Zodiac Girls

Meeting the Leader

After knocking Lucy out in the med bay, Rain grabbed the bandages the woman took out and wrapped them around her stinging, reddened wrists. Once they were secured, the girl rushed out of the room and into the halls, taking great caution as she make her escape out of wherever she was being held in. 

Being in a new place, without a map around to guide her, Rain knew she had to take caution here at all times, and had her senses activated at full blast. She didn’t know how many more people are here, nor how skilled they may be. If this place was that organization, for all she knew, this very floor is filled with trained fighters. Worse, it may be filled with trained killers; assassins, for that matter. She could not afford to be seen or even heard by these people.

After a few minutes of wandering, Rain found that there was, in fact, no one around on this floor, an action that raised so much alarms for the teen. There was the possibility that it could be lunch, and this place was one of those places where everyone was to get together to eat, but Rain highly doubted that. There was also the way Lucy had left the room earlier after questioning her about how much she remembers of her past. Questionable as that was, Rain also could not help but feel like the woman was hiding something from her.

‘Hiding something’… 

‘Speaking of hiding, Sherry is also here, isn’t she,’ Rain thought, reminded that the girl she thought was her best friend was right by her when she was blacked out. 

If this was the organization’s base, it would stand to reason that she would also be captured as well, especially considering the fact that Sherry did kill off a few of their members. On the other hand, if this was some other organization, one in which Sherry and Lucy are both a part of… there was no way their next meeting will go well. Not after what happened before Rain got knocked out.

‘I can’t afford to take detours…’ she thought, deciding that it was too much of a risk to find her, and continued going down the halls, finding anything that looked anything like an exit out of here.

Some time of walking later, Rain found what seemed to be an elevator at the end of a hall. Elated to have found the exit out, the teen rushed towards the closed doors. Upon sensing movement from the other side, however, she stopped and leapt at the doorway, placing her bare feet right on top of it, and pinning her claws right into the metal ceiling as best as she could. That is, the lines on the ceiling.

Seconds later, a 'ding' was heard, followed by the door opening up. As the door opened, a familiar figure walked out of the elevator. That being none other than Sherry. The sight of the blonde almost made Rain snarl, but she held back, not wanting to risk being heard by the girl, and even tried to silence her breathing, as well as calmed her heart.

Sherry stopped in her tracks, causing Rain to tense slightly, wondering if she heard her, when the former took out her phone from her pocket, checking a text message she had just received from someone. Rain could not see what the message was, but she didn't care much about it. The only thing that did matter to her right now was getting away from wherever this place was.

"They really do care about her, huh... Well, it's only natural. She is out Passing Ace, after all," she heard Sherry mutter, realizing that the message was from the soccer club. "Lying to them about why she didn't come to school is one thing, but what am I going to say to Rain when I see her...?" 

From the tone she used, Rain could tell Sherry was truly conflicted and worried about their next meeting. She then noticed the door starting to close and quickly jumped down on the supposed speedy girl. Sherry, putting her phone away, was oblivious to the next action, as the next thing she knew, she was tackled down by some strong force, and got knocked out when she hit her head on the floor. Rain had no time for apologies and hastily slipped into the elevator, just in time for it to close completely behind her.

Once she was in, Rain took a look at the elevator panel to hit the one button that would bring her to the first floor, where the exit most likely would be, when she saw there was not a single button on the wall, or even a touch screen on it.

"s**t! A trap?!" she uttered out.

"Welcome," she then heard. "Who am I assisting today?"

'Voice authentication? Just my luck... ' Rain thought.

"I'm sorry. I did not catch what you said. Preparing to scan the room."

At that, to Rain's surprise, the inside of the elevator suddenly darkened, and a red light scanned the entire room, especially her. Once the light had her scanned, the room lit green.

"Scanning complete. Zodiac signature found. Sending you to head office," the voice then said.

"'Head office'? Wait, where is this, exactly?!" Rain demanded, as she felt the elevator ascending upwards. Sadly, her question was but a futile effort, as she was asking an automated voice, not an actual person.

'Figures...' the teen thought, just realizing that herself, as she leaned against the back wall, wondering what will happen next, as she waited for the elevator to come to a stop. Mainly, she thought of whatever experiments this place will perform on her, or perhaps the various forms of t*****e that will be done to her instead. After all, she was but a monster, not a human being, nor will she ever be human again.

Not long into her musings, the elevator came to a stop. "We have arrived at your destination," the automated voice announced, as the doors opened up, revealing a large room on the other side. One that seemed very familiar to her.

'Huh? Isn't this the...?' Rain began to think as she walked into the room.

"Hello, Ms. Takone," greeted a voice. The teen turned to the source and laid her eyes on a mature woman sitting at a desk right by the window, with stacks of papers and books on top of either sides of it, while she was working away at her laptop.

The woman seemed to be in her forties, and has quite the slender body and piercing dark amber eyes, with a pair of glasses over them. She wore a dark brown business suit, and her dark green hair was in a low ponytail, and placed over her right shoulder.

"I will be with you in just a moment. I have to get these plans finalized first for the upcoming teacher's meeting," she said, still working away on her computer. "These people have been asking about how to make learning easier and more enjoyable for students to learn, especially those who are either lazy or not good at studying. As a student, I will ask for your input on the idea later. After that, we will talk business. At least... under normal circumstances, I would. However, considering what I heard from Ox earlier- that is, Lucy Shephard- you may have some control over your powers, but you have yet to regain memories about yourself. Either that, or you have yet to realize they are memories, in which I am more willing to believe, as it is quite impossible for the former to come to be."

Rain only shook her head in response to the woman's words, failing to make any sense with what she said. "What are you talking about? Where is this place, anyway?! It looks like the school but-"

"It is the school," the woman interrupted, surprising the teen. "I can understand why you would think otherwise, considering you did wake up in an area only known to certain individuals, but I assure you, this is Luminoir Academy. You can even look out the window, if you wish to make sure of it."

And that Rain did, as she hastily moved to the windows behind the woman. The scenery she saw behind her was more than just familiar, as it was indeed the woods behind Luminoir Academy. She even proceeded to open the windows and poked her head out of them. Looking around the outer surroundings, she saw everywhere she looked, it was definitely Luminoir Academy grounds.

To say she was confused would be an understatement. If this was the academy, what was that room and those halls she was in earlier?

"I would thank you kindly if you would please close the windows," the woman then requested. "I don't want any wind blowing away the paper work I have here."

"Huh? O-Oh. Right..." Rain stuttered out, bringing herself back into the room and closing the windows. "This... This really is Luminoir Academy?"

"That is what I had told you."

"But... But how? I thought I was-"

"-Captured by those scoundrels of SAZS? The people who wish to eliminate us?" At those words, Rain stopped and stared at the woman in shock and wonder.

"What... do you mean, Principal Vyper?" she asked.

That time, the woman paused at her typing and took in a breath, before turning to Rain. "It seems you truly are still in the stage of a Freshie..." she muttered out, her eyes briefly flashing blue and green before turning back to their dark amber color. "If you truly wish to know, please take a seat and wait for me to be done. You can even read some books here while you wait. I have work that needs to be finished." With that, she proceeded to continue working away at her laptop.

Rain was at a loss of what to do. On one hand, she was getting really tired of all this waiting she was told to do. However, rather than be irritated about it, she was feeling somewhat calm instead. No... rather than say she was 'calm', more that... she did not feel like getting angry, as she simply did as the principal say and sat in a chair, waiting for her to be done with work.