Ruby Red

16

My ponytail swung behind me, brushing slightly against my cream-colored scarf. I tossed my bangs lightly to set them in place for the meeting that I was to attend. My heeled boots clicked on the boring white tiles of the silent, empty hallway. Directly ahead was the entrance door to the Command Room. My heart pounded in my chest as I recalled the conversation I had with Director Rindo a couple nights before today.

"Do you remember the mission I sent you on a few months after you joined Tamakoma?" I nodded skeptically in response. He took a final drag of his cigarette and blew the smoke out towards the floor, leaving a hazy aura around our feet. The smell entered my nose, yet my body didn't reject it. Rindo pressed the burning end of the half-smoked cigarette into the ashtray resting on his desk. A small stream of smoke twirled toward the ceiling.

I felt weird noticing all of these details that my brain hadn't processed before. Rindo had never spoken this seriously to me, so I could feel my body releasing a nervous sweat. "Since we work for Border and we aren't the main base, we are required to send all of our data logs to HQ. That includes our training, defense duties, and missions." He released a heavy sigh which sent a chill down my spine. "Commander Kido and your uncle know about you traveling to Aftokrator." My eyes widened at the reveal of the topic.

"So what? It was a long time ago." My tone rose as I began to get defensive. "They can't do anything about it now." The older male chuckled and placed a hand on my shoulder. My tense body relaxed at his lighthearted laugh.

"Don't worry. We're not in trouble for sending you across the border." I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. "In fact, they need our help. With Jin's insight, they believe we're going to face an invasion very soon. We don't know exactly when, but somewhere in the near future."

"So how do we fit into this? And why are you only consulting me?" He sighed again.

"You see, since we have Yuma in our branch, he can give us intel that could potentially help us in the battle. Commander Kido has put us in charge of this invasion since we have the overall rule of Yuma. And, being the great commander I am," he popped his collar, making me snort, "I have already talked to Yuma and Replica and they came to the conclusion that Aftokrator is probably the best guess in our range of attackers."

"Oh. Now I understand why you brought up my mission."

"Since you went undercover for us to gather intel back then, I want to put you in charge." My jaw slacked and my eyes appeared wild.

"I'm in charge?! Of the entire operation?!" He simply hummed with a nod. My heart lifted and I suddenly felt like I had a chance to prove my worth to Kido, so that maybe one day, I could run Border.

I pressed my hands firmly against the cold metal doors to push them open. They swung open to reveal all of the older men sitting in their respective seats. However, Commander Kido sat with Kinuta, albeit leaving a seat between them for me. Tamakoma's director leaned against a desk with a cigarette caught between his lips. His glasses reflected the light so perfectly that you could hardly see his eyes, but I could just barely make out the wink he sent my way. I smiled gently and made my way up to the center seat.

Kinuta cocked an eyebrow and scowled at me. He obviously wasn't aware of the arrangements that Rindo made and would probably be furious when he finds out that I'm in charge. After settling into my seat, other people began filing in the room. Shiori entered and began setting up the center projector that would showcase our current map of the Neighborhood. She tweaked with the panel in the dark and I kind of felt bad that they made her do the technology works.