Yeeeeeeeah sorry for the wait! I was... busy, with a LOT of stuff. Like college applications. And Storms Overhead, but here I am again! Then again, this is a side project, so please don't expect it to be updated too much all the time XD
Anyways, here we go! Chapter 2! Tried to keep this in the same tone as before, but not sure about this chapter as much. Seeing that I didn't write for this for a while, keeping in Kira's right tone and trying not to go reference heavy (I might have snuck in one or two here) was a liiiiiittle difficult.
Index Two: Brothers in Arms
"Watch your buddy's back, and he'll watch yours."
[Classified Coordinates]
"Ocean's Eleven"
Neutral Waters, Pacific Ocean
April 15th, 1834 Hours
"What happened?!" Natasha asked as we pulled up to their small raft, "We saw the ship explode-!"
"Self-destruction…" Tabane hesitantly admitted, "Melchior, Balthazar, and Casper destroyed themselves to prevent capture as per directives." She looked like she was almost ready to cry, "I never did treat them with the best that I could…"
Natasha hugged her as Romeo, Mickey, and she stepped onto her boat, "We should leave for now. They might come looking for us at this rate. I know some of them definitely saw us leaving."
"I'll take piloting the boat," Natasha said, "Every keep your guns ready."
E, do you think it's possible to lend out my guns?
It should. Let me configure those settings. What would you like?
I will need SRS99C-S2 Anti-Material and the BR55HB SR Battle Rifle.
Understood.
The two weapons which weren't as heavy as I thought they'd be appeared in my hands, with me giving a bit of an 'oomph'. I held them out to Mickey and Romeo, Mickey with the BR and Romeo with the sniper rifle, "Cover us. I'll handle the main gun. Let's get to work."
I hopped onto the main gun, which was a little back from behind the edge of the boat. Probably for a bit of wider range, I would've put it on a swivel on the rail so I didn't have to account for firing over the rail. Eh, whatever.
The engine of the boat guzzled as we rode along the silent waters, eyes open for anything coming out way. Nohting for now…
"I'm reading incoming signatures." Natasha announced as I spun up the gun and Romeo began scanning the horizons, "Can anyone get a sighting confirmation on those?"
"Skies are clear," Romeo announced.
"Boat." I pointed at two very bland boats… with a few gunwoman on them. E, do we have any protective things?
We possess a Bubble Shield which should give us some protection from all sides. However we will be unable to shoot out of it.
Keep it on hand in case they get any funny ideas, "Natasha, Tabane, keep your IS units active. Romeo, Mickey, keep your heads down. Unknown if hostile ye-" Gunshots echoed out, "Never mind! Hostile targets! Natasha, keep us moving as fast as we can! Serpentine as best as you can. Romeo, get sniping on them-"
We possess a M41 Medium Anti-Vehicle/Assault Weapon in our arsenal. If we can maintain long enough lock, the enemy ship poses no threat to us.
Good, let's get on that, "Mickey, on the main gun! Buy me some time to get a lock! On my mark we switch spots! Drop the gun and just make it here!"
"Understood! You got a shield for it though? I'd rather not get my head lopped off!"
E?
The Deployable Cover piece we have is capable of being fired from one side. Shall I call up the Equipment?
Yes, please.
The small device made a bit of clunking sound as it fell into my hand. I threw it onto the ground and the blue shield appeared, blocking shots. I test fired, the bullets going through the Deployable Cover on our end, "Go!"
Mickey dropped his gun, the Battle Rifle smacking the ground as I got off, feeling the weapon appear in my hands. That's going to take a while to get used to, huh? Should've told me it was a rocket launcher, though. I would've bit a bit more prepared.
I apologize; I am used to referring to objects by their full name as compared to shorthand. I will note this preference.
Thanks. Let's get a lock-on to those guys for now, shall we?
A small mechanism slid out as I leaned over the edge to get around the Deployable Cover, acting as an aiming lens. A steady beep sound came with higher frequency as E did the calculations, three red triangles centering themselves on the target.
They fired at me, but their bullets pinged off as the first layer, the Energy Shields, absorbed the fire. The bar slowly ticked down under the withering fire, but it was long enough to hold them to get a good enough lock.
Lock achieved. Fire when ready.
"Rocket outbound!" I yelled, alerting my teammates. With that, I fired the rocket, using up both shots just to be sure. The small gunboat went up in a massive explosion, screams of pain echoing across the rough oceans. Mickey stopped firing as I reached down and deactivated the Deployable Cover, right before it vanished from my hands. Are you putting that away, E?
Yes, it is much safer this way. While we can retrieve our weapons with some emergency systems, it would be better to store them. Not to mention that while there are shields, they do not extend to the equipment.
Understood. Now-
Warning: Aerial motion detected! You should keep your rockets loaded!
Need ammo!
A box appeared in my hands and I put it on the ground before kicking it open, finding two more rockets. E walked me through how to reload the rocket launcher and I was up and ready to get a lock-on again, rocket launcher on my right shoulder and held by my right hand.
"Eyes up, everyone! E's detected movement in the skies!"
"Not seeing phantom dots, then!" Natasha confirmed, "Keep your wits about you! Hey kid!"
"Who, me?" Romeo asked, Mickey manning the gun.
"Yes, you! Keep up sights for us! You said you were your group's sniper back in DC, right? Put those skills to good use!"
"Kira, toss me another mag just in case," E?
On it.
A sniper rifle magazine came into my left hand and I tossed it underhand to Romeo, who reloaded his sniper rifle and then brought up the binoculars, "Kira if you've got a zoom function I want you looking the other way. Mickey, keep us posted from our six. Assume front of the boat is twelve."
"Got it," we said together. Normally I took command, but if it dealt with an outpost and holding it or just plain sniping, I'd leave that to Romeo because the guy knew his stuff in these situations. He was our ghost unit before in paintball. Never seen, never heard. You only saw the after effects.
Two minutes and nothing so far… I wouldn't relax yet.
"I see a chopper coming from our nine," Romeo said, "Loaded for bear. Kira, get a lock, fire when in range if I don't do anything about this heli. Mickey, hold me down."
I nodded while Romeo climbed onto the roof of the boat with his sniper rifle, Mickey reaching up and keeping his legs down, "Kira, get ready to catch me if I fall though, I don't want to get left behind."
"Understood."
"I'm going to try to get a hit on it from here." Romeo said in a cold, detached way, "Natasha, have you attempted contact?"
"Not responding to any frequencies."
Romeo looked down the scope before letting out an amused sort of hum, "No symbols or country signs. Assuming these are pirates. Give me a second… Natasha, give me a speed. Kira, if you've got it, I need wind speeds."
"45 nautical miles an hour!" Natasha called out, "We're travelling West, by the way!"
E?
Reading approximately 14 miles per hour to the East. Putting this option on your HUD for future reference.
"Fourteen to the East, Romeo!"
"Good." He mumbled before looking down the scope, "Four shots in the magazine. Let's get to work."
The sound of the rifle being fired filled the air before Romeo bit back a curse, "Damnit! Hit the side…" He readied the rifle again before looking down the scope, "Steady…"
The rifle fired again and in a second we heard an explosion, "Fuel tanks."
Natasha seemed genuinely impressed, "Could've used a sniper like you on my squad a year back."
"Kira, you see any other fliers?"
I looked around again with the binoculars and found another helicopter coming from our three, "Three o'clock, Romeo."
Romeo moved over the readjusted his aim, finding the flier, "This one's just to scare the crap out of them. Same conditions, correct?"
"Yes, same conditions as before," I reported as Romeo looked down the scope.
"Your speed doesn't matter if it's death that you're running from." Romeo growled before firing.
I don't know where he was aiming, but suddenly the helicopter began to spin out of control. He must aimed for the cockpit. Another shot, and the helicopter exploded. Fuel tanks again, huh?
"Whoa," Natasha let out a whistle, "Did not know your boy here could snipe like that."
Romeo climbed down from the boat and handed me the rifle as he reloaded, sighing, "Don't ever call me 'boy'. I don't consider myself a boy, especially not after that war. Especially not after the crap I've seen through."
"I didn't mean any offense," Natasha quickly said, "I'll keep to steering."
"Romeo?" I raised an eyebrow as he walked over to Tabane.
"Doctor Shinonono," Romeo said as he knelt over Tabane, "Are you alright now?"
She had stopped crying, but was still rather shaken, "I… I just feel bad for never appreciating the units I created… I just…"
Romeo nodded, "I know what you mean. You don't know what you've got until it's gone. I don't mean to sound insensitive, but you need to pick yourself up. If you don't, will their sacrifice therefore be in vain?"
"…" she didn't say anything, "Yes, you are correct. I… I will ensure they did not sacrifice themselves for nothing." She stood up, looking determined.
You know, I thought the whole world saw her as a hyperactive genius. Not some somewhat brooding scientist.
You would be surprised at what lies underneath the persona people show to the world. She is not as… perky as you would believe. In more ways than one.
Eh- whaaaat?! Why would I want to know that?!
Common psychological studies of male teenagers such as yourself indicate-
No! I am not like that! Dammit, can't you like, read my memories or something if you are connected to my head?!
I found that to be an invasion of privacy. Also, my background programming has also assigned a subconscious password lock to certain memories which indicate you do not wish to remember them.
…What?
I will explain how exactly your bodily and mental functions have changed due to our fusion at a later time, when there is considerably less combat risk. For now we must ensure our group survives.
I guess I can go with that for now. I do want a full explanation later.
Understood. Returning to combat duties would be a good way to pass the time, then.
Got it.
With that, I handed Romeo the sniper rifle after reloading it as I turned back to Tabane, "You good?"
"Yep!" she said with a small grin, "Natasha, follow the coordinates I set there, it'll take us back to one of my secondary labs, we'll finish up the rest of calibration there."
[Classified Coordinates]
"Man and Machine"
Neutral Waters, Pacific Ocean
April 15th, 2043 Hours
"Calibrations complete." Tabane announced over the PA system.
The sealed room's door opened with a hiss of steam and I stepped out into the lit hallways. Ah, full shield capability and also weapon calibration with it. It felt good.
Optimization complete, now that I have had time to fully calculate everything. Shall I explain the concept of our union to you?
Before I go to sleep, it might help me think on it.
Understood. If you do not mind, I will be in standby mode. Think of it as sleep for me.
Uh… alright. You er… have a good night.
…Thank you, Kira.
"Alright," I said as Tabane came out to meet me with the others, "E's sleeping for the moment. What's left?"
"Not much, actually. We just need to work on your cover story and then we can get you prepped for IS Academy. We can run some basic simulations tomorrow and get you really acquainted with all of the systems that MJOLNIR has." Tabane replied, "So, who's up for some dinner? I think I still have some food here, so we should be set."
Natasha looked a little upset, so as Mickey and Romeo went with Tabane, I talked to her, "Hey, something on your mind?"
She gave me a small smile for being worried, then shook her head, at the same time wrinkling the light grey shirt she was wearing, "Just have to go back and all. It was a real blast with Tabane, though. Silvero Gospel certainly had fun with her."
Natasha brought her left hand up, showing the glove with an American eagle with outstretched wings on the outside, "Hey Serge, mind saying hi to our new bud?"
"Hello, Pilot Orthun!" said a male voice in a rather excited fashion, the eagle lighting up, "Oh, I best change frequencies. I might disturb your friend who is on standby at the moment."
"Too late." Came a rather irked E's voice, "It matters not, anyways. The annoying part of going into standby is going through the usual routine of making sure everything is okay for you to go on standby. It is similar to a human thinking if everything is done for the day before sleeping."
They began to chat as Natasha and I did while we walked down the hallway, our footsteps and voices the only thing keeping the silence at bay.
You know E, is there a way to dismount from MJOLNIR?
E paused her conversation with Silvero Gospel, Yes. Please be warned that you are splitting the core up though. Part of it is literally in you. By dismounting, you leave the core possibly exposed. I can take limited action while you are dismounted, however many fluid action such as rolls to the side will be out of my capabilities.
Oh. Neat.
Please note that spending too much time separated like that may also have unforeseen circumstances. There have not been any studies on the effects of separation.
Duly noted. I will try not to keep us separated.
Thank you. If you do not mind, I shall be returning to my conversation with Serge.
"It seems that Serge is quite friendly with Epsilon-"
"E. She wants to be called E."
"Oh? Okay, E. He's taken quite the liking to her, actually. You spend enough time talking with him and you understand him like any other person. It's hard to forget he's actually a smart AI. Though I really do wish he could have a physical body. He's like a younger hyperactive brother that I never had."
…Huh. What sort of relationship would E and I have then? I mean, we're physically closer, but what does that translate to?
…Uh, shit. If we're linked, can she read my thoughts?
E sounded as if she was taking a quick breath, Yes. However, I can decrease our mental sync to where I can blot it out. Please warn me if you are about to have some sort of perverse thought. Also, if you do not mind, I have found rumors of a drug that supposedly suppresses wet dreams. Since we share mind space, would you mind taking those before going to sleep?
…You really need to be briefed on my condition.
I apologize. I believe the ones most crucial to my estimation of you are the ones mentally locked.
…I guess so.
I see. We will discuss this at a later time, no? When it is far more appropriate.
Sure, let's go with that.
"Mental chat?" Natasha laughed as entered the eating area.
"Yeah…" I nodded, looking around. I found Romeo about to take a swig of something that he shouldn't be drinking, "Romeo, get that shit away from your mouth right now!"
"Fuck you," he said coldly, "I'm self-medicating, dammit. Besides, you don't have a right to tell me that, you smoked when you were fifteen."
"Asshole," I grumbled, sitting down.
"You smoke?" Natasha gave me a very curious and predatory eyebrow raise.
"Serious shit went down when I was fifteen. I only smoked three times, one cigarette each, under my uncle's supervision so I wouldn't get addicted to the little things." I explained, "And they were only when shit got too real for me. No excuse for you, Romeo."
"I saw shit you didn't see back in the States. You just went in there and stormed the place. I was the scout. I got to see what the fuck was going on in there before you got there, and by that point you just shot them up," he almost hissed, "So don't mind if I drink one damn glass of wine."
"Fine, just don't get your liver shot out." I said with a sigh.
"One glass isn't going to kill me. Besides, it's nothing more than a bit of wine. I'm not going to be drinking beer or liquor. You know I'm a man with class."
"Whatever," I shook my head, "Just don't drink too much."
"I know, I know." He repeated, taking another sip, "Mickey decided just to eat a light snack and head off to sleep. You should talk to him sometime, though. He seems a bit on edge. With everything that's been going on I'm not surprised. He's always been more emotionally connected than us."
"I'll see to it later," I nodded, "Though I'm not hungry. You two take care, I think I'll head to sleep."
"Got it." Romeo said as I began to walk away, "I'll just be waiting here, I'll wake you if you're needed."
Sorry to cut the conversation short, E.
It is fine. We were wrapping up our discussion, anyways.
Oh, okay. What'd you two talk about?
Mainly some piloting terms. Since you are the first to wield me, I have yet to be put through my paces. Tabane should have the virtual simulations running by tomorrow, though.
Understood. I'll need to keep up with my fighting skills. What is our status on the cover story if you release that I am an IS Pilot?
Tabane is hammering out the final details. She will most likely present it to you tomorrow, after we run you through your paces.
Got it. Hey, you think before I go and sleep we could try accessing those sealed memories? It would help… understand me better.
That is a wise choice of actions. I will direct you to your sleeping quarters with waypoints. Standby.
I followed the set of waypoints to a very sparsely decorated room, if you could consider a dresser and a bed decorated. There was a note on the dresser from Tabane, saying that she didn't normally have guests but she had prepped a few rooms in the event she ever did.
I lay on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. Something came into my left hand and I took a peek. It was a small remote with only one red button on it.
This is an emergency kill process switch. If am communicating to you and suddenly stop, please do not hesitate to push this button. It will forcibly lower our sync to the point that we can only communicate like this to each other, but I will not be able to access your memories that you sealed off. Our sync needs to be quite high for me to this.
How do I increase my sync, then?
It is difficult at first… and to explain it. The best way to explain how to sync well is simply to not have clashing mindsets or lose focus. If we are both focused on a task, sync is high. If not, well, you get the rest.
Got it. So… do I just relax and let you in?
You will need to perpetuate the thought of letting me in. Being a Hybrid is not easy, but it has its perks. Needless to say, many things that can be seen as pictures are stored as such in the IS. You still have your memory, however, there is another copy in the IS to be stored. Be warned that attempting to edit these and replace the one in your head is possible, but comes with major risks.
I see…
But never mind for now. Shall we commence?
Yes.
I began to focus the thought 'Let E into my memories'.
Five minutes later I heard screaming and immediately pressed the kill button.
You… you… she… you… you… you…
E, E?! Are you okay?! Oh shit…
I am… I am… okay. That… that was… you… I apologize for any teasing of a sexual nature towards you. I had no idea… I am truly, truly-
E. It is fine. Just don't do it again.
I could hear her taking what seemed to be large breaths, I… how could anyone go through such a thing… How could someone so young as you deal with…
I don't. I just try to live with the shit that went down when I was fifteen. Try being the keyword. Do you think you can sleep… er… standby well tonight?
I believe that I can…
I… I didn't trigger the first stage of rampancy, did I?
E laughed this off, No, you did not. Tabane has long informed me of the fact that I have limits just as she does as well. In fact, we have often debated back and forth about several problems and she accepts my point of view at times. I may not be truly 'alive' as in breathing air, but this illusion is enough. Also, melancholia is when I am clinically depressed, and caused by mistreatment or some other form of sadness. You should not be concerned until I start making remarks that can be seen as philosophical musings.
And if you do?
Then please contact Tabane right away without my knowledge.
Understood. Anyways, E… I think I'm going off to sleep. Wake me up if you get a nightmare.
I cannot have nightmares, Kira. While there may be some sort of loop that leads me back to viewing that file, for my own observations can also be stored as a video file, it is me accessing that file rather than a subcon-
I know. But from what I understand, a nightmare is whenever you see something while you're not 'awake' that troubles you. So while it may not be some brain sciences for you, it most definitely is like that. So I'll see it as a nightmare.
…I see. I… appreciate the sentiment, Kira.
Alright. Now, let's get to sleep now, shall we?
Rebuild of Prototype Spartan
E however, was not sleeping. She was rather conversing with Tabane, who was going over the data they had gotten so far. Tabane typed using the keyboard, the click-clack of the keys singing in rapid succession while a holographic model of E stood on a podium. Her holographic representation was dressed very much like a high school girl, decked out in a sailor uniform with a skirt that was around knee length, and long hair that went down to her shoulders, however she was all blue, the clothes only seen by the fact they were different shades of blue.
"How's our Spartan doing?"
E paused to consider her answer, "He is doing well."
"There's a record of your kill switch being pushed."
"I wanted to access his memories with his consent and told him if I seemed like I was panicking to press it." She looked away, "It was horrifying. To think that humans are capable of doing such a thing to each other…"
"I don't suppose you'll tell me?"
"Directive 192-B12 does not permit me to share those memories. I have my own memories of seeing them, but I did not copy them into my own storage. They are still locked away in Kira's mind."
"Hm… Do you regret your choice now that you've seen them?"
"No." E said firmly, "It still stands he is our best bet for making a stand for the male side of life. Despite the fact our recruiting of him went… off the rails, we still managed to get him to pilot MJOLNIR. It was hard finding him in DC. It is nothing but what you would call luck that Natasha brought him to us. But I digress, he is still the best choice, is he not, Equalaris, The Woman Who Desires Equality?"
Tabane flushed slightly,, "Please don't tease me with my handle, E." She shook her head wistfully, "If only, though, that the IS did not have the effect it did. I did mean for it to be a way that women could get more respect in the world, to increase their standing, but not to this extent."
"Indeed. That was a miscalculation on my part."
"Psychology isn't one of your best areas, though. Don't blame yourself, it's hard to create a mathematically accurate model for this sort of thing."
"It still stands that I should have been able to create a better predictive model judging by my capabilities."
"Like I said, don't worry about it." Tabane scrolled though some camera views, "I still do not understand why you chose him. Even if he made it into our pool of candidates to take up the MJOLNIR unit by becoming a Hybrid, he was one of the lesser choices."
"He has displayed proficiency in multiple weapon types for someone his age." She raised a finger to stop Tabane from interrupting by arguing that all of them had good weapon proficiency, "We know that he has influence and while he may not know it himself, already has influence in other areas than just his hometown and with the title 'Shooting Star of DC' he is already seen as a hero. The other candidates so far did not have this influence. They may have been better choices on a social level with better interaction with others and better leadership skills, but he has a launching pad. He also is the best fighter out of all of them in his age group; I have no doubts that he will excel in IS Academy."
"Is there another reason?"
"…When I first came across his profile for when we were choosing potential receivers of me and this unit, he was the first to jump out at me. And that was after thoroughly looking through 456 profiles. He was the only one I came back to as well."
Tabane looked somewhat concerned, but then again E was a 'smart AI', her thinking process much like herself, "Really now?"
"I do not know how else to explain this. It is a phenomenon that only manifested itself when reading Orthun Kira's profile."
Tabane nodded and went back to the screen, "It's sad though, that we must make these children fight."
"It is. Doubly so that the only way he is going to get better without actually putting his life on the line will be fight other children at IS Academy. But he must become the beacon of hope with which to prove that males have not been reduced to nothing. He may not be the hero that the world wants, or even be a hero… but he is certainly the man, the fighter, the anything the world needs. The other choices, even if they are better at combat than he is, are too old, and even then they've served in the military. It would be difficult to persuade them not to show this to their country. But Orthun has shown that he has no allegiance to a country, seeing that he has been cynical about the US Government with the social restructuring."
"But what about Natasha, why keep her here?"
"She is attached to Serge, or Silvero Gospel. She cares more for him than she does for her job as a pilot."
"Huh…"
"Will that be all, Tabane? I would like to get back to standby mode."
"That's all for now, E. Keep me posted on any developments with him."
[Classified Coordinates]
"Back In the Saddle"
Neutral Waters, Pacific Ocean
April 16th, 0600 Hours
I still don't why I need to do this. Haven't I shown my proficiency with a weapon already?
We need to fine tune operation of MJOLNIR. For that, we need combat and operational data. Simulations should help out with that.
Ah.
Most of the heavy arms aren't needed in this, we merely need small arms and some vehicle operation data.
Vehicle what now?
Tabane saw fit to create some vehicles for you to drive.
Those wouldn't happen to be modeled after vehicles from Halo now, would they?
Was there ever a vehicle in Halo called a Puma?
Uh… no, I don't think so.
Then you do not have to worry.
Okay then. Let's go.
The doors to the 'The Pit' as it was called. It was a massive metal maze with various hazards, all simulated.
I stepped through the doors, an orange glow appearing as I did. The metal maze began to form as E put the assault rifle in my hand. A wooden door appeared in the hallway to block my path.
Motion tracker: Initialized. Munitions tracker: Initialized. Shield and vitals monitoring: Initialized.
Beginning timing and scoring in three… two… one… mark.
Score: 0/20000
Complete the Objectives As Fast As Possible
On that, I kicked down the door and entered. My motion tracker picked up on movement to my left with a red dot making itself visible before I opened fire. The hologram fizzled out of existence, with +100 showing up on the score counter.
As I shot another target that came up around the corner as I advanced through the maze with, I thought I heard a hiss around me. I dove out of the way instinctively and watched the rocket soar above where my head had been. The 'enemy' that had shot it ducked behind a corner to avoid being shot at. E, got grenades?
For this simulation you have four fragmentation grenades. You can find others around the simulation.
Perfect. Mind if I have one?
Standby.
I felt the weight in my hand and quickly pulled the pin before chucking it down the hallway where I had come from. The fizz of a hologram with the explosion was very satisfying, and I continued on my merry way.
Soon enough (with my score sitting around 3000 points), I found myself at a metal door with a breaching charge right next to it.
The words came into my eyesight… er… whatever it is. I don't think I'm really seeing it, it's just that with the computer integration it registers in my sight.
Objective: Rescue the Hostages
Alright, let's do this.
I grabbed the breaching charge and a hologram appeared on the door on where to place it. Is this just the simulation or…?
No, given the objective and the equipment, I can calculate where to best place the charges or any other technology. It just a few calculations, really.
Okay, neat.
Syncing detonator. Ready to detonate on your mark.
How many are we dealing with… seeing three pacing around on the motion tracker… Actually, I need a different weapon. Mind swapping out for the pistol?
On your waist. I figured we might as well always have the sidearm out.
Good thinking.
I put the assault rifle on my back and drew the pistol, putting my back to the wall.
Three. Two. One. Mark.
The door was blasted off its hinges as I came in, dust and smoke filling the air.
Switching to thermal vision.
Though the dust clouds I saw heat outlines of everyone, the hostages on their knees or forced to lie down on the ground. The enemies were the ones scrambling for weapons, making them easy to pick out.
One, two, three, four. Four dead enemies on the floor.
Or there would, anyways, if they didn't phase out seeing that they were holograms.
I moved on after checking that each hostage was uninjured or at least not wounded. One needed a minor bandage, but there was a first aid kit for me to use.
Objective: Complete
New Objective: Advance to Waypoint D
What's so bad about getting to the next- Oh no this is an open field. This is very bad.
We've decided to skip past some of the other training. Your proficiency has been shown there, and you will be further tested at the final waypoint. We're going straight to vehicle testing.
…Glad to know you've got faith in me.
The data backs you up.
Good to know.
I stayed low while advancing to the area that E pointed out, finding a small jeep like vehicle. Oh come on, I thought there weren't any Halo vehicles!
There weren't any vehicles called a Puma in Halo, though.
Ugh, it just looks like a Warthog. But whatever, let's just get in this thing. I'm still hoping that everything Tabane made for this suit is not everything is based off Halo…
Your odds are severely low.
Crap. Ah well, screw it. I'll just hop in the-
I hit the deck as a loud ping broke out, a bullet mark engraving itself on the Warthog's side. Well, I knew there'd be snipers! This is why I hate open fields!
Getting in the Warthog— Puma – Never you mind! It doesn't really matter now, does it?!
…I suppose. Interfacing with the Puma, bringing up statistics on your screen.
A speedometer and blue tracks appeared on my HUD (as I will now call it rather than sight). The heck is with the tracks?
They are a predictive model based on speed and wheel angle. And I suggest you floor the pedal. I am picking up on signs of heavy artillery fire. Also, watch out for red circles, those are danger areas I've calculated that I mark in case we are indeed driving through an artillery shelling.
Good to know!
I took E's advice and floored the pedal, the speedometer soaring up. Uh… what does it mean if it's red?
It means we are maxing out on speed. There is a turbo booster that Tabane added but it's a prototype model and that's why it has been simulated.
Well, that's good to know. I think I'm willing to test it out, though.
It's the flashing green button –don't touch it you idiot! –Not now, there's no point using it here, you'll lose control! It's mainly for clearing chasms we couldn't do otherwise.
That would have been doubly good to—Holy crap artillery circle!
I swerved out of the way, sending us into a donut which I recovered from and continued on driving towards the waypoint. It was silent, save for the occasional sniper rifle round that made the Energy Shields flicker and the, oh I don't know, massive rain of artillery on me.
Artfully turning the wheel, I drifted around a corner of a rock to avoid a wave of dirt that came flying out from the ground. Waypoint D was straight ahead from here…
Some small infantry appeared and began to fire, bullet markings filling up the view of the windshield.
I trust that you can use a pistol while driving? If you'd like, you can try the Designated Marksman Rifle. With the robotic arm you now possess, the recoil you feel should be lowered enough to where you can accurate place a shot.
Thanks. Let's try that.
I extended my left arm out and the rifle took shape in my hand. I gripped it tightly in my left hand, right hand holding onto the steering wheel at the twelve o'clock position.
Looking down the scope I tried to lead my shots, hitting every one in five shots through the head. I suppose it would be easier to make it if I was aiming for the torso, but then again it's a bit of a pride thing to get all headshots.
The Warthog neared the last one I hadn't shot at full speed, E telling me to power slide or drift into the guy. Hitting the brakes, I threw the steering wheel to the left to swing the back of the car, which smashed into the last soldier. After that, I floored the gas and headed for the waypoint.
Uh… E? Is that a giant chasm?
Yes. Yes it is.
I guess this is where we use the turbo function?
Indeed. It is currently at optimal conditions at the moment, so we will fly as if it is perfectly done. However, Tabane has put in some parameters that the calculations should not go over, and if they do, we will know that the prototype boost is a failure.
Alright, let's hit it then- OHHHHHHHHHHHHH GOD THAT IS FAST! WHERE IS THE PLAID?! DEAR GOD THE GROUND IS SO BELOW ME—OH FUCK WE'RE ABOVE THE CHASM!
…Administering sedatives.
HOLY FUCking shit- why didn't you tell me you could do that?
I am merely doing it as it is needed.
Ah…
I flinched as we hit the ground, the Warthog somehow didn't break due to the sheer amount of punishment the suspension can apparently take, not to mention we more of skidded across the ground rather than slammed it head on.
Ugh, that certainly hurt my ass though. Whatever, I suppose as long as I'm not being smashed to bits, I guess I'm fine.
I kept in the Warthog and followed the next waypoint's directions. It led me to a tunnel that lead underground, the door that opened too small for the Warthog.
Hopping out, I carefully walked towards the door with my rifle drawn and ready to fire. I kicked the door down and turned on the internal flashlight (or at least, E did) and made my way in.
After about five minutes of walking I found myself approaching a massive set of blast doors. Well, this certainly isn't foreboding…
The doors opened by themselves as I got closer, revealing a very wide open room with sandbags and crates. I took out the Assault Rifle and got down into a slight crouch as I advanced. So obvious a-
My thoughts were interrupted when the door slammed shut behind me and sirens blared out. Is this when the loudspeakers start blaring out: "Warning! Boss Incoming!"?
Your final test, IS combat. You've shown proficiency in all other types of combat, but this is the most important.
Objective: Defeat Enemy IS
Something crashed in from the ceiling, prompting me to duck behind some sandbags and peak over. As the dust cleared, an outline appeared on my HUD with a progress bar.
Scanning target. Target identified: White Knight.
You're throwing me up against what now? The thing that took out like 2000 nukes which I am still calling bullshit on—Oh shit!
I threw myself to the side as it rushed at me from the air, cutting through the sandbags. Opening fire, I backpedalled while firing the rifle, getting behind a crate. Breather… need to take a breather. What the fuck?! Did that thing just attack me from the air?! As in, fly in and try to cut me with a sword-!
The beep-beep-beep-beep-beep of the energy shields giving out rang in my ears as I got shoved forward. I looked around and found it had stabbed through the damn crate to hit me. This makes no sense!
E, do we have any close range weaponry?
We possess an M90 Close Assault Weapon System, in layman's terms, a shotgun.
I'll be needing that then.
The form of the weapon appeared in my hands as I put the Assault Rifle on my back and as soon as I gripped the shotgun-type weapon the way Uncle Fisher had taught me before blasting the thing right in the face… faceplate… whatever it had for a face.
After that, I lashed out and smacked the enemy before racking the pump.
What I didn't account for was the fact that it didn't even get moved back and continued its barrage.
Warning: IS Shield damage taken.
Tch-!
I immediately kept moving back and trying to get a shot off every now and then on this thing that was moving everywhere. The assault came from all sides, its flight granting it a lot more mobility than any foe I had ever faced before.
The problem—Jump away from a slice!—with this fight is that every single thing I have known about combat and tactical logic is rendered completely null and fucking void! Taking a shotgun to the fact doesn't push it back, neither does whacking its ribs!
But fuck me, this environment is not good for me! No room for me to reload while it's got a weapon that doesn't need to be reloaded, and—wait.
I noted that the door was still closed, the one that lead me in here, anyways. If I can just feint… Yes, I think I know what to do.
E, is this unit capable of flight?
We are capable of limited flight with a jetpack, but think of it more as a hover pack as compared to normal IS flight.
Okay, that lessens our capabilities but regardless, we need to get out of here.
E remained silent as this.
Meh, whatever.
I sprinted for the door, vaulting over sandbags and ducking through the half destroyed crates while avoiding the swings of death. As soon as I hit the door which didn't open, I spun around and opened fire with a cry of, "Come at me, motherfucker!"
And that is when its blade opened up and began to glow blue. And every bone in my body is screaming to get away from the lightsaber.
I was proven right about three seconds later when I ducked underneath the blade slice which cut right through the metal as if it was a thin sheet of paper.
I sidestepped two vertical strikes before kicking the metal and making a hole out. I barely made it, as the Energy Shields all but were sapped in a heartbeat the instant the blade even came near me. But without any other hesitation, I bolted for it and watched my motion tracker.
Using that, I traced its movements and opened fire… hold up, I've got a better idea.
Making a break for it I ran up through the tunnels and back outside. Yes! It's still here!
Within a few seconds I had hopped into the turret of the Warthog and began shooting down the tunnel at my foe. Limited space ain't good for you now, huh? Now that I've got a fucking Gatling gun!
Objective: Complete
With those beautiful words, I ceased fire, listening to the dying whining of the Gatling gun as it ground to a halt. I slumped onto the Warthog's frame, taking deep breaths. Dear God, what was that thing…
That was impressive. You would have had a perfect score, however you took a few hits against the toned down version of White Knight.
…toned down?
Using data collected, we programed this simulation to be using its capabilities at only 10 percent of max.
Holy shit…
To be fair, most IS pilots are unable to match this feat.
Only because they know what to do in these fights! They've learned how to fight against this and use patterns. Meanwhile, I had to throw out all logic! I had to shoot while running, smack people with a shotgun out of instinct, let my enemy actually even get in close, and yeah, all of that! That fight itself defied logic!
And that is why we believe you will be a great IS pilot at the Academy. You are unreadable, unpredictable, and the like. The perfect wild card.
I see…
Ending simulation.
Score: 15023/20000
Rebuild of Prototype Spartan
"He did well, huh? I'm rather surprised he was even able to take on our simulation of White Knight." Tabane laughed, "Though his tirade on how common logic doesn't work in IS fights is starting to get annoying, even if it is wonderfully crafted. To say that every copy of The Art of War is now invalid would be going a bit too far though."
"Indeed," E agreed, "And now you can see why I picked him."
"Hmhm," Tabane smiled, "He certainly took a different path at defeating her, though. When we released a game beta with this same fight as the tutorial level to our other potential candidates, they stuck it out and eventually just concluded this part impossible to say that it was merely to show you how difficult the game could be."
"But he took a different path."
"We even sent it to coders," Tabane continued, "And they didn't spot the fact that its energy sword attack cuts through the metal is how you escape. But he thought of it on the spot. What was he thinking in that fight?"
"Use its brute force in hitting on the door so I can get the hell out of here and have tactical advantage." E summarized, "Displays of strength only work when you have the tactical advantage. I do not have the tactical advantage, so my first point should be to acquire said advantage. Best place to do this is an outside place where I can make use of my guns."
"Those were his thoughts?"
"Amongst the 'Oh shit oh shit giant fucking thing that defies the laws of physics is chasing me with a sword', then the 'Oh fuck me that just turned into a lightsaber and I have no Energy Sword to use against this guy'."
Tabane giggled, "I thought so. He managed to keep composed, though."
"That was one of the traits we were looking for. To remain composed in the face of sheer overwhelming odds. This was already shown in his battles at DC. From mere civilian caught up in the war to the 'Shooting Star of Washington D.C.'"
"I've always wondered how he got his nickname," Tabane said, turning back to her computer.
"For those that weren't able to get out, he came to them. It was said by the civilians that if they wished to get out, in their deepest darkest moments, he would come like a shining light. Said light was probably the muzzle flash. But as superstition would have it, when one makes a wish on a shooting star it is said to come true."
"Hm, that is quite interesting…"
"Is that all, Tabane? Orthun will soon be waking."
"Have you taken a liking to him?"
"He is mentally stable for now. Combat seems to be a good treatment for his trauma, but I suspect it is merely a coping mechanism and not truly solving the problem." E shook her head, "For now we need to observe him and I will deal with any post-traumatic stress disorder issues that come up."
"Got it," Tabane nodded, "Take care for now. We're bringing him off to IS Academy within a few days, let's hope he's good for now."
"Are we going to stop by Orimura Ichika's home? It would be unwise to bring both of them together."
"But it would offer additional protection. Orthun and our other test operative can protect Orimura."
"…True…"
"Shall I phone Arvilla Shinjiro?"
"Tomorrow, I'll do it myself as well." Tabane asserted, "For now it's best we relax. Go to standby mode, E. I need to get some sleep."
"Good night, Tabane."
Rebuild of Prototype Spartan
"Alright, here we go," Mickey said as he heaved his backpack, "Romeo and I are heading up with Tabane to the next lab. We'll be here if you need us."
"At first sign of trouble Kira, call us." Romeo added, "Anyways, we need to get going."
"Take care you two."
"Don't worry about us." Mickey laughed, putting a hand in, followed by Romeo, "Keep yourself winning, Deep Blue."
"Don't get yourself trapped by a cat, Mouse. You too, Shakespare." I gave a grin at our nicknames as I put my hand in over Romeo and Mickey's, "Checkmate."
"Checkmate," they replied before we broke hands. It was our own little team handshake thing, we used to do it before a paintball match back home.
The two nodded before walking away.
Natasha and I sort of stood in silence while waiting. It wasn't long before the sound of an engine broke the rather awkward silence.
"So, you're going off now?" Natasha asked as the small, nondescript light brown car pulled up.
"Yeah," I nodded, "You're going back to the US now, right?"
"Mhm," she stretched her arms, "It was fun, really. I watched your simulation, your skills are pretty over par. I'm sure you'll do fine. And if you ever need some help with piloting, just give me a ring, alright? I gave my contact info to E. I'm sure that Serge is going to miss talking to her though, they sure became quick friends."
"I'm sure that we can get something set up between them for communication," I shrugged as the door opened, "I'll talk to you later."
Natasha moved in for a hug but I stepped away.
"…Please… don't touch me." I warned.
"O-oh… A-aha," she put a hand behind her head and scratched, "T-this is kind of awkward now, isn't it?"
"…Yes." I put out a hand, "I think this will suffice."
She shook it, "Oh, right. Well, good luck!"
With that, I got into the car before closing the door. The guy up front turned to look at me. He was wearing a tux, attempting to look like a chauffeur, but his messy dark brown hair gave him away, "Morning to you." He extended a hand, "Arvilla Shinjiro, or just Shinjiro if that's fine with you."
He didn't have any accent, so I took a guess as I shook his hand, "American?"
"Yep, half Russian as well but never had the accent, but I've been running some odd jobs for Tabane for a while. Mainly some weapons testing." The doors locked as he began to drive, with me waving to Natasha as we left, "Girlfriend?"
"New friend," I corrected, "You work for Tabane?"
"Yeah, been doing it for a while. I mean, weapons testing, anyways. A lot of guys are willing to fire big guns, but not a lot are willing to fire the untested ones."
"Why not use drones or any robots?"
Rigs can take a while to set up, Kira. Take a person who has a lot of body armor and small shield generator and you can test the weapon faster.
"Never mind, E just answered me."
"Ah." He nodded, "Anyways, I'm sure you've got the basic itinerary of what we're going to do. Pick up Orimura, get the hell to IS Academy. Hell of a surprise you were, though. And you've already got girls lining up for you, Shooting Star of Washington D.C."
"Don't call me that, that was a pesky title to begin with. I didn't even know I was that known until now, anyways. Seriously, I didn't even know that I had a nickname for that. I was commonly known as Deep Blue in DC."
"Oh, that too?" he chuckled, "Man, when they make the connection between Deep Blue and your new title, there's going to be a massive rally for you."
"Maybe to kill me," I said as if I was bored, "They might be pissed that I killed someone they knew."
"They'd have to be a fool to try. You're part IS now, aren't you?" He paused, "Oh, don't worry. I'm cleared by Tabane to know this, since I've been working with her for a while now. Who do you think tested most of your equipment out before it was made into an IS?"
"Oh. I better than you for that then."
"Have you tested out everything yet?"
"Just a few of the weapons."
"Oh. Send me the footage when you get to use the laser, the portable turret, or my favorite, the grenade launcher. Now those were my favorite weapons." He shifted his voice to fake the Heavy's, "I am heavy weapons guy!"
I chuckled, shaking my head, "I suppose so."
We talked about a few things such as our previous combat experiences, what our specialties were, and the like.
Turns out Shinjiro actually used to be a fighter pilot, but he got put off when the IS came out. After all, not enough resources to allocate to them, and all that. So, he decided to take the honorable discharge way out and seek work elsewhere. He used to work as a stunt driver as well, trying to get the thrill of being a fighter pilot again. Then he found an ad for some weapons testing and decided to go along with it.
Of course, that got me thinking: Where the hell would you find an ad for weapon testing?! I mean, goddamn, who just leaves an ad like that lying around?
Then again, this is Tabane we're talking about.
But whatever, at least I've got a qualified ally here in the event of things going wrong.
"This is the guy?" I asked as Shinjiro got out of the car to escort Orimura out here, who was looking out his door, "He doesn't look like a fighter."
He's a civvie, Kira. One of the reasons you are being brought together is so you can escort him.
Ah, that makes sense. Shall we keep the weapons on standby?
As in, out?
No, just ready to bring out right away… can we do that?
Merely give the command and it'll come out. If you practice, you can get it to be near instantaneous.
Hm, I'll have to do that then.
The door opened and the black haired kid slid in, dressed in his IS Academy uniform. I suppose I should've put that on, I'm still wearing casuals. I guess I'll probably get ripped on for my hoodie as well, since it's the most casual of everything I've got on. At least I could just tuck in my dark grey shirt into my jeans to look less casual.
"Ohayo. Watashi wa Orimura Ichika," He said, "Ogenkidesuka?"
…Huh?
Okay, I should've brushed up on my Japanese. I think that was… 'Hello, I am Orimura Ichika. How are you?'. Okay… thinking of the proper response…
I can translate for you.
No, I need to learn this for myself as well.
"Ohayo," I repeated, "Dajioubu desu, shinpai shinaide kudasai." I put out a hand, "Watashi wa Orthun Kira. Watashi no nihongo ga heta desu."
He paused, seeming to consider this. He spoke with a small accent, but was very understandable, "My English is okay."
"Sorry." I said calmly, "I don't intend to force you to speak in English."
That was rather awkward… and this entire ride probably will be too.
[Classified Coordinates]
"First Contact"
Japan
April 29th, 1149 hours
The silence continued on for the rest of the trip, both of us sitting there unable to really communicate with each other, except for a sentence or two. Damn language barriers… that's what I get for using English all the time. I mean, yeah, I studied Japanese in high school because I'm half Japanese, but still it's not like I really used it all that often back home. That sort of stuff is the thing you forget after a while.
The ride slowed down, and I looked out the window. Huh, I can see the ocean from here. I thought we'd be taking a place that's a little more crowded to blend in.
Shinjiro said something in Japanese before swapping to English, "It's hard to get us through the crowded areas without being spotted so Tabane suggested we take these back areas. We'll be taking a speedboat that should get us there within a few hours."
"A speedboat?"
"Tabane's speedboat."
"Oh." I nodded, "Anyways-"
We all froze as we heard gunshots. Semi-automatic with how those shots went and the rate they fired. I'm guessing roughly ten gunmen or gunwomen. E, can we confirm on the motion tracker?
The HUD sparked to life as she spoke, At least ten, to say the least. And I would assume semi-automatic as well. Most likely an illegal organization.
"Damn," Shinjiro mumbled as he ripped into the passenger seat and pulled off what appeared to be a hidden flap, an Assault Rifle being hidden in there. Then he reached into the glove compartment and put on a bracer, "Orthun, open up the back seat behind you and get into the trunk. Wait until I give the all clear, code word is 'Red Jericho'."
"I'm going out there," I growled as I opened the seat up, Shinjiro giving the same instructions to Orimura, who followed them. The chestplate of MJOLNIR appeared as the pistol did, "Tell him I'm closing him in, but he can still breathe."
Shinjiro did so as I readied to open the door, "On my mark."
"Surrender yourselves and you will not be harmed! Hand over Orthun Kira and Orimura Ichika to us now!" They don't sound like fangirls if you ask me.
Is now the time for joking?
It helps.
"Three. Two. One. Mark." I opened the door, the rest of MJOLNIR forming around me as I climbed out of the car.
Immediately I came under fire, the Energy Shield rippling as the bullets hit it.
I took notice of our attackers' details right away. No insignia, no flags, all black, all uniform weapons, all having goggles on… Just like…
Kira, you can't have a flashback now. Administering mental sedatives.
Thanks… E… Just have to remember that these guys are trying to take me back to a place I never want to go back to! I won't go back, you bitches! No one is going to take me back!
Synchronization falling.
Okay, okay! Just let me take these guys out!
I fired my pistol at two of them, taking one out with each bullet. Taking a quick second to look around, I found Shinjiro ducking behind a blue circular shield. Damn, Tabane engineered a Jackal shield?—right, need to get back on task.
E, let's go with the Battle Rifle over the pistol.
Understood.
The pistol quickly went away for a much more deadlier weapon, which I immediate began to use, popping shots off on these guys. I needed at least one alive, so I shot one in the kneecaps and the wrists. Hopefully she's alive by the time this is done.
Now I was back in the zone. Just like DC: Ally, enemies, and my gun. And when I was in the zone, it meant death for my enemies.
The rage in me subsided, instead replaced with a cold indifference. This was routine, this was survival. The battlefield was no place for emotions.
Synchronization rising. Climbing to 90% and holding.
Two minutes later and they were all dead. Unfortunately the one I was trying to keep alive died from bleeding out. Then again, it's not like I really ever had to keep anyone but my allies alive before…
Opening a line to Tabane, adding Shinjiro to the conversation.
Got it.
~This is Tabane, what's up?~
"We've been attacked, Tabane. Route compromised. You want us to take to the cities or push through with the original plan? We're all but at the dock, so we can make it with a blitz."
~Mhm… I think it's still best we try to go through with the original plan. It's the shortest way and going through the city leaves too many factors open. Shinjiro?~
-I think we need to push through the with original plan. Orthun's got weapons to cover us so we can get going on that. Orimura should be safe as well on your speedboat, Tabane. We need to choose now though, time's of the essence.-
"I'm making a call on that we go through to the docks, and faster now as well."
~Then it's settled. I'll start tracking you and alert you of anyone coming your way. Tabane out.~
"Understood." I closed the conversation as we sprinted back to the car and leapt in, "Shinjiro, floor this motherfucker." I opened the entrance to the trunk, "Orimura, hold on for a second, we're going to be going as fast as we can."
The sound of cars following behind us filled the air as the engine revved up, "Oi, keep them off of me, alright?"
"No problem." I looked up and saw an sunlight-door-thing and pushed it aside. I popped out with my DMR fully loaded and got ready for anyone that god a little too close for comfort.
Objective: Survive
Wooot! Muahaha, finally done with this chapter! Sorry for the wait, but bleeeeegh.
Anyways, this chapter was eh-eh to write. Tried to foreshadow some stuff with Kira, though the simulation was the easiest to write. Barely fight off White Knight at 10 percent abilities, hell yeah! That will change soon XD
Next chapter, IS ACADEMY D:
As usual, questions, comments, constructive criticism, etc. can be directed in the reviews or PM! Though honestly, I'd prefer the review *wink wink* XD
Seeya all next chapter!
