Chapter 11

After their work at the city was finished, Alisa and her team took Secilia and Marty with them. They were silent almost the whole time untill Flint decided to talk.

"So, how have you been at the secret forces? I've heard that you're working pretty hard lately." (Flint)

"Oh, we're doing fine. Although there is a lot more work because of the Poachers and some missing people." (Secilia)

"I see. Now that you've mentioned it, we also met two of the poachers today." (Flint)

"Really?! How did they look? What did they say? Were there any symbols or logos on them?..." (Secilia)

"Slow down a bit. I was fighting with a level 4 at that time. Alisa and the others saw them and told me about it. If you want to know, ask them." (Flint)

"OK. Can somebody of you come with me to Miki's lab to explain about what they saw?" (Secilia)

"Why is it so important and why only one of us?" (Alisa)

"I can't tell because it might not be safe to talk about it here but it is connected to the Poachers. I would like you, Alisa-chan, to come as the leader." (Secilia)

"Got it, I'll come with you but I have to ask, can I tell others about it?"

"It depends on how serious the situation will be. For now don't tell anybody, got it?"

Alisa nodded. After a while they reached the base. Alisa brought Secilia, Marty and the general to the lab. In there Miki, Machina and Kumoto were arguing about something. When Miki saw Secilia she rushed towards her.

"Sechi!" (Miki)

"Miki-chan!" (Secilia)

They hugged tightly for quite a long but they let go in the end.

"How's it been Sechi? Is work going well?" (Miki)

"It's like always. Missions, investigations and not a single man good enough for me."

The people in the lab were shocked to hear this. Then Secilia noticed the boy.

"Who is that?"

"Haha...I'm the great genius Kumoto Hagashi! But you miss can call me however you want."

"OK then Sandal, nice to meet you."

"Wha...! Why are you calling me that way?" (Kumoto)

"Because you wear sandals with socks." (Secilia)

"So cruel..."

"Now, let's return to buisness. What were you going to show me? I couldn't understand well when you called." (Miki)

"Is it safe here? I don't want someone to spy on us." (Secilia)

Miki walked to the entrance of the lab and locked it.

"Now, no one would be able to hear or see us. Continue."

"Firstly, I want everybody here to know that if you want to stay, you'll have to keep this a top secret. No one outside should know about this."

She then explained about their investigation and Prof. Antonov's secret lab. The things they found on the computers and the book she hid from the others. She told them about the things written in the diary, as she gave it to Miki, and the data about ARD core on the computers. There was a list with the number, date and hour of recieved cores and ARD body parts, there were also files about the contents of the core, chemical structure and other. Even a theory of the usage of them. Unfortunately most of the data was lost. Then Alisa was asked to explain about what she saw.

"Now that I heard this, I am sure this will help you. They were young, around my age. A boy and a girl with weapons similar to our ONEs and robes covering them. The boy introduced them as Varions and the girl mentioned someone named Prof. Shiroyama."

When they heard that name, the others frowned. They knew this wasn't good.

"What? Is something wrong?" (Alisa)

"It's verry bad. You mustn't know about him because it's top secret but I'll tell you. Shiroyama was an assistant researcher and helped in the creation of the ONE but one day, in the second year of the war, she illegaly downloaded almost all the data from WPO's computers and disappeared. No one knew if she was dead or alive but she is still on the wanted list. Now that we heard it, we know that she is alive and is probably the one that commands those Varions, probably the one that made them too." (Miki)

"What do you mean by 'made them'?" (Secilia)

"From the data in the diary, thay are menioned as something created for some goal but I still don't know what. Especially that level 0 bugs me." (Miki)

"Let me see the diary." (Kumoto)

Miki handed him the book. He opened it on the mentioned earlier page and started reading with a serious expression.

"What can you possibly find so fast Sandal?" (Secilia)

"Shut up!" he closed the diary and looked at he "You had it for so long and didn't figure much but I got most of it. Wanna hear?"

"Oh, really? Tell us!" (Secilia)

"He was searching trough the USA's secret data. I know because there is no such thing in WPO's servers. If there was general Flint here would have said something. They won't hide something like that from one of the five Overdrivers. As you might know, Japan no longer has goverment. It was destroyed the first year of the war. Only one island is currently populated, no one dares to try and rebuild it untill the ARDs disappear. That leaves only the USA. I'm not sure about the reason they hid the info about the level 0 but was probably because the people needed hope that time. If they heard that, they would have fallen in despair. It's also a mystery where that level 0 disappeared to, for now I suggest to stand by and be ready in case it appears again...." - he stopped for a minute to take a breath and remembered something.

When he was younger, he snuck out of the shelter to go to his house in order to take some of his dad's files.

=== Flashback===

The sky was red and the houses were burning while explosions were heard from the city. His house was on one of the beaches in California. He was kneeling next to his dying father.

"cough. Listen to me now, son, take these keys and go to the basement! There is a safe. The code is 2032,cough, in there is an USB memory and a CD disk. Take them with you and keep them safe! Also...destroy everything in the basement. There is a red button hidden behind the safe. Press it and run as far as possible. It will blow my lab in 30 minutes."

"OK, dad, I'll do this!"

Then an explosion was heard near their house. A jetplane had fallen in the water. He could see everything from the hole in the wall. The pilot landed on the beach a few seconds later. He had succesfully opened his parachute and was fine. He was cursing but when he saw Kumoto, he shouted.

"Kid, what are you still doing here?" - he ran towards Kumoto and grabbed him.

"Let me go!" (Kumoto)

"Are you nuts?! You'll die if you stay here! I'm taking you to the shelter!"

He dragged him by force and didn't let him go back to the basement. A few days later he snuck out of the shelter by climbing up one of the airvents. He was slim and short when he was young. He had eye problems so he wore glasses and had almost no presence, so it was easy for him to do it. He wen to his house and entered the basement. He took the USB and CD, moved the safe aside and saw the button. It was covered by a locked plastic lid. He used the small key and unlocked it. He pressed it and ran out as fast as he could. He got out from the hole in the wall. He was about to turn around and head to the shelter when something caught his eye. He looked at the sea. Below the cloudy sky, at the horizon an almost invisible blue light flashed for a few seconds and disappeared. He then returned back to the shelter.

===End of Flashback===

"What is it? Is there something wrong?" (Marty)

"No, I just remembered something. Let's return back to the topic. He was working on a project to create those Varions. There might be more things he was working on but I'm not 100% sure. Those Varions are genetically modyfied humans that can use those weapons similar to ONEs and probably are quite a lot stronger if you have in mind why they were created. Finally, according to his notes, there might me another 'Starfall' some time in the future."

They didn't expect him to discover so much by reading trough the diary once. Also the news for the genetically modyfied humans and possibility of a new 'Starfall' made everyone tence.

"How can they?! To do such things to humans, moreover children! This is unacceptable!!" (Alisa)

"Calm down! If you are this angry go utside. I don't want any of the equipment here to break because of you." (Miki)

"OK. I'll calm down." (Alisa)

"For now we shouldn't tell anyone. You should go and do your things, Alisa-chan. We'll investigate this thing more." (Secilia)

Alisa then went out. A few minutes after her the general also left. He was going back to HQ in Europe and was going to investigate on his own. Kumoto and Miki were going to look trough the diary some more. Secilia and Marty were going to stay in Romen for some more time.

=== At the hospital ===

Lance slowly opened his eyes. He sat up and looked around. He was lying on a hospital bed. His eyes were a bit hazy but he was still looking around.

'пфэиыѝэщ##Ђ₸�-π^°°¦.....still not good. I'm dizzy. Can't see or hear well. Where is this?'

A nurse was entering and saw him awake. She quickly went and called his friends.

"Lance!" (Petia)

"I'm glad you're OK. We got so worried!" (Shin)

Blake just smiled lightly when he saw him awake. He didn't show it but was happy.

"Do you want something to drink, eat or help with something?" (Shin)

"....home."

"What?" (Petia)

"...go home....and sleep." (Lance)

They helped him get up because he was sluggish and dizzy. They used one of the taxis to drive them back. It was a long day and as soon as Lance got to his bed, he fell asleep and didn't move anymore.