Harbinger: Infinity [Mecha Drama]

172 - Ten Toes Down


Eryx paused in thought as he awaited a red light to turn, eventually grinning with his response: [We know you don't trust Rex, and that's why you tried to ask me that one particular question earlier about your friend, isn't it? To see if you could trust us.]

Damn, he's as aware of it as I predicted. "Well? I mean, you could specify just a bit more what you mean by that," Sam interrogated, looking over at Kerry, knowing she would surely want to hear this story.

Eryx shrugged his shoulders before pressing the accelerator at the turn of the traffic light. [I have no idea. I wasn't lying and I still am not. But that knot on her head says she was supposed to either be a captive or already executed. You tell me. But think about it, Cruella. You think about what I am trying to say.]

Come to think of it, he's almost coming off the same way Renzo used to come off when discussions went this way.

Sam then by chance noted they drove below the highway underpass rather than turn to merge, signaling Eryx had no intent of driving closer toward the areas of interest. "I get it. I just have one question, then, to see how much I still trust you. What will you do if Rex says otherwise to any choice I make from the options you gave me? Assuming he should be the one authorizing such options and not you, isn't Rex mostly in charge of this cooperative deal to begin with?"

Kerry struggled to contain her reaction to the sudden, brazenly direct question she didn't expect Sam to ask so soon. "Sam!?" She whispered through her teeth. And soon after, both Eryx and his accomplice began laughing, almost mockingly, unsettling Kerry but only as long as it took for her to notice Sam's calmer demeanor.

[It's a good thing our communications are all turned off. Has anyone ever told you how dangerous of a mouth you have?] Eryx spoke between unfinished chuckles.

Uh, yeah. Mr. Galeano, for starters… Sam wanted to answer as such, biting her tongue as she was still satisfied with where she saw the conversation headed. "Yes. And?"

[Fuck Rex,] the accomplice quickly blurted out with a hand waving gesture to match. [No one even knows what that son of a bitch really wants other than Reaper- I'd bet he'd take all our credit once we're done!]

[Hey,] Eryx put a hand out to insist his accomplice back off some. [You do what you think is best. That's why we are letting you choose, to put you in the best position to help win this damn thing for us.] He then looked at his rear-view mirror to catch Sam's eyes. [If Rex says shit, you keep moving and we'll cover for you. Just keep us in the loop with whichever route you end up choosing.]

"That's what I'll do, then," Sam answered gratefully with a smirk, looking at Kerry now with a "it's all good now" expression on her face.

.

● ● Jorge Newbery Airport, Palermo District, Buenos Aires, Argentina, SAU

Several of the farthest hangars at the edge of the airport were all clearly marked SAU property, much more apparent as such with the number of guard stations surrounding the two main entry points. And as a control tower operator watched over that particular area's surveillance screen from his station, he backed up to look out the window, noting the Palermo Hippodrome blocks away. His eyes then instinctively looked toward the sky, almost as if expecting something.

Down below at the center of the SAU hangar bloc, lights illuminated a cargo container similar to the ones Sam and Kaylen had encountered during their handoff of the Arondight and the Galatine the other night. Isaiah, dressed in his usual pilot jumpsuit walked up as the upper hatch locks opened, awaiting the crane arm to descend and remove the upper panel to the container.

As he stood there from the distance he kept from the others, he noticed his watch buzz as a call came in. Looking to see it was Marian, he swiped the hangup function as it showed the fifth time she had called. But rather than look back up at the container, he checked the time, noting it was almost seven. He thought of the first thing he wanted to check during load up, now looking upward to see the container walls were now being taken down.

As the panels lowered, the tips of the roller feet and the arching cockpit hatch armor came into clear view; what was expected to be a typical Hexa shade of blue or purple was instead a hunter green, almost matching the green base of every camouflage-painted LTAC he had piloted up until now. But in knightly fashion, prominent, glistening golden accents shone through, drawing mixed emotions from within. He questioned whether that was requests put in from his father, reminding him of the famed Forerunner "Nephilim" his father piloted at the end of the last Earth-Space War, but also reminding him of the absolute lack of pragmatic thought, calculation, and awareness of its attention-attracting nature.

And upon invitation to approach the LTAC, it was with closer inspection that the gaudy, unnecessary design points brought out a sense of pride he hadn't felt since his last own creation, the Seraphiel that ended the night it first launched in Manila, and a feeling similar to redemption welled up. And adding to those feelings were the now-visible monstrosities of a shield and sword pair, all in matching appearance.

So, this is the Curtana…

But those thoughts died in similar fashion with a heavy sigh, shaking his head before taking a hold of the extended cockpit ladder. After reaching the top, he carefully lowered himself into the cockpit module and rolled over onto his back, staring straight up into the hangar's ceiling framework and nearby crane arm.

I still don't know whether to feel relieved or worried that Kaylen Rodgers has been incapacitated. I can't fight Reign head on, yet I have no real data on Samantha's Arondight, either… I don't even know if I…

Remembering his next steps, he interrupted his thoughts with a reach for the power sequence switches and then for the helmet behind his head. Upon fastening his helmet in, he flipped down the visor and proceeded with the systems check.

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Why…

He knew to look for the operating system notes on startup to see "Antares Mk. I, Build 1.09X" right in plain view, eliciting a concerned sigh, feeling a different, unfamiliar nervousness kick in.

This means she must have it, too. This makes things more complicated since I don't have any hints at her compatibility level with this version of Antares. Dad, why…

"Systems clear," he proceeded to update the crew monitoring him after finishing his checkup. "Requesting location of Flight Group Tango Five."

[Tango Five approaching port, ETA Fifteen minutes to sortie-ready status,] an operator's voice quickly replied. [Awaiting orders from Bishop. Remain on standby.]

"Understood," he answered as he carefully ran through the Curtana's weapons and defense system's details. He felt his watch buzzing once more, and once more he ignored the call coming in from Marian as indicated in the far corner of his screen. But as the seconds passed with each buzz, he realized how much his grip had tightened around his controls. Blinking hard a few times to release some of the tension, he pushed his focus back onto preparations.

.

▽ ▽ ▽

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● ● Kennedy District, Bogota, Colombia, SAU

[Thanks for all the help with cleaning up, Bas,] a young woman in loose fatigues spoke to Sebastian with a weary smile, carrying a box of broken, burned furniture remains out of the mostly empty room, leaving a few behind as they continued sweeping.

Sebastian returned a smile and a nod, but soon after, his hands came to a stop as he held the broom in one hand, dropping the other to his side. And after a moment of taking in the view of what used to be the break room of the Galeano Compound he had spent so many years frequenting, it felt like he traveled back in time as memories took over his conscious. In front was the table that half the time remained cluttered with used cups and plates, many times with breads or other snacks for the taking by anyone passing by. He remembered the yerba mate that Rodrigo would often leave out for others, even though he was ultimately the only one to enjoy them.

Looking over at the balcony, he remembered the last minutes he spent there, reading news and watching over Sam as she slept for the first time after a rough first experience with Infinity's drop-gone-wrong. In the same motion, his view took him over to the door nearby where Renzo tried speaking to her for the first time- at least in a proper manner. And back to the table area where only bare concrete remained, Dani used to offer them a drink after a rough day, having always kept good stock of liquor.

[Bas,] Rodrigo called to him from a few steps behind, having watched him standing there like that for the past minute. [Hey. Maybe it's time to go out and get some fresh air.]

The two stepped just outside of what used to be the main garage exit, looking up at the sunset painted sky reaching just above the apartment buildings lined up nearby. Everything felt the same, smelled the same, sounded the same, just as it had over the past years. The only thing different was the number of people to share it with.

[I still wonder, you know… what made the kid want to build this place back,] Rodrigo broke the heavy silence, speaking of the young woman from earlier. She was the daughter of the late Mr. Galeano, leaving her job temporarily to rebuild the compound once the government allowed her to. The SAU crushed the familias over that short period since the last spat that got the compound burned to the ground, and any activity that was to return was only due to operation under SAU oversight. [She definitely didn't have to, and I'm sure there's nothing to gain in the end.]

[I have to admit,] Sebastian responded in a heavy tone, still looking out at the sky. [I was happy to hear. I thought rebuilding could help occupy me in a good way, hoping to make some new memories once we finished everything. But… but I was stupid to think this would be a good idea.] Tears began to well up as his memories from earlier collided with fears of never overcoming his losses. He took in a long, deep breath before it trembled on its way out. [Brother, I have no idea where to go or what to do.]

Rodrigo put a hand on his shoulder, giving him an affirming nudge. [You know I'm with you. And you also know I'm always ready to talk anything through, no matter how lost you feel. We'll figure something out.] He too never felt sure where or how to begin rebuilding what they lost. Even his own regret for venturing out with Enrai the past few months had him reeling. [But maybe we should move on after finishing up here. If the memories are even too much for me, I can't start to picture what it is for you.]

Sebastian let out a burst of wry laughter as a result of trying to hold his desire to cry out. [Maybe I shouldn't have left on that stupid adventure after all. Why did I ever think I could leave this place and get anything good out of it?]

[I'm not about to jump on that conversation,] Rodrigo curtly responded with a sigh, slowly wandered away from the exit and down the driveway. [You know I'm with you, but that's for helping you dig your way out, not to bury you. You do that on your own.]

Sebastian subconsciously rubbed the ball of his right fist, remembering back to sibling fights of old between he and Renzo, usually after Sebastian got caught up in his emotions. After a few long thoughts about what was just spoken to him, he looked up to see his friend a good twenty steps away. [I get it. I'll stop.] A quiet minute ticked on, and Sebastian figured Rodrigo couldn't hear him, leading him to walk over toward him. [Hey… I'm sorry, brother.] But as he neared him, something felt off, bringing him to a stop.

Is he… on a call?!

Sebastian could tell by the lean in Rodrigo's posture he was intently listening in on something through his earpiece. He knew Rodrigo never officially left Enrai, rather received a rather lenient, long leave of absence in return for what was lost after his, Renzo's, Dani's, and Rodrigo's contributions. [Hey, are you alright?]

A hand gestured for him to hold on, signaling his assertion to be correct.

It's Enrai, isn't it.

He thought to be patient and wait, but after another quiet minute passed, tensions stirred from within.

[Understood. I'll see.] Rodrigo then turned to face Sebastian with a fearful look.

[What happened?] Sebastian feared for the worst as he spoke up, seeing the face he always hated to see.

Rodrigo weakly smiled, not even trying to hide his concern. [I'll spare you the lecture. I won't expect anything but a good, honest answer. Just tell me you're tired, broken, exhausted, anything works.]

[What happened?] Sebastian firmly persisted, fists tightened. His gut instinct immediately brought all of his conscious thought onto one missing person in his life that still remained out there. [Brother, tell me.]

He was quick to give up upon seeing that old determination as he shook his head, looking away for a moment to gather himself. [A-7's. From Curitiba. They've been on the move, headed right for Palermo.]

[What? A-7's- are they… SAU?] Sebastian asked with a heightened sense of fear.

[SAU,] Rodrigo reluctantly confirmed.

What in the hell kind of backwards shit is that!? He truthfully expected to hear something along the lines of Reaper this or Rex that, but never the one governing body that seemed to always come around, albeit inconveniently late, to finish cleaning up any mess- especially messes like with what happened there in Bogota half a year ago. A few confuddled thoughts later with his brow raised like it hadn't been in a long while, he looked over at Rodrigo to confirm. [SAU against who?]

[Who else? They're about to stomp out a 'terrorist threat',] Rodrigo answered tight-lipped. [Please, just tell me you're too tired. Don't do this to yourself.]

Sebastian wasn't listening, too caught up on that one insinuation.

A terrorist… threat?!

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