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GranEssex Chronicles: Chapter 18 - The Turnabout

The day after the tournament concluded, Meta and Fettuccine were ready to head out on their journey to prove the innocence of the kind doctor Erhard. Currently he was being seen off by Kurabe, who was simultaneously sad and proud about him leaving.

"Meta, not that I don't trust you to, but please be safe on your trip. And please call me twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening, ok?"

"Sensei, I'll be fine. Besides Mercury's coming with us, isn't she? You don't need to worry about me."

"I may not need to, but I still will. I worry about everyone under my command."

"I know, but still. I'll be fine."

"You still need to call me regardless. I can't help with the case if you don't keep me updated."

"But Mercury can do that, can't she?"

His mentor gave a huff. "Well, I'm sorry I'm that replaceable to you!"

"Sensei, that's not what I meant." He replied, only to see her laugh.

"I know, I'm just teasing you. I know that you'll never stop caring for me, just as I'll never stop caring for you. Seriously though Meta, there is a reason I want you to be the one to call me."

He tilted his head in questioning. "What is it?"

"Training. You don't have much experience giving progress reports. While admittedly boring, it's still an important thing to be good at."

He let out a groan. "I know, I know. Trust me, Meta, I wouldn't have you bother with it if it wasn't important."

"I understand, sensei."

"Good. I don't need to worry about you, at least in terms of combat. But you will encounter some people who like... to play mind games. I haven't fully prepared you for that, so be careful."

For some reason, that made Meta grow concerned. "What do you mean?"

"The legal division, they tend to talk a lot. They also tend to find weaknesses in a person. They will try to mess with you, get you to say what they want to hear without you even realizing it. My advice, stay close to Fettuccine, let her deal with them. Don't let yourself get in a situation where you are alone."

"But shouldn't I worry about her as well?"

"No, she's prepared to deal with those people. It's practically apart of her job."

"Ok..." Meta slightly frowned. Hearing that gave him a feeling of helplessness and he disliked that.

"But. Don't think you'll be useless. I know you, Meta, you're very sharp, good at reading people. Besides, there's some situations that need a bit of...muscle to solve."

"Like what? Won't this just be speaking? You know I'm not good with speaking!" By his tone, his mentor could tell he was upset by this.

"Meta, some people refuse to talk and when that happens." The air around suddenly became cold and her eyes hardened. "You need to make them feel fear, then they will talk."

"But I'm not good as you with that!"

"Oh, my sweet Meta, you don't give yourself enough credit. And don't compare yourself to me, that's really not fair to you. You have the talent, or are you forgetting the time you made someone faint from fear just by glaring at them?"

"...did that happen? Or was that because you were with me?"

"Stop that, you're doubting yourself again. And no, I wasn't with you when that happened. I walked in after you caused him to faint. That was all you."

"Could you blame me after I was told I would be mostly useless?"

"Meta, when did I say you would be useless? Like did I actually say that or are you just giving up before you even get started?"

"You didn't say it, but you implied it!"

"No, I implied that it would be difficult on you, but not impossible. I have faith in you, don't think for a second that I don't." She then flicked him on the forehead. "I even specifically said that you wouldn't be useless. If a fight arises, you will be the only one who can protect Fettuccine. You have decent detective skills. And most importantly, you are a pillar."

"...A what?"

"A pillar. Meta, Fettuccine needs you. She'll need your support, otherwise she'll crack under the pressure. Unfortunately, maybe even shatter if it gets that's stressful for her. She has complete trust in you, so it's up to you to keep her calm. You're the only one who can."

Meta was silent as if he was skeptical.

"Why are you so skeptical? You have arguably the most important job because of that."

"But what about Mercury?"

"Fettuccine doesn't know Mercury. Her trust for her is only that of associates, nothing more. You, however, are close friends. She trusts you enough to tell you about her goal, something very few people knew about. Hell, all the progress she's made recently is because of your assistance. Your presence. Not Mercury, not me, but you." Kurabe gave another sigh. "I hope that you understand how important your role is on this mission now."

"...So even if I'm not as smart as her, I'm still just as useful to her regardless? Is that what you mean?"

"Of course. Again, your job is protecting her and giving her support!"

Meta nodded, feeling more confident, but also scared. Not for himself, however... "...Will she really shatter without my encouragement?" He then paused before continuing. "...as in her core?"

Kurabe gave him a sad look. "Yes. It's rare and unlikely to happen, but a Limet's core can shatter from stress. That's why you are so important. You need to protect her, both in mind and in body."

"...I can imagine this would be a situation where that could happen..."

"Exactly. That's why you have arguably the most important job. You are a guardian and I know you can keep her safe. I have complete faith in you. She has complete faith in you."

"...thank you, sensei."

"No need to thank me, Meta. Just do your best, that's all I ask of you."

He nodded in understanding.

"Do you have any more questions?"

"No, I think I'll be fine now, sensei."

Kurabe gave a smile. "Good." She then gently patted his back. "Now you better get going."

"Ok!" He nodded happily. "I'll make you proud, sensei."

"You always do."

The youth only smiled at those words.

"Now go, Meta, be the guardian I know you are."

"I will, sensei!"

Kurabe smiled. "Now, go!"

Meta nodded and ran off.

"...He's growing up at an impressive rate, isn't he Mercury?" She asked, seeing the silvery woman step out from behind a corner.

"Yeah, he is. I assume that's why you didn't hug him?"

"Somewhat. Besides, I'll just hug him when he gets back. I have a feeling he will want one."

"And what makes you think that?"

"All the political bull crap. I'd be surprised if he didn't have a splitting migraine by the end of it."

"Yeah, good point. He already hates that stuff, so it'll probably get even worse..."

"Exactly. So, I'm sure by then he'll need a hug."

Mercury chuckled. "Yeah. Besides, I'm sure Fettuccine will make up for whatever hugs he'll be missing before then."

"Right. I sincerely doubt the two will get into much trouble, but keep a good eye on them, sis."

"Oh, Meta's completely oblivious to that stuff, so it won't be a problem. But I will anyway." The silver woman replied with a smile.

"Oh, he's not... yeah, he is that oblivious, isn't he."

"Yes."

Kurabe chuckled at the blunt response. "Regardless, keep an eye on them. Not for anything dirty, but just in case they, or rather, Meta needs your support."

"I will. You can count on me."

"I know. Now you better get moving as well. Don't want to keep them waiting."

Mercury gave a nod and walked off with her baggage in hand.

---------

Meanwhile, Fettuccine was waiting at the star jet they would be taking, her baggage already on board.

"Hiya, Metty! You ready to get going?" She exclaimed as she saw him approaching her.

"As ready as I can be, Fetty."

"You got any luggage?"

"Yeah." He said, pulling a suitcase from out of his cape.

"Alright, let's add that in."

Meta nodded and walked past her, stopping in his tracks right before he fully went in. "I'll protect you."

Fettuccine blinked for a moment, but then began to blush. "I... thank you, Metty..."

"You're welcome." He replied, not knowing why she was blushing.

Seeing this, Fettuccine quickly tried to go back to normal. "S-so, anyway... where's Mercury?"

Meta silently pointed behind her, seeing said woman smirking at them.

"Ah, let me take your luggage!" Fettuccine quickly said as she grabbed Mercury's bag and put it in the ship, quickly entering it.

"Meta, what did you say that made her so flustered?"

"I don't know. All did that said I would protect her."

Mercury laughed. "Young people are so entertaining sometimes."

"...I don't get it."

"Well to put it this way. You know how people can be embarrassed by things they like sometimes?"

"Um... yeah?" He tilted his head.

"She loved that you said you will protect her, but how you said it caught her off guard. Just like how Kurabe praises you and you act embarrassed about it because you weren't expecting it."

"So, it's because of how nice I said it?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

He only scratched his head, somewhat confused by that. "But I wasn't trying to be nice. I was trying to be serious."

"And you were being seriously nice. Don't you think telling someone you will protect them is a nice gesture?" Her face then became serious for a moment. "Trust me, Meta, your words got through to her. She knows how serious you are about promises."

"Ok."

"Good. Now let's get inside. We have a long trip ahead of us."

The puff nodded as he walked inside the ship.

"Alright everyone, let's go over our plan again. First, we go to the legal division to get the case open again. That's honestly going to be the hardest part." Fettuccine said.

"So, what are we doing?" Meta asked.

"Heading to the main base of the legal division to open up the case."

"Let's focus on doing that first."

The puff nodded, understanding that if they didn't get the case opened up, then that would basically be game over. "Well, let's get going to their base then."

Without another word, Mercury took the controls and blasted off.

---------

In about an hour, they arrived at the planet where the legal division was stationed. Meta was about to step out, but then he saw Fettuccine with the most nervous expression he'd ever seen come from her.

"...I'd ask what's wrong, but I think I already know." He said, taking her hand.

"...Yeah. It's funny, I was so confident before, but now that I'm actually here, I can't help but think about what will happen if I fail."

"I'm nervous, too, but I think everything will be fine. You and Mercury are with me, after all." She smiled and clenched his hand. "Would you mind holding my hand until we get inside?"

"Of course. It makes you feel better, doesn't it?"

"Thank you."

"Well, let's get going, shall we?"

"Let's." She replied with a nod.

The two walked off the ship and caught up with Mercury. "You two good to go now?"

"Yeah, now let's go do this!"

"Good to see your confidence back." Mercury commented with a smile.

"Yeah, thankfully." Fettucine smiled back.

"Sensei was right. I'm the only one who can support her. Don't worry Fetty, I'll keep you from shattering, no matter what." Meta thought to himself. He noticed the woman looking at him, and she squeezed his hand harder upon seeing the determination in his eyes, as if it encouraged her.

"Well, moment of truth. Are you ready, Fetty?"

His friend gave him a smile in reply. "Yeah, I'm ready because you're with me."

Meta nodded and the group entered the building.

---------

The inside was fairly plain, set up like a typical law office. Honestly Meta was surprised by how normal it all seemed.

"...I honestly thought it would be a bit more decorative..." he thought.

"For the sticks in the mud that run this place, this is decorative." Mercury said.

"I assume you've met them before, Mercury?"

"Yeah, with Reedy. They're technically under the Intelligence division's jurisdiction, actually."

"Really? Then why not have Reedy command them to open the case?"

"While I wish it was that easy, that would be an abuse of authority. And you know how much Reedy values following the rules."

"Not even if his younger sister asks him?"

"Again, abuse of authority. If I could easily get Reedy to do it, I would. However, if Reedy did abuse his authority, there's a chance he could get demoted. I'm not going to risk ruining my brother's career. So, we have just had to do this the legal way."

Meta only sighed.

"I prefer it this way, actually." Fettuccine said.

"Why's that?" The youth tilted his head in questioning.

"That's simple, really. I want to make a real difference; I want to expose how corrupt and unfair certain aspects of the legal division are. I can't exactly achieve that if I just have Reedy do it for me."

Meta nodded in understanding. "I see. That makes sense."

"And even if it's harder that way, it will be worth it once Erhard is finally set free."

"Yeah. I agree." The youth smiled. "So, is there anything I can do at the moment, Fetty?"

"Just stay by my side."

The soldier nodded, understanding just how important he really was right now.

"I'll be waiting outside, just to make sure no one bothers you two while you get to work." Mercury said as she walked out.

The two nodded and walked up to the desk of the division's leader, Wolfreid.

"Fettuccine, what business do you have here?" He asked in deep yet polite voice.

The woman briefly gazed at Meta before answering. "I'm here to ask for you to reopen the Erhard case."

"What for?"

"Because I have some information pertaining to the case that proves that there's still mysteries needing to be solved."

He seemed to stare for a moment. "I see. And what is that information?"

Meta noticed Fettuccine was starting to shake and silently grabbed her hand. "Relax, Fetty, you can do this."

She breathed out deeply to clear her thoughts. "To begin with, there are a few individuals connected to the incident that have gone unaccounted for. Not dead, not in lockdown. Just gone. These individuals were also directly connected to Erhard."

"And do you have the names of these individuals and their relation to Mr. Quinter?"

"Wade and Rebecca Forde, the children of Dr. Dru Forde. The doctor Erhard worked for."

"I see. And do you have any other evidence that they might somehow be connected?"

"Yes. Erhard begun to regain a few memories about them. How one of them always argued with the doctor. Then there's one other important detail. Veno, the one in charge of the case as I'm sure you're aware of, is the Stepbrother of Dru. And don't you find it strange that he was quick to blame Erhard despite there being no incriminating evidence against him outside of him being there?"

"I can see why that was unusual. That is why Veno submitted a report about his findings."

"I believe I can uncover the truth. Please, just give me a chance. You can even put me on a strict time limit if needed."

The man stared for a moment. "...very well. I've heard about you from the intelligence division head and I'm interested to see your abilities. I'll give you... say... 5 days."

Meta looked shocked and quickly looked at Fettuccine, who was sweating. "Fetty...I believe you can do it."

However, she still seemed frozen.

"Fetty, calm down. You have what it takes. You are the only one who can save Erhard."

"That will be fine." She managed to say, making Wolfreid raise an eyebrow.

"Are you sure?"

The woman breathed deeply before replying with her answer. "Yes, it will."

"Very well then. The case will now be officially open once again. Good luck to you, Fettuccine and you... what is your name?" He asked Meta.

"My name is Meta."

The man gave a chuckle. "I see, the unkillable's student. I assume you are assisting Fettuccine?"

"Yes, I am."

"Relax. A good assistant needs to be less stiff. Take it from me. Now you two, good luck with your investigation."

"Thank you very much, sir." Fettuccine said. "Let's go Meta."

The youth nodded and followed after his friend.

"He was a lot more reasonable than I expected." Meta commented, seeing Fettuccine visibly relax. She only silently nodded in response. "...are you ok?"

"Metty, do you really think we can solve a case like this in five days?"

"If we work together, I think so. Everyone talks about how smart you are, Fetty."

"Yeah, but-"

"No "buts" about it. You are going to do it and that's final."

She smiled quietly. "...thank you, Metty."

"You're welcome. Now let's get back to Mercury so we can tell her the good news."

"Ok." She nodded as they began to head back to the ship.

"You'll also need to call Kurabe, Meta, let her know she can legally read Erhard's mind now."

"I will when I get back to the ship."

"I know that, silly." She giggled, which Meta was glad to hear.

"She seems to be better already." He thought as he smiled, and they continued their return to the starship.

---------

Once more, Meta spoke up on their trip back. "So, where do we even begin searching? The school it happened at?"

"That would probably be the best location to start with." The woman replied, with her friend nodding and then gaining a quizzical expression.

"Fetty, do you know who owns the school?"

"I believe it's the king of Brightfall. While he doesn't rule Currumpaw, he donated a lot to help build and fund the school..."

Meta blinked for a moment as if that sounded familiar. "...Wait, Brightfall. That sounds familiar. Oh, the loud penguin!"

"Oh, you've met King Bebebe before?" She asked.

"You could say that. He was a guest at that party. He was incredibly cooperative, if a bit noisy."

"Yeah, that does sound like him. I guess it also makes sense that you'd know about him since he's one of Kurabe's closest friends."

"Yeah, if anything this is a lucky coincidence. He should be willing to help us."

"Especially if I'm with you, probably."

"Right. How far away is Brightfall anyway?"

"About an hour from here."

Meta nodded as waved at Mercury who was waiting for them.

"Hey, you two, good news I hope?"

"Yeah, he's reopening it and we've gotta solve it in 5 days."

"Well, the reopening part is good at least."

"Yup. Now we've gotta head to Brightfall to talk to the owner of the university where the incident occurred."

"And you need to call Kurabe, Metty."

"I know, I know..." He grumbled as he walked onto the starship.

"It's important to the mission. We need her to read his mind ASAP."

"I know..." Meta dialed Kurabe's number on his phone and waited.

Almost immediately, she picked up. "Hello?"

"Hello, sensei. We got the case open, so you can dive into Erhard's head now."

"I see. That's good. How are you holding up?"

"I'm doing fine. And... you were right. I am important to this mission."

His mentor giggled. "See? You were all worried for nothing."

"I suppose I was."

She continued to giggle, which made Meta feel even more embarrassed.

"Anyway, we're going to Brightfall next. I'll update you about how that goes later."

"I look forward to hearing about it. Good luck, my little knight."

"Thank you, sensei." Meta said as he hung up. "...That wasn't nearly as embarrassing as I'd thought it be."

"Despite what you may think, Kurabe's good at knowing when is and isn't a good time for jokes."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right Mercury."

"I'm always right!" She said with fake pride.

"Really? Then why do you almost always lose bets to sensei?" He said with a knowing smirk.

"That's a different matter altogether!"

"Of course. So, Mercury, are you friends with Bebebe like sensei is?"

"I'm friends with him, but not to the level of him and Kurabe."

"I see. Well, he at least trusts you right? That should make talking to him easy. Well, easier. He seems fairly approachable to begin with."

"Yeah, he is. If a bit loud..."

"I'd rather deal with a loud noble over a despicable one." Meta commented.

"Yeah, Bebebe's probably the friendliest nobleman you'll ever meet. Unlike most royals, he doesn't have a greedy heart."

"Well, he's sensei's friend. I trust him to be like that..."

"Yeah, we're lucky it's him we're meeting. He might not be the smartest, but he makes it up by being so cooperative."

The youth nodded in agreement.

"I've never communicated with him directly." Fettuccine admitted. "But I've been in the same room with him before while watching him talk to Reedy. So, I know this part of the job will be simple."

"Well, let's head off to Brightfall then."

---------

About an hour later, the group landed on the Planet Brightfall in the Crescent Kingdom. The kingdom itself seemed to be very peaceful. It also seemed to be an interesting mix of summer and winter, with a hot sun and cool snow somehow coexisting.

"...This is an interesting planet." Meta commented.

"I know, right? It makes me want to study it..." Mercury uttered.

"As tempting as that sounds, we have a job to do. Mercury, could you lead the way? I assume you've been to the castle before." Fettuccine asked.

"Of course, I've been here with Kurabe multiple times. Follow me." She waved them on as they headed to the front door of the castle.

"I'm surprised the guards are just letting us move by without any fuss. I guess they really trust us Organization soldiers." Meta commented.

"Of course. Bebebe is an avid supporter of ours."

"I know that. Guess I'm just not used to such a... friendly army."

"I can see why you're so confused."

"Yeah, yeah. Oh look, I think that's the captain of the army approaching us."

Ahead was a small creature wielding a spear. This was Izumi Dee, a Waddle Dee. "Hello visitors. What business do you have here?"

"We're here to visit King Bebebe." Mercury replied.

"Again, what business? I need an actual reason."

"We're here to speak with him about a school he owns. It's important for an investigation we're holding." Fettuccine responded.

"...oh. About that school again. Yeah, let's get this over with, I guess..." He sighed as he began to lead them.

"Why are you complaining, Izumi? It's not like you have literally anything to do with this." Mercury asked.

"We've gotten hounded by people about it a lot. It's why I drink."

"That implies you're over a hundred years old." She deadpanned.

"Who knows? Maybe I am!"

"Darling, quit making up excuses as to why you drink. It's unbecoming of a captain." A secretary Waddle Dee that was approaching them said.

"So, you just saying I can just drink whenever I feel like it?"

"No, I'm telling you that your behavior is unbecoming. That includes the drinking while on duty."

"Look, can you two talk about that later? We'd like to talk to the king." Mercury quickly said.

"Right of course, just walk through this door."

"Thank you." She said before nodding to her allies and stepping into the throne room.

Sitting in the middle of the room was King Bebebe, diligently signing some paperwork.

"Huh? Who is it?" He asked as he looked, eyes widening when he saw who it was. "Ah, Mercury and Kurabe's kid, it's good to see two in good health."

Meta only looked at him in confusion, causing Mercury to giggle. "Good to see you too, Bebebe."

"How's Kura-chi doin'?"

"She's doing fine, but that's not what we're here for." She looked towards Fettuccine, who stepped forward.

Bebebe stared at her for a moment before speaking once more. "You... you're an intelligence member, right? Guess this is for something important."

"Yes, my name is Fettuccine. I'm a member of the intelligence division and I'm here to ask you about the incident at Seton University."

"Oh! I guess that case finally got opened back up. Alright, what do you need?"

She took a quick look at Meta before looking back at the king. "Simply put, would it be possible to get access to records and video footage from that point in time?"

"Sure. I assume Kura-chi's helping ya?"

"Uh... yes she is." She replied, surprised by how cooperative he actually was. "Well, seeing is believing, I guess..."

The king then laughed. "Oh, don't be too surprised. You're the girlfriend of Kura-chi's kid, ain't ya?"

Fettuccine reacted as one would expect and turned pink. "N-no. We're just good friends."

Meta only tilted his head in confusion. "...of course you're a friend of mine, Fetty."

The king just laughed. "Alright, that's enough fun for now I suppose. Morimura! Bring her what she wants!"

The Waddle Dee entered the room as she pushed up her glasses. "Yes, your highness."

"Now while I don't mind assisting ya, would you care to explain why you reopened the case?"

"Because it's unfair to punish a man like Erhard for a crime he probably didn't even commit."

The king hummed. "Yup. Ya gots a point there. I myself thought it was a bit weird."

"Yeah. Wait that was a long time ago, how old are-"

Before she could ask that, Morimura came back in with the requested documents.

"These were the documents you requested, correct? Take your time to look them over." She said while handing the thick folder to them.

"You have a library we can sit in?"

"Yes, allow me to take you there."

"Thank you, Mrs. Morimura."

"You're welcome." She said as she began to guide the group to the library.

---------

Once fully settled in, Fettuccine immediately got to work reading over everything. As for Meta, he decided to look around the library with Mercury, believing it would be best to just let Fettuccine concentrate. He started by looking at some of the books that were on display.

"There's a lot of books I've never seen before here."

"Of course. Some are written in the native language of Brightfall and the others are simply rare books you won't find anywhere else. Like this book, Pilgrim's Travel Log!"

"Who is Pilgrim?" Meta asked, causing Mercury to giggle.

"Oh, pilgrim isn't the character's name. It's what the main character is. The protagonist is named Christopher and he's taking a long and difficult journey to a promised land. Even if it's clearly come kind of spiritual allegory, I think it's more interesting to read as an actual story."

"Must be an ancient story based on how it sounds."

"Yup, I think it's actually older than me and Kurabe. If you take a look at one of the copies of the book on the shelf you can tell it's falling apart a bit."

"Shouldn't something like that be in a museum then?"

Mercury shrugged in reply. "Probably have too many copies of it."

"I suppose that makes sense." "Yup. So, you see anything else that sticks out to you?"

"Not really. Mercury, have you been here often? The castle as a whole, not just the library."

"Somewhat. Not as often as Kurabe."

"Why is that? Does sensei just happen to take a lot of jobs from here?"

"Yup. Her and Bebebe are old friends."

"How old exactly?" Meta asked, curious about the past of his mentor.

"Since Bebebe was a prince."

"So, old then. Were they close?"

"Yup! Really close!"

"Could you go into more detail?"

"I would, but Kurabe would probably be very angry if I did." She giggled.

Meta just tilted his in confusion. "Why's that?"

"Let's just say there's one part of it she doesn't like anyone knowing about..."

"Is it bad? But she and him seem to be on good terms."

"It's not bad at all, just something she's embarrassed to talk about."

"Well, then just tell me about the not embarrassing stuff."

"The two of them often worked together on missions that she took on Brightfall, so you can say that they're allies in battle."

"Really? Him? He doesn't look much like a fighter. Not in the physical sense, but mentally. He doesn't give off warrior vibes like the soldiers do."

"Oh, that's because he doesn't fight anymore due to tearing a ligament in his arm and trying to hide it."

"That would explain it then. It looked like one arm was weaker than the other."

"Yup. He's been learning magic to make up for hit from what I've heard."

"Really? How...weird for a noble to actually take action like that."

"Yeah, but Bebebe's different."

"I know and that's why it's weird. But in a good way."

"Yup. I think so, too."

"...Mercury, do you think Erhard is guilty or innocent?"

"Honestly... I'm not sure. But I came along with you to find the answer myself."

"I see. I think he is, but we'll never know if we don't find anything. I wish I could help more with the actual investigation."

"I understand, Meta."

"But I'm sure I'll get my chance to be useful eventually."

"Yes, you will." "...You think I might have to do any fighting during this mission?"

"Yup."

"Why do you think that?"

"...if Erhard is innocent, do you really think that Veno will just sit on the side and wait for Fettuccine to solve the case?"

"You think he might send people after her?"

"If he has something to hide, yep."

"Then in that case, i should get back to Fetty, just in case."

"I'll go with you then."

The youth nodded as his friend followed him.

---------

Meanwhile with Fettuccine, she was getting a headache. Not out of annoyance, but due to the large amount of information she was getting. Rubbing her head, she took a moment to stand up and stretch.

"At least this stuff should help. At least a little."

Her head still throbbed a bit in pain due to all the information that she read through.

"Fetty, are you ok?" She heard someone ask.

"Oh, I'm fine! I'm just a bit tired!"

"You sure? You seem pretty exhausted."

"No, no, I'm fine!"

"...Alright. Did you find anything useful."

"Oh, a lot of things!"

Meta smiled, glad that the time spent here was indeed useful.

"Well, you should probably take a break then." Mercury said.

"I'll take a break when I... need... one." She said, falling asleep near the end.

"Which is right now." The woman sighed.

"Will she be fine?" Meta asked, worried for his friend.

"As long as she rests, yeah." The youth nodded.

"I'll take her back to the ship. Mercury, would you mind thanking the king for us?"

"Of course!"

"Thank you." Meta told her, picking Fettuccine up and walking out.

---------

In a couple of minutes, Meta returned to the ship and laid Fettuccine down in the sleeping quarters. He then walked outside and punch in front of him, causing an invisible figure to grunt in pain.

"Reveal yourself, assassin."

However, he was immediately slashed by the attacker.

"The hard way it is." Meta said calmly, slashing the assassin twenty times in one second.

Almost immediately, the assassin's invisibly cut off and they fainted right in front of the puff.

"Let that be a lesson for you. Don't mess with those under my protection."

Of course, there was no response.

"Well, that confirms Mercury's suspicions I suppose." He commented, dragging the unconscious assailant into the ship, tying him up.

"Guess I'll wait for him to wake up so Fetty can interrogate him when she wakes up." Meta sighed. Depending on how one viewed it, this whole case just became simpler or more complicated. More than likely, though... it had just become more difficult.

"Did I miss something?" Mercury said as she arrived to see the tied-up assailant.

"More or less that you're right about assassins coming for Fettuccine."

"Well, isn't that just wonderful?" She replied sarcastically.

"It seems like I really will be able to help in this case after all..."

"Duh. Everyone member of a team has a role to play. Even if that role isn't obvious at first."

The youth seemed to blush in embarrassment. "...I've been silly lately, haven't I?"

"Yes, you have been." The woman giggled.

"Well, I just hope she wakes up soon."

"I hope so, too. She needs to tell us all that information she found."

"Right. Let's just hope things don't get too hard for us."

The youth nodded in agreement.

---------

After an hour of waiting, the sleeping beauty finally woke up.

"Hmm...? What happened...?" Fettuccine uttered as she stretched her arms.

"You fried your brain." Mercury bluntly stated.

It was as if everything that happened came back to her, because Fettuccine's entire body turned pink.

"Right, that did happen. Um... anything happen while I was unconscious?"

"We were attacked by an assassin, but I easily took them out and tied them up if you want to interrogate them." Meta explained.

"An assassin!? Great, just what we needed. Bring the punk to me."

The puff nodded and brought the person into the room.

"You ain't getting nothing out of me!" The would-be assassin yelled.

"I assume we just need to leave this to you, Fetty?" The youth asked.

"Yeah, this won't take long at all. Gimme five minutes."

Both Meta and Mercury nodded in response before leaving the room.

"Alright, talk already. Who sent you?"

The assassin was silent.

"You know, I could just have Meta come back in and kill you."

"I am prepared to die for my mission."

"Are you now? What about your wife and daughter?"

"What about them?"

"Well, firstly, thanks for confirming that you have a family." She said with a smirk. "Secondly, do they even know that you're an assassin?"

"I don't know."

"Oh, is that so? So, I could kill you right now and they'd never even know they just lost a husband and father. Wouldn't that be terrible, leaving them behind without any answers?"

The man only remained silent.

"But we can easily avoid that messy nonsense if you just tell me who hired you."

"No one did."

"How old is your daughter? Four? Five?"

"None of your business."

"Oh, I disagree. You were hired to kill me, meaning I am your business. Now just tell me what I want, and your daughter won't have to be without a father."

The assassin seemed to grin before beginning to cough up blood.

"Oh, trying to kill yourself. Sorry, not happening-" Fettuccine started.

"...are you stupid? This is poison!" He then immediately fainted, no longer breathing.

Fettuccine blinked for a moment in shock before letting out a sigh. "Well, so much for that."

Almost immediately, Meta entered. "Fetty, what happened?"

"Moron killed himself."

"Oh..." He then looked at his friend. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Check his body, he might have an ID on him."

The youth nodded, slightly surprised by how unshaken his friend was.

"Oh, this isn't the first time this has happened. It's incredibly disturbing don't get me wrong, but you learn to deal with it."

"...I know, but I thought you would be a bit shaken by it..."

"Oh, trust me I am, I'm just good at hiding it. Go ahead and read my emotions, Metty, I don't mind."

The youth nodded and closed his eyes, focusing only on Fettuccine. "...I feel sadness. I guess you are taking it hard."

"I am. I hate death of any kinds besides natural causes. It's just you learn to deal with it until the mission is over. That's when you, or I guess I, can cry."

Meta knew that feeling all too well.

"Besides, now's not the time to let our nerves get the best of us. We have a case to solve!" She said with a smile, but Meta knew it was slightly forced.

He stared for a moment before walking over to Fettuccine and hugging her.

"...Thank you, Metty."

"No problem, Fetty."

"Now, did you find any sort of ID on him?"

"Here." He said, handing her a card.

"Kno Wan. Kno Wan. His name is literally no one. Darn assassins and their annoying aliases."

"So, I guess we don't know who he is then."

"No one knows. Well, whatever, at least we have proof of an assassin trying to kill me. That means someone doesn't want me investigating. Which means we're on the right track."

"So, what planet are we heading to next then?"

"Anywhere that doesn't have anything to do with the case and has a hotel. Less likely to deal with assassins that way."

"Alright, leave it to me." They heard Mercury from the door.

"A hotel, already?"

"Yup. We need a good place to rest and go over the information we got."

"It's that late already?" Meta asked in confusion.

"No, but we know assassins are after us. It would be better to lay low. And if my hunch is correct, they'll be waiting for us in certain locations. Which is why we need to go out of our way."

He nodded in understanding. "Well, I'm sure Mercury will take us to a planet that none of them will expect us to be on."

"Plus, now I'm more confident with our five-day time limit." Fettuccine smirked.

"I'm happy to hear that, Fetty."

"I'll tell you why I am when we get to a hotel room." She said while sitting down.

He nodded in response and sat next to her. "So, what now? Besides going to a hotel, I mean."

"Simple. Knowing your sensei, she should be getting ready to read Erhard's mind. We just have to wait."

---------

True to Fettuccine's predictions, Kurabe was indeed getting ready.

"Alright, Erhard, you might feel a bit of discomfort from this. Are you fine with that?"

"If this is going to help me in the end, I'm ready for it."

Kurabe nodded. "Lay down and close your eyes, clear your mind. Searching for specific memories requires that you don't have many stray thoughts running around."

"That will be easy. I've done that quite a lot in solitary confinement."

"Good. There's nothing more annoying than searching through a storm of incoherence. Now on the count of three I'll enter your mind. You ready?"

The doctor took a deep breath before letting it out and answering. "Ready as I'll ever be."

"Then, three, two, one." Kurabe placed her hand on his head. Next, she knew she was in what appeared to be a doctor's office.

"This must be the form his mind takes. It's well organized at least." She then let out a breath. "Well, time to look around."

Her first thought was to open a file cabinet, but it was locked much to her annoyance.

"I could just force my way in, but that could damage his already fractured memories. I'll just have to find the key for it."

She then began to look through the nearby desk, trying to find anything that looks like a key. That's when she noticed something on nearby desk. A large pile of torn apart paper. Or to be more specific, a torn-up picture.

"Ah, I've dealt with this before. It's like a jigsaw puzzle, just need to put the pieces together and you'll form a picture." She giggled, enjoying jigsaw puzzles, and began to put it back together.

"And done. Oh, it's a family picture, that's him as a kid, those must be his parents." She smiled.

Suddenly a new part of the office that was previously blocked off was now open to her.

"Repair his memories and more memories reveal themselves. Simple enough."

She then moved forward, hoping to find the key soon. She had a feeling the most important memories were locked in that cabinet.

"Well, this will take longer than I thought. But don't worry Erhard, I'll get your memories back. One step at a time."

---------

Back with the investigation trio, they had finally landed on a faraway planet.

"So what planet is this, Mercury?" Meta asked.

"I don't know. I just picked one at random. I think the map said Tabni, or something like that."

Fettuccine shrugged. "As long as it's not connected to the case, it'll work."

"Alright then. So why a hotel? Why not just tell us here in the ship what you found?"

"Safety mostly. You never know, they might have put microphones or something on the ship to spy on us."

"Well, that makes sense. So, what kind of hotel are we staying at then?"

"Whatever this town we landed in has to offer. We don't have the luxury of picking one beforehand." Mercury told him.

"Should be easy. I believe this is a planet known for its nightlife, so there are a lot of hotels here."

"That description fits a lot of planets, Fettuccine. Come on, let's get moving."

"Okaaayy..." She grumbled as she dragged Meta along.

"Why are you grumbling? This is your idea. Besides I'm the one paying for it."

Meta didn't say anything, but he got the feeling that it was because of how dismissive Mercury was of Fettuccine's expression of knowledge.

"Well, whatever, we got better things to worry about." The woman shrugged as she followed them to a hotel.

---------

Once fully settled in a nearby cheap, but well-kept hotel, Fettuccine got ready to explain what she learned. She was then given a plate of food.

"I hope you don't mind, but I ordered room service for dinner for all of us." Mercury said.

"It's fine. I guess I'll explain after I eat."

"Of course. You're hungry, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I guess I am."

"Then enjoy your food!"

"I will. So, who is sleeping where? There's only two beds and one couch."

"I'll sleep on the couch, you two sleep on the beds." Mercury said.

"You sure?"

"Oh yeah! I can sleep just about anywhere!"

"I mean, me and Meta can share one bed and-"

"I'll take the couch."

Fettuccine pouted. "Metty, what do you think?"

"I don't see the big deal. If she wants the couch, she can have it."

She continued to pout.

"What?"

Her pout became bigger.

"Quit pouting and eat, your food is getting cold."

She did so in silence.

---------

After a half hour of eating in silence, now it was time for Fettuccine to reveal what she learned.

"So, what did you learn, Fetty?" Meta asked.

"First. A very interesting fact. Veno was actually a huge donor to the school. Donating large amounts of cash each year, more than enough to sustain it. That until a certain year. 15 years before the incident, his donations became smaller and smaller. Thanks to Bebebe, the school was still able to function, but nowhere near as much as it used to."

"I see. Do you have an idea of why they decreased?"

"Yeah. As you know Veno is the half-brother of the doctor. According to these records, 15 years before the event was when the doctor and his son reportedly started getting into those arguments Erhard remembered. The most likely reason as to why Veno lessened his donations was that he was on his nephew's side and most likely wanted to sabotage his half-brother."

"What were those arguments about?"

"Apparently according to these records, his son wanted them to get into developing weapons. Poison weapons."

"I see."

"Like what happened during the incident." Mercury said.

"Obviously the good doctor was against this and shut down any proposal made about it."

"So, now what? Does that mean the son was the culprit?"

"Not necessarily Metty, but it does make him a suspect."

"What else have you found?"

"Something very interesting from the parking records. You see every visiting vehicle needs to be registered upon entering the school grounds, for secure purposes. One of the registered visiting vehicles on the day of the incident, belonged to Veno."

"So, I assume he's another suspect?" Meta asked.

"He already was, but now he's even more suspicious."

"So arguably he might be the biggest suspect, is that right?"

"Precisely."

"I see..."

"As for anything else. Something very interesting. I found the schedule for all employees. Erhard, was not supposed to be there but was apparently asked to come in by the doctor's son."

"Why?" Meta asked.

Mercury hummed. "Might just be me, but I get the feeling it was to lay the blame for what happened there on him."

"But why him? Sure, he was close to the doctor, but why not frame one of the employees that were already there?"

"It's because Erhard was against his idea for poison weapons."

"So, they wanted to take out two birds with one poisonous stone."

"Exactly." Fettuccine nodded.

"Why not just kill him then instead of leaving him alive? Why set up a scapegoat at all?"

"Hmm... that's a good question..." Mercury uttered.

"Simple. If there was no culprit to be found, the investigation would still be on. With a scapegoat however, the case is closed, and the true culprit gets away with no effort." Fettuccine said.

"I see... that makes sense." Meta nodded.

"Now for the hard part. Finding the good doctor's missing children." Fettuccine said, putting air quotes around missing.

"Do you have an idea where they might be?"

"Nope." She sighed.

"Well, I guess that's what we investigate next." Mercury said.

"But where do we start?" Meta asked.

"...We'll have to wait until we get the info from Kurabe."

"So, I guess we're just hanging out here until then, huh?"

"We don't have much of a choice."

"Well, it'll be a nice breather, won't it?"

"I guess so." Meta then smiled.

"Don't worry, Fetty. I'm sure sensei will get back to us as soon as she finds more information."

"You're right, we still have four days after this one. It won't do any good to stay agitated." Mercury clapped her hands.

"Yup. So, let's take this time to relax a bit until Kurabe calls us."

"I hope it's going well." Meta said.

---------

"...I'm getting so tired of these puzzles." Kurabe groaned.

While she had been having fun with the various jigsaw puzzles, they had quickly begun to all other kinds of puzzles. Logic, cryptic, mechanical, sudoku, mathematical, all of them were present throughout these areas.

"Well, at least I'm getting close, just need to find that key."

She let out a stretch and sighed, being particularly stuck on this logic puzzle for quite a time. It was a seemingly simple puzzle, she just needed to input a password and the puzzle would be finished. Unfortunately, she had no idea what the password was or what it could be.

"Maybe I should look around this room a bit more..." She thought.

"Do you require assistance?" A voice said from behind her. Turning around she saw a little boy that looked a lot like Erhard.

"If you wouldn't mind, I would appreciate it."

"Ok. What's the question?"

"The question is, why did you become a doctor."

The child tilted his head. "Isn't wanting to help people enough of a reason?"

"A one word answer please. The password can only be one word."

"Then "people"?"

Kurabe nodded and wrote in "people".

"Is that it?"

Suddenly a key fell onto Kurabe's head.

"I'll take that as a yes..." she grumbled as she rubbed her head. "Well, thank you..." She started to say, but then noticed that the kid was gone. She then shrugged and then continued through the next door that she had opened with the key.

"Well, time to open up that file cabinet already. About time, speaking of, I wonder how much time has passed in the real world." She then shook her head. "I'll see when I get out. Hopefully not too much time."

She reached the cabinet and inserted the key.

"Alright, moment of truth."

After turning it and jiggling the handle, she began to feel the cabinet open up. Suddenly a flood of memories rushed out of it. Kurabe smiled at this and quickly left Erhard's mind. Back in reality Kurabe looked at Erhard.

"What do you remember?"

"...Everything."

"Would you like to discuss it then?"

"Once my headache passes."

She chuckled. "Very well. I will wait however long I need to."

---------

After thirty minutes of rest, Erhard was ready to speak.

"So, are you ready to talk?" Kurabe asked.

"I am, yes."

"Well let's get this out of the way then. Do you remember who the true culprit is?"

"I... think I have an idea..."

"Who is it then?"

"Veno."

"Of course it's him..." Kurabe sighed heavily.

"He wasn't alone. The doctor's son was his accomplice." Erhard continued, exhibiting an emotion he hadn't had in decades. Anger.

"...I see." The warrior replied with a sympathetic gaze. "Do you have any idea where the son might have gone?"

"An idea yes. In the Merbuda system, the doctor had a vacation home."

"Merbuda, you mean the system with constant active black holes?"

"Yes, that one."

"Why have a vacation home in some place so dangerous?"

"Exactly. You wouldn't think to go there, would you?"

"Of course not. I rather have mine in a more peaceful part of the galaxy."

"Which makes it a perfect place to lay low."

"Indeed. Well, I should probably notify my student about this development."

"Before you do, there's something else you need to know."

"What is it?"

"Veno like you, is psychic. However, while you can read and bring out memories, he manipulates them. That's how I lost mine in the first place. It only works on those with weak wills, which is why he couldn't use it on the doctor or head of the law division."

"A psychic, huh? He'll be a difficult opponent then."

"Yes and no. He can only use his powers by physically touching people. Also, he's not exactly physically strong."

"Oh. Then that will be easy." She chuckled darkly.

"And it only works on those with weak wills. I've only known those kids for a short time, but I'm sure they aren't weak in the slightest."

"Of course not. Meta's my student!" She huffed. "But wait, what about you? You don't seem weak."

Erhard smiled sadly. "Veno did something that weakened my will."

"What's that?"

"He killed the doctor." He said bluntly.

Kurabe blinked in shock. "But... why...?"

"You know the old saying. You're either with me or against me. The good doctor refused to submit to Veno's horrific plans. You can imagine the rest."

"I see... I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's fine. I can grieve after Veno gets caught."

For a moment, Kurabe became silent before she hugged Erhard, who had a surprised expression at the sudden action.

"I understand. But please, just let it all out..."

"Uh... thank you."

Kurabe giggled at the slightly shy reply. "Well now, I better tell them what l learned."

"...can you let me go?" Erhard uttered, now feeling a bit crushed by her.

"Oh, right." She then let go. "I'll come back to you later." She said as she dialed in Meta's number.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Meta. How's your investigation coming along?"

"Fine, but we hit a roadblock. We suspect we need to find the doctors children, but we don't know where to start."

She giggled. "Well, lucky for you, someone happens to have an idea of where they are."

"Really? Did you get his memories back?"

"Yup. We also know who the culprit is now."

"Who is it?"

"Veno, with Dr. Dru's son, Wade, being an accomplice."

"...Of course." Meta gave heavy sigh.

"I think you already know where to find Veno, but for the doctor's son, the doctor has a vacation home in the Merbuda system. Go look there."

"Alright, thank you sensei."

"One more thing to note, Meta. Be careful of Veno. He has the ability to manipulate the memories of the weak minded. So, keep your mind strong."

"Really!?"

"Yes, oh and only through physical contact."

"Is that all you have to tell me?"

"One more thing. Veno killed the doctor."

There was a moment of silence, as if her student was processing that.

"...I see..."

"Yes, now good luck Meta. I'll stay here with Erhard just in case Veno tries something."

"Ok. Thank you, sensei."

"You're welcome, my student." Kurabe said as she hung up. She then turned to Erhard. "Now... where were we...?"

"You were hugging me."

"Oh, that's right!" She exclaimed as she resumed her hugging.

"...So why are you hugging me again?"

"Just let it all out, Erhard..."

"Let what out? Oh, you mean my tears."

"Yes, that's what I mean."

"Oh, that's quite a problem then. I can't physically cry, it was a medical condition I was born with." Despite this though, his voice sounded like he was crying even if he wasn't.

"Perhaps, but you sound like you are."

"I am, aren't I?"

"Yes, you are." After a moment of silence, Kurabe spoke up. "Erhard, I have a proposition."

"...what is it?"

"After you get set free, how would you feel about working for my ship?"

"But why though?"

"You want to keep being a doctor, correct?"

"I would love to."

Kurabe held out her hand. "Then welcomed aboard."

"But... doesn't a battleship as important as yours already have a doctor?"

"The Bukisets, but they aren't dedicated doctors."

"But-"

"But nothing. You can never have enough doctors." She then began to pat his cheek, being too short to pat his head. "Especially since you will be specifically dedicated to being a doctor."

"Well, if you really want me aboard, I don't see a reason to refuse."

"Oh please, I know you would ask anyway." She pouted.

"Why are you pouting?" Erhard asked, not understanding anything about social cues. She then stopped hugging him and reached out her hand.

"Then shake my hand."

"Oh right. Of course." He took her hand and shook it.

---------

"So, what exactly is Merbuda and why do you two look so worried?" Meta asked his compatriots.

Noticeably, both Fettuccine and Mercury were sweating profusely upon hearing that name.

"It's... it's an area that's full of black holes." Mercury uttered.

"...Damn."

"Yeah, it's one of the hardest places to navigate."

"Not to mention a death trap." Mercury added.

"Yes, but that's the most likely place where the doctor's son is."

"Well, we'll just have to be extra careful."

"Leave the piloting to me then." Mercury said.

"Alright. Well Fetty, we're making even more progress."

"Yeah, and I'm glad for that." She smiled.

"Well, we should get going then."

"Hold your horses, Metty. It's late and we need to sleep."

"And I already paid for our room." Mercury added.

"Oh... I guess so. Well, I'm going to head to bed now." He said as he headed to one of the beds.

"You too Fettuccine." Mercury ordered.

"I know, I know."

"Good night you two."

"Good night, Mercury." Meta said with a yawn as he fell asleep.

---------

The next morning, Fettuccine was adamant on getting out of the hotel as fast as possible, only taking time to eat breakfast.

"Fetty, why the rush? Today's only just day two."

"Because the Merbuda system is a long way from here. The sooner we leave, the sooner we get there."

"Ah... I understand." He then tilted his head.

"How long will it take for us to get there?"

"At our top speed, twelve hours. Not to mention dealing with those black holes."

"Oh. So, it'll take all our daylight."

"Yes and no. The Merbuda system is...strange to put it lightly. Combined with the constant black holes, there's at least ten suns there."

"Ten? How is that possible?"

"No one knows. The Merbuda system is incredibly mysterious and incredibly dangerous."

"I see."

"Also, Metty, I have a question."

"What is it?" "What were you eating at two in the morning?"

"Nothing."

"A parfait." Mercury said.

"I assume he does that often, Mercury?"

"Almost every day."

"And he always eats an affogato every day when he wakes up?"

"No, I don't. Now can we get going already?"

"We're already on our way to the ship, Metty."

"...and yes, you do." Mercury uttered.

"No, I don't. Now drop it."

She only giggled, seeing his pouting face. "Fine, fine. I need to focus on driving anyway."

As Mercury turned back to her task at hand, Meta saw Fettuccine looking at him.

"Metty, do you like sweets?"

"Yeah, I do, why?"

She then looked a bit nervous. "When this is all over... would you like to go to one of my favorite ice cream places?"

Meta tilted his head, not sure why she would be nervous about asking that. "Sure."

She let out a relieved sigh. "I'm glad..."

"Well, I'm glad that you're glad then."

She gave a smile towards him.

"Do you still feel nervous about solving this case?" Meta then asked, thinking of a possible reason why she could be acting like this.

"A bit, but I feel better when I remember that you'll be with me all the way..." she uttered shyly.

"Well of course. You sure you're feeling alright? You should probably get back to sleep if you need it."

"Yeah, I'm alright. Don't worry about me, Metty. You being here with me is enough."

"Well, alright then."

"What about you? Are you nervous?"

"Not really. Not about the case anyway." She tilted her head in questioning.

"Then what are you worried about?"

"The black holes. I'm not scared of anything I can cut, but I can't exactly cut a black hole in half... yet."

"Mercury will take care of it. Don't worry."

Meta nodded. "Yeah. Well, I'm going to train."

"Right now?"

"Of course. I have to train whenever I can."

"...do you mind if I come watch you?"

Meta shrugged. "You can do whatever you want. Not sure why you'd want to though, I'm just going to be doing weightlifting."

For some reason unknown to the youth, Fettuccine's entire body turned pink as she looked at the floor upon hearing that. Meta, confusing her reaction as confusion decided to elaborate.

"Well, I can't exactly do my usual training routine without destroying the ship."

She silently nodded. "Can... I help...?"

"With weightlifting? Sure, I guess."

She smiled happily while following him out of the room.

---------

After a few hours, Fettuccine slightly regretted that choice.

"My arms are so soreee."

"You offered to help me, Fetty. You brought it on yourself." Meta replied while drinking an entire bottle of water in one gulp.

"But did they have to be so heavy?"

"Heavy? Those were the lightest I had."

"A hundred tons is not light!" She said, shocked that he considered those weights to be light.

"...you might need to build up a bit of arm muscle, Fetty."

"Limets don't have muscles Metty, we're slime."

"Then couldn't you make yourself have more muscles?"

"What do you think I was doing!? My strength is not the issue, it's that you are way stronger than I am."

"You should get stronger then."

"Nah, I'm good. I'm not a fighter, I don't need to be freakishly strong. That's your job."

"Then why did you ask to help me?"

"To spend time with you, silly." She said with a blush.

"Oh, well thank you then." He replied, clueless as to why she would seem so embarrassed to spend time with a friend. "But next time, I don't mind if you just want to watch me."

The woman nodded in response.

"Alright you two, it's time to get serious. We've made it to the system." Mercury said.

Quickly and curious, Meta looked out the window. To his utter shock, he saw three black holes in the distance.

"How is that possible?"

"Merbuda is a star system that cannot be understood. That's all there is to it." Mercury simply replied.

"I don't think we should stay here for long. Wait, do people even live here?"

"Besides the people we're looking for, probably not."

"Or people who don't want to be found in general." Fettuccine added.

"Why would anyone willingly do that?" Meta asked, not understanding why anyone would live in a death trap.

"Simply because no one would come to a death trap willingly."

"Besides us anyway."

"Yes, but our business here is different."

"We're still willingly coming to a death trap, our reasons don't really matter."

"A deathtrap..." Meta uttered.

"Meta, I know what you're thinking, and I get it, but it's time to be serious. I need both of you to search for anything that could be a vacation home."

The youth stared at her in questioning, wondering why she said that, but then looked out the window.

"What are you so on edge for, Mercury? You're an expert pilot, right?"

"My piloting skills mean nothing if a black hole magically appears in front of us. Neither of us can afford to dwell on thoughts not related to our mission. Now get to looking."

"Ok..."

"Hey Mercury, do asteroids usually have palm trees on them?" Meta asked.

"They shouldn't. Why?"

"Look to your left."

The woman did so. True to Meta's words, there was a large asteroid, almost the size of a small moon, with what looked like palm trees on it.

"Guess that's it."

"Well, only one way to find out for sure." Mercury said as she flew towards it.

---------

In a few minutes, the group landed on the asteroid.

"Well let's get searching you two."

The two nodded and they began to search around. The asteroid, upon further investigation, appeared to be man-made instead of being something natural.

"...this must be it." Mercury said.

"That explains all the random palm trees."

"Yup."

After walking for what felt like an hour, they came across what appeared to be a modest sized house.

"This must be it. I'm surprised it's not better guarded." Meta said.

"Well, it's not like anyone else knows this place even exists."

"Even so, you would think that..."

"No, putting guards here would just alert us. In some cases, having no defense is the best defense."

"What about traps?"

"Realistically there won't be any. They've been hiding out here for centuries. They probably don't see a need for any."

Meta nodded, but kept a hand on his sword just in case.

The group advanced towards the house.

"So, do we just knock on the door?"

"I guess we can try it. Just keep your guard up."

Meta nodded and knocked on the door, ready to attack if needed. Nobody answered. Meta decided to go with plan B. Which was kicking the door down with full force. He instantly did so, causing his two allies to jump a bit.

"It had to be done. HEY! QUIT HIDING AND COME OUT!"

There was no response. However, he could sense that there was definitely someone here.

"I said come out. I can do a whole lot worse than kicking down a door."

Nothing.

"You might have to do worse, Metty." Fettuccine said.

Suddenly, she froze before falling to the floor face first.

"FETTY?!" He then saw a man standing in the hallway. Immediately, Meta cut off the man's arm, causing the man to suddenly regret showing up. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!?"

"What did you think I do, you brat!?"

"A STRAIGHT ANSWER, UNLESS YOU WANT ME TO CUT OFF YOUR OTHER ARM!"

"I stabbed her damn core, that's what I did!"

"Then I guess you want to die!"

"Metty, that's enough. I'm fine." Fettuccine said as she stood up.

"What the?!"

"Oh please, that wasn't the first time I've been stabbed. That little stab doesn't even make it to the top ten stabbings I've been through."

"...I'll give you a few seconds."

"Yeah, I know I'm poisoned. I'll probably die if I don't get treated soon."

Meta only stared in shock before slashing at the man again.

"Metty, I said stop." Fettuccine said, stopping him from killing their target. "He's Wade Forde, the doctor's son, we need him alive."

The youth glared at her with an emotion she'd never seen before from him: wrath.

"Metty, calm down. If you kill him, then our mission will be a failure, Erhard will stay imprisoned, Veno will walk away Scot-free, and I would have died for nothing. You need to calm down. We have a job to do, an innocent man's life to save. If I die, I want to die successful. Now calm down." She let out a cough.

Meta looked at her, the anger in his eyes disappeared, now replaced with worry. "Alright Fetty."

"Damn Veno... how could he mess up something so simple...?!" Wade uttered.

"You've been a free man while an innocent one was blamed for a mass murder you were a part of. You don't get to complain." Fettuccine spat out, coughing violently.

"I can complain if I want, bitch!" He said, smacking her across the face.

"Do you really want to push your luck when my friend has his sword pointed at your throat?"

Before Wade could respond, Meta stabbed out one of his eyes. "You are at my mercy, scum."

He only continued to grin. "...tell me, do you know what CIP is?"

"Yes, I know what it is, but I don't care. You might not be able to feel pain, but I will make you feel fear!" Meta yelled, making Wade piss himself in fear. "Now tell me where the cure is!"

"There is no cure!"

"Bullshit!"

Before Meta could say anything else, a woman's voice he didn't recognize called out. "Yes, there is, don't listen to my idiot brother."

-

Continued HERE

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