Rei approached the main lobby of the Marunouchi Building.

It was pretty much deserted, given the situation raging outside.

But that was fine with him. He was only seeking shelter here anyway.

His eyes darted around before he found the staircases. He ran towards one of them and grabbed at the door, trying to pry it open.

It wouldn't budge.

Gritting his teeth, Rei kicked the door in frustration before he turned and bolted, looking for another way down to the basement levels.

The boy ran further into the lobby, ducking around piles of piping, ceiling materials, and even wiring. He approached one of the open elevator shafts, and he skidded to a stop, barely avoiding falling down it. He looked back as the building rumbled ominously from a close explosion. He glanced back to the elevator shaft and gritted his teeth before he paused.

The only way down?

To slide down the cables.

Rei grabbed onto one and jumped.

(Shows a pair of red optics flaring as a shadowy hand reaches out, grasping at the screen before fading to show several wanted posters depicting the Shinkalions, the title appearing below)

GRIMMFALL SHINKALION: DARK DOUBLE DAZE

(The images fade to show a pinprick of light)

Awake and remembering the torn promise (The pinprick of light grows brighter as Railspike is shown looking over the city of Tokyo, his two brothers appearing as ghosts behind him)

Trapped and entrusted myself (Railspike looks up, showing the six young sparklings marching past him in their human forms)

Are you ok with this? Not being able to reach (He slowly reaches out a servo and grasps at the sun, throwing the screen into black)

Opened the door with incomplete condition (A sliver of light runs down the middle of the screen, revealing two doors as they open, showing a young boy staring in awe at the contents within)

Made mistakes, learn, in fear and hide (The boy is shown running before the camera pans to the left, revealing him outside as he holds a device in his hands)

Hesitate, deadlocked, facing myself (The camera pans in on the device, showing the city of Tokyo from above before two sets of orbs are shown facing one another down, colliding in a brilliant flash)

Break through the wall now (The light becomes a thick wall, Railspike standing before it as he drives a fist into it, causing cracks to spread out as it shatters)

Go my way, I'm going to grab the future (The wall crumbles around Railspike as his servo reaches out towards the six children)

I won't let anybody get in my way even if you hurt me (A huge mass of garbage rises up before him, two red eyes flashing in the background)

I'm chasing the continuation of my dream (The six young Shinkalions are shown turning around, brandishing their weapons in their frames)

Because it's still there and that's what I am (Railspike is shown reaching for them as they extend their own hands, reaching towards the middle of the screen before it goes dark)

The word that I used to hear came back again (Railspike stands before the remains of his two brothers, his students gathered around him as they offer support)

I didn't question it I just buried it deep (He bows his helm, optics closing as memories of them march past him in transparent form)

The noises are clouding my thoughts (Memories of their demise cause him to grit his denta and he screams as lightning flashes, rain pouring down around him during a battle)

Plastic melts and turn black when you burn it (The form of Nightstreak looms over him as he holds up a burning spark)

Tied and no freedom, there's nowhere to go (Railspike slumps to the ground as he grips at his helm with his servos, energon tears running down his cheeks)

Trust, betrayal, turning my mind dark (Sammael is shown in the background, wearing the mask of a Grimm as he holds his hands around the shaking Shinkalion)

I have to open the way (The darkness engulfs the screen before an explosion rocks it, shattering it as a winged form flies through the air)

Go anywhere when you spend your days (The form spins around, revealing a shadowy shape reminiscent of a Shinkalion, but with green optics and wings spilling green particles, holding a crossbow of sorts in one servo)

Meeting and findings you call this a fate (The camera pans down, showing the city from above as of on a map, dark purple orbs flashing on the screen)

We're alive and there are sadness and anxiety (One of the orbs flashes, panning out to reveal a pair of purple optics as six shadowy forms resembling the Shinkalions are revealed)

This won't last forever. All this for me to be strong (The forms attack, forcing Inspector Tezuka to fire on them as her men open fire as well)

All of this from the hard works (The gunfire pans over to show Railspike firing his arm-mounted guns to take down the black-clad attackers)

I kept it in me. Now I'm here (His optics flash as he summons a grey, blue, and dark blue Aura to shield himself from the return fire)

I can overcome this (He grits his denta as he hefts his shield and fires off his missiles as the other sparklings unleash their own attacks)

Go my way, I'm going to grab the future (Railspike lunges forward, his servo outstretched to catch a glowing spark)

I won't let anybody get in my way even if you hurt me (The spark is caught in his palm as it flashes, showing the boy holding a device in one hand and a visor resting on his head, a shadowy winged shape behind him)

I'm chasing the continuation of my dream (The boy looks out as four Rails of Light streak out from the screen, showing the four Shinkalions on them, heading off into the horizon)

Because it's still there and I have to move forward (The horizon flashes as the camera pans down to show Director Hayasugi in the front of the command center, waving an arm as he gives an order)

Go anywhere when you spend your days (The camera then pans to the left, showing Chief Lee standing in the main server room as he adjusts his sunglasses, light glinting off of them)

Meeting and findings you call this a fate (The chief glances out to the right, the camera following his gaze to reveal Tsuranuki in Townsville as he stands atop a hill overlooking the city)

We're alive and there are sadness and anxiety (His hair blows before the two Powerpuffs streak overhead, the camera following them before panning down to show Shinobu and Miku in the Shiga Highlands)

This won't last forever. All this for me to be strong (The camera then pans up to the sky as a winged shape flies overhead before panning down, showing the six kids and Railspike standing before the city of Tokyo, a young boy and a new shadowy Shinkalion shown in the background as transparent images, the title appearing below them)

OPENING FILES: 800 TSUBAME

CLASSIFIED

DECRYPTING...

FILES DECRYPTED

OPENING FILES: 800 TSUBAME

The 800 Tsubame is the eighth unit to be activated. It is the most unique unit in that it has the ability to fly, much like the Dragon of Denver, by using the large Swallow Wings equipped to its back. These are comprised of the rear engine shell that usually rests on the legs of the other Shinkalion units. This gives it the role of scout and aerial support. On its legs are a pair of subwings for maneuverability in the air.

Its primary long range weapon is the Pantograph Arrow, and it is also outfitted with the Aura Detection System, the same system that Rei Ozora developed. The unit stands at 26.5 meters in height in battle form and weighs 95 tons in both battle and default forms.

The driver of this unit is Rei Ozora.

CLOSING FILES

TERMINAL ENTERING STANDBY PHASE

GRIMMFALL SHINKALION: DARK DOUBLE DAZE

CHAPTER VI - TAKING FLIGHT! DEPLOYMENT!

The boy crashed onto the floor of the shaft, rubbing his backside.

"Ouch!" he muttered. "Okay... that was not a good idea on my part...!"

He staggered to his feet, gripping his backside tightly.

Rei let go as he looked around, only to look up as the entire building rumbled ominously again. He gripped the strap attached to the ADS tightly before he inched back from the elevator shaft as small bits of wall clattered down from it. The battle was getting closer, he realized.

Gritting his teeth, he turned and ran down the corridor leading away from the shafts.

He bolted a few more meters before he spotted what appeared to be a maintenance staircase. He inched closer and pried the door open, and much to his surprise, rather than see the staircase leading up, the stairs instead led down. That was enough to make Rei narrow his eyes. This was clearly not what he had expected. He pursed his lips as he slowly started to inch his way down the staircase. Every muscle in his body was tense for a possible fight or flight scenario. He had no idea as to what was down here, least of all where it led.

What if it led to someplace dark?

Or...

His thoughts were interrupted as he heard the rumble of battle getting closer.

Rei glanced up and saw the ceiling shudder ominously. He didn't even wait a moment longer. He broke into a run, darting down the stairs, taking two at a time. His heart was beating hard in his chest as he leapt the last few stairs and landed on the ground, spotting a large door with the letters SDI Emergency Exit on them. He paused, looking at the three capitalized letters. He was confused now.

What was this SDI?

The boy was hesitant about entering, but when the stairs behind him shuddered, he shoved all thoughts of hesitation aside and grasped the door handle. He grunted as he strained, putting all his strength into prying open the door. The hinges didn't even so much as squeak as the door swung open. Rei slid through the gap he had pried open and, once on the other side, shoved as hard as he could, shutting the thick steel door behind him. The door's emergency deadbolt slid back into place with a loud clunk! and he backed away from it.

He didn't even feel the rumble of the battle above through the thickly reinforced tunnel he was in.

Rei sighed as he slumped down, closing his eyes. "That was too close..."

Now that he was safe, Rei chose to take the chance to find out where he was exactly. He slowly looked up, and was surprised to find himself within a corridor that looked like something out of the hit Gundrazer anime franchise. He stood up, his eyes wide in awe.

"What... Whoa... What is this place?" he whispered.

He started to walk, his eyes locked onto his surroundings. "This is so cool...!" he breathed.

Rei continued to make his way down the hall, unaware of the fact he was being followed by a pair of shadows.

Shadows that were human in shape.

However, he stopped, a sense of danger suddenly prickling at the back of his neck. He wasn't sure why he was getting that feeling. Rei slowly reached for the ADS, pulling it off his back and bringing it around to the front. He subtly pressed the button and brought it online, his visor flashing with the readouts before they vanished. The boy swept the device around slowly, trying to pick out any possible Grimm that could have given pursuit.

But there were none.

The ADS' screen was blank.

Or it would've been.

A beeping suddenly reached his hearing and Rei spun to the left as a black shape landed, holding a pair of butterfly knives in its grasp. The boy's eyes widened as he stared in shock at the cat-like mask on this figure's face. A quick scan over revealed the shape to be human, specifically a woman's body type. Rei gritted his teeth and hissed as he tensed for possible combat.

The two stood in the middle of the hallway, tense for combat.

Then the woman moved, her knives flashing through the air as she lunged for Rei. He yelped and dove to the side, landing on his feet and skidding back. The woman's mask did a good job of concealing her face, but Rei had a sneaking suspicion her face was stoic as she made another move.

The boy leapt back a second time, this time his hand clenching into a fist as the ADS blared in his hearing again. He spun around, delivering a punch to the second woman hiding in the shadows. A pained grunt escaped the masked woman, and Rei grabbed her by the arm, spinning and letting out a cry as he flipped her over his shoulder. The woman flipped in midair and landed gracefully on her feet and hands, resembling a wolf crouched for a pounce. The wolf-like mask did nothing to ease the intimidation factor of her pose.

Rei gritted his teeth as the cat mask woman attacked again, her knives flashing in the lights from the ceiling. He ducked one and grunted as the second nicked his cheek, leaving a shallow cut to his face. He looked at her with one eye before he ducked and scrambled to the side, only to nearly be hit by the other woman's naginata. He rolled to the side, and he huffed. 'Okay. Maybe this is the time for me to use my Aura...' he thought.

He clenched his fists and around his body, a swirling white Aura, with red and black accents, seethed like a fire.

It had been thanks to his uncle that he had been able to unlock his Aura. His uncle was a major in the JSDF's Astro Self Defense Force, so it made sense he would have his Aura awakened. But unlike his uncle, Rei couldn't use a Semblance. No one knew why, but whatever the cause, it had shattered Rei's dream of being a Hunter. Still, his skills with robotics would make up for that gap if he still chose to go down that path.

The woman with the naginata lunged again, her blade flashing through the air as Rei brought up both arms to block. The blade deflected off his Aura and she recoiled, no doubt in shock, the boy mused as he grinned. He lashed out with a fist, colliding it with her chest and making her stagger back. Her fellow ninja(?) just stared at him critically. He narrowed his eyes before he lunged, a cry escaping him as he thrust a fist forward. The wolf-masked woman flipped back, her naginata flashing as she tensed, throwing it right for the boy.

Rei's eyes hardened as he tensed, pushing off the ground, letting the weapon fly beneath him. His hand lashed out and snatched it, surprising his assailants. Then, he flipped around and tossed the sword back at the woman. She swiftly dodged to the side, her naginata embedding itself into one of the walls. The cat mask woman lunged next, her butterfly knives flashing as she thrust them both towards Rei. He ducked them and lashed out in a kick with his left foot, colliding his shoe with her arm and making her stagger as she regained her balance. He landed on his feet and stood up in a crouch, fists clenched.

Whoever these women were, they were skilled. And he was just a kid. He had no real combat training, and as it stood, those moves he just pulled were only done in desperation. He needed to find a way to lose these two.

He glanced at both women, his eyes darting from one to the other.

The cat mask woman turned back to face him as the wolf mask woman pulled her weapon out from the wall of the hall. Both hefted their blades.

The wolf woman held up her naginata before holding it across her body, one hand held out in front. Then she lunged, a wolf-like howl coming from her as she thrust it forward. Behind Rei, the cat woman spun her knives before holding them in an X shape. Then she let out a loud yowl, like that of a cat, and ran forward. Two Auras swirled around the two, a light blue Aura coating the wolf woman and a dark green Aura covering the cat woman. They became meteors of green and blue, making Rei yelp as he ducked to the side, his Aura taking the blows of both their weapons. His Aura flickered and he gritted his teeth as he turned and ran for it, ducking down another hallway as his Aura dissipated.

He glanced to the ADS he held in his hand, spotting the two women's Auras on the screen and he hissed in frustration. "Dammit...!" he muttered. "Now what'll I do?"

Rei kept running, his feet pounding the floor of the hallway before he looked up, and his eyes widened as he collided with a much older Faunus as he exited what appeared to be an office.

The two collided, earning a grunt from both. Rei landed on his butt, the ADS landing on the ground between the two with a clatter. Rei shook his head and glanced up, his eyes widening beneath the visor. "Oh, shit!" He was on his feet in a flash, grabbing the man's shoulder and pulling him to his feet. "I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed. "I didn't even see you coming!"

"No, it's my fault," the cat Faunus apologized, brushing off his uniform.

Rei took note of the SDI emblem on the left breast of his jacket. "Wait... that emblem..." His eyes narrowed. "You work for this SDI?"

The Faunus blinked. "Y...How did you know?" he asked.

Rei pointed to the emblem. "I saw it on an emergency exit disguised as a maintenance door," he explained. "But... I'm just not sure as to what this SDI is... or for that matter what it even does."

Here the cat Faunus ran a hand through his brown hair, and he looked a bit torn on something. As he glanced down, however, his eyes landed on the device lying on the floor. His eyes widened a bit. "W-What's this?" he asked, kneeling down and picking up the device.

"Ah!" Rei quickly snatched the device from his hands, surprising the Faunus. He looked it over, examining it for any possible damage. He finally let out a sigh when he didn't see any damage to it. "Thank Glob..." He closed his eyes in relief. "I was sure it was damaged..."

"Well, clearly it's not," the cat Faunus noted. "So, mind telling me what that device is?"

"Oh!" Rei looked up and met the man's blue eyes with his own two-toned eyes. "It's a special device that's supposed to help law enforcement detect the presence of certain types of Grimm that can mimic the appearances of others."

"I see. So it's designed to pick out the Shaper then?" the Faunus asked.

Rei nodded, a grin on his face. "Yep!" he chirped. Then he became serious. "But..." He glanced down at the device in his hands. "It could also be used to try and clear the names of the Shinkalions..."

Here the man's face flooded with shock. "Wait... what?"

The boy nodded. "It's true. I did a test run on it using the Shinkalions as the test subject and I found out that they lack any Aura, which is disturbing as they normally are capable of using Aura to unleash those special moves, am I right?" he asked.

The cat Faunus blinked in surprise. "Y-Yes... You are..." he whispered.

He looked down, a thoughtful expression on his face. For his part, Rei was confused. What was the man thinking? And for that matter, who was he? The boy tilted his head to the side briefly as he scratched his head.

The cat Faunus finally looked up. "First off, what's your name?"

"Oh! I'm Rei! Rei Ozora!" the boy chirped, holding out a hand.

"I'm Director Hokuto Hayasugi," the Faunus said, introducing himself. He shook Rei's hand. "And you have just given us the edge to try and prove the Shinkalions are innocent of their crimes!"

"By the way, what is the SDI?" Rei asked, narrowing his eyes as he pulled his hand back. "I'm assuming it has to do with the Shinkalions?"

Hokuto nodded grimly. "Yes. And in more ways than one. C'mon. I'll explain on the way."

"Huh?" Rei was confused as the Faunus headed off down the hallway. "Wait! Where are we going?"

"To show you just what the SDI really is... and what Project: SHINKALION is all about."

Now, Rei was really confused.

What did Hokuto mean?

"What are you talking about?" Rei asked as he jogged after the cat Faunus.

The director didn't answer.

The two forms vanished down another corridor, blending in with the shadows.

It didn't take too long for the Seven Sisters to reunite.

The leader bowed her head. "Neko... Hokkaido... I take it the boy passed?"

"Yes, Kitsune," Neko replied. She got to her knees. "He proved to be very adaptive, and the device he conceived was able to detect us and keep him appraised of our presence."

Kitsune nodded. "I see. I assume you did not harm him much?"

"No," Hokkaido responded. She lifted her head, and behind her mask, her eyes narrowed. "He was able to use his Aura to keep himself protected. And... we noticed he has a lack of a Semblance."

"Another candidate for the project then," Tanuki muttered. "He must be with the director then."

"Hai." The two ninja nodded.

"Do you wish for us to keep an eye on him?" Neko asked.

"No. Our mission for this one is complete. Our next objective is to be ready for any Kaiju that may surface. And this place is the only one that can contain them," Kitsune said.

"Understood, sister," the two replied as one.

The Seven Sisters then vanished into the shadows, leaving no trace behind...

The boy was now very confused.

His efforts to get more information on this Project: SHINKALION from the director had been met with either just silence or a redirection.

That made him wary. Whatever this project was, it clearly had to be based in either dark magic or unethical science.

But much to his surprise, the director finally stopped, and Rei looked to the door before him.

He walked up to stand beside the cat Faunus.

"Behind here is one of Project: SHINKALION," he explained.

"But you never told me what it was!" Rei protested, stepping in front of the man. "And what is the SDI, anyway? How do I know that this whole thing is not some dark science or black magic project in the works?!" His eyes narrowed as he gritted his teeth.

Hokuto grimaced as he looked away. "First off, to be honest, I can't blame you for being suspicious," he admitted. Then he faced Rei directly, his eyes hard. "But I can assure you it is not dark science or black magic in any way."

Rei didn't even budge. He stayed in front of the older Faunus, and his Aura flared.

The director finally sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with two fingers. "Okay. I'll explain once we actually head inside."

The boy narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but he could accept the deal. He nodded and stepped aside, allowing the director to step up to the door. He pulled out what appeared to be a Shinca card, and Rei blinked as he watched Hokuto run it through the card reader. The reader beeped and the door unlocked.

Rei joined the man as the door started to slide open and the two stepped inside. The door slid shut behind them, and then Rei could see they were in some kind of hangar bay. Or rather in some kind of maintenance bay. There, before them, stood two large doors. Rei jogged after the cat Faunus as he walked up to the doors. Rei was now even more confused. Where was this place? How deep underground were they?

The Faunus man looked to a technician working close by on something, and he nodded. The woman looked over, and her eyes widened as she stared at the boy beside him. She dropped her tools and scrambled over to a control panel, pulling down on a lever. The lever clanged into position, and a loud rumble filled the room. Rei staggered back from it, his eyes wide as he looked down at the ground. Then he glanced up at hearing the doors starting to slide open.

Rei could barely see something within, and his eyes narrowed.

What was it?

Some part of him was urging him to run, but the rest of him stayed put, his natural scientific curiosity kicking in. He narrowed his eyes a bit more, and as the doors slid open further, he felt his mouth fall open as he found himself staring at the contents inside. After a few minutes, the doors locked into position, fully exposing the hangar bay and what was found within.

"W...What... is this?!" he breathed.

Hokuto, for his part, merely started to walk, leaving a stunned Rei behind.

"Hey! Wait up!" Rei jogged after Hokuto.

The boy almost smacked into the director as he came to a stop.

Rei caught his balance and glanced to the older Faunus.

"Rei... What you are seeing is the result of what I've spent close to two years developing," he explained, his gaze locked onto the towering frame before them. "As for what the SDI is, it stands for Shinkansen Defense Institute." He turned to look at Rei. "Let me ask you something. Just what is Japan's greatest asset, besides our technological prowess, Kaiju and earthquake safety measures?"

"Uh..." Rei scratched at his head. "The shinkansen, right?"

Hokuto gave a nod. "Yes. The SDI was founded close to fifteen years ago after the First Wave made landfall. The idea was to take data pertaining to the shinkansen and robotics and combine them into a combat unit that could defend Tokyo. However... while the idea was sound, the technology was limited, and the project was almost canceled," he explained. "The only real advancement that bore fruit was the development of the Capture Satellite up in orbit."

"Wait. Capture Satellite?" Rei quirked an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"A satellite designed to fire a capture field so as to capture the Kaiju Grimm in question and prevent catastrophic damage to our country's infrastructure," the cat Faunus stated. "The satellite has worked so far up to this point, and it has proven to be of the utmost necessity given the Shinkalions' battles until now."

Rei could actually see how it was necessary, given Japan's status as an island nation. They depended a lot on imports for most of their supplies and economy. He just gave a nod. "But how does this tie into this Project: SHINKALION?" he asked.

"I'm getting to that," Hokuto remarked.

The boy fell silent.

"The Third Wave was what prompted me to finally take action. Or more specifically, the Fourth Wave of Kaiju Grimm..." the Faunus man said softly. "Or rather the Kaiju Grimm known as Mothra."

Rei's eyes widened at this. "Mothra?"

Here the director clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as he looked down, his eyes becoming shadowed by his hair. "That very same one..." he muttered darkly. "That Kaiju was the one that killed my wife... and exposed to me the danger of our war against the Kaiju." He looked up, his eyes hard as sapphires. "This war of attrition can't keep going on like this. We're losing Hunters and Huntresses every time a Kaiju Grimm comes ashore. So our only bet was to develop a means to fight back against these things on an even footing."

Rei watched as Hokuto directed his gaze to the frame again.

"That led to me coming up with Project: SHINKALION. And before you ask, it stands for SHINKAnsen LIberates Our Nation." He glanced to Rei. "Can you guess as to why I chose that name?"

The boy pursed his lips. While he may not have been a train buff, he did know about the shinkansen's history and of how it had led to Japan becoming known for its safety record in terms of the trains. He also knew that the trains had led to Japan becoming a technological powerhouse in a sense. "It was because the shinkansen proved to be popular during the 1964 Olympic Games held in Tokyo," he stated.

"Close," Hokuto chuckled, "but no." Here he paused a bit. "The reason I chose it was because it liberated our country from potential poverty and showed what we could do. The shinkansen proved to be so successful it became something of a national symbol. That was why I chose it."

"Oh..." Rei's voice trailed off as he looked down.

"As for what Project: SHINKALION is, it's a project to develop combat robots that are based on the very trains we use today," Hokuto explained, catching the boy's attention. "And it's the culmination of two years of blood and sweat."

"So... it was designed to be a combat project..." Rei mused.

"Yes." The cat Faunus clenched his fists, and Rei thought he saw his fingernails draw blood to the surface. "It was also designed to be a symbol of hope... given that we lost the Emperor's sword one thousand years ago."

"I remember reading about that in history class," the boy told him.

Hokuto gave a nod. "Yes. And this project... is what we need to ensure that the Kaiju Grimm do not cause too much damage to our country..." He paused a bit before looking Rei in the eyes. The boy blinked in shock at seeing the hardness in them, and he actually gulped. "...as well as halt another enemy... one that can actually control the Grimm."

Rei blinked. "Wait. Control the Grimm?! How is that even possible!?" he asked in disbelief.

"It's possible," Hokuto answered, "because of one man who has been around since the Time of Awakening...maybe even before then." His eyes narrowed dangerously. "His name... is Sammael. And he is a human being infused with the very Dark Substance itself. He is... a Fallen."

Rei stared in shock at this information. "Sammael... Fallen...? And he can control the Grimm?" he whispered.

The director nodded. "Yes. And he is up to something. I am sure of it."

He then turned to Rei and knelt down. "And Project: SHINKALION needs your help."

"Whoa! Hold on!" Rei protested, raising his hands. "You never told me if the Shinkalions are really aliens or not!"

The director shook his head. "You'd be right on one thing: they are not aliens as claimed by the media. That is just a cover story for the real truth."

"Hold on... you mean you've been lying to people all this time?!" Rei blurted in horror.

"I don't like it, but it's the only way to keep the identities of the Drivers secret," the director explained, looking off to the side briefly. "The Drivers... are just a group of high school students like yourself. The only one who is an actual alien is Railspike, being one of a race of alien robots called Cybertronians. I'll explain more later, but the gist of it is there are six kids like yourself who are the ones driving those frames." He returned his gaze to look at Rei. "They have been given a piece of advanced technology that allows them to essentially transfer their souls into the Shinkalion frames to use as their bodies. And it is the same technology we can give you if you choose to help us clear their names."

"Wait..." Rei glanced down to the ADS in his hand. "Clearing their names... And the fact that the attacking Shinkalions don't have Aura..." The pieces were beginning to slide into place. He looked up. "You think someone is framing them?"

The director nodded. "Yes."

Rei slowly lowered the ADS and shifted his attention to the massive frame towering above them.

The huge frame was imposing in its design, and the weapon held in its left servo was enough to make him shudder.

In truth, he was feeling overwhelmed by the information he had just learned. The fact that the Shinkalions, barring Railspike, were really just kids like himself fighting to defend their country was already startling enough, but when information pertaining to this Sammael was thrown in? He wasn't even sure if this could even do anything against him, if what Director Hayasugi said was true.

But the fact that he was even trying?

Well, that was ballsy in of itself.

No one, aside from Dracon, had the balls to go face-to-face with Sammael and live.

And the more he thought about it, the more it made sense that the Shinkalions would have Aura and be able to use their special moves. But to hear that they needed someone to try and help clear their names? And to be given advanced technology that allowed him to become a robot?

Well... how could Rei say no?

He looked back to the director. "Sir, count me in!" he remarked, a serious look on his face.

The cat Faunus let out a sigh and a mild laugh of relief as he clapped his hands on Rei's shoulders. "You have no idea how happy this makes me..." he said.

Rei smiled as well. "Heh."

The director guided Rei down away from the hangar bay.

FIVE DAYS LATER...

To say the last five days had been eventful was an understatement.

They had been filled with learning all kinds of stuff pertaining to the railways and their regulations.

Having recently undergone the procedure to have the LinkNode inserted into his back, Rei had been confined to the hospital for five days while his body recovered from it. Those five days were spent being educated on the railways and regulations, as well as the kind of enemy that he would be facing alongside the rest of the team. Speaking of which, he also found out just who they really were, and he was a bit floored. But his shock was quickly dismissed as he started to also be trained in the use of the LinkNode.

But there was a risk with this: no one had been given the LinkNode right off the bat. So it was unknown if it would even work.

Yet given the situation, what other choice did they have?

Rei slid back into his seat as his father and mother drove him home, having recently picked him up from the hospital. Hayashi and Ino had been filled in on the process and what was going on now, so they were actually surprised, but at the same time proud and worried for their only son. But they were not about to stop their son from doing what he wanted to do.

"Son... what are you going to do now?" he asked.

"Well, I still have to take it easy for a bit," Rei confirmed, "but with any luck I should be willing to try this out in a few days."

"Okay. Just promise us you'll be careful," Ino cautioned. "We don't want you to get hurt out there."

Rei grinned. "I'll be fine," he assured his parents. "After all, that frame can fly!"

Hayashi chuckled. "True on that."

The boy looked back as he watched the buildings fly by.

But there was something that still worried him.

How were the other kids doing, knowing they were on the run and unable to contact their families? Or were they even able to communicate with them? And what of Railspike? How was he faring? Rei knew so little about the rest of the team aside from their names and what units they drove. So... was this even the right choice to make? There was just so little he knew. And yet, he had agreed to help, so the least he could do was see it through. Plus, he wanted to protect that which was precious to him: his family, and his dreams of becoming an astronaut.

His eyes narrowed a bit as he considered what to do next.

The rest of the drive home was uneventful and they reached their home in no time. Rei was the first one out, and he made his way back into his room, flopping back on the bed as his eyes landed on the ceiling. He could see several fighter planes overhead, each a model he had built by hand.

A serious expression crossed his face as he reflected back on the last meeting a few days before his discharge from the hospital.

GFSGFSGFSGFS - FLASHBACK - GFSGFSGFSGFS

The boy blinked.

"Wait. You want the ADS?" he asked, confused.

Hokuto nodded. "Yes. You did say it was meant to pick out Aura-less beings from the crowd, didn't you?"

"Well... actually, to tell the truth, I developed it for law enforcement and Huntsmen to be able to distinguish between the Shaper Grimm and the living beings they mimic," Rei confessed.

"Still, the fact it was able to even detect that the fake Shinkalions don't have Aura is a miracle," the director stated. "So... that gives me an idea, but in order for it to work, we need the device itself."

Rei looked down at the ADS perched beside his bed on the stand, and he frowned. "I built that..." he murmured, "...with my own two hands... so to just hand it over is something I don't want to do..."

Hokuto understood where the boy was coming from. But as he opened his mouth to speak, Rei looked in his direction. "But... given the circumstances, I can get where you're coming from. So..." He reached over and grabbed it, handing the ADS to the cat Faunus. "Do what you have to do."

The director smiled. "Thanks," he said. "Your decision will be sure to clear their names!"

GFSGFSGFSGFS - END FLASHBACK - GFSGFSGFSGFS

With the ADS having been taken for use in a secret project, he was left with only his newfound skills and knowledge of rails to use. As well as his robotics expertise.

It wasn't much, but it would have to do.

And actually, he was concerned about those rampaging fakes.

So, in spite of the doctor's orders, he was going to see just what they were up to.

Rei closed his eyes, focusing for the first time on the pulsing between his shoulder blades.

He let his mind relax, but unlike what he had been told to expect, he didn't sense anything forming between him and his assigned unit. For a moment, he began to panic, but then...

It was there.

It was so faint he had actually missed it.

But it was present.

The tendril.

He reached out with a figurative hand and grasped it, and it suddenly solidified, becoming stronger. Rei could now sense his flesh and blood body around him, feeling it accurately and in a scarily acute fashion. He could feel his heartbeat, his lungs moving, his stomach churning... and it was so fascinating.

But then he felt the tendril start to tug at him and he grasped it, giving a tug in response.

The next thing he knew, there was a sudden jerk from the other end and he was literally jolted out of his flesh and blood body, becoming nothing more than essence flowing through a tunnel of blackness - the Tunnel of Oblivion. But he wasn't panicked. In fact, it was sort of interesting. He let himself be pulled down the tunnel, slowly aligning himself as he saw the light at the end of this tunnel.

Around him he could see circuits forming, and although he was intrigued, he let his essence flow onward until it slid into a space that seemed as if it were made for it. Rei's metaphorical vision then went dark.

For a moment, Rei wondered what had happened. Had the procedure even worked? Where was he? Or more specifically, was he even a robot?

He knew he had felt the tendril. He had grabbed it and then that... process or whatever it was... had happened. But now...

A brief moment of panic overcame him. What if this had not been what he was told? What if it was the complete opposite? What if it was dark science?! He had to find out, but every time he tried to move his limbs there were none to move. He could not see, nor hear, nor smell or taste or even touch. He was utterly helpless. He couldn't even move himself.

Rei flailed helplessly in this dark void, only to sudden jerk as he felt something move.

He hesitated.

Wait... what had that been he just felt?

Confused, Rei slowly started to poke and probe around him. His scientific curiosity niggled at his essence and he obliged it. He gingerly sniffed out a ways before stopping, pausing as his essence hovered near the edge of this strange object. He slowly roved his essence over it, running along its edges and finally getting a feel for it.

The object... no, objects... felt familiar. They felt a lot like wheels...

Wheels like those on a train...

He slowly slid his essence into the slot for those wheels, and now Rei could faintly make out the sensation of tracks beneath them. Tracks that he was resting on. Rei suddenly got s strange tingle of realization. He started to move his new wheels, and he could feel them shifting beneath his very form. They moved ever so slightly, back and forth. All along the entire length of his frame.

Rei began to expand his essence out, reaching into every system one at a time. He could already feel the power of each motor and drive system in his entire wheel assembly, and it was amazing. The boy felt a shiver as he started to explore more of his new body. He could detect the pantographs resting atop his second and fifth cars. He could feel the systems used to raise and lower them, and he slowly began to flex them up and down. It felt a lot like two arms raising and lowering, like on a human body, but different.

He started to fiddle around, trying to find any way to bring his visual feed online.

And much to his surprise, it worked.

Static filled his vision, but unlike the others, he wasn't panicked.

In fact, he was more intrigued and excited than anything.

UNIT: 800 TSUBAME

STATUS: ACTIVATED

DRIVER: REI OZORA

AURA: STABLE

BATTERY OPERATION TIME: 72 HOURS

ENERGY LEVELS: 100%

That alone was enough to convince Rei it had worked.

A soft chuckle escaped his thoughts as he shivered in his excitement.

No longer was he a mere human.

No. He was now a robot. More specifically, a Shinkalion.

Rei continued to get a feel for his new frame, moving back and forth on the tracks a bit before flexing his pantographs up and down a bit longer. He finally stopped and paused.

Wait... how was he supposed to shift between his shinkansen and robot forms?

He wracked his new memory files and one in particular stood out. He recalled that in previous battles when the Shinkalions had transformed, they always used the code phrase "Change! Shinkalion!" So... what if he tried it?

Rei poked around a bit more before he finally found his new vocalizer's systems. A moment later and he spoke for the first time. "Okay... Here goes nothing..."

He was a bit surprised at how deep his voice was in this frame. Now that he thought about it, it actually made sense to hide his true identity, based on what the director had said. He took in a figurative breath and let it out.

"CHANGE! SHINKALION!" he cried.

What he did not expect was the transformation to be so swift.

He felt his front and rear engines disconnect and separate from the rest of his chassis before connecting together, parts shifting and altering, and his limbs unfolding from the rear and front engines. Rei's vision swirled and he was almost disoriented, but he managed to find some meaning in the changing parts. He could feel something attaching to his back and then he was standing, his vision wavering as he tried to maintain his balance. Already he could detect his center of gravity and he shifted his stance, finally getting the hang of things.

His new optics slowly roved down his frame, taking in the sharply angled chest that served as the nose of his shinkansen form. He lifted a hand and ran it down the armor, feeling the sheer power as it surged through his limbs. His arms, legs, hands, feet... Or rather servos and pedes. Rei was in shock as he lowered his hand and glanced at his legs, only to do a double take as he realized that the shell of the rear engine was missing. Two small winglike extensions on his legs took their place instead.

And come to think of it, what was on his back to begin with?

Rei turned and glanced over his shoulder guard, only to do another double take at the sight of the shell of the rear engine on his back instead. And rather than be merely folded, it looked a lot like a pair of...

Wings?!

He had to slap his own helm to make sure his optics were not malfunctioning.

He definitely had a pair of wings.

Rei slowly focused on his new appendages, and much to his surprise, they began to flex and move at his mental command. At first, the movement was kind of jerky, and it gave him a strange sensation as they twitched and moved. As the wings moved, he could see that the way the shell formed them was a lot like feathers, but at the same time he could see emitters of some kind on them. Perhaps for thrust?

Well, there was no time like the present.

He crouched, and with a grunt, he jumped off the ground and focused on flying.

On his back, a pair of thrusters flared into action, spilling greenish-white particles out from the emitters and thruster ports. His wings expanded into full width, and more emitters along the edges of his wings began to shine, forming feathery particle streams as he found himself weaving in the air. "W-W-Whoa!" Rei struggled to keep himself level, wiggling his arms and legs, and he found himself wiggling about. "Ah! How does flying like this even work?!" he muttered to himself.

It was proving to be a bit more difficult than he thought. That was for sure.

However, Rei was not one to give up.

He simply maneuvered and memorized what wing movements led to what maneuvers in midair. It was tricky, but he managed to get a number of maneuvers down to mere memory.

He finally looked up, coming to a hover.

Now, all that he needed to do was get out and see if he could-

His thoughts were interrupted as a voice echoed all around him, making him yelp as he jolted in midair.

"Unit 800, can you hear me?"

"W-What...? Who's there?!" Rei squeaked, glancing around in panic.

The voice fell silent and a chill began to creep down his back struts.

Director Hayasugi narrowed his eyes as he observed the new Shinkalion.

In truth, he was very surprised Rei was even taking such a chance in initiating LinkUp so soon.

But he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He looked back to Byakko, who nodded.

Hokuto reached out with one hand and flicked the button, shutting down the voice synthesizer.

"Rei Ozora."

The new Shinkalion looked around, surprised. "Wait... Director Hayasugi?"

"Yes. It's me," the cat Faunus responded. "But what in the name of Glob were you thinking?!"

"I..." Rei looked down and pressed two metal fingers together. "I wanted... to see if it would work?"

"You were told to wait a few days and to take it easy," the director scolded. "But seeing as how you defied orders... I can't exactly order you back now, can I?" He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with two fingers. "Man... This is gonna be a hassle to explain..."

"So... what do you want me to do?" Rei asked, looking up at the ceiling cameras.

"Well, first off, we have to assign you a code name, as it is required, as you are already aware," the director explained. "So..."

Rei paused, folding his arms thoughtfully.

Then he glanced up. "Tsubame."

"Huh?" The director arched an eyebrow. "Tsubame? Why that?"

Rei gave a grin in his optics. "Who would expect a Shinkalion named after a bird?" he remarked, arching his wings a bit.

Hokuto looked down, putting a hand to his chin in thought. Actually, it did make a lot of sense, seeing as how the 800 Tsubame frame had been given flight abilities. A small smile tugged at the edges of his lips. "Tsubame. All right." He reached over and brought up the code name list with a few key commands. He typed in the new code name and it beeped, signifying it had accepted the code name.

"Okay, Tsubame. Your code name has been put into the system. You're all set." He shut it down and turned to look at the newly named Tsubame. "Your objective is to find and track down those fakes, but at the same time if there is a Kaiju attack, you will have to defend against it. That is one of the purposes behind Project: SHINKALION, if you recall."

Tsubame did recall that. He merely nodded in understanding.

"Good. Now, given the fact that you'll be constantly moving about, there is something you have to understand. Every seventy-two hours, you'll need to disconnect and return to your human form to allow yourself time to recover, as well as allow your frame to restore its energy levels. So you'll be in your frame a lot more than the others ever were at this point," the director stated. "So it's up to you now. But do not let yourself get spotted by Inspector Tezuka. She'll only use this current crisis as a means to try and arrest you. Is that clear?"

"Hai!" Tsubame gave a crisp salute.

Hokuto nodded. "Good. Now get out there ASAP!"