Chapter 2 Legacy World 8.1 Free To Leave

The first thing that Luna came conscious to was the feel of a hand groping her chest. Another hand was making its way down her stomach. Her hands flew to grab her assailant's wrists as she sprung up from the hard cold platform that she was lying on.

"You're awake." Her assailant spoke coolly as if he was expecting her reaction. This ticked Luna off. He seemed to know that his advances were not welcomed, but he still did it anyway. Her grip tightened and his flesh turned white from the lack of blood flow.

"Are you sure you want to do that? Or are you still half asleep?" He asked in the same cool tone.

Luna frowned a little and studied him from head to toe. He was equipped in some kind of black military gear that had a lot of compartments for what seemed to be medical equipment. The Red Cross on his shoulder pad confirmed her suspicion that he was medical personnel. She immediately knew his importance in the setting of this world, so she let him go, but remembered to back away. With the metal table now between them, she felt a lot safer.

"With how frequently you get sent in for treatment, I'd think that you secretly like me doing this." He remarked while rubbing his wrists that now had red handprints around them.

"But why do you always wake up when it's just getting good?" He sighed with disappointment.

Luna stared at him warily without uttering a single word. Should she leave now? Or was the original soul here for something?

"And look, now I have to dress your wound again. You tore it open. You're really so troublesome."

Luna finally paid attention to the pain in her leg. Blood seeped through the pure white bandage on her left thigh. She quickly noted the disarray her uniform was in and how one pant leg was cut off to treat the wound on her thigh. While she neatened up her shirt, she wondered about her situation. /So this original soul's a girl who chose military life over the harem life? Why the chest binding though?/

"What're you waiting for? Don't waste our precious time." He urged her to return to his side. "Or you could leave if you want. You know the consequences."

Luna frowned deeply while she thought about his words. Deciding to play safe, she slowly went around the table. She sat on the edge of the table and eyed him carefully as he redressed her wound. While he got up, he intentionally leaned close to her ear. "That's a good girl." His lips lightly touched her cheek as if intending for it to be a mischievous kiss. However, Luna flinched away. "You may leave now. There are other patients waiting." He turned his back while he carelessly dismissed her.

[This... Bugger...! I'll kill him if only I can get my hands on him!] BaoBao finally exploded.

Realising Luna's distress, BaoBao quickly informed her where the door was, then directed her to a secluded spot where she could safely receive the original soul's memories. The sight that greeted her upon leaving the clinic reminded her of the sixth world, except that everything was metal. It also did not look as clean or classy. The shades of rusty brown and black coupled with the warm light gave off a run down but tough look. After walking quite a distance away from the clinic, she realised that the smell of disinfectant was everywhere. She thought of getting a breath of fresh air but a single glance out the small circular windows along the hallway reminded her that it was not a good idea. Finally, she reached the little nook that BaoBao identified. As soon as she rested in the shadows, BaoBao activated the original soul's memories.

It turned out that the original soul, Angie, did not enlist into the army as a girl. Moreover, she did not just act like a boy in the army, but she was brought up as a boy.

Angie's mother entered the army as a woman and was a skillful soldier. She became a team leader then got promoted to become a section commander. This was seen as a great feat because women were not given as much attention in the army. Women's recognised strength was in giving birth and growing the population. Even though the human's general physical fitness was a lot better than it had been in the past, the view that women are weaker than men still prevailed.

This drew more attention onto her mother, even unwanted forms of attention. The ones ranked below her, she could fend off. The issue laid with the men ranked higher than her. She got raped by different men on different occasions. She fought back but no one cared. After all, she was free to leave if she really detested it. She was even free to leave the base itself. This was the true reality for the females living in this era.

Her torture finally stopped when she got knocked up with Angie. The last to sleep with her was a Commanding Officer, a rank higher than hers, who happened to be Valerie's father. Being in a good mood, he warned her that everything would resume after she gave birth, as long as she did not belong to someone's harem. Her mother eventually fell into depression. She could not perform well due to physical and mental reasons. So, her rank dropped all the way back down to a mere foot soldier. She could not decide what to do with her life. That was until Angie was born. Something seemed to click in her brain. She had to protect her daughter from the same fate. So, she made up her mind to join the harem of the man who gave her the warning, Valerie's father. This way, no attention would be on her or her child, and she would be free to bring up her child however she deemed fit.

"My dear Angie, you're not some breeder but a human with dignity. So, act like one." This was the saying that Angie got brought up with. This caused Angie to have a strong dislike for the ignorant men and women in this base. At the same time, she felt like she did not belong with either gender. Knowing that there must be others like her hiding around the base, she made it her goal to find like-minded individuals, even if it would be a challenge.

Having been trained by an experienced soldier since young, Angie performed well in the military, could manage her own wounds without a single visit to the doctor, and quickly became team leader. Careful to not draw too much attention to herself, she held herself back. This way, she appeared no better than the other team leaders. Not long later, she found out about Valerie. Just as she got excited over finding a comrade, subsequent events made her blood boil. Valerie was not like her. Her situation was completely different. She even relied on two men's help to get her through so many issues. What topped it off was that one of Valerie's mistakes caused Angie to get injured severely enough to require medical attention. That was when everything started going downhill for her. The doctor found out about her real gender and found her particularly amusing to toy with. He used her secret against her whenever he wanted her to do something for him. Often, it was to take advantage of her. Humiliated that she ended up in the very situation that her mother prepared her to avoid, Angie felt like the only escape that would not let her mother down was to die on a mission. So, she took up suicide missions. However, she somehow got dragged back alive each and every time. She had trained her team far too well.

Her current injuries were evidence of another failed attempt to die. Thanks to Angie's memories, Luna knew that Angie had already volunteered for a particularly big and dangerous operation coming soon. It was an expedition that the original soul was sure would kill her, if she had not yet died during all the smaller ones she took on before it.

Luna stayed very silent and still. Her lips were just slightly pursed together. Only BaoBao knew how dangerous her thoughts were at this point. So, he cleverly kept quiet as well. Luna inherited not just Angie's thoughts but also her feelings. The jealousy she had towards the ignorant Valerie. The guilt and the shame. Her grief and pain. This place was a lot more rotten than it sounded. At this point, she had no qualms about leaving this godforsaken place behind.

/BaoBao, her wish, please./

[She wants to live a life that her mother can be proud of.]

Luna clenched her teeth hard and her eyes turned a little red and watery, as she empathised with the wish. Her heart ached for the original soul. She had struggled all alone. /I'll live a life that not only your mother can be proud of, but you, yourself, can too./ Luna promised with such confidence that even BaoBao felt optimistic from listening to her.

[Another 100% synchronisation! You're really getting the hang of this!] BaoBao cheered and celebrated within her head. Him being such a little bundle of joy improved Angie's mood somewhat and made the corner of her lips quirk up a little.

/Alright, let's first change into a new set of gear./ Angie made plans while she headed towards her bunk. Now that the adrenaline died down and her body turned a little stiff from hiding in a little corner, she could feel all the aches and pains all over her body. As usual, it was nothing she could not bear. /No wonder the original soul couldn't die. She really trained her team too well. They covered her real good./

She slid the metal door open. Rows of double decker beds lined the sides of the long room. She strolled to hers which was near the back. Upon reaching her bedside, she opened the narrow locker, then changed into a clean outfit. She tightened her chest binder that came a little loose from earlier. After she tugged on her collar to neaten up, she turned her head to look at the full body-length mirror on the back of the locker door. She raised one eyebrow slightly as she studied her bruised face. She turned her face from one side to the other, checking herself out from different angles. /I really look androgynous. That helps./ There was even a handsome scar near the end of one eyebrow. Her cracked lips gave her a sort of rugged charm. She would not call the original soul pretty, but she could pass off as a decent charming young man.

Angie closed the locker door then laid on the bed. She had finally gotten used to the idea of getting adequate rest to be in top condition. No longer needing any company or coaxing to be able to rest, it took only a while before she drifted off to sleep.

Nonetheless, she was not one to sleep for long. She felt rested after a short nap. There was still a long time ahead before the day would end and the others would return to the bunk. Angie slid out the different melee weapons from their different holders on her uniform. She fiddled with them, tossed them, and took them apart only to put them back together. Everything was designed to be light and compact without compromising on its lethality. In fact, the weapons were the most lethal she had ever seen across the different worlds. The poisons, the tensile strength, the speed, and more. She only knew how to handle them based on the muscle memory of the original soul. What she disagreed with was how everything, down to their food, was man-made. Only their vegetables were all natural, grown in the base's greenhouses. It was apparently too much trouble and risk to experiment on nature as it is now. It was a lot safer to stick to what they know and develop from there. /Guess I know what I can experiment with once I leave this place./ Angie casually thought to herself.

While time continued to trickle by, she made plans.

/I have to first avoid this upcoming suicide mission. I need more time./ Just as she concluded her plans, her bunkmates returned to the room. Clatters, footsteps, and chatter drained out the silence that once filled the room.