One x One Gears will turn (with No More Pretending)

[Riven]

"Well..", Leonard poked in around in his mind a little, trying to remember, "Haven is a bit more industrialized, I've never came to the conclusion that Haven or Arcadia had any scenic places other than just watching the sky or the clouds below." "The cities are just buildings", he said as he walked with her, "I've never seen much, there is a nice bridge in Haven that lets us dangle closer to the edge than Arcadia does." He looked around, coming to a question to ask her, knowing she might be a bit hidden away from the truth like most aristocrats were, he decided to test her knowledge, "You ever wondered what it would be like to get off of the floating cities? Like, on the surface."

 

[No More Pretending]

"My maid came from the surface..." she said. "Though she refused to talk about it. I'm curious, but that is just one thing I'll have to continue to be curious about, I assume. I'd like to think that it has natural wonders like waterfalls or lakes; something other than this metal... but could be very wrong..."

 

[Riven]

"Really? You know someone from the surface? Huh, intriguing..", he said as he then thought to himself, "Really though, someone from below the city actually went to work for her as a servant? Hmm.." He shook his head to break away from his thoughts as she mentioned the visionary belief of natural wonders of waterfalls and lakes. "Something like that exists", he replied to her with a grin as he nodded his head, "There's more to life out there than just metal and buildings here, but it's heresy to even think that way." He pulled out his watch again to check the time, a small grin on his face as he tucked away the small bronze item.

 

[No More Pretending]

"I wish I could see them..." she whispered, eyes lighting up at the prospect of natural wonders. "But... I doubt I'll ever see anything but the inside of my fiance's home." She was scared, to be honest. His last wife committed suicide and she could only imagine why. She'd been told he was a very private man and kept to his home mostly. How her father met him was a mystery.

 

[Riven]

"Why don't you tell your father you don't love this man", Leonard poked a little at her, being one from the old times, he was not used to the custom of being put into a marriage where one did not reciprocate feelings for the other. "Don't think like that though, if you need someone to break you out, you have a friend for that now", he replied with a grin as he flashed her his brightest smile, "Now, no more being glum with wonder of what you don't and can't have, try to remember where your pieces are, yeah?" He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, giving it warmth as he tried his best to cheer up the poor woman. Perhaps she needed to escape, who knows, maybe being involved in the coup would be a good thing for her. 

 

[No More Pretending]

She looked at him, eyes blank as if she just couldn't process the kindness and understanding she was being shown. Then, a smile. "I wish it were that simple," Regina said. "I'd get out of the situation in a heartbeat... but nowadays women have no say in this. We are supposed to be quiet and listen to our husband. Love and marriage are mutually exclusive in this world now." She looked away, trying not to let her hopes rise. "You wouldn't really take me away, would you?"

 

[Riven]

As she asked her final question, Leonard simultaneously pulled out his watch one last time, giving it a check. It was time. He looked up at her with a grin as he tucked away the watch and picked up a finger, waving it in a "no" fashion, but a simple smirk on his face. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze before letting it go, taking a step back as the intercom went off, "Attention passengers, we are nearing our destination to Haven. Please, prepare for descent. Head towards the landing gate." He kept his smirk as he looked back at her, giving his cap a tip, "There's going to be some noise, be careful, to the stairs behind you, take those down, and you're going to find a hanger, wait there for me. I'll see you soon." He was giving her different directions actually, somewhere where she wouldn't be found. And with that, he ran off, his boots clacking against the rafters and metals as he ran. 


In a few short moments, everything was going fine, the airship, beginning to make it's landing. Leonard kept a smirk as he laid his hand against a pistol he had hidden on him as he pulled out his walkie talkie, "Knock Knock." As if on command, small planes emerged from seemingly out of nowhere as they flew towards the vessel. 3, planes to be exact, hovered near the rails, slowly swooping in. And then, with 3 soft puffs, 3 small yet rather large grappling hooks latched themselves onto the rail, the planes remaining close. A group of men have met up with Leonard, wearing the uniform of the crew of the Aurora like he was. Leonard kept a smirk on his face as he nodded, "Let's do this." He pointed in different directions, beginning the scene, "Group A, head for the kitchen for food and supplies, Group B, you head to the armory and go for fuel, weapons and munition. Grab as many as you can, load them onto the ships and get your asses out of here. You are all authorized to use deadly force, but only if and when necessary, try to avoid conflict. Group C, get with me, we're going after the bridge." The men gave loud grunts of anticipation as they ran off to complete their tasks. The young man waved his hand in a follow notion as he then ran in the direction to the bridge, pulling out his hidden pistol as his men followed alongside loyally.

 

[No More Pretending]

She felt her hear start to race as she heard the noise of the coup beginning. Her feet propelled her down the stairs in a mad rush. We're they being boarded by something?! Oh god what was happening? Was this going to be the same disaster all over again? The clamor of people running around on the floors above, echoing around in the metal chambers, added to the chaos around her. She ducked behind something, finding herself shaking.

 

[Riven]

"All passengers!", the intercom screamed, "We have pirates! Repeat, airship pirates are boarding! All passengers stay where you are at the gate! Get security forces online! Those are Raiders out there!" As it began, some of the crew of the Aurora began participating, revealing their true allegiances as they moved as many resources as they can onto the ships. And then, the firing began, the security forces of the Aurora began firing on the men who they once called allies. The participants of the coup retreated onto the Raiders and began defending themselves along the rail, holding off the forces. 


Leonard reached the bridge, his pistol drawn as he aimed the barrel at the captain and his men aimed their weapons at the crew. "Get them tied up", he told his group as they nodded and began pushing the crew into the room in the bridge. Leonard made his way to the captain as the man began stuttering, "Y-you! I knew you looked familiar at training! You're-" The male smacked the butt end of his pistol across the Captain's temple, knocking him out, "Don't wanna spoil the surprise now do we?" Leonard signaled his men to move the captain into the room alongside his crew mates, locking the door on them, giving him a thumbs up that they were secured. 


"Mouse, get working on the ship, get it to autopilot so it lands safely on Haven", he told one of the few youngest men. With a nod, the young man went to the console and began working on the controls. "We don't want The Steel Empire to blame us for another Luxembourg do we?", said Leonard to give "Mouse" the incentive to work. Leonard then grabbed onto the intercom microphone, clearing his throat as he spoke his known voice aloud into the speakers. "No one can seem to get this right, but we're not Airship Pirates", he said aloud over the intercom, "We're the Silver Blade, and with me becoming public enemy number one 'AGAIN', I might as well reveal my true identity. I was believed to be dead, but my name is really, Jack, Jack Archer."

 

[No More Pretending]

She jumped at the announcements, curling up. Oh god oh god oh god... p-pirates...? She was about to cry, desperately trying not to. "It's Luxembourg again..." she whispered to herself. Then, she heard the familiar voice of 'Leonard' come over the intercoms and gasped. "Jack Archer...!" She'd been speaking with the rebel not even ten minutes prior! He must have thought she was an idiot with how she was speaking. Why did he send her here? She felt short of breath and found it hard to move. She was frozen in fear.

 

[Riven]

"Now I know how much you think of us as a threat..", he said with a soft sigh, "The Steel Empire has turned your minds, making you think we're villains, but no, the Empire are the corrupt ones." He turned towards the door, "All we're doing is raiding the Aurora for supplies, we don't want to fight, but The Empire has made it so we can't leave without one. On my name, I promise, not a single civilian will be lost to my men, or I will willing surrender myself, just stay where you are passengers, you're safe where you are. As of now, the ship has been set so it will pilot itself towards Haven, so this trip will not be a waste either."


"All supplies have been loaded sir", his walkie talkie announced as he replied to it, "Understood, board the ships and prepare for departure, group C, you too. I'll hold off the security forces." His men nodded before running off as he turned back to the intercom, "My men are making their escape now, please, we are trying our best to avoid conflict but the security forces are making it really hard for us to leave so just keep yourselves at bay." And with that, he hung up the intercom mic and shot a single bullet into the steering wheel, rendering it useless so the ship can not be maneuvered to chase the small fleet of Silver Blade forces. 

 

[No More Pretending]

Regina stayed still, listening to Jack's desperate plea. She believed him... but she was still much to scared to move.  She was so pathetic...

 

[Riven]

Jack then ran, his heart racing as he kept a smile, it turned out great, hopefully Regina stayed where she was as he instructed. He turned the corner along the railway's balcony to see a group of imperial forces firing on his men, to which he began firing on them from behind with his own sidearm, giving his men a wave to escape as they unharnessed the grappling hooks and began to fly away.


"You should've stayed dead Jack!", yells a security guard from behind as he broke for another run, sounds of bullets and metal clanging behind and around him. He leapt from the rail onto another, falling on his feet as the guard reloaded and continued to fire from the rafter he was on mere seconds ago. "Shit!", he yelled as a bullet shot right in front of him on the metal floor, the initial shock giving him a fright as he tripped and fell down the stairs, falling to Regina's location step by step.

 

[No More Pretending]

Regina heard gunfire and then clanging and thudding. Something within her changed in that moment and she snapped into action; springing forward and heading towards the noise. She found Jack and looked around for any pursuers before clumsily helping him up and hiding him in some cargo.


just in time, too, as some of the guards ran in. She let out a scream. "Hurry!" She cried out, pointing towards a door leading away. "He ran that way!"

 

[Riven]

"We're glad your safe Miss, we'll get him. Please, get with the other passengers", the imperial security force captain replied with a nod as he waved his men, running off in the direction she pointed. 


Jack has kept consciousness as he slowly rose up, but immediately sunk back down behind the crates as he heard Regina telling them where he wasn't almost instantaneously. He slowly grew a simple grin.

 

[No More Pretending]

She nodded, but had no plans to do as they had asked. She walked over, sitting beside him. "How did your head get injured...?"

 

[Riven]

"Don't worry about it", he replied as he slowly stood up, throwing his gun to the side as he gave a soft chuckle, "I'm surprised you actually trusted me to come down here."Jack let out a grunt as he walked over and flipped the lights, revealing hidden in the darkness, his own Raider, hiding among the crates. Taking her hand once again, He went over and unfastened the locks, opening the side door. "Get in and buckle up, we don't have much time. Those men aren't gonna be tricked for long", he replied with a grunt as he went over to the hangar switch, "You don't want to live the way you're going to and you want to be free? Come with me!" He then flipped the switch, the alarm buzzing loudly, warning that the air locks were about to be opened. "You can choose to stay here, or you can run away with me, we don't have long for you to make a choice." 

 

[No More Pretending]

She watched him. "I was surprised myself. Half of it was me having a panic attack after the raid began so I couldn't move until it was over." She got into the raider, fastening her harnesses. "There."

 

[Riven]

Jack simply smiled as he watched her fasten herself in, not even a show of a hint of doubt in her mind. As the hangar bay doors began to open, the gust of wind began to suck out various unsecured crates and boxes out the door. Jack ran to her side, shutting her door closed as he climbed into the cockpit of the raider and started the engines. "Engines don't have enough time to start right now", he spoke through the vessel's intercom, "She has to use the wind to drop out, so hang on." 


As the bay door's opened all the way, a couple of men appeared through the stairs and the rails not a few moments ago where both Jack and Regina were. The same guards as before, seemingly to have been alerted by the alarm of the bay doors, have been notified back here. "He's kidnapping her! Take him out!", yells the captain as they raise their firearms, proceeding to fire at the ship's cockpit, the glass in front of Jack cracking and splintering as the ship slowly slid backwards out the bay.


"Hang on!" And in a few moments of seconds that were too slow to realize of nothing but silence, the ship dropped, from the dirty grey hangar, into the bright clear and clean blue sky, beginning a descent into free fall.

 

[No More Pretending]

She squeezed her eyes shut tight as her stomach did flips. Oh man was this terrifying! She gripped her harness she hard her knuckles turned white. "Oh god..." she whispered under her breath.

 

[Riven]

It happened so quick, the engine failing to drive enough power to pick up the vessel, ending up turning into turbulence. And then, a crash, and silence, painful silence.


The crashed Raider, lying still and smoking on the surface of Haven, an obvious crashed landing. Regina was still safely secured in her seat, the harness holding her safely in place. Jack was lying in his seat in the smoking cockpit, his head against the headrest as his arms lied around a bag, lying there, unconscious.

 

[No More Pretending]

Regina sat there for a moment in stunned silence. Her heart racing almost as fast as her mind. She slowly managed to get herself out of the harness and rushed to check over Jack vigorously. "Jack! Jack..." she came to the conclusion that he was incapacitated and pulled him out the best she could, finding it difficult to exert herself much more with the corset fastened so tightly around her abdomen and wearing the shoes she was. She discarded the shoes and unbuckled the corset, which then hung limply around her shoulders, then pulled him along to a place where they could hide.

 

[Riven]

Jack's arm held tightly around the bag with a fist. He let out a loud painful grunt, a bit of blood leaking through the right side of his jacket and shirt, two holes. "Shot.. window..", he muttered softly, letting her gently drag him along as he hung desperately to his bag, ignoring the wound. It seemed he found the bag more important than his wounds as he left a trail of blood while she dragged him off.

 

[No More Pretending]

She laid him down to treat his wounds, hands shaking. "Let go of the bag for a second," she demanded.

 

[Riven]

He looked at her before letting out a sigh and dropping the bag. It fell with a heavy clank, clearly having some weight to it as the sound of metal hitting metal could be heard within. Jack found it hard to relax, but he tried.