk, and his facial features swelled like an old raisin. “What?”
“It’ll be easy. His body is only as hard as steel. Just aim for the cylinder heart,” Rubie said, cocking her head back with a beaming smirk. She playfully gestured her hand for a motion forward, staring at Trav with slight pity. “From what you’ve told us, it shouldn’t be much of a problem.”
“I haven’t told you anything,” Trav said, wiping sweat from his forehead. They couldn’t be serious. They really wanted him to fight against that metal contraption? His body looked four tons harder than Xero’s, and Willy couldn’t put a powerful dent in his armor. What was he expecting to be able to do?
Ten stepped forward, his mere metallic footsteps quaked the ground, or so was the sensation. The room seemed to tilt forward by his overwhelming presence. Trav looked up in awe, as he stood easily three feet taller than him. Trav gulped, deciding that if he was going to swallow all of his panic and angst, he had to do it now. If it was a test of loyalty, they at least wanted him to try, he figured. Or maybe they didn’t, maybe it was a test to see if he would harm his comrades? Trav didn’t try any further to wrap his brain around it, thinking things through was never his strong suit. He acted purely on impulse. Trav stepped in front of Ten, standing as tall as he possibly could in the situation, though he still took note of how towering Ten was to him. He briskly looked up, gulping, attempting to portray a stern look across his face.
“Well, if that’s what Willy wants… I’m in,” Trav said, gathering all of his inner confidence he used to face Sidian in the gym during his time period in 2012, only Ten, physically, was a lot more appalling and threatening, yet his personality and poise said otherwise, ironically. Ten stared down apathetically.
“Yes, you may begin when you are ready,” his deep, mechanized voice pronounced. Ten clenched his steel fists, holding them in a straight column from Trav. Trav took an unorganized, untrained stance. Willy and the others of his team all took notice of this. Willy studied Trav’s maneuvers with an insightful eye. Rubie shook her head in apparent disapproval. Willy and Jesse merely observed inquisitively.
“Here I come!” Trav announced head on, leaping off of the ground, going for a direct charge for Ten, relying completely on instinct rather than common sense. Trav, losing his footing almost instantly after the leap of faith, was caught in the stomach by Ten before he could even make a move. Trav leaned down his head, coughing up a fair bit of saliva, as he was pushed back by pure force on account of Ten’s metal hands. Trav caught his fall in the open floor, catching his breath, the breath that was just socked right out of him. Trav suddenly felt a surge of pain radiate through his person. He clutched his stomach with a sharp twinge, coughing faintly.
“Come on, what was that?” Rubie taunted teasingly with a bright smile lighting the room like a montage of Christmas lights. Despite her personality and habits, she was easy on the eyes. “What was that you just spit up? What little sense of your dignity you had left?”
“Shut… the hell up!” Trav made another charge, throwing a punch for Ten. Ten simply side-stepped, stepping away from Trav with a sweep. Trav glared on, throwing a barrage of punches for Ten, all untrained, impulse punches Trav merely threw as a throw-and-pray sort of deal. He had only hoped at least one would hit. Despite his size, Ten proved to be quite fast. Not a single one landed. Trav began panting, already out of breath (again).
“You need to take a breather?” Rubie chuckled with gusto. “Loser’s corner is down the hall, next to the Failure’s Convention.”
“You’re not taking me seriously, are you?” Trav said in between intakes of air. Ten simply stared down at Trav for a few seconds. Trav took his silence as a good enough answer. “You hit me once… why did you do that? Why won’t you hit me anymore? Are you taking pity on me…? Man, I didn’t ask for that, I don’t want that! Take me seriously!”
Ten looked down, what Trav would have considered pity, but it wasn’t quite that. Ten made no attempt at hiding his disapproval, which seemed out of character of him. Weird, how could he say that to someone he barely knew? Ten continued to look on, and finally lowered his head, staring Trav in the eyes with a serene resolve.
“What is your resolve, Travis Reid? Why go this far for us? For a future you cannot hope to save?” Ten said with his robotic voice, taking one step closer, his figure towered over Trav’s. Trav glared up, as if appalled he would ask that question. Trav wiped his mouth, smiling.
“One man believed in me,” Trav replied simply. “He believed in me, and I believe in him. Together, we can win the world. That much, I know,” Trav replied with a cocky smile, glancing over at Willy for a brief second. Willy caught the glance, and smirked back, as if proud with his answer.
“Well, that sounds unbelievably vague and cliché, not to mention unrealistic,” Rubie said, rolling her eyes and folding her arms, looking away as if in inclusive disgust. Trav ignored her comment, and walked over to Ten, extending up his arms 110 degrees from his body, his right arm more curved than the left.
“You ready to finish this, Ten?” Trav said with a boastful, self complimenting smirk. Ten’s face merely smiled, even if it wasn’t entirely visible by his overbearing metal body.
Abruptly, with no warning, the Vault alarm sounded off in a fierce chime, sounding like a military alarm. Red lights flashed across the locality inside, the members inside of the Vault’s alarm on their faces could be easily deciphered. Most were afraid, some were angry. Jesse merely sighed, Rubie clenched her fists gritting her teeth, Willy’s eyes plastered across the walls.
“What the hell is that?” Trav asked through the alarm. Willy turned to Trav smoothly.
“Cipher Red,” Willy replied austerely, looking up toward the exit doors. The people within the Vault’s main halls began taking an emergency shuttle exit within the base, others stood firm, running for the exit doors, equipped with various weapons of sorts from the stock piles on the wall. With a sudden, bewildering silence in the atmosphere, Willy slowly turned his head to his team.
“Everyone, get ready. Sabre will be expecting us.”
“Sabre isn’t here Willy!” Rubie exclaimed angrily, the anger not directly gunned for him, but she was angry at the situation no doubt. Willy’s eyes widened slightly.
“Well, that’s not good at all. That would explain the wide scale panic,” Willy said, almost absent mindedly. The others seemed not to notice it, or mind it at all. Trav rubbed his temple. Jesse began moving forward in front of the others.
“We have to take Sabre’s place, and preserve the hideout at all costs. Everyone, be prepared to sacrifice everything for our name and resolution,” Jesse said, speaking like a true leader. Willy nodded in concord.
“It must be the government administration,” Willy exhaled, walking next to Jesse. He slowly began building up his pace, a dead determined glare plastered on his face, his brow raised accordingly, he looked ready to knock some heads. Rubie clashed her fists together, exhaling from her nose in a bull-like fashion. Ten merely followed, walking normally among his teammates. Willy turned back to Trav, noticing he was staying still.
“You coming?” Willy asked legitimately, holding out his hand. Trav stared into Willy’s eyes for a brief second, and shook his hand. “If you’re on the team, get your game face on.”
“Damn straight. Let’s bust some heads.”
-~-
“Oh boy, it seems my face will have to settle inside of a battlefield once more,” the doctor of the Vault, Kaidoh, stepped inside of the main hall, his left hand gestured with a tilt to his face, holding a small hand sized mirror in place. “I suppose I could use a quick wash afterwards, yes? Only a good leisurely gawking is in order, ladies.” Kaidoh waved his right hand majestically around his face with a cocky smirk, a bunch of Vault ladies surrounded him, hearts shaped in their eyes, calling Kaidoh’s name like horny dogs, embracing Kaidoh from all angles. Kaidoh smiled, his teeth twinkling in the sunlight outside.
“Do not fret, ladies, everyone will have a turn. Let us be off, and protect the Vault with our utmost potential!” Kaidoh said, a sparkling glitter of blue dust swirled around his being. Was it magic? Looked like it. The ladies were in awe; even some men were swayed by Kaidoh’s majestic conduct.
“The time for Vault’s ascension into the heavens, begins now. Let us shine on a pedestal upon God’s throne.” Kaidoh wiped his goldenrod hair behind his face with a conceited smirk. He was ready for this.
-~-
“Seems we’ve broken through the first line of defense,” an officer said, his badge glistening along with his figure inside of the walls outside. He was smoking a blunt, blowing a puff into the air, he suddenly coughed afterward. A female officer next to him spoke up.
“Seems the Vault is at its most vulnerable now. Sabre is gone, that leaves us to target them with no benevolence.” The woman said, her natural blue eyes, though bright, had a unique ring around them, her pupils were unnaturally small. “We shall inform Lieutenant Velvetti of our feat. The Vault goes down today. What are your current orders, Colonel Rash?
“Those revolutionaries have had imaginary dreams for far too long. They have been sidestepped from reality. It is time to put them in their place. A cold awakening, a dreamless world. This world should not be lived in dreams,” the smoker, Colonel Rash, replied, taking another exhale off of his blunt. He looked over at his partner. “Captain Kana, dispatch the 4th squadron and surround the boundary. Make sure no one escapes. If they do, drag them back by their nose hairs, dead or alive.”
The female captain in rank, Kana, nodded, taking out her radio, she began ordering those on the other end of the receiver according to Rash’s expectations. Colonel Rash looked through his sunglasses, a mischievous scowl upon his face.
“If this goes well, we won’t even need Velvetti, or the Supreme Commando.”
-~-
A crimson haired woman looked on from the outer bank of the island. She appeared on a hilltop, alone, dressed in a white badge of honor, which she adorned with pride. She licked her lips, looking down at the battlefield, as if she could see all, as if she was sitting upon God’s throne, watching the peasant flitted ants make their way across the island. Her emerald eyes lit up, placing her hands on her hips, her military robe of honor blew with the rustle bustle of the wind. She slowly kneeled down, holding up her arm in a vertical position from her body, her palm lit up, materializing a beacon of light which seemed to have molded from an acute paradise. The orb condensed, creating crystallized sparks around her person, lighting up her face from view, where no one but her could see.
Inside of the orb was Willy.
“Willman. I look forward to meeting with you once again.” She leaped down, sliding off of the hill, the orb decomposed within thin air, disappearing within the light it was made. She flipped off of the ledge top, and vanished from nowhere, her body dispersing as a beam of luminosity, lighting up the heavens with a divine prowess.
The raid of the Vault had officially begun.
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