Alex – Heart Of The Vanguard

__________*_Sora_*__________

My mother and I were in the archives, a room filled with rows and rows of shelves, filled with books and ancient scrolls and documentation of all sorts, it looked like what the Humans call a library. Along with the guidance of the archivist, we searched through records of past potential similar incidents even remotely close to what has happened to Alex. As silent as it had been in my mother's presence it was nice to actually be spending time with her for a change. But we had been at this research for hours and were getting no where, even leaving the archivist scratching his head. As I was contemplating calling it and turning in for the night my bracelet vibrated. I looked at the display, it was Wrex. I looked over to mother, distracted by discussing the context of one of the many books with the archivist, so I snuck down a couple of aisles of shelves and hid, setting the bracelet to audio only and turning the output volume down.

Sora: "I'm kinda busy Wrex." She whispered.

Wrex: "This is urgent."

Sora: "Well can I urgently get back to you when I'm free?"

Wrex: "Alex has gone, again."

Sora: "Gone? What do you mean 'gone'?"

Wrex: "As in, I woke up and she wasn't there anymore, I've tried calling her but she keeps cutting me off."

Sora: "She has the Shard... And you let her just wander off?"

Wrex: "I didn't 'just let her'! She gave no indication that she was going to leave either."

Sora: "Have I really got to babysit you constantly Wrex?"

Arisu: " 'Wrex'? As in 'Excommunicated, relieved, Admiral Wrex'?" She questioned, rounding the end of the aisle I was stood in.

Sora: "Oh shit... I'm gonna have to call you back." And I ended the call.

Arisu: "Language. And I know Alex mentioned she had met him, but you never mentioned that he was involved."

Sora: "Err... Only a little bit."

Arisu: "Hmmm... Doubtful... You know he is trouble, my dear. I would forbid you from getting involved with him, but I know you will just ignore me as you always do. So I urge you, please, to stay away from him."

Sora: "Why does everyone think he's trouble? I've only ever heard him as a war hero, a brilliant fighter and leader and ok, I know he ran away, but in grand scheme of things, is that really so bad?"

Arisu: "He was a hero, in the past, but he chose to flee, he didn't like the way the Vanguard operated. And when his brother, Skylen, you might have heard of him?"

I rubbed the still sore scratches on my neck.

Sora: "Yeah, I think I've heard of him."

Arisu: "Well, he went absent without leave, Wrex took it upon himself to track him down, alone, disbelieving that the Vanguard were capable of bringing him in. So he abandoned his post, abandoned his oath and everything he ever stood for, it's only due to his service record that he was excommunicated rather than labelled as a traitor as well. As much as we want him back to answer for his crime, so long as he isn't causing trouble then we can let him be."

Sora: "Yeah, I know that much..." I trailed off.

Arisu: "So, my dear Sora... Is he causing trouble?"

Sora: "Maybe... Look, mother... I haven't been entirely honest about what's been going on recently, it's maybe better to say that I've missed out some details... And I need your help, because I don't know what to do."

Arisu: "Well you must be desperate... After 121 years, my daughter finally admits she needs my help..." she mused and smiled back at me, "...Now tell me everything, and we'll see what we can do."

__________

Arisu: "I have to admit... I'm not sure of what use I will be here, I've never really been into this technology business, it's not really my area of expertise." My mother stated as we entered the operations wing of the palace. Generally speaking, the royal family, aren't seen in here, except for me, I occasionally come in here of course, but it still wasn't a common sight. This was a hall where communications were sent and received, local, planet wide and even to and from Earth. But it was also borderline a science lab, having some more specific equipment then would normally be conventionally used, even by Vanguard forces. The technicians in the room silently made sure to give us room as I approached one of the consoles I had used before to track the Shard's usage in London, my mother looking slightly lost standing behind my left shoulder.

Sora: "Well, we should be thankful then that it's more my area of expertise." 

I called Wrex on my bracelet, then transferred the call to the communications terminal next to me. Only his head appeared as a 3D image on the hologram plinth nearby to my right.

Wrex: "About time, where have you been?"

Sora: "Spending quality time with my mother."

Wrex: "Seriously? You choose to do that now?"

Sora: "I needed help and I wasn't going to get anywhere with half truths or on my own."

Wrex: "You're serious? You told her? You told her about me? Please don't tell me you told her where I am."

Sora: "You and I might not exactly see eye to eye, but I'm not that much of an ass that I will tell her where you are."

Arisu: "I beg your pardon?" She said stepping up on my right side to get in the shot.

Sora: "Oops."

Wrex's face creased up with regret.

Wrex: "Argh... err... crap... you could have told me she was there with you!"

Sora: "Oops."

Arisu: "Stop saying 'oops', you sound ridiculous, and what about that language?"

Sora: "What language?"

Arisu: " 'ass'."

Sora: "Oh, oops, sorry, it's an Earth phrase."

Arisu: "Well don't use it..." She turned her attention to the holgram of Wrex, "...Anyway...Wrex... It's been too long."

Wrex: "Hmm... I could say that it's been nice and long enough."

Arisu: "Am I detecting a little hostility?"

Wrex: "Nope, none at all, your majesty." He replied with an almost sarcastic tone.

Arisu: "You know Wrex I have turned a blind eye to you all this time, I suggest you watch your tone."

Sora: "ANYWAY..." I interrupted before Wrex managed to reply, "...while you two had your little catch up just then I've just found something interesting."

Wrex: "What?"

Arisu: "And that is?"

Sora: "I'm detecting multiple pings from the Shard, across Europe over the last few hours."

Wrex: "Where?

Sora: "I've had hits all over... Glasgow UK, Koln Germany, Siena Italy, Barcelona Spain, Luxembourg and Tours France, if I had to guess I'd say she was opening a lot of Jumps."

Wrex: "But why?, Not just practicing surely?"

Sora: "Just cross referencing with global news... Give me a few seconds...... right anywhere between half an hour and an hour later of the ping, all of these locations, apart from Glasgow, Koln and Barcelona, have had incidents with heavy classes of goods carrying vehicles. Unconfirmed witness reports of a black and red heavily armoured figure, moving in fast, damaging vehicles, raiding the load then promptly disappearing into thin air... And during the time of the raid any cctv in the area has conveniently been disabled or corrupted.

Wrex: "I'm heading for Europe. Update me if you get anything new."

Sora: "Something you should know, the heat map shows there's been more pings detected in Barcelona than anywhere else, it might be worth checking there out first, I'll send you the exact coordinates."

Wrex: "I'll bare that in mind."

__________*_Alex_*__________

300 meters above M1 motorway, near Leicester, UK, Sat 22nd Jan 17:52

I coasted along through the air, doing a steady 100 miles an hour, keeping just ahead of the traffic heading north bound, scanning each of the number plates of the vehicles below as I flew over. I found vehicles with no insurance, no tax, no MOT or wanted in connection with a crime... Or all of the above. But they were not of my concern. No I was hunting for a very particular number plate, GN22 UOC, an 18 ton solid sided vehicle. SkyTech's records showed that this truck was carrying the last component I needed. Then it was tracking down some of the donor DNA trigger that they used as the catalyst. Most of the day had been quite productive, I had managed to raid and nab all the other components without a hitch, and all that I needed from this load was the monitoring and life support module. I had spotted the truck in question on the UK Highways Agency's traffic cameras heading up this road, now it was just a case of catching up.

'Ahhh, there you are.' my zoomed in vision picked out the registration so I descended and closed in, sending out the signal to distort the highway's cameras. I flew down and landed on the aluminium roof as the truck unwittingly carried on it's journey, instantly setting about cutting a hole into it using my tail blades, peeling a hole open large enough for me to gain access and hopped inside. I climbed down into the low space created by the pallets that were stacked high inside. I was just scanning around the load when I heard the familiar sound of plasma jets and a clatter further down roof.

Me: "Noo... No no no..." I climbed back out, to see exactly who I was dreading seeing, "...What are you doing here?! How did you find me?;"

Wrex: "I should be asking you the same thing. And Sora found that you're Jumping all over Europe, the Shard is sending off radiation flares and it lead me right to you."

Me: "Good old Sora..."

Wrex: "Indeed... Come home Alex, please."

Me/Reikon: "...Trust the royals to be sticking their nose in where it isn't wanted."

I shook my head to try and clear it of Reikon.

Wrex: "Alex... Come on, come with me, we're working on a way to get her out of you."

Me: "I can't, please, stay away from me, I have to save her." I started to climb back into the hole but Wrex strode towards me with conviction.

Wrex: "You want to save her?! What is wrong with you?!" He grabbed my upper arm as I dropped back down.

Me/Reikon: "Leave me alone!" I used the Shard's powers and sent him flying upwards and he was quickly wiped out by a gantry sign with a *PANG* sound and the sound of cars screeching and honking from behind. I quickly continued on with my search, making my way further down the truck, scanning the barcodes on the boxes as I went.

Me: "Ahh, bingo!" I split open the clear shrink wrap and pulled the cardboard crate from the top of the pile and made my way back for the hole in the roof. I barely made my way out when I was hit in the back by a searing heat, making me drop the module, it slipped off the side of the truck and smashed on the road below. I spun and snarled at Wrex who was hovering behind the truck, keeping up with it with a gauntlet still raised at me.

Wrex: "I can't let you do this Alex!"

Me: "Stay away from me, for your own good! I don't want to hurt you!"

Wrex: "You can't do this on your own..." I ignored him and went to climb back into the hole, "...no Alex!" 

He flew in grabbed me, pulling me back out. I flung him back off, down the other end of the truck, he used his claws to halt his movement, ripping large gashes down the length of the roof.

Me/Reikon: "You're pissing me off!"

Wrex: "Good." He charged at me, trying to grab me again, again I flung him off me, charged a small plasma round and fired at him, the round caught him in the arm sending back down the truck again, but almost over the edge. It was my turn to stride toward him now and he just pulled himself up in time to block my swing. We exchanged punches, swings of our tails and kicks, but the more we fought, the faster I got until Wrex was struggling to keep up. I hooked my tail and yanked his foot out from under him causing him to land on his back. I extended my tail blades and he rolled to the edge of the roof and I stabbed the roof where he was and I dragged it backwards, then pulled the roof apart with my hands. I reached in to grab another box from the pallet I opened earlier but Wrex was already tackling me, sending us flying to the opposite side of the roof and I fell off.

Wrex: "NOOO!"

I grabbed the side guard rail, but my weight and force caused it to rip from it's mounts and I slid along the road, spinning and flipping under the truck, sparks from my armour flying everywhere I slid backwards, making contact with the back axle, smashing it and jolting the truck upward in there air. The wheels hit the floor again but the destroyed back axle was too damaged, the wheels were locked up. The locked tyres screeched and caused the truck to swerve out of control across the lanes wiping out a car before colliding with the armco barrier and toppling over onto it's side down the road away from me.

Me: "God damn it..." I said to myself as I started to stand up view my toppled prize, hoping the device wasn't damaged. There was screech of tyres from behind... Another truck, an articulated flat nose, had locked up it's brakes and was coming straight for me... "...Oh fuc-" *SMASH!*

___________*_Wrex_*__________

I shook my head as I stood up from the road where I had landed after being flung from the truck after it had hit the barrier, watched as cars all around slowed and stopped. My jaw dropped as I saw Alex pulling herself from a crater she had made in the front end of a smashed up truck. She looked back at it as she pulled herself free, seemingly completely unscathed. She then turned and eyed up the toppled truck and made a bee line towards it.

Wrex: "Alex! Stop!" I ran towards her, past and around the toppled truck, grabbing Alex's forearm just as she made it again to the hole in the roof. She quickly twisted her arm in a way that ended up with her reversing the hold, grabbing my arm and flinging me over her shoulder, slamming me to the ground. I groaned while slowly rolling over seeing Alex grab another one of the boxes from the hole taking off and jetting through a Jump she had created above her.

Wrex: "Fuck it!..."  I growled an irritating sigh, got up and walked round to the front of the toppled truck and found the driver, looking very shaken, trying to pull himself from the drivers seat "...Close your eyes." I watched and waited for him close them then dug my claws into the pillar, into the edge of the wind screen and yanked it outwards, removing the remains of the shattered screen. I partially stepped into the cab, offering the guy a hand, he stared at me for a few seconds, looking dazed and confused.

"I must have hit my head hard... You look like some kinda robotic Dragon mate."

Wrex: "Yeah, I get that a lot." he took my hand anyway and I helped him up and out of the cab. Some other people were now rushing over too, one woman gasped at the sight of me as she rounded the corner and almost ran straight into me and backed up two paces in fear.

Wrex: "It's ok, just help him alright?" I passed the truck driver over to her and another two guys that had turned up as well. Then I focused my attention to the car, I walked quickly down the length of the truck to where the car had skidded to a halt behind the truck, only to find a dozen people already surrounding older lady in the drivers seat. She looked ok, but just a bit shaken up, like the truck driver. Then came the sirens closing in...

I took that as a sign to leave, engaged my plasma jets and took off narrowly missing a police helicopter that was closing in overhead, which more or less instantly starting pursuing me. But I easily left it for dust as I pushed my speed up to escape the area. I flew aimlessly as I brought Sora's contact onto my HUD and made the call, which she accepted in seconds, her image appearing in the top left corner of the screen.

Wrex: "Sora, good thing you sent me those new coordinates."

Sora: "Did you find her?"

Wrex: "Oh I found her alright."

Sora: "Good, so you're bringing her back with you now yeah?"

Wrex: "Err, yeah... About that..."

Sora: "Wrex...?" She asked dubiously.

Wrex: "No. I couldn't. She's gone insane, I think Reikon has already started taking over, she said something about having to save her and then stole something from the truck."

Sora: " 'Save her'? Who's 'her'? You mean Reikon?"

Wrex: "I don't know, I presume so. Something doesn't add up, this is all out of the blue. I'm telling you she was completely fine last night... What's so important about these all these places she's raided?" 

Sora: "Siena, Luxembourg, Tours and obviously now Leicester, as I say, all were large goods vehicles, had bits of loads stolen. Koln was a warehouse, same again, components stolen."

Wrex: "You mentioned others earlier, Barcelona and Glasgow? Was it? What was raided from those?"

Sora: "Barcelona, nothing has been reported out of the ordinary. Glasgow... A hospital was attacked, including a shootout, six dead, one patient has been reported kidnapped, a nurse was originally reported missing too by colleagues but her family have said she is home safe and sound."

Wrex: "Odd? Why would work colleagues say she's missing but then family says she's with them? That doesn't make sense."

Sora: "That's a good point." She replied, sounding somewhat impressed.

Wrex: "That and I can't believe that Alex would actually kidnap someone."

Sora: "With the way she's been today, are you sure about that?"

I had to admit, I wasn't sure about anything to do with Alex now, she had changed so much, on so many different levels, I was starting to wonder if the Alex I met just a week a go today was the same person... 'God, was it only a week? It had felt like I had known her for so much longer.'

Wrex: "Do we have any details on the patient?"

Sora: "Got a name, that's it, it's... Sarah Crawford."

Wrex: "You what?!"

Sora: "That's what it says, 'Sarah Crawford', why?, What's wrong?"

Wrex: "Alex's Human surname was 'Crawford'."

Sora: "So it's just a coincidence?"

Wrex: "I don't think so, where's Sarah Jarvie?"

Sora: "She's fine Wrex, remember I went with her to that hospital in Aberdeen."

Wrex: "Hmm... I'm going to check out that hospital and if need be the home of the nurse."

Sora: "Wrex, isn't that a bit of a waste of time? What about Barcelona?"

Wrex: "Something doesn't add up, I want to find out what's going on before I confront Alex again. Send me the coordinates please."

Sora: "As you wish... But after that I strongly recommend you check out Spain, I just had another ping there."

__________

19:12

I wasn't quite sure how I was going to play this as I arrived over the hospital... For some reason there were a couple of Army trucks present and 'do not cross' tape lines around the building. I landed as silently as possible in a grass clearing behind some nearby hedge rows and worked my way down slinking this way and that on all fours, using whatever I could as hiding spots before checking the coast was clear and moving on again. I hid in front of one of the trucks as I got closer to the building, my motion tracker showed there were two dots moving up the side of the truck towards me so I quickly scurried under the truck out of view... Or so I thought.

"MOVEMENT UNDER THE TRUCK!" A soldier shouted off in the distance who had obviously seen me make my way under. There was a scurry from the soldiers nearby

Soldier 1: "COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP!"

Wrex: "Ahh fuck it..." I pulled myself out.

Soldier 2: "Jesus... They weren't joking, HANDS IN THE AIR!" He ordered at me, both of them aiming their riffles and following me as I stood up.

Wrex: "Who wasn't joking about what?"

Soldier 1: "Quiet! Put your hands in the air!, You're under arrest!" Two more soldiers ran over and aimed their riffles at me too.

Wrex: "Guys, you really don't want to do this."

Soldier 1: "HANDS IN THE AIR OR WE WILL SHOOT YOU!"

Wrex: "Go ahead, see what happens."

Soldier 2: "FINAL WARNING, HANDS IN THE AIR, NOW!"

Wrex: "Nope." There was a gun shot as one of the soldiers had clearly had enough, he fired just one round which ricocheted off of my helmet. I turned to the one that fired, completely unphased,

Wrex: "Oh I got it, I know this one!, how about, 'Take me to your leader'." I said the last line in a somewhat squeaky Alien voice. The soldiers just looked to each other, unsure of what to do.

_________

I was escorted to a mobile command truck and out stepped a youngish man in typical army attire he stared at me as I was walked towards him, I identified his rank on his shoulder as a Major.

Wrex: "Good evening Major."

Major: "So you speak English."

Wrex: "It's a second language to me yes, Admiral Wrex, and you are?" I had decided to use my old rank here, thinking and hoping it might get me out of the sticky situation I was in by getting him to believe that I was affiliated with some sort of military still, but also might get me the information I wanted to know.

Major: "Major Thomas Stamford. So you're a man of military, so to speak."

Wrex: "Indeed."

Tom: "So tell me, 'Admiral', what military faction is it that you represent? Because you don't seem like you're from around here."

Wrex: "Very astute Major, Admiral Wrex of the Vanguard, military might of my home world Draconia."

Tom: "I... So... This is indeed a first contact scenario... Tell me Admiral Wrex, what's your purpose here?"

Wrex: "Please, just call me Wrex. But not quite first contact, we have been coming here for a few years, you could say and we have had dealings with Humans in the past. But it's a very complicated situation, I'm trying to track someone down, but I would like to know what happened here, why are you involved?"

Tom: "So you were not involved in the events that occurred here this morning? Because you match the description almost perfectly of the perpetrator that the witnesses gave: wings, tail, arrow shaped head, black and red armour..."

Wrex: "Alex..." I muttered...

Tom: "I'm sorry?"

Wrex: "The one I'm tracking down, your perpetrator, they're the same person. She looks very similar in terms of armour set up and colour scheme, but although she has wings and a tail, she's much more Humanly shaped, unlike myself. My information tells me that there was a shootout involved, I presume that wasn't with your men?"

Tom remained quiet for a good few seconds,

Tom: "You know, 'Admiral', First contact scenario, which as far as I am aware, is what this is, deems that I am to assume hostility, do not engage unless provoked but to obtain as much information as possible from the visiting species. Baring that in mind, and not wanting to underestimate what your species and your target is capable of, we could potentially gain a lot from each other, if you're willing to cooperate of course."

Wrex: "Of course... Which is why I am asking... Who was my target in a fire fight with?"

Tom: "I need to know what your target is after?"

Wrex: "To tell you that, I need to know the answers to my questions."

Tom: "So you're pursuing this woman, and don't even know what she's after?"

Wrex: "Until yesterday she was an ally and gave no warning of the events that have occurred today, no plans, no clues, just upped and left. So I need to work out what she's doing. In order to do so, Major, I need you to help me, either that or I find out on my own."

Tom: "Admiral, this hospital and grounds are under the guard of her majesty's armed forces, I'm afraid we can't just let you roam around-"

Wrex: "Don't..." I replied while holding up a finger at him, "...You don't want to go down that road... I can appreciate you have rules and regs, but I don't have time for them, either you help me, or stay out of my way. So, what's it going to be, Tom?"

The Major paused again,

Tom: "Very well, but I request your cooperation in future, and I will need to introduce you to my superiors. Come on in, I want to show you something." I hesitantly made my way inside. This mobile command unit was relatively small, it had a comparatively small table in the center of the room.

Tom: "This is some of the cctv footage we've taken and compiled from in and around the hospital." He gestured up to a tv mounted on the wall with a remote he picked up from the table he reset the video. The footage started playing back, starting in a loading bay area, a few seconds of nothing occurred then out of the top of the frame Alex swooped in, landing on the floor of the yard, her armour almost immediately retracting, revealing a casual Human set up of clothes.

Tom: "That your target?"

Wrex: "Yeah... That's her."

I watched the footage of Alex take two steps before looking at a nearby window then making her tail, wings and scales disappear in a haze of red and purple mist and after a few seconds of twisting around and looking around at her reflection she walked off camera down the side of the building.

Tom: "How did she do that?"

Wrex: "Some kind of magic, I don't know exactly how it works yet or where it comes from, she only recently found it." I lied, I didn't want to tell them too much. The footage continued, showing Alex round the front of the building, enter reception, the camera then jumped to another above reception. I listened to the conversation play out asking for 'Sarah Crawford' and Alex announcing herself as 'Alex Jarvie', the conversation between Alex and the receptionist carried on otherwise with nothing abnormal to note. A nurse them came to Join Alex a few minutes later and walked her through the hospital, in the lift, through the third floor. Then finally to the door of 'Sarah Crawford's' room. Where obviously, the footage didn't follow.

Looking at the time stamp on the footage though, she was only in there for around eight or nine minutes before she was next seen briskly leaving, taking the same route down and out the building and down the side of it. But as she walked down the side, five black SUVs drove past at speed, stopping in the loading bay yard Alex had landed in earlier. I watched the footage of everyone in the SUVs pile out, four men in suits from each, they filed out and split up into groups as Alex also watched intently from down the side of the building.

Tom: "Do you know these men?"

Wrex: "No... But if I was to have a guess, they work for SkyTech."

Alex then ran back slightly, looked up at the building before quickly armouring up and using her jets to fly back around the front of the building.

Tom: "There's a gap in the footage because she's not caught on any cameras after that until she's seen again emerging from Crawford's room, combined with the smashed window I'd say it's safe to assume that she regained entry that way." Indeed, the next lot of footage showed the nurse being yanked into the room as she approached the door, then a few minutes later the same suited guys from the SUVs made their way down the hall before Alex stepped out of the room and took the first shot, killing a man instantly. The ensuing firefight lasted less than a minute before the video went black.

Tom: "That's it... Stray round caught the camera, took it out. No other cameras caught your 'Alex Jarvie' after that. She, the patient, including bed, equipment and nurse had vanished. Then the next odd thing is that once the nurse's family had been informed they responded with that she was home safe and well. If there's anything more you can tell us-"

Wrex: "Then I would tell you... Do you know if the nurse is there at home for certain?"

Tom: "No, unless we have reasonable suspicion to suspect she's not then I can't go kicking the door in to check. The family have assured us she's safe and well at home, just resting after the ordeal, there's nothing I can do for now unless I think they're somehow involved and have evidence to prove it. Alex's victims from the shootout, we have nothing on them, no records, no ID, no DNA matching on any databases anywhere. Same with the plates on their cars, all fake."

Wrex: "Ok, so the patient, Sarah Crawford, what do we know about her?"

Tom: "Well, we know she was transferred to this hospital from Aberdeen, right arm amputee and-

Wrex: "-being treated for burns and radiation poisoning?"

Tom: "You already know more about what's going on that you're letting on, don't you?"

Wrex: "Son of a... but no, not entirely, but her real name is Sarah Jarvie."

Tom: " 'Sarah Jarvie'? Not the same Sarah Jarvie of Jarvie Industries? The American?"

Wrex: "The same, I guess she was moved here and admitted under a different name to try and hide her identity. Myself and the target both know her personally. So if she did kidnap her then I have no idea why."

Tom: "Admiral... She is dangerous... If you know any weaknesses then you need to share them with us."

Wrex: "Major, if I knew them I would have been able to take her down earlier today but she managed to overpower and out manoeuvre me, she's getting stronger as time goes on."

Tom: "What are we dealing with?"

Wrex: "Imagine Major, that you were mortal, like any of us and suddenly you gained the powers of a god... that's what she's going through right now, and I don't know if she can control herself."

Tom: "Can she be taken down?"

Wrex: "I don't know... But I'm really hoping it doesn't come to that."

(-Linkin Park)