Cross Ange: The Knight of Hilda

Chapter 6: Deliverance

"Wait a minute!" Hilda said as Rio suddenly turned the land runner away from the Dawn Pillar. "What are you doing? It's back that way!"

"We need to make a pit stop first!" he told her. "We've still got two hours before the execution so let's use the time to prep." Down the winding back roads and alleyways they went until finally, Rio pulled into an outdoor storage facility and parked against the perimeter fence.

"Shouldn't we be worried about security?" she asked as they dismounted.

"Crime doesn't exist here so there's no need," he answered as he led her around the main building. "This place is open 24/7 and completely unsupervised except for the occasional maintenance crew. Which makes it the perfect place for a depot."

"Which is?"

"A place where an agent can pick up essential supplies in an emergency. You already found one earlier."

"When?" Rio gave her a half grin over his shoulder.

"Didn't it strike you as odd that a pre-Mana vehicle in prime condition would just happen to be in a derelict auto shop in the middle of nowhere? With plenty of unexpired fuel as well?" Hilda's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't questioned why the motorbike was there. She was just thankful to have found a vehicle that a Norma could operate. "If you had searched further you would have found hidden lockers full of weapons, clothes, and rations. It was actually good that you found it when you did. When you broke in, you triggered an alarm which helped me track you down." As he approached one of the rear storage units, Rio bent down to position his hand over a lock at the door's base. His hand shone with Mana as the lock clicked and the door rolled itself halfway up. The two of them ducked inside and Rio pulled the door back down as a light in the ceiling turned on to illuminate the contents.

"Very nice," Hilda commented. Inside the unit was everything they would need for a fight. A land runner similar to Rio's sat in the middle while on the unit's rear wall, a gun rack had been mounted on which several military grade weapons were displayed. Along the sides, ammo crates and other boxes rested on steel shelves. One in particular caught her eye due to the explosive symbol blazingly etched onto its surface. She opened it and smiled as she saw it was full of live grenades.

"Not those," Rio told her. "There's going to be civilians there. Stunners only."

"You're kidding right?" She reached for one but Rio grabbed her wrist before she could pluck one.

"No... civilians!" he repeated. "We only kill if we have to and only armed combatants."

"Fine!" she said as she rolled her eyes. Rio released her and returned to the crate he had opened from which he pulled a pair of jumpsuits.

"Here," he told her as he tossed her one. "Change into that first before you load up."

"Change?" she asked. "But..."

"Just turn around," he told her. "Come on we don't have time." Rio turned his back to her and began to pull off his shirt as Hilda turned away. Get over it, she told herself. He's already seen you naked anyway. She stripped out of her clothes as well but couldn't help sneaking a peek over her shoulder. Rio stood with his back to her as he inserted his legs into his own jumpsuit and began to pull it up around himself. She had seen men undressed before. Pictures of them sold at Jasmine's Mall back at Arzenal were popular among some of the other Norma. Zola had kept a secret stash of her own for nights when she was in the mood for something, "different." Usually, the men in those pictures settled at two extremes. Either thin and effeminate or hulking walls of muscle; neither of which particularly appealed to Hilda. Rio however seemed to be somewhere in between. His shoulders were broader and his musculature much more defined than any of the Norma on Arzenal but there was a tempered leanness to his build. And despite herself Hilda had to admit it wasn't completely unpleasant to look at. But what really surprised her were the scars. Unlike the polished forms in the magazines, Rio's body seemed as if it had seen its fair share of hardship. Along his left posterior, a fresh cut which had yet to heal ran at an angle to his spine. He must have gotten it during his fight with Dark, she realized. As if sensing he was being watched, Rio looked over his shoulder and Hilda turned away, her face burning with embarrassment as she hurriedly zipped up her jumpsuit. "Now then," he added as he began to select their arsenal, "we're going to be fighting at close range against multiple targets. Mobility will be key so pistols and submachineguns only." After packing some weapons and spare ammo in a duffle bag, Rio handed her a helmet. "Take this," he told her. "It should keep the one who sent Dark from recognizing you."