Chapter 62 - Icarus
By Cille
In the control room, a tired and dirty but determined group had assembled around the map table. Cille was busily sketching new coordinates onto her escape route map, with contributions from Matrix and his GPS. Hikki and Kamina watched them, with Kamina relating some more stories about their tunnel-digging adventures while they waited for the rest of the crew to join them.
Clarice came in wheeling Samson, who had insisted on leaving his room to join them. They were closely followed by Mustang, who looked anxious to begin making plans.
"Okay people, what have we got?" Mustang asked.
Hikki looked over the group. "Um... where ees Solomon? We should wait for heem before we begeen."
"He's not here yet?" Clarice asked, surprised. "He was the first one I told about this meeting. I don't know what's taking him so long."
A minute later, Solomon came into the room followed by Kirara.
"Sorry I was delayed," Solomon said. "I thought it best to bring along a scout."
"We didn't really want too many people knowing about this yet..." Cille said apprehensively.
"No worries, she can keep a secret," Solomon reassured her. "And from the sound of things, you might want someone with exceptional speed and affinity to darkness to do a little reconnaissance on your escape route."
Kirara smiled appreciatively. "Just give me a route and I'll go check it out. You'll want to know what's out there before you start sending people out."
Cille looked at Clarice and Hikki, and then they nodded to each other. Cille beckoned Kirara over to her map and began explaining the location of their new secret exit and the best way to reach the Comedian border from there. Everyone listened intently, and Kirara seemed to be carefully committing the map to memory.
"Got it," she said after Cille wrapped up her exposition. "I'll see what's out there and be back in a trice. Do you want me to take a radio or give you a call or something when I'm on my way back?"
"Too dangerous to use a comm," Mustang interjected. "The last thing we need is someone picking us up on the airwaves out there."
"Okay then, I'll just fly back as fast as I can," Kirara said. "I assume I don't need to go all the way to the border and back."
"Just canvas the immediate area. Maybe two or three miles out," Mustang said.
"You got it," Kirara answered.
"I'll run you out there," Kamina offered. "It's a little tricky if you don't know your way."
Kirara nodded and the two of them hurried out of the room.
The others watched them go, and then stood in awkward silence looking around at each other.
"So... what do we do in the meantime?" Clarice finally asked. "It's going to take her a while to get back. Are we just going to sit here and wait?"
"It won't take her long," Solomon said. "She moves fast when she wants to."
The group bided their time discussing travel rations and gear, and sure enough in less than an hour Kirara and Kamina appeared back at the doorway. Kamina looked a little winded, but Kirara showed no sign of her exertion.
"I'll tell you what, this chick has some moves," Kamina said, giving Kirara an appreciative look.
She smiled back at him. "It's nothing, really."
"So what did you find out there?" Mustang asked.
"I didn't see or sense anything hostile in the area," Kirara answered. "It feels like rain, but that shouldn't be too much of an issue."
"Zen eet really ees safe?" Hikki asked hopefully. "Should we start sending pepole out now?"
"Now? In the middle of the night?" Clarice asked.
"It is awfully sudden..." Cille added.
"If you know you're going to do it, and the way is clear, you might as well take your opportunity while you have it," Mustang said. "If nothing else, we'll need somebody to be the guinea pig to know if this is even going to work."
Cille saw his point, but she was still concerned. "But how are you going to decide who goes first? We haven't even let everybody know this is even an option. Are we just supposed to choose somebody to send out there?"
They all looked at each other uncertainly. Nobody really had a good answer.
"Anne," Samson said firmly.
Everyone looked at him in surprise.
"What about Anne?" Clarice asked.
"Anne needs to be the first one to go."
"Are you sure?" Cille asked.
Samson furrowed his brow. "I never should have brought her here in the first place. If I had known... She's seen way too much death and awfulness for someone her age. She needs to get out."
The others exchanged uncomfortable looks.
"You know... this could still be dangerous," Cille said gingerly. "We don't really know what's out there yet."
"You said it looks clear out there, right?" Samson said, turning to Kirara. "And if she has someone with her, you can protect her if anything happens. All you need to do is stay out of sight and run to the border. With only two of you, that shouldn't be hard."
Solomon put a hand on Kirara's shoulder, not wanting her to feel too put on the spot. "How do you feel about taking this on?" he asked.
"I was already planning to be an escort for anybody who goes," Kirara said. "I... don't know if it'll be as easy as Samson makes it sound, but I'm willing to try. And if you're sure it's okay to send Anne first, I'll do everything I can to make sure she makes it safely."
"What will you do once you get to Comedia?" Clarice asked. "You can't really just leave her there..."
"I know how to find allies there," Kirara said. "The Order of Glass branch there has been keeping a close eye on the situation over here. I'll leave her with them and then come back here."
"How long will it take to get there and back?" Cille asked.
Kirara took another look at the map. "To get there... with someone else, maybe three hours, four if she has trouble with the rough terrain. Coming back, much less than that. And then however long it takes to get her into safe hands."
"So can you make eet back here by morning?" Hikki asked.
"I think so. I'll do my best," Kirara said. "But it all depends on how quickly I can find the Glass people there."
The others looked at each other, as if confirming their decision, and then turned to Samson.
"You're sure about this," Clarice reiterated. "Once we send her out there, there's no turning back."
Samson frowned for a moment, and then nodded resolutely. "I only wish I could go with her myself, but that's not gonna happen. She can take care of herself, but she needs to get out of this death hole."
Clarice grimaced a little at the pessimistic term for their current home, and then nodded. "I'll go wake her up and tell her to pack a few things. We'll meet you at the tunnel as soon as we can," she said to Kirara.
"I'll be waiting," Kirara answered. She turned to Solomon. "Let's go over our list of contacts on the way."
"Good idea," he replied.
"I'll take a backpack to the stock room and load up some rations," Cille offered.
They all dispersed, but before Clarice left she gave Samson a long look and squeezed his hand. She could tell that he was worried about his sister, but he truly believed that sending her away was the best thing to do.
As she woke Anne up and the two of them hurriedly got her dressed and ready for the trip, and as Anne and Samson said their emotional farewells, and the entire way down the earthen tunnel, and even after she gave Kirara the passcodes and watched the two of them disappear into the night, Clarice just kept praying that everything would be okay.
**********
Kittan and Kamina had joined Elian at the tentacle door for their scheduled redeye watch. Kamina had already dozed off, while Kittan was sitting against one wall amusing himself by throwing a rubber ball against the other wall and catching it. Elian looked tired, but he seemed to have built up a tolerance for boring surveillance gigs.
"Hmm..." Elian mused suddenly, looking thoughtfully at his monitor.
"You got something?" Kittan asked. "Hell, at this point a deer would be more interesting than nothing."
"I think... someone's coming," Elian said.
Kittan immediately nudged Kamina awake. "Hey, somebody's coming."
Kamina snorted as he came to. "Ehh? Who is it? Kirara?"
They both peered at Elian's monitor and he zoomed in on the approaching figure. It was hard to pick out details with the rain coming down, but whoever it was seemed to be having kind of a hard time walking across the rough terrain.
Kittan frowned. "Is she supposed to be back already? It should have taken her longer to get to the border and back, right?"
The two of them watched intently as the person trudged toward them.
"I think it's her," said Kamina. "She's alone though. I don't see Anne with her."
"Are you sure?" asked Kittan. "Make sure there's nobody else out there."
Elian began scanning the area, but he didn't get too far before they heard Kirara's muffled voice on the other side of the tentacle door.
"For health and... beauty... take a cup... of tea... after a... meal."
"Hey, wait a minute!" Kamina tried to call out to her, but the tentacles began quivering and obediently pulled apart.
Kirara lunged through the doorway and fell to her hands and knees, struggling for breath. Kamina quickly gave the passcode to close the door, and the opening sealed up again.
The rain had left Kirara's hair, clothes, and face dripping wet. Kamina knelt down in front of her and helped her sit up. Once he could see her more clearly, he realized that there was also blood running down her face.
"Hey... what the hell happened to you?" Kamina asked urgently.
Kirara seemed ashamed to meet his gaze. Her words came between pained gasps of breath. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... They took her... I couldn't do anything... They were going to kill her..."
The men exchanged alarmed glances as they realized what she was saying.
"You mean... Anne?" Kittan asked anxiously.
"I'm so sorry!" Kirara collapsed onto the ground, convulsing with uncontrolled sobs.
**********
A few miles away, an isolated two-story farmhouse stood amidst fields that had long been fallow. One might have assumed it was completely abandoned and forgotten, but then the front door creaked open and a man stepped out onto the porch. He surveyed the dark landscape, not looking entirely pleased with what he saw, and then let the door slam shut behind him as he returned inside.
Within the great room of the house there was considerably more activity, and the man gave this scene a similarly appraising look. Groups of two or three people stood to each side, talking in earnest but hushed tones. A young man sat at an old-fashioned-looking radio, listening intently to his headpiece and occasionally leaning over to check a monitor. Two people went past carrying some sort of electrical equipment and gave the man a deferential nod as they passed. All of them wore military uniforms, which matched his own.
His gaze settled on the huddled form of a young girl, no more than fifteen years of age, who was bound and blindfolded and cowering against a wall. Her hair and clothes were soggy and she was shivering. She was being guarded by two soldiers, but she was offering no resistance and looked completely helpless.
The man pursed his lips and called to one of his nearby subordinates. "Private!"
A young man stopped what he was doing and turned to him. "Yes, sir?"
"Dry her off and get her a blanket and something hot to eat. Have one of the women look after her if she needs anything. And put her on a cot in the other room so she can sleep."
"Yes, sir." The private gave his superior a concerned look. "Maybe you should get some sleep too, Major Taredan. We've got a few hours before the sun comes up, and it's likely to be a big day."
The older man narrowed his eyes, but rather than objecting he abruptly started toward the stairs leading up to the bedrooms. "I'll be back down in two hours. Continue the setup as we discussed. And of course you are to inform me immediately if we hear anything from the recon team before then."
"Of course, sir."
Major Tom Taredan plodded slowly but deliberately up the stairs and made his way to his bunk. This had been quite the turn of events, but if he was going to get any rest at all, this was the time to do it. He was unlikely to get any actual sleep, but two hours of thinking would do him good.
Yes, it was going to be a big day.
Chapter 62 Author's Notes:
Recurring Characters:
Lucille "Cille" Compton - Cille
Professor M. Matrix - matrixman124
Hikki Follet - Kohikki
Clarice Rowe - QueenoftheDorks
Samson Monroe - MasterSamson
Kirara Amour - kiraralove
Anne Monroe - herself
Major Tom Taredan - Metatronda
Kamina - Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann
Roy Mustang - Fullmetal Alchemist
Solomon Goldsmith - Blood+
Kittan - Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann
Elian - s-CRY-ed
In the control room, a tired and dirty but determined group had assembled around the map table. Cille was busily sketching new coordinates onto her escape route map, with contributions from Matrix and his GPS. Hikki and Kamina watched them, with Kamina relating some more stories about their tunnel-digging adventures while they waited for the rest of the crew to join them.
Clarice came in wheeling Samson, who had insisted on leaving his room to join them. They were closely followed by Mustang, who looked anxious to begin making plans.
"Okay people, what have we got?" Mustang asked.
Hikki looked over the group. "Um... where ees Solomon? We should wait for heem before we begeen."
"He's not here yet?" Clarice asked, surprised. "He was the first one I told about this meeting. I don't know what's taking him so long."
A minute later, Solomon came into the room followed by Kirara.
"Sorry I was delayed," Solomon said. "I thought it best to bring along a scout."
"We didn't really want too many people knowing about this yet..." Cille said apprehensively.
"No worries, she can keep a secret," Solomon reassured her. "And from the sound of things, you might want someone with exceptional speed and affinity to darkness to do a little reconnaissance on your escape route."
Kirara smiled appreciatively. "Just give me a route and I'll go check it out. You'll want to know what's out there before you start sending people out."
Cille looked at Clarice and Hikki, and then they nodded to each other. Cille beckoned Kirara over to her map and began explaining the location of their new secret exit and the best way to reach the Comedian border from there. Everyone listened intently, and Kirara seemed to be carefully committing the map to memory.
"Got it," she said after Cille wrapped up her exposition. "I'll see what's out there and be back in a trice. Do you want me to take a radio or give you a call or something when I'm on my way back?"
"Too dangerous to use a comm," Mustang interjected. "The last thing we need is someone picking us up on the airwaves out there."
"Okay then, I'll just fly back as fast as I can," Kirara said. "I assume I don't need to go all the way to the border and back."
"Just canvas the immediate area. Maybe two or three miles out," Mustang said.
"You got it," Kirara answered.
"I'll run you out there," Kamina offered. "It's a little tricky if you don't know your way."
Kirara nodded and the two of them hurried out of the room.
The others watched them go, and then stood in awkward silence looking around at each other.
"So... what do we do in the meantime?" Clarice finally asked. "It's going to take her a while to get back. Are we just going to sit here and wait?"
"It won't take her long," Solomon said. "She moves fast when she wants to."
The group bided their time discussing travel rations and gear, and sure enough in less than an hour Kirara and Kamina appeared back at the doorway. Kamina looked a little winded, but Kirara showed no sign of her exertion.
"I'll tell you what, this chick has some moves," Kamina said, giving Kirara an appreciative look.
She smiled back at him. "It's nothing, really."
"So what did you find out there?" Mustang asked.
"I didn't see or sense anything hostile in the area," Kirara answered. "It feels like rain, but that shouldn't be too much of an issue."
"Zen eet really ees safe?" Hikki asked hopefully. "Should we start sending pepole out now?"
"Now? In the middle of the night?" Clarice asked.
"It is awfully sudden..." Cille added.
"If you know you're going to do it, and the way is clear, you might as well take your opportunity while you have it," Mustang said. "If nothing else, we'll need somebody to be the guinea pig to know if this is even going to work."
Cille saw his point, but she was still concerned. "But how are you going to decide who goes first? We haven't even let everybody know this is even an option. Are we just supposed to choose somebody to send out there?"
They all looked at each other uncertainly. Nobody really had a good answer.
"Anne," Samson said firmly.
Everyone looked at him in surprise.
"What about Anne?" Clarice asked.
"Anne needs to be the first one to go."
"Are you sure?" Cille asked.
Samson furrowed his brow. "I never should have brought her here in the first place. If I had known... She's seen way too much death and awfulness for someone her age. She needs to get out."
The others exchanged uncomfortable looks.
"You know... this could still be dangerous," Cille said gingerly. "We don't really know what's out there yet."
"You said it looks clear out there, right?" Samson said, turning to Kirara. "And if she has someone with her, you can protect her if anything happens. All you need to do is stay out of sight and run to the border. With only two of you, that shouldn't be hard."
Solomon put a hand on Kirara's shoulder, not wanting her to feel too put on the spot. "How do you feel about taking this on?" he asked.
"I was already planning to be an escort for anybody who goes," Kirara said. "I... don't know if it'll be as easy as Samson makes it sound, but I'm willing to try. And if you're sure it's okay to send Anne first, I'll do everything I can to make sure she makes it safely."
"What will you do once you get to Comedia?" Clarice asked. "You can't really just leave her there..."
"I know how to find allies there," Kirara said. "The Order of Glass branch there has been keeping a close eye on the situation over here. I'll leave her with them and then come back here."
"How long will it take to get there and back?" Cille asked.
Kirara took another look at the map. "To get there... with someone else, maybe three hours, four if she has trouble with the rough terrain. Coming back, much less than that. And then however long it takes to get her into safe hands."
"So can you make eet back here by morning?" Hikki asked.
"I think so. I'll do my best," Kirara said. "But it all depends on how quickly I can find the Glass people there."
The others looked at each other, as if confirming their decision, and then turned to Samson.
"You're sure about this," Clarice reiterated. "Once we send her out there, there's no turning back."
Samson frowned for a moment, and then nodded resolutely. "I only wish I could go with her myself, but that's not gonna happen. She can take care of herself, but she needs to get out of this death hole."
Clarice grimaced a little at the pessimistic term for their current home, and then nodded. "I'll go wake her up and tell her to pack a few things. We'll meet you at the tunnel as soon as we can," she said to Kirara.
"I'll be waiting," Kirara answered. She turned to Solomon. "Let's go over our list of contacts on the way."
"Good idea," he replied.
"I'll take a backpack to the stock room and load up some rations," Cille offered.
They all dispersed, but before Clarice left she gave Samson a long look and squeezed his hand. She could tell that he was worried about his sister, but he truly believed that sending her away was the best thing to do.
As she woke Anne up and the two of them hurriedly got her dressed and ready for the trip, and as Anne and Samson said their emotional farewells, and the entire way down the earthen tunnel, and even after she gave Kirara the passcodes and watched the two of them disappear into the night, Clarice just kept praying that everything would be okay.
**********
Kittan and Kamina had joined Elian at the tentacle door for their scheduled redeye watch. Kamina had already dozed off, while Kittan was sitting against one wall amusing himself by throwing a rubber ball against the other wall and catching it. Elian looked tired, but he seemed to have built up a tolerance for boring surveillance gigs.
"Hmm..." Elian mused suddenly, looking thoughtfully at his monitor.
"You got something?" Kittan asked. "Hell, at this point a deer would be more interesting than nothing."
"I think... someone's coming," Elian said.
Kittan immediately nudged Kamina awake. "Hey, somebody's coming."
Kamina snorted as he came to. "Ehh? Who is it? Kirara?"
They both peered at Elian's monitor and he zoomed in on the approaching figure. It was hard to pick out details with the rain coming down, but whoever it was seemed to be having kind of a hard time walking across the rough terrain.
Kittan frowned. "Is she supposed to be back already? It should have taken her longer to get to the border and back, right?"
The two of them watched intently as the person trudged toward them.
"I think it's her," said Kamina. "She's alone though. I don't see Anne with her."
"Are you sure?" asked Kittan. "Make sure there's nobody else out there."
Elian began scanning the area, but he didn't get too far before they heard Kirara's muffled voice on the other side of the tentacle door.
"For health and... beauty... take a cup... of tea... after a... meal."
"Hey, wait a minute!" Kamina tried to call out to her, but the tentacles began quivering and obediently pulled apart.
Kirara lunged through the doorway and fell to her hands and knees, struggling for breath. Kamina quickly gave the passcode to close the door, and the opening sealed up again.
The rain had left Kirara's hair, clothes, and face dripping wet. Kamina knelt down in front of her and helped her sit up. Once he could see her more clearly, he realized that there was also blood running down her face.
"Hey... what the hell happened to you?" Kamina asked urgently.
Kirara seemed ashamed to meet his gaze. Her words came between pained gasps of breath. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... They took her... I couldn't do anything... They were going to kill her..."
The men exchanged alarmed glances as they realized what she was saying.
"You mean... Anne?" Kittan asked anxiously.
"I'm so sorry!" Kirara collapsed onto the ground, convulsing with uncontrolled sobs.
**********
A few miles away, an isolated two-story farmhouse stood amidst fields that had long been fallow. One might have assumed it was completely abandoned and forgotten, but then the front door creaked open and a man stepped out onto the porch. He surveyed the dark landscape, not looking entirely pleased with what he saw, and then let the door slam shut behind him as he returned inside.
Within the great room of the house there was considerably more activity, and the man gave this scene a similarly appraising look. Groups of two or three people stood to each side, talking in earnest but hushed tones. A young man sat at an old-fashioned-looking radio, listening intently to his headpiece and occasionally leaning over to check a monitor. Two people went past carrying some sort of electrical equipment and gave the man a deferential nod as they passed. All of them wore military uniforms, which matched his own.
His gaze settled on the huddled form of a young girl, no more than fifteen years of age, who was bound and blindfolded and cowering against a wall. Her hair and clothes were soggy and she was shivering. She was being guarded by two soldiers, but she was offering no resistance and looked completely helpless.
The man pursed his lips and called to one of his nearby subordinates. "Private!"
A young man stopped what he was doing and turned to him. "Yes, sir?"
"Dry her off and get her a blanket and something hot to eat. Have one of the women look after her if she needs anything. And put her on a cot in the other room so she can sleep."
"Yes, sir." The private gave his superior a concerned look. "Maybe you should get some sleep too, Major Taredan. We've got a few hours before the sun comes up, and it's likely to be a big day."
The older man narrowed his eyes, but rather than objecting he abruptly started toward the stairs leading up to the bedrooms. "I'll be back down in two hours. Continue the setup as we discussed. And of course you are to inform me immediately if we hear anything from the recon team before then."
"Of course, sir."
Major Tom Taredan plodded slowly but deliberately up the stairs and made his way to his bunk. This had been quite the turn of events, but if he was going to get any rest at all, this was the time to do it. He was unlikely to get any actual sleep, but two hours of thinking would do him good.
Yes, it was going to be a big day.
Chapter 62 Author's Notes:
Recurring Characters:
Lucille "Cille" Compton - Cille
Professor M. Matrix - matrixman124
Hikki Follet - Kohikki
Clarice Rowe - QueenoftheDorks
Samson Monroe - MasterSamson
Kirara Amour - kiraralove
Anne Monroe - herself
Major Tom Taredan - Metatronda
Kamina - Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann
Roy Mustang - Fullmetal Alchemist
Solomon Goldsmith - Blood+
Kittan - Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann
Elian - s-CRY-ed