I'll make sure to embrace you tightly
I'm glad now, that I took the first step to the painted future
Chapter 9
Chifuyu waited patiently.
When she was still young there was a fortune teller that often told the futures of the locals with unnerving accuracy. He was clean-shaven, devoid of all expression and not noticeable in appearance. Every day he would sit on the sidewalk and stare nonchalantly to the distance. There was nothing remarkable about him but she still approached the suited man, curiosity taking the better of her.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Observing."
He replied on instinct and still did not turn towards her.
"Can you see the future?"
"Bits of it."
"Then why are you sitting here?"
The man looked at her with a deep sadness in his hollow eyes. In the seventeen years that she had been alive, never had she seen a gaze as remorseful as that.
"You are still young. In the future we will all perish without exception. Enjoy the time while you can."
"… Then why are you sitting here?"
IF ONLY YOU DID NOT EXIST
Reflexes took over and she leapt back a few feet, arms raised in defence.
She never saw him again. But looking back on that encounter, perhaps he really had seen the future. Chifuyu grimaced as his words made sense to her, if only she did not exist then Pandora would never have exploded into what it was.
But there was no turning back.
She was already in far too deep to turn back now.
It was clear from Perfect M's message that Ichika was on the way with them and would arrive in only a couple of hours… and that Charlotte Dunois was killed in combat.
If he was that close to the Third Shift then there was no way that he could let him near the core of Pandora.
"You are such a fool."
Chifuyu aimed those words at herself as she gazed at the rising dawn. It was going to be her last night in this world and her sins would continue to haunt her even beyond the boundary of death. This was not what she wanted, but never once did she waver when she slaughtered millions in her way.
SUBMIT
The dark miasma surrounded her body but she shrugged it off with a brush of her hand.
"You're still fighting it?"
Tabane came and sat next to her. Over the years it had become apparent to Chifuyu that her best friend had long departed. There was only Pandora piloting what was left of her corpse.
"You won't convince me otherwise."
"Of course, our little alliance is fast approaching its end. What are you going to do now Orimura Chifuyu?"
She closed her eyes and felt them sting in obvious strain. Rest when in this form was not possible, as soon as she let down her guard then her conscious would be completely swamped.
Enduring this never-ending pain for years…
"I will stop him."
"You cannot, he is now stronger than you. He is ours and always will be ours. Your attempts to seclude him was valiant, but nevertheless he has been found."
It was a desperate attempt that she had gambled on to save the life of Ichika. Now he was fast approaching looking for answers and all Chifuyu could do was stand in his way to make sure that he would never reach the core of Pandora.
"Are you going against us Orimura Chifuyu?" Tabane asked with a slight smile.
"I will stop him."
"Without killing him? How arrogant."
Chifuyu couldn't help but agree. But this world of hell was a product of her actions, she would need to be responsible to the end. With her she had dragged Charlotte Dunois and Cecilia Alcott down to the depths of hell. A few of the faces of her past comrades flashed in her mind and she willed them away. It was not the time to remember the corpses that dragged at her feet.
It numbered in the millions.
Orimura Chifuyu deployed her IS and ascended the skies, ready to meet her brother. This would be final chance that she had to protect him, because he now came with killing intent.
Ready to kill her.
The sun rose with a brilliant hue of orange and with is the appearance of three Infinite Stratos in the distance. Chifuyu scanned them, Rin was not among the returned and she added the evidence together.
Soft hearted.
"Leader, I have brought Orimura Ichika," Perfect M said through the transmission. Chifuyu had only sadness in her heart when she saw the humanoid and the news that she had brought further displeased her.
"Transfer him to me, that is an order."
She was compliant. As they neared Chifuyu noticed that their conditions were not what she was expecting. Ichika looked like he was in good health, minus the obvious stab marks running across his ripped grey uniform. But even then, there was no sign of the wound on his skin.
Even when M neared all she could sense was the vitality from her brother.
And the bloodlust.
Not even the corpses of millions dragging at her feet had managed to match Ichika's expression which rooted her motionless. She couldn't advance an inch, fear overcame her body as every instinct she had told her that she should run from him.
Chifuyu knew she couldn't win, knew that whatever attack she threw at him at this point was without effect. This Orimura Ichika in front of her was a monster.
"I'm here to find the truth," he said simply.
And Chifuyu could not let him advance. Any further then he would truly be faced with something that even he could not defeat.
The two M's huddled protectively around him and Chifuyu had no doubts into which direction their loyalties lay. Cecilia was a fair distance away and seemed reluctant to join the trio which gave her at least some hope.
A bullet almost blew her head from her shoulders.
Darkness shrouded her frame as the Infinite Stratos protected her from the subsequent barrage of fire. Her IS was still spinning in confusion as she span the Black Knight towards the water surface. The missiles and bullets still followed and as her IS touched the ocean Chifuyu stabilised her frame and parted the body of liquid.
Still more bullets fired and now that her vision was beginning to clear she noticed the approach of three opponents. To tackle them in her current condition would be nothing but suicide. Swords and fists rained from all directions, but they were too light and were all swept to one side with her sword. Before her elbow fully extended she felt her blade stop as it clanged against what seemed to be an impenetrable wall. Instinct took over and she released the blade and backed away narrowly dodging a counter that would have sliced her torso in two.
Ichika stood calmly before her, on top of the water without his IS and holding the giant sword Yukihara as if it weighed nothing.
"Come on Chifuyu-nee let's stop this charade now. I now know what I must do."
But he didn't understand anything. If he was to pass her then everything that she had worked for would have been for nought. Chifuyu could not let him past her, too many sacrifices have been made. All he had to do was to hide away until this was all over, all he had to do was to run!
"Please, turn back Ichika."
But even as she said those words she knew he would not. When the two M's were close enough to assist him then she had no chance. A few seconds, that was all she had.
Everything came to this single blow.
She pulled every inch of Pandora's power into her, feeling the darkness engulf her sight, her touch, her mind and her soul. The world became black and white as it continued to devour everything that made her human. The water surface greyed out and from the surface rose skeletal arms reaching out in desire to feel the sensation of the living again.
Ichika responded in kind, his sword emitting blue waves of plasma dispelling her aura of insanity. Power surged through her body and her sword grew until she no longer knew how far back it reached, just a blackened killing edge. Yukihira's blade became more defined, but even its colour started to pale in her eyes into a white mist.
He moved first.
His whole body crouched and leapt forwards, blade pointed straight to her. A clear thrust that contained all his intent, to face her head on. All the darkness that enveloped the area gathered around Yukihira dispelling all the corpses that dragged at the surface. Water parted from his charge and the speed of the move took her by surprise.
Chifuyu felt for the first-time unparalleled pride in her brother's strength, to be walk the path of chaos so far and still come straight to her with a clear conscious. In comparison, here she stood blinded by countless ideals.
Chifuyu would hold nothing back, this next strike would be to kill.
To raise her sword at this time was already too late, but she had her unique skill that was given only to her exceeding the all-out attack that Byakushiki offered. Her Infinite Stratos phased out of existence and Chifuyu clenched her teeth from the centrifugal pull as her view warped into the sight of Ichika's unprotected back. With a scream her blade arced across the ocean vaporising everything that skimmed against her purple plasma. The darkness that she had tried so hard to contain was beginning to consume her, and she did not have any means to fight back.
SUBMIT
Chifuyu could not. It was all finally over with that final strike, but she was still needed. It was time to put an end to the farce that everyone played. The lie that everyone was feeding to each other because the truth was too ugly to acknowledge.
SUBMIT
"NEVER!"
In that final scream she gathered the last of her power to quell the darkness that was threatening to override her conscious. Pandora would never win, as long as she could control it then all was well.
"Chifuyu-nee… Goodbye."
Her sword shattered, and the Black Knight fell to her knees. Chifuyu could only stare in horror as blood poured from the slash that ran from her shoulder to the middle of her stomach.
A lethal strike.
But she could feel nothing over the adrenaline and the sound of her beating heart which was now hammering in fear.
"I'll end it quickly."
And he was standing over her, completely unscratched with Yukihira held loosely over her still body.
She had failed.
There was nothing to do but to trust her brother now.
"Lead this world to a better place," she whispered.
The blade entered cleanly, and the death was painless. It was the least that Ichika could do for his sister.
Now that he had the power to protect those that were important to him, he had the responsibility to execute justice.
But who was left for there to protect?
He had to find the core of Pandora and destroy it. The madness would finally come to an end, and with it his own life.
"Shall we proceed?"
Ichika had to look away from the speaker. Perfect M resembled Charlotte too much for him to feel comfortable around. The personality was wildly different but there was something about her actions, small movements that screamed to him a resemblance to his lover.
"Yes."
No other words as they neared their destination. He had a private message from Cecilia, but after skimming it Ichika discarded it without a second thought. It was clear to him that she was worried but asking him to turn back now was far too late.
There was nothing to return to.
It was only a few hours before he felt the Raphael Revive slow down. He was expecting some sort of hidden ice cave or perhaps a large military quarter, but it was only a small harbour town. There was nothing out of the ordinary and the coloured roofs of the European houses made him feel at ease. It did not take him long to realise what was wrong, it was too peaceful in a time of war. There was no way that such a serene place could exist amongst all the conflict and strife.
"What is wrong?" Perfect M asked.
His expression must have been too open and Ichika hastily morphed his expression into a passive mask.
"I just saw something disgusting, that was all."
The other M chuckled and to his surprise the more responsible of the two also looked fairly amused.
"Does peace seem so alien to you?"
Ichika closed his eyes for a few more seconds before gazing onto the harbour city once more. The bustling sounds of life were becoming more evident, the cashing waves, lulling cries of birds as they circled amongst the roofs of the inhabitants. Had he become so desensitised that a scene like this was so… distorted to him?
Was peace something that Orimura Ichika no longer recognised?
"And she is here."
A lone figure was standing at the end of the pier, wearing a blue skirted maid dress and ridiculous bunny ears. Ichika knew that he would have to face her at some point, the affinity that she had to the Infinite Stratos was far too strong.
"What does she have to do with Pandora?"
"She is the founder, the birth… mother even of Pandora. Everything that stems from the current tech was inspired by her."
"And my sister was…"
"Only the leader by selection of the strongest. The metal that encases our bodies, the machines that we use as weapons are sentient and bow to her majesty."
Ichika found he had no more time to ask questions as they were now landing next to the scientist who looked nonplussed at the current turn of events. He was half expecting a warm greeting, something with so much artificial vigour that he would find it refreshing amongst all the inhuman bloodshed and combat.
But even that was denied from him.
"You defeated Tabane?"
No more Chi-chan.
In the world that was formed where Pandora now ruled, nothing remained of what was before. Ichika felt surrounded by an alien sensation knowing that he was truly alone and without allies.
"Yes."
"Totally one-sided," M added unhelpfully earning a rebuking gaze from her genetically superior sister.
"Then you must be here to find the truth."
"And you will tell me?"
"Of course, you have won Orimura Ichika. As soon as you reached this place, all calculations point to one of two paths laid out before you."
Won? Ichika did not felt like he won. If anything, he was completely in the mercy of the enemy. Tabane seemed to think differently and he knew it had something to do with how every person had tried to stop him coming to this location.
The truth.
He would find it all.
"Then come with me Orimura Ichika. The legions of Pandora await."
Static. She had long forgotten the sensation of an electrical shock. Her fingers trembled with excitement as her heart rate surged erratically with the expectation of the breath of life. Her lungs struggled but still her airways were closed, and once more she fell into a deep slumber once more.
But she didn't mind.
A warm memory was what she emerged from and she wanted to fall back into the brace of death.
Fall back into the embrace of the man that she loved.
There was a heavily guarded entrance, guards at every station, piloted 4th generation IS guards. Ichika could not feel anything but awe as the vehicle drove through continuous barriers of plasma and firepower.
"They are responsive to those that do not contain the genetics of Pandora. Cecilia will have to wait outside, you are Adam so you are fine."
"What does it mean by the Adam Specimen?" he asked, remembering his code.
"You are the first ever human to be blessed with the Pandora genetics. Did you not find it strange that you were the first ever male to be able to pilot an IS? It was because in your blood contains the same code that runs through the mainframe of these metal husks."
"The kidnapping all those years back."
Tabane's smile twisted into an inhuman crescent drawing cold sweat.
"What happened to you indeed?"
"I'm not Orimura Ichika…"
"What? Of course you are." She looked a bit perplexed at his conclusion and he breathed a sigh of relief.
"I replaced him, the real Ichika is dead."
"Death is but a trivial mechanical defect."
The vehicle stopped and they exited from the metallic beast. The corridors were dark and narrow, but Ichika felt comfortable in the hallways. Something was calling out to him.
"Through here," Tabane said gesturing at an elevator.
It was tiny, barely fitting the four of them in, as they ascended to the surface. The two M's said not a word and he chose this time to ask a more questions.
"Why do these Ms look so like… Charlotte."
"Because they have the same genetic data."
"Then what about the other … M. It looked like my sister."
"Because it had her genetic data."
This was making no sense. According to the sisters themselves, they would have to come from the same source, but then how would they have the same genetic da-
Ichika's blood chilled.
Realisation hit him.
"It seems you have worked it out Ichika, the source of Pandora."
And the elevator doors opened. Sunlight beamed through the glass windows into the hallway that looked like a medieval throne room. Splendour of ephemeral riches filled the floor, ceiling and walls. Gold that shined, diamonds that glistened and works of marble that would put the greatest artisans to shame.
But there was a single figure sitting on the throne room, and in that person's forehead was a black orb the size of a marble.
"The Pandora's Code acts like a mainframe. A hive mind of sorts which requires a core. The core itself needs a host which relays orders. The code is immortal, but the core is not. If you destroy the core, then the production of the code can be put to an end."
"Why are you telling me this?" Ichika said still staring at the figure.
"Because you have a choice."
He already knew which choice he would make after coming so far. No one would be able to stop him.
Not even Madoka.
"Your daughter is the closest we have to the perfect specimen for the core of Pandora. The daughter that Charlotte Dunois birthed in your absence. She has half of your code inside her blood stream and is the mother of all of these M models."
Ichika knelt by her side. She was just a young child, but her eyes were already lifeless. Her black her took after him, but her features were undeniably Charlotte's. She was so beautiful that he felt himself trembling in rage.
This was what bound Charlotte here.
This was what she was fighting for.
That idiot… telling him nothing.
"My code, when did this happen?"
"The kidnapping all those years back… Don't you remember Ichika? You died. Chifuyu begged me to save you, would do anything and I did the only thing that could be done at the time. I made you Pandora Specimen 01. The first model to pilot IS and the data which you've been sending has allowed future code to be generated from."
It was all starting to come together.
Rin's rage of his existence, Cecilia's betrayal and most of all his sister's loyalty.
None of them wanted him to find out.
They had all kept him in the dark.
"You imprisoned Charlotte didn't you?" his stomach twisted and Ichika could feel pure rage well from within. "You captured her and forced her to have this child so that… sweet heaven."
"Choose Orimura Ichika! Will you choose to become our perfect host and lead this world into a new age of technology? Or will you kill your own daughter and work to eradicate our existence?"
"I will not let this waver me!" he screamed drawing his Yukihira towards Madoka… but even as he said this his sword arm trembled. He was disgusted at his lack of resolve.
"We are not evil Ichika. We want to live in peace too, in a society that gives everyone a chance to move forwards. Perfect information gathering, no more crime, no more strife."
"A shallow dystopia," he spat, but his sword still trembled. A figure approached him, but he ignored it as he knew it was only a figure from his psyche.
"Ichika, you've done enough now."
It was Maya, but she was here… how was that possible? Her soft body pressed against him and he felt her vitality sapping away his will power.
"Moving a body and circulating the blood flow are simple tasks for Pandora. Remember, death is but a minor matter."
Maya's hands gripped his own, her face full of open trust and understanding.
"Ichika, I know that some things must be done. But please, be a bit more selfish. What do you really want? I will follow you no matter what."
"Yamada Maya," Perfect M interrupted. "You are aware that if Ichika destroys the core then we all would no longer be able to live?"
"I know."
Ichika's will trembled, but he remembered Charlotte's last words.
Don't bring me back
He promised, and he would end this.
"My wife, how I longed to see you again!"
Laura calmly walked to him and embraced his back. Her frame was still small and Ichika could feel her chest sigh from a breath of happiness.
"I am content now, choose what you wish," she said simply. "I will follow you to hell and beyond."
More figures entered the room, and he felt his resolve ebbing away. With them alive… there was purpose to his life, nothing would have went to waste.
Natasha, Tatenashi, Kanzaki all embraced him.
"You did good kid, I'm here for you."
"You will always be my hero…"
"General Orimura Ichika, you have the right to choose whatever you desire."
His arms felt heavy, the utopia that he wished for was in his sight… the corpses were no longer pulling at his feet but pushing him towards the core, hoping that their deaths had meaning.
Kill the core! He had to kill Madoka no matter what.
Kill his daughter, what was this sick joke?
This was not about him, this was about the world…
"Thank you everyone, I have chosen."
"Ichika!"
His head snapped to the direction of the voice and the figure of Houki appeared as she ran towards him. She buried her face in his chest and held him tightly.
"Do it Ichika, you have our support. Just let me be in your arms as you finish this long journey."
None of them had a good life. They all did their best for him, they gave their lives for him.
Maybe with this chance they could all live the way they wanted.
What was his goal?
"What will it be Orimura Ichika?" Tabane asked with a hint of impatience in her voice.
He took a look towards Houki, Maya, Tatenashi, Kanzaki, Laura, Natasha and finally settling on Madoka.
A whirl of emotion overtook him and his sword felt heavy.
"I will become Pandora."