A/N: The Law of Second Chapters states that the awesomeness of the second chapter of a fic is inversely proportional to the awesomeness of the chapter before it. Hopefully I have managed to avoid it this time around, but given my track record with these sorts of things, I won't be surprised if this chapter is what breaks what the first chapter made. That said, my main concerns with this are A. As this chapter contains timeskips, it may come off with a rushed feel, something that I would like to avoid. B. An increase in the Canon Character count means that concerns about OOCness grow. Hopefully these concerns will prove meaningless, but given that the second chapter is where I usually screw up my fics, I wouldn't count on it. And now, without further rambling, on with the show!
Chapter 2
"Well? I'm waiting." Chifuyu said, as if she was casually discussing the weather rather than holding a blade to someone's throat. The object of her ire, an Ops Commander Giorgi Stukanov, simply chuckled in response.
"My name is Giorgi Stukanov. That answers your first question. I have been hired as your brother's bodyguard by his new teacher at White-Sakamoto Innovations. Dr. White doesn't wan't his newfound protege kidnapped again, after all. And finally, it's not an APS, it's an APB, the silenced variant." The ex-Spetsnaz replied.
"Hmph. Do you really think you can hurt me with that archaic peashooter? I am an IS operator, after all. How about you lower your weapon before you hurt yourself, Mr. Bodyguard." Chifuyu taunted.
"Your barrier isn't deployed right now, and even if it were my gun is within its effective radius. The primary defensive barrier of an IS is a sphere that is deployed 3.25 centimeters away from the skin at its closest point. A particularly skilled partial deployment can reduce that distance to just under one centimeter. My gun is still closer. A flaw in the design of the barrier means that, for all intents and purposes, this pistol is part of your clothing, and is thus allowed to exist within its radius."
"True, but all I would have to do to rectify that is to lean back. My blade would prevent you from keeping up."
"Leaning back would allow me to get some distance and make you a perfect target for the Type-2 operator on the roof a few kilometers away."
"The Type-2? Please, don't make me laugh. That piece of junk can't even scratch the barrier of a true IS."
"That would normally be the case, but a partially deployed IS has reduced capability in all fields, allowing it to do damage."
"In the time it takes for the hypothetical shell to cross that distance, my IS will be fully deployed." Chifuyu said with a smirk. After a few seconds of silence, Giorgi sighed in defeat and lowered his gun.
"Whatever, my job here is done. It's clear you are not here to harm my charge, so I release him to your care. Keep the knife." That last part was said to Ichika, who looked down at his hand, remembering the knife he was holding there.
"You have tomorrow to yourself, while your lessons begin the day after. I will wait for you after school ends on Monday. Do not be late." At that, Giorgi turned and walked away, heading back to the waiting taxi. Chifuyu waited until he was gone, then ushered Ichika inside.
"What, no hug for your older sister?" Chifuyu asked once the pair was inside.
"You're back early." Ichika said as he embraced her.
"That I am. Now, what is this I hear about you being kidnapped?" Chifuyu asked, letting go of her brother.
"W-well, the people who rescued me said something about an organization called Phantom Task..." Ichika trailed off as he saw Chifuyu freeze.
"Chifuyu-nee, are you alright?"
"It's nothing. Did anything happen to you after you were taken? Did they do anything to you?" Chifuyu asked, any trace of benevolence on her face replaced by fury.
"N-no, they just bound me and locked me in a dark room. Anyway, I wasn't there for too long before the Government sent a team to rescue me." Ichika's face darkened as he remembered the walk through the bloody compound.
"Good to hear that the government is still somewhat competent. Is there anything else you wish to tell me?" Chifuyu asked.
"No..." Ichika replied.
"Good. Now, about what that man said to you. Kindly explain what he meant."
"Well, after I was rescued, the helicopter carrying me home was diverted to the White-Sakamoto Innovations tower, where I met with Dr. Raymond White."
"Wait, was he the same Raymond White who worked on the original IS team?" Chifuyu leaned in, curious.
"I... I don't know. Anyway, he told me that he had wanted to take me and teach me about IS design and... and I accepted." Ichika said.
"Hmm... You know that this changes nothing right? I still expect the best of you in school, regardless of how you chose to spend your time outside of it. It also goes without saying that I expect you to excel in this new field as well... although I thought that White-Sakamoto Innovations was based around adapting IS technology to conventional military use rather than actual IS design... Regardless, I noticed something when I came home. Look around and tell me what you see." Ichika did so, and found that the room was still a mess from the previous day when he had watched Chifuyu win the Mondo Grosso.
"A perfectly clean room?" Maybe if he tried, he could avoid having to clean it!
Or maybe not, as his sister soon had him hard at work cleaning up the mess he had made the previous day.
One year later Ichika found himself in the exact same room, cleaning up another mess he had made, although while a year ago the mess was mostly food related, this time he was scrubbing soot off the floor, courtesy of one of his experiments with IS technology. During the previous year he had made enough progress that Raymond had trusted him enough to work on particularly simple projects from home, such as the one that now existed as a lump of coagulated metal and plastic in a secure disposal container.
Fortunately for him, Chifuyu wasn't around at the moment to berate him for his failure, as she had apparently lost a bet while in Germany, which resulted in her return to said country in order to assist with some problems with the German IS corps. This in turn allowed for Raymond to monopolize even more of Ichika's time, to the point where every moment out of school was spent either at the Organization HQ or at the WSI tower studying and getting experience.
His phone ringing distracted him from his work. Upon picking up said instrument, he saw the call was from his mentor.
"Junior Apprentice Orimura, you are to meet me at the helipad on top of the WSI tower tomorrow morning. We are going on a business trip." The voice of the aged engineer rang in his ear.
"Sir?" Ichika was confused.
"You heard me. Pack your bags for a three day trip. We have a few pickups to make, and as you will be working with some of them, I want you to come along."
"Where are we going and what are we picking up?"
"Our first destination is London, England, where we will be meeting with the president of the Alcott foundation, who is himself a fringe member of our Organization, in order to pick up one of the prototypes of the new British Second Generation MPIS. While this particular prototype was ultimately rejected in favor of the design that would eventually become the Equite Mk. 1, I believe that it still has potential as an IS frame, and you are going to be the one working on it. Consider it a test of your skills, if you will. Our second stop will be in Honolulu, Hawaii, where we will be meeting with another one of our teams to pick up what is probably the most valuable thing to be in our Organizations' possession."
"And that is?" Ichika's curiosity was piqued.
"A fully functional IS core, courtesy of the Saudi Arabian government." At that, Ichika's eyes widened.
"You mean we managed to convince them to sell us a core?"
"No. Three hours from now, a Saudi convoy transporting an IS core will come under attack by our agents disguised as Phantom Task operatives. This will both secure us an IS core and create a rift between the Saudi Government and the terrorist organization, as several high ranking Saudi officials are covertly funding their operations."
"I see."
"Good. Now, your job will be to both fix the flaws in the British IS and to convert it into a true IS through the use of the IS core. This is a long term project that will take you at least a year. Once you succeed, you will be promoted to Senior Apprentice and take on a more active role in our department. Are we clear?"
"Understood." Ichika said, already walking to his room in order to pack.
"Good. I will see you there." The call ended, and Ichika set about getting ready for the coming journey.
The next day saw Ichika boarding a flight to London via the Tokyo international airport. When he asked Raymond how they would get the IS out of the country, his mentor replied that the Organization's refitted Kawasaki C-1 would be landing in England the following day to pick them and the IS up.
The Kawasaki C-1 was an old 1970s era transport that had already been replaced by the C-2 well before the IS was released, with the older aircraft being sold to various civilian companies as a heavy duty air transport, and the Organization had been able to acquire one of them. Ichika had spent nearly a month working alongside the rest of the R&D crew to improve the craft, resulting in a vehicle that had near global range while still retaining its transport capabilities.
Ichika spent the majority of the plane ride catching up on much needed sleep, and thus time passed relatively quickly for him. He was shaken awake by Raymond as the plane was landing, and the pair were soon taking a taxi to the Alcott Foundation Headquarters.
The building itself was similar in appearance to the WSI tower in Tokyo, being a tall, glass covered box reaching towards the sky.
"Doctor Raymond White and Ichika Orimura, to meet with President Edmond Alcott." Raymond spoke to a secretary as the pair entered the building.
"One moment please." The secretary stepped into a back room, and emerged a few minutes later.
"The President will see you now. Fifth floor, room 512." Raymond thanked the woman once she had finished speaking and soon the pair entered a small, cozy looking room, inside of which a blonde haired man was waiting for them. The man's eyes were bloodshot, and noticeable black rings sat around them. There was no strength present when the man halfheartedly offered his hand to Ichika. To the eleven year old's eyes, the president of the Alcott foundation looked like a dead man walking.
"Is that really you Edmond? What have you been doing to yourself?" Raymond said, genuinely shocked at the appearance of the man whom Ichika assumed was an acquaintance.
"Everyone deals with tragedy differently. Some are like you, and throw themselves into their work to forget. Others find a way to replace what was lost, and some like me..." At that, the man stood and opened a cabinet on the room's wall. Inside were several glasses and a bottle of whiskey.
"Some drown their sorrows in drink. Want some?" The man poured himself a glass before setting two more out for Ichika and Raymond.
"What happened?" Raymond asked softly.
"It was my wife. Lizzie... she died in the train crash about a year ago." Edmond downed the glass.
"I'm sorry to hear that. Elizabeth was a fine woman." Raymond said, not touching his own.
"Anyway, enough about the past." The man refilled his glass. "I suppose you're here for the Kestrel?" The man was referring to the IS prototype.
"Very astute. Yes, we are here for the IS prototype. Our mutual friends in the Organization are looking to expand their IS fleet."
"Of course you can have it, we had an agreement after all!"
"There is still the matter of the price. You only mentioned that you wished to negotiate one, rather than name a specific monetary sum."
"You can keep your money, you people would find a way to get it back into your hands anyway. No, the price I want is something entirely different."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean exactly that. You can keep your money, I've got more than enough of that already. No, I want you people to perform a service for me."
"And what would that service be?" Raymond asked, keeping his voice neutral.
"It concerns my daughter, Cecilia." Edmond's voice grew quieter.
"And what would you have us do involving her?"
"My request is twofold. The first half is simple. My injuries from the train wreck that took my wife... well, when last I checked the Doctors said that I've only got three months left to live, and I've lived two of those. Factor in the drinking, and I know I'm about to be pushing up flowers any day now." As if to prove a point, the man downed another glass.
"Anyway, when I die, everything I have is going to Cecilia. I want you to keep the vultures off of her. Use force if necessary, I don't want anyone stealing from my daughter."
"That part of your request can be granted quite easily. Now, what is the second half?" Raymond asked after a few moments' consideration.
"The second part is also quite simple: You are to make my daughter's dream come true." The man's face grew serious.
"And what does that dream entail?" Raymond asked.
"Ever since Cecilia first heard of it she was obsessed with the IS. Her dream is to become England's Representative Candidate, and I want you to make that happen. At that, Ichika's jaw dropped. Was this man seriously asking them to take his daughter and prop her up as a representative over a girl more deserving of the position? Evidently Raymond thought the same, as a frown appeared on his face.
"I am sorry, but while it is within our capability to manipulate the situation to that effect, we are not in the business of stealing from little girls."
"Oh no, you misunderstand. I'm not asking you to buy her the position, I'm asking you to turn her into the best damn IS pilot in the nation. She already hates me enough as is, and buying her representative candidacy would break her once she found out. No, I want her to earn the damn position, and if you want the IS you are going to swear to me right now that you or your Organization are going to do whatever it takes to help her earn that position!" As Edmond spoke, Ichika saw life return to his features for the first time since the start of the meeting.
"I guess the old Edmond is still in there, somewhere. Consider it done." Raymond's face had grown into a genuine smile, the first one Ichika had ever seen on the engineer's face.
"Thanks Ray, I knew I could count on you to see the job done."
"I assume that any favors I owe you from back in the day are now considered null and void?"
"Well, there is one other thing I would like to ask you."
"Oh?"
"You're recording this meeting, right?" Raymond's response was to pull a thin audio recorder out of his sleeve, causing Ichika's eyes to nearly pop out of his head. How had the man activated it?
"Good. When you think the time is right, I want you to give that recording to Cecilia. You can edit out any references to our organization, and you can send it to her anonymously if need be. I might as well restore some of her faith in me." At that, Raymond nodded.
"Thank you. Now I can at least die with a smile on my face thanks to you." The man paused, before turning to Ichika.
"And who are you? You don't look like old Ray's son, that's for sure."
"Oh, this is my student, Orimura Ichika. He's going to be the one working on the Kestrel, so I wanted to bring him along so that he could see what he's going to be working with for the next year or so."
"I see..." The President of the Alcott Foundation's face was unreadable for a few moments. Then, the man spoke.
"Treat her well."
"Sorry?" Ichika asked.
"Treat her well. The Kestrel was my wife's last project. I want the end result to be a thousand times better than the Equite, do you hear?" The man's voice took on a slight edge.
"I will make sure of it." Ichika said, attempting to sound confident.
"Good. Remember that promise, because if it turns out you screw it up, I will return from beyond the grave to haunt you." Edmond's voice was light, but his eyes were cold and serious.
"I will remember." Ichika said.
"Alright then! Now that that's settled, where do you want to pick up the goods?"
After a few more drinks and some conversation, it was soon agreed that the IS would be dropped off early the following morning at the London International Airport, where it would be picked up by the transport that, after looking at his watch, Ichika realized was just taking off from Urup.
As the pair turned to leave the room, Edmond Alcott spoke up one last time.
"Oh, and Raymond? I know you can do it. I believe in you. We all do."
"All I can say is that I will try my best." Raymond replied, before he left the room, a curious Ichika following in his footsteps. But when the boy asked his mentor what the blonde haired Englishman meant, the American engineer simply sighed and said nothing.
The following morning saw Ichika and Raymond boarding the bulky transport plane long before the sun rose. The IS itself was stored securely in the main transport compartment, and by the time the sun had risen, the Organization members had long departed from the London International Airport. As the plane soared on its way to Hawaii, a certain blonde haired man breathed his last in his house's study, with a smile on his face and one final glass in his hand.
The sun had almost completely set by the time the transport landed in Honolulu International Airport, and the sky was completely dark by the time the pair checked into a hotel for the night.
The following morning Ichika woke up early and headed to the cafe down at the ground floor of the hotel. He was greeted by Raymond, who was already sitting down having breakfast. Quickly getting some food for himself, Ichika sat across from his mentor. Nobody spoke for a few minutes, but eventually Raymond initiated the conversation.
"I believe that you have done enough for this trip. I'll handle the meeting alone this time around, you just go out and enjoy yourself. I believe the Iowa is still undergoing refits in port, and if you're lucky you might catch a glimpse of it. That and the Blue Angels' IS branch is performing today out over Pearl in a few hours. Go have fun, god knows you need some."
"Thank you!" Ichika smiled, glad for some relief.
"Good. Meet me back at this hotel around four o'clock in the afternoon. That's when we'll be examining the IS. We'll spend the night flying back to Japan. Now finish up that slop you call breakfast and go have fun!"
Ichika did as the old man requested and soon was outside, walking along with a small amount of money that Raymond had been kind enough to give him. He wondered where he would go first...
The sun was high in the sky by the time Raymond entered the warehouse where the meeting would be taking place.
"I'm here. Tueri Umbra." The old man spoke to the seemingly empty room.
"Name?" A synthetic sounding voice asked.
"Dr. Raymond White. R&D Department Head, IS branch."
"Dr. White, eh? What were the contents of the message you sent to Edmond's wife two days before the White Knight Incident?"
"I sent no such message and you know it Simon!" Raymond shouted into the confines of the warehouse.
"Just checking if it's really you Ray." The speaker stepped out into the dim light, removing the voice synthesizer as he did so. "It's good to see you again."
"Well, this trip is certainly becoming a stroll down memory lane. I just saw Edmond yesterday evening, and now you're here with the best damn birthday present a brother could hope for." Indeed, the man, Simon, looked like a younger version of Raymond.
"You met with Ed? I was wondering where he'd gotten off to. After what happened, while the two of us threw our lot in with the organization and Old Hong was called back to China to assist with their IS program, Dave and Ed just dropped off the map."
"Yeah, the release of the IS hit all of us hard. Dave's working with the Americans now, his design just got accepted as their new second gen MPIS."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah, I got the battery and control system schematics from him."
"Huh... I should pay a visit to him sometime. He's the only one left aside from us after all..."
"Wait, what do you mean?"
"Oh, I guess you haven't heard, you were on a plane after all, but they found Ed's body in his home yesterday."
"Damn, he told me he didn't have much time but..." Raymond trailed off.
"And we all know what happened to Hong. It's just us and Dave left now." Simon said sadly.
"Just another reason for me to finish what we started. What Hong died trying to accomplish." Raymond replied.
"Are you sure about this? Who knows what other failsafes That Woman put into this damn thing?" Simon gestured at an innocuous looking black box sitting beside him. Even though he couldn't see it, Raymond knew that the dark sphere that was the IS core lay within.
"Just another reason to get even with her." Raymond sighed bitterly. He still remembered the fateful day two years before. The Organization was still in its infancy back then, being little more than a motley collection of dissatisfied people who wanted to make a difference. He had received a message from his old colleague, Hong BaiSheng, saying that the Chinese scientist and his team had cracked the secret of the IS core, and were on the verge of testing their own version of said core.
Three Years Ago
The two brothers sat on the couch, staring at the grainy picture on the computer screen. Their former colleague in China had hacked one of the cameras in the facility in order to give his two fellow scientists front-row seats to the process of making history.
As Hong had explained to them over a series of messages, the researchers at the Chinese laboratory had, in spite of a nearly crippling mechanical failure earlier that year, managed to create their own variant of the IS core, and it was today that said core would finally be activated.
The two brothers, Raymond and Simon, watched a pair of scientists converse in Chinese on the screen. Beside them, two black spheres, almost identical in appearance, lay next to each other on a counter. The only difference between the two were the Chinese words written on the cards attached to each core, one reading 'Original', the other reading 'New Design'.
On the screen, they watched as Dr. Hong began speaking into some sort of device, likely a transmitter.
"This is the first test of the newly created Model 1 IS core, created by the research team at the Northern Shaanxi facility for IS research. This core was based off the IS core designed by Doctor Shinonono Tabane, and will hopefully usher in a new age of prosperity for the People's Republic of China. The test will begin in thirty seconds."
Hong then said something to the two nearby scientists, one of whom nodded and proceeded to attach a cable to the core labeled 'New Design'.
"The test will now commence." At that, the other scientist pressed his finger into a barely visible indentation on the new core. With a noticeable hum, a faint blue aura of light began to emanate from the black sphere, while Dr. Hong looked at a series of readings on a computer before speaking again.
"The new core is currently producing power on a level comparable to the Doctor Tabane design. I now pronounce this test a success. Shut the core down, the experiment is over."
That was when things began to go horribly wrong. One of the scientists walked up to the new core and once again pushed his finger into the indentation. Frowning, the scientist tried again.
"The core is not de-activating." The man stated, only a touch of panic in his voice.
"Power readings spiking!" Hong suddenly exclaimed from the computer.
"Core power output approaching unsafe levels. Activating emergency shutdown!" Another scientist said, before speaking again a few moments later, panic in his voice. More voices soon joined in.
"Core emergency shutdown has failed!"
"The Tabane-Pattern core has activated on its own!"
"Power readings are past the redline! Catastrophic overload imminent!"
"I'm locked out of the system! The Tabane Pattern is doing something!"
Then Hong spoke once more.
"To those listening to this, I say goodbye. I pray that someone may succeed where I have fa-"
The screen erupted into static.
The two bothers halfway across the world watched the death of their colleague with wide eyes.
After a few moments, the older one spoke.
"God damn her." He choked out as he broke out into tears.
Present Day
"What happened wasn't your fault. There was nothing we could do to stop it from happening." Simon comforted his older brother after watching him think for a few seconds.
"I know, but that changes nothing. We still watched him die, and we both know who was responsible! Even if it was just some automated failsafe to prevent copying, that woman might as well have killed him with her own two hands!"
"I know, and for what it's worth, I hope you succeed." Simon said as he handed the heavy package containing the IS core to his brother.
"I will. I guarantee it." Raymond said, taking the package.
"Just... Just be careful, OK? I don't want to even think of the same happening to you."
"Don't worry. I won't be dying just yet, alright?"
"You better not." With those words, Simon walked to the warehouse exit.
"See ya Bro. I've been re-assigned to our new cell in Europe."
"I'll be sure to call you." Raymond smiled as he too left the warehouse, the brothers going their separate ways once more.
As Raymond walked down the street, he paused to cast a single hateful glance at the black box he was carrying before continuing on. He had some calls to make. He had made a promise to his now dead friend and colleague after all.
Several miles away, one Orimura Ichika was quite ignorant of the tearful exchange that had just taken place. A smile was plastered firmly on his face as he walked away from Pearl, having watched the Blue Angels perform in their IS suits. He had also gotten a chance to see the USS Iowa undergoing refits in port. The old battleship had been brought out of mothballs by the US Government and was now being refitted as a testbed for Naval applications of IS technology. To that effect, the entire ship had been stripped almost completely bare, and was now being practically rebuilt from the ground up. As such, there really wasn't much to see aside from a hulk and a bunch of scaffolding, but it was still quite a sight.
He was snapped out of his thoughts by a familiar voice.
"-chika? Ichika? Is that you?" Ichika turned to its source and saw Dan and his sister, Ran, standing beside a pair of red haired adults.
"Dan? Ran? What are you doing here?" Ichika asked as he made his way over to the Gotanda family.
"We're here on vacation! How about you?" Dan answered enthusiastically.
"I'm just here for today. The Old Man had something to do here that required a detour, and he left me out to relax." Ichika smiled.
"So how are you doing? We hardly ever see you anymore! Rin's been practically inconsolable!" Ran butted in. Dan's younger sister had long red hair, just like her brother.
"Ah, I'm sorry, but the Old Man's lessons take up a lot of my time, and I'm pretty tired after they are over." It wasn't a lie.
"I know, but remember to think of us when you're studying up in that tower of yours, alright?" Ran smiled.
"I promise." Ichika smiled. That was when the sirens began to ring.
"What's going on?" Dan asked.
"That siren... it means the military base is under attack!" Dan's father said.
"Come on, we're staying in this hotel over here. We have to get inside!" The red haired mother said, and Ichika saw no point in resisting. Soon, he was up with the Gotanda family in their hotel room, staring out the window. This particular room had a perfect view of the harbor, and was close enough that Ichika could see the IS suits, both mass production unit and True IS alike, rising into the sky as a sea of specks.
"What's going on?" Dan asked from where he was sitting on the floor.
"They're launching IS units, and I think I can see fighters taking off in the distance. Do you have any binoculars?"
There was no reply, but the red haired boy handed Ichika a pair before joining him by the window. With the binoculars, he could observe the harbor clearly now, and he gasped at the amount of military units that had been mobilized. He saw hundreds of MPIS units painted in the dark grey of the Navy, as well as more painted in the olive green of the US Army approaching. A few were even painted in the blue and yellow of the Blue Angels. Three IS units in particular stood out against the mass of grey and green. These were painted in bright colors, one Orange, another Yellow, and the last a deep Blue. On the ground, he saw M2 Eisenhower tanks moving into defensive positions, their oscillating turrets pointing their guns to the sky.
A bright streak of light flew by and speared a green MPIS, the stricken unit falling from the sky. Ichika saw a smaller speck detach from it, and moments later a parachute burst into view. The pilot must have bailed out.
Another streak of light, and the parachute was burning, its owner soon to be left without a way of slowing her fall. Tearing his eyes away from the soon to be dead woman, he looked up and saw a force of IS units, each painted the matte black of Phantom Task. One of them, likely a personal design, had its weapon pointed down. Even at this distance, and in spite of the mask the terrorist was wearing, Ichika swore he saw a sadistic smile on the woman's face.
Then the battle began in earnest, and the air was quickly filled with streaks of light and trails of smoke, as bolts of energy, superheated railgun shots, and even missiles fired by both IS and ground based launcher flew up at the attacking terrorists. He saw one Phantom Task IS explode as an MBT's shot struck its shields, which had already taken several hits. There was no chute, only a cloud of smoke and debris.
Soon, the fight began to spread, and Ichika watched as one of the Phantom Task IS units, the design of which somewhat resembled a spider, slammed an MPIS in the Blue Angels' regalia into the ground right in front of the hotel. A flicker of blue signaled the American IS' shields dying, and Ichika watched, fists clenched, as the spiderlike IS drove one of its legs into the pilot's chest before ripping out the red stained limb in a shower of gore. He saw the cruel smile on the terrorist's face as she disemboweled her opponent, he saw the woman's tongue flick out, tasting the blood that now covered her face, causing her smile to grow.
That was when Ichika decided that the woman could not be considered human. No human could do something like that to another, he thought. The woman was nothing but a rabid animal, drunk on the power given to her by the machine she wielded.
Ichika's fingers were drawing blood from his palms now, his fists were clenched so tightly. His right hand suddenly opened, and he felt down his foot, his hand coming to rest at the knife strapped to his right leg, concealed by his long pants. He drew the blade, startling Dan, the boy nervously moving away as he saw his childhood friend drawing a wicked looking combat knife from what seemed like nowhere.
Ichika's eyes were closed at the moment as he fought the urge to go outside, armed with nothing but a knife and do something! He knew that his opponents had IS suits that would have made his knife about as useful as a twig in combat, he knew that doing so would mean certain death...
Slowly, he forced the urge to fight down, but his right hand remained clenched around the knife while his left brought the binoculars up to his eyes once more.
The situation at the harbor had changed. Several black IS suits had emerged from underwater and were in the process of engaging the American armor and infantry on the ground. Several black mech suits lay on the ground in various states of disrepair. Two were blasted into several large pieces, likely victims of the American tanks' main guns, while another was mostly intact. Its shield had likely been dropped by tank fire and a lucky infantryman had taken the opportunity to pump its pilot full of bullets. Soon, only one terrorist IS remained standing on the ground, and it was clearly a True IS unit. Where the others were simple first generation MPIS units that could be handled by the sheer volume of tanks present, this True IS withstood the incoming bombardment with almost contemptuous ease. At least, it could until a black MPIS wreck slammed into it from above. The perpetrator of this unusual attack, the dark blue American True IS, was close behind, and slammed the black TIS against the ground. The American's gun fired for nearly five seconds flat, the bright blue beam leaving an afterimage in Ichika's eyes, even at such a distance. The end result was a dead Terrorist and a wrecked IS. That seemed to be the turning point of the battle, as suddenly the Terrorist forces stopped firing and turned, accelerating away. Several wings of American IS suits pursued, and the few remaining black MPIS units fell from the sky within minutes. However, the American forces were too slow to catch the fleeing TIS units belonging to the Terrorists, and the three remaining Phantom Task operatives soon faded into the distance.
"Cowards." Ichika hissed out.
"What?" Dan asked.
"I said that they are nothing more than a bunch of cowards! As soon as they see that their target can fight back, they flee with their tails between their legs!" Ichika roared.
"I-Ichika!" Ran stuttered, backing away. That caused Ichika to look down at his right hand, which still brandished the knife he had drawn earlier. Sighing, he sheathed the weapon.
"Your sister..." Dan said suddenly.
"What about Chifuyu-nee?" Ichika asked.
"For a moment, you reminded me of her... like really reminded me!" Dan said.
"Sorry... I was just so angry, watching and not being able to do anything!" Ichika said, his voice drained of anger and now simply exhausted. Just then his phone rang.
"Change of plans Ichika. Meet me at the hotel we checked into. We're leaving." Raymond's voice sounded out on the other end.
"I understand." Ichika said quickly. Hanging up, he turned to the Gotanda family.
"I need to go. The Old Man says we're leaving."
"Goodbye Ichika..." Ran said sadly.
"See ya soon." Dan tried to sound cheerful, but failed miserably.
"I'll remember our promise Ran. Goodbye everyone." Ichika said, a weak smile on his face, before he walked out the door. He soon walked out into the empty street, and tried and failed to ignore the bloodstained wreckage that had once been an IS. As he passed it, he paused. The pilot's head was still intact and hung out of the wreck at an impossible angle. Its features were frozen, not in fear or pain, but in a visage of absolute hatred. That expression burned itself into the young boy's memory as he swore then and there that he would personally see the woman's killer brought to justice... or dead. At that moment, he didn't particularly care which.
The ride back to Urup HQ was spent in silence.
The darkness did nothing to hide the opulence of the upper-class hotel suite inside of which the three Phantom Task operatives knelt in silence. All three women faced a screen and transmitter combination, the screen displaying a face shrouded in shadow. It was the visage of their organization's leader.
"The mission failed, master." A beautiful woman with golden colored hair and shockingly crimson eyes spoke first.
"That was to be expected. After all, your leader attacked Pearl Harbor, one of the most well defended areas in the world, with nothing more than a handful of MPIS units and four True IS suits. Her death simply proved Darwin right." The leader's synthesized voice replied. No emotion was apparent.
"That is clear, master, but as a result of Waterfall's rash actions, the three of us are all that remain of our cell. What are our orders?" Another woman, this one tall and slender with white hair asked.
"Your orders will be relayed to you shortly. However, I am more curious about the reason behind Waterfall's sudden bout of idiocy. She always struck me as one of the more level headed members of your little group." The heads in the room turned to the third occupant, a young orange haired woman, her clothes bloodstained, their owner still in her teens, knowing exactly what their leader was referring to. Little Autumn was quite the psychopath, after all.
"I believe I know what was the cause. I believe she started planning something immediately after the annihilation of Pine cell during their kidnapping of one Orimura Ichika, as that was when she started sending us out on seemingly random sweeps across the Pacific. She was never one for sharing her reasons, but about three days ago she started talking to herself about 'Them' making a move, whoever 'They' are. That episode coincided with the incident in Saudi Arabia, where we were told that Israeli commandos disguised themselves as our operatives in order to steal a Saudi IS core. I believe she started planning for an attack on Pearl then." The crimson eyed beauty spoke again.
Their leader was silent for a few moments.
"I see." The shadowy visage paused in its speech. "It seems that Waterfall had the same suspicions as I do, namely that there is another force working in the shadows to oppose us. The Saudi Arabia incident only confirms both our suspicions in this matter. Squall, you said that Waterfall had you performing reconnaissance sweeps over the Pacific Ocean?"
"Yes, I believe she thought that 'They' operated out of a possible base in the islands south of Japan." The crimson eyed woman, Squall, replied.
"Hmm." Their leader seemed to be considering something. "Your orders are currently to go to ground and observe. Cease your reconnaissance sweeps, they will likely turn up nothing. Instead you are to search your area of Japan for evidence of this shadow organization's existence. Search the underworld, the hidden places, and most of all... keep an eye on little Ichika. If Waterfall's suspicions are correct, the boy has likely had some involvement with this organization in the past. They could have someone tailing him, keeping an eye out for attempts on his person. I entrust you, Squall, with this task. Consider yourself promoted to commander of Japan Cell Three, cell codename: Sakura."
"I will do my best, Master." Squall said simply.
"Good. Oh, and do remember to keep Autumn on a leash, her little stunt at Pearl has put her face all over various Most Wanted lists. I believe that the Americans are promising quite the reward for her capture... or her corpse." With those parting words, the Phantom's shadowy visage was replaced by static, and the screen was promptly turned off.
"Well Snowflake, looks like I'm in charge now." Squall smiled as she stood up.
"It seems you are." Snowflake replied, no emotion showing in her amber eyes.
"Shall we draw lots then, on who has to observe the snotty little kid?" Autumn piped up.
"No need. I will do it." Snowflake's face, previously impassive, now had a slight smile plastered on it.
"You always did like children..." Squall's face was nostalgic for a moment before it became serious once more. "Very well then, you will be observing the kid, while I'll handle the regular information search. I'll get in touch with Oak and Dogwood cells in the meantime, let them know about the change in leadership."
"What about me?" Autumn asked.
"You heard what the leader said, your face is plastered all over the most wanted lists of the world. You will have to lay low for a while. Besides..." As she spoke, Squall slowly moved behind the younger lady, her arms snaking around Autumn's growing body.
"I wouldn't want my precious little Autumn getting hurt now, would I?" Squall whispered sultrily into the orange haired teen's ears. Said teen was blushing like a schoolgirl at that point.
"Now let's go get you cleaned up. All that dried blood just doesn't look good on you!" The pair left the room, eager to get into the hotel room's shower, leaving Snowflake alone in the dark room. With a barely audible hiss, the white haired woman drew a well worn knife from her hip. The little smile on her face had grown into a full blown grin as she lost herself in the memories the knife brought back.
Ichika stood in the R&D room, clipboard in one hand and a pencil in the other, watching as Yukari Fujimura mounted the British prototype MPIS. As soon as the C-1 had landed, the IS had been taken below and a battery had been fitted into it overnight while Ichika lay in his bed at home, trying to sleep.
Now, the IS was ready for an assessment of its capabilities, and Ichika would be the one performing it. The specifications of the design had been sent electronically by Edmond Alcott, but Ichika wanted the pilot's opinion on the design.
With a barely audible hum, the IS started up.
"Any issues with startup?" Ichika asked, trying hard to keep his eyes on the test pilot's face rather than her scantly clad body. Ichika never understood why the IS pilot suits had to be so skimpy... No, he had to focus.
"No, startup went well. Better than well in fact, this thing starts twice as fast as our Raphael!" The pilot exclaimed. Ichika's pencil noted down the pilot's comment before he looked up from his clipboard.
"Now try moving the arms. Basic range of motion." The pilot did just that. He noticed the speed on the left arm was slightly faster than that on the right.
"The right arm is fine, but the left seems to be trying to overcompensate for my movements." Ichika made another note.
"Alright, now try walking." The IS began to walk, forward, back, and then to the sides.
"Everything normal here." Another note.
"Good. Try flying." The IS rose smoothly into the air. It hovered for a few moments before rising again and making a quick circle of the empty area of the R&D room. After about a minute, the unit landed beside Ichika again.
"Flight systems seem good, and there is next to no unnecessary movement while hovering." Ichika's pencil flew across the paper again.
"Alright, movement seems to check out. Now on to the weapon tests. Please proceed into the IS bay firing range." At that, the pilot laughed.
"What?" Ichika asked.
"Nothing, you just sounded a lot like Old Raymond right now." This caused Ichika to chuckle as well.
"Alright, moving on to weapons tests." The pair proceeded into the IS bay, passing the five MPIS units currently in storage. Three Uchiganes, one Raphael Revive, and a prototype of the new American Second Generation 'Peregrine' MPIS.
The pair proceeded into a long, narrow firing range adjacent to the IS storage bay, and the British built IS soon took up a firing position.
"What are the armaments of the IS designated Kestrel?" Ichika asked.
"The IS is armed with two shoulder mounted Free Electron Lasers (FEL) for use in the point defense and anti-aircraft roles. In addition, the IS is equipped with a 'liquid ammunition coilgun' rifle, which is its primary armament against other IS units." At that, the woman lifted then holstered said gun before reaching down to its hip and drawing a long, thin blade.
"Melee capability is provided by an electrically charged Hyper-Vibration Rapier." The woman swung the blade, which crackled with arcs of electricity.
"The HVR is light, fast, and likely effective against conventional military targets. However..." the weapon impacted a practice barrier that sprung up in the arena. "The weapon is not very effective against an IS defensive barrier, as the electricity is not present in sufficient volume to do damage and the blade itself is too light to carry significant force." Ichika took several more notes.
"Alright, now test out the FELs." At that, the two shoulder mounted pods swiveled to face the glowing barrier and a high pitched whine was the only indication the weapons were firing.
"These weapons are clearly not designed for use against other IS units, as while they are accurate and nearly impossible to dodge, they lack the power to do significant damage to IS shields, unless it is done for a sustained period of time. However, in their intended role of point defense, these weapons will likely excel." Ichika took another note before pressing a button on the wall next to him. Immediately, several brightly painted wooden balls shot through the air. The laser pods swiveled rapidly, and the balls were all burnt to a crisp in short order. Ichika took another note.
"Good. Now let's try out the rifle." At that, Yukari deactivated the laser pods and drew the weapon.
"Before testing the rifle, what is the status of your battery?" This caused Yukari to pause and then gasp.
"It's at 90% already! It was at 99% when I stopped using the sword... those lasers must be a huge energy drain." At that, Ichika took another note.
"Now try out the rifle." At that, there was the sound akin to several bullwhips cracking at once and a streak of superheated ferrofluid shot across the range and splashing against the barrier. The stream petered out after about ten second of continuous fire.
"Can you shoot again?" Ichika asked.
"No, the ammo's already drained." The woman frowned. "Battery just went down ten percent as well." Ichika made a note, then looked at the screen indicating the barrier's status.
"Whoa... that weapon was powerful enough to inflict significant damage even to the barrier of a True IS!" It was true, the barrier, and five others like it, had been deactivated during the firing test.
"If it had more ammo, it could very well have taken one out." Yukari mused, before turning to Ichika.
"Once you figure out a way to get more ammo into that thing, I call first dibs." The woman smiled.
"Good, I'll remember that. Now, the test is over. Let's get that thing back into storage." Ichika turned and left the firing range, Yukari following in her IS. Once she reached the IS storage bay, the pilot clambered out of her vehicle and watched as it was lifted into its storage alcove. She then turned and saw Ichika, the boy trying hard not to stare at her.
"Like what you see?" The IS pilot asked, striking a pose and causing Ichika's face to turn a deep scarlet.
"W-wha-say-" Ichika stuttered.
"Aww, I think I broke him." The woman smirked, walking up to the eleven year old and patting him on the head. "You're a nice kid. You'll be famous someday, if not out in the world, then at least in here." The woman gestured towards the surrounding building. Then, she went and entered a small side room, emerging a minute later dressed in her regular uniform.
"See ya later, Ichika-kun!" At that, the woman left the room, leaving Ichika alone within.
That night, a white haired woman stood atop a skyscraper, watching through her IS' hyper-sensor as Ichika and an older man disembarked from the helicopter. The man looked familiar, but Snowflake disregarded it. She had more important things to worry about than the identity of her victims, after all.
Squall's orders echoed in her mind. "Tail but do not kill." Simple, and full of loopholes. After all, death was the least of Ichika's worries when she was around. She quickly descended to the ground floor, a partial deployment slowing her fall, and watched, leaning against the WSI tower's wall, as her quarry and his guard exited the tower. The guard stood, looking around, as the boy boarded a taxi. The man's gaze passed over her, barely giving her a glance. She smiled as the man spoke to his charge while boarding the taxi, and soon Snowflake was following the pair from the roofs, her partially deployed IS allowing her to make death defying leaps in pursuit of her prey.
Her smile grew as she imagined what she would do to the boy. Seeing him wake up with his guard's head in his bed was particularly appealing to her, and she soon watched as the guard and her target parted ways. The guard looked around, gaze passing over her once again, as if she was unimportant. Snowflake smiled at that. The man was clearly not good at his job.
She followed the man from a distance, one hand at her knife's hilt as her mind began to fill with images of flowing blood and steaming entrails. Her prey turned onto a nearly deserted street, before making another turn into a back alley. Snowflake's smile, already wide, grew to nearly inhuman proportions. She turned into the alley, and saw that it continued down for a short while. She saw her prey turn a corner at the end, the path he had taken leading to a lower class brothel.
She hurried after him, and turned the corner. The last thing Snowflake saw was the already raised barrel of her quarry's gun, and the twitch of the man's finger on the trigger. Before her life was ended, all she heard was a silenced gunshot.
Giorgi Stukanov looked down at the woman whose head he had just put a bullet through.
"Did you really forget my face after all these years? Or if you did remember me, were you really so foolish as to think I wouldn't remember you, Lyudmila?" The Ex-Spetsnaz kicked the body once before getting down on one knee and began to search the body of the woman he had hunted for three years.
Between joining the Organization and being discharged from the military, Giorgi had done bounty hunting work for the Russian police, and the monster that lay dead in front of him was his only failure. Lyudmila Pederonova, a child murderess that had cut a bloody swathe through several orphanages in Kiev, Moscow, and St. Petersburg before finally disappearing in Petropavlovsk after Giorgi had hunted her across the country.
A quick search of her body revealed few belongings, among them a True IS in stored configuration, taking the form of a ring on the index finger, a well worn and wicked looking knife, and finally, an old and worn picture of a young boy with white hair and amber eyes.
Stukanov left the corpse where it lay after taking a quick picture of the body and a sample of the woman's hair for evidence. He had a few calls to make regarding the IS he had obtained, and another call was needed to claim the bounty.
He paused as he was leaving the alley and looked down at the woman's knife in his gloved hand. Raising his arm back, he threw the wicked instrument at the body of its owner, striking the corpse directly in the heart. Just in case.
For Ichika, the next ten months blurred together as he worked on the Kestrel. He had stripped out one of the FEL arrays, and mounted the remaining one in a more centralized location, directly over the pilot's head in an assembly that somewhat resembled a hood. This reduced the power drain, while still allowing the laser to act in its intended role. Any blind spots created by the hood were eliminated through a few tweaks to the Hyper-Sensor, and the ammo problem present in the ferrofluid gun was somewhat fixed by the addition of a pair of extra storage tanks on the back of the IS where the power conduits and targeting systems for the laser arrays were once located. Now, Ichika was sweating hard as he operated a pair of remote manipulator arms in an attempt to fix the problem with the left arm's overcompensation. While the job wasn't particularly strenuous physically speaking, a single mistake, a single component even a millimeter out of place, would mean undoing several days' worth of work.
Fortunately for him, Ichika's luck held and nearly an hour later Ichika wiped the sweat off his brow as he re-attached the arm's covering plating and retracted the manipulator arms.
"Alright Yukari, time for another test run. Hopefully it's fixed this time around." Ichika called the woman over the newly issued devices that had been given to all organization members. Said devices were small, flat boxes, somewhat resembling the new American I-phone 10 that had just come out. Of course, Raymond, the mastermind behind the design, had boasted that he had 'Removed the factor of Planned Obsolescence" and created something that made the Apple design look like a plastic brick. Ichika wasn't quite sure it was that much more advanced, but it was certainly better than the I-phone 9 that he had seen Dan playing with several months back.
Sighing, Ichika walked over to the IS and waited for the test pilot to arrive. He removed the stuffy gloves that kept his hands confined and once again ran his hand over his forehead. Tiredly, he leaned against the closest surface, which happened to be the Kestrel IS. Unbeknownst to him, it was the first time his bare skin had made contact with an IS, as he had always used remote manipulators or gloves to work with it before.
The next few moments were a blur. All he remembered was a soft glow of light, the exclamations of the nearby engineers, and his own shock at the IS responding to him.
"I-Ichika-kun..." He heard Yukari's voice. He looked towards her and saw the woman standing a few feet away, eyes wide in shock. "The IS... Try that again!"
Ichika complied, and cautiously poked the IS again. Another soft hum emanated from the machine, while the soft glow of instruments activating denoted that he had indeed activated an IS suit. Only problem was, one of his chromosomes was a Y.
All thoughts of testing forgotten, Yukari took charge.
"Ichika, try getting into the IS." The twelve year old complied, and he soon clambered into the MPIS prototype he had been adjusting mere minutes before.
"Allright, what's going on... here..." Raymond's voice trailed off as he saw Ichika inside an active IS.
"We don't know, The IS just activated when Ichika made contact!" Yukari explained, before turning to Ichika.
"Alright Ichika-kun, the IS hasn't shut down so you're clearly compatible with it. Try to walk now." Yukari said, stepping back.
"How?" Ichika asked, noticing the pilot's hasty retreat.
"Just try to walk normally and let the IS do the rest." Ichika did as he was told. Immediately, the mech suit's right foot lifted itself high off the ground, too high Ichika realized, and with a deafening CRASH! the foot slammed down into the floor, leaving a noticeable dent as Ichika tried to prevent his suit from tipping over. Looking over to Yukari, he saw her eyes widening to what he thought were impossible proportions.
"He made it move! It took me three days just to make my first IS twitch and he's already taken his first step!" He heard her muttering to herself. The part of his mind that wasn't in shock at the moment deduced that the Hyper-sensor had activated and enhanced his hearing.
Ichika decided to try the walking thing again, and once again, the foot came up and down, softer this time around. Another step was taken, and then another. That was when he first heard the applause. It started with one or two of the observing engineers and slowly spread itself around until everyone in the room was cheering. That was when Jason Weiss ran into the room.
"I have orders from up top." The man said as he ran up to Ichika.
"And they are?" Raymond said.
"Welcome to the IS corps Orimura Ichika. Your training begins tomorrow." The man spoke.
"Now hold on a minute, Ichika is part of my department! You can't just steal him away from-"
"We have six intact IS suits, one of which is a TIS. We only have three trained pilots, and Ichika's projected Compatibility Score surpasses them all. You do the math. Besides, we're not planning on taking him away from your department completely. If his compatibility score is half as good as our estimates put it, he's gonna be helping you design his personal IS. We do have a spare core, right?" Jason spoke.
"That core is currently being studied! I can't just give it away! Not when I'm so damn close to a breakthrough!"
"Then make that breakthrough fast. You have one year, during which Ichika here will be undergoing training under Senior Pilot Fujimura." At that, the man pointed to Yukari.
"He'll be using one of our MPIS units during the first phase of his training, but command wants him to have been trained on his own personal unit three years from now."
"And why is that?"
"Because the people up top are thinking ahead. In three years he will be old enough to enter IS academy. We'll stage a big reveal a few days before then and as he is, to the best of our knowledge, the ONLY male IS pilot in the world, his entry is all but guaranteed. And you know who makes infrequent visits to the IS academy!"
"How do you know that She will be there?"
"Kind of hard to miss a giant fucking carrot falling out of the sky!" That declaration caused Raymond to pause, fists clenched. After what seemed like an eternity, the man growled out his reply.
"Objection withdrawn. Welcome to the IS corps, Ichika. Don't think that I will ease up on you just because you can fly what you build. However, you are no longer required to modify the Kestrel to fit an IS core. Instead, once you have completed your work there you are to get to work designing and building your own IS. You have a year." With those words, the aged doctor stormed off.
"Sorry you had to see that." Jason turned to Ichika and reached into his pocket, pulling out another badge. The shield on this particular one bore the insignia of the Organization IS corps, namely an IS arm holding a gun.
"Once again, welcome to the IS corps, Orimura Ichika." The officer reached up, and handed the patch to the new IS pilot.
"Thanks..." Ichika said softly as he accepted his new assignment. A few moments later he spoke again.
"How do I get out of this?"
"Oh, that's easy. Either pull the emergency ejection lever behind your right ear, which I don't recommend, or lean forward and think of getting out." Yukari replied, and Ichika did as he was told... and fell flat on his face as a result.
"You forgot to lower the IS to exit position. While this flaw only ever happens while you are on the ground, you should always remember to lower the IS before attempting to dismount. It makes it harder to get back in as well." Yukari indicated, and Ichika saw that the pilot's station was far above his height.
"Sorry." Ichika said.
"Don't worry, it's a common mistake that beginners make, and I doubt you're eager to repeat it!" The woman chuckled before continuing.
"Tomorrow morning you will be working with me. The weekdays will remain Raymond's domain, while I'll take the weekends. I'll iron out the schedule by the end of the day. As for you, I think it's almost time for you to return home. Get some sleep, you'll need it." Yukari patted Ichika on the back before turning to leave.
That night, Ichika tried his best to follow the older pilot's advice.
While Ichika was trying his best to fall asleep, a certain old scientist was wide awake.
Raymond White growled in frustration as a breakthrough continued to elude him. Casting another glare at the large black box in the center of the room, the doctor turned to his next experiment, this one involving the IS deployment system. The IS was 'deployed' by transferring the suit itself from a miniature pocket dimension via a rift opened through the power of the core.
He growled again at the core contained within the black box of IMA, or Impermeable Material A. It was his own design, being completely impervious to any and all forms of electromagnetic radiation. The IMA box was in turn hovering in the middle of a vaccum to prevent sound from reaching the core. A modified version of the IS impulse drive kept the device afloat. These were just a few of the many safeguards that Raymond had taken to prevent the AI within from interfering and activating the core's failsafes.
Raymond almost felt a twinge of pity for the poor synthetic being that he had trapped in total sensory deprivation, but it was a necessary evil. After all, if an AI with a device capable of opening rifts between dimensions wasn't able to escape from this confinement, then... Raymond's thoughts screeched to a halt.
A device capable of breaching the barrier between dimensions. The IS Deployment System. It all fit! After all, if a power source strong enough to power an IS was impossible in this universe, then one simply had to look elsewhere! The only problem was that there was no way of getting enough power to open up a dimensional rift to start said search...
Another epiphany. While even the new fusion reactors couldn't produce anywhere near enough power to deploy an IS, there was one method of power generation even more effective than Nuclear fusion. Matter-Antimatter Annihilation. The only problem was that while matter was present in abundance, antimatter was a near impossibility, the substance being even more valuable pound for pound than an IS core in the world. He doubted that enough antimatter existed in the world to generate the power needed for an IS deployment.
A third epiphany came, as if through divine providence. A genius of That Woman's caliber probably had a way to generate enough antimatter to jump-start her first core and open up a better source of said material! That core would then be used to activate the others! He already had a way of getting the antimatter he needed for his own core sitting right beside him all this time!
A smile on his face, Raymond White sat down and began to hurriedly write out his findings on a simple piece of lined paper. This particular workshop was completely cut off from the rest of the world, which meant no internet access, and he was cautious about even typing out his findings just in case the core could still somehow remotely access the device.
His hypothesis was soon written down, and the aged man fell asleep soon after. Finally, after all these years, he was one step closer to his goal.
A/N: And that is a wrap! While I'm not too sure about the way this chapter began, I do believe that by the end it has more than made up for its rocky start.
Now, regarding the way I treat Dr. Tabane in this story, I do believe that she has her own agenda, all her eccentricities aside. She was, after all, the woman who shot enough nuclear missiles to cause Armageddon a hundred times over at Japan as part of a publicity stunt. Not to mention how, when she introduced Akatsubaki in the Anime, she fired a rack full of live missiles at her sister without hesitation. Then of course there is how she hacked the Gospel and caused it to go on a rampage with its pilot still inside as way of letting Houki prove herself. Finally, and this is easily the most incriminating of them all, she made an advanced IS, possibly a fourth generation model, for a known terrorist organization all the while knowing full well what that IS would be used for.
Given these occurrences, I can understand why, canonically speaking, she is at the top of the world's most wanted list. If Chifuyu could figure out she was behind the nuclear missile launch and the Gospel incident, then other nations can do so as well. They may not have concrete proof of her guilt, but she was involved to the degree that she could be brought in for questioning about the incident.
Now that my treatment of Dr. Tabane is explained, I would like to thank all of you who have read this story and reviewed. Even if the review was something as simple as 'Good Job Me Like', it's the reviews that keep me writing and allowed me to get this chapter out so quickly.
Next chapter will see the IS academy.
EDIT: Just re-uploaded the chapter after fixing some grammatical errors that I found after a quick read-through. Sorry about the inconvenience.