novelnext [362] 4.83 The Second American Civil War I
[362] 4.83 The Second American Civil War I
Thursday, September the Twenty-First, Two Thousand and Twenty-Three. At long last, the day of fates has arrived. The Second American Civil War is about to go hot, and it’s going to be a harrowing day for the entire world. Millions of lives hang in the balance, and billions more watch with bated breath over the outcome of the war that will be waged over the course of a weekend.Chloe, I, and thousands of other men and women are gathered in a secluded hangar along the backside of the city’s main airport, away from the main passenger terminal. Not all of these folks— about two-thirds soldiers and the remainder civilians— will be flying across to DC where the main battle will be taking place. Forces still need to remain behind to protect against monster attacks, and those with lower levels and less experience are just going to prove liabilities in combat.
Even here, in the middle of the country, two thousand miles away from Washington, the air is positively electrifying to the point where my hair is standing on end. A hand makes its way upon the back of my neck, causing me to swivel around in panic. I start to draw my weapon and prepare to strike, only to relent at the sight of a familiar face who’s entirely too manic to be perfectly sane.
“Kristil? Is that you?” I ask. “Haven’t seen you since… I guess it’s only been like two months, but after everything, it feels like it’s been so much longer.”
“Hah!” She slaps my right shoulder again; it’s far from enough to send me toppling over, but it’s clear she’s gotten stronger and passed the level 64 threshold. “As though I’d miss an opportunity like this.”
“You’re on our side, I hope,” Chloe says, echoing my sentiments.
Kristil has been a little unhinged ever since we met her back some months ago, having lost her family in the early days of the System, just like I did. But without having the same support I do, she’s become somewhat more battle-crazed than even I have. It’s not outside the realm of possibility that she might double-cross us.
“Yeah. Your straight-laced friend roped me into this, said that we need to do our duty or some shit. Of course I told her exactly where she could shove that idea of ‘duty’, right up her ramrod ass.”
“I seem to recall things a little differently,” said straight-laced friend says. I turn around to catch Lindsey, sans her boyfriend, walking up toward us, dressed in full military fatigues. “Why don’t you tell them what really happened?”
Kristil sighs. “Well, I might have noticed a couple of assholes that were terrorizing a younger girl one evening, and I might have intervened and fried their sorry asses. And your goodie two-shoes friend here might have had a few choice words and threats about ‘respecting the rule of law’ and that I should have ‘submitted them to the legal system to receive a fair trial’ or some similar bullshit instead of sending them directly to hell to rot.”
“Yes, because once people like you start taking the law into your own hands, the very frail peace we currently enjoy will fall into disrepair. Feuds being paid in blood instead of adjudicated in a court of law, disputes being resolved by the person with the higher level and more stats and better Skills. And in order for that contract to be upheld, it needs to bind everyone equally, including a certain [Thunderclap Sage] who feels the need to dispense her own personal judgement.”
“It’s [Plasma Sage], actually.” Kristil raises both hands in front of her, palms upward. One hand emanates a crackle of indigo lightning, while the other erupts with a torrent of crimson flames. She mostly double-downed on her class, choosing another [Elementalist] class, only adding fire to her repertoire instead of just lightning.
“Like I said,” she continues, “Lindsey’s too much of a goodie two-shoes for her own good. Anyway, she and I weren’t really having an agreement on the matter for a long time. Right up until she made me a deal. I fight here on parole of sorts, and if I do so to her satisfaction, we consider the matter resolved. Not like I really give two shits about that. I’m just eager for the chance to bust some Legion pricks’ heads in.”
“You have considered the possibility that she’s going to turn coat on your deal the second she gets on the battlefield, right, Lindsey?” I ask.
“Of course I considered the possibility. But the Legion’s philosophy and tactics are too similar to that of the Order. Kristil is definitely battle-crazed, yes, but she’s not going to work with those sorts of people.”
“You know she’s right here, you two,” Chloe says.
Kristil again just shrugs like I knew she would. “The goodie-goodie is right. I don’t have any allegiance to any government anymore. Honestly, I’m a bit surprised to see the two of you here, since I figured you were in the same boat.”
“One of their accomplices kidnapped my mother,” Chloe says with vicious undertones. “Any goodwill they may have had with us died the moment they dragged my noncombatant of a mother into their schemes.”
“I have my own reasons to fight now,” I say. I see no reason to bring up any of the stuff about the other Seraphina, about Renault and Chloe’s father, and especially not about ⸢The Anomaly⸥, even if Lindsey does already know some of it.
“That you, Reed?” another familiar voice chimes in. “Long time no see!”
“You can just call me by my first name,” Lindsey says to the tall blonde. “And it hasn’t been that long. We just saw each other like… six weeks ago, no?”
“As fast as things move around here, six weeks feels like years,” Alana says.
“You are not wrong, captain. Though, uh, where’s the other half?”
“Staying behind. Someone has to deal with all the paperwork and make sure a bunch of idiot civilians don’t go diving straight into their deaths. Or at least, that they sign waivers before they do. And yours?”
“Lying low. There’s been a few copycats trying to resurrect the Order or build some similar regime to rule as warlords. Now that I’m gone and he’s pretending to be, I’m willing to bet that they’ll be willing to make their move, at which point he’ll swoop in and deal with them accordingly.”
“Oh, so it’s fine when he does it to those people,” Kristil says. “But if I deal with a couple of brutes about to force themselves on a girl who’s probably not any older than sixteen, then I’m the bad guy. All because he has a little piece of paper that says ‘it’s okay’.”
Lindsey doesn’t dignify Kristil’s honestly fairly compelling rationale. “Anyway,” she says, turning to me now. “It seems like the two of you have gotten a lot stronger these past couple of months.”
“There’s been a lot going on. Multiple dungeon dives, constant fighting. I don’t know if you’ll believe me when I say this, but when this whole thing is said and done, I’m looking forward to stepping back for a few months and just enjoying some peace and quiet.”
“I hope you get that opportunity,” Lindsey says.
“Good,” another familiar voice chimes in, one I’ve been acquainted with more recently. “I’m glad everyone is here.”
“Major Richardson, Sir,” Alana says, immediately raising her hand to her head in salute.
“At ease, Captain Morris. Miss Mortensen, Miss Jacobs, Miss–” Nicholas cuts off. I realize that I don’t think she ever told me her last name either.
“Sturmwald,” Kristil says
I guess a surname that literally translates to ‘stormy forest’ is pretty apt. Then again, my name is pretty close to ‘morningstar’ or ‘morning sun’, which, considering, yeah, I’m not in any position to make wise comments.
“Miss Sturmwald, then. In either case, I want to thank all three of you in particular for volunteering your time in this operation, knowing full well that you may be flying to your literal deaths. Though your individual reasons for taking part in this operation are your own, none of the three of you are bound by oath or duty. If you would like to back out, now is the time.”
None of us do. If anything, Kristil seems even more on edge at the prospect, and Chloe’s expression narrows a bit right alongside.
“Then, Miss Mortensen, if you don’t mind, I have a special task that I’d like you to undertake.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“I would like to make use of your barrier magic along the plane ride. Given the risk of Ethertech disruption modules being used to harry our flight into Washington, we’ll be using old military airplanes that have yet to be retrofitted with some of the more advanced weapons, barriers, and so forth developed over the past few months.”
Do you have some sort of helmet I can wear? I’m sure it’s going to be absolutely hell on my eyes flying at those speeds for any length of time.” I pause. “Even I’m not immune to shear forces.”
“That can be arranged, yes, but don’t tell me you’re actually planning to, what, stand on the plane for the entire four hours and sightsee?”
“I just figured you would want the barrier on the outside of the plane rather than the inside. They work by generating a fixed amount of repulsive force, emanating out from my glyphs into a fixed region of space relative to me. The only way I can shield your hulls is if I’m on the outside of them when I cast. I thought that’s the reason why you were getting all apologetic about it.”
“Then I’ll be there with you,” Chloe says. “I’m sure you’re going to try something I really wish you wouldn’t, and I’m going to make sure you stay healed when you inevitably do.”
She turns to Nicholas. “Two helmets, please. And some ear plugs.”
Again, Chloe knows me so well. I’ve not really stress-tested the limits of [Lifecast] and how it works once I start falling below about half of my maximum [Health]. She doesn’t want me to do so, and I don’t blame her. I respect her feelings, but this is going to be a battle that is going to require everything we have to win, and that means knowing exactly what ‘everything we have’ is. Best that it’s going to happen while she’s in a position to prevent anything irreversible from happening to me.
“Then so be it.” Nicholas turns to the cohort as a complete unit, his voice spoken in a clear military cadence. “Soldiers! If you have any last minute preparations, phone calls to make, conversations to finish up, now is the time! We will be departing at seventeen hundred sharp!”
Kristil goes wandering off somewhere, probably to blow off some steam, and Alana and Nicholas go off to discuss command and logistics stuff that sound pretty boring from what I can make out. That just leaves Chloe and I together with Lindsey, who invites both of us into a group hug. After a moment’s hesitation, we both accept.
“Been too long,” she says. “I wish I could have dropped by to see you in more favorable circumstances.” A long breath follows. “It’s just been a couple months and you’ve both grown up so much. Not to mention that you, Miss Chloe, have completely changed your look.”
“It’s something I’ve had to come to terms with over the past few weeks. As much as I’d like to just stay on the back lines and heal people, sometimes the way to save the greatest number of lives is to cut out the cancer and stop the people who are causing so much death.”
“Just be careful with that mindset, Chloe. I’m not going to lie and say that I understand exactly what you’re going through after… well, everything that I’ve heard about, but I don’t want you to sacrifice your kind and gentle nature.”
“I wouldn’t say that I’m sacrificing it. Just… Adjusting it to the nature of the new world we’ve all found ourselves in, like it or not.”
I take Chloe’s hand. “I’m with you, love. Forever and always, hell, high water, and everywhere else in-between.”
“Thank you, Sera. Now then, shall we make our way to our seating of sorts? Fourth class, right on board the aircraft!”
I can’t help but chuckle. Fourth-class flying indeed.