Chapter 26: Behind the Façade

After returning to the rehabilitation center, Mary spoke to the receptionist covering for Julia at the front desk, obtaining a set of clothes for Corie before leading her inside to change. Clyde and Casca waited up front, Clyde’s face still shadowed with irritation as he stared down at his hands, while Casca looked at him and slid over to sit closer,

"We have to get away from here, Big Brother... but on the way back, it seemed like Corie was actually happy to be here," Casca said.

"I know, I heard your conversation in the back, even if it was faint; I do want to leave this place, and if it weren’t for Mary, I wouldn’t have come back here or asked you two to leave," Clyde replied firmly.

Both fell silent again, and Casca turned to glance at the receptionist sitting behind the counter, who wasn’t paying them any attention. She then turned back to Clyde,

"What if we take Mary with us when we run?" Casca asked.

"That’s impossible; if the giants on the surface are anything like the giant from the pod I fought, Mary would be in constant danger. You saw it yourself, even though that giant was a woman, a single strike sent me flying; imagine if there are dozens or even hundreds like her, and males too," Clyde answered.

"Hmm... you’re right, Big Brother; you, Corie, and I won’t get hurt easily... but Mary is different," Casca murmured thoughtfully.

"For now, let’s figure out what’s going on and why the guild leader captured us; even though I caught faint snatches of their plan before passing out, we still know next to nothing, so while we’re here, let’s gather information, we can leave at any time," Clyde replied.

"Okay, Big Brother, I understand," Casca replied.

They fell silent once more, turning their gaze toward the door where Corie and Mary had gone inside. After a long wait, Corie finally emerged alongside Mary, wearing a black military t-shirt, tactical pants, boots, and a black jacket. Her hair was still long and messy, with half of her bangs veiling half her face, but it shone glossy black, looking freshly washed.

Clyde and Casca stood up to greet her, but Clyde’s face darkened upon spotting Julia, still in her uniform, following closely behind Corie and Mary. Casca, whose expression mirrored Clyde’s, pulled the confused-looking Corie by the hand to stand beside her. Sensing the tension among the three, Mary didn’t force the issue and stepped over to their side, turning around so they could face Julia together.

Noticing the situation, Julia offered a warm smile, her face visibly brimming with remorse, before turning to the receptionist behind the desk,

"Naomi, log their arrival and after this, you didn’t see them leave, okay?" Julia said.

"Huh... but Ms. Julia... wasn’t Colonel Irena’s order for Cadets Clyde, Casca, and um... Corie to stay in the rehabilitation center for an evaluation?" Naomi the receptionist asked.

"It’s fine, I’ll take full responsibility and report to the colonel myself, so please just stay quiet and don’t say anything, okay?" Julia answered.

"U...understood, ma’am," Naomi replied.

Julia turned to Mary and nodded, and Mary nodded back, immediately taking Clyde by the arm beside her,

"Come on, Clyde, let’s go home," Mary urged.

"Yeah," Clyde replied briefly.

"Safe travels, and don’t come back here," Julia said with a smile, raising her hand.

Clyde, Casca, and Corie naturally found themselves bewildered upon hearing Julia’s words, failing to grasp why she had said that or what she meant, but before they could process anything, Mary had opened the door and pulled them outside. Once the door clicked shut, "sigh," Julia let out a heavy breath, looking up at the fluorescent light illuminating the ceiling from above.

"Looks like I’m going to get into serious trouble for this... my rank might even be revoked, but whatever; from the start, I never agreed with using kids as weapons in this war," she thought in her mind.

Meanwhile, all along the walk back to the apartment, Mary appeared visibly tense, while Clyde, Casca, and Corie kept glancing at one another, unable to make sense of the situation. Step by step inside the apartment unit, Mary immediately ushered them in and locked the door behind them. She then turned around to face the three bewildered youths standing before her,

"Now, we talk," Mary said with a solemn face.

Mary motioned for the three of them to sit at the dining table. Once everyone was seated, Mary drew a deep breath and let it out slowly, looking intently at the trio,

"There’s something I need to tell you, and after that, you have to leave," Mary said seriously.

"Leave? You mean leave the city?" Clyde asked.

"That’s right; I’m sorry, but I can’t come with you," Mary answered.

"What’s actually... going on, Mary?" Casca asked.

Mary turned to look at Casca, then locked eyes with Clyde and Corie sitting side by side. She immediately recounted what Julia had disclosed to her while Corie was showering at the rehabilitation center. Amara was actually Daniel’s wife and shared the same rank as Irena, they having staged the entire scenario from training to the kidnapping from the very start just to recruit Clyde and Casca.

Based on the body cam footage from Ryker’s unit during their confrontation with Clyde when he first woke up, they already knew Clyde was no ordinary human, and when they learned that Casca was connected to Clyde, they made her their target as well, after which they simply waited for the moment Clyde and Casca joined the civilian military, the guild. Naturally, Clyde and Casca were shocked to hear this.

"So from the very start... it was all just a show," Clyde murmured.

"That’s right; the goal was indeed to use you as fuel for GEAR, which is why Julia said your rooms were being prepared and asked you to stay with me, your rooms are GEAR itself, just like what they already did to Corie," Mary replied.

"Mary... did you know about this from the start too?" Casca asked.

"No... I thought those rooms were just living quarters in the military facilities; Julia mentioned they were short on personnel, which was code for the military running low on soldiers because so many went outside the city and never returned," Mary answered.

"I... see," Casca murmured.

"I only found out about all this just now... Julia told me in secret and asked me to help you escape this city, because orders from above have already come down to detain you here and entertain you... and my guess is, before they stuff you back into GEAR," Mary said.

"Sigh... but why would she help us? Won’t that get her into trouble with the military?" Clyde asked.

Mary remained silent for a moment, then took Clyde’s hand, reached out for Casca’s and Corie’s hands, and held them both together.

"Because she doesn’t want you turned into fuel for GEAR; she saw with her own eyes how the military treated Corie, and she just confessed everything to me, so... you understand, right? The three of you have to leave this place. I’ll guide you through the south corridor, it’s a bit dangerous, but you can definitely handle it, and besides... I won’t be the only one guiding you," Mary said.

"Not the only one? Who else is coming?" Clyde asked.

"Commander Ryker," Mary answered.

Upon hearing that name dropped, Clyde stood up, and Casca and Corie followed suit, all three glaring sharply at Mary before them, but Mary stood up and raised her palm,

"Let me explain first... please calm down," Mary said.

Seeing the genuine, slightly fearful expression on Mary’s face, Clyde, Casca, and Corie, still completely in the dark, glanced at one another and sat back down. "Sigh," Mary let out a sigh of relief and sat down as well,

"First of all... Commander Ryker isn’t who you think he is; he’s the man who leaked the military’s plans and the Chimaera Initiative to Julia," Mary said.

"Chimaera Initiative?" Clyde asked.

"I’ll explain later," Mary answered.

"But why would Ryker talk to Julia about a secret project?" Casca asked.

"Well, that’s the second thing I wanted to tell you; Ryker is Julia’s husband," Mary answered.

"Wait... what?" Clyde and Casca blurted out simultaneously in shock.

"Yeah... yeah... I know, Julia looks like she’s in her mid-twenties while Ryker looks almost forty, right... there’s a huge age gap between them, so it’s normal for you to be surprised even if you just woke up from the simulation, but that’s not what I’m trying to address here; Commander Ryker wasn’t the one who reported Clyde to Daniel and Irena, it was his men who submitted their body cams, and Ryker was only there on duty... make no mistake, saving you three wasn’t Julia’s idea, but Ryker’s," Mary said.

Hearing Mary’s words hang in the air, Clyde, Casca, and Corie sat speechless, unable to utter a word. But while they were stunned into silence, a static holographic screen suddenly materialized before them, which Mary naturally couldn’t see or hear,

["Don’t... leave... Craig... come there... wait in the city... south... direction... orphanage... the four of you... pick up... me."]

Clyde, Casca, and Corie stood frozen like statues after hearing Celes’s broken, muffled voice sounding like a riddle waiting to be solved.