Shirogane Takeru
JST, UTC+9
Kouzuki Yuuko's bedroom
"The condoms, why does Yuuko-sensei have so many…?!"
"Uuuaa… You don't think… haa…! She also has one of 'those'… do you?" Always the one coming up with the most farcical assumptions, that Kei.
"No… thank god no. I can personally testify for that." I pushed out my comment through our laboured breathing.
"Nuummaa… got it on with Vice-Commander Kouzuki…? Respect, Shirogane."
"Why my family name, Kei?"
"I'm fine like that… now give me a kiss… fast." Did this even count as a functional conversation? Were any messages getting across?
"Stick your tongue out… I can't— urrmm… this position is damn awkward."
"Nnn—! Agreed…! Do me from the back, easier… nnhhhaa… that way!" Smearing our fluid as I rotated around, Kei wasn't wrong on her recommendation.
—
"Uuu…! Uhhnnhhaaa! AHHHaaahhhaa! …Haa… haa…" Zero comment.
"Haa… haaa… I think it may have broken…" A dangerous update was posted by her.
"Really…? Hold on, let me check—"
"Yeah, positively broken."
"Bu-bu-but… why?"
"Wrong question, Takeru."
"NOOOOO! This can't be real! How do you know!?"
"My belly… feels so warm…"
"Let me just… pull out and— ah, welp."
"Don't worry… I'll pay for child support."
"How about I Falcon Punch you in the stomach?"
"Go fuck yourself."
"…I mean, dramatizing, aren't we?"
"Do you think… having children would be nice…?" Ruining our funny mood entirely, Kei spoke in melancholy as she lay down to my side.
"Eh? That came outta nowhere, woman."
"Exactly, I'm a female too… one day… I want a family." Her words were sincere, the most honest desire of a girl was before me and I had no idea how to respond.
"If we get rid of the BETA one day, that would very much be possible." However, this dream of mine was a long-stretch by any standard.
"I… nevermind, should have went bareback if we knew."
"Ah— yeah, you right. Let's switch then. Kasumi, how's Meiya?" Pulling away from Kei completely, I cleaned up our mess with a few dozen napkins to make the place less disgusting and more hygienic. Because germs are bad, germs are bad in all cases.
"Takeru-san, I'm sorry." There was Kasumi, there was Meiya. Something wasn't right though.
"Did you… Meiya, hey, Meiya! C'mon, you already done?"
"Uuuuuu… T-Taaakkerru… please… forgive me for my… weak endurance… I cannot… tread on any longer." And then she passed out.
"…Kasumi, you know those drugs they had around the fifties for gay people?"
"You mean something like chemical castration?"
"That's the thing that makes you not want to bang, right?"
"If 'bang' refers to sexual intercourse, then yes."
"Aggra, we can't have that. You exist to relieve me of my sexual tension."
"I understand."
"That was a joke… don't take me seriously, Kasumi."
"Okay."
"But for realz, you're sucking them dry faster than me! Teach me some of your techniques, I need your skills."
"Another time, we're lacking in persons for me to demonstrate."
"Guess that's the case, wanna get it on then?"
"Yes, please. I can't hold myself back anymore." When had the apprentice overtaken the master?
Kouzuki Yuuko
AKDT, UTC-8
Yukon Base conference room
"Yeah, please get those DIA people off me, Mr. Secretary. I know I sorta lied to them completely. To be fair though, they were also gonna turn on me anyway."
"Well… officially I'll give you a 'no comment', but just between the two of us, the DIA is biting much more than they can chew in my opinion." Again, Yuuko really liked the new SecDef after the coup.
"See!? They think picking up the CIA's burden is sooo easy! So it's not my fault, right?"
"Professor Kouzuki… please. I'll ask Henry to calm down in investigating your people, gonna have a little tea party with him. He's a good friend of mine, even before I got this seat." The relationship of others wasn't a major catch for Yuuko's attention.
"Alright, sounds nice enough. Also you're very welcome, for that position by the way." Yuuko constantly liked to remind the SecDef how she was partly the one responsible for firing the last person in his job.
"Professor… is it me or did your personality get more laid-back recently? You sounded quite stressed out the last time we talked, that was before I received my promotion."
"Ayy… it's a… side-effect of my project; I've been hanging out around lots of kids these days. Rotten teenagers and the like, habits rub off." What she didn't mention was the slow-steady stream of memories creeping in her head more and more often these days.
"I see how it is, you take care of yourself, Professor. Anyway, if we see me calling the DIA off you as a favour, do you have anything to repay the Congress for our wasted time?"
"America at its finest, right? Don't worry, I know exactly what you people like. Priority is to keep yourselves as the number one superpower and eliminate all threats to the State. It makes sense."
"And that's why half of the conservative party hates you, Professor. Alternative IV is viewed as a greater risk compared to V. You understand how much some of us like bombing everything to kingdom come and asking for permission later." Alternative V, classic strategy indeed.
"If you don't care at all for what happens after that, then yeah, sure, go right on ahead."
"Which I wholeheartedly disagree with, that's why I personally want to empower you, Professor Kouzuki. G-Bombs are not the answer; they're a pause button for our problems, a temporary solution for the time being."
"Because people don't like looking forward to the future these days, it makes them all the more attractive." The American man nodded eloquently to Yuuko's comment.
"Moving on though, I believe it's time to strike another deal between us. You know, even if we just forget for a moment here that you used a team of XM3 equipped soldiers to attack Yukon Base which held US property and damaged our property without a care, there're still problems with us handing over the 70d."
"Err… think of that attack as a demonstration, okay? And we mostly acted in the Soviet side of things, as for the XG-70d… whyyy noooot!?" Yuuko was absolutely fine with throwing a tantrum in front of a TV monitor, she was just that type of a person.
"First of all, Congress just won't go anywhere these days, largely due to… democracy. And without the President's direct approval, there'll be no deal to speak of in the first place."
"So why won't Mr. President give me money?"
"There're many factors… hold on, let me check security…" That was an unexpected way to end a sentence.
"Hey, Mr. Secretary, what's going on?"
"Don't worry, I'm back. Anyway, to say it nicely; it's mostly because he still can't collect his shit after the CIA's plot."
"Ooooh… HA! Haha…! I really like you, Mr. Secretary, did I mention that before?" The middle-aged man laughed a bit to avoid continuing this side-track.
"Unfortunately, you'll just have to wait, Professor. I'm powerless to help you in this regard. Besides, you already have the 70b. By no mean is it stronger than 70d, but it still counts for something. And that something will have to do for now.
"Uuuu… fiiiine! I'll just go blow up Sadogashima without your help then!"
"Yes, of course. Perhaps you can shoot off your own particle cannon without our help next time, I'm counting on it."
"Mooo… I'm sad now." Incapable of further progression, Yuuko sighed in submission. This was just one of those times when patience becomes a forced quality.
"Ahaa… c'mon, Professor, don't be like that. I'll have Lockweed send over a couple of EMD Phase 2s just for you. So cheer up, okay?"
"For real? You the man, Mr. Secretary. You are the man!" Instant mood swing was instant. Yuuko felt overjoyed by how generous this new chief executive officer acted compared to the last one.
"Think of it as a personal investment from me. The Senate is going to seriously regret their decision if you mess up, so please, Professor Kouzuki. For the sake of everything, don't ruin it." Now was about time for Yuuko to renounce herself as serious again.
"I know, and I'll add something for you as well. A promise to share some G-Elements if we recover enough of them. Also you'll get an invitation for whatever next Hive op we got lined up here."
"Really now? Such generosity is rare from you, Professor."
"No matter how much we fight each other inwardly, at the end of the day, BETA still will have an upper hand." Stopping human infighting was next to impossible, so they'll have to settle for a truce that can last up to eternity.
"That is true, America's policy is the protection of its own assets first and foremost, I unreservedly agree with that. But what we lack is time, our resources are finite; we cannot afford a war of attrition against an opponent that is engaging us in total war."
"It's funny… we invented treaties like the Geneva Conventions to prevent mistreatment of POWs and then the BETA comes along… well, they eat people." Yuuko didn't enjoy it, the finest irony of their desperate time wasn't all that entertaining.
"Humanity fought in total war against the aliens for fifty years now, we have to end it soon. We must end it soon."
"And I will do that, the BETA will go extinct by our generation. Your grandchildren are only gonna see BETA in their history books."
"Unfortunately, my kids have seen it in our propaganda posters."
"Then your great-grandchildren, don't be so picky."
"Ahahahahaa… hopefully." Both adults shared a quick laugh together.
"You've such a vision, unlike most of the US government I had to deal with. I believe you can do it, Mr. Secretary, make America great again!" Now was the time to bring out the trolls.
"Alright… that's plenty enough for this conversation, I'll be going now. Good day, Professor Kouzuki."
"Oh, oh! You know what else we can do! We can build a great, great wall and have the BETA pay for it! What an ingenio—" The transmission was then cut.
Munakata Misae
Yukon Base, PX
"Oh, look whose back. Munakata! That was a fun stroll, eh?!" From a distance, Misae already spotted an overly eager Hayase.
"Hum, it had its merits." A frown was shot her way when Isumi perceived her distress.
"What happened? Did you see someone you know?" Misae grasped lightly at her Captain's accurate instinct.
She sat down on the bench next to Hayase and was pushed a drink she had saved for her. Misae was at a loss for thought, what transpired at her absence had nothing to do with the two Valkyries relaxing besides her, yet she hoped for someone to share her pain.
"Actually… no. I'm sure it was him but- I couldn't catch up, he was too fast and hidden… I lost him in the crowd."
"Awww, that's so sad~! I hate losing him in the crowd too! It's like he doesn't even care about me in the slightest~" In retrospect, Misae deserved Hayase's mockery.
"I saw Million Euros again, it was Silvio Orlandi." This time around, Misae's declaration blew away both Hayase and Isumi's composure, the girls stopped their sips midway and stared back, total disbelieve in their eyes.
"Oh wow, REALLY!? That GUY!? But we were just all talking about him! That's amazing! That's actually INSANE!" Hayase made an obvious remark.
"That's exactly what I thought. Hahaha, crazy, right?" All Misae could do was laugh awkwardly, this type of setting was not her forte.
"Are you sure it's him?" Next, Isumi continued to nit-pick at the details.
"Arr… it's not like I can prove a negative in this case, so it might not really be him."
"Still, you wish to believe, right? You want to see him again. You want it to be something more." This was a private question Misae never desired to face. It was for today only, both her friends suddenly became super good at noticing her display of weakness.
"I… no, it's not like that. He's… it's all for fun, nothing more." For Misae, the feelings of her heart were only a distraction. She had duties to complete, burdens to shoulder.
"If that's what you say then it's fine, but just know that for people like us, these kind of opportunities don't stay for very long." The hidden implication of Hayase's message was spoken under personal experience.
"I know that! This sort of stuff takes time! I… can't just… decide on a whim wh-what I feel about this!" Flustered, so rarely did Misae get embarrassed by herself.
"Ahahahah! Thus, that leaves Haruka and me as the only people without an available target! Aaaah! Takayuki! You stupid shit! At least find a replacement for me- for you!" Throwing her pony-tail around, Hayase screamed to the skies as she derailed Misae's topic in favour of her own.
"Hayase… well, for someone like you, Suzumiya should be good enough. Sail that ship of yours, it's your destiny." Once again, Misae fixed her mask of a cool beauty before it cracked apart too much.
Shirogane Takeru
December 22, 2001
Kouzuki Yuuko's bedroom
Awake, lying all by myself on the bed surrounded by three sleeping beauties really put things into perspective for me. I came home after a successful mission, another job performed relatively flawlessly. The future had yet again changed towards the unknown, infinite amount of prospects opened up their doors.
Yuuya Bridges, Cryska Barchenowa, Inia Sestina, Takamura Yui.
Like me, they were soldiers, fighting for the good of humanity. Fitting their unique circumstances, I had helped them solve some of the biggest problems in their lives. At Yokohama, wavering paths were before them, a tomorrow nobody could predict.
Also that Chinese chick, shouldn't forget about her.
I honestly have no idea how their involvement in Alternative IV could affect us down the line, but if I must place my bet now; I cannot allow them to interfere anymore than they already have.
"Sadogashima… twenty-first is my second least favourite number." It was close, we were close.
As I unwarp myself from the many arms clinching to my body, the room door was slammed open with a loud smack. A bright ray of light assaulted my senses which only made me wish to retreat further back to the land of dreams.
"Ahah! Spotted Takeru-chan! Good morning!" From the speech pattern of the caller, it was obvious to me Sumika just rudely entered the bedroom. I was still too dizzy to realize the strange tone of her voice.
"Arr, morning, Sumika. You still didn't resign from the job of waki—"
Then I saw her; other than the UN uniform issued to all officers, nothing was right about the girl before me. Silver hair to the shoulders, twin hair bands, unorganized fringe and also bigger racks; I was about a hundred fifty-five percent sure this wasn't Sumika.
"Okay… I know you're new here, but what the actual fuck, Barchenowa. How did you even get in this room?"
"Eh? What're you talking about, Takeru-chan?" I had so many questions for Bridges' girlfriend, however number one was why she wasn't leaving right now.
"I can't even… just leave and give me some privacy, I need to change."
"Ahhaa! But I've important stuff to tell you!" This was beyond irrational now.
"Wha— GET THE FUCK OUT!" Pitching a pillow at her, I whacked Barchenowa right in the face with a solid toss.
"OOwwwieee! Okay, okay! I'll wait outside!" Said the weirdo as she walked out, closing the door on her way.
Confused and already tired, I climbed out from under the sheets and threw on my uniform. Everyone else sleeping right now showed no sign of waking up fast thanks to our very exciting night, so I cloaked them nicely with the blanket once more before leaving to meet up with crazy in the hallway.
"So… why're you doing this?"
"Hrr… you're acting so weird today, Takeru-chan! I just came over to tell you about yesterday night!" At this point, I mostly grasped the current situation.
"That's you right, Sumika?"
"Huuuh? Obviously! Who else could it be—" Ahead of her sentence, I groped her breast first.
"These aren't yours, you're like a what? D cup at best, she's at least about eighty-eight? So an E… maybe F? I can't remember how it works." Few extra squeezes for good measure.
"…Awawa…"
"And it's like you're not even trying to imitate her. Other than you, who else calls me 'Takeru-chan' in such a stupid manner?" Squeeze, squeeze. Squeeze, squeeze.
"Awa-wawawwawa…!"
"Furthermore, your foolishness can indisputably be felt on my skins no matter what physical form you take anyway. So it's kinda pointless." Just couldn't really stop, it happens.
"Oooohhh-ooooohhhhhh…!"
"You even listening, woman? Pay attenti—"
"TAKERU-CHAN YOU STUPPPIDD IDIDOOOOT!" Uppercut, delivered on-time right to my face.
"ARTILLERY~!" I couldn't think of anything cool to scream right then, also thank god Barchenowa didn't hit too hard.
—
"That was one of them usual routines, happy now, Sumika?"
"Yep! I feel much better now about accidently taking over Cryska-chan's body!"
"You're one dumb fuck, how did this even happen?" A chop to Sumika's possessed head was out of the question, so I had to settle for verbally abusing her.
"I tried to sync with her through our projections but she was still too fragile to connect, so I did a manual linkage on her, then this happened!" That was the most tactical sounding bullshit I ever heard.
"And it means?"
"I dunno! We're just testing things out!" And now it turned to real rubbish.
"Yoooou … I have no words… YOOOOOOUUUU!" I grabbed her shoulders and shook the girl around violently to get my point across.
"~uuuu- UUUUU~ uuuu~ I"M GETTING~ dizzy~!" Sumika cried using someone else's body as she complained.
"Don't go playing with yourself all willy-nilly! You're military property for Christ's sake! You think G-element comes cheap at a supermarket sale!?"
"~UUUUUUUU! Buuuut we were only messssssing arrround!" Fake tears streamed down fake Sumika's cheeks like raindrop.
"Also, where's Barchenowa's personality?" To answer me, she shot back this super confused look.
"I dunno! I did see myself on the bed this morning though!"
"YOOOOU stupppiiidd hoe! Stooooop doiiiing thiiiiis!" Our friendly argument was going nowhere fast.
"Ah, AHHHHHA! 1st Lt. KAGAMI!" That answered one of my questions.
There, by the end of the hallway came running over was none other than Sumika's physical body. She tried her best to look composed and failed miserably as the panic spread through this poor girl's face like wildfire.
"Haaa… my life…" All I could do was sighing.
"Oh! Cryska-chan! Good morning!"
"Sup, Russian Second Lieutenant."
"Yes, good morning, 1st Lt. Kagami. Capt. Takeru-chan— no! That's not what I'm here for! Please give me my body back!" What a treat for my eyes, there were Sumika and Barchenowa, their bodies swapped like a cheap plot twist.
"Even if you say that… do you know what happened between us that made us switch bodies?"
"Errr… we attempted a level seven synchronization and it was too straining on your system so you stopped… but what happened afterwards, I have no recollection. I woke up thirteen minutes ago in your body, 1st Lt. Kagami." That was the most intelligent thing to ever come out of Sumika's mouth, I was impressed.
"Urrrrm…! We were both really tired from the sync, and we fell asleep after it overloaded, right?! Could it be that?"
"I don't have a say on this, 1st Lt. Kagami."
"Arrrra! So annoying! Why can't I remember!?" The annoying part wasn't wrong.
"Am I… am I needed here? Because I seriously don't want to be here right now." Either this mess was going to solve itself or someone was going to solve it, that someone would be me anytime soon.
"Do you have somewhere else you must be, Kapitan?"
"Yeeaaa, I need to be where you two aren't bitching. But whatever, I'll call Yuuko-sensei for this. She probably knows what's going on with this crazy chaos." Having Barchenowa stuck in Sumika's body was quite unpleasant, especially if Bridges sees this and gets confused.
Briefing room
"It was surprising how she explained the situation. You almost think it was intentional that the two of you'd fuse together." Back from my call, I had gathered our group in a spare room prior to making it.
"So what's going on, Takeru-chan?"
"You, as a robot person can link your mind to specific people because your 00 unit abilities. Barchenowa is one of those workable people, or something like that. Just like how you control the Susanoo with brain-power, you can control her body through remote telepathy." If this sounded like bullshit, I would agree.
Sensei clearly wasn't in the mood for an explanation when I called, she seemed to be talking with another dude about more secret stuff. I wasn't too interested in what it was so I asked no more.
"If my understanding is correct, does that mean 1st Lt. Kagami has the ability to freely control the body of any esper?" Barchenowa asked me as Sumika.
"Yep, that's the main idea. How this works? I have no clue. Although sensei said she can revert it when she comes back, there's a bunch of experiments she wants to run on you pair." Mad-scientist at her finest.
"Ehhh? Kouzuki-sensei's experiments are always so weiiiiird!" Like I wouldn't know it.
"Don't worry too much, Barchenowa. You don't know the Professor, but she isn't a bad person at heart. We won't torture you like the Russians, just work for us and your treatment should be great."
"I understand, so currently I'm stuck in 1st Lt. Kagami's body with no means of switching back?"
"Oh yeah, guess not. I ain't happy about this; I can't grope either of you now." Using the esper's body, Sumika scowled me with eyes.
"Grope…? Is that something I can help you with, Capt. Takeru-chan?" This nickname never gets old no matter how many times she says it.
"It's… arr, not what we should do together. Get Bridges to help you with it."
"Understood, I will ask Yuuya to grope me." And I will work as the cameraman.
"Not now, stupid. There are a few tests I have to run on you first, even before Yuuko-sensei gets her hands on you." Some theories would make me happy if they were confirmed.
"What do you want, Takeru-chan?"
"You're up, Sumika. Turn on that projector with your mind." I pointed to said projector hung from the ceiling.
"Huh? Sure." Waving her hand like a Jedi, Sumika flicked on that device without touching it.
"Surprised, Barchenowa?"
"…No, I was informed by First Lieutenant about her abilities before coming back." Always the blabbermouth, Sumika never changes.
"Then you try, since you're in her body, you should be able to do the same thing." At my reveal, both girls had a revelation of the truth. Sumika did in fact turn on this projector while not inside her own body.
"Allow me to attempt it." Extending out her arm, Barchenowa focused passionately at the immobile machine, which was really pointless because it deactivated immediately without any effort.
"Wow… did… I do that?"
"Uh-huh, this's an interesting development, I see. We'll try again, but you get out, Barchenowa. Try to open this door once it closes, and Sumika will keep turning on the projector."
Yokohama Base, Detention block
To cut some trials short, the pair had full control over their mental power. Both for Sumika who wasn't in her body and Barchenowa who wasn't the 00 unit. This was a short test sensei asked me to run over the phone a bit earlier, she said it was the first step to upgrading Sumika.
"Huhu, this place was much cleaner than when I visited last time." We moved on to another matter.
"Yeah? I supposed you people do know manners, good for me." Laying soothingly on the prison bunk, a twin-tailed Chinese girl answered my call.
Bending her legs up, she leaped off the bed like how those people in Chinese Kung-Fu movies often do, a testament to her flexibility and muscle strength. She walked forward, out of the cell's shadow and into the light. Her countenance now free for me to exhibit.
What I could only refer to as cat-bells were tied to the buns separately on her twin-tail, this green haired Eishi stared me straight in the eyes for a good dozen seconds before smirking lightly and backing away from the bars.
"So? Can I go yet?" Classic question to ask.
"Sumika, get a read in." There were policies to establish if she wished for her freedom, so I called my super CPU for an accurate read in on her temperament.
Then Sumika (still in Barchenowa's body) strolled on in looking gleeful as ever, not once considering the fact that she currently was occupying somebody else's flesh. Instead, she stood right in front of the bars, giving the Chinese a perfect look.
"2nd Lt. Barchenowa? You look… abnormally happy." This was just pain… so much pain.
"Urrm… she's clean, Takeru-chan! She only wandered on the plane looking for that Bridg—" Chop went first, chop was more important than the rest of her sentence.
"You… just… gave… away… my name!"
"Owiee…! Owiee…! Owiee…! Owiee…! Owiee…!" Five consecutive hits later, Sumika cried Barchenowa's tears while holding her head in pain.
"Urr… haa…? What's even happening?" I didn't blame the Mandarin girl for not understanding.
"God, I'm squandered right now… you! What's your name!?" In hindsight, I could've searched her up as the Bao-Feng leader, but that required work I wasn't willing to put in.
"Isn't it good manners to give your own name when asking others?" What was this? Was I sensing sarcasm in her voice?
"You really want to do this right now?" To cut to the chase, I pulled my sidearm and just unloaded an entire magazine into the cell block behind her, narrowly missing her by inches several times.
"Holy shit! Okay-okay! Calm down, calm down!" My aggression delivered my message much better than words. The girl flinched backwards and almost fell on her butt.
"Lady, tell me who the fuck you are right now or we're never seeing each other again." This alone was a burden on my patience.
"Fine…! People's Liberation Army Independent Test Flight Bao-Feng leader, Shàngwèi Cui Yifei." Giving me a lazy salute, Cui stated her rank and origin.
"Capt. Cui, we have detained you on charges of infiltration and hostile intention on friendlies. Although we can't press those charges due to the nature of our situation."
"Oh, really? You mean an UN attack on an UN base isn't to be made public knowledge? Colour me shocked." Leaning in on the bars, our faces were merely centimetres away.
"You know what. Fuck Bridges, I think I'm just gonna kill you off. We can deal with a M.I.A investigation if it comes to it." Taking into account everything at stake here compared to the benefit of keeping her alive, I honest to god planned on just putting a bullet through her brain right there.
"PLEASE WAIT! Capt. Takeru-chan! You promised Yuuya that nobody will have to die!" Jumping into the fray was obviously none other than Barchenowa, she grabbed the new mag I planned on loading and just wouldn't let go.
"I never said anything like that."
"You were thinking about it! I can tell!" Right, she also had Sumika's superior reading.
"You— fine, whatever. Capt. Cui, better make yourself comfortable. You won't be leaving for a while." I had things more vital to do than messing about with a Chinese and an esper.
"Ah… oh— hey! You shot my bed!"
"Relax, it's still soft enough." Now with nothing to say, I left her behind as Sumika and Barchenowa bid their goodbyes.
"Wait! I'm not done asking questions yet!" She was so misdirected on who had the general power in our situation.
"No. You are done asking questions."
"Then I'm not talking to you! 2nd Lt. Barchenowa! How is he!? How is Yuuya!?" Desperately trying to prolong our conversation, Cui turned to the Russian as I had no interest left.
"Yuuya is… he's safe here, this place isn't dangerous. I can promise that." Somebody did answer her call; it wasn't me, first of all. It also wasn't Barchenowa herself, instead Sumika who borrowed the Soviet's body replied to the twin-tail.
Sumika!? What're you doing!? Obviously, she acting out of line was an insult to me, personally.
"It's okay, Takeru-chan. I don't want anyone else to be hurt anymore." To that, I couldn't respond anything.
"You'll take care of him, right!? You have to now! You're the only one… he looks at now." The sentence brought deep sadness to our Chinese friend in the cage here, trivial relationship problems were below my level of concern.
"I'll protect him, Inia and I are his guardians. We're lives he sacrificed everything to protect… so now it's our time to watch over his future."
"People will live on, Barchenowa! A path will always be there as long as people are alive! If you're so insistent on being with him, promise you'll never give up! I have to know! If it's safe… to leave him with you!"
Increasing the tension, Cui banged her hands against the cold bars of her cell. Sumi— for now, it was Barchenowa; she stepped forward, not a sign of reluctance to be detected in her eyes.
"I promise. Yuuya saved us, our gratitude will not disappear forever."
Hallway
"Sumika, you know how I get jealous easily. Don't do that again."
"Uuu, but it'll be super weird if Cryska-chan told her using my body!" That was the only reason I didn't subject her to waterboarding right there.
"Fine, fine. You two, we're done for now until the Professor gets back. I ain't having two body swapped fuckwits running around my base, go back and your room and await further orders. I'll see Bridges and Sestina."
Kagami Sumika
Kagami's room
"Hey, Cryska-chan! C'mon here, c'mon here!" Energetically waving her arm, Sumika summoned Cryska to sit beside her on the bed intended for one.
"What is it, 1st Lt. Kagami?"
"Ahaha! Just call me Sumika like Inia-chan! Don't worry too much about behaviours and stuff!" Formality had always just been a pain for the almighty 00 unit.
"Okay, Sumika." Cryska sat down closely next to her. Still inside each other's bodies, the girls were at a loss for theme material as they anticipated the Professor's return.
In silence both espers sat, not knowing the best or proper discussion to carry out. Sumika darted her eyes repeated over her own body which was in ownership of another, then back onto her temporary flesh. There were differences, so many differences.
"…Uuuuu! Cryskkkkkaa-chaaaan! Your boobs really are just… really biiiig!" Completely random and pointless was Sumika's pronouncement.
"EH?! I mean— yes, they're… errr, well developed? The genes used to create me were like that."
"But look! They're sooo round! And huge! And bouncy! And soft and soooo huuuge!" Best described as self-molestation, Sumika fondled her possessed body to great pleasure.
"S-su-SUMIKA! S-s-stop playing with me!" Humiliated and flustered, Cryska shouted nervously at the over-the-top girl.
"Oh! Oh, oh~oh! Is your 'down-there' also white as well!? Let me check, let me cheeecck!"
"Aahhaa! SUMIKA!"
"Oh-my-god! It is! Your other hair is also WHITE! It's pure WHITE!"
"AAAAHAAA!"
"Mwahahaha! I'm Cryska-chan and I dress like a scantily clad!" Still overly excited, Sumika undid her uniform leaving only a single button holding together the suit over her breasts. Then she grabbed the bunny hairclip from Cryska's head and wore it herself.
"Suuumiiikaaa! STOOOP IT!"
"MAHAHAHAHA! YAAAY! I have big BOOBIES! WOOHOO!" What a day, what a day.
Shirogane Takeru
Guest room #4
"You two, how's the stay? Finding things comfortable?"
"Huuh, not too bad. Although I want to see Cryska more than just sitting here with nothing to do." As expected, Bridges wasn't having the time of his life under house arrest.
"Cryska, Cryska! Where's she!?"
So I visited Bridges and his cute but sometime annoying loli companion, they were fine, doing okay and stuff. The pair was assigned a normal room yesterday after they got off the plane; Barchenowa was taken by Sumika meaning this trio hadn't seen each other yet since our arrival.
"We're still running things down there. You know, to make sure she doesn't die outta nowhere."
"Okay, thanks for that." Bridges accepted my explanation easily.
"Other than that, go see Takamura in the meantime. She could get lonely by herself." On that note, we had Takamura living in a separate room alone. Poor girl was probably going sullen all the way, not knowing anything.
"Sure, we've access to all floors above eleven, right?"
"Uh-huh, your card is good for that." It was preferable if Bridges couldn't wander to any floor he fancied.
"Alright, I'll go take a look around then. You coming?"
"Nah, I've to watch over Sumika and your Russian. We've ran into a problem, it's nothing major but requires constant attention." And constant attention was way worse than immediate attention.
"We'll be on our way then, let's go, Inia."
"Okay! I wonder if Yui is having more fun than us!" Following closely after them, we all left the room and entered the hallway.
In the hallway, I couldn't say I expected what I saw.
"WAHAHAHA! Yaay! White panties! YAAAY!"
"Ahaaaa! Ahhhaaa! STOOOP! AAAAAH!"
So I just closed the door behind me, right? Then I turned around, okay? And what did I see? What did I just fucking witness?
"…What? What. The. Fuck?"
"…Cr-c-Cryska? What're you doing?"
"Waaaa! Cryska! Sumika! Wait for me!"
And there went Sestina, chasing after two girls running ahead. She seemed pretty happy, that was a good thing, right?
"I-I-I I can't— I can't even… I can't even… THE ACTUAL FUCK WAS THAT!?"
I saw Barchenowa's body first, running half-naked across the hallway wearing underwear on her head and holding Sumika's hairband. And then there was Sumika, following after the Russian in total panic as she clumsily zipped up her uniform while also trying to pull up her pants.
"Was that… was that Cryska, Captain?" Utter confusion wasn't suffered by Bridges alone.
"Err… no?"
"We should go after them."
"Yeah, no shit. I don't even know the fuck's happening anymore." What a day, today truly was special.
Kouzuki Yuuko
Pacific Ocean, 7000 MASL
"Professor, if this plan indeed comes to past, you could very well be known as humanity's saviour."
"Well, it wouldn't be me but close enough." With a quiet laugh, Yuuko took the document passed back from First Lieutenant Silvio Orlandi, who was an Intelligence agent for the EU as they spoke.
Gazing outside the plane window until Yuuko poured him a cup of wine, 1st Lt. Silvio thanked the Professor for her liberality and took a sip. From his expression, she was glad the taste of this beverage was worth its cost.
"Still, Professor Kouzuki, this would be a pipedream for us a few years back. Twelve, eleven, nine, thirteen, seventeen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-six and one. You're saying they'll be all gone by the December of next year if Alternative IV is activated?"
"Absolutely, I'll turn Sadogashima into a vacation island for next summer season." Confident was Yuuko's manner, she fully believed in herself and her project.
"And they've all approved of your plan? The Russians, Americans, Imperials and Royalists? All of them?"
"Also yes, we're very close now. COSEAN, UFC, MEU and African Union have yet to be informed of our plan. Although I don't suspect them rejecting us, seeing how the UN holds heavy influence over those sections. Maybe not so much for the Chinese, but once Cheorwon is gone; they can't hold a candle to us."
"I see, the Fox of Yokohama. A fitting nickname for someone like you, Professor." To Yuuko's ears, this was the best praise she could hope for.
"Now you know why you're invited for this ride, 1st Lt. Silvio."
"Ah, of course. Only the EU is left, after all. NATO won't disagree with you either." The Euro man smiled knowingly to Yuuko's remark.
"As much as you Europeans are nice and kind, relying solely on TSF development isn't going anywhere fast."
"I understand that, but using super-weapon on par with American's G-Bombs will take time for the many nations to be convinced." EU's anti-non-conventional technology protocol was something Yuuko would like to deconstruct.
"So, how's the situation over there?" However, receiving information was the more important objective for their conversation.
"Complicato. The Warsaw Pact— excuse me, the Eastern European Socialist Alliance is causing some problems within EU. They been executing large-scale Culling operations against Norway and the surrounding regions, what concerns us is how successful it has been."
"The Cold War never really ended, has it?" 1st Lt. Silvio nodded candidly. It was common knowledge how the war of intelligence had been put on pause after the BETA invasion. Between communities and capitalists, their only mutual goal was the defeat of those aliens.
"The EESA; mainly led by the GDR, they've been rapidly gaining military in the last couple of years. Their forces are one of the most experienced when it comes to anti-BETA and anti-human combat. The German Republic feels alarmed by their rise to power."
"And since both Germanys are based in Northern Ireland along with EU headquarters, I can see why you people would feel pressured. Can they do it? Take over the EU, I mean." Another sip of alcohol later, 1st Lt. Silvio turned more serious than earlier.
"That's the problem, we don't know. Given GDR's right to sovereignty, France, UK, Italy and Spain all have not investigated too deep into the East. Only the West itself is using its agencies in attempt to uncover some secrets, and they're throwing everything possible at the GDR."
"Which is not going well?" Yuuko asked.
"Indeed, BND to KSA, no intelligence agency have yet to find anything solid. The only thing they confirmed is that East Germany also has its own intelligence division countering their agents. Or more accurately, is bringing back its intelligence division."
"Yeah? Please tell me they're still the MfS, that'll be amazing." That would be gold in comedic value. For all intents and purposes, Yuuko was prepared to laugh.
"While a hundred percent unconfirmed, technically, the Stasi never was properly disbanded. Not even after 1983."
"Ahahahahahaa! What a twist, what a twist! Huhuhhu!" So laughed intensely, Yuuko did.
"You see now why we're so worried, and not just the West. If a full-on civil war breaks out in EU, the European Continent could be lost."
"Well…! We'll just have to clean you guys up if that happens! In case the EU really does fall, the U.N will come in and swoop up all your assets, I can guarantee that much. Don't worry, Europe won't be lost, it'll just switch ownership." To Yuuko's announcement, 1st Lt. Silvio snorted lightly in a facetious fashion.
"Hopefully Alternative IV can retake the mainland before anything like that occurs. If both sides have their homes back, there won't be any point left in fighting for ground."
"Speaking of us, will be you here for operation 21st?" Yuuko found now to be a good time for a change in topic.
"My mission in Yukon is largely completed, I'll be on standby before the Ministry sends me somewhere else. I'll ask them to let me obverse the operation, a good chance for both factions to gain something here."
"Good, good. It's nice to meet you again, First Lieutenant."
"You've said that already, Professor."
"And you've really grown to a mature adult, in just three months too."
Shirogane Takeru
Yokohama Base, PX
"Ahahaha. Ahahaha. Ahahaha." Maybe a chop will heal her.
"Agaaaa." Again.
"Agaaaa." More impact this time.
"Agaaaaaaaa." It was now I realized, this shit ain't working.
"So… has Kasumi been like this ever since?"
"Uh-huh, woke up around seven O'clock… the creepy smile was already there." Ayamine provided me with answer.
All members of my team barring Sumika had assembled in the PX for our breakfast. When Kasumi arrived, she wore this strangely eerie grin over her features and started inaudibly giggling as she pleased. This led to an immediate headchop that did jackshit to cure her.
"Kasumi-san! What's so funny?" Tama, the brave one asked my bunny girl.
"Ahahaha. I don't know, I can't stop myself. Ahahaha." Sounded like a problem to me.
"Maybe she's intoxicated? What's that drug called again? Nitrous… monoxide?"
"Close, Sakaki. Nitrous oxide." Meiya filled in the memory gap Class rep had left behind.
"Right, like nitro. That stuff they use to boost cars." I commented using my own knowledge. Often in video games, I always nitro boost straight into a wall for an instant suicide. Good times.
"I am unsure if that is part of reality, however I can assure you Kasumi has not ingested any substance to affect her as such. Ayamine and I would have entered the same condition if it was released to us as gas."
"Hurm… Kasumi, you know what's wrong with you?"
"Ahahaha. I don't. Ahahaha. Please help, Takeru-san. Ahahahaha. It's painful." Irony was heavy as lead right about now.
"I mean… you want some more drugs?"
"Ahahaha. Please." All espers around me were nothing but trouble today. I was so sick of this shit.
Airstrip
"Seeeenseeeei! Yuuuko-sensei! You gotta help a brother out hereeee!"
"Why're you yelling like a madman, Shirogane? I'm literally two feet in front of you."
"It's for dramatic effects, sensei. I can't just welcome you home normally." I held her hand as she descended the last couple of steps on the plane's staircase.
Yuuko-sensei returned to Yokohama much earlier than I would've guessed, seeing how much issues required her attention in Yukon, I didn't think she would return in just a day and a half.
"So, what do you need the second I'm back from my vacation?"
"Our teams of espers are being complete dickheads right now, I think you'll know what I mean when you see it."
"Lead the way then." I guided sensei back to the building as some more people got off her plane. From the sea of unrecognized faces, I saw Yoroi casually strolling out after everyone else.
Barrack
"Ohhh, what a mess… oooooh my god, what a goddamn mess." That was the only correct reaction to this scene of insanity.
Prior to sensei's landing, Sumika and Barchenowa were both off the chart crazy doing what I could only recount as streaking. Anyway, I chucked their crazy asses into a room along with Sestina who gladly followed their footsteps, all this was done to prevent further distress for everyone.
Also I tossed in Kasumi to the pile as well for good measure, her creepy laugh was just hauntingly annoying. Surely, she was happy to be surrounded by the rest of her family members.
"Shirogane… your harem is developing in strange directions."
"How about you tell me something I don't know?"
"You're also developing in asshole-ish directions, but I'm probably crazier than you."
And now, I couldn't even explain what I was observing with words… to compare, this was probably closest to a softcore Yuri undertone harassment gangbang… yeah, that was about right. It was like they were posing for those really suggestive model pictures, nobody wore anything more than undergarments but I wasn't seeing any slips either.
"Mnnnurm… Cryska-chan… my body is soooo soft and fluffy too~!"
"~Kyaaa…! Sumika… don't— uuurm…! Rub them… like that!"
Sumika and Barchenowa were getting off with each other, I'll turn a blind eye to this and pretend it was a body massage, sounded good.
"Tie this end to your back and hook this shackle around your neck. Haha."
"Trista… are you sure Yuuya will like seeing me in this?"
"…I don't know. Ahahaha. Also, my name is not Trista, it's Kasumi."
On the other end, we got Kasumi binding up her twin sister BDSM style. What the actual fuck was going on here, like- I didn't even feel aroused by this because it was just so random.
"I leave for a day, Shirogane… and come back to this?"
"Shut up, sensei. You think I somehow made this happen?"
"Now we're not pointing fingers at anyone here but you do have a track record of being a sexual deviant, care to explain why that is?" What a personal shot she fired at me.
We stood at the door, awkwardly eyeing each other as the girls went downtown in the background. This was not predicted in any way possible, sensei sighed repeated to display her frustration for the world to see. As for me, I honestly got no idea how this happened, what caused this to happen and how to solve what happened.
"Today shall be known as one of them bullshit days in history, of the many more to come."
"Alright, here's what we're gonna do, Shirogane. Once they're no longer in heat, deliver them to lab #4, level seventeen. All my esper equipment is over there, I'll run checks on them."
"Got it, prepare to receive some intoxicated chicks."
Kouzuki Yuuko's office
Two hours later, sensei was still typing away on her computer, not ready to disclose some juicy details on my girls after making me watch her play around. Atrocious boredom at its supreme, and with less than a week for Sadogashima preparation, I was worried for our future just a tiny bit.
"What is this…? What am I looking at here!?" Outta nowhere, Yuuko-sensei screamed loudly.
"Jesus! What got you worked up, Yuuko?" I peeked above the book I was reading and came face to face with a professor doing her best to contain her anger. What rare sight to behold.
"I— I don't even know how it happened! 'What's that, Pinocchio? You want to be a real boy?' 'Sure! Why not! What is physics anyway!?' Said the universal magic lamp as it fucked me over!" Yuuko-sensei grabbed the first stack of paper she saw and fling it at me.
"Oh look at that! I just proved Newton's law; conservation of mass, energy, momentum and charge. There's also electromagnetism, photonics; and if I dig around a bit, general relativity is also in there. So how the actual fuck, did Kagami Sumika—!? Ggrraaa! Damn it!" Her anger and rage were completely baseless and caused mass confusion not for herself alone.
"Holy shit, woman! Fuck you doing!?" I immediately called her out for throwing a fit at her age.
"Okay… okay, I'm now officially done toying with these espers. Time for a big reveal to you, Shirogane. Have a seat and your all-knowing Yuuko-sensei will begin her lecture." She breathed in and out a few times to maintain her composure.
"The anticipation is killing me… slowly… from inside my guts, let's go!" Anything that could make time move faster was good at the moment.
"We'll start from the basics; you know what espers are and how they're made, right?"
"People with subpar superpowers born from Russian washing machines who are all shut-in weirdos!" I answered immediately.
"Close enough, I count that as correct. Moving on, did you know the 00 unit is capable of hacking, controlling and rewriting electronic devices by simply thinking about it?"
"Uh-huh, it's very helpful many times of the week." Especially when she unlocked the girl's bathroom door for me, good times were had.
"Well done so far. Think about this for a minute. Why, for some reason, was the sentient, but inorganic 00 unit also able to manipulate the minds of other espers? Why do you think that is?"
"Aarrrr… because all espers are secretly computers…?" How was I supposed to know anyway?
"Because she made the leap from a quantum computer to a biological processing brain." If sensei said that using any less solemnity, I'd have laughed instead.
"Wait, wait, wait. You're saying that Sumika is a HUMAN AGAIN!?" That was something which never happened in my past, ever.
"Exactly, and it pretty much ruins modern physics as we know it. What we have is a pseudo-life form constructed from a hundred percent non-carbon materials with an imported computer turning into a human… which is complete bullshit! We're flying this rock away from sci-fi and gunning for the nearest fantasy planet where magical girls are born from making a contrac—!"
Yuuko-sensei suddenly stopped talking entirely, her freshly risen emotion crashed down when her expression changed to genuine shock and revelation. While I was still talking my sweet time understanding how Sumika turned back to being a human, she already had a new concept in mind.
"That's what she said! I can't believe I missed it until now!" Rushing fanatically, Yuuko-sensei tapped away on her keyboard again with sweat leaking down her forehead.
"Sensei! What's going on!? Sorry but I never experienced this stuff before!" Even I was caught up in her pace and started worrying.
"Oh…my god—! This's it! She- she started recording abnormal neural oscillation pattern after that day! Th-that is impossible…!" Yuuko-sensei collected herself after minutes upon minutes of focused mouse action.
"We good now, Yuuko? We off the hype now?" Even more time had to pass for sensei to rewind back as a normal person again.
"Yeah… yeah, I can think logically still… good. Anyway, this shit's gonna take years to explain in detail, you listen carefully, alright?"
"No problem, this's sounding very important." I rested back on her sofa as sensei pulled her seat to get a good view on her big screen.
"First of all, I created the 00 unit morning of October 25, 2001; at eight forty-five O'clock. That's when the real Kagami Sumika died, you know this?"
"Sure do, I'm used to that." In my heart, it made absolutely no difference to me whether she was Sumika or the 00 unit.
"This's her registered brain wave right afterwards." I was shown two graphs, one had many dots and the other had a waving line.
"Cool, nice drawing you got there. I'm clueless to what they mean, I can't read neural charts."
"As you shouldn't, but look again, this one's different." So another slide was displayed. The two pictures appeared fundamentally similar to one another, although the latter had dots and lines more close resemble brain wave diagrams seen in movies.
"Okay, another cool picture. You drew this, sensei?" I only joked around to lax our tense mood, it wasn't doing much though.
"This one's taken on December 17, 2001; around eleven PM. You know what else happened on December 17? I helped Kagami and Yashiro integrate Prafka into their nervous systems, all her readings look like this ever since."
"So you're saying Prafka turned her into human?" Easy words were my friend in this situation.
"No, that's not how science works. Prafka is a mental ability, not genetic altering device. That night, Kagami integrated Prafka under half an hour; Yashiro took three as the best Soviet created esper. That Kagami, whose quantum brain now holds the entirety of her central nervous system created this… herself."
"…Let me rephrase this for you, so you're saying that Sumika… made herself a brain?"
"Not exactly, she turned her quantum computer into a brain. Yeah, she did that." What was I supposed to say? What could I say in this situation?
Should I be happy; that Sumika is a real person again? Or maybe be just as bewildered as Yuuko-sensei for witnessing something not physical possible? I mean; fuck science, right? I honest didn't know what to feel about this; even as a time traveller who has seen end of the world repeatedly, I still got no comments to make.
"The personality of Kagami Sumika… created a brain out of her quantum computer." That was reality; that was our truth.
—
For another two hours, sensei never once took her eyes off the monitor. Since Sumika was still asleep with her friends, Yuuko-sensei searched high and low within her data to mine out any traces of hint leading to the explanation of Sumika.
She found none, nothing at all.
"Kouzuki Yuuko, please stop. We live in a world with aliens trying to chew off our faces every single day, I don't know how having a person come back to life is that surprising." But it was; I just couldn't say it now.
"Agggrraa! Fuuuuucccck! Let's move on! I don't wanna think about this!" That was quick; perhaps Yuuko-sensei just remembered she was a responsible grownup of society.
"Thank you, Professor. No use racking our head over this."
"So anyway, that's why she can control other espers. Because the abilities from her programming are emanating to the biological field, meaning she's a literal mutant or something. I don't even know anymore." Great, superwoman Sumika shall be a fantasy no longer.
"We can test to see how far her abilities can take her; worst- or best case scenario. Kagami could theoretically control, read, and influence the mind of every carbon being on this planet."
"Holy fuck… that'll make her like what… god?" What a development indeed.
"I honestly have no idea, Shirogane. I can't even make a joke at this point. Let's just ignore that huge problem and keep going for now. Next is Prafka, something I can at least understand properly." More power to her then.
"I'm not explaining this though, way too much shit to cover. Look, one second is one page, font size is twelve, all Russian." Sensei clicked a few buttons to activate the screen mounted on the wall, and just like she said, pages upon pages of documents were flashing by one sheet per second.
We sat for a good five minutes, staring at unreadable words.
"The entire flight back I was studying this. I'm not clarifying it; not for you, not for anyone." I would do the same in her position.
"Okay, I'll allow it. Give me the kid version of Prafka."
"Esper ability, triggered in the brain with any good catalyst; makes the Eishi a better pilot every level it goes up by, has a total of ten levels. At level ten, the Eishi manifest clouds known as the Nastroyka Effect which gives them super good piloting. Got it?"
"Understood." Simple and easy led the way.
"Bigger the cloud, stronger the ability. Kagami blazed up Yukon, so she's super strong and stuff. In fact, she's so strong that Prafka allows her to regulate espers who also have their Prafka on; and that is on top of already being able to control espers." Poor Sestina sisters and Barchenowa, their lives were about to be miserable.
"Fortunately, she doesn't seem to notice this power herself. Like you said, she had no idea how her body got switched with the twin's."
"So do you know how it happened?"
"Yeep, it was something like this: 'her boobs are so big! I wish my boobs are that big! If my boobs are that big then Takeru-chan will fondle me more! Yaay!' How about that? I can only guess from looking at her computer recording but sounds close enough." Repeatedly, I smacked myself with the hardcover in my hands.
"Euuuurrr… it's not my fault."
"I know, the person known as Kagami Sumika is… for the lack of a better word, simple-minded." I couldn't even argue against that in the slightest.
"Yeah. She dumb, man, she dumb!"
"So that pretty much solves most of our problems currently, Yashiro and the twins' conduct all can be justified as being under the influence of Kagami's set of thoughts." So everybody was all super happy due to Sumika's personality. I chuckled softly at this idea.
"What's the plan then? What're we gonna do with Godmika?"
"As much as I want you to fuck her brains out; literally and fugitively, right now you must, absolutely must keep her under control. The hyper ceramic I gave you and her limiter can only prevent her mind-effect for so long, she's just too much of a monster."
"Amazing, totally amazing." When did Sumika not cause me a world of trouble?
"Although you should go sleep with her, readings indicate she's also sexually deprived. Here's a good one, did you know she was masturbating for an hour on your way to Yukon? Non-stop, topped off six times. Go do her, that's an order." Apparently, 'make love not war' was still a usable slogan.
"What else should I know?"
"Urrm… Kagami's a Soviet Army Major now, did you know that?"
"No. No I fucking DIDN'T! WHAT!? She outranks ME!? WHAT THE FUCK!?" For some reason, that upset me a lot more than anything we talked about.
"Jeez boy, calm down. It's just a formality so the Socialist Party can hand over a Squadron of Su-47s. It's for our Total Eclipse plan."
"Our… Total Eclipse plan, Yuuko? Ours?"
"Yeah, I took it off Sandek's hands, he was going nowhere anyway. Guy was happy as long as we have results. He's still the co-leader of the plan. I'm the supplier, kinda." Classic Yuuko-sensei, taking what she wanted when she wanted it.
"What're the Su-47s for?"
"We talked about how the 00 unit controls machinery like part of her body, right?" It was back in my earliest loops but I did remember.
"Yep, yep. Go on."
"Now, with enough mental maaagick thingys, Kagami should be able to connect to multiple machines simultaneously. Espers under the influence of Prafka can link to one another via telepath, so can you see where I'm going with this?"
"Ahha, so if Sumika activates Prafka on the Berkuts, she can have then fly around like her Funnels?" Sensei probably didn't understand that.
"Funnels…? Hum, so that was transferred memory as well. You're infecting me a lot these days, Shirogane."
"What you on about now?" That sounded unrelated.
"Casualty leaking through, they're hitting me pretty heavy. It was a good anime, by the way, someday I'll come and laugh at you." Her meme connected two and two together.
"Haa… whatever. So Sumika's getting her own set of Berkuts to pilot? Can she really do it?" Out track was guided back on rails.
"Yes, we'll be officially trying this out during 21st. But I already ran a bunch of tests beforehand and the results are good, Kagami is capable. She can create their ultimate dream team of esper controlled Berkuts, except it'll just be her and remote-controlled machines."
"Just to check, Professor Kouzuki Yuuko, why are you doing all this?"
"For the good of humanity, Shirogane Takeru. That's my objective." She said it; so simply, so quickly. Without hesitation, without delay. Yuuko-sensei believed what she was doing to be just, so I also decided to support her as I was.
"Good. By the way, so why did you want the twins?"
"Right, I planned to use them as conductors to trigger Kagami's control ability. But since she got it anyway without their help, the Alaska trip is bit of a waste. Albeit the publicity stunt is a good one, you don't mind if I expose your team's name, do you?" I was seeing where she was heading now.
"It's fine, I do enjoy being respected all around."
"I'll market your team as the world's saviour, Shirogane. Do you think you're ready for this kind of affliction?" Sensei asked me frankly, fully prepared to take no as an answer.
"Anytime and always, ma'am. This world isn't going down with me in it, not this time, not again." There was no choice to begin with, I will save everyone. I will have my happy end.
"That's what I expect from you, Shirogane. Operation 21st is in three days, you have to be ready for this. Isumi's team already ran numerous simulations for this day, I'll send you the details later. Get going Shirogane, this'll be your stage."
"Roger that."
"One last thing, one final mock battle in coming up against the Valkyries, but this one's a bit different. Check the hangar for a couple of surprises, think of it as your early Christmas present, kiddo."
PX
"Takeru-chan… I'm really sorry for causing you so much trouble!" Awww, apologetic Sumika was cute too. I wouldn't mind see this side of her more often.
"Naaah, we had fun. It was relaxing to chase you around for half an hour." I patted Sumika's red hair as she leaned closely to my shoulder. We had some time after lunch before the rest of my team gathered for another update. It was just the two of us now, her esper friends were taken care of by Bridges.
"I'm determined to grow my body so it can be just like Cryska-chan's!"
"You're an android, woman. You can't grow."
"Geeeee! Thanks for shattering my dreams, Takeru-chan!" Were there any dreams for me to break in the beginning?
"So how do you feel about it? Having Prafka solve every problem for you?"
"It's scary, I don't like who I'm becoming." She replied so innocently, Sumika's eyes glimmered a bitter colour unfitting for her cute, adorable face. It wasn't her fault this liability must be pushed onto her, that was just the way of our lives.
"I'm sorry to make you do this, Sumika." Ever so rarely, I displayed my kindness to my most precious lover.
"I know, Takeru-chan. I'm willing to go through this for you, please don't waste my feelings. I'll protect you, no matter what happens."
It didn't suit her; drowning in bloodlust should never have been anywhere close to Sumika's personality. She was forced into this, to be a tool for the future of humanity. She offered me what I could never hope to repay so simply, like a choice based on instinct.
"And I'll save this world for you, I will create miracles." Sumika belonged to me; she shall be by my side as I conquer our destiny.
Author's note
I was dead, now I'm back. Long chapter, short AN.
BETA done by chad001, I thought of a joke but watching America's election just ruined any sense of humour left in my body. Fucking Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton… G.G Murica, had a good run.