Episode Thirty Five - Connection

Chapter Song Suggestion "The Bench by Ogre"

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THE PAST | Kaiser

He heard men's laughter drifting from the lab. Apprehension skated down his spine. There wasn't supposed to be anyone down here at this hour. Was Ciro entertaining a guest? The two of them were the only ones with access.

"Ciro, is that you?" he called out.

"Ah! Kaiser, my boy," Ciro answered, his words thick with a strong Ustranean accent. "Come and meet Commander Falconer. He just returned from another expedition and came bearing gifts."

Rounding the empty cylindrical tanks, he spotted a brown-haired man with Ciro. He was tall, well-dressed, and possibly in his late twenties. The man turned and smiled, surrounded by an obscure aura. "Is this the adorable apprentice you've been telling me about, Ciro?"

"How do you do, Commander," Kaiser acknowledged. "My name is Kaiser Ruff. I'm a weapons developer."

Enigmatic crystalline eyes watched him closely. "I am Commander Veres Falconer. It's good to finally put a face to your name, Kaiser Ruff. I've heard many good things about you." He gestured to the reaper Kaiser was working on. "Is that yours?"

"Yes, sir."

"It's a promising piece of work," Falconer praised, picking up the unfinished device. "What's it called? What can it do?"

Kaiser couldn't fathom why the Commander was interested in his work. It was still in the testing phase. "I call it the ultimate defense, sir. Its function is exactly what its name implies. While I'm adept in combat, my skills are incomparable to the kill hunters who train everyday, so I decided to focus on a defensive technology that is able to cover most weak spots and assist in combat."

"In other words, if it's a success, it will be an impenetrable weapon." A note of genuine awe.

"Yes...you could say that," Kaiser responded hesitantly.

"Impressive, isn't he?" Ciro's chest puffed with fatherly pride.

"Yes. Now I understand why you have decided to take him under your wing when you've always refused to train a successor."

Kaiser frowned when he realized Falconer wasn't smiling, rather there was a calculative gleam in his eyes that made him wonder — what kind of man was the Commander? And how well did Ciro know him?

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PRESENT DAY

"Eira, can — hear me?"

The voice sounded faraway. Waterlogged.

"Eira—feel—alright?"

She released a soft groan, wincing from the slight throb in her head. "Ouch. What happened?"

"You hit your head when you fell. Don't move." Kaiser shone the pen light into her eyes, checking her pupil reflexes. Satisfied that she hadn't hit her head too hard, he helped her to sit and handed her a glass of green juice. At least, she assumed it was. "Here, drink this."

She took a quick whiff. It smelled grassy. "What is it?"

"It's a naturally derived painkiller for your head."

Deciding she had nothing to lose, Eira tossed the slightly bitter liquid down her throat. "What were you doing? What was that explosion?"

"My apologies. I hadn't expected the blast to be that strong. I was working on a weapons modification for Captain Marlen."

"Are you working down here alone?"

"As you can see, yes."

Personally, Eira could 'see' why no one wanted to leave the upper levels to join this dreary part of Ataxia. It was depressing and it had only one weapons' scientist. "Is there something wrong with this place?" she asked bluntly.

"You are mistaken." Kaiser slipped on a pair of microscopic glasses. "This entire basement is my work area. I'm not the only scientist in this department if that's what you're worried about."

Eira wanted to be surprised but, after knowing his level of dedication to the point where he would willingly hunt after a dangerous apex predator for the sake of research…this basement made sense. "I see. The Captain mentioned that you needed an assistant?"

"I don't need one," he corrected. "Your Captain is adamantly trying to recruit me, and I told him to give me one reason why I should join the unit. Apparently, his response was to send you to me."

It rankled for Lars to throw her into this situation but, curiosity outweighed her annoyance. She was rather interested in Kaiser's work, and this was a good opportunity to learn more about cell reapers. All she knew was what she had been taught. "Since I'll be here for two weeks, it would be a waste not to use me."

Kaiser cast her a sharp look. "How good are you with knives?"

Eira bit back an incredulous scoff. "Are you seriously asking me that?" She rolled up her non-existent sleeves — prepared to put her money where her mouth was. "What do you need me to do? Name it."

Excitement lit his uncanny silver eyes. "Come with me." Rounding his worktable, he led her down a flight of steps, into a caged arena.

"What the—how is this possible?" she gawked. This place could easily fit more than twenty thousand people. "What is this place?"

"This was originally a shelter but, I had it converted into my weapons' testing arena. It's the only safe place away from the public eye." Kaiser strode to the panelled walls and revealed a vertical drawer, displaying a collection of common to exotic looking blades – short, long, curved, jagged. She was extremely intrigued by the one shaped like a vertebra.

"That's not human," Kaiser clarified, noticing her interest. "It's assembled from a flying orca's backbone."

She traced a finger over the smooth texture, feeling an impatient thrill. "Incredible. How does it work?"

"I'm glad you asked. You're going to help me test out all these blades."

Excitement illuminated her features. "All of it?" Her hands were itching to start. Eira hadn't the chance to work out for days, and this was perfect to warm her up.

"Yes. Please change into this." He handed her a stretchy, dark-tone material. "This is a sensory suit. It records all your muscles movements and tension, heart rate and overall body condition. It will compile a report of your performance based on the weapon you are matched with. This helps me to gauge the usability rate of each weapon."

Eira hastened to change before he could utter another word.

She was a bizarre one, Kaiser thought with burgeoning curiosity. After the incident at Geoldran Island, he realized she was a brave and resilient soldier who easily adapted to treacherous situations and still retained a level of calm. It was an admirable trait. And it seemed she shared a genuine interest in weaponry.

All the volunteer hunters he sought out had helped in exchange for a reaper upgrade. Eira Ulva, on the other hand, appeared genuinely thrilled and a corner of his heart fluttered with happiness – that someone appreciated his life's work.

If this was the reason why Captain Lars had sent her, then he was being undeniably sly. Kaiser kept to himself – preferred to be alone actually – and his colleagues found his aloof and reserved manner repugnant. In other words, Kaiser Ruff had no friends.

"So, who is my opponent?" Eira asked when she returned, conveniently warming up her arm muscles.

"A very good question." Kaiser activated a button on the side panel, unlocking the sealed hatch. "Meet our very old friend."

An eerie sharp cry rented the air and an angry dark massed rolled into the caged arena, unfurling its long body equipped with two heads and hundreds of spindly legs. Except, last time, it had been a life-sized giant. Now, it was no bigger than Eira. She was miffed. "What happened to the Razer?"

"Behold the beauty of science," Kaiser remarked splendidly. "I had it shrunk to accommodate its new lodgings. Its original size would destroy Ataxia within minutes." He then pressed a green button, a loud buzz following, permitting her entry into the cage. "Try not to kill it. The Razer's exoskeleton would only be useful as a weapon when it's fresh and alive."

"That's the first time anyone's ever told me not to kill a predator," she said wryly, choosing her weapon. Naturally, she went for the flying orca's vertebra. "You won't be disappointed."

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Several hours later…

"That's the last one," Eira declared, dragging in lungfuls of air as she exited the cage. Setting aside the final weapon, she accepted the towel and water bottle from Kaiser.

"Very impressive reflexes and footwork," Kaiser praised. He had watched the entire performance with bated breath, steadily analysing her weapon chemistry. "The results surpassed my expectations and thanks to you I have never had a more detailed report of my work. I should have roped in more experienced kill hunters in the past. It would have saved me a lot of time."

"Then I'm glad to have helped. A hunter's weapon is all one has to rely on outside the walls of civilization. If it fails us before the fight begins, then we are already dead." She hadn't realized Kaiser was staring until the silence turned deafening. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no," he said hastily. It was rare to see him flustered. "It's just…your words mean a lot to someone like me. I have devoted my entire life to the development of cell reapers, hoping my accomplishments will give meaning to humanity's existence and my own."

"Then you have no doubt accomplished it." Eira threw in her vote of confidence. "Because I am one of those people. No, allow me to rephrase that. Anyone who wields a cell reaper is what you have achieved. It doesn't matter if they fight out of fear, hatred, or a sense of duty. The outcome is that humanity still exists, and we have scientists like you to thank for."

A lump formed in Kaiser's throat. "You're right. I…have never thought of it in that way."

Eira patted his shoulder amiably. "And now you have. Don't doubt yourself, Kaiser. It will make the rest of us look back." She threw him a grin. "I'll be right back; I'm going to get changed."

When she returned, Eira found Kaiser sitting behind his desk, poring over his tablet. "You're free to go today," he said without looking up. "You've helped me clear three days' worth of work and I'm sure you are weary. I hate to admit it, but you've broken years of record." A reluctant smile tugged on his unyielding mouth.

Eira beamed proudly. "I'm happy to be of service. Then, I'll see you tomorrow." As she was about to leave, something on his desk caught her eye. Gesturing to the photo frame, she asked, "May I?"

"Of course."

Bringing the photo under the light, she saw two men laughing as if they were old friends. One had salt and pepper hair and darker skin, while the other had brown hair and a deformed hand. There was something familiar about the latter. She pointed to him. "If you don't mind me asking, who is this man on the left?"

Kaiser peered at the photo. "That's Veres Falconer. He used to be the research and development's Commander in Chief many years back. Why do you ask?"

"I feel as if I have seen him before." Grey eyes stared back at her but, she had a vague sense they were ridged with traces of blue.

"That's impossible," Kaiser said staunchly. "The Commander disappeared after his wife's death, and it raised many questions about the truth. His disappearance was surrounded by many theories – that he had lost his mind to depression and committed suicide, that he blamed the government for his wife's death and the most controversial rumour that created years of unrest within Ataxia was the government's conspiracy theory. There were whispers about the government's sinister plot to create super soldiers more powerful than kill hunters."

It took everything in Eira not to react to his words. Regaining the power of speech, she asked. "How old was the Commander when this picture was taken?"

Kaiser scratched his chin, thinking hard. "This photo belonged to my mentor, the other man in the photo. If Ciro was in late-forties…the Commander must have been in his late-twenties."

"Which means if the Commander's alive he would be in his forties."

"I suppose so," Kaiser concurred. Open interest swirled in his eyes. "But why the sudden interest in the Commander?"

"It's nothing. I might have mistaken him for someone else," Eira quickly dismissed his concern, covering it up with a disconcerting laugh. Her gaze shifted to the clock on the wall. "Oh, will you look at the time! I'm late for my date with Lars." She rushed to the exit and waved. "I'll see you tomorrow, Kaiser!"

Kaiser wasn't a fool. As a man of science, he operated with an analytical mind, and he could bet on his life that Veres Falconer meant something to Eira. What was their possible connection? Kaiser only met Falconer once, although he couldn't quite put his finger on the older scientist's character. Charismatic and mysterious would be an apt description.

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"I'm late! I'm so fucking late!" Eira panted as she burst through the doors of her shared dorm with Anaelle. "Anaelle! Thank God, you're here. I need help!"

"Calm down." Anaelle removed the music buds from her ears. "What's wrong?"

"I need a dress. I'm going out with Lars to meet someone important to him and I have nothing but combat and training attires." Eira's nostrils flared. "He said to dress nice. I have nothing nice in my wardrobe!" Having never been a girly girl, she was lost. "I've never even been on a date!"

Anaelle's lips trembled with hilarity, her blue eyes sparkling. "You're overreacting, Eira. Go take a shower and I'll have just the perfect outfit ready."

Minutes after Eira's quick shower, Anaelle exited her walk-in closet with a pale peach dress and matching flat heels. "Put this on, and I'll help you with your hair and makeup."

Uncertainty gnawed on Eira while she dressed. Fashion should be the last thing on anyone's mind in an apocalyptic world and yet, it still mattered in Ataxia. The feminine side of her did want to impress on Lars's behalf. His parents were gone but, perhaps this important guest was someone close enough. Slipping on the low heels, she sat as frigid as a statue while Anaelle worked her magic and tamed her curls.

The polished, sophisticated version of Eira mimicked her surprise when she glanced into the mirror. "I look…like a lady." Softer. Less rough around the edges. And restrained.

Anaelle chuckled at Eira's gawking twin. "You look beautiful, more than usual. Your natural hair colour suits you better than pink."

"You're not the first to say that," Eira snorted.

"Well then, let's see what the Captain has to say about this cleaned up version of you."

Eira shook her head forcefully. "No, no, no, I can't go out like this." She was too embarrassed about her change of appearance. Ironically, she looked better than ever, but it still gave her butterflies to imagine Lars seeing her in this state.

"Why not?" Anaelle's brows knitted in confusion.

"I feel…strange." And after her last 'relationship', she was lucky it didn't completely destroy her self-confidence.

"You don't look strange," Anaelle insisted, rolling her eyes. "Trust me, if I were a man, you would be my type."

That drew a reluctant half-laugh from Eira.

Knock. Knock.

"Eira, are you in there? It's time to leave." Lars's voice filtered through the door.

Her breath lodged in her throat, Eira's fingernails dug into the chair, refusing to budge until Anaelle forcibly peeled her off and snatched her purse off the table. Opening the door, she shoved Eira into Lars's arms. "She's all yours, Captain."

The scent of blooming flowers tickled his nose as Lars caught Eira, feeling her soft, supple skin beneath his palms. Glancing down, his gaze was arrested by the changes in her appearance. "Eira?" He righted her to get a better look at her halter dress, paper straight hair and low heels that accentuated the toned muscles of her calves. She looked absolutely – "Stunning." He cleared his throat. "You look beautiful, Eira."

Her cheeks turned pink, and her lashes swept across her cheeks bashfully. "T-thank you."

"Look at me."

Unable to resist the soft command in his gravelly voice, she lifted her gaze and was delightfully startled when he captured her lips in an off-center kiss. It was soft, and sweet – just like this very moment. Lars planted a final kiss on her forehead, breathing her in. "If we didn't have to go, I would be tempted to repeat last night. But we shouldn't." He pulled back in a handsome smile, his voice dropping to a devilish whisper as he entwined their fingers. "Maybe, after."