Chapter 6
Shooting across the sky, Éclair was on its way towards a skyscraper, two launch ships following it. On board the airship, the cyber angels were gathered at the bridge. All of them looked sleepy, and the only ones that looked remotely alert was Sora and Jen.
¡°Wake up. You¡¯ll be approaching the UED building soon.¡± Chikage said through the communications channel
¡°Guard duty is boring¡¡± Rio complained, yawning.
¡°But you¡¯ll still have to do it. Jen?¡±
¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± Jen stood and turned to face the others, ¡°Each of us will be assigned to an area within the UED building. Our job is to ensure that everything goes smoothly in today¡¯s annual meeting. This year will also be the first that the UED will be making it a public activity.¡±
The UED government is mainly made up of two bodies. At the top, there is the executive committee, which is in charge of global matters. They are made up of seven people, one from each continent: America, Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe, Antarctica, and the matrix. The delegates are the ones nominated by the people to represent them in UED, and every five years the people decide whether to reelect their representatives or have a new one instead. Theses six are the ones who will decide on whether new laws or rules should be passed.
Next is the assembly. These people are also delegates nominated by the people, three from each continent. That makes a total of twenty-one delegates, reelected annually. They are the ones that come up with bills and trash out things that are brought up in daily meetings. After all the debates and discussions, they submit their reports to the executive committee to be judged, and if it succeeds, the new rules or laws are made public.
Normally, these two parties work independently from each other, but once every year, a meeting is held in which all members of the UED government come together to review bills that have been passed and reevaluate their feasibility. Though it is common for this meeting to be a private one, the UED decided to become more transparent in how it handles matters and hence, made it open to the public to come view the progression. This of course meant new troubles and dangers would arise. That¡¯s why GISB was called.
¡°So we¡¯re just going to stand around in our WNS armour all day long?¡± Rio whined. Jen nodded.
¡°Sora and the oracles will stay on board Éclair which will be cloaked.¡±
¡°Why can¡¯t I stay on board?¡± Duo asked.
¡°We¡¯ll need them on standby should something happen. Besides, with the modifications you made to his WNS, it¡¯s enough to scare away everyone.¡±
After the last two battles, Duo realised that having a blade on seeker was redundant, Sora preferring to use the sheer weight of the dual gatling busters to issue melee attacks, with great effect. So, while Duo remade the suit, he also redid the left arm and built another dual gatling buster for it. Two beam sabers were also added to seeker¡¯s back on Sora¡¯s request. This, coupled with the fact that Duo painted the suit¡¯s name in blood-like paint on the left side of the helm and on the right shoulder plate, made seeker look less than a welcoming sight. And on a side note, all the other suits finally had helms.
¡°Man, this sucks!¡± Duo groaned, stretching. A sharp rap on the head from Rika caused him to jerk forward, ¡°Hey!¡±
¡°Blame it on yourself.¡± Rika said, crossing her arms. Duo looked like he was about to counter with an argument, but his jaw just hung there for a moment before he closed it, turning back to face Jen. Everyone was puzzled by this, but shrugged it off. Rika however, took a second look at Duo, biting her lower lip as she turned away moments later so as to not attract attention.
¡°The meeting itself will be held in the general room on the second floor. Each of you will be assigned sentry areas. Rio, Banks, and Rika you three will be at the main entrance with the in-house security guards checking the visitors. Duo, you and Mei will be at the leisure room. Myself and Chi will be in the square outside patrolling. The GISB troops will be covering the roof and other areas.¡±
As Jen finished his last words Éclair began slowly descending into the square just outside the UED building. The two launch ships remained hovering in mid-air as WNS flew out from them. As the hanger door opened, a man was standing outside to greet the cyber angels.
¡°Captain Saints?¡± he asked as Jen approached. Jen nodded, and accepted a handshake from the man.
¡°Who may I be speaking to?¡±
¡°Giles, head officer of UED¡¯s security team. It¡¯s a pleasure meeting you.¡±
¡°Likewise.¡±
Giles looked up into the sky where the WNS were flying past, ¡°I presume your troops have begun their sweep of the building?¡±
¡°Yes. GISB prefers to be on the safe side.¡±
¡°Glad to hear it. Most of the UED executive committee and assembly have arrived, but it¡¯s still almost an hour till the meeting starts.¡±
¡°That¡¯ll be okay. It just gives us more time to do our job.¡±
With that, Jen headed back into Éclair to get his suit as Giles headed back in. The others were already prepared.
¡°Éclair, stay within a reachable range of the UED building.¡± Duo said through the intercom, receiving three beeps from the A.I. as confirmation.
¡°Everyone set?¡± Jen asked, receiving various answers from the others, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡±
As Sora watched from the bridge of the airship, Éclair took off, a brief shimmer of the entire ship indicating that they were now cloaked. Leaning back in the chair Sora looked out into the sky. From the lounge, the three oracles were watching him.
¡°He looks so Kawaii!¡± Maya said, propping her head up with her hand.
¡°Neh! You have something for big brother?¡± Eliza teased.
¡°Don¡¯t you?¡± Maya countered, cheeks flushed. Fio smiled as she watched the other two girls¡¯ argument. She turned to look at Sora, and realised that he was looking at them. The strange thing was, when Fio¡¯s eyes caught his, Sora immediately turned away, resuming his stare of the blue sky outside.
Meanwhile, as the meeting finally begun, more and more people began to throng the UED building. It appeared that having heard of the government¡¯s decision to become more transparent in its system, quite a number of people had turned up to see for themselves how it was like. Even if the meeting was scheduled to be aired on all channels live, many still came to experience it first hand. Rio and the others were having a hard time keeping up with the number of visitors coming and going, but they were managing. Nothing much happened on Duo and Mei¡¯s side, since the government officials had already left the leisure room to attend the meeting. Jen and Chi were outside patrolling. Due to the crowd forming, the two had gotten separated in the large square.
¡°Chi? Where are you?¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry. There¡¯s a lost girl with me. I¡¯m taking her to find her parents.¡±
¡°Alright. Be safe.¡±
¡°Thank you.¡±
Jen took off his helm since it was getting hot wearing that. Someone collided with Jen just then. Of course, since Jen was in his WNS he was barely fazed, but the person was sent tumbling to the ground.
¡°Are you alright?¡± Jen spotted the young woman on the ground. Her platinum brown hair reached just below her waist, falling beautifully around her, contrasting her light purple eyes. She wore a maroon sleeveless buttoned blouse and a pair of black pants, revealing her considerable curves. A coffee brown jacket was tied round her waist, and to complete her attire was a set of medium heels and a silver metal band round the upper part of her right arm.
¡°Y-yes I¡¯m fine¡¡± The woman said. Her face looked considerably pale. Jen extended a hand over.
¡°Is something the matter? You don¡¯t look so good.¡± Jen asked as the woman accepted his hand and pulled herself up.
¡°Actually, I¡¯m a bit lost. Do you know which way is it to the main entrance of the UED building?¡±
Jen nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll take you there then.¡±
¡°Thank you.¡±
Negotiating through the sea of people, Jen took the woman to the main entrance and entered. There, Rio, Banks and Rika were busy controlling the flow of people.
¡°Hey Jen,¡± Rio noticed the young woman following her brother, ¡°So you ditched Chi for another girl?¡±
The woman blushed slightly as Jen rolled his eyes, ¡°No. Chi¡¯s helping a lost child find her parents. She,¡± Jen indicated the young woman behind him, ¡°was trying to find the entrance of the UED building and got lost. Check her would you?¡±
¡°Why don¡¯t I leave it to you to do the checking?¡± Rio said slyly.
¡°Rio¡¡± Jen said in a dangerously low tone. Her sister got the message and obediently scanned the young woman with a device.
¡°All checked. You¡¯re good to go.¡±
The young woman bowed towards Jen, ¡°Thank you for your help. I have to go now.¡± with that she left for the elevator.
¡°Did you get her number?¡± Rio whispered to Jen, who face-faulted.
¡°Aren¡¯t you suppose to be doing your job right now?¡± Jen asked, but it sounded more like a statement.
¡°I¡¯ll take it as you forgot then.¡± Rio said, giggling. She scampered off when her brother gave her a warning glare, humming to herself. Jen sighed and shook his head. Come to think of it, he hand¡¯t asked for the young woman¡¯s name.
¡°Oh well, all in a day¡¯s work.¡± Jen muttered as he went back to the square.
As the day wore on, it was soon time for lunch. The assembly and executive committee decided to take an hour¡¯s break then, and the meeting was adjourned for the time being. Meanwhile, in the loading bay of the UED building, a security guard which had been reading the newspaper looked up as several trucks pulled in. Reap alighted from one of them as the security guard stood and approached them.
¡°Hey, you¡¯re not suppose to be-¡±
A silenced gunshot cut the guard¡¯s words short as he crumpled to the floor, dead. Reap holstered his gun and took out his lighter, flicking it open and shut.
¡°Come out.¡± The back of the trucks opened, and groups of WNS clambered out. Most of them carried assault rifles, others had rocket launchers. Ellison hoped down from one of the trucks also.
¡°This is going to be fun.¡± Ellison grinned. Reap smiled and snapped his fingers. One of the WNS holding the rocket launchers fired a shot, destroying the doors of the back entrance to the UED building. The security guards stationed there had no time to react and were killed instantly.
¡°What in the world?¡± several GISB troops had arrived on the scene upon hearing the explosion. A hail of high velocity bullets ripped through one of them, splattering blood onto the wall. The others immediately ducked for cover.
¡°Alert! Terrorists are forcing entry from the loading bay. Requesting backup now!¡± One GISB troop yelled into his intercom as his comrades fired their weapons.
¡°What is your posit¡¡±
The rest of the message was never heard as a metallic oval shaped construct crashed through the wall, Impaling that soldier. Its sides opened to reveal two laser canons. The remaining GISB soldiers could not escape in time as searing beams of energy cut through them like a hot knife through butter.
Jen¡¯s intercom crackled violently as the communications was abruptly cut with that team of troops, ¡°Do you read me?¡± Static filled his speakers.
¡°Damn,¡± he curse, ¡°Duo, Mei, get the assembly and executive committee out of there. Rio, Banks, Rika, go and assist them.¡±
¡°Roger.¡±
Rio, Rika, and Banks had went out for lunch at a nearby cafe. Running towards the square, the two girls and navigator met with a strange force field that knocked them back.
¡°Ouch¡¡± Rio whined, rubbing her head. Banks placed his hands on the invisible barrier.
¡°Where did that come from?¡± Rika asked, standing. She struck it with her pike. A resounding clang echoed for a few moments before fading away. Banks shook his head, indicating that nothing¡¯s changed.
¡°Jen, there¡¯s a barrier blocking our path.¡±
¡°How¡¯d it get there?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t know, but it won¡¯t budge.¡±
¡°Damn.¡± Jen cursed. He had been ion the square, and looking up a brief flicker caught his eye, ¡°Who in the world could generate such a large shield?¡±
¡°There¡¯s a massive energy reading on the twentieth floor of the building.¡± Chi said, scanning the area.
¡°Go tell Duo that the main entrance is blocked. I¡¯ll try and disable the shield. Sit tight Rio.¡±
¡°Roger.¡±
Meanwhile, two jump holes appeared around Éclair, and black ships emerged from them, three times the size of Éclair They were M-19 battleships, assault class. Their hulls opened, revealing mirrored surfaces. Gathering blue energy, thick beams shot towards the airship.
¡°A.I., begin evasive maneuvers and counter attack,¡± Sora commanded. The bluish orb appeared yet again and beeped several times. Thrusters screaming, Éclair got out of the way just in time as two beams created a deadly crossfire. The long needle-like tail of Éclair rose and turned round, teal energy gathering at its tip. A deadly charge burst forth moments later, tearing through one side of a battleship. A series of explosions followed Little Dragon¡¯s wake. Luckily they were over a large plain, hence the battleship crashed without damaging much. WNS began flying out of the other battleship, each bearing a pulse cannon. Purple energy began flying through the sky, Éclair reeling through them as it swiftly approached the next nearest battleship.
¡°Where are you Sora?¡± Jen¡¯s voice sounded through the intercom.
¡°Éclair¡¯s dealing with some problems.¡±
Two of the airship¡¯s missile pods opened, and numerous missiles burst forth, engulfing the flying WNS with countless explosions. Éclair emerged from the smoke, laser cannons raining searing energy on a remaining battleship. It retaliate with its own laser turrets, but the airship was too nimble. A blast from Little Dragon rendered the battleship destroyed. The A.I. appeared yet again, beeping as it indicated that the particle cannon had overheated.
¡°A force field¡¯s been activated round the UED building. Get the airship over here and see if you can break through.¡± Jen said.
¡°Terrorists?¡±
¡°Probably.¡±
A hail of gunfire burst through the intercom. Jen ducked into a nearby room for cover, drawing his blades.
¡°Damn! They¡¯re already up here!¡±
Another voice sounded through the intercom, coupled with the noise of a furious gunfight, ¡°Duo here! The UED government committee is being held within the general meeting room.¡±
¡°What happened?¡±
¡°WNS just started pouring out of nowhere. Our GISB troops are trying their best to suppress them. SHIT!¡±
An oval shaped object had burst forth from the ranks of terrorist WNS. Duo activated guardis¡¯ shield just in time as it made contact. The shield rippled angrily, flashing brilliantly as electricity crackled.
¡°Duo! What in the world was that?¡±
¡°I think we¡¯re about to find out¡¡± Duo muttered as a tall metallic creature walked forth, it¡¯s silver shell gleaming in the light, ¡°They have an exo-shell!¡±
It was a mech designed by scientists not long ago, used mainly to build sectors within the matrix. The military however adopted its design to be made into a weapon. Equipped with an A.I., exo-shells respond to basic commands and carry them out in the fastest, most efficient way possible. This made them true killer drones. How the terrorists could obtain such a weapon was questionable, since the black market had become extinct for quite some time already.
Now the GISB troops concentrated their fire on the metallic creature, called the exo-shell, but it simply weathered the attack like nothing. Raising both arms, it¡¯s four laser canons opened fire. Guardis¡¯ shield wouldn¡¯t hold up much longer like this. Duo grunted, hands trembling from the exertion.
¡°Mei, help me out a little here would you?¡±
The navigator nodded, eyes beginning to glow. The shield was strengthened a bit, but that didn¡¯t mean it was going to last forever.
¡°Don¡¯t push yourself.¡± A voice said through the intercom. Duo smiled as he recognized it immediately.
¡°Funny you should say that when you won¡¯t even listen to me.¡±
A blue bolt suddenly shot forth, crashing through the shield like it was nothing and hitting Duo square on the chest.
¡°Argh!¡±
¡°Duo!¡± Rio and Rika cried from outside.
¡°Mei! What happened to Duo?¡± Rika nearly screamed through her intercom.
¡°Something hit him. He¡¯s knocked out.¡±
Rika cursed under her breath as Rio opened up a communications channel with Éclair, ¡°Sora! Where are you?¡±
¡°Right here.¡± Up in the sky, the hanger doors of Éclair opened. Sora and the three oracles were standing there as a sharp wind passed them.
¡°I might be able to break that force field.¡± Eliza said. Her armour looked like her sisters¡¯ but it was yellow in colour. In her hands she carried a set of battle axes.
Sora reached his hand out towards Eliza, his gatling busters strapped onto his back. His visor was down.
¡°Come on.¡±
¡°Um.¡±
A brief flash of light later, Sora was flying down towards where Rio and company stood with Maya and Fio in tow. He was clad in heavy yellow armour, two long white tubes flying back from his shoulders, ending with yellow beads. He wore a yellow visor connected to two circular white earpieces. In one hand he carried a great axe, it¡¯s silver blade gleaming in the sunlight, brown handle adorned with red fabric. Rio and the others got out of the way as Sora rammed headlong into the shield with his axe. Slowly, but surely, the weapon penetrated, and a Sora broke through finally.
¡°Hurry, before it seals again.¡±
The shield closed itself yet, but not before everyone had went through.
¡°Banks, where are they now?¡±
¡°In the lobby, but the signal is very weak.¡± Banks replied somberly.
¡°Damn it Duo¡ don¡¯t die on me yet¡¡± Rika muttered to herself.
Meanwhile, Jen was flying through corridors, dispatching the occasional WNS that blocked his way. From his map he could tell that he was close to the source of the force field.
¡°It should be around¡ here.¡± Jen stopped at a junction, looking around him, ¡°Which way?¡±
A hail of bullets flew past, disturbing Jen¡¯s line of thoughts. WNS appeared on all sides, seemingly having been waiting in ambush. Not waiting to be torn apart by burning lead, Jen flew back and crashed into the nearest door. Red eyes met light purples ones as Jen looked up to find the young woman from before.
¡°What are you doing here?¡± Jen tried standing, but a small barrier dome impeded his movement, ¡°What?¡±
It was then that Jen noticed the woman was wearing armour of a similar design to the other three oracles, save the fact that hers was brown in colour, ¡°A system oracle?¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± The young woman said, holding both hands in front of her in prayer style. Before Jen could speak, he smelled something. Growing faint, darkness overcame him as his air supply was depleted. The young woman walked over and knelt down, checking Jen. He was still breathing, but was unconscious.
¡°Please forgive me.¡± she whispered, standing. Leaving the room, she locked the door.
¡°There you are.¡± The young woman turned round to find a pair of cool blue eyes looking at her. Kei smiled, ¡°I wonder what would interest you in such a room?¡±
¡°Nothing, just watching the sky.¡± The young woman replied quickly, backing away slightly from Kei.
¡°I¡¯m hurt. You don¡¯t like me?¡± Kei whined.
¡°N-no¡¡± The woman stuttered, trying not to look at Kei in the eye. Swiftly Kei strode forward, pinning the woman against the wall and forcing a kiss onto her lips. She resisted at first, but slowly the woman¡¯s eyes went blank. Parting, Kei looked at the young woman lustfully, ¡°That¡¯s good to know.¡±
The woman¡¯s head slumped forward, lips slightly parted, face blank.
The GISB troops weren¡¯t holding out very well against the terrorists¡¯ WNS, especially since they had no form of shield now. Mei was bent over Duo, praying that he was alright. Chi was sitting nearby, also looking worriedly at Duo.
¡°Duo¡¡± she had removed Duo¡¯s helm, his head resting on her lap. His eyes were shut, but fluttered after a moment. Groaning, Duo looked up into the ocean blue eyes of the system navigator.
¡°It¡¯s good to wake up seeing an angel¡¯s face.¡± Duo said absentmindedly, causing Mei to blush.
The exo-shell was advancing forward, a legion of WNS behind it. A hammer crackling with electricity flew over just then, crashing into the metallic creature. It tumbled backwards, legs thrashing around madly as it tried to get back up. The hammer flew back to thor, and Rio caught it. Rika, Banks, Fio, Maya and Sora ran forward, weapons drawn.
¡°Stop flirting and be of some use.¡± Rika shouted at Duo, tone slightly disgusted. Duo chuckled and sat up.
¡°Go ahead. Mei. Chi.¡±
¡°But¡¡±
¡°Don¡¯t want our ice queen to be angry now would we?¡±
¡°I HEARD THAT!¡± Rika shouted, forcefully stabbing a pike into an unlucky WNS in the way. Mei sweatdropped. Duo however was smiling about something. Chi just looked on, confused.
¡°Is something going on between you and Rika?¡± Chi asked, puzzled.
¡°Maybe.¡± Duo muttered, more to himself than anyone else. He stood and took back guardis¡¯ helm, ¡°Armour down 50%, but looks like the suit¡¯s still hanging in there. Let¡¯s go!¡±
The three joined the fray and the remaining GISB troops and cyber angels began fighting back the terrorists with renewed spirits.
With a lurch, the exo-shell finally managed to stand. Spotting Sora nearby, it launched one of its arms directly at him.
Look out!
Sora turned round as Eliza shouted in his mind. He side-stepped the projectile as it slammed on to the ground. Using his axe, Sora severed the cable that attached the arm to the main body and grabbed it. The exo-shell and Sora were locked in a tug-of-war, neither relenting.
¡°Some support would be good right about now.¡± Sora muttered through the intercom. Rika and Banks answered by swiftly running forward, stabbing the exo-shell with their respective weapons. Electricity sizzled from the exo-shell as it began to jerk about randomly. Chi warped in her plasma cannon and opened fire, catching the exo-shell in a steady beam of energy. It was hurled backwards, crashing into the wall, joints snapping and limbs falling apart. It crumbled to the floor, destroyed.
Sora and the others had finished off the rest of the terrorists soon after, and the GISB troops and security guards were now handcuffing them. Sora looked around him, sensing something amiss.
¡°Are the UED officials safe?¡±
¡°They¡¯ve been transported away from here already.¡±
¡°Chi, where¡¯s Jen?¡± Sora asked.
¡°He went searching for the source of the force field.¡±
¡°The barrier¡¯s down.¡± Maya called from the main entrance. Something swept over the oracles then.
Sister!
Sora heard Eliza¡¯s cry in his mind.
¡°Massive energy readings above the UED building!¡± Mei alerted the group. As one they flew out and up, just as a large jump hole appeared in the sky. Numerous M-19 battleships appeared, waves of WNS flying out of them.
All the battleships focused their main guns on a single spot on the UED building¡¯s square. They fired simultaneously, rocking the entire area with numerous explosions.
¡°HQ, do you read? We need backup over here at the UED building A.S.A.P.!¡± Rio shouted over the intercom over the noise.
¡°This is Chikage, what¡¯s going on? Where¡¯s Jen?¡±
¡°No time to explain. Just send all GISB troops over here now!¡±
¡°Got it.¡±
Maniacal laughter echoed in the cyber angel¡¯s ears as all turned upwards. Two customized WNS were hovering side-by-side. One was white in colour, holding a fencing saber in one hand. On its back were two discs that glowed with bluish energy. It¡¯s companion, a deep blue WNS, held a much larger blade, a spear-like construct fitting on its left shoulder.
¡°Interesting. I never expected you all to make it this far.¡± The white WNS said.
¡°Who the hell are you?¡±
¡°Reap and Ellison Valmont, the Valmont Brothers.¡± the blue WNS said, before laughing manically, ¡°Bro, mind if I got rid of them?¡±
¡°Be my guest.¡±
¡°Cool!¡± The spear-shaped construct on the blue WNS began crackling with blue energy as it was swung to point at Sora, ¡°Catch!¡±
A blue bolt shot forward. Sora had no time to dodge so raised his axe to block the shot. Duo recognized the weapon though.
¡°Get out of the way Sora!¡±
It was too late however, as the blue bolt collided with Sora. He could hear Eliza screaming in pain inside of him as he fell, crashing onto the top of the UED building. The other cyber angels stared stunned at what just happened.
¡°Like my cancel ray? It corrupts any data it touches, hence rendering it useless.¡± The blue WNS, who was Ellison, said with glee.
¡°Your friends are probably dead,¡± The white WNS, Reap, added, ¡°you¡¯ll be joining him soon enough though.¡±
The WNS began firing again. The cyber angels tried their best to cope, but there was simply too many.
¡°Ma¡¯am! How soon till the backup arrives?¡±
¡°E.T.A. five minutes.¡±
¡°We don¡¯t have five minutes!¡± Duo grunted, dodging fire from the WNS. Even with two oracles on their side it proved to be difficult dealing with the terrorist group. A hail of bullets suddenly tore themselves through the terrorist¡¯s ranks as countless WNS were disabled.
¡°What?¡± Ellison and Reap spun round. When Sora had landed, a cloud of dust rose. Now, as the particles settled, the black form of seeker could be seen by all. Even if the cyber angels already know how the suit looked like, with Sora in it, the sense of power and command emanating from seeker seemed to go up a notch. Though the visor was broken, seeker still looked fearsome, carrying two sets of dual gatling buster cannons. Raising both weapons, seeker fired, tearing through the masses of WNS like nothing. The blank look on Sora¡¯s face was unnerving.
¡°Why isn¡¯t he moving?¡± Duo asked.
¡°You idiot,¡± Rika scolded, ¡°look closely.¡±
Eliza was sprawled on the floor, unconscious. The two other sisters knew what Sora intended to do instantly.
¡°He wasn¡¯t joking when he said he¡¯d protect us no matter what.¡± Fio muttered.
¡°Neh¡ he really is one of a kind.¡± Maya added.
A sudden sonic boom was heard as Éclair shot past, laser cannons blazing. A few WNS were destroyed in a manner of seconds. Numerous launch ships came into view also, and GISB troops began flying out of them, engaging the terrorist group.
¡°Oh yeah, we¡¯re back in business.¡± Duo said. Several WNS had broke off from the main force to repair the cyber angels¡¯ suits. The tables had been turned in GISB¡¯s favour, but little did they know of the terrorists¡¯ true intentions.
¡°How long till the canons can be fired again?¡± Reap asked through his intercom.
¡°About four minutes, sir.¡±
¡°Alright then,¡± Reap grinned, ¡°Time to have some fun.¡±
The discs on the white WNS¡¯ back began to glow brighter. Seconds later, hedgehogs erupted from them.
¡°Look out!¡± Rika cried as a web of energy was thrown over them. A considerable number of the hedgehogs were headed for Sora and Eliza. Without a second thought Sora flung himself onto the young girl. Searing energy burned through seeker, grazing Sora¡¯s bare flesh. It was then that Eliza¡¯s eyes fluttered open. Seeing Sora so close to her, she blushed, but she was horrified when she saw him smoking.
¡°Sora!¡±
Without a word Sora ejected both his gatling cannons and lifted Eliza into his arms. Thrusters to full, he flew towards the two other oracles.
¡°Take care of her,¡± he said simply, before drawing both laser sabers from his back, turning to face Ellison and Reap.
¡°Trying to act as the hero are we?¡± Reap sneered. Ellison laughed and readied his blade.
¡°Who¡¯s funding you?¡± Sora asked.
¡°Our client¡¯s identity will not be disclosed, but know that they are beyond this world.¡±
¡°And I have pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis,¡± Sora said dryly.
¡°Huh? Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis?¡±
¡°No, pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis. With a c, not a k.¡±
¡°What¡®s wrong with pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis?¡±
¡°Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, the one with the c, looks better.¡±
¡°I still think k looks better.¡±
¡°C.¡±
¡°K.¡±
¡°C!¡±
¡°K!¡±
They began exchanging blows after a lengthy verbal fight.
Author¡¯s Interlude
Sweatdrops Pryce: Umm¡. What¡¯s pneumonoulblasiliwhateverosis?
FFC: Dunno¡
Pryce crashed to the floor, then got back up in a flash
Pryce: Then how do I know of such a word then?
FFC: My friends did that.
Pryce: And?
FFC: It sounded hilarious, so I just left it in.
Pryce: Okay¡
FFC: Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll write a normal section. You sound too out of character with that line. Besides, you don¡¯t have some breathing problem caused by inhaling volcano ashes.
Pryce: That¡¯s what it is?
FFC: From what my friends told me, yeah. They read through the entire dictionary to find the longest word apparently.
sweatdrops Pryce: You have some unique friends¡
¡°Trying to act as the hero are we?¡± Reap sneered. With a wave of his hand, WNS flew into view and began raining lead on them. Fio dodged the attack and flew back, Eliza safe in her arms. Sora on the other hand charged forward, energy bursting forth from his laser sabers. Thrusters to full, seeker hurtled past in a blur, laying waste to any WNS in its way with quick slashes. A blue WNS appeared out of nowhere and Sora got out of the way just in time as a large blade swiped past, cleaving the head of an unlucky WNS in the way. Seeker immediately engaged Ellison in an all out battle.
¡°So not even the lives of your own men mean anything to you?¡± Sora said, catching the blue WNS in a deadlock with his weapon. Ellison chuckled.
¡°They¡¯re there for us to use in the first place, Seeker.¡±
Sora was caught off guard by the last word, Ellison quickly using that to his advantage by pushing him backwards. Blue energy sparkled on his shoulder weapon, and a blue bolt shot forth. It grazed seeker¡¯s armour as Sora rolled away, but a biting pain burst across his back just then. The white WNS zipped past, and hovered next to his brother. Sora panted hard. Seeker was badly damaged as it already was. As the battle raged on around them, the three faced-off.
¡°Surprising, isn¡¯t it?¡± Reap said, ¡°How we known of your origin?¡±
Sora remained silent, bowing his head. Ellison snickered.
¡°You had immeasurable powers, yet you chose to give them up. What a pity. Personally I would have conquered the world and crowned myself king.¡±
¡°What are you trying to do?¡± Sora asked, realising that the terrorists didn¡¯t seem to have minded the fact that the UED committee was now safe and sound, out of their reach.
¡°The tree of life,¡± Reap sneered, ¡°All ships, fire at the same spot again!¡±
As one the battleships fired their main cannons, piercing the cratered the ground. Instead of explosions this time though, the ground simply shattered into scraps of data, revealing a river flowing with a multi-coloured substance that radiated with light.
¡°What in the world is that?¡± Rika exclaimed, stunned. A voice sounded through Rio¡¯s intercom.
¡°Protect it all costs.¡±
¡°General Herald sir?¡± Rio asked quizzically.
¡°There is no time to explain right now, but know that the matrix¡¯s stability and existence relies on the thing that you see now.¡±
¡°I understand sir.¡± Rio opened a channel to all troops there, ¡°Target the battleships! They have to be stopped!¡±
¡°Roger!¡±
The demolition battalion were more than happy to oblige: shooting fast-moving targets weren¡¯t really up to their tastes. Numerous rockets, energy beams, and flak flew towards the closest battleship, and it exploded into a huge fireball, scattering surrounding WNS. The cyber angels and other two battalions of the WNS army paved the way for the demolitionists as they approached their next victim. Oddly, Reap and Ellison didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by this.
¡°Should we tell?¡± Ellison asked, laughing like a hyena. Reap merely chuckled. As shells and energy rays flew towards the next battleship, a fury of explosions cascaded across a transparent force field, protecting the ships from harm. The terrorists¡¯ WNS opened fire, their own bullets flying through the barrier and shredding the first line of GISB troops.
¡°That again?¡± Rio exclaimed, dodging gun fire. She threw her hammer towards the shield, but it simply bounced off. The three oracles sensed something then.
On the roof of the UED building, a girl clad in brown armour stood, head bowed. Next to her stood a handsome young man who wore a long trench coat, a shirt, a pair of long pants, a belt hung loosely round his waist, and a pair of laced boots. His entire dress apparel was black, save the coat which was deep blue. His hair was black, eyes blue in colour.
¡°Stop fooling around, or my superior will be upset.¡± Kei said, crossing his arms.
¡°Fooling around? What fun is there in just killing them in the first place?¡± Ellison snorted. Kei grinned.
¡°I like your style, but still, there are limits.¡± he cautioned, turning his gaze towards Sora, ¡°ah, so you¡¯re the one my superior spoke of.¡±
A shield flickered round seeker and began shrinking. Sora looked at Kei, eyes narrowed.
¡°You¡¯ve been quite a hindrance to our operations, Seeker.¡±
Sora raised both laser sabers and attempted to resist the shield, but nothing came out of it save violent sparkles of energy.
¡°It must be a pain looking after all these humans isn¡¯t it? We¡¯ll take over from now on.¡±
¡°Should I even let you?¡± Sora muttered as the shield slowly crushed seeker.
¡°You don¡¯t have a choice.¡±
¡°Sora!¡± Maya tried moving over, but a carpet of lead blocked her path as the terrorists¡¯ WNS flew into view.
¡°Die!¡° Ellison laughed. Seeker¡¯s armour groaned in protest as the shield tightened round Sora, and in a matter of seconds began to crumple. Without warning the brown clad oracle raised her hand. She pulled it back down soon after, causing the shield encasing seeker to plummet downwards, crashing into the ground forty stories down. Everyone was stunned.
¡°SORA!¡± Fio cried, but no answer came. Everyone seemed to have lost heart in the battle then.
Kei laughed, ¡°So the fearsome seeker has been finally killed. Such a shame, he would have been a potential commander if he joined us.¡±
¡°You regret killing him already?¡± Reap commented.
¡°Not really. Just saying it was a waste, even if he was useless in the first place.¡±
When it seemed that all hope was lost, the ground below the brown clad oracle suddenly erupted, throwing her off balance. The shield protecting the terrorists instantly faded.
¡°Alright!¡± Rio shouted. Realising that perhaps there was still a chance, the GISB troops launched their offensive yet again. In a flash, another ship was down for the count. Kei spun round as raven emerged from the hole.
¡°Jen!¡±
Jen smiled, readying his blades, ¡°Looks like I got here just in time.¡± he then switched to a private communications channel, ¡°Sis, destroy those ships while I keep him occupied.¡±
¡°Roger.¡±
Kei looked momentarily stunned, but composed himself soon after, ¡°Humph. It doesn¡¯t matter. One more person makes no difference.¡±
¡°Try me then.¡±
Wasting no more time raven charged forward, nimbly slashing at Kei. With unreal speed he dodged all the attacks, a sword materializing in his own hand as he caught Jen¡¯s weapons in a deadlock.
¡°Just who the hell are you in the first place?¡± Jen said through gritted teeth.
¡°Kei.¡± Kei replied simply, flinging raven away. Jen didn¡¯t give up and immediately went back on the offensive. Kei smiled, ¡°Persistent, aren¡®t you?¡±
Jen managed to score a hit, but Kei just looked at the cut on his hand. Blood began seeping from the wound as he licked it.
¡°You¡¯re quite a good swordsman.¡±
¡°The name¡¯s Jen.¡±
Kei smiled and thrust his injured hand forward. A bolt of lightning shot forth, catching Jen off guard and electrocuting raven. Jen grunted in pain and stumbled backwards, but had no time to recuperate as Reap and Ellison were upon him. Repeatedly he was struck, raven sustaining heavy damages.
¡°Bro!¡± Rio cried.
¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Jen shouted. Rio could only watch helplessly as he was assaulted by the Valmont brothers mercilessly. Forcing back tears she turned to the others, ¡°Destroy those ships now!¡±
¡°Roger!¡± Quickly the GISB troops sprung back into action.
Meanwhile, the brown clad oracle was sitting on the floor, still stunned from the fall. She watched as Jen continued fighting the Valmont brothers, her blank eyes flickering ever so slightly.
¡°Watch closely, Peroth,¡± Kei said, walking over to her, ¡°How humans always fight among themselves for power and control. It¡¯s pathetic.¡±
The brown clad oracle, Peroth, did what she was told, but something nagged at the back of her mind. That WNS looked familiar, as if she had seen it somewhere before. With a demonic smiled, Kei shot forth a bolt of lightning, hitting Jen full force and hurling him into a nearby wall. Raven¡¯s helm shattered, blood following in Jen¡¯s wake as he fell forward, unconscious. Peroth immediately recognized Jen¡¯s silvery white hair, her eyes reverting back into their rightful light violet colour.
¡°Should we finish him?¡± Ellison asked.
¡°By all means do so.¡± Kei said casually, crossing his arms. Laughing his feral laugh, Ellison hurtled forward together with Reap. As their weapons came close to cleaving Jen however, an invisible shield crackled round him, flinging the two back.
¡°What?¡± before Kei could react, another shield appeared round him. Peroth looked up at him, anger apparent in her eyes.
¡°Why did you make me do what I did?¡± she said as the shield began shrinking. Kei cursed under his breath as he tried in vain to break the shield. He smiled all of a sudden.
¡°Fine. You win this round, but in the end, you¡¯ll be mine. Remember that.¡± a black mist surrounded Kei, and he disappeared just as the shield crushed inwards.
Quickly, Peroth flew over to Jen, pulling him up into her arms. He was unconscious, bleeding slightly.
¡°I¡¯m sorry¡¡± Peroth whispered, tears glistening in her eyes, ¡°If only I wasn¡¯t so weak¡¡±
The other three oracles noticed the change in their sister¡¯s state, and turned to look at her, relieved. What they saw horrified them.
¡°Peroth!¡±
Peroth looked up just as Reap and Ellison came bearing down on her and Jen, clearly put off by her sudden interference. Peroth screwed her eyes shut, bracing herself for impact. She didn¡¯t notice the figure darting between them though. A brief of flash occurred, and standing with both laser sabers locked with the Valmont brothers¡¯ weapons, was a teal-eyed man with raven black hair. Everyone recognized the battered but still functional WNS suit seeker.
¡°Sora?¡±
¡°It¡¯s not possible!¡± Reap hissed. Had it not been the helm anyone would have seen his shocked expression. Peroth looked up at the young man.
¡°It¡¯s you¡¡± she whispered, ¡°but how¡?¡±
Without a word he, presumably Sora, broke the lock he held with the two Valmont brothers and flung them backwards. Thrusters to full he shot forward after them, and a furious duel ensued. Even if the odds were against him, Sora held up quite well, dealing blow for blow.
¡°Damn!¡± Ellison cursed. Other WNS caught in their way were instantly destroyed by a fury of blades as the three continued to duel it out. Reap signaled secretly to his brother, indicating that he had a plan.
¡°So you think you¡¯re so great now?¡± Reap taunted, a temporary ceasefire in place as he and Sora hovered in midair, facing each other. Sora remained silent, head bowed, eyes hidden from view.
¡°Cat got your tongue, Seeker?¡± Reap continued, smirking.
¡°When all this is over,¡± Sora finally spoke, ¡°What do you intend to do?¡±
¡°Probably spend the rest of our lives on a private island, living as luxurious as we are able to with the assets my client has promised us,¡± Reap said casually, ¡°Why bother asking when you already know that this world is driven by money?¡±
¡°I just wanted to see for myself¡¡± Sora looked up, teal eyes fixed on Reap, ¡°¡how disillusioned you really are.¡±
A shadow loomed over Sora as Ellison appeared behind him, blade raised. Seeker dodged the cleave just in time.
¡°Sir, the cannons are ready to be fired.¡± Reap¡¯s intercom sounded.
¡°Good,¡± Reap turned to his brother, ¡°Ellison! It¡¯s time we retreated.¡±
¡°Aw¡ and I was having so much fun¡¡±
¡°Looks like we¡¯ve won, Seeker.¡± Reap remarked, ¡°All remaining ships, open fire!¡±
Even if the GISB troops were cleaning out the battleships, there was still a large amount of them functional to do considerable damage. In addition, no one knew how the multi-coloured river would hold against such an attack.
¡°Damn it!¡± Duo cursed. The wing-like structures on guardis¡¯ back broke apart and formed a wide area shield just in time as the array of beam projectiles came hurtling down. Duo flinched and struggled to maintain a hold on the shield as the beams beat down on it relentlessly.
¡°Get out of there Duo!¡± Rika screamed through the intercom, ¡°Your suit can¡¯t take much more damage!¡±
¡°If we ran, we¡¯d be goners anyway.¡± Duo said through gritted teeth. The system navigators flew over and tried to reinforce the shield, but that only delayed the inevitable by mere moments.
Peroth watched from the roof of the UED building, Jen clutched in her arms. Sora landed in front of her, and she bowed her head.
¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±
¡°Everyone¡¯s weak in this world.¡± Sora said, causing Peroth to look up, ¡°If you want to protect the ones you cherish, fight with us.¡±
¡°Protect the ones I¡ cherish?¡± Peroth repeated, looking past Sora to her sisters, including Eliza who had come to, who were helping to maintain the shield. Her eyes fell back on Jen. She bit her lower lip, hesitant.
¡°So?¡± Peroth looked up into Sora¡¯s eyes. He continued, ¡°What¡¯ll it be?¡±
¡°I¡ will protect the ones I love and care for. Always.¡± Peroth said finally, determined. Sora smiled softly.
¡°That¡¯s good,¡± he said, extending his hand, ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±
Back in the air, guardis¡¯ shield began to flicker violently, cracks forming on the translucent surface rapidly.
¡°We can¡¯t hold it much longer!¡± Maya shouted.
¡°The rest of you go already, I¡¯ll hold the shield for as long as I can for you to escape,¡± Duo said, perspiring profusely, ¡°Give the call to retreat.¡±
¡°And leave you here? No!¡± Rio shot back, channeling her own suit¡¯s energy through Banks to help maintain the shield. Rika followed suit through Mei. Duo chuckled, ¡°I¡¯m one hell of a lucky guy.¡±
¡°This is no time to crack-¡± Rika¡¯s words were cut short as the shield shattered, a blanket of searing energy fast approaching the cyber angels and GISB troops.
¡°Keep on firing!¡± Ellison said, laughing insanely, ¡°Kill them all!¡±
The beam projectiles hit the multi-coloured river, and a fury of explosions engulfed it. As the blinding light fade however, the river remained as it was. A shield wavered with different shades of green on the river¡¯s surface, several brown circular objects seemingly the source of the shield, a green crystal embedded on each of their centers with three studs on spaced equally on their edges.
¡°What¡ happened?¡± Rio asked, surprised as she realised that she hand¡¯t been killed. Everyone seemed unscathed also.
¡°It¡¯s a shield.¡± Fio said, examining the discs embedded on the greenish apparition, she recognized it, ¡°Peroth?¡±
Looking around them, Eliza was the first one to spot someone hovering above them all. With a brown chest plate, leggings that clutched onto his lower legs, a set of armlets, and a buckler attached to his right arm, Sora had yet again merged with an oracle. His armour was brown in colour, carved with golden symbols and trimmings. He also wore an open helm, front tip fashioned like an eagle¡¯s beak. The helm was brown also, with a lighter translucent brown visor covering his eyes. A block jutted out from either of his shoulder plates, and as the discs flew back, they divided themselves each to a block, forming a pair of curved constructs behind Sora. There were ten discs in total, which means an odd five for each curved construct. In Sora¡¯s arms he carried the unconscious Jen.
This feels¡ strange.
¡°Please bear with it.¡± Sora muttered as he hovered down to the others.
¡°Sora!¡±
¡°Take care of Jen.¡± Sora said quietly, handing him over to Duo, ¡°Give the order to retreat to a safe distance, Rio. You¡¯ve already done enough.¡±
Nodding, Rio gave the order. GISB troops and Éclair flew off to a safe distance, just out of range of the battlefield.
¡°Why can¡¯t you just die?¡± Reap said, pupils contracting menacingly. As Sora turned round, masses of WNS began pumping lead at him furiously. Raising the buckler, a shield formed round Sora, deflecting all the shells. Hurtling forward, Sora crashed through the ranks of WNS, weaving in and out of the gunfire to the nearest battleship. Laser fire began bombarding Sora as the ship¡¯s turrets homed in on his location. They failed to realise that the discs on Sora¡¯s back had disengaged, a small energy blade forming at the studs on each of them as they began to spin rapidly, shredding through the ship¡¯s hull, a series of explosions following in their wake as another ship fell. Bursting forth from the fiery explosions Sora immediately headed towards the next closest ship, it suffering from the same fate as its predecessor.
¡°Sir! We can¡¯t get a lock on his coordinates!¡± An urgent voice said through the intercom of Reap¡¯s WNS. He cursed under his breath.
¡°Are the main cannons ready?¡±
¡°They¡¯re only 50% cooled sir.¡±
¡°Fire them now!¡±
¡°But sir-¡±
¡°I don¡¯t care! Fire in the general direction of that WNS! Bring it down!¡±
¡°Yes sir.¡±
Peroth was the first to notice that the cannons were being charged as yet another battleship exploded.
Sora!
Sora recalled all his discs and formed a shield around him just as the beam projectiles came. They bounced off the shield, dissipating into nothing. Nonetheless, the battleships continued to fire their main cannons. Unfortunately some of the ships couldn¡¯t take the excessive amount of heat, and hence imploded. Sora¡¯s shield on the other hand seemed to gain energy, glowing brightly after a while. As the terrorists¡¯ beam attacks slowly subsided, a new array of lasers burst forth, their origin from the green crystals on all ten of Sora¡¯s discs. To put it short, hedgehogs were running rampant, slicing through anything in the way.
¡°DAMN YOU!¡± Ellison screamed, successfully dodging the hedgehogs and hurtling forth. He attempted to slash Sora, but he was too nimble and dodged the frantic attacks. The discs were now connected in a row with energy chains to Sora¡¯s buckler. Throwing it forward, Sora managed to coil it round Ellison, trapping him. The blade fell from his hand, plummeting to the multi-coloured river below where it was instantly consumed. Reap appeared behind Sora all of a sudden, blade raised. His attack never came as Sora spun round, hurling Ellison into Reap, causing them to crash onto the UED building¡¯s roof top. Sora flew after them, eight discs returning to their original place as the remaining two went forward, each forming a shield around one of the two Valmont brothers. The remaining terrorist forces were easy picking for the GISB troops and cyber angels after that, seeing both their leaders captured.
¡°What the hell are you?¡± Reap managed to spit out, struggling to stand in his heavily damaged WNS. Sora had landed in front of the two, and raising his left hand, a holographic image of GISB¡¯s emblem flickered into view.
¡°GISB. You are under arrest for disturbing the peace and security of the matrix.¡± Sora said as in the background, GISB troops rounded up the last of the terrorist forces.
Somewhere else, Valdez was looking at the scene through what appeared to be an orb. Smiling, he turned and walked out of the room.
¡°It has finally begun.¡±
Author¡¯s Ramble
FFC is skittering across the keyboard of his laptop as Pryce appears on the chair behind him
Pryce: I just realised you tend to write shorter chapters when you include fighting scenes.
FFC: I guess so. There really isn¡¯t much point in writing that the bad guys bash you up, say some fancy philosophical evil speech, then somehow loses to the half dead good guy.
Sweatdrops Pryce: You made me fall forty stories¡
FFC: It¡¯s fifty, if you counted how high you were in the sky.
Pryce: And?
FFC: You¡¯ll have to wait for the next few chapters to understand. Notice that I didn¡¯t write how you survived that fall, and how in the past chapters I indicated that you would die if you fell from that high?
Pryce: Now that you mentioned it. I guess¡
FFC: There you have it. I¡¯ll churn out the next chapter as soon as possible.
Peroth appears
FFC: Oh, hi Peroth.
Peroth: There doesn¡¯t seem to be any copyrights around¡
FFC: Oh, now I remember what¡¯s missing! both Pryce and Peroth sweatdrop Thanks for reminding me. I¡¯ll write down a list of all the things I have used so far in the story from other games and animes then:
(In no particular order)
Starcraft
Hellsing
Gundam Wing
Ragnarock Online
Sister Princess
Vandread
Pretear
Half-Life
Halo
Evangelion
Final Fantasy 7
Serial Experiments Lain
Metal Slug
Card Captor Sakura
Kiddy Grade
FFC: That¡¯s all I can remember for now. Their companies have the copyrights, so don¡¯t sue me. Oh, and Gonzo rocks.
Peroth: How about us? Where did we come from?
FFC: The oracles are based on a set of pictures I found on the net. I¡¯d appreciate it if anyone of you out there could tell me which anime or game these girls come from. I suspect the title starts with a P. Anyways, till the next chapter, ciao.