Majestic HQ

"Come to the meeting room," said Mockingbird in Sarina's earpiece. "Immediately. I've got a new assignment for you."

Sarina followed Mockingbird's orders and proceeded to the meeting room. This next assignment could be difficult than the last.

In the meeting room are several Majestic troopers, fifteen or so other mages taken from Coronach, Black Jack, and Sammael. On the table, along with Mockingbird's radio, are several bracelet-like devices.

"Ladies and gentlemen," said Mockingbird over the radio. "These devices before you are multi-purpose. Firstly, they protect you from the harmful radiation emitted by a nuclear missile. Second, they act as cloaking devices, allowing you to disguise yourself as anything or anyone - say, a nanite soldier, or one of our own. Third, they explode remotely, so there's no chance of those nasty Coronach troops taking them and using them themselves.

Now, as for why you're getting them, it's because this operation requires both chaos and subtlety. Some of our men inside Corona are telling us that mages are putting up a barrier to protect themselves from Uldritch's missiles and nanite soldiers. They plan to create a little panic to mask their killing of one of the mages, which will open the barrier close to the Bacania Shrine. Once open, you are going to disguise yourselves as nanite soldiers and slip through the opening before it closes or something like that, joining whichever of Uldritch's troops are already there.

Here is where you will split into two groups. Half of you will go with Sammael to kill the rest of the mages - while he seals off their casting ability, the barrier will be gone, leaving Coronach wide-open for whatever Uldritch has yet to unleash. With them dead it will be that much harder for them to regroup. Anyone that gets in your way is also fair game. Once all the mages are dead and no one is opposing you, retreat to the S.S. Helios in Fontin for extraction.

The other group will split off with Black Jack to Fontin and meet up with some of our agents already there. They will give you several devices, all too classified to reveal at this table, and you will plant them in various target buildings. When you run out of these devices you are to move to the airship yard and board the S.S. Helios.

Any questions?"

Meanwhile, at the docking bay area, a transmission nearby was coming in.

"Hyperion to Majestic, Hyperion to Majestic. Requesting entr - "

"WAIT! Hold up, you fool!" Fervolo's voice piped up. "We have company. ...Roman...Do you see what I see?"

"Hm? Ah yes, are those not three of the interlopers in Edge Wilds?"

"Mmyes...They're catching onto our contractors too quickly. Especially that lady - the Red Riding Hood, of all people...!"

"Uh, w-what do we do, then, captain?"

"We stay still. We do not move. We do not descend...not yet...We are not intent on giving away Majestic's location, capiche?"

An engineer answers the transmission.

"Hyperion, disengage entrance," said the transmission. "Continue flight path towards Spliced Woods to lure away Red Riding Hood, over."

---

Meanwhile, none of the troopers have any questions.

"Good," said Mockingbird. "Now, to-"

It's then that Mockingbird picks up the transmission from the Hyperion.

"Hold," said Mockingbird. "We can't leave the HQ just yet. It seems we have some would-be visitors."

"Understood. ...Well, you heard him, men! Drift toward the Spliced Woods! And ready your artillery, just in case we have more to face than the would-be intruders."

"Aye, captain!"

Valentine noticed on the outside surveillance that...Red and co. are still looking around Old Haven and not Spliced Woods.

"Looks like they didn't buy the ruse, Mockingbird," Valentine said. "I hate to say it, but this is too amusing~"

"No matter," said Mockingbird over the radio. "If they're so intent on searching Old Haven, let's show them what we keep in Old Haven..."

Sarina narrowed her lifeless eyes and frowned without any emotion inside her. She understands Mockingbird's instructions, and even if she used to live in Coronach, she must make sure that Majestic will succeed.

"Sir," said another engineer into the radio. "There's another airship entering our airspace. I don't think these people came alone."

"Of all the- do I have to solve every problem myself?" asked Mockingbird.

"I know who else is coming..." Sarina finally spoke, and in a soulless manner, "He is coming for me..."

"Change of plans," said Mockingbird over the radio. "Our boys in Coronach are going to let us use their teleport magic. It's more public than our cloaked planes but it gets us there. Head towards the airship bay - they'll pick you up there. Sarina, you stay here. I'm sure your brother would love to meet you."

The troops salute the radio and scatter for the airship bay.

Sarina nods in response to Mockingbird's orders.

Black Jack and Sammael's squads are teleported out of Majestic HQ.

"Battle stations, everyone," said Mockingbird over the loudspeaker. "It seems we've got a vermin problem that just refuses to go away."

"Roger that," Valentine responded, readying her bonesaw ninjaken.

Smokescreen, Order, and the Dupli-Brothers all ready their respective weapons.

As do the Apathy and Midas. Erysichthon and Luca are suiting up in large suits of armor to prepare for battle, while Sir Carver just heads into his room.

"Knock if you need me," said Sir Carver. "Not too hard, mind you. Unless you fancy dying."

"I sense that the feeble swordsman is now transforming into his enraged form... Sarina thought, "Revenge is getting into his head. How sad... A hero like him doesn't even deserve the title as the "savior." Maybe he should be called "a rapist."

"What are they doing out there?" asked an engineer.

"Waiting for backup, and dealing with our dear friend River," said Mockingbird. "Thankfully those distractions are giving me ample time to trap any and all entrances."

At that time, the magic-analyzing terminal discovered previously-overlooked details of Red Riding Hood's attributes. Valentine checked this.

"Hmmm..."

It showed signs of ability to adapt to terrains or situations passively, powers of nothingness, and other traits that not even other skilled magi have displayed.

"(!) Now THIS is interesting," Valentine commented.

"Quite," said Mockingbird in Valentine's earpiece. "How fortunate that we have the tools to make more of her."

---

Meanwhile, Sir Carver was sending several objects through a teleporter set up in his room - weapons, molds, creepy girl-shaped crystal statues, nanite canisters, all sorts of technological devices.

Suddenly, the monitor displaying Red's data fizzled before bursting (Valentine shielded herself with her arms). Out of the monitor leaked an ethereal red mist. It didn't seem to be doing any harm to anyone present...not yet, probably.

"Didn't expect that...!" Valentine said.

"Th-The data!" said another scientist on the communicator. "The data we got from the Red Riding Hood's memory just corrupted itself! We can't get any of it re-deciphered!"

"Damn...Looks like we'll need to capture the thief again," Valentine lamented flatly.

"GodDAMMIT!" shouted Mockingbird. "Carver! Do you have any nanites we can reverse engineer?"

"Negative," said Sir Carver. "I sent them over to the Fantasma base. Don't tell me that, by doing the job you specifically assigned me, I'm ruining our master plans."

"... No matter," said Mockingbird. "It'll be easy enough to recapture her. It's not like she has any good ways into the base, anyhow."

"Shall we go ahead and get them out of our way?" Valentine said. "They're getting close to the entrance, and some of our men are getting a little...anxious."

"We trapped all the entrances to make them come to us, Valentine," said Mockingbird. "Not so we could come to them. It rather ruins the intention to charge outside and meet them AFTER setting up the traps, wouldn't you agree? Rest assured we'll be waiting in ambush after they enter."