Bloodstained Rose

Chapter 10

The sun began to set over the horizon, casting shadows on the side of the Mobile Carrier. The inside of the vehicle had let out a hum as the reactor on board continued to generate power. Nomad had started to slowly get acquainted with his new team. He had realized Kismet was always hesitant to speak out, while Rowan appeared to be the opposite. Within a few hours of being on post with them, he had started to realize that they weren’t exactly the most straight edged crew he could hope for.

Megumi had come across as one of those “by the book” types to him. He had recognized her last name and did not take very long to make the connection with her and Vic. A few hours into the shift, he had realized that she was not the chattiest. There had been something off with her. While Rowan and Kismet had been posted up by the medical bay, he took notice of Megumi sitting on the bridge hunched over by the main panel with her tablet.

“Hey you,” Nomad said to her, trying not to startle her. She leaned back in her chair and adjusted her glasses. For a moment, he could see that her eyes were glassy and red. She tried to avoid making eye contact as he took a seat next to her. “So, you’re Field Research and Development?”

“Yeah,” Megumi stuttered for a moment as she tried to get the words out. “It’s a job.”

“Get out of here,” he playfully returned with a forced look of shock. She glanced back for just a second and turned to face the tablet one more. “What exactly is that?”

“It involves testing weapons in the field. We were working on Delta before I got transferred here.”

“Yeah, Delta, you told me about that. You never really explained why they sent you here.”

“I don’t like talking about my job.” she replied. He could see deep down that there was something going on behind the scenes. Instead of just outright confronting it, he tried to take a different approach.

“What was your life like back in Kashmir?” he asked, this time causing her to snap back at him. Her eyes had shot open for just a moment, causing her to stop and think.

“Nobody’s ever asked that before.”

“Wow, no kidding? Is your dad really strict?”

“I don’t really know how to answer that,” Megumi’s lips started to crack a smile before she began to snicker. She started to lean back into her chair, finally starting to open up and smile. The sight had warmed Nomad up, causing him to return with a soft grin. “He always wanted to make sure that I was on top of my studies. A lot of my nights were spent studying so I could take over bigger roles in the Weapons Administration.”

“Sounds kind of strict, but it sounds like he just really cared.”

“I guess you can say that.”

She started to turn back to her tablet, this time seemingly starting to regress back into her previous state. Nomad stared back towards the panel, this time starting to broach the topic he had wanted to discuss.

“It sounds like you two had a strong bond.” he remarked softly.

Megumi nodded back, this time tears had started to run down her cheeks as she replied, “We did, but things changed.”

Nomad’s heart had sunk after finally realizing the pain she had carried. He reached out to her, gently placing his hand onto her shoulder to offer some silent support.

She continued, “I always thought that he was a heroic type. All the stories of him defeating the One World Order forces and doing battle for the glory of the Premiere had always been inspiring. A few weeks ago, I oversaw the mission that took down Hideo-Jin-Ni. That wasn’t the battle they said it was, it was an execution. It really made me think how many of these heroic battles were one and the same.”

“Don’t think about it,” he squeezed her shoulder gently. He was not sure if the images in his head were as horrible as what she had seen. The sight of death had been something he was unfortunate enough to be greeted with, and he remembered the struggles of overcoming it. “I know that’s a big burden, but we can help you get through that.”

“What are we supposed to do? Just wait for them to de-process us so we don’t feel anything anymore?”

De-processing had been something that the troops had a constant fear of. In the event of de-processing, the subject would be made more docile—sometimes compared to a lobotomy. They would be functional enough to do basic tasks, but changed enough so that they never operated the same.

Nomad shook his head and said, “That’s not the way to think about it. There’s so much more we can do. We can change this.”

“What do you mean,” she said before suddenly whispering, “like a revolution?”

“Not like that,” he snapped back. His face went pale for a moment as he turned back and looked over his shoulder to ensure Kismet and Rowan were not present. After facing her again, he continued, “The people on the top of the ranks won’t be there forever. Who is going to stop us when we take the reins? Change starts with us.”

“Do you think they would do that? I’ve seen what they’re working on over us. We already have machines like Commander Yulia leading troops. How do we outlive that?”

We can’t, he wanted to say it back, but the thought just hung in the back of his mind. The A.S.B.s and the other machines being created by Melora and her team always instilled fear. After thinking more about the thought of them possibly taking the wheel, he started to feel a sense of clarity. It started to make him contemplate a much more extreme future where enhanced humans started to become obsolete. There’s nothing stopping them from just replacing us. I know exactly why my dad fought tooth and nail to stop them.

“I’m sorry, I’ve never had the chance to talk like this.” Megumi said after adjusting her glasses to wipe the moisture from her eyes.

“Don’t apologize, it’s good to talk,” Nomad said before giving her shoulder another firm squeeze. “It’s good to remind yourself that you’re still human. You have thoughts, express them or let them wither in silence.”

“Thanks, Nomad,” she returned with a smile. Before getting a chance to say anything else, a series of noises had started to ring out from one of the screens across from them. She then asked, “What is that?”

“That’s the intrusion detection module,” Nomad casually replied. He stood up from his chair and started to walk over towards the main panel. “There’s somebody outside.”

The sounds off boots striking the metal floor started to echo louder as Rowan and Kismet began to rush down the corridor. As the cadence of thuds grew near, Nomad’s fingers started to make their way across the control panel. The material of the buttons let out a clicking sound as they were pressed. Just as they had lit up, millions of pixels scattered across the massive display over the controls.

Within seconds, the screen had revealed Tetsu and Kona cautiously approaching the vehicle. The monitor started to blur while the two continued onward. The thought of danger had not crossed Nomad’s mind. In its place, he started to feel a sense of empathy once he noticed Tetsu crossing his arms to warm himself. Although the chilly night air was a far cry from what Kashmir would be at this time of the year, it had been piercing.

“What is it?” Rowan asked as she entered the room.

“Some kid.” Nomad quickly replied.

“I don’t like the looks of him.”

“He looks cold,” Megumi added after seeing Tetsu pulling his hands up to his mouth. “I don’t know why he would be out here so late.”

“Might be an enemy trap,” Rowan argued. She started to walk over towards them to get a closer look at Tetsu and Kona. “They want us to open the door. He looks like some cute kid, but my guess is that there’s a whole squad in the trees. You go out, you get pounced.”

“He’s not that cute.” Kismet mumbled aloud, barely managing to get anybody’s attention.

“I doubt that,” Nomad cut her off before turning back towards side hatch. He started to walk towards it, slithering past Rowan and Kismet before turning his head to face Rowan. “I’m going to go talk to him, watch my six in case that death squad jumps out of the trees.”

As the mocking words hung in the air, Rowan’s face had started to grow visibly irritated. Her eyes that were once serene had glinted with a mix of frustration and defiance, sending a silent message back to him. The side door of the Mobile Carrier started to creak while it slid open. The mechanisms whirred as a gust of cold air began to creep into the vehicle. Nomad’s teeth chattered for a moment, causing him to take a deep breath before stepping through the entrance.

“Alright kid, that’s far enough,” Nomad called out to Tetsu after poking his head through the opening. The command brought Tetsu to a halt. At the same time, Kona entered a guarded stance while a soft growl started to escape her snout. “Are you lost?”

“No, my name is Nojuro Tetsu, I am one of the nobles from Nojiri,” Tetsu shouted, barely managing to get the words out. He frantically started to rub his arms to try and build some warmth before continuing, “Please let me in, I need your help.”

“Don’t.” Rowan hissed. Nomad raised his hand to her to wave off the remarks.

“Do you have a gun?” he asked, keeping his tone firm as he addressed Tetsu.

“A what?” Tetsu shouted back.

“A gun.” Nomad repeated, rolling his eyes while trying to repress the urge to laugh.

Tetsu only shook his head and said, “I don’t know what that is.”

“Any weapons?”

“I have these knives, but I’ve never used them.”

Nomad sighed and lifted his hand, giving him the signal to enter the vehicle. Tetsu’s face lit up with excitement while his eyes started to water up. He and Kona started to dash towards the entrance, only causing panic to run through the other crew members still inside.

“Have you lost your mind?” Rowan asked.

Her voice was near the point of breaking, but Nomad only continued to block her out. Within moments, the sounds of Kona’s nails started to let out a symphony of clicks as she entered the hatch. Nomad pulled back, feeling uneasy upon seeing the dog starting to jump excitedly towards him.

“Hey, it doesn’t bite, does it?” Nomad asked while trying to pull his arms away from her.

“No, she’s a good dog.” Tetsu replied.

Once he and Kona made their way inside, Nomad gave the signal to Megumi to finally close the hatch.

“Get him a blanket or something.” Megumi said to Kismet.

Without hesitation, she nodded back to Megumi and started to walk back through the vehicle. Kona’s curious sniffing had had brought a smile to her face, only causing her to reach out her hands towards the dog.

Tetsu quickly said, “I’m fine. I’m used to it by now.”

“What brings you out this way?” Nomad inquired.

“My niece is very sick. We don’t have any medicine,” he replied. After gritting his teeth, he looked up to Nomad and lifted his hands back towards his mouth. His warm breath had provided some level of relief while the inside of the Mobile Carrier started to slowly grow hotter. “I’m not here to fight, I need help. Can you guys help me?”

Megumi’s face had reflected the concern that started brewing inside. She stood from her chair and started to approach him with her tablet close.

“What is wrong with your niece?” she asked him.

“She’s been having trouble breathing for the last week,” Tetsu replied, still rubbing his arms to try and warm himself. “We’ve tried everything to help her. Is there any medicine you can give us?”

“That could be a lot of things. We would need to bring her here to have Control take a look.”

The suggestion made Rowan turn to her. Her jaw dropped as her eyes curled, only causing her to start to mutter under her breath.

“There’s no way any of us would get clearance to leave.” Rowan said to her.

Nomad dipped his head and cocked his hand up towards his face. He had seen what they had done to the town and its people in the last month. The feeling of being helpless against the G.E.I. as a child only furthered his urge to try and step in.

“That would be my call,” Nomad spoke. “I’m in charge of this vessel until the Guard Chief gets back.”

“That would be a bad call,” Rowan replied. “What if there’s an ambush out there? If you go alone, you’ll be outnumbered! Use your head, this whole situation reeks.”

We can change this, Nomad’s words starting to play in Megumi’s head. She slowly found herself starting to break from the mold that had kept her in line for her entire life. While Rowan and Nomad continued to go back and forth, she finally decided to stand up.

“I’ll go with him,” Megumi said boldly, only bringing out mixed emotions from the two. “I’m a certified UAZ driver and we can easily get to town and back in twenty minutes, tops.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Nomad said. “Go ahead and get the UAZ and bring it around to the side.”

Rowan’s bewilderment had become overwhelming. She struggled to respond to the two suddenly having a change of heart and shook her head while they started to walk past her.

“What are we supposed to do if you two don’t come back? You might be walking into a trap, use your heads!” Rowan exclaimed.

“Maybe I can provide some collateral,” Tetsu finally spoke. He looked down at Kona and gave her a signal to come to his side. The dog had been distracted for a moment from its attention and shuffled away from Kismet. Just as she got by Tetsu’s side, he kneeled before running his fingers through the dog’s mane. “I’ll let you hold onto Kona until we get back. I mean you no harm, we came alone.”

“Oh really,” Rowan chirped before letting out a soft chuckle under her breath. “Is this the dog of legends worth a world of fortune?”

“No, she’s orange. She’s a really good dog.”

The comment caused a round of laughter from the others, leaving Rowan bemused at the response. She started to give in. Deep down she had felt some empathy that had barely managed to claw its way through the cascade of paranoia in her head.

“Fine, it’s your funeral.” Rowan said finally.

She brushed her palm over her face and turned back to Kismet who had already gotten into a kneeling position. Once Kismet called Kona over, Nomad started to make his exit with Megumi and Tetsu.

The UAZ was a type of ground vehicle that had been designed after an ancient vehicle known as a Tigr. It was perfect for off road terrain and being able to travel long distances. Its dull metal exterior had been suspended off the ground by four large tires that made easy work of the forest ahead. Something that had always remained true throughout time is that efficient designs would always remain a mainstay—the UAZ’s design held true to that notion. Most of the G.E.I.’s equipment had some sort of advanced reactor to allow its vehicle to operate for decades, and this vehicle was no different.

Shortly after being first exposed to the UAZ, Tetsu made peace with the sounds of the engine and the air conditioning. It had taken him some time to figure out the seatbelts, but the real shock was how the UAZ handled the terrain. Each bump on the ride to town would launch him up off the seat. After being rocked around in the seat a few times, he had found it to be less unpleasant and more of a treat. Nomad watched on from across the back seat, getting a slight bit of satisfaction seeing the boy’s face light up.

“First time in one of these?” Nomad asked.

“Is it obvious?” Tetsu replied as the vehicle jolted once more.

His rear-end had been lifted off the seat for a second before finally plopping back down. The only thing close to this before was getting a chance to ride in Minoru’s carriage. The only difference between a carriage and the UAZ was the speed, and it was clear that the mules would never be able to match it.

“How does this even work?” Tetsu inquired again.

Nomad laughed before saying, “It’s a complex set of machinery working in conjunction to push us forward on top of a set of four wheels.”

“Like a carriage!” he blurted out. It’s exactly like the carriage.

“Exactly, except there are no horses.” Megumi added, keeping her eyes fixated on the terrain ahead.

The vehicle continued to tear through the brush and roll onward. Each time they had come towards a small tree, Tetsu would curl up in response. However, after seeing the vehicle smash through a few trees with ease, he started to gleefully anticipate the next collision.

“That’s not a bad thing,” Tetsu replied before looking over to Nomad. “Is it?”

“No, not at all. This thing has two-thousand horses under the hood!” Nomad exclaimed.

Megumi smirked as she watched them through the rear-view mirror. The levity had given her a little push to get through the evening.

“How do you fit that many in here,” Tetsu said. “Two thousand horses under one hood? I’ve never heard of such magic.”

“We shrink them down and put them under the hood,” Nomad said, trying to maintain his bearing. “It’s very advanced stuff. I don’t think you could handle such concepts.”

“Now he’s playing with you.” Megumi interrupted them, snickering at Tetsu’s amazement.

“Then explain the horses and how you got two thousand inside it.” Tetsu said to her after leaning against the back of her seat.

“The proper term is horsepower. It’s a measurement used to determine how powerful an engine is. One unit means that the vehicle can lift over 33,000 pounds one foot in one minute. Multiply that by two thousand and you have this thing.” Megumi said firmly. Tetsu’s mouth had hung open to the thought. He shook his head, both in amazement and disbelief.

“I actually don’t know what any of that means,” Tetsu replied, only feeling some embarrassment over his lack of knowledge. These people and their civilization were leaps and bounds ahead of his in technology. Still excited, he continued, “I really can’t thank you two enough for this is!”

“It’s no sweat, kid.” Nomad said back.

He looked out the window to see the trees flying past the vehicle. Soon, the vehicle started to push through the end of the green and into Nojiri. They had finally pulled towards Nojuro Temple and over to the front gate, which had been cleared from the cold. It was nearing midnight and the temperature had since dropped to levels near freezing. This had given them plenty of leeway to load Tomo up and make the trip back.

“There’s usually a lot of people here.” Tetsu said to them as the UAZ had started to slow down. The wheels grinded to a halt, letting out a slight squeak from the metal axles.

“Didn’t you say your dad was the mayor or something?” Megumi asked.

“He’s the Lord, he runs the village. They’re mad about the whole supply route and you guys being here.” Tetsu replied as he pulled on the handle by the door to his left. There was a click from inside, releasing the latch so it could finally open.

“Understandable. Anyway, we should be in and out of here. There’s O.W.O. presence in the area more than likely,” Nomad said as he made his way out of the vehicle. After moving around the front of the UAZ, he gave it a pat on the hood. “Drive her around the block a few times while we get the girl.”

“Copy.” Megumi said before pressing her foot on the gas. The vehicle had begun to accelerate forward, soon making a turn around the corner and through the town.

“Alright, let’s get moving.” Nomad said finally.