Guess whooooo's back from a ROOOOOOOOOOOAD TRIP AND OTAKON?!

You get three guesses.

And the first two don't count.

Anyways, I thought I'd put this up now to make up for the fact I was kinda out for my usual upload schedule! The next update will be out on the 20th though, unless something else comes up.

Here we go!

Index 10: Business Affairs

"Two types of people you should never get involved with, Kira: Businessmen and politicians."

"Work Trip"

Atlantic Ocean

Saturday, May 23rd, Variable Hours

Log: Day 1 of Dunoa Business Trip

"Business trips," I mumble groggily, having just woken up on the plane, "Never liked them."

"Oh hush, Ki-kun," Tabane jabs as I adjust my tie, "It can't be that bad."

"I hate suits. They suck. And guess what I've been forced into? A freaking suit!" I grumble, crossing my arms.

She giggles, holding a hand over her mouth. "You can't complain, Meusel-san and Yneger-san both blushed when they saw you in that suit."

"They what now?"

"Oh, it was actually really cute." She replies in an attempt to make it sound like nothing, playing with the black wig she currently has on.

"…Whatever. At least we're in a comfortable airplane." I mutter, leaning back on the chair. We're the only ones too, which is nice.

E's figure appears ahead of us, still dressed in her sailor uniform style outfit. "Tabane, remind us why we had to come. Also, Operative Shitono would like to know why they had to take the uncomfortable, regular airlines."

Heh, it's just like Mickey to complain about that.

"Well, we had to split up. Besides, taking the private jet is a little too flashy."

Tabane has a private jet?

She does.

Goddamn.

Being the inventor of the IS does give you a lot of money…

I guess that's how she's funding all of this, now that I think about it.

"Also, it's preferable that you meet the next male IS pilot. He hasn't been revealed just yet, since one of my operatives told me about him and I had him instruct the father of the boy not to quite show it off yet."

"Ah. Is he a possible recruit?"

"Hmhmhm, yes. Dunoa Corporations is a very strong ally of ours. Their public face is only the tip of the iceberg. Did you ever want to be a businessman, Ki-kun?"

"Fuck that shit."

"Well, I'm sure if you ever reconsider Dunoa-san will be willing to take you under his wing." Tabane teases with a jab to my rib, causing me to hiss in reply, E vanishing as she sighs.

I sink my head, looking over at the dossier I finished reading before taking a nap. Charles Dunoa… third confirmed male IS pilot, son of a major corporation head, and apparently very skilled in multiple guns. He might not be able to match my guys, but he has a fair bit of skill in all of their areas. He's got a twin sister, too… or perhaps it would be better said had a twin sister. She died in a freak accident. Eighteen wheeler, stormy conditions on the road. Do the math.

Charles got the luck of the draw on that one. Just some glass that cut deep across his chest and stomach.

This is your pilot speaking. We'll be making our landing soon. Please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts. The attendants will be patrolling to ensure you are properly buckled. Thank you.

"Operative Hultimter and Shitono will be waiting for us there, Ki-kun."

"Got it. They'll be dressed like us, right?"

"Mhm. They already have their signs, too. Look for the ones that say 'Anazi-san'. Our cover story at the moment, if you forgot, is that I'm simply visiting. You're playing my butler at the moment. If you see the glow, please say 'It's getting warm in here.'"

I put on the gloves that cover my hands, making me really look like a butler. "Yeah, yeah. I know. Let's hope this goes smoothly."

The plan goes off without a hitch, with Tabane now surrounded by the three of us. E is using the IS parts of me to look around the area, finding mirrors to check out appearance. There is a bit of footage playing in my sight, which is of Tabane who looked like a very dignified woman, her eyes closed and hands folded in front of her. Some people are looking at us, but a look or two from Romeo or Mickey, both of their eyes obscured with sunglasses, scare them off.

You know, I thought we were trying to avoid attracting attention.

In regards to our identities, at least. No doubt Neo Phantom Task may be trying to plant an agent at the Academy which will inform them of when we leave on our missions, but we're keeping track of that too.

So we might have to make a student disappear, huh?

Hmm… this is a lot trickier than I thought.

"Madame Anazi, it has been a while." A very nondescript man in a suit and tie calls out as he bows. The only trait I can tell about him was that he has graying hair.

"Ah, yes." She says as he reveals the wristband on his wrist that has the insignia of the Reclaimers on the bottom. Tabane snaps her fingers subtly and it begins to glow for a second.

"Sanada." Right, that's my name.

"It's getting warm in here, Madame Anazi."

She nods before gesturing to move ahead. "Let's go, then."

We are lead through part of the airport, eventually coming out to a different area. A helipad? Hm. A little flashy, I'd have preferred a car.

"Monsieur Dunoa will see you later, Madame Anazi."

"Of course. Thank you. Sanada, let us go."

Climbing into the helicopter, we then take out seats. The door close, Tabane sighing as we buckle in. "Is that you piloting, Dunoa-san?"

"It certainly has been a while, hasn't it, Tabane? I also thought I asked you to call me Arthur." The older man chuckles from the cockpit. "Which one among them is the Prototype Spartan?"

"Me, sir!" I reply with a snap to a salute, my fellow Reclaimers immediately going up with rigid backs and a respectful silence.

"At ease, you don't have to 'sir' me. I'm just a business man, after all."

I visibly loosen up, the others following suit. "Tabane, can we take off the suits yet?"

"Hehehe, Ki-kun hates being in a suit, you see."

"Ah." Dunoa says with an understanding stifled chukle.

"Even if it makes him popular with the ladies."

"Shut up." I growl, still bitter about the incident… I mean, I was able to get over it due to the fact we've got a mission. I just hope nothing more happens in that regard. Pretty much… if Lucinda ever appears again, Madoka is to be the designated combatant.

We still need to upgrade our IS units, too.

Ah, that may be why we're visiting as well. Pick up an upgrade or two.

That might be useful. Well, it's going to be a long ride.

I blink myself awake, feeling a nudge on my side. Tch, I almost fell asleep there.

"Ki-kun, we're here."

I snap up with the rest of my team, ready for any action. An SMG appears in my hands, just in case of trouble.

"Leader, no need."

I stores away the weapon. "…All right. Ready up, Utopia. Get tactical, low key."

Romeo let out a cold smile as he slips on his black leather gloves that happened to be quite thick, the kind that Mickey called "beating up kids" gloves. Meanwhile, Mickey readjusts the earpiece that quickly shoots out and becomes an eyepiece as well, sparking to life with what I recognize as our team viewing set up on the HUD.

E, let's get the HUD up.

Shield bar, check. Identifying tool, check. Concealed weapons detector, check. TEAMVIEW, check. Let's roll.

We touch down, the helicopter slowly making less and less noise before we step out. I get a full view of Arthur Dunoa, who is a very well dressed man. Back up straight, black tie and suit, blonde hair combed back and shaved that makes him look a lot younger than he probably is.

He puts out a hand. "Mister Orthun."

I take his hand and shake it firmly. "Just Kira will be fine."

He introduces himself to Romeo and Mickey, just as formally as he did for me. A very egalitarian man, it seems. Mickey is a little put off that he took the time for that, though, judging by the confused look he shoots me when Dunoa turns to face away from him.

"Ah, let us get going. I'm sure he is waiting."

"He?"

"Kira, do you believe you can adequately lead a war?"

"No, Tabane."

"We are meeting the person who can. I did not expect this level of complication, to be honest. My plan to destroy Phantom Task was to scout, find key bases, cripple them, and then weaken them. The new leadership will probably lead to a new mode of operation, so I'm bringing in an old friend of mine."

"Ah… that's good. I don't think I could do it."

"Do you remember the game I had you play before, Kira?"

"…Don't tell me…"

"He's the number one player. The one who has beaten even the levels I thought impossible with countries that are far less developed than leading world superpowers. And that game is as close to an accurate depiction of an IS war would be like."

"Whoa—wait, countries?"

"Oh yes."

"Goddamn…"

"Oh, and do you know why PMC ruled nations still haven't all quite united yet?"

"…I don't think I'm going to like the answer."

"When he was a younger man, he exploited their never-ending competition in resource wars." Tabane explains as I recall the history lesson that I had before.

With the rise of the IS, PMCs went full blown political powers in order to seize control of the units. After all, if your private military had control of it, then… well, you were obviously going to be able to get a lot of jobs. Of course, because they claimed nationality, they were bound by the laws of the Alaska Treaty, even if they were technically just a military power that gained political power. But they could also argue that they were just a corporation that got control of it, without political power.

…An IS that its loyalty went to the highest bidder. That in itself was a scary thought. Terrorists, mafia, anyone with enough money, it was their toy to use. The UN quickly established a movement to seize control back, so as you can imagine, it's not pretty.

Nonetheless, PMC fighting has been going down for a while even before the IS, especially in the African regions. Something I don't like to think about.

"Don't tell me…"

"Oh, he'd play all the sides. He was the top general, everyone wanted him on his side, and thusly he made his living by contracting himself. Sold to the highest bidder, eradicate enemies. Of course, he'd play it out for a decisive victory with minimum casualties, meaning he could go and just repeat the process. Risky, and it put his life on the line a few times, but he was ultimately successful. Fortunately he had a lot of cover identities too. Crazy prepared, after all."

"Sounds impossible. Someone would have to have near future-sight abilities or extremely high calculation abilities to—"

I realize at this moment, Tabane knows this person.

"…You helped him."

"For a price, yes."

"That's how you funded the IS, isn't it?"

"Oh yes, actually. He… invested money into my computational abilities and creations especially in regards to self-defense, and I would provide what he needed. It was symbiotic. You might also say he was the beta to the IS, having tested components of its various pieces of equipment."

"Could we move on, with all due respect?" Mr. Dunoa asks, obviously not being one for dirty business. "Both of you moved on from that life a long time ago."

"Whoops~ Sorry, sorry. But I couldn't help but just explain fully."

We're lead through several winding halls, where every worker bows to the man leading us through the building. He greets every single one by name and asks something that seemed like they were dealing with was going all right. Wow… he treats every single one of his workers like his own child.

Similar to you and the others you lead?

…Yeah, I guess. He seems pretty resp—no, entirely respectable. A man that the world might look down upon, as he treats everyone as an equal, unfortunately.

I apparently miss some idle chatter while lost in my thoughts and we've covered quite a bit of distance, but nothing important to me was missed, or so E tells me.

"We're here."

Dunoa knocks on the door before entering. The room we step into is a meeting room, with no one else other than a clearly aged man at the opposite end of the room, reading a book. He's dark skinned, perhaps African American, with a crew cut hairstyle. He's just as sharply dressed as the rest of us, too. Man, it does feel like a business meaning.

"Heeeeello~"

"Ah. Tabane," The other man's deep baritone calls out. "Well, this is a surprise. I didn't know you took to the young ones these days. And to be with three of them… quite impressive. I'm sure they'll find out what's underneath the dress, which I never did. Or has it already happened?"

"S-s-shut up, Reginald!" Tabane yells out, immediately distancing herself from us, face blazing the entire way. Even I can't help but let out the smallest of chortles.

"Wow. I feel so defeated." Mickey jokes, feigning injury by grasping his heart. "To think she could deny our very illicit relationship right in my face."

"You only wish you could have one." I immediately follow-up, going right for the snipe.

"…Shot by Leader too, huh? Hey Leader, I know you've been surrounded by a lot of girls at IS Academy, but the human race needs to repopulate, you know?"

"Leader, hm?" Reginald nods, looking over me and Romeo and then Mickey. "I see… Ah, my apologies. I should introduce myself. I am Reginald Markov. I am a retired general and Tabane has asked me to be your general for the Reclaimers. A position I will gladly accept. She explained the situation to me… I cannot let something like that go."

"Hehehe~"

"So you are Kira Orthun, the Prototype Spartan?" He asks me, walking over to us. "I look forward to working with you. Alongside your friends, too. Humtilter and ah… Sorry, your name escapes me. I read it on the dossier given to me, but truthfully I only just read it while waiting for you all."

"We're still short one person, though." Dunoa mutters, moving over to the phone. He dials a number and presses what is probably speaker. "Charles, are you there?"

"Ah, yes Father. I apologize, I… am still at the usual place. May I have five more minutes?"

"Yes, yes." The phone call ends. "Well, since we brought you here to meet him, I suppose a little pre-introduction couldn't hurt. Kira, would you mind meeting him? If you take a right after exiting this room and simply walk straight down, you'll reach the garden area he is at within… fifteen minutes at a brisk walking speed?"

Romeo leans back against the wall while Reginald tilts his head, perhaps in curiosity of why we simply didn't wait.

"Leader, I'll go with you." Romeo instantly snaps.

"Romeo, you don't—"

"It's best we go as a group. Plus we're in an unfamiliar area, so it would be good to have someone there minding you in the event of a flashback."

"Ah… I suppose. Let's go. Mickey, stay here?"

"Yes, sir. I'll keep you informed of any developments here."

"Reflection"

Atlantic Ocean

Saturday, May 23rd, 2:16 PM France Time

Log: Day 1 of Dunoa Business Trip

"This is a beautiful garden." I say as we walk along the stone path over a wooden bridge that runs above a small stream, some grey rocks at its side bordering the green grass and waves of flowers.

"It is."

"I quite like the roses. Someone obviously takes very good care of them. The bushes are also well trimmed."

"Good for hiding as well."

"I see someone is already thinking two hundred steps in the wrong direction."

"Contingency plans, leader." Romeo explains with a nudge.

We both freeze as we hear a voice.

"A-ah, Ch-charles, you need to get to your meeting…"

We walk in on Charles, dressed just like his father except with more hair on his head, who probably has just Frenching the girl judging by the stains. The girl is dressed in a slimmed down version of a maid outfit, so that movement might be easier and it isn't so flashy, which compliments her very toned down blonde hairstyle.

"I'm sorry, I lost track of time. I'm sorry to you as well, Priscilla, that you were spied upon in such a shameful position." He says with a slight bow of the head and complete sincerity.

I flinch as Romeo cups my chin. "The fuck are you doing?!"

He gives a cunning smile. "Well Leader, when in France, do as the Fren—"

"Finish that statement and my knife will be Frenching your lips." I growl, summoning the kukris into my right hand.

"But Leader, I'm sure that they won't mind. After all, they just finished and now this wonderful scenery is here for us to enjoy."

"Romeo, you've got three seconds before I gut you."

"What, are you going to ram me so hard with that rather large knife of yours? I mean, if you want to go in dry, that's not really a problem but…"

At this, the girl here tries not to laugh and I can see the grin on Charles' face. It doesn't help that E's laughing hysterically in my head either.

My eyes narrow into slits. "That's it, I'm gonna—"

"Well Monsieur Orthun, please let me inform you I am a very open man and would never judge someone on their alternative life choices." Charles says while attempting to keep a straight face, interrupting us.

"…Well then, Leader?"

"Your fucking precious Leader commands you to let go of my chin this instant."

Romeo laughs as he did so while I give him a shove, alongside Charles while I'm rolling my eyes at his unprofessional antics.

Oh come now, it wasn't so bad.

Oh you shut up.

"Ah, Priscilla… may you leave us?"

"…I am sorry, Charles. But I do not feel comfortable leaving you in a two against one scenario."

…Concealed Weapons detection, on—holy shit she's keeping knives underneath that maid dress of hers. Looks like she's just not an affair, huh?

It would seem not. There seems to be only one way to solve this.

Yeah.

"Romeo. Leave us, please."

"…Only if Madame Priscilla—er, my apologies I have not asked your full name, leaves alongside me. I will not leave my Leader in a two versus one situation."

"My name is Priscilla Aubertin, thank you."

"I will not leave Leader unless Madame Aubertin leaves as well." He argues back, crossing his arms.

"Then, the both of you will leave together. Monsieur Orthun—"

"Just Kira, if I may."

"Ah. Then please, refer to me as simply 'Charles'." He pats the empty space on the wooden bench next to him. "Please, have a seat."

"Romeo."

"…Understood, Leader."

In sync, he walks away with Priscilla, each of them looking quite suspicious of each other. It's only natural, after all.

"I apologize, but she is rather protective of me. After what happened to my sister… which I'm sure you know of, if your reputation has any merit."

"It was in your dossier. I haven't had an experience like that before specifically… but ah…"

"Your face says it all. You too, have lost someone precious, in a quite unexpected way." Charles sighs, leaning back on the chair. "So, we're going to be working with each other, then?"

"I suppose so. Ah, I was actually supposed to go and bring you back. Let me just quickly inform my other man back there."

E?

Establishing link… complete.

"Mickey, I'm going to be a little late."

"I thought so. Aaaay, are we all right if we keep waiting?"

"Ah, I thought this might happen. Are you hungry? I actually have not had lunch yet. We have a lot of time, no one will be in a hurry to get Charles as no one outside this room save for one other person knows what he is."

"Sorrysirgottagonowbyeitsmellssogood."

"Well, it seems that my ever so loyal assault member has been brought low by the scent of food. How uncouth."

"Ahaha, it must be Alicia cooking. Her dishes give off a smell that one might not have unless one were already eating."

"I see. So, were you out here at a memorial?"

"Yes. Every day, I come here to be with my sister, if only to extend our time together for even a fraction of what it should have been. This garden, actually… it's all because of her. She loved nature and so this entire garden is her memorial."

"Did you plant it yourself?"

"Ha, I only wish. But thank you for such a question."

"Heh, I just thought it'd be fitting if you did. Anyways… should we head in? We can talk on the way back."

Charles gets up in a single, smooth motion. "Ah, I'm quite sorry, we haven't quite had a true introduction."

He puts out his right hand. "My name is Charles Dunoa. I'm sure it'll be a pleasure to work with you in the future, Kira Orthun."

I take his hand and we shake. His grip is just as firm as his father's, yet with the innocence of a child. Hm, how interesting. "The sentiment is returned, Charles Dunoa. May I call you Charles? Or, if it's anything to go from your circumstances involving your IS, Char?"

Charles laughs as the other two came back. "Priscilla, you owe me~"

She makes a pouting face as she hands him a few coins. "So close. Two more minutes and I'd have won."

"What the hell were you betting on?"

"If within ten minutes of talking to each other, Monsieur Kira would refer to Monsieur Charles as 'Char'." Priscilla mutters, crossing her arms. "So close."

"Oh come now, Priscilla, I'm sure that you'll find a way to win it back. If we've the time later, shall we play a game or two of poker?"

She rolls her eyes as we begin to walk back. Romeo and Priscilla's steps are in sync, each of them maintaining a constant distance behind us as Charles and I make small talk, mainly about food. I haven't had lunch, anyways. Or I did, but you know, airline food. Not exact too filling if you ask me.

After politely knocking on the door, we enter the meeting room, finding Mickey who is currently carving his way through a salad. "Yo, took you guys long enough."

"Our apologies, but you know how introductions are." I reply, taking the empty seats. Priscilla bows before leaving the room, meaning that she probably isn't a huge part of this. She's probably only Charles' bodyguard.

Dunoa stands up and clears his throat. "Let us begin. A brief introduction, for those of us not yet acquainted with each other. Tabane, will you start us? We'll move around counter clockwise."

"Tabane Shinonono, your friendly neighborhood mad scientist and creator of the IS."

"Reginald Markov, retired general and to-be general of the Reclaimers."

"Arthur Dunoa, CEO of Dunoa Corporations and backer to Tabane."

"Mickey Shitono, assault member of Utopia One."

"Romeo Hultimter, sniper of Utopia One."

"Kira Orthun, leader of Utopia one."

"Charles Dunoa, son of Arthur Dunoa."

"Good. Now, let's get the primary reasons we're here out of the way. Tabane informed us of the kidnapping attempts of you and Ichika Orimura during your initial movement to IS Academy. You're here to link up and help escort my son to one of Tabane's bases. From there, we'll make our move. Most likely to a private jet that we'll have set up. A direct trip is a no-go, though."

I raise my hand, and when looked at ask: "Do we have armored transportation?"

"Yes."

"Let's get three SUVs. We'll need decoys. Actually, axe that. Let's go with six. Two groups would be better. We… do have extra arms, correct?"

"Yes. Small arms, capable of taking on an IS. Unfortunately, it's difficult to try to develop those weapons while also researching Generation Three parts. The market is rather low for the former, but I have a feeling that when society gets over its Infinite Stratos craze, we'll be up there. Not to mention the fact you already have countries that can't afford so much IS R-and-D looking to buy."

"Even better. Let's pick a safe house, establish routes, and move on."

"Monsieur Markov?"

"I'm thinking the northern safe house. We'll have high ground, slopes to escape on, and cliffs limiting their movement except up the main road."

"Which we'll probably be mining provided those munitions."

"Good. Teams, then? I'd like to put an IS pilot per team, but deployment will be tricky. Charles' IS has been severed from the IS network by Shinonono, but it would still be bulky to use."

"In that case, should I escort him? My IS doesn't take much that much more room to deploy and we're already severed from the network."

"Hm… I see. That seems to work, so let's go with that. Charles, you can drive, correct?"

"If needed, yes."

"Hm…"

"I've got plenty of armaments too." Tabane interrupts. "We can send an extra operative with them."

"Hultimter, go with him."

"Leader?"

"We'll work with that."

"Awww, how heartbreaking." Mickey says with a smile. "Oh well, I guess it works. Let's get loaded up."

"Ready Up"

Atlantic Ocean

Saturday, May 23rd, 2:16 PM France Time

Log: Day 1 of Dunoa Business Trip

PWHOOOOOSH!

"Motherfucking ambushes!"

"Literally five minutes after drafting the plan, we're attacked. You have got to be kidding me." Romeo growls, sniping two more soldiers down. "Leader!"

I bring out another magazine and toss it to him, Romeo reloading and immediately shooting off another. "Mister Dunoa, which way to the armory?"

"Down this hallway, to the left." He answers popping back up and firing four more shots off from his revolver. "Advance!"

I bring out the Jackal Shield and crouch down, moving ahead while firing the SMG to cover my approach as I take the brunt of the fire. E, gonna need to deploy in a bit!

Understood.

Leaping into the intersection of the hallway where there's a small square room, I drop the Bubble Shield as the Assault Rifle comes into my hand. As the shield breaks, I throw a frag grenade into one corner, fire half a clip into another, and then shoot up the third.

There isn't a need for the fourth, as their cries of pain come from knives slitting their throats and stabbing their jugulars. When the gunfire ceases, everyone else moves up, finding Priscilla in a slightly bloodstained maid uniform.

"Monsieur Dunoa, Monsieur Charles." She bows. "I have cleared the way to the armory."

Goddamn ninja maid. I want one.

I didn't know you were into maids, Kira.

I'm not!

No need for such vehement denial.

…Geez. "All right, let's move on, everyon—"

We're interrupted by the sounds of an explosion, followed by a whiririririr which is definitely not friendly. Holy shit, they're really pulling out all the stops on this…!

"A chopper, eh?" Romeo hisses as he hands the sniper rifle back to me. "Not sure if we can make it through. There's plenty of windows, so they'll see us on the way in."

"I'd rather not reveal my IS as it might give my presence away, but come need be, I will." Tabane adds.

"Charles, activate your IS. We're clearing a path."

"Father?"

He gets a nod back.

"Raphael. It is time."

A golden light shines from Charles. When it subsides, he's decked out in dark orange armor, four wing extended out from his back, leg and bicep armor. He turns around, revealing white shoulder pads and a chestplate, and a massive cannon appearing in his right hand.

To complete the package, a white headband wraps around the top of his head. "Kira. Let's go."

I reload the sniper rifle and put it on my back before bringing out the Spartan Laser. Full charge? Yep, let's get ready to go.

"Everyone else, get to the armory. We'll take out the chopper."

"Leader."

"Romeo?"

"…Don't die."

"I have no plans to."

With that, Charles and I move down another hallway, getting a good view of the chopper. The windows aren't broken yet, which poses a problem for us.

"Fuck, two choppers. Charles, take the one on the left. Draw their fire, I'll laser the one on the right. Watch out for a red painting laser, it'll be where the laser hits."

"Order received."

"Break the glass on my mark." I whisper. "And change to Field Chat Channel 1."

His friendly demeanor from before, or at least the facial part, hasn't broken as he looks up at the chopper from behind his spot in the corner. "Understood. On your mark."

"Three. Two. One. Mark."

Glass rains down as Charles moves up, firing an initial shot at the left chopper. When he creates a little bit of distance, I pop up from behind the wall and zoom in on the right chopper. The tsssssssssssu of the laser hums in my ear before the eruption of red.

It tears through my target, the chopper exploding in a fiery show. No time to appreciate it, though.

"Charles, let's wrap this up."

"Oui, oui."

I blink when I realized he had just annihilated the chopper. Holy shit, he's brutally effective. Damn, and he's on our side?

Yes.

Oh, thank goodness. Let's keep it that way.

Anyways, now just to sprint down the hallway to the armory.

"Ah, ah. Kira, it'll be faster this way."

I look out the window, finding Charles coming closer and closer. "Eh—holy shi—"

The windows become mere fragments as he swoops in and—Charles what the hell?!

"It's faster if I carry you. You're not flying, so it's correct to assume that you aren't capable of flight."

"Goddammit… did you have to do this pose?"

"My apologies, but time is of the essence. Now, there are ground units aiming to take us out. Could you deal with them?"

"Fine, fine."

I shift around in this rather embarrassing bridal style carry as I take out my Battle Rifle and begin raining down death by triple-burst. Plus, using the robotic arm, I'm able to aim one-handedly while maintaining decent accuracy.

It doesn't take long to get back down to the armory, where Romeo and Priscilla are waiting, firing off at the invading infantry units. The two of them have very visible smiles upon seeing the two of us. Without a single grumble, I climb out of Charles' arms and begin to cover the two unarmored personnel into the armory building, sealing the entrance off behind us.

Several more layers of doors keep sealing the way behind us as we run through. Man, that's a lot of security.

Romeo gets into the SUV that I'd be in, with Charles, Priscilla, and myself lagging a little bit behind, Charles already out of his IS.

We barely manage to close the door behind us, slamming it shut as the explosions keep drawing near. The doors of the garage open up just as the final door blows open, all six armored SUVs shooting out like missiles.

The fires around the estate burn, filling the skies with smoke. Charles and Priscilla look around, their eyes closed as they offer a silent prayer, I suppose.

Charles puts on his headset and apparently puts it on speaker, as we can hear the radio chatter.

Are the VIPs and Freedom Singer away?

Confirmed, Clock Four. We have visual. Six armored movers, crashing in through the gates now. Do we have any other orders?

…We can evacuate. However, I will continue to hold the line to ensure their escape. I know not what you will do, but feel free to leave. For Monsieur Dunoa and his son, Monsieur Charles! For those that cry out for equality among all humanity!

"They are… truly loyal to you and your father." Romeo mutters as the comm link closes out. "I only wish I could have half as much devotion to Leader."

"Don't put yourself down so much, Romeo. You've kept the oath that you pledged to all those years ago. One that people might call insane."

"Ah, not to be rude or intrusive, but what oath would that be?"

"I swore to him that I would always be at his side, even when he did not know it. That I would be his protector. That even if all creation turned against him, I would fight with him until the very last bullet and even then, I would take my rifle or whatever weapons I had left and beat his enemies to death, until we were both finished." Romeo says in his usual stoic voice, looking straight ahead of him the entire time.

"I am sure that to keep such an oath, that you have just as much loyalty than Monsieur Dunoa's men." Priscilla interrupts, waving a hand as if to dismiss Romeo's rather grim belief. "If our previous discussion was also anything of note, you should not say such about yourself."

"I suppose… yet I do not feel like I have done enough, Leader."

"Romeo, I only asked you that day to live for me. Continue to do as such, and that is all I will ever need."

"…As you wish, Leader."

I pause as on my HUD the words TABANE appeared at the upper right hand corner. E?

On it.

"Utopia One, responding."

That was close, Ki-kun. Just calling in to check who's with you.

"Romeo, Charles, Priscilla, and myself."

Ahh… okay, that's good. Anyways, are all of you all right?

"Yeah, we should. Anyone have any injuries?"

Everyone gave me a negative response on that.

"We're fine."

Okay, okay~ Oh, and don't worry about the estate. Dunoa-san informed me that there aren't any sensitive documents there. I'll see you at the safe house then.

"Understood. Utopia One, out."

Communications breaks there, Tabane's name disappearing off my HUD. I guess we're keeping radio silence for now until we hit the house.

"That was a little too close." Romeo mutters, setting his rifle inside the storage units inside the SUV. "I'm thinking our enemies have struck in order to create a bit of fear."

"Apparently there isn't any sensitive data there either. At most the armory has been lost."

"They won't be able to get the weapons in there easily," Priscilla notes, but didn't further elaborate. Just how deep is she in this, anyways?

The ride is fairly silent, all of us waiting and not speaking. The most sound was the occasional hum of the engine when we sped up after taking a corner and the wiping of cloth on a knife since Priscilla was cleaning hers.

Romeo yawns, breaking the silence. "Gah… I haven't slept in a while. Leader, do you mind?

"Of course not."

"Safe House"

Dunoa Safe House

Saturday, May 23

"Tabane."

"Reginald?"

The old general shook his head in the sun room, currently illuminated by the moonlight. "Are you really going to send that boy to war? Make no mistake, Tabane, this will not be a series of skirmishes. This is going to evolve to an all-out secret war."

"…He's the best chance we have."

"Is that favoritism in your voice?"

Her purple eyes flashed with a fury untold. No one had ever lived to piss off Tabane Shinonono, that was something Reginald knew, so he immediately took a breath.

"I didn't mean it that way. I just thought your answer was biased as there is no turning back." He calmly explained, easing away from the dirty glare Tabane was shooting him.

"I trust E's decision. Just because we have a setback doesn't mean we're out. If anything… Kira's run-in with Lucinda is fortunate. If he…"

"Could just overcome the trauma?"

"…Maybe. If he… if he can get over it, he's the best chance we have."

"An all-in, hm? You were often fond of that strategy back during our gambling days." Reginald leaned back, looking up to the starry sky. "You never lost when you did. Never once when you all-in-ed, did you lose, much to my wallet's dismay."

He shivered from the aura the purple haired woman exuded.

"Kira is not just a chip in a game, Reginald."

"Sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I'm just comparing the situations. But you're very tense."

"…I saw what happened to him. Saw what happened to Meusel. I saw… the destruction of a human I caused by inventing the Infinite Stratos. I won't… allow anyone just to treat him like something less than human. I want to give him people that he can be a person for… for…"

A pat on her shoulder calmed her down. "I know, Tabane. Regardless, we have a lot of work to do…"

AAAAND DONE.

So, I hope that was interesting enough for you all. Finally got to meet Charles. I was sorta shooting for a Freudian trio with Ichika, Charles, and Kira, but you'll see how that plays out.

Felt shaky about this chapter, to be honest. My knowledge on combat history and wars overall is rusty, hence the limited explanation of the whole PMC IC Wars incident that Kira brushes over. I hope that explanation is good enough and if anyone would like to correct me on a flaw, please don't hesitate to leave a review noting that and I'll be in touch because that's something I'd like to get right.

Reginald being the super general/strategist was originally something I was shaky with just putting his "video game simulation" thing on his resume, so that's why the whole PMC-IS stuff came to be. It was a last second addition if anything else.

Got to tease a bit with Kira and Romeo as well. I sorta wanted to show that out of the two friends, Romeo is the one closer to Kira and more comfortable with that sort of thing. Besides, HO YAY IS FUN TO WRITE :D

...I wonder how the girls will feel about that incident XD

And a bit of teasing with Kira and Charles, just because I felt like sprinkling in a little more Ho Yay than usual. Maybe it's because I was watching Angel Beats again.

So, I think that's all I have to say. If you have anything you'd like to say, please don't hesitate to leave a review or shoot me a PM!

Seeya all next chapter!