A/N: I'm glad all you readers are enjoying the story. Now, before I start rambling, on with the show!
Chapter 6
The inside of the cavernous room was dark, lit only by sparsely placed floodlights. In the center of the room, a large, black machine that vaguely resembled an IS was being loaded into a large shipping container. Its creator, a tall, golden haired man with crimson eyes, watched impassively as the Golem Prototype was slowly folded into a more compact configuration for easier storage.
"Dr. Meusel, the preparations are complete. Is there anything else you wish to do with the Golem, sir?" A young man, barely out of his teens, reported somewhat nervously.
"Why should I? It is but a prototype that has already outlived its usefulness to me. Its only purpose now is to be destroyed in the most effective way possible." Dr. Aaron Meusel replied dismissively.
"Then shall we finish loading it?" The tech replied.
"Of course!" The doctor shouted, and his subordinate scurried away, relaying his orders to the rest of the team.
Behind the red eyed doctor, the room's entrance swung open and a woman entered. Although she didn't look the part, Aaron knew that the woman was easily over forty years old.
"So, how is life Ori?" The doctor asked.
"Do not call me that. You will address me by my full name and rank." The tall, black haired woman replied as she stepped into the light beside the doctor. Even at her age, her body could easily be considered beautiful, although the beauty was marred by a long, ragged scar that began up above her right ear and extended all the way down her face, cutting clean through her right eye, which was now covered by a simple black patch. Aaron knew that the scar did not stop at her face though, and continued across her neck before finally ending down at her left hip.
"But Sub-Commander Orimura Reikou is quite a mouthful." The doctor replied.
"Hmph. I assume the package is ready for deployment?" Reikou asked.
"Of course."
"Will it perform according to your specifications?"
"I know it will, although I really do not expect much of it. Given how simple the control system is, I wouldn't be surprised if a semi-competent IS trainee would be able to defeat it without a problem. Not that I mind its destruction, of course. The Golem Mk. I's will surpass it in every possible manner, and they are able to be mass produced, unlike this primitive pile of scrap."
"I am not surprised if it does end up defeated by a semi-competent IS trainee, given where it is being deployed." The doctor laughed at that.
"Its only purpose is to test the strength of the Academy's defenses. The fact that you will be using it for your little vendetta is just a bonus." Reikou's face twisted into a scowl at Aaron's words.
"Do not remind me of my mistake, Meusel. I only keep you around because of your usefulness in the Golem project."
"Oh? Are you sure that it isn't out of love for your late sister?"
"What you and my sister got up to in your spare time outside of the lab is none of my concern, your two daughters even less so. No, you are only alive right now because both myself and the Master have our uses for you."
"You wound me, Ori! Oh, and by the way, how is my eldest daughter? I heard that you were in Japan just a few months ago, and that is where little Squall is stationed, and she never writes! It's almost as if she doesn't care for her poor father!"
"Operative Squall has proven her worth to the Organization by launching a successful attack on the Sarashiki family two years ago. I heard that the only survivors of the main family were the two daughters, one of whom was absent, while the other escaped thanks to the sacrifice of her parents."
"Aww, looks like my little daughter is all grown up! It seems as if it was only yesterday that she was little more than a fetus in a test tube under my instruments!" This statement caused Reiko to shudder slightly. Unlike her sister, she had standards, after all.
"Of course, the Sarashiki family is small fry compared to some of our potential opponents. After all, their organization has a face that we can target." Reiko said.
"Ah yes, 'Them'. A mysterious organization that has agents practically everywhere, and has already attacked and eliminated several of our cells around the globe, leaving no evidence behind save for the stripped and shot up bases. If I didn't know any better, I would say that you were talking about the Illuminati."
"Hmph. You know that They are the reason we are rushing the Golems into production. It is because of Them that you still have your job."
"I understand. Now, I believe the goods are ready for transport. I trust you will take care of my daughter's delayed birthday present?" Aaron spoke.
"I will deliver it safely, although whether Operative Squall gets to set eyes upon it depends on the time we make. If it takes too long to transport it, we might simply launch it while we are en route."
"Of course, of course. Just get that ugly thing out of my sight. I have its more elegant brethren to work on, after all!" Reikou's only response was a grunt before she walked out towards the shipping container, the people surrounding it scurrying fearfully out of her path. Soon, the crate was gone, being lifted up towards the submarine pens up near the roof of the underwater complex that was the Phantom Task HQ. By the time the crate was loaded into a supply submarine, however, the scientist that had crafted the Golem within was already working on his next project.
The next day Ichika found himself walking to class when he caught a flash of blue out of the corner of his eye. However, when he turned to face it, he saw nothing. Deciding to play it safe, he reached down, pretending to tie his shoe while he was in fact slipping his sheathed knife into his sleeve. Soon, he stood up, catching another flash of blue as he did so, but he pretended to ignore it this time around, and simply headed back to his classroom.
Entering Classroom 1-1, Ichika heard the students within discussing the upcoming tournament.
"Say, did you know that the representative for Class 2 was changed?" One of the girls asked Ichika as he entered.
"Yeah, I heard that she was replaced by a new transfer student." Another girl commented.
"A transfer student? Already?" Ichika asked.
"Yeah, I heard that she transferred in from China."
"That might mean that she is a Representative Candidate. Her Personal IS likely needed some final adjustments, hence the delay."
"Oh? Maybe she has become aware of my existence and has decided to transfer in to pay homage." Cecilia said.
"Does anyone know who she is?" Ichika asked.
"Hmm, not really... but if she is really a representative candidate then she will likely be a powerful opponent." One of the girls around him replied.
"That is correct." A familiar voice called out from the room's entrance, causing everyone to turn towards the speaker.
"The Class Representative of Class 2 is indeed the Chinese Representative Candidate. You will not have an easy win." The girl said.
"Rin? Is that you?" Ichika asked the Chinese girl.
"Of course! My name is Huang Lingyin, and I am the Representative Candidate of China! Today, I am here to declare war!" Rin declared, causing whispers to break out around the classroom.
"Ichika? Who is this?" Cecilia turned to him.
"Rin! That cool act really doesn't suit you!" Ichika replied.
"What? Why do you say that?" Rin exclaimed, but the conversation was cut short by a familiar fist coming down on top of the twin tailed girl's head.
"Oww..." Rin moaned, before turning around. "What was that... for..." She trailed off as she saw the woman standing behind her.
"It is now time for a short homeroom period." Chifuyu announced as she entered the room.
"Chifuyu-san..." Rin said timidly.
"It's Orimura-sensei. Go back to class, you are being a bother." Chifuyu said as she walked past.
"S-Sorry..." Rin stuttered out before turning to the class.
"Don't you dare run away Ichika! I will come back for you!" Rin said before turning and heading back to her own room.
"Well... this tournament just got interesting." Ichika said simply.
After class, Ichika found himself in one of the training arenas, wondering exactly how Cecilia and Houki had managed to coerce him into training with them. He and Cecilia had both deployed their respective IS suits, while Houki had clambered into one of the Academy's Uchigane suits, and was now arguing with Cecilia about who would be training Ichika.
"Well then Ichika, let us begin!" Houki said, drawing her sword.
"Alright." Ichika replied simply, turning to face her.
"Wait a moment! The one who will be training Ichika is me!" Cecilia said as she raised her rifle.
"Wait what?" Ichika asked.
"Prepare yourself Ichika!" Houki said, igniting her Uchigane's thrusters and charging,
"Your opponent will be me!" Cecilia declared, and opened fire. It appeared that Ichika would have two opponents to contend with.
"Wait, menage a trois? Not that I mind, but..." Whatever Ichika was going to say was lost as he dodged out of the way of an enraged Houki's opening strike.
The two girls were clearly upset with him from earlier, although he honestly couldn't see why. After all, he had simply been catching up with Rin over lunch, and mentioned that he had gone over to her house for dinner... Then it hit him, and he groaned, just as he dodged out of the way of Houki's second strike, putting her between him and Cecilia. The English Representative promptly attempted to fire over Houki's shoulder at him, but the girl's constant movements put her in Cecilia's line of fire, causing her to get hit in the back.
"Watch it!" Houki called out, before a pair of knife missiles materialized and streaked towards her,
"What do you mean? You were in my line of fire! It's not my fault you got hit!" Cecilia screamed, while another two knife missiles accelerated towards her.
"It's not my fault you can't aim!" Houki replied as she tried and failed at evading the incoming drones. In response, Cecilia shot at her, striking her directly on the chest.
"See? I can aim perfectly fine!"
"Why you...!" Houki charged at the blonde, completely forgetting about her initial opponent. Ichika simply sighed and sat back, leaning his IS against the arena wall.
"So what did you two learn today?" Ichika asked as he stood over the other two girls, who lay exhausted on the ground. The two had fought each other to a standstill in their IS suits until their ADS systems had both triggered, either as a result of their actions or from Ichika taking occasional potshots. Then Cecilia had stored away her IS, while Houki quickly dismounted hers, and the two continued their catfight on the ground.
"Let's just call it a day for now..." Cecilia panted from where she lay.
"Yeah..." Houki replied, equally exhausted.
"I guess I'll see you later then!" Ichika replied cheerfully as he walked away from where the two girls lay.
"Oh, and Houki? Since you don't seem to be getting up any time soon, I will be using the shower first today. Is that alright?" Ichika asked.
"Fine..." Houki panted.
Ichika quickly changed in the locker room, and was about to exit when he was met by Rin, the girl offering him both compliments and a sports drink.
"Congratulations Ichika! Two on one and you left them both exhausted on the ground!" Rin didn't seem to notice the double entendre.
"Thanks Rin." Ichika replied as he sat down, the girl sitting beside him.
"We're finally all alone together..." Rin broke the silence between them.
"It looks like it." Ichika said, a faint feeling of dread building up inside of him.
"Were you lonely after I left, Ichika?" Rin asked.
"Well... I did miss you, even though I still had to spend most of my time working." Ichika said, causing Rin to frown.
"I know... but now that we're both here, we can start spending time together like we used to!" Rin said.
"I do hope that we can be friends again." Ichika sighed, remembering how he and Rin had started to drift apart once he had started spending most of his time with the Organization.
"I hope so too... Say, do you remember the promise we made?" Rin asked.
"The one where you said that if you got better at cooking, then I would eat your sweet and sour pork everyday?" Ichika said absentmindedly, before his mind froze.
"Oh no..." He muttered, cursing his blockheadedness as a child. Back then, he had interpreted the promise as simply meaning free food, but now...
"What is it Ichika?"
"Well, I have to go now. I need to use the shower in my room before Houki arrives." Ichika said.
"Showering? Houki? What do you mean? What do they have to do with each other?" Rin demanded.
"Well, she is my roommate, so we use the same shower, although at different times. Honestly, I'm glad that it's her there and not a complete stranger, otherwise it would be a lot more uncomfortable for me." Ichika said, not really thinking about what he was saying, as he was more focused on getting out of the room before Rin insisted that he make good on his promise.
"So it's all fine if it's a childhood friend?" Rin said.
"Yeah... I need to go now though, before Houki comes up and sees that I haven't started my shower yet." Ichika said, and left the room.
"So anyway, since we're both Ichika's childhood friends, will you switch rooms with me?" Rin spoke from the entryway of room 1025 several hours later.
"Are you kidding me? Why would I?" Houki demanded.
"Well, you wouldn't want to be sleeping in the same room as a man now would you, Shinonono-san?" Rin asked.
"Hmph. I am perfectly fine with my current sleeping arrangements. Also, this is strictly between me and Ichika!"
"It's fine! After all, I'm also his childhood friend! Wouldn't you agree, Ichika?"
"Don't bring me into this!" Ichika shouted.
"Anyway, I am not switching rooms with you, and that is final!" Houki declared, and Rin was silent for a moment.
"Say, Ichika, do you remember the promise you made me? The one you remembered earlier today?" Rin said, causing Ichika to freeze.
"Rin... I didn't know what the promise meant when I made it!" He replied.
"But you still made it, didn't you? So I believe that it is time for you to keep it!" Rin said, walking up to him.
"Oaths made before age ten don't work like that! It's common sense!" Ichika said, taking a page from Houki's book.
"You still promised Ichika!"
"But I thought you were just offering to cook for me!" That caused Rin's face to contort in rage, and Ichika didn't have time to dodge the incoming slap.
"You're the worst! Guys who don't keep the promises they make can't be considered men! Get bitten by a dog and die, idiot!" With those words, Rin stormed out of the room. Just before exiting, she turned and spoke once more.
"You better be ready at the inter-class tournament! I will make you keep your promise!" Then, Rin slammed the door shut, leaving Ichika alone with Houki.
Ichika noticed that Houki was also glaring at him.
"Get kicked by a horse and die, Ichika!" Houki said, before turning away.
Several days passed before the tournament began, and Ichika noticed that he would be fighting Rin right off the bat in the first match. As Ichika made his way to the arena however, his phone rang. He saw that it was Maya calling him, and quickly ducked into a nearby bathroom. Seeing that he was alone, he picked up.
"Ichika, we have incoming." The green haired teacher spoke.
"What? What do you mean by that?" Ichika asked.
"Radar has just detected an IS of unknown design being launched from a submarine in the Pacific Ocean about two hundred miles from the coast of Japan. It is headed for IS academy, and is painted in Phantom Task colors. ETA is in around ten minutes."
"Just one IS?" Ichika asked.
"Yes. It is likely a probing attack meant to test the Academy's defenses. I want you to delay your match with Huang Lingyin until the unknown IS arrives, and then engage it should the initial defenses fail to stop it."
"Understood. Do we have any other information on the unknown IS?"
"No. We do not have visual, nor do we have anything capable of intercepting it in time."
"What about the submarine that launched it?"
"We have fighters inbound towards its last known location armed with anti-submarine warheads and sonar buoys, but we will likely not be there in time. However, we have more than enough range capability on our fighters to search the area until we find them."
"I see then. I will extend my battle with Rin until the IS arrives." Ichika said.
"Good luck." Maya said simply before hanging up.
With those words, Ichika exited the bathroom and went to the Arena deployment tunnel. At the entrance, he saw Rin already waiting for him out in the arena, her IS, the ShenLong deployed around her.
He deployed his own IS, and promptly contacted Ori.
"Ori, you know what to do. Swap out the railgun for the twin barreled plasma gun we based off of Cecilia's weapon. Then swap out the FEL for the railgun, we won't be needing it for dealing with Rin." Ichika ordered, and the AI complied, the requested modifications being quickly made. Cecilia gasped as she saw his new arm mounted weapon.
"Hey, that's my rifle!" She exclaimed.
"I based it off of yours, so it should bear quite the resemblance. My railgun was somewhat lacking in stopping power, so I decided on a replacement." Ichika said as he prepared to launch.
"Good luck, Ichika." Houki simply spoke.
"You're using my weapons, so there is no way you can lose!" Cecilia cheered.
"Thank you." Ichika replied, before boosting into the arena. Enemy ETA: Seven minutes.
"Both of you, please move to your starting positions." The announcer spoke.
"If you apologize now, I won't make it as painful on you!" Rin taunted as she flew up.
"Ori, start analysis of one of those drones above her shoulder. They contain her impact cannons." Ichika said privately, before turning on his speaker.
"There is no need to hold back." Ichika said simply, weapons trained on target.
"Let me warn you now that the Absolute Defense is not perfect. A strong enough or strange enough attack can and will get through it." Rin warned.
"I know that. Let us begin." Ichika said, and the announcer mirrored his words.
At that, Rin drew a large scimitar from her back, the weapon glowing red as energy coursed through it. Ichika, however, was already firing, aiming for the Impact Cannon that was not being analysed. However, ShenLong was clearly a much more agile IS than Blue Tears, and Rin managed to either avoid or deflect the incoming barrage. However, Ichika kept firing, forcing Rin on the defensive with superior ranged firepower.
However, Rin was capable of returning fire a well, and an invisible projectile slammed into Ichika's shield, causing it to slowly tick down. It was followed closely by another, but by then Ichika had deployed a hexagonal shield from the emitter on his wrist, and watched the barrier ripple as Rin's shots were absorbed. While his shield drones couldn't detect the incoming fire, he could easily judge its trajectory.
"Analysis complete. Estimated Fabrication Time: Five Minutes." Ori reported.
"What's the enemy ETA?" Ichika asked.
"Four minutes and twenty two seconds." Ori replied.
"Then get building. I want the impact cannon mounted on a shield drone chassis." Ichika said.
"Understood. It will be done in five minutes and thirty seconds."
"Come closer Ichika! Or are you scared?" Rin said as she continued to weave through his barrage, taking an occasional hit, but surviving. Ichika did not reply though, instead he simply intensified his barrage.
"Why isn't he deploying drones like he did against me?" Cecilia asked as she watched the battle.
"ShenLong is a melee oriented IS, and is thus much less vulnerable to knife drones than your own unit, Miss Alcott." Chifuyu replied as she watched the match. The black haired woman's eyes were focused on the railgun on her brother's shoulder, the weapon's barrels starting to glow red from continuous fire.
Suddenly, the weapon stopped shooting, and a cloud of vapor surrounded it as the railgun's cooling systems engaged. The barrage that had been flying at his opponent thinned, and Rin saw her chance. Where she had previously been simply dodging and returning fire, she was now steadily closing with Ichika, her two blades spinning and deflecting any shots that would have otherwise hit her. Her blade met Ichika's glowing shield, but while Ichika's IS was not damaged, it still sent him flying back towards the wall of the arena. Not once did he stop shooting though, and soon the railgun on his shoulder opened up once more, meaning that Rin had to break off the pursuit as the air filled with slugs and jets of plasma.
"Enemy ETA: Two Minutes. One of our pickets has gotten a brief visual, and sent the information." An image opened up in front of Ichika's eyes, showing a black IS with oversized arms and a fully armored pilot.
"What do you think?" Ichika asked as he continued to fire at Rin, simultaneously dodging out of an invisible barrage from her impact cannons.
"It seems to have next to no melee ability, and is armed exclusively for ranged combat. However... it looks strange, almost like one of the early first-gen IS units instead of a more modern one." Ori replied.
"Well then, I guess we will just have to wait and see." Ichika said simply, as he continued to fire.
"Damn it Ichika! Let me get closer so I can hit you with my sword!" Rin screamed in frustration a minute later as he kept firing at her with no sign of letting up.
"Not happening!" Ichika called back.
"Grr...!" Rin growled. Her shield had already been whittled down to less than half of what it was before the match started.
"Enemy ETA: Ten seconds! I have a visual!" Ori exclaimed a minute later, and then, with a thunderous explosion, the dome over the Arena was shattered, and a huge crater formed in the arena floor as something large and heavy impacted it.
"The match is cancelled! Orimura! Huang! Retreat at once!" Chifuyu called out over the loudspeakers, while blast shutters sealed away the stands, protecting the audience.
"Ichika! The match is over! We have to get out of here!" Rin called out, just as the smoke began to clear, and an ominous tone coming from his helmet speakers indicated that something had locked on to him.
"Ichika! Are you listening to me? You have to get out of here, I'll cover you!" Rin shouted.
"Rin! Get back!" Ichika shouted, just as a bright pink particle beam emanated from the smoke cloud, landing a direct hit on the Chinese Representative, and causing her IS to fall out of the sky, its ADS rendering it inoperable.
"Damn! Ori, launch drones! Take that thing out before it can fire again!"
"Will do!" Ori replied, and nearly fifty knife missiles and twice as many explosive drones appeared around Ichika, and accelerated into the smoke cloud. A second pink beam swept many out of the air, but the sound of explosions indicated the suicide drones reaching their target.
The blasts caused the smoke to clear, revealing a misshapen black IS, its pilot fully encased in armor. Five glowing red lights on its head indicated some form of sensory device, which even now stared straight at Ichika, the black IS lumbering around and turning to face him.
"Impact cannon drone complete. Deploying." The drone blossomed into realspace above Ichika's shoulder, just as Ichika opened fire on the IS with his other weapons.
"Ichika! What are you doing? You were ordered to leave the Arena!" Chifuyu shouted, but he ignored her, too focused on his opponent.
"Ichika! The IS is not manned! It's being controlled by an AI!" Ori exclaimed.
"What do you mean? There's clearly someone piloting it!" Ichika said as he blazed away, rolling out of the path of another particle beam.
"No, there isn't! There is definitely an AI in control of the thing. Just look at how it moves!" Ori said, and Ichika saw what she meant.
"Ichika! Get out of there!" He heard Cecilia cry out over the intercom. He ignored her.
That was when his opponent rose awkwardly into the air, being propelled upward by a pair of thrusters on its back.
"Who the hell designed that thing?" Ichika wondered to himself as it began firing off a rapid storm of tiny beams at him.
"Ichika! Can you hear me?" Ichika ignored Houki's voice as well, just as his remaining knife missiles caught the IS from behind, skipping off its shields and causing it to turn around, blasting away at the new threats and allowing Ichika to fire another barrage directly into its exposed back.
"Orimura-sensei! Please! Give me IS usage permission! I can go out and help him!" Cecilia begged as she watched Ichika's duel on the screen in front of her.
"I would love to do so, but that IS has done something. All gates into the arena are closed, as are all the exits. You couldn't reach him even with your IS." Chifuyu replied, her fists clenched as she watched her brother dodge another incoming blast before landing several hits on his slower opponent.
"Then call the government! Ask them for help!"
"By the time the JSDF mobilizes, the fight would already be over, one way or another. Plus, we cannot get a message through. The IS has jammed all incoming and outgoing signals from the IS academy."
"So nothing can get in or out?"
"Exactly."
That was when a beam of pink energy struck Ichika directly in the chest, easily halving his remaining shields.
"Damn, that was too close. Ori, I forgot to tell you this earlier, but I-"
"I love you too Ichika! No matter what happens, I will always stay by your side!" Ori replied dramatically, holographic tears on her avatar's face.
"No, nothing like that! Just disable the tournament limiters on my IS." Ichika said.
"Oh... alright." The AI said, and did as she was asked. With that, the Infinite Arsenal's ADS was disabled, and the power allocated to it was now funneled into the shields, which started regenerating at a steady rate.
"Thanks Ori. Now, let's send this thing back to the scrap heap where it belongs!" Ichika said, and he opened fire once more. Five cannons of three different types blazed away at the black IS, while a swarm of drones, both equipped with knives and explosives, materialized once more around him. He dodged out of the way of the black machine's return fire, and watched his explosive drones impact the enemy unit, one of the blasts sending sparks flying up from the unit's shoulder. The enemy shield was down.
Knife missiles shot forward, lacerating the hostile IS, one of them clipping the humanoid figure in the unit's center and causing a spray of scarlet liquid to fountain from the wound.
"What the hell?" Ichika muttered as he hovered over to the now disabled IS, shooting one of its arms when it twitched at him. A trickle of scarlet liquid poured from the newly created bullet hole as well.
"Ori, can you use your knife missiles to pry off the pilot's armor?" Ichika asked.
"Will do." One of the hovering knife missiles slowly approached the IS, cutting open and removing the pilot armor with surgical precision.
He heard footsteps around him, but he ignored them, too focused on removing his opponent's armor, and when he did... he nearly vomited as he saw the face of his opponent.
It was a grotesque parody of a human being, its features sunken and emaciated, yet horribly bloated in other areas. Hundreds of tubes and wires pierced its skin, binding it directly to the IS itself. As light hit its face for the first time, the thing within began to scream.
"What is that?" Houki's horrified voice asked as she caught sight of Ichika's enemy.
"Something that shouldn't exist." Ichika replied simply as he lowered his plasma rifle at the monster's face. A single burst of blue silenced the creature forever.
"Ichika..." Cecilia murmured as she landed, her IS in active form.
"What was that thing?" Rin asked as she walked up to the crater in which the now dead IS lay.
"As I told Houki, it is something that shouldn't exist." Ichika replied as he continued to stare at his enemy's body, his sensor suite analyzing as much of the IS as possible.
"Who could have done this?" Cecilia asked.
"That is none of your concern." Chifuyu's voice rang out as she walked up to the group. "The danger has passed. You all are to return to your dormitories. Class is cancelled for the rest of the day. Ichika, consider yourself to have won the match."
"What will be done with this... thing?" Ichika asked.
"That is none of your concern. You are not to investigate this event any further. Should you do so, you can and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, and by then expulsion from IS academy will be the least of your worries." Chifuyu replied.
"Maya. Get over here and prepare this... abomination for transport. You know what to do." At Chifuyu's orders, Maya flew over, clad in a Raphael Revive trainer. As she passed Ichika, he saw a message appear on his visor.
'Meet me tomorrow at 2:00 PM. You know the place.' The message read. That was the last thing Ichika saw before he stored away his IS and walked out of the arena.
Outside the arena, a blue haired, crimson eyed girl stood atop the tallest tower in the academy, clad in her IS, watching as the black Golem was moved out of the arena, while her machine kept track of the pilot that defeated it.
"Orimura Ichika... first you meet my sister, and then you effortlessly deal with a Phantom Task golem... You are an interesting one, aren't you? Then again, you are from Grandmother's family, so that is a given. I will enjoy meeting you!" With those words, Sarashiki Tatenashi stored away her IS and walked back into the IS academy, her vigil concluded.
"Hmph." The scarred woman watched as the young boy aimed his weapon at the camera, a split second before the screen erupted into static.
"Is that him?" A younger voice asked.
"Do not speak without permission, M." The woman spat, before continuing. "Yes, that is indeed him. That is indeed your... brother, and my one, greatest mistake." Reikou said, her voice laced with hatred.
M stayed silent as she watched her mother silently seethe.
"I have told you this tale a thousand times already, and I will tell it to you again, M. After all, while you are almost as much of a failure as he is, you still possess the capability to redeem yourself in my eyes."
"I will fulfill my purpose, mother." M spoke, and Reikou slapped her across the face.
"Do not call me mother. You lost that right when you were born imperfect."
"I understand."
"You had better. Now, I am sure that you already know this, but I shall tell you anyway. The Orimura family is the very embodiment of perfection, and it is our destiny to eventually control this world, and all the imperfect beings upon it. When we could no longer breed ourselves to be better naturally, we took our very genes and modified them, making us better than any ordinary human could ever hope for. Your sister, Chifuyu, was the perfect daughter. She was perfection incarnate, surpassing my own capabilities at her age in every possible way. That continued until I made the mistake of having Him! As soon as he was born, I knew something was wrong, and three days later, I realized that not a single one of our genetic enhancements had taken hold in him. My son was nothing more than ordinary! But as I prepared to erase him like the mistake he was, my daughter, my perfect daughter, raised her blade against me. She gave me this scar, and then, knowing that she could not match me even in my wounded state, she ran."
"There has only been one other case of an Orimura turning their back on the family and its goal, and that was when Orimura Tatenashi left us all those years ago and joined the Sarashiki family to oppose us. Your older sister deserted us for your mistake of a twin brother, leaving only you behind like the trash you are. You see, you were not born perfect either, with only the most basic enhancements taking hold in you, Madoka. A weakling like you has no place in our family. Even the twisted clone that Meusel had grown for that Golem is worth more than you! The only way for you to prove yourself an Orimura is to finish what I started, and erase the mistake that is my son and the daughter that has turned against us."
"I understand this." Madoka spoke quietly.
"I hope you do, because you now have a chance to be of use to me. Tomorrow, we will be deploying you off the coast of Japan. If she cares enough about you, then Operative Squall will pick you up. Should she do so, you will then be placed under her command. Do you understand, M?"
"I do." Madoka replied, hiding her anger with practiced ease. She had never liked Squall when they had met before, the crimson eyed woman taking a particular liking to tormenting her, and now she would be under her command. However, this deployment would be worth the pain. After all, being stationed in Japan meant that she was one step closer to proving herself.
"Sub-commander! I'm picking up several aircraft overhead. Unknown model and nationality!" One of the bridge techs suddenly reported.
"What the-" Whatever his partner was about to say was cut off as several missiles streaked down towards the water.
"We're under attack!"
"How the hell did they find us? Our sub is undetectable by sonar!"
"Who are they?"
"Is it Them?"
The bridge suddenly became a hive of activity as the crew began to chatter.
"Dive! If we can get deep enough, they won't be able to hit us!" Reikou ordered, and the bridge was silenced, at least until a nearby detonation rocked the ship.
"Outer pressure shell is breached! Flooding reported in Delta and Iota sections!"
Another detonation.
"Port side engine is gone! That missile took it off!"
The submarine shook again, and the lights flickered before cutting off entirely, casting the bridge into darkness lit only by the light of computer screens..
"Power cables cut! Switching to battery power!"
"Anti-air missiles can't get a lock! We can't shoot back!"
"Who the hell are these people?"
A panicked air began to fill the bridge, just as another detonation shook the sub.
"Beta section is flooding fast! One more hit like that and we're done for!"
"Quiet, all of you! Navigator, are there any islands nearby?" Reikou asked as another detonation shook the vessel. Fortunately, it did not to any real damage.
"Yes ma'am."
"Good. Set a course for it. We'll run aground in the shallows and wait for rescue. Hopefully it will come before an enemy relief force." The scarred woman ordered.
"It will be done." The navigator replied, and the submarine changed course, another missile detonating in its previous path.
"Come in Command, this is Falcata Leader. The enemy sub is running for the island. What are our orders, over?" The fighter spoke into the radio.
"Your flight has only spent a quarter of its ordinance, You are to continue your attack. Once ordinance is exhausted, you are to continue pursuit of the target. Claymore and Naginata flights are inbound to your location to provide additional fire support, while Tanto and Kris flights will provide air cover. Those are your orders, over."
"Orders received and understood. Over and out." The pilot called out, before banking around and going in for another attack run, his wingman right behind him. Falcata-3 and Falcata-4 circled overhead, ready to attack as well.
"To the left a bit... perfect... fire... NOW!" The voice of his fighter's AI called out, guiding him to the target. After all, while the missiles themselves couldn't get a lock, the AI was capable of manually aiming them by itself.
"Thank you David." The pilot spoke as he released the last of his payload, four guided anti-submarine bombs falling towards the water below. Then, a few seconds later, four simultaneous detonations occurred beneath the waves as the ordinance went off. At the same time, his wingman dropped the remainder of his own ordinance. Weapons spent, the two fighters pulled up, while Falcata-3 and Falcata-4 descended, intending to start their own attack runs.
"Starboard engine disabled! We're sitting ducks out here!" The report came up after the second repeated set of detonations.
"Two more fighters are starting their attack runs! One more hit and we're done for!"
"QUIET! You there, give me control of the SAMs." Reikou shouted, and the person she indicated moved out of their seat.
Seconds later, the submarine shuddered as a volley of missiles left their launch tubes. While the weapons themselves couldn't get a lock, their shooter had assumed manual control, and with a satisfied smile on her face, the woman detonated the warheads remotely, causing the incoming fighters to disappear in a cloud of fire and smoke. The crewmen seemed ready to start cheering... until two fighters emerged from the cloud, a faint but visible glimmer around them indicating that the missiles had been absorbed by energy shields.
"What the hell... not even the Americans have managed to fit shield generators on their fighters!" One of the crewmen said, the hope leaving his eyes.
"Shut up, all of you! We still have one engine left. Comms officer, send out a distress signal to all nearby Phantom Task cells."
The submarine shuddered again as four more bombs went off around it.
"Flooding in all sections! The Integrity Fields are barely holding this boat together!" One of the crewmen shouted.
"SAM pods are offline. We are unarmed." Reikou reported, standing up from her seat. "Captain, can we make it to the shallows?" The woman asked.
"I believe we can, but we'll break up if we try and run aground."
"Sub-commander, I've gotten a response from Sakura Cell. They've launched IS units to clear the air above us, and a Hunter class sub is coming to pick us up. IS unit ETA is 20 minutes, while the submarine will be here in an hour." The comms officer reported.
Another set of detonations shook the vessel.
"We're breaking up! Half our rear is gone! All engines disabled!" The groaning of steel underscored the man's message.
"We're in the shallows! What are your orders?" The captain spoke.
"Run aground, as planned."
"But the ship-"
"The ship is already a lost cause. This bridge is the only area still intact and filled with air. With luck, this will convince the enemy aircraft to leave us alone." Reikou spoke, and the captain nodded. With a loud rumble, the submarine hit the sea floor, steel groaning as the vessel shattered into several pieces. Soon, the submarine, or what was left of it, came to a halt.
"Now we wait." Reikou spoke to the other occupants of the now pitch black room. All was silent then, with the only noise being the steady 'Drip... Drip... Drip...' of water leaking into the sealed off Bridge.
"Radar has picked up hostile IS units inbound. All flights are to vacate the area and return to base via standard route. Command out." Those orders brought a smile to Falcata-3's face.
"Come on boys, we're heading home. Set all remaining ordinance to Mine mode and drop it around the wreck." The voice of Falcata leader crackled over the radio, and the pilot's smile turned predatory.
"Did you hear that Sally? Set our ordinance to proximity fuse already so that we can get out of here!"
"It's done!" The cheerful voice of his plane's AI rang out a second later.
"Bombs away then." The plane shuddered slightly as it grew several tons lighter. All around him, the remaining ordinance carrying planes did the same, their bombs falling into the water around the submarine wreck. Then, as one, the fighters streaked away to the south. After a few hours of travel, they would circle around and eventually return to base. Their mission had been accomplished.
"What kind of a twisted mind could imagine something like this, much less build it?" Maya spoke as looked at the results of the 'autopsy' that she had performed on the drone.
"What really interests me is the core. It is not registered." Chifuyu spoke.
"But that is impossible! IS cores contain hundreds of different failsafes to prevent copying! Just look what happened when the Chinese tried to do it!" Maya exclaimed.
"All those failsafes are useless if they are turned off." Chifuyu replied.
"But how could they have done something like that without blowing themselves up?"
"We both know that Phantom Task isn't above using trial and error in a situation like this. They've likely blown up hundreds of copied IS cores until they finally figured out how to build it right."
"What if they didn't?"
"What do you mean?"
"What if Dr. Tabane is working with them? What if she disabled the failsafes and allowed them to build their own core?" Maya said, genuine fear in her voice.
"Then I can only pray that that's not the case." Chifuyu replied.
"I guess only time will tell." With those words, Maya said, standing up. As she was leaving, Chifuyu spoke up again.
"It looks like the third world war will be a secret one." Chifuyu said.
"What do you mean?"
"It will end up being a worldwide conflict between Phantom Task and the various organizations that stand to oppose it, and it will all be fought out of the public eye."
"And are you a part of one of those organizations?" Maya asked.
"We both are. After all, we work at IS Academy." Chifuyu smiled wryly at her colleague.
The next day, Ichika found himself waiting in one of the academy's storerooms, where Maya had decided to conduct any clandestine meetings between the two of them.
"Good to see that you are already here, Orimura-kun." Maya smiled as she entered the dimly lit room. She held a package in her hands.
"Why did you want to see me?" Ichika said.
"Well, first I wanted to congratulate you on your performance against that... thing that Phantom Task sent against us. I've already sent a report to HQ, and they have authorized me to give you the data on it as well." Maya handed Ichika a small flash drive.
"Thank you, Maya-san." Ichika smiled.
"Second, however... this is much more important." Maya handed Ichika the package. Opening it, he saw a large black pouch contained within, along with a small instruction sheet that told him how to open the secret compartment at the bottom. Following the instructions, Ichika gasped as he saw the contents of the hidden section.
"Why... Why am I getting this?" Ichika lifted the tiny firearm up in the palm of his hand, keeping the barrel pointed to the side. He recognized the weapon, as it had been designed by one of his colleagues. The OCP-2 was a tiny weapon, designed to be easily concealed within the palm of one's hand. It had no metal parts, meaning that it was completely invisible to metal detectors. The pistol had a silencer, a true silencer that rendered the shots nearly inaudible, attached to its barrel, making it perfect should he ever need to assassinate someone. The OCP-2 carried four .50 caliber rounds in its tiny magazine, giving it excellent stopping power in addition to its stealthy qualities.
"The Organization had deemed the IS Academy to be at risk of infiltration by Phantom Task operatives. You know how to use it, right?" Yamada said softly as Ichika examined the weapon. In addition to the pistol, the secret compartment also carried six spare magazines, all of which were held in place by special clips.
"I do, but I hope I never have to." Ichika replied as he stored the weapon away.
"Good. Remember though, that it is not a toy. Should you use it without either my express permission, the authorization of another, higher ranked Organization member, or in the event of an attack on the Academy, then expulsion from both the Organization and IS Academy will be the least of your worries." Maya warned.
"I understand." Ichika replied, closing the secret compartment.
"Glad to hear it. Now, I am also here to inform you of an engagement that occurred between a force of Organization aircraft and a Phantom Task submarine yesterday, the battle beginning around the time you engaged and destroyed the Phantom Task drone that attacked the Academy. We suffered no casualties, and the submarine that launched the IS was confirmed destroyed. However, we were forced to retreat as a Phantom Task relief force arrived soon after we confirmed the sub's destruction. However, the mere existence of this submarine confirms what we have long believed regarding our enemy's capabilities. They no longer need to steal from other nations in order to empower their forces. Indeed, they are now capable of producing their own advanced weapons of war. This means that the unit that attacked you yesterday was likely not the only one, and that the terrorists are indeed building more of them."
"Oh no..." Ichika simply replied.
"My thoughts exactly. As such, we have stepped up production of White Pattern IS cores. Soon I believe that we will be able to produce one core per week, and we are capable of producing companion AIs at an even faster rate. However, while we will soon have a large amount of cores available to us, building IS units for them will take much longer. As such, rather than building each pilot a personal IS, we have decided to standardize. Here are several designs that Dr. White has already reviewed. He has asked me to pass these on to you to check just in case he has missed something while he was going over them." Maya handed Ichika another drive.
"I will do my best, Maya-san." Ichika replied.
"Good. Last but not least, I would like to give you early warning of two incoming transfer students, and would like to give you their dossiers." Yet another drive was given to him.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. Now, is there anything you wish to talk to me about, or will that be all?" Maya asked.
"Actually, there is something I want to ask you... It's about one of the original dossiers you handed to me. The one for Sarashiki Kanzashi." Ichika spoke.
"What about her?"
"It says that she is a potential recruit. What does that mean?" Ichika asked.
"It means that she will likely be targeted for recruitment as soon as we can catch her alone. However, her sister watches her like a hawk, so we can't get close to her without arousing Tatenashi's suspicions."
"So you plan to recruit her into our organization?"
"I do, and soon as well. I will likely enlist your aid while doing so."
"So what do I do?" Ichika asked.
"Nothing for now. If possible, then you should approach her and gain her trust. Maybe help her out with her IS and give her a favorable impression of you. That would make my recruitment attempt much easier."
"Oh? So you are indeed planning to recruit my sister into a shady organization! It is so good to see I guessed right!" A cheerful voice caused the two to spin around to see a blue haired, red eyed girl sitting on a crate a few feet away, a mischievous smile on her face. Ichika was mildly disturbed by how quickly he brought his new gun to bear.
"What are you doing here Tatenashi?" Maya asked, a weapon in her hand as well.
"Oh, nothing much! I am simply confirming some suspicions that I have held for quite some time." The girl replied.
"And what are you going to do with this information now that you know the truth?" Maya asked.
"Oh, nothing for now! So long as you two don't do anything dangerous, then I will have no need to leak this information to the public!" Tatenashi said, still cheerful, but there was a dangerous gleam in her eye.
Maya simply laughed.
"Are you really trying to blackmail us?"
"No, not really. After all, I am not trying to make you do anything for me."
"You really don't know what you have stumbled upon, don't you, Tatenashi... or should I say... Katana?" That got a reaction out of the girl.
"How do you know that name?" A lance appeared in the girl's hand, the weapon leveled at Maya's throat. The green haired teacher simply laughed again.
"Your little family run organization is far from the only secret group out there, Katana, so why don't you lower your weapon before things get ugly." Maya said.
"Who are you?" The girl asked.
"Just a teacher at IS academy." Maya replied.
"Bullshit. Who are you really?"
"You do realize that there are only two ways you will be leaving this room, and one of them is in a body bag, right?"
"And what is the other?"
"Sworn to secrecy and a part of something far greater than that little syndicate that you currently lead." Maya replied.
"Are we recruiting her?" Ichika asked.
"We have no choice. There is no memory serum available to us right now, so the lead treatment is the only available method of keeping secrecy aside from induction, and I doubt that you want your first use of that pistol to be on a little girl like her."
"If you were to kill me, Kanzashi will never join you."
"Then we will abandon our efforts to recruit her. After all, while she is a skilled IS pilot and engineer, she is far from irreplaceable to an organization as large as ours."
"And how large is your organization?"
"Large enough to pose a legitimate threat to Phantom Task. Unlike your family, our group is not limited to Japan in its activities."
"Prove it."
"Very well. Ichika, can you pull up the contents of the first drive I gave you? Included among the data is an after-action report of yesterday's engagement with the Phantom Task submarine. Oh, and you can lower your gun. I doubt we will be needing it."
"Understood." Ichika plugged the drive into his datapad, found the requested report, and pulled it up.
"Good. Now give it to her." With those words, Ichika walked up to the blue haired girl, gun trained on her with one hand, while clutching the datapad in the other. The girl took it, and with him watching over her shoulder, she read it. Her eyes widened as they scrolled through the data.
"This is genuine?" The girl asked, still holding the datapad. Maya nodded.
"Damn... What have I gotten myself into?" The girl spoke more to herself than to the people around her. "I guess I see what Chifuyu meant when she voiced her thoughts to me on the Third World War..."
"So what are you going to do now?" Maya asked.
"What can I do except join you? You said yourself that the Sarashiki family is limited to Japan, and given what happened last year, my organization is on its last legs. Those who aren't dead have gone to ground or simply left. Besides, even if I were able to fight my way out of this room, something that I believe I am more than capable of doing, the rest of you will easily be able to track me down and eliminate both me and what remains of my organization without even breaking a sweat. The fact that your group has aims similar to my own is just a bonus. So I want in." The girl finished simply.
"Very well then. Ichika, as she is a new member, you will be responsible for her until she is formally inducted next Saturday. After which, you will likely continue to be in charge of her as her superior officer in the IS corps."
"Wait, how highly ranked are you two?" Tatenashi asked.
"I'm a high ranking field operative of our Intelligence department, and am one of the five wing commanders of our IS corps. Ichika is another, and he is also a mid ranking member of our R&D department, although his word is all but law when it comes to building IS suits. The only one who outranks him in the IS design field is his mentor, Dr. White."
"Ichika is that high ranked in the IS corps?" Tatenashi asked, impressed.
"He was one of the first members to be trained into full membership, and he has gone through courses that not only deal with personal ability, but also with small unit tactics and command."
"I see." A smile returned to the blue haired girl's face. "Does that mean I have to call him Ichika-sempai now?"
"That is up to you two. Now, if there is nothing else to say, then this meeting is concluded." Maya replied, a smile on her face.
"Does that mean I can stop waging cyberwarfare against her IS now?" A fourth voice piped up.
"Wait, what do you mean Ori?" Ichika replied as the AI shimmered into view.
"Well, when I saw her partially deploy her lance, I began working to prevent her from fully deploying her IS!" The AI replied, causing Tatenashi's eyes to widen.
"Wait, who are you?"
"Oh, I'm Ori White! It doesn't stand for anything yet, but that doesn't stop me from being Ichika's awesome AI partner!" The cheerful AI exclaimed.
"What?"
"She was made in order to be my partner for IS combat. She's the main reason my IS can use its special ability." Ichika explained to the blue haired girl who was currently poking at Ori's avatar with her finger.
"So when do I get one, Ichika-sempai?" Tatenashi asked after she finished poking the hologram.
Ichika sighed upon hearing this. It was going to be a long week.
"So, Ichika-sempai, what do you think about this Organization?" Tatenashi asked while sitting on the bed in her room. Apparently, being the student council president meant getting your own room, one of many reasons that Ichika was jealous of his charge.
"Well, I think that they're doing the right thing."
"Of course stopping Phantom Task is the right thing to do. After all, I know what their true motives are, so it is imperative that they are halted before they can succeed in their efforts to dominate the globe. What I want to know is what you personally think about all this." Tatenashi said.
"It's hard to say really. I mean, the Organization rescued me from a Phantom Task kidnapping attempt when I was ten, which was part of the reason I joined them. As for what they do, I really do think that they are doing the right thing. When I was first inducted, one of the members of the Intelligence corps told me that the Organization has three main objectives: Firstly, to preserve the balance of power in the world. Secondly, to prevent open armed combat between nations, and finally, to perform counter-terrorist operations. Do I think they have another hidden agenda? Of course! But I do think that what they are doing right now is good for the world as a whole." Ichika replied.
"I see..." Tatenashi trailed off.
"You don't believe me, do you?" Ichika asked.
"No, I do. It's just that it's somewhat overwhelming, seeing how tiny the Sarashiki family's efforts truly were in comparison to the Organization."
"I see... That reminds me, just what exactly is the Sarashiki family? I know a bit from reading your dossier, but not the whole story." Ichika said.
"Wait, they gave you a dossier on me?" Tatenashi asked.
"Yes, they did."
"I should have been expecting that. Whatever, it doesn't matter now. Anyway, you wanted to know about the Sarashiki family? Well, think of it as a covert organization similar to your own, masquerading in the guise of an old and traditional family. Or at least that was the case until a few years ago..." Tatenashi trailed off.
"What happened?" Ichika asked.
"Didn't it say in my dossier?" Ichika thought for a moment, and then it came to him.
"Oh... I'm sorry for bringing it up."
"Don't worry. Anyway, Phantom Task finally decided that it was time to get rid of us, and one of their cells launched a surprise attack on my household. My sister was away at the time, but I was there. My family and its associates sacrificed themselves to let me get away..." At that Ichika saw her reach over to one of the drawers in the room and pull out a picture. It was of a golden haired, crimson eyed woman with a voluptuous figure and a cruel smile on her face.
"This is the woman who led the attack."
"Squall? Damn..." Ichika said as soon as he saw the picture of one of Phantom Task's more effective cell commanders.
"Do you know anything about her?"
"Not much, her activity's mostly falls under the purview of the intelligence department." Ichika replied.
"So you haven't been able to catch her yet?" The blue haired girl asked.
"No, although the after-action report we were given said that she was the assumed leader of the IS relief force that arrived after we sank the submarine. The follow up attack on the island she launched from turned up nothing as well. For all intents and purposes, we stormed an empty island." Ichika replied. Tatenashi simply sighed.
"It looks like the oxymoron of military intelligence applies to covert organizations as well..." The blue haired girl said, before cheering up.
"Anyway, enough about that! I'm sure that all this seriousness is starting to bore you Ichika-sempai!"
"I don't really mind... so what do you want to do now?" Ichika asked.
"Well... right now we're alone in a room together, with nobody watching us..."
"No." Ichika said firmly.
"You're back late. Did something happen?" Houki asked as Ichika finally managed to make it into his room, finally safe from Tatenashi.
"No... Something just held me up." Ichika replied.
"Ichika... this isn't about that IS that attacked you yesterday, is it?" Houki asked, concerned.
"Well..."
"Ichika, you heard what your sister said! If you were found out, then-"
"I know what Chifuyu-nee said, and I don't intend to get into any trouble."
"But..."
"Don't worry Houki, nothing will happen to me. I'll still be here tomorrow, and the day after that, and so on." This caused Houki to look away.
"I-Ichika..."
"Yes Houki?" Ichika smiled.
"Nothing... Just stay safe, alright?"
"Don't worry, I will." Ichika said.
"Say, Ichika? Where did you get that?" Houki pointed at the pouch that contained Ichika's new weapon.
"Oh, it's just something I got after I saw how it looked. Do you like it?" Ichika asked. For some reason, this caused the girl to giggle slightly.
"What? It can't be that bad!"
"Nothing, I just thought that obsessing over your clothing accessories was a girls-only thing!" Houki said, still giggling.
"Hey!"
Soon, however, the pair settled down, and Houki went into the shower, leaving Ichika alone. He decided to have a look at the dossiers that Maya had given him earlier that day regarding the coming transfer students. However, as soon as he opened the folder in which they were contained, he saw something unusual.
Maya had said that there were two incoming students, but there were three dossiers. He opened the first one, labeled 'Charles Dunois', and saw that it was blank. The birth date, parents, and all other important information was present, but there was no personal history other than the fact that he was evidently capable of piloting an IS and had been provided with a Raphael Revive variant that had been upgraded and fitted with an IS core. However, the rest of the dossier was blank. Ichika closed it, and opened the next one, which was labeled 'Charlotte Dunois', and immediately saw its significance. At first glance, the girl could have been Charles' twin sister, being born on the same day, to the same parents, namely Raphael Dunois and one of his mistresses, and having identical hair and eye coloration. The two were indeed very similar, almost too similar. However, unlike Charles, Charlotte had a fully fleshed out personal history, from her childhood to the present. Why would one twin have next to nothing present on them, while the other twin was fully developed? Unless... Ichika looked over the similarities between the two, and pulled up their pictures. They were identical, almost as if the same person had been photographed from different angles. Did that mean the Charles and Charlotte were one and the same? Ichika decided to spare himself a headache for now and figure it out once the student arrived.
Ichika then opened the last file present, which contained information on a Laura Bodewig. Reading quickly through it, Ichika soon saw the exact reason behind the girl being labeled a threat. She was designed from birth to be the perfect soldier, trained extensively in combat as soon as she could hold a weapon, capable of field stripping a G-36C Assault Rifle by age five... the list went on and on in describing her capabilities. However, as Ichika continued to read, his eyes widened in shock. The IS had rendered her original purpose obsolete, so the people in charge of her development attempted to turn her into the world's best IS pilot in addition to her status as a perfect soldier. However, the attempt at raising her IS compatibility score was a partial failure. While the girl's compatibility score now sat at an even 100, making her borderline S ranked in terms of IS potential, the implantation of a complex hyper-sensor suite in place of her left eye ended up placing a horrible strain on her central nervous system, nearly killing her and causing her capabilities as a soldier to drastically deteriorate.
Then he read about how Chifuyu, as a favor to one of her friends in Germany, whipped Laura into shape, allowing her to overcome her debilitating condition and once again take her place as a perfect soldier. This instilled an almost fanatical loyalty to Chifuyu in the younger girl's mind, hence the girl's status as a security risk. Maya had already warned Ichika that his older sister was harboring some suspicions about him, and he knew that with a single order, Chifuyu could easily set a very capable agent after him.
Closing the file, Ichika sighed, lying back on his bed. It looked like this year would soon become even more interesting than it already was.
A/N: And that's a wrap! I hope that I got Tatenashi's character right, as it's my first time writing someone like her.
Regarding what I wrote about the Sarashiki family, everything about them being a secret organization opposed to Phantom Task under the guise of an old, traditional family is true. Same with Tatenashi's original name, Katana. Apparently, the head of the Sarashiki family is always named Tatenashi, regardless of their birth name. However, I was curious as to how Tatenashi ascended to the leadership of her family at such a young age, and given what her family was involved in, I doubt that it was anything pleasant, hence Phantom Task killing her family. That also explains the personal animosity between Squall and Tatenashi that was present in the Anime.
As for the Orimuras = Phantom Task thing, I know that it has been done before. However, in all the stories I've read with that feature present, it always seems to end up being "Orimuras hate Chifuyu but love Ichika, and want to take him back and have hot incestuous relationships with him." As such, I tried to put a hopefully unique spin on the common trope. In addition, most fics that feature superpowered Orimuras tend to give Ichika unique powers of his own, and I decided to do the exact opposite, having Ichika being an ordinary human that was rejected from a transhuman family, only living thanks to his sister.
The Golem was a very curious thing in the anime, as not only did it bleed when Ichika cut it, it also contained an IS core that was not made by Dr. Tabane. The Anime mentions this once... and promptly forgets all about it, not even mentioning it when the newer, better Golems make their appearance in the second season. (Or at least, I don't remember anything about unregistered cores.) Thus, I've decided to expand on both the Golems and their creator, both of which help make Phantom Task much more than the generic evil organization it is in the anime.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and that you all look forward for the next installment.