> II <

  Shishh! The door slides open and Natalie steps into the office. She smiles a little.

  It hasn’t changed one bit since Nobunaga left. Boxes and stacks of books and papers still litter the heavy desk and the area surrounding it. The wheeled, leather chair behind the desk is still scuffed with age and use. The bookshelves are still packed, though a few have been removed from the neat rows and lie open on the top of the desk. Rain patters against the large window—little pearls paint wet trails down the glass. The destroyed remains of Komos Tower loom in the distance. She lifts a simple metal photo frame from the desk and turns it over—it contains an image of a much younger Nobunaga with his silver-haired brother, Reiichi. She smiles a little more. How long has it been since those two trapped her in an alley and recruited her into P.U.S?

  Are you looking for your brother too, Nobunaga? Is that where you are? She runs her thumb over the image and sets the frame back down. If you were here, you’d understand… She wanders over to one of the bookshelves and begins tracing the spine of each book with her fingers, reading the titles.

  Shishh! The door opens and Kokona storms in, stirring some of the loose papers littered around the room. Her poncho is gone—she wears a pair of loose black pants and a white t-shirt bearing the P.U.S sigil. She walks over to the desk without a word, then slams both her hands down against it. BAM!

  “You mind telling me just what the hell that was?!” she says. Her honey colored eyes hurl a hot glare against Natalie’s face. Storm clouds brew at the back of Natalie’s skull—she narrows her eyes into a glare of her own.

  “I was interrogating the suspect,” she says.

  “Interrogating?! You call THAT an interrogation?!” Kokona scoffs. “It looked more like a damn execution from where I stood!”

  Natalie flinches and looks away. “He was giving me valuable info about Kayce…”

  “Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me!” Kokona throws her hands in the air and turns toward the window. “That’s what this is about?” She turns back to Natalie. “This mission was never about your brother, Nat! You knew that! This was supposed to be a step towards taking down one of the biggest drug rings in Preton and you nearly blew it!”

  “I had it under control, Kokona—”

  “Like hell you did! You abandoned your fellow Investigator, broke several mission directives and rules of engagement, and nearly KILLED OUR BEST LEAD!” Kokona’s face was turning red. “Don’t give me that bullshit about having it ‘under control’. Do you have any idea the mess you’ve put me in with High Command?!” Natalie sighs and looks at the floor.

  Kokona was appointed Deputy Captain by P.U.S High Command in Nobunaga’s absence. She’s changed since then—the carefree girl is always tense and weary with stress now.

  “I’m sorry, Kokona. It won’t happen again.”

  “‘Sorry’ isn’t gonna save you anymore, Nat.” Kokona sinks into the chair behind the desk. She shuts her eyes and pinches the bridge of her nose. “High Command wants you off your brother’s case…”

  Natalie scoffs. “Good luck with that.” Kokona is silent. “...Kokona, don’t tell me you’re actually considering that…”

  Kokona’s iron-firm gaze meets Natalie’s once more. “I’m sorry, Nat. I’m suspending you.”

  Natalie’s heart drops into her stomach and a wave of fire flowers through her body from the impact. Her face heats up. “Are you serious?”

  “I don’t have a choice…”

  “Of course you have a choice! You’re the damn squad leader!”

  “You’re too involved, Nat!”

  “Too involved?! Do you hear yourself?! He’s my BROTHER!!”

  Kokona stands. “Which is exactly why I can’t let you stay on this case anymore. You’re too emotional! Someone’s gonna get killed if you keep going like this!”

  Natalie throws her arms out. “So that’s it, then?”

  “That’s it.”

  Natalie scoffs again. “Unbelievable…you know, I thought you had my back on this…”

  “Natalie, don’t start—”

  “I thought you were my friend.”

  “I AM YOUR FRIEND!” Kokona’s face flies up, contorted between a grimace and a snarl. Tears glitter in her eyes. “And as your friend? I’m scared for you!” She gesture’s in Natalie’s direction. “Have you even looked in a damn mirror lately? You look like hell! When was the last time you slept or ate? When you aren’t out on mission, you’re here in the damn training range for hours!”

  Natalie glares at the wall. “You don’t understand…I need to get stronger…”

  “No, Nat, what you need is to take a break!”

  “I can’t take a break, Kokona! Not while Kayce—”

  “KAYCE IS GONE!!” Natalie flinches. The air in the room goes stiff as the words soak into the walls and floor. Kokona squeezes her eyes shut and hangs her head. Her knuckles curl and whiten against the desk. “That little boy you once knew is gone, Nat! There is no saving him, no redeeming him. He’s gone! And you need to accept that!”

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  Silence presses in, widening the space between them. Natalie’s thoughts are scattered—her chest is tight, and when she opens her mouth to speak, the words form a tangled mass in her throat. Heat builds behind her eyes. She turns for the door.

  “Natalie, wait…please…”

  “Are we done here?” Natalie glares over her shoulder. Kokona still hasn’t looked up.

  “...yes…”

  Natalie steps out into the hall and the door hisses shut behind her. Thump! The impact from within the room is followed by loud, muffled crying. Natalie swallows her own tears and turns down the hallway.

  “Miss Natalie!” Heels click up the hall at a hurried pace behind her. She turns. Tanya is racing toward her, tripping over her own feet and clutching her Star Pad to her chest as always. The girl slows when she sees Natalie’s face. “Oh—I’m sorry, is now a bad time?”

  Natalie shakes her head and forces a smile. “It’s fine. What do you need?”

  “We’ve…” Tanya looks her up and down one more time, then adjusts her glasses. “Well, we’ve just finished your improved kit according to your specifications! Would you…would you like to come review it? Again, if now is a bad time—”

  Natalie sighs. “It’s fine, Tanya. I could use a distraction anyways. Lead the way.”

  >>> ||| <<<

  Shissh! The door slides shut behind Natalie.

  Dammit… The knot around Kokona’s heart tightens. DAMMIT!! Her fists fly up and flick back down against the desk.

  BAM!! Pain curls up around her wrists.

  She collapses back into the chair, slumps over, and buries her face in her folded arms. Her body heaves with heavy sobs that tear her throat raw. She hits the desk again. Thump! “Dammit…” Thump! “Dammit!!” Thump!! She chokes down shivering mouthfuls of air between sobs. Clack! The framed photo on the desk tilts from the barrage and lands on its face. Kokona lifts her head, swallows another whimper, and mutters a swear. She lifts the photo and wipes her eyes on her arm. She holds the framed picture, gazing into Nobunaga’s still, cold eyes.

  “I could really use you right now, Captain…” Kokona says. She spins the chair toward the window and stares out at the ruins of Komos Tower. She lets her arm and the picture rest in her lap. Another tear rolls down her face, and she pulls it away on the back of her finger. “Quite the view…” She half chuckles, then leans back in the chair with a groan. She studies the arched ceiling and continues muttering.

  “I don’t know what I’m doing, Captain…I’m not cut out for this job like you are…” She looks back to the photo. “What would you be doing in this situation? You know more than I do what it’s like to lose a brother…hell, maybe that’s where you are right now…” Kokona stares out the window in silence for a few moments, then tosses one last glance at the photo. She manages a smile. “You always were a better listener than you were a talker…thanks anyways…” She sets the photo back on the desk.

  Shishh! The door hisses open. Kokona’s heart jumps. A woman in a pressed, white and blue suit steps in, her heels tapping against the floor.

  “Deputy Captain, we have a—” She pauses as she looks up from her Star Pad. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt—”

  “You’re fine, what is it?”

  “We have a developing situation in Strian. Reports of an individual causing a disturbance. Potential late-stage Collapse Syndrome.”

  Kokona’s eyes narrow and her chest stirs. “What’s the severity?”

  “Right now? Minor. The suspect is growing agitated, shouting, destroying property. We’re monitoring the situation, but we have no investigators in the area, so we can only go off reports right now.”

  Kokona leans back and rests her chin in her hand. It can’t be him…can it…? She shakes her head. No…can’t go jumping at every Collapse Syndrome case like this… “Send Michele. This’ll be good practice from her.” She looks past the woman, out into the hallway, then back to the framed photo of Nobunaga. “Send an Investigator from Bravo Team with her.” Sorry, Nat…I can’t let you get involved anymore.

  “Yes Ma’am. Shall we have an Enforcer team on standby should the situation escalate?”

  “Please.”

  “Understood. Dispatching orders now.” The woman taps on her Star Pad, gives a small bow, and rushes out of the room. Kokona turns back toward the window and sighs.

  Natalie…what am I gonna do with you…?

  >>> ||| <<<

  Natalie studies herself in the armory mirror. Kokona wasn’t wrong…

  She frowns. Her face is dirty—dark rings line her dull, green eyes. Her hair is a butchered mess, hacked into a short bob with a kitchen knife. The white streak in her hair is thicker and brighter.

  “Well, what do you think?” Tanya says. Natalie blinks back to the present. Tanya stands behind her, gazing into the mirror. The lower half of her face is covered by her raised Star Pad, and her chocolate-hazel eyes are wide and glittering. A large, glossy white crate lies open on the ground behind them. It’s covered in warning labels, and black spray-painted letters on its front face read: PROJECT-ANGEL-AVENGER-113.

  “It’s…” Natalie’s voice trails off as she turns and sways.

  Her body is clad in a tight black bodysuit and adorned with scaled armor plates. The bronze and pale-gold plates are ornate and segmented, with winged knee guards, shoulder guards, and gauntlets. Skirts of white cloth hang over her waist and right shoulder, and a navy blue cloak bearing the P.U.S sigil hangs from her neck and drapes over her left shoulder. Thin blades of golden-yellow hardlight sprout from her back in the shape of wings. She taps the side of her dull gold helmet and a solid plate slides down over her face. CLANG! BWEEE! The eyes of the faceguard light up like two glowing emeralds and small wings of golden hardlight sprout from either side of the helmet. She shakes her head and smiles. Yvette…you really need to lay off the fantasy novels…

  “Angelic!! It’s angelic, isn’t it?!” Tanya twirls and hops in place. “We improved the material to be stronger and covered up more of the exposed areas like you asked! Miss Yvette and I took some creative liberties—you look like a warrior angel, ready to rescue all the children of Strinova! Isn’t it beautiful?! Miss Yvette even let me design the shield projector myself!!”

  Natalie turns her wrist. The golden projector puck on her forearm is now mounted in place with 8 symmetric wings, and the outer edge of the disc is engraved with eyes. She clenches her fist. BWEEEEE! The hardlight shield materializes. The golden, glassy wall is more angular and ornate now, with wings sprouting from each corner. The P.U.S logo is still carved into its outer face.

  “For once, Tanya,” Natalie says, smiling as she runs her finger over the edge of the shield, “I agree with you. It’s beautiful.”

  Tanya’s face glows. She dances in a small circle while squealing. Then, she freezes and her eyes light up. “Oh! We can’t forget—” She spins and rummages through the crate. “New kit means new sword!” She tosses the sword to Natalie. The crossguard is a set of gold wings now, and the Komos Tower-shaped projector blooms at the top with a matching set of smaller wings. Natalie pulls the trigger below the crossguard. SKWEEEE!! The golden-yellow hardlight blade is longer, with an angled point. Natalie twirls it—just like the last one, it’s weightless and hums as the blade cuts the air. She extinguishes the blade and hooks it to her belt.

  “I love it.”

  Tanya squeals and dances again, then begins hammering her Star Pad with her fingertips. Natalie looks back into the mirror. A bright chirp rings off the walls.

  “Oh! I’m afraid I have to cut this short, Miss Natalie! Duty calls!” Clack! Tanya shuts the crate and shoves it into the armory locker with a grunt. She taps a few more things into her Star Pad, smiling and humming as she walks toward the door.

  “Thank you, Tanya…”

  Tanya doesn’t look up. “No need to thank me! I’m just doing my job!”

  “Sure,” Natalie says. “But I wouldn’t trust anyone else to help me with these sorts of things.”

  At last, Tanya looks up. Her eyes are glittering and her jaw is slack. Then, she smiles.

  “Thank you, Miss Natalie. It’s always a pleasure working with you.” She steps toward the door. “Shoot me a message if you need anything else, okay?”

  “Will do.”

  Tanya vanishes around the corner, taking Natalie’s smile with her. The sudden emptiness of the room makes the smog in her chest thicker—it chokes her aching heart. Without looking, Natalie reaches into the locker beside her. Her fingers close around the autojector. She pulls it out and lets it roll in the palm of her hand while she studies it. The liquid inside glitters like amethyst in the pallid light of the armory.

  Words echo in the back of her skull. Kayce is gone. Kayce is gone. Kayce is gone.

  She tightens her fist around the autojector.

  “I’m gonna make this right, Kayce,” she says, “I promise…I promise…”