5.02 – Hot Mocha
“VANGUARD!” Mocha hissed as she witnessed her father’s Nemesis flying slowly from the entry tunnel. She tensed visibly and raised her arms, taking a combat position, unlike when she’d confronted Aurora in her base.
Vanguard looked a little tired and his shiny white costume was made duller and a bit dirty since the last time Aurora saw him. And yet his proud red cape billowed behind him. The kind of stern demeanor he wore was unfamiliar. When Aurora met him and most of the time she’d seen his pictures, he was usually wearing a gentle smile.
He turned his eyes on Aurora as he came to a stop before she and Mocha. “Aurora, I think it unwise to let this young lady tamper with the Society’s equipment. Don’t you agree?”
Aurora opened her mouth to respond, flushing, but Mocha’s venom-filled shout drowned what Aurora was going to say, “My father is dead thanks to YOU!” After a second she turned to look at Aurora as if she suddenly remembered her presence.
“Aurora…” Mocha hissed between clenched teeth as she backed away, looking like a trapped animal.
Despite her combative position and the apparent anger in Mocha’s eyes, Aurora flew to her as quickly as her wings could take her there to throw her arms around her. “Take deep breaths.” She held Mocha gently. “Things aren’t as bad as you think. I’m sure of it. I promise you that you’re safe, Mocha.” Aurora said, desperate to not let all her efforts go to waste in a flare of anger and panic. The girl was deep in old and vengeful thoughts. Those things that defined her as Mechanica seemed to vanish when she let herself be Mocha, but she’d returned.
“I warned you about this. I told you that I asked the Society for help and they’ve delivered. I believe in them. As much as you hate Vanguard, he’s the right man for this situation. And I want to reassure you… I’d love to have all the help you can give me in the future. It doesn’t matter at least to me where you came from, who you were raised to be. I believe in you. Please let's take stock of the situation. Because the Sentinels are here, we can come up with a game plan to free you of those chains that have been holding you down for your whole life. In the end if you decide to become a truly normal girl in every possible way to define it, I’ll support you.”
Mocha clenched her teeth as she struggled against Aurora’s embrace.
“It’s your call, Mocha. Your choice. Please continue to trust me. I think you’ll soon find that the world’s colors will change for you if you see where this goes. I…” Aurora blushed and shook her head. “I’m not a great speaker… I don’t know if I put this in the right words… but… please trust me.”
Mocha quivered as Aurora held her and after a moment the tension in her frame slowly ebbed away. She looked into Aurora’s eyes and oddly there were faint traces of… graphs and charts in her eyes… recognizable symbols but they faded with her anger.
She’s definitely a robot… but she’s so amazing… no matter how she was born, she’s a person.
Mocha nodded grudgingly and spoke slower to Aurora, “I… do trust you, Aurora. There’s something…” She frowned as she looked at Aurora like she was an unfamiliar puzzle and then turned an angry look at Vanguard. “YOU, HOWEVER, are NOT off the hook.”
Whew.
Aurora turned to Vanguard and witnessed his serious expression melting into a grin as he nodded finally landed. “I’ll tell you this so you don’t panic. Three more are incoming,” he addressed the both but then focused on Mocha to scan her with his eyes. “Remarkable… Mechanical’s genius is evident in your construction,” he said with a slow nod. Aurora let her worried expression melt to a smile as well. He SAW IT!
Mocha was a masterpiece that had to be protected at any cost. She was literally the only positive thing her father had left behind!
“It’s a shame that your father was so ill-suited to contributing to society.” Vanguard sighed.
Mocha’s eyes narrowed. “A shame you and your ilk are so ill-suited to improving mankind’s lot in life. You’re just a flimsy bandage slapped onto a fatal wound!” she retorted sarcastically.
Vanguard’s reply was instant and stern, “I didn’t come here to argue with you, young lady. I’m here because I believe in Aurora’s judgement as you do. But also because you’re going to have to answer some questions to the Society of Sentinels.”
Aurora blushed. Vanguard actually trusted her judgement? He really did? She didn’t know what she did to deserve such a vote of confidence, but that he did touched her so much tears welled in her eyes and she smiled as she stepped between the two to keep things from heating up again. Since he trusted her judgement… since the both did, it was an onus on her to maintain harmony.
“There are things that each of you don’t know about this situation, Vanguard. I’ll take up Mocha’s defense and fill you in. She can fill in the blanks afterward if I neglect to mention anything important.”
Vanguard nodded. “Very well. We have time.”
Aurora smiled and went on, “Mocha has told me that she wishes to have a normal life. The life she had before all this started… before she was tapped by Mr. Mechanical’s creations. Not long ago she was a girl who attended school and did her best to fit in in this age. She was just a normal girl and was only displaced by the behaviors she learned in another time,” Aurora emphasized the most important keynotes as she saw things and looked into Vanguard’s eyes.
“She was raised a long time ago by her father, her single parent, like most. She venerated her father, coming to think of him as a hero. The only true hero that truly exists in this world.” Aurora spread her arms. “She learned about the flaws in this world, its systems… everything that’s going wrong. She wanted to honor her father when she was found by these robots, but she doesn’t want anyone to be hurt in their plans. The way she speaks and how she thinks is obvious when you come to better know her.”
“And in time, I know that we’ll be able to change her mind about a few things, mostly about how justice should be delivered to the people of this world. She thinks that what we do as heroes isn’t effective enough in making a difference in the lives of the people. We need only to convince her of our motivations and show her what we truly believe. The justice that we uphold.”
Vanguard nodded when Aurora seemed to be finished and forced a tired smile. “I’m certainly not here to pick a fight. I’m here because for better or worse, my reputation carries a great deal of weight with the authorities.” He looked at Mocha and said for her, “Aurora here believes very much in you, young lady. I think she’s good enough of a judge of character to support her in this. I’m sure that you wouldn’t do anything to betray that trust in you, am I right?”
Mocha huffed at the implication of his last words and simply nodded. “I trust Aurora. Not you. I’ve seen her protecting people despite what my ‘father’s’ plans meant for them. I do not trust you,” she said cuttingly. “I won’t simply allow you to capture me just because of who my father was to you!”
Vanguard let out a sigh and crossed the room to sit on one of the tables along the wall. “Look, young lady, you can distrust me all you like. You don’t have to believe a word I say to you, but believe me when I say the Society knows about your wrongdoing.”
He looked at Aurora. “Despite the trust we have in Aurora, we are not in the habit of letting wanted criminals run free. I don't want to call attention to your sanctuary, but it might be best if some of us wait outside. Let me stay until the rest have arrived and then decide about who gets to stay and talk this out. Fair?”