ShardclawK: Alright, since most of you really enjoyed the first chapter for the revised start for COE that much based on your reviews, I'm going to continue at my own pace to keep bringing you more and more updates as quick as I can get to work on them…that's if I can get my busy gaming and anime/manga reading schedule out of the way at first, but then again, I made a New Year's resolution to watch and complete as much stuff as I can this year, and I got over six years of the Negima! manga to catch up on and the .hack series to start getting into as two examples.
Without further delay, here's chapter 2 of the story, enjoy.
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ShardclawKusanagi presents:
Metal Gear Solid: Children of Evangelion
Chapter 2: Arrivals
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Location: The GeoFront, NERV Headquarters inside Central Dogma at the Command Centre.
A new and busy morning for the facilities top three engineers, or as they were commonly known as by their peers and NERV, the 'Bridge Bunnies', was beginning for them. They were the top three programmers responsible in aiding Misato Katsuragi in the constant Angel attacks; their duties ranging from relaying status reports during battle to controlling various programming for, and even controlling, the base's supercomputer, the MAGI system.
Makoto Hyuga, Misato's assistant, had been on a break from his duties for about half an hour now, since he had been hard at work in keeping a diagnosis on hacker alerts on the MAGI system. Since the Eleventh Angel's attack, chances weren't being taken on its defenses any longer as Dr. Ritsuko Akagi had been doing her utmost best, even working late into the night, just to keep things running smoothly or she would have to endure getting chewed out by Commander Gendou Ikari.
Makoto lay back in his chair, a cup of hot coffee in his hand, as he looked over and spoke to his two fellow co-workers.
"Boy, if Major Katsuragi has another all nighter done like the last time just to keep this base safe, I don't think even I could handle this pressure any longer." He sighed with some fatigue in his voice. He too had been taking part in the late night duties for some days now just to keep everything in order, but the exhaustion was starting to catch up to him.
"Well, you know just how tight our defense budget gets every time an Angel attacks." Shigeru Aoba, who was listening to his friend, said. "If things continue going the way they have, soon we won't have anything left to even keep this base together. NERV may even have to start putting people on the unemployment line just to keep on keeping the Angel's from overrunning the planet. It's bad enough that we're already low on income as it is…"
"I just hope it won't have to come to that. Despite the situation, I heard from Dr. Akagi a few days back about a new engineer that should at least ease some of the weight off our backs for awhile." Maya Ibuki yawned, stretching her arms outwards. "Still, I think it's weird that NERV would be willing to ask for assistance from the outside, don't you think?"
"Now that you mention it, lately there's been a lot of talk going around about that, but I'm not sure on the full details yet since it's all new to me." Shigeru said. "Still, it would be useful to have a foreigner's point of view on the MAGI so that way maybe we can get around things in case of any emergencies. I just hope this guy is as good as Dr. Akagi says he is."
"Well, since we've got that area covered, I also heard that the pilots are to get some sort of combat training as well later on when the new foreign special tactics team lands here while Katsuragi is off at Matsushiro in a couple of days." Makoto said as Maya turned her head as she heard this.
"Does that mean that eventually we'll have to start to relearn weapons training?" Maya asked. She was one person who was very uncomfortable about holding weapons or even the thought of taking lives.
"That's only going to happen if things end up becoming really serious later." Shigeru answered but before he could continue, a loud buzzer rang throughout the Command Centre, indicating an emergency.
"Damn, another Angel already?" Makoto said as he and Shigeru sat up to access the main monitor to find the problem. To their shock, they looked at the screen to find that the second branch of NERV, located in the Nevada desert in the United States, had just suddenly and mysteriously disappeared off the map.
"Contact the Commander! Notify the emergency to all NERV personnel, including the third U.S and Germany branches!" A panicked Hyuga shouted to his comrade. "Are they also okay...? No, delay that! Confirmation of the explosion is still being confirmed by the MAGI!"
"Roger." Shigeru answered, as he picked up his phone.
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Moments later, in the darkened office of Commander Gendou Ikari, with Sub-Commander Kouzou Fuyutski standing close by, a phone rang at the said commander's desk and it was Fuyutski who answered it as Gendou sat in his chair calmly, gloved hands blocking the lower view of his face, as usual.
"Yes?" Kouzou asked. After a few seconds, he replied to the other end, a hint of shock on his face.
"WHAT? The Second branch of NERV just disappeared?" Kouzou asked.
"Yes, sir. It's been confirmed." Shigeru replied on the other end. "It's been wiped off the map."
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On the other side of the planet, inside FOXHOUND headquarters in Washington D.C…
"Are you certain about this?" A woman's voice asked sternly as the figure in front of her spoke back to her. She was American in her mid thirties, with a tall stature, short blood red hair and was wearing a bandana and a bullet as a memento wrapped around her neck, wearing combat fatigues.
"Yes, it's most certainly that what just happened, Meryl." Another voice spoke, this one with an English accent and brunette with long flowing hair and wearing a lab coat. "Mei Ling's still trying to get in touch with any recruits who could possibly have been near that area at the time of the explosion."
"That's not likely, most of our guys in the field are stationed at other places far around the world at the moment, and only some of them are on standby here, getting ready to fly to Japan later." Meryl Silverburgh spoke as Naomi Hunter replied.
"You're right about that; Scorpion's over at Cuba while both Panther and Eagle are probably still in South Africa right now, all of them attending to their missions." Naomi said. "As for Drakken, Mystic Crow, and Usagi Ninja, they are in Australia altogether for their mission too."
"Right, and considering that those last three always work on missions together as a team, then I suppose there's no reason for worrying about them unless they actually call and request for backup." Meryl said. "Then, that just leaves here…"
"Venom and Berserker Demon, who already have been assigned to leave for Japan ahead of the others as just mentioned, along with Crimson Jaguar and White Hawk, who probably are still in training since this morning with Dark Eden." Naomi said. "It looks like everyone important to us has been accounted for; still I can't help but feel sorry for those poor souls in Nevada right now."
"Me too…but just where did this blast originate from anyway?" Meryl asked as a young Chinese woman entered the passageway area, holding onto a clipboard.
"I've just gotten the results in, the blast came from the American based HQ of NERV. To be more specific, it was at the second branch of NERV that the blast took place at." Mei Ling, dressed in her Philanthropy uniform, said seriously, causing Meryl and Naomi to look at her with their eyes widened in surprise at this news.
"A part of NERV is gone? Just like that, Mei Ling?" Meryl asked. "And we're sending our guys over to Japan to their main headquarters where those strange Angel things are attacking?"
"Makes you wonder, doesn't it?" Naomi asked. "Still, this is what the superiors asked of us after NERV requested our assistance not too long ago."
"Really, which ones really issued the order, my father, or that A-hole, Reese?" Meryl sighed as she could guess that Matthew Reese, the infamously incompetent, annoying, and hated Lieutenant of FOXHOUND, a sentiment that almost every member of the group shared, would order something as crazy as this. She decided to keep calm about it and continued to speak to her colleagues.
"Meryl, we don't like the guy any more than you do, but relax, this was a request from Roy. He just happens to be an old friend of the Vice Commander for NERV and recommended our guys to help with the security details at their base." Naomi said as Meryl sighed.
"Okay, if you put it that way. I was supposed to head over there with my own team as well." Meryl said.
"Ah, that reminds me, Meryl. You're to go and get a debriefing about the group who are is going with you today from the Colonel." Mei Ling said. "Venom and Berserker should already be there getting the details as well."
Meryl nodded to her friend as she started to walk her own way towards Roy's office. As she made her way, she almost bumped into somebody who wasn't minding her way, another young woman with brown hair. She stumbled a bit backwards as she saw Meryl in front of her.
"Rosemary..." Meryl said as Rose looked on in silence at first before walking off to the direction she was heading towards. Meryl knew that Rose was having a hard time trying to cope with Raiden's disappearance even now. "…if only there was something I could say that could help or make you feel even a little reassured of Jack's safety…but for now, I've got to deal with my own matters first, even if it means running into Snake eventually later."
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"Finally, we're here." Otacon said, as he got out of the Philanthropy owned cargo chopper in the docking bays of Tokyo-3's airport, wearing his glasses and sporting a plain blue shirt with a dark jeans. He was carrying a suitcase which held his personal belongings, and a laptop he kept close to his side. Behind him, Snake jumped out, with probably more luggage than his partner, but this didn't bother Snake at all. He always made sure to have extras of the already necessary equipment with him just in case the time should come with a situation requiring it.
Snake was wearing a navy green shirt with the Philanthropy logo on it along with a leather strap which hung around his left shoulder to his waist, which was holding his suppressed USP, while his pants were decorated with straps and pouches as well. He even looked decent in a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses. Both NERV and Philanthropy had already granted two of their best operatives' access to Japan without them having to go through the trouble of getting their suitcases inspected by customs, so the two made it out to the exit without any problems.
Based on their appearances, it would be hard for anyone to believe, upon meeting them, which they had just flown out of a war zone from the other side of the world.
"Let's get a move on. Our ride is supposed to be waiting for us." Snake said, heading forward to the airport's departure gate.
At the airport's waiting lounge entrance, a NERV security courier van was parked outside and waiting for them. Two agents, wearing matching black NERV uniforms, quickly identified Snake and Otacon as they walked up to them.
"Hal Emmerich and Iroquois Pliskin, welcome to Japan." One of the agents said without any expression to the two Americans. "Major Katsuragi was due to meet you, but an unforeseen event took place earlier today and she had to tend to the matter. We were sent here instead to guide you to headquarters."
"An unforeseen event, you say?" Snake asked in fluent Japanese. "Just what exactly happened?"
"I'm sorry, but that is confidential information from where we stand at the moment, Mr. Pliskin. If you wish to know more, we can discuss that matter on our way to Headquarters." The agent answered simply.
"That's fine with me, then." Snake replied courtly, as the agents agreed with Snake by smiling at him briefly, while assisting him and Otacon with packing the suitcases into the van.
Afterwards, the four got into the vehicle, where they were transported throughout the city of Toyko-3, then taken via express underground into the GeoFront after a half hour drive. During the travel, Snake and Otacon were informed about the recent mysterious occurrence regarding the disappearance of the second branch of NERV, since they had been traveling from their previous destination without any news of what has happened recently.
"Are you saying the second branch disappeared just like that?" Snake asked.
"Yes, it did, Pliskin-san. As of now, it's still under investigation. No one really knows what happened over there. There wasn't even an explosion; actually, that's just what's been reported for the time being. So for the time being, we've labeled this as 'causes unknown'." The agent said.
"Hmmm..." Snake sat back to think. (No way...it couldn't be...not that...)
"What's up? Is something bothering you?" Otacon asked, noting the look on his friend's face.
Snake simply shook his head." It's nothing, really. Something that just came up to mind, but it can't possibly be it."
But what was really bothering Snake was the thought on the possibility that Metal Gear was involved in this.
(Could it be linked to Ocelot or is it another one of the Patriots moves? And also, what could have such power to have taken out such a large area so suddenly and if it wasn't the Patriots or Ocelot, then who was responsible?) Snake thought, as the NERV transport finally stopping at the parking lot. (I'll find out what's really going on...that's part of the reason why we're here in the first place.)
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"The new advanced hydrogen bomb really has proven its effectiveness." A man, dressed in black, his facial features barely noticeable, said with pride, as he rode in a helicopter over the area where the second branch of NERV was now a large, gaping crater.
"So, it's is approved then?" Asked another man sitting opposite to his partner.
"Yes, it has. You have my greatest compliments and thanks." The man replied." But how can we be sure that the new prototype will not affect the warhead? Does SEELE know about the data we retrieved from Arsenal?"
"You worry too much. Both they and the Patriots will get what's coming to them, as will NERV. When the time comes to use it again, and if either plans to retaliate, we'll be ready." The mystery man smiled. Then, his cell phone rang. He immediately answered and heard what the caller on the other end had to tell him.
"So, both he and his friend have already arrived in Japan… I see." He said. "Proceed with the plan, but be cautious. You can't afford any mistakes, now that the U.S government has started investigating the so-called disappearance of NERV's second North American branch. We'll meet you in three hours."
"Understood." The deep voice replied at the other end, before hanging up.
"Everything's going according to plan. Soon...Tokyo-3 and NERV will be ours..." The man said with a sinister smile. "Then...Snake will regret that he ever tried to defy us..."
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"Mr. Emmerich, come with me. We shall go to Dr. Akagi's office from here." One of the agents said as they stopped near the hallways of Central Dogma. "Mr. Pliskin, you have a map of NERV, don't you?"
"I had every route of this place memorized before coming here. I'll be fine." Snake said, remembering the detailed map that he had looked over dozen of times before leaving for Japan, thanks to Otacon's information and his experience as a solider. He then signaled for his friend to talk to him before they went their separate ways.
"It seems that this is where we go meet our bosses." Snake said to his friend as well signaled him to keep his Codec line open. "You know the drill, Hal. Contact me if something out of the ordinary happens. And don't forget why you are really here..."
"I haven't. You just take care of yourself; I'll be fine on my own end as well." Otacon smiled as they did their special handshake. Then, afterwards, after the agents had guided Otacon to Ritsuko's office, Snake had no trouble finding his way throughout headquarters by himself as he started to make himself familiar with the area.
Snake then remembered that he hadn't had a thing to eat before coming to Japan, as he had been in the midst of some intense fighting over in the Middle East before he and Otacon had made their departure
(There's supposed to be a cafeteria around here, if I recall. The rations I got from the rebel forces didn't really fill me enough.) Snake thought to himself as eventually, he found an area with vending machines full of snacks and drinks nearby. Fortunately he happened to have some Japanese currency with him that was sufficient enough to get him a drink.
Snake leaned back and drank the canned beverage, contemplating his next strategy. He was a man who always planned ahead for a worse case scenario, as he still had his equipment from his Sneaking Suit and some other weapons with him, one of them namely being some C4 and a new type of SEMTEX, which had enough power that could even damage the strongest steel re-enforced armour of a Metal Gear, at least the ones that he had dealt with before.
(Can't wait to try it out later. So far, everything seems to be looking up...) Snake thought to himself. (Once I get details of the situation here, I'll make my move by investigating the Commander first...hmm?)
Snake looked up to see a long purple haired woman walking his way, wearing a body fitting black dress with a very short end just above her knees. She also had on a red and black jacket over it and a cross pendant that hung from under her neck. Snake was almost impressed by the woman's beauty, but the fact that she was watching him just as closely as well almost made him lose his composure for a second. This was practically a first for him as he caught himself.
(What's up with her? She looks like an important figure around here...now that I recall, she's the combat and tactics specialist for NERV.) Snake thought to himself. (But, she looks so young to be an officer of that rank…and a good looking one to add.)
Misato herself was stunned to see the new person standing there facing her in silence as the man was amazingly well built for his age and his clean shaven cut of his mullet and well formed moustache really detailed his facial features well. She tried to keep her breath and posture in check, since she hadn't seen anyone this incredible looking for as long as she could remember.
(Is that the guy who will be guarding and training Shinji and the other pilots for the time being? I didn't think he'd arrive so soon, or else I'd put on something more appealing, today. Man, he is at least as handsome as Kaji.) Misato thought to herself before thinking to herself some more as she kept getting a good look at Snake's appearance.
(Hell, even sexier, at least he dresses for work, just like how an important figure here at NERV is supposed to dress. Wait a minute…what the hell am I thinking about at a time like this? Calm yourself down, Misato! He's only going to be a work colleague; he's probably a proud father with about five or six kids and a foxy wife from the looks of things…) Misato mentally slapped herself as Snake approached her.
Snake took off his shades, with a smile on his face as he bowed to her. "Hello, Major Katsuragi. I'm Iroquois Pliskin, at your service. I hope I haven't caught you at a bad timing." He said in flawless Japanese.
Misato returned with a smile of her own and ended up shaking his hand afterwards after managing to compose herself.
"No, you haven't, but things are still a bit chaotic since the incident in the States with the Second branch." Misato replied with a bit of a stressed tone in her voice.
"Oh, about that, I've already been briefed about it." Snake said seriously. "Have things cooled down yet?"
"Yes, but we've been notified that the U.S government has made plans to transport Evangelion Unit 03 here. They don't want to take any chances since they lost Unit 04 in that incident." Misato said with a stern face as a thought hit her. (Meaning that the Fourth Child's already been…)
Less than an hour ago, right after the second branch incident had occurred, the Marduk Institute had handpicked a pilot without her knowing it. And the worst part was that this soon to-be pilot happened to be one of Shinji's closest friends, and hers as well, Touji Suzahara. This whole thing was proof enough to Misato that she had been in the dark on the goings on in NERV for far too long and this was the last thing she, or any of the others close to her in NERV, needed; an event that could very possibly endanger the lives of the pilots.
(Shinji will eventually know about this, I'm sure of it. I just hope it doesn't affect him to an extent where I should be worried.) Misato thought as Snake looked at her quiet face, now noting her beautiful appearance, even though she was concentrating on something important.
"You alright there, Major?" Snake asked, also noticing that there seemed to be a lot on Misato's mind at the moment, and began to think to himself. (From the look on her face, I can tell this situation is probably about to get a lot more serious than I thought...hope it doesn't get in the way of my investigation.)
"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just lost in thought." Misato said, her voice sounding as if she had been through enough already for one day but started to brief Snake anyway.
"You see, it's been confirmed. The Fourth Child will be Touji Suzahara. We have to make sure if he will accept the duty by tomorrow in time for when Unit 03 gets here by the end of the weekend." Misato explained. "I'm sorry to put you into your duty so soon after you've just arrived here, Pliskin-san, but you are assigned to accompany Dr. Akagi and myself to the Matsushiro testing site to monitor security for the new pilot. We will be having a meeting for the arrangements soon, but until then...why not tell me a bit about yourself, Mr. Pliskin?"
"Please...call me David." Snake said. "Most people who know me call me that."
"David-san...I'll remember that." Misato smiled. "Oh...can I ask for a personal favor from you?"
"And that is?" Snake asked simply.
Misato sighed a bit before she spoke. "Well, the fact of the matter is, Touji just happens to be one of the Third Child's… Shinji's, closest friends and...I really can't afford to let him know right now that one of his friends is going to be the next pilot, or this could very well tear him up. Please...David...try to keep this a secret from Shinji, at least until the activation test is over."
"What? But something this important..." Snake was cut off by Misato's voice.
"Please, David. I know it sounds strange, but something just doesn't seem right about all this. The incident that just happened in the States, the choosing of another pilot at such a convenient timing…it doesn't add up one bit." Misato said. "You just have to keep this a secret for now until I can look more into this. Please?"
Snake had little idea what was happening in the hallways of NERV, but he could see that she wanted to protect Shinji's fragile state of emotion. He had already read up on Shinji's profile as well and Snake could sympathize with the hardships that Shinji went through. He could understand Misato's plea, and he knew that since he was going to spend some of his time with the pilots, he had to keep a promise like this, so he knew that he had to comply.
"Alright, I'll see what I can do. I'll keep it a secret for a while. You can trust me." Snake said.
"Thanks a lot. You don't know just how much this has been worrying me..." Misato replied gratefully. "Still, I'm surprised that we ran into each other like this. You didn't have any problems getting here, did you?"
"None whatsoever. Once you're accustomed to making mental maps of various places like this, it becomes natural." Snake said. "So, just where are those kids that I'm guarding?"
Misato looked at her watch and nodded her head. "Their school is almost over, so now would be a good time for you to go meet them, though you'll only be meeting Shinji and Asuka today since Rei couldn't make it to school today. Anyway, there are still some things to sort out here and I really can't leave here until later tonight... it's not a problem with you, right?"
Snake knew at once that this mission had just become an obvious babysitting job, which was something that hardly interested him. Still, he had to consider that he was being offered an opportunity by someone as beautiful as Misato, so he knew once more when he was beat.
"Okay, then. My partner, Hal Emmerich, is already at Dr. Akagi's office if you're interested in meeting him." Snake said. "As for the pilots, their school isn't so far from NERV, isn't it?"
"That's right. It's a short walking distance from here, so it shouldn't be any trouble." Misato said as she clasped her hands together. "Well, I leave everything in your hands. I'll be seeing you later, David."
As Misato smiled and walked away, Snake noticed that another interesting feature about Misato was her walk. It almost reminded him of Meryl's wiggle in a way. He smiled to himself about the situation he had gotten himself into. At least it was better than having gone through the 'usual method' of snaking around, this one was better, especially in his condition.
(Looks like I'll be having a time here in Japan.) Snake thought to himself as from her distance, Misato's face turned red when she thought about what she saw after meeting the man named Pliskin.
(He doesn't even have a ring on his finger! Does that mean an attractive guy like that in this day and age is still single?) Misato thought, nearly on the verge of not being able to contain herself emotionally. (Dammit, why am I thinking of him like that still? Get it together, girl! I've got to keep a level head about what's happening, but man, he was pretty cool about helping me with Shinji, so it's a plus for me. I just hope it doesn't affect his work in any way…)
As he made his way out of the area, Snake then heard the trademark ring tone of his Codec tone. He leaned back once more against the wall and pressed his hand against his left ear and answered.
"Snake…It's me." Otacon's face appeared onscreen. "How are things on your side so far?"
"I just met the Major...and I owe you one for the hook-up, Otacon." Snake smiled. "She's quite a looker."
Otacon smiled himself and responded. "Well, you could have gotten worse, so lucky you. I know since just met the Commander awhile ago and he is just like the type you described: stuck-up and the type to look down on you. I hate those kinds of people and I've heard that FOXHOUND's got that type of person as second in charge right now. Soon, we'll be experience the same kind of treatments they've been having for years now, Snake."
"Put up with it a little longer, Hal, at least it confirms the fact that he will be here when the time comes to look into his actions." Snake said. "In any case, was that all there was to what you called me up about?"
"Well, the reason I called is that we've just gotten new orders about our living accommodations from Meryl herself awhile ago."
"Oh, yeah, we didn't get any chance to discuss where we'll be staying in Japan, huh?" Snake asked. "So, just where are we supposed to stay then?"
"Well, our temporary home during our stay in Japan will be in an apartment building here in Toyko-3 itself." Otacon said.
"You make that sound like a problem, Hal. Sure, we'll probably have to worry about one or two of these Angel things showing up now and again, but our stay here won't be for long anyways once we get a lead on things." Snake replied.
"About that, Snake...our originally planned stay for a month has been extended to indefinitely until further notice. Also…we'll be living next door to the Katsuragi household as of this evening." Otacon simply said.
"What did you just say?!?" Snake reacted to the news in a loud tone. (This just keeps getting better and better…)
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"Okay, is everything set, Mana?" A male with dark hair in his mid thirties spoke, having an English accent but was speaking in Japanese dialogue to a teenage girl with short cut, blood red hair and clear blue eyes, dressed in casual clothing of a simple white dress.
"Yeah, that seems to be all the important stuff, Michael." Mana Kirishima said to the man named Michael Hansen. They were both finishing up packing suitcases into a helicopter as another girl, this one wearing a pair of thin glasses and cotton gloves along with a casual dress, who had long flowing hair stepped in, followed by another tall male behind her, who looked to be of half American, half German descent.
"What about you, Garland and Kari?" Michael asked the two as Garland replied.
"We're as ready as you guys are; this is all the equipment we will need for now." Garland said as Kari looked at Mana.
"Hey, Mana, I bet you're excited about going back to your home country to train like this, right?" Kari asked her friend as Mana shrugged her shoulders.
"To be honest, I can't say I'm too thrilled about it, although it's an interesting prospect, but we were assigned our responsibilities and can't complain about them." Mana said as Michael placed his hand on her head. "What do you think, Michael?"
"All I know is that this will be good for everyone in the group to get some outside experience for once all at the same place at the same time. I'm also curious as to how NERV runs its day to day operations and especially how things go when an Angel attacks." Michael said as he looked at Garland. "Besides, Garland's getting a free chance to visit someone special when he gets there; he's not just going along to assist me with the training."
"I'm just hoping Asuka has behaved herself over the years since I last saw her." Garland said as he looked back to see a red headed woman approached them. "Maggie…are you sure that you don't want to come with us today? It's not too late to change your mind, you know."
"Thanks, but I'll be just fine, Garland. After all, who knows when the others will come back while you're gone and they need to know what's happening, I've got to be here to fill them in or else Reese will just give some bad information like he always does." Maggie Thompson said, brushing aside her hair.
"You've got a point there." Michael said, agreeing with her. "Well, we'll eventually be seeing you again when your time to be transferred to Japan comes, so keep things together for now, okay?"
"Leave it to me, you guys." Maggie said as Garland smiled at her at first before embracing her quickly, much to her surprise and causing Mana and Kari to giggle in the background.
"Garland, what are you…?" Maggie asked as her face flushed as Garland, blushing quite a bit himself, broke from the embrace.
"It will be just fine, Maggie. If things get too out of hand, I'll do what I always do before to put 'him' under control, even if you're not around to help me for the time being." Garland told her as he joined his group. "Just be careful just in case Reese orders something outrageous for you or any of the other recruits, and hang in there until you're called over, okay?"
"I will, Garland. You guys watch yourselves over there." Maggie said as she watched the group enter the helicopter that will take them across the other side of the world to Japan for their new mission…
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ShardclawK: Alright, second chapter done and it couldn't be more complete with the appearances of the FOXHOUND members that will be appearing in the story very soon as just hinted. I know those of you out there were kind of expecting either the cast of Sting of the Scorpion; Dragon, Crow, and Rabbit; or the most revered of them, the revised Soldier X, to make an appearance, but I wanted the revision to start out this way so as to hint what those guys are up to at this current time, although SX hasn't started yet, Scorpion's story has.
Don't worry though, my faithful readers, since most of you have also been waiting on SX being updated for awhile as well, I've planned for Greg and Linn's appearance to be at chapter 5 for this story, so they are getting an earlier appearance as well. As for how they will be introduced to the COE world based on the revamped characters for Greg and Linn…well, that's a surprise that you're all going to have to wait and see.
Also, I hope I didn't make whatever possible hinting romantic scenes too…mushy, like the one with Snake and Misato and Garland and Maggie. Blame it all on the shonen anime and manga I've been reading during my hiatus; I recently finally finished watched the Air series (though I personally liked the manga's ending much better for obvious reasons) and read the Midori no Hibi manga, possibly the greatest and cutest romance comedy series ever made. I'd recommend that if you're looking for the strangest anime pairing that will make you go, 'WTF?!' and will make you go 'Awww, how cute.", laugh and cry at the same time, watch the anime first, (preferably subbed, Midori's seiyuu make the show worth watching a lot in those Seiji x Midori situations) then read the manga (because it has more love triangles and comedic situations than the anime had, but then again, the anime had stuff the manga didn't, sort of like how Elfen Lied is, so enjoy them both if you've never seen it before.)
Dammit, I'm getting soft to be going for stuff like this. The next Elfen Lied update better get around fast after such a long wait along with the Gantz update that should prove VERY interesting…
Until then, you know what to do. Leave your comments and suggestions in your decent reviews as always as I start up another omake, with no Gendou bashing this time around till after the next chapter. How do you like them apples, fanboys?
Omake 2: Shardclaw's Secret Exposed?
Before I can close off the chapter, Misato and Snake enters the stage with P.O' (Pissed Off)' ed looks on their faces, along with Garland and Maggie.
Misato: Shardclaw-san! How dare you make that scene between us seem too…inappropriate for the general audience? No one told me about this!
Shardclaw: Aw, relax, Misato-san. If this revision requires that I turn up the heat a bit between your soon to be blooming relationships by exaggerating those kinds of scenes a tad little to raise popularity, I must do whatever I can to attain that goal.
Snake: Well, aren't you enthusiastic about it. It looks to me like somebody needs to make you learn your place.
Shardclaw: And just how are you going to do that, hmm? Sending another wanker man my way would help a bit…
Snake: No, even better. We're going to expose your secret for most favored type of anime and game girls and we've gathered up the ones from your harem who are the most likely to be in that category for 'Girls with natural dark tone of skin or color close to chocolate.'
Shardclaw: Ehhhh? Then, that can only mean…oh, no.
As that was said, .hack's BlackRose, Azumanga Daioh's Kagura, Thousand Arms' Wyna Grapple, Hanaukyo Maid Team La Verite's Yashima Sanae, The Slayers' Amelia Wil Tesla Saillune, Tenchi Muyo's Mihoshi, Critical Point's Carla Benedict, Solty Rei's Celica Yayoi, Negima's Fei Ku, Hand Maid May's Sara, Burst Angel's Jo, Read or Die: The TV's Wendy Earhart, Xenogears's Emeralda, Bastard!'s Arshes-Nei, Outlaw Star's Melfina, SoulCalibur's Talim, Ikki Tousen's Ukitsu, and Rumble Roses Aisha/Showbiz entered the stage wearing sexy and tight body fitting gymnast leotards.
BlackRose as she rubbed herself against me: Bet you didn't see this coming, eh, Shardclaw-sama? We're going to make you feel so sorry for making the fans wait for the revision to get moving again by making you not getting any sleep tonight.
Kagura, doing the same from the other side: Come on, you know want this.
Shardclaw: Wait, Kagura-chan and BlackRose-chan…aw, snap… after finally getting to see the hawtness of BlackRose-chan in action, the feeling to resist her attacks is gone for some reason. Why is that?
Celica: That's because we used pheromone laced body-wash to make it easier to seduce you, Shardclaw-sama.
Shardclaw: You guys did what? Isn't that a little unfair, considering that I'm the one handicapped here?
Sara: Why worry about the small stuff? In any case, let our little glomping contest take place in the privacy of your bedroom without any interruptions, okay?
Fei Ku: Yes, we'll do our best to give you lots and lots of 'service' during these revisions so you can be ready for when the new shipments start to join us. The rest of my buddies so want their turn with you since you're using some of your free time catch up on the Negima1 manga, aru!
Shardclaw: Fei-san, you don't have to rub it in like that…or else the fanboys will get jealous.
Melfina: But didn't you say that you wanted these revised COE chapters and omakes to have them saying, 'Damn, I'm jealous of this guy!' whenever we gang up on you like this?
Shardclaw: Hmph, most of my fans know just who is part of my harem by now, but a little reminder now and again wouldn't hurt since I still have my database of previous shipments up to current or else they could be mesmerized by the revisions instead…but then again, I'm the one being used like a toy here by you guys.
Garland: Have fun, Shardclaw. Try to survive till the next chapter, alright?
Shardclaw: This is far from over, you guys! You just wait and see what will happen in the next chapter if you do keep these things up.
Snake: I get the feeling he was asking for that to happen and seemed happy about it.
Misato: That is until the next chapter comes out and surprises more of the fans once again, I suppose.