Guardian(Part IV): Revelation

Chapter 29: The Fox

It took everything I had to convince Master Avanka to allow me to speak with the Mayfly without anyone watching, but she allowed it, even at the risk of myself. I told her everything that happened, and what the Mayfly told me, that she truly believed she wasn't being controlled, because her thoughts were being controlled. Nothing could have made me angrier. I began to feel that same anger from Master Avanka. She'd already told me that the thought of one of her students under someone else's control made her angry, which was only made worse by the fact that the Mayfly didn't even have control over her own thoughts.

"This is... troubling," she sighed.

"I know," I agreed. "But I don't know what to do about it."

"We would have to find where she's being controlled from," Master Avanka guessed. "Possibly by tracing the signal from here."

"And I saw the Mayfly alone," I sighed. "Damn it."

"All that would be required of you is making contact with the Mayfly again," Master Avanka reminded. "And having a conversation with her that's long enough to lock onto the signal, but we have no way of knowing how long that would take."

"I don't know if that'll happen again," I denied. "I mean, she really, really believes that every one of her actions is her own. Not to mention the our last meeting had me telling her that she was being controlled. Do you think it's Tereza?"

"It has to be," Master Avanka answered. "With all the suffering she's caused us, I wouldn't put it past her. Especially since she killed so many people at Watervalley."

"And the kid I'm being haunted by," I added. "I didn't see him when I talked to the Mayfly, actually, and I still can't see how I'm the reason they're dead."

"Only because you don't remember a thing from Watervalley," Avanka reminded. "And your memory isn't returning. I'll have to tell you everything."

"Yes, please!" I blurted, then I calmed myself. "Please?"

I began to sense a feeling of guilt from Master Avanka, and sadness. I knew Watervalley was a devastating battle, and I knew I fought in it, but I didn't remember it. I had to know what happened, with the Mayfly, Tereza, everything.

"Let me see your APID," Avanka ordered. I took my APID out of my ear and handed it to her, and she plugged it into the monitors behind the holographic projection table. The first thing that came up was an image seen through my own eyes. I reminded myself that the entire thing was through my own eyes. I was walking behind a dark-haired woman who was in white Ilentia armor and a Guardian. He was a Guardian Knight Captain of the Ranger class. I looked beside me, and saw the Mayfly walking right beside me.

"Is everything prepared, Hilles?" asked the Ilentia woman, to the Guardian.

"Yes," the Guardian promised. "The cannons, machine guns, tanks, and LWMs are prepared for anything. We have 380s and 821s, all loaded with every kind of missile, energy cannon known to man. And women, of course."

The Ilentia woman chuckled at his words, then reached across his shoulders to put her arm around him.

"Hilles," she sighed, then they both faced each other. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Eris," Hilles promised, and they leaned forward to kiss. The Mayfly playfully nudged me with her elbow, and we both chuckled.

"Wow, guys," Hilles scolded. "I can tell enhanced maturity doesn't come with your mutations."

"Or cybernetics," I added.

"I have to ask," said the Mayfly. "Are you two married?"

"Two years," Eris answered, rolling her eyes.

"Who proposed?" I wondered.

"Guys, come on," Hilles growled.

"Hilles, go and double-check the outer defenses," Eris suggested, smiling.

"Alright, alright," Hilles groaned, then he chuckled as he said, "Goodbye, General."

Hilles walked off.

"Have you gotten a room yet?" asked the Mayfly.

"How are we on the reinforcements?" Eris questioned.

"We have the Octopus, the Tiger, the Wolf, and a dozen others from the Special Forces on their way," I reported. "As for the War Machines, what we have here is all we'll get. Additional Guardian squads and Knights are on their way, though."

"Good, we'll need them," said Eris. "We'll need as many as Commander Jonas can send. I'll send him my thanks. I need you both to do one more recon of the slopes. If you see anything, report it as soon as possible."

"Yes, ma'am," I complied.

The Mayfly and I turned around to walk towards the recon point, when we heard Eris calling us again.

"It was me," she said. "I proposed."

"Told you," I boasted, to the Mayfly.

Out of the screen, Master Avanka sped up the footage, skipping everything that wasn't necessary. I at least saw the Mayfly and myself walking to the ridge before the slopes of the valley, and Master Avanka resumed the footage when we stopped at the edge. From our vantage point, we saw an entire army of what must have been fifty thousand Turned, reinforced by monsters of all kinds, and even a black-scaled dragon. I increased my vision distance to see if anyone was riding it, and saw a red-skinned Tuatha woman on its back. Tereza!

"Tereza led the attack?" I asked, pausing the footage.

"Yes," Master Avanka answered. "I won't show you anymore. You know what happened. Every War Machine was destroyed, and almost every Regular, Guardian, and Special Forces operative was killed, only matched by the devastation to the enemy army. I would have been there to kill Tereza myself."

"That's right, you were injured," I recalled. "Who were those two people we were talking to?"

"They're Eris and Hilles," Master Avanka enlightened. "Eris is the daughter of Diomeus and Vanessa. Hilles is the man she married. A Guardian."

"They look happy," I observed.

"They were happy," said Master Avanka. "Hilles was killed fifteen years ago. He left behind his son by Eris. The only people I've seen love each other more than they loved each other, is you and the Mayfly."

"Really?" I asked.

"Eris' life was nothing other than misery before she met Hilles," Master Avanka sighed. "She finally seemed happy."

"So, where do I fit into all of this?" I wondered.

"You fought Tereza in single combat," said Avanka. "And you lost. You were injured beyond normal healing, even with your nanomachines. Of course, she was only the leader in charge of the attack. The one who ordered it was Baroz."

"The Archdemon of Sloth," I whispered. "What if he's controlling the Mayfly, and not Tereza?"

"It's too early to tell," Master Avanka answered. "But we can tell that the Mayfly is not acting with her own will. If we can figure out who's controlling her, we can free her."

"Well, I can't, in my right mind, try to convince her to tell me who's controlling her, because she doesn't know she's being controlled," I reminded.

"Perhaps, I will make contact with her," Master Avanka offered. "You lock onto any foreign signals for Wilson to track while I keep her distracted, and we find out for sure who is making her fight for something she doesn't believe in."

"You'd do that?" I asked. "What if she attacks you?"

"I'm the Master of the Chardanish Special Forces," Master Avanka reminded. "If Tereza or Baroz is controlling her, I'll count on her attacking me, while you lock onto the incoming signal."

"Sounds like a plan, Master," I understood. "If we really do this, though, don't hurt her too badly."

"I would never," Master Avanka promised. "But she will not quietly surrender."