The Dream Shifter

Chapter 220

Yumi turned her head over their cover back to the camp. It looked no different to her from when they arrived. She could not tell if something had gone wrong with Chiharu's infiltration. She imagined that if she was caught they see activity or hear something. The whole field remained eerily quiet. "…Chiharu…"

"Don't worry, Yumi." Fumiko placed a hand on Yumi's shoulder to grab her attention. "Chiharu will be fine. She's strong and smart."

"I know, but…" She turned her head down as doubtful thoughts filled her mind. "…she could have been, it's possible…"

"Don't let what Seiji said bother you. He just worried as well and doesn't have any other way to express it."

"But he—"

"That's just how he is. They have a complicated relationship. He's probably more worried about her than even me…" Fumiko stared over at the camp losing her words.

"Fumiko?"

On the not quite opposite side of the camp (because nothing should be symmetrical), five figures in white uniforms stood gathered. Vangelis stood out in the group for his less conventional interpretation of their military uniform. It had everything that made up the uniform, but the loose pants had long cuts up past the knees. The pant sleeves barely managed to hug his smoothly toned legs. Additionally, rather than wearing his rank badge as everyone did he used it to hold back his wild hair. It looked almost humiliated reduced to a mere hair accessory, and perhaps he intended it with such an action.

Vangelis surveyed his team. The woman that Simonides forced on him stood on the far left of the group. His team, the three others bunched together in confusion. Using his orders from their Captain, he demanded all of their presence with no further information. He could tell with the way Iole carried herself that she knew the mission. "You've been selected for a mission by order of the Captain. We leave immediately."

"That all you going to say?" questioned one of the MP users, immediately standing defensive.

Turning a little aggressive in stance, the middle MP user spoke, "Yeah, how can we even trust what you say?"

"You just order us out here because you out rank us with no word."

"I picked you all for this mission because I knew you all wanted a piece of the action. You've been bored with just routine catch and release patrols." Vangelis leaked some of his unique enthusiasm into his words and motions. "You want something real, right?"

"What are you offering?" They began to become curious and interested in his words. The confusion faded from their eyes. A bit of the l**t intoxicated them.

"You know the reason why the Captain in his infinite wisdom has removed all of us from such important tasks, right?"

"The attacks at the barrier and in Skoupa."

He clinched his fist in excitement. "That's right. The traitorous rebels, they have MPs with them."

"Rogue MPs?"

"Yes," smirked Vangelis.

The others looked around at each other. They might not have shared the deep pleasure that Vangelis had for violence, but they did stand out from the rest of the neat order that Atlantis worked to maintain. Vangelis acted openly without care or remorse for his attitude, but because what he did ended up getting results, he continued to get away with his actions. They did not have such fortune or confidence to pull such a feat off.

However, the meaning of his words sank into them. They knew what happened to rogue MPs. They knew the laws that put them in place and forced them into service. Their system was rigid for MP users. So they all understood what Vangelis thought about. While the thoughts of it were not the strongest in their mind, it did fuel them in a way that they had never felt before.

The notion of having a challenge and something different appealed greatly to them. Endless monotony of the status quo grated against them. It never ceased and at the end of their lives, it would still be the same thing. The only chance for something different or interesting was the rare chance of a real fight with another MP user. A fight that was not staged or training, but a true test of their mettle. It rang strong with their hearts. The only chance to be free came on the field.

They all quickly agreed in their minds and nodded. "We're in," they replied in unison.

"Of course you are," Vangelis remarked arrogantly, "I picked you."

Team Yumi still waited for the return of Chiharu. The time that passed worked against Seiji. He stood up a few more times in their waiting, but sat again in silence. It provided a distracting amusement to Fumiko.

Thirty minutes or an hour, none of them really planned for how long to wait. Yumi just sent Chiharu off and did not really think ahead of contingencies. She just assumed Chiharu would be back safely in a short amount of time. The longer time passed more worried she became until she could not take it anymore. "I think something's wrong." Yumi looked out to Fumiko and Seiji for their opinions.

"I've been saying that already," Seiji said quickly, still holding a grudge.

Fumiko face turned flat looking at Seiji. "You've been saying that since we arrived. It takes time to scout out a place."

"She's just a kid, what does she know anyway?"

Yumi stepped in between them before they continued. "Yes, it takes time, but with Chiharu's talents it shouldn't be this long. I think something unexpected happened." She looked over her shoulder to the camp. A deep longing feeling that ached in her chest pained her.

"But she went in so we could make a plan. We'll be going in blind."

Seiji rolled his arm around his shoulder as if he was warming up. "Plans are made to be broken anyway! We just charge in and deal with anyone that stands between us and Yori! It's simple, no plan needed."

"But we don't know how many of those soldiers like Yuki are in there! It's dangerous!"

"It's dangerous either way. It's just whether you know what you're dealing with or not."

Yumi stood up and turned to the camp. She made up her mind. Both her brother and Chiharu waited for them in the camp. They did not have anything but questions, but she could not delay them any longer. Resolve would have to carry her through. "We're going in!"

Yumi stood up and turned to the camp. She made up her mind. Both her brother and Chiharu waited for them in the camp. They did not have anything but questions, but she could not delay them any longer. Resolve would have to carry her through. "We're going in!" Yumi began to walk towards the camp. She did not look like she planned to stop until she marched through the guard post.

Fumiko reached out a futile hand towards Yumi lacking the words. She did not think Yumi of all of them, at least while she was in control, would go off recklessly to attack the Atlanteans. However, it did not surprise her to see Seiji eagerly joining her. They left her behind. She needed to do something, quickly. Fumiko rushed forward to catch them. "Wait! We can't just go in without a plan!"

"Of course we can!" replied Seiji. He turned his head over his shoulder to look back at her. "Who needs a plan? We'll just plow through them all!" His hand tightened into a fist as proof of his strength and confidence in his words.

More than a little unimpressed by Seiji, Fumiko's face turned flat to cynicism. "Need I remind you that you were the only one that lost to them the last fight? You can't just plow through, they aren't weak."

A second paused for Seiji as though it actually seemed to have some impact on him, but he flipped quickly to excitement. "Then it'll be a good time!"

She sighed listening to his endless enthusiasm for fighting. "I'd normally say I can't believe you said that, but I've learned better to question your motives. The fact still remains we need a plan! Even if we are going in now!"

"And I said we don't need one! The less thinking the better, it'll just confuse me."

"You actually realize that you're stupid?"

"I'm not stupid!" protested Seiji. He fully turned to face Fumiko, no longer content to let her words just slide by him. "I just forget about everything when I fight. I don't need strategy, just my intuition!"

"Your intuition…"

"You don't have to worry, Fumiko," replied a voice behind the both of them. It startled them and made them jump away from the voice. Once they focused, they saw Yumi standing in front of them. Fumiko looked over at where she thought Yumi ran off to only to find it empty. She looked back still trying to figure out what happened with Yumi.

"Wh-ha-what? You?"

"Why did you stop?" asked Seiji.

Fumiko nearly fell over at Seiji's question. "That's what you ask?" She quickly forced a recovery back to the more critical topic. Leaning over to Yumi, Fumiko looked around trying to see if something was wrong with her. Nothing immediately jumped out to her. "Is something wrong?"

Yumi shook her head lightly. "Not at all. I just wanted to stop your arguing and assure you that I have a plan." Confidence in her words exuded from Yumi's voice. The unsure version of Yumi completely went into hiding to no longer be found anywhere on Yumi. The strange change she made occurred again. Fumiko knew she should not argue with the difference, since they needed the way she acted now to see them through successfully. If she stayed as she was, Fumiko had no need to worry.

A plan from Yumi had Fumiko curious. The sudden walk away from them concerned her, but she was glad to know that she did not start taking lessons from Seiji. "What's the plan?"

"What's the plan?" asked one of the members of Vangelis' team. It came after their agreement, though it seemed an expected agreement rather than a mutual one. Even still, they discovered new interest and excitement in their job. Vangelis offered them something different and not ordinary. Anything different would have been welcomed for them, but this seemed more than they could hope for.

Relegating Iole to driving, Vangelis sat in the back of their specialized truck. It ran almost completely silent and unaffected by the terrain. Leaving no trail behind as well, the vehicle hovered over the grass blowing it gently aside as it sped away from the camp. The camp already was almost completely out of sight for them. Four chairs made a circle in the vehicle's rear, making them all face the other.

Vangelis leaned a little forward to address the question, as he still left things out for them. "We'll be searching along the route they took for signs of them returning to rescue their comrade. We'll be standing between them and the camp."

"Would they really take the same path for us to follow? They are MP users. They aren't going to leave a trail to follow."

He shook his finger at them in disagreement. "No, from the information the Captain gave me, these guys are a bunch of naïve stupid teenagers. They have been moving in a purposeful manner making it very easy to follow them."

"We still have to find them. It can't be that easy. Aren't they also traveling by some transport?"

"No, considering the time that's passed so far, they are still on foot."

"You really certain that these guys will be a challenge?"

The longer Vangelis spoke, the more uncertain the group became. Everything he said made them out to be inexperienced and foolish. He noted the same things they were in front of him when speaking with the Captain. However, the results changed his mind. He was less inclined to believe the rumors of their defeat. The actually details on the fights spoke more than anyone could on words alone. "They'll be of more challenge then you think. They have already defeated four MPs."