3-2 Let’s Begin
Date: August 31- September 1
Place: Kyoto Headquarters
[Rei]
My group returned to our own group's lounge going to review the file.
In our lounge, two sofas are facing each other with a table in between and my chair on the other side of the table. My own set of desks and chairs on the right corner of the room with a laptop, more files, and drawers around and on it. There is also a closet for spare uniforms on the left corner with bookshelves beside it with tons of finished reports.
Everyone was awaiting what kind of task was appointed to us. But before I opened it, someone knocks on the door and calls out for my name. Ali was there, wearing a smile on her face when I opened the door for her.
"Captain Rei, the Lieutenant wants to talk to you," she says taking a peek inside and waves a hand to my comrades. Some waved back and some didn't bother to raise a hand.
"Rose you're in charge. Read the files for me and Neilz will help you. As for the others, get your things ready and meet me here after lunch," I said handing the file to Rose and patting some of their heads. I know they'll listen and do everything that I say. I was about to exit the room when someone whispered in my ear.
"What about me?" Cedrick is also poking my cheeks as he shows me a pout.
"You're coming with me," I reply which made him smile.
"Won't he get angry?" he asks when we left the room with a serious tone as we follow Ali to their office.
"He should know by now that I come with a package," I reply grinning.
We arrived with Ali opening the door for us. Lieutenant Guzman was already in his seat, reading some documents. The door closed behind us as I sit at the chair that faces his table while Cedrick stands behind me and Ali cleaning the files on another table.
[Cedrick]
"Do you know why I called you here?" Lieutenant Guzman asks. Rei raised her eyebrow for him to know that she has no idea what he's talking about. He lets out a sigh and hands Rei the document that he has been reading earlier.
"Take a look at this," he says. "This is a secret mission only for you. The cargo plane was no normal plane" before he could continue, Rei interrupted him.
"Why are 'you' the one giving me this? Don't tell me you know?" Rei asks that made me confuse. I haven't even taken a glance at what's inside.
"The cat's out of the bag since the day you met your Dr. Leon. He didn't have a choice but tell us. And why did you think you and your friends will have some special treatment from the very beginning? It's because we know what you are. And truth be told, we want to get on your good side," he says everything that I need to know what page they are at. But I think this topic is quite sensitive for Rei.
"How many people know about it?" asks Rei glaring intensely at the Lieutenant as I caught a glance of her fist, crumpling her cloak.
"From the Supreme General down to me," Lieutenant smiled like he was indicating that we should be thankful for what they did.
"Whatever," Rei shrugs and shakes her head like the truth that besides her friends, some people already know about her and are trying to take advantage of her as she looks to the other pages too. And this time Rei jolted up with the file falling from her hands which I managed to catch. But before I could take a look at it, Rei shivers as she looks at Lieutenant.
"Why are they here?" she whispers.
"What would you expect me to answer?" Lieutenant shrugs, taking a sip from his cup. I can't help but be curious and look at what is inside the file. Although, I can't tell if there is something wrong with it. It just contains pictures and the basic background of some soldier that doesn't ring a bell to me. And I thought that if Rei had some awful reaction, these guys must be someone from her past.
"They also requested a private landing here in our base. But something went wrong and before we knew, they were nowhere to be found. Until a survivor from the search team happens to see the cargo plane's location. Although, he didn't make it back here too," the Lieutenant sighs as he ordered Ali to hand over the conversation's tape to Rei.
"You want me to go find them?" Rei asked as she inspects the tape and the folder.
"Precisely," he nods. " 'Bring him here safe and sound' is what the Supreme Commander ordered me to tell you. I'm not going to ask why or who he is. I don't want to get caught up in more complicated things. I'll hand you several teleportation crystals so you can go back and forth for fewer suspicions from other people. That is all," he dismissed with Ali opening the door for us to leave immediately.
We are now headed to our lounge and as soon as we got some distance away from the Lieutenant's office, I tried asking Rei some questions.
"Besides from these people having to do with you in your past, could you tell me more about them?" I whisper as I wander my eyes around this corridor with people minding their business. And I can't help but be cautious.
"Remember what I told you about the experiments?" she paused as we took a turn. I just nodded and waited to hear the next words that will come out of her mouth carefully.
"They played a big role in it. I recognize some of the faces and names. Although, I'm not sure if they came here to hunt me down or they evacuated the island," she groaned as she massaged a part of her head like she got a major headache just thinking about it.
"Who's the particular person that the Supreme General wanted alive?" I asked but I didn't question her more when she didn't give me any reply even when we arrived at our lounge.
[Rei]
They shouldn't have had the pictures and names of the people on that island. Uncle doesn't have that kind of intel too. Except, this information must have come from Ciel's belongings. Uncle must have given the data and background checks of these people to the Supreme General when he found out a cargo plane crashed here. And by what Lieutenant Guzman told me, he may not know what this boy is all about. If I guess right, only the Supreme Commander knows about him. That's good and bad at the same time.
"Cedrick, could you go to the cafeteria without me? I'll just check something and join you right after," I say before I open the door of the lounge. He looks like he wants to help me so I gave him a smile that probably changed his mind when he nods and walks away waving his hand.
No one was inside and I found the room clean and nothing was out of place. I walked to my desk and took a seat where I find the files that I left with my members on the top of my desk along with a little note above it.
- - - - -
We'll be going to the cafeteria to get lunch as Captain suggested. And it looks like we'll have a different mission than Captain Rei and sir Cedrick has. I'll tell you about it at our meeting after lunch.
-Rose
- - - - -
Someone knocked on the door and I let them in. He excused himself and walks toward me holding a bag that contains several teleportation crystals. And right after I took it he left without a word. There were five of them inside the bag. Three normal tp and two mass tp. These are quite a lot. These things are hard to make. The Supreme Commander must be desperate to keep him alive.
Is he even alive right now?
~~
Walking to the cafeteria to get some lunch before we start a group meeting. I looked around the set of tables where people who I don't know sits as I try to find someone who looks familiar. And at the right side near the middle of the room, I found Yui and Cedrick. I walked to their table where I found my tray of food waiting for me as they greeted me with a smile.
"Thanks, Cedrick," I sat beside Yui who was about to finish her food and now are looking into my tray.
"Do you want something?" I ask then suddenly, Yui's eyes sparkle and she nods.
"Can I have your scrambled eggs?" without hesitation, I told her yes and she immediately took every single bit of my scrambled eggs.
"What did they assign to you?" I was wondering why she'd be this cheerful. Especially with her being late and punished.
"No," she says shortly and takes a spoonful of rice after the scrambled eggs.
"Well that's good," Cedrick replies trying to enter the conversation. "You don' have to worry about being exposed to danger," he added.
For me, that's a relief too. I always want her to just work at any branch of the Support Division so I wouldn't have to get worried for her safety. But unfortunately, she hated the idea and joined the Custodian Division.
"I want to be outside for a change. Do something more exciting than being ordered around. I did sign up to be a recruit but the weird thing is, I was the only one who didn't get accepted," she pouts, tears gathering in her eyes as she eats the last piece of bread that she has. Like a child, complaining about the things she should be thankful for. I know that she can handle herself outside especially with the intense training she got. And I can't help but get worried, I even begged Haru who is the only one at the Custodian Division that I know besides Yui to not put her into dangerous missions. And I think that if she knew about that, she'd be mad at me for sure.
~~
We went back to the lounge to discuss a few matters about how and what everyone is doing. And I was quite surprised at the separate missions that my members were asked to do. It was not that hard. They were just assigned to back up Kazuma's squad to check the crashed plane on the seaside. Search for survivors and report the current situation there.
Even though what they'll come there to do sounds easy, I think the sea side's plane is more dangerous than the plane in the forest. But they told me that it'll be fine because they have a large number of people and that Kazuma is in their group. That is at least a breather. With Kazuma there, I don't need to worry anymore. Besides, my members aren't that easy to get rid of too.
"Rose, can you come to my room before the mission begins?" she just looks at me with a puzzled reaction. "I need to talk to you about something," this time, she nods and left the room along with the other members.
"You look depressed" I went back to my senses when Cedrick touched my cheeks with the cold apple juice box he's holding as he sat beside me. I didn't even realize that were at some bench near the surface where I can see the sun longing to sleep.
"It's because I am," I reply taking a sip.
"About what?" he says drinking his coffee while reviewing the pictures of the people we might rescue later, that is if they are still alive.
"I can't help but be nervous. This is the first time that I'm not going to lead our members. Do you think they'll be alright?" I ask as I imagine what might happen if something went wrong. It would be quite the horror that everyone would rather not watch.
"I'm worried too. But it's Kazuma we're talking about. It'll go smoothly," Cedrick tried his best to smile but when I glanced at him, I can tell that he's more than just worried.
I let the silence eat up the remaining time we have until dawn when we need to move.
~~
Just a few more hours until we proceed with the missions. I went to the rooms that I share with my friends and changed my frilly skirt into a loose black short with multiple pockets in the back and sides, which are also trimmed with golden stitching, and buckled it up with a belt to keep it from falling. I feel more comfortable in shorts than skirts and run my way to the lounge to get some weapons.
I put some of my tp in the pockets of my cloak while the others are in my short and coat, I attached a knife holder on my right and left leg, put each half of the twin knives that I requested to the blacksmith on each one and hangs a leather belt around my waist with magazines full of bullets and a pistol. A bullet won't kill it but it can slow them down and just in case we ran into some crazy people.
"You look horrible," smiles Yui who I didn't even notice that she's looking at me from the opened door with a mop and bucket full of water in her hands.
"Says the girl holding cleaning tools," I giggle.
"Yeah. Thanks to you," her smile went upside down as she rolls her eyes.
"Me?" I pointed my index finger to myself as I walk towards her.
"Yes, you. Remember this morning?" she follows behind me as I walk to my destination. "This is my punishment. Cleaning the hallways," she continues with a pout.
"At least it's better than the toilet," I snicker and took a step inside the elevator, leaving Yui behind without hearing her reply.
I headed to the ground near the gate where everyone is supposed to meet. There, I saw some circles drawn on the dirt with people who are ready to dispatch inside it. I looked for my members and found Ryunosuke, Gilbert, and Yuito practicing knife combats with each other, I hear Tobio, Cycilie, and Nishikawa go through their plans, while Robert and Rose are looking on the maps.
"I don't see Neilz around," I say as all of their focus went to me and Cedrick who runs behind me.
"He went to the bathroom," Cycilie says as all of them circled me and Cedrick.
"Are you guys ready?" Cedrick says with an energetic tone.
"Yes sir," they answer back.
I hug all of them that is quite a shock for them but they eventually hugged back. The horn rang that ended the group hug and Neilz running in to our direction. I saw some of them tearing up and some are still smiling, looking at us.
"Take good care of each other," I advise them. And even though we have different jobs, we still stayed in the group to create less suspicion. The Supreme Commander gave a speech, told us that he and his team will be supervising our moves, and wished us good luck.
[Cedrick]
"Rose, Neilz, I'll be counting on you two," I hear Rei whispered as she pats their heads before they started disappearing and so is everyone around us.
"Shall we go?" I ask.
"Hold on tight" she answers as she uses the teleportation crystal.