Blaze here, and I wanted to thank everyone who have favorited, followed, and read my story, you all are the best!
And quickly, I wanted to apologize for the late update, I had 1,800 words of this story written when I published my last chapter, but I then got ill for about two weeks right after that, hence why this chapter is so late. And no, it's not the virus that has been making the round the past ten months, thankfully.
With that being said, enjoy! Blazepanzer downs not own girls und panzer.
Unknown pov:
She let out a small sigh as the long haired Japanese brunet held her hand. "So...this is it then?" the red haired girl sighed.
"I'm sorry little one," the Japanese woman whispered.
"Don't be, the neural network makes me too damn unstable, so there is no other choice."
"Still...it's so unfair, you didn't ask for this," the woman growled.
"It has to be done" the red haired girl reassured her. "I guess this is goodbye, Instructor Nishisumi."
"Goodbye, Autumn Katoni," Shiho whispered as the machine whirled into action.
Autumn let out a sigh as she started to feel sleepy. But to her horror she suddenly felt a surge of pain in her chest, as though her insides where on fire. You lied to me!She screeched inwardly. You said it was painless, but why the hell do my insides feel like they are on fire!
Or...am I in hell? Autumn suddenly mused in horror.I mean...I know I fired on that commander while she was out of the tank, but for Maus sake...I couldn't control myself! Have a bit of mercy!
Suddenly the burning ceased and she heard some whispers.
"She has arrived."
"Poor girl, given life, but only to have it snatched away."
"At least she doesn't have to have a trial, she's done nothing wrong or right, really."
"Isn't it unfair that she doesn't have the right to another life?"
"Saren doesn't want them to suffer again. Besides, way too many of them had to be put down, you'd have one hell of a time reincarnating them."
"Especially since that one universe keeps killing off it's young. They say it's about choosing the best ones for society, but it's only a way for the older generation to maintain authority over the youth."
"You don't know it's that," A voice chided.
"Then what else can you call it?"
Who are these people? Saren? Killing the unborn? Autumn wondered, her curiosity growing. She opened her green eyes, and gazed around.
"Autumn Katoni, Welcome to Katoguard." A man said as he took her hand and helped her up, before hugging her. "Welcome home."
"Home? But...doesn't my neural interface make it so I can't control myself?"
He chuckled. "You don't have to worry about that, young one," he smiled. "This is the afterlife, your body is completely different here," he reassured her.
Autumn sighed. "But is it really okay for me to be here?" she fretted.
"You fret too much, my precious daughter," A woman in her thirties walked up, and hugged her as soon as the man let go. "Autumn, my precious Autumn...I'm so sorry about what happened to you back there."
"Mo...mother?" Autumn whispered. "But...but I'm just a clone...why?"
"You are no clone," the woman whispered harshly. "You might have not been my daughter by birth, but to me, it doesn't matter."
Autum quickly found herself in tears. "Th...thanks, mother."
Ashley POV:
Pig tails aren't bad, Ashley thought as she walked beside Hanoashi.
"Isn't this great!" Hanoahsi smiled.
"Another sister," Aacob smiled in return.
"I'm still a bit nervous though...I mean…" Ashley began.
"Hey, don't worry sis, father's agreed to adopt you, so you're part of the family." Aacob smiled.
"I...thank you," Ashley smiled.
"Still...I can't get over how well that girl acted like Miho, at least on the knowledge department" Hanoashi sighed.
"Well...it has to do with her metallic neural network not being dissolved." Ashley began.
"I'm confused," Hanoashi tipped her head.
"Well…" Ashley paused, her eyes narrow in trying to figure out how to explain this issue. "A Metalic Neural Network, or MNT as we call it, is a mind control device in us clones. Thanks to the father of the Azusans, many of our MNT's where dissolved, thus meaning that we have control over ourselves."
"What's an Azusan?" Aacob asked.
"As far as I know, some guy had his seed stolen at the Azusan memoral hospital. His seed was used to create an army that was going to invade Korea, Hokaddo, and the west coast. However, he was somehow able to scramble his children's DNA to protect their identity, as well as melt their MNT's."
"I'm still confused," Hanoashi admitted. "I mean, how the Maus does that happen?"
"You just said it," Ashley smiled. "The father of the Azusans became like the Spirit of the Maus, and used that power to save his children, as well as many of us clones."
"Not all of the clones though," Aacob asked, tipping her head in confusion.
Ashley gazed down, sad. "No...like that first Miho clone you met." she then let out a sigh. "Us clones where given a near perfect mental record of our targets from the moment we where cloned, meaning we had memories. However, those memories where stored in our MNT's, and when they where melted, we lost a lot of them in the process. It's...complicated." Ashley sighed.
"So...that Miho was...just created?" Hanoashi tipped her head.
"No, she probably hacked into Miho's cell or computer and got most of the information she needed." Ashley admitted. "As far as her hostility goes, we're created as agents of chaos, so she was just following orders."
"Poor girl...what's going to happen to her?" Hanoashi asked.
At once Ashley shed a tear. "T...termination," she stammered.
"No!" Hanoashi screamed, before turning around and running toward the area they had took her.
Ashley quickly grabbed her sister's wrist. "Look...I don't like it anymore than you, but that Miho is going to be in misery and there's no way we can melt the MNT scientifically."
"So...no hope? But you said that the father of the Azusans managed to do it...right? Couldn't the spirit of the Maus also do it?" Hanoashi asked despairingly.
Ashley shook her head. "There was another component to it, one we don't know." she added.
"I don't like it," Hanoashi muttered.
"But there's no choice," Aacob added. "By the sounds of it the poor girl would never be in control of her own decisions, right?"
Ashley nodded. "Right."
"So...wait...if that Miho knew so much, then why didn't you know about pigtails...that's kinda common knowledge," Hanoashi asked.
"Like I said before, our memories are carried in the MNT, so when that was melted, we lost quite a bit of our knowledge. Hence why we're receiving supplementary classes." Ashely explained.
Maho pov:
"The black hair suits you Kuharo," Maho smiled.
"You...really think so?" she asked.
"Of course," Maho patted her on the head.
"I still fell like it's a temporary solution though," Kuharo sighed.
"You can always redye it," Miho reassured her. "And as your hair grows, you'll be able to change up your style as well."
"That'll take forever though," Koharu sighed.
"Hold up…" Maho raised her hand suddenly. "Who's there?"
"I...I have no idea where I am." a female voice stammered. "I...I just woke up naked and….what's going on here?"
Maho walked forward, coming face to face with her mother...or at least a black haired, green eyed teenage version of Shiho.
"You're...an Azusan...right?" Maho asked, slightly in awe.
"Yeah...that's what father said," said girl sighed.
"You got a name?" Miho asked.
The girl nodded. "Kuro...my name is Kuro."
"It's a pretty name," Maho smiled.
"So...what's going to happen to us?" a Raven haired boy with brown eyes asked.
"Japan as agreed to take in all victims of the MNT's, Azusans or otherwise." Maho reassured her. "But...we're going to need the other support teams to bring more clothing. we...kinda only expected to find two or three people, not six at once."
Saori pov:
Saori glanced at the girl clinging to her arm. I guess this isn't too bad...she's a bit clingy though, she mused.
Still, I don't understand this MNT thingy, but it sounds rather bad...and that Miho clone who's being terminated...I feel for her. But...not being able to control yourself is no way to live.
Suddenly, a phone resounded, and Hana quickly took it. "Mother...Ah...I see, I think that's great! She coming over in a few days? Can't wait to meet her! Alright, thanks Mother!"
"What's up," Saori asked, confused.
"Ah...well...it seems as though I have a new sister, apparently," Hana smiled.
"Er...congratulations?" Saori asked, confused.
"And she's coming here tomorrow!" Hana breathed.
"Asuzan or clone?" Sora asked, catching on.
"Clone." Hana shrugged.
"Oh...I thought you meant newborn sister," Saori shrugged.
"But we are kinda newborn, right Oni-chan!" Sora smirked, poking Saori on the cheek.
"He...hey, cut that out, and aren't you a bit too big to be a newborn?" Saori asked, gently pushing Sora's hand back.
"So...you're calling me fat?" Sora pouted goodheartetly.
"Wait...no, I...I didn't mean that," Saori stammered.
"Ha ha ha, I know Oni-chan...you're just so fun to tease." Sora laughed.
"She got you," Hana smiled.
"Not you too!" Saori exclaimed.
"I hope my sister's this animated," Hana sighed dreamily.
"Are you Saori's girlfriend?" Sora asked suddenly.
"Ehhhhhh!" Saori and Hana explained in unison.
"Very funny," a male voice belonging to Yukaro spoke up for the first time.
"That's kinda the point, right?" Sora asked.
"Nononononononono, we're just best friends," Saori waved her hands in the air quickly.
"Surrrreeeee," Sora teased.
"We're near the meeting place," Yukaro announced.
Snapping to attention, Saori let out a gasp as she came face to face with a black haired guy with brown eyes. He looks a bit like Acer, she mused.
"Ka...ka...ka...wa...wa...wa...i?" the guy stammered, gazing right at Saori.
"Oh, our eyes magically met," Saori whispered. "Hi...I'm Saori Takabe...and…"
"Cheating on Hana aren't we?" Sora teased.
"Sora!" Saori explained.
"Don't worry Kuno, Saori's open...I think?" Miho smiled as she came up.
"I'm not dating Hana," Saori huffed, glaring at her sister.
"Hey, relax, I think it'd be a good idea for you to date him." Hana smiled.
"Seriously," Saori sighed in exasperation.
"Hm...I'll...do my best, Saori-san," the boy bowed.
"Ehhhhhhhh!"
Hanoashi pov:
"How long have we explored this area?"
"About three hours," Aacob sighed. "Should we keep going?"
"Of course," Ashley cried out. "They could be more clones or even Asuzans around here!"
"I feel the same, but if we're not careful then we'll get stuck in her ourselves," Hanoashi admitted. "Besides, we're just one of the first groups, so if we did miss any Asuzans or Clones, they'll still be found.
"I hope you're right," Ashley sighed in resignation.
Me too, Hanoashi sighed.
As they gathered around in the tank shed, Hanoashi let out a small smile as she turned to the other teams. "Good works today," she smiled.
"Likewise," Miho smiled.
"We didn't find anyone on our patrol though," Ashley sighed.
"But you were looking for our people, and for that we thank you," Kuro bowed gently.
"So...what now," Sora asked gently.
"Now, we head home and rest," Rikona admitted while stifling a yawn.
"Wait...Blaze-san, Aacob, Azusa," Miho began. Can...may I talk to you briefly in the commander's room?"
Hanoashi nodded. "Sure," she begin. "Ashley, please wait by the tanks for me," she added briefly.
"Sure," she sighed, seemingly disappointed to see her sis go.
"I'll keep her company," Maho promised.
"Thanks."
Standing in the commanders room, Hanoashi gazed at her friend, her green eyes glittering with worried anticipation. She knew full well what was coming.
"I...I heard what the other me did, and I wanted to apologize for…"
"Miho, stop right there," Hanoashi interrupted her. "You didn't say or do those things, so you don't have to apologize for them."
"But…" Miho glanced down in shame.
Placing her hand gently on Miho, Hanoashi closed her eyes and let out a gentle sigh. "Like I said, you didn't do or say those things, so you don't have to apologize about them, okay? Especially to me."
"Thanks Blaze," Miho whispered.
"So...is that all we need to discuss?" Hanoashi asked, glancing around.
"She's right you know," Aacob interrupted, gazing at Miho. "You don't need to apologize or agonize over what the other you did," she added.
"But...I deliberately didn't mention you as a new commander," Miho fretted quietly.
"No, she," Aacob countered, lingering on the word she, "Didn't mention me as a new commander." Blinking slowly she continued. "Besides, even if it had been you, I'd have chalked it up to you having a bad day."
"Thanks...you're a good friend, Aacob." Miho whispered.
Hanoashi smiled a bit. I'm glad that Miho's got that out of her system, the last thing I need is for my best friend and vice commander to agonize over a mistake, and especially over something she didn't do. She then cleared her throat. "If that's everything, we should really be getting home."
Nodding, the four slowly left the room, seeing that the Sensado hanger was mostly empty aside from Maho, Ashley, and Kaharu. "You ready to go home Ashley," Hanoashi smiled.
"Yeah...though I'm a little nervous," she admitted.
"Hey, no need to be, you're in good hands," Maho smiled.
"Th...thanks," Ashley smiled.
As they walked home, Hanoashi noticed Aacob gazing at them intently.
"Something wrong sis?" she asked.
"Nothings wrong," Aacob admitted. "It's just that...well...Ashely doesn't have any freckles."
"Now that you mention it," Hanoashi paused to gaze at Ashley briefly.
"Is...is that a bad thing," Ashley asked worriedly.
"No, it's not. But it will make it a bit easier to tell us apart," Hanoashi reassured her.
Ashley let out a sigh of relief.
Of course there was a very big problem. Hanoashi's student apartment was too small for three people, it barley fit two comfortably. So after a quick call Hanoashi sound found herself at Rikona's house, or more specifically, in Rikona's spa.
"Don't be shy Emily," Rikona encouraged.
"Of….of course," Emily sighed as she slid into the hot tub beside Rikona. "Thank you for adopting me, by the way."
"It's really Shelia you should thank," the brunet smiled gently.
"Still, it's kinda hard to imagine there's four other clones of El besides me," El sighed.
"Be that as it may, you're not really clones," Rikona pointed out.
"What do you mean?" Emily asked, her eyes narrowed in confusion.
"Sure, you share the exact, or nearly exact same DNA as El, but you're...all unique," Rikona admitted.
"I guess," Emily sighed. "Still, I don't feel all that unique," she added.
"It'll come to you," Rikona reassured her.
"This...hot tub feels nice," Emily sighed dreamily.
Hanoashi couldn't help but smile gently. It's great that Rikona's got a sister now. Although...I do feel a tad left out. Still...
Aacob slid in beside her, with Ashely on the other hand. "Only problem with pigtails is that it's harder to have them in the water...right?"
"Only a little," Hanoashi smiled. "You can get hair ties made for underwater, in fact I use them for swim practice." she added.
"You wear pigtails as will?" Ashely asked, her eyes widening.
"No, I usually wear a ponytail when in the tank or swimming."
"Oh...I see," Ashely smiled.
Hanoashi patted her sister on the head. "If you'd like we could try a ponytail on you tomorrow," she offered.
"Really?" Ashley asked, her eyes gleaming.
"Of course," Hanoashi smiled.
Shiho pov:
"Shall we inform the Katoni about this?"
"No, there's no need, at least not at the moment," Shiho sighed as she watched the red haired teen's body bag leaving the room. I'm so sorry Autum, She thought, before she closed her eyes, before heading out of the room, only to walk into another.
Sitting in front of her was Kuromorimine's former head commander, Erika Itsumi.
There's wasn't much that could make the instructor cry, even inwardly. Years of training under the Nishisumi had hardened her. But the gravely injured Erika and the now dead Autumn where one of them.
"Has she been executed?" Erika asked.
Shiho nodded, but couldn't say anything. She didn't do it deliberately Erika! She screeched, but held her tongue.
"Good," Erika hissed. "Now, get out!"
"Erika?" Shiho gasped.
"I said get the hell out, now!" Erika hissed, acting like she was going to try get up and tackle her. Which would be impossible since Erika had lost her legs in the incident. "You allowed someone who we knew didn't have their neural lace melted, and now she had to be put down and you'veb lost your best student."
Erika narrowed her eyes. "Autumn had to die knowing she brought harm to me and I have to deal with my missing legs. I'll never walk again, and I'll always struggle between wanting to forgive Autumn and wanting to raise her from the dead and torture her over the loss of my legs. All because of you!"
Shiho remained silent for a brief moment before bowing. "I...I'm sorry," she whispered.
"Sorry doesn't regrow legs. Now, get out, or I'll call security."
"I will leave, then," Shiho bowed, before leaving. She felt a surge of rage and regret about Erika's attitude, after all no one had talked to her like that and got away with it. That made her enraged. However, she might be proud, but she knew better than to poke an injured bear and that was exactly what Erika was at the moment.
She's right, her concise admitted. Autumn had no chance to live a normal life, it was only due to your friendship with the Katoni that you ignored that. And now look at what happened.