Nanoha StrikerS: Pursuit of Perfection 9
"Here you go, Berkt-san. Your breakfast." The nurse came into his room, placing his food on the table and removing the lid. "It's your favorite."
"Mmm, sausage gravy over toasted biscuits. However it's kind of embarrassing that I've been here often enough that I actually HAVE a favorite." He sighed, fingering his bandage. "Thanks." He cut off a piece. "Ittadekimasu."
"HORA!" A flash of blue and white slammed Soran into the side wall. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" A female voice spoke. As Soran peeled off the wall and landed on the floor, he saw Subaru in his blurred upsidedown vision. "You didn't take this through the security checkpoint!"
"But I was just delivering his meal."
"Then you DEFINITELY should have gone through the checkpoint! Don't you know that Soran-kun's life has been threatened? Or maybe… you're trying to poison him!" She pinned the nurse against the wall. "What did you put in it? Cyanide? Arsenic?"
"I wouldn't do anything of the sort!"
"Sure you wouldn't. I bet you put in…."
"Extra pepper, just the way I like it." Without being noticed, Soran had climbed back into bed and was munching on the dish.
"Wh…" Subaru dropped the nurse. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Are you trying to kill yourself, Soran-kun?!"
"Su, will you relax already? You're way too uptight! Remember what happened to the janitor?"
"This floor is too slippery! What if someone falls and breaks their neck?! Stop cleaning this instant!"
"And then there was the thing in the arboretum."
"Careful, that squirrel might have a bomb attached to it! Ah! A kamikaze bee, get down!"
"And how can you forget the changing room?"
Subaru slammed her fist into a mirror as soon as she saw her reflection as she walked passed. "I'll teach you to get the drop on my man!"
"See what I mean?"
"Not really. What's your point?"
Soran slumped as he put a hand to his face. "You're taking this way beyond reason, Subaru. Security is doing their very best already. You don't have to be a safety Nazi just because someone tried to kill me. I am able to take care of myself, you know."
"But… you're my… I mean I wouldn't… I'm just so worried about you, Soran-kun!" Subaru sat down next to him. "I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you, especially now that we're together so often. I would hate myself for the rest of my life."
"But that doesn't mean you can go around accusing people and things of trying to kill me. Subaru, you need to let me be me. You can't surround me. Well… you can to a part of me, but I was thinking of waiting for a while for that."
"Surround… a part…." Subaru blinked, but she turned red and set off a steam detonation in her head soon after. "Surround… a part…. MOU! Soran, stop it!" She swung at him.
"I can't help it, Su! Your reactions are priceless!"
"You evil, evil boy!" She continued batting his arm with her fists.
"Hai!" Rein waved as she floated in on the couple. "Section 6 official food taster, reporting for duty desu!"
They both turned to her, still posed to swing and defend. "Food taster?"
"You, Rein-daichou?"
"Hai! I'm a unison sprite, so even though I eat, I still need maintenance from Shari-san desu. Since I don't eat that much, and I can't be hurt by poisons, I'm the perfect food taster for Soran-kun desu! Shari-san upgraded my tastebuds to analyze for dangers."
"But I don't want to be a burden on you, Commander." Soran looked away. "I'm going to feel guilty about making you do this."
"I volunteered, desu. So don't feel bad, Soran-kun. I want to help desu. We all want to help."
"Thank you, Reinforce-san." Soran bowed, wincing at the pressure on his bad rib.
"I may as well get to it then." Rein flew over to the biscuit, cut off a Rein-sized piece off, and ate it. She fell onto the bed and twitched.
"Rein-san!" Subaru gasped.
"What's wrong, Rein-san?! What is it?!" Soran gulped. "It couldn't have been…."
"No… no poison." Rein wobbled up. "It's just so very greasy. How can you eat that stuff desu?!"
Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate all stood in the science lab, examining the golden shell. "So you're thinking that this cartridge is what Soran-kun used for his last attack against the Type 4?" Hayate squinted at it.
"Exactly. I found it near the destruction point. Soran said it was a family heirloom." Fate put her cheek in her hand.
"A golden cartridge…." Nanoha stared at it. "I've never seen anything like it."
"It's not a cartridge. It's a casing." Fate drew up its schematics. "It looks like it housed a bullet as well."
"A bullet? Then… where is the slug?"
"Most likely that ball that destroyed the Type 4 was it. This is not a normal weapon. You know that used cartridges become inert, right?" The other two nodded. "Look at this casing's reading."
"17 pow?!" Hayate's jaw dropped as she read the screen.
Fate nodded. "And that's after it has used its bullet."
"If it's at 17 pow after discharge, then there's no telling just how much power was used to create that… whatever it was that Soran used. The sheer willpower he must have used to control it… this is a frightening weapon." Nanoha bit her thumb.
"Have you tried loading it into a device, Fate-chan?" Hayate asked.
"To be honest, I'm afraid to. Probably the only one that could handle it is one of the three of us, and we'd risk losing our precious devices if it backfired. We're dealing with too many unknown factors to deem it worth the risk. We need to learn more about this thing."
"And Soran-kun is pushing to get it back again. If it's that precious to him, it probably means it's from his late parents." Nanoha sighed, looking away.
"All the more reason we need to hurry and investigate this thing." Hayate shared a comforting hand on Nanoha's shoulder. "Let's go back to the attack itself, and see if we can find some clues." The video appeared, with Soran gripping his device with one hand.
"Hold image, please." Raising Heart blinked on Nanoha's chest.
"Uh? Raising Heart, do you see something?"
"Yes. Enhance the device, please." The video zoomed in on the staff. "Barrage's cartridge system is reconfigured."
"Reconfigured? Are you sure?"
"Yes, my Master. Bardiche, please confirm."
"Confirmed." Fate's golden triangle blinked. "Barrel is oversized. Additional coolant and directional units in place. This is not for cartridge use."
"So this form of the Dark Trinity devices was made especially for this bullet."
"They called themselves Gillium Form."
"Gillium… what does that even mean?" Hayate scratched her head, then she raised it. "Shari." A terminal popped up next to her. "When working on Barrage Zwei and the others, did you encounter anything known as Gillium Form in the OS?"
"Gillium? No, I don't think so."
"Did you find anything unusual at all?"
"Aside from the fact that Soran-kun makes really crappy documentation, no."
"Would there be any way to hide a mode so you wouldn't notice it?"
"Well I suppose the only way would be to hide it in the permanent firmware in pieces. Pretty much only Soran's devices could do it, because that's a limited amount of space."
"Thank you, Shari." She closed the window and furrowed her brow. "Soran knows full well the power of that bullet, and the dangers it poses."
"Then what we're basically looking at here is Soran-kun's trump card." Nanoha sighed. "He must have been really desperate to use it. He didn't even try Trinity Buster first."
"From what we saw, it wouldn't have worked anyway." Fate resumed playback.
"What's that chant thing he's doing? Is that a concentration mantra or an incantation?"
"I can't even hear what he's saying. Fate-chan, turn it up."
She did, and the chant kept going for a long time. "It sounds like 'pagua sunfa,' whatever that means."
In the secured lab, the golden casing vibrated and began glowing. An alert came up on the screens. "What?!" Fate turned to the alarm. "The remaining magic is becoming active! Activating AMF suppression field!" A wave shimmered over the shell. "Nothing?! Damn it, what's causing this?!"
Past the alarms, Nanoha continued hearing Soran's voice on the recording. "Ah! Stop the video, it's the chanting!"
Fate hurriedly cut the feed. The shell slowly returned to normal status. "Whew. That did it. But I'm going to keep the security field up just in case." She stood up and joined the others at the observation window. "We're dealing with something that's way over our heads this time, girls."
"It's clean, desu!" Rein finished her tiny little plate as Soran and the other forwards sat around the lunch table.
"Thank you, Commander." Soran twirled a forkful of pasta and shoved it in his mouth. "So whose turn is it to do the random topic?"
"Actually, I think it's yours." Tea pointed at him with her chopstick before she dove into her ginger salad.
"Me? Oh boy… well…. Ah! I got it! If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, and you had your choice of one food to eat for the entire day the day before, what would it be?"
"Wow, that's a tough one!"
"I'll have to think about that."
"Give me a minute."
"Ergh… one food? Wow…."
"Um, can I be included in this too desu?"
"Sure, Commander. You're at the table after all." Soran answered.
"If I knew I was going to die tomorrow, I would probably pig out on silver dollar pancakes desu!"
"Good choice."
"They're just your size too."
"Okay, I've got mine." Subaru grinned. "The food I'd want to pig out on before I die…."
"HOT DOGS!" Everyone yelled at once.
"Next please." Soran waved it off.
"Ooooohhh!" Subaru pouted as she slathered one with relish and shoved it down.
"You two think too small." Tea shook her head. "Me, I'd be cracking open snow and king crab legs from sunup to sundown."
"I like your thinking."
"I think I'd want to join you, Teana-san." Caro agreed.
"But which one? Snow crab or King crab? I said one food. That's two."
"Oh don't make me choose, please?!"
"No! For your insolence you will be executed on the spot! Guards, take her away!" Soran acted like some foreign big shot commander, drawing a laugh from everyone.
"What about yours, Soran?" Tea asked.
"Well I can tell you what I WOULDN'T eat. Su's cooking."
"Hey!"
"That stuff is unsafe for human consumption in the first place."
"Tea!"
"I'll get back to you on my real choice later."
"Stop ignoring me!"
"So Erio, how about you?"
"Mmm…" He was caught in a dreamland state. "Yeah… Caro…." Everyone's eyes went wide, and even the poor girl's hair turned red. He returned from the stares. "…'s cooking. It doesn't matter what she makes, I'd eat it happily."
"E-Erio-kun." Caro still continued to blush.
"God, you had me going there!" Teana took a fresh breath.
"I was worried I'd have to get a pitcher and douse you." Subaru agreed.
"Although that did give me an idea for my final food." Soran put his finger into the air. "Subaru."
"Yes?"
"No, that's my answer. Just Subaru." The entire table fell silent. The only sound was the bluenette dropping her fork on the plate. Her head exploded and she fell backwards onto the floor. Soran peered over the table. "You're way too easy, Su." The others sprawled out on the table in groans. "What?"
In the Interdimensional Worlds Library, a blonde young man with a long ponytail looked up from the book he'd been reading. A transmission terminal had popped up. "Interdimensional Library."
"Good morning, Yuuno-kun. I trust you're well."
"Oh, Fate-chan, good morning, well, afternoon for you, I believe. What's the occasion?"
"We need your help again. I'm sorry for always troubling you with our problems, Yuuno-kun."
"Don't worry about it. This is my job, and you know me. I'm always glad to help my old comrades."
"Thank you. I'm sending you the data that we've collected on the subject." A video of Soran's attack appeared, along with data pertaining to the shell. "We've learned basically nothing other than that its remaining magic is rated 17 pow, and it reacts to a sort of incantation chant to go active."
Yuuno squinted at the video, cleaned off his glasses, and replayed it again. "I think I've seen something like this before. Arf!" He called to the little red-haired fox-eared girl on the sofa, resting peacefully. "Hey Arf! Wake up you stupid fox!"
A vein bulged on her forehead. "Who are you calling stupid, you fucking ferret?!" She snarled as she stood up.
"Now that you're up, could you fetch me 'Astronomical Phenomena for Military Use'? It's in the TSAB Project section."
"I'm not your damn dog. Get it yourself." She huffed and laid back down.
"It's for Fate-chan." He grinned.
The girl's ears perked up, and she was instantly at his side with the book. "Fate-chan! I've missed you! You should call more often!"
"Hello Arf-san. Are you faring well? I certainly hope I'm supplying enough magic for you."
"I'm doing great. Are you brushing your teeth every night? Make sure you clean down there really well. We don't want it to get infected."
"Arf… I'm a grown woman now, please stop doting on me like that." Fate sweatdropped, blushing slightly.
"Right. Sorry, sorry." She scratched the back of her ear.
"I thought so." Yuuno closed the book. "Fate-chan, I think I've got it. Although I've never seen one in a cartridge form, it looks like we're dealing with a quantum weapon. Singularity based."
"Singu… AH!" Fate gasped. "You can't mean that!"
"Ah. Singularity-based weaponry was deemed extremely unstable and dangerous, and was outlawed illegal by the TSAB. One planet dissented, continued their research, and declared their independence."
"Dimension 15242, Perseus." Fate looked away. "To think that this would lead us back to there."
"It was TSAB's greatest military blunder, Operation Bushfire." His mind returned to that time, when a rainsoaked and devastated Nanoha had come to his door, and cried all her tears out as he tried to comfort her. "Why is it that we have to reminisce about this, Fate-chan?" Yuuno wiped off a tear.
"Most likely… Soran is a survivor of Operation Bushfire." Fate gritted her teeth.
Yuuno's eyes went wide. "Fate, don't tell her. Whatever you do, do NOT tell her! She'll figure it out on her own eventually, but she needs to take it at her own pace."
"Unh. He also can use singularity weapons successfully."
"That's a very valuable resource. There are no remaining research materials on Persean singularity weapons. It must have been passed down to him by word of mouth teaching."
"So you don't know of where I could find out more?"
Yuuno shrugged. "There might be a few people left on Perseus who know about it. If you plan to go down there, leave your uniform. Peace may have been settled, but they still don't take kindly to TSAB snooping around. You'll have to rely on your own feminine charms to coax out any information, I'm afraid."
"Well, if it's Fate-chan, then there's no problem!" Arf winked.
"Yes, you're right. Ginga will be perfect for the job. Thank you both. Goodbye." The window shut down.
"GINGA?!" Arf balled her fist. "Why didn't you re-encourage her?! You know she lacks self-confidence!"
"Me?! Why didn't you say it?"
"I'm her familiar! I'm SUPPOSED to say it! Stupid ferret that can't even tell when a woman needs a compliment. That's why you never got Nanoha."
"Oh don't drag Nanoha-chan into this, you fur-licking hairball-coughing loli-fox!"
"Why I oughtta…! Chain Bind!"
"Struggle Bind!"
"Subaru!" A young woman with long blue hair tied with a black bandana rushed up to the girl.
"Eh? Gin-nee?!" Subaru turned around and caught her in a hug. "What are you doing here, Gin-nee? I thought you were at the Correction Facility."
"I was, but Fate-san pulled me out for a temporary assignment. I can't say no to the investigation bureau. More importantly, what about you? I hear you've been rather busy lately." She elbowed her little sister.
Subaru blushed. "Heh… yeah well, he's… hey, where is he?" She looked around, and saw Teana in the hall. "Tea! Tea, where's Soran?"
"Uh? Oh! Ginga-san, it's been a while!" She waved as she turned to them. "Actually, Subaru, I think he was called up to Commander Yagami's office."
"Um…" Ginga scratched her cheek. "Would this be a good time to mention that Dad's here too?"
"Daddy?!" Subaru's eyes went wide, and she looked up the elevator. "Gulp."
"Commander Yagami, Second Lieutenant Soran Berkt reporting as ordered, ma'am!" He saluted and took in the situation, as she and an older gentleman in uniform were having tea. "Oh, I apologize. I'll return at a better time. Forgive my disturbance." He bowed and turned around.
"Oh there's no disturbance, Berkt-chuui. Please, come in." Hayate waved him in. "General, this is the boy I was referring to."
"Forgive my intrusion." Soran bowed as he sat down, wincing slightly.
"Is your rib still giving you problems, Soran?"
"I will be at full health soon ma'am. I apologize for being an inconvenience. I should have dodged the attack more efficiently."
Hayate giggled. "You can drop the formalities already, Soran-kun. Teatime is for tea, not military protocol."
"Yes ma'am."
The older man studied Soran intently. "So, young man, from what Hayate tells me, you're quite the piece of work! An S+ Rank mage at your age is rare to see."
"I suppose so, sir." Soran blinked at him.
"She also tells me you've got quite the little trick up your sleeve, or should I say in it? Would you mind explaining that attack to me, Soran-san?"
Soran sighed through his nose and turned to give Hayate a slightly disappointed look before turning back. "I'm sorry sir, but I can't do that. It's a family tradition that I would rather keep personal. If I had my way, I would also have back the shell I used, however I understand why the Commander and yourself would be interested in it."
"That's a shame, son. That's a real shame. But I can get it too. My daughters have some stuff they'd rather not share too. I could order Hayate to give you back the shell if you want."
"Oh, no sir! I couldn't possibly ask that of you, General…. I'm sorry, but until today I don't think we've ever met."
"General Nakajima is my mentor, and was the main sponsor for the creation of Section 6, Soran-kun." Hayate piped up.
"I see. Thank you for your offer, General Nakajima, however I cannot ac… wait, Nakajima? Sir, you wouldn't happen to be related to the Nakajima stationed at this facility would you?"
"Oh, if you're referring to that girl you're dating, she's my daughter."
"EEHH?!" Soran stood up, falling backwards a few steps.
Both senior members at the table laughed. "Gomen, Soran-kun, but we had to see how you'd react."
"Yes, we've got a lot of stuff to discuss, son. Well, potential future son. So please, sit down."
Soran's neck tensed up. "Gulp."
"Ah, forget being murdered, I thought I was going to just keel over right there." Soran trudged outside, with Rein floating next to him. "I wasn't prepared for that, seriously!"
"It's probably punishment for using that attack desu. Last time I checked, singularity weapons were banned, desu."
"Why do you think I have it as a last resort? Man, I never should have pushed it that far!" Soran sighed. "Rein-san, is the morphing field online?"
"Hai desu."
"I'm gonna let off some steam. If anyone asks, that's where I'll be."
"Hai desu." She flew back to the building.
As he flopped his towel over his shoulder he looked up, and saw flashes of light coming from the field. "Someone's using it? Well a little entertainment couldn't hurt. Wonder who's duking it out." He got closer and was able to make out a painted scrawl in the air. "Wing Road?!" He hurried forward.
Clashing in the sky the two Nakajima sisters went toe to toe and knuckle to knuckle, trading roads every so often, each knowing exactly what the other would do. Soran watched from below as they met a stalemate. "You ready to finish this Subaru?"
"Always, Gin-nee. Always." They tilted to the side and fell off the road. Their target changed to the teen below them.
Soran grinned as dust rose in the impact zone. "Hello ladies." He said as he held a roller blade from each in his grip.
"Hello Soran." Both Calibers spoke as he tossed them to opposite sides.
"Oh, and hello to you biological females too." Soran smirked.
They both flipped over and landed on their skates. They circled him faster and faster. Both spoke at once in a chant. "Though you may think you're best, tradition states we must give a test. Though you might not die from this, can you tell who has the angel's kiss?" At a blinding speed, one simple sweet kiss and one long sensual one was placed on his lips. The girls ground to a halt in front of him. "So, who's was which?"
Soran smacked his lips. "That was a very angelic kiss, Ginga, but I think I'll take my little devil any time." He went up to Subaru and gave her a short peck on the lips.
She responded with a long lip-mash. "We fooled you. Your little devil was the long one this time."
"GAH FOILED AGAIN!" He acted defeated before straightening. "Good to see you again, Ginga."
"We were wondering when you were going to show up, Soran." Ginga crossed her arms as her Caliber returned to pendant form. "I need to borrow you for a minute."
"Geez, first the father, and now the sister. Can't a guy get a little rest around here?" Soran shrugged and joined her in step. "How are things at the Correction Facility? Are they behaving themselves?"
Ginga sighed. "I'm afraid what it's going to look like when I get back. That Scaglietti taught those girls some really WEIRD stuff!"
"When you get back? What do you mean?"
"I've been called back to do some investigative work. It's only temporary, but I don't know how long it will be for."
"I see. Well if it's you, then it should be done fairly quickly, right?"
"It could go a hell of a lot quicker still." She ran in front of him and turned around. "Soran, I'm not even supposed to say this, but the target of the investigation is you."
Soran blinked and looked away. "I see. I'm sorry then, because it's my fault that you're being pulled from your job."
"Soran, if you're going to tell someone about your trump card, now's the time to say it. That will appease the higher ups."
"I can't do that Ginga." He sighed and looked into the sky. The sun was starting to set. "Some things are better left private."
"If I have to dig, it won't be private for long, you know that. You know why I'm here. I care deeply about Subaru and I know you do too. I'm just worried and a little scared."
"I still can't tell you, Gin." He checked his watch. "It's getting late, and I promised to take Subaru to dinner tonight." He turned around and started to head back to where she was waiting.
"Soran." Ginga looked away, and he stopped. "If I dig, what am I going to find? I won't like it, will I?"
Soran paused. "No. But then again, no one likes tragedy unless it's in the theater. What will you find? Pain." He started walking.
"Soran wait!" She reached out her hand, but he had just barely moved out of her reach. "I hope you'll forgive me. And that you won't hate Subaru for what I have to do."
He balled his fist and turned around. He tromped up to her and clonked her on the forehead. "Baka. There's no way I could hate either of you."
