Bent Fate (An Arknights Fanfiction)

Chapter 19

"You and your team will be the vanguard."

Franka walks at a steady pace, not hurried, and not slow enough as Ch'en's words were reiterated in her mind. She holds her sheathed rapier in one hand. There wasn't much, but she did have a few things fixed around her outfit. Most of her things are inside the black bag at her back.

Everyone else that she either comes across or walks with have other businesses to do. Today, she's the only one going to battle.... and her team.

She reached the roof deck, where a helicopter with its twin rotors already running is waiting for her. Several people are on the process of doing a final checkup before the aircraft takes off, just right.

"How long will you take?" She asks the maintenance personnel while one foot is already up the ramp.

"Three minutes, ma'am." One holding a clipboard and a pen briefly gave an answer.

The crew are working at the front of the aircraft, the pilot is also with them.

Franka gets inside, where her team is already waiting while on their seats.

Everyone looks at the back of the aircraft as she comes in.

"Everyone here?" She asks no one in particular.

Liskarm who's seated nearest to the vulpo silently helps doing a headcount.

Franka initially has a smile on her face  when she went inside the aircraft. That smile soon faded and her expression is replaced with that of uncertainty.

"Everyone is here." Liskarm informs her.

"They're going too?" The vulpo points out to four individuals to the right sitting next to each other.

"They completed their combat assessments, all their tests." Liskarm explains with her casual tone.

"Are you the one who picked the operators for this?"

"No. But what's wrong with it?"

Franka takes a deep breath, she can't believe what is happening.

She looks at the aforementioned four individuals.

"I'm okay with most of them, but one of their guys needs to be taught proper discipline first before we can let them into the field." She tells Liskarm, but also making it audible enough for everyone else in the aircraft to hear.

"Uhh, excuse me, you're saying you trust us, but not this guy?" One of the four, the kuranta with brown hair, asks Franka, pointing at the blonde perro to his left.

"Yes. What's your name?"

"Ohh," The kuranta stands up facing Franka. "Codename Silesia. Nice to meet you." He introduces himself before bowing his head down.

After a second of having his head bowed down, Silesia slowly raises his head and looks at Franka again. "How about you, miss?"

Franka just stared at him. Liskarm is doing the same thing.

"Right. Let's give you time to introduce yourselves first, we don't need the trouble of not knowing how to call you when you are needed."

"Should I introduce myself again?" Silesia asks her.

Franka stares at him again. "How can we send people like him out there?"

"Suit yourself. Let's be quick, we're out of time."

Silesia sits down and lightly taps the blonde perro with his elbow, who glances at him, before the latter lets out a sigh and rises from his seat. All the other three would soon follow.