I recognized all three – Haruka, the Countess, and the girl who’d fired on the restaurant.
I almost punched the glass, but Kaleb caught my hand.
“No,” he whispered loudly. “We need to move.”
With that, he turned and left the cafeteria at a run. Needless to say, Caprice and I followed him just as quickly.
We ran down the stairs to the next level down.
I saw the signs for the girls and boys toilets up ahead.
Kaleb unzipped the bag as he ran, then slowed down as he pulled out two smaller bags.
I recognized them for what they were – skinsuit carry-bags.
I took the one he offered me, and Caprice took the other.
“Get changed,” was all he said.
I ran into the boys toilets with the bag under an arm.
Getting changed in one of the stalls, I didn’t even bother slipping my uniform over the skinsuit. It was black on black so it was guaranteed to stand out. What I did do, was attach the visor over my head and eyes. With it on, more than a third of my face was hidden. It would be a little hard to recognize me while I was wearing it.
My skinsuit was a little different. It had a short right sleeve, one that ended just below the elbow. As a result, that arm was weaker than the left since it wasn’t getting the full benefit of the skinsuit’s strength amplification. There was no choice. I still hadn’t mastered my Gauntlet to the point where it would manifest over my clothes a hundred percent of the time. There were occasions when it would eat up my right sleeve.
I piled my uniform into the carry-bag and took it with me as I left the toilets.
Kaleb was waiting outside, and a moment later he was joined by Caprice.
While I had failed to master my Gauntlet’s manifestation, Caprice could wear her Fragment and manifest it over her clothes. As a result, her skinsuit was complete, covering her body from neck to toe.
She gave me a shrug when I pouted at the sight of her black clad legs.
The lunch break bell sounded. Involuntarily we all looked up as it rang through the hallways.
“Let’s go,” Kaleb declared.
Dutifully, we followed.
The few students we passed by gave us strange looks, and quite a few stood and stared. I ignored them as best I could, and jogged behind Kaleb and Caprice.
He led us down a hallway. We entered the room at the end, and followed Kaleb into a second room through a locked door that he unlocked with a flat key-card. This turned out to be a stairwell, much like a fire escape.
We descended in single file.
“Where are we going?” I asked, wondering why such a stairwell existed.
“To the Vault,” Kaleb replied.
“The vault? What vault?”
Kaleb spoke as we half ran down the stairs. “We were wrong. Completely wrong. Crimson Crescent aren’t after the data in the network. They’re not after any medical data on the students. What they’re here for is the Vault.”
Caprice asked, “How do you know this?”
“Simone asked me to be on Academy grounds during this week and next, in the event Crescent made a move. I was in the Student Council room monitoring the security feeds when the sixth breach took place. The sixth security layer went down in two minutes. I rang Simone as soon as it happened.”
Subconsciously I was keeping track of how many floors we’d descended. If this was the third one, then we’d be at ground floor by now. However, the stairwell kept going down. I peeked over the edge of the hand railing.
Looks like another seven floors until we reach bottom.
I didn’t seen any landings along the way down.
Kaleb continued talking. “I told Simone what was happening and almost hung up, but then I realized she was talking to someone. Simone kept the line open and I listened in on the conversation, careful not give myself away. Oh, I should point out your esteemed Student Council President was in the room with me when all this happened.”
“So you listened in on her conversation?” I asked.
“Right, and that’s when I heard that girl talk about something under the Academy called, The Vault.”
I frowned a little. “The Vault?”
Caprice muttered, “Sounds like a Bee grade horror movie….”
Kaleb gave her a puzzled glance. “Severin and I didn’t know of any vault, so we contacted Alessandro Alucard, Simone’s older cousin. As part of Public Security Section Thirteen, he’s a Raynar in charge of executive protection to a number of important people within the Prides, including Simone. At first he denied the Vault’s existence until we sent him the live feed from Simone’s palm-slate and the security cameras with coverage over that area of the sports field. A couple of minutes later, and Alessandro said he’d verified there was a vault, but all data regarding it was outside of his security clearance. But he did send us data on a number of tunnels and stairwells leading down deep under the Academy. This is one of them and while he didn’t confirm it would lead to the Vault, he didn’t deny it either which is why we’re here now.”
Kaleb paused and looked up at us.
“Crimson Crescent believes there’s an Artifact in there. A very powerful Artifact that probably makes the others look like toy weapons.”
That statement wasn’t lost on Caprice and I.
I swallowed and asked, “Why would they believe that?”
Kaleb hesitated. “Because your sister put it there.”
My face twisted. “What?”
“Caelum, your sister was a member of the Artemis that served the Sanctum.”
“Yes, I know. Arisa told me that. She said my sister disappeared during a mission that wiped out a lot of the Artemis—a mission against Crimson Crescent that really thinned out their ranks. She said that a number of the current crop of Artemis are all newcomers.”
Kaleb looked uneasy. No, he looked downright uncomfortable. “Caelum, that cannon girl out there told Simone your sister is alive.”
If we’d been walking, I would have stumbled down the stairs.
For a long while I could barely breathe, let alone move.
It took me some time to find my voice. “She’s alive? My sister is alive? Where is she?”
“She’s with Crimson Crescent. She’s the one who sent them here. She put that Artifact into the vault under this Academy, and now it appears she wants it back.”
I didn’t know what to say. My sister was a part of the group responsible for the freighter explosion, the restaurant massacre, and other acts of widespread destruction during the last five to six years. How was that possible? Why would my sister join such an organization?
My mind was having a hard time accepting Kaleb’s words, especially since they were originally from the cannon girl – someone I had reason to distrust.
Kaleb looked me straight in the eyes. “Caelum, whether it’s true or not, we can’t dwell on your sister’s involvement. Right now, we need to get to the Vault, whatever it may be. We need to protect this Academy.”
I took a deep breath. “I told the Countess this school didn’t matter to me. I said the same thing to Prissila. But I told those girls they matter to me, so I would protect their Academy for them.” I gave Kaleb a resolute nod. “I won’t break my word to either of them.”
After a few moments he looked satisfied with my reply. “Alright, then let’s get down there.” He slipped on a headset-visor. “Severin, do you copy? Are you happy with that?”
I suddenly heard the Student Council President’s voice in my right ear.
“Yes. It’ll do for now. Caelum Desanto, if your sister is indeed responsible, this will undoubtedly put you at risk. The Primogens may hold you responsible as well. They may even allege your involvement. You’ll need to demonstrate that isn’t the case.”
“They’ll suspect me?”
“Yes, they most certainly will. After all, it appears that Simone’s sister, Silia Alucard, volunteered to lead the Judgment squad dispatched to hunt down and kill yo
ur sister.”
Caprice gasped and gave me a worried look.
I ignored her but only because my stomach had suddenly clamped painfully tight.
“Kaleb,” Severin said, “continue descending. In the meantime, Desanto, I want you to listen carefully. No questions. Just listen.”
We resumed our descent into the ground below the Academy.
I listened to Severin Kell recount what he’d heard via the open communication channel to Simone’s palm-slate.
I was trembling by the time he finished, but I couldn’t tell if it was from anger or fear. I thought of the incident on the rooftop back at my old school.
“So it really was because of my sister that those Raynars wanted to harm me. It was because Celica joined Crimson Crescent that they thought I would do the same if I became a Familiar. They really did see me as a threat.”
“You don’t know that for certain, Desanto,” Severin stated flatly. “The truth is we’re dealing with a great deal of uncorroborated evidence. It is dangerous to draw conclusions at this point.”
Though he said that, I couldn’t help myself returning to what Severin had said earlier. “But if my sister was responsible for putting the dangerous Artifact here, and Crimson Crescent are coming for it, then I can understand why the Primogens would suspect my involvement. They might order me purged as well.”
Severin replied in a hard voice, “I will not allow that to happen. After all, the Sanctum ordered the Artemis to be eliminated as a knee jerk reaction to the treachery of a few. I have no doubt the Purge influenced Celica’s decision to join Crimson Crescent. I will not allow them to give you a reason to follow in your sister’s footsteps.”
“Yeah, but—”
“Caelum Desanto afil Lanfear, the Lanfear Pride has high expectations for you. They would hate to see their investment in time and resources come to an end. I do not believe they would idly stand by and allow you to come to harm because of a decision made by an ill-informed Primogen Council and a clandestine group such as the Sanctum.”
An investment? Is that how Arisa really saw me?
Maybe I was far too trusting of Arisa, but then again who else could I trust or turn to?
Severin Kell Avenir?
Simone Alucard Raynar?
I trusted Caprice, but there was no way she could protect me against the orders of the Primogens. I had no choice but to place my trust in my Guardian, Arisa, and in the Lanfear Pride.
We arrived at the bottom of the stairwell.
I found myself staring at a metal door, much like a fire escape door.
Kaleb regarded it. “Severin, this door is locked and there’s no panel or keyhole. How the Hell do we open it?”
“Apparently it can only be opened by direct authority from the Primogens, via the network.”
“Meaning what?” Kaleb asked, sounding frustrated for the first time.
“Meaning, that until the Powers-that-be here in Pharos decree it be opened, that door and all the doors leading to the Vault will remain locked. Or we can simply wait for Crimson Crescent to open the door for us.”
Caprice asked, “Until then how do we get in there?” She touched her knees. “Do we kick the door down?”
I considered manifesting my Fragment and using the Gauntlet’s blades. The door looked pretty sturdy, but during testing the blades had cut through a two-foot thick tetra-steel door.
Kaleb shook his head while studying the door with his visor down over his eyes. “There’s an effect-field on the other side. A massively powerful field. We’d need a heavy cannon to bring that field down.”
Severin asked, “Is it too much for your Cuirassier to handle?”
Kaleb studied the door for a little while longer. “I’m afraid so….”
“Then what do we do?” I asked.
“We wait,” Severin replied. “After all, the seventh layer won’t last much longer.”
Caprice muttered loud enough to be heard, “They’re going for broke. Today’s the day.”
Severin chuckled. “I’m afraid so, Miss Steiner. We’ll wait for them to breach the layer and disable the security around the Vault. That should open the door…I hope.”
I cocked my head at the door. “Severin, you said Alucard gave you data on other tunnels and stairwells leading down. Does that mean there’s more than one way to the Vault?”
“That would appear to be the case. The stairwell you’re in was our best bet because it actually appears to be closest. Then again, I don’t know if the data we were given is real or not.”
I closed my eyes upon hearing this. “What happens if Crimson Crescent chooses to open a different entrance to the Vault?”
“Then feel free to break down that door, or run over to the Vault as fast as you can.”
Caprice asked, “And what if this is the door they unlock?”
“Then I guess you will be having company in a relatively short amount of time.”
#
(Haruka)
From the elbow down, the girl’s right arm was encased in a sleek cannon that resembled a crystal shard comprised of many smaller shards.
It was around five feet in length.
She aimed it easily enough at the mobile med centers on the sports field.
I stared at the students waiting in line. Some of them had noticed us, especially since the cannon’s muzzle was starting to sparkle with particles of violet light.
Would they run? Or would they remain where they were?
Beside me, the Countess was crouched as though preparing to make a suicide leap onto the girl. The distance was only twelve feet. I’d managed to jump twenty feet during last year’s sports carnival, so I knew she could do it in a single bound.
The girl wagged her left index finger at the Countess.
“Ara ara, Countess. Think you can do it? Ready to try your luck? I can fire at the drop of a hat.”
“What?”
“Oh, don’t you know? That’s the thing about Fragments. They’re fantastically powerful weapons with specifications well above anything humanity has produced so far. Like I said, I can fire in a heartbeat. And I can do it again, and again. So, do you want to take the chance?”
Simone slowly straightened.
The girl looked puzzled, arching an eyebrow at the Countess. “No? You don’t want to? Well then how about this? If you run away, I’ll shoot them. If Haruka runs away, I’ll shoot them.” Her eyebrows arched into a sharp vee and her face took on that predatory look again. “And if those drones try to snipe me, I’ll fire even as I die.”
I blinked. Did she say drones? What drones?
Both the Countess and I began cautiously looking around.
“Up there,” the girl said, “up in the sky. They’re behind you, and behind me.”
I looked in the direction she mentioned, and saw in the distance a number of dots just under the artificial sky. Because they weren’t moving, I hadn’t noticed them before.
Yet somehow this girl was able to see them and know them for what they were.
How did she do that?
The girl laughed, but her eyes remained hungry. “Actually, it doesn’t matter if they shoot.”
I squinted at the drones. They looked to be well over a kilometer away but I just wasn’t sure. Could they really snipe from that distance? The Countess and I were standing within fourteen feet of the girl. Would the drone operators take the chance and shoot regardless of our proximity to her. I glanced at the Countess and saw her watching the drones and the girl. She appeared to be locked in a dilemma that kept her from making a choice.
“How about this?” the girl said. “Why don’t you tell the people listening in to call off those drones, and I won’t shoot the good little Aventis out on the sports field.”
The Countess looked confused. “Listening in to us? Who’s listening in to us?”
The girl waved her left hand at the palm-slate lying on the ground beside Simone’s feet. “You never ended the call on that slate. The lin
e’s been open all this time. I noticed the drones showed up a couple of minutes after we began to talk. I’m guessing whoevers listening in on us figured out who you were with, and called for backup.”
Simone looked down at the palm-slate, then glanced at the girl.
“Go on,” the cannon wielding girl urged. “I won’t shoot just yet.”
The Countess picked up the slate. “Who’s listening? President? Did you call those drones?”
I tried listening to the conversation coming from the slate but couldn’t make out more than a word or two. My attention drifted to the students near the med buses. The final lunch break bell had sound only a few seconds ago. Was a gym class scheduled now? If so, then a classroom’s worth of students would be making their way to the building. Surely they would see the three of us.
Simone’s voice was admirably calm. “President, can you do it? Can you get the drones called off?”
“Thirty seconds,” the girl said. “Then I shoot. They snipe me, I shoot.”
She reached up and lowered over her eyes what I initially mistook for a headband, but it was actually a wraparound visor.
The Countess said, “Severin, you heard her. Please, do something.” Simone’s gaze was locked on the girl, but her attention was split between the girl and the party on the other end of the line. “Please, call my uncle or my cousin—or my sister if you have to.”
“Twenty seconds. Tick tock.”
I swallowed and asked, “Is this really what Celica wants? I knew Celica. She was always good to me. She treated me like a little sister. I can’t believe she would condone what you’re doing.”
“People change, Haruka Amiella. Life changes them,” the girl said. “Sucks but it happens.” She swallowed and called out, “Ten seconds.”
I took a half step forward. “You say she’s changed. Then I want to hear her condone this from her lips. I want to hear it from the girl I looked up to—the girl who told me to be there for her brother.”
“Time’s up,” she said.
The particles of light at the tip of the barrel began a spiral dance.
The Countess held her palm-slate outstretched to the girl. “No—wait! Listen to her!”
Pride X Familiar ReVamp (Pride X ReVamp Book 1) Page 29