“Aria…?” she asked uncertainty.
Aria, though, didn’t answer her, having already pulled up her contact log on her NOED, scrolling through until she was about halfway down, all while a single sentence reverberated in her mind.
He didn’t have a choice.
She was afraid, suddenly. So afraid. Finding the name she was looking for, she dialed at once, ignoring a second press from Viv as she did.
He didn’t have a choice.
For some reason, she wasn’t surprised when the line only rang once before a tense, feminine voice picked up.
“Aria, listen to me—” the woman began, but Aria had no intention of letting her finish.
“Maddie, what did he do?” she half-yelled, realizing as she did that her hands were shaking as she watched Barnes direct Catcher around to the west side of the field below them. “What the hell did he do?!”
CHAPTER 49
“The questions evaluators field following the end of an exam are widespread, but consistent, no matter if they are received from assignees or those that left empty-handed. ‘What was the answer to this part of the written test?’ ‘What does that spec rank mean for my future?’ They come pouring in like clockwork the moment every CAD exam ends each year, but despite this fact there remains one which I always have trouble answering fully.
‘What was the purpose of the third test?’
It’s difficult, after all, to explain to the eager faces of hundreds of boys and girls—most of whom only months before wouldn’t even have been considered adults—that not every mind is capable of bearing the brutal truths of war…”
- Major Albert Connelly
It had been a long, long time since Rei had been this angry.
It was a boiling, churning thing, twisting and frothing in his gut until his entire body felt hot as he walked, forcing himself to take every step alongside Catcher. His eyes, meanwhile, never left Dyrk Reese, who had no qualms whatsoever meeting his gaze. Despite the stillness of the aging man’s face, despite the composure of his features and the steadiness in his dark eyes, Rei thought he could detect a little—just a little—of something else in the major’s bearing for once. It took him a moment to place it, a moment to understand the vague, unpleasant taste looking up at the man left his mouth.
Smug. Reese—behind the statuesque masque—looked smug.
“I’m gonna kill him.”
Catcher’s whisper, shivering with fury, brought Rei back, and he risked a quick look sideways to see that his friend, too, was staring up at the major with an intensity he’d never seen from the Saber. Catcher’s yellow eyes were on fire, his handsome jaw clenched and his hands balled into fists at his sides.
“He’s messing with us,” he continued. “This is bullshit.”
Yeah. Rei couldn’t bring himself to say a word to the contrary. That it definitely is.
“Cadet Catchwick, please cross over to the western edge. We can’t have you two starting next to each other, can we?”
Hadish Barnes’s tense attempt at a joke drew a few laughs from the stands, but Rei got the feeling the chief of campus security was finding very little amusing about the situation himself. His big smile was tight, and there looked to be more space between the two majors now than there had been a minute before.
Barnes appeared to have preferred not to stand next to Reese once they’d finished their “conversation”.
Catcher hesitated, he and Rei coming to a stop together. They looked at each other, neither exactly sure what to say.
In the end, it was the Saber who took control, knowing that Rei wouldn’t be willing to.
“I’ll go.”
“Catcher—” Rei started as his friend began to turn away, but found himself promptly cut off.
“We don’t give them a reason to claim we’re ever anything less than our best.” Catcher glanced back again. “We fight to win. This isn’t any different than sparring. Got it?”
“Of course it’s different,” Rei hissed in answer. “Are you stupid? Do you not see what they’re doing.?”
“I do. Believe me, I do.” Catcher didn’t look away. “We fight to win, Rei. Both of us. You understand?”
Still, Rei hesitated. There would be more to this matching than simply pitching two friends against each other.
But then again everyone—especially Catcher—was aware of that.
Finally, Rei nodded, and just as Hadish Barnes opened his mouth to repeat the order, the blond boy turned and crossed the field in quick, stiff strides. Watching him go, Rei could only grit his teeth. He hated this. Hated it. Until a minute ago the pair of them had both been set on making through this sixth round, been ready and prepared to rise to the final selection, whatever that would bring. Now, though…
Now, it had been a month since Rei had started being able to fight Catcher to a draw in training. A month since they had stood on even footing on the field.
A month for Shido to grow…
Sadness—a real, burdening sadness—grew like a stone in Rei’s chest, then, seeing his friend reach the other side of the ring and turn around to face him. They locked eyes, yellow not looking away from grey, and Rei thought he could sense some echo of his own woe in the Saber’s gaze, some measure of the same understanding.
Still, there was more, there, too, and as Dyrk Reese spoke the first opening command of the match, Rei was pleased to see determination hardening Catcher’s expression, mixing with focus until the boy’s face was nothing less than composed stone.
“Combatants, take position.”
In mirrored approaches Rei and Catcher reached their red starting circle in four quick steps each.
“This is as an official Duel,” the Major enunciated. “It will therefore be subject to regulation ruling. Once the field is formed you will be ordered to call, then engage. Premature Device manifestation will result in a penalty. Premature approach, attack, or the like will result in a match loss. Is that understood?”
Slowly, both of them nodded, still watching one another. They didn’t see Reese’s NOED light up, didn’t see him make the field selection. Almost at once, though, they began to ascend, and the green, leafy undergrowth rising quickly from a grassy earth told Rei at once where they were headed.
The last thing he saw was Catcher offering him a small smile, then the boy was swallowed by the breadths of a hundred thick, heavy trees as they materialized into being.
“Field: Woodlands.”
At once the noise of the Arena vanished around them, replaced by the quiet sounds of the deep forest, the trilling of insects joining the chirps and songs among the branches high above. Under Rei’s feet a solid spread of moss and low-hanging ferns covered the floor, and overhead sunlight poured in handsome rays at an angle through the leaves, giving him the impression that the projection was meant to be placed in an evening pushing at dusk.
“Cadet Layton Catchwick versus Cadet Reidon Ward,” the Arena spoke again, its voice ringing clear from everywhere all at once. “Combatants… Call.”
“Call.”
Shido blurred into place, snaking up and out in a flash of rushing steel and light to seal itself into place around his arms and legs. Though Rei couldn’t see Catcher through the dense woods, he knew the Saber would be completing the same summoning. Arthus would be low in his right hand, the claws of his left outstretched and ready to meet a faster opponent.
A faster opponent like Rei.
Again, the sadness deepened. Again the weight of anger returned.
We don’t give them a reason to claim we’re ever anything less than our best.
The words seemed to echo in Rei’s ears, and he took a slow, deep breath.
“If you say so, man.”
Then the Arena spoke one last time.
“Combatants… Fight.”
******
Maddie was in the middle of delivering Rama his afternoon report on daily disciplinary actions within the
Institute grounds when he got the call. The man didn’t stay on for long, nor spoke for the greater duration of it as Maddie stepped respectfully back, waiting for him to finish. After less than 30 seconds of silent listening, the colonel sighed, then nodded.
“Yes. Thank you, captain. Your appraisal of the situation is appreciated.”
Then, with a flicker of light, he closed the line, sitting for a little while more without saying anything, gazing at the bookshelves walling the far end of his office like they might host some reprieve to whatever frustration was simmering behind his calm exterior.
“That was Takeshi,” he said at last. “It’s done.”
Maddie held her tongue, waiting for the man to elaborate, but after a time it was apparent she was going to have to wrestle the details out of him.
“And? Who won?”
Rama grimaced. “You know damn well who won. Central wanted to test Ward. Could he take down a friend? Someone who’s been by his side basically from the moment he stepped onto the Institute ground? Well…” The colonel looked like he could have spit. “They got their answer, didn’t they?”
CHAPTER 50
“We plan. God laughs.”
-ancient Earth proverb
Rei and Catcher sat opposite each other in the red-and-black professional’s locker room that had become a favorite of theirs over the recent weeks of combat. They didn’t speak, Rei bent over his knees as he caught the last of his breath, watching sweat drip off his nose to dampen the dark carpet between his bare feet. Catcher, meanwhile, was leaning back with his head resting against the top of the mirroring couch, hands limp in his lap and face upturned towards the ceiling and the dark, crystal lights that hung from it. For a long time they stayed like that, using the excuse of regaining their wind to hide the fact that neither knew exactly what to say.
Eventually, it was Catcher who again took the lead.
“You know who they’re gonna pit you up against next, don’t you?” he asked quietly.
Rei tensed at the sudden question, then relaxed, giving himself a moment before answering.
“… Yeah.”
“You ready for it?”
“Not yet.”
Catcher brought his head forward just enough at that to look at Rei down the length of his nose.
“… But you will be?”
“But I will be,” Rei promised.
Catcher nodded slowly, then let himself take to staring at the ceiling again.
It had been a brief, brutal fight. They’d sparred enough times before for Rei to have an excellent sense of Catcher’s abilities, but it had been the days the Saber had spent helping him get ready for his bout with Lena Jiang which had spelled the final outcome, which had solidified Rei’s read of his friend. On top of that, the 5 weeks of growth Shido had absorbed since that first week of the SCTs had raised him from D9 to C2, arguably placing him in a totally different class of fighter. Catcher’s specs—aside from Speed—had been better, but Rei hadn’t won any of his previous matches with overwhelming power or an impenetrable defense.
In the end, Catcher had fallen like the others who’d been “stronger”, albeit not without a lot more of a fight.
And all of it for nothing, Rei thought, pulling up the last notification he’d received, shortly after the match had ended.
...
Processing combat information.
...
Calculating.
...
Results:
Strength: Lacking
Endurance: Lacking
Speed: Adequate
Cognition: Adequate
Offense: Adequate
Defense: Lacking
Growth: Not Applicable
...
Checking combat data acquisition.
...
Adequate data acquirement met.
Device initiating adjustments to:
Endurance. Defense.
...
Adjustment complete.
Endurance has been upgraded from Rank D5 to D6.
Defense has been upgraded from Rank D5 to D6.
...
Calculating.
...
CAD “Shido” has been upgraded from Rank C2 to C3.
Despite his earlier bravado, Rei felt his heart fall into his stomach yet again, coming to the end of the upgrade message. There at the bottom would have been the notice, he knew, the alert that Shido had evolved. He had to admit he suddenly understood why Christopher Lennon had been trying not to put the idea into his head, initially. He had hoped, he knew now. Dared to hope, dared to set his sights on what might come. There was nothing, though. No additional text. No telling script. No evolution alert.
And with it, the chance of Arsenal Shift—or any Ability whatsoever—developing just in time for his final Intra-School match.
The upgrade had come and gone, and had left him—for the first time ever—feeling hollow inside.
There was a hiss of the door opening, and Rei closed his frame to look around and find Aria and Viv entering the locker room, each carrying a set of regulars. They’d gone down to fetch the uniforms from the subbasement at his request, and their twin expressions of disgruntled fury hadn’t faded in the 5 minutes since they’d all seen each other in the underworks after he and Catcher had limped off the main floor.
He didn’t have the energy to decide if his own lack of anger now was due to him being tired from the match, or just tired of it all in general.
Crossing the room, Viv handed him his jacket, slacks, socks, and boots, Aria doing the same to Catcher across from him.
“Bullshit,” Viv hissed as he accepted the clothes and got to his feet. “This is absolute, total bullshit.”
Rei had to force himself not to sigh, moving around her to one of the rows of lockers behind the couch. Pulling a compartment open, he considered stripping out of his damp combat suit to go shower before deciding he didn’t quiet have the enthusiasm for that either. Instead, he hung his jacket and slacks up, then dropped his boots down unceremoniously before taking a seat again, this time on the bench provided along the row.
“Is no one going to agree with me?!” Viv demanded, bringing her arms up and looking around at the three of them like she couldn’t believe the lack of audible outrage.
“We all agree with you, Viv,” Catcher grumbled without looking at her, having barely mustered the will to accept his own uniform from Aria with a small thanks. “We’re just not in a mood to scream into the void right now.”
“Who says it needs to be the void?!” Viv whirled on the beaten Saber. “There’s another match going on as we speak! We could march out there and—!”
“Oh don’t be ridiculous!” Catcher’s head finally snapped up, and for once he appeared to be utterly lacking in his usually good humor. He glared at Viv, face contorted in frustration. “And do what, Viv? What? Yell at a superior officer in front of the entire first year class? Oh, and the chief of campus security? Yeah, that would go over really well with everyone, wouldn’t it?”
“It’s better than doing nothing at all!” Viv’s voice was steadily increasing in volume, a tell-tale sign that she was reaching the point of her often-limited self-control. “It’s better than sitting here and moping about—!”
“You’d mope too if you lost!” Catcher was on his feet, the regulars that had been piled in his lap spilling off onto the floor. “You’d mope too if you had your shot at qualifying basically stolen, Viv! But you didn’t, did you? You made it straight through! Four wins! No trouble, no issues!”
“All the more reason to do something!” Viv was yelling outright now, her face going red with anger and—Rei suspected—a little embarrassment. “We know who did this! We know why he did this! This can’t be something the school would just let continue if they knew about it! This is the third time Reese has manipulated the pairings to put Rei in a bad—”
“Reese had nothing to do with it.�
��
Aria’s hard, clear voice cut through the boiling tension like a sword, bringing Viv to a sudden halt and drawing every eye in the room.
Rei, abruptly, found a little of his energy again as he took her in, noting the clenching of her jaw and the tightness of her arms, crossed over her chest. Now that he thought about it, he didn’t think he’d ever seen Aria angry, much less this angry.
Could it be that…?
“What do you mean?”
Viv’s hissed demand was almost dangerous, doubly-so when she repeated it after Aria hesitated to answer.
“What do you mean, Aria?”
Still no response came for a second. Aria looked to be resolving herself, her arms suddenly a hugging presence about her torso, as though to brace for some coming impact.
Rei knew, then.
“Aria…” he started in warning, shaking his head when she looked at him. “You don’t have to. Not yet.”
She held his gaze for a moment, her eyes not leaving his, like she was trying to absorb something from their steadiness.
Courage.
“No. I do. It’s past time.”
She looked then between Viv and Catcher, who still stood unevenly on either side of her.
“Major Reese had nothing to do with the match change up,” she started. “Not primarily, at least. It’s likely he manipulated the brackets, just like early in the tournament, but this time he had orders to do so.”
This news was followed by a ringing silence for 5 long seconds.
“Orders?” It was Catcher, surprisingly, who found his voice first. “Orders from who? And how do you know this?”
“Because my uncle is Rama Guest,” the words came in a torrent, and Rei could feel how long Aria had been wanting to let them out, “and his chief assistant told me he’s the one who gave the command.”
This time the frozen pause was deeper still, like a quiet that swallowed even the shallow bubbling of the fish tank at the back of the room, but kept short when Viv opened her mouth to speak. Aria flinched, not meeting anyone’s eye, waiting for the inevitable demand of explanation.
Iron Prince: A Progression Sci-Fi Epic (Warformed: Stormweaver Book 1) Page 90