Chapter 72: Reunion Under Watchful Eyes

A short while later, as the afternoon began to wane, Clyde, Celes, Craig, Casca, and Corie, having already deactivated their combat modes, waited along the edge of the platform. They watched as a train appeared in the distance, steadily approaching the station.

"The train’s close, they’re almost here," Corie announced, pointing toward the locomotive coming into view on the horizon.

"Yeah... any second now," Casca replied, resting a hand on Corie’s shoulder beside her.

"I’m so curious to see what Mary and Selma are like, based on everything you’ve told me," Celes remarked.

"You’ll get to meet them in just a minute, right, Brother Clyde?" Craig asked.

"That’s right, don’t worry. We’ll introduce you to them soon, Celes," Clyde answered.

"Yes... I can’t wait," Celes added with a smile.

While they waited, Clyde narrowed his eyes as he surveyed his surroundings. He noticed numerous Utopian soldiers clad in blue uniforms and ballistic vests, standing at the ready with their weapons. The troops appeared to have been deployed from the central district and looked as though they were searching for someone. Clyde tried to brush it off, but the uneasy feeling gnawing at him since earlier only grew heavier.

The train drew closer, the front car swelling in size as it glided to within a few hundred meters of the station building. Clyde glanced back to see the number of assembled soldiers multiplying, with several more marching directly into the station while scanning their surroundings.

Screech!

The sharp squeal of train brakes rang out loudly as the leading car entered the station, followed by the rest of the short three-car train sliding to a halt in front of them. As it rolled to a stop, Clyde spotted squads of soldiers closing in and gripping their weapons tightly, acting as though the very person they were hunting had just arrived.

Clyde observed the sheer tension etched across the soldiers’ faces. Celes, walking right beside him, noticed how Clyde’s expression instantly turned grim and cautious.

"Is that bad feeling of yours still lingering?" Celes asked, her own guard going up.

"Yeah... even worse than before," Clyde answered.

"You aren’t seeing anything?" Celes pressed.

"That’s the strange part. I’m not seeing the future, but my gut feeling is crystal clear and completely suffocating," Clyde replied.

"Hmm... that means we need to prepare for the worst-case scenario," Celes noted.

"Yeah... you’re right," Clyde agreed.

The two of them then looked ahead at Craig, Casca, and Corie, who were walking along while laughing and chatting cheerfully.

"Should we tell them?" Celes asked.

"Not right now. Let’s wait," Clyde answered.

"Okay... I’ll follow your lead," Celes replied.

Moments later, they reached the door of the third car. The doors slid open and a handful of passengers stepped out, and shortly after,

"Mary! Selma!"

Casca raised a hand and waved, a bright smile on her face.

Hearing her name called, Mary and Selma scanned their surroundings before their gazes locked onto Casca waving, Corie standing beside her, and Craig at the end with his arms crossed and a wide, toothy grin spread across his face.

Naturally, Mary and Selma froze in brief shock, never expecting to find all five of them instantly without having to search. But Mary’s face quickly lit up as she raised a hand to wave back, while Selma offered a soft smile and tucked both hands into her jacket pockets.

Mary broke into a run toward Casca, Corie, and Craig, throwing her arms around all three as they eagerly hugged her back. Selma lingered a step behind, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. Meanwhile, Clyde and Celes stood a few paces back, instantly dropping into high alert upon noticing a tall, stunningly gorgeous, and icy-looking woman standing unbothered right behind Selma and Mary.

"Clyde? What’s wrong?" Mary asked, noticing the tension in Clyde’s posture even as he hugged Casca, Corie, and Craig. Then her eyes shifted to Celes, who was holding hands with Clyde.

"Sister Mary, Sister Selma, why did you bring the military here?" Clyde asked in a low voice, his eyes locked firmly on Irena beneath her fedora.

Hearing Clyde’s words, Mary and Selma instantly turned dead serious. Mary broke the embrace and stepped back, while Casca, who recognized Irena, leaped instantly to Clyde’s side. The moment they saw Casca move, Craig and Corie followed suit, bracing themselves. The atmosphere grew heavy in a fraction of a second. Clyde glanced around to see the station guards beginning to converge, a realization that Selma shared as well.

"First things first, we need to get out of here... I’ll explain why Colonel Irena came with us. Please, just trust me and Mary for now," Selma urged.

"Alright, I understand. Let’s get out," Clyde replied.

With that, they all wheeled around and headed toward the station exit, positioning Irena safely in the middle of their group. As they passed by the patrolling guards, they did their best to look indifferent, while the soldiers, seeing that Mary, Selma, and Irena wore no military insignia, paid them no mind. Reaching the front doors, however, they found a massive queue blocked by a checkpoint.

When their turn finally arrived, a female soldier scanned each of them with a handheld device, which registered no anomalies. But just as they stepped past the security gates,

"Stop right there!"

Clyde, Celes, Craig, Casca, Corie, Mary, Selma, and Irena froze in their tracks. Instead of turning around, they watched as a ring of soldiers sprinted forward to surround them, causing Clyde and his siblings to ready themselves for a fight. Suddenly, an officer approached Irena, reached out, and knocked her fedora back,

"Colonel Irena, we have orders to escort you to central military command. Come with us quietly and do not resist."

"Oho... word from Neo Ark travels fast, doesn’t it?" Irena murmured with a smile, slowly raising both hands.

"As for the rest of you, come along without resistance," the soldier commanded sternly.

Sensing that the guards meant business and realizing it would be far too dangerous to let themselves be captured, Clyde shot a sharp nudge at Celes beside him. Celes caught his meaning instantly and nodded. Her third eye flashed open, and a heartbeat later,

"Hey... where’d they go? Search everywhere, lock down the entrances, don’t let them leave this place!" a soldier shouted in panic.

Witnessing the troops scatter in absolute disarray and frantic confusion, Mary, Selma, and Irena were left completely baffled. But before they could even process what had happened, Clyde hoisted Mary onto his back, Craig scooped up Selma, and Corie, assisted by Casca, lifted Irena.

"H-hey... what is this?!" Mary protested.

"We need to get out before the station’s security shutters close. Hurry!" Clyde yelled.

"They can’t see us. I’ve blinded all the guards to our presence by projecting an illusion into their minds, but it won’t hold for long," Celes explained.

"Oh... I see. Well then, do your worst, Craig!" Selma cheered, clearly enjoying the piggyback ride.

"You got it, Sister Selma!" Craig replied.

They bolted out of the station just as the heavy steel security gates slammed down all the way to the ground, followed by the faint wail of an alarm echoing from inside the building. They kept running until they reached a secluded, quiet corner of the city a short distance away from the station, finally setting Mary, Selma, and Irena down as the latter dusted off her long coat.

Once they landed, Clyde, Celes, Craig, Casca, and Corie stood facing Mary and Selma, who were still struggling to catch their breath and calm their racing hearts. The five siblings then turned their collective gaze toward Irena, who stood beside Mary and Selma looking entirely relaxed and quietly amused.

"Alright... now you’re going to tell us what’s really going on, and we’ll decide whether to help you out or bury you right here," Clyde warned Irena.

"Hmm... fair enough. But before I tell you anything, let me make one thing clear: I am on your side. The only reason I came here with Mary and Selma is because we want to bring you all back to Safe Haven," Irena replied.

Hearing Irena’s declaration, Clyde, Craig, Casca, and Corie were genuinely stunned, while Celes remained silently watchful. Selma stepped forward, closing the distance to Irena.

"That’s right, that was the three of us’s goal all along, and I’m just glad we managed to track you down so fast... and who are you?" Selma asked, turning her attention to Celes.

"She’s Celes, one of my siblings," Clyde answered.

"Ah... so she’s the one you were searching for. Thanks for helping us out, Celes," Mary said warmly.

"You’re welcome, happy to help," Celes replied with a smile.

"Hmm... if there are five of you now, that means my hunch was right. Your robot, the Chimaera Z-X, must be parked somewhere nearby," Irena deduced with a knowing smirk.

"Huh."

Hearing Irena’s words, the expressions of Clyde, Celes, Craig, Casca, and Corie shifted, and they took a step back while raising their guard with extreme vigilance. The atmosphere instantly grew tense, the five of them continuing to stare down Irena who still looked completely relaxed, while Mary and Selma edged away from both Irena and the five siblings, a sign that they were staying neutral even as their eyes remained fixed on Irena.