Beta: None
Original release date: 12/23/2015
Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Infinite Stratos or Borderlands universes. AU
Author note: I discovered that Schwarzer Regen has a railgun instead of a cannon (of what I called it). My apologies. I plan on going back and correcting this previous chapters.
Chapter Twelve – Decisions
"What do you mean that you may not be able to repair Raphael-Revive, Schwarzer Regen, and Blue Tears?" exclaims Chifuyu as she, Miss Yamada, and Gaige stand under the school where Harbinger, Brain, and Caretaker stand looking over the three heavily damaged IS units.
"Simply that. They have taken structural damage in some of the most difficult locations to repair. Added in the minor repairs that Sentinel and Akatsubaki require, added in that even the world's most well trained IS technicians are unable to figure it out means that new units will be needed" answers Gaige as she looks over the projected damage list coming from her IS wristband.
"So they'd completely new IS units?" asks Miss Yamada quietly.
"IS units are millions of dollars apiece, so that's not happening" states Chifuyu.
Laughing, Gaige states, "Millions? I can build them for waaay cheaper than that. Like a few tons of metal worth, say ten thousand dollars."
Dumbfounded, Chifuyu asks suspiciously, "How can you do that so cheaply?"
"Follow me and I'll show you" answers Gaige as she exits the room.
Arriving at the now two compartments that Gaige uses for her machines, Gaige flicks the light switch in the compartment across from the original and a large, rectangular device sits in the middle of the floor, not powered on.
"So what are you going to show me, other than breaking the rules of taking a second compartment for your machines?" asks Chifuyu.
Walking to behind the machine, Gaige flips a large switch, which rumbles to life, before walking back to the front before clearing her throat and stating clearly, "Construct a vacuum cleaner."
Whirring to life, the machine rocks gently side to side before a beam of light from a small red 'eye' appears and goes from the floor and slowly upwards as a vacuum cleaner appears in front of them.
"And this can build an IS in under twelve hours, minus the core. This is how I propose we handle the 'fixing' of Schwarzer Regen, Raphael-Revive, and Blue Tears" states Gaige smiling.
"Where…where did you get this?" asks Chifuyu flabbergasted.
"I figure from Helios Station, where the original one was erected, after being built on Elpis."
"Then let's begin the new units" states Chifuyu.
"Problem, to do so successfully, this will need quite a bit of power, more than what the entire academy can provide at once. So, this might take days or even possibly weeks to achieve, even with my generators, which can provide more power than the academy" states Gaige, arms crossed.
"What type of generators are you using?! We do not allow any fossil fuel or nuclear powered ones inside the academy" states Chifuyu, visibly upset.
"I have two currently, both of which use unused IS cores to operate on" answers Gaige.
"Where did you get two cores from?" inquiries Chifuyu.
"From the two rogue IS units and the third from the old Sentinel."
"This shouldn't be too much of an issue, as it's a two week break, but leaving three Representative Candidates without their IS is problematic. Maya, what do you think we should do?" asks Chifuyu as she turns to Miss Yamada.
"We could, um, just keep them here?" adds Miss Yamada hesitantly.
"Harbinger. Get some of the heavy duty power cables and splice them into the cable that powers the FTS, so the generators can share the load as needed between the Constructor and the FTS" states Gaige as she walks across to the other compartment.
"I guess so, but I'm fairly certain that that idea would create a lot of pushback from those affected. But their safety is paramount" muses Chifuyu.
"Why don't we all go on a short vacation, Harbinger and Brain accompanies us, alongside Sentinel and Akatsubaki that have been repaired? I mean, Caretaker, Yurika, and Dozer can handle these machines, and there's always SU" suggests Gaige arriving back from the other compartment.
"Will five IS units cover seven of you?" asks Chifuyu.
"I can fight and so can Death Trap, remember? Don't worry about it."
"Where would you all go?" asks Miss Yamada.
"Dunno. Most anywhere beats Helios Station, especially until the lockdown is lifted. And waiting around here for the Constructor to do its job won't be productive" answers Gaige, stepping aside as Harbinger lays down an eight inch thick cable and connects it to the cable from the second generator to the Constructor.
"Hmm hmm, what an interesting tripping hazard you have here" states an unfamiliar female voice from the hallway.
"Miss Sarashiki, what are you doing down here at this time of night?" demands Chifuyu.
"I was merely coming to inspect our damaged IS units" answers a blue haired female with a fan in hand.
Ignoring the blue haired female, Gaige asks the two instructors, "Miss Yamada, Miss Orimura, should I solely design the new units, or let the pilots have some say in the design?"
"What do you think, Maya?" inquiries Chifuyu as she turns to Miss Yamada.
"I guess, um, if we aren't footing the bill, to let them have some say" answers Miss Yamada, slightly red from being embarrassed.
"Then I think it would be necessary to see who is awake and get them down here to work on what aspects they'd like, within reason, so I can get the plans into the Constructor and get units to begin being built" states Gaige right before the lights cut out before a few lights come back.
"Surely we didn't have that many lightbulbs burn out at once" remarks Chifuyu as she looks at the ceiling.
Furrowing her brows, Gaige taps a few things on her wristband, bringing up a holographic menu and remarking, "No, it looks like the power is out."
"But how are lights still on down here?" asks Miss Yamada.
"Oh, I added some emergency lights that are connected to my generators. A sparse few as Harbinger, Brain, SU, Caretaker, Dozer, and Yurika have thermal imaging sensors and can move around in the dark. But maybe some more sensors, such as infrared could be added and used as well. What I think the more important questions are, how did the power get cut, and why didn't/don't you all have generators in place just for things like this?"
"We DO have generators, but obviously they aren't either working or we didn't add any of the lights down here to the backup grid" answers Chifuyu, arms crossed.
"Harbinger, Yurika, go take a look at the generators and the substation. Dozer and Caretaker, stand guard down here. Brain go make a sweep through the hallways for any intruders" instructs Gaige, gaining no audible response.
"So what's the plan then?" asks the blue haired girl from the wall she is leaning up against.
Walking over to the girl, Gaige sticks out her right hand and says, "I'm Gaige, and you are?"
"Tatenashi. The pleasure is mine" answers Tatenashi.
"Well Tatenashi, I plan on getting the damaged IS units in here, remove their cores, add them to my generator array temporarily, and begin the process of virtualizing the damaged IS units into the Constructor, then supply it with some changes and allow it to begin the process of constructing new units. Dozer, Caretaker, please bring in Blue Tears, Schwarzer Regen, and Raphael-Revive in here" states Gaige.
One by one the damaged IS units stand somewhat sickly looking, in the compartment. Removing the cores, Gaige adds the three cores to the two generators, before moving Blue Tears five or six feet away from the Constructor.
"Stand back from the Constructor" instructs Gaige, activating the Constructor's 'Deconstruct' feature to build a blueprint of the unit. As a wide red beam hits the front of Blue Tears, going up and down as it scans, Gaige taps a few keys on the terminal, pausing it as she rotates the IS, doing this for each of the sides of the IS. A few minutes later, the beam flashes brightly for a few seconds before Blue Tears simply disappears from view.
"W-where did Blue Tears go?" asks Chifuyu, dumbfounded.
Tapping the Constructor, Gaige smiles, "It is gone, but now we can prepare for another version. A stronger version. Overall more powerful version."
"Sweep of dormitory hallways reveal no intruders. One student was found sneaking around on the third floor" states Brain as he holds up a silver haired girl with an eye patch.
Chuckling, Gaige says, "Laura, so nice of you to join us down here. Hey, don't touch that!"
Cocking her head to one side, Tatenashi answers, "Hmm, what are you going to do about me inspecting the equipment?"
"If you break the equipment, you'll have to pay for replacement parts. The estimated Earth cost for this Constructor is about eleven to fifteen million dollars. So if you have that laying around, plus the cost of three new IS units for Miss Bodewig, Miss Dunois, and Miss Alcott, then by all means go ahead and touch the machinery" answers Gaige giving Tatenashi a hard stare.
"Vhat is this about? How do you have power?" asks Laura as she looks around.
"Generators. Now, the damage that Schwarzer Regen has taken is greater than what can be repaired. We will be building you a new IS, however you are fortunate in that you can add some aspects to the unit before it is built. What would you like to see?" answers Gaige.
"I vould like to retain my AIC as vell as my railgun. Mostly black vith red trim" states Laura.
"So…nothing new? Just the basic spec increases of being a fourth gen unit?" asks Gaige curiously.
"Vell, vhat else vould I vant?"
Shrugging her shoulders, Gaige remarks, "Why not have two railguns? I mean, with two battery packs attached, I don't see why it wouldn't be possible."
"Vait, vas power the only issue vith having dual railguns? Is that vhy Schwarzer Regen didn't have two?"
"It might have been. Weight might have also been a possible problem, but with a more lightweight material which is as equally as strong, if not stronger, in addition to the power source fix, I don't see why you couldn't. Might give any opponents a reason to not want to challenge you" states Gaige as she begins scrawling notes across a nearby piece of paper for half a minute or so before asking, "Anything else?"
Pausing to think, Laura answers, "I vould like to have stronger shields."
"Oh, that's a given with a fourth generation unit. But, if you're willing to let me add a feature that will be revealed in time, I think you'll like it" mentions Gaige.
Shrugging her shoulders, Laura answers, "Vhy not? Might as vell."
Moving Schwarzer Regen in front of the Constructor, Gaige quickly explains what she is doing before scanning Schwarzer Regen into the system. As Schwarzer Regen disappears, Gaige goes to the terminal on the side of the Constructor and types rapidly for a few minutes, referencing the paper with her notes on at the same time. Tapping a few last buttons, Gaige smiles as the Constructor hums to life, overhead lights dimming briefly at the startup of the machine.
As the red beam of light points diagonally towards the floor where little by little the feet of the new Schwarzer Regen begin to form.
"How long vill it take to build?" inquiries Laura curiously.
"Depending on any power fluctuations, it might take eight to twelve hours, it might take six, or it might take an entire day. It just depends" answers Gaige, before her right hand flies to her right ear and she steps away.
"Uh huh. That's not good at all. Depart immediately and get her taken care of. Understood. Thanks" states Gaige in a concerned tone before rejoining Laura by the Constructor, with Tatenashi joining them watching as the Constructor works.
"So Gaige, what was that all about, hmm?" inquiries Tatenashi.
Pausing to take a few breaths, Gaige answers slowly, "It seems SU, who was watching over Ling as she recovers, discovered Ling coughing up blood. SU is departing to take Ling back to the hospital, despite her objections."
"But her medical information is here, and our power is out, so we can't access it" points out Chifuyu as she and Miss Yamada join them.
"Oh, don't worry about that. We dumped the entire academy's databases and servers to our own disks. You may want to switch to a higher level encryption and stronger passwords when going forward with your network security. SU has a copy of Ling's medical information, so she can have the best medical attention" answers Gaige.
"And shouldn't I charge you with theft?" demands Chifuyu.
"Because you'd have a dead student on your hands if SU and rest of us weren't here? I'm helping push the IS industry forwards with technology where it has begun to stagnate. This of this as a reason to update your security so if I was a real hacker, it would take me longer to get at the information before you boot me off the network" answers Gaige as she checks the terminal attached to the Constructor to watch for any unusual activity.
"So vhat do ve do about sleep?" inquiries Laura looking around.
Striding across the hallway to the original compartment that she had commandeered, Gaige comes back with a blanket and pillow and answers, "I for one will be sleeping in the comforting feeling of being around machines. You all are welcome to stay here and sleep in a darkened corner or go back to your own rooms. But you do it without any assistance from my machine friends. Not at least until Brain and Yurika arrive back."
Setting her pillow and purple blanket down in a corner away from the rest, Gaige pulls her goggles down and closes her eyes.
Sighing, Chifuyu states as Laura and Tatenashi look at her for guidance, "There are some spare blankets and pillows down the hallway in an unused storeroom. But I'm going to bed in my own bed."
Taking off towards the stairs to the upper floors, Chifuyu and Miss Yamada go in the opposite direction as Laura and Tatenashi, who opt to retrieve blankets and pillows and enjoy a weird, but still plausibly called 'sleepover' in the compartment with the safety of the VIGIL controlled units standing sentry, and the dim, but still present lighting.
Author note: Thanks for reading! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone! Hope all goes well for you all. :)
-Telron, I didn't think it would be terribly interesting to have only the rogue IS to contend with, so why not add in some more adversaries? It keeps more interesting and definitely levels the playing field a bit more. But thank you for your review.
