Storm Watch Pt. 4

In the darkness of the alleyway, Zephyr held the two men hostage. One of them was the H.V.T known as Simon Barley, and he was supposedly here for an exchange meeting. Cue the second man, whose identity is still unknown because he refuses to speak.

"Is this really necessary?" Simon spoke up. "You're wasting your time here, Zephyr."

"Shut it," she demanded.

"Must I? There's a reason why you came after me. I believe it is safe to assume that you have no intention of killing me. Am I correct?"

Zephyr turned to glare at Simon with deadly eyes. "Shall we find out?"

That was a threat even he could not ignore. The Calypso squad is the single most dangerous defective squad in the city's history. Apart from being individually skilled, they are former Athenians. He would have to maneuver this carefully.

"We've been sitting here, wet in the rain for how long now?" Simon asked. "A quarter of an hour. So, I can't help but wonder... What is it that you Calypsos are after? Money? Credibility? Perhaps a note-worthy endorser of your... defective activities."

"None of the above, if I'm being honest," Zephyr replied.

"Then what could it possibly be?"

"You should already know."

She turned around and squatted in front of Simon. In the darkness of the alleyway covered by rainfall, only her gleaming eyes could be seen.

"I'm curious, Doctor Barley," Zephyr said. "When you look at this city... New Olympos... What do you see?"

"What else but an urban junkyard of undeterred progression, filled to the brim with all these lights—so bright yet... utterly dim."

"Such is the city of freedom and... 'choice,' a place where you can reap opportunities and live your life to its fullest... but only if you bend your knees to the High Order. Either surrender peacefully or be forced to surrender. So, what good is a choice when your only option is submission?"

"And what, pray tell, do you plan to do to change that? Thirty years ago, an Arbiter tried and failed. Seven years ago, your former captain tried and also failed. What makes you madams so confident that you will succeed this time? What gives you that drive?"

Zephyr lifted her head to the sky, letting the rainfall softly pellet her face.

"Wariness, vengeance, and broken trust," she replied. "Draw a card and you'll most likely find a reason. Even from the Shadows of Paradise, we saw the aftermath of the High Order's soldiers making their way through the streets. Cries and screams, begging to live but met with a bullet through the head—death, and for what? Progress? Evolution?"

She then let out a frustrated chuckle, before her expression turned sour once more. "Mark my words, Doctor Barley. Calypso will set the people free from the High Order's tyranny. One way or another... The pretentious throne that hides under the guise of preservation will shatter."

From the darkness of an alleyway, a young woman emerged wearing a hooded jacket. Zephyr quickly stood and unsheathed her katana, but then she noticed her eyes glowing with a pair of hollowed diamonds.

"You're here, Minerva," Zephyr sighed as she sheathed her katana. "Could've given me a heads-up."

"Hehe. I wanted to surprise you," Minerva giggled. "How's it going?"

"After we made a ruckus and showed ourselves to the whole city? Absolutely peachy."

"Oh, really? That's good. Me too."

"...That was sarcasm, by the way."

"Eh? W-was it? Ahaha... Must've slipped over my head."

"Clearly. Hah... I haven't had a moment to enjoy some tea. I wonder what the Captain is thinking."

"All we can do is trust her. When it comes to psychopaths like the Cap'n, there's always a method to their madness."

"I hope you're right. Now then... Let's continue, Doctor Barley."

The two girls turned to face their hostages, both glaring intensely. However, Simon didn't even bat an eye. Of course, he knew he would live as long as he cooperated, so that is what he intends to do. His assailant, on the other hand, was visibly shaking. Whether it was out of fear or the cold rainfall remains to be seen.

"That item that your friend here gave you... Hand it over," Zephyr demanded.

Simon hesitated, but he relented after an exhausted sigh. From his pocket, he pulled out a small, cylindrical object and placed it on her hand. Minerva tilted her head to study the object. It was cold and heavy for its small size. Symmetrical lines were arching all over, and at the center was a glowing hole.

"What is it?" she asked.

"...I'm not sure," Zephyr said.

"Oh, how ironic it is that you two of all people wouldn't know," Simon scoffed.

"Then, speak. What is it?"

"That, my friends, is a code nucleus. A gift from the Queen, so to speak—the very thing that allows you Athenians to use your... powers."

"Doctor Barley!" the other man, who had remained quiet until now, shouted. "You can't just give out valuable intel such as this!"

"Oh, hush now, Gregory. Look at them. They're Calypso. You saw what they did to my men. Do you really think we'll get away with lying?"

Gregory kept his silence after that. What he saw was plain and simple as much as it was perplexing. Zephyr and Minerva are Athenians. They're able to use 'code,' making them very dangerous as defects.

"Excuse my colleague, madams," Simon said. "At the very least, you have confirmation that I was indeed telling the truth."

"A code nucleus..." Zephyr muttered. "So, this... thing... is what allows us to use our powers?"

"Quite so. Of course, just the nucleus on its own won't do much for you. You will also need an iron cell to contain it. Otherwise, you'd die before the augmentation process is even complete."

"Interesting. I'll be holding onto this."

"Nonsense!" Gregory chided. "That nucleus is the property of the High Order! You have no right to take it! Especially you dirty Calypsos!"

"Hey, Zephyr," Minerva called out.

"Hm?" she replied.

"We don't need this guy, right?"

"I suppose not."

"Good. Hand me your gun."

Zephyr reached for the hand cannon holstered by her waist and handed it to Minerva. After quickly pushing the hammer down, she pointed it at the man and pulled the trigger. However, all that came out was a click.

"A-ah..." the man gasped as he fell to his knees.

"...Eh?"

Minerva jerked the hand cannon to the side, forcing the cylinder to pop out of its socket. All six holes were empty.

"Zephyr!" she exclaimed. "There's no bullets in here!"

"Sorry," Zephyr said as she reached into her pocket for six fresh bullets.

"I'm trying to kill someone, girl. Damn..."

Zephyr tossed the bullets into the air, to which Minerva held out her hand. The bullets came to a sudden halt as a blue aura kept them afloat. With a flick of her fingers, the bullets slammed into the sockets, filling up the gun's ammunition capacity.

Finally, she pushed down the hammer again and pointed the barrel at the man's head.

"W-wait! Wait! I'll stop talking!" he shouted in desperation. "Don't shoot! Don't shoot!"

"Huh? Why the sudden change of heart?" Minerva asked. "Keep resisting like you were before. I'm looking for a reason to pull the trigger right now."

"To hell with that! I'm not actually trying to die! Just... d-don't shoot, and I'll stay quiet! I swear!"

"Tch... God dammit, man."

With that, she tossed the hand cannon back to Zephyr with a visible frown of unrelenting disappointment.

Zephyr slid over and began whispering. "Did you seriously not know that the cylinder was empty?"

"Nope. I just wanted to shoot him," Minerva grumbled. "And it's your fault."

"I never have my guns loaded. You know that."

"I forgot. Tch... I'm so bummed now. Wait, can I shoot the other one?"

"That's the HVT."

"Ugh..."

"Might I suggest a proposal for you, madams?" Simon said, turning their attention to him. "Iron cells are difficult to come by. As hard as we can try, the manufacturing process is never easy. I know the whereabouts of a completed iron cell, locked away and ready for installation. Of course... I can only give you the conditions without a second pair of ears. You understand what that means, don't you?"

Zephyr approached Simon once more. In a single instance, she unsheathed her katana, but her blade was still in its scabbard. Just then, the man known as Gregory fell over as his severed head rolled away. She knelt down in front of Simon with a menacing glare.

"Go on, Doctor Barley. I'm listening."