Chapter 35: Dark tide 3

"He's special"

Kouzuki Yuuko, Marimo's childhood friend and also the Yokohama Base's XO nonchalantly said with her usual poker face as she slapped down a piece of document on Marimo's working table.

Even now, Marimo has not forgotten that day, when Yuuko Kouzuki, her childhood friend came to her working room and only to deliver a single new recruit's profile to her. That's action alone already made the existence of that boy become extremely special, needless Yuuko Kouzuki spelled that out to Marimo. That job belonged to someone else, Yuuko's secretary 1st Lt Elena for instance.

The Yuuko that Marimo knew would never go out of her way to do something like this for a mere new recruit even if that boy was her own family member or perhaps even her own son. Well, screw the part about that boy being Yuuko's blood-relative. He doesn't look the part for a slightest. There was not a Kouzuki that Marimo knew who looked nearly as docile and idiotic as much as he was. They all smelled nothing but troublemakers, pranksters and always exuded dark aura of that of mad scientists.

But, the fact that Yuuko actually came to Marimo's office in person just to inform Marimo of that boy making him an undeniably special person, just like how Yuuko claimed him to be. Why did Yuuko go this far just to inform Marimo of something trivial like that? Even until today, Marimo still had no idea.

"It's only a month until the girls' evaluation exam. And beside how is he going to fit into that squad at this time of the year? He hasn't even taking the aptitude test yet."

With all of her might, Marimo vehemently questioned Yuuko's decision. People went to military school for at least a year before they could take on the evaluation exam. It was nonsensical to impose someone without military experience upon a squad that was about to take on their evaluation exam.

"He's special"

That was the only reply that Yuuko gave to every question that Marimo threw at her. That's all Yuuko ever did, explaining the circumstance of imposing such a troublesome boy on Marimo.

Marimo has once thought that the "special" that Yuuko was talking about was regarding the similarity between Shirogane Takeru's profile and that of Marimo's. But she then immediately realized that she was greatly mistaken.

He was nothing like anything or anyone that Marimo has ever witnessed.

It was an unprecedented case for even someone as experienced as Marimo. Up until this point, Marimo has overseen graduation of batches of cadets and among those, were the prestigious members of the Valkyries, the best Eishi that the Yokohama Eishi training school ever produced. But, even if going by the standard of members of the Valkyries, Shirogane Takeru was something else.

Just like Yuuko's claim, the boy Shirogane Takeru was anything but normal.

Watching Shirogane Takeru's unexplained results, Marimo often failed to come up with proper words to write in her report.

No matter how much of a genius he is, there would be no way for him to do everything so perfectly without prior knowledge and experience. And thus, Marimo would be more likely convinced that the boy was sent back to the Eishi training school from the frontline after causing some sort of trouble to his previous superiors due to that nature of his rather than believing in the record in the boy's profile. But, that's if Shirogane Takeru didn't have that particular imperfect side of his. He completely attached to his civilized lifestyle while having almost close to zero discipline and extremely tardy to a fault. Marimo always failed to see how Shirogane Takeru could excel in every subject in the cadet training school with such character of his, much alone become a full pledge soldier in the future. No drill instructor will ever allow this boy's graduation as long as he remained like that.

But, that alone wasn't what so special about the boy Shirogane Takeru.

The boy's built was anything but normal.

There would be nothing weird if he just has a solid built and was extremely fit for intensive exercise like military drills or having great coordination between arms, legs and eyes.

That boy was clearly an ambidexterity, both arms and legs. That detail alone raised many questions for Marimo.

Natural left handed people were already a rare case, much less an ambidextrous such as him. Though, people could become ambidextrous themselves, practicing the right exercises or trainings for a long time until their own bodies totally forget whether they were right handed or left handed. And aside from the ancient martial arts and those known exercises, the most notable occupation that Marimo could think, making a human take on such drastic change is being an Eishi, the job of piloting a Tactical Surface Fighter.

But…it's impossible that a boy as young as him could actually have some piloting experience, let alone he flew long enough to become involuntarily artificial ambidexterity. Aside from his eyes, he had an appearance of a guy in his seventeen or eighteen. And the imperial army only conscripted male civilian at the age of 16. So, if the boy actually was an Eishi, he should have around one to two years of flying experience while It would take a decade or two for such phenomenon to happen. Strictly speaking, even with all those years of training and enlisting in the front line, Marimo herself has yet to turn herself into an ambidexterity…

Maybe the boy himself was born special.

Marimo chose to accept that thesis of her. But it was impossible for her to shoot that ridiculous thesis of hers down with the rest of the abnormality of the boy.

Despite the different in experience and gender, the boy's built shared a common distinguished characteristic with Marimo. His shoulders are extremely solid. And ran down his back, a unique pattern of muscle was visible. The skin on his wrists and elbows were calloused and rough.

Any drill instructor of any piloting school would be able to realize them for what they were. Those are the undeniable occupation evidences of one who spent a long time, piloting a TSF.

No matter how regular one visited a gym and what kind of training he did at the gym, the muscle behind his back would not form such bizarre shape. And the solidity of shoulder muscle, plus that one particular unique pattern muscle at the back were the result of over exposure with extreme G forces. Also, the calluses on his wrists and elbows hinted of the boy's extensive contact with something while remaining in his seat for hours. Only the image of someone who boarded on a TSF's cockpit and spending hours with the control board and the control stick came into Marimo's mind as to explain the bizarre behind the boy's physic.

But, judging from the age of the boy, he couldn't be older than 19 even after taking into account that the boy's profile was probably pulled by Yuuko herself.

However, the thought of an unruly person as Shirogane Takeru was actually a soldier and an Eishi to boost didn't ring a bell to Marimo's head at all. That image totally didn't fit him, not one bit.

If assuming that Shirogane Takeru was actually a pre-enlisted Eishi when he but a children to explain the abnormality behind his physic, he wouldn't be this unruly and indiscipline the way he was now. He probably couldn't have a proper normal conversation with anyone if it was the case, being a military nut if he became a soldier at young age.

But, the most impressive thing about Shirogane Takeru wasn't his perfect score in every subject or his abnormal physics.

It was the way Shirogane Takeru fitted right into that group without much trouble. Nay, he didn't just fit into that squad; he himself became the centre of that group and torn down all walls that separated the squad members from each other within a few days. That accomplishment alone was completely unthinkable.

Every single member of the squad 207B was related to political to a scary degree. A blood relative of the Shogun, a daughter of the Prime minister, a daughter of an UN Undersecretary, a daughter of an ex-communicate general and daughter of the man behind the spy network of the Empire. With such complicated background, these girls were put together into a squad, making them serving the role as political hostage rather than soldiers. It wouldn't be wrong if Marimo was to say that the very reason why these girls were gathered into a squad was solely to become political hostages for the UN. As the result, none of the girl could open up to the rest of the squad. The topic of their background was almost a taboo.

But, if only the problem stopped at that, thing would be much easier for Marimo.

The word special was probably created to describe every girl of the current batch of squad 207B. Each and every of them was blessed with gifts that made people couldn't help but felt a sense of defeatist and jealousy. And being blessed with such gifts at this early stage wasn't necessarily something good. It just made it's harder for the girls to cooperate with each other. After all, they were all strong minded. They were all confident in their judgement and the gift they were blessed with rather than their friends' opinion.

Would Albert Einstein rather trust his own judgement or would he trust someone else's judgement if it came to quantum physics instead? Surely it would be the earlier. Any genius and specialist would rather rely on their own judgement when they were in a field that they were familiar with rather than someone else's. Thus, a unity among the squad 207 was basically impossible from the beginning. Their background, their different and their gifts could never be set aside. Nay, it was rather impossible for them to set that aside no matter what. If someone was to blame, it would be the people who grouped and forced those five girls together and made this squad 207B.

But as though it was all but a lie, Shirogane Takeru easily put an end to that in lesser than a week, something that even Marimo and the girls have failed to resolve for a year and a half or perhaps forever never able to resolve.

If he isn't special, who is?

Marimo couldn't help but shake her head every time she thought about it.

And it didn't stop at that, the meaning behind the word "special" that Yuuko used to describe the boy Shirogane Takeru was much deeper than what Marimo could fathom.

Under Marimo's supervision, Shirogane Takeru completely demolished the whole Eishi simulation training course within his first aptitude test and with the world record score at that.

His physics was perfectly fit for the job. It was the only reason that Marimo allowed the boy to board that simulator with Yuuko's order. She actually did expect the boy would make quite an amazing entrance just like he always did… But, Marimo found herself shocked, unable to utter a single word or brought her eyes away from the monitor screen for almost a minute even after the boy finished the simulation.

It was an utterly inconceivable experience for even someone of Marimo's calibre.

Screw the part that he has zero piloting experience in his military record, screw the part that he made a laughing stock out of the training school's curriculum, screw the part that he demolished the training simulation with a world record timing, screw the part about he managed to do that absurdity of a feat just by watching various people's control logs. As if there would be someone know how to fly a fighter in their first try like a god damn ace pilot just by watching how people do that. Nobody could perform that feat, even if they were among the world most ridiculous prodigy. There should be a limit to the usage of the word 'genius' to explain Shirogane Takeru's inexplicable ability. And that was too much for Marimo to take. Marimo couldn't care less about believing in those stupid lies that Yuuko and Shirogane Takeru weaved.

People who never boarded a TSF would never understand what it takes to master a TSF. Your arms and legs became unnaturally longer than you have ever expected. Your body became much heavier than you could have imagined. Everything around you shook and swayed more than necessary. To master a TSF, it was like trying to tame an untamed horse while having zero experience in jousting. You must struggle to put a reign over a wild steed of 18 meter height.

Yet, it didn't appear that way to Marimo at all as she watched the boy piloted his TSF. There was no resistance or rejection from both sides, human or machine. It was an absolute harmony from the start of the simulation until the end.

Marimo could only admit that the boy Shirogane Takeru was truly a genius. Even among the best Eishis that Marimo's seen, Shirogane Takeru still came out at the top. She could not understand what he did during the simulation; much alone replicate those controls on her own. Those aerobatic movement and manoeuvrer that he used were so bizarre that Marimo was utterly speechless for dozen of seconds.

The way he cleared the course was simply that amazing. But the way he controlled his TSF was even more spectacular. Marimo has never seen something like that. No veteran, specialist or top class Eishi that Marimo knew has ever tried to do what the boy Shirogane Takeru did with his TSF. Besides, Marimo doubted that only a few Eishis could copy what he easily did even after copying his control log, much less came up with those ridiculous controls.

Marimo remembered that people used to tell her that she was talented. That's why, she was assigned into an instructional unit instead of pitting into front line. People wanted her to devise movements and combat tactical manoeuvres for other Eishi, increasing the effectiveness of their movement and increasing the chance for them to stay alive. Such was the job of Marimo back then when she was assigned into the instructional unit of Fuji Corp.

But, watching the boy Shirogane Takeru piloting his TSF, Marimo couldn't help but questioned between him and her, which one of them was genuinely a member of the Instructional Tactical force.

Can a TSF do something like that?

Marimo could only shake her head and admitted that she was a failure of an Eishi and an Eishi school Instructor when such inconceivable question surfaced on her mind. Before that, she was forced to swallow her pride and admitted that she was a failure of an Eishi from an Instructional unit. However, Marimo was also convinced that anyone would undoubtedly think the same as she did when they watched the same recording of Takeru's piloting.

She doubted if she could teach him anything about the TSF. The boy was vastly superior compare to Marimo in both aptitude and control. Whether it was precision, technique or control inputting speed, the boy was already on a different realm.

Was this truly just natural aptitude? There has never been another case like this before in the entire mankind history, the boy's incredible natural aptitude and his monstrous piloting technique.

If it was just as Yuuko's claim… this boy was a god sent.

Marimo was too shocked to find a proper word to say anything at that time. Marimo herself has seen many ace pilots, genius Eishis even, during her time serving the Imperial army and the time she was actively taking on the role of a test pilot. But, never has she witnessed an absurdity like Shirogane Takeru.

The speed and precision that Shirogane Takeru used to move around his TSF was absurd even by the standard of the Imperial Garrison. But, it was nothing compared to the complex manoeuvres that he executed during the simulation. Computing reticules failed to capture them, tracked and kept up with them. Human failed to comprehend the complexity or see through the trajectory behind those manoeuvres.

He alone existed on a different dimension.

Never Marimo has seen such a towering existence like that boy. The word "genius" wouldn't be sufficed to explain everything about that boy and his talent. For that word, too, fail to describe the absurdity of Shirogane Takeru.

Any girl of the 207B squadron could easily be identified as either genius or prodigies in one way or another. Watching them, people could only feel nothing but green envy and frustration. Just imaging the amount of time and effort to reach that level of skills, the world was really unfair. The sword skill that Mitsurugi Meiya possessed was that godly. The sense of balance that was blessed to Ayamine Kei was just that unfair. The marksmanship of Tamase Miki was just that incredible. The survival instinct that carved into Yoroi Mikoto was just that awe inspiring. And the insight that Sakaki Chiruzu possessed was just that unbelievable. But, none of those inborn talent held a candle against the ridiculous display of skill that Shirogane Takeru showed to Marimo during the aptitude test.

People labelled those girls as prodigies. People used to call the like of Marimo as talented as she was the youngest Eishi who ever given the position as an instructor of the Fuji Tactical Fighter training group. And that was the praise that they gave to special individuals, people that were different from norm. The word "prodigy" in itself was more than just a simple praise. It was also the manifestation of one's jealousy.

That's why the boy Shirogane Takeru could not be described with just the word prodigy.

Watching him, Marimo for the second time in her life, understood what real talent is. Watching him, people could only stand speechless, unable to digest and accept the reality in front of them.

If it is true talent, like that of Shirogane Takeru, people could not feel a single bit a jealousy. It was extremely laughable to point their envy at something like that.

The girls of the squad 207 probably would not able to understand it. They didn't have as much experience and skill as Marimo to understand just how colossal Takeru's piloting skill was during the aptitude test. Yuuko too, probably wouldn't able to fully comprehend it.

His ability, his talent invited nothing but pure terror and awe.

That's was the kind of talent he possessed.

Just with one look, people of Marimo's calibre would immediately understand that it was the height that they could not reach no matter how much effort they put into or how heavy a price they paid. That was a height that could never be conquered by a mere mortal.

If the gods really existed, the boy Shirogane Takeru must be loved by them. A heaven sent, he was. Every single person who successfully became an Eishi went through difficult time to fit themselves toward their machine and to bring the machine under the control. But, it wasn't the case for him, Shirogane Takeru. For him, it was as easy as eating a pie. For him, such trouble was non-existence. There was no irregularity and disagreement between the boy and his TSF. From the moment he boarded his TSF to the moment he parted with it, they were in perfect harmony, human and machine. That's the kind of talent that he possessed, the kind of true talent that towered, dominated over lesser mortals and drew nothing but terror and awe, the kind of talent that make even jealousy impossible and extremely laughable.

But before Marimo could properly react to the absurdity that Kouzuki Yuuko showed her regarding the bizarre aptitude of the boy Shirogane Takeru, another absurdity came and hit her hard, and with a bigger impact.

Not even once in her entire life Marimo has witnessed something like that, the way Shirogane Takeru piloted his TSF after installed the program from Yuuko's disk.

For a moment, a conqueror she thought he was. Like an avatar of a war god, a force of nature, nothing could stop the conqueror as he slaughtered his way through the rank of his enemies. As fierce as hell fire itself, as unstoppable as a raging storm, there was literally nothing that could stand against the might of the conqueror.

Marimo almost failed to see how those AI fictional enemies in the simulation could easily be a final test to an Eishi's training, seeing how easily they crumbled one by one like broken dolls.

"If you thought that was all I could do, you are dead wrong"

Marimo thought the boy told her something like that as she watched he took on the simulation once again through her monitoring screen.

If the way he moved his TSF was previously accepted as totally abnormal, then this time around that abnormality was heavily emphasized with increasing complexity, speed and devastation. But… a TSF shouldn't able to answer to such control. A Fubuki shouldn't able to do something like that, not that kind of speed, that kind of boost jump or even those blurry acrobatics. How did the boy make his Fubuki to perform something like that, answering to his earlier bizarre commands?

Can a TSF do something like that?

For the second time of the day, the very question that reminded Marimo of just how towering the boy was, comparing to anyone else.

"Anyone can easily do what I did as long as they had this OS installed in their TSF"

Did the boy say that while aware just how amazing it was?

Did he actually mean it?

Nevertheless, even if Marimo was struck speechless and overwhelmed with awe, witnessing too many absurdities all at once to absorb them, she still understood one thing.

What she was witnessing is a birth of a new tide that would soon become a tsunami that would bring about a great change on everyone's common sense. What she witnessed was a revolution that would soon affect the entire world. If people could make any TSF to move the way Shirogane did, something big bounded to happen. If what Marimo thought to be a miracle and irregularity suddenly became normal and standard everywhere else, another miracle would soon appeared, whether people wanted or not. Maybe people could survive more than just a mere eight minute in their first battle. Maybe people can survive another days, weeks, months fighting against the BETA. Maybe hundred of lives can be saved. Maybe ten of thousands of soldiers will be saved. The number of Eishi that would die in this war would drastically decrease. Maybe humanity will even able to turn the tide of this hopeless war. Maybe mankind can even win once the OS that the boy wrote was mass produce.

The world could turn back to how it once was, before this hopeless and one sided war spread across the globe, before this despair was engraved in the heart of every soldier and before mankind lost her dignity to the extraterrestrial being the BETA.

Never has she thought that such naïve of a hope could once again rekindle in her. The hope that was once diminished into oblivion was once again rekindled in Marimo on that very day. It was completely different compare to the hope Marimo harboured when Yuuko extended her hand and offered a salvation to Marimo when she crawled in the pitch black hell of despair, unable to overcome her guilt and sadness at the dead of her friends. It was different from the hope when she saw in each and every of her students who graduated from the training school only to come to a world where only death and blood await them. It was also completely different to the hope that she had on the conclusion of this war.

It was childishly naïve. It was stupidly naïve, utterly naïve and far more naïve than any kind of hope that she ever had. It was like the hope when she volunteered herself to the Army instead of waiting to be conscripted, fighting against her parents' opinion. It was like the time when Marimo believed that her effort amounted to something, no matter how small that change was. It could change the rotten doomed fate of the army and the country. Someone must do it. Someone must volunteer. Otherwise nothing will start. It was like that kind of naïve hope she had when she was innocent, completely clueless about the utter despair that swallowed mankind as a whole.

Perhaps from that very moment, Marimo paid extra attention to the boy Shirogane Takeru than she already did, fearing that he would one day crumble like she once did. A person as naïve and wilful as him Shirogane Takeru would be the first to crumble in most of the case, just like how overconfident swimmers often get drown despite knowing how to swim.

During that time, it didn't take long for her to understand a few things behind the mystery of the boy Shirogane Takeru.

His background was shrouded in mysteries. Other than his stated profile in the UN database, the rest of the information related to Shirogane Takeru was restricted and highly classified to a few. One could already tell that the boy was heavily involved in Yuuko's research, if not centre.

He could live a normal and peaceful life in the state, remained ignorant of the war. Yet, he threw away that special privilege that exempt him from the horror of war, returning to Japan and volunteering to the UN army instead.

Why did he do that?

Marimo once questioned about the reason behind that choice of his. She couldn't help but related to her younger self, one that went against her parent's wish, dropping out of college and applied for the army on her own.

Was he the same?

Until this day, Marimo hasn't had her question answered.

Though, none of those speculations of Marimo were as nearly important as the odd relationship she saw between the genius Yuuko and the boy.

Knowing Yuuko for a long time, Marimo has yet to see that mad scientist treated anyone like the boy. It was as though Yuuko saw the boy in a different light compare to everyone else and anything else.

Friend? An indispensable chess piece? No… perhaps assistant? No, that, too, was off the mark. Partner of equal standing? An important key?

Behind the poker face of Yuuko and the idiotic facade of Shirogane Takeru, Marimo couldn't understand the bond they shared. But, it was certain that aside from being Yuuko's partner, Yuuko saw the boy more than just someone of equal standing.

That's when Marimo realized that she wasn't the only one that regained something that has lost after meeting the boy Shirogane Takeru.

Yuuko, too, slowly returned into that of her former self. She had that kind of look in her old day, before she was burdened with the weight of the fourth plan and before she was forced to learn just how cruel this world could possibly be.

She was just as haughty and confident as Marimo remembered. It was as though nothing in the world that Yuuko could not do with such gift that god had blessed her from her first breath. Just like how the war robbed away of Marimo many valuable things. Yuuko, too, lost something during this war. It was rather shocking for Marimo to see something that she hasn't seen for an extremely long time. It was as though it was only a dream. It was as though this messed up war never existed in the first place.

However, despite the perfection the boy Shirogane Takeru appeared in everyone's eyes, he had more flaw than anyone and was more imperfect than soldier that Marimo has ever known

During the coup d'état, Marimo was almost too shocked to discover that impulsive characteristic of the boy. Behind his docile look, lied an uncontrollable and unruly personality like that of wildfire. Behind the idiocy façade that he always showed, laid an unshakable will, unbendable and unbreakable like that of diamond. Marimo was too powerless to put a reign on the boy during the coup d'état, if not totally helpless. Not Marimo, not the Royal Guard, not the American Commander and not even the Shogun were able to control him.

Strictly speaking, the boy was a total failure of a soldier with such impulsive actions and behaviours he showed during the coup d'état. And Marimo was extremely reluctant in overseeing the boy's graduation because of that side of his. No matter how good, perfect was his aptitude and ability, Shirogane Takeru was a failure of a soldier for unable to carry out his orders and understand the chain of command.

Yet, even after discovering such a fatal flaw of the boy Shirogane Takeru, the hope that Marimo had on him didn't waver one bit.

Why?

Some may consider it's strange of Marimo. Marimo herself also considered it was strange of her to put so much hope on a boy.

It was not because of his excellent aptitude as an Eishi or his ingenuity he showed in creating the XM3 that she put her hope on. Yes, it wasn't his talent that she put her absolute trust into. It wasn't his ingenuity or his monstrous piloting technique.

It was his oddly shaped charisma, his idiotic single-minded determination and his naiveté that Marimo harboured her hope. The hope that she regained on that day, the light that rekindled in Yuuko's eyes and the trust everyone put on the boy Shirogane Takeru, they were all more than enough for Marimo to believe that the boy Shirogane Takeru alone was special.

Even if he wasn't perfect, even if he was a failure as a soldier, if it was him, he might able to do it.

She knew it was stupid. She realized that such was completely and utterly naïve. She completely understood that she was only deluding herself, deceiving herself and ignoring her logic. She knew it was really selfish and stupid of her to place such a large hope on him, a mere boy. It was completely one-sided. She could easily string together countless of reasons that could refute the naïve hope she place upon that boy.

"At least, I hope this OS could save as many people as it could, even if it was but hundreds or thousands. I hope it will continue to save as many people as it will in the future."

But more than anything, Marimo didn't want to deny the naïve words that he said at the beginning of the trial test. She never thought that what the boy said on that day was wrong.

The result and the difference that the new OS XM3 brought… were still questionable at this stage. Because no matter how much improvement of the technology it was, it was human, it was up to mankind who would make the ultimate decision. It wasn't Shirogane Takeru or Kouzuki Yuuko who gave birth to this miracle OS who would decide its fate. And the word "mankind" mean that there would be more than just some mere thousands of individuality and each individuality was greatly different from one another.

That's probably why, the boy said he hope to save as many people with this OS as possible, not changing the fate of mankind, not tilting the scale of this war. It's his hope that it could contribute to a victory but he's afraid that it was only his delusion. That's why he too, could do nothing other than trust and hope on the decision of mankind.

The light that she saw in him was weak as though a flickering candle in the midst of storm. The faith, the resolution and the confidence that nurtured that light and kept it alive until this day was easily shaken and crumbled into pieces. But Marimo still believed in it even today and she wanted to believe in it until the very end, even if that was the last thing she could do.

Let him be the one who rekindled the hope that was lost.

Even if it was but self-deceiving, even if it was but one-sided, the light that reflected upon Marimo's eye on that very day was brighter and stronger than anything she has ever seen.

…

Though, it wasn't long that Marimo's worst fear came true.

"Shirogane is on a loose, ignoring order and charging head straight at the BETA."

Why was that Marimo not even at least surprise overhearing that news which leaked from the central CIC?

If it was Shirogane Takeru, he would do that for real, without a doubt. This was the guy who outrageously went against Marimo's order, Tsukuyomi's and even that of the Shogun's. He was after all the one who should never become a soldier for he was never qualified as one from the beginning.

In fact, Marimo was more surprised of Yuuko's order rather than the impulsive and reckless behaviour of the boy Shirogane Takeru.

This was the bleakest hour, a sudden BETA invasion and yet, Yuuko gave an unexpectedly shocking order. "Other than members of A01, the rest of the Pacific 11th Fleet remained on standby."

No matter how good is the Valkyries, facing a BETA invasion with just a single squadron was absolutely reckless, much less the Shirogane Takeru that launched off without any proper weapon. No, if it's them, they could hold their ground against those monsters. But, what's of the boy? Why did it come to this? Was this a coincident like this sudden of an invasion? Was this the result of someone's conspiracy? Was this the result of the trust that Yuuko had for the boy who she saw as her equal?

Not because she was looking down on the boy's ability, Marimo knew. She knew just how terrible it was, fighting the BETA for the first time. No amount of training will be enough, no amount of experience will be guaranteed. Death indiscriminately lurked around everyone, spared nobody. Whether it was a fool a genius, a newbie or a veteran, the difference was but a hair breadth. That's the dread of the BETA.

Marimo was totally overwhelmed with doubts and fear. By the time she realized it, in front of her was a large HUD and she has long boarded her personal TSF. Irrational as it can possibly be, Marimo has already made her resolve to protect the boy.

Irrational as it could possibly be, Marimo trusted that the boy was a ray of hope, a catalyst that bring about the salvation and victory to this war torn world. Irrational as it could possibly be, Marimo believed that it was Shirogane Takeru who will realize her dream and Yuuko's dream. Irrational as it could possibly be, but when it came to the person known as Shirogane Takeru, there was nothing rational. Has there was anything connected to him that was not abnormal? No, there wasn't. People involved with him, topics related to him, things that had connection to him; they all were completely irrational and greatly deviated from norm.

It would take too long before the Valkyries could move out under this black out. Marimo's Gekishin was just happened to park near training area 3 and she was happened to be the one who oversee the trial test in this area. An armoury was also just happened to be nearby.

They were all a chain of coincidences. Or it was fate or it was planned. Just like how the BETA invaded this base unannounced during a trial test and how the sudden blackout struck. Nobody could tell which it was.

But was there a reason for Marimo to stay still, watching Shirogane Takeru took on his first eight minutes of death on his own? If there was, she would gladly take upon her just punishment… only after she had that boy out of trouble first. The boy and the light that she saw in him, she would not stand and watched them lost to the BETA once again.

December 12th 2001, 1202 hours

"Sector clear," Bravo 03 reported as he pointed his flash light across the dusky corner.

"Move in team, 04 deploy the transceiver in this corner," in a hoarse voice, Bravo 01 calmly gave his order to the rescue team. It has been 7 minutes ever since code 991 has been deactivated and that was just the length of the last time the soldiers of Yokohama base last met the BETA. It was strange to every single one of them, regarding how the battle ended so quickly. An invasion of the BETA was put to an end in but hours. It has never happened this way before. Whereas the number of the invaders should be tens or hundred of thousands, this time, the number of the invader only mere hundreds at best. It wasn't even an invasion but a suicidal skirmish at best. But still, Bravo 01 and his team could not relax at all. In this darkness and under the city sewer, nothing can be assured.

"Tunnel 2 collapsed, sir"

Bravo 03 reported as she flashed her torch through the dark tunnel.

"Detour then… we will proceed through the main tunnel at C5 then move through tunnel 6 afterward"

Bravo 01's reply was clearly lacked vitality. However, it wasn't due to the increase in distance that the team must travel. It was about the fate of the one who lit up the SOS beacon. Compare to the probability that the team might encounter some stray BETA under the dark tunnel; the reliability in the SOS signal was certainly lower.

What's the chance for the Eishi to survive once they have made the ultimate decision to blow up their machine? What's the chance for the Eishi to survive under this darkness where BETA was reported crawling and hunting for him like moths to flame? Including the bad ventilation and the lack of oxygen in this abandoned sewer, the rescue team matched toward the SOS signal on their radar with little hope on their side.

'It's hopeless'

That very mindset was shared among the rescue team even it remained unsaid. Even if that person is a genius that only appeared once in several centuries, the probability that he could survive was just as dim as any normal man. Even if that person was the one who upset the betting pool in the match against the invincible Infinities, the result was probably the same.

"I was wrong"

The seven members of the rescue team fixed their attention at the one who said such random topic.

"I was wrong again and yet again. Back then and probably even now," as though she was lamented over her mistake, the woman paid no heed to the curious looks that pierced her from all directions.

Never Bravo 01 has thought that he could hear such thing from the woman who survived the nightmarish Dalian Bay war. She who was notorious for her legendary combat achievement during the war and was hailed as one of the most talented pilot after receiving the position of an instructor for the Fuji Tactical Fighter Brigade as the youngest instructor in the entire history, it rather impossible to hear such lamentation from someone of her calibre during such time.

"It's impossible. It should have been that way. No matter what, it should have been impossible. Again and yet again, I have always thought it was like that. And no matter what, he always proved that I'm wrong. Logic and common sense doesn't sit well with him. It must be the case this time as well."

A weak reassurance it was. Yet, it was more than enough for the woman to match into the darkness and search for her light.

Only she knew about the boy's whereabouts before the explosion of his TSF, only she knew about the boy's condition before his TSF smashed up, and thus, as the military rule stated, she should be the one who accompanied the rescue team in the search for him. It might be a punishment to anyone else but Marimo. The last thing she ever wanted was to be recalled back to the base, sat and waited for the news of the boy while doing nothing.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The moment I opened my eyes, the world was painted white. It was the purest of white that I have ever seen.

The floor, the wall, the sky, ceiling, everything I saw was white… with him being the only exception. In front of me was a familiar figure. Like a ragged doll, he was. Pitch black like that of obsidian and completely devoid of colour was his cloak. He just floated there and looked at me with hollow eyes.

It should be the first time I have seen him, yet I who have never seen him felt that I have always known him.

My spine ran cold. Instinctively, I stepped away from him like any sane man would, for I understood who he was and what he truly was. He was always here and there. And yet he was nowhere.

Then, for the first time, I realized that there was more than just the pitch black shadow in this place. At the edge of my vision was another figure. A teenage, he was. Except that the he was like pea in a pot, a splitting image or a mirror reflection of my own. He just stood there, staring at the pitch black shade with soulless eyes, completely unaware of my presence.

For some reason, I didn't really surprise seeing him at all. It was as though it was completely natural for me to find him in this kind of place. Perhaps if I ever wanted to see him, it has to be this place…

Suddenly, the shadow moved and I immediately responded, stepping back and retreating according to my instinct. But he didn't. My doppelganger didn't. He unhesitatingly stepped forward, toward the ill-omen shade without batting an eyelid as though he was drawn to it.

And I understood immediately. That's the different between us…

But ironically, the more my doppelganger stepped toward that shadow, the further it became. And the more I tried to stepped away from that shadow, the nearer our distance.

It had no intention to claim him. It was as though it refused to claim him no matter what. It was as though that shadow made a vow as not to claim him or even touching him. He should know it. If it was him, he should know it. No matter what, no matter how, it was impossible for that shadow to claim him. That was his curse. It was impossible for him to die. He wasn't just a human being. No, he has long ceased to be a human being. He became a weapon. And weapon could not die, they could only break.

It was his fate to be denied by this shadow I guess, whatever the circumstance behind it.

But I wasn't bound by such illogical fate. For no matter what kind of bizarre of an existence I was, no matter what kind of cursed of an existence I once was, I was still but a mortal, a flesh and blood and extremely weak mortal at that. And that shadow would not make any exception for any mortal, even for an irregular such as I am.

"…gane"

The shadow flinched as a voice resounded in this dark world.

The quiet atmosphere was suddenly replaced with creaking sound. Large cracks suddenly appeared on the white sky.

"Shirogane"

The world of white crumbled. The shadow disappeared. And the doppelganger of mine was no where to be seen.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Multiple heat signals detected in tunnel 4"

Bravo 06 reported to her comrades as the alarm on her receptor started ringing.

"Damn, we will turn right at the next corner. We will now escape through tunnel 3 instead."

"Roger"

"Emi, what's of the boy's condition?"

Bravo 01 asked as he checked the intersection with his torch.

"His heart rate is improving. The atropine dose you gave worked fine. Though, his pupil started dilating. He will need immediate medical attention."

On the sketcher that Bravo 03 and Bravo 04 held, a youth laid unconscious with an oxygen mask covered his face.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Captain!"

Munakata's hoarse alerting voice resounded through the Valkyries' transmission while she started reactivating code 991 throughout the UN channel.

"All units remain on standby. Valkyries 01 to HQ, we need back up. Various unregistered heat signals that suspected to be BETA remnants detected in tunnel 4. They are still following the Bravo company toward tunnel 3"

Isumi promptly gave order to the Valkyries as she requested reinforcement from the HQ.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"XO, it's the same pattern as before"

Suzumiya Haruka pointed at the screen as she reported to the mad scientist.

"I expected nothing less from that guy…"

Furrowed her brow, Yuuko whispered beneath her breath. Then, in a count of three, she immediately regained her calm "Suzumiya, have A01 collapse tunnel 4 from where they are. Send down reinforcement at C13, we should able to intercept the BETA's remnant over there."

"Roger..." Haruka nodded her head and then switched her com to a private channel "This is Valkyries Mum to Valkyries 01…"