Cross Conviction

It took a certain degree of persuasion, but with Magnolia's heart momentarily softened by her talk with Sturm, she was eventually convinced to open up to the rest of her teammates. However, there was one caveat; if the girl were to address the source of her broad animosity toward the others, then Max would also be required to disclose the extent of his history with their captain, and what exactly led up to their initial encounter. Only then would the Third Hunter Team collectively be able to move past their mutual mistrust. Sturm was quick to agree to these terms, as he also believed that, regardless of his personal faith in Max, continued secrecy could eventually damage the group's ability to work together effectively.

While Gustavo saw the importance of such dialogue, Max was initially reluctant. Under the pressure of his three allies, he ultimately relented, and the four teenagers took their place around the male dorm room, with Sturm and Magnolia facing the other two boys across the bottom bunks.

"You guys know I hate this touchy-feely stuff," groaned Max, "If we have shit to work through, we should work it out during some sparring matches... or at least over a meal."

"That's not the point, Max," replied Sturm. "We had too many problems this morning and a few of them come down to the fact that we've been holding out on each other."

Max raised an eyebrow in response. "So, uh... who's holding out?"

"You, Max!" snapped Magnolia, "You knew the captain prior to our clash and you've yet to explain yourself!"

The girl's harsh tone immediately made Max defensive. "Yeah, well, seems like ya got a few secrets of your own, sweetheart."

"Sweetheart?! Are you hearing this?" Magnolia aggressively inquired, turning to Sturm. "You insisted that he'd be reasonable, Arthur!"

"'Arthur'..." chuckled Max teasingly. "Don't call him that, that's gross."

Face turning red, Magnolia tensed up in embarrassment. "If he's not going to take this seriously, then I believe we're quite finished here."

"No, he is going to take this seriously," Sturm stated firmly as he glared at his reluctant comrade. "If he doesn't, we won't take him out to eat anymore."

"Fine, fine, God..." Max huffed, finally relenting, "What do you want to know?"

"Start with how long you've been acquainted with Captain Scharf," said Magnolia, crossing her arms.

Max tilted his head, visibly confused. "How long I've... what?"

"How long you've known the captain," clarified Gustavo.

"Oh, um... let's see," Max mumbled as he looked up at the ceiling. "Probably like... two or three years, if I had to guess. He was one of the guards during the Exceptional Games. I didn't see him for a long time after it ended, though."

The Exceptional Games, contrary to their name, were little more than a direct combat tournament. Throughout the event, exceptionals representing each competitor nation would be pitted against each other in a ladder-style bracket until only one remained. Almost immediately, Sturm recognized an inconsistency in the boy's story; the 1934 Exceptional Games had been held in Berlin. Max, being Jewish, would have been barred from attending.

"How did you get in?" Sturm inquired, "Don't they check identification at the gate?"

"Sure do," Max answered with a smirk. "I got kicked out once, but Scharf must have seen it happen and felt bad for me. He said he'd let me in, so long as I promised not to cause any trouble."

"So then what happened?" asked Sturm, urging his friend to continue.

"I went in and caused trouble, obviously."

With a cold, half-eyed stare, Magnolia chided her teammate. "Am I to understand that you've always been such a nuisance?"

"Look, I just wanted to make a point, okay?" said Max, furrowing his brow.

"That you can't be trusted?" the girl questioned rhetorically.

"That I'm just as good as anyone else," Max explained, now looking somewhat distraught. "I thought I'd never get the chance to fight in the Exceptional Games, so I had the idea that if I jumped in and took down someone who looked strong, they would have to accept me for who I am."

Sturm was taken back by the bold plan. "You were going to jump into the arena and interrupt a match?"

"I was a kid, man. Kids are stupid."

"Yes, but they're supposed to grow out of it..." said Magnolia with a sigh.

After shooting a pointed glance toward the blonde, Max further explained his position. "Anyway, it doesn't matter now. Next time I'm in that arena, it'll be for real. And after I win and tell everyone over the loudspeaker that I'm Jewish, they're going to realize that everything they've been told is a bunch of bullshit."

The room went silent, with only the chirping of birds outside offering reprieve.

In total disbelief, Magnolia said, "You can't be serious..."

"Max, that's a horrible idea," added Gustavo. "You can't undo a lifetime of negative beliefs just by winning a fight. You're going to get yourself killed."

"Not just a fight, the whole tournament."

"It doesn't matter," Gustavo persisted, "People's minds don't change that easily. All that would do is cause outrage."

"Besides, you can't actually believe that you'd win the entire tournament," scoffed Magnolia. "That's utterly absurd."

Max gripped the bedsheets in balled fists. "Why can't I? I'm Sturm's equal, and his dad is the Hurricane!"

"Sturm is sickly, Max! That isn't the boast you seem to think it is," Magnolia retorted. "He might not even be the most powerful candidate at this academy. Beyond that, there are three other Iron Knight academies in the country, and that's without considering what sort of monstrosities could be fielded by other nations."

"I... well..." Max reached for a rebuttal but found none.

Though he'd be forced to admit defeat in this debate, he was far from accepting Magnolia and Gustavo's viewpoints as reality. The boy's mind remained unchanged. Sturm, however, sat in silence as he repeated the girl's words in his mind. Until now, the swordsman had feared comparisons to his father. It should have come as a relief to know that his comrades weren't holding him to such a monumental standard, but instead, Sturm was filled with self-loathing. Even if his friends accepted his abilities for what they were, it didn't change the fact that he was a disappointment.

Noticing Sturm's withdrawal, Magnolia began to offer some comfort. "Oh my, I didn't mean that in a critical way. I'm-"

The girl stopped herself just short of her final word. Ego prevailing, she was unable to apologize in front of the others.

"It's fine," said Sturm speaking up before an awkward silence could take hold. "I'll keep training and getting stronger, but my dad is just on another level. I doubt anyone in the entire world will ever match him."

"Humble and quite realistic," agreed Magnolia with a nod. "You could learn a thing or two, Max."

"Yeah, whatever..." groaned Max, rubbing his temple. "Anyway, Captain Scharf tracked me down a couple weeks before we met and told me he'd be training someone who needed a sparring partner who could really push him to his limit. He didn't tell me it was the Hurricane's kid."

"Wait..." said Sturm, eyes narrowing in contemplation, "That doesn't make any sense. At that point, Ida Weber was still alive. The captain shouldn't have had any reason to assume there would be an opening on his team."

A look of surprise came over Max. "W-what? Are you saying the captain knew Ida was gonna die?"

"No," Gustavo interjected. "There is another explanation. There could have been an open spot on Scharf's roster at that time... because one of us was a late addition."

Both Gustavo and Sturm knowingly turned their heads toward Magnolia, for they were well aware that she had run away from her home to join the Iron Knight program on short notice. With Max having fulfilled his end of the deal, it was time for the girl to offer insight into her origin. She took a deep breath and, clutching her knees tightly, began to recite her troubled history, just as she had with Sturm, albeit without tears this time around.

By the end of her sad story, the boys were brought to quiet contemplation. While they had found Magnolia's behavior insufferable until this point, her explanation certainly provided a certain level of understanding. Regardless, she hadn't desired to address this issue so directly, and the longer her teammates went without speaking, the more she began to believe she had made a mistake in divulging her past.

"Okay, hold up..." said Max, piercing the tension. "So a Magnolia is a... flower?"

After all of the deep and personal trauma that Magnolia had shared, that was Max's concern? The blonde felt her face grow warmer as blood rushed to her cheeks and she struggled to maintain her composure.

Sturm, noticing her reaction and seeking to avoid an outburst at this sensitive moment, spoke up on her behalf. "Yeah, it's pronounced almost exactly the same in English as it is in German. I've seen them before and they're actually pretty."

Raising a skeptical eyebrow, Magnolia shot a glance toward the young swordsman. "Oh, have you now? You didn't mention that, before. I was under the impression you didn't know what my name meant, after our discussion earlier."

"I... well-,"

Just like that, Sturm was caught in a trap. In trying to spare Max their comrade's ire, he had inadvertently become a more immediate target.

Why did I say that? Sturm thought to himself. I've never seen a magnolia in my life, at least not that I'm aware of. That was stupid of me.

"Well, that was either an attempt at patronizing me, or you were simply lying earlier, playing stoic and distant as usual," said Magnolia with a teasing giggle. "Either way, you're truly hopeless."

Stoic and distant? Fine, let's go with that.

Gustavo suddenly cleared his throat, capturing the group's attention. "Having never experienced something like that myself, I can't say that I completely understand what you're going through, but I will say that it's quite clearly a terrible situation, and you've done well to hold up as well as you have."

"O-oh..." stuttered Magnolia, taken back by his supportive words, "It's nothing, really. For all that Mother has put me through, it would be dishonest of me to claim it hasn't made me a stronger person."

"So, this guy you're supposed to marry," started Max, leaning forward off the edge of the bed with intrigue, "Is he super rich or something? Does he live in a big house? Like a mansion or a castle?"

"Come now," answered Magnolia, giving the air a gentle swat, "His home and wealth likely pale in comparison to that of my family. We are an ancient and honored lineage the likes of which few can hope to compare. Yet, none of that matters, for I refuse to take his hand."

Eyes closed, Max nodded in deep thought. "I see, I see..." he replied. "But how does running to the academy change anything? You're still gonna have to marry him after we're done here, right?"

The girl shook her head in rejection of the notion. "No, I will not. If I become a fully-fledged Iron Knight, then I will be housed and maintained for the duration of my service to the Reich. I will be under absolutely no obligation to return to my family."

"Sure, but what if you don't become an Iron Knight?" Max propositioned. "What happens then?"

Quickly becoming defensive, Magnolia straightened her back and sat tall, tilting her nose up at the boy. "Nonsense. I will become an Iron Knight and that is an absolute certainty."

"But do you have a backup plan?" inquired Max, refusing to drop the subject.

"I may. Regardless, you needn't concern yourself with such things. I will succeed, for I will leave myself no room for failure."

Before Max could press the issue further, the door flew open, and in walked none other than Scharf, holding a black binder under his left arm. As dictated by decorum, the four candidates quickly jumped to their feet, though Magnolia lagged noticeably.

"No, no," sighed Scharf, waving his hand, "Enough of that- as you were."

After curiously exchanging looks, the Third Hunter Team obliged and sat back down. Something was off about the captain's tone and body language, but Sturm couldn't quite identify the discrepancy at this point.

"Have you finished your test?" Scharf inquired, scanning the room with his eye.

Knowing full well that his answers hadn't been written to an acceptable standard, Max nervously stammered, "Um, well... y-yeah, sort of. I mean, I think we're close, maybe."

Scharf shifted his balance back and forth as if standing on the deck of a ship rocking modestly on the ocean waves. The longer she stood in one place, the more apparent this subtle motion became.

"Forget about that for now," said Scharf, resting his right hand against the wall. "You've done well today, let's celebrate."

Alarm bells went off in Sturm's head. The captain quite obviously was not behaving as usual. His cold demeanor was warmer, which might have been a welcome change if it hadn't seemed so artificial. Every word that slipped from Scharf's mouth reeked of disingenuity- and something more.

Cupping her mouth and leaning into Sturm's ear, Magnolia whispered, "Do you smell that? It's utterly atrocious."

Unsure if the captain had heard these words, Sturm offered no response. In reality, he had picked up on the same unsettling scent as Magnolia; the pungent aroma of intoxication.

"There's somewhere I've wanted to take you all and now is the perfect time," Scharf explained his intentions further. "Get dressed and meet me out front. Corporal Geiger is waiting with the car."

"Captain," said Gustavo, holding up his hand in a bid for attention, "That's very kind of you and we're appreciative of the offer, but it will be late soon and Magnolia will have to return to here."

Scharf squinted his eye, signaling some offense. "Why would she have to do that? She can be out past sundown if I'm there. I'm not leaving you alone."

Inhaling deeply to calm his nerves, Gustavo turned and addressed his teammates. "Well... what does everyone else say? Should we go out?"

"I kinda got a hole in me and would rather-" Max was suddenly cut off by the agitated captain striking his hand against the wall.

"I didn't ask for an opinion, it's a damned order," he growled, "Get the hell up and get dressed, we're leaving in fifteen minutes."

Despite none of the group particularly desiring to leave the comfort of their dorm after their morning ordeal, they were in no position to refuse a direct command from their captain. Against their better judgment, the teenagers rose back to their feet and began to prepare for departure. With little time to complete her makeup routine, Magnolia beat a hasty retreat to her room, while Max made for his clothes hangers. Just as Gustavo went to get up off the bed, the captain abruptly drew a handgun from its holster. As he had just hours before, the boy once again found himself looking down the barrel of a firearm. Now close enough to recognize the district smell of alcohol wafting from Scharf, Gustavo was frozen in horror. Then, just as quickly as he had drawn the weapon, the captain flipped it around with a mechanical click and offered it grip-first to the petrified knight candidate.

"New model, fresh from development..." said Scharf, "Army won't even have it until next year- pistol model 1938. Nine millimeter, eight rounds. I've got a suppressor for you, but I left it in the car."

With a stiff, nervous nod, Gustavo replied, "Okay..."

"Okay?" scoffed the captain. "If you aren't going to be grateful, I'll keep it for myself. What the hell is wrong with you?"

Gustavo swallowed his anxiety and tried his best to compose himself before his irritated instructor. "Sorry, sir. I am grateful, I just didn't expect a gift. Thank you very much."

Hands trembling, the boy took hold of the firearm and gave it a quick, once-over inspection. Evidently satisfied, Scharf turned and exited the room, slamming the door behind him in a hurry. Now that the captain was gone, Sturm turned his attention to the anxious Gustavo, who, after examining the gun more closely, looked even paler than he had before.

"What's wrong?" inquired Sturm, standing up off the bed.

"The safety was off... and he had a round in the chamber."