File 3.1 - Rushed Reality

“What’s the meaning of this?!” demanded Shizuka. The sight of giant machines only started the path of confusion for her. She didn’t understand why her father stood in the hangar or knew such things. She didn’t even remember him being part of the military. He rarely came home or told her what he did, but she remembered her mother telling her he did important research. The research would save the world one day. Shizuka never grasped the meaning at the time. She was too young. ‘Is this what she meant?’ The questions made her arms shake and her knees turn to jelly.

Kitawara changed expressions quickly to bewilderment before reverting to jubilation. “These are your machines as I said already. You will pilot the Freya and the young man over there will pilot the Od.”

“Pilot? What are you talking about? I’ve never seen this before.” Shizuka stepped away from them all, starting to feel the atmosphere change, or notice the actual mood that she hadn’t seen before. “I don’t even know what it is! If this is why you paid mercenaries to find me and bring me here then I’m leaving right now!” She turned on her heel and started to march towards the door they entered.

“You’ll be trained,” he commented to her, ignoring the stance she took. “You don’t have to be concerned about understanding it yet.”

Shizuka growled through her teeth as she stopped to glare back at him. She didn’t know this man. “I’m not staying.”

“Where do you think you’re going?” He motioned with his arm off to the guards standing at attention. They took immediate action in remotely locking the personnel door and then stood in front of it blocking Shizuka. She spun back around glaring at him. “You’ve seen the highest military secret just now. Do you think you can simply leave?”

Ed gasped in surprise and only managed to utter two words before being cut off. “Old man!”

“Dr. Kitawara!” shouted Karen. She stepped out in front of the aging man. “She’s your daughter!”

“Don’t start questioning things now, Dr. Stein. You know how things work here.”

“You can’t…” Karen backed away from him. The look in his eyes made her shake. His unwavering resolve not clouded by any hint of hesitation pushed her away. She felt her presence shrink.

He walked around the woman and made his way to Shizuka. Towering over her, he bled a commanding aura that she had never experienced before. “The moment you set foot on this base you became part of the military. The paperwork already had you enlisted. You’re the property of H.O.P.E. This is your new life.”

Shizuka shook in front of her father. She questioned if he always appeared so dark. When she was younger, all her memories of him were fuzzy. He seemed distant and uninterested, but never so menacing. ‘Military? Enlisted?!’ She wanted to run away even if she knew that the guards would capture in moments, but her legs refused her. Her body froze. All she had was her mouth. Shizuka ground her teeth trying to get back her courage. “You can’t do this! I have rights!”

“I am your father. The decision has already been made for you.”

“You were never my father!” She couldn’t take it anymore and her body suddenly felt alive. Shizuka threw out her hands pushing past him. It wasn’t enough to knock him down, but it did stagger him in surprise. She bolted for the opposite side of the hanger in hopes of an escape.

Kitawara stumbled around, but recovered quickly and shouted at the guards. “Stop her!” They stared at him for a moment and then ran after her as ordered.

Ignored by everyone, Edgar stood as a bystander. He had so many thoughts running through his mind. He thought back on the arguments he had with Shizuka, thinking she was spoiled for rejecting her father. The scene gave him a bitter taste in his mouth. ‘…damnit…what sorta father…forcin’ ‘er…I…’ He thought back to when they approached him.

A couple of military types came to him with a request. They wanted him to join a special project. It meant being in the military, but the pay would be good and it would help the Earth. He never really gave much thought to the recovery of the Earth or even a life outside of the Niph. But the opportunity seemed like a perfect chance for him. ‘I ‘ad my re’sons, but least I agreed willin’ly…’

Ed tightened up his fist to stop the shaking. He brought her here and took her away from her home. The reason she ran away from her father was his fault. The weight crushed his shoulders. ‘…s’not right!’ Edgar pulled his head up staring down at the hangar. Shizuka had the lead, but the two soldiers quickly gained on her. ‘Damnit!’ He sprinted from his spot blowing past Karen and Kitawara. They only had a few seconds on him, enough to close in time.

One of the guards came into the reach of Shizuka. He stretched out his hand to grab her arm, while the other tried to keep pace. However, in the last moments Edgar leapt down throwing his weight into the two men. With the guards running, the force was enough to send them down to the cement foundation. Edgar rolled over them roughly ending a little ahead of them.

Shizuka heard the grunts from behind and turned to see what happened. She stopped in surprise to see Edgar in front of her and half on top of the soldiers. “Wh-what are you doing?”

Rubbing his back a little from the fall, Ed smirked up at her. A low groan from behind told him that the two men weren’t completely out and even if he stopped them, others would be coming. He jumped back to his feet and grabbed on to Shizuka’s pulling her with him. “C’mon!”

“W-wait!” Everything happened so fast for her. She found her feet moving along with his pace without thinking about it. Shizuka dragged a little behind at the lengths of their arms. She stared back at the floor where the soldiers laid. ‘Why? Why did he help me?’

Rather than using the open ground to get further, he pulled themselves between crates, metal plates and machinery placed on the opposite wall to the giant robots. He felt like they started to get into a safer position however long it might last. The wrist he held suddenly ripped free and slapped him away. “Hey!” he whispered, as much as he wanted to shout.

Shizuka clung to her wrist that Edgar grabbed. A minute ago, he was sending her to the gallows. “Why? I thought you wanted to be rid of me?”

Ed gritted his teeth. She slowed them down with questions. They needed to keep running. “Does it matter right now?” He stretched out his hand to her realizing that he had to get her acceptance to keep moving.

The offer made her take a half step back. How could she trust someone that accepted money to kidnap her? She turned her head toward a distant sound of voice, more soldiers no doubt. ‘I can’t…stay…’ Still holding onto hesitation, Shizuka reached out for Edgar’s hand.