“So Reverend, you believe that sending the Freemantle was a wise choice for a mission of such divine importance?”
Reverend Archangel Benedetto Amadeus smiled and adjusted his thin spectacles as he and Pope Agostino VII rounded the corner towards the helipad on the roof of the Apostolic Palace. “Your Holiness, both me and the members of the Choir have complete faith in the stability and potential that rests in Freemantle Shirone. I give my absolute guarantee that she is the most perfect candidate for such an undertaking.”
The Pope gave an incredibly warm smile and patted Benedetto on the back gently. “I do not doubt thee, my son. Go and meet with her at the site and I shall await your return here within the Basilica. In nomine Patris, et filii, et spiritus sancti”
The Archangel bowed, an unusually dark smile on his face. “Amen.”
Far across the Vatican at the same moment, the site of the Vatican’s top secret project was being slowly brought to life. Soldiers wearing uniforms covered in holy symbols and wielding weapons that glowed with some unearthly power, covered the site, patrolling constantly and watching for any signs of intrusion.
However, to say that they were ultimately succeeding at repelling intruders fully, would be a gravely incorrect assumption.
Atop a spire at the peak of the massive metallic arch that rose above the rest of the base, a figure stood obscured by the veil of night and the swathe of cloud cover, long hair whipping about in the fierce wind, yet the figure barely swayed against the intense gale.
Beside her, lower down, stood another figure that clung to the railing for dear life. Barely able to hear himself over the tearing wind, he shouted up to the figure above him.
“Come on Yuki! We’re supposed to be at the briefing in ten minutes! Why are we even up here in the first place?”
The figure looked down at the shivering man and smiled under her black hood. “Relax Yuai. The briefing won’t even begin without that creep Amadeus. We have nothing to worry about.’
Yuai cringed, tightening his grip on the spire as the wind intensified. “Can we at least get down from here? I’m not that comfortable with heights!”
Yuki tossed back the black hood of her Freemantle robes, letting her fiery orange hair blaze out behind her. “Alright Yuai. Let’s go. I trust the Bastard Archangel is already quite close.”
Yuai nodded and as a heavy gust of wind blew against the tower, the two dropped from the arch and glided silently through the air towards the main compound.
As the two robed figures glided away from the arch, the space above the arch warped briefly before a tall, slender man appeared where Yuki had stood only moments before. His face was completely obscured by black cloth and a dark grey beanie with faint stripes. All that could be seen were his piercing green eyes as he stared after Yuki with a cold stare.
With a black gloved hand, he raised an unusual sword up to his eye and stared down its length casually. He stared at the white symbol on the back of his glove briefly, then in a lightning quick fashion, sliced the air in front of him and sheathed the sword within his black robe.
He snapped his fingers and sheets of paper flew from his sleeves, forming into wings as he leapt from the rooftop and vanished into the night.
This will be harder than I thought, he thought to himself as he too, glided towards the main building.
Yuki and Yuai quickly alighted on the roof of the compound and made for the lower decks, avoiding security to save time. They quickly made their way through the main areas and the administration, heading straight for the Primary Briefing Chamber on the lower level.
