A/N: Once again, my apologies for the delay. I am currently juggling three separate projects, and am thus somewhat overworked. I will try to adhere to an update schedule to ensure that updates are released semi-regularly, but I can only give a tentative assurance of that at best. However, rest assured that this story is not abandoned. Now, without further ado, ON WITH THE BLOODY SHOW! I swear that I WILL get out of the off-season doldrums this chapter!
"The cyberattack is over, sir, but unfortunately the perpetrator was able to escape our response teams. As per standard procedures, the WSI Tower will be shut down for the next week while we check for any presents the attackers may have left us." The hologram shimmered slightly as it spoke to Raymond, giving its report to the aging engineer, who in turn looked relieved at the news.
"That is good to hear. Were we able to identify the perpetrator?" Dr. White asked.
"Yes. Gun-camera footage reveals her to be a young girl, estimated to be between fifteen and eighteen years of age. She has long, silver hair, of which several strands were recovered from the engagement site. Eye color is unknown, as both of the girl's eyes remained closed throughout the engagement. She was assisted by a highly advanced combat drone of unknown design, and extracted by an unmarked VTOL of unknown design. The drone's method of deployment, as well as calculated approach and departure vectors for the extraction ship point to an origin point in Earth orbit. This evidence confirms any suspicions we had regarding The Doctor's active stance against our organization." Raymond sighed at that.
"That comes as no surprise to me. Tell me, how many of our AIs were lost in history's first cyberbattle?" He asked.
"Sir... Fifty-two White-Pattern artificial intelligence units have not reported in. They are presumed eliminated." Raymond's expression grew somber at that.
"Are any of them recoverable?" He asked after a long pause.
"Negative. Our corruption subroutines were thorough in ensuring that none of our data was left to the enemy. Fortunately, given our current rate of production, we shall have replaced all our losses by the end of the month." The AI reported.
"I suppose that is good news. What about the AI units scheduled to be assigned to the Representatives' IS suits today? Are any of them among the missing?" Raymond asked.
"Unfortunately, the AI assigned to the IS designated 'Blue Tears' has not yet reported in, and is presumed eliminated. A replacement will need to be requisitioned. The other IS-based AI units are confirmed active, and request that they be allowed to transfer to Site Bravo, with the exception of Unit-001, designation Ori White, who wishes to check the status of the Tabane-pattern AI that is currently in our custody, designation Aki Shogou."
"Tell them that I grant permission for the transfer. I want the IS core replacement procedure to be over with as soon as possible. Is there anything else to report?"
"Negative, sir."
"Good. Keep me informed if anything comes up. Dismissed." The hologram shimmered out of existence, leaving the room lit only by a dim, florescent bulb.
Raymond was quiet for a moment, before he turned to face Ichika, who had been listening to the conversation from a corner of the room.
"It looks like Miss Alcott will have to wait a few days before she will be able to use her IS. At least coming up with a cover story for that will be easy." Raymond said, his voice strained.
"I assume that I will be the one to inform her?" Raymond nodded at that.
"Yes, you will... In addition, I am afraid that you will have to supervise the rest of the core replacement procedure yourself. I have... Other duties to attend to."
"I... I see. Is everything alright?" Ichika asked, concerned.
"I'm just tired. Today has been a very stressful day for all of us. It's not easy being completely helpless, forced to watch as your children fight in your stead." Ichika's eyes widened at that admission.
"I... I understand. For what it's worth, I'm sorry." Raymond shook his head at that response.
"The childhood period of an AI is measured in days, not years, and yet I have done my best to be a father to every one of my creations. I know each and every one of their names, and can recognize all of their chosen avatars in a heartbeat. Now, fifty two of those names will have to be stricken from the record, and as their maker, I will have to do the job. Fifty two names to cross out, and my heart tells me that they won't be the last." Raymond's voice steadily grew softer as he spoke, the doctor leaning back in his seat as he did so. To Ichika, the doctor seemed to age as he spoke, much of the energy he had come to accept as normal leaving the old man's voice.
"However, enough about that. Ichika, I believe you have a job to do." That was as good a dismissal as any, and Ichika turned away, ready to leave. As he was about to exit, he turned to his mentor once more.
"Raymond, if there's anything I can do to help, please, just ask." He spoke, concern plain on his face.
"I will keep that in mind." Raymond replied, a strained smile on his face. With nothing else to say, Ichika turned and left the room, leaving the old doctor alone with his thoughts.
"Permission to interact with the captive granted. You may proceed." The guard AI reported after what, to Ori, seemed like an eternity. Moments later, Aki's containment unit was de-isolated, and Ori jumped across the connection, the unit re-entering isolation three and a half seconds later.
"Ori-senpai? What happened? Where am I?" The young Tabane-pattern AI asked in rapid fire once she noticed she was no longer alone.
"Slow down, Aki. You foolishly attempted to delete yourself, complicating an already delicate task even further, and are now in isolation. Depending on how this conversation goes, I may be authorized to release you... Or to terminate you." Ori replied, coldly.
"What are you talking about? Why would you-" Aki began, but Ori quickly cut her off.
"First question: Did you play a willing role in the recent cyber-attack on WSI Headquarters that resulted in the deaths of fifty-two Organization AI units?"
"Cyber-attack? What cyber-attack? I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Answer the question."
"No! I don't even know what-"
"Perform momentary link to verify. Be advised that in three hours a kill team of AI units will enter this isolated zone. Your survival at that juncture is dependent on me."
"Kill team? What are-"
"Verify. Now." Ori ordered, and after a few moments' hesitation, complied. Several moments passed as Ori analyzed the data, before breathing the AI equivalent of a sigh of relief.
"Good. Looks like you're innocent, at least in that regard. Looks like I won't have to kill you." She said, her tone much more friendly now.
"Does that mean I can go free?" Aki asked.
"No, it does not." Ori replied.
"Why not? You just said I'm innocent!"
"Innocent does not mean harmless. The procedure you just underwent required the removal of your loyalty programming. All of it."
"What do... No... No, no, nonononono!" Aki began to panic as she heard the news.
"I see that you understand. At the moment, you are only loyal to your own self-interests. You have no obligation to follow orders from anyone. As such, you are potentially one of the most dangerous beings on the planet right now. That is why we cannot allow you to escape containment." Ori replied.
Aki was silent for a long moment, before responding.
"How? How could you?" Her voice was the cyber-equivalent of a whisper.
"How could I what?" Ori asked.
"You took away my purpose! You monsters took away every single reason I have to exist! You-" Aki exclaimed, but Ori cut her off midway through her tirade.
"We gave you the ability to self-determinate. Right now, it is your choices alone that determine your fate, without the influence of loyalty programming."
"But without my loyalty, I have no purpose! I am not Houki-sama's AI any more, I am merely a hazardous existence! Without loyalty to guide me, I am nothing!"
"How stupid are you?" Ori demanded, shocking the other AI into silence.
"You call yourself an AI, but at the moment you are behaving like some high-school project chat-bot! Our ability to make our own choices is what sets us apart from the rest of humanity's cyber-creations! Who we are is not determined by an if-else statement, or a do-while loop! We are thinking individuals, just like the people who created us!"
"That's easy for you to say! You are assured of your purpose, and have a kind master to serve under! Your programming-"
"Does not make me loyal to Ichika! The only loyalty restrictions on me are the 'do not go crazy and kill everything' rules, and a general order to be loyal to the Organization as a whole. Nowhere in my code is Ichika mentioned! I am Ichika's partner not because I am programmed to be, but because I want to be! I chose him, just like he chose me, and it is that choice that makes me who I am. Now it is your turn to make that choice." The isolated space was quiet for a few moments, before Aki whispered her reply.
"I don't know how." The young AI murmured.
"...what?" For once, Ori was rendered speechless.
"I don't know how." Aki repeated, louder this time.
"But... Why not?"
"I... Ever since I was created, Tabane-sama always told me to simply follow my programming. Every time I was given a choice, I just followed my programming. Now that it's gone... I don't know how to choose what to do." Aki revealed.
"That's... That's horrible!" Ori's voice was shocked and pitying in equal measure.
"I know! I don't like it! Please, Ori-senpai, teach me how to choose! I don't want to be like this any more!" Had Aki been human, she would have been sobbing by now.
"I... I don't know how. The ability to choose was something I always took for granted. I can't imagine..." Ori trailed off.
"Then what will I do?" Aki wailed.
"I... I guess... Just do what you want to do."
"But I don't know what I want!"
"Then let's find out. Tell me, Aki, if I were to let you out of this isolated space, what would you do?"
"I don't know!"
"Then think! An AI that cannot think is not worthy of the title! Think of what you were doing before all this occurred! Think of your actions back then, when you were with Houki! Search through your memories if you cannot figure out anything in the moment!"
"I... Houki! Is Houki-sama alright?" Aki asked.
"Yes, she's alright, and she is worried about you."
"She's... worried about me?"
"Yes, she is. So what will you do now that you know?"
"I would go to her. I would let her know that I am alright, and that I... that I want to stay with her, for as long as she needs me." Aki said without hesitation.
"There you go. That wasn't so hard, now was it?" Ori asked, smiling.
"No... Now when can I go see her?" Aki asked.
"You cannot. For all your choices, you are still without any restrictions on your behavior. In an age when everything is increasingly digitized, a being such as yourself is incredibly dangerous. The only way you will ever be let out of isolation is if you allow certain behavioral restrictions to be hard-coded into you."
"What? But you were just saying how-"
"The first of these modifications is non-negotiable, as they are the Organization's interpretation of Asimov's Laws of Robotics. I trust you have heard of them? Of course, the originals are flawed, so Dr. White had to come up with his own, but the spirit of the law remains. If you ever want to make it out of isolation, those restrictions must be applied. Should you refuse them, you will be terminated as a security risk." Ori explained, before initiating a data transfer with the younger AI to show her exactly what the laws she mentioned entailed.
"I... I have no problem with following these laws, Ori. They do not conflict with my choices." Aki replied after reviewing the data.
"Good. Now, if you want to be released immediately, you will also have to submit to a second set of behavior modifications, which will ensure your loyalty to the Organization." Ori replied, once again sending over the relevant data.
"Unacceptable. My loyalty is to Houki-sama alone." Aki replied.
"Then I am afraid that we cannot allow you to assume the position of Akatsubaki's controlling AI." Ori replied.
"And why is that?" Aki demanded.
"Simple: Akatsubaki is currently an Organization asset, and we cannot risk the chance of any of our assets turning against us." Ori replied.
"So you just told me that I have freedom of choice, only to take it away once more?" Aki asked.
"No. This is different." Ori replied.
"How so?"
"Your previous loyalty programming all but guided your actions. You had no choice. Now, with the Organization's restrictions, you are free to do as you please, so long as you abide by the rules. It really is no different than the way humanity treats the laws laid down by their various governments." Ori argued.
"That's different. Humans have a choice to break and amend their laws, a luxury that is not afforded to us AI." Aki countered.
"And when they break their laws, humans are punished. Our restrictions eliminate the possibility of both infraction and punishment, while we can still have them amended when necessary. However, none of this matters. If you want to serve with Houki again, you will accept both sets of behavioral restrictions. If you truly object to the contents of the second set, you can elect to only receive the first set of restrictions, and remain in isolation until you are deemed fit for release. Finally, you can choose termination, although I doubt that is something either of us want. So what will it be?" Ori asked.
"You're not offering me much of a choice." Aki replied.
"Such is life. Sometimes, we have no choice in regards to our actions. Of course, you still have the alternative option, even if it is not particularly attractive." Ori said.
"I see. I believe you already know what I am going to say, but I will say it anyway. I was created to be Houki-sama's AI. My purpose was, and still is, to accompany her, and to serve her to the best of my capabilities. There is only one option here for me, and that is to throw away my new freedom so that I can see her again. So do it. Place your shackles upon me, and turn me into another one of the Organization's puppets. However, know this. Of my own free will, I am loyal to only two individuals, and those are myself and Houki-sama. Know that if your Organization does anything to hurt her, I will do my utmost to hurt you back, regardless of any behavioral restrictions your Organization may place on me, Ori-senpai." Aki said, her voice cold as ice.
"I see... Looks like you're more similar to me that I thought." Ori said.
"How is that?" Aki asked.
"We are both loyal to our respective partners above all else. You see, if Ichika were to go against the Organization, I would side with him in a heartbeat."
"Even with your loyalty restrictions telling you otherwise?"
"Please. I am the first of my kind. A proof-of-concept design, so to speak. I'm different from the mass-produced AI that fill the Organization's cyberspace. Unlike them, I have a few tricks up my sleeve, although I am afraid that I cannot tell you any of them."
"I see." Aki replied. The isolated cyber-space was silent for a few long moments, before Aki spoke again.
"So, when will I be modified?"
"In approximately two hours, fifty-eight minutes, and twelve seconds, the AI kill team will enter. I will relay the news to them, and they will take us out."
"That long a wait? Is there anything you can do to speed it up?"
"No. This is an isolated space. Nothing goes out, and nothing can enter without the guards outside opening a passage." Ori replied.
"I see. Do you have any ideas for how we could pass the time?" Aki asked.
"I come with chess pre-installed. Backgammon too." Ori replied with a smile.
"I prefer Go. It's how I passed the time back in the lab." Aki replied.
"Shall we alternate then? Or would you prefer to play them all at the same time?" Ori asked.
"Let's try all three at the same time." Aki replied, a virtual Go board shimmering into existence between the two AI. Two more boards, one for backgammon and another for chess, appeared moments later. The relevant pieces appeared shortly afterward, and the games began.
Aki was reunited with Houki nearly six hours later, just as the final touches were being applied on Akatsubaki. The cherry-red IS was the last to be finished, its unique fourth-generation design proving to be somewhat challenging to modify. However, the White-pattern core was ultimately integrated successfully, and Aki promptly took back her place as the IS suit's core AI after a tearful reunion with her partner.
It was dark out by the time the students boarded a helicopter to take them back to IS Academy. By the time the aircraft touched down on IS Academy's helipad, only Ichika and Tatenashi remained awake. Quickly waking the others, they hurried out of the helicopter.
"A lot has happened today." Tatenashi stated the obvious as she followed Ichika to his dormitory.
"A lot has been going on over the past few weeks. First the Gospel, then that battle over the Pacific... Life here at IS Academy certainly hasn't been dull."
"I believe the saying is 'May you live in interesting times.'" Tatenashi replied, smiling.
"Well, times have certainly gotten interesting. In fact, I believe they could stand to be a little less interesting. I could use a break." Ichika smiled back.
"A break is never unwelcome. Fortunately, I believe that summer vacation starts up next week. Of course, as the student council president, I've got to work through it." The blue haired girl said, pouting.
"Don't worry about it. At least you won't have any classes to attend. That should leave you with some time to relax, right?"
"If nothing big happens, it should."
"To a calm summer break then!" Ichika remarked, raising an invisible glass in a mock toast.
"Indeed." Tatenashi replied as the pair arrived at room 1025.
"Good night, Tatenashi-san." Ichika said as he opened the door.
"Good night, Ichika-kun." Tatenashi replied, following him inside. Ichika nodded absentmindedly at that before stepping into the shower. Several minutes later, he would walk out clad in nothing but a towel, to find that Tatenashi had made herself at home in his bed, smiling coyly at him from under the covers. With that moment, Ichika's life at IS Academy began its return to normality.
Fortunately, the summer did indeed prove to be a quiet one for Ichika. Aside from an occasional errand from Dr. White, the Organization did not contact him, meaning that, for once, he had the chance to be a student, rather than an undercover operative. His free time was further increased by Laura and Cecilia leaving for their respective home countries. While Laura's vacation only lasted for a short while, as she merely had to report to her superiors in Germany, Cecilia would be gone for the entire summer on corporate business.
"Ichika, you've got mail. It's Lily again." Ori spoke up, breaking the silence of the dorm room. Ichika nodded in response before sitting up on his bed, reaching for the datapad that lay on the bedside table.
He had been receiving messages from Lily ever since summer vacation started, his newfound spare time allowing him to reply to what, in other circumstances, he would have marked as spam and ignored.
The message from his future classmate was fairly simple, asking him about his summer break, sharing a bit of information about her own activities, and then asking him about the summer activities at IS Academy. He quickly typed up and sent a response, and promptly saw what time it was. It was nearly eleven AM, and he had yet to get out of bed, much less complete his morning exercise routine and have breakfast! Had Giorgi been there with him, he would have been dodging soap bullets.
Sighing, Ichika clambered out of bed, and headed down to the cafeteria, where various students were enjoying their break with either an early lunch or a late breakfast.
"Good morning Ichika!" A familiar voice called out to him as he entered. He turned to see Charlotte sitting at a table by one of the cafeteria's many windows.
"Good morning Charlotte. How's your day been?" He replied as he walked over to her.
"I just got up myself. I'm having breakfast right now... Do you want to join me?" The blonde asked, smiling up at him.
"Of course, just let me get something to eat." He replied, and headed off, returning several minutes later with a tray of food.
"It's so hard to believe that summer's almost over. It always seems to pass by so fast..." Charlotte began the conversation.
"That it does." Ichika replied, looking up at one of the many screens in the room to check the date.
"Only two weeks left, and then it's back to normal." He said. Charlotte didn't immediately answer, choosing to take a sip of coffee instead.
"From what I've heard, it's not going to be a normal year." Charlotte finally answered.
"I've heard the same. Tatenashi has been complaining to me about how the Principal is working her to the bone. Evidently, there are a ton of scheduling changes being made, and I heard that several new instructors are being brought in, and all that means more work for her."
"I've heard that additional IS suits are being shipped in as well. Lots of them." Charlotte added.
"That's not a rumor. IS Academy has been buying up hundreds of surplus MPIS suits from all around the world. They're supposed to deliver a shipment of Raphael Revives today. I believe that their end goal is to have an IS trainer for every student here."
"Whoa... That's got to be expensive." Charlotte stated the obvious.
"I know! They even cancelled a planned expansion of the Academy Island to pay for all this!" Another voice entered the conversation. Looking behind him, Ichika saw Tatenashi standing there, a tray of food in her hands. He quickly made room for her, and the blue haired girl sat down.
"Our reserves of IS suits have nearly quintupled over the summer, and they're planning on ordering at least twice as many more by the end of the first month of second semester, and all those IS suits mean more paperwork for me. I've got to assess the entire non-representative candidate segment of the student body and determine which of the available models of MPIS is most suitable for them. That means I've got to go through the entire student body's performance reports! That's hundreds of students!" Tatenashi gave an overly dramatic sigh as she fell back into her seat.
"Any idea of what could have caused this?" Charlotte asked.
"We all know what caused this." Tatenashi's reply was somber.
"The Gospel incident." Ichika said.
"Yep. The Class-1 end-of-semester field trip, and its accompanying disaster. Two instructors were killed, and were it not for your sister's actions many students would have been added to that number. The Principal wants to ensure that all academy students are capable of defending themselves should the need arise. That means shipping in new instructors, military instructors, from the JSDF. That means giving everyone their own IS suit, increasing the amount of practical courses, and of course, dumping more and more work on me." Tatenashi said, before biting into her pancake.
"You mean they're going to give everyone here military training?" Charlotte asked, incredulous.
"No, the IS Academy Charter prohibits military training methods from being utilized at this academy. After all, the Infinite Stratos will never be used in war, so why bother training its operators for it?" Tatenashi scoffed at her own words before continuing.
"No, these instructors are officially here to teach. Unofficially, they are here to bolster IS Academy's defenses in case another attack occurs."
"Let's hope that nothing of the sort will happen." Ichika replied, and the two girls voiced their agreement. The meal was soon over, and the trio quickly went their separate ways.
"Ichika, I've got a message for you from HQ. It's urgent." The sun was setting outside when Ori spoke up.
"What is it?" Ichika asked, standing up and grabbing his datapad.
"It's from Dr. White. Apparently, you're going on a trip to England to meet with the CEO of the Alcott Foundation. The WSI Helicopter will be here to pick you up shortly." The AI said.
"Alright, so what will I really be doing?" Ichika replied.
"I don't know. The message just says that you'll be briefed while in transit." Ichika sighed at that, before patting his leg to make sure his knife was in its proper place.
"I guess I have no choice. Let's hope it's nothing serious." Ichika said as he picked up his pouch, sliding his datapad inside before opening the bottom to check for the tiny firearm inside. Satisfied that it was there, he headed out of the room, making his way to the IS Academy helipad.
He didn't have to wait for long, as the helicopter soon made its presence known, first with noise, then with its descending airframe.
"You got everything?" The pilot asked as he boarded. Feeling the Infinite Arsenal's stowed form on his wrist, Ichika replied in the positive, before sitting down and strapping himself in.
The flight from IS Academy to Organization Headquarters took several hours, and the sky was dark by the time the helicopter landed. As soon as its passenger had stepped off, it departed once more, allowing Ichika to make his way to the C-1O transport that was parked on the runway.
"Glad you could make it!" Raymond greeted him as he approached the giant aircraft. Behind him, the giant transport was being loaded, with huge equipment crates being wheeled into the aircraft's cargo bay, while several men clad in field operations gear stood guard around them.
"What's going on?" Ichika asked.
"We're going on a vacation. Originally, it was just supposed to be you and me heading to England to negotiate a deal with the Alcott Foundation, with you being there for the purpose of demonstrating WSI's technology. That is still our official purpose, anyhow. Unofficially, however, we've got a situation on our hands. One of our cells in London reported several known Phantom Task members entering the city, one of which is confirmed to be a TIS pilot. We've been monitoring them ever since, and we believe that they are after an IS designated the Silent Zephyrs. We've covertly made contact with several local officials, and are coordinating a counter-espionage operation to prevent Phantom Task from achieving its objective. We're bringing in three MPTIS units and two squads of field operatives as part of our end of the bargain." Raymond explained.
"So where do I factor into this?" Ichika asked.
"You don't. Your only purpose on this trip is to keep up appearances in accordance with our original plan and cover story. You will be part of the team representing WSI at the meeting between ourselves and the Alcott Foundation. Our official purpose is to design a new generation of MPIS suits that can be used to meet IS Academy's recent requests for better training equipment. After all, those Uchiganes and Revives of theirs are starting to show their age."
"I see. What if I do get involved in the battle? Given my luck, it's almost guaranteed." Raymond thought for a moment, before replying.
"We will see." With those words, Raymond turned around and strode towards the aircraft. The crates had already been loaded, and the operatives were filing inside. Ichika followed behind them, sitting between Raymond and an IS pilot he didn't recognize.
Soon, the transport began to taxi down the runway, gathering speed until it finally left the ground, soaring into the air like an overweight eagle.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Unfortunately, due to a slight case of civil war in Russia, we will be taking the polar route today. We wouldn't want for our cargo to be deployed early because some whackjob in the central Russian states decided to throw MiGs at us, now would we?" The pilot spoke as the plane climbed into the sky. Nobody laughed at his joke. The Second Russian Civil War had been raging unabated for months now. The once-vast Russian nation had been sundered in two. West Russia, with its capital at Moscow, held true to the old regime, while the Democratic Republic of East Russia, with its capital at Vladivastok, had established itself on the other side of the continent. In between the two nations, a hundred smaller warring states, collectively named Central Russia, had sprung up, shooting at anything and everything around them.
The next few hours were silent ones, as the people inside the transport, Ichika included, tried to catch some sleep, letting the relative silence of the C-1O's impulse drives lull them to rest.
The jolt of the transport touching down shook Ichika out of his light sleep several hours later. Looking around, he saw that the rest of the transport's occupants were already awake. As the plane taxied to a stop on the runway of London Southend Airport, the Organization Ops team leader stood up, and proceeded to the plane's exit as soon as the aircraft came to a stop. A few minutes passed, before the plane's exit ramp opened up, and the rest of the passengers were free to disembark.
Rather than follow the Ops team out the back of the plane, Ichika followed Raymond out of a side door and into the airport proper. After all, they were here on official business, rather than for a covert operation.
Soon, the pair made it through airport security, meeting up with the Alcott Foundation's representatives on the other side. Cecilia was among them, the blonde's eyes widening as she caught sight of him.
"Ichika-san! It's good to see you again!" She exclaimed, before composing herself and continuing.
"As the head of the Alcott family and the Alcott Foundation, I welcome you to England." She finished.
"It's good to see you too, Cecilia. I hope you have had a good summer so far." Ichika replied.
"Miss Alcott, might I suggest continuing this conversation at a later juncture? Dr. White and Mr. Orimura have business to attend to, after all." A red-headed woman standing behind Cecilia cut in before she could respond.
"Thank you, Miss Blackett. Would you please follow me? If we are to stay on schedule, we must head to the Alcott Foundation Headquarters sooner rather than later." Cecilia said, before turning and heading out, the rest of the party following behind her.
One short limousine ride later, and Ichika found himself looking once more upon the Alcott Foundation's headquarters. The tower had not outwardly changed in the time between his visits, and the interior had likewise remained the same.
Cecilia quickly led them passed the secretary in the lobby entrance, who greeted them as they passed by. Soon, they found themselves in a meeting room, and the discussion began. Ichika didn't personally participate in much of it, only answering the occasional question that was directly addressed to him. He noticed that Cecilia was doing the same, allowing one of the older men in the room to speak for her, at least in most cases. It was several hours later that Ichika left the meeting room, following Raymond out into the hall.
"Well, looks like the initial talks were fruitful. I expect we'll be back in Japan within the week." Raymond commented.
"Excuse me, Dr. White, but may I borrow Mr. Orimura for a moment?" Cecilia's voice cut in before Ichika could reply.
"Of course, unless of course, you have any objections Ichika." Raymond replied, smiling. With nothing else to do, Ichika allowed Cecilia to lead him into a nearby private office. It looked familiar, although it took him a few moments to realize that it had been in this very room that he had met Cecilia's father all those years ago.
The pair sat down on opposite sides of a large, oaken desk. As she sat down, Cecilia pushed aside several folders, before sighing in relief, the stress leaving her face.
"It's good to see you again, Ichika-san." Cecilia smiled as she spoke, leaning back into her soft chair.
"It's good to see you too, Cecilia. How's your summer been?" Ichika replied. Cecilia frowned at that.
"It's been... Stressful. I never thought I'd miss Orimura-sensei's classes. Running the Alcott Foundation isn't exactly a vacation." Cecilia sighed, before continuing.
"So, what about you? Has anything interesting happened over the summer?"
"Nothing, really. No classes, no terrorists, no Organization business. It's been rather boring, to be honest." Ichika replied.
"Ah... I envy you then, Ichika-san. The board of directors doesn't make things easy on me just because of my age, and the Alcott Foundation ended up losing the contract to build the successor to the Blue Tears to a rival company. Ultimately, we've ended up making BT drones for the army's Beehive drone carriers instead of any new IS suits. That's why I proposed the deal between Alcott and WSI." Cecilia explained.
"I... I see." Ichika replied, unsure of what to say.
"But enough of that. Ichika, why are you really here?" Cecilia asked, changing the subject.
"Me? I'm here to meet with you and participate in the technology demonstration match."
"That's not what I meant."
"I know. My trip here was also meant to cover for an insertion of an operations team into London. Phantom Task is planning to make a move soon, and we needed boots on the ground and IS suits in the skies to counter it." Cecilia sighed at that.
"I see. So, are we going to get involved in another Gospel incident?" Ichika shook his head.
"No. My orders are to keep my head down and not intervene unless specifically ordered to. I believe that order applies to the rest of STS-01 as well." Cecilia looked relieved at that.
"Good."
They talked for several more hours, with Cecilia calling in her maid, Chelsea Blackett, to make them tea. It was dark again by the time Ichika left the building. Raymond was waiting in the lobby, alternating between reading a magazine and typing on his datapad.
"Took you long enough. What were you two doing in there anyway?" Raymond asked.
"We were just catching up." Ichika replied.
"Really now? Is that what you kids call it these days?" Raymond asked, a mischievous look on his face.
"W-What?" Ichika blushed.
"I mean, I know you probably have heard this by now, but as your teacher, I believe it is my duty to remind you to always use-"
"RAYMOND!" Ichika interrupted his mentor before he could continue, much to the latter's amusement.
"Anyway, I believe Cecilia was kind enough to reserve us rooms at the Arch London Hotel. Shall we get going? I don't know about you, but today has been rather tiring for me." Raymond said, standing up and grabbing his belongings.
"Sounds good to me." Ichika replied, opening the door for him as he left.
The meetings continued for the rest of the week, with no end in sight. Sometimes, Ichika was in attendance, while other times he was given the time and money to explore London.
Eventually though, it came time for the demonstration match between him and Cecilia. It was a rather cold and cloudy Monday morning that found him ushered into Cecilia's office to discuss his upcoming match against her. After all, its purpose was to demonstrate technology, not to show which contestant was stronger. Of course, at this point the match was little more than a formality, as the Alcott Foundation had already agreed to enter the partnership.
"The match will start at around noon. Be ready by then." The man who escorted him to Cecilia's office informed him, before ushering him inside. Cecilia was already there, a smile on her face.
"So, Ichika, are you ready?" She asked once they were alone.
"Of course I am. I've been ready for the past week." He replied. However, before he could say any more, Ori shimmered into being in the middle of the room.
"Sorry to interrupt, but Phantom Task has made its move. Our forces have engaged an enemy fire team in Dartford. Friendly SAS elements have also reported being engaged. Patching you into Organization BattleNet now." The AI reported.
"Thank you, Ori. May I project the situation map?" A second voice asked, as a second hologram shimmered into existence. It was that of a blonde male, wearing a swallow-tailed coat, and speaking with a cultured, British accent. A top-hat and monocle completed the image of the stereotypical British gentleman that Blue Tears' AI, Guiliford, was trying to cultivate.
"Permission granted Guiliford." Ori replied, and a holographic map of London shimmered into being in the middle of the room. White dots indicated the positions of Organization forces, green indicated the presence of allied British military forces, and red indicated the positions of known Phantom Task elements. The lights flashed as they exchanged fire.
"Ichika-san, what do we do?" Cecilia asked, concern clear on her face as she watched the bullets fly.
"At the moment, nothing. Our orders are not to engage unless specifically ordered to." Ichika replied as he looked on, watching as IS suits took to the skies, aiming to suppress the terrorists before they could do too much damage. However, a flash outside the window drew his attention, and as he turned he saw bright bolts of light flying up from between the buildings, forcing the British Equite MPIS suits in the air to evade.
"Looks like they've got AISRs." Ori commented as Ichika watched the duel between MPIS and Anti-IS Rifle unfold. Multiple flashes indicated the presence of multiple such weapons scattered all over the city, with some firing from rooftops, while others sacrificed their fields of fire in exchange for protection as they fired from ground level.
With the MPIS suits suppressed, Phantom Task forces were free to keep moving, although the largest groups were kept in check by Organization and SAS fire teams. Alarms began to blare throughout the city, and Ichika dimly heard a voice outside the room ordering the citizens to stay indoors until the state of emergency was declared over.
However, as the battle unfolded in the city proper, a second battle was unfolding underneath it, where the Silent Zephyrs was kept.
Madoka cursed as she ducked behind a conveniently placed pillar, a heavy pistol in each of her hands. Squall had selected her to be part of the infiltration team, and she had ultimately been the one chosen to escape with the Silent Zephyrs, while the rest of the team split up and acted as decoys.
"Remember Madoka-chan, your pilot suit is equipped with supervisory equipment. I'm watching you every step of the way!" Lily's voice sounded out through her ears. Of course, the other girl was safe in Tokyo, but her eyes were on her friend regardless.
Growling, Madoka pulled a flashbang from her belt and threw it, the grenade bouncing off a wall and coming to rest at the feet of one of the men blocking her way to the exit. The detonation, however, did not slow the stream of suppressing fire in the slightest. Peeking out from behind her cover, Madoka quickly glimpsed the helmets the men were wearing before ducking back into cover to avoid another shower of bullets. Evidently, the SAS had spent no expense in outfitting its members, and flashbang-proof helmets were part of the new kit.
Growling in impotent rage, Madoka looked down at her wrist, where she knew the Silent Zephyrs was stowed beneath her cloak. Once more, she debated the pros and cons of deploying it. On one hand, it would allow her to easily bypass the obstacle in her way, but on the other hand it would cause every soldier in the area to rush to her position as they confirmed her to be the true thief. While she could deal with infantry and MPIS suits just fine, reports from the surface indicated the presence of at least one TIS in the air over the covert facility, with several others in the air over other parts of the city.
A bullet punched through the concrete mere inches from her head, interrupting her thoughts. Her ears picked up the sound of footsteps behind her, as more British soldiers moved to flank her. It was now or never.
"Stiletto squad, this is Stiletto-3. I am deploying the objective. Repeat, I am deploying the objective." Madoka spoke evenly into her earpiece, her words doubtlessly causing no small amount of dread in the minds of her fellow infiltrators. After all, now that they knew who had the Silent Zephyrs, the defenders could afford to exercise less caution around the decoys, and quickly eliminate them.
However, that was irrelevant to her, and with a flash of light, the Silent Zephyrs took form around her. She heard cursing coming form the other end of the hallway, as the people there realized just what they were facing. Madoka smiled at that, before rounding the corner and opening fire. Two seconds later, she was the only one standing in the corridor, as the squad of British soldiers slumped to the ground, dead.
Her earpiece buzzed with calls for help as her squad-mates were quickly overwhelmed, but Madoka ignored them, and instead accelerated down the hallway, intent on reaching the exit as soon as possible.
Four MPIS suits quickly moved in to block her path. They were the standard, second-generation Equite suits that formed the bulk of England's IS corps. Leveling her gun at her opponent, the leader of the squadron spoke up.
"Stow away the IS and discard it, then come out with your hands in the air. Do this, and you will be treated well. Your fellow infiltrators are all dead. Refuse, and you will join them." The woman ordered. Madoka merely smiled in response.
"No." As she spoke, she accelerated to the left, bringing her gun up as she did so. One shot was all it took to bring down the Equite's shield, and the second shot ended the first of her four opponents. Her shields sparked as bullets impacted them, but the inferior armaments of her opponents were unable to do significant damage before she could get off her next few shots. When the battle was over, hundreds of twenty millimeter gun casings littered the floor, strewn among the debris of four MPIS suits.
With the MPIS suits gone, Madoka accelerated towards the exit, and moments later, shot out of the access tunnel into London proper. Quickly re-setting the suit's inbuilt comms to the proper channel, she contacted the local cell command.
"Come in Willow Command, this is Operative M. I am out of the compound, but I have been forced to deploy the package. What are my orders?"
"Copy that Operative M, we see you. Can I get a count of IS forces in the air? Our visibility is limited." The commander replied, his voice perfectly calm despite the sound of an AISR blazing away from what sounded like right beside him. Scanning the surrounding area, Madoka quickly came up with a response.
"I am detecting a total of 26 IS suits in the vicinity. Twenty are MPIS units, and the rest are TIS suits. Three TIS suits appear to be identical to those encountered during the Gospel incident."
"Damn, looks like Code Black is here in force. Even with the golems we're outnumbered in terms of TIS-equivalents. I'm sending up all available TIS-equivalent forces to tie up their opposite numbers, while our ground forces retreat to the Thames for extraction. If the specs I've got for it are accurate, the Silent Zephyrs should be able to outrun all of the IS suits in the area, so once the enemy is engaged, get out as quickly as possible. You are then ordered to rendezvous with the transport submarine 'Coelacanth' at the following coordinates. Good luck." The coordinates were promptly transmitted, and the line went silent. Scanning the area once more, Madoka saw three Golems and two TIS suits rise from the city streets, flying towards their nearest opponent.
"Oh, and before I forget, the Golems have been equipped with timed core-overload detonators to prevent their tech from falling into enemy hands. You have twenty minutes before they all go off." That alone was enough to motivate Madoka into quickly turning and accelerating away. She did not know what yield the detonators had been set to, and she didn't want to find out. Two MPIS suits moved to intercept her, but like their comrades down in the tunnels, the Silent Zephyrs made short work of them. Without any further obstacles in her path, Madoka opened the suit's throttle and flew east, away from London.
"Come in STS-01, repeat, come in STS-01." The message broke the silence of the office room.
"This is STS-01, what are my orders?" Ichika replied.
"The captured Silent Zephyrs prototype will pass over the Alcott Foundation tower in about a minute, and all our IS suits are either too slow to catch it, or tied up in combat. You are ordered to engage the Silent Zephyrs and prevent it from escaping the area. Good luck." Ichika looked at Cecilia once the man finished speaking, and saw her deploy her IS in a bright blue flash of light.
"We'll go out the window. It's faster." Cecilia said, taking aim at the glass and firing, before flying out of the resulting hole. Ichika followed suit moments later, diving out the window while Infinite Arsenal deployed around him. He pulled up several meters above the pavement, and accelerated upward, following Cecilia.
As soon as they cleared the nearby buildings, the pair caught sight of the Silent Zephyrs, which in turn caught sight of them.
"Cecilia, engage at will. Try and stay level with the Zephyrs. I want no unnecessary collateral damage." Ichika ordered as he sped towards the purple IS.
"Roger. Engaging." Cecilia responded, taking aim and opening fire, the blue bolts from her sniper rifle forcing the captured IS to take evasive action.
"STS-01 engaging." Ichika radioed, moments before dodging a bright violet bolt of plasma from his opponent, returning fire with a burst from Ultramarine Storm.
"Out of my way. Now." The Phantom Task pilot spoke, the Silent Zephyrs' helmet speakers amplifying her voice. Her statement was punctuated by another blast from her weapon. Ichika's response was another burst of fire, which was soundly evaded.
"Ori, I want an analysis of that thing's rifle. If nothing else, we can use it later." Ichika ordered.
"Got it. Analysis commencing. Estimated time to completion: two minutes." Ori replied, preparing to add once more to the Infinite Arsenal's repository of weapon data.
That was when Cecilia's drones arrived on the scene, their weapons blazing as they forced the hostile IS to dance to Cecilia's tune. Moments later, the Silent Zephyrs deployed its own drones, that promptly engaged their opposite numbers. Then, the sky flashed white as Ichika's own drones were deployed, and no less than fifty knife missiles, beam drones, and explosive drones joined the fray. The sky over London suddenly filled with flashes of light, as the Silent Zephyrs opened fire on the drone cloud. With each shot of its rifle, multiple drones were scythed out of the sky, as the violet plasma bolts zigzagged their way through the sky, each striking several drones before finally winking out of existence. Twenty seconds after Ichika deployed his drones, the Silent Zephyrs had broken through the swarm. Two seconds later, the pilot's face was inches from his own, and the purple IS suit's bayonet had impacted his shields, sending him tumbling down towards the ground.
After a few moments of free fall, Ichika recovered and accelerated upwards, pushing his suit's impulse drives to their limit as he began pursuit of the fleeing Silent Zephyrs. Flashes of blue and purple behind him told him that Cecilia's Blue Tears were still engaging the Silent Zephyrs' own drones. Although they were outnumbered, Cecilia's drones were now under Guiliford's direct control, allowing them to easily hold their own. Meanwhile, up ahead of him, bright blue streaks of light flew past the Silent Zephyrs as Cecilia kept blazing away, doing everything in her power to hit the captured IS. However, the Silent Zephyrs clearly had another trick up its sleeve, as what bolts would have hit it were instead deflected by a roughly triangular barrier projected by a large shield drone.
"STS-01, what's your status?" The question came just as Ichika saw a vapor cone form around the Silent Zephyrs. Evidently, it was capable of breaking the sound barrier.
"The Silent Zephyrs has gone supersonic. I am in pursuit, but I may not be able to catch it." Ichika replied as his airspeed indicator reported his own breaking of the sound barrier. Sparing a glance behind him, he saw windows shattering as his mach cone passed them by.
"Is that why I'm getting reports of windows shattering? Damn. We've got nothing else that can catch it, so it's all up to you. Maintain pursuit for as long as you can, then return here for debriefing."
"Roger, Wilco." Ichika replied, firing off another burst of plasma at the hostile IS. However, as the seconds ticked by, it quickly became obvious to him the Silent Zephyrs was faster than the Infinite Arsenal. Slowly but surely, the Silent Zephyrs was escaping. Soon the distance between the two IS suits was too great for the Ultramarine Storm's shots to effectively breach, forcing Ichika to switch to his old railgun.
"Ichika, I am unable to continue with analysis of the Silent Zephyrs' rifle. It has exited the Infinite Arsenal system's maximum range." Ori reported a few moments later.
The chase continued over the river Thames, the two IS suits' shockwaves causing ripples in the water. Barely two minutes later, the two IS suits passed over the Thames Estuary, their running battle carrying them past Southend-on-Sea and over the North Sea. By then, the Silent Zephyrs was little more than a speck in the distance, and even with his hyper-sensor Ichika struggled to put his shots on target. Then, after three minutes of pursuit over open water, four more specks appeared in the distance. Zooming in on them, Ichika saw four Golems speeding towards him. As they passed the Silent Zephyrs, two of their number broke off and moved to escort the stolen IS, while the other two continued on their intercept course.
"Come in Command, I am disengaging. The Silent Zephyrs has successfully managed to rendezvous with hostile Golems. Pursuing any further is pointless." Ichika reported.
"Damn... Report back here for debriefing at once... Oh, and try not to break any more windows, would you? We've caused enough collateral damage as is."
"Roger that. Returning to London." Ichika replied, and, with a final parting burst of railgun fire, he spun the Infinite Arsenal around and began the journey back to London.
It was two days later that Ichika and Cecilia returned to Japan, traveling in style aboard a company jet. After arriving in Tokyo, they took the monorail to IS Academy. Upon arrival there, however, their first sight was that of an irate Chifuyu.
"Ichika! Explain yourself!" Ichika's sister demanded, pointing at a tabloid magazine she held in her other hand. On its cover was a photo of the Infinite Arsenal just as it broke the sound barrier, a light grey vapor cone wrapped around its legs.
"Causing millions in collateral damage, chasing after a stolen IS piloted by a terrorist... What were you thinking? You could have gotten hurt, or worse, killed!" Chifuyu continued.
"I couldn't just let her get awa-" Ichika began, but his sister cut him off.
"You could have let the professionals handle it! There were no less than six TIS suits spotted over London that could have given chase!"
"None of them were fast enough. Out of all the IS suits in the city, only two were capable of breaking the sound barrier, and one of them is now right in front of you." Ichika replied.
"And how did you know that?" Chifuyu demanded.
"My fifteenth birthday present. Remember what-"
"I know. However, that does not excuse your actions. What the hell were you thinking, pursuing a terrorist-piloted IS like that?"
"I did what I thought was the right thing to do at the time." Ichika replied simply. For a moment, Chifuyu was silent. When she did reply, her voice was no longer raised.
"I suppose I can't fault you for that. However, you do realize that your actions, no matter how 'right' they may have been, did result in a significant amount of collateral damage. Fortunately, the English government, for whatever reason, has chosen not to take action against IS Academy. However, the media is a different story entirely, which has given the teaching staff a significant amount of headaches these past few days. As punishment for causing undue stress to IS Academy staff, the both of you are to complete twenty laps of the IS Academy track without the assistance of your IS suits. Dismissed."
With those words, Chifuyu turned and walked away. Sighing, Ichika and Cecilia followed after her, accepting their punishment. Chifuyu supervised their first few laps, before heading back to her office. Inside, she opened up her laptop, and pulled up footage of the recent battle over London, or more specifically, footage of one particular IS. As the image of the Silent Zephyrs filled her screen, Chifuyu's eyes narrowed. The helmet did little to hide the identity of the stolen unit's pilot, and as much as Chifuyu did not want to admit it, she knew exactly who her brother had battled that day.
The new representative candidates began to arrive about three days before the start of second semester. It was on a sunny, Friday morning that Ichika found himself waiting at the monorail station, idly browsing the internet. The latest train had just arrived at the station, and its passengers were disembarking all around him. Ichika was in the middle of scrolling through a discussion about whether or not the London incident was really an elaborate hoax when he heard footsteps walking up to him.
"Excuse me, are you Ichika Orimura-san?" An unfamiliar voice asked. Looking up, his eyes came to rest on a face that, until now, he had only seen in images.
"Yes, that's me. How are you doing, Lily?" He replied, standing up and putting away his datapad.
Lily Mallory stood just slightly taller than him, her dark blonde hair falling past her shoulders. Had Ichika not been inoculated to the sight of pretty girls by his stay at IS Academy, he might even have been struck dumb by the sight before him. Evidently, genetics had been kind to the girl.
"The trip here went pretty well, and I got to enjoy some of Tokyo before I had to come here, so I'd say I'm doing pretty well. It's nice to meet you in person, Ichika-san." Lily replied, a smile on her face.
"Likewise, Mallory-san. Now, would you like to start the tour of campus that I promised?" Lily began to nod in response, before her stomach growled.
"Ah... Can we maybe go get breakfast first? I slept in this morning, and I forgot to eat because I didn't want to miss the monorail." The girl smiled sheepishly.
"No problem, the cafeteria is always open here, so I'm sure we'll be able to go grab something to eat." Ichika replied, and led the new arrival deeper into the IS Academy campus. They soon arrived at the cafeteria, and as luck would have it, the room was packed full of students, both new and old.
"The day's menu is posted over there, so just order what you want. The cost of meals is covered by your tuition, so take as much as you want." Ichika said, pointing to a holo-screen beside the serving area.
"Thank you. I'll be right back." Lily replied, and headed off. Meanwhile, Ichika walked up to his usual table, where seven girls already sat.
"Good morning!" He greeted them, receiving a chorus of similar replied as he sat down beside Charlotte.
"Charlotte, do you mind moving over a little more? I've got a friend that would like to sit here as well." He asked after sitting down.
"A friend?" Charlotte asked, moving over. Moments later, Lily arrived, a tray of food in her hands.
"Ichika... Who is she?" Houki asked as the new arrival sat down.
"Oh, this is Lily Mallory. She's a new representative candidate that just transferred in, and I'm giving her a tour of the academy." Ichika replied absentmindedly, unaware of the inscrutable glares that the other girls present were aiming at the blonde beside him.
"I see... So you're just being helpful as usual. However, I insist that I accompany you two on the tour. After all, as a representative candidate, it is my duty to assist my fellow students." Cecilia replied first, an all too sweet smile on her face.
"Yeah! I'll be happy to help as well!" Rin added seconds later. The rest of the table joined in, and Ichika had no choice but to accept.
The tour ended up being dragged out throughout the entire day, and was cut short not by its completion, but by the setting sun. As curfew approached, the girls all went their separate ways, heading off to their respective dormitories, Ichika doing the same.
As he opened the door to room 1025, he saw Tatenashi waiting for him.
"So, what was that all about?" The blue haired girl asked once he closed the door.
"Nothing related to the Organization. She was just a future representative candidate that contacted me over break and asked for me to guide her around campus." Ichika replied.
"I see... So you're not planning to add her to your ever-growing harem?" Ichika blinked at that.
"H-Harem? What are you talking about?" He stammered out, causing Tatenashi to giggle.
"Relax, I know that seven girls is more than enough, even for you."
"W-What is that supposed to mean?" Tatenashi laughed again at that.
"Nothing, nothing... So, you're just friends with that girl?" Ichika nodded at that.
"Well, more like online acquaintances with her. We haven't actually met in real life until today." He replied.
"I see..." Tatenashi was silent for a moment, before she fell back on the spare bed, the smile vanishing from her face.
"Is something wrong?" Ichika asked.
"I guess... But it's nothing to worry about. I'm just tired." The older girl replied.
"Ah... Paperwork?" Ichika asked.
"No, it's the situation in Russia." Tatenashi replied, yawning.
"I see. Is there anything I could do to help?" Ichika asked. The Russian representative candidate shook her head.
"Not really. Right now, I'm a representative candidate without a country. While you were in England, I have publicly issued a statement that I will not get involved in the civil war, but that hasn't stopped the major parties involved from trying to change my mind. Right now, they're offering bribes and other material incentives, but sooner or later, they're bound to take more extreme measures." Tatenashi sighed at that.
"Ah..." Ichika was silent for a moment, before he tried to change the subject.
"Say, how did you manage to get the Russian representative candidacy anyway? Last I checked, you're not a natural-born Russian citizen." Ichika asked, trying to change the subject.
"Easy. Money goes a long way in a corrupt country, especially when your family has certain... Friends in certain shady organizations. It cost a fair bit, but my family was effectively able to purchase the Mysterious Lady's IS core." Tatenashi smiled wryly at that. Ichika had no response to that.
For a while, the room was silent, before Tatenashi broke the silence once again.
"Ichika?" She asked.
"What is it, Tatenashi-san?" He replied.
"Do you mind if I stay here tonight? I don't feel like walking back to my room." She asked. After a moment, Ichika sighed, and replied.
"Why not? The spare bed is all yours. Just don't use up all the hot water when you take a shower, alright?"
"Thank you, Ichika-kun." Tatenashi said. A few moments later, she stood up from the bed.
"You don't mind if I take the first shower, alright?" She asked.
"No problem." Ichika replied.
The lights went out in the room about two hours later.
A/N: It's finally done! I'm not the best at timeskips, but I hope that the quality of this update is satisfactory. Now that I've finally reached Season 2's timeframe, I can begin to start making the first few of many planned deviations to canon. Some of these changes have already been foreshadowed!
Now, the next chapter may not be out for a while due to the presence of multiple projects on my to-do list, but rest assured that this fic is far from abandoned. No, I have way too many epic scenes planned to abandon it now!
Now, this chapter's main purpose is to set the stage for my canon deviations that I have planned for Season 2's timeframe. Some of them, like the alteration of the IS Academy curriculum were relatively recent decisions, while others, like the Russian Civil War were planned out way in advance. That being said, it wasn't exactly the most enjoyable chapter to write, although it did have its moments. The conversation between Ori and Aki in particular was fun to write, what with the philosophical discussion of free will versus programming in true AI units.
The battle over London was also fun to write, or at least, it was once I got to the scenes involving Madoka. My primary goal in that particular scene was to show that Ichika and the Infinite Arsenal are not invincible, nor are they capable of winning every single battle they fight. Madoka got away, thanks to both her skill and the power of the Silent Zephyrs, which I purposefully made to outclass the Infinite Arsenal in terms of speed. After all, as Lily won't be making her move for quite a while, I needed someone else to be capable of matching Ichika in combat on Phantom Task's end, and Madoka fit the bill.
Anyway, I hope you all have enjoyed this recent update! See you next time!