- Morning of the 5th Impact –
"Everything okay, Captain?"
Ana rubbed her stomach.
"I'm fine, Anthea, might have been a bad coffee."
"If you say so. Head back to HQ if you have to."
"Do I look that off?"
"You're kinda green and pale," another of the Valkyrja offered.
The Captain of Snow Lotus squad couldn't deny her squadmates comments. She had felt unwell since waking up. It was like she had drunk one too many cold beers. The drinks were still cold in her stomach and leaving her senses blurry.
"I'm fine, honestly. Just a bit of a tummy ache."
Another of the Valkyrja let out a stifled snort of laughter. Ana clenched her hands indignantly at her sides and glared at the woman.
"What!" she growled.
"Tummy ache. That's so like you, Captain."
Ana's face turned a pleasant shade of pink. She couldn't believe how childish she looked and sounded right now. The rest of the squad chuckled at the silly exchange. Deep down Ana knew what was really going on. Anthea and the rest were doing their best to lighten the mood. They wanted to show their Captain that they cared. But weren't going to press too hard if Ana affirmed she was well.
"Well you heard the Captain," Anthea said, "If she's fine then no slacking off and thinking the patrol is being cut short. We're moving down to the ground level and toward the northern docks for this morning's round."
"Yes, Vice-Captain!" the Valkyrja responded.
Anthea gave Ana a side-long wink. Ana smiled and inclined her head. She worked with some amazing people. It had taken time to rebuild her confidence after Manila. Snow Lotus had fallen under her care after that Honkai Outbreak. The proud and professional Valkyrja flanking Ana and Anthea were the result of the A-rank Valkyrja's hard efforts. The Snow Lotus she commanded were her people now, hand-picked and trained to be amongst the best in the Oceania Branch.
'A tummy-ache isn't going to slow me down. I have to show my squadmates how a Valkyrja carries themselves.'
Magenta lightning ran up and down the katana. Mei tsked and continued through her kata. She flowed from one form to another, the Hokushin Itto-ryu etched into her muscle and bone guiding each perfect motion one after another. Ending with the sheathing of her blade, Mei tsked again and snatched up the water bottle before gulping down half the contents. The Raikiri sword her father had left as a final gift felt heavy at her waist.
'Once again Oto-sama has outmanoeuvred me.'
The door to the Honkai faraday cage thumped three time. Mei strode over and pulled it open. Amarant was already dressed and ready to go. The pantsuit fitted her well, the glasses perched on her nose adding a little edge to the disguise. She had explained that it was about owning the role and becoming what you wanted to appear as. Mei thought it sounded a little high-theatre and full of wank. An expression she'd heard some Australians use recently. It felt appropriate.
"Come in and close the door."
Amarant obliged. Once the cage was secure Mei held up a hand, recalled the sensation and projected it through her fingertips. Crimson lightning trickled between the webbing of her fingers. There was no smell of ozone to accompany the demonstration. That lack of olfactory cue had Amarant paying closer attention.
"I think I've cracked what Oto-sama was on to with the Throne of Fudo-myo."
"You have my attention."
Mei drew Raikiri from her scabbard.
"Oto-sama created Raikiri from his findings in Project-MEI. This and the Plasma Kagehide were his Yin and Yang ultimate weapons. Raikiri was created to project an EM field much like the 3rd Herrscher can and protect the wielder. But its ultimate expression is to magnify and further focus the 3rd Herrschers lightning powers. The Plasma Kagehide is the inversion. It uses the principles of the 3rd Herrschers ability to manipulate EM fields and freeze the powers of a Herrscher. It actually interferes with their connection to the Imaginary Tree. The Throne was built using the Core of Domination to make the severance permanent as well as supressing a Stigma. Both weapons constructed upon the principles and discoveries from the Throne of Fudo Myo"
Mei swung the blade once. The air whistled with the slash. Next Mei poured her earlier power into the weapon. Raikiri lit up, the normally electric blue blade now blood red and glowing ominously.
"I've finally managed to replicate what Oto-sama did with the Throne. It took a while to narrow down the memories and imitate what I experienced. If Raikiri and the Plasma Kagehide are based upon the principles of Project-MEI…"
The Herrscher spun on the spot, swinging her blade in a downward diagonal, stopping a centimetre from Amarant's neck. The woman looked to the blade and raised an eyebrow.
"A counter-Herrscher weapon," Amarant proposed.
"Mmm. Right now I'm just using Honkai energy. I'd need to splice my Herrscher power through the blade and test the principle further. However, this room doesn't shield against Herrscher energy so it's an experiment for another day. It's frightening how much Oto-sama and the rest of the Project-MEI team were able to create from what they learnt when experimenting upon me. It's even more frustrating when I realise that Oto-sama likely anticipated my return as a Herrscher. He left the Raikiri along with his soulium archive for me to collect. Resources that I could only access if I were a Herrscher. Oto-sama was daring me to use this weapon to complete his own experiments. He wanted me to be ready to fight other Herrscher."
Amarant raised a hand and brushed the katana away from her neck with a finger. A small arc of lightning jumped from the blade to her digit. She rubbed the numb finger and shook her head.
"What's your goal, Mei?"
"I'm not letting the Honkai Eruption repeat. Last time I was powerless. The 2nd Herrscher strangled me and then tore the Core from my chest. Lives were sacrificed to quell the Herrscher. This time nobody will die. I'll supress the 2nd Herrscher myself. Events are not going to play out the way Otto wants. Not again."
Mei sheathed the Katana. She gripped the scabbard tight and summoned the smallest amount of Herrscher energy necessary to briefly touch on her personal Imaginary Space. Raikiri disappeared into the alternate dimension. It didn't matter if they were detected. This was day zero. By the time anybody might reasonably detect the emanation and investigate the building they would be long gone. Mei cracked her neck.
"I'll have a quick shower. Then we leave for ME Corp."
The warm summer weather had brought an early breeze in. Full of moisture and heat, it washed in from the Pacific and hung heavy on Coral City. The humidity left most outdoors fanning their faces and seeking cooler accommodation. Public services such as the trains and busses saw an uptick in usage as people opted to return home sooner than usual. Security and police services also saw an uptick. On callouts for mediation and conflict resolution. With the heat came a flaring in tempers. One such flare-up took place outside the Coral City offices of ME CORP. Callum looked up from his smart-desk. Even with the sound-proofing glass he could still the disturbance. Coral City police were quick on the scene and usual. Another glance confirmed that one person was in hand-cuffs and another was being given a stern lecture by the officers on scene. The concierge continued clearing through his emails: directives from higher-ups, meeting schedules, client timetables, shipping information, press release responses if asked questions on certain subject matter. The same digital churn that frothed and flowed through the veins of any business.
The twin glass doors hissed open, permitting the entry of two women. Callum stood up, ready to greet the unfamiliar pair and direct them as best he could. The two walked down the short hallway, shoes clicking on the marble floor, holographic displays on either side coming to life as they approached. Sales pitches for coming ME Corp products. Environmental standards ME Corp had met. Financial and production achievements over the past five years.
Callum didn't recognise either of the woman. Automated identification software was already scanning their faces. Nothing came up. One was tale and statuesque, her long black hair in a milkmaid braid, pale lavender-blue eyes hidden behind stylish sunglasses. The other was shorter, with blue hair and uncertain eyes too large behind the strong prescription for her glasses. Both wore pantsuits and boots. The shorter one carried a suitcase, the taller a latest generation tablet.
"Good afternoon," Callum greeted the pair professionally, "How may I be of assistance to you?"
The tall one placed the tablet on the smart-desk. Ripples of light followed contact. Small holographic icons appeared above it, trails of light intersecting images and snatches of text that projected upward. The short one inclined her head. Callum picked her for the junior.
"Unscheduled test of data security," the short one announced. "The email should appear in your inbox momentarily."
"I can assure you that we have—"
Callum's voice was interrupted by a chirp from his smart-desk. A new email appeared in his inbox. He opened it and scanned the contents. The message was backdated one week. It had remained hidden the entire time until a specific timestamp had passed.
"How… is that… just…"
"I'm a white-hat hired by ME Corp to test their digital security systems. My superior is here with me to oversee my work today and ensure quality control and compliance are maintained at all times. ME Corp wishes to make sure that it's money is well spent."
Callum finished reading the email and glanced up at the unannounced arrivals.
"The head of IT as well as building security was notified the same time as you. When they message you please just buzz us straight through."
The earpiece in Callum's ear hummed. He put a finger against it and accepted the call.
"Activate the elevator and let the pair in."
The call ended. Callum pressed fingertips against the security scanner on his smart-desk. It read the necessary biometrics and unlocked the elevators two metres behind the smart-desk. The senior grabbed her tablet and strode by. She favoured Callum with a side-long glance as she walked. That look was so intense the man wanted to curl into a ball and hide himself away. The junior had a sympathetic expression as she scuttled behind.
The concierge slumped into his chair as the elevator doors chimed open. This wasn't the way he expected his morning to start.
The senior strode… no that was not the right word. She prowled down the corridors and toward her destination with the confidence of someone who needed no escort. Trevor wasn't under any illusions. The surprise arrival of the two outsourced security analysts was just the sort of thing ME Corp would do. The pair knew the building layout, security systems and personnel before having even stepped foot on premises. As the head of IT all Trevor could do was try to keep up the pace with the pair. At least the junior was nice enough to try keep up a bit of conversation. Most of her enquiries were centred around the security regarding the daily upload of data into the archival server. Trevor couldn't quite get an answer out of her. But it very much felt like she had concerns on the security during the connection and whether any ports had been compromised. Maybe someone had managed to access internal systems and leave a backdoor open for further malicious activity. Digital espionage was a foe of the internet era and ME Corp had more than a few rivals willing to resort to such tactics.
"The upload will occur in 10 minutes," Trevor answered the latest question.
"We'll need access to the archival server room," the shorter of the two replied.
"I cannot authorise that. You'll need to—"
"—Taken care of," the taller one said.
Trevor checked his tablet. Head of Security had already authorised the pair. This nameless duo were certainly ruffling feathers with their actions. Neither cared. As outside contractors their job was to test security systems. Not make friends.
"We will access the archival server room five minutes beforehand. Once the upload is complete I'll check the server to see if the false data has managed to breach the systems."
"But we—"
"We found backdoor access to the Coral City branch of ME Corp two weeks ago," the tall one interrupted.
"What!"
"Please," the short one placated, "You don't need to worry. Part of my report will explain what ports need to be investigated along with internal network integrity. But I need to see if the archival server can be breached too. If that's the case then you'll need your own IT specialists to look into it."
As the conversation ebbed and flowed the trio navigated the ME Corp offices. Plush carpeted floors, clean white walls, generous office space, real wooden furnishings, people in suits looking up from smart-desk or holographic call. The trio were a storm barging through the building. They eventually arrived at the archival server room. The room was its own Faraday cage. A single fibre-optic connection connected the server to the outside word. Everything else was internally protected. High-yield long-life Honkai batteries powered the server to prevent any chance of external interference.
The tall one waited patiently as biometric security conducted a thorough scan. Retina, fingerprint, voiceprint and gait had all been measured during their tour of the building. Everything matched internal records ME Corp had of the two contractors. Several hisses followed a heavy click. The external door to the archival server swung open. The two contractors stepped into the cavity separating the inner and outer door. Once the external door was sealed the internal door would allow them access to the server room.
Trevor didn't have a chance to say goodbye. The pair were certainly a storm that would shake things up.
The queasiness had not abated. Ana leant with her back against the wall and sighed. The stifling tropical humidity wasn't doing much for her mood either. A cool shock pressed against her forehead. Eyeing flicking open, Ana saw Anthea standing over her, a bottle of water against her forehead.
"Thought you might be thirsty."
Ana smiled and took the kind offer. She popped the cap and gulped down a third of the contents. The rest of her squad were lounging and enjoying the breather. They were close to the northern docks on the ground level. The squad rested in a nice little public space sandwiched between two tall buildings. A city planner had been smart enough to have several vending machines built along one wall of the square.
"Dehydrated, Captain?"
"No. I've had plenty to drink. I just feel thirsty… and cold."
"That's a blessing in this heat."
"I guess you—"
The bottle froze in Ana's hand. Her eyes slowly drifted downward. Froze so fast the ice hadn't expanded like it did when the hydrogen bonds were neatly arranged.
Pain.
Cold.
Fury.
Screams.
"Captain!"
Ana doubled over, the icy feeling in her chest now dominating her mind, overriding all conscious thought and need. Words froze on her tongue. Already their mind was being warped. Changed. It was different. They were different now—
"Ana, what's wrong?"
Ana Schariac stumbled away from the wall. They had to run. She needed to tell them that.
"Run," the Schariac muttered.
"Captain!" another of the Valkyrja called out.
"Please," the one in agony cried out, "You must run."
The thing dropped to their knees. A carpet of ice streaked out from where they fell. In its wake glistening stalagmites of ice rose up, tips monomolecular sharp, substance harder than steel. One of the Snow Lotus Valkyrja stood in the path. Before they could shift their body was pierced, multiple lances of ice projecting through their twitching corpse.
Three of the Valkyrja in Snow Lotus squad drew weapons. Lances of ice pinned body against wall. The wounds were incredibly painful. But not fatal. They struggled for a second. Then the bitter cold spread and froze blood in vein. Muscles spasmed and became still.
Two Valkyrja, Anthea and an adjutant, remained. Another carpet of ice rushed outward. Anthea dodged this one. The adjutant was not so fast. Rather than stalagmites, a block of pure ice surrounded the woman. The ice perfectly encased her. She could not shift eye, finger nor chest. Her last moments were spent in suffocating agony. Asphyxiation eventually claimed the girl. Only Anthea remained. She drew her sword and attacked without reservation. Schariac caught the blade with an open hand. It bit a little into her palm, blood freezing before it could run. The creature howled in agony again. It slowly stood up, such strength behind it's motions that Anthea could do nothing when even putting her full weight on the sword.
"Run," the icy creature moaned desperately.
Anthea did not desert her Captain. She was loyal to her friend until the very end. As the Herrscher got to its feet the air around it turned misty, her clothes freezing and shattering before the mist clad her anew. Her head and torso were midnight blue, fading to snowy white down her arms and legs. About her shoulders she wore a cloak of bitter frost. A veil of deep glacial blue covered her face and spilled down her back, jet-white hair farming her face.
"Ana," Anthea whispered in horror.
The vice-Captain let go of her sword and drew her backup Fire Spirit Type-II pistol. She unloaded the weapon in the creature's face. The weapon, along with her hand, fell to the ground. The stump of her hand was frozen against a razor sharp pillar of ice that had risen from the ground. The Herrscher let out a howl of fury. Unbeknownst to the outside world, a small fragment of Ana fought against the alien sentience trying to take control. This fragment desperately pushed back against the all-consuming desire for destruction. With another howl the temperature within the square dropped to -100 instantly. Anthea's final moment was frozen. Horror at seeing the woman she respected, who she admired and perhaps even loved a little, reduced to this monster. The small part of Ana that still existed wept at the slaughter of the last few seconds. Her face disappeared beneath the midnight-blue veil. Perfectly formed tears of ice streaked from unseen eyes. A final memorial to the death of Snow Lotus Squad.
Alarms started blaring at Schicksal HQ. Operators scrambled to understand the data being fed. Honkai energy readings had spiked within Coral City. The first reports to be put together within 1 minute determined that it was a high order magnitude Honkai Eruption. When Herrscher energy readings began to filter through those assessments were quickly revised. Orders were dispatched to all nearby Oceania Valkyrja squads to scramble for immediate departure. A separate report was composed and sent to the Immortal Blades requesting their assistance in the subdual of a suspected Herrscher.
- The Fifth Impact has begun -