Chapter 4
Maelstrom's Wake
The Battle of London: Part 2
I don't own Infinite Stratos... But I'd love to own one.
To answer reviewers: IMPORTANT NOTE! THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER YOU CAN VOTE FOR WHO ICHIKA'S PAIRED WITH! Currently Charlotte is winning. And I'm still humbled by reviews. This chapter may be short, but it still will be FUCKING EPIC.
Oh yeah, here's Kyuukai Tokiwa's profile:
Name: Kyuukai Tokiwa
Nickname: Kai (Friends or comrades) Kyuu (Tabane)
Callsign: Frontline-7 (Command Title) Reaper of the Battlefields (Earned Title)
Age: 17
Country of Origin: Japan
Occupation: STASIS: Combat Operative; FRACTURE's IS R&D Department: Engineer
Height: 5'9
Weight: 154 kg
Eyes: Blackish-brown with a bit of hazel
Hair: Black-brown with an auburn hint.
IS (Infinite Stratos): Anti-IS weaponry instead.
Usual Wear: Black military jacket, open, with grey shirt underneath, dark military pants with multiple pockets, and for the hell of it, Converse.
Specialization: Combat, Engineering
Ranting time!
The subject of today's rant is...
OTAKUS!
Yes, everyone has to be an otaku for something. For me, well it's pretty damn obvious. If you don't have an obsession for something, YOU HAVE NO LIFE. You probably don't have many friends, which is contrary to popular belief. Because, honestly, if you don't have anything in common with them, you really don't have much of a reason to be with them. If you have something in common, however, (as you may be fellow otaku(s)) you're gonna have one hell of a time with said person(s).
So, by the way, is the OP for this fanfiction a good choice? I think it is, but I'd like to know your opinion.
Not much to rant about here.
Maybe something will come up soon...
It's the end of the war after all...
But for now...
LET'S DO THIS!
(Opening Theme (OP): [Luka, GUMI], Speed) Trust me, this fits. Find the English subbed version. (This is such a good song.)
I don't want to die here...
Not here...
Not now...
Not like this...
VEIL's Headquarters leans ominously before us. The heart of the battle slowly comes up. It's terrible... A blood bath.
People are dying left and right. Huge craters line the streets, while bullets and beams of energy are violently flying between sides.
"MOVE!"
We literally jump into a crater, just as a rocket flies over our heads, slamming into a building behind us.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?-!"
"LEVIATHAN'S GONNA BOMBARD THE VEIL BUILDING!"
"OH SHIT!"
Numerous shouts of disdain flow through my com-link. In the distance, I can see the whale shaped figure of the LEVIATHAN. Its cannons primed and ready.
"TAKE COVER!" I shout.
A burst of bullets embed themselves into the crater, splitting us up from the rest of the group. Akira and his squad darts away from us, to a shelter further ahead. I kick down a nearby door, and bury myself and Lindy into the corner of the room. Before us is a window. And I see the first cannon fire.
They didn't stand a chance.
The street was levelled with energy fire, carving a deep ditch into the ground. That was only one cannon. I activate my barrier. The rest of the cannons fire.
The destruction is massive.
As if an earthquake rumbled through London, buildings swayed and toppled through the sheer force of energy. Rubble falls on top of us, just to be deflected by the barrier generated by my ring.
5...
The rubble avalanche persists.
4...
Heavier things fall on top of us.
3...
Glass shards attempt to pierce through.
2...
The avalanche of rubble turns into a trickle.
1...
The barrier drops.
3 charges left.
I pick up Lindy again, and carry her on my back. I wander out of the door. What I see is...
Is a sea of wreckage.
Buildings lay on their sides, walls broken, glass shattered. What was once half of London... Was now a crater. Less than half of VEIL still stood.
"SHIT!" I curse, as I duck behind a fragmented wall.
Now that there's no real cover... I'm a sitting duck. I hear gunfire ahead of us. The battle was going to get more severe. Now that we've levelled the playing field...
In the corner of my eye, I see Akira helping his squadmates out of a basement. I leap from cover to cover as I try to make my way to them. From my point of view, VEIL's forces were converging around what was left of their base. Unfortunately, the factory part of the building still stood.
I see IS dart from where they hid, and fly at each other in the sky. An IS lands close to me.
"SIR!"
It was Alicia, piloting her personal IS.
"New orders?" She asked, dropping down and deactivating her IS to hide beside me.
"VEIL's making their last stand... So shall we. Take Lindy back to the medical sector in Lambeth, and re-arm for air-to-ground tactics."
"Yes sir."
She took Lindy into her arms, activating her IS.
"Sir?"
"Screw the "sir" business... Just call me Kyuukai."
"Alright Kai." She said with a smile.
"That's good too."
"Will you be alright?" She asked.
"I'll be fine." I lied.
I had no fucking clue.
"You promise?"
"I promise."
With a small smile on her face, she flew off. I ready Sonia.
"Time to fight."
I dart from my shelter, and amidst a short hail of bullets, I make it to another wall nearby. Below me is a building on its side. A window is in my view. With a quick stomp of my foot, I smash through the window and drop down into the building below.
Everything was a mess. Desks were toppled over, books and papers scattered all over the floor. I make my way to what was once the roof. Crawling out of a hole, I aim Sonia at all sides.
Clear.
I dart away from the fallen building, and sprint through a small clearing. From my viewpoint, I can see VEIL troops setting up shop in the courtyard of their somewhat standing base. They seem to be transferring something out of a gate... I try to take a closer look, but my position restricts me from making a move, or risk being seen.
I grit my teeth, and withdraw.
Running through the ruins, I weave my way through fallen buildings in an effort to find an ally. But as I run...
The hollow feeling of loneliness pervades. I don't know why. Maybe it's an effect of wars on my mind. Because I hate lone-wolf scenarios the most...
It helps both my consciousness and the success of a mission when you have someone watching your sorry ass as you fight through hell on earth. That someone's looking out for you. STASIS soldiers are supposed to be fearless. But that's never the case.
It's just that we keep them well hidden from prying eyes.
But as we do, that fear takes root.
Apathy.
Loneliness.
My greatest fears.
I fear that I will become apathetic to my actions, their consequences, their effect on the people I care about, and myself in general. As if I couldn't care less.
I fear loneliness. I hate that stranded feeling. Most soldiers die cold, painful, lonely deaths. Discarded by allies and left to their fate. "No man left behind" my ass. I don't want to lose the connections I have with the people I care about. Those tender, fragile connections... And how they snap with the slightest touch.
I've watched too many of my friends die.
They laugh with you one day, and you're crying at their funeral the next. People who don't know me claim my fears are irrational. They see my face, and see only the figurehead, the soldier, the engineer. They tend to forget that I'm only a child.
I still think like a kid sometimes. I struggled to get over my own childish naiveté. The world's harsh, cruel, and extremely unforgiving. But honestly...
Because it is, doesn't mean I have to.
I am a soldier. I fight for what I believe in.
I am an engineer. I create to build on, to improve what already exists.
I am a human being. I think, live, laugh, cry...
Love.
I am Kyuukai Tokiwa.
And I am going to fight... And I'm not going to die.
An hour later of running, I come across a small outpost. Dusk has fallen over the skies of London. They guide me into a tent, a bit forcefully I may add. They check me over, as I set up a communications link to the other outposts surrounding the VEIL building. Akira's face appears on a hologram.
"KAI!"
"AKIRA!"
"You good there?"
"I'm fine. Listen up..."
I tell him about what I saw the VEIL troops doing.
"They're probably pulling out that weapon of theirs..."
He's talking about the monstrosity we saw from that video.
"Their IS are putting up a fight... They're guarding something... HOLY SHIT!"
Akira runs from the room. I hear shouts, explosions, and the sound of gunfire.
"AKIRA! ANSWER ME! AKIRA!"
I turn to the operator beside me.
"WHERE'S THE SIGNAL?-!"
He gives me the coordinates through a hologram. I rally some men and women, and we run towards Akira's outpost. When we arrive there, nothing's left. Just black marks and broken tents on the ground.
"AKIRA!" I shout.
"Over here!"
I see figures huddled around a small outcropping wall.
"What happened?-!"
"IS raid, we fought them back... For now..." A young woman says, before passing out of fatigue.
"GET SOME HELP OVER HERE!" I shout.
They rush over, as I search for Akira. I see him sitting upright, cradling his right arm.
"AKIRA!"
He looks up at me, and gives a foolish grin.
"I'm good."
God, that's a relief. I walk him over to the medical crew, and he gets to work. I lean against the wall, and plot our next move. All that's left to us is to take them down now, or they'll whittle us down and defeat us.
Oh, what the fuck am I thinking?
Defeat is not in my vocabulary. Victory is. I rally again the men and women before me.
"We're going to petition HQ for a full-on assault."
Shocked looks were my response.
"We have a better shot at winning this now, or losing in the long run."
Silence met my ears. Then they rushed into position.
I grin.
I'm holding Sonia, as I stare in the direction of VEIL's headquarters. They've taken so much from me, from us... So now it's time for our vengeance. The petition for assault was a success...
We are going to attack.
"ARE YOU READY!" I shout.
"WE'RE READY!"
"WITH NO FEAR, ONLY WILL!" I start the STASIS war cry.
"WITH NO WEAKNESS, ONLY SKILL!"
"FOR KNOWN PEACE, WE WILL KILL!"
"AND FOR JUSTICE WE'LL FUFILL!"
"WE ARE STASIS! WE WILL FIGHT! AND WE! WILL! WIN!" I roar to my platoon of fellow soldiers.
They roar back with insane fury. We head out. On our way, we encounter the rest of the squads. We're marching/flying/running to the VEIL Headquarters.
"TAKE COVER!"
Missiles head for us. We divert from the main group, just in time to avoid the majority of the rain of missiles. My team weaves through buildings, and we try to flank the oncoming enemy ahead of us. There aren't many options, the ones left are mostly the "touch" and go variety.
I ready Sonia at a group of soldiers...
I unlock the safety...
Set the energy to "kill"...
I pull the trigger...
And the first man falls. The rest quickly follow.
"PRESS FORWARD!"
We vault from our cover, and amidst the hail of gunfire and bullets, we manage to proceed with our plan. Harass the enemy, and attempt to take down that weapon. Kicking a body from the edge of Arashi, I analyze my surroundings. The sky is illuminated by the battle below.
That weapon is about a block away from me. I make a run for it. But IS divert me from my path. I'm forced to run through the crossfire.
Bullets and energy fly at me, but I deflect them with my barrier.
2 charges left.
I take shelter by a burned out car, and I take down a few IS that pinpoint on my position.
Bang.
One down.
Bang.
Two down.
Bang.
Three down.
Bang.
Four down- Wait...
What.
The.
Hell?
The blackish-grey figure in the back gives an ear-piercing wail. Machines activate all around the thing, and VEIL's troops withdraw from it, as if they were trying to run away... Why would they run away from their own weapon? Then, the thing retracts its weapons.
Arms and legs appear in a flash of light. Standing there is an IS.
Its wings were spread out, with plated armor and gauntlets, its face a blank mask, instead of the human face of a pilot.
There was no pilot.
It rose into the air, spheres of energy growing around it.
Making it look like an angel...
An Angel of Death.
The first sphere of energy imploded. And a beam of light struck the man beside me in the heart as he was preparing a rocket. His eyes rolled into the back of his head. A hole in his chest, the wounds cauterized by the heat...
Through the hole, nothing was left.
As if nothing existed.
He fell to the ground.
"ATTACK!"
We all opened fire on the IS. The orbs of energy drew together, forming a wall. The bullets and beams of energy were simply absorbed. Then the wall imploded.
A shower of beams struck the ground, and the people standing on it. I can't bring myself to look at the carnage that I know is happening right behind me.
The smell of burnt flesh...
The screams and wails of the dying...
The crimson liquid that trails into my sight...
Is more than enough.
I run ahead. Fear riddles through me. Percentages run through my head.
Survival?
25 percent.
Death?
25 percent.
Any other fucked up option?
50 percent.
Well, what I'm about to do is more fucked up than any endeavour of STASIS in existence. I'm going head to head with a machine of death, misery and suffering. I dive as beams of light strike where I once stood. I slide a few feet before getting up on them.
I continue to run. The IS turns to look at me. As if it was evaluating me, its head turns on its side, as if it was puzzled by my refusal to give in. I fire Sonia at its head.
Its barrier crashes.
In a short burst of light, a long sword appears in the IS's hand, and it attempts to skewer me on its end. I quickly dodge the blade, deflecting it away with my own, and narrowly avoid a beam of light aimed for my head.
Clang.
Our blades clash again, as I attempt to strike it in the abdomen. It quickly drives it away, and lunges at me, lightly cutting my neck. I can feel blood flow down my neck, and onto my armor. My body weaves left and right as I dodge beams of energy.
I activate my barrier to block one headed for my heart.
1 charge left...
What the hell is this thing?-! It's so damn powerful! A beam of energy skins my right side. It's superheated.
Pain flares through my body.
FUCK!
It' hurts...
I quickly raise my blade as the sword tries to stab me. I pull back as an energy beam bolts for my face. I analyze whatever options I have left and calculate my strategy, as I blast away at it with Sonia. This thing has excellent combat abilities, as it shoots and slices down each of the energy rounds with precision and ease.
Its defense is its perfect offense...
So for now...
My offense will be my defence.
I charge at the IS. With a wide sweep of my blade, I clash with the IS.
Again.
And Again.
I hack away at the IS, holding it off from charging those beams or attacking with its blade. I know why it hasn't just flown off. It acknowledges me as a threat. A threat that needs to be eliminated.
So I'm keeping it occupied.
Biding my time...
Waiting...
To...
STRIKE!
My blade rushes forward, ramming the tip straight into the IS's mask, clipping it away from the IS's face as it turns to dodge. What I see alarms me.
Glowing mechanical eyes meet my own, bits and pieces of some mechanical system spark and crackle as they are exposed to air. It's a machine.
A drone.
It attacks. Hacking away at me and firing bolts of energy, it forces forward, pushing me back. It takes all of my energy to keep it at bay, from ending my life in a split second. I block a slash to my neck.
No charges left.
It's going to kill me. Well, it's a machine. I wonder if it'll feel anything when I kill it. Or otherwise.
I can't believe I'm having an analytical reverie during a life-and-death situation. Maybe this is one of those near-death experiences? If it were, I should be surrounded by loved ones, and living in a paradise of wealth, weapons, and women. Or not.
Aw well.
I won't go down without a fight. I bring up both Sonia and Arashi, ready to attack. I fire Sonia, forcing the machine backwards. As I press forward, I prepare a strategy.
One for my last stand... If my friends could hear me now... Planning a noble death with pride and pure fucking idiocy. I lash out Arashi, the blade flying at the IS.
It catches the machine off guard, and its sword is sent flying. I retract my own blade, and sprint as hard as I can. Beams of energy fly by my head as I run.
I pull back my blade...
And as I stare into those cold, apathetic, mechanical eyes...
I plunge the blade into its chest.
Crack.
The IS falls onto its knees. It stares at me one last time. Analyzing me with its robotic eyes. The machine groans, as if it was in pain.
And then it falls silent.
The light leaves its eyes. And then...
It's gone.
I raise my head to the night sky... I roar. I'm answered with roars and yells from across the city. We let off guns and missiles into the sky in joy.
Because we are STASIS.
And we.
Have.
Won.
My squad rushes up to me. They pat me down for injuries. Akira pats me on the back, and grasps me in a hug. He helps me walk.
There's laughter.
There's cheering.
There's happiness.
And then it all goes black.
Light drifts me from my slumber. A hand grasps my own.
"Mom?"
"KYUU!" She sobs, and buries her face into my chest.
I'm sitting in a hospital bed.
"DON'T YOU EVER SCARE ME LIKE THAT!"
A small electronic clock sits by my bedside. I've been out for a week. I try to sit up, but a sharp pain goes through my side. It's bandaged.
"Are Akira and Enlai alright?"
"Akira's fine, he's recuperating next door..."
"And Enlai?" I dread the answer.
Tears flow down her face.
"I'm so sorry Kyuu... He didn't make it through that IS's assault... Doctors patched him up as well as they could... But he died two days ago with his family beside him."
Pain jolts through my chest in sorrow and regret. I force myself to my feet.
"DON'T!"
My mother urges me. I ignore her, as I stumble into the hall. Cameras flash at the end of the hallway, held back by police. I make my way to the room beside mine.
"You finally awake, sleeping beauty?"
Akira sitting down, reading a newspaper with a beer in hand.
"They let you bring alcohol in here?"
"Yeah sure, just don't let the doctor catch you. The nurses however do need a little, persuasion..."
"You're quite the lady-killer I'm sure..." I mutter as I sit down on a bench.
My mom literally flies into the room, jumping on me.
"YOU'RE STILL HURT!" She sobs, keeping me bound to the chair with her arms.
"Tabane, could we have some privacy?" Akira asked, slightly annoyed.
"Don't use that tone of voice with me mister!" She snaps as she wipes her tears.
He sheepishly smiled. "Alright, mom."
She gave an aloof grin, and bounded out of the room to go annoy somebody. I wonder if Koyomi's around... Haven't seen her in a while. She should keep mom in check.
Akira reached under his pillows, and tossed me a bottle.
"High-quality vodka, I know you love the stuff. DON'T TELL MOM. SHE'LL FUCKING KILL ME IF SHE FINDS OUT."
I crack open the bottle, and I take a long swig. The strong liquid quenches my thirst and clears my head a bit.
"So what happened?"
He briefs me about what happened during the week I was unconscious. Apparently the world's in an uproar. I'm now a worldwide celebrity. Oh, whoop-de-fucking-doo.
I already have enough on my plate.
STASIS cracked down on the companies producing illegal parts, and scared the rest into submission. What people now call the Second Conflict is over. Peace has returned... For now.
All that's left is to rest.
I stare out the window. I can see the crater that was our battleground. Nothing's left of VEIL after STASIS was through with it. The casualties list will be updated, and their families will be informed.
Damn this...
I grasp the bottle in my hands in sadness. I take a harsh gulp of vodka, coughing when it goes down my throat. We sit there in silence. We're happy this ordeal is over.
We're anxious for the days to come. What they'll bring, we don't know. But all we can do...
Is pray that they'll go as well as we can hope.
We sit there in the arena. All is quiet. We just awkwardly enjoy each other's company. I hate feeling alone. I love feeling that someone's there, somewhere for me.
"It's cold..." Laura murmurs under her breath.
She inches closer to me.
Subconsciously, I inch closer to her. She rests her head against my shoulder, and I wrap my arm around her.
"Is this alright?" I ask.
"It's perfect."
We just sit there, enjoying each other's company.
You know, I've lived a pretty short life. Up to now anyway... But I've experienced so much... I've fought, killed, and bled... I've laughed, cried, and lived...
But I have a lot of regrets... Things I know I will never deserve to experience... But to comfort me at the least... I know...
I will never regret this.
CHAPTER 4 COMPLETE! It's finally done. Hopefully this is good enough. The battle is over... And so, R/R, enjoy life, read great fiction, and let the creative juices flow. And not only for you lemon writers. Aw well. – EthernalRain
Oh screw it, to lighten the mood, here's an omake.
Omake: Dead Man Walking (Or At Least Trying To,) And a Little Bit of Guys Only Time.
How the hell do I get her back to the room?-! Laura fell asleep on my arm, so I'm carrying her back to the dorm on my back. But now I'm standing here, staring at the door, trying to think of some way to get to the fourth floor without being caught. We're two minors out after curfew.
I'm a guy. She's a girl. We're caught... We're screwed.
I'm a dead man walking. I enter the dorm.
Clear.
I tiptoe to the elevator. For safety measures, I activate Sonia on stun mode. No one's spotted us. Alright...
We're safe. I enter the elevator, and rapidly press the button for the fourth floor. As soon as the door opens, I rush out, quickly darting to door number 18. I reach for the handle...
"EEEK!"
A lone student spots us. I knock her out with a quick shot. Unfortunately, she hits the wall, causing a loud echoing thump. And then every person on the fourth floor is peeking their heads out of their doors.
"KYUUKAI-SAMA?-!"
I bolt into our room, and lock the door behind me. In a split second, there are numerous people slamming their hands on the door. It sounds, looks, and feels like a shittily-made horror flick. It sure as hell seems that way.
I am so fucked.
I lay Laura on her bed as soon as the noise stops. I cover her in her blanket, and then I head towards the window. The ledge is big enough for a foothold, and I can scale the wall. So I climb out, and make my way to the side of the outcrop, and climb down a floor.
I see Ichika waving his hand at me. I hop into his room, as Charles pulls up a chair. I plop myself onto the chair, and I talk to the two "boys". I have my suspicions about one, but they're probably false.
We sit there talking about events, about life at the academy in general... Then we get into guy things.
"So, what do you look for in woman?" I ask Ichika.
"W-Well... I like girls who like me for me, not because I'm the first guy to come here..."
"More details."
"I like girls who can cook well, I guess..."
"MORE details."
"I like kind, compassionate girls..."
Charles makes an effort to hide his blushing. I knew it. There's something up with that guy. There are only two real possibilities.
One, he's a transvestite.
Two, the most probable one, "he's" a girl.
"H-How about you?" Ichika diverts the question to me.
"I frankly don't really care much about that. I think I'd be fine with any girl that fits your reasoning..."
"More details?" The two press on.
"I like a girl who has at least some self confidence..."
"MORE details?"
"Did I mention my heterochromia fetish?"
Ichika slaps himself on the forehead. Charles hides his/her face in his/her hands, blushing like a madman/woman/person. I seriously can't tell. I think I answered that honestly...
I think so...
I say good night, and I climb my way back to my room. Laura's sitting there on her bed. As I quickly change and hop into my bed, she lays down beside me.
"I-Is this okay with you?"
"S-Sure..." I whisper.
Yeah, I'm uncomfortable. But I feel a lot better with her by my side. I don't feel like being alone tonight. I don't feel like being alone, ever.
So tonight, I can allow this kind of thing. She wriggles up close to me. I wrap my arms around her. I know my face is red, and I know hers is too.
"Good night..." I whisper into her ear.
She blushes. And with a soft smile on her face, she pushes herself into my chest, and drifts off into sleep. Before I know it...
So do I.
Remember, next chapter is the last chapter you can vote for your favorite Ichika pairing!