Taking upon Noel’s offer, the Nether Elite decided to stay and have tea with her. Natalia helped herself with the buttery biscuits topped with cherry jam. Ryoko was enamored with the beautiful porcelain teacups and teapot. As they’re all sitting around in the courtyard having tea, Noel started the meeting with the question, “when I left the other day, did any of you look at the workups I’ve given to you, Mrs. Anderson.”

“Yes, we did,” Kayla answered. “It’s definitely a BDX-7. Ayeka did some more research on it.”

Ayeka nodded as she explained more in-depth of the mechanized weapon and history, “during when Xerxes Valentina was still a lead designer of engineering and was still active as a Daemon Knight in the battlefield, humans wanted something stronger than a Juggernaut Nephalem like him. The BDX-7 was a mech suit that resembled a bipedal wolfdog, is 18.3 meters tall, and weighing 66 long tons.”

“Charming…” Noel chimed in as she took a sip of her tea.

Ayeka continued, “the cockpit is in the torso, and it’s solar-powered with a base molecular output. The weapons are interchangeable, but the true strength of the BDX-7 is the durability and mobility. It even has the raw power to lift the heaviest tank over its head and throw it 948 feet.”

“Good Lord, such destruction should never fall into the hands evil or the corrupted,” Noel cited.

“We are all corrupt, Noel. You’re the one pretending to be pure as the driven snow around here,” Natalia rebutted.

“Of course not, and neither is his Majesty. What makes him so pure-hearted is his own acceptance and acknowledgment,” Noel defended. “But in the end, he doesn’t have to go around killing others for the sake of one’s childish visions of peace.”

Natalia sat back in her chair, staring a hole through Noel, “So what are you trying to say, that Eichner was childish?”

This puts a sly smile on Noel’s face. Knowing for a fact that no matter what she says is wrong. However, she didn’t care, “my dear girl, when was there ever a time Madam Eichner ever had a plan that worked? That’s not what society is based upon. I’m just surprised someone as smart as you had sunken your teeth into that lie…”

Natalia rolled her eyes as she gulped down her cup of tea.

“He must be paramount to you, if you’re willing to go to such great lengths to please him,” Kayla stated as Noel shook her head.

“It’s not about me ‘pleasing’ him. It’s about me getting things done. And he and his family are imperative to me. In fact, they are indispensable and irreplaceable.”

“Well, if he’s that important, then why I haven’t heard of him?” Ayeka questioned.

“You already have heard of him. As a matter of fact, you have seen his wife before.”

Natalia cocked an eyebrow, “Really?”

Knowing that this was a non-issue, Noel decided to change the subject, “so I figured you were at the docks last night. What happened?”

“Redgrave took whatever Xerxes had in storage,” Kayla said.

“Knowing Redgrave, she’s probably done reassembling the BDX-7,” Noel contemplated.

“We came up with that scenario, as well…” Kayla agreed.

Noel takes a sip of her tea as she talks about the Redgrave family, “At first, during the second world war, Redgrave Industries help the Allied powers by supporting them with better food supplies. In fact, they never even dabbled into military weaponry for another 40 years after the second world war ended.”

“John Redgrave Sr, Jeanne Redgrave’s father, served in the British Army in the 1970s,” Ayeka added while Noel continued.

“It was then during Operation Desert Storm; Redgrave Industries would try their hand on profiting on the war differently. Shying away from canned goods in general and focusing on military equipment, Redgrave Industries took a massive dive in the stock market. Sadly, that wasn’t all Redgrave Industries suffered. The lack of foresight and innovation had hurt the company severely. So badly, John Redgrave Sr. was forced to sell off their whole entire military equipment division to their rivaled company.”

“Zayne Enterprises…” Kayla guesses as Noel nodded. “I wonder what Zayne has been doing with those weapons?” She scoffed.

Noel rolled her eyes as she continued, “Redgrave Industries wouldn’t recover such embarrassment until 2002. With the living nightmare of 9/11 still fresh in people’s minds, Redgrave Industries performed their own diplomatic duty to take apart in the Iraq War. John Redgrave Sr. was long gone beyond that point, and with his son Micah now running the company and his daughter Jeanne as their lead engineer, they both saw a perfect opportunity to give another attempt at the weapons-making industry.”

Natalia was already bored with Noel’s story about some crazy family hell-bent on revenge. Stories like these were a dime a dozen. However, her wolf ears picked up on something else nearby. She felt like something was watching her, but she didn’t react to it.

Kayla felt the same thing and was overwhelmingly scared of such immense power emanating from nearby, “WHO’S THAT?! THE EMPEROR?!”

Noel giggled at Kayla’s worrisome nature, “don’t worry. That’s just Fate.”

“FATE?! WHO THE HELL IS THIS GUY, YOUR ENFORCER?!” Ryoko questioned.

“Why don’t you ask her yourself?” Noel offered as the Nether Elite looked around to see who “Fate” was. Only to find out that she was behind Natalia the entire time. She was a fair-skinned wolfdog kemonomimi having waist-length platinum blonde and reddish-brown hair with big red-violet eyes. She was wearing a black and red sleeveless butterfly back dress, and her hair was done in twin high ponytails. She had to be at least 3 ½ feet tall and no more than 50 pounds.

The curious wolfdog kemonomimi was too busy sniffing Natalia has this kind of freaked her out, “what are you doing?”

“¡Cebollas!” Fate hollered as she was happily wagging her tail, looking up at Natalia with her big eyes. “Hueles como uno..."

Kayla had a feeling that Natalia was quickly annoyed by the little girl. Natalia always hated children and families in general. However, something would shock not only Kayla but everybody in the room. Natalia helped the little girl sit on one of the vacant chairs next to her. She even took half of her onion bagel and put strawberry cream cheese on it.

Afterward, Natalia gave it to Fate, and she started munching on it. Her little wolf ears flickered as she loved the sweet tang of the cream cheese and the onion taste of the bagel. Seeing the little wolfdog kemonomimi happy, even put a smirk on Natalia’s face.

Noel giggled as she continued her briefing, “despite many setbacks, Redgrave Industries gained huge profits from the war. Selling their innovative technologies to the British Army, Redgrave Industries became one of the best armorers in the industry. However, personal tragedy would strike again during many conflicts throughout the United Kingdom. Alongside the growing epidemic stemming from 2006, the business was booming, but the moral decline was at an all-time low.”

“Yes. Along with Jeanne’s brother Micah and his mental health problems, he sent Redgrave Industries into a massive tailspin…” Kayla finished while looking at the supposed odd couple of Natalia and the little girl having such a close moment.

“The unexpected resignation of Micah Redgrave galvanized any kind of hope for another industrial renaissance for the company, especially another nethereal war on the horizon,” Noel explained. “On a last-ditch effort, Redgrave Industries went all-in on the daemonic war that never happened, sending the company into the brink of bankruptcy.”

Still, the Nether Elite was a bit freaked out by Natalia’s immediate motherly care of the wolfdog kemonomimi as she was wiping her mouth with a handkerchief.

Noel realizing this being quite a distraction, she only did what was necessary, “Fate, why don’t you go upstairs, and I’ll fix you something to eat when I’m done.”

The wolfdog kemonomimi’s ears cutely flickered as she listened to Noel, “De acuerdo, milady,” the little wolfdog kemonomimi climbed out of her seat and smoothed out her dress. Before she left, she curtsied to the Nether Elite and addressed them politely. “¡BUENOS DÍAS A TODOS!”

Then, wolfdog kemonomimi ran off inside the house. Natalia can help but giggle at the little girl’s cuteness. As Natalia pays attention to the group, all of them stared at her in disbelief.

Of course, Natalia didn’t appreciate all of them leering stares, “what the fuck are you all looking at?”

“I think it started snowing in hell…” Kayla commented.

Natalia scowled about looking away, heavily blushing.

Noel sighed as she tries to finish the briefing, “Re-categorizing and restructuring their business, Redgrave Industries decided to never involve themselves with war or with military weaponry ever again and liquidated if all but most of their weaponry to cover the debts accumulated to cover the costs. Although some properties remain under the Redgrave Industries umbrella, they remain inactive and unlisted through their intellectual property.”

Finally, I got through the story… Noel thought as she finished her tea. “Redgrave can be a revengeful person, do any of you know why?” Noel questioned the four as she looked over to Ryoko and winked at her.

Immediately, Kayla remembered that ungodly situation all too well as she blushed heavily, “so when do we leave for England?”

“We leave in two hours,” Noel answered.

Natalia was in complete shock of Kayla’s approval, “Wait, we’re actually doing this?!”

“Yes,” Kayla flatly agreed as this flustered Natalia.

“I am the leader of this group, Goddammit! I say whether or not we get to go!” Natalia shouted.

Noel shrugs her shoulders, “so is that a yes or no?”

Although she didn’t want to go back to London, she had a lot of ground to cover when it comes to being back in the loop. Her disassembling the BDX-7 could get her back into the good graces of the syndicate, “yes, we can go…” Natalia relents.

“We have an aircraft waiting for us. Lizzie is letting us borrow it for a couple of days; even her own staff is willing to help us fly it as well. It will take us to the uncharted facility where Redgrave is. You will be briefed on your way there. This is a matter that is very sensitive to his Majesty, and he knew you were all perfect for this mission. However, he has one requirement you must follow through on zero body count. Wound but not kill,” Noel demanded.

“Now that is one hell of a requirement,” Kayla mocked.

“Difficult, but also doable,” Noel enforces.