Their sentience and flawless adaptability to battle in real-time made them exceptionally dangerous. You never knew when or where they would strike next.
“Is there any way of knowing how many are out there?” Agent Giles asks.
“I honestly couldn’t tell you. My guess is maybe hundreds or thousands. Jimmy kept a lot of details to himself.”
“Seeing how he made finding the one out in Azoco a priority, I think you may be able to figure out an exact number once you reverse engineer that thing.”
“Ah, I couldn’t say it better myself. Get that machine over to my airship, Claude. We will be leaving for Sadeena shortly.”
“W-wait, huh? I’m doing what now??”
“Isn’t it obvious? While I was able to stop Kusari’s bleeding, she’ll definitely need medical attention. That and you clearly have a better grasp on these machines than most. It makes the most sense.”
“I know, I know...But of all places, why Sadeena? Tortuga is one thing, but Sadeena is pretty much the LanTech metropolis! How do I know that I’ll even make it out of there alive?”
“Because you’ll be alongside Agent Giles and he’s an honorable man from what I can tell,” Keenth answers. “If he says heading there is for the best, then there shouldn’t be any reason not to believe him.”
“Thanks for the praise, but how exactly did you come to that conclusion?”
“When it comes to sensing Auraen, it isn’t just a simple matter of being able to tell how powerful someone is. In a way, you can also grasp their intentions as well. I’m not getting the feeling that you are someone that should not be trusted.”
“I see, I see. Well, thanks for the vote of confidence, Keenth. So how about you? What do you plan on doing from here?”
“G-Good question,” Keenth replies, at a loss for words. “I was kind of expecting Fallon to be here. But since he isn’t, I guess I’ll just head out to his hideout up north. The thing is that, if I do, then the village—”
“What about it?” a voice replies as they approach Keenth. “You’re too young to be stressing about every little thing, you know.”
“Lady Aida!”
“Ah, Keenth! I am truly glad to see that the strength in your eyes says that your encounter with Sage Haden went exceptionally well.”
“Yeah, better than I could imagine! But we can catch up on all of that later. Let’s head back to the village in case Fallon decides to attack Azoco again.”
“You’re a stubborn one, aren’t you? You were already provided a path towards Fallon, so what is this nonsense about you staying down here?”
“There isn’t much to think about. I owe Azoco an enormous debt for everything its villagers have done for me. You all have literally saved my life more than once. Who am I to just walk away now?”
“Human. You’d be human, just like the rest of us. Listen Keenth, you can’t tether your life to the fate of our village like this. As you clearly know, there are bigger things out there right now. Your strength is needed to protect Tortuga, no, Hasania as a whole. Don’t let fear hold you back on this one.”
“I know, I know. But what happens if Azoco is—”
“Believe. I told you that for a reason. Our village will be fine, you have my word. You cannot put such a heavy burden on your shoulders, especially when we are all here to support one another. Have faith, Keenth.”
Keenth nodded at Lady Aida, before sprinting northbound. When he was finally at a safe distance from the others, he leaped over the surrounding trees and used his Auraen to dash through the sky.
“He’s definitely an interesting one. Anyway, I’ll be heading out now. Sorry to say this, but I can’t be at two places at once, Ma’am. If it’s alright with you, I can deploy a small team out here to protect the village,” Agent Giles offered.
“Thanks for the offer, dear. But there’s help on their way to defend Azoco.”
“Do you honestly think they are enough to fend off the Phantom-Bombers?
“Knowing them, they can handle it. After all, it wouldn’t be their first time.”
October 3rd – 8:25 PM
In the hours since Keenth had departed Azoco village, the sun quietly set on Tortuga. A warm orange sky covers the remnants of the Prospear Bridge where a LanTech airship lands.
An Agent makes their way towards an individual hidden in the shadows. After letting out a sigh of disappointment, he expresses his thoughts.
“Of all of the places to meet, why would you choose here? Is there anything else here worth investigating, Agent Fallon?”
“Really, man? What’s with the ‘Agent Fallon’ stuff, even when no one is even around? Let’s keep it on a first name basis for my sanity, David. Is that alright with you?” James responds. “After all, I’m not exactly here in official business.”
“Fine, James. We’ll do it your way. Just answer my question about why we are meeting here.”
“It’s been a couple of weeks since the attack on this bridge, yet it could pass for a ghost town. It’s a real shame how bad these attacks have shaken people up around here.”
“That is to be expected. People tend to put their safety first, even at the risk of staying away from landmarks as iconic as Prospear or the Training Academy. But given time, they’ll return as if nothing happened.”
“Really? How do you figure, David?”
“It’s human nature, really. People only care for what you have done or what you’ve done for them lately. Once we get a few reconstruction teams out here, they’ll come flooding back in no time.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Hopefully this happens sooner rather than later.”
“Oh? Why the rush? Don’t tell me that this place holds sentimental value to you all of a sudden?”
“Ha! Well, maybe, though it wouldn’t be all of a sudden. The center of the bridge is where I was commissioned as an Agent about five years ago.”
“Ah, that’s right. Has it been that long already?”
“Well, you’d remember if you showed up…”
“James, we’ve talked about this. I was doing an investigation near the Cordela border and—”
“Yeah, yeah. The mission always takes priority. I get that, trust me. It’s just that, I don’t know, it would be nice if you would consider how much of a milestone that was for me.”
“Right. You’re absolutely right. My apologies for that, James. If it means anything to you, I’ll keep that in mind when you’re promoted to an Elite Agent one day.”
“Me? An Elite? Get out of here! Sure, you have a pretty good shot, but I barely made the cut as an Agent as is. Thanks for the thought, though.”
“Ha, the only thing that would hold you back is yourself. If being an Elite or dare I say even a future Executive Officer is a goal, then fully dedicate yourself to that.”
“Interesting. I never thought I would hear that from you. Who knows, I might be the next Commanding Officer at that rate. Commander Fallon! It has a pretty good ring to it, doesn’t it?”
“It all depends on which Fallon you’re referring to,” David jokes.
For the first time in many years, the Fallon Brothers shared a genuine laugh with one another.
While time and certain events slowly pushed them apart over time, the siblings finally had a sense of relief, despite recent events.
Still, as their black overcoats signified, they were both first and foremost Agents of the LanTech Empire.
In the wake of a series of attacks in Tortuga, it was their obligation to hold those behind these events accountable.
“So, James, are you going to tell me what happened to your arm?” the elder Fallon asks. “It seems like you’ve run into some trouble lately.”
“Oh, this? Well, when you are diving into an investigation like this, a few fights here and there come with the territory,” James replies, gazing down at the bottom half of his right sleeve which was burned off.
“Where did this happen? There’s still time to dispatch infantry to
track down whoever—”
“Hey, it’s nothing to worry about. I already handled it. But, look, I know you’re a pretty busy guy and you don’t have a lot of time to waste. There’s something important that we need to talk about.”
“Sure, what’s on your mind, James?”
“More than you could imagine. But what I brought you here for was to talk about the Phantom-Bombers.”
“What about them? There have only been fragments of clues left behind during both of their attacks. Truth be told, I was hoping that you would be able to unveil more while—”
“Cut the act, David. You know exactly what I’m getting at. How advanced they are, their destructive potential. There’s only one person who would be able to design machines on this level. A person that we’re all too familiar with.”
“Agent Keyes,” David soberly replies. “Sure, the idea has crossed my mind, but it makes absolutely no sense for him to have a hand in any of this.”
“I know, but hear me out. He doesn’t seem like the type to do something like this, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t forced to by the Executive Counsel or something. How else would you explain this, David?”
“Honestly, I can’t. But for you to even suggest something like this would be grounds for major discipline. Please tell me you have something to back this up.”
“That’s where you come in. Agents Connors, Giles, and yourself were directly mentored by Keyes. It’s safe to say that the three of you would know more about him than the rest of us. Is there something—anything—that could help us make any sense of this?”
“Before we go any further, why are you asking me? Haven’t you been working alongside Agents Connors and Giles during this investigation? Why haven’t you approached them with this?”
“It’s because I trust you, David. If this is as big as we think it is, what’s to say they wouldn’t think twice to take me out to cover their tracks? We’ve gotta do something before the next attack!”
“Next attack? Just how much do you know about these machines?”
“David, you’ve gotta trust me on this one. There’s so much to get into, but we can’t do it here. I have an airship docked on the other side of the bridge. It’s not a LanTech issued one, so we’d be off the grid for the time being. If we leave now, then we—”
“Wait, what are you suggesting? You do realize how insane this is, don’t you? It is one thing to suggest treason among the ranks, but how do you think it would look moving forward without going through the proper channels?”
“How would it look? Get over yourself, David! If what I’m saying is right, then some of our own took it upon themselves to eliminate a part of the proper channels you are so obsessed about! We have to do something about it and we don’t have time to debate this. So, tell me, are you in or are you out?”
“…I’m in. This is absolutely insane, but I’m in. If it’s something that you are so passionate about, then I’ll support you on this one. You’d better hope, for both of our sakes, that you are right about this, James.”
“Is that any way to talk to a future Elite Agent?” James replies, attempting to add some levity to the situation. “We’ll talk more on the way over there, sounds good?”
James looked over at his brother who stood in complete silence. Wondering what could have caused such a sudden change in his demeanor. Before he could ask what was going on, David ominously stated that he had to go.
“You’re leaving? What could be more important than this?”
“It was an urgent message from Forensics. I need to leave right away.”
“Forensics? Tell your people that it could wait. Needless to say, but what we have going on is way more important than whatever they’re stuck on.”
“That’s the thing, James. This message didn’t come from any of my subordinates–it came from Agent Keyes.”
“What?? How the hell is that even possible?”
“It isn’t...It can’t be possible...As the Forensics Lead, I conducted Agent Keyes’ autopsy myself. There’s just no way that he is alive.”
“Then maybe someone is using his device to contact you?”
“I doubt it. Unlike the rest of us, Agents at the Elite Level use communicators that are bio-authenticated. In other words, Agent Keyes’ device has been inoperable since he’s been dead–that is, for over a month.”
“This just doesn’t add up. Maybe one of the Agents is doing this just to mess with you? Come on, David, let’s head over to find out right now!”
“Sorry, James, but I’m heading there alone. The fact that this message was sent to me must be for a reason. The last thing that I would want to do is involve you with this.”
“Involve me? I’m the lead on the Keyes Investigation, so what makes you think that—”
“James! You asked me to trust you and I’m asking you to do the same. If it means anything to you, I’m just going there to see if it’s something the rebels set up. If you don’t hear back from me within the hour, feel free to come down with full force.”
“Fine, you win. Just be careful, David. I’ll be there if you need me, okay?”
“That’s Agent Fallon, and of course. I know you’ve got my back, brother.”
Agent David Fallon bids farewell and departs as his brother looks on. As his airship flies off into the distance, Agent James Fallon calls over to an unknown individual.
“You can come out now,” Agent Fallon instructs. “It seems as though having you there as backup was unnecessary after all.”
“If I may, Sir, there is nothing wrong with taking extra precautions,” Paul answers as he approaches. “If yesterday told us anything, it is that you can never be too safe these days.”
“I guess you’re right. That and you gave me a bit of a scare there the other day. I’m glad to see that you’re back on track.”
“Of course, Sir. Speaking of which, will we be departing for Azoco to eliminate Hedstrom and the others?”
“Azoco? No, that’s old news. If Kusari or Claude haven’t gotten back to me by now, then there’s no point in heading back there. We hardly have that kind of time to waste.”
“I understand. Then what will happen if someone traces back the machine in their village to you? Wouldn’t all of this be for nothing?”
“You really must have hit your head hard. After tonight, there won’t be an Azoco village to worry about. But there’s no point in chatting about things here. In less than an hour, you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about.”
“See, as in another attack? If so, what’s the point of launching a full-scale attack on a hidden village? What do we gain from something like that?”
“It wouldn’t just be Azoco. It would be Tortuga, Cordela, and Sadeena. Everything leading up to this will be nothing compared to what happens next. The entire continent of Hasania itself will fall tonight.”
“All of Hasania? How is that even possible? You would have to have thousands of machines to even—”
“There are over a hundred thousand Phantom-Bombers hidden throughout the regions ready to engage. Needless to say, numbers aren’t an issue here. Now enough, we’re leaving right now. Get ready to return to your Training Academy. We’re heading back to where this all started.”
Chapter Twelve
October 3rd – 8:50PM
“56-0405, Agent David Fallon III reporting,” he says, entering the Tortuga Forensics Headquarters. This was his third attempt, but no one from the security detail were responding.
“That’s pretty strange. It isn’t like them not to answer their phones either. Maybe I should have had James join me after all,” Agent Fallon thinks to himself as he inspects the entrances.
Having rushed to the location after receiving an ominous message, Agent Fallon is forced to push his brother’s revelation aside.
After all, it is one thing to suggest Agent Keyes had a hand in creating the Phantom-Bombers, but it was another to supposedly receive a message from the dead man that same evening.
With so much to focus on, Agent Fallon didn’t realize that it begun to rain. Rain has traditionally been a bad omen in Hasania, but, not being one for believing in such things, Agent Fallon decided not to pay that any mind.
“Great, just great. Well, there’s no point of idly standing around here any longer,” Agent Fallon said as he set a miniature electronic device on one of the side entrances. “Desperate times call for desperate measures, I suppose.”
A small explosion destroyed the locks on the doors, allowing Agent Fallon into the facility. Once inside, he realized that the majority of rooms and hallways had little to no lighting.
While he initially thought that he was completely alone, a faint humming sound came from the distance. Trying not to draw any attention to himself, Agent Fallon slowly drew his sword as he stealthily maneuvered through the facility’s corridors.
The rain began to intensify outside. At one point, the humming stopped, only for the sound of classical music to pour throughout the building, leaving a particularly haunting feeling.
Coming to the end of the main hall, Agent Fallon faces his main office. With the door slightly ajar, he cautiously made his way inside.
Surprised at seeing his office lit by two large candles on the opposite sides of the room, Agent Fallon sees an individual with their back toward him.
“Don’t move! You have breached a LanTech Facilitation Building. I order you to identify yourself immediately,” Agent Fallon demands. “If not, you will be met with appropriate force.”
“While I appreciate you keeping to protocol, is that really how to address your Commanding Officer?”
Upon hearing his voice, Agent Fallon immediately recognized it as the leader of the LanTech Movement was standing in his office.
Whether it was the platinum blond hair, or unsettlingly deep gray eyes, the Commanding Officer’s presence was undeniable.
“C-Commander Lansient? My apologies, Sir, but why? What are you doing out here?”
Fighter's Fever: The Metallic Siege Page 16