Frenzy & Torch

Chapter 44: Pool Maker

Annabelle stayed behind to help with the wounded while Elizabeth went to help the sister brigade fight off the Soviet onslaught. She waved at Elizabeth and Flyer as they took off.

Akira appeared next her. "I know this is bad timing, but I must go."

Annabelle was stunned. "Wait, why?"

"The RDF is convening a review board to determine if I have been abusing my power. They think I was wrong to spare you and your friends and that I'm intervening too much in this conflict."

Annabelle sighed. Elizabeth's point was more evident now. "I'm so sorry. I used that teleporter without thinking."

Akira put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. I know you didn't mean to endanger your friends and jeopardize my employment!"

Annabelle solemnly chuckled. "You're patronizing me."

"I'm just jerkin' your chain!" Akira laughed. "It's okay, I know you had good intentions. Xitanker's a total butthole and would've become a problem for us eventually.  I can convince the board-members of that. The thing they're actually reaming me for is getting involved in this war. This isn't an external threat to our reality, so I must leave this to you. The division I put in timeout will reappear someplace safe. What'll happen then will be up to you."

Annabelle nodded. "Okay. We can handle things from here. Thanks for all your help."

"I won't be too far away." He held out a small piece of paper. "If you really need my help, text the word 'Perfect' to this code. Make sure the 'P' is capitalized, I cannot stress that enough."

Annabelle took the little slip. "Will do. See you around, Akira."

Akira bowed his head. Annabelle returned the gesture, and when she looked back up, he was gone. She looked at the code and smiled. 'Perfect Blue.' Ha.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth and Flyer cruised through the air in awkward silence. The blonde was lying on Flyer's back with her hands behind her head and her feet crossed. Not wanting to deprive the base of any more weapons if another attack happened, all she brought was her sword and a couple warheads from the missile launcher in her knapsack.

"Don't hurt me." Flyer suddenly said.

She was surprised to hear his voice in her head. She lifted her head to respond to him. "I ain't gonna hurt you. If I wanted to, I'd've done it by now."

"Gulp."

Elizabeth snorted. "That doesn't mean I'm plannin' to, either. Calm yourself."

"It's just that I've never defected before. I'm worried you'll use me and then kill me."

"That's low, even for me. I don't fuck with people like that. If I gotta kill 'em, I immediately get it outta the way."

"You kill them right away so that you don't get attached?"

"That's the concept, yeah."

"So is that why you do it? To avoid getting attached to people?"

"Just fly, alright?"

A few more minutes of awkward silence made Elizabeth uneasy, even more so when the base appeared beneath the cloud banks with no signs of activity; no lasers flying, explosions, nothing. "Where the fuck is everybody?"

"Maybe they went on vacation," Flyer suggested.

"I sure as fuck could use one. Bring us closer." Elizabeth said. She held on as he banked and went into a shallow dive to bleed off altitude. She leapt off and landed atop the ruins of a Soviet tank, then ripped the hatch clean off. She found sidearms inside but no sign of the crew that carried them.