"I was wondering what you did with that MMS I gave you... And now I know." Tobias chuckled at the new weapon that Valentine was presenting him for testing. "The fact we played Titanfall 2 on Friday is purely coincidental, obviously."
"It inspired the Boost Pack, and Rico, and now this. It came from the Smart Pistol, of course. I also decided to call it the Auto-Wing, for references and all that." Valentine smirked as he watched his father load the intelligently designed, but fairly large sidearm with the special micro missiles from the MMS, now equipped with a miniature guidance system. The gun also linked with the wielder's T-15 to display the smart-round's intended flight path and target. Plus, as an added bonus, the smart-rounds were loaded with a warhead that was based on his father's Ragnarok Rounds, an armour piercing dart inside of a fragmenting Quinque Steel explosive shell.
"Here's hoping it's not like the Arm Launcher." Tobias nodded as he deployed his personal T-15 and engaged his skull-helmet's HUD to target the wildly scattered targets on the outdoor firing range. "Firing!"
With exactly enough targets to rounds, Tobias didn't need to worry about anything as he clicked off the safety, causing a slew of trajectory beams to lock-on to each target in his HUD, and then he fired the full-auto gun's entire mag without adjusting his aim - at the centermost target - as they all blew backwards when the smart-rounds hit them.
"The gun's size and weight help with the recoil, for sure. Mag size of 15 rounds is respectable, ergonomically feels good in the hand, but those fucking beams in the HUD... They're... not exactly bright, it's just that they're so thick? wide?" Tobias retracted his mask from his face and unloaded the empty magazine from the gun. "After we finish this primary test, you'll need to narrow them by at least half their current width. Maybe even two thirds."
"How about we run a CQC mockup? Test the accuracy and missile maneuverability?" Valentine nodded at the relatively simple coding adjustment.
"We'll also need to add variables, like moving objects and non-hostile targets." Tobias nodded. "Now, the gun can be set for semi-auto, right?"
"Same as any firing selector, just click it to semi and fire it accordingly." Valentine nodded. "Let's head over to the mockup and get things set up for a full training run."
"So tell me about this gun... What were you intending it for? Sheva and Rico, or as a specialty sidearm for active duty?" Tobias asked as they collected the ammo crate of smart-rounds and walked across the outdoor training facility's yard to the indoor scenario mockup, just like police and army training mockups.
"Both, believe it or not. Especially since it's auto-aiming, it works for crowded or hostage situations. One thing I don't know about it is if you're immune to it. I mean, it's basically an exploding Ragnarok round that can curve in midair... But it's not like a normal bullet."
"I see your point, and I would think that it's worth a couple shots to confirm anyway. Not like it'll kill me, will it?"
"Nope, even with the Quinque shrapnel, it couldn't kill you... if you're not immune to it, obviously." Valentine smiled. What kid his age could genuinely talk about shooting their father with live ammunition like this?
"So school starts next week, we're headed out to talk business with the faculty. Hopefully they get the big picture instead of getting hung up on details." Yuuki and Rachael spoke through their bike helmets' open visors to their parents as they shrugged on their shoulder holsters and biker jackets.
"I got the paperwork, you good?" Rachael checked her shoulder bag for the CCG, BSAA and US government documents they needed as material proof.
"You two should also use this visit to the college to find your classes." Rize reminded them as she looked up from her book.
"Way ahead of you!" Rachael gave a cheery little salute as the slid their visors into place and slid their fingers under the helmets to turn on the intercoms as they left.
When they arrived at the college, they wasted no time in hiding their gun holsters or their knives as they marched right up to the front help desk and spoke to the secretary seated there.
"Hello ladies, how may I be of assistance?"
"We'd like to speak to the dean, could you point us to their office?" Rachael asked, since both of them had their sunglasses on and their upper eyes closed while they carried their helmets in their hands.
"Might I ask the purpose of this meeting?" The secretary asked, producing a map of the school.
"It's... complicated." Yuuki shrugged slightly.
"She means it's a bit of a big thing, too much to go over." Rachael explained as they leaned over the desk to see the map.
"Well, we're right here. You want to head into the administration wing over here, her office is on the second floor, there's another secretary there that'll help you out from there."
"Thank you kindly." The twins followed her finger's route and understood where to go. "Let's go!"
Walking through the halls, they mentally mapped the route for their way back, and soon found themselves standing in front of the aforementioned secretary.
"Greetings ladies, may I ask who you're here to speak with?" He queried with a small smile.
"The dean, please. Is she available or do we need an appointment?" Rachael asked.
"She's just meeting with another student at the moment, shouldn't be much longer."
As he said that, the nearby office door opened, revealing the suited woman and an incredibly attractive guy around their own age.
"Thanks for the assistance, Dean Kali." The guy shook her hand, his voice German accented, before leaving down the corridor that the twins just came from, going into the stairwell and out of sight.
"Ladies, I take it you're here to see me?" Mrs. Kali asked, and they both nodded, following her invitation to enter her office and take a seat in the two chairs in front of her desk. "As you heard, I am Dean Kali. And yourselves?"
"I'm Rachael, this is Yuuki. We're the Darkwood twins." They both removed their sunglasses to reveal their eyes. "There are certain matters we'd like to go over with you before the beginning of the semester."
"Alright, where do we begin?" Dean Kali asked, clasping her hands together and placing them on the surface of her desk.
"Well... let's start with this: Have you ever heard our surname before?" Yuuki asked, raising an eyebrow as she pinched the stem of her shades between the tips of her fangs.
"No, I haven't." Dean Kali took a moment to recall ever hearing it, and couldn't recall ever hearing it before today.
"Well, that makes things a bit easier. We're not human, in case our hair, eyes and fangs didn't give that away." Rachael explained, both of them opening their upper eyes and blinking them in sequence of each other. "We're T-Ghouls. Our parents, Tobias and Rize Darkwood, are bioweapons created by the Umbrella Corporation about 20 years ago, and our dad was the one that took them down during the Raccoon City Incident."
"I follow so far... and I do recall those events on the news. I'll withhold any questions until the end. Continue." Dean Kali nodded for them to continue, at which Rachael produced the paperwork from her bag.
"So, now that there's some context, these documents provide further details for this next part." Rachael handed them over.
"We've got certain... traits that need to be... discussed." Yuuki indicated her twin with one hand. "First and foremost being the T- and C-Virus' in our DNA."
"Okay, I'm listening." Dean Kali withheld reading the small stack of paperwork for the moment.
"The Virus' have certain effects on our minds and bodies, namely heightened aggression and physical capabilities, respectively." Yuuki began. "But, there are also... complex things from each one as well."
"Such as?"
"The T-Virus gives us both a set of... 'superpowers' known as Hydrokinesis. In layman's terms, we both control water at will." Rachael explained. "In addition to some other powers when we're in the water itself, we have a few controllable physical ones, such as these claws..." She held up one hand while extending her claws. "Or those scales my sister's using. We call that Scale Mail. They're highly durable armour for us. We also have a special organ in our lower backs called a Kagune, which all Ghouls possess, not just us T-Ghouls."
"Aside from your... Kagune, those are all from the T-Virus, yes?" Dean Kali confirmed the detail. "And from the C-Virus?"
"There's just two: First one is a 'passive' sort of trait." Yuuki explained. "First, some context: all Ghouls have a very strictly limited diet, which is human flesh, coffee and water. Eating anything else is forcibly rejected by their bodies, and cannot be digested without causing severe stomach illness. It's due to an enzyme produced in their bodies. The C-Virus neutralizes that enzyme in our bodies, thus removing the restriction and lets us gain sustenance from 'human' or 'normal' foods, such as fruits, veggies, all that stuff."
"So it's useful, for sure. And the other trait?" Dean Kali raised an eyebrow curiously.
"It gives our Kagune an upgraded secondary form, which is called a Kakuja. Normal Ghouls can have them too, ours is much more... in-depth and powerful. In fact, it's actually only a half-Kakuja in terms of development." Rachael pointed at the documents. "The second and third pages of those papers are photographs of our Kakuja when in use. Be warned, it resembles a spider's body, so if you're arachnophobia, it might be a bit of a shock."
"Your warning leads me to think it is large in stature." Dean Kali glanced at the documents, and they both nodded at her comment. "Now that we've discussed the Viruses, continue forth, please."
"So, since we're bioweapons, we have unfortunately made certain enemies, alongside a sort of stigma. Which is why we have these." They both revealed their Colts with one hand, the other producing their respective knifes. "We have papers from the US government to allow open carry of a single blade and a single sidearm without restriction or police involvement, which, also, they are aware of and know that us being armed is permitted."
"I presume those handguns aren't your only guns that you own? I will admit I am not much for them myself, but I do understand the necessity to defend oneself."
"Again, the papers also include pictures of our other guns and additional knives." Yuuki slid her kukri knife back into the sheath on her belt, reaching into her cleavage to produce her butterfly knife. "I'll admit, I exploit a loophole in the papers with this sucker... They permit openly carrying one sidearm and one knife. I conceal carry this butterfly knife, which is still within my proper legal rights under California law."
"Of course. Now, I presume there is more topics? I will admit, the open carry does concern me personally, but since you have provided legal documents as proof, I cannot deny you this right to carry your weapons."
"We're also internet celebrities, separate from our family's biology fame." Yuuki nodded as she tucked the knife back into her cleavage. "Our fanbase in the city knows to respect our surroundings when meeting us, such as school, a library or when we're at work. That being said, sometimes a fan, new or old, gets a bit excited to see us in person, so even we can't control what happens. That includes people attending events we're involved in, so be aware of that when there's a bigger crowd than usual."
"On that note, I must ask what makes you internet famous." Dean Kali raised both eyebrows.
"Our family has a reality show, Darkwood, which airs on Monday's. We have a website, The Spider Web, that we use at our own pace, connecting with our fans through our interests such as music, video games and gossip." Rachael explained. "Our site does include a general summary of everything we've discussed so far, and we generally answer any questions that people ask in our live broadcasts."
"And in regards to your education, will that be of any concerns?"
"We know better than to breach a person's privacy with our cameras." Rachael explained. "If we want to record a video or broadcast live, we have a rule that we ask for everyone's consent before starting. Anyone saying no for any reason stops us completely. We live with camera crews for Darkwood in our house six days a week, so we know better."
"Do you have a sort of camera with you right now?"
"We have a pair of flying camera drones that we connect to our phones." Rachael produced her folded down drone from inside her jacket. "Like I said, we ask first."
"So, last thing from us." Yuuki held up one hand. "We're also considered unofficial BSAA personnel, so sometimes we need to handle active duty. What I mean by this is that sometimes we'll get picked up by our comrades by land or by air, such as helicopters... or the Nightfall."
"The Nightfall?" Dean Kali queried, curious.
"Our little brother is an engineer for the BSAA, and he's finishing up a ship called the Nightfall as we speak." Rachael explained. "The Nightfall is a flying battleship... that can also sail in the ocean. So, if it flies over the school, that's what it's here for... Picking us up."
"Now, you must have a multitude of questions for us, so now that we've done our bit, it's your turn." Yuuki smiled, biting her glasses between the tips of her fangs again with a smirk.
"Well, first and foremost, are you two willing to negotiate the open carry down to concealed carry like your second knife, Miss Yuuki? I ask for the sake of other students that might attempt to take advantage of the hypothetical access to your firearms to cause harm to others, or to target you for unwarranted disciplinary action." Dean Kali nodded towards Yuuki's generous cleavage, where the hidden blade was expressly revealed to reside.
"That's more than fair. We accept without issue." Yuuki nodded, as did Rachael. "I will admit that our other sidearms are larger in size than these two, particularly mine."
"As long as you keep it concealed, and it still falls within your existing weapon restriction in the paperwork, then I don't care which handguns you bring onto the campus." Dean Kali nodded once. "Now, you mentioned aggression at the beginning, could you elaborate on that?"
"Well... It might seem surprising at first glance, but sometimes the T-Virus in us becomes agitated at the most minor of provocation, which unfortunately affects our entire family, not just us." Rachael detailed with a small smile. "When agitated, it makes us overreact to whatever provoked us. Thankfully we've learned over the years to at least get a handle on this hyper aggression. But that doesn't mean we're able to completely control it, let alone suppress it every time that the Virus is agitated."
"Does it affect you as a pair simultaneously, or is it individual to all members of your family?"
"Individually." Yuuki nodded once. "So whenever we lose control and lash out at someone, we at least try to defuse each other if it's just one of us. Sadly if we're both set off at the same time, our enhanced physical capabilities prevent a normal person from restraining us or using force to subdue us. Because not only are we stronger and more durable than normal Ghouls or humans, we constantly regenerate injuries we receive. I can prove it to you with a knife, if you want."
"I trust your claim. So you admit that you have a reasonable grasp on your aggression individually, but if both of you are angered together, what would the appropriate course of action be that calms you two down and minimizes harm to others?"
"Honestly, let us lose steam on our own. Don't get us wrong, it's not like we throw a temper tantrum like a little kid, we're more like... being in a very bad mood and getting pissed off at the person or thing that we 'perceive' to be provoking us. An example would be if someone insults us, we get mouthy and generally yell at the person. If we're agitated by an object instead of a person, we sometimes break it out of frustration. The fact we've got superhuman strength doesn't help in that regard, sadly."
"Superhuman strength?" Dean Kali glanced up and down both of them. Sure, they were both six foot three, visibly muscled and well toned, definitely on the 'bigger' side, but not overweight by any means. Thick, was the word.
"We don't have exact numbers, but for reference we can easily lift an average car over our heads and still walk at a reasonably long stride. By ourself, I should add."
"So over a thousand pounds, we'll say?"
"Yeah, easily a thousand pounds." Rachael nodded at Yuuki's example. "Our motorbikes weigh about 400 pounds, we can carry them both over our shoulder, at the same time."
"Now, one last thing from me, then you're free to go. You mentioned that you've made enemies. Could you elaborate on that?"
"Unfortunately, we're not allowed to reveal everything about that." Rachael sighed slightly. "What we can say is that we're trained by the BSAA and taught by our parents in how to handle any appearances from those enemies. Not just for combat, but in a large number of scenarios, which also includes basic psychological warfare."
"Psychological warfare?" Dean Kali was genuinely confused.
"See our eyes? Solid, glowing and impossible to guess where we're ever looking. Great advantage for when we have three pairs each, so we can pick up on details that the average person might miss. Namely your lie about not hearing our surname before, and the structure of some of your questions." Yuuki smirked. "So who was that German hottie that you were speaking to before us? Someone from the Syndicate, for sure."
"Admittedly, yes, I was approached by such a group today... but that young man wasn't them. The Syndicate wanted me to provide them with your academic files we have, but I refused. The fact we're meeting on the same day is an honest coincidence."
"Well, since they approached you like that, those guys are the enemies we were talking about. They're lead by a woman named Alex Wesker, and she has a personal vendetta against our family. Although we're allowed to talk about it, it's a long story and we've already had a long meeting as it is." Rachael smiled slightly. "If they every come back to you, could you contact our father, or us, as soon as you possibly can? They're going to come back, it's just when and why that's unknown."
"I can do that, thank you for the warning. And I presume they also enact armed attacks on you as well?" Dean Kali stood up, and the girls did so as well, shaking her hand in turn.
"They haven't done it yet... but they are more than capable of it, at any time." Yuuki nodded. "Thank you for the meeting, and we won't forget to conceal our weapons on campus. Have a good day, ma'am."
With simultaneous bows, they both turned to leave, pointedly zipping up their jackets part way, so that their holsters were concealed. When they returned to their bikes, they shared a glance, smirking.
"I actually like her, she's so chill." Yuuki nodded in approval.
"I think that guy she met before us was super hot... Oh fuck, he's over there!" Rachael blushed vividly as she pointed across the parking lot to find the German guy approaching an old school Triumph motorcycle with a white gas tank.
"Hey, as long as you don't go completely straight for him, he's all yours." Yuuki teased. "But if I lose my Onee-chan, he's gonna get a serious ass kicking, right after I beat the twincest back into your dumb fucking ass!"