The Ring of Control

It only took a moment for Fumiko to realize what happened. ‘They’re using Fields to wipe away the forest and remove any chance for hiding. Must have tracked us somehow…’ Her eyes scanned around the sight of seeing dozens of soldiers evenly spaced out. They all wore the same black uniform of the standard soldier. She already began to calculate for weaknesses and lines for her to attack. ‘It’s a little frightening my mind is already getting used to this…is it the survival instinct or the fighting?’ Fumiko wondered how much it changed her.

She had only been in Atlantis for two days. It seemed unnatural to her for such changes to happen, yet they were a fact. The thoughts happened almost subconsciously. Had she tasted it too many times? Too much thought would only hurt her, especially on matters that didn’t focus on the dire situation in front of her. “It would appear we’ll have to suspend our discussion.”

Seiji stood up with an eager look in his eyes. He tightened up his hands lightly knocking his fists together. “Just when I was starting to get a little sleepy.” A grin rose on his lips as he eyed all of the soldiers.

Their Atlantean tag-along remained silent. She seemed uncertain about the sort of action to take. Cosmas labeled her a traitor, but she didn’t know if it was something Simonides ordered. ‘The Captain was monitoring everything, did he actually know about what I did? What is he going to do?’

Sticking a little to the center, as a rear didn’t exist, Yumi knew she could do nothing for her friends. It frustrated her to know that they crippled her. She thought about Yuki and Chiharu suddenly looking for any sort of inspiration. ‘Yuki would refuse to give up, but in this sealed state I can’t do anything. I don’t want to give up, but what can I do?’ She glanced around in search of Chiharu, but didn’t find her. Yumi’s only guess was that she went into action immediately, just waiting.

Watching was the only thing she could do. She would only get in the way of the others. It was then she thought of something. ‘I still have something! I have my eyes and mind! I can still help them!’ It was all the motivation she needed. She wasn’t out yet. As she took in the scene, something about it bothered. All she saw were the standard soldiers. “I don’t see any of those in white uniforms!” It was always easy to spot them, the white stood out against everything in Atlantis.

“They’re somewhere,” barked Seiji, “Once we clear away this damn mob, we’ll find them.”

“Careful not to get overconfident, Seiji,” Fumiko reminded. She had a similar uncertain feeling about the situation.

Yumi shook her head, though none of them saw it. “They aren’t stupid. They’ve seen us fight enough to know how dangerous we are, they wouldn’t do this unless they had a plan. There is a reason for this!”

“So you think it’s a trap?” Seiji rubbed his hands together watching the soldiers. They held their position, not advancing almost as though waiting for them to move. “Even if it is a shitty trap, we won’t know what sort unless we trigger it!” He took a leisurely stride forward, checking their response.

Fumiko took a step forward as well. “I hate to agree with Seiji, but he’s right about this. We’ll have to do this the hard way and find out what they’re up to. I’d prefer to be on the offense, rather than defense in this sort of situation.”

Nothing could be done about them. They were set on what they wanted to do. She had to support them, even if she was uneasy. “Alright, be safe!”

“Of course! Who the hell do you think you’re talking to?”

Fumiko smirked a little, glancing over at Seiji. “You’re the one we’re most concerned about with your track record.”

“I’m still alive, ain’t I?!” He received silence from Fumiko as her answer. “Hey! I’m in perfect condition to fight!”

Yumi smiled a little watching their backs. ‘I’m glad they’re starting to get closer. I feel we’re going to have to work together this time if we’re to win.’

Chapter 210 – The Ring of Control

From the slightly higher altitude of a rolling mound, Simonides watched through special binoculars the initial moves Team Yumi made. ‘A little more cautious than I thought they might be, but that’s fine. That’ll work as well.’ He lowered the binoculars, faint lights from the information read outs glowed from the sights. The binoculars rested in a pouch at his side as he motioned behind him.

Abeiron stepped forward presenting a square box that fit neatly into Simonides’ palm. It only had one button, just under his thumb. He lifted the device up to his mouth, making it clear the function to be a receiver. However, when he spoke his voice covered the entire area evenly with no loss of volume the further away. It was as though he spoke next to each of them. “Greetings. I’m having everything I say converted into Japanese, so you should understand me. I’m Captain Simonides of the South Gate. You have intruded on foreign soil without permission. My only demand is your unconditional surrender into our custody. You will be returned back beyond our borders unharmed.”

“Like hell you will!” shouted Seiji, with as much volume as he could. He tried to reach back to the distance of Simonides, nearly a kilometer away. The intensity was enough to rattle people.

It made the receiver in his hand jump and pitch. Simonides nearly fell over not expecting such a forceful response. It took him several seconds to recover his composure. “You don’t have to yell, young man. Everything you say will be carried to me clearly.”

Many of those surrounding Seiji sweated a little watching Seiji looked a little embarrassed. “Oh, sorry about that. Should have explained that before I started yelling, Mr. Captain.”

Simonides’ face went a little flat from Seiji’s response. “I guess it was partially my fault for not fully explaining things.”

“Well as long as things are sorted out now, there’s no problem!” Seiji almost sounded cheerful. An odd contrast displayed with such disarming replies.

“Sir,” pushed Abeiron, to get them back on track.

He tilted a quick look at Abeiron. “Right. What is your decision? Refusal to meet my demand will result in forcibly taking you into custody. I’d prefer to avoid further violence.”

“If you don’t want any violence, then I’d suggest moving aside,” replied Seiji. Even if he couldn’t clearly see Simonides in the distance, he looked straight at him as though speaking only a meter away.

“Afraid that will not be possible. There are no other options for you.”

It bothered Seiji a little the feeling he got from Simonides. ‘He seems like a reasonable person, so why is he doing all of this?’ He preferred to get back to Yuki as quickly as possible. “Our business is not with you. I’ve no damn interest in fighting you guys.”

A curious response from Seiji made Simonides' eyes raise a little. ‘Not interested in us? What exactly is their objective? Does the Capital even know? I want them even more now.’ It seemed all of the questions he had rested with these teenagers. “And what is your business in our country?”

“We’re here to slug the person that ordered the hit on my best friend!”

“…Seiji…” sighed Fumiko, upon hearing his wording. ‘You were doing so well. This is going to turn things sour fast…’

‘This just keeps getting more complicated.’ Everything he heard from his men about the foreigners painted a picture he couldn’t fully see. He felt the Capital tried to paint over it with their idea. It muddled everything. He needed straight answers. “I can’t allow you to go any further into Atlantis, especially if it is to attack a citizen of Atlantis. Surrender and we can talk about this.”

“I don’t have the damn time to waste here. If you don’t move I’ll force the hell through!” He saw how deep the soldiers went. It felt like some impossible odds, but he liked those odds. “But you didn’t think it was going to be that easy. You brought all of these men out here for a reason and it wasn’t to talk.” Seiji grinned.

There was a bit of reluctance in the tone of Simonides’ voice. “No, I didn’t think it would be so simple. It seems we’re at an impasse. Neither of us are willing to budge on our decisions.”

“Nope!” They seemed in agreement. A fight had to happen to resolve matters. Seiji turned back partially to look at Yumi. He gave her a light smile, part as reassurance and part as an apology. “Sorry for talking for you, Yumi. I know you’re the leader, but I had to.”

She nodded softly back to him. “It’s fine. You did your best to resolve it peacefully. I had the same feeling as you, a fight was destined. There’s no way around it.”

Simonides stared down at the soon to be battlefield. The position was in his favor, if it was purely a numbers game. He knew better than to believe numbers would solve the problem. It was all part of the plan. It was the only way to be certain things ended. He passed the receiver back to Abeiron. “Give the command, Abeiron. The battle begins.”

Abeiron came to attention, saluting him. “Yes, sir!” He turned around and shouted out to several soldiers sitting around large communication devices working with the teams out in the field.

“This will settle everything. I can’t let the gates on Omega open.”

The soldiers surrounding everyone took on a different look. It was clear they received their orders. Seiji and Fumiko immediately moved into positions. He took the front and she protected the rear, while Yumi and Yori stayed in the middle along with Nerine just slightly out of the circle.

Fumiko stared down at her one arm. She gripped her staff tightly in her hand. ‘I wish I had two arms for this. Fighting normal soldiers, I can’t use my fire. I’ll end up burning them too easily.’ The staff knocked against the earth sending out a ring. “Oh well, you make do with the situation you’re given!” She lifted the staff up, directing the head towards her opponents.

Grinning on the other side, Seiji psyched himself up. “You got that the hell right!” He dropped a foot down with purposeful might. The earth vibrated out to the soldiers, even some loose chunks of dirt jumped. “Let’s have some fun guys!” He took the initiative, not waiting for any movement from the soldiers, charging through their lines. Men and women alike scattered as he charged like a linebacker through their encirclement.

The sight made Yumi and Fumiko smile a little. In spite of the odds and apparent danger, Seiji’s spirits were high. It was a little inspiring and possibly comforting. Fumiko found herself smirking a little at the thought before charging into her group. She had no doubts or complaints about the situation anymore, thanks to Seiji.

From the sidelines, Nerine watched the start of the battle play out. She didn’t know what she should do. ‘He rescued me, but it’s not like they’re fighting to protect me.’ Her eyes wandered over the hill that Simonides supposedly stood on. She wondered what his plan was. ‘The Captain wouldn’t have come out here without a reason. He’s got something more planned. What’s he planning on doing?’ The arrangement of the troops made her feel uneasy. There was something that didn’t make sense to her.

The longer that she looked the more confusing things looked. ‘What’s going on? Why is…’ Suddenly her eyes widened. She realized what was going on. It caused her head to flip back to Simonides. ‘That’s what you’re doing!’ Nerine stood up almost instinctually. Her body reacted sooner than her mind, already putting her a few steps towards Yumi. ‘I’ve got to warn…’ Then she paused, not understanding what she was doing.

Confusion clouded her mind. ‘He saved me from that man, but do I owe them anything?’ Nerine glanced offhandedly to Simonides once more. ‘Can I go back? Did he order the kill? If I went back would I just end up facing that man again?’ She looked back at Yumi and then to Seiji’s back. ‘What happens if I stay with them? I’ll be a traitor, am I already one for associating with them?’ All the questions froze Nerine up completely. She no longer knew how to act. Her body told her one thing and her mind hesitated.

Yumi watched the line of soldiers start to crumble. The whole scene felt odd to her. The nagging feeling of something being off still bothered her. She didn’t understand the setup. ‘Where are those soldiers in white? Why aren’t they here? They have to be somewhere. They removed the forest…’ Yumi kept searching, they should have been obvious to find in their white uniforms. Only a wall black filled the entire area. “What’s going on?”

Simonides peered through his binoculars again to watch everything happening. He needed to be on top of the battle to give out orders to his men. The plan was a delicate one. “Looks like they’re about in position. It’s time to show them what we’ve learned.” However, he was unable to say anything more. A blade suddenly rested on his shoulder with the edge up against his neck. It gave only enough room to breathe, while his skin pushed around it a little without breaking. He glanced over his shoulder to see who it was.

Behind him, Chiharu stood holding her blade ready to execute him. Her eyes narrowed harshly with dark shadows hung over her entire face. “I think it’s time you saw what I’ve learned.”