Chapter 57 - Hide Away
By Cille
Emiri was sitting on her bed, which now consisted of the mattress sitting on the floor after she'd smashed up the frame. Fortunately Kira had cleared away all of the broken wood and swept up the splinters, so she just pretended it was a futon now.
She was polishing her chainblade for the umpteenth time since the end of the war, and wondering how Angel had fared with her romantic evening the night before, when someone knocked on the door.
"Yeah?" she called.
"It's Angel. Let me in."
Emiri hopped up and sashayed toward the door, knowing that Angel would have some good stories after her night with Roy. "What's the magic worrrrd?" she asked playfully.
"Please."
Emiri pursed her lips. "Well that's a boring magic word," she said as she opened the door.
The Angel on the other side of the door was a hot mess, but not the type Emiri was expecting. She was dressed in a sweatshirt and sweatpants, clearly going for comfort over style, and was hugging a pillow as if she were a child with a stuffed animal. Her hair was disheveled, but Emiri was most struck by her face - she looked completely exhausted, as if she'd spent the night crying.
"Damn, girl, what happened to you?"
"The best and worst night of my life," Angel said sullenly, walking past Emiri and plunking down on the remains of her bed.
"I'm gonna go ahead and assume those aren't his clothes," Emiri said, closing the door and coming to sit down.
"Not even close." Angel leaned back against the wall, still hugging the pillow.
"Okay, so what was good about it? Did you finally hook up with him?"
"I did."
"And? How was it?"
"It was amazing. It was probably the best sex I've ever had."
"Then why do you look absolutely miserable?"
"He called me Riza."
Emiri frowned and considered this. "Well that wasn't very smooth, but if the sex was that good..."
"He did it twice."
"That rat bastard." Emiri's eyes flashed with sudden anger. "Who the hell does he think you are? Is he really that fixated on his dead ex?"
"I don't know. I thought he'd gotten over that. I guess I was wrong."
Emiri crossed her arms and thought about the situation. "Geez, maybe I shouldn't have killed her husband. Although then you wouldn't have even gotten to the amazing sex part."
Angel just groaned and buried her face in the pillow.
"Well I'd offer you some liquor, but someone seems to have drunk it all," Emiri said with shifty eyes.
"I don't even want any. I feel numb enough already," Angel mumbled.
Emiri looked at her sympathetically. "So have you talked to him?" she asked.
Angel looked at her like she'd suggested putting her head in a lion's mouth. "Why do you think I'm hiding in here?"
"I dunno, I thought you were here to tell me all about your amazing night."
Angel sighed. "How do I even talk to him about something like this? 'Hi, sorry you've wasted your time being so perfect lately, I can't deal with you still being in love with your dead ex who can't seem to stop getting in the way of our perfect relationship even though she's been dead for like a year.'"
"Well you know... not to get all sour grapes on you or anything, but have you considered that he's probably not actually that perfect?" Emiri asked.
Angel rolled her eyes. "I know that, I'm not an idiot. Nobody's perfect, and I know his flaws better than anybody. But he's been trying really hard. I thought it was because he really cared about me. Now I don't even know."
"Hmm. Well I've been thinking about this since he went all Prince Charming on you. I mean it was great and all, and I really wanted you guys to get together if that was what you wanted. But I sorta wondered about his motivations."
Angel raised an eyebrow. "It's not like you had to worry about protecting my chastity."
"No, that's not what I mean," Emiri said. "It's like... He's a competitive guy. I fought with him once, remember? He doesn't like to lose. Maybe he saw winning you over as another competition. And if he could show up Matrix, so much the better."
Angel cringed. "Oh gawd, Matrix. I actually saw him as I was running back to my room. I wanted to die. I bet he's having a good laugh at what a failure I am."
Emiri shrugged. "Well maybe, but if he's that much of an asshole, f**k 'im."
Angel couldn't help smiling a little. It made her feel better to see her friend so righteously indignant on her behalf.
Another knock came at the door.
"Um... Emiri? It's Roy Mustang. Is Angel in there?" said the voice on the other side.
Emiri looked like she was ready to go bawl him out, but Angel frantically shook her head with a panicked look on her face.
"Naw, I haven't seen her today," Emiri answered, forcing herself to sound nonchalant. "Is something up?"
"Uh... I just need to talk to her. If you see her, tell her I'm looking for her, okay? It's important," Roy said.
"Yeah, I'll let her know," Emiri said.
"Thanks," Roy replied, and presumably went on his way.
The two women were silent for a few more minutes, exchanging wary looks, and then Emiri cautiously peeked out the door to make sure the coast was clear.
"He's gone," she reported, and then closed the door again.
Angel breathed a sigh of relief, and then slumped over with the pillow. "Great, so now he's looking for me. I guess I'm never leaving your room again."
Emiri sat down on the bed again. "You know you're going to have to deal with this sooner or later. And not just because it'll drive me crazy if I have to be your middleman for the rest of my life."
"I knoooooow..." Angel groaned. "I just can't handle it right now. I don't know what I'd say. I don't know what he'd say. He probably doesn't even realize what he did."
"Well if he's that oblivious, I wouldn't feel bad about leaving him hanging for a little while. But you're gonna have to clear things up eventually. Especially if you want to break things off."
"I know, I just... don't want to have to think about it too much right now."
Emiri looked at her and sighed. "Well you can hang out in here as long as you need to. Have you had anything to eat today?"
"No, I haven't gone anywhere except here."
"Fine, you just sit tight and I'll go get you some lunch," Emiri said, standing and heading for the door.
"Thaaaanks," Angel drawled.
Emiri shook her head as she started toward the cafeteria. Things certainly had gotten messy.
April was able to fix her up some quick sandwiches, and soon she was on her way back to her room. She paused in the hallway on the way back, trying to steady the plates she was carrying.
"Pssst."
With the plates less likely to topple over, she started off again.
"Pssst."
She stopped walking and looked around. It kinda sounded like someone was trying to get her attention.
"Psssst."
She finally located the source of the noise. It was Matrix, who was peeking out at her from behind the barely-cracked door of a supply closet.
"Matrix? What the hell do you want?" she asked irritably.
"Dammit, keep your voice down," he hissed, as his eyes darted around anxiously.
She came closer to the door. "Okay, what the hell do you want?" she hissed back.
"Have you seen Angel today?" he whispered.
"Why, what do you care?" Emiri retorted.
"Well... I saw her last night. She was in rough shape. I wondered if she was okay."
Emiri raised her eyebrows. "You're wondering if she's okay?"
"Yeah. I mean I'm sure she'll tell you about it. She didn't want to talk to me, obviously. But try to take care of her, okay? She could probably use a friend. Or something."
Emiri wasn't really sure how to react. It sure didn't look like Matrix was feeling smug about Angel being upset.
"Yeah, sure thing," she said warily.
"Okay thanks. Oh hey, one more thing. If Mu- I mean, if anyone asks, you haven't seen me."
"Yeah, oookay," Emiri said, giving him a weirded-out look as he closed the closet door and clicked the lock.
Well that was strange, Emiri thought as she continued to her room. Matrix was being uncharacteristically concerned about Angel, and also seemed worried about someone - probably Mustang - coming after him. Emiri would have liked to know what exactly he was on about, but under the circumstances she decided to just keep her thoughts to herself for now. She was already planning to take care of her friend, and that friend didn't need any more complication in her life at the moment.
**********
Ozzal was sitting in her control room surrounded by dark monitors, as she'd done day in and day out since the end of the war. She'd grown tired of reality programming, and was tapping her finger impatiently as she stared at the one monitor still showing views of the rebel bunker. As always, there was absolutely nothing going on.
"Why don't they do something? Why don't they come out already?" she finally exclaimed.
"Until they run out of food and water, they really have no reason to leave," Makina observed.
"And how long will that take?" Ozzal grumbled.
"If they've stocked their bunker properly, they could probably survive for months."
Ozzal's impatient finger-tapping sped up. "If I have to keep sitting here for that long, I'll die of boredom before they die of starvation."
"If you require additional entertainment, I can -"
"It's not about entertainment," Ozzal interrupted. "I have rebels to crush and a country to run. Sitting here staring at monitors won't help me do either of those things."
"The country has been running quite well under your direction," Makina pointed out. "We've had no trouble taking care of your administrative tasks remotely."
"Yeah, yeah, we've been busy little bees," Ozzal said, waving her hand. "I'm sure everyone back at Comdot is working very hard after they hang up the phone."
"I can have my staff give me productivity reports if you're concerned about that," Makina offered.
"That's not the point either and you know it."
Makina sighed, hoping this train of thought wasn't heading where she thought it was.
"That's it, I'm going back to Comdot," Ozzal said firmly.
"But madam -"
"Don't even bother with the lecture," Ozzal snapped. "I know there are risks. But I didn't get to where I am by not taking risks. I'm the most powerful person in the world, dammit. I need people to order around. If I'm going to be signing paperwork all day I might as well be doing it in my comfortable office. I don't even care about my parade anymore. I just need to get out of this hole."
Makina could tell she was really serious about it this time, and as much as she wanted to urge Ozzal to stay in hiding, she knew it would be pointless. So she just sighed and reluctantly nodded. "As you wish, madam. I will begin preparations immediately and plan for your departure tomorrow morning."
Ozzal smiled smugly and relaxed in her chair, pleased as always to be getting her way.
As promised, Makina diligently set about making arrangements for Ozzal's trip, and the next morning a row of packed suitcases and an armored escort awaited the Head Governor.
"Your vehicle is at your disposal, madam," Makina announced as soon as Ozzal made her late-morning appearance. "I've packed your belongings, but you should still check to make sure we haven't left anything behind."
"Okay, Mom," Ozzal mumbled, half-heartedly looking around the control room.
A phone rang and Makina pulled her cell phone out of her pocket.
"One of my men at Comdot," Makina said, glancing at the caller ID. "Apologies, madam, this should only take a moment."
She flipped the phone open and pressed it to her ear. "Yes."
Her stoic expression changed to shock in an instant. "When?"
Ozzal noticed the change in tone and raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
"How did it get in?"
As Makina listened she closed her eyes and clenched her jaw in frustration.
"Goddammit... Any casualties?"
"All right, listen to me," she said through gritted teeth. "Clear a two-block radius around the Estate. Anyone breaches that perimeter, shoot on sight. Only personnel with a verified government ID badge more than three months old are allowed in. Set up a checkpoint at the perimeter and thoroughly search every person or vehicle that wants to enter. I mean thoroughly."
She listened for another moment, and then snapped the phone shut. "Dammit to hell..." she muttered, clutching the phone in her fist.
"What happened, Major?" Ozzal asked, waiting for the bad news.
Makina sighed sharply and looked at Ozzal. "A bomb went off at Comdot this morning."
Ozzal narrowed her eyes. "Somebody set up us the bomb?"
"It was in a package smuggled in with a food delivery," Makina replied. "It must have had a timer on it, so by the time it went off the person who delivered it was long gone."
Ozzal pursed her lips. "And how many victims?"
"Two injured, from the kitchen staff. No deaths, thank God."
Ozzal sighed. "I expect your men will be working to track down the perpetrator?"
"Of course, madam. And it goes without saying that I will take full responsibility for this breach. There's no way this should have been allowed to happen."
"Oh, nonsense, you're here and that was there," Ozzal said, lazily flopping into her chair.
"I appreciate your lenience," Makina said, relaxing just a little. "I assure you that I will never allow anyone to get close to harming your actual person."
"Yes, I know," Ozzal said. "And let me guess, this means the trip back to Comdot is off."
Makina looked grim. "I'm sorry, madam. I know how badly you wanted to return home. But after this... No, I'm convinced that the only way I can guarantee your safety is for you to remain here. None of your enemies know where you are right now. But Comdot Estate is a giant target. I cannot put you in harm's way without knowing that I will be able to protect you."
"Right, right, so for now I just need to bide my time, blah blah blah..." Ozzal sighed, waving her hand.
Makina replied earnestly, "My people will redouble their efforts to wipe Orly clean of dissident filth. I only ask your patience as we bring the city in line."
Ozzal didn't even feel like making the effort to be grouchy. She did like the sound of wiping Orly clean of dissident filth.
"All right, you're dismissed," she said languidly. "Go get my crap unpacked. I'll be fine here with my boob tube."
"As you wish, madam," Makina said. With a contrite bow she left the room.
"Well damn," Ozzal muttered, and reached for the remote again.
Chapter 57 author's notes:
Recurring characters:
Emiri - _Boxers_
Angel Sarcasta - mgangel1124
*Heero Yuy - HeeroYuy135
Professor M. Matrix - matrixman124
April - LirpaYamEnujYluj
Michelle Ozzal - Mike Lazzo
*Izuru Kira - Bleach
Roy Mustang - Fullmetal Alchemist
*Riza "Hawkeye" Yui - Fullmetal Alchemist
Major Makina - Deadman Wonderland
* Characters marked with an asterisk are mentioned but do not take an active part in the story.
Emiri was sitting on her bed, which now consisted of the mattress sitting on the floor after she'd smashed up the frame. Fortunately Kira had cleared away all of the broken wood and swept up the splinters, so she just pretended it was a futon now.
She was polishing her chainblade for the umpteenth time since the end of the war, and wondering how Angel had fared with her romantic evening the night before, when someone knocked on the door.
"Yeah?" she called.
"It's Angel. Let me in."
Emiri hopped up and sashayed toward the door, knowing that Angel would have some good stories after her night with Roy. "What's the magic worrrrd?" she asked playfully.
"Please."
Emiri pursed her lips. "Well that's a boring magic word," she said as she opened the door.
The Angel on the other side of the door was a hot mess, but not the type Emiri was expecting. She was dressed in a sweatshirt and sweatpants, clearly going for comfort over style, and was hugging a pillow as if she were a child with a stuffed animal. Her hair was disheveled, but Emiri was most struck by her face - she looked completely exhausted, as if she'd spent the night crying.
"Damn, girl, what happened to you?"
"The best and worst night of my life," Angel said sullenly, walking past Emiri and plunking down on the remains of her bed.
"I'm gonna go ahead and assume those aren't his clothes," Emiri said, closing the door and coming to sit down.
"Not even close." Angel leaned back against the wall, still hugging the pillow.
"Okay, so what was good about it? Did you finally hook up with him?"
"I did."
"And? How was it?"
"It was amazing. It was probably the best sex I've ever had."
"Then why do you look absolutely miserable?"
"He called me Riza."
Emiri frowned and considered this. "Well that wasn't very smooth, but if the sex was that good..."
"He did it twice."
"That rat bastard." Emiri's eyes flashed with sudden anger. "Who the hell does he think you are? Is he really that fixated on his dead ex?"
"I don't know. I thought he'd gotten over that. I guess I was wrong."
Emiri crossed her arms and thought about the situation. "Geez, maybe I shouldn't have killed her husband. Although then you wouldn't have even gotten to the amazing sex part."
Angel just groaned and buried her face in the pillow.
"Well I'd offer you some liquor, but someone seems to have drunk it all," Emiri said with shifty eyes.
"I don't even want any. I feel numb enough already," Angel mumbled.
Emiri looked at her sympathetically. "So have you talked to him?" she asked.
Angel looked at her like she'd suggested putting her head in a lion's mouth. "Why do you think I'm hiding in here?"
"I dunno, I thought you were here to tell me all about your amazing night."
Angel sighed. "How do I even talk to him about something like this? 'Hi, sorry you've wasted your time being so perfect lately, I can't deal with you still being in love with your dead ex who can't seem to stop getting in the way of our perfect relationship even though she's been dead for like a year.'"
"Well you know... not to get all sour grapes on you or anything, but have you considered that he's probably not actually that perfect?" Emiri asked.
Angel rolled her eyes. "I know that, I'm not an idiot. Nobody's perfect, and I know his flaws better than anybody. But he's been trying really hard. I thought it was because he really cared about me. Now I don't even know."
"Hmm. Well I've been thinking about this since he went all Prince Charming on you. I mean it was great and all, and I really wanted you guys to get together if that was what you wanted. But I sorta wondered about his motivations."
Angel raised an eyebrow. "It's not like you had to worry about protecting my chastity."
"No, that's not what I mean," Emiri said. "It's like... He's a competitive guy. I fought with him once, remember? He doesn't like to lose. Maybe he saw winning you over as another competition. And if he could show up Matrix, so much the better."
Angel cringed. "Oh gawd, Matrix. I actually saw him as I was running back to my room. I wanted to die. I bet he's having a good laugh at what a failure I am."
Emiri shrugged. "Well maybe, but if he's that much of an asshole, f**k 'im."
Angel couldn't help smiling a little. It made her feel better to see her friend so righteously indignant on her behalf.
Another knock came at the door.
"Um... Emiri? It's Roy Mustang. Is Angel in there?" said the voice on the other side.
Emiri looked like she was ready to go bawl him out, but Angel frantically shook her head with a panicked look on her face.
"Naw, I haven't seen her today," Emiri answered, forcing herself to sound nonchalant. "Is something up?"
"Uh... I just need to talk to her. If you see her, tell her I'm looking for her, okay? It's important," Roy said.
"Yeah, I'll let her know," Emiri said.
"Thanks," Roy replied, and presumably went on his way.
The two women were silent for a few more minutes, exchanging wary looks, and then Emiri cautiously peeked out the door to make sure the coast was clear.
"He's gone," she reported, and then closed the door again.
Angel breathed a sigh of relief, and then slumped over with the pillow. "Great, so now he's looking for me. I guess I'm never leaving your room again."
Emiri sat down on the bed again. "You know you're going to have to deal with this sooner or later. And not just because it'll drive me crazy if I have to be your middleman for the rest of my life."
"I knoooooow..." Angel groaned. "I just can't handle it right now. I don't know what I'd say. I don't know what he'd say. He probably doesn't even realize what he did."
"Well if he's that oblivious, I wouldn't feel bad about leaving him hanging for a little while. But you're gonna have to clear things up eventually. Especially if you want to break things off."
"I know, I just... don't want to have to think about it too much right now."
Emiri looked at her and sighed. "Well you can hang out in here as long as you need to. Have you had anything to eat today?"
"No, I haven't gone anywhere except here."
"Fine, you just sit tight and I'll go get you some lunch," Emiri said, standing and heading for the door.
"Thaaaanks," Angel drawled.
Emiri shook her head as she started toward the cafeteria. Things certainly had gotten messy.
April was able to fix her up some quick sandwiches, and soon she was on her way back to her room. She paused in the hallway on the way back, trying to steady the plates she was carrying.
"Pssst."
With the plates less likely to topple over, she started off again.
"Pssst."
She stopped walking and looked around. It kinda sounded like someone was trying to get her attention.
"Psssst."
She finally located the source of the noise. It was Matrix, who was peeking out at her from behind the barely-cracked door of a supply closet.
"Matrix? What the hell do you want?" she asked irritably.
"Dammit, keep your voice down," he hissed, as his eyes darted around anxiously.
She came closer to the door. "Okay, what the hell do you want?" she hissed back.
"Have you seen Angel today?" he whispered.
"Why, what do you care?" Emiri retorted.
"Well... I saw her last night. She was in rough shape. I wondered if she was okay."
Emiri raised her eyebrows. "You're wondering if she's okay?"
"Yeah. I mean I'm sure she'll tell you about it. She didn't want to talk to me, obviously. But try to take care of her, okay? She could probably use a friend. Or something."
Emiri wasn't really sure how to react. It sure didn't look like Matrix was feeling smug about Angel being upset.
"Yeah, sure thing," she said warily.
"Okay thanks. Oh hey, one more thing. If Mu- I mean, if anyone asks, you haven't seen me."
"Yeah, oookay," Emiri said, giving him a weirded-out look as he closed the closet door and clicked the lock.
Well that was strange, Emiri thought as she continued to her room. Matrix was being uncharacteristically concerned about Angel, and also seemed worried about someone - probably Mustang - coming after him. Emiri would have liked to know what exactly he was on about, but under the circumstances she decided to just keep her thoughts to herself for now. She was already planning to take care of her friend, and that friend didn't need any more complication in her life at the moment.
**********
Ozzal was sitting in her control room surrounded by dark monitors, as she'd done day in and day out since the end of the war. She'd grown tired of reality programming, and was tapping her finger impatiently as she stared at the one monitor still showing views of the rebel bunker. As always, there was absolutely nothing going on.
"Why don't they do something? Why don't they come out already?" she finally exclaimed.
"Until they run out of food and water, they really have no reason to leave," Makina observed.
"And how long will that take?" Ozzal grumbled.
"If they've stocked their bunker properly, they could probably survive for months."
Ozzal's impatient finger-tapping sped up. "If I have to keep sitting here for that long, I'll die of boredom before they die of starvation."
"If you require additional entertainment, I can -"
"It's not about entertainment," Ozzal interrupted. "I have rebels to crush and a country to run. Sitting here staring at monitors won't help me do either of those things."
"The country has been running quite well under your direction," Makina pointed out. "We've had no trouble taking care of your administrative tasks remotely."
"Yeah, yeah, we've been busy little bees," Ozzal said, waving her hand. "I'm sure everyone back at Comdot is working very hard after they hang up the phone."
"I can have my staff give me productivity reports if you're concerned about that," Makina offered.
"That's not the point either and you know it."
Makina sighed, hoping this train of thought wasn't heading where she thought it was.
"That's it, I'm going back to Comdot," Ozzal said firmly.
"But madam -"
"Don't even bother with the lecture," Ozzal snapped. "I know there are risks. But I didn't get to where I am by not taking risks. I'm the most powerful person in the world, dammit. I need people to order around. If I'm going to be signing paperwork all day I might as well be doing it in my comfortable office. I don't even care about my parade anymore. I just need to get out of this hole."
Makina could tell she was really serious about it this time, and as much as she wanted to urge Ozzal to stay in hiding, she knew it would be pointless. So she just sighed and reluctantly nodded. "As you wish, madam. I will begin preparations immediately and plan for your departure tomorrow morning."
Ozzal smiled smugly and relaxed in her chair, pleased as always to be getting her way.
As promised, Makina diligently set about making arrangements for Ozzal's trip, and the next morning a row of packed suitcases and an armored escort awaited the Head Governor.
"Your vehicle is at your disposal, madam," Makina announced as soon as Ozzal made her late-morning appearance. "I've packed your belongings, but you should still check to make sure we haven't left anything behind."
"Okay, Mom," Ozzal mumbled, half-heartedly looking around the control room.
A phone rang and Makina pulled her cell phone out of her pocket.
"One of my men at Comdot," Makina said, glancing at the caller ID. "Apologies, madam, this should only take a moment."
She flipped the phone open and pressed it to her ear. "Yes."
Her stoic expression changed to shock in an instant. "When?"
Ozzal noticed the change in tone and raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
"How did it get in?"
As Makina listened she closed her eyes and clenched her jaw in frustration.
"Goddammit... Any casualties?"
"All right, listen to me," she said through gritted teeth. "Clear a two-block radius around the Estate. Anyone breaches that perimeter, shoot on sight. Only personnel with a verified government ID badge more than three months old are allowed in. Set up a checkpoint at the perimeter and thoroughly search every person or vehicle that wants to enter. I mean thoroughly."
She listened for another moment, and then snapped the phone shut. "Dammit to hell..." she muttered, clutching the phone in her fist.
"What happened, Major?" Ozzal asked, waiting for the bad news.
Makina sighed sharply and looked at Ozzal. "A bomb went off at Comdot this morning."
Ozzal narrowed her eyes. "Somebody set up us the bomb?"
"It was in a package smuggled in with a food delivery," Makina replied. "It must have had a timer on it, so by the time it went off the person who delivered it was long gone."
Ozzal pursed her lips. "And how many victims?"
"Two injured, from the kitchen staff. No deaths, thank God."
Ozzal sighed. "I expect your men will be working to track down the perpetrator?"
"Of course, madam. And it goes without saying that I will take full responsibility for this breach. There's no way this should have been allowed to happen."
"Oh, nonsense, you're here and that was there," Ozzal said, lazily flopping into her chair.
"I appreciate your lenience," Makina said, relaxing just a little. "I assure you that I will never allow anyone to get close to harming your actual person."
"Yes, I know," Ozzal said. "And let me guess, this means the trip back to Comdot is off."
Makina looked grim. "I'm sorry, madam. I know how badly you wanted to return home. But after this... No, I'm convinced that the only way I can guarantee your safety is for you to remain here. None of your enemies know where you are right now. But Comdot Estate is a giant target. I cannot put you in harm's way without knowing that I will be able to protect you."
"Right, right, so for now I just need to bide my time, blah blah blah..." Ozzal sighed, waving her hand.
Makina replied earnestly, "My people will redouble their efforts to wipe Orly clean of dissident filth. I only ask your patience as we bring the city in line."
Ozzal didn't even feel like making the effort to be grouchy. She did like the sound of wiping Orly clean of dissident filth.
"All right, you're dismissed," she said languidly. "Go get my crap unpacked. I'll be fine here with my boob tube."
"As you wish, madam," Makina said. With a contrite bow she left the room.
"Well damn," Ozzal muttered, and reached for the remote again.
Chapter 57 author's notes:
Recurring characters:
Emiri - _Boxers_
Angel Sarcasta - mgangel1124
*Heero Yuy - HeeroYuy135
Professor M. Matrix - matrixman124
April - LirpaYamEnujYluj
Michelle Ozzal - Mike Lazzo
*Izuru Kira - Bleach
Roy Mustang - Fullmetal Alchemist
*Riza "Hawkeye" Yui - Fullmetal Alchemist
Major Makina - Deadman Wonderland
* Characters marked with an asterisk are mentioned but do not take an active part in the story.