LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 50 - Aftershocks
Let my armies be the rocks and the trees and the birds of the sky - Charlemagne
Operation Grand Slam (D UNKNOWN)
A brisk wind swept through the fortress's ramparts, causing it to whistle through the gaps. Blue pennants, with the sigil of the Thornewoods, fluttered in the breeze. Estelle, positioned atop the gatehouse, gazed down the road, than back towards the fortress's parade ground. As the wind gained strength, a stray lock of Estelle's hair wafted out of place. Instead of tucking it back under her hairband, she allowed it to dance freely in the breeze.
Estelle extended her hand, and allowed the sensation of the breeze to enter the bracelet. Bee opened her eyes and allowed the feeling to wash over her.
"It's nice to finally be out of that box and feeling something," Bee thought, somewhere in her soul she hoped for a response.
Estelle continued her contemplation of the road, growing bored she extracted a handful of purple grapes. After savoring one thoughtfully she spat out the seed.
"If you insist on imprisoning me within that bracelet of yours, the least you could do is provide some entertainment, anything but the BC-news," Bee complained. "Are you even listening to me, little one?"
Unfazed by Bee's attempts to get her attention, Estelle persisted in enjoying her grapes for another five minutes before responding.
"Would you prefer the option to return to your corporeal form? Once there, the court might mandate memory erasure or exile to a colonial world as punishment. The decision lies with you," Estelle explained.
"Neither alternative is appealing," Bee retorted. "Is binding my soul to your bracelet some twisted joke on your part? Do you even know what this is like?"
"Imprisoned, subjected to physical and mental torment like sleep deprivation and electric shock therapy until one submits to you as the only alternative to the aforementioned imprisonment?" Estelle replied.
“Point taken,” Bee replied.
Estelle delved into her bag with the hope of discovering an overlooked grape or two. Convinced that the final inspection wouldn't reveal anymore, she ambled toward the ledge of the tower. Her feet hung over the edge. At the fortress entrance, Indigo stepped out with a cup of tea in one hand and a note tucked under his arm. He waved for her to come down. Estelle waved back.
Then she saw Heather who toiled in the southern courtyard, digging beside the captured cannons and planting saplings in the holes. The mechanized rabbit was hopping around with artillery rounds.
Estelle teetered on the precipice, swaying back and forth.
“You should just end it,” Bee said."Do us all a big favor and jump."
“I think I shall indulge that whim,” Estelle said and fell forward.
“I didn’t mean it. STOP!” Bee screamed.
Estelle fell headfirst. Her heart raced every part of her body tingled with adrenaline and her pupils widened. The ground rushed towards her. Estelle allowed Bee to experience the rush of adrenaline as she fell.
“You’re going to hurt yourself, please stop,” Bee begged.
Before Estelle hit the ground, she tucked her knees to her chest and changed position. Landing on her right foot she placed her left foot behind her and curtsied. Indigo gave a thumbs up.
“I never realized that you cared, maybe there’s hope for you yet,” Estelle thought.
“I don’t,” Bee replied. “It’s just that…I…don’t know what will happen to me if you go to purgatory or something.”
"The deadly Guillotine fears the unknown. I suppose even serial killers have their fears," Estelle mused.
Bee remained silent, yet Estelle envisioned her, pouting and crossing her arms. The thought brought a smug smile to Estelle's face. As Indigo approached, he handed her a folded piece of paper.
"This just came in from our secure line. You wouldn't believe the setup Red left us – digital multiplexers, SIPPER networks, all sorts of new toys to play with," Indigo said, gesturing over his shoulder. "It will take me weeks to go through it all."
"We were fortuitous that Red lacked the opportunity to initiate their denial of resources protocol," Estelle said as she reexamined the note. "I should mention that without your efforts the outcome would have been unfavorable. Your and Triumph's efforts are to be applauded."
Indigo chuckled; his cheeks slightly flushed.
"It was a team effort, really. I just cleaned up the leftovers that T.C. missed."
"Still, congratulations are in order," Estelle beamed, rereading the paper. "It's official – the BC-Airfield is ours, and the Thornewoods and Wheels have a non-aggression pact with Red until next season. Now, we must take advantage of this downtime to prepare for our assault on the Dutchman mine."
"You that's deep in Gold territory?" Indigo asked hesitantly. "I mean no disrespect, how will we even get to the mine? Gold's security isn't as lax like with Red. We are still going through with Operation Grand Slam?"
"None taken. Please bear in mind that should my strategies seem unclear, do not hesitate to seek clarification. To address your concerns, do you comprehend the concept of the trifecta defense as it pertains to our current situation?" Estelle asked.
"Yeah, the Nakatomi Tower safeguards the iron mine, which in turn protects the Fortress," Indigo responded, stroking his beard.
Estelle raised her hand and extended her fingers wide.
"I intend to transform five strategic zones, under our control of course, into a city-wide pentagrammic ward," she explained, closing her fingers into a fist.
Indigo stared at Estelle, his jaw slack.
"Do you realize what that will do? It will create an absolute defense for anyone controlling the ward," he said, his voice alternating between restrained enthusiasm and disbelief.
"Let's reserve celebration until we secure the last zone. In the meantime, what's the status of the hybrids?" Estelle asked.
"Oh yeah, gotcha. We have two packs of quillodons, they're responding well to the training program Heather, and I have developed, most likely due to the wolf DNA," Indigo said as he pulled out a notebook and scanned the pages. “They seem very territorial.”
Estelle tapped her foot and held her thumb and forefinger up.
"Sorry, short version. They should be ready to be released into the forest by next week. Not so confident about the gorgers," Indigo said.
She crossed her arms and pressed her lips together.
"After gorgers feed, they become lazy and sleep till the next feeding. Any word on if Upper Management will pick them up?" Indigo asked.
Estelle held out her open hand and lowered her finger after she made each point.
"I’ve messaged Blue Team HR representatives, sent messages to Upper Management, called Upper Management, and even sent two written letters to the board of ethics, nothing," Estelle said. "In the interim..."
A loud boom rattled the walls and shook dust loose. Indigo dived under the doorway.
"Outgoing," Estelle said as she tucked the stray hair that fell out earlier.
"I’m...going back inside to see if I can get the gorgers to do something other than eat and sleep," Indigo said.
He opened the heavy steel door and disappeared indoors. Estelle sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of her nose. Then stomped towards the courtyard. Estelle scanned the notes on her internal monitor, six of the howitzers were operational, the two that were damaged beyond repair, and T.C. scrapped them for parts in the morning.
Heather, who had sprouted butterfly wings, was pouring water from a wooden bucket on a sapling. The picked up a clipboard by her bare feet. Behind her, Bun-Bun hopped along and was stacking artillery rounds on a wooden pallet.
"Oh, hey Boss Kitty, you like?" Heather asked.
"The wings? No, is that a result of the Wild Mutation skill?" asked Estelle.
"Yeah, but they will go away after an hour or so. I’m using the skill and trying to discover which metamorphosis will best suit Project Birchwood," Heather said as she pointed to a clipboard on the ground with her foot. “Here's the numbers.”
Estelle scanned through the notes. Heather pointed her finger at the empty bucket, and it filled with water.
"From the information here, apple trees, specifically Granny Smiths, have the fastest reload speed for the cannons, the weeping willows can make the adjustments better to the cannon’s trajectory better then the ivy vines. I’m about to test the pine and birch," she said swaying from side to side and spilling water in every direction. "I'm not going to use oaks, they are a bit bossy when they don't get their way."
Estelle flipped the page over and saw the numbers for the oak and maple were low compared to other trees. She saw a note written in red next to the birch tree, 'excellent spotters once awakened!'.
"Once I figure out the best combination for your artillery team, I’m going to the forest and see if I can awaken the birch trees and use them as spies," Heather said and poured the last bit of water on the sapling. "We don't want any spies sneaking in and...hey are you even listening to me?"
"I have heard every word," Estelle said.
"Heather placed her hand on her hips and gave Estelle a lopsided smirk. Though her eyes twitched, she decided it wasn't worth the time to press the issue. With a wave of her hand over the sapling, she muttered a few unintelligible words, and soon her hand began to glow bright green.
The tiny tree glowed green as it began to shine brightly in response. The round trunk grew bigger and bigger as the tree expanded. Heather’s wings flapped rapidly.
She then tapped Estelle’s black medical alert bracelet with her finger.
"When are we going to talk about your latest accessory, Boss Kitty?" asked Heather.
"After attending the forthcoming meeting at the Azure Tower, we shall engage in a comprehensive discussion regarding additional options," Estelle said as she tossed the clipboard down.
"So never, but whatever," Heather said rolling her eyes and turning to the mechanized rabbit. "Bun-Bun, I want at least three shells next to the cannon, and please retrieve more water and fertilizer, please."
"At once, Mistress Heather," Bun-Bun said in its mechanical voice.
Estelle headed to the entrance of the fortress while briefly contemplating the idea of obtaining a car or some reliable form of transportation. The problem, she considered, is that vehicles are either stolen or blown up during raids. It was 5 km from town and another 2 km to the rail station. De Sitter doorways were too unpredictable as far as she was concerned.
She pushed open the heavy entrance door and walked down the rocky path towards town.
"Walking it is," she said.
***