Vincent was at his apartment, sitting at the kitchen table. He was reading the latest posts on his phone. "Damn, they're all over the net." He muttered to himself.
He looked up from his phone and stared out of the window. His gaze lingered on the street below, watching the cars pass by.
Ruffling his hair as he sighed, "What the hell are you thinking, man. Why would you go through so much trouble to help an android? And one who belongs to a foreign nation's military." Vincent sighed, "This is insane... I can't let Jeanne get caught up in that." He grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair.
The young man made his way down the hall of his apartment building and stopped in front of Jeanne's door.
"Jeanne?" He knocked.
The sound of movement inside was followed by the opening of the door. A petite woman stood in the doorway, her eyes red with worry. Her long black hair was disheveled and messy, falling in front of her shoulders. "Oh! Vincent, Jeanne just left. She didn't even stay for dinner..."
"Dammit! Thanks, Ms. Houghton." Vincent said as he rushed to his motorcycle and took off, his tires squealing. He sped through the city streets towards Trevor's place, where he knew his friend was preparing for their trip. When he finally arrived, the garage was left open, but there was no sign of his friends. "Fuck... Why the hell did they leave so soon!?"
"Hey, you okay, kid? What's got you in such a hurry?"
Vincent looked over his shoulder, and a short and stocky older woman with grey hair and wearing a yellow apron was walking out of the house, a cigarette hanging loosely from her mouth.
"You see a big rinky van leave?" Vincent asked.
She took a drag of her cigarette and exhaled slowly, her breath carrying the scent of smoke. "You mean that ugly green van Trevor's always tinkering with?"
"Yes!" Vincent said, "That's the one."
"Sorry, kiddo." She shook her head and tapped her cigarette to let the ash drop, "No clue where they're off to."
Vincent sighed, "Alright, I know where they're headed. Thank you."
Vincent sped down the road, his eyes fixed on the horizon. "Fucking idiots." He cursed under his breath.
Vincent pushed his motorcycle faster, weaving between the traffic on the highway, trying to make up time to catch his friends. He knew that if he could just find them before they crossed into the neutral zone, he could talk them out of going any further.
The landscape changed as he sped through the countryside, the city fading into rolling hills and fields. They had a long drive north, but he'd eventually catch them on his motorcycle.
Vincent drove until the sun began to set and the night drew in, his bike speeding along the empty roads, his heart pounding. The engine of his motorcycle growled as he pushed it to its limits. "Please... let me get to them before they cross." He pleaded with himself as the night stretched out ahead of him.
Vincent saw a sign on the road ahead, "DANGER: Neutral Territory".
The motorcycle slowed as he neared the sign. Vincent stopped his bike and looked at it. "Damn... I'm too late..."
He revved his engine and continued forward. "Guess there's no going back now..." Vincent sighed as he sped along the desolate road. "Jeanne..." He muttered as his bike raced forward. "If you don't have the good sense to stay back, at least don't get hurt..."
Eventually, he could see a vehicle ahead, and it matched the color and size of Trevor's van. Vincent's bike was catching up, its powerful engine propelling it at speeds much faster than the bulky van.
"I can't believe it!" he muttered to himself. "They're not even halfway there! What the hell were those two idiots thinking!?"
Vincent's motorcycle pulled alongside the van. He knocked on the window, and Trevor looked at him, surprised.
"Pull over!" Vincent shouted over the wind as he pointed to a nearby clearing off the side of the road. The two vehicles pulled off the road, their tires crunching on the gravel as they rolled to a stop.
"Vincent, you're here!?" Trevor said as he climbed out of the vehicle. He walked towards Vincent, his face a mix of relief and worry. Vincent looked at his friend, his expression a mix of relief and frustration.
Vincent wasted no time punching Trevor in the face as he stepped closer.
"Fuck!" He shouted as he clutched his face, his nose bleeding.
"What the fuck were you in a rush for? Did you think just driving through the neutral zone would be so simple?" Vincent yelled, "You don't know shit about what goes on here!"
"You came all this way to yell at me?" Trevor replied as he wiped away the blood.
Jeanne and Shu exited from the side door of the van and watched the exchange with surprise. Shu had been equipped with her armor, a large metal pack strapped to her back, her waistpack hanging from her belt. The rifle was slung over her shoulder. She looked at the two boys, her eyes wide and confused.
"Of course I'm going to come out and yell at you two idiots." He said as he pointed his thumb back at Jeanne. "This isn't a weekend camping trip in the woods! Jeanne, get on my bike, I'm taking you back home." Vincent demanded.
"No." She said firmly, her arms crossed over her chest.
"What?"
"You heard me."
Vincent looked at her, his brow furrowed in frustration. "This is serious, Jeanne! There are still active battles that happen here! What do you think will happen if one of our soldiers' equipment tags that eyesore of a van because of her? They'll open fire on sight!"
Trevor shrugged, "We're not on any active maps that I've seen, and no one has come down the road yet."
"Are you fucking stupid?" Vincent pointed up, and the silhouette of an imperial battleship could be seen through the clouds. "You've got that right above you!" He then pointed to the east, where several Republic airships were flying high above. "And those are the ones looking to blow it out of the sky. Do you really want to be in the crossfire- shh..."
Vincent's expression changed from annoyance to concern, his body suddenly stiff. "Quiet, do not move." He whispered as he listened.
Everyone fell silent, the air tense and thick. Vincent strained to hear something, gripping the handle of his gun tightly in his hand. After a moment, he slowly moved forward, cautiously scanning the surrounding area.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Trevor called, "Did you hear something?"
Vincent held a finger up to his mouth to shush Trevor.
"Be ready, Shu." He whispered, "Something is here." Vincent moved quietly, trying not to disturb any rocks or vegetation as he stepped. He glanced around, his gaze fixed on the shadows. His breath quickened as he scanned the area.
"Shit, it's already here..." He cursed under his breath, his body tensing.
A loud crash rang out behind him, causing him to jump.
Shu let off two shots in rapid succession. She had been watching their backs while they focused their attention on their front. A large Meteorn had emerged and slammed its tail down to strike; the two shots were absorbed and did no damage, but it had stopped it from hitting Trevor.
"A Helix! Everyone, get back!" Shu yelled. The creature charged forward, its six legs carrying it forward quickly. It lunged, trying to catch Shu with its long tail. Shu dodged and aimed her weapon, firing off three more rounds. Each shot is absorbed by its armored body.
The Helix was unlike any Meteorn Vincent had ever seen; its long body was covered in a hard shell with ridges, and its head was elongated with two large mandibles.
Shu's shots had little to no effect, and it seemed like the Meteorn was just shrugging off each hit.
"I'm sorry! My rifle's output is really low!" She yelled.
"It's alright! Keep shooting, keep its attention!" Vincent said as he drew his gun.
However, the Meteorn flung a large rock in his direction with its tail, and he was forced to jump out of the way. "Damn!"
"Vincent!" Jeanne cried out. "Watch out!"
Shu's shots were absorbed, and she was thrown backwards by another tail swipe.
"Yeehaw! Interception time!" A voice came from above as explosive rounds separated Shu and the Helix.
"Veili, there are civilians! You can't just use explosive rounds in the dark this!" Another voice yelled.
Vincent and Jeanne turned and watched two girls drop down from above, their rifles drawn.
"Get those civvies to safety then!" The first one commanded, "We'll deal with this Helix!" The two soldiers opened fire, and the Helix reared up and charged.
The girls fired at it with precision; the Helix reeled back from the explosive rounds, then turned to flee.
"Yeah! Get outta here! Don't be a troublemaker!" Veili yelled.
"Damn it! You should've called it in first!" The other soldier shouted, "They'll be sending a patrol now."
"Hey! It's fine!" Veili retorted, "We'll be out before any Argentians or Charsties show up."
Vincent, Jeanne, Shu, and Trevor all stood there, watching the exchange.
"Charstie?" Shu mumbled. "That was a derogatory term used for soldiers of the Republic... Are they friendly?"
"Hey! Who the hell are you people?" Veili asked as she turned towards the group, "Don't ya know it's dangerous here?" Veili was the shortest of the two, and her rifle seemed oversized for her. She was wearing light blue armor that matched her eyes. Her hair was blonde, cut in a short bob, and her smile was cocky. Her armor had several patches, one with a shield and a symbol of a unicorn's horn, another that was half of the flag of the Union, and a third with an arrow going through the numbers '701'. There was a small patch of a bunny holding a heart as well. "What the heck were y'all thinking?"
"Veili!" The other soldier said as she turned, "Stop trying to start something, they're probably just civilians from the border cities that are having fun with the curfew. I'm sorry about that." She added, her tone soft.
"Nah, nah, look Liva again." Veili pointed at Shu. "They've got an Imperial military android; they're up to something."
Liva sighed, "Stay still. Let me check your barcode." Liva approached Shu and scanned her neck with a handheld device. She looked at the display on the device, her brow furrowing in concentration.
"Well?" Veili asked as she approached, looking over her shoulder at the device.
"You're not gonna believe this..." Liva mumbled as she turned the device to show Veili.
"Wait, is this real? Kuno's gonna flip." Veili said as she looked at the display.
Liva nodded, "Yeah, it says her serial is MTR771-04133. This is... unexpected. We should report to the commander immediately." She turned and spoke to the group. "We have some questions, so please cooperate with us."
Veili's smile returned to her face. "I'm gonna call it in!"
Jeanne looked at the two soldiers. Liva was the taller of the two and carried an air of confidence and seriousness about her. Her rifle was more compact and seemed better suited to her stature. Her armor was black and white with a similar design, and her hair was short and dark. Her eyes were green and sharp, and she carried a serious demeanor. She had the same patches on her armor as Veili.
"Wait! Please don't report anything." Jeanne pleaded.
Veili paused for a moment, glancing at Jeanne, then looking back at the group.
"Why?" Veili and Liva said in unison, their voices overlapping. Veili's tone was more curious than accusatory.
"We need to get Shu back home to Argentia." Jeanne said, "She's lost her memories, and we want her back where she belongs."
The two girls exchanged a glance. Veili sighed, her hands dropping to her sides. She looked at Liva, who nodded. "Alright. I'm ARR556-Veili, 701st Heavy Assault Battalion-"
"No, that's not right anymore. We're the 701st Mobile Peace Corps now." Liva interrupted, her eyes narrowing at her companion. She turned and looked at the group, "And I am ACR081-Livana, we're the third reconnaissance squad for the Corps."
Veili grinned, her smile bright and infectious. "Yeah! That's it!" She said excitedly. She stepped forward, her hands on her hips. "So! The good news is, Shu is one of ours... or was...? I'm not really sure what's going on."
Jeanne looked at them, her brow furrowing in confusion. "One of yours...?" She repeated slowly. "What does that mean? Are you part of the Argentian military?"
"We were, until our commander decided he wasn't about that life." Veili replied, "And I gotta admit... I like how things are now. Way less strict, way less bullshit." She shrugged.
"The hell..." Vincent muttered.
"Wait, you're both androids?" Trevor said in disbelief, looking between the two girls, his expression one of surprise and awe.
Veili laughed. "Duh, did you not see how we dropped in? What kinda human can execute a shock drop like that? Or even carry around these weapons? It ain't easy to lug this stuff around."
"Veili! Enough! Don't give away information like that so freely!" Livana snapped. "It was still a secret when we were in the Union's military; normal people don't know anything!" She added as she turned her attention back to the group. "Please, follow us to our camp. We'll get this all figured out."