To Rescue a Villain

Chapter 21

14 Years Later

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A pop song I'd never heard before blared in the front of the military ship, probably in a failed attempt to block out the loud engine. The beat was a little mournful but also full of excitement and it helped get me pumped up for the adventure I'd spent years anticipating.

Pulling my long, blonde hair into a ponytail and securing it with a black hair tie, I took one look at my completely black outfit to make sure nothing was amiss, then I shifted my focus toward the three other people in the ship.

Directly across from me, with her tight panted legs crossed, was a young, Asian woman with a jagged, black bob. Her eyes were slanted and she kept looking me over with her heavily shadowed eyes. It almost hurt to look at her because she was so pretty.

I knew, from years of experience, that she was the main character in our future mission. Her name was Jala and, if her thin but toned body and pretty face didn't give it away, she was the heroine.

Sitting on my side of the ship was a man of unknown age or origin. His body was covered from head in toe in black as night armor made of leather or some other thick material. His face was hidden by a shiny helmet with a sharp, silver V running down the top. I'd only heard him speak once during this whole trip and his voice had been deep and mechanical.

This machine-like man was named Maddox. He was the strong, silent type and one of the most popular characters in the show.

And, finally, there was the person seated next to Jala, a woman whose face I couldn't place. She had straight, black hair that ran to her elbows and blue eyes that could have lit up a dark room. She wore a hood, which she occasionally pulled over her head to mask her expressions and, aside from her flashy high heels, there wasn't anything else that really struck me as memorable.

I wasn't sure why I couldn't remember her name. Maybe she was only here in reaction to something I'd done over these past ten years.

The pilot driving this heavily armored, space-faring vehicle struck me as slightly annoying and childish so I pushed him out of my mind. His off tune singing was slightly amusing, though, I had to admit.

"I do wish he'd stop," the unnamed woman commented loudly, raising her voice so she'd be heard over the songs. Her voice reminded me of Odette's, smooth and controlled with a slight touch of flirtation. She also had an accent that sounded almost British but with a Manica flair.

"I know how to drive a ship," Jala offered quietly, pulling a small knife out of her jacket with an evil gleam in her eye.

"Kill him and we can kiss our paychecks goodbye," Maddox interrupted, crossing his arms and looking out the window at the passing stars.

The dark haired women glanced at each other, then shrugged, deciding they cared more about greed than their bleeding ears.

"So." I leaned forward, trying to keep my voice level. "Is this your first time to the moon?" I wanted to ask what the third girl's name was but it might seem weird since I already knew what the other two's were.

"No. Who in their right mind would want to live on such a god forsaken place," the nameless lady spat toward me, then frowned when she realized how rude she had been. "My apologies. It's just been a while since I've killed someone and it's made me somewhat...restless."

...Okay. Make a mental note to never speak to her again. Now I didn't even want to know her name.

"What was your name again?" Jala asked me, running the flat end of her blade over her fingers. "I know you told me earlier but I forgot."

Probably because she didn't care. "Mary. And yours?"

"Jala."

"Nice to meet you." With that, I turned to my left with a hopeful expression.

"I refuse to give my name," Maddox stated, already seeing where this was going.

I smiled to myself. "Sure thing, Maddox."

The helmeted man glanced my way and, I'm assuming, frowned. "We will not get along."

"What is this? Elementary school?" The final woman, who still hadn't let her own title slip, leaned back in her leather seat and smirked. "We were hired to kill people, not have a meet and greet."

"And what's your name?" I interjected, unable to resist. This woman scared me half to death but I'd been around my husband for so long that I just couldn't resist making a jab like he would.

The woman glared at me, losing her patience. "My name is Zora and I refuse to go by anything else."

"That's okay. I'm not a nicknamer."

"Good."

On that note, about being hired to kill people, she was in for a big surprise. Derek Hacket hadn't hired us because he wanted us to murder other humans. (Technically he hadn't hired me at all. I'd come of my own free will but that was beside the point.) Honestly, no one knew what we were going to do once we reached the moon's space port.

I was in the midst of brainstorming new conversation starters when my earpiece started ringing. Smiling in embarrassment as both of the girls started to glare at me, I pressed the button on the side of the device and leaned away from them.

At least Maddox didn't seem to care about my phone call...He was probably listening to music inside that helmet anyway.

"Hello?"

"Mommy?"

"Yes?"

The little girl on the other end started screeching in excitement, forcing me to turn down the volume as best I could.

"Hey Polly," I said, grinning from ear to ear as she continued shrieking in excitement. We'd only been apart for five hours and she was already acting like a child. "How was school?"

"I drew a picture. See?"

"No, I can't." I giggled. She was turning eleven but still acted like a five year old. Her father spoiled her far too much. "Are you being good for Aunt Ebony?"

There was a pause. "I don't know. Aunt Ebony, am I being good?" she called to her babysitter/Valdis trainer.

"Yes, my dear," a soft, older voice answered from afar.

"See? I've been good."

"That's good." I was going to miss her but this mission had to come first. Plus, Polly was in very capable hands. Ebony was the sweetest woman I had ever met.

"Give Daddy a hug for me when you see him."

"I will."

"Okay, good. Bye bye. Love you!"

"I love you too," I answered with a goofy grin on my face. Then she hung up on me. So cute.

When I turned back to the others, Zora was giving me a look of disgust, Jala looked amused, and Maddox was expressionless because he had no face. Well, this would be a fun group to hang out with. They'd seemed so much cooler in the show.

"Hey! Mercenaries!" the pilot called back to us. "Look out the window! You can see the space port!"

Hearing that, I sat up and craned my head toward the window. Sure enough, off to our left was a huge ship of twisted metal and flashing lights hovering over the moon's surface. The word "Hikarius" was printed across its side in big, purple letters and I could see a few smaller ships rotating around it.

"Wow."

Eleven years of waiting. Eleven years of preparation and now I'd finally get to see the tales of Manica unfold! The adventure was beginning!

A/N  
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It's been twenty chapters and, to celebrate that, trailer number 2 has finally been released. At first I was worried about putting it this early in the story because of spoilers but no one's been watching them so I'm not concerned now. Enjoy. (Also thank you for reading).