Opening song: Mistah F.A.B. - The Chill Ft. Curren$y, ScHoolboy Q
Time: 10:50PM – Phantom Task Hideout
The BMW came to a stop as Shen opened the door for Three Dragons. They made their way to the top floor, and his face was finally revealed from residing in the dark for decades. He was 17 years old, medium height with a pompadour, dark red eyes, and a trained body. He wore a white v-neck that covered numerous tattoos on his torsos, denim jeans, and Supra Vaider black-white high top sneakers.
On the top floor living room, Squall, Kaori, and Autumn waited for him. Squall and Three Dragons sat down on the couch; two glasses of ice and a Jack Daniels whiskey were on the middle of the table.
"Let's begin the negotiation, Squall." Autumn was annoyed that some outsider dared to step foot into the lairs of Phantom Task. It irked her even more when Three Dragons helped himself with alcohol without asking.
"Yes, but first things first, aren't you a bit too young to drink?" Squall questioned.
"I already started drinking back then, but please, this should not affect our conversation."
"Very well then. Your client, Kaori had a job interview. Her objective was to transport the stolen IS, but ran afoul with 'assistants' last night at the parking garage."
"Hmm? Kaori doesn't have assistants, there must be a mistake."
"Not quite. According to her guard, he saw two Chinese individuals, a boy and girl teenagers with personal IS that claimed to be Kaori's assistants." Three Dragons gulped the whiskey down while Autumn clenched her fist at his presence. Kaori gritted her teeth when Squall talked about her objective.
"Chinese teenagers, you don't mean…Liu King-Sang and Lingyin Huang?" said Three Dragons.
"I don't know who they are, friends of yours?"
"Liu and I go way back that was rather unpleasant, but Lingyin, not so much." Three Dragons replied and let Squall talk.
"Kaori, do you have the IS?" Kaori threw the stolen IS of a garter belt in standby mode.
"How about the pilot, is she dead?" Kaori showed a picture of the dead IS pilot, but Squall was not done grilling her.
"Good. Can you explain why Liu and Lingyin attacked you?"
"They knew I was affiliated with Phantom Task." Kaori snarled as Squall casually sipped whiskey.
"May I remind you Three Dragons took an effort to keep you under the radar from your mishap? Not a good start for impression in an interview." Kaori did not want to talk more of the incident until Three Dragons chimed in.
"Not her fault Kaori was a target because it seems Liu and Lingyin already knew who she was." Three Dragons poured another drink.
"Even if Kaori revealed herself, it wouldn't make any difference. What matters the most is she got the job complete. In fact, she took over an IS factory to manufacture IS arsenals beyond its capabilities." Three Dragons looked at Kaori, and she nodded her confirmation.
"Is that so? Either way, it will take more than that to convince me to let Kaori join my side." Squall snapped her finger at Autumn to get another Jack Daniels. Autumn poured a drink for Squall and Three Dragons while the negotiation continues.
"There's bound to be failures. For example, when the Byakushiki theft did not go through as planned. We can't pin all the blame on Autumn," said Three Dragons, "clearly, we underestimated the capability of the IS Academy. Have Kaori on your side, she is valuable to Phantom Task with her talent, and perhaps, learn the mistakes among each other." Three Dragons was confident his proposal would impress Squall. However, when he mentioned Autumn, she had a different idea.
"Oh I'm sorry, what was that you just said?" Autumn pointed her Tokarev TT-33 at Three Dragons, in response; Shen wielded her H&K USP45. A Mexican standoff broke off the negotiation with their fingers on the triggers. Squall and Three Dragons were unfazed from the standoff.
Squall raised her hand at Autumn to stand down as Three Dragons lowered Shen's pistol down.
"The factory is yours to use anytime. The workers now serve under Kaori that will obey orders from Phantom Task, no matter how tedious the tasks might be." Squall closed her eyes to think whether to accept Kaori into Phantom Task or not.
"Kaori has potential to be an agent of Phantom Task, but think of a final good reason why I should recruit her?" Squall said. Three Dragons gave an approval at Kaori to make his point across.
"Must I spell it out?" Kaori partial deployed Phoenix, and sliced Squall's drink off her hand. Squall appeared moderately surprised by Kaori's preemptive strike.
"Cocky brat, you think you're a hotshot with that attitude? Hope you realize people aren't going to like you." Autumn sneered at Three Dragons, but Kaori's swift actions seemingly impressed Squall.
"It seems there's no further need to question you more," Squall said, "The interview is now complete. Autumn, clean the mess up. Kaori, lay low until I give you a new task." Satisfied with the results, Three Dragons offered his last drink to Squall, which she politely declined.
"Pleasure doing business with you." He and his bodyguard descend to the lower floor.
Three Dragons and his bodyguard were about to get in their car, but a teenage girl blocked their path. Her face was full of righteous anger, ready to serve justice.
"Stop right there! You took my IS…you must pay!" The teenage girl shouted.
Three Dragons didn't bother to listen, and shoved her out of the way. The girl brandished a machete to kill Three Dragons. Shen instinctively fired her USP45 to protect him.
Three Dragons opened the passenger compartment that revealed his GSh-18 to check that a round is chambered, and turned the safety trigger off. Fueled by rage, the woman tried to attack again, but Three Dragons shot her twice at point-blank range. Three Dragons was unsympathetic, rather than feeling guilty of his action as they calmly drove away.
From above, Squall looked below and grinned at Three Dragons' ruthlessness, which meant the partnership was accepted. She placed her hand on Kaori's shoulder.
"Kaori, can you properly dispose the dead woman? I like to keep the place clean, not a murder scene." said Squall.
"Yes, Squall." said Kaori, partial deploying Phoenix as fire slowly formed in her hand.
Time: 11:34PM – Maintenance Room
A blue haired girl with two triangular hairpins worked on her IS nonstop. She could not get her IS running functional, and turned off the monitor. Tired from her work, she adjusted her glasses, and went back to her room as Tatenashi watched with her arms folded, concerned about her health.
Time: 9:46AM – Room 1-1
Ichika, Houki and Liu relax before class starts when a young woman stepped in.
"Yoo-hoo! Orimura, Shinonono, and Liu."
"Hey, Kaoruko Mayazumi, how's the newspaper going?" said Ichika.
"Well, I kind of have a favor to ask for you."
Houki turned on her fast. "A favor? To ask us?"
"That's right, my older sis's working in a publishing company now, and I was wondering if…she can interview the three of you since you each have your own IS units." Kaoruko explained as she handed an Infinite Stripes magazine. They skimmed through the pages, but raised some suspicions.
"Umm, this doesn't have anything to do with IS units, does it?" Houki questioned.
"What's the point of publishing these magazine if it doesn't cover IS units?" Liu read the description of the gorgeous IS pilot woman.
"Hold on, have either of you done any of this kind of work before?"
"No." said Ichika.
"Well, some pilots with there own IS units are kind of like celebrities. They're some tech stuffs, but it's more of fashion shoots and modeling." Liu was not ideal of interviews because he did not want everyone to snoop his violent background.
"Sounds nice, but I don't think I can be a celebrity," said Liu. "I rather keep my personal life private."
Kaoruko cracked up laughing. "Don't you worry about that, I'll have that taken care of." Liu was confused what Kaoruko said that she will handle it.
"Wow, is that right, Houki?" Ichika asked.
"Eh…why are you asking me that?" Houki did not expect representatives to do interviews or photo shoots. Rin overheard the conversation, and barged in.
"Are you talking about modeling? Let me show you my portfolio."
"Rin!" Ichika exclaimed.
"What are you doing here?" said Liu.
Rin ignored Liu when he asked her as Ichika leaned back slightly, politely rejected her offer. "Uhh…no, that's okay."
"And why not?!"
"Well, isn't it you just doing some kind of weird poses and stuff…?"
"What do you mean by weird?" Rin pulled out her smart phone and shoved it in his face. "Just take a look at them, and find out for yourself, look at them right now!"
Ichika saw the pictures of Rin's poses. "Oh! Not bad!"
"Haha! I told you so, didn't I?" Rin exclaimed with pride, scrolling through the pictures. "How about this one from the summer that we attended last year…" The bell rang, but Rin was too focused showing off the pictures.
"Hey, I'll tell you what? I'll catch up after class." Kaoruko left as Chifuyu loomed over to Rin, and punched her head.
"Oww that hurt!"
"Someone needs to go back to Class 2." Rin walked back, rubbing her head as everyone went to their seats, Chifuyu turned the monitor on.
"Now then, for today's lecture, I like to begin by discussing the philosophy of close combat, including implementing effective evasive maneuvers, and how to keep your distance." Pictures of combat positions and defense tactics made up its lack of words on the board. Liu was specialized in long-range combat, but close combat was not his greatest strength. He jotted notes to remember important highlights.
Time: 10:23AM – Room 1-4
Three classmates watched the blue haired girl working on her IS unit.
"Hey, have you heard about the upcoming event that's just for people with personal IS units?"
"What? Seriously?"
"Yeah, and I heard that Kanzashi from our class is going."
"Is she really? But I thought her personal IS hasn't been completed yet."
"Yeah, I hope she gets it done in time." Kanzashi sighed from its lack of progress on her IS unit.
Time: 10:27AM – Dojo
Ichika sitting in seiza watched Houki practicing basic cut consecutively.
"Umm, Houki?" Ichika said.
"What?"
"The interview with Mayazumi's sister, are you going?"
Houki stopped and looked at Ichika, "No way, it's against my principles to be on display like an object." If any publishers want to interview Houki, most of the time, she would say no, given her being raised in a shrine with strict rules.
"Yeah, that's what I thought you would say." Kaoruko walked up behind Houki to meet up as promised.
"Yo! Thanks for waiting. Now down to business, about the interview…" Ichika interrupted her halfway to bring in the bad news.
"Well about that, Houki actually—" Kaoruko whipped out two tickets before Ichika could finish his sentence.
"Oh yeah, did I mention the deal also includes dinner tickets to a three star restaurant? For two of course." Houki's idea quickly changed upon seeing two restaurant tickets, which is a win-win situation for herself and Ichika.
"We'll both do it." Kaoruko was pleased that she took the offer.
"Well then, it's been decided. The interview is going to be this Sunday. Thanks again, bye!" Kaoruko left the dojo, leaving the two of them alone.
"What about your principles, Houki?"
"Upon our reflection, it turns out that I had happen to be a person who's thinking can be very flexible."
"You mean twisted." Houki poked her shinai at Ichika's cheek.
"Do you have a problem with that?"
"No problem. I guess I'm okay with doing it as long as you're okay with it." Ichika wanted to make Houki happy as she maintained her professional attitude.
"In regards to these free dinner tickets, we are…going together, aren't we?" The uptight tone quickly diminished to her soft demeanor.
"Sure, why not? They're going to interview both of us. After all, Liu has his own interview."
"Really? I mean, right! You're totally right." Houki blushed to get her chance with Ichika that will be a good day.
Time: 11:12AM – Infinite Stripes Studios
A modern classy lounge brightened the sunny morning as a woman in her 20s arranged the spot for the interviewees.
"Hi there, I'm Nagisako Mayazumi, the assistant editor of Infinite Stripes, thanks for coming." Ichika, Houki, and Liu introduced themselves to begin the interview.
"Hi, I'm Ichika Orimura."
"I'm Houki Shinonono."
"Liu King-Sang."
Nagisako set her voice recorder on the table to record the interview. "Right. Liu, you have a different interview, head over towards the studio lot to your left." Liu was unsure, but he got up and left.
"If you don't mind, I would like to start with the interview first." Nagisako pressed the play button on the voice recorder, and the interview was now in session.
"Here's the first question. Orimura, what's it like to move in an all-girls academy?"
"Well…it's hard to find a bathroom that I can use."
Nagisako was surprised hearing Ichika's answer, and laughed. "I guess what my sister has been telling me is true!"
"Oh. Yeah?"
"And now, there's some questions about your sister that I would like to know." Houki fidgeted when the latter brought up the topic of Tabane Shinonono, Houki's older sister, the creator of IS.
"You received your IS directly from her, is this a plan to make you a representative contender?"
"About the Akatsubaki, I'm grateful that she made it for me. However, I'm not interested in being a representative contender because there's been many offers, and I reject it all." Houki's straight forward answer intrigued Nagisako even more to ask another question.
"Be honest. Between you and Ichika, which one of you is the strongest pilot?"
"That'd be me." Nagisako turned her attention at Ichika. "Oh really?"
Ichika stroked his right cheek to admit. "Well…yeah."
"Oh my, that's not a good characteristic as a hero, isn't it?"
"But I'm not trying to be a hero, ma'am. In the end, I'm just a soldier." Ichika's line struck a chord that made Nagisako ask one more question.
"I like that line! If you were in command, what's your battlefield strategy?"
Ichika paused to think of an answer as Nagisako held her voice recorder closer to catch his answer.
"It's umm…to protect…my comrades!" The last answer caught their attentions that effectively ended the interview.
Nagisako gave Ichika a thumbs up. "Yes! That's a cool catchphrase! Let's proceed to the photo shoot."
Time: 11:45AM – Studio Lot
Staff personnel and IS pilots walked in and out to rehearse their photo shoot. Liu stared in blank space, not knowing where to start.
"Over here!" A staff member shouted at Liu, and followed her for the interview that led them to a parking lot.
"So, what's the interview?"
"This!" The staff member waived her hand as the Fire Black McLaren 675LT slowly approached to a stop. The driver got out of the car as Liu appeared surprised seeing the $349,500 English sports car. However, he didn't understand why it was here.
"Ma'am, mind if I ask, what's the 675LT doing here?"
"You finally get to realize your childhood dream to drive a sports car!"
"Why do they want me to drive it? I'm too young, plus I don't have a license."
"Can your feet touch the pedals?" Liu sat inside as his lower body slumped back against the lowly adjusted bucket seats. He extended his feet against the pedals with no problem, and held the three-spoke steering wheel. His heart pumped sitting inside the Alcantara cockpit, which was no doubt sports oriented.
"Yeah, I can reach the pedals, and see through the windshield." Liu said, inspecting the advanced gadgets on the console.
"Then there we go!"
Are you serious?! What kind of magazine allows me to drive this house on wheels? Liu had to think fast before she could make a rash decision.
"I'm not driving with my face exposed, the last thing I want is sirens on the mirrors." The staff member nearly forgot Kaoruko assigned Liu a 'special' interview, and gave him a helmet and racing gloves.
"I guess that helps, but don't you guys have IS pilots that are older than me, like I don't know, qualified?" The staff member scratched her head.
"Thing is, our recent IS pilot fell ill, and we're on a tight schedule to find another one. The IS pilots were too reluctant to test drive it."
"Come on, there has to be a way to change their minds." The staff member did not say a word, and Liu sighed from defeat.
"How can you manage your pilots in a crisis?" Liu muttered.
"You won't be alone, I'm sitting shotgun because I'm no staff member. I'm a car journalist!" Liu was caught off guard when she removed her cap that released her long wavy brown hair. She mounted a camera inside the windshield and wore her headset microphone.
"Who…are you?"
"I forgot to introduce myself, I'm Reina Ogishima, nice to meet you." The unexpected change made Liu even more uncomfortable with the interview. Reina tapped his shoulder for one last advice.
"Oh yeah, I want you to drive fast."
"What?"
"Drive it like you stole it! This car was built to be fast, not drive it casually like a family car."
"Hold on, this is not…" Reina patted his helmet, and slid down the visor before Liu could talk.
"How are you going to explain an unlicensed teenage boy drove a sports car speeding through traffic?" Liu questioned Reina on the safety instructions that weren't clearly given.
"The windows are tinted, just make sure we're back in one piece." Liu shook his head in disgust, but Reina smiled and turned her headset on.
"Thank you for tuning in, I'm Reina Ogishima, your favorite car journalist of Infinite Stripes! What I have with me is the McLaren 675LT, the hardcore version of the 650S." Reina put the seat belt on while she adjusted her hair.
"Only 500 of these were made, so you better get them while it lasts. 68% polyester, 32% polyurethane, this is indeed Alcantara." Reina described the interior of the car, pointing out small details.
"The significant thing of the 675LT is it stands for Long Tail, just like the F1 that raced at Lemans. The difference is it's not long like the predecessor, but it's an inch longer than the 650S because the front splitter and tail are 50% wider."
Liu remained silent while Reina lectured the specifications.
"Without further or do, let's awaken the beast!" Liu adjusted the seat belt, and pushed the start button, but Reina made a weird remark.
"Some say that his favorite iPhone screenshot has a picture on the front of a iPhone screenshot, and that he recently received one-hundred fifty thousand tickets for the cat grooming convention center. All we know is he's the driver!"
What the hell did she just say to me? Liu thought as he throbbed the pedal, and the car lurched. Torque kicked Liu in the chest, which he did not expect. As they were cruising down the street, he turned left and right to get the feeling of its characteristics.
"As you can see, the 675LT has tons of power under the hood, but it'll be even faster with this cool gadget. Switch it to race mode." Liu turned the dial to race mode, and floored it. Like a jet taking off, the tires screeched with sheer force, and the power increased tenfold. Liu's heart rate increased from its raw power that he has the opportunity to drive a limited edition car. Reina held on the door handle for her own safety.
"666 horsepower, 0-60 in 3 seconds…!" Reina's eyes widened as the speed increased to 110 mph, "2993 lbs that spells an ultimate racing machine with a top speed of…205 mph!" Reina shrieked with excitement while Liu weaved through traffic smoothly. He slid the car through the sweeping left, and stomped the pedal. The acceleration shifted the car's rear weight to over steer as Liu counter steered to drift.
Tire smoke build up while the car drift gracefully, followed by another one. Liu was initially scared to drive, but one step of the pedals made him a different person.
"3.8 L twin-turbo M838T V8 does the job to define fast, let's hear a word from our driver." Reina waited for an answer, but Liu remained silent to focus on the road.
"He's focused to thrash the car like it's suppose to be." 12 minutes passed by, the 675LT tore through the streets from donuts in abandoned infrastructures, and hitting the top speed. The interview came to an end as the 675LT returned to Infinite Stripes studio lot. They got out of the car, but Reina was still hyper the way Liu drove.
"There you have it folks! I was so mesmerized of the performance I was suppose to do a full review, but don't worry about it, I'll write it down when I publish it by next week. Until then, I'll see you next time!" Liu took off the helmet and gloves that made his face stuffed from the heat.
"How did I do?" Liu wiped the sweat off his forehead.
"Amazing! You drove like a professional, thanks so much for helping me out."
"Umm, sure thing. Please don't tell anyone about this or my identity."
"You have my words!" Reina hugged Liu and left. He went inside the studio, where Ichika and Houki were suppose to do a photo shoot.
Time: 11:24AM – Dressing Room
Houki sighed after the interview, dreaming the last words Ichika said from the interview.
I must protect Houki! Unfortunately, she was so overjoyed that she punched a locker repeatedly.
"YES! Oh yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" Houki grabbed a dress without paying attention, and when she looked down, it revealed a white sundress.
"Ohh…I-I'm supposed to wear this? You're kidding me!" Houki was embarrassed looking at the white sundress made for her, but she thought of the opportunity cost.
On the other hand, you know what? Opportunity could be knocking here, oh yeah!
Time: 11:27AM – Studio
Liu sat across the couch where Ichika, wearing a gray and blue suit was waiting for Houki. He didn't want to bother them, so he took out his earphone and played hip-hop music on his iPhone 6. To keep himself entertained, Liu grabbed an Infinite Stripes magazine.
Nagisako made Ichika and Houki do various poses, ranging from holding Houki's waist, sitting together, and Houki's arms around Ichika's neck. Despite Nagisako's demanding personality and a few hesitations, the pictures turned out beautiful. The interview and photo shoot were a success that Ichika and Houki get to keep the outfit.
"How nice of Nagisako that she let you keep these outfits." Liu commented.
"I mean, they look nice for the dinner tickets Kaoruko gave us." Houki replied.
"I wish I could hang out with you guys for dinner, but I have business matters to take care of, have fun!" Liu went separate ways as Ichika and Houki walked together.
Time: 11:20PM – M's Room
Dozens of needles and empty drug capsules littered the hardwood floor as M lay on the bed, playing her locket.
"M, I'm coming in." Squall opened the door to walk towards her.
"You initiated an unauthorized contact. Would you care to explain, Madoka Orimura?" Madoka refused to answer the question to save the least of her trouble.
"Your assign task is to seize other nations' IS units. However, if you recklessly choose to indulge in other endeavors…" A gigantic golden tail emerged from her back, and caught Madoka up to the ceiling. Squall's threat was a warning if Madoka did not comply. She partial deployed an unknown golden IS, but Madoka had four drones aimed at Squall.
"You always have good reflexes." Squall chuckled at Madoka's wits. They de materialized their IS to settle down.
"Whether if you're Madoka Orimura or not isn't relevant to this mission. For right now, you're simply M of Phantom Task."
"Until I settle this score, that's my intention."
"Ah yes, the score with Ichika Orimura." Madoka scoffed at the mention of his name.
"I can kill him anytime, he's no threat."
"Oh yes, Right, you're talking about the score with Chifuyu Orimura." Madoka quickly frowned at her despised older sister while Squall casually folded her arms.
"I wouldn't worry about her since she no longer has her own IS, she can't possibly pose much of a challenge to you." Madoka threw a right cross and a roundhouse kick, but Squall leaped back just in time.
"Shut up! You don't even hold a candle to someone of her talent!" Madoka snapped when Squall thinks she doesn't have to kill her nemesis. Squall's ladylike attitude remained intact, and adjusted her red dress.
"Some of us need our sleep, so I guess it's time for me to take my leave." Before Squall left the room, she turned back with another message.
"As for you, lie low until your next assignment, and show Kaori a guide on Phantom Task."
"As you wish."
"I do like obedient girls."
Squall closed the door as Madoka pulled out her iPhone 6 to call Kaori. On the other side, Kaori was sleeping in her luxurious room until her phone broke the silence. Kaori hated anyone that interrupt her quiet time as she grabbed her phone.
"Are you here for a booty call? Everyone needs to sleep."
"Haha fuck you..." Madoka snarled. "I'm your tour guide for Phantom Task. We steal IS from other nations to create havoc. Number one rule is move in silence, keep your head low until order is given."
"Is that so? I can do that."
"You should re-think your statement from your previous encounter." Madoka walked towards Kaori's room. "Show me what you got to keep a low profile?"
"Go ahead, I-" A yelp from the other side, followed by a sound of punches and kicks interrupted her sentence. "Got someone making too much fuss, come on through."
Madoka and Kaori meet face to face for the first time. They share the same cold-blooded and sadistic personality, but the difference is Kaori has a penchant to torture people in many ways. Kaori led Madoka to another room, three men and one woman surrounded an injured young woman covered in blood. They were Phantom Task foot soldiers that carry out missions. Even though they don't pilot an IS, their combative skills are not to ignore.
"How's our guest doing?"
The man smeared the victim's hand with his foot as the woman holding a truncheon watched. Madoka stared at the victim shaken up, poking her, and she squirmed like a fish out of water.
"Did you ordered the hit?" Kaori questioned the victim.
The victim coughed blood. "I-I don't know what you're talking about...she acted on her own..."
Kaori gave the permission to rough her up every time the victim didn't answer the question correctly. The woman raised her truncheon above her head, and smacked the victim's spine. She cried in pain as her interrogators were void of emotions. The man grabbed a chair, and they tied her wrists and feet with duct tape.
"Can you explain what I'm watching, Kaori?" Madoka said in a bored expression.
"Squall called me in to dispose a teenage girl that tried to assassinate Three Dragons. I noticed a blue tattoo on her right wrist, and my men found the mastermind that shared identical tattoo. They believe she ordered the hit."
The man ripped the victim's sleeves that revealed the tattoo on her right wrist, waiting for further orders from Kaori. The woman tore the victim's shirt, exposing her bra.
"Why do you want Three Dragons gone?"
"Because he was a boy..." As the victim sobbed, Kaori did not approve her reason. The man grabbed a claw hammer, pointing his finger at the victim's nose.
"I'm not here to listen to your horseshit. Either you tell the truth, or I will rip the skin out of your body! You hear me?!"
The victim cried, trying to not get beat up again. "I...already told you what you wanted..."
Kaori nodded the man to torture her, he smacked the victim's hand with full force.
"AAAAAHHHHH!" The victim screamed as the man used the claw of the hammer, and threw a backhand slash at her cheek. The sharp claws ripped the victim's skin, blood oozing. Kaori wiped the blood away with a tissue in amuse.
"How about now?" Kaori questioned her again.
The victim was still in pain, unable to talk for a minute. Tired of not getting answers,, the man gave Kaori a plier to do the honor. The victim couldn't do anything, but watch in horror, and Kaori clipped a nail plate on her index finger. Kaori slowly ripped the nail plate off the root and sinus. The victim yelled top of her lungs as the nail matrix was exposed to oxygen.
"You got nine more left," said Kaori, throwing the fingernail away. "My friends will shaken you up to refresh your mind."
Kaori took in pleasure as she ripped another fingernail. The victim could do nothing but cry and scream from the barbaric torture. The woman took a scalpel, slicing the victim's arms and rib cages. The man grabbed a power drill to tear the victim's quadriceps, almost too close embedded to her muscle. The torture was cruel, but they didn't care as long as the victim confessed. A moment of silence, the victim finally revealed the truth.
"Three Dragons stole my sister's IS for profit, and he's planning to use it to recruit dangerous pilots!"
Madoka didn't care, but Kaori wanted to know more.
"What else is there?" Kaori turned on the power drill close to the victim's cerebellum.
"Three Dragons has plans to turn the rules around so men can operate an IS! I gave you everything you wanted, I want to go home..."
The victim cried nonstop, the interrogators cut her loose, and she fell down from the pain. Kaori was about to leave until Madoka stopped her.
"I don't like trash littered all over the place," said Madoka. "Clean your mess up, I'm not your maid."
Kaori sighed, watching the victim trying to get back on her feet. Kaori and Madoka walked away, waving her hand at her interrogators a goodbye. However, that was the order to end the victim's life for her usefulness expired. They drew their CZ 75 pistols, and shot her to death.
The topic of Ichika's family was taboo because Chifuyu didn't want to let Ichika find out Madoka was his little sister. Ichika was still unsure after he ran into Madoka that tried to murder him in cold blood. The tag team tournament was under way made by Chifuyu to improve personal IS users' skills against the recent hijack. Houki, Lingyin, Cecilia, Laura, Charlotte, Ichika and Liu step up to be stronger than last time. Liu had a hard time to keep a low profile against the media, especially the Infinite Stripes interview. However, he has a lot more to worry about, such as Three Dragons and Phantom Task. To make things worse, Three Dragons knew Liu operates an IS, which makes him want to steal Sockdolager, even if it cost his life.