The Guardians' Legacy

Garta's plan, which the group would follow, was detailed during the carriage ride that brought them there. The three were already wearing Capital police uniforms that had been collected earlier from officers killed or injured in the fighting; they would serve perfectly as the disguise that Bertha had planned.

The carriage, which was driven by one of the Manager's subordinates, crossed the dark night and half of the Capital without any problems. Thanks to the time of day and the freezing rain, the streets were almost completely empty.

Garta, Bertha and Aldren left the vehicle and, under the downpour that washed even their souls, approached on foot the building of the Ministry of Communications on the other side of the deserted street. Meanwhile, the carriage disappeared around the corner and left them completely alone in the alley behind the building that marked their objective.

That building had been strategically constructed at one of the highest points in the Capital, so it was possible to transmit the radio signal emitted by the tower at the top of the building with the maximum efficiency necessary to reach all the signal repeaters on the border walls and consequently all six cities beyond the Capital itself. It was from that place that all the transmissions that the residents of the entire empire received in their homes through their radio receivers came from.

The group stopped in front of the service door at the back of the building, disguising their anxious steps. Garta quickly crouched down in front of the doorknob and, using a lockpick and his little experience with one, began to try to unlock the door.

Meanwhile, Aldren positioned himself in front of the door, in a posture that imitated that of real officers in order to avoid any view of any pedestrians who might appear lost in the rain.

“Bertha, stay by my side so they don’t get suspicious,” the boy said, his chest raised and static in the rain. He had to force his voice to be heard over the pouring rain. His words reached the bare girl who was protecting herself from the water by lifting her fake police coat over her head.

— What? There’s no one here — she replied, surprised.

—But someone could show up at any moment.

—No one will show up. No one would be as stupid as you to stand out in the rain like that.

— What?! — was surprised by the harsh words hitting him. — Girl, can't you go faster? — he continued as he regained his composure.

— It's not as easy as it seems — whispered the woman with the metal tool attached to the lock without losing her concentration.

— I warned you — Bertha also showed her dissatisfaction. — I should have brought my saw. That door wouldn't hold out for even five seconds against the power of its metal teeth.

— Be quiet — Garta retorted. — You already brought your other “tool”, didn’t you? — he mocked and focused again. — Just a little more and... I’ll do it.

The click coming from the lock ensured that it was unlocked.

—Finally—Aldren celebrated in a whisper.

The doorknob turned all the way and the three quickly entered the passage. When they closed the door, the violent noise of the rain stopped and the invaders' ears were able to rest.

The room they were in was clearly a utility room. Tools, cleaning supplies, garbage bags, nothing that drew more attention than a second door on the other side of the room.

“Damn rain,” Aldren complained, shaking the cold water off his arms.

— There's no point complaining, if it weren't for this rain the street would be much busier — replied Garta, collecting cleaning supplies from the shelves. — Here, take this — he threw one of the many towels and cloths from the cupboard's supply of utensils that would serve them very well on that occasion.

After they were minimally dry and the towels were absolutely soaked, the group of invaders continued through the second door of the room. Garta, leading, was the one who cautiously made way. The path revealed after the door was a corridor that connected the ministry lobby and the stairs that led to the various department offices that extended up to the sixth floor of the building.

The seventh floor, which was also the last, gave access to the roof and, consequently, the transmission antenna that reached the skies to distribute the radio waves. And it was that tangle of steel, pointing infinity over the roof, that marked the true objective.

In the lobby, two guards who were not particularly concerned with the building's main entrance were chatting casually among themselves. In the same room, a single receptionist sat behind a luxurious counter at the entrance, distracting himself with a solitary game of cards. This was not even close to the busiest time of day, but even so, the building was partially open to receive any news of imperial interest.

The intruder group followed their leader's silent orders and ignored the building's lobby and reception, they just hurried their stealthy steps down the corridor until they climbed the first steps of the long staircase. They weren't even noticed, they left the ground floor of the building behind, but as soon as they thought about how easy it was, they were surprised.

“Someone’s coming,” Aldren warned as he climbed the stairs when he heard footsteps coming in the opposite direction.

The group stopped hesitantly on the steps. They would have to make a quick decision that could impact the rest of their plans. Garta, of course, was in charge of that decision.

They either retreated back to the lobby and encountered the reception guards, or they inevitably ran into whoever was coming down the steps.

— Keep your disguise. Just keep walking and don't arouse suspicion — whispered the determined leader in her police uniform.

The other two followed orders to the letter. They climbed back up step by step while hiding their nervousness about being in a place completely restricted to civilians. If they were caught, they would spend long years in a cramped cell in the prison in the western region of the Capital, they remained silent. Garta avoided thinking about it and concentrated on acting as naturally as possible.

As they turned the corner of one of the flights of stairs on the fourth floor, they almost came face to face with a ministry employee.

Wearing glasses, a beautiful brown suit and a porcelain mug emanating steam in his hands, the man simply smiled at the group that made room for him on the stairs to pass by.

— Good evening, officers — he greeted.

— Good evening. — The three of them answered together without any rehearsal.

Then they breathed a sigh of relief as they heard the elegant man's footsteps moving away behind them. Garta prepared to take the next step towards the seventh floor, but before he could do so, the sounds of the employee's shoe sole touching the cold granite of the staircase stopped.

— Excuse me — the man said, drawing attention to himself. He went back to interacting with the group, which was now a few steps above. — Could one of you accompany me to the representatives' room? I need to deliver some documents to the Defense. Well, since you're here...

“Unfortunately, that’s not possible,” Garta replied respectfully. “We have important orders.”

—What could be more important at this time than fulfilling a request from a ministerial secretary? — the man replied.

The group fell silent.

“Ministerial secretary? I must be the unluckiest person. The most important man in this entire building?” Garta’s astonished thoughts made his head boil, but his face showed serenity and a falsely carefree look behind the lenses of his glasses.

Aldren and Bertha looked at each other, tense as they waited for some reaction from the leader.

Garta hid her dry swallow and remained thoughtful: “To oppose such an important figure would require a good justification, which we clearly don’t have. And if I invent something absurd to make up this importance, it will consequently generate an investigative need in this man. He will want to ask and know about the details, after all, he is the boss around here.”

— Of course. No problem — Garta replied in a bureaucratic tone. The other two fell silent. — I will go with you, Secretary.

— What? And the...

Before Aldren could finish his anguishedly whispered sentence, Garta interrupted him unkindly:

— Don't worry. Finish the task given by our superior — he continued in an authoritative tone. — I'll join you soon.

— Yes, ma'am — replied Bertha, continuing the guardian's terrible performance. Aldren did the same when he understood the message behind the words.

The three of them acted like true officers, but internally they screamed in despair at the sudden change in their plans.

— Very well. — Garta turned to the man waiting a few steps ahead. — Please, sir, lead the way.

The guardian accompanied the secretary downstairs. It was left to Aldren and Bertha to continue the plan upstairs.

“It’ll be easy. We can handle it,” Bertha said as she resumed her climb up the granite steps.

Aldren swallowed hard once more, he didn't hide his concern as he followed in that girl's footsteps. And in less than a minute the pair reached the top floor.

“Is that the door?” Aldren asked as he came across the hallway at the bottom of the stairs.

— Without a doubt.

Above the door, the small sign that said “no entry” and the cold air coming in through the cracks made the answer clear. To the sides, the corridor stretched out, but they paid no attention to it since they had already reached their destination.

— Locked. Damn it. — said the irritated girl as she turned the doorknob without success.

At that moment, a voice coming from the corridor to the right caught both of their attention:

— What are you doing? — asked the uniformed man. A real ministry employee who was guarding the area.

The two who didn't notice the man's arrival, widened their eyes when they saw the officer approaching suspiciously.

— It's... — Aldren trailed off as he thought of an excuse. — We have an order for maintenance on the transmission antenna.

— Maintenance? — The man stopped in front of them. — At this hour? I didn't get any memo about it. And where's the maintenance technician?

— Myself, sir. — Bertha's answer came with conviction.

— Aren't you a little young to be a police officer? — The man's suspicion grew as he noticed the girl's youthful face and the loose clothes on her shoulders.

— No, sir. I'm from the latest selection of Defense agents.

— The one that happened recently, I understand. But I had never seen a Defense officer maintain the tower. — The guard was still not convinced. — Orders from which superior?

— It is... — Again Aldren delayed his speech to gain time and think of an answer completely invented in his head. — The orders came from Colonel Helm.

— From the colonel? Anyway, I'm going to report to my superior. — stammered the man as he turned around. — Wait here.

— Oh, you really won't. — Bertha's words came along with a quick lunge at the officer's back.

In the girl's hands, a small object covered in leather with two metal pins that stood out, caught Aldren's attention, surprised by the attitude. It was those two metal pins that Bertha made sure to push into the surface of the man's back.

A loud, short hiss was heard as a flash of blue light illuminated the white walls of the hallway. The man didn't have time to think about what had hit him. A shudder in his muscles and a sharp pain from a high electric current running through his torso made him faint almost instantly. The officer's body fell like a sack of vegetables onto the freshly polished floor of the seventh floor.

— What was that?! — Aldren was surprised by what happened before his eyes.

— Just a little something I made. — Bertha replied with a mischievous smile as she showed the strange object in her hands.

— You scare me... — he whispered, trembling and hesitant.

The girl stretched her hand over the police officer's body on the floor, looking for something in the inside pocket of his uniform. When she removed her hand, she brought a few keys with her and again smiled mischievously at her colleague.

— Haha. And look... Our entrance. — Bertha celebrated, striking a completely unexpected pose for a situation like that. She raised her hand with the keys up high and brought the other hand towards her waist, smiling selflessly with one eye closed.

— She's crazy... — the scared man thought out loud.

— Come on, we don't have much time.

The pair focused on the door with the keys stolen from the police officer. The strong wind from the night outside entered the hallway when they finally opened the door to the roof. As expected, the steel tower that transmitted the imperial radio waves to all cities stood before them, drenched in rain.

Quickly, before starting the most important part of the plans, the invading duo moved the police officer's body to the roof and closed the door so as not to leave any traces of an invasion in the hallway.

— Is he alive? — Aldren noticed the officer's soft breathing as he placed his body against the outer wall.

— Yes. My tool only knocks people unconscious. — Bertha looked proud. — But unfortunately it only has a charge for one use.

— So, from now on this thing is useless?

— Don't underestimate it! — exclaimed the inventor, hugging the object with both hands over her chest.

“Crazy is an understatement,” Aldren whispered before making himself heard. “You should find a name for this thing. Calling it a ‘tool’ is too...

— What? — Bertha asked curiously when she saw the boy hesitantly fall silent — Is it a lot of what?

— Never mind. — Aldren realized who he was talking to. — Let's get to the point.

Bertha was still curious and didn't answer, but soon agreed with a determined smile on her face. They both approached the tower and found the small metal cabinet attached to the base of the steel structure while the fine drops of rain, now weaker, hit them like needles carried by the wind.

The girl opened the closet door to reveal a panel with a dozen wires and a few switches. An excited smile took over her face, and she began to strip some of the wires with the help of a small pair of pliers from her pocket. Then she took her newest trinket from the second pocket of her coat, the object that old Oskar had sent her, but now modified by herself.

“How about it, ‘choquinho’?” Bertha asked casually as she concentrated on her work.

— What? — Aldren didn't understand at first.

— The name of the tool. Choquinho. Isn't that a good name?

— That's a terrible name. It's too cute to be a weapon.

— How about, "deadly shock"? It sounds less cute that way.

— Deadly? You said yourself that it only leaves people unconscious. Besides, the problem is this “little shock”, the name is still bad.

— Oh, yeah? Then give me a suggestion, Mr. Name Sommelier. — Bertha mocked, shaking her head provocatively. She was attaching one of the many wires to her modified device, but she still seemed far from finishing her work there.

— Okay. Hmmm... — Aldren really accepted the challenge with open heart. — I thought of "stun gun".

—How boring. He has no personality at all. — Bertha replied promptly in a bored tone.

— Personality? This is a weapon, it doesn't need personality. And you didn't even think about it.

- Boring...

— It's better than a little shock, this even sounds like something from a children's story from Rasuey... — Aldren paid attention to his own words so that his curiosity was piqued. — By the way, which city did you come from?

— Me? — Bertha didn't expect the question, but she didn't hesitate to answer it as she connected another wire to her device. — I'm from here in the Capital, more specifically from the Central region.

— Central? — Aldren was so surprised that his eyes widened under the rain. — Why? How did you end up in the North of the Capital?

— I think it's because of my father. — The girl stopped her work for a brief second. — You know, he was an engineer, he helped build several things here in the Central region. But what he really liked was being an inventor.

— Like, what do you do?

— That's it. — The girl didn't hide her smile when she heard the question that went against her feelings. She went back to work. — Funny.

— What's funny?

— My father had an invention that looked like a radio station, just like this one. The difference is that it would all fit in your pocket.

— Wow... That would make the radio host's life a lot easier.

— Huh? No, you misunderstood. This device could be used by anyone. — Bertha explained with an excitement that went unnoticed by herself. — Anyone could communicate remotely individually. Like the telephones in the buildings of the empire, only wireless.

— Why would a radio host want to broadcast a radio program to just one person?

— Ugh. I had forgotten who you are... How can you be so dumb?

—Hey! — he complained and immediately frowned.

— Don't be nervous, Aldren. Intelligence is a skill for the few. — Bertha returned with her pride as she finished the last arrangements on the radio tower panel. — Anyway, the “pocket radio” could be used to mediate conversations between two people over long distances at any time. Imagine a private radio station, where you can connect with other stations anywhere else.

—That... would even be possible?

The boy finally understood what all the conversation was about.

— Yes. But there was a problem. — Bertha tried not to change her focused tone, but she couldn't. Her words became heavier and more heated. — Do you know what purpose the walls between the cities serve?

— They were built for defense, at a time when the six cities and the Capital fought among themselves.

— Your answer is correct. But that war has been over forty years. Don't you think the empire could tear down the walls? Or at least some parts of them?

— Where are you going with this?

— The walls are still standing because they still have a purpose. And that purpose is to prevent the movement of people and, mainly, information between all the cities. — Bertha stared into Aldren's thoughtful eyes. — The only information that passes through the walls without any problem is the radio waves that come out of this tower.

— So, you mean... that the problem with your father's invention...

— It's the empire. — The girl turned her attention back to the panel. — The problem is, exclusively, the empire.

— Screw the empire. Your father can distribute this invention without the empire...

— They killed him. — Bertha tried to interrupt. She showed no emotion in her words or expressions, she just ran her eyes up and down the entire metal body of the great tower before her. — They killed my father, as soon as he gave the idea to the Royal family to present his invention to the public.

— I... — Aldren felt the heavy atmosphere and changed his tone in a feeling of regret. — I'm sorry...

— Hahaha! — Bertha’s expression abruptly changed and a laugh replaced her serious voice. Aldren immediately found it strange and his eyes widened. — I’m done! I’m done!

— Bertha... — The boy's worried voice was practically inaudible amidst the girl's conquering laughter in the milder rain.

The boy was shocked and, for a second, he suspected the whole story the girl had just told, but he quickly tried to get rid of that thought: “It wasn’t false. In no way were those words false.” He continued to observe the sadistic smile of the girl who was singing victory.

— There are only six minutes left until the transmission begins. — Bertha laughed at the watch in her hands. The hands were showing exactly ten hours and fifty-four minutes. — Now we just have to wait and...

Before the girl could finish her smug speech, a loud siren began to echo throughout the building. The noticeable warning tone coming from the floors below was an indication of trouble.

— What the hell is this? — Aldren was startled by the noise.

— Drugs...

— Girl?! — He immediately became worried about his colleague and ran towards the only door on the roof. — I'm going to...

— Wait! What about the transmission?

— Stay here, I've already... — As soon as Aldren placed his hands on the doorknob leading to the interior, he felt someone on the other side of the door pushing it. — Shit!

The boy forced the door back. Preventing anyone from accessing the roof at that moment was a priority.

— Who's there? Open the door immediately!!! — shouted a man inside.

The deep voice coming from inside the hallway reminded Aldren that the key to that door was still in one of his pockets. He punished himself by realizing he was foolish to forget to lock it. He quickly put his hand in his pocket and reached for the key, and in a matter of seconds, he had it in the keyhole.

As soon as he tried to turn the key, the door took a strong blow from the inside. The man on the other side tried in every way to get past the obstacle, which was being fought by Aldren himself. The boy applied opposing force, preventing the door from opening completely.

— Haaa! — His shoulder burned from the blows coming from the opposite side.

The screams were of no use against the man who had greater strength than the short boy.

The door only needed to fit into the frame, and then Aldren could turn the key and lock it at once. Even with all his strength applied, it didn't seem to be possible, the door tended to open.

— Open immediately!!! — the police officer on the other side shouted orders that continued to be disobeyed.

— Shit! I can't take it...

The door was about to be thrown open, Aldren could do nothing else, it was inevitable.

— Don't interrupt me!!! HAAA! — The high-pitched voice shouting determination came from the girl on the roof. Little Bertha screamed for attention and took flight right after in a jump towards the protective boy at the door.

Propelled by her short legs, she leapt toward the hotly contested entrance and soared a few feet over the concrete roof. Her feet sliced ​​through the air like the tip of a shot arrow, lining up with Aldren's surprised face.

The boy had a split second to turn his head away and avoid his face meeting the wet soles of the girl's shoes.

Instead of Aldren's frightened face, Bertha's feet hit the surface of the door. For a brief moment, the engineer stood horizontally on the metal of the door.

With her own weight, the girl unbalanced the struggle for passage. In the brief moment that her small feet touched the surface, the door fit completely into the frame. Immediately, Aldren turned the key and finally locked it.

Before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that they were now momentarily safe from the threat coming from inside the building, he saw the girl falling to the soaked floor in a completely clumsy manner.

— Ouch!!! — Bertha writhed on the wet concrete. — No! Why?!!!

— Bertha! It is good too? — Aldren quickly crouched down to check on the situation of his colleague who was lamenting like never before.

— No! — she screamed again.

— What? Did you hurt your foot? Where does it hurt?

— I'm all wet, and now I'm dirty!

— Dirty? Is that all?

— Shut up! It's easy for you to say. You don't have mud all over your body — she replied rudely as she waved her arms and stood up almost in tears.

— ... — Aldren was unable to respond.

— What's wrong? What are you looking at?

— You've got to be kidding... — the boy whispered, holding back his laughter.

— Are you finding this funny?! — enraged.

— No, no. Of course not — Aldren pressed his lips together, preventing a laugh. He didn't mean to, but the girl's anger along with his own concern were completely swallowed up by Bertha's overreaction to something so trivial.

— What an idiot... — she muttered, walking towards the tower. — Let's finish this quickly, I'm tired of this place. I hope Garta has better luck.