On a room deep beneath the surface, somewhere deep below Old Berlin, a woman walked towards a particular door. Opening it she found her goal. A brown-haired woman was staring at a screen, mumbling to herself at the result displayed.
"…So, its RNA mutation begins here, and then… these proteins…" The woman was absently tapping at the screen, and the newcomer had to clear her throat to call her friend to attention. The Bioengineer shifted her focus form the screen to her friend and smiled. "Ah, Naoko, you're here. Did you get the results already?"
Naoko smiled. "Yui, you know how fast they are, better than anyone else. I designed them myself."
Yui gave a sheepish smile. "Yeah, sorry. But what do they say?"
"Well, you're the Bioengineer, but seeing these things, the only thing I can think of is bioweapon. Its too perfect to be natural. Too refined, I can say."
"Hm, Kyoko told me so too. Said she could almost see computing patterns in the samples."
"Really? Show me the stuff then." Yui passed a tablet to her friend and watched as her expression scrunched cutely in confusion then in amazement and then in terror. "Someone used a biocomputer as a bioweapon?" She said, her mind swirling at the thought of a self-learning virus unleashed in the world.
"The Americans found them in their hospitals a couple days ago, you know, after the attacks."
"Don't tell me, Kyoko was raging at the impossibility of half the stuff we saw in the footage. I mean, giant robots?"
"Well, wasn't there a promising paper from a couple years ago? The one about nanotubes."
"The invested energy to craft any quantity them would make the monetary cost far too great for anyone to afford it, no matter how good it could have been. Same as Starlite back in last century."
"Hoh, yeah. That was a bummer when I read about it in the archives, such potential… wasted…"
"Yes, yes, such a shame. But what happened to the kid? Their thesis was very well thought of."
"Who knows…" Yui pondered but focused back into the screens again. "So, can you see biological circuitry? I thought it was just an anomalous protein…"
"Yeah, its faint, but you can see it here and here… notice how it keeps creating these other proteins? And then another part over there changes them to RNA? But how it's different from the one coming before? And how these cells are growing? Its learning, like an AI or something…" Naoko kept pointing and their voices faded as the two scientists kept talking and lost themselves in their fields.
In another place deeper into the complex, a woman was explaining someone else's ward about the intricacies of classified research. "You know, even knowing how shitty Yui must be as a parent, you're turning out alright, If I say so myself."
"Thank you Doctor Sohryu, but why wouldn't Professor Yui let me into her new project? She knows I can figure out any problems faster than anyone else."
"Yes, but you have not been authorized. While the labs have been contracted to figure this out, they have specified that only select researchers participate."
"Is this about those attacks going around everywhere?"
"Hm, that much I can tell you. Now, remember our bit about forging? Much like Yui has shown you, Gravity plays a great factor in molecular structure and bonding…"
The Ward's green hair and gloden earring bobbed as she drank all the information, unknowingly, this had already involved her into something much greater for the future. Such was the life in the GEHIRN Labs, former Berlin Gewölbe 3.
Agartha Geofront. Conference room 1. A Week Later.
Seeing the new 'leaders' of the other Geofronts we've been building in other parts of the world. It had been a nightmare managing the logistics and building the things without me being at their location for long. But once we cleared the place, I simply set up the outer walls and then created a few matter-energy converters and then set up how to replicate the structures we had in Agartha.
The places soon reached the ideal depth to replicate the inner area and it was only setting up the lakes and green areas that was left to do. I wanted to send one our EVAs to aid in the excavation but decided against it. We needed them here at Agartha.
So, the 'leaders' had come ahead and presented themselves to the team. Operative KOS-MOS, was a very faithful recreation of the legendary character from Xenosaga. Next to her was Operative T-ELOS looked at her with frown. Knowing they were supposed to be rivals made it easy for me to accept this, but here… "Operatives, welcome to Agartha. Glad to have you back."
Ark, Zea, Watchpoint and the Science Trio were here, along with Yua, Naki, and even White in person. Telos looked at us with a bit of apprehension and adjusted her glasses. "Operative Telos, Acting Commander of Rapture Geofront, reporting."
The blue haired woman next to her kept her face carefully blank. "Operative Kosmos, Acting commander of the Helheim Geofront, Reporting." Her red eyes looked at every one of us, and the uncanny valley almost hit. Her movements robotic but human enough to turn you away from the fact she was a very advanced AI clearly capable of more than this… meagre effort. "As requested, all forces had been evacuated and brought here. Proper integration will begin at once. Main battleship has been surrendered to local command."
"Battleship?"
"SLS Dr. Emmet Brown. Our command battleship."
Our screens were filed with the sight of a monstrosity, a hybrid between Battleship and Aircraft Carrier… I… had no words… ah, it's meant to launch and receive evac ships, not TSFs… even so… "That's… an experimental design?"
"Test-type, yes. We managed to make functional to evacuate. Details are included in the data package."
"Well, glad that you could join us. Lieutenant Fuwa will handle your accommodations. Dismissed." The two saluted and left the room. We all looked at each other and sighed. "While it's nice to have reinforcements, we're about to discuss the preparations for the next operation. Codename, Operation MARIANA TRENCH" I pointed at the center of the table and showed the screen. The now familiar black blot that covered China and Mongolia hadn't grown, but our progressively better scanners revealed more and more about the situation there.
The image shifted and much like thermals, there were differences between the outer borders and the center of the territory. There was the occasional shift as if something was twitching, and that wasn't outside the realm of possibility.
Naki took over. "We have identified different concentrations of Honkai energies here, here and here." She pointed at the locations of Kashgar, Ulaanbaatar and Beijing. "Large parts of the territory are apparently empty, but still flooded with Honkai radiation."
Mei raised her hand. "Ma'am? What about the people?"
Naki had a solemn expression. "Due to the radiation blanketing the territory, we're unable to affirm the existence of survivors."
Everyone kept quiet. In the last Eruptions, we had the chance to fight back and keep people alive despite the destruction. This was the first time we were going to arrive after the bloodbath.
I took word again. "We have finished rearmament efforts and we have now about 30 Infantry companies ready, not including our recent arrivals. 20 Armor Companies and 40 TSF Aerial Regiments complements our ground troops. With the arrival of the SLS Emmet Brown, we now have 5 carriers available along with the 3 Helicarriers." I notified but left the details to the screen. "We begin mobilizing the fleet in 10 days. Now in other news." Another set of data took the screen. "Despite the deployment of Honkai Radiation-sinks similar to what we did in Cuba, the US has formally requested aid in the treatment of AHRS (Acute Honkai Radiation Syndrome). We have received reports that there is an increase of people infected and we perceive a risk that the infection might reach enough people to trigger a Second American Eruption." Images shifted and data from my memories mixed in with what we had found in Cuba and the US. "As of now, the SLS Blue Ridge is formally Headquarters to Operation NIGHTINGALE, we begin deployment of medical and research teams to the affected cities for treatment of AHRS and development of a possible cure. Mei, Tesla and Einstein. You will have field command of the research forces. Operative Kosmos will join you on the ground. Operative Telos will oversee your security detail." We kept discussing the greater details of our deployment for a while.
This was it, Kevin thought, once more to the fray.
So much took his time, and hers too. Mei tried, but any time they had they usually fell asleep next to each other. Their routine was exhausting, but that made them treasure their time together a bit more. They had claimed a nice spot next to the lake that had nice shade.
It was still strange. A lake, underground, where they needed to find shade from the sun above, while sometimes there were storms raging outside. Kevin looked at himself as he donned the new suit that would soon be covered in armor.
He felt strange. As much as he wanted to protect Mei… He wanted to join Watchpoint in their new quest. But Yinsen had pulled him aside after the meeting and given him a choice. He'd chosen to be next to Mei, but part of him still wished to be there with the people he'd been living with for months now. He had seen the data and to him, it looked they would be fighting as soon as they were in range.
Kevin took his Shotriser and slotted it into its holster, on his hip a Tri-shot, and on his back, a Battle Rifle rested on the auxiliary arms. He took a deep breath, before coming out of the armory towards the the strangest scene available in the base.
There was a city on top of the barren island that was over their base. The place was sued for training in urban combat, but right now it served as a massive launching point for their forces. Machines both familiar and unreal were moving around, loading themselves into the Carriers floating serenely on the beach.
TSF's, tanks, helicopters, the transforming jets, everything that could fit was put onto the carriers. Large crated of ammunition were being loaded and more and more soldier formations boarded with unusual efficiency.
Kevin looked at the sky. Despite being a clear day, he felt the roar of the tempest ever so hidden beneath the horizon.
As Steel Locust forces deployed on opposite sides of the world. This time, to the US, it came not bearing that many guns, but instead bringing hope to the medical sector, which was very much overwhelmed by the enormous amounts of people coming in with similar symptoms: Fever, cough, infections, plenty hemorrhages, and a curious scarring pattern that almost shone in the light.
While the world hadn't experienced something since before the war, those that managed to survive it had a growing suspicion that this went beyond an epidemic. Memories of old tales about a certain soviet city began resurfacing thanks to those that still remembered a certain tv series, that while exaggerated in some depictions, conveyed the feelings of those at Chernobyl accurately.
And many had the feeling that something similar was in the making.
I saluted as I watched the Blue Ridge leave port with the science trio and Kevin on board. They would be fine, and the EVAs were on stand-by in case we needed emergency deployments.
Our deployment was going to be much more disturbing soon. I didn't know what happened exactly in this eruption, as this was something that wasn't covered in any Honkai media I had seen. I clenched my fist. From the beginning I already knew the end. But how we reached the end was still up to the air.
As I walked across the deck of the Over the Rainbow, I looked at the assembled fleet. A lot of them were of them were on the Carriers' and Battleships decks and we could very well see each other at the distances we were at. The automated Destroyers were on the outside perimeter, ready to escort the fleet to the new destination. I raised my arms. "CHILDREN OF STEEL! Today we go forth! Not to rescue our brethren! But to avenge it! Lands long fallen call for vengeance against the infection still plaguing them! The Dead call for justice against the invaders! Today we answer that call! With Bolt and Fire!"
The answer was a roar that echoed across the seas. "WITH BOLT AND FIRE!"
The fleet moved blazing fast. I chose not to use the teleporters in orbit, as to not spook whatever had taken residence in the Asian continent. So, by the third day we had Hong Kong visible on the night's horizon. And it was on fire. Great pillars of light stood, as a monument to the absolute domination whatever was attacking had going on.
But we were there now.
"All Ships! Flanking Speed! All fliers! Launch!"
They had been running for a while now. Their shoes almost worn out from the distances they had to run. And the monsters were still following them, their howls now allowing them any rest. Her hands were bloodied from having to keep those things aways from her and her friend.
"Are… we… safe?" She was asked, and she gave a small smile to the shorter, brown skinned girl holding on to her.
"For now." She could feel nothing close to them. The aura of bloodlust was far from them, and she tried to block the occasional scream that managed to reach her ears.
"You need to rest." She looked at herself, her clothes were matted with sweat and blood and grime.
"You too." Her companion was just as bad, with her bandaged hands covered in blood and a few cuts along her arms, with eyes bloodshot and often darting to the corners of the area.
They allowed themselves to sit on some benches nearby. The next they knew, it was night, and the howls were too close to them. "Get up, we have to move!" She woke up her companion and they began trying to run, but it was too late. The monsters were on them.
Far from the first time she had rescued her friend from the monsters. That time they simply looked like deathly pale women that wouldn't stand out too much in a crowd. This time, the corpses head looked at them and then split to reveal a maw of jagged teeth, eager to rip them apart as it had done to many others.
She looked around. There was no escape, they had been surrounded.
As both girls rose their fists and tried to stand one last time against the monsters, a roar from the sky took their attention. A large plane flew over them and soon the sound of explosions and howls filled the city. Five stars fell on nearby streets with one landing right next to them.
The figure was clad in green armor, with sword and gun in their hands. The figure's eyes were hidden behind a golden visor that shone briefly before the monsters roared and tried to devour them.
The carnage of blood and holws, for once since this started, was on their side.