Chapter Twelve is a go! Here we are, revealing Kira's past about the short war the happened at the start of this fic! Finally it makes a reappearance!
Double Update by the way!
Chapter Twelve: Innocence Further Lost
The world went white once again as the memory came to life.
Memory: Red Dawn
"So…" Luke, dressed in his black fedora that had a white stripe, buttoned shirt and blue jeans, complete with a hoodie, "How was the trip?"
I snorted while slipping my strap back on, "You were there with me the whole time, you answer that one yourself."
"Hmph, still same old Kira," Luke laughed as we sat down on the bench, "So, everything okay with you?"
"You ask that everyday," I rolled my eyes, "Yes, I am perfectly fine."
"You know, one of my cousins is interested in-"
"Oh hell no." I snapped, "I am not a loli lover!"
"Why do you always assume its Nancy?" he raised an eyebrow.
"You're always going on about her, logical choice."
"Right… nah, I think it was Alice."
"And I don't have an older person complex either."
(Shinjiro… why are you laughing?)
(…Sorry… Oh man, the ironic echo of those words… ain't that right, Xavier?)
(Inside joke, sorry girls.)
"…Because I never asked." Luke shook his head, "You kind of suck at lying, Kira."
"Just covering all my bases," I held my hands up defensively, "Hey," I pointed over the Capitol building, "Is it just me or is that a Mig?"
"No way man there's no way a Mig- Oh my. KIRA GET DOWN!"
BOOM!
"Holy hell! A Mig's fucking unloading on DC!" Luke shouted over the chaos that erupted.
"Eyes up!" I say paratroopers raining down. Crap, I knew that stupid missile launch 'accident' would end up biting the US in the ass sooner or later, "Follow me, under the truck!"
Diving underneath a Ford pick up truck, we held our breaths as the gunfire erupted around the area, people screaming and policemen shouting for other to get away.
"Kira-"
"Shhhh!" I hissed, "Quiet…"
I couldn't see the people outside to well, but I recognized the language they spoke to be Russian. I watched the pairs of feet go by, and after a while they eventually vanished.
"Alright, let's move." I slid out from underneath the truck and got up, before checking the immediate area. The whole damn place was a wreck already, buildings having been half destroyed and bodies everywhere. Disgusting…
"What the hell…" Luke whispered as we looked around, "Damn…"
I found a policeman's body, and started looking through it. Glock, a few bullets still loaded, and three more magazines on him, "Rest in peace, friend… LUKE HIT THE DECK!"
I whipped around as Luke hit the ground, opening fire on the Russians that came back.
"Should we take their weapons?" Luke asked as I reloaded.
"No time," I bit back a curse, "I hear reinforcements coming. Let's bug out of here."
We silently ran for a bit before I ran into an alley and hid behind a dumpster, since I heard more Russians coming up from the front. We were still trying to catch our breath but were holding up pretty good in terms of staying quiet. Once the voices quieted down, I spoke.
"Alright, now we can talk, but probably not too loud." I whispered, still listening for anyone nearby, "So, let's analyze the situation, shall we?"
"Right," he nodded, "So, we're closeby to Capitol Hill, Russians just came in and bombed us for the missile incident a few years ago, and are now invading DC."
"And, meanwhile, we're struggling to survive with nothing but a pistol so far. We need to get more weapons."
"Here," Luke took something out of his jacket. Taking it out of its cover, it was an old combat knife, "Silent killing, should allow us to get a weapon without attracting so much attention if we do it right."
(I see where Kira gets his combat ideas.)
(Probably a mix of his uncle that he talks about a lot as well.)
(Why do they actually know what to do?)
(Cecilia-san… you have to understand Kira's situation.)
(I know, Rei-san, but it's still sad… so young and already fighting for his life a second time.)
"Take the pistol then, wouldn't want to leave you barehanded." I exchanged the weapons, "As much as I'd love to take to the rooftops, I don't feel like being shot at by helis and any planes or rooftop soldiers while I only have a knife."
"Neither would I want you to be shot like that," Luke nodded, "Now, let's get to work."
"Probably should attract them…" I spotted a few glass bottles, "Heh."
Picking up a glass Bud Light bottle, I threw it right at the entrance, hearing it shatter upon impact. Voices could be heard, coming from the right. I shuffled up the wall, knife in my left hand, propping my hands and feet so I could hang up above without being too high. I looked behind me to Luke who nodded, crouching in the shadows, pistol at the ready just in case.
The soldier, who was alone, kept on going into the alleyway. Just before he found Luke, I dropped down and covered his mouth while stabbing him in the throat, silencing his death cries.
"AK-74, nice." Luke weighed the gun in his hands after giving the handgun back, "You'll take his side arm, right?"
"Yeah… oh my God… A Strike One!" I tried not to yell out loud, "Hehheh…"
(So that's where he got it.)
(Finally, that mystery's solved!)
(You've been waiting to find out, haven't you Xavier?)
"When did you become interested in Russian firearms?" Luke asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Saw it during the exposition that was nearby the house once," I shrugged, "But hey, whatever." I checked the magazine, still full with seventeen rounds, "How many mags does he have on him?"
Luke was moving the body into the shadows and started checking it, "I've got five magazines for you, and seven magazines for me. Now, come on, we should try to get out before they investigate where their buddy has gone."
"Hey, I know I'll be alright, you know, killing, but what about you?"
"I'm fighting for my life, and my country. I can pull the trigger… but if I freeze up, I'm counting you, okay?" he gave me a sincere look as he placed his trust to save his life in me.
"…Alright." I nodded, "Let's go out there. Make sure to take this slowly."
"Where's our first destination?" he asked as I peeked out, seeing if there were any soldiers in the immediate vicinity, "Police station?"
"No, they would've hit anywhere that there were a lot of people already. This is probably in retaliation for that missile incident that killed a load of people, so it's not about invading and taking over but repaying the lives taken ten times over. Let's head towards the more run down parts, find some sort of abandoned or broken house, and make a base there."
"Alright," he nodded, "Let's stick close to the walls, I'll cover our six."
"Got it," I slowly stepped out, cautious about where I was stepping, "Watch your step."
"Heh, sorry if I'm walking backwards then." he chuckled as we stealthily advanced.
I kept at the ready with the handgun, waiting for anything to show up in the crosshairs. I also tried not to make such a loud sound as I stepped on a few pebbles every now and then that was a result from all of the debris. My eyes darted back and forth, watching in case anything popped up, paranoia starting to take a bit of a hold, but I held it back, knowing I couldn't crack now.
We walked around for a good thirty minutes, thankfully not encountering any troops whatsoever, before we find a boarded up house that wasn't destroyed. Somewhat silently I picked the lock on the door before slipping in.
"Sheesh," Luke looked around the place, "No lights, right?"
"Yeah, don't alert them to our presence," I took a look around. It was old, but thankfully not smelly. There wasn't really any furniture in the place, other than a few sofas here and there, and the fridge was still on for some reason, "See any bugs?"
"Nope."
"Alright. So, tomorrow we look for food and water. What time is it right now?"
Luke looked down, presumably at his watch, "Five sixteen in the afternoon."
"Great… so, we might as well get some sleep. Let's head upstairs, see if there's an attic or something."
"Good, but are we going to be able to close it behind us?"
"Maybe," I shrugged before heading up the stairs, gun still at the ready just in case. Upstairs was entirely bare except for a mattress or two with a few holes, "Hm, I thinking squatters."
"What are we gonna do with them?"
"…Terminate. They probably don't know any sort of combat and we don't have extra weapons. They'll simply be a liability."
"What the hell, Kira?!" he snapped, "They're innocent people!"
"…Then we send them out. They aren't staying here, that's for sure." I growled back.
"…"
"…"
"Fine." he shook his head, "I don't like how you simply went straight to killing them as an option, though."
"First thought that ran through my mind." I shrugged. Looking up I saw the attic door that was opened via a string hanging down. Grabbing the string, I pulled down, revealing the way to the attic, a ladder automatically sliding down, "Ladies first, Luke."
"Screw you," he laughed as he went up, gun at the ready, "You have a flashlight?"
I threw him my phone after turning on the flashlight app, "See anything?"
"No one's home." he called out after throwing my phone back at me, "So I think we can hole up here."
I took the knife and cut the string evenly so it didn't look like it had ever been there, "Alright, string's cut, so only we can get up here."
"Alright then-"
BAM!
I heard voices down below, and they weren't English. I quickly scaled the ladder and pulled it up, along with the door to the attic, which had a handle on the inside. It was tricky, but I got it done probably due to the adrenaline running through me. Setting the door to lock, we waited.
We held our breaths as the footsteps got louder. Luke crawled over to a darker part of the attic and aimed his assault rifle. I positioned myself to be able to take out anyone who came up the ladder with a shot to the back of the head. Luckily there also weren't any windows up in here, or we'd be screwed.
Gunshots rang out-
"English!" Luke whispered in a happy tone.
"Alright men, see if there are any survivors." A deep voice said. I unlocked the attic door and slid down the ladder, waiting for Shinjiro before we went downstairs.
"Who's there?!" a voice hissed as we silently descended down the stairs… there's only one person who can tell where I am like that.
"Romeo, is that you?!" I asked, taking a chance.
"…Kira?"
"Holy crap!" I controlled myself, not screaming out loud, "You made it!"
"So did Mickey," he gestured with a head tilt, "Lucky us, eh? Anyone with you?"
"Luke made it out with me," I pointed at him, "Found this place, got in, went to the attic. It's a good place to hide stuff, no windows, not sure if there's a light up there. We also cut the string so someone has to remain up there the whole time so they can let the door and ladder down."
"Wow, you guys think quick," Mickey came into the conversation.
Let me explain. Luke, Romeo, Mickey, and myself are all on an Airsoft team, and might I say that we kick ass. Hell, we took down a senior high school year team because we're that good. Who ever thought it would actually come in handy one day?
"Sir, can I ask just what exactly is going on?" I asked one of the Army… holy crap, Army Rangers?!
"Well son, to put it bluntly," one of the Rangers said, "Red Dawn."
"…Ouch," I clenched my fist, "Is it just here?"
He shook his head, "No, it's all over the East Coast. NYC's up in flames right about now, along with Philadelphia and other cities."
"Sorry Sarge," another Ranger came through the door, "Lopez didn't make it."
"Damn," the sergeant sighed, "Hey, you boys over there! Did you see any place that might have food or water nearby?"
"Kira, there was a 7-11 nearby, right?" Luke asked.
"Yeah, but it's not good. Too open, windows that let you easily be spotted. There was a rather large grocery store about a mile or two back down the road though." I shrugged.
"Grif, Duncan, take the other two along with Mickey and Romeo, find that store, pick up as many non-perishables as you can get, along with water. If you find any civilians, try to get them back here. We'll hole up in here for as long as we can." the Sergeant ordered.
"Yes sir!"
Well… things sure got a lot more interesting, didn't they?
[End Memory]
"That's all he could say? That it was interesting?" Laura raised an eyebrow, "Even I didn't have the same look at combat when I first started."
"You have to remember his probably bleak outlook at life," E shook her head, "At least he wasn't a death seeker."
"We all know that Kira's too stubborn to die, hell, he thinks he has a respawn counter. Which is probably true." Shinjiro chuckled mirthfully.
"Ha, that's probably true," Xavier shook his head.
"How can you two just joke about your friend's possible death like that?!" Houki snapped at the two, "After watching all of this, and you still…" Ichika patted her on the shoulder, silencing her.
"Houki, it's because they're close to him, and know that Kira's not going to die any time soon." Ichika soothed the mad girl, "Though, please keep your comments like that to yourself."
"…Very well then…"
"Here," E's eyes finished flashing, "This… should be the final memory we'll watch."
Memory: The Second Death of Kira Orthun
(Second death…?)
(This… isn't going to be nice, isn't it, Alcott-san?)
(No, no it won't, Dunoa-san.)
"Asshole counter snipers," I growled, sprinting down the stairs, "Come on, Luke! Let's go!"
"Coming!" he shouted, lifting his machine gun in the air, "This thing is heavy!"
We sprinting down the stairs as fast as we could, me sliding down the rails. No Russians yet.
I stopped just at the door, the silence starting to fuel to my paranoia. Looking around, I didn't see any one. Good, we can head outside now and-
I caught a flash of light in my eyes.
"Get down!" I hissed, before hitting the deck.
"On-Agh!" Luke fell, clutching his chest, "Wha…"
"Sniper…" I growled, then quickly returned fire. I ended the sniper's life, "Come on, we can-"
Voices, not English, starting talking. They looked at me angrily… oh, I must've killed off their comrades.
"Kira… sorry… I couldn't make it… tell my family… I loved the-" he was cut off by a shot to his head. Bastards…
I don't care anymore. I've always wanted to live but this has gone far enough. I…
I am ready to die.
I drew my knife, the same one that Luke had given to me on Day One.
I took a deep breath as the soldiers surrounded me, and clenched my left fist that didn't have a knife in it.
I dashed for the nearest one and stabbed him in the neck, before ducking another one's punch. I countered it with an uppercut with my left hand, before stabbing his neck.
If I'm going to go down, it's gonna be in style.
Horizontal slash to the neck, kick him to the side. They started shooting at me, it's about time.
I nearly doubled over, taking a bullet in my leg, but I kept running at the soldiers, if a bit slower this time.
I kept on hacking and slashing wildly, trying to take as many as I could with me. More bullets kept hitting my legs, since I was a little bit too fast for them once I dropped my sniper rifle.
My vision started to go hazy… everything… going double…
No… I gotta… one last… one left… gotta…
Gunfire… where is it coming from…
I'm… gonna die… huh? This is it… well, I took thirty of them with me here… Haha…ha…h…a…
"Kira! Don't die on me, alright?! You've got a lot more to live for! Come on, don't moan like that! Staying with me!"
BOOM!
"What the hell is that?!" Mickey's voice rang out in my ears, echoing loudly.
"Is it friendly?!"
"The Russians are fleeing!" Romeo hissed, "It's not attacking them!"
"Lopez, take point!"
"Star!" he yelled, looking the metallic monster square in the eye. It turned towards us, and I started to limp out of Romeo's arms.
"Star!" Lopez repeated, starting to step back a bit, leveling his rifle, "Sarge…!"
"Kira?! What the hell are you doing?!" Romeo screamed as I limped forward, pushing Lopez aside. It's not giving the countersign…
(Oh no.)
(…What is it, Ichika-san?)
(Cecilia-san… you remember the first day of class, right?)
(Hm…? Oh. OH…)
…it's not attacking the Russians, either. That leaves just one last possibility. It's on their side.
"Get… back…" I snarled, aiming my Strike One with my right hand, trembling as I went against this metallic monster. It might've been an IS, but this one doesn't look familiar. My knife was in my left hand, barely held in place.
I coughed violently as I walked towards the beast, blood splattering the pale sidewalk. I'm dying, but I'm too stubborn and determined to protect my friends to die now.
Every step littered my path with blood, crimson liquid spilling forth. How much have I even lost at this point… it should impossible for me to be walking let alone holding up a gun.
"You… won't hurt these people any longer…" I raised the Strike One and fired. The bullet seemed to stop in mid air and then fell to the ground.
It attacked.
I weakly held up my knife and tried to hit first, which I did, striking the torso of the metallic monster…
Then it slashed with its sword, hurling me across from the sheer force.
I hit the ground, skidding across the pavement, right next to a sewer manhole.
"So this is the end, huh?" I cracked a grin, "DEATH! OR! FREEDOM!"
I fired my Strike One one last time.
Before death came upon me, it's cold metal inches from my life-
"Not today!" Romeo's voice came from underground, the manhole quickly being pushed open and Romeo emerging, dragging me underneath, "We managed to grab Luke's body, so we can bury it properly…"
"Good…"
…I'm going to die now, huh? Hell, even with the little bit of sunlight that filters down into these sewers, I can see the water starting to turn red where my blood dripped.
"Kira… KIRA! Don't die on me! Come on…" Mickey? Good… we're all here, the Spartans… our Airsoft team, one final time… Seeya… friends…
[End Of Memory]
"…That…" Ichika broke the silence.
"That was…" Shinjiro couldn't find any other words to say.
"Crazy." Xavier finished Shinjiro's thought, "Kira… was ready to give up on life?"
"According to his records… he hasn't seen a therapist. Ever." E shook her head, "Damnit, I should've figured this out, should've scheduled something so he wouldn't be like this and- Tabane where are you going?"
"To talk with Kira." she huffed, storming out of the room before anyone could protest. Ichika got up as well.
"I need to thank him… I never did properly do so," he said, excusing himself. An eerie silence filled the room as they left, the girls being unable to say anything.
Tabane stopped at the outskirts of the camp, hiding behind some trees. She peered out and saw Kira roasting another marshmallow, humming some sort of song which she couldn't quite place her finger on.
"Tabane-san?" Ichika whispered, causing Tabane to nearly shout, "Are you thinking about what to say?"
"Y-yes," she half lied, feeling lucky at how the darkness hid her blush. She had been thinking about what to say to him… and of him.
"…I'm going to talk to him," a small smile came onto Ichika's face as he walked into the camp.
"Ichika?" Kira turned around, "Thought I heard you. Lemme guess-"
"Shaddup," Ichika snapped, "I came out here to thank you, alright? Look, I know you went out of your way to help me, but I never knew about what you went through. I remember you called yourself 'one fucked up individual', but you never said anything about it."
"Would you have believed me?"
"Admittedly… no. But… I do now. Look, I wanted to thank you… for not breaking that whole time. Who knows where the world might be right now if you didn't endure all of it?"
"Maybe you would've discovered Warhammer 40K and had an IS like a Space Marine," Kira laughed, "Thank you as well, Ichika… you were always there for me man, I'll never forget it. Now, you make sure to go sleep with Houki tonight, alright? Perfect… atmosphere, I would say."
Ichika slapped his head lightly, "Shut up. Well, I should be off… there's another person who wants to talk to you."
Ichika left, leaving just Tabane to talk to him.
She stepped forward, walked towards Kira, sat down next to him…
Then cried into his shoulder.
"Tabane… why are you crying?"
"It's all my fault… it's all my fault!" she sobbed, "It was me who hacked and launched all those missiles and got your friend killed! It's my fault that the IS was made and all of that happened to you!"
"…" Kira clenched his fist when he heard she launched the missiles, but took a deep breath and calmed down, "Tabane, stop crying."
"Why?! Why should I?!" she wrapped her arms around him and cried harder into his shoulder. He could feel the dampness through his clothes.
"Because…" Kira closed his eyes, then began to stroke Tabane's hair to calm her down, "Because even though the IS put me through so much shit… in the end, I was able to have new friends, and a lot of other good things as well. And Tabane, you helped other people through the IS! Hell, think about it. If I had never become an IS pilot, where would the world be today? Where would all the people that I consider my friends be today?" Tabane thought about it for a bit, then saw how Kira had somewhat touched most of the people in his life.
Cecilia had been cold, prideful, haughty, and Kira brought her down to Earth.
Ichika didn't really know how to fight, and had a habit of only doing everything he could when it was almost too late, but Kira taught him to fight with everything you have from the start.
Charlotte had originally believed that she wasn't worth much and doing whatever she was told was okay, yet Kira taught her that she listening to someone who didn't deserve her attentiont wasn't good.
She kept thinking about it. The masses, how would they have been affected? So many people that were brought out of depressions and all sorts of despairs because they found someone who could lead them. Lead them away from unhappiness and towards a life where you fight for what you believe in.
All of this, possible through Kira.
No, possibly through Kira only because of her. Shinonono Tabane.
She had caused all of it, all of the good, the bad, and the ugly, but in the end, the good outweighed the bad! She had done something right after all!
Her tears had stopped, and she lifted herself out of the crook in Kira's neck… then realized where her head had been, "I-I'm sorry! I didn't notice where my head was and-"
"It's fine," Kira reassured her with a smile, causing Tabane to fight back a blush.
"U-uh, could you come back to the hotel now? I think… it would make everyone better if you were there." Tabane asked.
"I'm not sure…" Kira shook his head, when he felt something moist on his cheek. His eyes turned to see Tabane planting a soft kiss on his cheek. His cheeks burned red, hotter than the fire that was still blazing next to them. Tabane looked away afterwards, her cheeks just as red.
"N-now will you come back?" she stammered.
"R-right, I was just about to do that!" Kira said a little too hastily, "This…"
"Never happened." Tabane finished, the two of them nodding. Oh, the teasing that would've happened. Tabane still didn't know if Houki would approve of Kira as well. She still wanted to be close with her sister again, and it wouldn't exactly help her case if she was with someone that she didn't really approve of.
Setting off for the hotel, they walked in silence, stealing glances at one another.
It was… awkward, to say the least, when Kira walked in the room. The silence seemed to only get heavier as he came in, grinning.
"Sorry I'm late. Did I miss anything?" Kira laughed as no one said a word, "What? It's not like I'm not fine. 'Sides, I had a few hours or so to think, calm myself down. E, find a therapist and schedule me first thing when we get back-"
"On it," E nodded before Kira took her chip and put it back into him.
"-And-"
"Orthun." Chifuyu's voice said. The room went quiet as the two stared each other down.
"Yes?" he tried not to snarl.
"I… apologize for my prior actions-"
"Apology accepted," Kira cut her off, "You had no way to know my background or the results thereof. It is my fault I did not seek therapy sooner. Just be warned… E will show no mercy next time, should it happen again."
"…Thank you for accepting my apology. But don't think it means I'm giving up." An icy shiver ran through Kira's spine as Chifuyu said those words as she left the room.
Everyone knew what she meant. Kira struggled to hold back a face palm and the urge to say either "Yare Yare" or "Fukou Da".
Chifuyu Orimura had joined the fight.
The whole thing blew over, Kira's presence and smiling self helping a lot. The girls began talking to him the next day, each of them personally apologizing for anything that they did. He got sick of it after a while, but he felt a lot closer with everyone.
Now, they were testing out Houki's new IS, Akatsubaki. It was red and black in color scheme, though there was little black in it, but enough to make it contrast with Byakushiki, yet somehow fit with it.
"Holy crap!" Kira watched as Houki swung her katana, laser blades shooting out of it, "Okay, that's it. Our lives are some anime. I'm dreaming. Yeah, that's right. I've been in a coma since the war, and this whole time has been a coma-induced dream."
Ichika proved him wrong by punching him in the face.
"See? I'm awake and- Shit." Kira sighed as Houki flung a few more laser blades.
"Hehe," Tabane giggled, "So-"
A cellphone went off, and Chifuyu answered it, "Yes? I see… Understood. Orimura, Shinonono, get ready. There is an enemy in the area," she pulled out a small circular device and a hologram came out, displaying an IS, "The American IS Silvero Gospel has gone on a rampage and is currently in the area. Your orders are to disable it. Shinonono," she turned to Houki, "As it stands, your IS is the only one that can catch up to the Gospel's speed. Orimura, you will fly on Shinonono and use Shield Pierce to disable the IS. We will depart in thirty minutes, when it is in the area."
"Chifuyu," Kira interrupted, "Requesting permission to go on this mission."
"Why?"
"I also have Shield Pierce capabilities, along with a long range sniper rifle and other detection equipment. That, and my Splazer has ranged Shield Pierce as well, but takes time to charge, and in the end, may prove useful if CQC is ineffective."
"…Very well then."
Kira's POV
Chapter 12.5: Return
"Thrusters ready to go. Longsword fighter ready for action." I said over the comm unit. Man, I know Tabane had the whole frigate but it was loaded with fighters and all sorts of goodies, "King, Queen, this is Rook. Are you ready to commence operation?"
"Remind me why we have to have these nicknames?" Houki said, sounding irritated.
"We don't know if the enemy can jack into our comms, and therefore, we are not giving our identities along with our IS names so we can maintain a sense of communication security." I shrugged while flipping through the switches. Hm, let's see, weapon systems… 110m Rotary Cannons and ASGM-10 Missiles. Well, good enough for me. How are you holding up, E?
I'm fine… and can I say… it's good to have you back.
Wouldn't like the world without me, huh? Alright then, let's take this guy out…
I opened up the cameras that allowed some sense of what was around me. Houki was looking excited… a little too excited. I opened up a private link with Ichika, "Ichika… take care of Houki, alright? She seems a little enthusiastic about this battle."
"Understood. I also agree with that. Then again, it is her fist battle."
"Keep her out of trouble," I closed the private comm link and reopened the main one, "Mission commence in thirty seconds!"
The engines flared to life, their steady hum filling the air. I found the switch that was labeled "Takeoff Gear", and readied my hand to flip the switch.
"Mission commence in fifteen seconds," I announced, "T-minus ten."
"Let's do this," Ichika's calm yet ready voice said over the comm.
"On my mark. Three…" I flicked the switch, and the cameras showed the wheels lifting up into the fighter as the miniature thrusters on the bottom lifted the fighter into the air, and a screen read Longsword Figher Stabilized, "Two… one… mark!"
I took off, the thrusters being pushed near close to maximum thrust while Houki sped off, Ichika riding on her back as we all sped towards the estimated destination of the Gospel. I actually managed to stay a little bit ahead of Houki, but the thrusters were at roughly 94.34 percent output. I slowed down a bit to let the engines cool off as we approached the destination, letting the motion trackers scan for Silvero. Only two yellow blips showed up, It stayed that way…
Then a stream of red across the motion trackers.
"This thing's fast!" I shouted over the comm, putting the thrusters near maximum again, dodging its laser shots with E's help, "Keep moving, don't stay still or it'll trap you!"
"Copy that!" Ichika's voice came over the comm, sounding a little panicking.
"Stay frosty, King and Queen! Do not break yet! Only break formation if I tell you!" I pulled back on the controls and flipped to face backwards, opening fire on the Gospel with the 110mm cannons. E, can we get a lock on that thing?
Too fast! If you can get them to engage it in close quarters combat, then we can get a hit, but you risk hitting them!
Damnit! There goes our number one way to take out a fast moving target!
Diving underneath a large energy beam that it shot at me, I pulled up just in time to avoid hitting the water below.
"Rook, you alright?!"
"I'm good, cover me while I pull myself back up from here!" I carefully managed to get myself back up to a good altitude before firing again on the Gospel that was still firing energy bolts everywhere. Explosions rocked the ocean, and thank goodness for energy shields because those would've torn me apart by now. I can only dodge so many when I'm in this giant thing, "King, Queen, split off! Dodge those things!"
"Crap…" I mumbled as it turned and pursued me. I tried to dodge as many shots as I could, avoiding damage to the engines when the energy shields didn't hold up so good from repetitive fire. E, we have anything that can help?
Push to maximum thrust, I'll execute a SlipSpace jump that should put us behind it.
Roger that.
Gunning the engines up to one hundred percent output, the world whizzed by, then it all went white for a second before we reappeared behind the Gospel. I fired the missiles just in case I could get a lucky hit, which I did get two on it, causing it to be launched pretty close to the water as it staggered. I flew down at it, shooting with my cannons as Ichika and Houki came from the sides. Unfortunately, it saw through the trap and broke away from trying to shoot me down.
Judging from its reactions, you are the most threatening to it at the moment. Surprising, as the IS was meant to surpass all sorts of military vehicles.
Yeah, but I don't think Tabane had technology from 2552 in her mind when she was thinking about it, "King, Queen, it's targeting me! I'll bait it, you guys come up with some sort of trap!" Leading it away from the duo, I weaved like I was up against Yukari Yakumo or something, avoiding every possible shot I could while attacking back with the rotation enabled 110m Rotary Cannons. Alright then… let's see what you got.
I dived for the ocean, Silvero Gospel following me as I pushed the engines to maximum, pulling up at the last second, skidding a little bit of the ocean's surface, but I managed to pull up.
Silvero Gospel did the same thing, but it looked like it had an easier time than I did, but it opened up an attacking opportunity as I flew around and opened fire. Ichika and Houki came from top and right, but again, Silvero Gospel read our movements with ease.
"Damnit, it's like it knows what's going on all around it!"
That's odd, the records of Silvero Gospel indicate there is no such ability on it that allows it to see literally all around it… E mused. Alright, so we're dealing with some sort of secret modification. Makes sense considering how you don't want all of your super weapon technology out there.
Alright, we haven't tried coming from behind it though, particularly because we don't want to accidentally hit Houki and Ichika… but it's worht a shot.
I barrel rolled in order to avoid a hail of energy shots coming straight for me, "King, Queen, I'll grab its attention! Latch onto the back and try to take it down!" Pushing the engines to maximum output, I outsped the Gospel as it charged up energy, "Comeon, what the hell's taking so long?!"
Heads up! It's going to fire in all directions!
"Pirates in the area! They're supposed to have gotten out of here, but they didn't!"
"Ichika! Why are you defending them?!"
"They're innocent people!"
"Ichika's right," I sped over to their position, "They aren't a part of this fight."
My hand found the emergency escape button as it began to fire. I took as many hits as I could before hitting the ejection button. The Longsword went out in a blaze of glory, burning all the way down until it hit the water. My Flight Pack immediately activated along with my Jackal Variant. The explosions were everywhere, the energy bolts making us take heavy hits. Damnit, my shields just crossed the 450 mark!
"Damnit…" I growled, taking out my Bubble Shield and activating it, keeping us safe for a few seconds before it took enough damage and vanished.
"Found a hole," Ichika said, "Rook, do we go in?"
"…If you think it's alright, then go ahead."
"Copy that… AAAGGGGHHHHH!" Ichika let out a war cry as he stopped blocking shots and charged forward, still blocking shots.
"Ichika!" Houki shouted over the explosions. Damnit, you might get him killed, or worse!
Houki charged forward as well, yelling Ichika's name as she tried to save him.
And I couldn't do a damn thing about it.
I watched them fall into the ocean… with a mega splash…
"This is Rook… King and Queen are down," I looked at Silvero Gospel which just sat there, watching me, "Send a medical crew."
"Copy that, Rook."
"…Do I continue to engage the target?" I had a theory about Silvero Gospel. I raised my rifle and aimed it at it. It got into a defensive stance. I lowered my rifle… and it got back into a calm stance. Odd…
I'm picking up some sort of signal… but it's heavily encrypted, and it'll take a while to crack it. It's originating from this area, so maybe it's just the SOS from Ichika and Houki's Infinite Stratoses.
"…Rook, you have permission to engage the target."
"Copy that!" I swapped to my assault rifle and placed the Spartan Laser on my back, moving to the side as I opened fire- DODGE HUGE-ASS LASER! Damnit, this thing can really operate well when it's up against one person only!
E… we have no choice.
Kira, it's too dangerous-!
Activate HyperDrive!
Everything seemed to slow down as I got a lot faster.
I fired my laser, over and over again… but each shot missed.
Shield down to 67. One last shot-
I froze, feeling myself go stiff. No… NO!
The world went black.
Agh… what? I'm back on the beach, with my sniper rifle in hand.
I could hear voices, but didn't know what they were saying.
I took a good look at the IS we were fighting. It was hovering nearby, as if boasting its victory.
"Come back here…" I growled, getting up.
"Kira! No!"
I recognized it.
The same one that shot my arm off.
"You… DIE!" I raised the sniper rifle and aimed at it, but the IS dodged and returned fire on me.
Absolute Barrier down! What the hell is going on?!
I could feel the energy bolts ripping a hole in me right in my stomach, but I kept on firing…
Until it all went dark.
Aaaaand Kira's HyperDrive gave out right there... but he managed to come back eventually.
Kira: Come on! I could've finished it! You know that I totally could've made that last shot!
Really now, why do you think that?
Kira: Plot importance and dramatic effect.
…You've been on TvTropes, haven't you?
Kira: I REGRET NOTHING!
Well, see you all next chapter!
