Well, this is where stuff really starts to get serious. Here is chapter 8 already you guys, enjoy!
Hiro and Zero Two remained silent as they followed Kitaroshi and Minahura away from the records room, neither of them feeling like speaking. There were too many thoughts going through their heads at the moment to even want to talk.
Who could blame them, they had just watched their closest friends grow up, raise families, and then die on camera. It was only natural for them to be silent after seeing such things. Kitaroshi and Minahura knew that Hiro and Zero Two would be overwhelmed after something like this. They only wished there was something they could do to help them.
After several minutes of walking, the four came to a service elevator, in which they all entered. As they stood there in silence, it was Minahura who first broke the silence.
"How are you two holding up?" Minahura asked without looking at either of them
They both remained silent for a moment before Hiro finally spoke up.
"I'm...I'm not sure. I've never felt like this before..." Hiro said as he tried to find the right words to describe the emotion that was festering inside him
Zero Two took Hiro's hand in hers in an effort to smooth Hiro. Hiro did indeed gain some composure, and he continued
"It feels like...something broke...like a part of me that I thought I would always have just suddenly broke into millions of tiny pieces. Just what am I feeling?" Hiro said weakly
It was then that Kitaroshi decided to speak up.
"The emotion that you are most likely feeling is heartbreak," Kitaroshi said bluntly
"Heartbreak? No...no that can't be it, I know I've felt that before," Hiro said, trying to process Kitaroshi's response
"Heartbreak can be felt in a multitude of ways Hiro, sometimes more severely in some instances compared to others. You claim to have felt heartbreak before, can you tell me when this was?" Kitaroshi asked
Hiro didn't even have to think to know the answer.
"It was when Zero Two separated her mind from her body, leaving her consciousness inside of Strelitzia Apus, while her body remained motionless back on Earth," Hiro said, looking up at Kitaroshi
As Hiro said this, a look of sadness and regret washed over Zero Two's face, bust she did her best to hide it.
"Zero Two wouldn't wake up, no matter what I did. She never spoke, and she'd always have gashes and cuts appearing all over her body. She...she wouldn't even smile for me anymore," Hiro said, his voice full of sadness
A sad grimace appeared on Zero Two's face. She knew full well that Hiro having to see her like that on Earth must have been hard, but she never knew just how much that had hurt him until now. Her grip on Hiro's hand tightened slightly, and she even started shaking slightly in anger. It was anger directed solely at herself for ever making Hiro feel that way.
"If that was anything...that was heartbreak," Hiro said
Kitaroshi nodded his head in agreement before continuing.
"That definitely does sound like it, but like I said, it comes in many forms. You felt heartbreak then because Zero Two left you behind. You feel heartbreak now because you know full well in your heart that you dearest friends are all dead, and you never got to see them again," Kitaroshi said
Hiro looked down at the floor as he stood in the elevator, not saying a word. Zero Two looked at him with sadness and sympathy in her eyes. She had the same feeling in her own heart as well, as she too had grown close to Squad 13, even if her time there was not nearly as long as Hiro's.
The elevator finally came to a stop, and the four continued to walk as the left the elevator. Somehow, despite still not being emotionally okay, Hiro could somewhat recognize the area they were in.
"Mr. Kitaroshi...are you taking us to see our parents?" Hiro asked
Kitaroshi turned and looked at Hiro with a smile.
"Indeed we are. Even though you don't have any emotional connection with wou parents now, the fact that you remember them is a promising sign that you life in this modern age has not been forgotten. Maybe by seeing you parents, some of those now locked memories may just resurface," Kitaroshi said hopefully
Hiro and Zero Two saw the door to the room that their parents had been in, but to their surprise, Kitaroshi and Minahura walked right past it.
"Umm...Kitaroshi? You missed the door," Zero Two said as she and Hiro stopped in front of it
Kitaroshi stopped to look at them, and then at the door.
"Ah, I see what you mean. Your parents already left the building a while ago, while we were watching your friends' recordings. No, we are simply taking a quicker route to the vehicle hanger that's located in the sub floors of the tower," Kitaroshi said
"Vehicle hanger? So you plan on taking us home right?" Zero Two asked as the continued to walk
"That's correct. Your parents are waiting at your homes for your eventual arrival. From there, you will return to the tower for weekly inspections on your mental state. This is of course all in the hopes that the memories of you modern lives can be restored, however long it may take," said Minahura, who had remained silent since their time in the elevator
Hiro and Zero Two looked at each other. They were glad that they were going home, but most of all...
They couldn't wait for all of this to be over...
Tower Security Control Room...
"Chief Yato, I take it that that tower has been safely secured?" Corvic asked as he walked into the bustling room
"Yes, that is true sir...but that's not why I called you here," Yato said in a slightly concerned tone
"Really? Do we have a situation on our hands?" Corvic asked seriously
"I'm not exactly sure, but what I wanted to show you was this," Yato said as he began typing on the holographic keyboard in front of him
On the large monitor that sat against the far wall of the room, an infrared map of the entire city of Mistilteinn appeared on screen. Chief Yato pointed to a section of hills outside of the city. There, an unusual congregation of heat sources could be seen on screen.
"Those signatures...they shouldn't be there. That area is nothing but grass and hills," Covic said, slightly worried at the unusual heat sources
"You're right sir, they shouldn't. We have no way to tell without satellite imaging, so I'd say that it would be safe to assume the worst sir," Yato said
Covic turned away from the screen and crossed his arms.
"Damn...if this is really what I think it is...then we are in some deep shit," Corvic thought to himself
Outside the city...
"Sir, everything is ready," said a man to someone who was dressed in a black and red Parasite suit.
This suit was nothing like the ones during the time of the Klaxxosaurs. This suit was not only safer, but less bulky. Not only that, but this suit was designed specifically for Franxx that required only one pilot to operate.
The man in the black suit put a helmet over his head, a clicking sound being heard as it connected with the rest of the suit. Once the helmet was placed on his head, red veins of light began to flicker on all over his body.
On the helmet, veins of light flickered on as well. However, one long red bar turned on directly over where the eyes would be. The now activated red visor glowed ominously in the night light, its glow cutting through the darkness
"Excellent...I take it the artillery is prepared as well?" The man in the black and red suit asked
"Yes sir, its like I said before, everything has been prepared," the man said
The man in the black suit looked out over the city and towards the tower
"And so it begins...First wave, take firing positions!" The black suited man yelled
A line of franxx stepped forward, each one with rocket pods mounted on each shoulder. They each took aim at Franxxinus Tower, shimmering brilliantly in the distance.
"First volley...FIRE!" The black suited man yelled
The sound of rocket fire resonated in the air around them as rocket after rocket was foiled into the night sky
Tower Security Control Room...
"WARNING!"
"WARNING!"
"EXPLOSIVE PROJECTILES DETECTED!"
"TOWER COLLISION IMMINENT!"
"WARNING!"
"WARNING!"
Dozens of tiny heat signatures appeared on the screen in large clusters. Convicted could only stare in horror as the number of small dots increased.
"Dear God...mobilize all tower security and tell everyone to brace for explosive impact! This is a Code 5 situation, I repeat, CODE 5!" Corvic yelled as he ran for the door
"Sir, where are you going?!" Yato asked in a panic
"Where else, to find Juugo!" Corvic said as he ran out the door and out of sight
Yato just watched as Corvic left, unable to do a thing
"Shit..." Yato said to himself as he prepared to notify the tower
All Tower Floors...
"ATTENTION, THIS IS A CODE 5 SECURITY ALERY."
"I REPEAT, THIS IS A CODE 5 SECURITY ALERT."
"THE TOWER IS UNDER ATTACK."
"ALL PERSONNEL, PREPARE FOR IMMEDIATE EXPLOSIVE IMPACT!"
"THIS IS NOT A DRILL!"
Western Tower Floor 27...
"No no no no no...why now," Kitaroshi said as red alarm lights began to flicker on inside the hallways
"Kitarsho, what's going on?" Hiro asked as he watched people panic all around him
"What does it look like, someone is attacking the tower!" Kitaroshi said as he took both Hiro and Zero Two's hands
As they began to run, chaos erupted all around them. People in lab coats and security gear were running all around them, only escalating matters further.
"Where are you taking us?" Zero Two yelled as alarms continued t blare
"The elevators are a no go, we're taking the emergency stairs. If the power were to be knocked out, we'd be trapped. This is our best option," Kitaroshi said as he opened the door to the emergency staircase
Outside the city...
"3..."
"2..."
"1..."
...
"Boom..."
Western Tower Floor 27...
Right as Kitaroshi opened the door, an explosion tore through the staircase, blowing him, along with Hiro and Zero Two back into the hallway. Chunks of ceiling and lights fell to the floor as explosions rocked the tower.
From the outside it looked like the entire western tower went up in flames. A few start rockets hit the south and north towers, leaving gaping holes in their sides.
Panic insured on the streets below as people ran from cover as debris fell from the sky, crushing everything below them.
Eastern Tower Floor 43...
As Corvic was running through the halls, he looked outside and watched as the western tower was set ablaze, as well as watching stray rockets strike the other towers.
"Dammit, that's the tower they were all in!" Corvic yelled as he began to run faster
Tower Security Control Room...
"The western tower has just come under heavy fire! South and northern towers have also taken damage!" Said a man from behind a control console
"Dammit, those rockets were launched from outside the city. I bet my ass that those things were fired from franxx! Alert all security units, tell our pilots to get ready for franxx to franxx combat!" Yato said with seriousness
Franxxinus Tower Franxx Storage Hanger...
"ALL PILOTS, ENEMY FRANXX HAVE BEEN DETECTED. ALL PILOTS PREPARE FOR COMBAT IMMEDIATELY!"
The sound of franxx being prepared for combat resonated throughout the hanger as rows of franxx were all simultaneously activated at once.
Pilots were scrambling left and right as they made their ways to their franxx units. Some units were dual pilots, there were single pilots. Either way, everyone was preparing for battle.
As franxx came online, doors above their heads opened, revealing the scratched night sky as smoke from the towers billowed into the stars above.
Once the doors opened, the Franxxinus Industries franxx units shot into the night sky
Outside the city...
"Sir, we are detecting hostile units forming defensive positions around the tower. There's no way we'll be able to get another volley of rockets to successfully make impact with tho tower," said a voice over the radio to the black suited parasite
"Very well...switch to plan B. Infiltrators, fall in behind your escort groups! Once we reach the tower, deploy your units and get out!" The black suited man said as he got inside his own franxx
The ominous black franxx powered on, and much like the man's suit, red veins of light began to spread along the surface of the franxx, finally ending with a pair of glowing red eyes piercing the night sky.
The man strapped in as his display screen came online, revealing the burning tower in the distance.
"Fine then...we do things the fun way," the man said as his franxx lifted off the ground
As the black franxx rocketed into the sky, the other two dozen franxx behind him lifted off in their groups as well, each one all headed for the tower.
Franxxinus Tower Defensive Perimeter...
"All units be advised, we have multiple hostile units approaching," said the franxx in charge of the defensive perimeter
"What the hell do we do? If this is the Quadriad we're facing here, we are all one hundred percent fucked!" Said a voice over the coms
"Shut your trap, we have a job to do! Either grow some balls and fight or you can just just roll over and die here!" Said another voice
"Enough! We have one job...defend the tower..."
...
"No matter the cost..."
With that final message, the franxx piloted by the Quadriad forces reached the tower, and the aerial massacre that was designed to happen finally began...
Western Tower Floor 27...
Hiro could barely hear a thing, the ringing in his ears was muffling out all other sounds around him. He could swear he could hear the faintest sound of gunfire, but he was too disoriented to be sure.
Hiro looked around at his surroundings. Everything was blurry, he could nearly make out a thing. All of the smoke and fire around him didn't help either. However, he could make out one thing. No matter how blurry and disoriented he was, it was impossible for him to mistake that beautiful pink hair for anything else.
Hiro tried to stand up, in which he was usefully able to after stumbling over a few times. He made his way over to where Zero Two was laying and took her body in his arms.
"Zero Two...hey c'mon Zero Two, wake up," Hiro said as he shook her body lightly
Her eyes fluttered briefly before slowly opening them. She looked at Hiro with a look of uncertainty, as if she didn't know if he was really there or not.
"Darling...is that...is that you," she asked weakly
"Yes Zero Two, it's me. I'm right here, so don't worry," Hiro said with a smile
Zero Two slowly came to her senses as she too stood up with some difficulty. As she did, she quickly grimaced in pain. Hiro, who was alarmed by her sudden reaction, looked at her for any signs of injury.
As Hiro examined her, he noticed a piece of shrapnel lodged near her ankle.
"Zero Two, you're hurt!" Hiro said with worry
"Don't worry Darling, this is nothing," she said with a painful smile
Hiro smiled too, but he also could help but feel worried. As Hiro looked around, he noticed someone nearby lying underneath the rubble.
"Oh no...Kitarohsi!" Hiro said as he an Zero Two quickly made their way over to him
Kitarohsi slowly looked up at them with a bloodied, yet smiling face.
"Oh good...you two are okay...thank goodness," Kitaroshi said painfully
As Hiro and Zero Two went to get him on his feet, they noticed that there was an iron pole sticking out of the side of his body, keeping him pinned to the large slab of feeling he was laying on.
"Oh shit...this is bad," Zero Two said as she looked at the pole with a serious expression
"Yea, I don't think I'll be *cough* getting up any time soon..." Kitaroshi said with a smile
Hiro and Zero Two both exchanged serious looks before each taking hold of Kitaroshi on each side of his body.
"Hehe...wait...what are you two doing?" Kitarohsi asked with a worried chuckle
"Getting you out of here!" Hiro said as he and Zero Two quickly lifted him off of the pole
"AHHHHHHHAAAHAAA! OH FUCKING SHIT, THAT HURT LIKE A BITCH!" Kitarohsi yelled as Zero Two and Hiro placed him on the ground
Zero Two quickly grabbed a lab coat that was lying in the rubble and tied it around Kitaroshi's wound, and with much effort, they each slung one of his arms around their shoulders
"Damn...why the hell would you go and do that huh?" Kitaroshi asked
"What, you think we'd just leave you here to die? If we did that, Corvic would have our asses for sure," Hiro said with a smile
Suddenly a large explosion from outside nearly knocked the three to the ground. When they looked out of the gaping hole in the wall to see what was going on, they saw an unimaginable sight before them.
The sky was filled with the sounds of gunfire and rocket explosions. Franxx were from both the Quadriad and Franxxinus Industries were tearing each other apart before their very eyes.
"Holy crap...those are franxx," Zero Twi said in disbelief as she watched the aerial battle before her
"I thought there would never be a reason for these anymore, not after the defeat of VIRM and the klaxosaurs," Hiro said in equal amazement
"Yea? Well I guess you were wrong then," Kitaroshi said
Suddenly, the entire tower began to shake, as if an earthquake hud suddenly begun. Hiro and Zero Two quickly hid with Kitarohsi as a massive franxx hovered into view right outside the wall of the tower.
As the three watched, they saw a circular door open in the chest of the franxx, and a small squad of soldiers in tactical gear jumped out of the franxx and into the building. Once they were inside, the franxx flew off and went back into battle
"Oh this is just great," Zero Two said as she ducked back down behind cover
The soldiers began to survey the floor, slowly making their way towards them
"Well...looks like we'll have to fight our way out," Hiro said
"You know that there's no way we can win right?" Zero Two said as she looked at her darling
Hiro looked back at [her with an almost apologetic look
"Yea...but it beats dying like this right?" Hiro said with a sad smile
Zero Two smiled with an equal expression
"Who would have thought we'd have to leave each other again so soon," she said sadly
Hiro leaned over and hugged Zero Two, with her hugging him back in response.
"No matter what happens, I will always love you Zero Two," Hiro said
"And I will always love you, Darling," she said with equal emotion
"Hey, you're kinda forgetting someone down here," Kitaroshi said, slightly annoyed
The soldiers who had just entered the building all turned and faced their location, finally realizing that someone was there.
As the three braced themselves for what seemed like the inevitable, until an explosion in the stairwell behind them caught them and the soldiers by surprise.
Before anyone could realize what was going on, a spray of laser fire whizzed over Zero Two and Hiro's heads, mowing down the soldiers standing in the open hallway. All of them fell without firing a single shot.
"JUUGO!" A voice yelled from the stairwell
"No way, it's Corvic!" Hiro said as Corvic came into view from through the dust
"Hiro! Holy shit am I glad to see you! Where's Juugo, is he with you?" Corvic asked worriedly
"I'm right here ya slowpoke...what took you so long?" Kitaorhsi said from the floor
Corvic rushed over to Kitaroshi and examined his wounds
"Ah shit, you're bleeding pretty bad," Corvic said as he grabbed a role of medical tape out of a bag he was carrying on his back
Corvic began to wrap the tape around the strip of lab coat that Zero Two had used to stop the bleeding earlier
"Heh...you sure came prepared," Kitaroshi said with a smile
"Well what'd you think I was gonna do? I saw the entire west tower go up in flames, and you think I wasn't going to bring medical supplies?" Corvic said with a chuckle
Another explosion rocked the building, a sign that the conflict was far from over. Everyone couldn't help but feel on edge. Even so, everyone held their composure, leading Hiro to wonder just how they were going to survive this ordeal.
"So Corvic, how'd you even get here in the first place?" Hiro asked
"I had to bust my way into the armory and gear up before making my way here. This whole tower is crawling with hostiles, so there is no easy way in or out of here. As far as anyone is concerned, they have these towers to themselves," Corvic said
"Wait, what do you mean by 'to themselves?' Aren't there other survivors?" Zero Two asked
"Whoever they are, they're going around and killing everyone who wasn't already killed by the rockets they fired earlier," said Corvic as he helped Kitarohsi to his feet
Corvic handed Kitaroshi over to Hiro and Zero Two, who each carried him on their shoulder like before.
"So Corvic, you got a way out of here?" Zero Two asked
"Yea, but it's a rough one"
"What do you mean by that?" Hiro asked
"From what I can tell, the stairwell only goes down to the twelfth floor before it becomes completely inaccessible. However, I do know of an emergency elevator shaft that we should be able to use to get down to the bottom floor. Even if the elevator isn't working, which it probably isn't, we can use the cables and climb down," Corvic said as he reloaded his weapons
"So what, we just carry Kitarohsi while you blast our way out of here?" Zero Two asked
"Yes...but if I'm unable to go on..." Corvic said as he pulled two handguns and some ammo cartridges out of his bag
"You'll have to shoot your own way out," He said as he handed them the weapons
Hiro and Zero Two both took the guns and ammo, and stuffed them in their pockets. Loaded and ready to move, the four survivors made their way into the stairwell and began their escape of the tower.
As the climbed down, the sounds of battle could be heard outside of the walls. The sounds of heavy gunfire and explosions sounded all around them. Each explosion had its own noise, as if every time one happened, it was something completely different from the last that was going up in flames.
"So who exactly is attacking us?" Hiro asked Corvic
"I didn't know who it was at first, but I had my guesses. It wasn't until I started killing those soldiers that I had an idea of who was attacking us."
"Well, who was it?" Zero Two asked
"The Quadriad."
"The who?"
"The Quadriad. The Quadriad is a heavily militarized terrorist organization that practically worships the VIRM," Corvic said
VIRM...
Knowing that that name still held such significance in this day and age sent chills down Hiro and Zero Two's spines. The beings that were responsible for the destruction of the old world, as well as all of the pain they put them and their friends through a millennium ago made them fill with anger
"VIRM...I swear I'll make those worshipers pay," Zero Two said angrily
"Maybe some other time, but right now, we need to focus on getting out of here," Corvic said
"So wait...why would the Quadriad attack this place?" Hiro asked
"Dunno, but what I do know is that if they're attacking with this much force, whatever they're after must be important," Corvic said
As they continued to talk, they finally came to the end of the stairwell. The rest of the way down was completely blocked by huge chunks of rubble. Convicted looked at the number that was next to the door that they were all standing next to.
"Floor thirteen...I was one off," Corvic said, slightly surprised
"Heh...good for you," Kitaroshi said, finally speaking up after being silent for so long
"Alright, lets go," Corvic said as he opened the door
As he opened the door, Corvic was quite horrified to see a squad of Quadriad soldiers standing on the other side waiting for them.
"More survivors, kill them!" The soldier in front yelled
"Oh fuck!" Covic said as he began to fire at the soldiers
He was able to shoot a couple down before having to take cover from the onslaught of laser fire that was launched at him.
"Shit, we're pinned down!" Corvic said as he popped out from behind his cover to return fire
"Hey Crovic, do you have any explosives!?" Hiro yelled
"Explosives..."
Corbin suddenly reached into his bag and pulled out a plasma grenade. Without thinking, he quickly passed it to Hiro.
"Why are you giving this to me?!" Hiro yelled in confusion
"Press the red button on the side and throw it! It has a five second delay, so make it fast!" Corvic yelled as he took cover from more laser fire
Hiro quickly pressed the button, and a beeping noise could immediately be heard
"Oh shit, here goes nothing!" Hiro said as he threw the grenade
Hiro could hear it hit the ground on the other side of the door
"Grenade! Take co-"
The soldiers' voices were cut off as a metallic explosion filled the air. The last fire, along with the soldiers voices were quickly silenced.
Corvic, along with the others, slowly peeked their heads out from behind their cover to see if the coast was clear. That sight that they saw reassured them, but it was also a gruesome one to behold.
The soldiers, who had once been human, were now an assortment of blood, guts, and random body parts strewn throughout he hallway.
"Ugh...that is nasty," Zero Two said
"I...I just killed them," Hiro said in shock
"Yea, they would've killed ya anyways so even steven I guess. Now c'mon, let's get moving," Corvic said as they continued to make their way to safety.
They were all alone in these towers, a three man army against dozens of enemy soldiers. This was only the beginning of the threat they were going to eventually face. Soon, Hiro and Zero Two would finally reclaim their true density...
Their destiny as saviors...
In the sky...
"Sir, reinforcements are on the way as we speak," said a grey franxx as it flew to hover beside the black franxx
"Good, these industry pilots are much more troublesome than we had initially realized," said the black franxx
"Another thing sir...we lost contact with several of our infiltration teams. It would be wise to assume that they are dead sir," said the grey franxx
"Then it seems our targets have survived, and they no doubt have help," said the black franxx
The black franxx looked out over the battlefield in the air. As it did, it raised its gun and blasted an enemy franxx out of the sky with no trouble at all
"Well now...it looks like things are only just beginning to get good," said the black franxx
"Once we find you...we will finally succeed where our saviors failed. And once we succeed, they will return to us and deliver us from our useless mortality.."
...
...
"Hiro and Zero Two..."
...
...
"You don't know who I am..."
...
...
"But I will find you..."
...
...
"And I WILL kill you..."