The Way Over Is Under - Raelle x Scylla

III - Need

Raelle

"Bellweather unit, I think you know why you are summoned here in my office", the tone in Alder's voice sent shivers down our spines. She walked slowly towards the table, making the loud clicking sounds from her shoes notable, as if she were walking with power. The biddies surrounded us. We felt their eyes glaring into our souls. With one wrong word or action, they could hiss or click their tongues at us.

Still, I stood up with my head held high. I cannot be afraid of something like this. If anything, Alder should be the one ashamed for what she did. She was the symbol of the military's righteousness but the minute her position was threatened, she corrupted the system like any other politicians.

Alder sat down and poured whiskey into four empty glasses.

"Centuries of fighting and I never found pleasure in eating. The only thing that brought me joy was protecting our people by winning our nation's wars. And these people brought me a much greater gift. This drink reminded me of all the wars we have won. It was a gift from our people" she proceeded by handing each of us a drink.

"Are those the same people who we murdered?" Tally spoke up.

The biddies clicked their tongues as expected. Tally was the innocent one in our unit. She was fragile at first, but she grew stronger and braver. Now, her eyes are finally open, and she can see all the injustices in the system. I understood her pain because she felt what those hostages went through. I just feel sorry for her. She was like a younger sister to me. I held Tally's hands to calm her down.

"Now, Private Craven, what you did on that mission was honorable. You stopped thousands of potential deaths that could have happened" Alder replied.

"We murdered them."

"Private, there are such things as collateral damage and it is your job as a soldier to make sacrifices and tough choices that can benefit a lot of people. We can't save everyone, but we will save as many people as we can"

Silence enveloped the room. Alder drank her whiskey and looked at me. I think she knows that I was the one who ratted Scylla out to Petra. Looking back, I have no regrets.

"Private Collar, I think by this time you know that we are shipping Ramshorn to the Caribbean. I am deeply sorry for how these unfortunate events turned out..."

Are you though? Are you sorry?

"... Scylla might be your lover, but she is one of the agents of the End. Make no mistake, she will take advantage of you. Speaking of, Anacostia, have you taken care of the matter?"

"I am on it. I will be sending her to the Caribbean on or before your departure for the mission" Anacostia answered.

I tried to fight the anger and resentment I felt. I didn't deserve to be treated like this, to be treated like a weapon by both sides. These days, I don't even know what to feel anymore. But what I do know is that I needed to see Scylla one more time.

"But I am not here to talk about what you did and give you punishment. The Bellweather unit's performance during the basic training was outstanding and I have taken an interest. You will be accompanying me on a rescue mission. In this mission, we need to ensure the preservation of the Tarim's kind. The helicopters will be ready outside of the premises. We leave at dawn. Dismissed."

Even though we had our first real mission after Citydrop, I still felt nervous. This time, things might get serious. But I wasn't scared of dying. I am scared at the fact that I may leave this world without saying the right things to Scylla. Not saying the things I should have said, things that she needed to hear before going to the Caribbean.

We left Alder's office and went straight to our rooms. Adil was there waiting.

"What are you doing here?" Abigail said with a smile on her face. They both hugged each other.

"I am here to assist you on the mission. Thank you for helping us save our kind" he looked at us with gratefulness in his eyes.

"But that means your power will be militarized. You know that right?" Abigail said with a concerned tone.

"One way or another, our songs will be released into the world to stop the Spree. I just hope it will not fall on the wrong hands because there will be no more world to fight for. I'm just thankful that you will partake on this mission to save my people."

Adil left the room after thanking us. We were all there sitting on our beds with so many thoughts running through our heads. After minutes of silence, it finally broke when Tally stood and spoke up.

"Are we just going to do what she orders? Even if it was for a good cause, we will be killing more innocent lives during this battle. That's the literal opposite of what we're fighting for!"

"Tally, this is what it means to be in the military. Were you that surprised?" I responded.

"Yes, I am!"

"We have no choice. Alder found out what we did and here we are. We might as well do it. We will be saving countless of lives after this, including Adil's people." Abigail said.

"You're just doing it for him..." Tally muturred.

"What? What did you say!?"

"Abigail! Tally! Get your head in the game. We're in this now and we're in this together. We need to be strong for each other" I butted in, hoping that it would clear all of the tension. I went to Tally and lay my head on her shoulder.

That's right, we need to be strong. I need to be strong.