((a/n literally only HOURS late for Seulrene Day, but here!))

Irene was perturbed to discover that Boko wasn’t in the Blackjack’s cargo hold. That meant he was probably being walked around on deck for some fresh air and exercise, possibly with his owner, and if Irene wanted to see either of them, she would need to go up to the deck herself.

She glared for another moment at Boko’s empty nest, a pile of straw set up in one corner of the hold, before groaning aloud in frustration. Seulgi, the source of the restlessness which had driven her to seek out Boko in the first place, was currently in the way of her spending some quality time with the giant bird. She clenched her fist inside the long sleeve of Moonbyul’s embroidered coat, and heard the squeaking of her icy fingers rubbing together. The cold was an emotional response, her abilities instinctively ready should Irene need to defend herself. But there was no threat here on the Blackjack, thousands of feet above the ocean.

Seulgi must have been frustrating her more than she realized.

Irene had received countless shots before. Out of everything she had experienced in her training, she knew a needle should be the least of her worries, but even Heechul noticed her obvious trembling and paused with the syringe inches from her pale arm.

“Irene… I need you to stop shaking, or I’ll have to call a doctor to do this. I don’t want to hurt you.” He exhaled quietly to himself as he sat up and watched her close her eyes. She was so much younger than Leeteuk had been the first time he had received the treatment.

They were in Heechul’s personal laboratory, deep within the Magitek Research Facility, a section of the emperor’s massive ziggurat that had undergone quite a bit of expansion in recent years. Even through the iron walls, Irene could hear the screams of saw blades cutting into metal on the factory floor beyond, as members of Heechul’s engineering team constructed more prototypes of weapons never before seen in the World of Balance.

Weapons like the one she was about to become.

She opened her eyes and mutely glanced at Heechul seated beside her as she lay on his steel surgical table. There was nothing in this room that could give her any kind of comfort; the harsh gas lighting beaming down on her unforgivingly as she reclined, the other tables lining the walls, covered in apparati that she could only begin to guess the uses of, and papers with equations and formulae that probably calculated with an engineer’s precision just how much of her humanity she would retain after this injection.

Heechul blinked as she watched young sargent’s expression harden with resolve. Was she finally ready?

He leaned in and carefully took ahold of her wrist, exposing the fine veins of her inner elbow, but he paused once again when she spoke.

“I’ll be like Wendy after this?”

Heechul his lips and pursed them for a moment before answering. There were many things he wasn’t allowed to tell her, but the compulsion to give her some peace of mind broke his resolve. “Sort of. For the most part,” he said hesitatingly. “... Wendy’s a little different.” He refrained from saying that she would be more like Leeteuk than Wendy after this. Heechul didn’t count the Court Wizard among his successes.

He watched her mull over his words, her intense gaze slowly moving about the room before finally settling on him again. There was no doubt in his mind as he felt a small chill raise the hairs on the back of his neck as he held her stare: ice was going to suit her perfectly.

“Okay,” was all she said as she held her arm out to him.

Since that moment before their fencing lesson where Wendy had held her as she cried, she had firmed her resolve. She didn’t want Wendy to feel so different from everyone else anymore. She didn’t want her to be alone.

But she had left Wendy alone.

Irene her heel, finding Moonbyul’s knee-high boots far more comfortable than her stiff dress shoes, and marched out of the hold. She supposed they would find out soon enough what the Empire had been up to after her dismissal from her post, but she still wished she had asked the Slam Shuffle Gang for more information back in Zozo. Elly might have known about their movements, which cities were still under siege, if Doma had been claimed as a base of operations for the Northern Continent campaign. It would have given her a better idea of what to expect in the capital.

She gripped the brass railing that spiraled up the staircase and led to the trapdoor and paused with one boot on the bottom step. She wondered if Mobliz was isolated enough to miss the domineering reach of the Empire, but suspected that her flight from Doma had lead soldiers to the rural town. After all, Magitek Armor pilots had followed her all the way out to the Veldt; the town itself had likely been searched and its residents interrogated. What a first impression that probably made for her with Seulgi’s parents. She snapped out of her reverie at that last thought and sighed at herself irritably. Looking up she could barely make out the velvety midnight-blue sky peeking through the crosshatched pattern in the wooden trapdoor.

She, Bae Irene, ex-general and hardened veteran of the Ghestalian Imperial Army, was worried about meeting Seulgi’s parents?

And since when did one kiss mean she was in a some sort of serious relationship, anyway?

Seulgi.

She angrily stomped up the stairs, a dull metallic ring sounding with every aggressive step until she laced her fingers through the holes in the trapdoor and paused again. She could see it now that she was so close to the deck: the blinding light of the full moon, making her squint as she peered up through the squares in the door. She couldn’t see Seulgi from this angle, or more importantly Boko, but she knew they must be up here.

Seulgi should be resting, not gallivanting around with that bird of hers. They were going to reach the Southern Continent within hours, and then they would be in enemy territory all the way until they reached the landlocked capital of Vector.

Seulgi.

Irene had always been rewarded for her excellent decision-making skills in stressful situations: commendations, promotions, larger platoons, and more officers added to her councils, but when it came to decisions in her personal life, her strategic mind failed her. And the other companions had proved completely untrustworthy, abandoning her in her time of need, and letting her get carried away in the engine room. How could Joy just leave her to give in to a moment of weakness like that? It was like she and Yeri and Moonbyul were all in on some insidious plot together to see her reduced to some lovesick primary school student.

Well, wasn’t she was used to having to come to her own rescue? They were allies, she and Seulgi, and she needed them to stay that way as she mentally prepared for tomorrow’s attack.

And the thought struck her that this very well could be their last night together.

Seulgi.

Irene grimaced as she realized that every night these past few weeks, even on the eve of their assault on Vector, it was always Seulgi.

She swung the trapdoor up and open, and climbed onto the deck quickly, before she could change her mind. And once she was standing and dared a glance around, she found she was rewarded for her bravery with a breathtaking view.

The brilliant blue-white light of the full moon was reflecting ghostly pale off the bank of clouds below them, stretching out in small rises and ripples out to the midnight horizon. Her crippling fear of heights momentarily overcome by her awe, she slowly walked towards the railing in a daze. Indeed the sky looked very dreamlike, everything glowing and ethereal, the cool bright light on the clouds and the dark velvety sky above.

“It’s nice, huh?”

Seulgi.

Irene jumped and clung for dear life to the rigging tied down to the railing.

Seulgi was surprised that Irene was surprised, but the rancher only blinked mutely in response.

“So you are up here,” Irene grumbled as she held onto the ropes with both arms.

Seulgi beamed at her smugly. “You were looking for me?” she asked.

Irene huffed. “Of course not. I was looking for Boko, but he wasn’t in the hold.”

Seulgi’s smile didn’t falter as she turned and called out for the chocobo. “Boko! Here, boy!”

The giant yellow bird fluffed out his wings at being called and strutted over to the pair. Seulgi reached out to pet him, but he ducked around her and bowed his head in Irene’s face, looking for attention. She tentatively disentangled one of her arms from the rigging and shakily held out a hand for him to headbutt.

“Are you okay?” Seulgi asked, putting aside her jealousy as she noticed Irene battling with her fear. “Moonbyul told me you’re afraid of heights.”

“I am not afraid of heights,” Irene snapped as she counted to three in her head and released the ropes to cling onto Boko’s feathers instead.

Seulgi laughed and walked Boko, and consequently Irene, away from the railing towards the stern of the airship. “Would you ride Boko? He’s pretty tall,” she asked curiously.

Irene scoffed as she was finally able to relax a bit. “I’ve piloted Magitek Armors taller than him.”

“Kweh…”

“No offense.”

Seulgi’s grin finally faded at the reminder. Underneath the swaths of undulating clouds would soon be the Southern Continent.

“I think you’d look better on Boko than one of those Armors…”

Irene glanced at Seulgi for a moment, then turned her gaze up to Boko’s majestic head. While she didn’t have much experience with animals in the iron confines of the Imperial city she grew up in, she had to admit, imagining Seulgi riding Boko on the grassy fields around Mobliz was tempting. She frowned. Too many things about Seulgi were tempting, but…

“May I?” she heard herself ask.

Seulgi blinked, then grinned widely at her. “You wanna ride him? Boko, down!” she urged, getting Boko to squat so the short ex-general could mount him. Seulgi came around to help her, get settled onto his back, though Irene proved to be rather agile, adapting to the situation quickly. It was very different from the first time she had ridden a chocobo, haphazardly scrambling up onto the back of one of Seulgi’s birds and setting off at a gallop before any of them could really situate themselves.

Irene remembered the fall Joy had taken and stared at the back of Boko’s head warily, beginning to have second thoughts.

“Ready? I’m going to have him stand…” Seulgi announced, taking one of Irene’s hands and placing it near the back of Boko’s neck. “Hold on here. We’ll just walk a little. I don’t want you stealing him, too,” she added with a smirk.  

If Irene felt more sure of her grip on Boko, she would have aimed a kick at the rancher.

“I’m ready. Let’s go, Boko!” she called, and against either of the girls' intentions, Boko leapt up and dashed off towards the other end of the ship with a squeaky chirp.

“BokO NO! BOKO STOP!” Seulgi cried, startling Eunae at the helm. The tall, quiet girl turned just in time to see Boko sprint past her, a terrified Irene clinging to his neck as she let out a quiet, yet shrill whine.

Despite Seulgi’s - and Eunae’s - attempts to corral him and get him to stop, and nearly getting trampled in the process, the bird seemed intent on having his fun, and ran laps around the helm while Irene helplessly held on.

Oh yes, this was somehow exactly like that time she had stolen one of Seulgi’s chocobos. “Boko…!” she finally managed to whisper, getting a surer grip on his feathers. “Boko, stop!” she begged. And at last the bird seemed to finally take pity on her and slowed to a trot, before stopping entirely in front of Seulgi and Eunae.

Seulgi reached up and flicked his beak with her fingers. “Bad Boko! What were you thinking?” she scolded. Eunae excused herself to continue piloting the ship, glad the excitement was over.

“D-down!” Irene commanded, intending to scramble off Boko as soon as he settled against the wooden deck. Seulgi offered her hand as Irene dismounted, and the ex-general stumbled into her.

“Hey, I’ve got you,” Seulgi said softly. Irene glared up at her, then at Boko as she regained her footing.

“He did that on purpose,” she grumbled. “And you think he likes me.”

Seulgi couldn’t help a laugh. “I think he does!” she insisted. “I think he was just playing, right big guy?” She hugged his great head to her chest and he made a noise in his throat in agreement. “He seems to listen to you better than me, even,” she added thoughtfully.

Irene rolled her eyes. He was like a massive spoiled puppy, and watching Seulgi dote on him was simultaneously adorable and irritating. “If he listens so well, then he should have realized that I don’t like heights, or riding giant… birds.”

“So you admit you’re afraid of heights, then.”

Irene tch’d at her slip. Seulgi straightened and stood in front of her. “You don’t want to admit it,” she pointed out.

“Admit what, a tactical weakness?” Irene asked.

Seulgi shrugged, her wide grin returning, though her dark gaze was warm in the blue-white moonlight. “It makes you seem more human.”

Irene paused. She knew Seulgi didn’t understand what she was saying, but the words still struck home. Seulgi encouraged weakness and vulnerability. She encouraged humanity, and she had no idea what that meant to someone like Irene.

The ex-general stared up at that face-scrunching smile of hers and sighed inwardly.

“Stop that,” Irene finally said irritably.

“Stop what?” Seulgi said, still with that wide, cheerful smile.

“That!” Irene growled, reaching over to cover Seulgi’s stupid grin with her hand, but she quickly withdrew it again when she felt Seulgi laughing against her palm. “Boko!” she called, and the large chocobo stood up and obediently walked over.

Irene glared as she simply pointed at Seulgi. “Attack!” She wasn’t sure if that was how chocobos worked, but Boko seemed to have something in mind as he puffed out his feathers and stomped over to Seulgi.

“A-attack?!” Seulgi asked in mild alarm as Boko loomed over her. “But he’s my chocob-” The rest of her sentence was cut off when Boko raised one of his massive talons and stepped on her, effectively slamming her flat on her back against the deck.

“Countenanced carbuncle!” Irene blurted out as she rushed over to push the yellow bird off of the poor rancher. “Bad Boko!” she grunted as she used her shoulder to try and nudge him away.

“Kweh!” Boko chirped triumphantly as he finally relented and stalked away. He made a satisfied noise in his throat as he settled back down on the deck and closed his eyes.

Seulgi groaned breathlessly as she continued to lay where she had been flattened out. Irene stood over her with a look of concern. “Are you alright? I didn’t think he’d actually…” and she choked out a laugh at Seulgi’s pathetic display. “... I didn’t think he’d actually attack,” she tried again, laughing even louder this time.

And despite the fact that she was certain she’d have a giant talon-shaped bruise all over her torso tomorrow, Seulgi couldn’t help smiling as she listened to Irene’s laughter. The ex-general reached down a hand to help Seulgi up but Seulgi turned her face away. “No, I don’t think I can get past this level of betrayal,” she mourned. “My own chocobo, swayed by a pretty face.”

That quieted Irene’s laughter. She kicked the sole of Seulgi’s shoe in embarrassment and offered her hand again. “People just tend to listen when I give an order,” she scoffed softly.

Seulgi clasped Irene's forearm but instead of hoisting herself up, she gave a sudden tug, pulling Irene down onto the deck with her. Seulgi gave her own laugh in the form of a cough as Irene landed on top of her. “See? It’s not so fun is... it?” she asked as Irene raised herself up on her elbows, giving her such a threatening glare that she could barely finish her thought. She swallowed, feeling a chill in the air around them. “Hey,” she murmured, reaching up to brush Irene’s hair away from her face, even if that only revealed more of her cold gaze.

Seulgi was distracted by the way she could see her own breath fogging between them and instinctively moved to wrap her arms around Irene. But it wasn’t just the air that was cold, she realized as she felt Irene tense up in her arms - it was Irene herself. The ex-general was so cold suddenly, that Seulgi could feel it even through the fabric of Moonbyul’s thick coat as she slowly rubbed her hands up and down Irene's back. It reminded Seulgi of Irene’s unnaturally cold hands in the engine room, and that grisly scene in the sea cave where she had watched Irene kill Imperial soldiers with ice.

And now that she knew Irene was from the Empire, she knew it must be magic.

With Seulgi’s arms around her, Irene’s motivation to push herself away from the suddenly serious rancher faded.

“I’m sorry,” Seulgi said softly, causing Irene’s glare to soften in confusion.

“Why?”

Seulgi gave a slight shiver as she shrugged against the rough boards of the deck. “You seem angry.”

“I am,” Irene admitted tersely, and she felt Seulgi thread her fingers together at the small of her back. How did they get to this point? Why was she even letting Seulgi be this close? Seulgi even knew who she was now, and she had still kissed her.

“Why?” Irene heard her own question asked aloud by Seulgi. She looked down at Seulgi’s furrowed brow, her warm eyes, the white puffs of breath coming from her parted lips as she waited for an answer. Seulgi was cold, cold because of her, but she wasn’t complaining. Irene knew she wouldn’t.  

“You make it hard for me to hate myself,” Irene admitted in a whisper.

Seulgi blinked up at her, the corners of curving up in a questioning smile. “Hate yourself?” The thought nearly broke Seulgi’s heart. “I wish you wouldn’t.” Seulgi’s tone was too warm. Too gentle. Every word weighed on Irene until her arms lost their strength and she let herself lay on top of Seulgi. “I wish you wouldn’t,” Seulgi repeated, burying her nose in Irene’s hair. “Because I-”

Irene quickly reached up and placed a finger against Seulgi’s lips, silencing her as she leaned up once again to look down at her. “Don’t.”

Seulgi unlaced her fingers and carefully took Irene’s freezing cold hand away from . “Because I think you’re pretty special,” Seulgi finished, softly pressing her lips against Irene’s palm.

And Irene realized she wasn’t angry with Seulgi.

She was afraid of her.  

+++  

The mood onboard the Blackjack noticeably darkened as the sea they had been able to spot in the breaks in the clouds was replaced by green swaths of land. They were passing over the Southern Continent on their way towards Vector. Moonbyul looked up at Sujeong with a brief smile that scrunched up her face before heading below deck. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t worried about her crew coming along on this journey. It changed her plans a bit, having six other girls to worry about.  

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust them - they were each skilled in their own way: Yooa with her cat-like grace, Eunae with her sudden bursts of ruthlessness, even Somi with her uncanny ability to fit in wherever she went. Despite their capabilities, she worried about them just the same. This wasn’t some skirmish in an occupied city - they were flying right into the heart of the Empire, and she felt responsible for them.

She needed to give them all tasks, not just out of necessity for their raid on Vector, but also to give herself some peace of mind. It would keep everyone, including herself, too busy to consider the grim possibility that perhaps not all of them would make it out alive today. She spent the next several hours ensuring that they were ready: back-up plans, contingency plans for their back-up plans, abort scenarios that Irene expressly objected to, and digging up a few pieces of prototype equipment out of the hold...

During one of her passes through the ship, Moonbyul was surprised to run into Yeri in the gallery. The ‘treasure hunter’ was at one of the gaming tables, rifling through her pack with a vacant expression, like she was looking for something but perhaps wasn’t expecting to find it in her bag. Moonbyul walked over comfortably and leaned with the heels of her hands pressed to the table’s surface. Yeri was the only member of the Returners whom Moonbyul had actually known personally, prior to having her ship commandeered, and she still felt that they were something like kindred spirits.

“She hasn’t given you your coat back?” Yeri asked just as Moonbyul finally opened to greet the thief. The blonde gave Moonbyul, belt-less and in her shirtsleeves, a once-over with a wry expression.

The captain laughed. “No, I was the one stupid enough to wager it.” She had managed to find another pair of boots in her cabin at least, but it was going to be tough flying around the skies with a simple silk dress shirt and not the insulated protection of her long coat. Now that she knew they were going to have to make it out of Vector alive, she was already thinking of ordering another one from the tailors in Jidoor. “I’ve been on quite a losing streak lately. First flying you to Vector, and now my beloved coat.”

Despite Moonbyul’s attempt at humor, Yeri’s expression turned serious. “You don’t have to stick around and wait for us. Actually it’s probably better if you leave right after dropping us off.”

Fatalism seemed to be the theme of the day.

“And how do you expect to get out again if I just leave?” Moonbyul asked with a smirk. She had already considered the very serious possibility that she should just abandon the Returners once they reached Vector, but she knew the crew wouldn’t let her.

Yeri sighed and gave up on her bag. “We might not get out again. It’s just the four of us, and there are guards, military officers, Leeteuk himself, that Witch if she’s there - a lot could go wrong, and it’s not like they won’t see us coming.”

The captain conceded with a nod. It would be difficult for the massive Blackjack to drop in without being noticed; they’d know the girls were coming even before they breached the ziggurat.

“Yeri?” Both girls looked up as a certain red-headed queen entered the gallery looking for the thief.

Moonbyul waved at her lazily and Yeri simply waited for Joy to say what she had come to say.

“We’re here.”

+++

From her position in the middle of the deck near the helm, Irene could smell Vector before she saw it. The air was a mix of industrial smog, the dust from the dry, clear-cut landscape, and the sharp ionization from Magitek technology that tingled her nose. It smelled like home.

They had dropped through the high clouds and were skirting the top of the bank of smog that blanketed the entire valley Vector was situated in. Though Moonbyul had instructed Sujeong to keep them at this altitude until they were right on top of the great, iron ziggurat, she was sure that they would be spotted well before they reached their target, even through the haze.   

Seulgi was at the railing, anticipating the view in something reminiscent of the excitement she had felt when they were pulling into the port at Albrook. Each city they had travelled to so far had been larger than the last, and all of them dwarfed the hamlet of Mobliz, but there was no feeling of awe this time as she saw the dim, square shapes of buildings rising up through the smog. It reminded her of Zozo, the way the cityscape looked cold and uninviting, but instead of feeling empty and derelict, Vector was bustling with activity in a choked and overcrowded way.

And perhaps Seulgi was feeling a bit biased against the Gestahlian Empire, but she couldn’t help but feel that the city gave off a malign aura. How could this many people live and work here under such a terrible leader? The gridlike streets passed by in a blur, block after block as they flew deeper into the metropolis towards the looming pyramidal hall of the Emperor, the only building tall enough to pierce through the brown haze.

“Faster,” Moonbyul ordered Sujeong as she stood behind the helmsman and Irene. “You’re going to drop us in only when we’re right above our target, but I’m sure they already know we’re here by now.”

“... I think you’re right!” Yooa announced from up in the rigging near Seulgi. “They’re coming!”

Moonbyul tossed her head and gave the ninja a skeptical expression. “What do you mean they’re co-” but she fell silent as she heard it. They all heard it.

Propellers. Lots of propellers.

Moonbyul glared at Irene. “This is the only airship in the world! Just what has the Empire been building?!”

Irene couldn’t answer. She could only look out past the railing in dread as she saw a cluster of small black shapes flying straight towards them in an ominous formation.

“Irene? What are those?” Joy asked the ex-general from over her shoulder as she slowly walked over to stand next to Seulgi.

“I… have no idea,” Irene admitted, anger slowly replacing her initial shock. Surely she hadn’t been gone from the Empire for that long? Heechul must have been working on the prototypes for months before she defected. So why hadn’t she known?

“Faster, Sujeong,” Moonbyul repeated with a grip on the taller girl’s shoulder. “Prepare for a fight,” she ordered the rest of her crew as she watched the machines approach. From this far off she couldn’t exactly tell what they were… some sort of tiny version of a Magitek Armor, but with propellers like her own airship. She hoped they didn’t have the same arsenal as Magitek Armors, otherwise this fight was going to be over before it even began.

Joy, however, didn’t think the small machines looked like they could handle the kickback of a Magitek Armor’s cannon, but the implications of air combat were staggering for the future of this war. She was too alarmed by the possibilities should they fail in their mission today to consider the particular mechanics involved. She checked the cartridge for her repeating crossbow, winding the crank with a dark expression.

Seulgi briefly tore her eyes away from the swarm of flying contraptions and glanced back at Irene, but she didn’t like the dark expression the ex-general was wearing. Beside her, she saw Sujeong pass off the controls to Moonbyul and raise a gilt pistol.

“You might want to get out of the way,” she indicated to Seulgi with a wry, tight-lipped smile. Seulgi ducked and ran around the helm to stand next to Irene as she began to hear shots ring out. The machines were close enough now that Seulgi could see they were being piloted by one soldier, while another sat behind with a rifle.

“You missed!” Yeri complained after Joy loosened a bolt at one of the machines and it soared well wide of its intended target.

“I’m sorry, I’ve never fired from a moving airship before!” Joy snapped at her. She raised her crossbow to her shoulder once again and took more careful aim, getting a feel for the variables. She tried another volley of bolts, letting her repeating crossbow’s cartridge empty in a fan at the nearest machine.

The queen watched in satisfaction as the bolts penetrated the metallic hull of the engines of the copter-like contraption and pinned the gunner back in his seat in the cockpit. The machine began to smoke and then violently exploded in a ball of fire, sending the pilot sailing through the air with such a force that he landed on the wooden deck of the Blackjack with a violent tumble. Irene was on him in an instant, dragging the crumpled pilot to his feet.

“Who are you? What are those?” she yelled at him as she held him up by his collar.

“G-general Bae,” the pilot whispered in a fearful daze. Irene gave him a violent shake.

“I said, what are those?” she growled.

The pilot seemed to regain some of his senses, for his expression turned defiant. “I’m not going to talk to a traitor like you!” he retorted.

Irene grimaced and threw him at Seulgi. “Hold him!” she commanded and Seulgi mutely did as she was bidden.

“His hand,” Irene continued as she unsheathed her sabre. “Hold it out on the railing.”

“Wait,” the pilot interrupted as Seulgi blinked and forced his hand against the railing in mild confusion. “W-wait…!”

“Tell me what those machines are,” Irene asked again, as she eyed the keen edge of her blade.

“They’re Sky Armors…!” he yelled as he watched the movements of her blade with wide eyes.

“And how many are there?” she continued. She waited a beat, but when he didn’t answer, she suddenly struck his wrist with her sword, sending his hand sailing out over the edge of the ship and down to the city below.

He screamed in agony and Seulgi almost let him go in shock.

“HOW MANY ARE THERE?” Irene repeated with a roar. When he only continued to wail, Irene pointed her blade at his other hand. “Put it on the railing,” she instructed darkly.

Luckily Seulgi didn’t need to comply as the pilot shrilly yelled out, “Forty-five! There are forty-five, in three squadrons, fifteen each!”

Satisfied, Irene took him out of Seulgi’s grip by the collar and threw him over the railing. She didn’t watch him fall, but returned her attention to the fight, quickly scanning the skies to take a count of how many Sky Armors there were.

Two… four… six… ten… no, nine, Irene corrected herself as she saw Sujeong dispatch a pilot, who leaned heavily on his controls, sending the copter into a spiral down to the streets below. It seemed that only one squadron had been deployed to deal with them for now, but that left at least 30 more Sky Armors to chase after them if they were able to fight off these ones.

“We can’t stop,” Moonbyul said suddenly as she yanked on levers and flipped switches, trying to coax every bit of speed out of the Blackjack that she could muster.

“We have to stop,” Irene insisted stubbornly, though she was coming to the same conclusion.

“No, we don’t,” Moonbyul grunted as she gave the ziggurat a wide berth and banked suddenly, in an attempt to throw off their pursuers. “Where’s Sohee? Tell her to get the packs,” Moonbyul yelled out to whomever was listening.

“The packs?” Seulgi asked warily while Irene clung to her as the ship’s angle pitched into the turn.

Sohee herself had heard Moonbyul’s order and scrambled belowdeck to retrieve the requested items. She reemerged and rushed over to Seulgi and Irene first, forcing a backpack around Seulgi’s shoulders as the Blackjack straightened out once again.

“Ah- wait, what are these?” Seulgi asked as she watched Sohee scamper off to do the same to Joy and Yeri. Irene waited to see if Sohee had a pack for her as well, but all she received was a shrug from the crewmember.

“Sorry, we only made three… we haven’t even been able to test them, ye-”

“That’s enough,” Moonbyul interrupted, cutting her off. “See if you can find anymore ranged weapons down below, will you?”

“So…” Seulgi ventured again, craning her neck to try to get a look at the backpack. It was light and poofy - it almost felt like there was nothing in it at all, and there was a pull-string that hung down in front of her that she , but Moonbyul slapped her hand away.

“Don’t touch that until you’re ready,” she instructed. “We can’t stop, so… you’re going to have to jump.”

“We’re gonna have to what?” Seulgi asked incredulously as Yeri and Joy joined them at the helm.

“You’ll have to jump,” Moonbyul iterated. “I’ll take you in as close as I can, then you’re going to jump when I tell you. After you’re clear of the ship, pull that string,” she indicated with a nod as she tightly gripped the levers at the helm. “That will release a chute that’ll slow your fall. Theoretically you should be able to-”

“THEORETICALLY?!” The Returners all but screeched.

“Ladies, please. Would I really endanger the lives of such beautiful women?”

Silence was the only answer she received.

Moonbyul cleared , bracing herself for another sharp turn as they rounded the back of the ziggurat. “We have to attack now while they’re still trying to figure out what we’re up to. If we wait to fight off all these… what were they? Sky Armors? Which, keep in mind, we might not be able to do, that’ll give them too much time to prepare a welcoming party for you guys on the ground. You have to go,” she insisted.

“You have to go now!”

“But I don’t have one,” Irene nearly stammered. Did they expect her to stay on the ship while the rest of them went in blind?

“Seulgi can share,” Moonbyul said with a wink. “Hold onto each other tightly, got it?”

Yeri looked up at Joy with a skeptical expression. “Will these really work?”

Joy eyed the pack on the blonde’s back and shrugged. “... We may never get another chance,” she finally admitted.

If that was all the assurance Joy was going to give, Yeri would just have to accept it. She nodded and ran to the railing. “Irene, what’s the best way in?” she shouted back.

“Th… the north side,” the ex-general replied, remembering their plan to sneak in through the dungeons.

“Then this is it,” Moonbyul indicated as she pulled them into yet another turn around the massive complex. “Good luck, huh guys? We’ll stall as long as we can out here, but try not to keep us waiting?”

Irene couldn’t believe this was happening, even as Seulgi went up to Moonbyul and put a hand on the captain’s shoulder and Joy went to join Yeri at the railing.

“Thanks for the ride,” Seulgi said with a mirthless smile.

Moonbyul returned the expression with a quick finger gun. “You almost wish you would have married me now and skipped this whole mess, huh?” she teased.

“Almost,” Seulgi replied with a quiet smile. She turned back to Irene who blinked wide eyes at her.

“Seulgi, you can’t be serious…” This was basically Irene’s worst nightmare made manifest.

Seulgi simply grabbed Irene’s hand and all but dragged her to the railing. “Joy said it, this might be our only chance. Look, Irene,” Seulgi persuaded, indicating the iron ziggurat with a wave of her hand. “We’re here. This is it. We’re going to finish this today.”

Irene’s grip on Seulgi’s hand tightened, and after a beat, she nodded. “Don’t let go?”

Seulgi smiled at her. “Of course I won’t.”

“YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH…!!!” Yeri screeched as she vaulted over the railing into the open air.

“Yeri…!” Joy shouted fruitlessly as she watched the blonde fall. She glanced around the sky a moment and finally muttered a quiet, “Kirin protect us…” before jumping over the side as well.

Irene inhaled sharply as she watched them and suddenly dug her heels into the deck as Seulgi led her to the railing.

“No! Nononononono…!”

“Irene,” Seulgi coaxed. “We have to do this.” She enveloped Irene in a tight bear hug, and Irene instinctively wrapped her arms around Seulgi’s waist. “I won’t let go,” she reminded her.

Irene simply nodded against Seulgi’s chest, and there was a moment where she felt the world tip sideways as Seulgi fell backwards off the railing and into the smoggy void, and then they were falling...

Falling...

Falling.