by L. M. Kerr
Still... his demeanor made it apparent that his actions here weren't an anomaly, but a core part of him.
"What's up?" After a moment of staring at each other, Shin broke the silence.
"What can I, the newest Sub-Executive of the Godfather Organization, do for you?" He grinned a little wider as he announced his new position, rather pleased with himself.
Sophia simply shook her head with a sigh.
"Did you find out where they are?" She responded as she walked back inside the lounge.
This particular lounge had four small tables with chairs all around them, and a large desk on one end. The room was brightly lit, with the soft hum of air condition buzzing in the background.
"Yep." Shin followed her in, pulling out a cellphone. He tapped on it briefly before handing it over to her.
"All I had to do was put in a simple records request." As a Sub-Executive, Shin had quite a bit of authority in the Godfather Organization. His rescue of Head Cameron had earned him a huge amount of merit. The fact that he was a new Chosen had made him an even more valuable asset, given that he couldn't be a spy.
Just like the Angels Arcadia, the Godfather Organization had men assigned that could see the truth of one's words. Shin was able to confirm that he not only wasn't a spy but also had no nefarious intentions.
From all visible records, he was a powerful recruit and warrior of the Godfather Organization, a perfect cover, mostly because it wasn't a cover at all. His rise to power had been quite abrupt.
"The Old Airwing Military Alliance likes to move around and doesn't stay in one spot for too long." Shin continued. Sophia scanned over the information he had listed out on the phone, her eyes glued to it.
"They are allied with the Godfather Organization and on very good terms. They often go on long patrols right outside our territory." Shin nodded his head, speaking as if he was a long-time supporter of his newly joined organization,
"It's a fortuitous coincidence. Or, well, since Micheal's involved, we can blame it on him. His freaky future stuff." Shin shrugged casually.
"Hmm…" Sophia panned through the full information, a frown appearing on her face.
"They are all… veterans?" She remarked quietly, in question. Micheal had given her an explanation of what she needed to do, but hadn't gone over all the minor details, instead focusing on the man she needed to temporarily recruit.
"Yep, from everywhere too. It's a decently big group, something like 20,000ish men and women in it. They help patrol the outer areas of the Godfather Organization, but choose to remain independent." Shin's voice had a hint of admiration in it.
After a few movements, Sophia's eyes lit up.
"Ah!" She exclaimed as her eyes latched on to one particular detail.
-
Leadership Ranking of the Old Airwing Alliance
Leading General - Martin Hanskiwy "The Wave"
Lieutenant General - Hou Shi "The Mountain"
Major General - Henry Whitner "The Fire"
Brigadier General - Pedro Almaraz "The Sky"
-
"Pedro Almaraz. The Brigadier General of their team." She muttered out loud,
"Known as 'The Sky' for his terrifying aerial attacks." She looked over his information in detail, committing it all to memory. She didn't fully understand why Micheal needed to recruit him, but she understood that he had his reasons and that it was important.
Pedro Almaraz, according to this, was the 4th ranking member of the Old Airwing Alliance. Recruiting him, even temporarily, did not at all seem like an easy task.
Shin perked up as he saw her excitement.
"That's the guy?" He queried, glancing at her.
"That's the guy." Sophia smiled.
After Shin completed his challenge and won his rank, he had continued to train with members of the Godfather Organization. He also gained access to a Mission Control Forum, where he could accept missions that were posted in return for 'Contribution Points.' The more missions he completed as a Sub-Executive, and thus Contribution Points he earned, the better rewards he could draw.
It was a unique format to keep the powerful A Rankers working for and helping out their force. Most people had only been here a year or two and not everyone was an altruist. Loyalty wasn't something that would be inborn and keeping the force together was a focus of the Godfather Organization's leadership. A method like this was bound to keep people interested and the team cohesive.
Shin had automatically been gifted with a decent number of Contribution Points, as a leftover reward for his effort in helping save Head Cameron. He'd used some of those Points to get the intel he had now.
Their request had taken quite a bit of time and they had only now gotten back a response, though that partly seemed to be because of the thoroughness of the report they were given.
"Alright." Sophia's eyes flashed as looked up from the screen, glancing at Shin.
"According to this, their force is currently going on a slow expedition all the way around the Godfather Organization's territory to try and help quell the chaos that has been unfolding ever since so many people showed up." She spoke aloud slowly.
Shin nodded quietly in response.
"Right now, they are located…" She tapped on the phone, sliding down till she found one piece of information,
"To the South-East of the Godfather Organization's territory. Their central chain of command is currently skyscraper LM 881 and they will likely remain in place here for 4-6 more days." She finished up as she looked at Shin with excitement.
"So we just need to go there and convince this Pedro guy to join us, right? Then we meet up with Micheal near the center of the Main Cluster?" Shin replied, rubbing his hands slowly with anticipation.
He had so much to share with his best friend, and so many questions to ask him.
"Yes! Let's go right now!" Sophia put the phone away and then pulled out a map of the Main Cluster that Micheal had given her.
"There isn't a moment to waste!"
A few minutes later…
Two people, a man and a woman, could be seen traveling quickly and silently through the territory of the Godfather Organization, heading south. The man disappeared and then reappeared dozens of meters away, while the woman soared high in the sky, dancing on the wind as she flew.
In no time at all, the duo vanished into the distance, racing to complete their mission.
.. .. .. .. .. ..
Meanwhile, at an unknown area within the Nightrunner's territory, three masked figures could be seen, standing within a small room.
"My Golden Dogs will track the Aura we found in that room, but I can't guarantee that it will belong to our target." One of the masked figures, a man with a number 9 carved into his mask, had begun speaking. He was an average looking man, wearing black robes and the customary enamel mask of the Nightrunners.
Nothing about him made him stand out, save for the three small dogs that sat on the ground in front of him. Each dog had golden fur and stood at about the height of his shin. They wagged their tails cheerfully, looking around the room.
"It's her." Number 10's voice echoed out as she cut in, her eyes gleaming.
"According to the Angels Arcadia, no one but her has slept in that VIP room since it was last occupied." Number 10's tone was harsh as she replied, still livid from Number 14's death.
After finding out that Micheal had arrived in the Main Cluster with someone else, Number 10 had enlisted Number 9 to help her find that person.
Among all of the Nightrunners, Number 9 possessed some of the strongest tracing Abilities when it came to finding people. His Limited Type Ability was extremely unique in that aspect. The Animal Master Type.
Not only did he have a natural affinity for animals, he could also 'Summon' creatures to work by his side and aid him.
His 'Golden Dogs' were one of the creatures he could summon, ones that could sniff the air and seek out whatever it is they smelled even the faintest trace of. One of the things they
could sense was the 'Aura' of another being's Soul.
The third and last figure remained silent through all of this. A slim, small man wearing an enamel mask with the number 6 carved into it.
"Well. Like I said earlier, my dogs will be able to trace her Aura as long as we move within a mile of anywhere that our target has been within the past 24 hours." Number 9 shrugged nonchalantly.
"Good. Then our mission is simple." Number 10 nodded sharply,
"We'll enter the Godfather Organization's territory and split up. The moment one of us finds a hint of her Aura, we'll use their closed network to communicate in code. I'll create a forum post for us to use." Number 10's voice sounded supremely confident as she crouched down and patted one of the dogs on the head.
"Let's go." She stood back up, looking at both Number 6 and Number 9 warmly,
"There isn't a moment to waste."
.
Chapter 41
A few hours later…
.. .. .. .. .. ..
"Okay! Sh-Shin, hold on! Don't just go in!" Sophia's voice was an odd mix between a yell and a hushed whisper, neither quiet nor too loud as she waved frantically at a distant figure.
After heading out, Sophia and Shin had made fast progress. Both of them possessed Abilities that allowed them to travel extremely quickly, though Shin required a couple of breaks due to the repeated number of teleports. Each time he teleported stressed his Soul a bit, something that quickly added up when he teleported over and over.
It was now mid-afternoon and they'd finally arrived near their location.
"Yo, I'm here." Shin vanished from the distance and then reappeared right in front of Sophia, causing her to stumble backwards at his abrupt entrance. She flicked her wrist slightly, a stiff breeze of wind swooping up to stabilize her as she activated her Wind Sweeper Ability.
They were currently standing on the roof of a skyscraper that was mostly empty. Just a few skyscrapers away, a number of armed men could be seen, standing guard. Multiple skyscrapers had armed guards on their rooftops, forming a large perimeter of more than 10 skyscrapers.
When the Old Airwing Alliance patrolled, they brought more than 3,000 powerful fighters with them, leaving the rest of their forces back within their stationary territory. They were a huge force that routinely saved lives and brought about order. They also helped pick up those in need and transport them to the care of the Godfather Organization.
Their big team would split up into much smaller patrols and rotate in and out, sweeping through new areas each day. They would then move on after a few days, gradually making their way through the Main Cluster.
Sophia knew from the intelligence report that the Brigadier General of the group was currently stationed with this force. The Lieutenant General, Hou Shi, was here as well, operating as the active commander. Pedro was the second-in-command.
"Alright. So… Let's do it how we talked it up." Sophia nodded at Shin, her voice filled with a hint of tension and nervousness. This was her first real time ever doing something like this without Micheal.
"Gotcha. So you take the lead, and I'll sneak in as backup if I'm needed." The plan they came up with was simple.
Sophia would go in alone. She was a woman, and women were traditionally looked at as less of a threat. Further, going in alone would make her appear even more unthreatening.
She had to at least talk to Pedro, if nothing else. If they got held up or they refused to let her talk to the man, their whole mission would take a dour turn. She didn't think they would try to keep her here, but it was quite possible they wouldn't let her see him.
If their first attempt failed, she had a backup plan involving Shin simply teleporting to where the man was, but she wanted to avoid that at all costs.
They talked for a few more seconds as they solidified their plan, going over everything one last time.
They then parted ways. Shin teleported, vanishing with almost infuriating ease, while Sophia made sure she was unarmed and then began to walk towards the region controlled by the Old Airwing Alliance.
The closer she got, the more she could see of the armed men and women. They were dressed, unsurprisingly, as soldiers, geared up in full, urban camouflage. The only thing setting the scene apart from some type of apocalyptic military movie was the fact that most of them were armed with swords, axes, and other medieval weapons, in addition to guns.
Sophia approached them directly. She walked across several bridges, strolling through the roofs of several skyscrapers till she reached the last unoccupied and unguarded rooftop.
The moment she stepped onto the rooftop, several of the soldiers perked up, many of them staring over at her. When she walked over to the edge where a long, wooden bridge connected her skyscraper to theirs, one of the men on the other side began to walk towards her.
"Hi! He-hey!" Sophia stuttered slightly as she walked forward across the bridge to meet him. She took a deep breath, steadying herself as she began to project a facade of absolute confidence.
"Good afternoon, ma'am. How can we help you?" The soldier that greeted her had tan skin and wore a set of military fatigues, like everyone else visible. He looked young, in his late 20s at most, with a large axe slung across his back.
At the same time that he was greeting her, a few of the other veterans turned and studied her. None of them reached for any weapons, but they all remained on guard and vigilant.
"I'm here to meet with Brigadier General Almaraz." She opened up directly, hiding nothing.
"Oh?" The guard's eyes twitched as he stared at her anew, scanning her up and down.
"Wait here one moment for me if you will, ma'am." He turned and walked away from her, over towards another guard. This one had several badges, or pins, or whatever they were called, Sophia wasn't really sure, decorating his gear, and was older, in his mid-40s. He was also white, with greying hair and a rather blocky face.
The two spoke for a few seconds and then both turned to look at her. Both of them then approached Sophia as she waited patiently, nodding at them as they arrived.
"I am Captain Sheffer, assigned to supervise this block." The Captain introduced himself as he waved the first guard away.
"You have an appointment with General Almaraz?" His voice was full of respect when he mentioned the general.
"I don't have a prior appointment…" Sophia shook her head, but didn't drop any of her confidence,
"But I do have something he put out a request for a long time ago."
Captain Sheffer looked at her questioningly, motioning for her to continue after she paused.
"It concerns his wife and daughter." She gave a slow, solemn nod,
"And it concerns a cure for their condition."
Captain Sheffer's eyes widened in shock. Immediately as he registered what she said, his entire attitude changed.
"You should've said so! Here, James, Hansu!" The Captain turned to the side, waving over two other decorated men.
"Take charge while I'm gone. I will escort Miss…" Captain Sheffer paused and then glanced back at her,
"Call me K." She went with a random abbreviation, opting to not give out her real name, just in case.
"I will escort Miss K inside." The Captain was practically dancing with excitement as he grabbed her arm and pulled her forward,
"This is the best news I've heard all week!"
.. .. .. .. .. ..
'Well… that was easy.' The thought fluttered in Sophia's mind as she sat down, staring across the desk at a latino man with short black hair and a well-maintained mustache. He had dark green eyes and a handsome, mid-30s appearance, making him look like a suave gentleman. She couldn't see his stature since he was sitting down, but could tell that he was both fit and tall.
He was none other than Pedro Almaraz, the Brigadier General of the Old Airwing Alliance.
After she told Captain Sheffer why she was here, the man had taken her inside. He'd continued to be almost jumping with excitement, launching into an explosion of q
uestions about her plans.
She'd remained mostly silently, simply requesting to talk to General Almaraz about her 'findings.'
She was searched briefly for weapons and then had her Spatial Ring temporarily confiscated, to her great disappointment. She hadn't even considered hiding the ring. The ring itself was still bonded to her and, until she died, it couldn't be opened by other people without at least a large amount of effort but…
If she had to leave without it, it would prove a troublesome problem. A lot of the stuff she needed was in there.
She withdrew a small pouch of pills before handing it over.
And, right after that…
She was led directly into the office of Pedro Almaraz. The Brigadier General was present on base and unoccupied at the current moment, having just returned a few hours ago from an expedition.
It felt almost too easy, but she had no intentions of passing up on the lucky break she got. Apparently her request for a meeting was not that out of the ordinary.
The man's office was an actual office, a unique room in this skyscraper. It wasn't cluttered, with only a couple small stacks of papers sitting on a long desk, a couple of metal chairs, a desk lamp, and what looked like a modern telescope set near the window.
"Miss K." Pedro didn't wait as he greeted her, giving her a friendly nod as he introduced himself. He held a stack of papers in his hands. Behind Sophia, Captain Sheffer exited and left them in private.
"Are you with the Pent Gallens Group I commissioned to help me look for a cure? Or the Talbery Research Organization. Or, well, I'm afraid I've hired so many groups, I don't remember all of them." The latino man smiled as he spoke, but carried himself with a heavy, soul-crushing air, as if he was constantly having a bad day.
"No, I'm with an independent group that heard of your troubles and wanted to honestly help you out." Sophia returned as she got comfortable, shifting slightly in the chair. There was a thin cushion on it, but she could feel the metal bars pressing up through its base.
The Brigadier General blinked slowly as he leaned back in his chair, staring at her with a slightly confused look.