Guiding star: Invisible doesn’t always mean “imaginary” (part 2)
You may check out the first part here.
— So, only the dead don’t know about their arrival yet? — Ivy XO asked, not raising her head from under the hood of the armoured car. — It wasn’t the best option for them to be so noisy, considering what they’re looking for. Right, Foxy?
Toward the end of the sentence, Ivy finally stopped digging into the details, and, carefully wiping her hands with an oily rag, looked kindly at Foxy. She was standing near the table with tools, picking over the parts in her hands.
— Maybe they wanted to do all their work quickly, taking the Valley by surprise… — Foxy suggested, feeling someone else’s eyes on herself.
— You’re always making excuses for everyone. On the other hand, it’s good that you keep the situation under control. These are not the best times.
Ivy slammed the hood and skilfully jumped into the cabin. The armoured car began to make coughing sounds, apparently in an attempt to start. Foxy put the parts on the table and came closer to the cabin so Ivy could hear her. One of the gears suddenly rolled over the workbench and just as unexpectedly stopped at the edge.
— It’s not an excuse, it’s a tactical calculation! The Syndicate grows stronger every day. Their technology can be compared to the capabilities of Dawn’s Children and even surpass them. And Lloyd, it seems, has something to confront the Syndicate. Recently, the Dragons began recruiting survivors to prepare for war with him. They talk about it even in the “Keyhole”. Unfortunately, not everyone understands that it’s better not to do business with strangers, especially if they don’t even explain what needs to be done.
The car never stopped “coughing”. Ivy slipped out of the cabin and approached the hood, cursing.
— It seems that everything is really very serious, — said the leader of Engineers, as she looked inside the armoured vehicle again while taking the walkie-talkie out of her pocket. — I need a man to fix the engine of the “Arrow”. Is everything quiet at the checkpoints? That’s good to know. Over and out.
— This is really serious, Ivy. The Dragons have already set up an outpost in the East Quarter,— Foxy approached an old friend and looked her in the eyes. I once swore to find Lloyd, and I think that the time has come. Tracking him has always been almost impossible. But since the Syndicate is also looking for him and they are doing better, we need to monitor their progress.
The faction’s leader moved away from the subordinate and settled down at her desk, throwing her legs over it.
— So that’s why you hinted at Lloyd when the Dragons first came to us. And if they can find him sooner?
Ivy pointed her blue-eyed eye at the chair in front of her. And, waiting for her to sit down, sarcastically smiling, she said:
— These guys with funny wheels didn’t turn out to be so funny, did they?
— That’s what I’m talking about! During that meeting of ours, Blade said that the Ravagers were still a threat, especially their technology in Lloyd’s hands.
Suddenly Foxy looked back at the table, where she left the gears and drew a line to her feet with her eyes. Then she leaned to the floor and stroked the air several times near the chair where she was sitting.
— So your pet is still with you... But still, why didn’t we hear about this danger sooner? — Ivy threw her hands up.
— Maybe he was testing them, — Foxy thought for a few seconds and closed her eyes. — That time! When we tried to restore the memories of the Ravagers’ victims with this madman, he also prepared for a very long time and was able to start the machine only with Shaman’s help. He doesn’t have such an ally anymore.
The radio in Ivy Go’s pocket hissed, but after listening for a few seconds, she interrupted the speaker and ordered him to come back later.
— Your words make a lot of sense. I know you understand that, but let me remind you once again: the Syndicate is not our friends or even allies. Their goal may be not to destroy Lloyd and the technology of the Ravagers, but to capture them and then use them not in our favor. You will find out what their intentions are and you will find that psycho. But please, Foxy, be careful.
Ivy approached her companion and looked into her eyes, and then hugged her tightly, taking the young woman by surprise.
— I demand regular reports on the progress of your investigation. I hope we can use the technology, but if that’s not the case, it will have to be destroyed.
Suddenly there was a knock on the hangar door and the squeak of poorly oiled hinges was heard. Ivy immediately sat down in her seat and again threw her legs on the table, taking the first blueprint she caught in her hands.
— I told you to come back later!
— We should get going,— Foxy said as she got up. Finally, she dropped her gaze to the floor next to the chair where she had previously stroked the air. — Bunny, let’s go.