Scene 4: Her Name is Marina
- West Genetics, Cafeteria -
"In the latest news, a sudden series of explosions had happened at the western ports of Shintoshi City last Monday. Details of the incident reveals that it was the result of a bloody battle between unidentified IS machines that have been..."
"Khh..." A pair of troubled ruby-colored eyes has been staring at the screen of the T.V. for several minutes.
"...currently there are no civilians have been injured in the incident. However, a boy who supposedly witnessed and reported the incident has apparently gone missing and his whereabouts is still unknown. His phone and school bag was found on the scene..."
"MMmmmhhh..."
Silently watching, Hazel sits alone on a table while eating her nachos one by one in a rapid succession.
"...His name is Suguru Kogure. A student of Kamagawa High school ..."
After she heard his name, the aggravated blonde woman finally cried out-
"Ahh, Mou! I can't take this anymore!"
Hazel quickly stands up from her seat and is about to storm out of the cafeteria. However...
"Hazel-san, where are you going?" A soft spoken voice grabs Hazel's attention. From the other side of the cafeteria a woman is also silently watching the news while sipping her coffee. She had elegantly long black hair that reaches her waist which complements her light blue polo uniform and long skirt.
"I-Instructor Aoi!?" Hazel stopped in her tracks as she sees the beautiful West Genetics Instructor who elegantly stands up from her seat and walk towards in front of her.
"I'll rephrase myself; What are you trying to do?" Kazuha Aoi asks in a mild tone.
"I'm going to look for Kogure, even if it means I have to look all over of Shintoshi for a whole day." Hazel answered, while trying to get past the infamous Pandora who is blocking her way.
"And do you think you have better chances of finding Kogure, even though the authorities are still in the dark what happened to him?" Kazuha said, closing her eyes waiting for the blonde Pandora to respond.
Hazel stops for a while, and then looks at Kazuha with a deep stare saying, "...I don't know. But, I'll take my chances. I can't just sit here and do nothing while Kogure is still missing."
"Hazel-san..." Kazuha pauses for a while and walks past beside her, "I know how much you're worried about Kogure-kun, but rushing things won't do any good in this situation. If you'll continue to act this way I shall put you into solitary confinement." Kazuha is known for her kind and carefree demeanor during her days as a Genetics student even after she becomes a professor in her alumni school. However, when it comes to matters that concerns the well-being of her students she can be very strict and authoritative in her manner of speech.
"Instructor Aoi, please..." The young blonde woman then glances at her beautiful combat instructor, "I'll take any punishment after this. Just please let me go this one time. I need to know where he is." She said with a pleading facial expression.
"I will not allow it." Kazuha sternly objects, "I'm ordering you to stand down and never attempt to do something like this again." She then stands in front of Hazel trying to intimidate the blond student.
"But, Instructor Aoi-" Hazel was cut off before she could even argue with her with-
"I will not hear anything of it!" The infamous Heroic Pandora raises her voice in a intimidating and authoritative tone. Kazuha doesn't usually raise her voice or gets mad to anyone but when she does she is just as intimidating and fearsome like an army commander, or a certain black-clad teacher in a nearby all-girls academy (or former all-girls academy).
"..! Kh.." Surprised by her instructor's voice Hazel steps back a little and slowly looks down on the floor. She then falls silent like a little girl being disciplined by her mother.
After seeing her student's reaction she slowly changes her fearsome expression and voice into a gentle and kind one, "Hazel, I know it's hard for your part, but what I want you to do right now is to calm down. Then, think carefully about what you can do in this situation."
"..." Hazel continues to stay silent even after hearing her instructor's kind voice. She hated this kind of situation, where she knew why she was wrong, but someone's still pointing out at her fault and telling it to her directly.
"Being this concern about your family members is one of your strengths, Hazel." Kazuha gently puts her hands on Hazel's shoulders and continued, "But with that you also tend to lose control of your emotions, like you once did when Kogure was just talking to your Senpai and you end up picking a fight with her."
"But she started it!" Hazel blurted out, "She was flirting with him right in front of me and..."
"Hazel, let me finish first." Kazuha makes a deadpan face after she was interrupted by Hazel's spontaneous reaction.
"S-Sorry, Instructor Aoi..." Hazel instantly backs down right after she saw Kazuha's unimpressed expression.
"My point here is you should control your emotions in times like this." Kazuha spoke in a calm manner, "But, even though you're acting a bit too brashly, you actually knew exactly what you have to do, right?"
"Mmmm..." The blonde Pandora still refuses to give her answer to Kazuha.
"You do know what am I trying to tell you, right?" Kazuha continues to persuade her student with a gentle and bright smile.
"...Yes, intructor Aoi." Hazel reluctantly nodded, looking away at the Japanese Pandora instructor.
"Good girl~" The female Aoi sibling then pats her head like she was a ten year old girl much to Hazel's chagrin, a habit that she randomly do to any female student in the academy.
"P-Please don't treat me like a little girl." The blond Pandora protested looking away with a cute pouting face, but she shows little or no effort to resist her instructor's capricions.
- IS Academy, IS Hangar 01 -
"Aaahh, let me go!" Sayaka Hasegawa is about to launch outside the school premises with an Uchigane. However several of her friends are trying to dismount her from the training machine.
"Sayaka-san, please be more reasonable! If the teachers find out that you're going to use an Uchigane outside the academy there's no telling what kind of punishment's waiting for you!" Aikawa Kyoka was persuading her friend to get out of the Uchigane's cockpit while blocking her way. She never thought that Sayaka would be acting brashly after she heard the news this morning, yet Aikawa understands why she would do something this reckless.
"I don't care! If you guys don't want to be involved in this then move away!" Sayaka yelled out at her classmates, while trying to mount her Uchigane into the IS launching platform, determined fly all over Japan to know Kogure's whereabouts. Normally she's the type who would rather calmly observe and analyze any given situation that's happening around her, but whenever her family or a friend is involved she would rush into action disregarding everything that gets in her way, a trait that she shares with her 'worst nemesis', Hazel Suguru.
"S-Sayaka-san!" Aikawa continues to plead to Sayaka while preventing her machine from moving up to the launching catapult. She along with several students continues to struggle at the controls of the Uchigane as well as restraining Sayaka from actually launching away from the academy.
Moments later a woman in a black business suit arrives on the scene, with three more students from the dicipline council in tow. She made her presence known to the hangar after she makes a loud and daunting stomp on the solid steel platform.
"What's with all this ruckus!?" A stern yet clear voice silenced and took all the attention of all the trainee IS pilots in the hangar, including Sayaka.
"The Discipline Council and... O-Orimura Sensei!?" Sayaka stuttered after she saw the black-clad IS instructor walking nonchalantly towards her.
Chifuyu then starts with a question, "What are trying to do with a training machine, Hasegawa?", while giving an intimidating glare at the young brash pilot. "You did not submit any permission form to use an Uchigane, according to Tatenashi."
"Orimura sensei, please let me go! I'm going to look for Kogure myself!" Sayaka pleaded, having already prepped up the Uchigane's engine and ready to blast off from the academy any minute. "I can't wait anymore for the police to find him!"
"You know... If you want to go look for your lost 'boyfriend' don't use an Uchigane." Chifuyu told off Sayaka's pleads and said," IS units are meant only for use inside academy grounds, unless in times of emergencies such as NOVA clashes."
"But this is an emergency, Sensei! We're still not sure if Kogure is still alive or not!" The agitated girl retorted, intended not to step down even from Chifuyu's command.
"I don't consider a student's personal problems an actual emergency situation that calls for a use of an IS." Chifuyu stoicly shrugged off Sayaka's retort and pulls down a lever on the control console that powers down the IS hangar launching platform. "Now, get down from the Uchigane, Sayaka."
"Orimura-sensei... Please, just this one time... " Sayaka further pleaded to her instructor nearly kneeling to her, "I promise... this will be the last time I'm going to disobey your orders, Sensei."
"I've already told you..." Chifuyu still firmly stands in front of Sayaka, "You are to remain in this campus and obey my commads... Or you can simply leave this place, with all your things on tow except that Uchigane." Chifuyu coldly replied, glowering at Sayaka who's still adamant on leaving.
"How can you be so cold-hearted?" Sayaka replied with disbelief, "Didn't you do the same thing when your little brother went missing during the second Mondo Grosso?"
Sayaka's remark made Chifuyu's eyebrow twitch for a second and afterwards sharpen her glare at Sayaka. "Don't compare this incident to that one." While she often shows a poker face, these are the times that Chifuyu lets her temper gets the best of her. "I repeat, as faculty member of this school I'm ordering you to get out of the training machine." She continues to scold Sayaka while commanding her to step away from the machine "And I will not let you jeopardize our school just because of your foolish and juvenile actions. Even though your parents were well-known VIPs of the UN, don't expect me to give you special treatment in here."
"But, Orimura-sensei-"
"I SAID STAND DOWN, SAYAKA HASEGAWA!"
All of the students including Sayaka are astonished and had held frozen from Chifuyu's sudden outburst. Afterwards the black-clad IS pilot instructor ostentatiously demonstrated her authority by commanding the student discipline members to forcefully dismount Sayaka from the Uchigane.
"Khh, let go! Let go of me!" The feisty young Hasegawa fights back as she was dragged away from the Uchigane, which gives the student discipline members a hard time restraining her.
While glowering at the bashful student, "Hasegawa, should you successfully find Kogure... what would you do?" Chifuyu asks with her arms crossed. She then closes her eyes as if she's expecting a clear answer from the young pilot.
"Of course, I will take him back with me! And this time I'm going to make sure no harm's going in his way for sure, for I will protect him!" Sayaka snapped back at the IS instructor, "And even if he hates me for it I'm going to put him on my protection!"
"And what if he's dead?"
A rather eerie silence envelops the hangar after Chifuyu says her last question. The question had everyone on the hangar caught by surprise, mainly Sayaka. While they all knew that Chifuyu Orimura, the most respected personnel inside IS academy, is always cold and intimidating they never expected that she would be this grim.
"Well?"
"T-That's..." Sayaka wanted to retort at Chifuyu, but she's stuttering to say the words she intends to speak, "Well, I..."
"That's why I'm not even allowing you to leave this place." Chifuyu further pressures the young genius into submission, "You're the type who will do the unthinkable after seeing someone close to you being harmed in any way possible. You act cool and composed on the outside but the moment you let your emotions engulf you, those are the times that you're no longer the same person who just wanted the safety of her loved ones. You turned into a monster that only wanted to get back at the people who wronged you."
"..." The young brash pilot is left out of words after Chifuyu's long defamation and tries to look away from the IS instructor.
"Hmph, I can't believe that you've become a student council member after seeing you like this..." Chifuyu glowered more at Sayaka while she walks closer to her student.
"Kuuuhh..." Sayaka scowls at the fact that she couldn't defend herself verbally and had nothing to retort back at the IS instructor.
"Leave it to the police to investigate what happened to him, and until then you are on standby. Or are you actually prepared to oppose me, Hasegawa?"
"...! Kh..." Finally acceding to Chifuyu's threat Sayaka finally stopped squirming around from her restraints.
"Hmph. Now, return to your rooms and wait for further instructions. And I'll be seeing you on the Council room after class, Hasegawa." The Orimura instructor imperiously ordered all of the students and after that she left the hangar nonchalantly.
"...Yes, Orimura-sensei." Sayaka walks away defeated while she is escorted by the members of the Discipline members to the Council room.
"Sayaka-chan..."
"Is she really this reckless?"
"She's always been so hyperactive, but I've never seen her act like this..."
"Tch..." The voice of several students gossiping around her just made Sayaka even more depressed and loathing.
Hiding in the corners of the IS hangar, "She really is that attached to Kogure, isn't it?" Sarashiki Tatenashi commented to herself, "I'm sorry, Sayaka-chan. I know you'll hate me for ratting you out, but this is for your own good..."
- Shintoshi City, Outskirts -
It's a quiet morning, in a ruin-like place located in the northern part of Shintoshi city. The destroyed buildings, broken roads, and the abandoned cars scattered throughout the old Kashakaido district gives it an forlorn feeling. The eerie aura that fills out the place scares out any walking commuters and passers-by.
After Chevalier seized the ownership of the former site of the infamous 8th NOVA clash they set up a blockade that cuts it off from the rest of the city. Any attempts to restore to its former glory or its residents coming back to the district was halted by Chevalier immediately, which had Chevalier earned the resentment and distrust from all of its former residents. Over time most of the former residents had gave up on their former homes, and accepted Chevalier's proposal to move onto new residences. While the rest of Shintoshi city recovers from the NOVA clash and develops even further, the old Kashakaido district remains in its abandoned and barren state.
And in one of the buildings here, two differing individuals are resting in out most secrecy.
"Wake up... Kogure..."
"Nee-san..."
"Waky waky... My dear little brother..."
"Kuuuh... Ughh..."
Somewhere inside a half sunken building, Kogure is sleeping peacefully, dreaming about her beloved big sister. For someone who's been not accustomed to sleep anywhere but his own room, he sleeps peacefully in a hastily prepared broken and dusty bed.
"Hnnhh...? Where am I...?"
Finally Kogure wakes up, and realizes that he's somewhere that he's not familiar with, in a room full of debris and rubble. But that's not the only surprise waiting for him to be discovered.
"Huuhh...ZzzzZZZzzz..."
"Huh?"
"HnnnHh... ZZZzzzzz..."
"Eh? EEeeeeeHHHH!?"
He then looks left, only to see someone is sleeping beside him. It's a woman. But this is no ordinary woman. It's the one who he attempted to rescue the other day, the fiery themed beauty 'Scarlet Crimson'. He jumps back a little after he realizes that he's sharing a bed with a woman who is both pretty attractive and dangerous to boot.
"Holy... I-It's the Scarlet Crimson!" Kogure shrieked, unable to contain his loud voice. He then jumps out of the bed, and fell flat on the broken floor.
With his sudden loud outburst the Crimson haired beauty opens her eyes and wakes up. She slowly gets up, sitting on the bed and greets him nonchalantly with a line, "Hm? Oh, you're awake. How's your left hand?" while rubbing her left eye.
"Huh...?"
Kogure wasn't able to respond immediately from the Crimson Scarlet's question and continues to doze off. Seeing the woman wearing only her near see-through black underwear and a white unbuttoned polo makes Kogure even more uncomfortable looking at her directly, but at the same time can't easily take his eyes off of her voluptuous body while blushing like fresh red cherries.
"I said, how's your wound in your left hand?" She repeats her question, staring at him ludicrously.
"Ah?" after a moment Kogure wakes up of his daydreaming and reorganizes his thoughts and composure. He then remembered that incident a few days ago and looked at his left hand saying, "Oh, right. After I defeated those IS units, I..."
That lurid incident then flashbacks into Kogure's mind like storm deluging his consciousness. The scenes where he unintentionally kills the three IS pilots is perfectly recreated in his mind and rapidly playing over and over again.
"Kuhhaaack! Ugh..."
"Dammit... Dammit!"
"What the hell... What the hell is this!?"
"Uhgh...aagh..." Reminiscing that combination of bloody gore scenarios and painful screams is enough for Kogure to feel dizzy and nauseating.
"Hey, are you okay!? Hey!" Quickly grabbing his shoulders the crimson themed-beauty rock and throttle the boy, worried that Kogure is overwhelmed by the memories of his first life and death situation.
"Hu-Huh!?" The boy snaps out of his delusions and said, "I-I'm fine, I think. Anyways..." And then Kogure asked, "Wh-Where are we?" While looking around his surroundings.
"I think we're in a former hotel, in the center of an abandoned part of this city." The Scarlet Crimson replied, unsure if she actually guessed it right that they are staying in a hotel or a large hospital. "Although I wonder why this abandoned place hasn't been taken down already."
"Abandoned? Oh, you must mean the old Kashakaido district." Kogure informed, "But we shouldn't be here for too long. This is a restricted area." he promptly warned her.
"Restricted area? What do you mean?" She questioned the boy with a puzzled look on her face.
"This was the site of the eighth NOVA clash four years ago. After the NOVA Clash Chevalier took over this place, and they closed off this district from the rest of the city. It was quite a riot at that time when the former residents are rallying up against Chevalier Pandoras trying to go back to their homes. They say Chevalier has been hiding some of their secret weapons in this place so they don't allow any civillians in here." Kogure explained.
"Ah, I see..." The Scarlet Crimson then holds the tip of her chin thinking "There's too few information regarding this place even inside Chevalier's main database, aside from the previous 8th NOVA Clash... There shouldn't be any strategic value in keeping this small spot... But still, why Chevalier still take this place under their custody? what could they be hiding here?" She thought.
Silently looking at the woman while she's in deep thought Kogure couldn't help it but to be mesmerized by the sight of a fully developed woman sitting right in front of him half-naked. Both his childhood friend and cousin are attractive in their own ways, but for Kogure those two pales out in comparison to the woman in front of him in terms of her 'Assets'.
Finally noticing that she was being stared at, "...What?" the Scarlet Crimson asks, evidently irritated as she finds it perplexing for Kogure to look at her intensely.
"Eh!?" The boy was startled from her question and out of words to answer her quickly.
"Quit staring at me. It's quite annoying, you know..." She said, with a scary facial expression on her face.
"Uh, Sorry Miss Scarlet Crimson..." Kogure could only come with an apology for a response after she told him off not to stare at her. "I didn't mean to-"
"Hmph, So you find it quite strange too, huh? It's not like I wanted my eyes to be like this either..." The red-themed beauty interjected, thinking that he also thought of her as some kind of a freak show just like everyone else due to her hetero-chromatic eye condition.
"Huh?"
"I know I look like some kind of a freak when you look at my eyes, but I'm still a human being for the record!" She looks away, seemingly sad and frustrated about the fact that people around her had always discriminated her like this. "It wasn't my fault having this eye defect..."
Seeing the woman grimacing from this, "I think it's kinda cool..." He replied out of impulse.
"Eh!?"
"I uh, I mean, you know... It's kinda, like, beautiful in a sense. I mean, having two different colors on each eye isn't something you would see everyday. It's that mysterious feeling whenever I look at you in the eye, is kinda charming in a way." Kogure unwittingly complimented her, while scratching his cheek from embarrassment. "I was wondering why they say the Scarlet Crimson's eyes have a mysterious effect, but I guess that was just their way of saying you're beautiful."
"...W-Wha..?" She glances at him with disbelief, confused and surprised from what she heard. This is the first time she heard something like this. The Scarlet Crimson was taken back by Kogure's unexpected remark, unable to believe someone actually admired her eyes.
"Q-Quiet, you..." She looks away again, this time flustered and unable to find any contemptible way to retort back at Kogure. She was even slightly blushing in a pinkish tune, pouting like a little girl in denial of her cuteness.
"...!" Kogure is mesmerized and swooning by her reaction, "C-Cute..." he thought.
"..." The Scarlet Crimson remained idle in her position, still processing in her mind what the boy said, "I-I'm... charming?" Her ears wasn't ready to hear an admiration towards her hetero-chroma.
"Ah..." Meanwhile, Kogure's attention shifts from her odd eyes down to her half-naked body. He tried to look away, but he kept stealing glances at the half-naked body of the Scarlet Crimson. For a boy of his age, it's quite understandable why his heartbeat rate is rising sky-high whenever he gets a glimpse of her perfectly shaped womanly curves. "N-No! I-I must get rid of this dirty thoughts!" he shook his head rapidly to distract him away from his delusions.
"..." A rather uncomfortable silence envelops the room, having awkward moments for both the woman and the boy.
After some time, "Uhm, ahem..." Kogure breaks the silence by clearing his throat and a mock cough followed by...
"So, miss Scarlet..."
"Marina. Marina Fujimiya." the crimson haired beauty answered. "Normally I don't tell my real name to anyone, but it's quite a bothersome to call me by my sobriquet so call me Marina instead."
In the back of his mind, he did agree that calling her 'Scarlet Crimson' all the time kinda sound awkward for him so it was convenient to give her name. He also responds by telling his name in a clear voice.
"Oh. I-I'm Kogure. Suguru Kogure." He stated his name, albeit in a clumsily nervous tone.
Marina glances at the boy with an surprised expression after he gives his name. Suguru. A name that is very familiar to her, but at the same time it's too foreign in her ears.
"Suguru...?" Marina thinks deeply for a while, "I think I've heard that name before..." holding her chin like she would do on a wine glass.
She then remembered that certain person who once helped her during the 8th NOVA clash, while they were engaging the four NOVAs that attacked Shintoshi City. It's still obscured in her memory, but she kept herself lost in thought trying to recreate her image on her mind.
"Um, Marina-san?"
"..." The red themed beauty remained silent even after Kogure calls out to her. "Why... Why I can't remember her face?"
"Marina-san?"
"..!?" Finally snapping out of her daze, Marina replied with, "Oh, don't mind me. I was just thinking about that person who once saved my life."
"...Oh, is that so?" Kogure then changes the topic of their conversation, "Um, how are your wounds? You were hurt really that bad at that time..."
Rather than answering his question, Marina responds with a question of her own.
"You... You called me 'Nee-san' Back there, right?" She asks, giving a straight serious face at the boy. "Why?"
"...!?" Kogure was caught off guard after she asks an interesting question. He couldn't come up quickly of an answer so he's stalling to his response.
"Well, are you going to answer me?" Asked by the aggravated Marina, raising her eyebrow while waiting for his answer.
"So-Sorry about that. You really look like my sister so I kinda called you 'Nee-san' by impulse. I'm really sorry." The boy finally replied, all the while scratching his cheek with his index finger.
"I look like her...?" She pondered, while giving the boy a confused look.
"Ahahahah..." Kogure could only do an embarrassed laugh while smiling nervously.
Marina closes her eyes and said, "Hmph, I guess let's just leave it like that." She then stands up, walks toward the counter in front of Kogure and gives another question, "Tell me, why didn't you listen to me back then?"
"Huh?"
"I'm asking why didn't you followed my instructions to leave me alone." The woman's expression becomes dreaded, with a slight intimidating tone of voice. "I want to know a good reason why you would help a total stranger in the middle of a dangerous situation as that."
Just like her first question, the boy was out of words to give her an answer. But after a whole minute thinking of a good reply he just gave an honest one.
"... I don't know. I just find it wrong to abandon you back there. You were wounded and beaten up by your former comrades...and you're already struggling to fight back right against in front of me. And also... also..."
"...You wanted to help me just because I look like your sister?" She glowered at the boy, pissed that she correctly guessed what he's about to say.
"We-Well, that was..." Kogure stops and backed away at the woman out of fear.
"Hmph, naive boy."
"...Ah!?"
"You're expecting me to reciprocate your feelings as your big sister? Or you thought I can be her replacement? Get real, kid." Marina ostentatiously mocked at the boy's ludicrous reasoning. For her, it is an outrage to be compared to someone else she's not familiar. "Just to be clear, I am myself. And I'm not someone's doppelganger, either. Remember that."
"I-It's not like that. I was just-"
"All I see you did there is you just got in my way and made a fool of yourself. Not only you've made yourself a burden to me, you've almost killed both of us in the process..." She further chided at Kogure's answer, "And now you're involved too in this pointless civil war."
He then lowers his head and said, "...I'm sorry. I'm really sor- wait what, a civil war?" Kogure cuts off his apologies and pondered after hearing what she said.
"Hmph, you have no idea what you've gotten yourself into..." She pauses for a minute and said, "Well, there's nothing we can do about it. You already have that device stuck in your hand, and you know where I'm hiding. What's done is done. But right now you're stuck with me."
"W-What!? I don't understand..." Kogure cuts in her one-sided monologue, "A civil war? You don't mean the war against the NOVAs? And I'm stuck with you?"
"You heard what I said." Marina continued, "Sooner or later Chevalier and UN would find out that not only they have to deal with the NOVA's, but they also have to confront those people who are against them." She then points her index finger at Kogure while grabbing a bottle of water, "And you will be at the center of this mess."
"H-Hey, slow down! What does that have to do with me!?" The confused boy asks, still couldn't keep up with her explanation of his situation.
"You know who I am, killed off those IS pilots back there and you have that Stigmata literally in your hand. With that in mind I can't let you waltz away from here so easily." She bluntly replied after she finishes her drink.
"...What?" Incredulously looking at the woman Kogure was stunned to learn that everything what happened in the Shintoshi port isn't just a lurid nightmare, "So that was...all real?" he then looks at his shaking left hand filled with guilt.
"Yes, you actually killed three persons in one night..." Marina stoically said, "You're now in the same boat as me, a wanted criminal hunted down by every known authorities. And there is no backing out here, either."
"No... No way..." He kneels down on the floor, realizing his actions. Up until now Kogure lived his life in a lonely and carefree manner, but it all changed after a single encounter with this bewitching woman in front of him.
"From now on you're my accomplice, and I won't let you get away without me. If you try to escape from my watch, I'm going to take desperate measures to silence you..." The Scarlet Crimson threatens him, packed with a lot of contempt. Her tantalizing fair face becomes a menacing beast while glowering at the kneeling boy who is still in denial of his circumstances.
While kneeling on the broken flooring, "No, no... this isn't right... I'm not going to go along with you anymore! I'm sorry!" He suddenly shouts and desperately tries to sprint away out of the room. He doesn't really thought about the consequences of his actions, but all he wanted right now is get away from this Scarlet Crimson and not to get involved with her anymore.
"Hmph, for some reason I was expecting this to happen..."
In a quick dash the red themed beauty lunges at Kogure, grabbing his collar and throws him in the bed. And in that moment she summons a bright light on her right hand, by which then it materializes into a two-meter long slick dark red Katana. Afterwards she thwarts Kogure's escape by jumping over the boy and pins him down, straddling on him and presses his head against the bed. She then stabs the bed with her Katana, nearly missing Kogure's chin millimeters away.
"A-Ah!? A Volt Weapon!?"
"You understand your situation right now, do you? I can't let you go walking around knowing about me, so I want to have assurance that you won't turn me over to Chevalier." Said Marina, bringing her face closer to his. She draws closer her Katana's bladed side below Kogure's jaw, slowly creating a cut on his skin.
"We-Well, that's-"
"I can slit your throat right now, or you can make a deal with me. Your choice." The Scarlet Crimson further presses the sharp edge of her Japanese-style sword on Kogure's neck, deepening the wound that's already bleeding nonstop.
"Khhk...!"
"I'm waiting. And my patience is running short."
After a few minutes of standstill, Kogure mentally declares that he can't win against this frightening woman. He already knew he had no choice but to accept her dangerous offer. And after taking a deep breath he finally said...
"..F-Fine. I'll agree on your terms. I'll go wherever you go..." Kogure gulped down his own saliva and continued, "S-So, can you put t-that away now?" He nervously asks, breathing heavily as he felt the cold blade going deeper on his throat. However, at the same time, he's also excited in this situation. He had a good view of her bountiful mounds just inches away from his face.
Meanwhile, still in heightened adrenaline rush Marina glowers at the boy for a few more seconds, it's as if she's testing his sincerity. Finally satisfied by his answer she loosens her grip on him and dematerializes her weapon in an instant. She nonchalantly lets go of Kogure and slowly crawls away from him.
"Good." She sighed, carefully getting off the bed and makes her way to the old cabinet adjacent to the bed itself. "Don't you ever forget your own words." She points at him while rummaging on the cabinet.
"Haah... Haah..." Convulsing and gasping for air Kogure is wiping out his bleeding neck with the tattered clothing he picked up on the bed. It didn't matter whether it's sterile or not, what's important for him is he must clean up his wound right away.
Despite the fact that he was almost on death's door Kogure is blushing in bright red hue. He still perfectly recalls her perfectly shaped breasts covered only with an almost transparent frilly black bra in that few seconds of death lock. In his mind he couldn't hold in his comedic nosebleed which is exaggeratedly overflowing more than his neck wound, "Damn, she really is a hottie." he thought, looking at her.
"If you're hungry I have some canned goods here..." She throws several cans of food rations at Kogure which she randomly grabs from the wrecked cabinet, "And don't worry, they're still edible... Well, at least the label says so."
"...What do you mean by that?" Kogure muttered, while examining the cans in front of him. "Hmmm, H. Noelle's best Lun-"
"Don't eat that one with the steak and curry on the label. That's mine." Marina immediately cuts in, darting a glare at the boy who's been holding her supposed meal for today.
"O-Okey-dokey..." He instinctively throws away the said can after he felt her killing intent directed at him. "No need to be aggressive, right?"
"Hmph..."
They then setup the bed into a makeshift dining table, each of them holding a can of ready-to-eat H. Noelle's Best Lunch Express. Since the only intact place they can rest is this room, they chose to have their meals on the bed sitting Indian-style. The Scarlet Crimson is eating the special DX Steak and Curry Combo, while Kogure had the Explosive Spicy Tuna Mix. Luckily there are some forks and spoons that are still left on the drawers for them to use.
While eating vigorously, The young man starts a conversation. "So, this thing in my hand..." He asks, raising his hand with the Stigmata, "... is this the Secret Weapon that you stole from Chevalier?"
"Oh, right. I was about to explain that while we're eating, so listen carefully." She replied, while indulging herself on her meal.
"Okay..."
"That device in your hand... is created by Chevalier as their ultimate Anti-NOVA weapon. It's based on the old technologies that give birth to the Stigmatas used by Pandoras of today. However, that one in your hand has been specifically designed for people who had high affinity to Stigmatas."
"Designed exclusively... for those who had high affinity?" He pondered.
"Yes..." Marina continued, "And given that you were able to use it, that must mean you have a high synchronity rate to Stigmatas."
"Is that so?" Kogure then looked closely at the Stigmata in his left hand, "I have a high affinity to Stigmatas, huh..."
"Although I'm still clueless as to how did you defeated those IS pilots. I knew that Stigmata is special, but I didn't expect you'd be able to trash those IS pilots by yourself. Not to mention my personal machine was beside you when I woke up..."
"..." The boy kept himself silent as if he lost his appetite. He still haven't recovered from realizing that he actually killed three people out of self-defense.
"Hmph, fine. I'm not going to ask how did you do it, but one way or another you'll show it to me anyway." She abruptly countered, not wanting to rob the boy of his appetite.
In an act of swaying away from the topic, "Say, you just summoned a Volt Weapon, right...?" Kogure asks.
"Hm? Obviously yeah." The Scarlet Crimson raises her eyebrow after she heard his question, "I share the same name of my Volt Weapon, Scarlet Crimson. What about it?"
"I see..." And then it hit him, "Wait. So you can pilot an IS, and summon Volt Weapons, then that means you're a..."
"Yes, you guessed it right. I am what you would call a Cybele..."
- Somewhere in the Nevada Desert (Former Area 51) -
In an Underground Facility...
"So, she actually betrayed us, huh?"
A darkened feminine silhouette is sitting on a throne in the center of a dimly lit room, adorned by several Renaissance Era sculptures surrounding her. Judging from the silhouette she is clearly well-endowed, her curves are heavily defined by the minimum light present on the room. On her right hand she's playing with her glass of red liquor, reflecting half of her picturesque face and glamorously back length auburn hair.
"She's only been in contact with us for several months, but she already shown her true objective after she's gotten her hands on that treasure." Another tall feminine figure spoke, standing beside the previous one. "And she even said that she will present us the weapon as her proof that she already sworn her allegiance to us..." Her face is obscured by the darkness of the room itself, however it is clearly visible that she is just as sexy as the one with auburn hair. The faint light coming from a small luxurious 17th century style lamp reveals that she had elegantly flowing silver hair.
"I'm quite curious myself what kind of weapon she's been bragging to us, though." Another feminine figure appears, walking towards the other two. She also had a goddess-like figure, which is complemented by her neatly tied cerulean hair. She then grabs a glass from the table near the lamp and pours a red wine on it. "It really breaks my heart that she crushes our trust on her right in our faces, but it might be a good idea to go after her. It's still not too late to 'convince' her..."
"If you're going to ask me, this is to be expected. She never really stated that she would actually fight for our cause." The silver haired woman said in a monotone voice. "I don't want to waste any of our forces to hunt her down, although I do held a grudge on her for killing our comrades out of petty pride and false compassion."
"Still, it is a waste to let go someone like her. It really is an advantage to have another Cybele on our side." The cerulean haired woman argued, all the while drinks her beverage straight up, "We need all the power we can muster, you know."
"Hmph, it won't matter whether she would join us or not." The auburn haired woman snickered, while taking a small sip of her wine. "We already had all the necessary preparations for the upcoming debut of our organization to the world."
"What do you imply, Lady Kana?" The silver-haired woman asks, looking at her confident leader in confusion.
"If she's not going to interfere with our plans, we'll let her loose... even if she stands in our way we can easily crush her..." The cerulean haired woman concluded, giving a playful smirk at their supreme leader. "Is that what you're saying?"
"Yes, Reese. No one would be able to stop us, even if she is capable of using that treasure..." The auburn-haired Kana Shimon stated, smirking while staring at her blood-colored wine. "Now is the time for us, The Royal Azure Army, to rise from the shadows..." She raises her glass of wine in the air like she's offering a toast to two of her adjutants.
"So the festival is about to begin, huh..." The silver-haired woman commented, sternly looking on the glass of red wine of their supreme commander.
On a separate place, a battalion of female warriors riding on mechanical exoskeletons are prepping their equipment for a frontal assault. They range from nimble lightly armed units to heavily armored artillery types. All of their machines are in black and dark blue color scheme, save for the one in front of the team who had a light blue, white and red color code. While the rest of her teammates machines had a rugged and boxy appearance, hers was a slick and streamlined like a majestic medieval knight's armor painted in white adorned with blue plating on its shoulders, chest and legs.
"At last, the time has come... but I wonder which should I attack first, the West Genetics or IS Academy?"
End Chapter 4
