Infinite Stratos: For Answer
Phase One: Morality and Advent
Armored Core...
The name given to the behemoths of the battlefield, the 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 believed that mankind should turn away from Mother Earth, and take flight to space, where they could finally forget the mistakes that were created by their own foolishness. However, ORCA believed that man should face their judgement, and stay on Earth. They were also frustrated, for only those in society could ascend to the skies, in the safe havens known as Cradles.
Eventually, a time period known as the Ecological War began. Armored Core pilots, known as Lynx, began acting as mercenaries for these groups. However, one pilot, who was equally as skilled as the Raven, took neither side, and made it his mission to prove to humanity that they could undo this mistake of theirs.
No one knew his name, or where he came from. They only knew him... as the Strayed.
(Cradle O3, Near the End of Destruction)
Strayed didn't know how he should feel. Relieved that this would come to an end, angered at the fact that his dearest friend had stood against him, or that he was saddened at the death of the one person who understood him the most. Wreckages of various AC's were all over, save one that was heavily damaged. It lacked a left leg, and most of the right arm was charred and ruined.
This was the AC that Kusami used, his dearest friend... the one that stood against him. He knew it would come to this, he had made his decision, but even still, it hurt him knowing things had gone this way.
"H-hah..." Kasumi said, her voice weak and heavy over the COM-LINK. "I guess... you were stronger than him..."
Strayed didn't say anything, but he took a look back at the cradle. This was the last one, this would be the final cradle. Him and the Old King had laid waste to all the others before this, he didn't know why, but it felt right, somehow. The screams of innocent people rung back in his ears, but that didn't do anything to stop him.
That didn't mean it would haunt him for the rest of his wretched life. Looking back at the ruined AC, Strayed knew that he wouldn't want her to be caught up in the aftermath of this decision. His AC grabbed Kasumi's ruined machine, and slowly began to fly into the air, and just as slowly descended back to the ground.
"What... are you..." Kasumi tried to breathe over the intercom. They were over 300 meters in the air, but Strayed had no intention of stopping now.
"Kasumi..." he finally said at last, his voice sounded so cold, yet so gentle underneath all of that death and destruction that still lingered around him. "Can you hear me?"
"Aren't you... going to kill me...?" Kasumi coughed. "I did try to kill you... after all..."
Strayed look back down at the floor of the cockpit, his bangs covering his eyes. "I'm just... tired of it all." he said, his hands trembling slightly. "Tired of all this pointless death... It's been following me ever since I first joined the Ravens. It wouldn't leave me alone, whether I was inside an AC or not. I guess this is what they mean by 'karma's a bitch'..."
"What does... that mean...?" Kasumi asked, anger evident her voice. Strayed didn't blame her, after all this was how he turned out. No, this is what he had always been. A killer, a destroyer, a demon, a monster in human skin. "Tired of it all... That doesn't..."
"Yeah, I know..." Strayed answered her. "But, if there is one thing I have learned, Kasumi... It's that, with Death, all things are forgiven." He didn't miss the small, weak gasp that came over the COM-LINK. "This is the last time we'll see each other. You follow the path you believe in, and I... I will follow this path, all the way to the very end."
"Y-you can't be..." Kasumi's voice had become higher, now in panic. "What are you doing?"
Strayed didn't answer, as the AC finally laid its feet upon the ground. Strangely, it was calm and peaceful, far away from anything that had stretched so far and corroding Mother Nature with its poison. Then, finally he answered in a grave tone, as if he were speaking at his own funeral. "I'm going to initiate the Infinite Stratos System."
"N-no, you..." Another coughing fit. "You can't do that! You'll-"
"I told you already, Kasumi..." Strayed smiled thinly, looking at the video feed displayed on the monitor, showing Kasumi who looked horrified by his words. "This... is my 'Answer'. You already have an 'Answer' of your own."
"But this..." Kasumi sobbed, tears flowing down her eyes as she glared in both hate and sadness. "You planned this all along, didn't you? You planned on using that from the very beginning!" she accused him. "Answer me, dammit!"
Strayed didn't answer her as his AC began to ascend quickly back up, the thruster input at 100%. Then, he showed a small, yet grateful smile to her, to the woman who had brought both joy and life to him, no matter how short a time they spent together. "Kasumi... I'm sorry for everything, and I hope that one day, in the next life, I can say what I couldn't tell you until now..."
"W-what are you talking about, you stupid moron?" Kasumi screamed at him through the monitor.
"Kasumi..." Strayed gave his final words of departing to her, though the screaming winds blocked out his words. Kasumi, however, heard his words, and her eyes were wide, tears streaming down her face. This was the last thing he saw before he shut off the video feed, and began inputting new commands. "Activate the Infinite Stratos System."
"Warning, voice command authorization required" was the immediate answer from the AC system that belonged to his old friend from years ago.
"Voice command authorization..." Strayed stated with a determined look in his eyes, which burned brighter than any flames that had existed before. "Sins sub Homine."
"Voice Command Code recognized." the AI said in her robotic voice, a countdown timer appearing on the lower right corner of the monitor. "Infinite Stratos will be engaged in T-minus 3 minutes."
The moment Strayed's AC landed back once again on Cradle 03, he encountered resistance from AC drones, all of them equipped with heavy duty artillery, and even a few 2nd Generation AC's. Strayed gave a sheepish chuckle before he loaded the assault rifle into the hands of his AC, or rather, the AC that was given to him by his dearest friend.
"So... this is it for us, huh... White Glint." Strayed said with a nostalgic feeling swelling up in him as he began the futile struggle, destroying the drones and tackling the AC's head on, outmaneuvering them quickly with pure speed and fluid mobility. He took a look at the countdown.
00:02:42
White Glint wasn't his, in fact Strayed had said this to Kasumi when he was given the AC that it would never be his. His good friend, the one he had trusted more than anyone, had saved his life in this AC on more than one occasion.
'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 AC's 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 killer...' White Glint took to the skies as new enemies, all 3rd Generation AC's, 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, Rave... On how you felt whenever we were done completing a mission.'
The white AC dodged the bullets magnificently as if it were dancing, its assault rifle on its last rounds. The middleweight tried to cut it in half with its laser blade, but it did was useless as White Glint maneuvered behind it, and rammed the assault rifle into its back before pulling the trigger. Streams of light and bullets ripped through its chest, the enemy AC 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 thought as he 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 his assault rifle away, much to the surprise of the two Heavyweight AC's. 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. "No famous last words for this old beggar..." he joked to no one in particular before he slowly closed his eyes.
00:00:00
"Countdown ended." White Glint's AI spoke clearly, yet to Strayed it sounded like she was so far away, as he slowly began to lose consciousness.
"Infinite Stratos System initiated. Beginning RE-Vival."
And then, to all those on dying Mother Earth, even Kasumi who stood on top her ruined AC, the last known ignorant sanctuary was engulfed in a bright green light that continued to expand, growing ever larger until it was like a green sun, the Cradle having been completely engulfed. Kasumi couldn't stop her tears from flowing as she wrapped her arms around her shaking frame. "Strayed..." she sobbed, her knees falling to the metal ground beneath her.
The light didn't grow, but it didn't shrink either. It shined brightly like a star, however after a good three minutes, the light began to shed away, pieces of green falling to the ground. It was then that the people had seen a miracle, as when that single piece of light touched the rotten earth, the soil it grazed glowed brightly, a familiar yet rare sight began sprouting upward.
"W-what the heck is going on?" an ORCA member said, his eyes unable to look away. Each shed of light that touched the ground had begun to bring back life, and the light that expanded each time from the spot the shed touched only grew, slowly covering the Earth. "What happened?"
Kasumi thought it was beautiful. "So this..." she said to herself, wiping away her tears even though they streamed down her cheek. "Is your 'Answer'? To bring back the life we destroyed?"
Within time, the dying Earth, which had been decrepit and decaying for years because of the power of Armored Cores, would soon no longer have to be afraid of their power. All of this was because of the power of a system feature known as "RE-Vival", something more powerful than even the Answerer.
Though some still thought Strayed to be someone who had slaughtered thousands, they couldn't have been more wrong. He knew full well his actions, and he had take responsibility for them by taking his own life, and the last of the Cradles. In his destruction came a second chance for Mother Earth, one that was done in by his hands, and his alone.
The year is 21XX, and by now, over half of the Earth has been revitalized. Scientists dedicated their lives to restoring the Earth, and making use of the mysterious core that was used in White Glint, the AC piloted by both by the former Raven and 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.
It would be another ten years before a new government was formed, and with it, a new era... and a new war. But, like all wars, a new hero would come to pass, one with a powerful AC, and skills without equal. The name of this pilot? Well, that would be a spoiler...
For our story does not follow this era, nor in this world. Rather, ours takes us to a new world, one where Armored Cores, ORCA, or The League, exist.
The year is 2045, and mankind has reached the height of the 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, the IS was left standing, yet it soon disappeared. It was later declared that an IS would not be allowed for use in the military, rather only for data collecting and sports purposes only. 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 some unknown reason, she refused to create any more. She has become the most wanted person in the world, and yet no one has ever found her.
Our story follows two boys, both the only men in the world able to control an IS. One is Ichika Orimura, the younger brother of Japan's Candidate Representative, Chifuyu Orimura, otherwise known as the "She-Demon". The other is a young man, who hails not from the world of the Infinite Stratos...
Rather, he comes from the world that was once besieged in ruin... the world of the Armored Core.
(IS Academy, Hangar Docking Bay)
Chifuyu Orimura was a beautiful woman, and was very popular. She stood at '5, 9" ft tall with dark hair tied back into a ponytail, her bangs parted yet mostly swept to the right, her expression always stern and her eyes equally as fierce. One would normally see her in a white track suit with red strips along the arms and legs, or when in class, a business-like suit colored black with a buttoned shirt beneath it, along with the trademark black tie. Due to her stern, stoic, cold, and terrifying personality, she is currently single, has no love life at all, and has no interest in such. If one wanted to get closer to her, they would have to have her interest, would have to be at least cute or something among the lines of 'handsome' or 'beautiful' (she hated when someone used the word 'hot'), and lastly, they would have to be quite skilled.
The person who was residing in the infirmary had her interest, as did the strange Infinite Stratos unit that sat on an iron table. It was currently being heavily analyzed, its information completely secret from them. Currently working on this was a young woman with green hair, wearing a yellow-buttoned shirt with short sleeves and a pink undershirt, complete with a black skirt. Her eyes were narrowed while her fingers flied across the keyboard, but each time she typed in something, the same words would appear on the monitor.
Access Denied
Maya Yamada sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose while Chifuyu crossed her arms over her chest, glaring intently at the IS. It was heavily similar to the White Knight and the IS she used years ago, Byakushiki. It was colored completely white with full body armor, even on the joins. It carried two long white cylinders at the back alongside a pair of thrusters. It also lacked the beast-like claws that most IS had, rather this one had human-shaped robotic hands, and it possessed a helmet with a pale visor.
"Still can't get into it?" Chifuyu asked, out of habit she began tapping her foot impatiently. "I'm surprised you haven't cracked into it yet."
"Well, this IS seems to be built with some sort of heavy encryption and a very complex algorithm. It would probably take me several months before I could find a way around all of that, but even then, I don't think I could get much information off of it." Maya said in defeat, reclining in her chair with a sigh before looking back at the IS. "Still, it looks so much like the White Knight and Byakushiki, yet still so different. Its very beautiful, though..."
Chifuyu smiled slightly before looking back. "So, what about the core? Do we have anything on that?" she asked curiously. Maya began typing again, and soon an image of the IS was shown on the screen with a sphere-shaped object on the right side of the monitor. Maya shifted the screen so Chifuyu could see it. Normally, an IS would have a black glowing core with a frame around it, however this one was completely different. It had a core, but it was glowing white without a frame, instead it had glowing blue roads, ones you would normally see on microchips and data disks, leading all around it and into the core.
"We have no idea what powers it, or what it's made of. What I can tell you that is has an unlimited power source, and an unusually powerful energy shield." Maya explained with her rare, ever serious look. "If it came head to head with a 3rd Generation IS with the state of the art equipment, it would be able to take some heavy damage from it, and it's shield would still be up around 90%!"
Chifuyu didn't show it, but she was surprised, and once again looked at the IS, which, according to what little data they could gather, was called "White Glint". Just where in the world could that boy have gotten an IS like this? Sighing, she shook her head before she spun around on her heel and made her way to the door.
Maya frowned as she lifted herself up from the chair and turned off the screen. "Are you going to go see the boy?" she asked with a look of worry splashed over her face. "Actually, how is he?"
"He has a few minor injuries, and his right eye looks like it's been through hell, but other than that, he's perfectly fine... At least he better be." Chifuyu said with a fierce expression as she and Maya exited the room and entered the hallway, leading into the academy. 'A second boy that is capable of flying an IS...' she thought, trying to think of all the possible variables and possibilities as to who the boy was or what country he belonged to. 'Just who exactly is he? And where on Earth did he get such an advanced IS?'
(IS Academy Infirmary)
The infirmary wasn't very excited, but neither was it bleak with the familiar white curtains and the open windows and the always-present "Get Well!" cards at the bedside table. However, currently, the infirmary was housing only a single occupant. Normally, it would be a faculty member, a man in charge of history lessons or the mechanics behind the IS, or a girl who screwed up in school either in the hallway or during practical training.
But this was neither the case. The occupant was a boy, and a very handsome looking one at that. He looked no older than 16, some bandages along his small frame which was covered in gray and white medical scrubs, but he was mostly wrapped around the head with his right eye covered. He had dark gray colored hair, almost the color of polished steel, which covered most of his bandaged right eye, and gently brushed against his shoulders.
A soft groan came from him, and later, his body began to stir. Slowly, his left eye opened, revealing soulful, yet calm red eyes with seemingly gleaming pink rings near the end of the iris and near the pupil. At first, he had no idea what to say when he woke up, nor did he think of anything other than 'Where am I?'
Unconsciously, his hand moved up from the bed sheets to touch the bandages, yet as soon as he did, the hand recoiled, as if afraid. "What's..." the young boy muttered as his hand got over the shock, and placed itself over his covered right eye. "...going on? Where..." he looked around, seeing only the door and the white flowing covers that hung on the metal racks. "...am I?"
That was when the door opened to reveal two people, both female. Instinct told him to not trust them, learn what their intentions were, and watch their moves carefully. It was clear that he remembered ways of how to tell enemy and ally apart. "So, you're finally awake, are you?" the fierce looking woman said as she leaned against the wall beside his place of residence while the gentle looking woman with the glasses sat down beside him with her hands on her laps. "Now, I won't beat around the bush. Where did you get that IS? How did you get here in the first place?"
"M-Miss Orimura..." the other woman said, sweat dropping at how serious she was and waved her hands at the boy. "I'm very sorry about that!" The boy tilted his head, confused as he slowly sat up with his left arm supporting him. "Oh, my name is Maya Yamada, and this is Miss Chifuyu Orimura."
"Answer the question already, young man, before you force me to beat it out of you." Chifuyu said almost immediately after Maya introduced themselves. Maya began to panic for the boy's safety, yet he looked down at his right hand, which lay unmoving on his lap.
It was then that they heard him mutter something. "I wanna know that, too..." Chifuyu frowned while Maya looked worried by the young man's attitude. He looked up at them with a pleading look, almost desperate. "Please, tell me... Who am I? What am I doing here? What is this place? Who are you people? And what's going on?"
Maya gasped, her hands over her mouth while her eyes were wide, while Chifuyu's scowl deepened, the grip around her elbows tightened. It was clear that he wasn't lying, what he was saying was the God's honest truth.
He didn't remember anything about himself, not even his own name. All anyone knew was that he was the second male pilot of an IS, one that was technologically more advanced than all the others.
And, though no one knew this, he was about to rock the world of the Infinite Stratos.
End of Phase 1
Girl 1: Hey, did you hear?
Girl 2: Hear what? About that cat that somehow managed to sneak into the classroom?
Girl 3: No, it was probably about that rumor that Miss Yamada has a crush on someone!
Girl 1: No, supposedly there's going to be two boys attending the academy!
Girl 2: No way, really?!
Girl 3: Oh, I hope they're both really cute!
All: Next time, on Infinite Stratos: For Answer!
Girl 2: Phase 2: Morality and Requiem!
Girl 3: Oh, this is going to be so exciting!
IS Technical Report:
IS Name: White Glint
Generation/Type: Armored Core Unit, X-Generation
Type: All Rounder
Known Pilot: Strayed, Anatolia's Mercenary (unnamed pilot, presumed to be male)
IS Color: White
Notable Features: Primal Armor, Assault Armor, and Phase Shift
IS Core: Kojima Reactor IS Core
Background Information: Upon being transported to another world through the use of the Infinite Stratos system, White Glint has taken on another form, though its appearance has hardly changed. It is the strongest IS currently, and is vastly superior, even to 3rd Generations such as Blue Tears. It has various weapons, including twin assault rifles, a laser blade, electro-mines, and other pieces of equipment. Because of its pure speed and power, it has been nicknamed by both Chifuyu and Laura as the "White Devil" (in reference to the nickname of the Gundams).
Weapons: Twin 500 round Assault Rifles, 20 round Sniper Rifle, Particle Accelerator Laser Blade, Electromagnetic-Field Mines, Kusanagi (added by Chifuyu)
Default Setting: While in the Default Setting, White Glint resembles Blue Tears only with a white color scheme, lacking the skirt armor, bits, and missile launchers at the hips. It has two large white cylinder-shaped objects on its back, which allow it to move at the same speed as the Byakushiki, alongside the thrusters placed beside it, and a white metal piece covers the jaw line.
First Shift: In its First Shift Phase, it takes on its original appearance, only it lacks the mechanical pieces where the joints are located, but other than that, it has an AC/IS appearance. It also automatically carries its twin assault rifles, with the laser blade located at the left shoulder.
Second Shift: Otherwise known to Strayed and Ichika as the "Phase Shift" stage. While in this state, the blue visor is shielded by metal plating, and small boosters are pushed up. With Primal Armor engaged, a strange green glow (Kojima Energy) covers White Glint's body, and any damage it sustains is drastically reduced, able to go head to head with even the Valkyrie system engaged. However, while the Assault Armor is engaged, green particles (Kojima Particles) flow out from the boosters, and in the next second, everything within 3 meters is torn to shreds, save any IS with 300 Shield Energy or higher remaining. Afterwards, White Glint's Shield Energy is drastically reduced, and Primal Armor cannot be used for 10 minutes.
Pilot Report:
Name: Strayed Yamada
Age: 16
Height: '5, 10" ft
Weight: Unknown
Hair Color: Dark Gray
Eye Color: Red
Gender: Male
Blood Type: AB+
Place of Birth: New York City, United States
Date of Birth: 2008, Ninth of April
Background info: Strayed Yamada is the blood relative of Maya Yamada, a former JP Representative, born in America where he studied abroad. His parents were almost always away at work, leaving him by himself on multiple occasions. At the age of fifteen, he graduated high school at the top of his class, and would have entered college if not for an accident, which had wiped out most of his memory. The details behind the accident are currently unknown, as is the circumstances behind how he came to acquire and pilot a personal IS. The details behind this IS, as well as the core itself, are unknown, but according to the information from the IS's database, it is powered by a Kojima Reactor IS Core, which supplies it with an infinite supply of power.