Book 5: The Blaster Master
Chapter 7: Icy Encounters
Sector 6: Glacial Area
(Play BGM: The Frigid Glacier (Area 6) from Blaster Master Zero OST)
After a few minutes of traveling through the link tunnel, Houki, Charlotte, and the two MAs finally arrived at Sector 6. "Looks like we made it to Sector 6." Houki said as they looked at their surroundings, with a recharge terminal right nearby the tunnel they first came in. Also, Houki and Charlotte already took their oxygen masks off.
"I thought this was an ice area. I didn't see any ice at all." Charlotte remarked.
"Give me a moment to search for any info on this sector." Copen said, checking said info using Rairyu's systems. "Okay. According to this info, this facility housed many destructive weapons that the humans in this Earth created a long time ago, and most of them are kept here. By constantly keeping this facility at an extremely low temperature, the weapons were encased in ice in order to prevent them from ever falling into the wrong hands."
"Which in this case, it's the mutants." Volnutt deduced.
"That explains why this area is not so cold anymore. The mutants that invaded this area melted the ice and took control of those weapons." Gunvolt deduced.
"That can't be good." Houki said as she and Charlotte frowned.
"I guess our next mission is to reactivate the ice and liberate the sector from the mutants?" Charlotte summarized.
"That's the plan." Grey replied. "We're going to have to deal with the mutant guardians hiding in this sector in order for this facility to be liberated."
"But first, we're going to need a map data of this sector to get a better layout on where should we go." Ashe added.
"Not only that, Fred might be hiding in this sector." Jason also added. "Speaking of which, Eve, can you still detect Fred's signal?"
"All good. The signal's still here." Eve replied after checking SOPHIA's Receiver system.
"Good. And what about the mutants' movements? Any changes?"
"It looks like some of them are still there, but most of them went elsewhere."
"Hmm..." Jason pondered. "I just can't get a read on these guys. What could they be up to?"
"I don't know, and I don't like this feeling one bit." Houki frowned.
"I think the mutants must've taken the unfrozen weapons and went back to their base of operations while the rest stayed behind to guard the facility from intruders." Charlotte assumed with her hand on her chin.
"Hmm... you might be right about that, Charl." Lola replied.
"Anyway, we'd better get a move on. Let's find that map data before we plan our next move." Joule stated.
"She's right." Gunvolt agreed as the MAs moved ahead with the IS girls following behind. "Let's go."
They found an ice area up ahead where they saw more flying mutants, caterpillar mutants, and landmines, but the group easily destroyed them with ease. As for the ice, Houki and Charlotte's IS' had an easier time due to their ability to hover, while SOPHIA and Rairyu had a few problems with the tractions due to how slippery the ice can be.
They then reached another area where they saw a bunker across a pool of water after dealing with more mutants. "I see a bunker up ahead, but I can't tell if it has the map data or a mutant guardian inside." Jason observed.
"You guys stay here. Charlotte and I will check it out." Houki said.
"Okay. Remember to come back here when you're done." Eve replied.
"Understood." Charlotte replied back before she and Houki dashed right across the water and into the bunker.
And what they saw inside was a large console on the other side of the room. "A console?" Houki observed as the two approached it. "I wonder what it does?"
"Let me see what I can do with it." Charlotte said, beginning to push the buttons on said console. And soon enough, the entire room was frozen over.
"Charlotte! The room!" Houki exclaimed, looking at the state of the room.
"I see... so this console controls the temperature in order to freeze those weapons." Charlotte mused.
"For the entire facility?"
"Not quite. Look here." Charlotte pointed at the large monitor above the console, showing one section of Sector 6 in blue, while the other sections were black. "This console only controls one section of the facility. And from the looks of this map, there's three more hidden somewhere in this sector."
"So we need to reactivate three more consoles in order for the entire facility to be frozen." Houki said, looking at the map.
"That seems to be the case. Now come, we need to tell the others about this." Charlotte replied as the two left the bunker. Luckily the ice physics were negated thanks to their IS' hovering ability.
When they got out though, they saw that the pool is now frozen, and the two MAs are right on top of it. "Girls? What did you just do in that bunker?" Gunvolt asked.
"We found a console that controls the temperature of one section of the facility." Houki informed. "Charlotte used it to reactivate the cold temperatures."
"There was also a map that showed three more consoles hidden in this sector." Charlotte added.
"Did you find the map data inside though?" Jason asked.
"No." Houki shook her head. "Looks like we'll have to explore deeper into this sector until we find another domain entrance."
"The Receiver's picking up a signal right above us. We're going to have to go up." Eve informed. "Though be careful of those ice drones. I think turning on the temperature controls somehow activated the defence mechanisms."
The IS girls looked up and saw floating sphere drones with a blue optic patrolling the area. "I wonder what these things can do?" Houki pondered.
"I don't know. But try not to get to close, so attack it from a distance instead." Eve advised.
"Understood." Houki replied, taking out her right katana and unleashed slash-waves that sliced them in half.
"That'll do." Ashe said. "Now let's go!"
Afterwards, the group began heading upwards and pressed onwards while destroying more drones till they reach a domain entrance. "This is the place. The Receiver's picking up a signal coming from that domain." Eve informed.
"I think I'll go and explore it this time." Jason declared, disembarking from SOPHIA and with his helmet on. "Houki, wanna come along?"
"No problem, Jason." Houki accepted with a nod.
"Okay. We'll wait here till you guys come back." Ashe noted. "But if I were to guess what's inside the domains of this sector, expect a lot of ice lying around, so try not to slip."
"Got it." Jason and Houki nodded before the two went inside the domain.
And sure enough, the domain was indeed covered with ice, including the floors. "Looks like Ashe's guess was spot on. I'm gonna have a bit of a hard time compared to you, Houki." Jason said.
"Do you want to hop on my IS?" Houki offered.
"Thanks, but no thanks. I'll manage this somehow." Jason declined before they head for the next area.
From there, they saw ice blocks and spinning razors blocking their path, but they were easily disposed of thanks to Jason's rifle and Houki's sword skills. In the next area, they saw a new obstacle, ice spikes, which are sharp enough to make a person bleed upon contact. The two carefully navigated pass the obstacles, including dealing with more razors, until they reached the end of the room where they saw the map data chip, surrounded by ice spikes.
"Is that the one we're looking for?" Houki asked, looking at the green data chip beyond the ice spikes.
"That's definitely the map data." Jason confirmed. "Though we're going to have to get past those spikes first."
"I can get it if you want since my IS can hover over those spikes, no problem."
"I appreciate it, but I want to see if I can solve this without relying on hovering." Jason declined, carefully observing the spikes. "I wonder..." He then checked his Blaster Rifle, changed the ammo type to Flame Shot and took aim at the spike. "Here goes..." He then fired a spread of flames that melted the ice spikes and even the ice floors, turning the floors back to normal.
"A flamethrower?!" Houki gasped. "I didn't know your rifle can do that!"
"Yeah, neither did I once I found a gun capsule that upgrades the Blaster Rifle." Jason replied as he ceased fire.
"Who made that rifle?"
"Don't know." Jason shrugged before they approached the data chip. "It was inside SOPHIA when I first found the MA inside a cave."
"I see." Houki noted. "Whoever built the Blaster Rifle and the Metal Attacker must be a very skilled scientist and engineer."
"Definitely." Jason agreed, holstering his rifle, retrieved the chip and took out his Zikan Phone in Blaster Mode. "Anyway, we got the map data, so let's head outside." He then fired a wormhole in front of him which surprised Houki. "Oh, and if you're wondering who made the Zikan Phones, it was Copen and a few scientists."
"Including the wormhole?" Houki asked, looking at said wormhole.
"That was a recent addition. Don't worry, they've already tested it, so it's safe." Jason assured. "Let's go, it'll take us back to the MAs." He then entered the wormhole before Houki went after him.
Soon after, a wormhole appeared in front of the MAs and out came Jason and Houki before said wormhole vanished behind them. "We're back! And we have the map data, too!" Jason informed the group with said map data in hand.
"W-What was that just now?!" Charlotte asked after seeing the wormhole in surprise.
"That was Jason using his Zikan Phone to summon a wormhole. It's a quick way to go from one place to the next with ease." Houki answered as Eve disembarked from SOPHIA and approached the two.
"So how was the domain inside like?" Eve asked.
"Ice. Lots of them; the floor, the blocks, and even ice spikes." Jason answered.
"There's also razor top drones skidding across the ice." Houki added. "But they can be destroyed."
"Another thing I've learned is that the Flame Shot can melt away the ice, so I won't have to worry about slipping and stepping on those ice spikes."
"Fire, huh?" Copen mused. "Good thing some of us have fire based weapons that can melt those ice."
"Huh, no wonder you gave me the Blazing Ballista weapon. It's because of this situation." Volnutt recalled. "Thanks for that, by the way."
"Anytime."
"Okay, Eve. You know what to do." Jason gave the map data to Eve.
"No problem, it'll only take a minute." Eve replied, heading back to SOPHIA to install and copy the map data of Sector 6 to the MAs and the Zikan Phones.
And after a minute passed, Sector 6's map was now shown on Jason's Zikan Phone as he, Houki and Charlotte looked at the map. "Now this is much better." Jason said, now looking at the three mutant icons. "There's one mutant guardian at the center, another one at the top right, and one more at the far right."
"So if we take those down, then this sector's liberated?" Houki asked, earning a nod from Jason.
"Not only that..." Jason pointed a LIFE-UP icon on the far right of the map. "There's another LIFE-UP on the far right, so we'll need to get that too."
"Wait... that blue bunker icon..." Charlotte noticed said icon on the map. "That's the one Houki and I explored which has the temperature controls!"
"So that's what that icon was." Jason noted, before looking at three more of said icons. "There's another one nearby our location, along with one on the top and the other on the right."
"At least now we know where they are located so we can reactivate the consoles in order for the facility to function normally." Houki deduced with Charlotte nodding.
"Any sign of Fred on the map, Eve?" Jason asked.
"Hold on..." Eve checked the map on SOPHIA's navigation screen. "I've got it! Fred's signal's coming from another recharge terminal on the top right side of the map!"
"So we finally found him!" Grey said.
"Now all we have to do is to head for that location before the mutants do." Ashe stated. "The question is; do we split up? Because we still need to take care of those mutant guardians."
"Hmm..." Jason pondered before looking at the IS girls. "Can you two handle yourselves without our help?"
"We should have no trouble dealing with the mutants and navigating through this sector thanks to our IS'." Houki replied with Charlotte nodding.
"Good." Jason nodded back. "Then I want you two to retrieve Fred while we handle the mutant guardians. We'll be fine considering how many members we have at the moment."
"Very well." Charlotte replied. "When do we split up?"
Jason pointed at the blue bunker icon above the second one. "We'll go our separate ways from here. Once GV's team and my team finish our respective objectives, we'll regroup at the recharge terminal, so you two will need to wait for us until we arrive."
"Got it." Houki and Charlotte nodded.
"Can I ask something for a moment?" Grey spoke up.
"What is it, Grey?" Jason responded.
"Is it alright if I took a seat inside SOPHIA? You might bring along Volnutt to explore the domain and Eve could use some protection since she can't fight on foot."
"Eve? Volnutt?"
"No problem./No objections there." Eve and Volnutt answered.
"Well Grey, there's your answer." Jason said.
"I'm counting on you to watch over Eve, Grey." Ashe said.
"Leave it to me." Grey replied, disembarking from Rairyu and boarded SOPHIA.
"Okay, let's get going." Jason declared as he boarded SOPHIA before the group began heading for the next bunker.
As time goes by, the team traversed deeper into the sector, clearing out more ice blocks and destroying more mutants, drones and landmines. Minutes later, they arrived at the second bunker where the temperature controls is located. Houki and Charlotte entered the bunker, activated the controls which caused the second section of the facility to be frozen, and then rejoined the others.
As they went to their next location upwards via hovering, they noticed another new obstacle; red cross spikes in small and large sizes which can damage the MAs in close contact. Several more minutes passed as the group traversed through the sector, clearing out more obstacles, drones and mutants, until they eventually reached the third bunker. Houki and Charlotte entered the bunker, activated the controls which froze the third section of the sector and rejoined the others.
"Okay, that just leaves one more console to activate for the facility to function normally." Charlotte stated.
"Not only that, this is where we split up, right?" Houki recalled.
"That's the plan." Gunvolt confirmed. "Me, Copen and Ashe will take the one nearby."
"While Eve, Grey, Volnutt and I will handle the one right below the recharge terminal." Jason added.
"Mm." Houki and Charlotte nodded.
"Remember, once you find Fred, stay there and wait for our arrival. We'll be there as soon as possible." Copen reminded.
"Understood." Charlotte noted.
"Okay, see you guys later!" Houki said as the group went towards their separate objectives.
The Rairyu continued to head for the domain, leaping on ascending platforms, destroying more ice blocks, avoiding cross spikes, and clearing out the mutants, drones and landmines. Until several minutes later, they arrived at the domain entrance right above a moving platform and a ladder.
"Okay, we're finally here." Ashe said. "I think I'm gonna sit out on this one though, already been through a lot in Sector 5."
"Fair enough." Copen noted. "GV, ready to go together?"
"Of course." Gunvolt complied as he and Copen disembarked Rairyu and went inside the domain while Ashe stayed inside the MA.
"Hmm... I wonder how Gaius and Prairie are doing at EDF HQ?" Ashe pondered. "I hope they could make it back to Guardian Base in time once we finish liberating this sector."
"Relax, Ashe. I'm sure those two know what they're doing. We'll be having the EDF as part of the alliance soon enough." Model A assured.
"Yeah, you're probably right. Though I'm more curious is what happens after the mutant meteor is destroyed."
"That part, I'm not sure. We're gonna have to wait and see to find out."
"Oh great, another dark room." Gunvolt said dryly as he and Copen we're in a pitch black room after entering the domain. "Excuse me while I fix this." He then launched a Dragonsphere forward which detonated seconds later, causing the room to be lit and was revealed that they're standing on ice and surrounded by ice spike.
"Wait, we're standing on ice this whole time?!" Lola exclaimed. "Well thank goodness you two didn't take a step forward, because ice and darkness is not a good combo."
"Especially if there's ice spikes lying around." Joule added.
"Don't worry, I remembered common sense when I see a dark room." Copen assured. "Always have a flashlight, flash bomb or night vision goggles for this situation."
"Or in my case, one Dragonsphere." Gunvolt added.
Copen took out his Zikan Phone and checked the map of the current domain. "Let's see... It looks like there's a route split that will both lead towards the mutant guardian at the center of the map. Usually I'd suggest splitting up, but staying together is a much better option."
"Can't argue with that logic." Gunvolt agreed as Copen put away his phone. "That way, we can watch each other's backs."
"Exactly. Now then, let's carefully navigate past the ice floors. And if there's ice spikes blocking the way, one good flaming arrow will clear it no problem."
"Alright, then you take the lead, Ix." Gunvolt replied as he follow behind Copen, traversing through the icy domain by taking the right path.
Moments have gone by as the two encountered and dealt with more razor top drones and mutants, with the new one being a floating red eyeball mutant that fires projectiles, while carefully navigating through the icy floors without slipping. As for the annoying ice spikes that blocked their path, Copen melted them with his Blazing Ballista Ex-Weapon to safely traverse through the now melted terrain. And soon after, they finally reached the recharge platform, with the path leading towards the mutant guardian located at the north while the other path was the path that the two didn't take.
After the two used the recharge platform, they immediately entered the mutant guardian room where they saw a small maze with several walls while the doors behind them closed. "Something tells me that we're going to be playing hide-and-seek with this mutant." Joule remarked.
"In that case, this is the part where we have to split up and find it." Copen deduced. "GV, go and take your side while I go to mine."
"Got it." Gunvolt nodded as the two prepared their guns. "Remember to watch yourself, Ix."
"You too."
"Well boys, time to go mutant hunting!" Lola declared as Gunvolt and Copen went their separate paths.
=WARNING=
THE LAIR OF
=REMOTE BLASTER=
(Play BGM: Encounter (Boss 1) from Blaster Master Zero OST)
As Gunvolt and Copen began searching for the mutant guardian by going their separate ways, Gunvolt suddenly noticed a red reticle appearing right below his feet.
"Hm? What in the..." Gunvolt stopped moving, noticing the reticle below him.
"Uh... GV? I think you should move! I've got a bad feeling about this!" Joule warned.
"If you say so." Gunvolt complied as he kept moving past the reticle, just in time for an explosion to occur at the placed reticle. "Okay, definitely not gonna hold still anymore!" He then noticed more reticles appearing as he kept moving, so he immediately dashed ahead to avoid the explosion radius on the reticles.
"I don't think the mutant's gonna stop until the both of us are dead!"
"Well it's gotta recharge somehow, so it can't do this forever!" Gunvolt stated as he continued to dash.
"Uh... Ix? Did you hear explosions earlier?" Lola asked as Copen stopped moving from his path.
"Loud and clear. And I think it's targeting GV." Copen replied, until he noticed a reticle right below his feet. "...And now I'm also being targeted... Goddamnit!" He muttered before running ahead, just barely evading the explosion on the reticle. "Lola, pinpoint the mutant's location in this room!"
"On it!" Lola complied, using her CPU skills from inside Copen's relic pendant. "The mutant should be on your left!"
"Got it!" Copen nodded as he kept dashing away from the explosions. And after he turned left, he saw a metallic shell latched onto a wall. "There you are!"
"Hold your fire, Ix! That mutant is using its shell to block your shots. You're gonna have to wait for its recharge time for your chance of an opening... That, and you still have explosions to run away from."
"Hm?" Copen turned around and saw more explosions coming closer. "Oh for the love of..." He muttered as he continued to dash away from said explosions, until they finally stopped. He then saw the metal shell opening, revealing to be a pink glass dome with a green eye on the inside. "Another machine infected by mutants." He armed his guns and dashed towards the infected machine with a Bullit Dash. After tagging it upon contact, he jumped away and fired his guns with support laser fire from his bits. The attacks caused a large amount of damage until the dome was covered by its metal shell again, blocking the remaining fire from Copen before it hid inside the wall.
"Looks like it's hiding in another location." Lola informed.
"At least we know its attack pattern." Copen said, lowering his gun. "Can you still track it?"
"I'm trying, but it's beginning to jam my tracking signal. You're gonna have to find it the old-fashioned way."
"Guess I have no choice." Copen complied before continuing his search for the infected machine.
Back with Gunvolt, he was able to stop and rest after noticing the explosions stopping. "I think mutant stopped targeting us." Joule noticed.
"Then it must be recharging before it can fire again." Gunvolt deduced as he looked around, until he saw the metallic shell on the wall right behind him at a distance. "Okay, that wasn't here to begin with."
"I think that's the mutant guardian we've been looking for!" Joule realized after using her powers to sense the mutant's aura. "But that metallic shell is protecting it."
"Hm?" Gunvolt then noticed the reticle appearing below his feet again. "Oh, come on!" He groaned before running away again to avoid the oncoming explosions.
"GV, while you're running, don't stray too far away from that mutant! It'll be difficult to catch it if that happens!"
"Got it!" Gunvolt nodded as he kept running away from the explosions and listened to Joule's advice to keep the mutant in his sights. Soon after, the explosions ceased and the shell opened up, revealing the machine once more as it recharges. "Now, you're mine!" He unleashed his Flashfield and fired his guns at the exposed machine, with his Dart Leader tagging the target in the process, which caused lightning on the Flashfield to electrocute onto the tags. Several cracks began to form on the dome as it took even more damage before the metal shell closed the dome and hid inside the wall once more.
"It's hiding in another location now, and I can't even track its aura." Joule informed as Gunvolt ceased firing and his Flashfield.
"This infected machine must be really good at hiding its presence." Gunvolt remarked, but then a flash of light blinded him for a bit, and when his sight returned, he saw the floor is now frozen.
"...I think this mutant is making this game harder."
"Gee... you think?" Gunvolt replied dryly with his eyes rolling, until he saw the reticle appearing below his feet again, prompting him to skate across the ice instead of running to avoid the explosions and falling on said ice. "Okay, that's it! If I ever see that machine again, I will shove a Luxcalibur right at it!"
"If you're gonna do that, please wait until the explosions ceased, thank you."
"Appreciate the reminder, nonetheless!" Gunvolt replied as he kept skating to avoid the explosions, which are coming a bit faster than normal.
Back with Copen, he was also skating away from the explosions with a bit of boosting from his jet boosters. "Okay, I'm definitely not playing this version of hide-and-seek anymore! Especially if it involves ice and explosions!" Lola complained.
"Still, this also means the machine is on its last legs!" Copen stated as he kept skating. "Just a few more hits in and it's done for!"
"I hope you're right, Ix, because I'm really getting tired of this game!"
"It'll be over soon! Trust me!"
What Copen didn't know is that one the center of the room is where the infected machine is hiding, and he's about to reach to said location. Not only that, Gunvolt is also heading towards the same location from an opposite path. Eventually as the two were skating, they suddenly noticed each other, and they're about to collide with each other. "Huh?!" The two exclaimed with wide eyes before they quickly stopped skating, just in time before they nearly collided.
"Ix?/GV?" Gunvolt and Copen spoke up, until they heard the explosions on both sides slowly approaching them. With nowhere to run, they combined their Flashfields together (Gunvolt's Septima and Copen's support bits) to endure the oncoming explosions... that is until said explosions stopped right before they reached the combined Flashfield. "...Huh?" Gunvolt and Copen blinked in confusion before dispersing the Flashfield.
"Well... that was lucky... I think..." Joule commented.
"Um... by the way... can the both of you look at what's blinking on the side?" Lola spoke up, causing Gunvolt and Copen to look at said direction, and saw the infected machine on the wall, now on its recovery state with no metal shell in sight.
"...Shall we?" Gunvolt asked his teammate after the two shared glances with each other.
"Obviously." Copen complied as he prepared his Arrogant Fang Ex-Weapon while Gunvolt summoned his Luxcalibur. And then the two plunged their weapons deep into the infected machine, left their weapons planted in, and then fired their guns (along with charge shots from the Dart Leader and the two X-Baton Blasters) onto the planted weapons, causing a large explosion that obliterated the infected machine. With the target destroyed, the two holstered their guns as the floors reverted back to normal.
(BGM End)
"And that's game!" Lola concluded.
"Phew... glad that's over with." Joule sighed with relief. "I'd rather play hide-and-seek that doesn't involve explosions..."
"Yep, that's just what I said to Ix, sister."
"Aren't you a little old to play those kinds of games, Joule?" Copen questioned.
"I-I can still be a child at heart, you know!" Joule pouted.
"Same here!" Lola agreed... and also pouted, which caused Copen to stutter in shock.
"It's okay, Copen. I can be that dense too." Gunvolt admitted, patting his teammate's shoulder.
"I-I'm not that dense, mind you!" Copen retorted and looked away.
"Aaand your tsundere side is showing again." Lola said dryly.
"You are never gonna let that go, do you?" Copen deadpanned in annoyance.
"Nope."
"Oh boy..." Gunvolt sighed and facepalmed, until he noticed a yellow glow on the ground. "Huh, yellow data chip this time." He picked up the chip and used his Zikan Phone to scan its info.
REMOTE BLAST:
Activates SOPHIA via remote to unleash a super powered lock-on shot at marked targets with missiles that phase through terrain.
"I think we just got the same ability as the one the mutant guardian is using to kill us." Joule summarized.
"Yeah, pretty much." Gunvolt replied, putting away the chip. "But I'll admit, this is a really good weapon for calling in bombardment strikes."
"Except for one small problem; this data chip is for Jason's suit, meaning the Rairyu can't use this weapon, and neither can you, GV." Copen pointed out.
"Well that sucks. I would've like to see the Rairyu bringing down the thunder with missiles." Lola remarked. "Pun intended, mind you, GV."
"True, that is a shame." Gunvolt agreed. "Also, seriously, Lola? Bringing down the thunder?"
"You are the Azure Striker, after all." Joule pointed out.
"Duh."
"Hmm..." Copen pondered with his hand on his chin. "Maybe I'll add that feature out for Rairyu and your Zikan Phone later, GV. But for now, we need to regroup with Houki and Charlotte."
"You're right. Let's hurry to the girls." Gunvolt replied, firing a wormhole in front of the two before they ran inside.
Meanwhile, SOPHIA and the IS' girls arrived at the other path split with one leading towards Fred and the other towards the next domain. Except that the domain route has cross spikes in the way. "Well... this is a problem." Jason observed the cross spikes. "The route to the domain is right pass those cross spikes, but I don't see any openings around here. Houki, Charl, any luck?"
"Hmm..." Houki looked around for an opening, but to no avail. "Sorry Jason, no openings so far."
"Guess your best option is to jump right down through those spikes." Eve said. "Luckily SOPHIA has enough HP to survive those spikes."
"Wait. I just realized that we still have the Energy Shield installed after Geiz's team found it in Sector 2." Jason recalled.
"Oh yeah, you're right! I completely forgot about that."
"Your MA has an energy shield?" Charlotte asked.
"Yeah. And it's rechargeable as long as you're not under enemy fire." Jason confirmed. "Okay, I'm gonna test it out. You two stay here and watch."
SOPHIA moved a few steps back, before moving forward and jumped in and through the spikes, causing its energy shield to kick in to protect the MA as it landed on solid ground below.
"Are you guys alright?!" Charlotte asked Jason's team.
"All good!" Eve replied after checking the MA's status. "Energy shields took some damage, but no damage on the main body! Looks like Jason's gamble paid off!"
"Phew... thank goodness for that." Houki said as she and Charlotte sighed with relief.
"Well, we're gonna head for the domain now! You two go and find Fred! We'll rejoin you later!" Grey said.
"Okay! We'll see you later!" Houki replied before she and Charlotte flew towards the upper route while SOPHIA traversed through the lower route.
The IS girls continued to fly past the cross spikes, cleared out the ice blocks in their path, and also disposed of the mutants and drones that are attacking them. Several minutes later, they arrived at their destination where they saw the recharge terminal at the upper area. As for what's on the lower area, they gasped in shock at the sight on a lot of dead mutants on the ground.
"Houki... what just happened?" Charlotte asked.
"Looks like a battle took place here." Houki replied as the two stared at the dead bodies.
But then, Charlotte saw something small beyond the corpses. "Ah, over there!" She pointed ahead. "Could that be...?"
"This has to be it." Houki confirmed as they are about to have a closer look, until they heard a railgun fire from above, causing them to backdash in time to evade the shot. "What the?!"
"Is someone protecting it?!" Charlotte exclaimed as they looked around. "Not only that, that was a railgun shot!"
"And it came from..." Houki deduced as they looked at the upper area and saw someone glaring at them. "Wait... is that...?!"
"...Laura Bodewig?!" Charlotte exclaimed as the two were in shock with wide eyes at who's standing at the upper area.
Laura has long silver hair, a red right eye and a black eye patch covering her left eye, and also wearing a black headset that looked like bunny ears. She's piloting a black IS with a large railgun on her right shoulder called the Schwarzer Regen, and is wearing a grey one-piece swimsuit with leg stockings that reached her thighs.
"Take a step further and you will be shot down!" Laura threatened.
"Wait a minute! Calm down for a second, Laura!" Houki defended with her hands raised. "It's us! Houki and Charlotte!"
"That's right! So please hold your fire!" Charlotte added.
"...What?" Laura blinked before narrowing her eye to have a closer look, and then her eye widen in shock at the familiar faces. "Houki Shinonono? Charlotte Dunois? Is that really you?"
"Yes, it's us!" Houki replied with Charlotte nodding. "Just come over here so we can talk!"
In response, Laura jumped down and landed in front of the two. "Where have you two been? And how are you able to find me?" Laura asked.
"It's a very long story. Honestly, we never expected to see you here in this sector." Charlotte replied. "We were looking for something around here."
"This... sector...?" Laura repeated. "And what were you looking for?"
"A small green frog named Fred." Houki answered.
"A green... frog...?" Laura repeated, before looking at what's beyond the fallen mutant corpses and pointed her finger. "You mean that one over there?"
"So it IS Fred!" Charlotte exclaimed before they head towards the pointed direction with Laura following behind. Once there, they saw a small green frog on the ground. And when Charlotte picked it up, she and Houki gasped with wide eyes at what happened to it. "Sacre bleu..." Charlotte muttered in French when they saw the frog... had machine parts and circuits coming out of its body in a damaged state.
"Fred... what happened to you?" Houki whispered with worry.
"I found him after I woke up and searched the area I was currently in." Laura explained as she caught up with the girls. "It was under attack by some strange creatures that I've never seen before. In response, I summoned Schwarzer Regen and disposed of those abominations. Once the threat is neutralized, I took a closer look and I was shocked that this small frog was actually a drone, and it took some damage from the attack, which is why you're seeing those parts and circuits coming out of it. I've never seen something like this before. A drone based on an amphibian is unheard of. Luckily it can be repaired, if I can somehow find some tools."
"I still can't believe that Fred is actually a drone this entire time. I thought it was organic." Charlotte said.
"Jason and the others are not going to believe this when they get here." Houki added.
"Jason? Who is this... Jason?" Laura asked.
"Ah, right. He's a new friend of ours who found me and Charlotte after we were warped by that Dimensional Quake."
"Dimensional... Quake...?"
"Remember the quake that happened at the beach that night?" Charlotte mentioned.
"The beach..." Laura pondered with her hand on her chin, before her eye widened in realization. "Ah! Now I remember! What happened to everyone?!"
"It seems the quake warped and separated us away from our world. We were lucky enough to find each other in this world with the help of Jason and the others." Houki explained.
"Did you two find Rin, Cecilia and especially Ichika?"
"No luck so far." Charlotte shook her head. "Our new allies already searched Sectors 1, 2 and 3, but no sign of them."
"I see." Laura noted. "How long will your allies take to arrive?"
"Probably around 5 to 10 minutes since they're dealing with the mutant guardians hiding in the other domains." Houki answered. "While we're waiting for them, Charlotte and I need to tell you about the events that involved the Dimensional Quakes."
"And thanks to Jason and his allies, we were able to learn a lot. And it seems to be a very serious situation that will involve the multiverse, including our own world." Charlotte added.
"A very serious situation, you say?" Laura repeated before nodding. "Very well, you have my undivided attention."
"Good." Houki replied as she and Charlotte nodded with the latter is still holding Fred. "It all started with a powerful relic known as Gjallarhorn..."
Back with SOPHIA III, it took a while traversing through the icy terrain, leaping on platforms, disposing the mutants and drones, and avoiding the cross spikes. Eventually, after jumping down a large hole while avoiding more spikes, the MA landed right beside the domain entrance. "This is it, guys. The mutant guardian is right inside this domain." Eve informed. "So who's going in this time?"
"I think I'll stay behind this time." Grey decided.
"No problem." Jason replied. "Volnutt?"
"You got it, Jason. It's been a while since I've explored the domain back in Sector 4." Volnutt accepted before he and Jason disembarked from the MA with their helmets on.
"Be careful as always in there, guys!" Eve said to the two.
"Right!/Got it!" Jason and Volnutt nodded back before heading inside the domain.
As Grey and Eve waited inside SOPHIA for Jason and Volnutt's return, Eve began to ask about something. "Grey?"
"Hm? Yes, Eve?"
"You said that you have amnesia when you first woke up from that lab, correct?" Eve mentioned, earning a nod from Grey. "When did you get your memories back?"
"Master Albert, former member of the Sage Trinity, was the one who revealed the truth, and he was one of the most dangerous enemies Ashe and I had to face. He revealed that I was made as an alternate body for Albert and he's also the creator of Model A, also known as Model Albert."
"So Albert was your creator?" Eve guessed, earning a nod from him. "And what does he mean by 'alternate body'?"
"He plans to use my body as his own should his own body fall in battle." Grey answered, making Eve gasp in shock at the reveal. "Unfortunately, his plan failed, and Ashe and I defeated him in a difficult battle. With Albert gone, I now have control of my own destiny, to live a life of my own."
"I see..." Eve noted before smiling. "I'm glad that you made that decision, Grey."
"Thanks, Eve." Grey smiled back. "And I really hope you get your memories back soon. And when that day comes, we'll be willing to listen and help out however we can."
"Grey..." Eve whispered in surprise. "But... I'm not sure you and the others can handle the truth."
"Try us. We can handle it. And whatever the threat, we will face them together." Grey assured with a determined smile.
Meanwhile with Jason and Volnutt, they continued to traverse through the domain, until they reach a large room with numerous ice floors and spike. "Okay, the mutant guardian room is just up ahead past those ice spikes." Jason said, looking at the domain map on his Zikan Phone before putting it away.
"Usually we have to take the long way around to reach the room, but since we have fire-based weapons, we can cut plenty of corners to save time." Volnutt stated.
"That's the plan." Jason replied, setting his rifle to Flame Shot. "I'll melt the ice while you cover me from the mutants."
"You got it." Volnutt complied, arming his Mega Buster before the two head straight with Jason melting the ice with the Flame Shot.
And indeed, they were able to cut down their travel time by taking a shortcut after melting the ice and spikes while clearing out more mutants and turrets, until they eventually reached the recharge platform room. And after using said platform, the entered the next room and saw an arena with three open holes on each side, one hole at the front of the wall, and several razor top drones at the center surrounded by ice blocks, ice floors and ice spikes.
"Looks like it's another enemy rush." Jason observed the room as the two prepared their weapons while the doors closed behind them.
"How about we switch up a bit? I'll melt the ice this time while you shoot down the mutants?" Volnutt suggested. "I'll join the assault after I'm done with the ice."
"Fine by me." Jason nodded, prompting Volnutt to arm his Blazing Ballista weapon. "Now let's lock and load!"
=WARNING=
THE LAIR OF
PEEPER'S DEN
The moment Volnutt fired fire arrows at the ice with his arm cannon, which also destroyed the razor drones that explode on impact, more floating eyeball mutants appeared from the holes and fired projectiles at Volnutt and Jason with its eye. But Jason materialized reflector shields with his rifle to protect themselves and reflected the projectiles back at the mutants with twice the power, which is enough to destroy them in one blow. Once Volnutt finished melting the ice, he proceeded to destroy the eyeball mutants with the Blazing Ballista and the Mega Buster, while Jason continued to protect with his Reflector Shots.
Several minutes later, the room became silent as the two lowered their weapons with Volnutt reverting his arm cannons back to hands. "I think that's the last of them." Volnutt concluded.
"Yeah, I think so too." Jason agreed before looking around the room. "Now where's that data chip?" He then saw said blue data chip on the center of the room. "There it is." He approached the data chip, picked it up, and used his helmet's visor to scan its info.
CANNON SHOT:
Fires a very explosive shell after charging the MA's main cannon, but also causes movement recoil upon firing. It can also be used to destroy very durable objects.
"An explosive shell, huh?" Volnutt mused. "And it also has recoil."
"Then that means GV and I need to be very careful firing that shell, or the MAs will take damage from the explosion." Jason stated. "This must be a really powerful weapon, but also dangerous."
"I agree. I shudder to think what will happen if that weapon is in the wrong hands, especially when the Metal Attackers are fully upgraded."
"Yeah, that's definitely a scary thought." Jason agreed, putting away the chip, taking out his Zikan Phone in Blaster Mode, and fired a wormhole in front of him. "Anyway, let's hurry back so we can regroup with Houki and Charlotte."
"Right behind you." Volnutt replied before the two entered the wormhole.
Soon after, the two arrived outside of SOPHIA after exiting the wormhole before it vanished. "Welcome back, you two." Joule greeted as she and Grey waited outside of the MA. "What data chip did you get this time?"
"The Cannon Shot; another MA charged shot variant that fires an explosive shell that might be able to destroy those cross spikes, but there's a bit of a recoil after firing it." Jason answered.
"A recoil, huh?" Grey mused. "Then that weapon must be really powerful."
"It is, and it's also dangerous, so try not to get close to the blast radius." Volnutt replied.
"Noted."
"Well then, time to test it out." Jason declared, giving the data chip to Eve before they board SOPHIA.
After Eve installed the Cannon Shot onto the MA, Jason aimed the MA's main cannon at the cross spikes as it began to charge its energy to full. Afterwards, the cannon shell is fired, causing a large explosion that destroyed the cross spikes on impact, while also causing the MA to recoil a few steps back due to the power of the cannon shell.
"Whoa... did not expect the explosion to be that big." Jason remarked.
"I'll say." Volnutt agreed. "Definitely not firing that shell up close."
"On the bright side, at least we know this weapon can destroy those red cross spikes." Grey stated.
"Mhm." Eve agreed. "Now let's hurry to Houki and Charlotte's location. Hopefully they kept Fred safe before we get there."
"Hope so too, Eve." Jason replied, driving SOPHIA out of the area while clearing out more cross spikes with the Cannon Shot while also taking care of its recoil.
"And that's what's been happening so far, and here we are now." Houki finished her explanation to Laura, who was completely speechless and in shock in response to everything she'd learned from her and Charlotte.
"I... see..." Laura responded, still in a state of shock. "Gjallarhorn and the Dimensional Quakes, the Neo Time Jackers and Team XDR, the existence of the multiverse and how we're currently in another version of Earth that's now under attack by the mutants coming from that crashed meteor, this... is a lot to take in."
"I know, it's a lot of information to learn at once." Charlotte stated. "But this is the only logical explanation for the quake that separated and warped us away from our world."
"Hmm..." Laura hummed with her hand on her chin. "Honestly I find this story completely ridiculous. But considering what has happened to us, I have no choice but to accept it."
"We'll find our friends and our way back home eventually as long as we continue to fight alongside Team XDR." Houki stated. "But we need to get those Gjallarhorn fragments before the Time Jackers do."
"And there might be a chance they will target our world and steal the IS technology." Charlotte added.
"I see." Laura noted with a nod. "Then we must not let them have that chance. That said, I will join the Rebellion with the two of you."
"Glad to hear it, Laura." Houki replied as she and Charlotte smiled.
Soon after, the three heard the arrival of SOPHIA and Rairyu and stopped in front of them. Gunvolt, Copen, Jason and Eve disembarked from the MAs and approached the girls. "Okay, we got here as fast as we could after defeating the mutant guardians." Gunvolt informed, taking off his helmet.
"So, did you girls find Fred?" Jason asked.
"Well..." Charlotte responded with an unsure look. "We found him, but..."
"But what?"
"You'll see what I mean. Look." Charlotte showed the damaged frog to them, making them gasp in shock.
"Are those... machine parts?" Copen asked as they took a closer look at the frog.
"Hai. Turns out that Fred is actually a drone, and not an organic mammal." Houki replied.
"Wow... I did not expect Fred to be a drone all this time." Jason blinked in surprise.
"Poor thing..." Eve said with worry. "Could you give him to me for a moment? I'll be able to fix him using SOPHIA's medical equipment."
"Here you go." Charlotte complied, giving Fred to Eve.
"What happened to him, by the way?" Gunvolt asked.
"He was under attack by the mutants that were chasing him." Houki answered before gesturing to Laura. "That is until Laura showed up and repelled them with her IS."
"And since then, she's been protecting Fred until our arrival." Charlotte added.
"Huh, that explains the mutant corpses all over this room." Jason noted, looking at said corpses. "Wait, who's Laura?"
"That would be me." The white haired girl raised her hand. "Laura Bodewig, German Cadet from IS Academy."
"Laura?" Gunvolt repeated. "Isn't that one of your friends, Houki?"
"That's right." Houki confirmed with a nod. "We never expected to find her first who was protecting Fred."
"But it's good to know that she's safe." Charlotte added. "Now all that's left to find is Cecilia, Rin and Ichika."
"Speaking of Ichika..." Laura said, with her eyebrow twitching and glared at Houki. "What were you and him doing that night at the beach?"
"Gh..." Houki stuttered and gulped. "Uh... well... you see..."
"Uh oh. This is not gonna go well." Joule muttered.
"You said it." Lola agreed.
"Um, could you at least let Houki explain first before you go overboard?" Gunvolt asked the German.
"To be honest, I was wondering why Houki is with Ichika that night." Charlotte admitted. "But, I unfortunately gave in to anger and jealousy before hearing her answer first."
"Yeah, you really should hear her story first." Jason insisted.
"Uh, guys?" Grey spoke up, earning everyone's attention. "Sorry to interrupt, but we have a problem."
"What's going on, Grey?" Eve asked.
"Something's happening at the domain where the last mutant guardian is hiding. I don't know what it's planning, but we'd better take care of it now before it takes action."
"Understood." Jason nodded before turning to the group. "You heard him, guys. Let's hurry and take that mutant down."
"And as for you three..." Gunvolt said to the IS girls. "Whatever personal problems you have right now, that will have to wait until after the mutant guardian is defeated."
"But-!"
"He's right, Laura." Houki stated. "The mission comes first. I'll explain what happened that night later, okay?"
"I'll have to agree with Houki on this one." Charlotte said.
"...Fine." Laura reluctantly accepted. "But I want a proper explanation when this is over."
"You have my word." Houki nodded.
"By the way, Jason." Gunvolt gave the yellow data chip to Jason. "Another function for your suit; the Remote Blast."
"Use it to call in bombardment strikes from SOPHIA via target markers. Don't worry, the missiles can phase through terrain, so you can still call in bombardment strikes while you're inside a domain." Copen added.
"Thanks for the info." Jason replied, inserting the chip into his suit.
=REMOTE BLAST UNLOCKED=
"As for the chip Jason found, it was another MA charged shot variant called the Cannon Shot." Eve said. "Use it to destroy those red cross spikes, but be careful of the recoil when firing, and try not to get too close to the explosion radius. I've already installed it to SOPHIA, so I'll do the same to Rairyu in a bit."
"Got it." Gunvolt noted before turning to Laura. "Ah, before we forget, Laura, my name is Gunvolt; but you can call me GV."
"I'm Copen Kamizono."
"My name is Jason Frudnick."
"And I'm Eve. Nice to meet you, Laura Bodewig."
"A pleasure to meet you all." Laura acknowledged with a nod. "Now then, where do we find this... mutant guardian?"
Jason took out his Zikan Phone, showed them the map of Sector 6 and pointed at the mutant's location. "He's right over there."
"Oh yeah, there's also that LIFE-UP we still need to grab." Gunvolt noticed the green icon on the right side of the map. "Jason, better let me and Rairyu grab that while you and SOPHIA go after the mutant. I'll join you the moment we grab that power-up."
"No problem, GV." Jason replied, putting away his phone. "Houki, Charl, Laura, you three better follow me and SOPHIA. The sooner we deal with that mutant guardian, the better."
"Roger!" The IS girls nodded.
"As for me, I'll be doing some repair work on Fred, so I'm going to let Grey or Volnutt take over navigations." Eve said.
"That's fine with me, Eve." Jason nodded.
"Alright, let's get to work!" Copen declared as the group boarded their respective MAs and drove to the next area with the IS girls in their IS suits followed behind SOPHIA.
Along the way, Eve finished transferring and installing the Cannon Shot onto Rairyu before resuming Fred's treatment. All the while, the group dealt with more mutants and drones as usual along with more moving platforms. During their descent to the lower area, Ashe noticed something on Rairyu's main screen. "Hold up, I think I see a small cave opening that's large enough for the MA to fit through." Ashe observed said cave.
"Then that's where we'll find the LIFE-UP." Copen deduced.
"This is where we'll split up, Jason. I'll see you once we got the power-up." Gunvolt said before driving Rairyu into the cave.
"Be careful in there!" Jason replied. "And if you see any cross spikes, don't hesitate to use the Cannon Shot!"
"And don't forget about the recoil and the explosion radius after firing that shell!" Volnutt added.
Afterwards, SOPHIA and the IS girls resumed their descent onto the lower areas. When they reached the next area, they navigated more moving platforms and avoided cross spikes until they reached the bunker entrance. "This must be the final temperature control room." Houki said. "Charlotte, Laura, let's go."
"Right." The two nodded before they head inside.
And seconds later, the entire sector became frozen and the IS girls left the bunker. "Okay, that's should do the trick." Charlotte said. "All that's left now is to deal with that mutant guardian hiding in that domain."
"If I recall the map layout Jason showed us, the domain entrance should be on our right." Laura recalled.
"That's correct." Jason confirmed. "But again, watch out for mutants and traps."
"Of course." Laura nodded.
"Okay, let's keep moving!" Houki declared as she, Charlotte and Laura continued to follow behind SOPHIA as they took some platforms to go upwards after crossing the frozen pool, avoiding more cross spikes, and dealt with more drones and mutants.
Eventually, they arrived at the domain entrance at the next area. "Here we are, team." Jason said, disembarking from SOPHIA and with his helmet on. "Grey, Volnutt, stay here and watch over Eve while she's repairing Fred. And Eve, if you need their help with the repairs, don't be afraid to ask."
"Right./Got it./Of course." Grey, Volnutt and Eve replied.
"Alright, girls..." Jason said to the IS girls while preparing his Blaster Rifle. "...shall we?"
"Mm." The three nodded before they entered the domain.
Once inside, Jason took out his Zikan Phone again to check the domain map layout. "Let's see here..." He looked at the map and saw the mutant icon on the bottom right side of the map and pointed at it. "The mutant guardian should be right over there."
"Though why is there some dead ends on the map?" Charlotte asked, looking at the dead ends on the top right and the bottom left.
"Probably to confuse the ones without the map. Or it could lead them into traps set up by the enemy." Laura assumed.
"Well I'm just glad we have the map data or we would've been lost." Houki remarked.
"So true." Charlotte agreed.
"Well then, time to get moving." Jason declared, putting away the phone and armed the rifle with the Flame Shot. "I'll start melting the ice and the spikes while you three cover me. We'll be taking the shortest route to the mutant guardian room to save time."
"Then I would suggest taking the bottom route instead of the right one." Laura suggested.
"Alright, we'll follow your suggestion." Jason approved with a nod. "Now let's go!"
"Roger!" The IS girls complied, following behind Jason as he began melting the ice with the Flame Shot.
"I'm surprised that Jason has a flamethrower in his arsenal." Laura remarked as they kept moving.
"Well his Blaster Rifle does have a lot more functions besides that. He found it alongside his suit inside SOPHIA." Houki mentioned, destroying a few mutants with a slash-wave from her katana.
"I see. I wonder who made that rifle? Someone on Earth?"
"I'm not sure. Not even Jason or the others knew where it and SOPHIA came from." Houki replied. "But... perhaps Eve might know considering what happened to her in Sector 5..."
"Hmm..." Laura pondered. "I'll find my answer eventually."
"You will someday, Laura." Jason replied. "Oh and by the way, thanks for keeping an eye on Fred for me. Sorry it took a while for me and the others to arrive."
"I-It was nothing..." Laura replied back, looking away to hide her small blush. "I-I figured that drone would belong to someone."
"And you are correct with that guess, Laura." Charlotte confirmed before turning to Jason. "But since Fred is a drone all this time, I guess your research on reviving the ecosystem has hit a dead end."
"True." Jason replied. "But it's not all bad. I get to meet all of you, and exploring the underground areas gave me plenty of ideas of restoring the ecosystem. And who knows, once the mutant threat is taken care of, I might have an easier time to look for other kinds of wildlife. Though I have to notify the EDF first about my discoveries first."
"Then I wish you the best of luck, Jason. If anyone can restore this planet, it's you." Houki replied back as she, Charlotte and Laura smiled.
"Thanks, Houki." Jason smiled back.
Several minutes have passed as the group traversed deeper into the domain, clearing out ice blocks, floors and spikes with Jason's Flame Shot, while the IS girls eliminate the mutants and drones with their weapons. Eventually, they arrived at the recharge platform room, with another entrance up ahead.
"This is it, girls. Mutant guardian is dead ahead." Jason informed.
"Then let's get this over with and return to the others." Laura replied, earning a nod from the group.
After using the recharge platform to resupply and recharge, they went inside the next room where they saw a lot of metal dome shells on all sides of the walls. Not only that, the floors are also frozen.
"What kind of mutant guardian are we dealing with this time?" Charlotte pondered as the doors closed behind them.
"From the looks of this room..." Laura observed the dome shells. "...it seems this room is full of hostile machines on the walls."
"How can you tell, Laura?" Houki asked.
"Those dome shells are used to protect the machines from taking damage. The only way to destroy those machines..."
"...is to attack once the shells open up."
"Exactly." Laura nodded at Houki's answer.
"However, they're definitely going to retaliate the moment those shells open." Jason stated. "We need to be both offensive and defensive if we're going to win."
"So what's the plan, Jason?" Charlotte asked.
"Two of us will go defensive while the others go on the offensive, but only using ranged attacks. Going for close combat will be a bit risky."
"Then I'll go on the offensive." Houki decided. "Luckily I can go for long range with my lasers and slash-waves."
"I will also go on the offensive with my railgun and wire daggers." Laura added. "My AIC won't work here since there's multiple targets aiming for me."
"Then that leaves Charl and I for going defensive." Jason deduced. "My Reflector Shot will be able to block and reflect whatever projectiles those machines will fire."
"My IS also has the Garden Curtain, which allows me to block incoming attacks like a curtain." Charlotte said.
"Start with the ones in front of us. After that, we'll aim for the sides." Jason instructed.
"Roger!" The IS girls replied.
"Okay girls, let's do this!" Jason declared as they prepared their weapons.
=WARNING=
THE LAIR OF
"THE FORBIDDEN WEAPON"
=ANCIENT FREEZE=
(Play BGM The Mutant's Lair (Boss 2) from Blaster Master Zero OST)
As the team prepared themselves, razor drones started to appear at the center of the room and began heading for the group. "Not these guys again!" Jason muttered.
"I'll handle them!" Houki complied, unleashing slash-waves that destroyed the drones easily.
But then the three dome shells at the center wall let out targeting lasers over the group, causing the domes to open up which revealed to be a red machine on the center and blue ones on the other two, and fired fast moving blue lasers at them. Jason and Charlotte then countered with a Reflector Shot and Garden Curtain combo in front of Houki and Laura, sending the lasers back to sender when the lasers struck the combined shields, stunning them for a moment. "Houki, Laura, take the shot!" Jason shouted.
"Right!" Houki and Laura complied as the former fired red lasers with her katana while the latter fired her railgun, destroying the stunned machines in one combined shot.
"Targets neutralized!" Charlotte informed. "Only 22 more to go!"
"So far so good." Jason said, until he noticed more razor drones appearing. "But those things are gonna keep coming until we're dead."
"Not only that, those dome machines will only fire when we're in their line of sight." Laura added. "It's the only time they will open up the shells."
"Then we're gonna have to be careful if we're going to make them lose their guard." Houki stated. "My IS' speed is fast enough for me to strike them in close range before they fire, but I'll need someone to cover my back."
"As for those razor drones, leave them to me." Laura added.
"Okay, we're counting on you two." Jason replied as he and Charlotte nodded. "Let's begin with the ones near us, starting with the bottom left."
"Hai! I'm going in!" Houki complied, flying straight for the machines on the bottom left, crossing over the targeting lasers and causing the domes to open. She was able to destroy the exposed machines before they could fire with a few fast swings of her katana. During her attack, Jason and Charlotte protected Houki from behind with their combined shields, blocking and redirecting the lasers back at the other exposed machines that stunned them upon impact. Laura quickly disposed the razor drones with the wire daggers from her IS shoulder ports before immediately firing her railgun at the exposed and stunned machines, instantly destroying them.
"7 more machines destroyed! Only 15 left!" Charlotte informed.
"We're doing great so far!" Houki remarked as they regrouped, but then saw more razor drones appearing again.
"Tch... will those things ever stop?!" Laura muttered in annoyance. "Would be nice if we can destroy those machines in one fell swoop."
"One fell swoop..." Jason repeated... until he had an idea. "Girls, new plan. It's time for me to test out the Remote Blast."
"You're calling in the bombardment strike?" Charlotte guessed.
"Yup." Jason nodded. "But the timing needs to be precise. After I marked the targets, Houki will make those machines fire, which will signal SOPHIA to fire the missiles right onto the exposed machines."
"This tactic of yours sounds like a gamble." Laura remarked.
"True. But I'm gonna bet those odds if we're going to win. But if it doesn't work, we'll go with the previous tactic."
"Very well, make it count." Laura nodded.
Jason nodded back before contacting using his helmet's comms system. "Grey, Volnutt, can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear, Jason." Grey responded from inside SOPHIA. "What's going on over there?"
"I'm calling in a bombardment strike, and I'm gonna need one of you to match the timing of those shots since those infected machines have dome shells to protect themselves. The moment those shells open up, fire immediately."
"You got it. Just set those target markers and we can get started."
"No problem." Jason replied. "Charl, Laura, keep those razor drones busy while I set the markers."
"Roger!" Charlotte and Laura complied as they continued to attack the appearing razor drones with the former using grenade launchers and the latter using the wire daggers.
"Houki, after I set the target markers, trigger those machines to target you. And when they do, I'll signal Grey to fire."
"Understood." Houki nodded as her IS thrusters began to ignite.
Jason then used his rifle to set several red target markers on the machines. 3 markers each on the left and right side of the walls, and four markers each on the top right and bottom right.
"Targets locked-on. Awaiting your signal." Grey informed.
"You're up, Houki!" Jason ordered.
"Here goes nothing!" Houki complied, boosting towards the right side of the room. Once there, the targeting lasers from the machines overlapped her, causing the shells to open up as the machines began to fire.
"Now, Gray!" Jason contacted after noticing the exposed machines.
"Firing now!" Grey complied and pulled the trigger on the MA's main cannon.
Houki was about to dodge the lasers that were about to fire... only for the machines to be immediately destroyed by the bombarding missiles from above that were fired from SOPHIA back at the domain entrance. Everyone was shocked that the gamble paid off and how powerful the Remote Blast is.
"...Did it work?"
"Yeah. All direct hits and the crisis is averted." Jason confirmed with a smile. "Nice shooting there, Grey."
(BGM End)
"Thanks. I was a little worried that I'd miss the timing."
"Don't worry, it all worked out in the end." Jason replied as the girls regrouped with him and saw the floors returning to normal. "By the way, is Fred doing okay now?"
"He should be fine. Eve and Volnutt are just about done with the repairs."
"That's good to know. Anyway, see you back outside."
"See you then." Grey replied and ended the comms.
"It looks like your gamble paid off, Jason." Laura said as they holstered/dispersed their weapons.
"Yup." Jason nodded. "And I couldn't have pulled this off without your help, girls. We'd make a pretty good team."
"I agree." Charlotte smiled. "Your tactics are quite impressive, Jason."
"Well I have been part of the EDF Academy before, so this kind of knowledge is useful."
"You used to be a military academy student?" Houki asked.
"Well yeah. That's how I was able to fight and think in the battlefield." Jason answered, until he noticed a blue data chip at the center of the room. "And there's our prize." He approached the data chip, picked it up and used his helmet's visor to scan its info.
WALL CLIMB:
Allows the MA to climb up walls, cliffs and even ceilings.
"...EEHHH?!" The IS girls exclaimed at the chip's info. The Metal Attacker can scale up walls now?!
"...Okay, I did not expect this kind of function to have on the MA." Jason commented.
"A battletank... scaling up walls and ceilings... how..." Laura stuttered in shock.
"Who's bright idea is this...?" Houki questioned.
"Not even the tanks on our world can do that... or even our IS'." Charlotte sweatdropped.
"You know what... I'm not even going to think about that too much." Jason shrugged, putting the chip into his pocket, and took out his Zikan Phone in Blaster Mode. "If it's useful, then it's useful. Don't question it." He then fired a wormhole behind him. "Now let's get out of here. GV and the others should catch up to us by now." Afterwards, he went inside the wormhole.
Houki was about to go after him, until she saw the surprised look on Laura's face at what they saw. "Don't worry, this wormhole will take us back to the entrance of the domain, so it's completely safe." She assured with a smile before heading inside the wormhole.
Laura gave a confused look at Charlotte, who responded with an assured smile and nod, heading inside the wormhole before Laura went after her.
A wormhole appeared in front of SOPHIA and Rairyu that's already parked next to the former, and out came Jason and Houki, with Charlotte and Laura coming out last before the wormhole vanished.
"Grey told us what happened earlier." Gunvolt said as he, Copen, Grey and Ashe were waiting outside the MAs. "Nicely done, Jason."
"Thanks." Jason smiled, taking off his helmet. "But I couldn't have pulled this off without Houki, Charl and Laura."
"Fighting those infected machines was tricky, but we managed to pull it off by working as a team." Houki remarked.
"Glad to hear it." Copen nodded. "He had faith in your strengths and weaknesses. This is why teamwork is important during battles."
"That much is true." Charlotte agreed.
"How about you, Laura?" Grey asked. "Feeling okay so far?"
"No need to be concerned about me. I am feeling fine, thank you." Laura assured with her arms crossed.
"Oh, by the way, the data chip we found this time is the Wall Climb." Jason informed.
"..." Gunvolt, Copen and Grey blinked in utter confusion at what Jason informed.
"...You're joking... right?" Lola questioned.
"Yeah, we don't get it either." Houki admitted and sweatdropped.
"Let's not question it too much." Jason advised. "Once again, if it's useful, then it's useful."
"...But-"
"Lola, just listen to Jason before you blow your circuits. It's for the best." Joule advised.
"Fine..."
"Welcome back, Jason, Houki, Charl, Laura." Eve greeted, approaching the group after disembarking from SOPHIA. "Fred's all repaired and good as new, and I've already installed the LIFE-UP onto the MAs." She showed the now repaired frog on her hands.
"Ribbit." Fred croaked, hopping onto Eve's hands for a bit before leaping onto Jason's shoulder, which surprised Houki who took a step away from it.
"What's wrong, Houki? Fred won't harm you." Charlotte asked while petting the frog.
"I know." Houki replied, hiding behind Laura. "I'm not too fond of frogs to be honest, but I'm glad this one is doing ok."
"You do realize that Fred is a drone, correct?" Laura reminded.
"Yes, I remember."
"Anyway, with this, Sector 4, 5 and 6 have been liberated, and we've located Fred. We can now head back to Guardian Base to rest." Copen summarized.
"Too bad we didn't find a Gjallarhorn fragment here." Gunvolt said.
"There's still Sector 7 and the inside of the meteor to look for it." Copen reminded. "But no doubt the mutants won't go down without a fight, so we need to prepare ourselves first."
"Yeah." Jason nodded. "The final battle against the mutants draws near."
"Well then, let's head back to base." Houki declared as the group went back to their respective MAs.
"Is there an easier way to leave this area instead of taking the long way back?" Laura asked.
"I think so. Just give me a while to install the Wall Climb chip onto the MAs." Eve replied, beginning the installation process. A minute later, the Wall Chips are installed onto the MAs. "Okay, Jason. You're free to try it out."
"Here goes." Jason said, driving SOPHIA straight onto a wall, before it began moving up the walls and into an opening which surprised the IS girls in shock.
"Unbelievable..." Charlotte remarked.
"This... defies logic..." Laura added.
"Well... seeing is believing, after all." Houki also added.
"Alright, we're up next. Follow us, girls!" Gunvolt said, driving Rairyu up the walls while the IS girls followed behind.
"I wonder what Prairie and Geiz are up to right now?" Ashe pondered.
"I think they should be back at Guardian Base by now after the meeting with the EDF commander." Jason replied.
"What's the name of their commander?" Laura asked.
"Mitsuba Greyvalley. She used to be part of the EDF Academy until she graduated with the rank of Captain. And then later on, Commander Fikes Blackwood retired, making Mitsuba the new commander of the EDF."
"I see. Commander Mitsuba, huh?" Houki mused.
"You'll get a chance to meet her someday. Maybe during or after the mutant threat is dealt with."
"Then we'll look forward to meeting her someday." Charlotte replied.
Eve looked at the group that are looking forward to take a short break back at Guardian Base before preparing their final battle against the mutants. She glanced at Fred who's hopping on Jason's shoulder. "I'm really glad we're able to find Fred in time. With that taken care of..." She thought before looking at the navigation screen. "It's only a matter of time before I reveal them the truth of who I am and what my mission is." She mentally sighed. "I really hope everyone is prepared for what's to come... against the Mutant Lord."
"By the way..." Jason spoke to the IS girls. "Once we reach the link tunnel back to Sector 5, I think you girls should rest inside the MAs instead. I know we've already found Fred, but I want to head back to Guardian Base as soon as possible."
"I understand." Houki replied. "We could use a nice break after using our IS' for a long time."
"Very well." Jason replied while Fred croaked.
EDF HQ, Commander's Office
Back inside the EDF Base and inside the commander's office, Mitsuba and Prairie are having a conversation with Vent and Aile on the large monitor, calling from inside Guardian Base. Thanks to the EDF's jamming systems, they're able to form a comms link without any mutants hijacking the signals, preventing their locations being compromised.
"Thanks for transferring the plans for the jamming systems, Mitsuba. Dr. Fleuve will be able to build one for the Guardian Base soon. And soon after, the Zi-O Liner and the S.O.N.G HQ submarine." Vent said.
"It's my pleasure." Mitsuba nodded. "Your commander was the one who requested the transfer to further build our trust in the alliance."
"That's good to know." Aile replied. "Where's Geiz, by the way?"
"Having a tour around the EDF Base alongside Cecilia and Gilliam, with Reynold as their guide. They should be back soon." Prairie replied. "Another thing, Cecilia and Gilliam are also victims of the Dimensional Quakes."
"I see." Vent noted. "I'm a little worried that those quakes might become unstable overtime."
"I agree. That's why those Gjallarhorn fragments must be found as soon as possible."
"Guys! Something's happening in the underground areas!" Tulip reported, earning everyone's attention.
"What's going on?" Aile asked.
"The map is showing several small mutant signals from the other sectors. It seems the mutants are heading towards Sector 7." Tulip showed the map, revealing several small mutant signals on the other sectors heading for Sector 7.
"This can only mean one thing; Jason's team has liberated Sector 4, 5 and 6. That's why those mutants are retreating." Vent stated.
"Then that means Jason's team is currently returning to Guardian Base as we speak." Prairie deduced. "In that case, Geiz and I will returning to Guardian Base shortly. In the meantime, get some of our members to intercept the mutants retreating at Sector 1, along with the ones retreating from Sector 4, 5 and 6. Leave the ones retreating from Sector 2 and 3 alone."
"Roger. I'll notify Reiko about this immediately." Aile replied. "I'll also go underground to assist alongside Shirabe and Bronya."
"Understood." Prairie nodded. "Be careful down there."
"I will." Aile nodded.
"See you back at the base, Prairie." Vent said before ending the comms.
"We're back." Gaius greeted, entering the room alongside Cecilia, Gilliam and Reynold.
"Ah, welcome back." Mitsuba greeted back. "How was the tour?"
"This EDF Base has a lot to offer. Weapons, supplies, vehicles and aircraft, R&D, the works."
"Not only that, the mechanics are able to repair my IS after taking damage from the Dimensional Quake." Cecilia added, showing off her earrings. "It's now in Standby Mode in the shape of my earrings."
"Interesting..." Prairie mused. "It's kind of like the relic pendants the Attuned use to summon their armors."
"Is that so?" Cecilia responded, earning a nod from Prairie and Gaius.
"The mechanics are also able to repair my power suit and my mech. Though Mayvy is somehow interested with upgrading it." Gilliam said, showing off his digital watch on his wrist. "I'll be able to call upon them with my special watch using my voice command."
"Oooh... nice." Gaius grinned.
"It should've been obvious since I've fought alongside Kamen Riders in the past... Geiz." Gilliam smirked.
"Yeah, Hero Senki. I never forgot about that tale." Gaius nodded.
"Anyway, did anything happen while we're gone?" Reynold asked the commanders.
"Jason's team has liberated Sector 4, 5 and 6, and are now heading back to Guardian Base." Mitsuba informed. "Not only that, the remaining mutants hiding on the other sectors are retreating back to Sector 7."
"Aile, Bronya, Shirabe and Reiko are going to intercept the retreating mutants at Sector 1. The ones retreating from Sector 2 and 3 will be ignored." Prairie added.
"I see." Gilliam noted. "Better to take out the ones retreating from the back instead of chasing the ones at the front."
"Gaius, it's time to head back to Guardian Base." Prairie declared.
"You got it." Gaius nodded. "Cecilia, Gilliam, wanna come along?"
"Of course." Cecilia accept. "If we leave now, I'll be able to assist with taking out the retreating mutants."
"Myself on the other hand... will be staying here instead." Gilliam declined.
"Huh?" Gaius, Prairie and Cecilia responded in surprise at his decision.
"I think I'll accept Mayvy's proposal on upgrading my Gespenst. Not only that, I'm going to help defend the EDF Base in case the mutants try to attack at this location once they finished regrouping their forces."
"I see." Prairie noted. "Now that you mention it, our base also needs to be defended while the strike team infiltrates Sector 7 to find the meteor and destroy it from within."
"Exactly." Gilliam nodded.
"Mitsuba, you don't mind Gilliam staying?" Gaius asked.
"I think he might be right." Mitsuba replied. "The mutants are quite intelligent since they're able to take over the underground areas, so we'll have to be more cautious about it. Gilliam, you're free to stay and help with the defences."
"Thank you, Mitsuba." Gilliam nodded. "Gaius, Prairie, Cecilia, good luck dealing with the mutants."
"Same to you too with the defence." Gaius replied as he, Prairie and Cecilia saluted, prompting Gilliam, Reynold and Mitsuba to salute back.
"Good luck out there, Xross Drive Rebellion. You're going to need it." Reynold said.
"Now go and bring an end to the mutant threat, once and for all." Mitsuba added.
"Roger!" Gaius, Prairie and Cecilia replied before leaving the room.
"Do you think Team XDR can win?" Reynold pondered as they lowered their hands.
"Considering the allies they've made so far, I think they can handle it." Gilliam replied.
"Let's hope you're right, Gilliam." Mitsuba replied back. "It will take everything they've got to bring an end to the mutant threat."
"...I wouldn't be so sure about the mutant threat ending with the destruction of that meteor."
"Eh?/What do you mean by that?" Mitsuba and Reynold responded in surprise.
"That meteor came from outer space, correct?" Gilliam mentioned, earning a nod from Mitsuba, until her eyes widen in realization.
"Wait... are you saying...?!"
"I believe so, Commander Mitsuba." Gilliam nodded with dread. "There may be more of those mutants hiding amongst the stars."
"Then that means..." Reynold realized.
"Yes... this is only the beginning."
Chapter 7: Icy Encounters
END
(Laura Bodewig has joined Xross Drive Rebellion)
Author's Note: With Sector 6 completed, the final battle against the mutants on Earth draws near. But as Gilliam pointed out at the end of this chapter, this is only the beginning, meaning the Blaster Master Zero 2 storyline will come in the near future. But not too soon of course.
Anyway, Laura Bodewig was found and joined the Rebellion, Fred was discovered and repaired, and Sector 4, 5 and 6 have been freed from the mutants. And now in the next chapter will be the final preparations for the final battles, and the part where Eve will reveal the truth about herself since her memory was restored back in Chapter 6. Not only that, Houki, Charlotte and Laura will reunite with Cecilia very soon. As for which members will be part of the Strike Team, I'll reveal them later, though there's already some obvious choices considering who's driving the MAs.
This Book is about to reach its final stages, so look forward to that. Until then, stay safe and see you next chapter!