Smoke.
The first thing Texas smelled was the acrid tang of smoke. After grabbing gear and weapons, the group had made their way down the secret elevator —the one made with solar paneling— to the ground floor to find no one occupying the space. Emperor had stepped out front, running a flipper along the polished wood of the reception desk as he said:
"They're outside."
It was a reasonable enough explanation, one that proved to be true the second she led her companions out the glass doors. The sky, once a pleasant golden hue, had taken on a nasty mix of gray. Swire glared up at the dark clouds as if they offended her personally, the little drone she kept on her person swayed with the slight gusts of wind. She turned to Lappland, senses alert for any other clues that might be relevant.
"What do you think?"
Her open question drew a frown from Bison, followed by an unimpressed snort from Suffering which raised a few eyebrows. The demon woman explained her behavior curtly. "If she's not from the city I don't see what help she'll be. Better off asking someone like, well, someone like her even." A thumb was jabbed at Sora.
"I don't know whether to be angry or pleased." Sora muttered. The microphone she toted was connected to a cord wrapped around the blonde's slender wrist. It was hooked up to the special speakers Emperor had remained inside to activate. A good choice. There's no telling how much range she'll need for this, how many enemies we'll need her to incapacitate.
Uncaring of Suffering's objections, Texas continued to regard Lappland. "Well?"
Lappland sniffed the air, wincing at the sour taste. "Likely a tactic deployed by their commander. If we can't see them it'll be that much harder to hit them."
Croissant agreed easily enough, sparks already rolling up her shield as her skill charged up. "Yup. Sounds about right. But even the smartest cockroaches get stepped on eventually."
The metaphor elicited a chuckle from Bison and an disgusted noise from Exusiai, who had been in the midst of loading her smaller hand guns. The machine guns she normally carried were also strapped to her back. Rubber bullets at a time like this would do them no good. It was lucky Swire was here to give permission for the real ones. Though it almost feels wrong to be using heavy artillery here. Texas knew all the nearby buildings by name, including their sewage drains, streets and owners. And while there was plenty of corporate greed in Lungmen it hardly changed how there were good people working in each establishment daily, providing a lifestyle for themselves and their families. The risk of ruining those workspaces was so obviously high now. It can't be helped Texas she reminded, but it didn't stop her from thinking of other times she made the same reassurance. Those went wrong too.
There's no turning back to the past.
"I don't suppose anyone has a leaf blower to clear this mess up right about now?" Exusiai cast a glance over at Mostima with brief hope, only for a rigidity to take over her frame as the fallen angel looked back for the briefest of moments with an unreadable expression.
"Something tells me it'll take more than that to clean up this mess." Bison squinted, clearly not seeing anymore than the rest of the group.
But where sight fails smell succeeds.
It was precisely why she turned to Lappland for assistance. Even if she wasn't a city dweller, Lappland had been here long enough to be used to the abnormalities of this scene; she would be able to tell like herself what was amiss and pick out the intricate details. So as their gazes locked again Texas knew they were thinking the same thing as clarity settled over them both with two words spoken in unison.
YOU ARE READING
The Untold Story of Texas and Lappland (Arknights)
Fanfiction"It doesn't matter how far you run, the past will always catch up with you." Texas had long since left the days of gang life behind her. She has become a high ranking member of Penguin Logistics and now a Rhodes Island Vanguard Operator. She still d...
