Pride x Familiar

by Albert Ruckholdt

  I looked at Melanie over my shoulder. “Melanie, I’m sorry. I lied. Your butt and legs are amazing, but—”

  “Yes, I know,” she hissed. “In the end…breasts are still number one!”

  I nodded with a face full of regret. “I’m sorry. I can’t deny it.” I closed my eyes. “Please, Melanie. Please spare them.”

  The Countess sounded like she was about to burst an artery. “Spare them? Spare them? What about the rest of me?”

  I opened my eyes to see Melanie’s anger dissipate into defeat. I watched surrender settle on her attractive features. Her shoulders sagged. “I give up. I give up. I just give up. I can’t compete against those overfilled milk sacks.”

  Simone sounded incensed beyond words. “Milk…sacks…?”

  Melanie looked down at the ground between us.

  For a moment I feared the effect-field protecting us would collapse, but it held and Simone’s glorious bosom appeared to have been spared from the detrimental effects of heavy gravity.

  I almost breathed out in relief, but I worried that would trigger Melanie the wrong way.

  The situation felt like it was balanced on a knife edge.

  “Just tell me one thing,” Melanie asked softly. Her face was slack though her eyes were lidded as she looked up at me. “Tell me the truth. Did you truly mean it when you called me a vision?”

  I nodded without a second thought. “Yes. A vision from the heavens. I swear it upon my heart and soul.”

  Her face twisted slightly as an anguished look marred her features, then she relaxed slowly.

  Seconds went by before she spun on her heels.

  “Come on. Don’t fall behind.”

  I quickly released Simone’s breasts, not missing the way they bounced at least once before settling down.

  I grabbed the Countess’s right hand and pulled her along before she could utter a syllable in complaint. “You heard her. Let’s hurry.”

  Arriving at an emergency stairwell, Melanie pushed the door open, then descended quickly down the stairs as though making up for lost time.

  I glanced at Simone who was flushed red with simmering anger. She returned my glance then averted her gaze in a huff.

  I really couldn’t help sighing heavily after witnessing that.

  However, I didn’t regret my decision. Her chest was of monumental importance to me.

  Looking down at Melanie ahead of us, I asked, “What did you mean about a mistake in handing over power?”

  Melanie didn’t reply right away. “All I know is that Crimson Crescent believes the Familiars that fought for the Aventis made a mistake by handing over power to them once the war was over. Now they’re making amends for that.”

  “They’re taking power back? How?”

  “I don’t know,” Melanie admitted. “I’m just a cog in the wheel that was given a job to do.”

  “You don’t expect me to believe that. You know a lot for just being a cog in the wheel.” I narrowed my eyes as I studied her quickly. “What kind of Fragment do you have?”

  “That’s a secret,” she replied. “A girl can have some secrets, right?”

  I shook my head as I climbed down the stairs. “Then can you tell me why Crescent is here?” I hesitated then asked, “Do you know about the black box in the computer network?”

  She replied, “You mean the sealed off part of the network? Yes, I know about it.”

  “What’s inside?”

  She stopped walking and looked up at me. “The commands to open up the sublevels and to access the Vault chamber. Without those commands we can’t deactivate the security systems. It would take a mobile fortress to survive the security cannons that surround the entrance to the chamber. Even with an Artifact, a Familiar could never get close to it. It’s absolutely impossible.”

  I frowned down at her. “What is the Vault?”

  Melanie turned away and resumed descending the stairs. “It’s built under the school. Deep under the school.”

  Behind me, Simone said, “That doesn’t explain what it is.”

  For a moment Melanie appeared annoyed, but she kept walking. “As far as I know, it’s an Artifact and it’s very big. But that’s all I know. You’ll find out more when you get there.”

  I swallowed. “And my sister? Will she be waiting there?”

  Melanie slowed down for a moment. “Well I hope so, otherwise this is all for naught.”

  Despite holding Simone’s hand, I hurried a little and caught up to Melanie. I grabbed her left shoulder and dragged her to an acute stop.

  She turned in a hurry and glared at me. “What—?”

  “Tell me why you’re with Crimson Crescent?”

  She opened her mouth, then closed it quickly before opening it once more. “I have my reasons.”

  “What reasons?” For a heartbeat, I watched her jaw clench. “What reasons could you have for joining Crimson Crescent? Don’t you know what they’re guilty of?”

  Her glare grew as sharp as a knife. “Crescent has what I want.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “The means to avenge my parents.”

  I stared at her, then slowly withdrew the hand I had on her shoulder. “Avenge them? The Cardwells?”

  “No,” she snapped, “my real parents.”

  Simone spoke softly. “So…it’s true you were adopted.”

  Melanie shot the Countess a piercing look. “Yes. I was adopted by the Cardwells. They believed I might join the Avenir Pride, but it didn’t turn out that way. How disappointing for them.”

  I had trouble finding my voice. “What—what happened to your biological parents?”

  Melanie visibly trembled as her voice fell to a growl. “They’re dead—that’s what happened to them. They died because of the Prides and their damn in-fighting.”

  Simone’s voice cut between us. “Do you mind explaining rather than accusing?”

  Her eyes on Simone, Melanie took a step back up the stairs.

  I stood nervously, watching the two girls stare heatedly at each other, briefly wondering when the sparks would start to fly.

  In contrast to the heat in her eyes, Melanie’s voice was like ice.

  “My parents were Familiars. They served the Avenirs, and they were loyal to a fault. They weren’t fighters, they were explorers, and they were looking for the truth—for the truth behind the Cataclysm and the Artifacts. And they were killed for it.”

  Simone bristled icicles. “And you blame my Pride?”

  “I blame all the Prides.”

  “What evidence do you have?”

  Melanie’s eyes narrowed into thin slits. “They were on the super-freighter when it exploded.”

  My eyes almost popped out of their sockets, and my mouth fell open as shock ran through my body like an electric current.

  Beside me, Simone grew ashen.

  I managed to find my voice. “Wh—what did you say?”

  “They were explorers and that freighter wasn’t a freighter.” Melanie took another step closer. “That freighter was a Pathfinder mothership, and it was carrying a mother lode of Fragments and Artifacts.”

  Suddenly the Countess found her strength. “That explosion was caused by Crescent!”

  Melanie countered, “No, it was the Prides trying to outdo each other—trying to steal the Artifacts from each other.”

  Simone yelled, “That isn’t true. That’s a lie fostered by Crescent.”

  Melanie reached out and grabbed Simone’s necktie. “I read my parents’ journals. They wrote everything in there. They wrote about how the Prides began working against each other during the journey. And then it all came to a head when the super-freighter docked in the Harbor Sphere.”

  Simone’s eyes widened sharply. “What are you saying? How do you have their journals?”

  Melanie took a long, deep breath and released Simone’s necktie. “Crescent had them. They had people aboard that freighter. When it exploded they were aboard the pathfinder in its belly. T
hat’s how they survived. They tried rescuing the freighter crew, my parents among them, but they couldn’t. My parents died, but for some reason they had entrusted their journals to Crescent.”

  Still holding onto Simone’s hand, I slowly sank down and sat on a step.

  I heard Simone’s voice, barely above a whisper. “Your parents worked for Crescent?”

  I heard Melanie’s reply. “No, but they were approached by Crescent. However, my parents remained loyal to the Prides. Even so, they chose not to let the various ambitions and ideologies affect their research. So they kept their research open to all aboard that ship.”

  I looked up at Melanie. “My parents…my parents died in that explosion.”

  Melanie looked down at me. “I know. I’m sorry, Caelum.” She shook her head and swallowed hard. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you before.”

  I shook my head as well. “It’s…it’s such a small world…isn’t it….”

  Melanie smiled bitterly down at me. “Yeah, I guess it is.”

  Simone’s question garnered our attention. “Do you still have your parent’s journals?”

  Melanie shook her head. “No, I returned them to Crescent. It was too dangerous for me to keep them.”

  I frowned slightly. “Melanie, does my sister know?”

  “I believe she does.”

  I felt the air leave my lungs in a rush.

  Simone asked, “You received your Fragment from Crimson Crescent, didn’t you?”

  Melanie nodded just once. “And I was trained by them. I’ve had my Artifact for more than a year.”

  I noticed the thoughtful, troubled look on Simone’s face.

  Then I heard something unexpected from her.

  Simone bowed her head. “I’m sorry, Melanie. My mother has told me very little about the freighter explosion six years ago. I don’t know if I can believe you, but I can’t quite doubt you either.” She raised her head, and looked at Melanie standing a step below her. “But there’s one thing I can say. I promise not tell anyone what you’ve told me.”

  I stood up and stared at Simone in shock. “Why would you do that?”

  Simone faced me with a resolute look in her eyes. “I told you before, Caelum. I make my own shadow. I will not be a pawn or puppet of my mother’s.”

  I noticed the guarded look on Melanie’s face, but kept my eyes on Simone. “Are you saying you’ll keep Melanie’s secret?”

  “I’m saying I won’t tell them what Melanie has told us.”

  Melanie sounded unconvinced. “Why?”

  “As I said, I make my own shadow, and I don’t appreciate being kept in the dark by my mother.”

  Melanie shook her head, not quite convinced. “Even so—”

  Simone stated flatly, “I can keep secrets, just like my mother. And I won’t forgive her for taking Caelum’s Artifact from him. He didn’t deserve that.”

  Melanie glanced at me, then regarded Simone again. “Not that it matters to me anymore, but that’s entirely your choice.”

  The two girls regarded each other silently for a long, heavy moment. It felt like they were conversing only with their eyes.

  Suddenly Melanie glanced away, as though listening to something only she could hear.

  “Damn it,” she muttered loudly. “It looks like the Enforcers have managed to breach the tunnels.”

  I frowned. “Breached?”

  Melanie nodded weakly. “Crimson Crescent has access to the security doors inside the major tunnels. They closed most of them to prevent Special Interventions and the Enforcers from getting to the Vault chamber. But it looks like they just blew their way in. We have to hurry.”

  Melanie turned quickly and resumed walking down the stairs.

  I stared at her back, then gave Simone a quick look.

  The Countess breathed in deeply, as though gathering her resolve, and squeezed my fingers gently. “Like she said, let’s hurry.”

  Chapter 21 – Valkyrie Maiden.

  (Caelum)

  I was certain we were below the academy grounds.

  We had descended at least eight flights of stairs.

  While a step behind me, Simone asked. “Melanie, tell me one thing. What kind of Artifact do you have?”

  Melanie didn’t reply. She continued descending down the steps, and Simone and I hurried after her as best we could.

  I didn’t expect she would give the Countess an answer, after all she’d denied giving me one. Then all of a sudden I heard her reply.

  “It’s a Valkyrie Armor. Type Waltraute.”

  Simone hesitated on a step, and I had to slow quickly lest I pull her down.

  The Countess had a faintly distressed look on her face. “Waltraute? Then your Valkyrie is different from Caprice’s….”

  That surprised me so I asked, “How do you know that?”

  “Arisa told me,” Simone replied. “Caprice’s Valkyrie Armor is the type Gunnr.”

  Ahead of us, Melanie slowed to a stop and glanced up. “Gunnr? Not Brynhildr?”

  We came to a stop on the step above her. The Countess shook her head weakly, her long ash grey hair barely swishing over her shoulders. “No, it’s definitely Gunnr.”

  Melanie’s eyes blinked slowly yet her face was quietly calm. “Is her Valkyrie unlocked?”

  The Countess lowered her chin. “Unlocked?”

  “Yes, is the Maiden form unlocked?”

  I glanced between the two girls, trying not to appear at a loss and failing.

  What did she mean by Maiden form?

  However the Countess appeared to understand and shook her head again. “No, it’s locked. It’s the reason why Caprice has been unable to fully manifest the armor. I was told by Arisa that the Valkyrie Armor’s synchronicity with Caprice was still too low. So the lock her mother placed on the Artifact has yet to be broken.”

  Melanie nodded to herself. “I hope she doesn’t do anything foolish….”

  Before I could ask her what she meant, Melanie turned away and began descending the stairs once more.

  The Countess nudged me and we hurried after the girl.

  A few steps down and the Countess broke the brief silence. “Melanie, what are you going to do after this? Your existence as a member of Crimson Crescent has been revealed. Even if Caelum and I hide stuff from them, we won’t be able to lie to the investigators about that.”

  To my surprise, we suddenly arrived at a landing and stopped. It appeared we’d finally reached the bottom of the stairwell. How many flights had we descended? Was it twelve or thirteen?

  Looking about, I saw a metal door embedded into a permacrete wall.

  Melanie studied the door for a moment, then turned and faced the Countess. “Are you concerned for me?”

  Simone’s mouth opened and closed quickly. Then she sighed and said, “Yes.”

  Melanie’s expression grew conflicted. Of a sudden she looked down and slowly shook her head. “I don’t know what to think of you. I mean, I don’t like you and I hate your large breasts, but on the other hand I would have liked getting to know you better.”

  When she looked up, the two girls shared another long, meaningful look that left me feeling like a complete outsider. Then Melanie sighed softly, and turned around. She stared at the metal door that was buried an inch or so into the wall.

  Abruptly it unlocked and opened a couple of inches.

  Melanie muttered, “Well it’s about time….”

  She reached out and pushed it open enough for the three of us to slip through in single file.

  I had a feeling someone was either watching us, or in communication with Melanie, most probably the Crimson Crescent hacker who’d gained control of the academy’s systems.

  I believed they were responsible for opening the door in front of us.

  I pulled Simone through behind me, and heard her curse under her breath. I guessed her voluptuous chest was giving her a problem getting through the narrow doorway. I reached out and pushed the door open some more, feel
ing stupid for not having taken the Countess’s lateral profile into consideration.

  We found ourselves in a narrow tunnel with poor illumination, but my eyes quickly adjusted to the weak light.

  Melanie pointed in the direction where the tunnel came to an end in the distance. “I’m told there is a ladder leading down to the tunnel running below us. The blast doors intersecting that main tunnel are all open now so you won’t have any trouble getting to the Vault….”

  Her voice trailed away and her eyes narrowed as though she were peering into a distance only she could see. Then she grimaced in annoyance. “Damn it. We definitely need to hurry.”

  “Why? What’s wrong?”

  Melanie began walking down the tunnel at a fast pace. “Special Interventions’ troops are on their way. Come on, let’s go!”

  Simone and I had no choice but to chase after her.

  I’d been holding hands with the Countess for many long minutes now. Her hand had grown comfortable in mine, and I didn’t feel like letting it go.

  At the end of the tunnel, Melanie had pulled open a trapdoor that resembled a large metal manhole. She was crouched beside the opening, staring down into the circular darkness.

  When Simone and I stopped beside her, Melanie spoke without looking up, yet we heard her clearly.

  “After this I’ll leave Pharos. Crimson Crescent has arranged for me to get off the colony.”

  Her words made my heart uneasy. “Will I ever see you again?”

  She looked up and broke into a gentle smile, and my chest tightened noticeably. “Time will tell. But I’m sure we’ll see each other again.” She shook her head. “No—I know we will.”

  Melanie rose smoothly to her feet. Despite Simone standing beside me, she suddenly leaned toward me and planted a kiss on my right cheek.

  I was too surprised to react, and chided myself for not over-clocking. In slow motion I would have been able to enjoy it for much, much longer.

  But Melanie gave me a hopeful look. “It’s a pity I didn’t get to know you better. A pity we didn’t get to make Duncan jealous.”

  I blinked, remembering that night outside her apartment complex.

  I wanted to reach out and hold her, but instead I gave her a nod. “No matter what, you make it out safely. You hear me?”