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Radio names:
Valkyrie-01 Isumi Michiru
Valkyrie-02 Ichimonji Takahashi
Valkyrie-03 Hayase Mitsuki
Valkyrie-04 Munakata Misae
Valkyrie-06 Fukui Kukiko
Valkyrie-07 Fukui Ryuuseiu
Valkyrie-09 Kashiwagi Haruko
Valkyrie-13 Shirogane Takeru


Chapter 37 — Breaking Point


The Broken


At once the four remaining TSFs had altogether gathered in one location.

As First Lt Ichimonji Takahashi drove his halberd into Second Lt Fukui Kukiko's Senjutsuki, a rogue TSF appeared in the nick of time and inserted itself in between him and his prey. At the exact same moment arrived a flurry of gunshots targeted squarely at Valkyrie-02.

'Tsk,' the First Lt clicked his tongue as he sidestepped the crossfire out of harm's way, realizing that the rogue TSF that had rescued his prey had turned out to be a teammate—one of his own flight. It should then stand to reason that the gunman across the terrain would have to be none other than Valkyrie-13, the last standing foe.

'Tough luck, kid,' he soundlessly reflected, glancing at Valkyrie-07, though the reflection got lost alongside the other multitude of thoughts coursing through his mind, 'be grateful this is but a simulation. Even so—'

Simulation or not.

Dark.

Abyss.

The objective is to win; the mission—this team battle. Thus was the elimination of Valkyrie-06 all but necessary.

Duty.

Shifting his attention to the virtual Senjutsuki bearing the number '13' on its shoulders, beside himself with bitter anticipation of what is to come, he felt a tingle down his spine. A tingle that made him feel—alive.

Life.

Even as he stared down the rookie ace pilot, the only thing standing between him and his objective, he'd felt a sense of guilt worthy of sin, for which he could not forgive himself so. For it is no longer Duty that spurs him now, but rather—the thrill of the kill...


Yuuko


(Valkyrie-06)
You've gotta be kidding me!

'We oughta make that cheap shot illegal!'

So began Lt Fukui's tirade not long after Shirogane and Valkyrie-07's intervention. Meanwhile, as the 207 cadets and former cadets yak amongst themselves in an attempt to make sense of the mock battle's development, a discussion has likewise been taking place between Lt Suzumiya and I.

(First Lt Suzumiya)
Practically speaking... her TSF isn't entirely exterminated, I suppose there's no harm in keeping her comms online? If this were a real life scenario, there'd be no reason it should cut out given that extent of damage—

(Yuuko)
—I'd made no argument to the contrary, Suzumiya. Do keep her comms line alive.

I've described it a discussion, though indeed, it appears Suzumiya Haruka had simply voiced her thoughts aloud not to debate me, rather to seek my counsel on the subject of Kukiko's partial elimination.

That was a waste of breath however, frankly speaking. It should've been obvious from the get-go.

The fool...

Reason has yet to entirely abandon him.

I speak of course of the Rearguard veteran presently staring icily at Valkyrie-13, both yet to make their move.

Ichimonji Takahashi—isn't as barbaric and out-of-control as he would once be. Back in his glory years, as some might say. That 'some' being yours truly.

While it may have been the case that Ryuuseiu had arrived just in time to thwart Takahashi's fatal blow at his twin sister, Takahashi had in fact been able to deftly immobilize Kukiko before withdrawing.

Though he hadn't immobilized her in the same manner as the Vanguard's flight leader.

For while Isumi Michiru's TSF had been completely stripped of its power and functions, intact and pristine as it may yet be, Kukiko's has not lost its power source. And yet—she is no longer able to maneuver her surface fighter, for Takahashi had severed an integral optical fibre circuit.

So, with her central nervous system rended—

Fukui Kukiko's TSF has been reduced to a quadriplegic.

Though she may have a healthy power supply yet in store, no amount of inputs she might hope to pull would ever be performed by her TSF ever again, not with its transmission cables cut in two.

Hence the momentary confusion as to whether or not Lt Fukui should be allowed to resume broadcasting over the radio.

Besides, her voice still has a role to play.

But I have more pressing matters I have to attend to beforehand.

(Yuuko)
Haruka.

(First Lt Suzumiya)
Ma'am?

(Yuuko)
There are three things I need done posthaste. Listen to all three before you carry them out.

'Patch me through,' I begin enumerating while Second Lt Takada Asakura takes some of the operating load off of Haruka.

(Yuuko)
Secondly, call the doctor.

I know I know, Yashiro. Stop tugging at my arms already.

I gulp at the very idea of my older sister, though there's unfortunately no avoiding her this time. Odds are extremely high that her services will be required here shortly.

(First Lt Suzumiya)
I'll ring Motoko-sensei right away—

You see, there was a reason Ichimonji Takahashi—dog that he is, zenlike-combat state of mind that he's in—hadn't outright disposed of Fukui Kukiko. A good reason, even, believe it or not.

A reason in the form of the Pseudo-00, who just so happens to be his squadmate.

Consumed yet not entirely without his wits, even Takahashi must've subconsciously realized that eradicating one has the same effect on the other. To shed light on the partial, incomplete elimination of Valkyrie-06.

In plainer words—Takahashi had deliberately incapacitated Kukiko, intentionally kept her from being kicked out of the match, for the sole purpose of preserving the sanity of my Pseudo-00.

I wish I were joking, but time and time again, for reasons I have never come to fully fathom—Kagami Sumika's backup specimen, the Pseudo-00, Fukui Ryuuseiu, has an abnormal, preternatural high regard for his sibling's wellbeing.

As demonstrated by his present vital signs.

Ah—Lt Suzumiya has readied the line for me incredibly promptly.

My third mandate will have to stand by.

(Yuuko)
Kukiko.

Patched through a radio channel privy only to Valkyrie-06's cabin, I shut her up in the middle of a conversation she'd been having with Shirogane.

(Valkyrie-06)
—gotta take sensei's call. Be right back, onii-chan.

(Yuuko)
Make yourself useful and speak to your brother.

(Valkyrie-06)
Ara? What for, sensei?

'He's—destabilizing,' I flash her the live feed of Ryuuseiu's vital signs monitor.

(Valkyrie-06)
Ryuu-nii?!

Having forgotten about me already, the brat cuts short the dialogue, I can presume to do as I told her. I had no doubt that would do the trick, the grim image of her brother's mounting physical and mental stress—

Tut tut.

Perhaps I'd done too good of a job on these simulator upgrades. It would seem everyone's getting themselves lost in the virtual world—mistaking imitation for reality.

(? ? ?)
Mugen... Kidou...

Hmh?

That sure sounded like the voice of Mitsurugi Meiya, though she may not be aware herself that she'd whispered it under her breath. I see why—it appears Shirogane has finally engaged Takahashi in melee.

(First Lt Suzumiya)
Professor? You mentioned a third?

(Yuuko)
Right—indeed.

I'm getting sidetracked left right and center with all this scattered multitasking, so once again busying my fingers and returning to the simulation, I deliver the final mandate to Haruka.

(First Lt Suzumiya)
Are—are you—certain?

(Yuuko)
Don't make me repeat myself, Haruka.

I detest the very notion of repeating myself, Haruka's hesitation aside.

Even Second Lt Asakura had to double-take.

I know what I said.

And I a hundred percent mean what I just said.

'Take Valkyrie-02's limiters off.'

(First Lt Suzumiya)
Ma'am—I mean, I know these are merely training cockpits, but there's a likely chance that Ichimonji-chui might break down his simulator.

(Yuuko)
Your worries are misplaced, Haruka.

Misplaced—though not without cause, I suppose. The safety limits of these bipedal vehicles are, after all, installed to protect Eishi and machine alike.

(Yuuko)
Nevertheless—how else would you expect Lt Takahashi to win under these present conditions?

Haruka breaks eye contact. I'll take that as an admission of my argument.

Indeed, while the Rearguard and the Vanguard's fierce swordfight has thus far been an even bout, with neither one yielding ground, Shirogane has slowly been whittling away at Takahashi's defenses.

Understandably so—Valkyrie-02 had begun their exchange with a dysfunctional jump unit. To make no mention of the damages he had sustained while staving off three of the four Vanguards.

On the other hand, the only real damage to Shirogane's TSF is to its power supplies. Albeit—it appears that he'd spent a substantial amount during his long-drawn effort to eliminate Misae and Ryuuseiu.

That aside, one might even consider it a marvel that Valkyrie-02 has been keeping step with Shirogane until now.

(Yuuko)
In any case—more importantly.

There is another cause for worry.

(Yuuko)
I could care less about a simulator breaking down.

'But who's to say that Takahashi wouldn't break down first?'

With that, Lt Suzumiya Haruka depresses Valkyrie-02's safety switch.


Takeru


(Valkyrie-06)
You've gotta be kidding me! We oughta make that cheap shot illegal!

(Takeru)
06! You're—alright.

I let out a deep sigh of relief.

Ryuu had a fairly decent headstart on me, but I didn't linger too long after getting rid of Lt Munakata. I raced here as quickly as my TSF could—and thank goodness I did, it almost looked like lights out for Cookie.

(Valkyrie-06)
Keru-niichan?! Look who finally decided to show up!

(Takeru)
My bad, I've been held up—it's a long story.

I explain, setting aside the Assault Cannon I had salvaged earlier soon after Valkyrie-02's retreat.

In the meantime, I hustle to run diagnostics on my TSF all while surveying the current situation of the battlefield.

Shit.

I'm running lower on power than I'm comfortable with. That damn Ryuu made me run circles more than I'd like to admit. Though I must say, if this is what Cookie mentioned made him a terrifying foe, it's really nothing to be terrified of—

What the hell happened here while I was away? The forest on my side of the arena's hardly recognizable anymore—my opponents had burnt everything to cinder. In contrast, on this side—trees and dirt have been tossed and knocked sideways, yet it's almost as though no bullets had ever been fired.

(Takeru)
Cookie! Take cover!

I've just realized that that's an enemy TSF right next to Cookie! Shit, I need that Assault Cannon again—!

(Valkyrie-06)
Meh—I can't even if I wanted to.

'Aniki snipped my Senjutsuki's optical fibres,' I hear her complain, my fingers pause mid-air as I abandon the thought of reaching for my gun, a little bit confused, 'I'm no better than a goddamn vegetable!'

(Takeru)
What does that even mean—

And why isn't the enemy making a move either—

Hold it.

Before anything else—

(Takeru)
01, 02 what's your 20?

(Valkyrie-06)
Are you serious, nii-chan?

Capt Isumi, Lt Hayase?

Answer me already.

(Takeru)
01, 02. What's your—

(Valkyrie-06)
Ta-ke-ru-onii-chan. Have you really not been paying attention.

I'm—all of a sudden. My breathing's starting to feel... heavy.

(Takeru)
Cookie. Where's Capt Isumi... and Lt Hayase?

On reflex, I grab at my chest, trying to take control of the wild wheezing. I don't know why—I'm suddenly filled with an overwhelming sense of dread.

(Valkyrie-06)
You really can't see anything, can you? Not unless it's directly in front of you—

(Takeru)
Shut the fuck up Cookie!

I yell in reply.

(Takeru)
Just tell me why they aren't answering me!

That must've taken Cookie aback. Her eyes have turned rounder, though her avatar's glare feels that more piercing.

(Valkyrie-06)
Aniki wiped them out already.

(Takeru)
They're—gone?

Why can I hear my own pounding heartbeat? Why is my head throbbing like hell?

Why... is the world... getting blurry?

(Valkyrie-06)
Haven't you been listening to the radio?!

Capt Michiru.

Lt Hayase.

(Valkyrie-06)
What kinda vacation did you just come back from?! And Anego's callsign is 03, not 02!

They're—gone?

Did I not make it in time... again?

(Valkyrie-06)
You've got a bad case of tunnel vision, onii-chan!

I couldn't help them.

I couldn't help them...?

I was—

Still not strong enough.

Too late.

Yet again.

(Valkyrie-06)
Keru...niichan?

Class rep?

Ayamine?

Tama?

Mikoto?

Mei...ya?

Why am I... back in... the Original Hive...?

Stop.

They're—

It's—

Them.

Too.

No.

My—head.

Why can't I think straight...

Even closing my eyes does nothing to stop the world from spinning.

Everywhere I look, this Hive still looks dark and... bleak and...

My feet won't move.

Why can't I move?

Why won't I—help—them?

(Valkyrie-06)
Shit—gotta take sensei's call. Be right back, onii-chan.

Over. There.

Standing.

Glowering at me.

That's—the Superordinate.

The fucking BETA Superior.

Unmoving.

Mocking.

Die.

The first clear thought finally comes to me.

It should die.

With nothing else but the intent to kill—to slaughter—to destroy—on my mind, I storm headfirst at the Superior.

Funny—I don't recall the Superior fighting like a TSF.


Ryuuseiu


'Kaasan, when's dad coming back?'

'Soon, baby. We'll be together again before you could say 'I love you Mommy.''

'We shouldn't have left him. I told you we should've waited and gone together on the same boat!'

Not you too, my little snow angel, says Mom to Kuki-neechan, using her namesake for a nickname, 'you know there aren't that many ferries that take this route. We might've never been given another chance if we hadn't gotten on when they told us to.'

I don't really understand why... they wouldn't let dad on the same boat as us. Why'd they only let the mommies and kids like us aboard?

That was the busiest place I've ever been in... All our neighbours and even people I've never seen before were all trying to fit into that tiny space...

Everyone wanted to leave for some reason.

I still don't understand why we're running from home.

No one tells onee-chan and I anything.

Dad promised us he'd follow us as soon as he can—but it's already been two days, and we still haven't seen him...

Is he still at home?

Dad... hurry up already—

'Stop worrying, Ryuu-chan~.'

'Kaasan?'

Mom's smile makes me feel much safer somehow.

'C'mon, chin up! Remember what dad said before we left?'

Protect your sister.

Protect Mommy, Ryuuseiu.

I'm counting on you, alright!

I—remember... how he yelled and ran along the shore and dove into the water until he and our home got smaller and smaller... The boat was just—much, much faster…

Protect onee-chan... protect Kaasan... he shouted over and over until I could no longer hear him...

'We named you after a meteor shower, you know? I can think of no one hotter who can take good care of your sister and I.'

'Right, Mom! I won't let dad down!' I squeeze Mom's hand back.

I would say that I've started to feel much surer, but my sister interrupts me and steals my thunder.

'Never fear, Kaasan! Even if Ryuu-nii won't, I sure will! I'll protect you until Tousan comes back! But!' Onee-chan dances around Mom and I in circles, drawing the attention of some in the crowd, 'you'd better take care of yourself too, Mom! You look like you're ready to burst!'

Do you know if we're getting a baby sister or a baby brother? Kuki-neechan and I ask almost the exact same time, 'or maybe another one of each?'

Mom giggles instead of giving us the answer.

'No fair! I wanna know too!' I pout at Kaasan, secretly hoping she'd say we'll soon have a baby brother.

'It'll be a surprise~. Maybe if you promise to sleep nice and early tonight so you don't give Mommy another headache!' Kuki-neechan escaped mom's grasp just in time. I, on the other hand, wasn't lucky enough to escape Mom's hug attack.


What's—going on? I still feel so sleepy. It's still so dark outside.

'Mom, where're we going?' asks a yawning Kuki-neechan while we're both being pulled by our arms.

'Sweetie, we have to leave right away,' Mom answers without slowing down.

'But what about dad?'

'Aren't we supposed to wait for Tousan?'

'C'mere baby,' Mom lifts up onee-chan over her shoulders, 'there are bad things... headed this way... and they're moving closer and closer, faster and faster.'

'Once we're safe in Okinawa, Daddy will come meet us, alright baby?'

'Al—right,' onee-chan and I say, following Mom into the dark night.


'What's wrong, Mom?'

There are—so many people.

So.

So many.

People.

More people than there were at home.

Trying to get on another ferry.

'Kaasan... this line goes on forever.'

'Mom?'

Mom's not saying anything.

She's—she looks so worried.

Why does Mom look—so scared?

It's loud, and some people are screaming—?

There's not enough room to fit everyone.

Kuki-neechan pulls Mom's hand to grab her attention, looking over her round belly, 'Should we wait for the next trip? Maybe Dad will catch up to us by then.'

'We... they don't know how long it'll be before they get here,' Mom stammers, 'and we don't know when the next trip will be. They say they can move like the wind... It might be a matter of days...'

We don't know.

We don't know.

I... just need to get you to safety…

We... we should try the airport.

'The airport's flooded, too.'

'They need to send us more damn planes!'

'Fuck the planes! Apparently they could shoot them down!'

'India's overrun, mainland China's all that's left between us and them.'

Some strangers have started talking to Mom.

They sound mad.

The look on Mom's face...

You're starting to scare me too.

The ship—has started moving—

'Mom?'

'Come, follow me, Kukiko, Ryuuseiu.'

Obediently, we follow Kaasan as we squirm our way through the tiny gaps in the crowd. It's all happening so fast, I could hardly recognize what's happening around us.

Before I know it, we somehow end up right next to the moving ship. Mom sure knows her way around anything. It's like she could see everything—

Are we going to stow our way in? But it's on the move, and there's no way to get on board—

'Kuki baby, grab onto that rope,' Mom lifts up Kuki-neechan above the walkway, over the water, so that onee-chan could reach the rope ladder on the nose of the moving ship. Once onee-chan got a hold of it, she climbed her way up so fast I swear I thought she was a monkey for a second.

'Alright, Ryuu-chan, you're up next.'

'What's the matter, Ryuu-chan? We've gotta hurry—'

You go first, Kaasan.

I say to Mom.

Once she lifts me up.

Once I grab the ladder.

How does Mom plan to get on too?

There are maybe three big steps between the dock and the boat.

No way can Mom jump that far. Not with—

And if she jumps and falls into the water—

How does... Mom plan... to follow us?

Mom suddenly takes my hand and places it over her belly.

Over—our baby sister... or baby brother...

'Ryuu-chan, listen to me, my little meteorite.

'You and your sister, get on that ship, it'll take you to the big city.

'You'll be much safer, far, far away from the monsters.

'It might take a while, but Dad and I, we'll get there too, and we'll definitely find you, alright?

'I promise.

'I promise we'll find you.

'So you make me a promise too, my little meteorite.

'Promise me you'll stay alive.

'Stay alive, and—and—

Mom's wiping my eyes, even though her's are tearing up too...

'Stay alive and protect your sister, okay Ryuu-chan?

'No matter what, promise me, you'll protect your sister.

'Like you promised Dad.

'I need you to say it, my little meteorite.

'I need you to say you'll watch over my snow angel for me.

'Come what may.

'Stay alive—and protect my little snow angel.

'I... promise… I'll protect Kuki-neechan...'

'There, there,' Mom gives me a hug so tight.

'Now go, my little meteorite.'

'I love you, Mommy…'

'I love you to the moon and back, baby.'

'Kaasan! Kaasan!' Kuki-neechan screamed over the railing as soon as I climbed aboard.

'Ryuu! What did Mom say? Why isn't she getting on—!'

Mom, lied to me.

'What?'

She said we'd all be together again... before I could say 'I love you Mommy...'

'Ryuu-nii! What happened?! What'd Mom say!'

'She—she'll find us. She'll come with Dad—and they'll find us. We'll see them again, she promised.'

'R...really?'

'Y...yeah... she promised...'

'Okay, I—believe you, Ryuu-nii... We'll definitely see Mom and Dad again... and I'm rooting for a baby sister, but another baby brother will do too... Everything's gonna be okay, alright?'

Onee-chan doesn't try to argue, nor does she stop me from hugging her for god knows how long...


I promised.

But.

I—

I—

I—didn't make it in time...

. . .

Yet again...


AN: Credit to Dash9 for correcting my mistake of mixing up Minaru Kamui (the sword) for Mugen Kidou (the swordstyle).