Episode 11-4 - Wilting


Beep…beep…

As consciousness slowly returned, the sound of dulled beeping could be heard. The faint smell of disinfectant clued in the weary mind that they were somewhere familiar, somewhere they have been many times in the past.

Beep…beep…

"Mmn…"

A raspy groan escaped from shut lips, and green eyes peered between heavy eyelids. Everything was still a blur, not helped by the fluorescent light above the ceiling. It took a few more seconds to get the bearings straight, but the body slowly woke up.

"What…"

The first sensation felt was pain, a dull, throbbing soreness throughout the limbs and torso. Each breath shot brief electrifying sensations, and when the arm tried to move, there was nothing but pain.

"Ow..!"

"Don't move too much."

A yellow blob came into the periphery, close but not too close. More and more of the environment became recognizable and added to the sanitary smell earlier. There was only one place it all belonged to.

A hospital's recovery area.

Or, more specifically, the Kestrel's hospital recovery area.

"You and the girls took a real nasty blow with that explosion, Tigress."

Iris Calling made a low groan as she squinted, immediately recognizing the voice. Blurry her vision might be, she could definitely see the smile from his tone alone.

"And how are they..?"

As she slowly blinked her vision to clear, more and more features became notable. From the blonde hair to the very easy on the eyes face, there was no mistaking the person by her bedside.

He was clad in the standard g-suit all of the Navy pilots would wear, though both it and the vest were opened to reveal the CWU-27/P Nomex pilot suit underneath. He held his pilot helmet under his arm, his personal emblem of a white feather clear on the side of the protective device.

"They're fine. A bit burnt from the blast, but it's nothing the docs could fix. The wonders of modern medicine, am I right?"

The blonde woman smiled weakly as her senses cleared up, now aware of the quiet groaning of multiple bodies and of the mutterings of busy corpsmen and women around her. "Thanks, Hawk." She rasped, just now realizing the sensation of gauze wrapping around her limbs and her right cheek. "Things calmed down?"

The smile on the man's face faded, instead curling down into a grim frown. His blue eyes looked away, his brows furrowing as his expression turned conflicted.

Iris sighed as she closed her eyes, cursing inwardly at her sliver of naive hope. "Thought so…Give me the sitrep, please?"

"Fleet's fucked." He muttered, a bevy of emotions in his voice. "More than half of the ships present were damaged, around a quarter of the total were sunk, and the rest are weighing anchor to search for survivors amidst the smoke and wreckage."

"Shit." The woman cursed, turning her head slowly to survey the room now that her vision was clear enough. There, on nearby beds, she could see her other squadmates in varying states of being bandaged up. Fortunately, she couldn't see any serious injuries, so that was one weight off her shoulders.

But aside from her squadmates, the other beds were occupied by men and women she didn't recognize. Faces she had never seen aboard the ship were scrunched in pain or medicated peace, with bandages over discolored patches of skin or bloodied gauzes on what were obviously wounds.

The IS pilot slowly surveyed the room with a sad curl of her lips, her spirits diminishing. "...How long has it been since I got knocked out?"

"15 minutes, give or take."

"What of Natasha?" The green-eyed blonde looked up into his somber blues, already knowing the answer but hoping, grasping at any straws, that her best friend had been recovered. "Is she..?"

The man slowly shook his head, looking away in slight guilt for letting her down. "The IS Academy Cadets tried, but…there was an incident."

"What do you mean-?" She followed his gaze, directed towards the far side of the recovery area, and cut herself off when she saw a few of the onboard marines standing before three figures in beds. The woman recognized them all, having been briefed about the identities of potential High-Value Targets multiple times over the last few months.

"Jesus Christ," Iris muttered as she sat up, aided by her friend and wincing at the sensation. "What happened to them..?"

Ichika Orimura was lying on the bed, unmoving and with bandages wrapped around his head, arms, and torso. An oxygen mask was on his face, rhythmically hissing as it delivered fresh oxygen. There was a slight tinge of blue on his lips that she could see with a squint, causing her to frown.

Houki Shinonono was lying on the bed next to his, looking unscathed in comparison to her friend. What stood out was the fact that she was restrained, her hands cuffed to the railings of her bed. She too, was unconscious, clad in her IS pilot suit, her expression twisting between worry and anger.

And lastly, much to the blonde's surprise, was one Ryo Murakumo. She didn't expect one of the Professor's vaunted test pilots would be in the recovery area, especially since having witnessed the competency of the three in the brief times the sniper unit wasn't focusing on her. He was wearing that sweet pilot suit of his, all red, with the helmet at the foot of his bed. There wasn't any visible damage on him, no bandages or the like, but he seemed to be dead asleep.

"I dunno what they're teaching the kids back in the Academy, but that Orimura boy managed to get himself a case of HAPE, or so the docs say." The man sighed as he shook his head. "Kid also got First and Second-degree burns from the Silverio, so he's got it bad." He then pointed over to the ponytailed girl. "She got a bad bump on the back of her head from a collision with the Blue Frame, as well as some minor burns from some close calls with lightning. She also got a mild case of HACE-"

"Wait," She looked up at her friend, her brows shooting up at his words. "Come again? The Blue Frame collided with her? How?"

"No clue. Those up at the deck were talking about this 'blue blur' ramming into her from up North." His face twisted into one of pity and discomfort. "That's not the worst of it though. When I saw the Gold Frame on the elevator when it went down, it was missing its right arm from the elbow down."

The woman's eyes widened as she gasped. She made to ask when the double doors opened, and a few familiar figures marched inside.

"They're over there." Natarle Badgiruel pointed over to the incapacitated IS Academy Cadets, giving a wary glance at the blue and white pilot suit-wearing figure beside her. "We'll prepare an Osprey for all of you once the doctors stabilize your friend, so please don't start trouble in the meantime."

Iris watched as the figure's shoulders rose and fell before their hands reached up to remove the helmet. Though they were far away, both pilots had enough experience to tell that there was this hiss of depressurization over the din of the recovery area. With the helmet gone, the blonde woman's lips curled into a fond smile as Davion took long and hurried strides towards his friends.

"Huh, I know that look." Her friend muttered as the brunette passed them, gray eyes locked on to the slumbering boys. "You know him, Iris?"

"You can say that." She hummed, idly taking in the differences of the boy back then and now. For one, his hair was longer and he seemed to have gained an inch or two in height. Now that his face wasn't bandaged and bruised following his matches back in Vegas, he was quite the looker, in the rugged farm boy kind of way.

"Met him in Vegas when Natasha and I…" The blonde paused as another wave of melancholy washed through her. The man noticed and gently placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a comforting smile.

"Hey, we'll get her back soon. If the Cadets can't do it, my squad and I can." His smile turned into a confident grin, briefly faltering into an awkward one as he scratched the back of his head. "Shame Blaze and his squad are on leave, though. They would have been a big help here."

"Yeah…" Iris muttered before she perked up when she saw Davion walk away with clenched fists, his expression almost feral in the way it showcased his anger. There was a flash of crimson in those gray eyes of his and she had to blink multiple times to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

"H-Hey, Augus." She called out, rasped out more like, to the blue-clad Astray pilot. To her relief, the boy paused and turned to her, his eyes briefly widening in recognition before he, with hesitation clear, stepped over.

Her lips curled up as he did so, and she made to greet-

"I'm sorry." He blurted out before she could even get a word out, shame clear in those gunmetal grays of his. "I'm…I'm so sorry for not getting Nataly…Natasha back." His shoulders drooped and his fists once more were clenched. "If only…I was there sooner, I would have…"

Once more, a wave of melancholy washed over the green-eyed blonde. Iris's shoulders drooped, but a squeeze from her friend reminded her that all was not lost just yet. "Hey now…don't dwell on what-ifs. You know Natasha would hate you talking like that."

"I know." Davion took a deep breath as he set his helmet down at the foot of her bed, pressing his hands against his face in aggravation. "I know that. But we had the chance to prevent all of this loss of life. It was supposed to be quick and easy, but then those…fuckers in the Gundams showed up and ruined everything!"

"'Gundams'?" Her friend asked, raising a brow as he cupped his chin. "I thought they were some sort of Astray offshoot. At least, the one that the Red Frame captured. It looked eerily similar to the Gold Frame before…well, it got trashed." He then raised the same hand placatingly at the glare of the teen. "Er…sorry."

Iris sighed. "Dude, just…shut up." She then looked at the cadets on the beds and then back at the mechanic. "How are your friends?"

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say, as the teen's expression twisted into one of brief fury before it cooled into a restrained rage. It was so sudden and raw that the two blondes physically recoiled at such a sight. That was not to mention the brief wave of dread, of sheer killing intent, that leaked from him before retreating back when he calmed.

The brunette took a deep breath as he glared at the sleeping girl before looking back at them. "Three of them are unconscious and one is in surgery, how do you think they are?"

The green-eyed blonde winced, looking away in slight shame. "Ah…yeah, my bad."

"What of that pilot in the gray suit the Red Frame first dropped?"

Davion looked at the taller blonde with furrowed brows, a hint of confusion in his eyes as he looked the man over. "That pilot…she wasn't one of us. She tried to kill Ryo. On whose orders?" He shrugged, keeping his suspicions to himself. "We don't know. But once I get her suit back with me to the Academy after all this is done and over with, I can find out."

"Or you could leave it with us." Iris looked at him seriously, a hint of danger in her eyes. "Those bastards were indiscriminate in their attack, it wasn't just you cadets that got hurt. This is a terrorist attack, and you should leave such matters to the military. We'll find out who's behind all of this so you don't have to worry about it."

"Can't do." The mechanic shook his head, a hint of steel flashing in his gray eyes. "The suit'll come with me, including the cadaver of the pilot. The Professor…" He paused briefly, his expression darkening. "She can find out who's behind this faster than anyone else."

Seeing that the teen was unmoving in his decision, the two blondes looked at each other and then back at Astray pilot.

"How are you…not bothered by the fact that you'll be taking a body with you, kid?"

After a few moments of tense staring, the mechanic looked away. His previously indifferent mask broke into one of slight remorse. "I try not to think about it." He whispered, his clenched fists loosening as a certain haze washed across the grays of his eyes. "I'd prefer giving the body a burial at sea so I can forget, but as it is now, she's a big piece of evidence on unraveling who the attackers are."

Once more, the two blondes looked at each other, a hint of worry in their eyes. It was concerning how lightly the teen spoke of matters of death. They knew that they would be different by virtue of being the Professor's test pilots for her newest project, but…

"That's…understandable." Iris nodded to her friend's words, a frown on her lips as she did so. "But…make sure to take care of yourself, okay kid?"

Davion looked up at the tall blonde once more with narrowed eyes, the previous haze replaced by intrigue and confusion. "Alright…er…" He scanned the pilot suit, looking for some sort of identification.

"Oh, right, I haven't introduced myself." The man cleared his throat and gave a hand, a smirk on his lips. "Callsign Hawk of the Experimental Flight Technology Evaluation Squadron 'Falco'." His smirk then turned into a sheepish smile. "Otherwise known as Falco-1. Bit of a mouthful right? But you can call me-"

"Everyone else just calls them the 'ExTee'." Iris chuckled as she elbowed the man, sending a veiled look at the blonde. "This guy's been testing all types of equipment the eggheads cook up ever since he signed up."

The mechanic swore he's heard the squadron name before, somewhere in the furthest reaches of the back of his mind. It didn't help that he looked somewhat familiar, but then again blue-eyed blondes were pretty much plentiful nowadays. Perhaps he should look into the man, or ask Ephraim once he woke up and was…well enough to converse.

… If he woke up.

Hopefully he does.

He took the offered hand and shook it, making sure that his grip was firm before pulling away. "Davion Guele, test pilot of the Gundam Astray Blue Frame Second G and the chief mechanic underneath the Professor for Project: Astray."

'Hawk' grinned as he crossed his arms. "Now that's a mouthful."

"Well, now that you two are acquainted." Iris chuckled as she smirked up at the two. "How about we catch up, Augus? Er, Davion, I mean." She shook her head with a small sigh. "When we get Natasha back, I'll tell her what she missed."

Giving one last glance at his sleeping friends and at the clock in the far wall of the recovery area, the mechanic pursed his lips briefly before shrugging. "...Alright. We've got time…I think."


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Bzzzzt. Bzzzzt.

"Come on…come on, pick up…"

Bzzzzt. Bzzzzt.

"Kanzashi-chan!"

Turning her head, the bluenette saw Haku running at her from further down the hall. She was wearing an orange floral patterned Hawaiian shirt tied up into a crop top, white frayed hem denim shorts, and cork wedge sandals. Her bracelets clinked and clanged against each other as she ran, and miraculously the white framed and amber-lensed sunglasses on her head didn't fall off.

"Emiya-san?" Kanzashi asked, her brows rising at the light tan on the girl. They've only been here for three days, she got a tan already? Better yet-! "What are you doing here? You should be with the rest of 1-3!"

"I snuck off because I wanted to check on you." The orangette admitted as she fiddled with the scrunchie that held her side-tail. "When the base across the bay exploded earlier, you didn't join the rest of us and I got worried."

"Sorry for making you worry." The shorter girl muttered, glancing down at her phone as it continued to vibrate. "Orimura-sensei called for all of those with a personal IS to gather here in the makeshift command center." She took a glance at the door a few meters behind her. "But things aren't looking too good right now."

"What do you mean?" Taking one last look around, the tanned girl dragged her friend around the corner, stopping just by the stairwell. "What happened? You look kinda pale…"

Images of the Blue Frame impaling the other blue and white suit flashed through her mind before it all vanished in a surge of green. Shaking her head, the girl tightened her grip around her phone for a moment before loosening.

"It's…" Another memory, one more recent, popped up in her head. "Alcott-san." Kanzashi sighed, her shoulders slumping as the echo of the agonized screech bounced around in her head. "She suddenly had an episode. She was holding her arm like…like it was being ripped off, or something. Doctor Coast had to come in and take her to the clinic earlier."

"An episode? What brought it along?"

Ring ring!

Hello?

Ruby eyes widened and she quickly brought the phone up, the previous worry returning as she hunched slightly.

"Nee-chan!"

Eh? Kanzashi-chan? Tatenashi's voice came from the phone, confusion clear alongside what seemed like the controlled chaos of multiple voices arguing with one another. What's wrong? What happened?

"Did you get the missiles?" Kanzashi asked, her voice tense as Haku jolted beside her. She didn't know anything about missiles! "Are you safe? Did you manage to keep them away from-?"

Calm down, calm down… The older sister cooed over the phone as the sounds of arguing went distant. I'm safe. Your onee-chan is safe. The missiles didn't even get close to visual range. Something… something else happened.

"Somethi-?!" The younger Sarashiki paused, realization washing over as her concerned features smoothed to being calm. "...That light…"

Yes. That light. I saw it even from where I was. Tatenashi confirmed, seriousness leaking into her voice. Something of that much power was unleashed to protect us…but where did it come from? Who was the cause of it?

Haku could tell that, despite the words, the Student Council President already knew the answer. And judging from how her friend seemed to relax somewhat, Kanzashi knew also.

"...A guardian angel, perhaps." The bluenette muttered, causing the orangette to narrow her eyes. "But…I-I'm glad you're okay, Nee-chan…"

Thank you for your concern, Kanzashi-chan. What about you? Are you safe over there? The higher-ups told me about 'you know what'.

"I'm safe, Nee-chan. I'm fine as can be, but…"

But..?

Taking a glance at Haku, Kanzashi nodded to herself and her sister's words. "Something went wrong with the…with the special operation."

"Special operation?" Her friend mouthed with narrowed eyes, some of her suspicions already proving right. The appearance of Shinonono's new IS, the three oddly familiar glints she saw flying through the sky, and the sudden explosion at the base across the bay.

It all smelt of something serious, really serious if it meant that the StuCo Pres was also deployed.

〈 …Yes? I'm in a call. Tatenashi's voice lost the affectionate warmth when she spoke to what seemed to be someone outside audio range, instead being replaced with the firm authority she often used. 〈 …Understood. I'll head over shortly to quell the chaos. Sorry, Kanzashi-chan, And then the warmth came back in the form of slight regret. Some arguments turned hot and I have to calm those muscle heads down. I swear, it's like I'm herding cats here…

"It's alright, Nee-chan." The bluenette's expression turned annoyed for a brief moment before she calmed it down. Her lips curled into a fond smile as she slumped against the nearby wall. "As long as I know you're safe, that's all I need right now."

The same goes for me, imouto. Try to enjoy yourself despite the chaos going on, okay?

Haku's lips curled at the warmth in the older sister's voice, something that she empathized with. After all, she also was an older sister, with a younger brother that was often too dense for his own good.

There was silence from the phone for a few seconds, both of the girls present aware of the lack of the hang-up sound. The president must have wanted something, if the expectant quiet was any indication.

"... And..?"

Can you tell Mu-kun to message me back?! He hasn't been online on LINE and it's been annoying me!

'Who the heck is Mu-kun?' Was the orangettes thought, nearly missing the bemused expression on the bluenette's face.

"I will. Bye, Nee-chan."

Bye-bye~!

Click.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Kanzashi lowered her phone and glanced at her friend. Haku raised a brow as she crossed her arms, foot tapping with the sound echoing in the silent hallway. It was obvious that she was asking for an explanation about all that had happened.

"Orimura-san and Shinonono-san weren't flying off for a test flight, were they?" The amber eyed girl asked lightly.

The bluenette slowly shook her head, causing the taller girl to sigh. Closing her eyes for a moment, the orangette stood stock still, her lips moving in a soundless series of rapid words that Kanzashi couldn't make out.

"Can you at least tell me what this 'special operation' was?"

Kanzashi pursed her lips as she stared at the orangette. Haku was…a friend, one that latched on to her at the beginning of the school year. She didn't really have any ulterior motives concerning the bluenette's status as the Representative Candidate, aside from wanting to be friendly. The orangette has been nothing if not supportive, especially in regards to her pursuit towards the Astray's mechanic.

So perhaps…


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"Are these reports accurate, doctor?"

"Yes, Captain, they are."

Andersen sighed as he closed the folder, just in time to see Natarle return to the bridge in the corner of his eyes. The black-haired woman looked rather uneased at all what had happened, which showed in the frown that curled her lips.

This is Sea Goblin, all launch preparations done and over with. Taking off with the VIPs now.

As the Osprey rose off of the deck, the older gentleman could do nothing but think of how the world would change. The still smoking wrecks around them only grimly reminded him that this will not be forgotten anytime soon, nor will it be ignored. The world was already teetering on the edge of a razor, especially concerning the militarization, for all intents and purposes, of the Infinite Stratos.

Now, this attack happened and might possibly be the spark that would ignite the powder keg.

"Captain." Natarle called out, rousing him from his reflection. "Sea Goblin is going West, not North to Yokohama." He turned his head to her and saw that she was looking at the distancing tiltrotor craft. "What is he doing?"

"He's going to Camp Schwab. Orders from High Command, I'm afraid." Andersen sighed, taking off his cap and running a hand through his graying hair. "Politics, basically. One of the Cadet's families has some ties to the Marine Corps, and those high up wish to use this opportunity to repay a decades-long favor. As well as trying to curry anything from the Professor, which is going to be like trying to get blood from a stone."

"When there are wounded children involved?!" Of course, Natarle was aghast at this. "They're playing with lives here!"

This is Falco-1, preparing for takeoff.

The black-haired woman turned her head and walked closer to the windows, watching in surprise as she spotted two gray aircraft taxiing to parts of the deck that weren't dented by the crashes earlier. The flight elevator was moving, revealing another pair of the gray aircraft boarding.

The four were of the same make, a double-delta airframe with canards and unique paddle-like twin thrust vector engines. Their canopies were an odd shade of amber, but it was clear enough to see the individual pilots in their seats, running last-minute pre-flight checks as the deck crew began to attach them to the catapults. The nose of the aircraft was a white gradient, akin to snow amidst the gray, and the tips of the canards, wings, and two tail fins of similar colorations.

"Why is the ExTee launching?" Natarle asked her superior officer, thoroughly confused at this unorthodox turn of events. There were plenty of skipped steps and missed protocols that she could see from the last dozen minutes alone! "They shouldn't be revealing the new plane-!"

"It's a show of force." The Captain rumbled, placing his hat back on his head and pulling down the rim to shadow his eyes. "To project that, despite the tragedy that happened today, the US Military is not yet beaten down."

Clenching her fists and tensing her jaw for a few seconds, the Ensign took a deep breath to calm herself down. Such things were starting to become commonplace ever since she signed up, most likely due to the introduction of the Infinite Stratos. It was seen as the next step in showing just how developed and advanced a nation was. The greater the abilities of an IS, the greater the strength was seen in the nation's research and development sector and its military.

"Falco-1, Falco-2, you are cleared for launch."

However, that didn't mean that other conventional military hardware needed to be forgotten. Aircraft were still being developed, most with the aim to contest against the Infinite Stratos should a war utilizing it becomes a reality.

Aircraft like what the Experimental Flight Technology Evaluation Squadron was fielding.

Alright, let's see what this baby can do!

One of the benefits of having an angled deck was the ability to launch multiple aircraft in such a short time. As the jet blast deflectors did their work, the roaring of 4 engines nigh-simultaneously filled the air.

What did those kids say again? Oh right! This is Mu la Flaga, Apalis; Launching!

As the first of the XFA-24A took its official debut flight - and what a debut it was amidst smoke and ruin - Natarle looked West as the wingman also took off. She couldn't help but worry for the Cadets as, after all, they were still children in her eyes.

They didn't deserve to go through trauma such as this, through pain such as this. They were meant to enjoy their youth and make mistakes in the spirit of adolescence.

Not… this.

'There must be something that I can do.' She thought, pursing her lips as she pulled down the rim of her cap to shadow her eyes. 'These kids sacrificed much while we adults stood here gawking.'

Unbeknownst to her, Andersen was having similar thoughts. The old captain had seen much in his career, the White Knight Incident especially. He had connected a few dots in the events that unfolded then and now.

'Things are adding up in a way that doesn't bode well for the future generations…' The man thought, keeping his face calm despite the chaos around him.

Perhaps it was time to call on a few favors of his…


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Tick…tock…tick…

Kanucha Resort's clinic was a humble establishment, nothing too fancy like the Infirmary back in the Academy, nor was it low-tech like what some expected a clinic to be. It was well-equipped with the tools necessary to treat primarily water-borne accidents such as drowning, the occasional sea urchin injury, jellyfish sting, or the possibility of a rare shark attack. It never hurts to be prepared.

Responding to things such as panic attacks were well within its capabilities.

Doctor Mikhail Coast had long left the room, muttering about 'wasting his time' and gaining the combined ire of the women present. They were all worried for their friend and comrade, especially since the attack was so sudden, so loud, and so guttural that even recalling the pain in her voice brought shivers up both of their spines.

So when they looked upon the sleeping noblewoman, whose tears had long since dried as she lay there on the cot, they both wondered just what exactly happened.

"This has never happened before, right?" Laura asked, her calculative eye narrowed at the Brit before it looked over to the other blonde in the room. There was still a lingering paleness on the Frenchwoman's face as she pursed her lips, causing the albino to pause in her questioning. The blonde seemed to be lost in thought, her attention somewhere away if the distant haze in her eyes was of any indication.

She had a good feeling that she was thinking about what had happened earlier. The satellite might not have gotten a good close-up view of the battles, but an overhead view was more than enough for them to see the various explosions and sparks flying around from the weapon impacts. That was not to mention the way her brothers had… dispatched their opponents.

Laura was especially affected by how Ephraim had flung the suit that resembled the Strike Uchigane into the large beam. There was no dramatic explosion, no last shots, just an eerie sense of silence in watching it disappear into the white-blue mass of energy. It was a cold and effective way of dispatching an enemy, utilizing what opportunities he had at that moment.

It was both a respectable and honestly terrifying display. It made her think of the time that he nearly choked her out, of the possibility that he was about to murder her in broad daylight.

A shiver ran up the spine of the albino as she shook her head.

'No, I…I erred that time. I deserved that kind of treatment.' She thought with a frown, looking at the sleeping blonde and furrowing her brows. 'After all, I did incapacitate both her and Frau Huang.'

Then she thought of Ryo's… execution. There was really no other way to describe it, other than an execution.

Laura always knew that he was a swordsman of high caliber. Being his sibling was something that she took pride in as the little sister of the 'Musashi' of the Academy… But to see his swordplay play out in an actual combat situation.

There was no glorious clash of blades, no showdown of skill, no dramatic standoff.

It was over in a fraction of a second, eviscerated without a second thought. Quick, efficient, and cold-blooded.

It was a harsh revelation that reminded her that he, too, was designed to be a weapon, just like her.

What she saw in the footage wasn't the brother she heartily sang cadences with as they jogged through the campus or hung around during their free time, amiably sharing her new experiences in the academy with him.

He was a product of Project: Neo-Type, a Delta model.

The last Delta model.

The very same Delta model who orchestrated a breakout plan that resulted in what could have been hundreds of deaths.

"Ryo-nii…"

Creak…

The sound of the door opening caused the German to turn around, a hand instinctively darting to the knife strapped to her right thigh.

A red eye met a pair of hazel as Kazahana quietly waved her over from the door, her expression one of seriousness. It was an odd thing to see on a girl that was probably half her age, but Laura's curiosity was piqued. Taking one last look at the still lost-in-thought blonde, the albino got up and walked over to the shorter girl.

Kazahana led her a few meters away from the door into a nearby hallway with a few people idling around, none familiar to the IS pilot. They were plain clothed men and women, with a uniform chest rig and plate carrier being the only things that differentiated them from any other tourists. They kept their weapons, FN Five-seveNs and FN P90s, in their holsters or by their side, respectively.

'They must be security then…' The super soldier noted, keeping her right hand open and by her side in case she needed to pull her combat knife out.

Due to the explosion in Camp Schwab earlier, the resort had gone into a semi-lockdown. Resort security was patrolling the grounds on foot, equipped with handheld radios and non-lethal weapons such as tasers. The ones with them at that moment must have been either a special detachment or perhaps the personal bodyguards of the Sahaku Clan, Laura guessed.

"So, what did you call me over for?" The albino asked.

Kazahana stared at her for a few seconds before pulling out her phone. "It's about Orimura-san. She's not in the resort anymore."

Immediately, Laura's concern skyrocketed as she jolted.

"What?!" The albino couldn't believe it. Her mentor just…wouldn't leave them without saying so, wouldn't she?! She had her responsibilities as a teacher! "She- Nein! Yamada-sensei would know-"

"Yamada-san doesn't know where she went, hence why I'm here. Because she told me to inform the Cadets of the situation." The brunette frowned as she tapped on her phone's screen. "I've also checked the resort's surveillance camera records, and she didn't show up in any in the past hour."

'Of course she wouldn't show up in the cameras, she knows how to sneak around!'

"So do you want me to go look for my mentor?" Laura asked in a tense tone, fingers twitching as she tapped a foot impatiently. "Give me a few-"

"No no, it's fine Bodewig-san." Kazahana shook her head as she pocketed her phone. "If Nii-san was right, your teacher would be able to handle herself. Besides, I didn't come only with the news that Orimura-san disappeared."

'She has other news..?'

Seeing the look on the older girl's face, she quickly glanced up and down the hallway, past the guards, to see if there were any potential eavesdroppers. "Some of our Clan's contacts say that Nii-san and the others are heading back here."

That snapped the albino out of her tunnel vision. It had been an hour and a half since the signal had been cut and almost three hours since Operation Angel Down had started. They have had no contact with the Astray test pilots nor with Orimura and Shinonono ever since. The last thing all of them saw of the squad was the Byakushiki using itself as a shield to protect the others.

"Are they-?"

"It's not looking good." Kazahana decided to be straight to the point. "Some of our people on Chichi-jima reported that a CMV-22B was flying West, towards us, alongside a fighter escort made up of four aircraft of unknown models. They said that the Astrays landed on the American Carrier some time before the craft took off from the very same ship."

"An Osprey?" Laura was familiar with the aircraft, having trained to pilot one in many virtual reality drills she and some of the Schwarzer Hase conducted. Such a craft was typically meant to carry a large number of soldiers or material…

'So if there was an Osprey heading here with an escort…'

In the back of her mind, she knew that this was an ill portent. Sure, her brothers and the other two may just be riding because they ran out of energy, but there was always that niggling paranoia…

"I see you're arriving at the same conclusions I am." The brunette nodded once she saw the mounting suspicion on the albino's face. "Which is why I'm asking you, and others like Dunois-san and Sarashiki-san, to come with me to Camp Schwab. Normally, I'd ask Orimura-san, but… you know..."

"What of your sister? Frau Winslet?"

"She's busy dealing with an earlier client," Kazahana answered vaguely, keeping her expression neutral. "But she trusts me on this, and I hope you would too."

It was clear to the albino that, should she and the other girls come with the brunette, they were going to be a sort of show of force. Whatever the Americans were planning with the boys, they would have to deal with the other IS Representative Candidates and risk making it into an international affair.

"Have you approached Yamada-sensei about this?" The older girl asked, still dead set on trying to find her mentor. "If anything, she has the most authority in the resort right now."

"She said that she'll stay in the resort to hold down the fort and to try and find Orimura-san." The brunette countered. "We have her support, however, and all that needs doing is to gather the group and head over there."

Laura frowned as she crossed her arms, thinking carefully of her choice. Should she and the others leave, that would be every available pilot with access to their IS', thus leaving the resort with only the armed guards as the sole line of defense. However, they might need that kind of show of force when dealing with the Americans should her fears come to pass.

"How long has it been since your people spotted the Osprey?" She asked the younger girl.

"Almost two hours ago."

The German did some quick calculations in her head, accessing her memory of the technical aspects of the craft. It was a rough estimate, but if the RIMPAC fleet was just beyond Ogasawara, an Osprey could go at around 500 kilometers per hour if not at 4.6k meters…

"Then that means that they'll be arriving in…" Laura's eyes widened at the result, quickly looking at the clock on the far wall of the lobby beyond the hallway. "An hour!"

"Which is why you need to make your choice now." Kazahana pressed, her lips curling into a frown. "Neither of us wants to see Nii-san and his friends in American hands for much longer, right? Who knows what they're doing to them on the Osprey!"

The German frowned at the girl. "Baseless pondering and jumping to conclusions won't help anyone. Why are you so insistent on us going there anyway?"

"I just…" Expression softening to one of worry, the younger girl slumped and looked far more like her age now than before, with shimmering eyes and quivering lips. "I just have a really bad feeling about what happened earlier. Alcott-san reacting like that…that just doesn't happen out of the blue. I just want to make sure that my brother is safe."

Laura's lips twitched, a wave of sympathy flowing through her as she closed her eyes. She, too, wanted to make sure her brothers were safe, but she wasn't willing to leave the resort and various other innocents defenseless.

'Maybe…'

"Okay." She sighed as Kazahana perked up. "Okay, I'll ask the others to go with you. I'll stay here as support. If anything happens, I can use my railgun to provide covering fire."

No sooner than when she finished her sentence, the brunette hit her with a tackle. Her small arms wrapped around her waist tightly and the younger girl pressed her face against the fabric of the IS pilot suit.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Laura's cheeks warmed as she patted her hair. "It's…nothing. Now, please let me go so I can brief Frau Dunois and look for Frau Sarashiki…"


.

.

.


Camp Schwab was not having a very nice day.

In fact, with the cursing of many of the marines, it was having a rightfully shitty day.

Major General Duane Halberton felt little to no relief when the base finally got its communications systems back up. Luckily for them, they had a backup system in case this ever happened. However, it was an older version, one that the current base operators had little to no knowledge of.

It was a miracle in the first place for the said version to even still connect to the main network that connected Schwab to the other US bases around Okinawa, such as the 'Keystone of the Pacific' that was Kadena Air Base. So when they reconnected to said main network, they were immediately bombarded with questions on what happened and who was responsible.

Their answer to the first question was undeniable sabotage, as they had found explosive residue on the ruins of the comms tower. That had caused Kadena Air Base to send a detachment of marines to further reinforce the base, as well as a spare AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar, which they were setting up now.

The second was more troubling to answer, as they had no clue as to who the bomber was. The patrols that were near and those currently in the infirmary being treated for their wounds had spotted nothing out of the ordinary before it suddenly exploded.

This all stank of a bigger conspiracy to the Major General.

"Sir, RIMPAC casualties have been confirmed." Lieutenant Murrue Rammius reported with an impassive expression, but he could tell that she was shaken. "More than half of the allied fleet, 43 out of the 67 ships, have been damaged, most in part due to the Gold Frame's actions in removing the rogue Aegis System and similar software. Out of the 43, 13 have been sunk due to the unknown suits' beams. Casualties…" The brunette's voice briefly faltered before she looked away. "4,025 souls."

The older man was silent at the amount of lives lost. It was an unprecedented amount, most likely the most lives lost in the new century, and it wasn't even from a war.

"Major General, sir, we've got a report from the gate personnel." One of the operators signaled him, snapping the blonde out of his stunned shock. "It's one of the Sahaku Clan's vehicles, and it seems that they have the French and the Japanese IS Representative Candidates with them."

"What are they doing here?" Murrue asked with furrowed brows. "The explosion should have locked the resort down, it's still dangerous..!"

"They said that they are here to 'Make sure our friends are safe.'"

Duane sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "So they know of Sea Goblin…" Murrue flinched beside him, still recovering from her slight episode after finding out what had happened earlier. "Alright, let them in. It's not like we can deny them that easily, much less the owners of this section of Okinawa and their country's Representative Candidate."

"But sir-?"

"I said let them in." The blonde ordered, brows furrowed and with a frown on his face. "The Marine Corps here owe a debt to the Sahaku Clan, plenty of it actually, and if this is them cashing in on one of them, then let it be so."

Beep! Beep!

"Sir, we've got Sea Goblin on the line! As well as the four escorts with them!"

"Put them on. And get those civilians inside!" Both officers turned to look at the holographic screen as it displayed the waters around Okinawa, more specifically that of the East towards the Pacific. There was an approaching blue blip alongside four yellow blips that moved alongside it.

Camp Schwab, this is Sea Goblin, do you read?

"We read you, Sea Goblin. Mind telling us who those four escorts are?"

This is the Experimental Flight Technology Evaluation Squadron 'Falco'. This is Falco-1 speaking. We were sent by Captain Andersen to safeguard Sea Goblin and his VIPs. Just to make sure, transmitting authentication codes…now.

"We appreciate it, Falco-1." Murrue nodded as the yellow blips turned blue, with each of them being assigned a name ranging from Falco-1 to Falco-4. "What's the status of the VIPs, Sea Goblin?"

You're gonna need to prep the hospital there. One of them's in critical condition.

"We've already got the doctors ready. We got some wounded earlier." The woman sighed, her expression turning serious. "Anything else, Sea Goblin?"

Yeah, we got one of the hostiles and their suit from earlier.

Murrue narrowed her eyes. "Do we need to ready security?"

Negative, pilot's dead. One of the Professor's test pilots made sure of it.

"Understood," Duane confirmed gravely, the loss of life of the RIMPAC fleet still weighing heavily on his mind. "We'll get the ground crews ready for your landing. Falco Squad, do you need to refuel? This air base may not have an assigned squadron, but we do have the rudimentaries needed for a wing."

That would be much appreciated, Major General!

"What's the status of the IS pilots and civies?"

An operator turned to him after listening in to her headset. "They're being escorted here, sir. Miss Winslet is absent, but her younger sister is here in her stead. This is the same with the IS pilots, they don't have a teacher present, but apparently, they have been granted autonomy by Miss Yamada back in Kanucha."

"Great, young kids without adult supervision." He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in slight irritation. "Lieutenant Ramius."

Murrue straightened. "Yes, sir?" They may not be in the same branch anymore, but he was still her former mentor.

"Intercept them. Lead them to the stretch of runway that Sea Goblin'll land on. I'd rather not have them in the command center right now."

"Understood."


Alright, I see the car enter the base proper.

Charlotte kept quiet as the black sedan wheeled past the gates and into the base proper. While it was not like the stereotypical military base she was familiar with in media, there were some tourist-friendly buildings here and there, like restaurants and such, but there were still signs that this place was for soldiers first and foremost.

The most obvious being the L-ATVs being driven around with fully armed and armored marines riding inside. The Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station system turned the turret to and fro, and the blonde had to not flinch when it suddenly jerked over to them and tracked the black sedan as it went by.

"That explosion must have shaken them up real good, huh…" Kanzashi muttered next to her in the backseat, a hand clasped around the pearl that was the Strike Uchigane's Closed Form.

It's not every day a military base starts exploding. Well, aside from bomb disposal mishaps… Kaboom.

The Frenchwoman sighed as she adjusted the earpiece, ignoring the grim 'joke' from the albino. Said IS pilot was stationed on top of the resort, acting more akin to a sniping platform with how she was set up with the Purizushi in a steady charge. Given the earpiece to have better communication, Charlotte was then assigned as the 'spotter' in case of any hostile actions done upon them.

As they drove further into the base, they passed by the burnt-out wreckage of what had been a communications building. The half-melted base of a comms tower had hardened foam over it as various firefighters and marines kept a tight perimeter around the area. Beside it was an old truck-based comms array, complete with a satellite dish that looked like it was pulled out from the 90's. There, several marines in BDUs ran around and operated PCs underneath the large tent that protected them from the sun's heat.

The girls didn't say anything, instead watching with similar frowns as they drove away. Blaming the sabotage of the communications wasn't going to help anyone. They couldn't really do anything about what's been done.

Wait, I think…yes, I see Leutnant Ramius waving at you.

Both IS pilots turned their attention back to the front, blinking in surprise that the aforementioned brunette was waving at them. Kazahana instructed the driver to stop beside the woman and then to lower the window.

"Good noon, you four." The older brunette greeted them with a polite yet strained smile. "I believe we can skip with the pleasantries. The Command Center is…strained as of the moment, so we'll head straight to the airstrip. You can go ahead. I'll be right behind you."

Upon its mention, the two girls in the backseat felt the return of the anxious twisting in their stomachs. While they preferred to think optimistically, there was always the dreaded thought that something bad had happened to the test pilots. They had witnessed Ichika take the large beam in place of the others, but what if it failed?

What if the rest of their friends were also just as wounded?

Or worse?

I see you're heading to the airstrip. Good, that saves me the time to recalibrate.

The albino's voice snapped Charlotte out of her slight trance, bringing a mild sense of relief as her train of thought was getting more and more depressing. It wasn't good to lose hope in Ryo, not after seeing what he was capable of. This was the same man that could cut through beams before. Surely he didn't falter now?

'But then again,' The traitorous part of her mind whispered sibilantly. 'He didn't look too well earlier, now did he? We both clearly saw the eyebags and bloodshot eyes…'

She shook her head, tensing her jaw as she balled up her fists.

'No, none of those kinds of thoughts!'

The Frenchwoman looked at Kanzashi in an effort to distract herself from her thoughts. However, she found the bluenette in a similar state as her. With a hand clasping the pearl that was the Strike Uchigane tightly, there was a slight paleness in the cheeks of the bluenette.

The sight of this caused the blonde to frown and place a hand on her fellow pilot's shoulders, causing her to jolt. When she turned to her, Charlotte offered her a comforting smile, one that conveyed that she was not alone in her worries.

Kanzashi stared at her for a few more seconds before the tenseness in her shoulders slackened ever so slightly. With a small nod, she leaned back on the seat, still with the worried frown on her lips.

They both knew that the wait was going to be agonizing, that it was always the worst part when bad news came floating down the river. All they needed to do was hold on and keep their spirits high despite the troubles that they had.

It was the least they could do for the men that had captured their hearts.


Crunch…crunch…

"You know, you're not being subtle at all, Bodewig."

"I'm not trying to be subtle."

With a huff, Rin walked over to a nearby chair, most likely left by some repairman or staff, and sat down. The warm noon winds washed over her as she took deep and calming breaths. The Chinese girl wasn't in a good spot mentally following her witnessing Ichika take a big beam hit and the subsequent cut-off of the video.

Was he okay? Was he even alive? Would there even be a body left?

Those were the thoughts that swam around her head constantly, even now.

Glancing at the albino, she couldn't help but feel envy towards her. Laura was the epitome of 'cool cucumber' with how she seemed nonplussed while in the Schwarzer Regen. There were several holographic screens before her, all displaying either data such as wind speed, the Coriolis effect, or even the charge level of the Purizushi.

…Wait.

Snapping her head to the IS plot, she jumped out of her seat in shock, just now noticing the railgun pointed towards the military base across the bay.

"Laura, what the hell are you doing?!" She screeched, jumping in front of the black IS in an instinctual move. "You can't fire on the Americans!"

"I'm not." The German didn't even look away from monitoring what seemed to be a zoom-in of a black sedan with three figures climbing out. "I'm providing overwatch for Frau Dunois and Frau Sarashiki."

"Overwatch for what? What are they even doing there in the first place?" Rin had to ask, her brows furrowed. No wonder she didn't see the rest of the girls. After Cecilia had fainted, they all seemed to just…separate. She herself had retreated to her hotel room and cried, surprising and worrying her roommate Tina.

Laura was silent for a few seconds, her sole ruby eye slowly panning to her with an intense light. The Chinese girl couldn't help but flinch, her arms automatically rising to cover her face. Her beatdown at the hands of the albino was still fresh in her psyche, even after she had apologized and sort of made up for her errors. Forget almost drowning, she almost had her jaw shattered back then!

After what seemed to be several seconds, the German looked out to the sea before returning her focus on her screens. "They're coming back." Was what she simply said, her lips curling into a frown as she began adjusting the charge in the Purizushi.

Rin was confused. Who did Laura mean by 'they'? The girls?

Suddenly, the albino snapped her head to the left, sole eye wide as the odd rabbit ears of her headband twitched. "This fast? I must have calculated wrong." She muttered as she raised a finger to press against her ear, pressing down on a button on the earpiece that the twin-tailed girl had just noticed.

"Dunois, Sarashiki, incoming fast movers. I think it's the escorts to the Osprey."

Curiosity overtaking her caution, Rin quickly walked around so that she would be able to see what Laura was monitoring on her holographic screens. There, she could finally make out that there was a zoomed-in video feed of Charlotte, Kanzashi, and that brown-haired girl who introduced herself as Ephraim's sister the day prior. Beside them was the woman from earlier in the command center, one Lieutenant Murrue Ramius if she remembered correctly.

Already? I thought we had 15-odd minutes of waiting?

"I miscalculated, Dunois." Laura grumbled as she spotted two dark blots on the horizon, her already impressive sight aided by her IS' Hypersensors. "Any moment now, they'll be within sight of you."

"What's this about an Osprey?" The Chinese girl asked, brows furrowed as she did so.

The albino glanced at her before huffing. "Ryo-nii and the others that took off earlier for Operation Angel Down are coming back."

Rin jolted, eyes widening at the implication of her words.

That meant that Ichika and the rest were coming back!

Grasping the arm of the IS-equipped girl, she shook her urgently. "We have to get over there then! We have to make sure that they're fine!"

"Hands off, Huang!" Laura growled, annoyed at being disturbed in her overwatch. "It's too late for that already. Dunois and Sarashiki have this handled, so let go before I make you!"

Oh, I see them. They…they don't look like a model of any jet I'm familiar with.

Charlotte's report put a cap on whatever the German was going to say next as she ignored the fuming twin-tailed girl beside her in favor of zooming into the approaching blurs. As the seconds ticked by, they were becoming clearer and clearer, and Laura's eye narrowed as she tried to identify what exactly she was looking at.

'Double delta airframe with canards..? The Amerikaner usually don't apply such a design philosophy to their fighters. Are they perhaps trying to copy the old Typhoon?'

"The Osprey must be nearing soon." She muttered, looking over the horizon where the two crafts came from. "And with it…"

"Hey. Hey! Stop ignoring me, damn it! We gotta go over there!" Rin continued to rant, stomping her foot as she did so. "I want to see how Ichika is doing!"

The albino ignored her, taking a few more seconds to watch the approaching craft. They were the gunmetal gray that the Americans loved to paint their planes with, with a curious white gradient on the nose, the tips of the wings, and the tail fins. The two planes had an amber canopy, an odd choice, yet this prevented her from making out just who the pilots were.

The lead craft, however, had an insignia of a feather on the tail fins alongside what looked like a stylized bird of prey.

Wracking her mind for any matching air force and navy squadron emblems in the US Military, Laura quickly found no match. Either this was a new squadron or something else…

Wha-?! Wait, Sarashiki-san-!

The Frenchwoman's surprised voice brought her attention back to monitoring the two. Rin paused in her growling when she heard her friend's voice, and she peered over when the albino's brows shot up.

There, on the screen, was the Strike Uchigane. It was standing beside a surprised Charlotte, a beaming Kazahana, and a wide-eyed Murrue. Without its backpack, it was a rather humble figure, with its primarily white armor and the red and blue chest piece. The amber visor gleaned as it reflected the noon sun when Kanzashi tilted her head up towards where the two crafts were coming from.

"What is she doing..?" Laura muttered, brows furrowing before she shook her head. "Langfristig ist es egal. She's a visible force multiplier."

Wait! Bodewig, she says that she can see the Osprey!

Turning her head towards the ocean once more, the albino quickly looked around for any sign of the Osprey. The two unknown crafts now flew over Camp Schwab and were in the process of circling the base when she finally saw it.

The dark gray form of the tiltrotor aircraft slowly descended from the clouds, with two more of the mysterious fighters flying past. All four of the craft circled both the base and the Osprey as it began to land, and Laura had to keep a close eye on the transport aircraft lest it suddenly decided to spirit away her brothers.

Tense minutes passed as it got closer and closer, now clearly visible to those without the aid of the IS Hypersensors. Rin watched through the Schwarzer Regen's screens with bated breath as the rotors kicked up dust, her stomach doing flips as she desperately tried to look for any sign of Ichika.

Suddenly, what looked like an ambulance pulled into the airstrip, making a bee-line towards where the Osprey was landing.

Both girls felt a cold pit in their stomach form.

That was obviously a bad sign.

Oh, mon Dieu…

The trembling voice of the blonde resonated within them, with the Chinese girl starting to hyperventilate, her eyes shrinking and then dilating in a panic.

"No..no no no…please, God. Please!"

Laura quickly looked over to the rear hatch of the landed Osprey, her ruby eye boring holes into it as it slowly opened. Faintly, she could see the Strike Uchigane hover over with quick bursts of its thrusters, almost skating across the ground in graceful bounds.

From the opening hatch, marines came pouring out, weapons in their hands but not raised. They were in full kit, including face masks, as they made a path for something big within the craft's cargo bay. While she couldn't hear what they were talking about, she could tell from the arm movements that this was apparently very important.

Oh! Oh no, is that…Monsieur Sahaku's suit?!

From the darkness of the bay, a large trolley was wheeled out by at least four marines. On said trolley was a grayed-out mobile suit, one of the Astray-like suits the IS Cadets had seen earlier during Operation Angel Down. It had a massive shield on its right arm, and though it looked eerily similar to her brother's Gold Frame, there were stark differences that stopped her from panicking outright.

The most obvious being the lack of a golden inner frame.

So no, that suit was not her brother's, which meant that he was fine.

…Right?

Oh, there…there's Monsieur Guele!

And as the Frenchwoman had said, the next out of the Osprey was the disheveled-looking mechanic. He was still wearing the blue and white pilot suit from hours prior, with the helmet attached to the nape hook.

Davion…didn't look good. His expression was set into an uncharacteristically deep resentment, but it was quickly wiped away when Kanzashi apparently called out to him. The two lovers ran towards each other, and the Strike Uchigane suddenly leaped towards the shorter boy. Then, mid-way, it dissipated and left the bluenette to wrap her arms around the brunette as he spun her around.

"Good for them," Rin muttered beside her with crossed arms. "Where's Ichika..?"

Laura made to answer to tell the twin-tailed girl to simply stay put and wait but faltered when what came out next of the Osprey caught her tongue. Face paling, the albino instantly knew just what she was looking at when they wheeled out the gurney.

A body bag.

S'il vous plaît, mon Dieu, que cela ne soit pas!

"Scheiße." The German cursed in her mother tongue alongside the pleading of the Frenchwoman. "Scheiße Scheiße Scheiße!"

The body bag was wheeled next to the captured suit, and together, they were taken away to a nearby hangar.

Then, Davion ran up to Charlotte, grabbing her shoulders just as she began to collapse into a heap.

Hey, hey! Don't panic, don't-! Stay with me! That's not Ryo! That's not any of us!

It would have lifted their spirits and brought back a sense of hope…

Were it not for what was being wheeled out next.

Laura felt numb as she watched gurneys, looking more like coffins with the translucent shield-like plastic over the prone forms of her other brothers and friends, be directed to the waiting ambulance.

The cold pit in her stomach intensified, becoming more like a hollow void as an equally cold sweat formed down her spine.

Just how horrendous did the operation go..?

Thump.

The albino didn't even need to look to know that Rin had collapsed to her knees, as pale as her as she hyperventilated. Her hands were over her mouth, eyes wide, and pupils shrunk as she tried her best to calm herself down.

But what she saw…who she saw…

"No…No, this…this isn't happening…" The Chinese girl muttered almost manically. "This is all a bad dream. Yeah…I-I'm still…I'm still in bed, and everything that happened is just one long…bad dream…"

Laura wished that this was indeed just one bad dream, a nightmare. That, perhaps, this was just some sort of vision of what was to come. But alas…

Davion-kun, what…what happened? Why is…why did-?

〈 'zashi, please. I'll…once we get them to a proper hospital, then I'll fill you in. All of you.

No dream could ever conjure up the sheer rawness of emotion in her brother's voice. No dream could even try to imitate the genuine waver and hitch of breath that he did.

This was real.

This was their reality now.


AN:

Proofread by: ProjectRyo

Good grief, this...this was a long time coming.

I blame University for the delay, mostly. ProjectRyo went to a Con a few weeks back and had some of his own personal business to take care of. On top of that, he got hooked in playing Elden Ring. As in, the dude really cleared Volcano Manor's Recusant quests in two days time, all the while wielding Eleonora's Poleblade and wearing Hoslow's Set just so he could get the Raging Wolf Set. I haven't even killed Rennala yet since I was too busy farming in the Swamp of Aeonia for the Cleanrot Knight Set.

[EDIT: An hour after typing the paragraph above] ProjectRyo just bloody killed Rykard.

Well, that and I was doing Ranni's quests and helping out Millicent. Getting to Ranni was a pain in the ass for me, I swear...but I have my own tradition to follow through in Soulsgames. Simped I have for the doll-like Maiden in Black back in Demon's Souls, for the Fire Keeper (waifu) in Dark Souls 3, and for the lovely Doll in Bloodborne, so shall I do the same to Ranni.

Radahn was a badass fight though. A shame that I accidentally killed Patches in Murkwater Cave...don't ask me how, I was drunk. So, I didn't get to experience the Patches experience during the fight. Well, at least Blaidd and Alexander were there to help me out.

Anyway, enough about Elden Ring, let's get to the reviews!

RoyalTwinFangs: There will be repercussions for her actions, that I assure you.

MrSoandSo: Court Martialing works for enlisted personnel, Houki is a student of the IS Academy. The closest punishment would be expulsion.

KnightOfZaku: Expulsion is the most appropriate punishment for her here. However, as she is a minor (15), she cannot be booked with anything serious since the Japanese Penal Code exempts those under 18 from capital punishment. Instead, she'd be facing a life sentence. However, do keep in mind who her sister is and just how many pies she has her fingers in...

(On Daredevils)

Thank you! I've been recovering steadily, but the heat isn't helping me. I've lost the runny nose but the itching in my throat seems to have intensified. At least I don't have clogged sinuses, that would have been hell for me. As for the big battle, just wait a bit more, what's next after this is the settling of the ripples caused in the previous chapter.

Guest: There's a reason for that, I assure you. I'll give you a hint. Something happened concerning Mirage Colloid.

Guest 2: That'll definitely shatter her self-esteem.

SaiyanLordDac: Oh, that she will.

P.B.S: I'm gonna be honest here, I'm always terrified whenever you post a review because it's both the most informative for me and the one that always punches straight through my paper-thin defenses into my heart. Nevertheless, I shall always answer your questions to the best of my abilities.

Well, the Blitz has been captured, so it's more on building a copy of the Trikeros for the new arm. As for the Gundam Pilots...there's a reason for that. What exactly it is, is for now a secret. The Light Novel implementation will start after Season 1 of the Anime. So it'll be around in the S1 OVA, which is the Summer Arc. I've been mentally preparing myself for the inevitability of reading the IS LN for months now, I think I can do it soon.

She will get punished for it, that much is certain. She won't be removed though, rest assured. She's the 1st Heroine, she still has a role to play. For now, she'll be tossed into the 'Suffering Box' as I call it.

Ohoooh don't worry about me plastering anime openings on chapters. I've...suffered through reading fics that had those and...well, I'm not going to spout libel. They do their own thing, I do my own. I'll stick to having the anime style opening of this fic in my head and my head alone, thank you very much. Hm, you do make a good point about KR Saber's insert song. I primarily just chose it because of the color similarities. Red, Blue, and a Yellow Kamen Rider = Red, Blue, and Gold Frame. The other option that I had were Touhou songs that have themes that tie in to the specific character. So it's less general OP song and more Character Song.

Best I can find for a general OP for Gone Astray amidst the sea of Touhou songs is SOUND HOLIC's SEEDS OF CALAMITY. Blame clore1411.

SkyFireW: She won't.

Commissar Baphomet: A friend of mine drew them up, though it was at different points in time so the quality of the pictures are different. They can be found in the Imgur link: (imgur dot com slash a slash xWg35XE) alongside other works of art that he did of various scenes. And speaking of an R63 AU, I have one in the works in the form of an omake. I'm just waiting for the right time to upload it.

Teh Grimm Rebel: You got 'em right! And yep, the Helghast Corporation and Visari are straight from Killzone. The name Helghast itself means Guests from Hell, which is another Hell-themed reference in Daredevil. Originally, I was going to have the Peacekeeper Squadron be named 'Hitman' to be on the nose for Project Wingman, but I thought it over and decided not to. After all, they're supposed to be Peacekeepers. Why would the UN want one of their squads be named Hitman?

Also, just gonna shout it out, check out HajmalAugustus5 on twitter! They've got nice art, though they don't upload often since they're busy with personal stuff. I've already commissioned a piece from him to satisfy my sci-fi/mecha itch!

With that, this is a tired but relieved Cipher, signing off!