A Tale of Two Cities

*Hitomi continues walking, heading to leave the domes.*

~The Next Day~

*Hitomi is awoken by her phone ringing.*
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*Vega & Topaz, on the other hand, are awoken when bricks fly through their windows & smack them in the heads.*

*Hitomi feels around the bedside table for her glasses before she gets out of bed to answer the phone.*

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*Amazed by his skull not being caved him, he picks the prick up to add it to the collection of bricks he's been collecting for future use as paperweights.*

*Topaz gets the brick and marches to the window fully intending to hit whoever threw it.*

*She's confused to see crowds of people pushing against each other & a few buildings on fire. She also sees a group of police from Paradigm-1 preparing to open fire on the crowd. With actual guns.*
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*Luna's hands are cuffed behind her back & she's shut in a room with a table, 2 chairs, & a detective.*

<Things're going crazy out there. You know what I mean?>
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Vera<Why did you leave ze Megadeus with Miss Pzyche?>

"Yeah, I know first hand" Luna nodded eagerly, "It's all so stressful. My dad was kidnapped and then I was given a machine and attacked by some crazy lady, then after all that I was soo scared I acted rashly... I'm so sorry I really didn't mean to hurt that person I was just so frightened, please help me out of this place! My dad needs me!"

"There was no possible way I'd be able to enter it let alone leave with it."

Vera<Why did you not offer to join her?>
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<Slow down, there. I don't know what you're talking about. You were arrested for piloting the Megadeus that destroyed the Paradigm-2 dam, killing hundreds of people and causing irreversible property damage. What was your motive for doing this?>

Luna wanted to say 'shits n giggles', but knew all that would get her was time in jail.
"There was a machine on there like my Megadeus shooting lasers at me!" She began to cry fake tears, "I thought I'd destroyed it, but as I left the scene it shot me with another laser.... so I fired a last missile to destroy it. Trust me, I didn't mean to kill anybody but the machine!"

<The Megadeus was recovered well outside the dam, and had not been destroyed by a missile. Additionally, video surveilence shows it made no attacks after being destroyed by Rosenkreuz. Tell me...were you lying about being a police officer? Because I think a cop would be familiar with fake crying and how effective it isn't.>

"Fuck you, I swear someone attacked me again! And I never said I destroyed it with a missile, I only fired a missile at it!" Luna cried, her face going very red, "And I am crying you insensitive bastard!"
The thought of being sent to prison and her hopeless situation caused real tears to form and she began to feel breathless.

"Why would I offer to join someone who attacked me? I'd also not be trusted due to my association with you."

*She widens her eyes in shock, goes to check on her brother, and grabs her guns before running to the phone and dialing Thiera Psyche's number.*

Zell awakes with a frown. "I feel like I've been out for days..." She said, getting dressed and ready for the day.

T"Hello?"
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Vera<Zen you will have to work in rough conditions. 'Owever, losing ze Megadeus is unacceptable! Not only has Aamon declared war on ze city, but now Barbatos 'as followed suit. We need all of ze active Megadeuses zat we can muster to counter zis threat.>
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<I see. Perhaps a better question would be, "Why are you helping Vera Ronsdadt to destroy Paradigm-2?">

Topaz: <What's going on?!>

"Understood. If possible I will try to reacquire the Megadeus."

T"Well, I just got out of the shower, & I'm contemplating whether or not it would be a good idea to ask Lilith to give me a foot massage."
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<See zat you succeed.>

"Understood."

Topaz: <What? There's some kind of riot happening outside, and the Paradigm-1 police is about to shoot everyone dead.>

T"Oh. Well, why didn't you say so in the first place? I don't exactly live down the street from there."

*She hears a bunch of gunshots & screaming from outside.*
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*Vera hangs up.*

Topaz: <It's started, I'm grabbing my brother and getting on the Adramelech!>

Zell walks around, looking at fucked up house.

*Hitomi hangs up and lets out an exasperated sigh. After changing and breakfast she's out the door.*

T"And doing what?"
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*For now, they're staying in a much smaller, but still quite nice, rented house not too far away from the construction site that is Thiera's old house.*