Episode Forty Four - Emergency

Chapter Song Suggestion "Fallout by Eager Eyed Tiger"

*note : all dialogues like so {example} are spoken from the predator's perspective

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THE PAST | Regis

The light pitter-patter of raindrops in the wet puddle beside him announced that the heavens was opening and it would be another day of surviving the cold with an empty stomach. He couldn't remember his last meal, or the warm touch of another human being. He was so hungry; his thoughts were fragmented. Another wave of pain twisted his insides and he curled into a ball on the massive tree, eyes squeezing shut as he fought the hunger pangs.

The other homeless wanderers were huddled in their tree hollows, none of them willing to share it with a runt like him. Even amongst their kind, only the strongest and ruthless survive. Show a little kindness and everyone would take advantage. It was every man for his own, but he was only a little boy. As he stared up at the bleary sky, he knew he wouldn't make it to his tenth birthday. He couldn't even sit up straight without seeing stars, his body weak. Sometimes he wondered if it would be easier to die near the swamp floor grounds. The vast emptiness seemed less daunting than trying to survive in a marsh nation.

A faint rumble of thunder echoed in the distance, masking the booted footsteps he didn't see coming from behind until he felt the rain around him stopped. Peeling an eyelid back, he noticed a dark figure bent over him with a wide umbrella sheltering them both.

"Are you ill, child?" the man asked. His voice was part curious, part detached.

He swallowed once; his throat parchment dry. He couldn't remember the last word he spoken; his vocabulary stilted with the lack of education. "F-Food."

The man was silent for a few heartbeats before he asked, "Are you hungry?"

"Y-Yesss....,"

"If I feed you and take you under my wing, then you must devote your entire life to me. You will serve me until the day you die."

At that moment, the little boy didn't care about the horrors of servitude. All he wanted was a hot meal in his belly — to no longer starve, no longer feel cold and to not worry if he would die tomorrow. His tiny head nodded vigorously with a spurt of his remaining strength. "Y-Yes!"

"Then from this day forth," the man declared as he scooped the boy into his arms. "I will call you Regis Ciel. That would have been the name for my son, and now you are mine."

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PRESENT DAY

Lars woke up to a mild pounding in his head, memories of the past twenty-four hours rushing back significantly, bringing a contented smile to his lips. The phantom tingles of last night's pleasurable escapade swam in his veins. A loud retching sound broke through his serenity, and he flung the covers aside, hopping out of bed to the bathroom. "Eira? Are you alright?"

He heard the tap water run outside the closed door before she appeared, looking green around the gills. She didn't hesitate to lean into him, lying her head in the crook of his neck. "I think I caught a stomach bug."

Stroking her hair, Lars silently disagreed. Eira had been experiencing this for days in a row and he couldn't deny it anymore. "Eira…do you think that you might be pregnant?"

Her head jerked up so fast she nearly banged his chin. She reminded him of the old era saying, 'like a deer in headlights.' He hid the slight twinge of disappointment. Was he selfish to assume that Eira might want the same things he did? Did she not want a child? Or was it…him?

"That's impossible," her voice trembled, a flash of baffled animosity in her eyes as if she had made an unwelcome discovery. "I'm on birth control…,"

Lars lifted her slim wrist, one with his winking emerald bracelet to match her eyes. After their endless romp in the sheets, he had anxiously presented her the gift – the first gift he had ever given a woman.

"What's this?" Eira had smiled against his shoulder.

"Open it," he urged tensely. When he was a boy, he often witnessed his father lavishing his mother with gifts. His mother would smile from ear to ear, and so would his father the next day.

Excitedly, she pried open the velvet box to reveal a beautiful emerald bracelet held together by a thin but solid gold band. "Oh my." She raised trembling fingers to her lips. "It's beautiful, Lars!"

"Do you like it?"

Eira couldn't help but adore the tell-tale blush on Lars's face. It was the first time she had seen him like this. She leaned up to capture his mouth in a senseless kiss. "I love it! No one's ever given me anything like this. I'll cherish it forever." Taking out the bracelet, she handed it to him. "Put it on for me?"

He did. Awkwardly. But she didn't mind, she secretly liked that he had never done this for anyone else. She liked being his first.

"I know this might be the worse time to have a child but, tell me…," Lars gazed down at her. "Do you hate the idea so much that you're making such a sad expression?"

Eira didn't realize her despair was showing. "I-I don't hate it. I love children." She palmed her belly. "I'm afraid of what this could mean for our baby. Would the government take him or her away from us? Will I even make it through the pregnancy? There's never been a case of a pregnant hunter in history. There were rumours about forced abortions, and both mother and child died. It…scares me."

Lars felt the force of his own reaction to her tormented emerald eyes, a tidal wave of protectiveness overwhelming him. His grip involuntarily tightened around her. "They'll have to kill me first before I let anything happen to either of you." It was strange how easy and natural it was to embrace the fact that he might be a father. It didn't scare him like how it used to when he thought about children. Before Eira returned into his life, he never entertained thoughts about children or family. A kill hunter was better off alone. "We don't know for sure but let's get Anaelle to check on your condition."

Eira burrowed into his chest, the emotional weight of the moment too much to bear alone. Until the baby was real, she was afraid to hope in the event that it turned into despair. Suddenly, their communication devices bleeped erratically. Gently disentangling himself, Lars retrieved his and read the message.

"What's wrong?" Eira demanded when his face darkened perceptibly.

"We need to leave." He hastened to collect their clothes. "Our unit has been dispatched for a nationwide emergency."

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"Anaelle, what's our current situation?" Lars strode into the docking bay with Eira in tow. The place bustled with restless energy as the engineering crew hustled to prepare them for take-off while all kill hunters geared up for a massive extermination.

"Distress signals across all nations bombarded headquarters this morning. Reports of abnormal predator activity flooded in, and we've been dispatched to Sciurus with unit one to eliminate a horde of hexapoda predators," Anaelle reported as Lars and Eira suited up. Her brows drew together in unwelcome discovery. "There's something strange about this development, Captain. It's generally against predator nature to congregate with so many different species let alone attack together."

"Verhelst." A deep, gravel on rocks voice interrupted.

"Hakon." Lars acknowledged without turning around. "I apologize for the delay."

Blue eyes narrowed. Everyone in Ataxia knew Lars Verhelst was a stickler for punctuality even during emergencies but he was late today. Hakon's gaze slid to the redhead beside him. Eira Ulva. Was she the reason why Lars was losing his edge?

When he had witnessed Lars's dismay over this woman's severe injuries in the Ataxian Intra-Unit Battle accident, he dismissed it as a Captain's duty. But then he heard a rumour that Lars was punished for shielding a teammate. Hakon instinctively knew it was her. He was repelled by this version of Lars – soft and riddled with vulnerabilities.

Eira could feel the Captain's piercing stare, her nerves prickling as she wondered what he was thinking about. They never exchanged a word but, his victorious reputation preceded him, and his heavily tattooed frame and unsmiling face never failed to intimidate. Though, when he was intoxicated, it seemed he became a different man altogether.

"Have you gone through the brief?" Hakon returned his attention to Lars who was oblivious to his inner thoughts.

"Yes. What is your assessment? Is there anything we need to be aware of? Sciurus must be in a critical state for them to pair our units together." While Lars didn't necessarily have an ideal relationship with his childhood rival, there was no one else he respected and trusted more. They shared the same history, and Hakon wasn't a man who would sit back and allow his strings to be pulled.

"It's only Kostra and I." Hakon gestured to his dark-haired teammate. "My unit has been divided to assist the other units. Sciurus isn't the only nation in a dire state. We need to leave, Verhelst. Time is of the essence. I've never seen such a coordinated and massive attack. This isn't a natural phenomenon. The predators aren't attacking for survival. Their actions prove to be more sinister than what their intelligence is capable of."

"Are you implying it's orchestrated?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

Face grim, Lars grabbed his reaper and strode for the phantom. "Let us discuss this further onboard."

"Captain, you're here," Florian greeted from the hatchway. "Captain Hakon, welcome aboard." After ensuring everyone was accounted, he sealed off the aircraft and radioed to the cockpit. "Miran, we're ready for take-off."

"Copy that, Vice-Captain Denali."

Lars noticed a new member at the end of the cockpit. "Kaiser," he acknowledged the man. "Am I misunderstanding the reason why you are here?"

"No, Captain," Kaiser responded gruffly. "I'm here because I want to help. I'm sure it was no coincidence that I received the unit's emergency alarm."

"I'm glad you've changed your mind. Allow me to be the first to officially welcome you."

After everyone was strapped in, Anaelle activated the holographic screen. "This is what the Sciurus patrol drones have recorded prior to the invasion. As you can see, it's a normal day when a cluster of Araneida swarmed the town and attacked without the slightest provocation." Horrified, chilling screams projected through the speakers. "Not later, a wave of vampire flies and hardback pinchers stormed the scene. It's like a mimicry of the seven deadly plagues — one arthropod species after another."

The video crackled as the vampire flies descended on the drone, destroying it completely, ending the transmission.

"We have visual confirmation of three predator species on scene, although I suspect it doesn't end there. Based on our database, Araneida's are the evolution of old era arachnids. To destroy the cluster, we must kill the queen," Anaelle explained swiftly. "As for the vampire flies, they are notorious blood scavengers who suck their victims dry, so avoid their stingers and suckers. Lastly, hardback pinchers are pack hunters that devour anything in its path. If its organic, they'll eat it. Their reported weakness is fire."

"Thank you, Anaelle." Lars nodded, taking over from there. "As always our main objective is to save and protect the civilians. I only have one command for everyone and that is to kill these sons of bitches. Not even one is allowed to survive." He glanced at Hakon. "Captain Leitis, is there anything else you would like to add?"

Hakon gave the barest hint of a smile. "No, Captain Verhelst. You have conveyed my sentiments."

"Good, then we're all set."

"Three minutes to drop off point, Captain," Miran announced. "I'm afraid the phantom isn't equipped to land on swamp areas, so you'll have to strap on the parachute pack under your seats and jump. Good luck, team."

Eira made a beeline for Xue Long in the back, mounting the dragon with habitual ease. "Ready for another adventure, partner?"

Xue Long stretched its wings, emitting a low pitch sound. {Ready whenever you are. I will protect master.}

Eira grinned, scratching the dragon's feathered neck. "Right back at you."

Beside them, Aeolus pranced in his newly outfitted armour, lowering slightly to allow Lars and Florian onto his saddled back. He chuffed a few times.

"It seems Aeolus wants you to compliment him on his new armour," Eira teasingly pointed out.

"Give up now, Aeolus," Florian snickered. "Your master is tight-lipped with compliments."

The Gryphon twisted his neck and pinned his master with an anticipating stare.

"A true warrior doesn't hold out for meaningless compliments, Aeolus. He is only dedicated to his cause and duty," Lars said dismissively. "You should learn to be inconspicuous."

Aeolus released a frustrated squawk, shaking out its feathers as a sign of rejection. If a Gryphon could roll its eyes, Eira was certain Aeolus would be doing it.

Miran's voice crackled. "Get ready, team. The hatch will be opening in three…two…one…," A strong suction of air pressure swept into the aircraft, and they had to momentarily brace. Hakon was the first to react, fearlessly sprinting and diving headlong with the currents. Soon, the others followed suit.

Lars turned to Eira, his gaze penetrating hers with a wealth of meaning behind his words. "Please, be careful."

She nodded, refraining from palming her stomach. It was unfortunate that they haven't had the chance to confirm her pregnancy. "I will."

Florian felt like an intrusive third-wheel in a private moment between lovers. Although, his gut told him Lars was more concerned for Eira than usual. Had something happened?

Sparing Eira another indulgent glance, Lars urged Aeolus forward and they disappeared down below into Sciurus.

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Regis watched the unfolding chaos from the pinnacle of a gnarled tree in the heart of Sciurus — his homeland. Truthfully, he had scant memories of his early childhood and he was glad to have left this wretched nation. His heart was untouched as he watched the gargantuan forest burn.

Father's plans were coming to fruition. The end of mankind drew near, and today would be the purging stage – a mercy killing for the weak – before they destroyed Ataxia. It was father's long-awaited revenge and finally, Regis hoped father would be able to smile again like he once did in the photographs. There was nothing he wouldn't do for father.

Matahari and the peculiars were wreaking havoc in the other nations, leaving Regis with the responsibility to lure Eira into their web. It had been effortless to infiltrate the Ataxian systems. Regis had implanted the distress signals and assigned Sciurus to Eira's unit. Father predicted she had enough time to garner clues about them and soon, she would be ravenous for answers. And with the mutant girl in their grasp, Eira would no doubt come for her.

His attention swerved to the black aircraft cruising over the town — the phantom. It seemed his target was here. "Lepionera," he called out.

A susurration of wings at his side announced the arrival of the moth-like predator. One of its fluffy white feelers touched his shoulder. Unlike father's encompassing mind control, Regis had the ability to project thoughts, images, and emotions to and from its receiver. "Find this woman and bring her to me," he instructed, projecting Eira's face into the predator's mind. "Make sure she's alone and no one follows."