Zeke's POV

When I opened my eyes, {Light}, wasn't {Light}. Instead of a bodysuit look, it had stripped the helmet, most of the leg armor and the stomach armor off and had grown wings. Instead of the small, blocky, ugly wings usually found on most IS, these were large, thin, streamlined wings. They were similar to the {Silvario's Second Shift's} wings, but solid. Instead of black or green, the colors that greeted me were fire orange and dark blue. Both similar to Charlotte's {Revive} and Ichika's {Byakushiki}.

"Keiko." I mumbled, looking around before catching sight of a white glint and I made my way towards it. I found Gospel's distinctive white angel form. And safely inside, my daughter. Keiko. I grabbed her in my arms and gained some altitude before catching sight of the gang and, "Char." I whispered, noticing Rin and Laura talking in the group. Char was on the ground, apparently distraught.

"Never let the enemy see you at your weakest."The words passed through my head.

"Stand up, Charlotte." I called, starting to return to the ground. She almost looked at me, but shook her head. I frowned.

"Stand up, Charlotte." I called again. She shook her head again. Already in denial. I thought as I landed and started walking towards the gang.

"Stand up, Charlotte. Don't bow to these glorified cowards. You're better than that." I called, subconsciously gesturing to our attackers. Laura placed herself between Char and me, lowering her {Railgun} at me.

"Who are you? What is your purpose?" She called. I saw Rin spin her scimitars. Houki and Ichika didn't seem sure what to do. I stopped when Laura's questions reached me.

"Who am I? I'm not sure anymore. My purpose, that's a good question. I'll have to talk to Tabane later about that." I replied, starting towards the gang again. As I stepped out of the dust and dirt cloud, I answered.

"All I know is, I'm seriously pissed off." I grinned, walking past Laura and kneeling before Charlotte. I set Keiko between us and went to set a hand on her shoulder, but stopped myself before I did and I stood again and looked up at the still Task members above us.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready for some payback. Who's with me?" I asked, spreading my wings to their full size and summoning two weapons to my hands.

"How? How did you survive that?" The leader stuttered. I shrugged.

"Not as hard as it looks. Especially considering I'd just activated {First Shift} as your attacks landed. It saved me from the damage and allowed me to boost my synchronization with my IS. Everyone, I'd like you to meet {Phoenix}." I said, flaring my new wings before thrusting them downwards and taking to the air.

"After him! Don't let him escape!" The leader yelled, motioning to a group of her soldiers. The squad leader nodded before they took off. I rushed straight up, stopping just under the cloud cover. "Everyone else, Finish off the others!"

I looked down and watched the squad of Task members climbed to meet me. I also watched the rest of the units rush my friends who had formed a protective circle around Charlotte and Keiko. I flicked my wrist and summoned a revolver style pistol. I reached behind me and grabbed a sword from my back, swinging it in front of me before pointing my revolver downwards.

"Anyone that wants to back down now can disappear now. This is a one-time offer." I said over an open channel. A few IS faltered in their climb, but none left.

"So be it." I answered, returning my revolver and taking the sword in both hands before rushing towards the squad headed my way with a battle cry.

Back on the ground...

Zeke's battle cry reached the ears of our severely outnumbered friends protecting Charlotte and Keiko. They looked up, seeing Zeke clash with the first of his opponents and send them racing towards the ground, unconscious. As said IS crashed on the ground, they looked back to their opponents and rushed into battle with cries of their own. Laura claimed the first casualty with a shot from her {Railgun}. The massive slug impacted a lightweight Spanish 4th gen and sent said IS through their compatriots. The unorthodox projectile created an opening for Rin to push through the enemy ranks and she began attacking in the center of the enemy ranks. Houki was quickly covering her back with {Akatsubaki's} special attack. Hundreds of red lasers pushed their attackers back, before being followed by {Karaware's} special wave attack. It sent several IS into standby, but their forms were quickly blocked from view and they were dragged by comrades to safety. Ichika used {Setsura's} {Particle Cannon} to pick off any IS foolish enough to gain altitude while swinging {Yukihira} in its standby form to block whatever attacks came his way. And yet, they were slowly being overwhelmed.

"I'm getting low on energy!" Ichika said, firing at another IS. It soon fell to the ground, knocking over a couple more IS.

"Retreat to Laura. I'll be right there." Houki replied, jumping over a horizontal slash from a Japanese 4th gen. While similar to {Akatsubaki}, it didn't have the firepower that Houki's IS boasted, or its energy restoring One-Off Ability, {Kenran Buto.} Rin activated her {Ryuhou} shock cannons and covered her rear as Houki disengaged and flew to her husband. Laura's {Railgun} continued to pound any IS it set its sights on while Laura used her {Beam Sabers} and held off her CQC attackers before blasting them away with her {Railgun}. Charlotte was still in shock and hadn't moved this entire ordeal. Keiko, was just waking up.

Keiko's POV...

"Ow. Did someone get the number on the train that hit me?" I asked sarcastically, gripping my head in my hands before I was deafened by cannon fire. My ears rang and I covered my ears, eyes wide as I looked upon the battlefield before me. CLANG! CHA-CHING, BOOM! The cannon fired again as I watched two shells the size of my head bounce off of the arena floor. I looked up to see a silver-haired woman in a Black quadruped IS with a massive cannon on her shoulder held another IS at bay before firing point blank into the IS's face with their cannon. I clenched my hands tighter around my ears as the deafening sound washed over me. CLANG! CHA-CHING. Another shell fell near me and bounced off the floor, joining its companions in the pile of other spent shells.

"Come on! Is that the best you can do?!" The woman's yelling startled me and I looked up as she entered another bind with two IS simultaneously. The cannon lined up on one of the IS and fired. BOOM! Her freed sword crashed into the other IS and the IS backed off. CLANG! CHA-CHING.

"Hey Keiko! Over here!" I heard someone call and I looked behind me to see Houki and Ichika behind me along with mom.

"Houki! Ichika! What's going on?" I asked, walking over. I looked down and noticed that {Gospel} was still covering me.

"Phantom Task attacked the Academy. We were about to be taken when your dad attacked them and ended up going into {First Shift} with his IS. He's up there right now handling some of the other Task members. We've been down here protecting you and your mother." Ichika explained, glowing slightly gold. Houki was as well.

"What are you two doing?" I asked, curious.

"I'm using one of my IS's abilities to recharge Ichika's IS." Houki explained. I nodded before my body moved and blocked a sword swing from an IS and the wings blew away the attacker. I froze in my position before {Gospel's} avatar popped up in my vision.

"While I'd prefer you to be safe somewhere, they need us out here. Can you do it?"She asked me. I looked at her before straightening my posture and the 'angel' wings unfurled from my back. While still primarily white, {Gospel} had been adjusting to my preferences slowly but surely. That included taste in color. Her wings were striped through the feathers with blue. They looked like veins in bird wings. The wings were the same my dad had from when he piloted {Gospel,} but instead of metal. They were energy wings. Her body armor was similarly colored, white with blue stripes running throughout. I looked up at my dad, orange and blue IS blazing in the darkening sky as he fended off attack after attack. I watched as he sent another pilot plummeting from the aerial battle. I looked back to {Gospel's} avatar to see her smiling.

"What?" I asked, smiling as well.

"Let's show 'em what happens when they mess with our home."She answered. We both nodded before taking to the skies with an explosive thruster burst.

"{Gospel} to all Academy personnel. Clear the area, I'm rolling out the red carpet." I said, grinning. I heard cheers in reply before an IS burst through the enemy ranks and slid to a stop next to the black IS and held the enemy IS back from our allies.

"Shall we?"{Gospel} asked, grinning. I grinned back before thrusting my right hand out and jumping a little higher before unleashing hell. The arena was again shrouded in dust and smoke. I landed next to Ichika and Houki again, looking towards where the enemy had been. The dust cleared and I watched as most of the enemy IS were beginning to stand back up. Basically a quarter had been wiped out in my barrage. I raised my fists, ready to fend off all comers when we heard another IS fly over.

"Not bad for a beginner, Keiko. Let me show ya how it's done."Zeke said as he circled around, wings seemingly glowing brighter as he lined up with the remaining enemy IS.

"I'd get behind something if I were you."Zeke radioed as he sent his own barrage to compliment mine. Ichika and the silver-haired girl ushered the rest of us behind them before deploying shields or focusing on any stray fire headed our way. {Gospel's} wings wrapped around me as an added layer of protection as the barrage hit. The first thing I heard when the sound died down was,

"Keiko?" Charlotte said, seeming unsure. I unwrapped my wings and looked at my mom.

"Yeah?" I asked. She went to say something, but dad landed behind me and we all stopped and looked at him. {Phoenix} returned to its standby form and he walked between Laura and Ichika, saying;

"Ichika, Houki and Rin. Go check our friends. Laura, make sure everyone inside is alright." He said. Everyone nodded before moving to do their tasks.

"Keiko. Nice job out there." He said, smiling at me as he directed me towards Charlotte.

"Thanks dad!" I replied, hugging him from the side. {Gospel} had released me and was standing guard behind us.

Zeke's POV...

I walked towards Charlotte, Keiko in tow. She looked at me as if she'd seen a ghost. Guess I'll need to stop dying so much. I thought. I kneeled down in front of Char and she reached out a hand, hesitating before touching my face. Her other hand joined her first and she pulled me in and kissed me. I wrapped her in my arms and hugged her, returning the kiss. She pulled away and I looked down at her, not seeing the hand before my head was forcefully turned to the right. And my cheek stung.

"You ass! You had me worried sick! What were you thinking chancing a {First Shift} like that?! Ichika did it, yes! But he got lucky as well!" She yelled, tears streaming down her face. I turned my head back to her, looking back at her with tears of my own.

"I had no other choice. If I'd had another choice, I'd have taken it. I'm not going to even try to justify what I did. I barely knew what I was doing before I started talking to you. I never knew it would affect you like this though. I'm sorry." I apologized, looking down at my feet at the end of my speech.

"You idiot." Charlotte muttered, hugging me. I sat down and pulled her onto my lap. Keiko sat next to us and we pulled her into the hug.

"All personnel in the building are alright. A little shaken with some minor injuries, but nothing severe."Laura reported.

"All threats disabled. We're safe for now."Rin chimed in.

"I'm not getting any energy readings here."Houki added.

"I've got one over here. And she's willing to talk."Ichika said.

"Everyone meet up with Ichika. We'll be right there." I replied. The three of us stood and Keiko stepped back into {Gospel} while Char and I summoned our IS.

"{Second Shift} Available. Would you like to begin activation?"I heard as Charlotte looked at her HUD in shock.

"Well, what do you know?" I teased. She just kept looking at the notification.

"We'll deal with that in a bit, come on. Ichika found a live one. And she's ready to sing." I said, patting Char's shoulder and the three of us made our way towards Ichika. The first thing Charlotte and I ended up saying when we caught sight of our captive was,

"Cecilia?!"