Chapter Text
1966 6/3 12:00
IT ELUDED US THEN, BUT THAT'S NO MATTER—TOMORROW WE WILL RUN FASTER. STRETCH OUT OUR ARMS FARTHER... AND ONE FINE MORNING——SO WE BEAT ON, BOATS AGAINST THE CURRENT, BORNE BACK CEASELESSLY INTO THE PAST.
— FRANCIS SCOTT KEY FITZGERALD
A girl with white hair stood in a deserted street. Her skin was so pale that at first glance, she looked like a ghost. Her thin hands clutched an umbrella tightly while she watched the grey sky. Suddenly, there was a loud ‘boom’ of thunder and raindrops started their rapid descent to the ground.
“It’s raining,” the girl murmured to nobody but herself. She glanced at the watch on her wrist, her blue eyes reflected by the light and sighed, shaking her head. She watched as the digits slowly counted down. Soon, it would reach 0 and the tragedy would strike once more.
How many people would she save this time? Would she even be able to save anyone at all? The girl scoffed to herself and sighed, “No… it’s not raining.” This bout of rain would stop soon. However, it wouldn’t be long before the next one came. The last bout of rain.
“It’s the Storm. The Storm is coming.”
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A ship gently bobbed up and down, resting on the calm water. The ship looked peaceful to the naked eye. However, appearances are deceiving.
“Aha! Are you feeling seasick my friends? Open your eyes now, followers! It’s 12 at noon and the Rocking Toya is welcoming the most unwelcomed visitors…”
A girl with amber eyes spoke into a microphone while a blue apple hovered around her. The girl had black hair with blue tips, an orange jacket and a large, blue ribbon with white polka dots on it. She grinned as she looked at the two people tied up behind her. They were dressed in all white and masks covered their faces. All in all, it was certainly a very interesting group of people on a ship alone in the river.
The girl crossed her arms over her chest as she continued talking, “I’ll hold of you a public hearing! You stalkers, stalking me, the Pirate for days!? Get ready to be shocked away by the rock ‘n’ rolling coasters night and day!”
She adjusted the microphone so that her voice could be heard by whoever was listening to her radio. Her desk was strewn with countless pieces of paper and CDs that nobody found important but the pirate.
“Now listen to Radio Toya, come with me and let’s count down to ecstasy! Three!” The strange, blue apple circled the masked people in an attempt to intimidate them.
“Two!” The girl shouted and cracked her knuckles as she grabbed her microphone.
“One!” She swung around at that moment and held the microphone out to the masked strangers as she continued, “Now say your names, you British government stooges!”
There were a few seconds of silence and the girl sighed. Obviously, the captured intruders wouldn’t talk to her. But still, there wasn’t anything wrong with a pirate’s small hope, was there?
She set the microphone back down on the table and pointed an accusatory finger at the masked people. She continued to shout, making sure that her listeners would be able to hear her too. After all, there was nobody else around to hear the fuss that she was making.
“Say your names, you Manus Vindictae robbers! You banned music? You robbed traders? Our lips are sealed and we wandered, but nothing’s going to change our love for freedom ever!”
Just as the girl finished her words, there was a sudden and loud ‘boom’. The entire ship shook as things fell from their places. The girl stumbled to the ground and the apple hovered near her in concern.
The girl picked up her black and white hat, which had fallen off, and wore it back on. Meanwhile, the apple flew out of the window to assess the situation.
“Toya! What’s going on? What happened!?” The girl asked, a look of distress on her face. She could see parts of her beloved ship going up in flames already. As much as she would like to go out there and stop the fire before it grew bigger and devoured even more of her ship, she did have a few brain cells and knew better than that.
The apple – Toya – flew back in and replied in an urgent tone, “Captain, this is bad! There is a huge black ship behind us! We’re under attack!”
The girl furrowed her brows in irritation and cursed, “Bloody hell! Turn off the microphone, Toya!”
Toya flew to the microphone and switched it off. The girl peered out of the window and frowned at the sight in front of her.
“A bridge…? Veined cannons…? What in the world is that!?” The girl paced around in the helm and flung her arms around wildly as she ranted, “You must be kidding me! I only played a song and suddenly that’s a crime!?”
Toya diligently followed the girl around, waiting patiently for her to calm down. He knew that she wouldn’t like the next piece of news and would certainly grow even angrier. Her temper always flared up whenever something happened to her ship.
“Captain…” Toya hesitated for a moment. “That is the emblem of Manus Vindictae.”
The girl stopped and spun around to look at Toya. She clucked her tongue as she asked confusedly, “Manus Vindictae? Those terrorists? But why would they be here? Is it because of my ‘little thing’ or… Ha! I get it!”
She glared at the pair of tied-up people. They had remained silent throughout the entire ordeal. She couldn’t even tell if they were paying attention to her because of their stupid masks.
“Your accomplices are here! Remember, you’re still captives of the great Pirate Shiraishi An! Order them to hold fire or I’ll–”
Another bomb suddenly hit the ship. The smell of gunpowder and sparks filled the air. Toya noticed the water that is starting to flood the wooden floor and gently bumps the coughing An.
“We are sinking. Please prepare to abandon the ship, Captain,” Toya informed An who waved the smoke that was starting to fill the helm away.
An’s eyes widened when she hears that the ship is sinking. She wouldn’t be able to carry all of her precious records in her hands. She couldn’t afford to abandon them.
The pirate knelt down beside the prisoners and begged desperately, “Hey! Hey! I’ll let you go, okay? So please ask your friends to stop! My records are my most precious treasures! Please, no violence!”
Finally, one of them, a woman with long hair, replied, “We’re not with them! We tried to tell you!” She started coughing as smoke entered her lungs. The other person, a man with a gruff voice, continued speaking for his companion, “That’s right! We’re investigators from the Foundation! You’ve got the wrong people!”
An realised her mistake and murmured regretfully, “Ah…”
Then, another bomb hit the ship, causing it to rock violently. Several records fell onto the flooded floor and An scrambled for them, screaming in a panicked voice, “Protect the records!”
After the Chaos:
Shiraishi An lost her ship forever. 12:09 p.m., Monday, June 3 1966. Rest In Piece.
— END —
Extra notes have been found across this chapter:
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