Disclaimer: I don't own Infinite Stratos
The IS fanfiction site is full of stories with OC's but after years of reading them I wanted to join in as well. The series is a guilty pleasure of mine, and while it isn't one of the more popular anime it still holds a special place in my heart. I came up with ideas on how to stand out and with help from friends I've managed to begin writing my own fanfic.
And over two years, it's been going strong. I've edited the chapter fixing errors as well as modernizing the writing. Whether you're new to the fanfic or a veteran returning I'll say it again.
Welcome to Change My Mind!
(This chapter received a revision as of 2/19/2022.)
Hope you all enjoy it
-Xenonwishes
A metal suit of armor soared past the sky, breaking through the atmosphere and reaching the expanse beyond Earth known as space. A mechanical wonder used for warfare and sport was now finally achieving its purpose of exploring beyond the planet.
Inside the IS, the pilot looked around in awe at the black void filled with planets and stars spanning distances that could only be imagined. All those wonders so far away we're now in sight of being explored.
"This is…. I'm really…. Wow," It was hard to put into words. From the white glow of the full moon to the blue pearl we call Earth. The boy's brown eyes couldn't look away from the sight. "This is even better than I thought it would be. Being up here takes beauty to a whole new level!" His gaze was mesmerized on the Earth. Seeing the water and landmasses form the continent with a starry background from space felt so amazing compared to just a picture in a textbook. He could've started at it for hours if he had the time.
"You wanted to be an astronaut someday, right Jayden?" A female voiced spoke out from his communicator, waking him up from his trance "So tell me, how does it feel to be living the dream?"
They say in space, no one can hear you scream, but if you were up there, you'd hear the squeal of one very happy teen.
"I'll take that as a ye-"
It sounded like whoever was on speaker got shoved aside.
"Jayden I'm really happy for you getting to live your dream, really. I am! But in case you forgot I'd like to point out the giant elephant in the room!" A different female urgent sounding voice spoke out through the communicator. "The one that we need to address IMMEDIATELY".
Jayden has to shake off the excitement "Right I'm on it." He gave the world one last look before facing the matter at hand. A large space satellite floated in the distance, pointing the head of what appeared to be some sort of laser at the Earth.
"Uhm…. Jayden…. wait." A different female voice spoke out, this one sounding concerned and worried. "I want you to promise me Jayden"
"Promise you what?"
"Jayden…"
"What?" He felt the world shake around him, as the image of space began disappearing.
"Jayden."
"Jayden…"
"JAYDEN!"
/-/
"WAKE UP."
"GAH!"
The teenager known as Jayden jolted himself up the car seat, bumping his head on the roof. He rubbed the small bump formed on his head. "Geez dad, could you be any gentler?"
"Sorry sport, I just didn't want you to daydream through what you've been waiting for all month. We're just got here after all." He grinned.
"We're here? No no no! I take it back. Thanks for the wakeup call!" Scurrying out of the car, Jayden stood as tall as four feet and nine inches could be. He brushed his long light brown hair over his shoulders and patted down his clothes to try to look presentable. Even licking brushing down a cowlick in his hair for good measure. "I just can't believe you set this up! How many kids can say their father got them a tour of an IS research facility!?" His smile grew from ear to ear imagining what he would see. Weapons in the process of being made and maybe if he was lucky enough, he could see an actual IS up close.
"Well, you've been asking for months now and with my recent promotion as the head security guard, I was able to pull a few strings to set this up for you." He gave out a hearty laugh as his son showered him with praise and gratitude for the kind act. As a parent, nothing made him happier than seeing his son full of joy. As they got closer to the main facility, someone was waiting at the door. It was an older man in his late 20's with a white lab coat. His posture was hunched, and the bags under his eyes showed he needed a few more hours of sleep. This was all topped off with his uncombed white hair, giving him the definite look of a scientist. Or at least a stereotypical mad one from the movies.
"Good to see you boss." The two men shook hands. "Thank you for taking the time to organize the tour. Jayden, this is a friend of mine who works here." Jayden's father introduced.
"I finally get to meet your kid. Your dad doesn't talk about you too much, you've got an adorable kid Marc."
Jayden blinked. Adorable? Not again...
"Your daughter is quite adorable Marc, no wonder you're so fond of her. Although Jayden is quite the unusual name for a girl."
Said 'daughter' clenched his fists. That smile on his face was looking a little forced.
"Um... Sir..." Marc warned.
"But with such an interest in the IS field at a young age, I could see her being an IS pilot in the future."
"..."
"Well? Am I right? Do you wanna be an IS pilot someday little girl?" He knew he was right, the shaking of excitement that girl was giving off was a dead giveaway.
"I'M A BOY!" The boy practically shouted the man's ear off.
"A boy?" The man took a closer look. With that long hair and short height, he'd practically assumed the kid's gender just from one look. But now that he inspected him the face was kind of boyish.
"You did tell him I was a boy, right dad?" Jayden asked his father who was sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "Right?"
"That's... my bad; I never specified your gender. Jayden here gets mistaken for a girl often. If you ask me, I think it's because of his long hair". His father explained, patting Jayden's shoulder to calm him down. "His mother doesn't let him get his hair-cut unless it gets super long. Which leads to a lot of mistakes. It's a sore topic for him."
"Sorry Jayden. I didn't think any boys at your age had an interest in the field of IS. Or at least in anything beyond seeing two IS trying to hack and slash each other to pieces. Is that what you're hoping to see here?"
Now that he cooled off, Jayden could answer peacefully. "It isn't."
"Really? Then why did you want this tour?"
"Don't get me wrong, I love seeing mecha suits go at it with each other, but it's more than that. I've had a huge interest in the Infinite Stratos, even though I can't use an IS. I think the IS can be used for more than just fighting."
The Infinite Stratos (Usually referred to as IS) is an advanced exo-suit developed by Tabane Shinonono. Originally developed for space exploration, but due to humanity's desire for conflict, the IS never came out as a voyager, but instead came out as a powerful weapon. With the ability to fly, carry weapons, and protect the user with a barrier, it was deemed without a doubt the strongest weapon on Earth. A single IS was powerful enough to neutralize the threat of over 2,000 missiles. And that wasn't even an exaggeration.
For all the possibilities of the IS, there was only one problem with. It could only be used by women. Call it bizarre but the powerful machine wouldn't activate when a man tried to use it. This meant that only females could become pilots of the Infinite Stratos. As such, the dynamics of the world had changed to where women were the dominant gender.
"It's so amazing to think about the feats and power they can show off. Heck it can fly! If possible, maybe they can be used in daily job position like deliveries or putting out fires. There's so much the IS can do. I'm here because I want to see it in person if I can." His eyes sparkled with a passion as Jayden talked about the many uses of the Infinite Stratos to the professor.
"Or maybe you just wanted to ogle the girls in their IS outfits" His father commented.
"DAD!"
Jayden looked down to hide his blushing face as his father laughed. The outfits typically worn by IS pilots was a tight fighting body suit which highly resembled a school's female swimsuit. And those things really hugged a pilot's body, especially in certain curvy places. He was pretty sure there must've been a good reason why it was designed like that, but he was part of the many that didn't know why.
"Interesting." The man in the lab coat said. "I'll admit, I wasn't expecting that. When people talk about the Infinite Stratos, it's always for the violence or sport, you're the first I've ever heard talk about its non-combat capabilities. Perhaps you aren't as ill-informed as I originally thought." His smile grew wide. " How fortitudinous that your interests align with the one and only Gelimer Brighton."
"Who?"
"Today's your lucky d-" Gelimer paused. "Pardon?"
"I mean... he sounds like a great guy. If he's as smart as you say he is than he must have a high position in a place like this. Wait. Does he work here?"
"I... I..."
He pointed at himself to try to hint just who Gelimer was.
"Oh! If he does, can I meet him during the tour? I'd love to ask him some questions."
Now it was Gelimer's turn to bear a painful smile as Jayden dealt blow after blow to his ego.
"I… I'm…."
The man hadn't introduced himself because he was sure everyone knew his name. Gelimer didn't think he was a big deal. He knew he was one. He was a man of great intellect and there was evidence to back it up. All from his research papers, written reports, college degrees, and most obviously his position as the head of an IS research facility. Feats such as that should've made you a celebrity and all the recognizing that came with it.
And yet his name wasn't even known to someone with an interest in the IS. His face soon found his way into his hands to try to ease the pain.
"Are you all, right?" Jayden asked.
"Umm... Jayden. That's Gelimer Brighton." Marc pointed out.
"Wait. You're Gelimer?" Jayden hesitated. "I'm sorry, I thought you were the door-man who greets people. The way you talked about yourself I thought he'd err... you'd look more amazing." Jayden swallowed.
Another heavy blow was dealt to Gelimer's ego.
"Marc! Did you not tell him about me?" Both of them were looking at him for an answer. "Actually, let me rephrase that. Do you tell anyone anything?"
Once again, Marc was missing his words as he rubbed the back of his neck once more. Once he glanced down at his watch, he was able to find them.
"Oh, would you look at the time! My shift's about to start." It was about to start in an hour, but you could never be too early. "Have fun on your tour Jayden. Listen to Gelimer. Bye!" And just like that, Jayden's father was gone.
Gelimer gave Jayden a glance. "Well... let's try to put that behind us." Gelimer said. "My name is Gelimer Brighton, and I'd like too personally welcome you to our IS Research Facility. It's here where we develop the latest IS frames and items to be used by the Infinite Stratos. Pay attention and you just might get a sneak peek look at what's to come in future events such as the Mondo Grosso."
Jayden smiled. Time to get this show on the road. Before he could walk through the doors, Gelimer blocked his path.
"Hold your horses Jayden. Before we enter, we need to go over a few ground rules. First, do not touch anything. In fact, just assume anything you touch will bite or explode. Understand?"
Jayden slowly nodded.
"Second, you must stay with me at all times. Just go where I go. Third. Do not talk about anything you see with anyone else. That includes your friends, family, or any strangers you meet in person or online."
"But how am I supposed to tell anyone about the cool stuff I see?"
"That's the neat part. You don't."
This tour was starting to lose more and more mojo with each rule.
"Fourth." Gelimer continued. "All usage of digital devices for video recording and photography are strictly prohibited. Speaking of such." The professor reached into both of Jayden's pants pockets pulling out an I-Phone from the left one.
"Hey! You could have just asked you know."
"May I have your phone for the duration of the tour?" Gelimer asked.
"You already took it."
"Thank you." Gelimer answered anyway. "Don't worry, I'll return this when we conclude our tour. No hard feelings Jayden, I just can't risk any pictures or detailed evidence of private information being leaked. Finally, and most importantly there's rule five. Don't. Touch. Anything." He emphasized each word with a finger poking Jayden's chest.
"You already said that."
"All the better so you don't forget it. Just follow these rules and we'll have no problems." Gelimer said. "Do you understand?"
"Yes sir, I'll behave myself".
"All right, let's go." Gelimer announced.
"Step aside." A woman in a US military outfit with black shades said without an ounce of concern as she pushed Jayden aside.
"Ngh…" Jayden made a sound as he fell to the floor. He watched the woman's ponytail swish side to side as she ignored him, picking up her pace once she got inside.
"Good morning, Irene." Gelimer called out to her. The woman presumed to be Irene didn't give any reply and walked until she was out of sight. "Forgive her, she's very dedicated to her job. But deep deep deep down, she is a..." What was a word that meant nice but less than nice? "A person." Gelimer settled on.
"I still want an apology."
Do you wish to file a complaint at H.R? We can spend the day there instead of touring the facility."
"But… Never mind." He wasn't gonna let one bad encounter ruin his day. "Can I see the IS related stuff now?"
"Yes, yes you may, lets commence the tour." He led Jayden into the facility. With Gelimer taking the lead, the boy followed along for a behind-the-scenes look at the development of the IS. Past the doors led into a well-maintained lobby. It wasn't too fancy, but the hard tile pattern floor and casual look of the place made it seem like it wasn't as interesting as the place actually was. Gelimer slipped a keycard into some sort of reader and the doors to an IS wonderland opened.
/-/
Gelimer believed that a strong start was always important to anything. How well the beginning of something went was often an indication of what followed. So, what better way to begin an IS related tour than with an IS itself? That's how Jayden and Gelimer found themselves inside an indoor arena.
It was a much smaller arena compared to the ones typically used for standard IS sports matches, about the size of a school gymnasium. With a ceiling there wasn't even too much room to fly about without getting close to a wall.
That didn't seem to bother the two IS units with very similar designs going at it with swords.
"Ever been this close to the action?" Gelimer asked.
Jayden was so focused on the fight in front of him that the best he could do was shake his head. The closest Jayden ever got to watching an IS was behind a computer screen. And here he was close enough to hear the metal of swords clashing against each other.
Clang clang clang clang clang
The sound of metal against metal filled the arena with neither IS unit giving an inch. One IS unit threw a punch sending the other staggering back. In retaliation the second unit pulled out some sort of gun from a holster attached to its side.
At that point, Jayden realized three important facts.
"Hey Gelimer?"
One. They were in real close proximity to an IS battle take place in a small arena.
"Hmm?"
Two. The gun that IS was using was pointing at both the opposing IS and both men behind it.
"Should we be this close to a battle with no protection?"
Three. The only thing between them and the IS was a metal guard rail and a whole lot of air.
Jayden's eyes grew wide while Gelimer didn't seem the least bit threatened. Even when the bullets flew and the IS evaded Gelimer didn't so much as flinch as the trail was approaching.
"LOOK OUT!"
Jayden dove to the ground just as the sound of several gunshots came and left. The boy kept his ears covered until the sound finally ceased. He could already picture his tour guide becoming a good metaphor for Swiss cheese.
"Is it comfy down there on the floor?"
Jayden's eyes bolted up.
"Gelimer? You're alive!"
"Should I not be?"
"But… you… and bullets!" Jayden reached out to emphasis only for his hand to be stopped short by… something? It was strange in that he couldn't put it into words. It was invisible except when touched, becoming transparent. Otherwise, he'd have no idea it was even there.
"Heh. You didn't think we'd let people watch IS units this close if there were no safety precautions, did you? When IS units engage in combat, we have an energy barrier set up to make sure everything stays inside the arena. You'll find energy barriers like this where IS units train."
"So that's why you weren't worried about being close."
"That's right. Keep your eyes on the battle Jayden. It seems we've reached the climax."
Eventually the barrage of bullets ceased firing. With her enemy having to reload, the first pilot skated across the paved ground, jumping over her enemy. Before there was enough time to react, a slash to the back cut through the remaining shield energy. An alarm sound blared out signaling the end of the fight.
Both men applauded for both combatants, Jayden's much louder and wild compared to Gelimer's calmer applause.
The two women stepped out of there is units to shake hands for the match. One heading towards the exit while the winner remained to greet the newcomers. This woman couldn't be called anything less than beautiful. Her blonde flowing hair, ocean blue eyes, and
"Afternoon Gelimer." She greeted. "You finally found a new assistant?"
"No. I'm still trying to get someone fill that role after the seventh assistant left."
"Eighth," She corrected.
Had it really been that many? Gelimer was sure he was keeping count. It wasn't his fault they left because of petty reason like "This is too much for one person" or "What do you mean this counts as an internship?" Getting to work under a brilliant genius like him was worth payment in gold.
"Anyway. This is Jayden, a big fan of the IS who I'm giving a tour as a favor for a friend.
"Is she okay?"
Gelimer winced. A wrong gender assumption. Gelimer squinted his eyes bracing for an outburst that never came.
"…"
"Jayden?"
Gelimer waved his hand in front of him to get no response. He was like a deer caught in headlights just staring at the woman.
"Jayden, this is Natasha Fairs." Gelimer introduced. "She's apart of our IS training team who helps live test IS units and weapons once they've come along far enough in development."
"Nice to meet you Jayden," The woman greeted.
Jayden's entire body shook as he tried to decide what he should do and what he should say. A hot woman with a skin-tight IS pilot outfit was talking to him. His eyes widened and his lips quivered.
"Yes, I'm Jayden!"
Right then, right there, he'd never wished for a distraction
"Ha ha, it's fine." The blonde woman laughed. Either she ignored or didn't notice his blunder which was fine with him. "You must be really fond of the Infinite Stratos to want to be here."
Jayden smiled. "That's right. I'm a huge fan of the Infinite Stratos."
Even while he talked, Natasha realized he wasn't staring at her, rather what was behind her.
"You wanna touch the IS?"
"Can I?"
Gelimer shrugged. He didn't mind. "Knock yourself out."
Without delay he placed both hands on an IS. Best day ever. And maybe… just maybe… He continued with his hands on the Infinite Stratos
Nothing happened.
Jayden's head fell to the floor.
"Don't feel too down Jayden. You aren't the first to try, and I guarantee you won't be the last." Gelimer places his own hand on the IS unit. Just like before the IS didn't react.
It's not that he hadn't expected the IS to respond to him. He knew enough about the Infinite Stratos to know that it wouldn't active when a man tried to use it. And yet, just a small part of him hoped that somehow, he would be an exception. "I just… thought that maybe I'd be different. It's stupid I know…"
"It's not stupid." Natasha said.
"What?"
"It's not stupid." She repeated louder this time. She lifted up his head, having his eyes look into hers. "I think it's kinda cool."
"C-Cool…?""
"Yeah, You seem pretty dedicated to the IS. Know how I know? That look in your eye. I saw the way you looked at us while battling, you didn't take your eyes off us. You wanted to pilot an IS because that's how dedicated to it you are. You seem like the type who wants to use the IS for more than just fighting.
Jayden scratched the side of his cheek. "I'd like to someday, even if I can't pilot an IS."
"There's more to the IS than just piloting," Gelimer added. "Designers, analysts, researchers, manufacturing, and much more that goes into the IS. And that's just for creating one. Who knows, you could be the best IS researcher in the world. Well… second to me anyway."
"Even if you can't pilot an IS, you could be the one who makes it possible for others to use the IS in other fields. And if you get started early enough, you'll have a huge head start compared to many others."
"I… didn't think of it like that. Thanks." Jayden scratched his cheek which was now bright red. Now there was a hint of a smile on his face.
"Of course, that all depends on how you use that drive to work towards what you want to do. Who knows? Maybe one day you and I will be working together." She flashed him a smile. "Bye Jayden."
"Bye Natasha!"
"Come along Jayden," Gelimer said. "We've got a lot more to see that I just know you'll love."
Just because the tour started strong didn't mean the rest of it would be weak. Gelimer would make sure of that.
/-/
Jayden followed Prof. Gelimer through many of facilities located in the IS research development center. It was amazing how so many people had gathered in one place to create the machinery, weapons, and other devices that future pilots may one day use. The place was full of developments like the IS design stations where the outer frames of IS's were designed and the finance department where budgets were created and approved for certain facilities to use. Not to mention the place itself was massive as it was about the size of a sports stadium. Gelimer lead Jayden through the building making sure to show every important room that he could think of.
"And here we have our weapons development lab, where we create and test in theory future weapons to modify IS units." He led Jayden over to a computer screen where a digital IS was shooting a multi-barrage gun at a target. The target of the barrage was reduced to pixelated dust as numbers flooded the screen displaying results of the simulation. "A weapon like that could tear through a person like a hot knife through butter".
"Sounds deadly." Jayden remarked. "But if you wanted accurate results, why not just build the weapon and try it out in a real-life scenario?"
"That would be the best action to gather data, however it would take large amounts of time and wealth to create everything needed. Not to mention the ammunition and materials to build what we wanna try out in the first place. If we wanted to adjust the weapon to try out different parameters, that'd be even more material and time to get results. This way we can input the variables and get at the very least, close to the same data we would get otherwise."
"So, it's to save money?" Jayden tried to summarize.
Gelimer snapped his finger. "Bingo. While we have funding, we're not made of money. It's best to test our weapons and ideas with digital simulations. We can't just build the weapon, test it, and keep taking it apart over and over"
"Speaking of weapons, what about energy-based weapons? Like lasers, plasma cannons, and particle beams. The kinds of weapons you find in anime." Jayden looked excited, hoping to see a futuristic weapon.
"We don't have any of those here, and in terms of practically they're less useful than standard weapons. Lasers and such will need a power source to draw the energy from to work and can bring strain upon the IS if too many are used or if something went wrong." Gelimer explained.
Weapons and things like that sounded good paper but the trouble and resources to make those dreams into reality just weren't worth it unless you were committed to the effort.
"It would've been cool though" Jayden sighed.
"Indeed, it would've."
Jayden looked over the rest of the simulations being ran on the computer screens. Each screen had some sort of target being blasted or slashed to little virtual pieces before restarting one more. All except one, however. The last one however wasn't doing anything to the targets, rather it was the target itself. No matter how many times it got blasted or slashed, it remained in one piece.
"What's this thing? The weapons aren't destroying it."
"Oh, that's on purpose. It's a special project I'm working on. What you're looking at is my latest simulated work. An impenetrable shield designed to withstand any harm that comes the user's way. "
"A shield? Isn't that the opposite of a weapon?" Weapons were made to hurt people. Shields did the opposite of that.
"Depends on how you use it. Haven't you heard? A good offense is a good defense. If everything goes well, this'll be the main weapon of a special IS unit."
Jayden figured he'd rather have an offense but to each their own. The two carried on as Gelimer took Jayden down another hallway, towards whatever the next destination was.
The two continued through the building as Gelimer talked about the history of the facility and his recent accomplishments. Jayden followed along, half paying attention to whatever Gelimer was saying as he studied the environment. The hallways seemed to blend into one another with walls, windows, doors, ceilings, giant metal door, more windows, plants, and signs.
Jayden backtracked a few feet to that giant metal door.
"Hey Gelimer, what's this place?" Jayden asked, pointing at the giant strange metal door. It looked much more fortified compared to other areas Jayden had seen so far. The door looked reinforced and there appeared to be a keycard slider to open it up. It almost seemed like a vault with how fortified the thing was. There'd be no getting past that without the right keycard.
"This area is under the jurisdiction of yours truly. It's where I do my most important work."
"It must be important then. So, what's in it?"
"That's classified."
"Not even a little hint."
"Let's just say it will change the world."
"Oh, come on! You can't just say something like this will change the world and leave me on a cliffhanger. I'm going to be thinking about this all day. You have to tell me, pretty please?" He got on his knees and grabbed onto Gelimer's lab coat to beg.
The man closed his eyes as though he was considering it.
"Only the number one scientist could have something truly amazing in the works, right?" He cupped his hands together, pleading to hear secrets. "I won't tell anyone, I swear!"
"Well…Ah what the heck, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you a little bit. But what I'm about to tell you doesn't reach anyone else's ears understand?" Jayden made a motion to seal his lips and threw away what seemed to be an imaginary key. "Behind this door is a new type of IS prototype. With third generation models rising in popularity, I've developed my own IS to allow us to showcase America's might. Best of all, it was done by yours truly from start to finish. However, it still has a lot of tests and updates that need to be performed but give or take a few years and the world will recognize me as the greatest IS inventor. GAHAHAHA!" He laughed out that last bit to the heavens.
Gelimer laughed wildly as Jayden stood there. The professor may… okay he really was a little off in the head, but the man knew how to draw someone's attention. Gelimer reached into his pocket, taking out what appeared to be a keycard. He spun it around on his finger for added flare. It was probably the keycard one needed to open the door.
"So about me seeing it…" Jayden asked.
"Oh, heck no. Sorry kid, but that area is off limits. Please understand, I can't take any risks or leaks getting out."
"But-"
"My answer is no and that's final."
Jayden folded his arms with a pouting face.
"Now then." Gelimer said. "Next up on the tour is- "
BOOM!
The whole facility shook with an explosion erupting in the distance. Immediately red lights flashed throughout the facility while a warning alarm went off all throughout the building. Whatever they were holding dropped to the floor from the sudden scare.
"Is this supposed to be happening?" Jayden yelled over the warning sirens. In the movies he always wondered why they made alarms way louder than they needed to be. Now he realized why, to make sure everyone heard them. You'd have to be deaf and/or dead not to hear these things.
Gelimer pulled out a phone from his lab coat pocket. He scrolled through his device to stare for a few seconds before putting it away.
"Jayden."
"WHAT?" The boy yelled.
"Here's the rundown, somethings gone wrong, and I need to go check on it. I don't know how long I'll be gone. Just… stay safe and go hide somewhere. I'll send security to look for you once things have settled down. Don't do anything stupid."
"WHAT?"
He could see Gelimer talking but he could make out every third or so word with those alarms blaring. And once he was finished talking, Gelimer just up and ran off to do whatever he was doing.
Whatever was going on, Jayden needed to get out of here. Before he could turn
It was a key card. The same keycard Gelimer had been using all day.
Jayden looked at the door, then back to the keycard and repeated the process a few more times. The latest in IS technology was just beyond there. Even through the alarms he could hear that metal door whispering his name, tempting him to open it. A peek couldn't hurt. Just a little one, right?
One swipe and the door's lights switched from red to green.
/-/
What laid beyond the metal door was a large stairway that probably went underground if Jayden guessed right. Some dimly lit light bulbs illuminated the path below until he got to a room. There was a bunch of machinery around with blinking lights which Jayden had no clue what they did.
What he did know about though was the singular computer with multiple monitors attached to it. Beyond all of that was a large red curtain that hid a section of the area. They flickered enough that they should've been changed a long time ago. Jayden steadily moved deeper inside, stepping over papers and snack wrappers scrambled about on the floor to check out the computer's screen.
"Day XX, Project ISAI passed basic initiation tests. Improvements made since its first debut have been vast to prevent. Having to start from square one took much longer than expected. While movement was achieved, forms of combat couldn't be utilized without severe damage to systems. More work will be required. Main weapons have yet to be added, rather than provide an offensive weapon such as a firearm or sharp-edged attacker like most units, I've opted to go for a more defensive approach. Despite the pushback to reconsider, I'm continuing with my idea that a stronger defense can lead to an even greater offensive power. More time will be needed to make this a reality but it everything goes as planned with a change in shift, a greater power can be created. That's what I'm hoping for."
It was a lot of words to read through. And it seemed to go on and on with no end in sight.
Jayden moved on to the other point of interest in the room. If school plays taught him anything, all the behind the scenes occurred beyond the curtain. Without delay he reached out and pulled them back.
What lie in front of him was a genuine IS unit… Maybe? At least, that's what it looked like.
It was a grey colorless unit, yet it looked different from any of the IS's Jayden had ever seen before. It was much bulkier compared to the IS's he saw at the training center. This IS had an arm and leg length that looked to be heavily armored in the front area. There wasn't much anything blocking the joints or covering them making its limbs seem thin.
It was the second time he'd gotten this close to an IS in the same day, but that didn't make it any less amazing to him.
Jayden leaned in for a closer look at the machine. For a brief instant it began to glow. Caught off guard he stepped back, the glow fading to nothing as he did. The closer he got, the more it glowed and vice-versa.
He wasn't sure if this was a thing IS's did. It hadn't happened to the one he touched earlier today but he knew for sure it was definitely him making this reaction one last test, he moved his hand to place it upon the IS. The machine glowed with a faint glimmer then grew brighter and brighter.
"What are you doing here?"
Jayden's head whipped around to the voice behind him. There a woman in a military uniform wearing dark shades. The same one who knocked him over earlier today. While her eyes were hidden, her lips were positioned in a straight line.
"I'm here to…. uh…. hide? Yeah! I'm hiding cause the alarms are going off."
"Because you set them off?"
"No! I mean… they were going off before I got here."
"Right…" She didn't seem too convinced, but it looked like she didn't care. "You shouldn't be in here little girl." Instead of escorting him out, the woman was more focused on the IS, inspecting it up close.
"I'm not a girl. I'm a boy!" Jayden glared. "But that's not important. This IS was glowing."
"You better not have broken anything with it."
"I didn't break it. I think. I don't know. It just started glowing when I touched it. Is that supposed to happen when a guy touch one?"
She took a good look at his face, flinching for a moment when she realized the boy was in fact a boy.
Jayden put his hand on the IS, showcasing another glow from the machine before returning his hand.
"JAYDEN!"
The boy almost jumped hearing his name like that. Gelimer stomped forward pulling the boy away from the machine looking livid all the while.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"I-"
"I set up a nice little tour just for you and showed you the latest in IS tech America has to offer. All I asked were to follow a few rules and to go hide till things settles down. And just where do you go? The one place you're not supposed to!"
"You didn't say- "
"Shut it." He cut him off once more. "Do I even want to know which stupid thought you had that made you think this was a good idea? Do I?"
Jayden opened his mouth.
"That was rhetorical! Gods forbid, if you ruined what I've been working on, I swear I will make you regret ever existing." He grabbed the collar of Jayden's shirt, lifting him up a few inches. Jayden appeared too frightened to speak while the professor listed threat after threat.
"Prof. Brighton." The woman spoke. "I was the one who brought him down here." Both men turned towards the female military personal. "With the alarms going on, I thought it would be best to bring him in here due to the labs fire suppression system. It was the safest place for him to be given the current situation."
Gelimer couldn't believe she thought to do this while Jayden couldn't believe she was lying for him
"Jayden, step outside for a moment, I need to have a chat". He released his collar and let him go step outside to leave them alone.
Gelimer brought a hand to his face. "Sorry you had to see me like that. I lost my cool for a moment."
Don't worry. You couldn't lose what you never had. But did you see what happened here professor?" She asked.
Gelimer arched an eyebrow. "Let me guess. Jayden broke or deleted something in here? I'll take care of it." He turned to leave until the woman firmly grasped the back of his lab coat.
"Not quire. There's something you need to know. It's about the child that you yelled at. Specifically, about what he just did".
He slammed his palm into his face, resisting the urge to do something very illegal to Jayden. "What else did he do? I swear if he broke something…."
As she explained in detail what happened, Gelimer's eyes widened. His eyes turned from her to the unfinished IS in the back of the room.
"He really did that?"
"That's what he said he did." She added.
Gelimer paused, looking back over at the unfinished IS. A plan forming in his head as he clapped both hands together.
This was just what he needed.
/-/
"Keep calm Jayden, just keep calm. I'm sure everything will be ok in the end."
No matter how much he told himself to do so, keeping calm wasn't something he could do right now. Jayden paced back and forth across the hallway outside the metal door.
Did he break some rules? Yes… but he'd done so under the instruction of the boss of this place. Gelimer has probably aid to hide, and that was a thing he did. And he just hid behind the giant metal door which was probably the most secure place in the building. Yeah, that could work. It wasn't like Gelimer said not to touch the secret IS behind the curtain. Plus, he was only 13. Kids that age don't go to jail. A court of law would probably…
A court of law…-
Jayden blinked.
Who was he kidding? This is a government owned facility; that means these guys were the law. Anything they said goes. If they wanted him in a prison, they'd get him in one. He could already hear the gavel pounding into wood with the word guilty echoing in his head.
Deep breathes, Jayden thought. Take deep breathes. Everything will be okay.
"Jayden."
Never mind. I'm dead.
Gelimer approached the boy, standing in front of him with his arms folded and an unreadable expression on his face.
"I know what I did was wrong but I'm so sorry. Please don't arrest or kill me! I have too much to live for!" Jayden begged.
"I'm not-"
"I mean it! I can't go to jail. Look at me!" He emphasized those sticks he called his arms. "I won't survive a week- No wait. A day in the big house!"
"I'm not-" Gelimer tried to interrupt.
"I'm serious. People do really bad things to others in jail. Do you know what happens when someone drops the soap? Do you? Cause I don't! My mom never lets me watch those movies. I don't know what happens and I don't wanna find out."
"I'm not-"
"How about this? Just give me to my dad and he'll ground me for the five years? Does that sound good? I think it's good. Please just don't-"
Gelimer shoved his palm in Jayden's mouth to hit. the mute button. "Just follow me Jayden." He led him back into the room in front of the IS unit.
"Do the thing you did earlier." Gelimer ordered.
"What?"
"The important thing you did."
"Disobey you?"
Gelimer's hand slapped his forehead. "IS. Touch. Now."
Oh yeah. Jayden once again placed his hand on the IS. At first it glowed faintly then brightened over time to where it glowed as though one were activating an IS.
"Heh heh heh…" Gelimer began chuckling. Softly like a quiet whisper that grew slowly in volume.
"Um…. Are you all right Prof. Brighton?" Jayden asked.
His laughter had grown louder to the point he was looking up at the ceiling with his hands raised. "All right? Oh I'm better than all right! I've done it, I've done it! Not only is my new IS type nearing completion but I've managed to find a pilot that's also a male. Just think of the press coverage and attention I'll get for this! I should thank the gods for this achievement. No what am I saying? I should be thanking me! Talk shows, textbooks, medals of honor! Oh, I can see it now." He continued his self-praise and gloating and didn't show any signs of stopping.
"Thanks for covering for me…. Uh…" Jayden remembered the face, but not the name.
"Irene."
"Irene." He held out his hand for a shake which Irene left hanging.
Meanwhile Gelimer continued to gloat now talking something about the pinnacle of perfection and more about becoming number one. This continued for a few more minutes and he didn't show any signs of stopping.
"Does he always do that?" Jayden pointed to Gelimer who was pointing to the roof, continuing his rant on how he was the greatest.
"Unfortunately."
"You!" Gelimer pointed his index finger at Irene. "You've just been promoted to my new assistant."
"Do I get a raise?"
"Yes."
"Deal."
"I normally interview my new assistants before I officially hire them. However, I have a lot more work to do now so let's make this quick." He pulled out some cards from a drawer in his deck and cleared his throat. "Hello, I'm Gelimer. What's your name? Where are you from? What are your skills? Wow, that might be impressive". He spoke faster and faster trying to rush through it, dropping the cards as he finished reading off them. "Question, question question… and thank you. Congratulations, you're now promoted to be new my assistant Irene."
There were tales of how Gelimer would hire people on the spot, she just didn't expect them to be actually true. But hey, not like she was gonna turn this down.
Gelimer was having a good day. He got to fill in the vacant assistant position and he found a pilot which he could use. If he hadn't already pinched himself, he would've sworn he'd been dreaming.
"Jayden, earlier today you expressed a desire to be an IS pilot. How would you like ot be one?"
"The IS responded to your touch. That means you can pilot it. Or should be able to at least."
"But earlier the IS unit didn't do anything when I touched it. Why's this one doing it?"
"Must be your compatibility level?"
"My what?"
"I'll explain that another time. Do you wanna be an IS pilot or not?"
Yes, or no? The answer was obvious.
"Of course!" Jayden answered without delay. "Let's get started!"
Gelimer locked a hand on his should before he could take another step forward.
"Hold on there speedy, that IS is still in development and isn't ready for testing" Gelimer walked in front of Jayden. "It's good you want to get started right away, but you have to learn how to crawl before you can walk".
"Then let me get in and let's get started". Another hand clamped down on his shoulder keeping him in place, this time it was from Irene.
"Do you know about thing about the IS outside of sporting?" Irene asked him. "How it works? The types of weapons? The components? The absolute defense? The forms of an IS?" Jayden was more and more confused as she listed topic after topic. "Do you even know how an IS takes flight?".
Jayden's brain fizzled.
"I'll take that look on your face as a no." Gelimer answered. "Not that it matters since you couldn't use this IS even if you wanted to." Gelimer gestured. "The reason it looks so strange is because it isn't fully developed yet. I kept it down here to work on it in private. But I can help you. How would you like to run some tests with me? We can teach you all you need to know about the IS and you'll be able to test-fly my latest invention. What do you say Jayden? Wanna be a part of Team Gelimer?"
"I'm in!"
This was going to be so awesome!
/-/
This was so boring.
"B… Y…. G…. no wait that's a J."
Jayden read out loud the letters on an eye chart about 20 feet away while Irene kept one of his eyes covered.
"Actually, that last one was an S." Gelimer scribbled down on his clipboard. "I've seen enough, it's safe to assume your eyesight is average, you should have no problems with vision when piloting the IS."
Jayden perked up at the sound of the word IS
"Does that mean-"
"No Jayden, not yet but very soon," Gelimer answered.
Jayden groaned into his hands. Every time he asked if today the day was, he could get inside the IS, it always ended with a no. For a month they did nothing but teach him through lectures and perform physical exams.
"Professor with all due respect, all we've done is perform basic tests on Jayden's physical health, mental health, and his synchronization rate with the IS." Irene chimed in. "Not to mention the physical-checkup".
Jayden shuddered at the memory and cupped his crotch. Gelimer wanted to be 120% sure Jayden was in fact a natural born male. This included interviews, background checks on family history, and a physical that got way too uncomfortable. In the end Gelimer was convinced Jayden was indeed a guy and not a girl in disguise. Something he could've told him without effort.
Irene patted Jayden's shoulder to comfort him as recalled the horrid event. "Wouldn't it be more beneficial to have him pilot the IS for better data rather than use simulations?"
"That is true, however we have to be certain that he is in top form. Not to mention, the IS needs some more work before it is ready for a field test. I wouldn't want my specimen… I mean Pilot! To get hurt, now, would I?"
"I'm sorry. Could you repeat that?"
"No. And all I can say is we can begin the IS testing soon."
Jayden was pretty sure he and Gelimer had different definitions of soon. "So that was the last test today?"
"That's right." Gelimer confirmed. "I'll update your health physical and get things ready for tomorrow. Not to give any spoilers but…. I hope you like running and electrodes."
Translation. No IS tomorrow.
"Woo-hoo..." Jayden cheered with the energy of a dead skunk.
/-/
A month had passed with Jayden performing experiments and exercises with Gelimer and Irene. Every day after school Jayden would be picked up by Irene to take him to the IS research facility. They continued testing his reactions with the IS unit while also teaching him the fundamental basics about the IS.
If anyone was curious why a middle school student was coming so often to a government IS research facility
While Jayden was showing results Gelimer still refused to let him pilot the IS, citing it wasn't ready yet and that it would be soon. Until…
"You really mean it! I'm actually going to pilot the IS today!" Jayden was bouncing in the shotgun seat of the jeep. Next to him in the driver's seat Irene drove the vehicle through some rocky terrain, smiling quite wider than usual.
After weeks of IS preparation training, Irene had announced today would be the first field test training.
"That's right kid. Today we'll be testing your flight skills in your new IS."
Finally! Jayden was starting to think Gelimer was never going to let him touch an IS again at the rate they were going. And speaking of Gelimer, the man wasn't with them.
"If we're doing the first test flight, should Gelimer be here?" When it came to the IS, Gelimer refused to even let it leave his sight when Jayden was around. "Shouldn't he be here to record this and take notes or something?"
"He's busy today."
"Busy with what?"
Irene shrugged. "He wanted us to go through your IS training so that's what we're doing. We just gotta get there."
And that led to Jayden's next question. "Why are we going so far anyway? Couldn't we just use the practice field?"
"…"
"Irene?"
"It's under renovations." She quickly said.
"Renovations?"
It looked fine when he walked by it yesterday. Something about this didn't seem right. One by one Jayden continued to point out every consistency he noticed. With every question Jayden asked, Irene looked to be losing just a bit more of her patience to the point where she started giving one-word answers and muffled grunts. Eventually Irene brought the car to a sudden halt, almost sending Jayden flying if not for the seatbelt.
"Look, I don't have all the answers." Irene admitted. "I'm just doing this on Gelimer's orders. But if you would rather play 20 questions, I can take us back to the facility and get your answers. I'm sure Gelimer would be thrilled to delay your IS debut a few more months for health exams or some nonsense."
That worked in shutting Jayden up.
They drove until arrived in the middle of an open rocky field. It was deserted with no one presumably around for miles. The place Irene picked out looked pretty much the same as the other dirt road they'd driven by for about an hour. When he pointed that out, Irene just ignored him and left the vehicle. Prompting Jayden to follow.
"This spot will do for testing. Are you ready for your IS Jayden?"
He swore he never heard sweeter words before. "I've been ready for months! So…. Where is it?"
"Are you familiar with the stand-by form of an IS?"
"Stand-by form?" He remembered Gelimer going over it with him, but he couldn't remember exactly what it was. "That's when an IS isn't in it's true form right?"
"Close. When an IS isn't in use, it can take the form of a small object for easier transportation." Irene explained. "Most IS's take the form of small trinket or decoration for convenience. Okay. hold out your hand." Jayden did as instructed. Irene got down on one knee pulling out what a golden ring from her pocket. Taking his hand, she put it on his ring finger. "I now pronounce you, IS Pilot."
Jayden stared dumbfounded at his finger.
"What the heck is this?"
"That Jayden. Is commonly referred to as a ring."
"I can see that, so what the heck is this?"
"Your IS. In standby form" Irene repeated. It was like she was saying words but in a way that didn't make sense to him. With a few repeats he finally accepted what he was given and told.
"A ring! My IS is a ring!" Jayden's mouth hung down trying to piece together what his eyes were seeing. A piece of jewelry usually worn by women was the stand-by form for his IS unit. Irene was doing her best to contain her laughter and failing at that. "Why the heck is it a ring? Why did Gelimer design it like this? I want a new one!"
Irene was laughing out loud, slightly hunched over.
"D-Don't be like that-t" Irene managed to speak out in-between giggles. "I'm sorry, I'm trying not to laugh but…." Her body gave in to bend over with one knee on the ground, the same position one would assume when proposing another's hand in marriage. "If the IS training doesn't work out, I'm sure you'd make a great house husband."
The dam burst open release a flood of uncontrollable laughter. Jayden wanted to do nothing more than crawl in a hole and hide forever.
"A-All right." She wiped a tear from her eye. "Now let's start with deploying your IS Unit. You remember how to do that right?"
"Yup. Concentrate and focus only on your IS. It also helps if you call out your IS's name".
Jayden spoke what Gelimer had instructed him on. Jayden struck a pose, pointing his ring ringer to the sky. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out.
"Is there a problem."
"Um… what's the name of this IS?"
"Have you not been paying attention?" Irene sighed. If this worked out, she'd only have to deal with this idiocy for a little longer. "The name of your unit is Edel Gleam."
"Edel Gleam? What the heck does that mean?" A foreign language? A name of something historic. Someone famous?
Irene shrugged her shoulders. She hadn't cared enough to ask about the origins of the name. Gelimer could've call it "Zippy Doogeyburg" for all she cared.
"I don't hate it, but I was hoping…" He touched his fingers together. "I could name the IS?"
"Did you have something in mind?"
"You wanna know!?"
"No."
"I was thinking something awesome and flashy that would leave people in awe. Like Red Tiger or Berserker. Pretty cool huh?"
More like pretty stupid. "You can discuss the naming issue with Gelimer later. Now let's begin the test deployment"
Jayden rose his ring finger up once more, clearing out his mind on everything except the IS on his finger. "Edel Gleam!"
A bright glow enveloped Jayden as he felt the metal of the IS appear and clamped onto his body. The legs were colored a teal green in the front and white in the back, with the sides of them appearing heavily armored. The arms were thin and decently long. They were colored yellow and cyan with the hands being all black. A greenish metal bar clamped over Jayden's chest, other than that there was nothing else on his body.
"I did it? I did it!" Jayden said loudly but not yelling. When he moved his arm, the arm of the IS move with him. Same for the leg and any other part he moved. The boy had jumped up onto cloud nine. A machine someone like him that never should be able to make an IS respond "Are you seeing this Irene! I'm a guy and I'm moving an IS." He stumbled around the field trying to get use to walking. It pretty similar to regular walking but with longer limbs.
"Yes, I'm seeing it. I'm happy for you. Moving on, you should be able to check on the status of your IS, give it a try." Irene told him. Jayden followed her advice as he looked down at a holo-screen displaying the status of his IS, everything seemed normal according to the system.
"Hey, wait, where are the weapons?" Every IS unit needed to have some sort of weapon equipped. And if not, then it really should've. He scrolled over to his weapon slots, and there were four in total. Three were blank but one had something in it. A familiar shape that Jayden couldn't recall but swore he saw before. No matter what he tried whatever this thing was wouldn't materialize. "What gives?"
"Maybe the IS needs more time to get it ready?" Irene gave her best explanation. "This is its first deployment after all."
"Seriously! I was really looking forward to blowing up rocks and stuff." Okay so hitting or shooting was out of the question for now. What else could the IS do again? Oh right! Fly!
Of the many basics Gelimer taught him, how to fly was not one of them.
While Jayden hopped like kangaroo trying to take flight, Irene leaned her head against her arm. Overall, the IS seemed mostly ready. It was deployable from a stand-by form and if Jayden was any indication the thing was just about complete.
The only question was whether to act now or wait a bit longer.
"Aghh!" Jayden face planted his IS into the ground below. "I'm okay…"
Nevermind. Now was good enough.
Irene looked at a device on her wrist. "Jayden, is everything okay?" Irene called out. A holo-screen came out from her communication device as she typed on it. "There appears to be something wrong with your IS, is everything all right?".
"What!?"
Jayden frantically looked over the status of his IS from his own holo-screen. The status screen listed everything as functional. He double checked to make sure but according to the IS, there were no damage or problems.
"Are you sure? It seems fine to me."
"Then it could be an internal problem or a glitch perhaps". She paused for a moment. "Anyway, you better come over and let me take a look just to be safe."
It was the first time heard ever heard Irene sound worried. Jayden deactivated the IS, not accounting for his newfound height being lost with the IS vanishing, he fell on the ground, leaving a another reminded her existed on the dirt. Once he finished brushing the dirt off himself, he removed the ring and handed it over to Irene.
"Thank you" She pocketed the ring and her eyes narrowed on Jayden. "I must thank you Jayden. It took a long time to make this happen, but you made this so much easier."
"You're welcome? I mean I have been studying a lot."
"That's not what I meant."
Without warning, Irene delivered a sucker punch right to Jayden's face, knocking him to the ground on his butt.
"What the heck was that for!?" He gripped the impacted area, trying to sooth the pain.
"Therapy. Karma. Joy." Irene listed. "Take your pick, I just needed it to relieve the stress I got thanks to you."
"Geez you didn't have to-"
There were many things that could make a person go speechless. A gun pointed at someone would fit that category.
"Shut up. I swear you're the most annoying kid I've ever met." Irene aimed her pistol right at his his head.
"I-Irene?" On instinct he rose both hands straight up.
She made no reply.
Jayden's breathing hastened as he tried to comprehend what was going on. He was out alone in the middle of nowhere with someone he swore he trusted one minute ago now pointing a gun at him. He'd been told from a very young age not to go off with strangers. Sure Irene and him weren't exactly the best of friends but he figured she liked him enough to at least not shoot him.
A joke! This had to be a joke.
"Okay Irene, you got me. Jokes over. That's probably not even a real-"
BANG
A bullet whizzed past Jayden's head burrowing itself into the ground behind him. He followed the hole in the ground all the way to the smoking pistol in Irene's again.
"Oops. My finger slipped. Piss me off again and see what happens."
"W-what do you want!?"
"Two things. The first I already have." She shot a quick glance to the ring in her pocket. And the second is you Jayden."
"Me? What do you want with-"?
"You're a boy who can pilot an IS."
Oh right…
"You won't get away with this."
Irene ignored the cliche line and closed her eyes to focus. She became enveloped in a flash of light originating from the clip on her hair. An IS materialized onto her, it appeared to be a bulky unit in multiple shades of black with long extended arms. On the back of it were dual thrusters that resembled like a jetpack, yet it floated behind her. The outer armor was thing except for the arms which looked heavily fortified.
"An IS?!" This had to be a nightmare. Nothing was making sense. Why was Irene doing this? Where did she get an IS? Was he going to die? What did he do to deserve this? Too many questions, not enough answers.
She floated above Jayden, blocking out part of the sun and enveloping Jayden in her shadow. Smiling menacingly at him. Jayden wanted to run but his body was frozen in terror, Jayden couldn't do anything as the IS curled its fingers around him, grasping his body in one hand.
She lifted him up to her face, staring him eye to eye.
"Now be a good little boy and stay quiet."
The world sped by as Irene flew off with Jayden in tow.
Keep your sense of wonder everybody, see you next time.