Today, Quinnie and Marjorie were in the secret briefing room; were allowed in only the highest of highest ranking officers. This meant that the girls were to go on a very important mission. One that is located outside of the United States.

“This is so exciting,” said Marjorie squirming in her seat.

“Calm down, Marjorie. This is not a game,” said Quinnie.

“I know, I know. But, just being summoned here means we’ll be briefed by someone very high up. Maybe even by the president!” gushed Marjorie.

“This looks like a very big mission indeed. Even Dr. Bless wasn’t allowed here…” remarked Quinnie as she looked around the room.

“Have you done this before?” asked Marjorie.

“Done what?”

“You know; a super top-secret mission!”

“…Yes…but, please, don’t ask me more. I can’t tell anyone. Not even you, Marjorie,”

“Or you’d have to kill me? Hehehehe,”

“Something like that,”

“…”

Two officers came into the room, each with a weirdly shaped envelope in their hands. They ripped them open and used the keys they contained to activate a sliding panel from which a screen popped out and rose up. After the two officers left, the screen lit itself up and displayed the face of a high-ranking officer: General Maxwell Taylor.

“Liberty, Freedom Lass, we have a very critical situation on our hands. A few months ago, Eastern Bloc agents have succeeded in stealing the seed core of one of our allies,” said General Taylor.

“This is very serious indeed, sir,” said Quinnie.

“Yes. Our spies came with an even more troubling report; several of our scientists have defected to the Eastern Bloc! Even worse, they successfully managed to grow a Champion for these commies!” said General Taylor as he angrily crashed his fist on his desk.

“We must act fast, sir,” said Quinnie.

“Yes. We must also contain this situation as quickly and effectively as possible. Therefore, we need you to neutralize their Champion, retrieve its seed core, and repatriate the eloped scientists,” said General Taylor.

“Sir, while I do not doubt that Freedom Lass and I can take on this mystery Champion, why not call-in our allies’ Champions for support?” asked Quinnie.

“Negative, Liberty. We are not to let the world know that such a dangerous weapon has landed in the hands of our enemies,” replied General Taylor.

“General, sir, which of our allies has had their seed core stolen?” asked Marjorie.

“South Korea,” replied General Taylor.

“And who stole her?” asked Marjorie.

“Dai Nippon Teikoku” replied General Taylor.

“The Great Empire of Japan…” said Quinnie.

Everyone remained silent for a moment.

“What’s wrong?” asked Marjorie.

“Japan was the first country on which we have used our nuclear bombs,” said Quinnie.

“It was thanks to our president’s courage that we stopped the war, girls,” said General Taylor.

“But isn’t Japan technically allied with us now?” asked Marjorie.

“Yes. But there is still a strong contingent of Axis sympathizers looking to reclaim the land Japan was forced to give back after WWII,” explained General Taylor.

“They will stop at nothing to destroy the peace we have fought so hard to establish,” said Quinnie.

“Be that as it may, we want to strike fast and hard. That is why we are sending the both of you in,”

“Understood, sir,”

A panel slid open, a small package emerged from it.

“This information packet contains this mission’s vital details. Liberty, this package is for you. After inserting it into your seed core, you can access its contents by saying the codeword “Adamant”. But only do so once on Japan’s mainland. You both leave immediately.”

“Yes sir!” said Marjorie and Quinnie.

Before they could leave the briefing room, the General requested a private conversation with Liberty.

“I’ll catch up with you in a moment, Marjorie,” said Quinnie

“Sure…I’ll go get ready then,” said Marjorie a bit sad she wasn’t included in this conversation anymore.

Marjorie left the room.

“This is a zero-tolerance mission, Liberty. As such, you are to eliminate everyone in relation to the seed core theft, including the Champion, the Eastern Bloc agents and the defecting scientists,” said General Taylor.

“I understand, sir,” replied Quinnie.

“As for your partner, Freedom Lass, is she still refusing to use her spirits of choice?” asked General Taylor.

“Yes, sir. One sip completely afflicts her with severe spirits dizziness. She does go by with Apple Juice, but it’s not the same…” said Quinnie.

“Such a waste…She has been endowed with a powerful gift…”

“I trust her, General. She will find a way to subvert this problem very soon,” said Quinnie.

“I expect nothing less,”

“I understand, sir”

“Dismissed!”

A few minutes later, Quinnie and Marjorie were outside the HQ. Marjorie was curious as to what the General and Quinnie had been talking about after she left, but she knew better than to pester Quinnie about it.

“So, how do we get to Japan? Is there a plane or something?” asked Marjorie.

“No. We go in by our own means,” replied Quinnie.

“I don’t know if I’ll be strong enough to jump across the Pacific, Quinnie…” said Marjorie.

“Ha, ha. But really, that is what we are going to do. Hop on my back,”

“You are going to give me a piggyback ride to Japan?”

“Yes! Just like when we were kids…”

“Right,” replied Marjorie, incredulous.

“Of course, you have never seen me use my gift at its full potential! Ok, listen carefully; I usually use my Patriotic Flame to dash at my enemies and vaporize them. But, as your gift grows, you will find new uses!”

“Such as?”

“I can fly! Usually, I use my Patriotic Flame with all three colors: red white and blue. When combined, they pulverize anything they touch! But I can also decide to ignite my flames using fewer colors for different effects!”

“Yes, I remember that red works like regular fire and white paralyzes your target. What does blue do?”

“It makes me fly! Hold on tight, we are flying to Japan!”

“Youbetcha, Liberty!”

After Marjorie had hopped on her back, Quinnie summoned her shield and jump high in the sky. Then, once in mid-air she conjured her blue patriotic flames which propelled her forward.

Marjorie was so elated by the feeling of flying through the skies. As they punched through cloud after cloud, Marjorie thought about her gift.

“I really envy you, Quinnie. Flying is so amazing! My gift however is so…brutish, clumsy and I can’t even fully use it because I can handle my Spirits of choice…”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Marjorie! You haven’t realized your full potential yet. You are only in your Kid Form after all,”

“Right; I remember Dr. Bless mentioning that once I reach my form’s limits, I can unlock a new one,”

“That’s right! And your gift isn’t the only thing that grows, you do as well!”

“I hope I’ll get taller,”

“Hahahahaha! That’s been bothering, right? Yes, you get taller. But you won’t get taller than me!”

“Is that a challenge, Liberty?”

“Youbetcha, Freedom Lass,”

“I still think this mission is exciting!” said Marjorie.

“Don’t forget that we are to strike with great precision. Japan is technically an ally of ours,” reminded Quinnie.

“Have you been there before?” asked Marjorie

“Yes.”

“How was it?”

“If it were only for me, I’d finish the job and blow their country to smithereens.”

“Quinnie…”

“My loyalty is to the American people. If anything threatens the security of the people I have sworn to protect…”

“Quinnie, that isn’t you. You are not cruel. Don’t say things like that!”

The both remained silent for a moment. Marjorie thought that Quinnie must’ve taken many shots of her spirits of choice which is Bourbon whiskey as well. It must be the dizziness speaking right now; Quinnie would never be this cruel!

“What, you’d let these foreigners come and kill your compatriots?” asked Quinnie, breaking the awkward silence.

“Of course not! But not every Japanese person wants to kill us! This is stupid!” protested Marjorie.

“All I know is that they have grown a Champion. A Champion with a gift we know nothing about. We are going in blind,” said Quinnie, somber.

“We will figure it out,” reassured Marjorie.

“I still hate the idea that our enemies have the same weapons as we do. I will stop at nothing to keep our people safe,” said Quinnie.

“…”

“What?” asked Quinnie.

“…”

“Come on, I know you. What did I say wrong?” asked Quinnie again.

“Is that how you see us? Weapons? Is that the way our government sees us? Walking atomic bombs?” replied Marjorie.

“Of course not, Marjorie; but you must admit that with our gifts, we are just as dangerous or even more than atomic bombs?” remarked Quinnie.

“I guess…but we are not objects to be used. We are…” started Marjorie.

“Human? That’s what you were going to say, right?” interrupted Quinnie.

“No,”

“Like I have told you, we look and sound like them, but this is only for their sake. We are Champions with amazing gifts, also for their sake,”

“I know; I know,”