Chapter 64: Black Box

Sarudei

I took a deep breath as we followed Ret back to the ruins of his mecha. Arare, the younger brother if Arare and Hiesno, tasked us to watch over him and to help him. He said it was important for our preparations.

The enemy commander kept looking around, probably on high alert from any beasts like the one we ran into before.

"Where are you taking us?" Zeke mumbled. "This better not be a trap."

Ret glanced at Vyran, Varia, and Deros. "I was hoping the Retra trio could help me out with something."

Varia crossed her arms. "And what exactly is this 'something'?"

"Need them to repair your war machine?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Yes, but that's not all. There's something that I'll like looked over."

I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to discern his true intentions. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke up.

"I've been collecting data for years now. Battle strategies, army formations, strengths and weaknesses...everything. It's all stored in the mecha's mainframe," he explained.

"And you want us to retrieve this data?" Deros asked, his brow furrowed in thought.

Ret nodded. "Yes. With that information, we can plan our attack more effectively. It could be the key to defeating Yusan."

There was a silence as we all considered his proposition. It was a dangerous task, no doubt. But if it could give us an advantage against Yusan, then maybe it was a risk worth taking.

"Alright," Vyran finally said, his tone firm. "We'll help you. But you better not be leading us into a trap, Ret."

Ret shook his head. "I have no reason to betray you, Sarudei. We all want the same thing - to take down Yusan."

With that settled, we continued our journey towards the wrecked mecha. As we neared, I couldn't help but marvel at the sight. It was a massive machine, even in its damaged state.

I could only imagine the power it held when it was fully operational. And if we could get it up and running again, it could be a game changer in the upcoming battle. 

"This is the mecha I found before, I muttered. Like I thought, it was yours," I said, glancing at Ret.

He nodded and stared at its charred surface. The commander walked inside the open cockpit and frowned as he looked around. "The black box is gone," he muttered.

"Black box?" I asked.

"Yes, it has information on the mecha. I was hoping to check it to see if I could find anything about what messed up my mecha. Yusan intended to kill me, but he couldn't have tampered with it himself. Someone else must've helped him. One of my own men."

"I think I might've taken it."

He blinked. "You did?"

"Yeah. I found this mecha days ago and rummaged inside. That's when I found a black box. It looked important, so I took it. Thought it might have info on Titanos, or break the mecha for good."

"Well, it won't break it for good, but I'm glad you were the one who retrieved it and not Yusan or one of his cronies."

"Do you have it on you right now?" Vyran asked.

"No, I left it back in my place. I put it away somewhere safe."

"If you had such a thing, you should've told us," Hiesno said.

"Think that even if I had, we wouldn't be able to use it." I glanced at Vyran, his sister, and Deros. "Until these three came along."

Ret nodded. "Yes. That's why I had them come with us."

"Deros and I will get started on fixing the mecha as soon as we can dig it up and get it back here," Vyran said. "In the meantime, go retrieve the black box. Sis, can you read it for them?"

"I should be able to," she said.

He smiled. "Good."

"Be careful, Vyran," I said. "This is a Titanos iron giant. Who knows what tricks it hides."

Vyran gave a nod of understanding, his expression serious. "We'll be cautious."

With that, he and Deros set to work, using their unique skills to slowly uncover the massive mecha from the earth.

I watched them for a moment, then turned to Ret. "I'll head back to get the black box. I won't be long."

Ret nodded. "I'll go with you two."

As Varia, Retas, and I began to make our way toward my place, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. This was a gamble, no doubt about it. We were putting a lot of faith in Ret, an enemy commander who had suddenly decided to switch sides. But if he was telling the truth, if he really did have valuable information that could help us take down Yusan... then maybe this risk was worth taking.

I quickened my pace, my mind filled with thoughts of the upcoming battle. We were walking a thin line, and one misstep could lead to our downfall. But if we played our cards right, we might just have a chance at victory.

Either way, one thing was clear - the tide of this war was about to turn. Whether in our favor or not, only time would tell.

With Ret and Varia following closely behind, I led the way to my place.

"We're almost there," I said, glancing back at Ret. Despite his earlier confidence, he seemed on edge, his eyes constantly scanning the darkness around us. I couldn't blame him. After all, he was deep in enemy territory.

Finally, we arrived my house.

"I'll get the black box," I said, heading upstairs to my room.

Night poked his head out and frowned as soon as he saw Ret.

"Sis, why are you with the spy?" he asked.

"We're working together for now to take down Yusan," I said as I went to my room. Kneeling, I pulled out the black box from under my bed.

"What's that?" Night asked.

"Not sure, but Retas said it has something he wants to look for. One of his own men betrayed him. He thinks this box could lead him to that person."

Night's eyes widened as he looked at Ret. "One of your own men? That's messed up."

Ret nodded, his expression grim as he and Varia joined us. "Yes, it is. But it's a reality I have to face."

I handed the black box to Varia. "Here it is. See if you can find anything useful."

She took it with a nod, immediately getting to work. I watched her for a moment before turning back to Night.

"Night, I need you to be extra careful around Ret," I said, keeping my voice low so that only he could hear. "We don't know if we can fully trust him yet."

Night nodded, his gaze serious. "I understand, sis. I'll keep an eye on him."

"Good," I said, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

As Varia worked, I couldn't help but glance at Ret. He stood to the side, his gaze distant as he watched the box in Varia's hands. I could see the tension in his posture, a stark contrast to the calm demeanor he usually projected.

It made me wonder just how much this black box meant to him. If it really could lead us to the traitor in the Titanos forces... it could change everything.

"Done," Varia said.

Ret smiled slightly. "Didn't expect it to be that quick."

She laughed. "Your tech inferior to ours."

"And yet you still lost to Commander Zepheria."

Varia grumbled. "Ignoring that, I found something interesting in the logs. Someone tampered with your mecha at 4:35 according to the clock within the box. I also got some audio, but it's just steps. Do you know who was around your mecha at the time?"

His face turned pale. He moved his lips, but I couldn't hear the name. But whoever it was, it must've been someone important to him. Else his reaction wouldn't have been so filled shock and horror.