Well. This is a reboot that has been in need for what seems like an eternity. Anyway, premise is more or less the same, but with much needed changes.
Let me tell you, replaying For Answer was not a fun experience, especially when you have to start all over from scratch. I apologize for the people who enjoyed the original version of IS:fA, but you can be thankful for the fact that I haven't gotten that far. After all, I stopped at Cecilia getting her ass handed to her by Ichika.
At any rate, please enjoy this new version. Read and Review, everyone!
The Armored Core.
A powerful weapon. A name given to the behemoths of the battlefield, metal demons that struck fear into the hearts of all those that laid eyes on it. Years went by, and the people that piloted these machines grew not just as pilots, but also as human beings.
Wars were waged against man themselves, but Armored Cores were always used, ending those petty wars. However, in time, they proved to be the undoing. The world had become decrepit and decayed, and mankind on the brink of extinction. Two government fractions, ORCA and The League, came into being, both with different views on the state of the world.
The League was content to allow humanity to rot on the surface, finding solace in their lofty safe havens in the sky. ORCA, however, wished to take to the freedom of space, in order to escape the pollution that would be the executioner of the human race.
Eventually, a time period known as the Ecological War began. Armored Core pilots, known as Lynx, began acting as mercenaries for these groups.
Among these was a powerful pilot of skill and ability. No one knew his name, or where he came from...he was known only as The Strayed.
Armored Core x Infinite Stratos Fanfiction Crossover
"Infinite Stratos: For Answer – Redux"
The First Phase: The Strayed Path
"All of the system checks are completed. Weapons are functional, and the new system has been implemented. The unit was also modified to your specifications. The repairs took little time at all."
"I see...and the system?"
"It should work, though we can't really be certain. This is experimental technology after all."
"...fine by me."
"...he wouldn't agree with what you're doing, but I know he would be proud of you."
"That's wasted on me. If there's anyone he should be proud of, it's you, Fiona."
"I guess we'll never know. The mission will begin in ten minutes. From here on, there's no going back. Are you prepared for this?"
"I was prepared for it the moment that Cradle fell… "Well, this is it. Can you see me from wherever you are, old friend? I wonder...if you were still alive, what would you tell me, if you saw what I had become?"
...
"...right. I suppose I'll find out soon enough, won't I?"
Mission: Occupation of Arteria Carpals – Time Elapsed: 00:23:93
"Heh, not bad, Original," Old King praised as his unit floated in the air. Below him, what little remained of the fort that sat upon the sea was nothing short of a sinking pile of rubble. Among that sinking rubble were the NEXTs of Roadie and Wynn D. Fanchon. "Wolcott was powerful, as is that pitiful Otsdarva...but you are something else, aren't you?" He paused, then laughed. "Speaking of you...didn't you sink to the bottom of the ocean when Anatolia's Mercenary put you under?"
Inside the cockpit of Stasis, Otsdarva scowled. "Keep talking, asshole..." he warned. "You're going to pay for ruining ORCA's name! Both you and your partner!"
"He's just trying to rile you up, Otsdarva." Kasumi Sumika told him, her Ciliegio slightly damaged. She had purged the left arm, and she was running low on ammo. "Still, to think he'd be this skilled..."
"Thank you for your compliment, Original." Old King smirked. "You are no slouch yourself… Then again, that is to be expected. You are the lapdog's teacher, aren't you?"
"Perhaps. And it's the teacher's duty to discipline unruly children."
"Why have you taken to slaughtering innocent civilians, Old King?" Lilium Wolcott questioned. Unlike Otsdarva or Kasumi, her unit was in far better shape, in no small part to her evasive capabilities. However, even she felt tired, having never encountered such a foe like this. "I fail to see what you could possibly hope to gain from this."
"There isn't really a reason, per say. I just felt like killing, like any warmonger does."
Otsdarva's heart burned with white hot anger, rage skyrocketing. "You bastard!"
"I assume the same can be said about Strayed, then?"
At this, the worn old man laughed boisterously. "The lapdog?" he said with a grin. "I don't pretend to know anything about them. What I can tell you, though...is that you'll be in for quite the surprise."
'He's expecting reinforcements.' Kasumi thought. 'Strayed wasn't here at all. That must mean, he's preparing to engage.'
Though she was confident that they could eliminate Old King here, the Strayed was another matter entirely. She of all people know his skills. Even among other Lynx Pilots, his skills inside a NEXT were beyond compare. She would even go so far as to say that his ability was on par with Anatolia's Mercenary. They had to eliminate Old King now, before Strayed arrived to take them down.
"Let's finish this quick." she decided, readying her PITONE. "Otsdarva!"
"With pleasure!" the cocky Lynx roared, Stasis charging straight at Old King, guns raised. "Now, die-!"
He was halfway towards Old King's NEXT when Stasis was suddenly, and abruptly, engulfed in crimson flames and reduced to smoldering metal. Stunned, the two female Lynx watched as the dark AC unit plummeted to the ruined remains of Arteria Carpals, joining their fellow allies in their watery graves. Lilium's Ambient let out a warning sound, identifying that an enemy unit had appeared above them. She looked up, her main camera locking on to the new arrival – and the one that most likely ended Otsdarva.
Kasumi's breath was stolen away from her, throat tightening in on itself in disbelief. "That's-?!"
Standing there, hovering in the air, was a tall proud Armored Core, predominantly colored white. In hand were two long rifles: the 051ANNR on the right hand, and the 063ANAR on the other. Its head was pointed and narrow, with a visible slit revealing a set of glowing blue eyes, staring back at the two NEXT like an angel of death.
Kasumi and Lilium had recognized it immediately; the latter most of all. After all, this NEXT had been the sole reason why Line Ark had lasted as long as it had before its inevitable end. "Impossible..." she whispered in sheer horror. "White Glint?!"
A voice cracked into the air, broadcasted on the open channel for all to hear. Belonging to the ghost of Anatolia's Lynx. A voice that sent shivers down Kasumi's spine.
"White Glint… Eliminating all targets."
"Strayed…!"
Old King couldn't help himself. Seeing the feared Lynx Pilot inside Collard's Rank 9 made him feel positively giddy, laughing until his sides hurt. "Glad you could make it, lapdog!" he said, smiling viciously. "Now then… Let's start the fun, shall we?!"
At first, neither side moved. Then Strayed struck first, taking him with his twin rifles. After that, all hell broke loose.
Unlike other Lynx, the Strayed had chosen to side neither with ORCA, or the League. In this sense, he was a neutral force. His skill and prowess only grew when he defended Line Ark after accepting a mission from Line Ark, fighting alongside Collard's Rank 9: White Glint, piloted by the fearsome pilot known as the Mercenary of Anatolia.
However, one day, when the war had reached its climax...the Strayed had become the enemy of the world itself. He sided with the Old King, and destroyed Cradle 03. Over 100 million lives were lost.
Suddenly, the war had shifted.
Kasumi's Ciliegio was destroyed. Half of its body was torn apart, wire and machinery burning to cinders. Her right arm was damaged and her legs were destroyed beyond repair. A third of the torso unit was left with a gaping hole, just shy of the cockpit. Lilium's Ambient was in even worse condition: it was not spared from destruction in the least. It was hard to tell if it could even be considered a NEXT anymore, with how much damage had been done to it. Now it was little more than a heaping, smoldering pile of burning metal. Whether or not Lilium herself had survived was unknown to her.
"Impressive..." Old King praised. His NEXT, Lisa, hovered not far from her, staring at the ruined remains of her unit as if ready to finish her off. "To defeat the best this world had to offer… You truly are something else, aren't you, Strayed?"
Strayed said nothing in response. Instead, White Glint raised its head, as if staring at something. Kasumi frowned, trying to pull herself up from her seat before coughing. Looking down, she found that a piece of metal had lodged itself into her sides. 'I can't tell if it pierced through any internal organs or not.' Unwilling to test her theory, she quickly pulled the piece of metal out. It was sharp and jagged, resulting in her hand being sliced open. Blood was quickly dripping onto the floor.
"It's just about time, isn't it?" the aged Lynx hummed, following Strayed's gaze before addressing his 'lapdog.' "I suppose this is where we part ways, then."
"It is..." Strayed answered.
"A shame..." For the first time, an emotion aside from the thrill of killing entered the Old King's voice. He sounded somber, as if he was about to leave and never seen someone again. "It was a pleasure working with you, my friend." Kasumi stared in confusion, watching as the Lisa turned its back to them and proceeded to fly away, vanishing into the distance.
Overhead, the distant sounds of roaring winds could be heard. The cockpit slowly pushed its way out of the ruined NEXT, allowing Kasumi to pull herself out. Now standing atop the shoulder of her unit, she looked up at White Glint.
"...looks like you've won." she said simply, her tone even in spite of the feelings that were swelling inside her chest. "So long as you have that AC… I imagine there's no one that could stop you, is there?"
"...I don't know. Maybe." Strayed answered honestly.
"What will you do now?"
"What I've always done. Kill."
Looking up at the sky, Kasumi saw small, identifiable shapes. Even from this altitude, she could discern what they were. It took her a moment to realize that the now destroyed base was within the flight path of one of the Cradles. The woman looked back at White Glint, which was preparing to take flight as its boosters were ignited.
"That's too bad..." she whispered, hands tightening into fists. "That really is...too bad."
"...Thank you, teacher. See you around."
Kasumi's eyes widened, head snapping up. Before she could open her mouth, White Glint was already high into the air, Over Boost already activating. As a result, the white NEXT became a shooting streak across the pale orange sky. Watching him go, Kasumi's mouth opened and closed repeatedly, stunned. The audacity for him to say such a thing…
"...you're a damned fool." she whispered, hanging her head low. A trickle of water glided down her cheek, soon dropping to the floor. "A damned fool..."
For the first time since the war had begun, ORCA and The League had worked together to eliminate this fearsome duo.
On that day, the event known as the "World's End," came to pass. A moment that changed the course of history in its entirety.
"Activate RE-Vival System."
[Warning. Voice authorization required.]
Strayed sucked in a breath, closing his eyes as his mind raced back to the happier days. To the days when the world, while cold and dark, was much better than its current state. All the people that used to smile in spite of the grim times. The beautiful world that they all used to know.
All of it was gone. Wiped away and reduced to nothing. All because of humans.
"...voice command authorization: Pray, for Answer."
[Voice Command Recognized. RE-Vival will commence in approximately three minutes.]
The moment White Glint landed on the back of Cradle 02, he encountered resistance from NEXT drones, all of them equipped with heavy duty artillery, and even a few 2nd Generation NEXT. A nostalgic look crossed his face as White Glint took hold of its rifles, preparing for combat. He took a look at the countdown.
00:02:42
White Glint once belonged to a great man. A former member of the Ravens, before they had all disappeared from the world as The League began to encroach. It stood as a paragon of strength, a testament to the many battles and hardships they had to endure. And now, here it was, being used by a man willing to commit mass genocide. It was a cruel irony, Strayed knew. Yet to accomplish his goals, he would have to tarnish this paragon. Twist it into a symbol of destruction and death.
'It's weird, now that I think about it...'
Strayed began to think as White Glint began its assault once again, destroying drone after drone. Already, in less than 40 seconds, did several heaps of machines join the four NEXTs that had been destroyed before this.
00:01:59
'No matter what machine you're in, you'll always be forced to kill and kill. You're no better than a monster...'
White Glint took to the skies as new enemies, all 3rd Generation NEXT, appeared with heavy duty weapons. Two were Heavyweights, and the last was a Middleweight. Strayed couldn't help but let out a wry smile as he gave a solemn laugh.
'I think I'm beginning to understand you better, old friend... On how you felt whenever we were done completing a mission.'
The white NEXT dodged the bullets magnificently as if it were dancing, its rifle on its last rounds. The middleweight tried to cut it in half with its laser blade, but it was useless as White Glint maneuvered behind it, and rammed the rifle into its back before pulling the trigger. Streams of bullets ripped through its chest, the enemy NEXT becoming limp as it began to fall to the earth.
00:01:11
The two Heavyweights rammed their bodies into him at once, sending White Glint back down to the Cradle. Strayed, however, was not just some amateur Lynx as he quickly controlled White Glint and landed harshly on its feet, the steel ground he stood on gaining two large dents.
'This... is my "Answer" for all that I have done...'
Strayed looked at the time limit on the monitor. The two Heavyweights landed back down, one behind him and the other out in front, both of them using laser blades.
'Well, time to finish this...'
00:00:30
White Glint tossed its remaining weapons away, much to the surprise of the two Heavyweight NEXT. However, they took this as a sign of surrender, and fired up their thrusters, blades at the ready. They had failed to notice that the shining bluish green eyes of White Glint had become hidden behind a steel visor, and small piston-like abrasions began to pop out from various portions of its body.
Strayed let go of the controls, and laid back in the seat, his eyes staring up listlessly at the ceiling of the cockpit.
'I'll be seeing you soon, old friend...'
00:00:00
[Countdown ended.] the main system AI spoke clearly, yet to Strayed it sounded like she was so far away, as he slowly closed his eyes, awaiting the end. [Beginning RE-Vival.]
The remaining enemy forces converged on White Glint, ready to cut down this monster once and for all before they were suddenly consumed in light. In a matter of seconds, their armor was purged and destroyed, torn apart and leaving not even scraps of metal. The Cradles were swallowed up in the light, also sharing the NEXTs fate and being destroyed.
At first glance, it looked as if Strayed had deployed the Assault Armor. However, as Kasumi stared at the ball of light, she noticed how it continued to grow in size. Growing, growing and growing still. It devoured the entire fleet of Cradles, killing off yet another one hundred million lives. Yet even so, the sphere continued to grow in size.
Far off in the distance, standing in the hangar in which White Glint was launched, a lone woman watched the growing ball of light with a stoic expression before she closed her eyes, unwilling to allow tears to spill.
"Goodbye… Strayed."
Then, the ball of light exploded, releasing a flurry of wind. The body of water in which Arteria Carpals rested on was left in chaos, waves crashing in upon themselves. Wreckage was swallowed up by the sea. Kasumi found herself nearly thrown off her NEXT, clinging to it for dear life. As the winds began to settle and the ocean calmed, the woman got up to her feet, looking up. Then her eyes widened, finding tiny green flakes falling from the sky.
"What…?"
The RE-Vival System.
This system was designed with one specific purpose in mind: to counteract the Kojima Particles that had spread all across Earth and restore the planet to its former glory, purging it of its pollution.
How ironic that the greatest monster in human history, would be the one to restore the world.
It would take several decades before the pollution had subsided. With the destruction of the Cradles, ORCA was finally able to enact its Closed Plan, allowing humanity to venture into the stars. The League's fighting forces had been greatly diminished, destroyed at the hands of the Strayed, thus they were helpless to try and dismantle the rebel group.
The "World's End," commonly referred to as the End of the Economic Period, has since gone down in history was one of the most bloody periods of human history.
The year is now 21XX. Forty years following the End of the Economic Period.
Over half of the Earth has been revitalized. Scientists have dedicated their lives to restoring the Earth, and making use of the mysterious core that was used by White Glint, the NEXT piloted by Anatolia's Mercenary and the Strayed.
These cores were mass-produced, and thanks to this, the Fifth Generation Armored Core came into being, thus preserving the new life granted to us. Scientists also dedicated themselves and their newfound research, provided by Strayed's former operator Kasumi, to reviving the rest of the Earth.
However, in time, a new conflict would arise, spanning for the next decade.
That is not where our story continues.
Rather, the story begins in a world where the Armored Core, ORCA, the League, and even the Lynx do not exist.
The year is 2045, and mankind has reached the height of the second great Industrial Revolution. Humanoid machines, known as Infinite Stratos, were designed in hopes they could one day reach the unknown frontier known as space. However, out of 7 billion people on Earth, only females were able to pilot an Infinite Stratos, or an IS for short.
The first known IS was an unknown machine, designed specifically for combat purposes. An unknown hacker infiltrated the government's database, and launched several ballistic missiles, all of them aimed directly at Japan.
These missiles were destroyed by the IS. The government, after seeing the overwhelming power of the IS, deemed it too dangerous, and tried to destroy their own creation.
However, there was nothing that could bring it down. Several Air Force planes, sea vessels, and even tanks were destroyed, yet strangely, no human lives were lost.
In the end, only the IS was left standing, vanishing into parts unknown. It was later declared that an IS would not be allowed for use in the military, rather only used for data collecting and sports purposes.
Currently, there is only one school that teaches women how to control an IS, which is located in Japan.
The creator of the IS, and its mysterious source, known as the IS Core, Tabane Shinonono, created 467 IS Cores in total, yet for reasons unknown, she has refused to create further IS Cores. Because of her intellect and value, she has since become the most wanted individual on the planet, constantly on the move.
Our story focuses on two young men. One, the first male to ever pilot an Infinite Stratos. And the other, the herald of a new age…
The IS Academy was located far off the coast of Japan, sitting between the island nations and other continents. The reason behind its creation, out in the middle of the pacific ocean, was to allow countries to interact with it, in spite of the long standing rule that no government was to directly interfere with any student in the academy or get involved in the running of the school. In a way, it was considered to be neutral ground, and virtually almost all the students were given diplomatic immunity, unless a situation had occurred in which such immunity was to be revoked.
The school semester had yet to begin, thus the only occupants of the school were those among the faculty staff. Currently, only two individuals, who were working overtime, were in the academy. To be specific, they were present in the Tech Room.
The Tech Room was designed for IS maintenance, analyzing experimental equipment and repairs, as well as solving any sign of software malfunction or sabotage. It was not uncommon for political rivals of other countries to send a representative to hinder another representative. As a result, it was necessary for the school to perform routine maintenance checks and vigorously investigate a person's background upon enrollment.
Sitting at a large computer, adjacent to the room in which the IS was linked to the main system and then analyzed, was a young woman with dark green hair and eyes, a thin-framed pair of glasses sitting atop the bridge of her nose. Her fingers were dancing across the keyboard, eyes focused on the screen in front of her as they shifted back and forth, reading bits of data as they appeared.
After a minute or two, her fingers ceased to move and she sighed, hanging her head low before looking back at the screen, which now had two words written in bold red letters.
ACCESS DENIED
"Having trouble, Maya?"
Maya Yamada looked over her shoulder, finding a woman dressed in a sharp black suit standing behind her. She was quite beautiful, somewhere around her early to mid-twenties with dark hair tied back into a ponytail while the rest framed her face, eyes sharp like a hawk. The woman was Chifuyu Orimura, one of the teachers here at the IS Academy, and perhaps the most well-known, due to being the victor of the Mondo Grosso championship and a former Japanese Representative. To say that the woman was skilled would be an understatement. Some might go so far as to proclaim her as the goddess of the IS.
Not that they would ever say that to her face. She hated that nickname with a passion.
"It's no good." Maya regretfully informed her fellow teacher with a pout before she looked back to the monitor. "I've tried using every trick in the book, but I'm constantly being blocked out. I've never seen a complex system like this before. It would take a genius to try and crack it."
"High praise, coming from you." Chifuyu remarked dryly as he stared at the mysterious white unit that hanged in the room, attached to several different cables. "What about equipment? Have you analyzed that, yet?"
"I have, and it's..." Maya removed her glasses for a moment, rubbing away the irritation that had accumulated from her long hours of work. "It's far beyond anything I've seen before. The components are far different from standard IS equipment, and the parts and manufacturing mark are not listed anywhere in the database."
"What about the Core?"
Rather than answer with words, Maya turned back to the computer, stroking a few keys before it lit up, revealing the internal workings of the mysterious IS. The Core was in full view, but it was vastly different than any IS Core they had seen. Normally, the Core was housed within a frame, hooked up by circuits and wires that rerouted the energy emitted by the Core into the IS' main system. The IS Core implemented inside this mysterious IS, however, was left openly attached to circuits. There was no frame whatsoever. Just pieces of machinery hooked into the Core. The Core itself was also different. Usually, the IS Core glowed in different colors, shifting from one color to the next. The Core inside the mysterious IS was glowing light green, even shimmering with light.
"The energy emitted by this IS Core is incredible. If I were to make a comparison, it would be the same as a nuclear reactor." Maya said, shocking Chifuyu immensely. "And it's also not one of the 467 Cores created by Tabane Shinonono-san."
Chifuyu stared at the image of the Core, and then back at the machine to which it was attached to. She could feel a headache coming on, making her rub her temples. This had been nothing more than a troublesome day. It was bad enough that she was being hassled by government officials, questioning the staff about the appearance of a mysterious new IS, especially one not recorded by the official roster.
And then came the pilot of that IS. Now that was a whole other can of worms, one that she wasn't looking forward to being opened.
"By the way, Orimura-sensei..." Maya looked at the woman worriedly. "About the boy..."
"He's still unconscious in the infirmary." she answered, folding her arms. "When he wakes up, I'll have you question him."
"E-eh?! Me?!"
Chifuyu nodded. "The board decided it would be best if someone with a more delicate touch handled the situation. I'll let you know when he wakes up. In the meantime, see if you can learn anything more from that IS." Still surprised by the decision, Maya nodded slowly and turned back, resuming her work. Chifuyu then walked away, leaving the Tech Room with a tense expression.
She was not looking forward to seeing where this situation was heading.
In the infirmary, the aforementioned boy that was found piloting the mysterious white IS had stirred away, a pair of soulful red eyes opening to find himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. "What…?" he questioned, squinting as he was greeted with harsh lights. As his eyes adjusted, blinking rapidly, he took a quick scan of his surroundings. There were several beds, all of which were unoccupied. Everything was just a shade of white. Hardly any other color. Looking down, he found his body covered by a thin sheet.
Pulling himself up, the boy tore the sheet off his body, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. The cool touch of the floor was enough to send shivers through his body, shortly discovering that he was barefoot. His clothes were little more than a t-shirt and pants, far too thin to provide any real warmth. He stood up, walking through the isle of beds before he reached the back. There were a few posters, motivational by the look of it, before he opened a door to the left of the room. It was a bathroom, complete with a toilet, a sink and a mirror.
Walking over to the mirror, the boy stared at his face. He couldn't look any older than 18. Maybe 19. His hair was light gray, almost silver. His skin was slightly pale, but not to the point where he could be considered albino. A small x-shaped scar sat above his right eye, the lower left point stretching farther out and crossing over the bridge of his nose.
The boy looked startled almost, gingerly touching the scar. "Is this...my face?" he questioned, his hand running across his own face, as if he was truly looking at himself for the first time. His body was lean like that of an athlete, but his hands looked so thin. There were dark rings under his eyes. Looking at his hands, the boy couldn't help but notice how rough they felt.
He looked back at the mirror, frowning heavily, before he asked a question to himself. A question to which he had no answer to.
"Who...am I?"
The Next Phase: The Ghost Boy
IS Technical Report
Name: White Glint
Generation: Unknown
Type: All-Rounder
Pilot: Strayed Lynx
Background Information: Information about the White Glint Infinite Stratos is scarce. It is a highly irregular unit, designed simply for the sake of combat. Its armaments indicate that, unlike other IS units, it was created for the sole purpose of taking part in large scale warfare. Based on official sources, the White Glint IS is suspected of becoming the strongest unit in existence, presently considered to be a Fourth-Generation Infinite Stratos.
Weapons: 051ANNR & 063ANAR Assault Rifles, SALINE05 Missile Launcher
Default Setting: Strangely, the White Glint IS Unit is constantly active in the First Shift setting. It is unknown at present if the unit is capable of releasing a Second Shift setting.
Pilot Report
Full Name: Strayed Lynx
Age: Estimated to be between 18 to 20 years of age
Blood Type: O+
Height: '5, 8" ft
Weight: 58 kg
Eye Color: Red
Hair Color: Silver
Place of Birth: Unknown
Date of Birth: Unknown
Background Information: Strayed Lynx was reported to have appeared without warning in the Infinite Stratos Academy, though circumstances behind his appearance are currently under investigation. He claims to have no memory of his past, but is fully capable of operating the White Glint unit. Authenticity of his claims is under review, but for the time being, is placed under investigation by the official representatives among the faculty of the Academy.