-1700 HRS. Medical wing, Day 10-

It's been hours after the attack. Alex was sitting on a chair as he keeps watch on Houki, Laura and Charlotte . He stared at the unconscious pilots, hoping that they wake up.

"Alex?" Ichika tapped his shoulder.

"I'm fine." Alex said, brushing off Ichika's hand. Alex's hands slightly shook as he holds them. His stomach growled while guarding.

"You've been here since after the attack. Aren't you tired?" Tatenashi asked. That's when he realized that he hasn't taken some shut eye when he insisted to watch over the three.

"Mind watching over them? Just give me several minutes." Alex asked the two.

"Go ahead. Take a bite and freshen up." Tatenashi said. With that, Alex headed out.

-40 minutes later-

Alex heads back in to the medical wing. As he approaches the doorway, he overhears the two talking about who will be Ichika's roommate. He sighed at the mere thought of it.

"I'm back." Alex said to the two as he enters.

"Nice to see you fresh in uniform." Tatenashi joked, making Alex show a small smirk.

"It's getting late. You two should get some rest. I'm staying here." Alex said to the two.

"Are you sure?" Ichika asked.

"Yeah. I'm staying. Kaichou, if possible, tell the staff that I want the crime scene off-limits. I'll be gathering evidence first thing in the morning." Alex instructed.

"Sure, Alex." Tatenashi nodded. The two headed out and Alex sat back on a chair between Laura and Charlotte's beds, and watches over the three. As time passes, his eyes slowly close. He forces it to open for several times but he succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep.

-2100 HRS. Medical wing-

"Alex?"

"Shhh… He's asleep."

"Has he been watching over?"

"Yeah. It's time to let him know we're okay."

"Alex? Alex… Wake up. We're all right."

Alex fluttered his eyes open to see Houki, Laura and Charlotte near his seat. Charlotte shook him awake.

"what… Girls? You're awake… Are you okay?" Alex muttered.

"We are now." Charlotte said, greeting Alex with her usual angelic smile.

"What about you? Are you all right? You got a bruise on your forehead." She said as she touched his forehead.

"…bruise? Ow! Oh, this." Alex grunted as he felt the bruise on his forehead sting.

"You messed up your head. If you're gonna sleep, you should at least put some ice on that." Houki said as she gave him some ice on Alex's forehead.

"I can't believe you swoop in and used yourself as a shield! That was stupid of you to do that!" Houki reprimanded.

Alex stayed silent as Houki sighed in frustration.

"Look. It's been a hell of a day." Alex said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah. Like you said, they really rolled out the red carpet for us." Laura said, remembering the idiom a week ago.

"Yeah, you're right. But they rolled it out on the wrong place." Houki added.

"Figures. Don't walk it off just yet. Med teams said that it'll take a few hours for the pain to go away. Just lie down for now." Alex said.

"What about you?" Charlotte asked.

"I'm staying here. If possible, tend to your needs." Alex said.

"Y-you don't have to go that far!" Houki stammered.

"I insist." Alex shrugged. His stomach growled.

"Crap. I forgot. I haven't taken a bite." Alex thought.

"Looks like you need to tend to your needs too." Laura smirked, making the girls laugh.

Two and a half hours had passed, Alex stayed with the girls until they can get back up on their feet.

-2300 HRS. Dormitories-

"All right, ladies. Here's your dorm rooms." Alex said as he stopped at two doors.

"Right. See you tomorrow, I guess." Houki nodded.

"Sure. You three, get some rest. You need it." Alex advised.

"Same to you. Take it easy, all right?" Charlotte said with concern in her voice.

"Thanks, Fields." Laura said before entering the room. As they enter their dorm rooms, Alex wasted no time to enter his room and get some sleep.

-? HRS. UNKNOWN LOCATION, ALEX'S POV-

"What? Where am I?"

I awake in a dark place. I turn around, seeing only nothing but darkness. As I wander through the void, I saw silhouettes of five people. As I approached the silhouettes, they turn their faces to me, striking me with a sense of familiarity.

"…who are you people?" I asked them. Instead of hearing an answer, I heard gunfire from out of nowhere. It hit the silhouettes, as if someone wanted them dead.

"No… No! Come on, Hang in there!" I pleaded as I approached the one of them and try to stop the bleeding. As the silhouette turns its face to me, horror struck my mind. His face was covered in blood.

I turned to the others. They were reaching out to me, screaming for help.

"Oh God… OH GOD! Please! Stay with me! DON'T LEAVE ME!" I pleaded.

As I reach for the dying, I was struck to the chest, pushing me away from the ones that needed my help.

"Alex! HELP US!" They kept screaming constantly. As I try to push myself to them, another silhouette blocked my path. She held a gun in her hand and shoots the five.

"NO!" I screamed in agony as it was too late. I looked at the woman who shot these people.

"You… YOU MONSTER!" I tried to reach for her gun, but she shot me in the leg.

I collapsed on the floor and grabbed my injured leg to stop the bleeding. I screamed in anger and pain as I see the woman shoot my other leg.

"Come on. Try and shoot me." The woman said, smirking as she pulls out another gun and tosses it to me. I reached for the gun and shoot her, only to hear the gun click.

"Pathetic." She scoffed, pointing the barrel at my forehead. I can't move, nor speak… I can feel her pulling the trigger. I wanted to scream for my life…

"No… Please… No more! NO MORE!"

-0400 HRS. Room 1027-Alex's room, Day 11, Standard POV-

Alex woke up with a gun in his hand. He aims it as if he was waiting for the enemy to show. Alex could hear himself breathing erratically, as if he was gasping for air. He could feel his hands shaking as his finger were on the trigger, his heartbeat pulsing all over him. He looked around to see that he was only in his dorm room.

"Another nightmare… God, every night. One nightmare after another." Alex sneered. He gets off of his bed and places the gun on his desk. He goes to the bathroom to wash his face, looking at himself at the mirror.

"The dead don't haunt the living without reason…" He said to himself as he looks at his own bloodshot eyes. He keeps on washing his face until his eyes turn normal.

He opened a small first-aid kit to grab a pill bottle of aspirin. He placed four pills in his hand and pops it in his mouth. He takes a huge gulp of water.

"That hit the spot…" He sighed as he feels the pain in his head fade away. He pulls out his equipment for maintenance as he returns to his desk. He thinks about Ichika and the girls.

"If there's one thing I'm sure about, these kids are innocent. These "Phantom task" or whatever the hell they call themselves won't stop and kill these kids. I know that it's not gonna be easy, but I don't want things to end up like what happened in the past. They're just kids that have so much to live for. I'll have to request to Natasha to be on protective detail. I won't let any harm come to these kids. Never again." He thought to himself. He hid most of his equipment.

His phone rang, receiving another video call.

"Speak of the devil…" He smirked as he answers his phone.

"I had the feeling you'd show your pretty face." Alex said as he looks at a worried Natasha Fairs.

"I caught wind of what happened. Goddamn it, Alex! That was stupid of you to pull a stunt like that!" Natasha reprimanded as she looks at the bruise on Alex's forehead.

"As long as Ichika and the girls are safe, I really don't give a damn." Alex said.

"You should! Your friends back home ain't gonna be happy if you come home in a box!" Natasha raised her voice.

"Instead of talking about my safety, I got a few things to tell you." Alex said as he cuts the topic.

"All right, tell it to me straight." Natasha raised an eyebrow.

"These suspects call themselves Phantom Task. Some sort of group that attacked the academy—but to be precise, they got a bone to pick with Ichika and his IS." Alex reported.

"Phantom task… What more could they want from the academy? More importantly, why would they attack Ichika? Is there something about him and his IS that they want to grab their hands on?" Natasha asked.

"That's what I want to know. Natasha, I want you to put me on protective detail to these guys. One thing's for sure, these kids are innocent." Alex said.

"Well, what are you gonna do?" Natasha asked.

"I'll be conducting an investigation later on. If they need to know something, they have to know AT LEAST a few details on what I will get for today's investigation. They got involved in the attack. They have the right to know." Alex said.

"Do what you must, Alex. If you have to disclose some intel, make sure you don't spill too much." Natasha warned.

"Just this day's investigations and nothing else." Alex assured.

Natasha nodded at his suggestion. "Good. Send me a copy of the report. And Alex…"

"Yeah?"

"PLEASE don't push yourself too hard." Natasha said. Alex ended the call.

"Natasha… she's the eye in the sky in this situation… I don't know how could someone like her go through all this stress that I give her." Alex thought as he appreciates Natasha's concern, leaving some guilt in him.

-0800 HRS. Dormitory Lounge-

Alex, in casual navy blue short-sleeved polo and denim jeans, was sitting at the couch, having his usual cup of coffee. He's been staring at the doorway, as if he waits for someone.

"Fields…" A voice sprang from the halls. Alex turned around to see Ichika and the girls.

"It's Sunday morning. You guys still need the rest after yesterday's ruckus." Alex said after looking at his watch.

"We're fine. It's YOU that needed the rest." Rin said as she sits down.

"Rin's right. Looks like you haven't got any sleep at all." Charlotte said.

"I'm used to having little or no sleep sometimes." Alex said.

"Are you waiting for something?" Houki asked.

"I asked Tatenashi to seal off the crime scene. I'll be gathering evidence about this "Phantom Task." If they got a bone to pick with Ichika, they must have a good reason to." Alex answered.

"One thing I want to ask though." Cecilia stepped in.

"Yeah, go ahead, Cecilia. We're all ears." Alex said.

"How is it that they are able to track Ichika? I know that this is the ONLY academy that teaches about the IS, but how can they find Ichika inside the place?" Cecilia asked.

"Now that Cecilia mentioned it… How did they find me?" Ichika asked, remembering his encounter with a disguised Autumn.

"I think I got a theory… Ichika, give me your phone." Alex said as he reached out his hand.

"All right, here. Go ahead." Ichika said as he hands Alex his phone.

"I'll be back in a while." Alex said as he walks back to his dorm room.

"Whoa—Hey! Alex! What are you gonna do with that?!" Ichika stammered as he follows Alex.

"Just let me try something. The rest of you, wait for Tatenashi. I'll give you a message if I got something." Alex said to the girls.

"Alex, are you serious?!" Rin stammered.

"Ugh! Can't he take a break?!" They groaned in unison.

-0805 HRS. Room 1027-Alex's room-

"When someone's tracked… Check the victim's phone." Alex thought to himself as he turned on his laptop. He checked Ichika's smartphone for any damages.

"Well… There's nothing planted on the back…" Alex said to himself as he examined the phone.

"There you are!" Ichika stormed in.

"Calm down, Ichika. I'll give back your phone." Alex said.

"Can you at least tell me what you're gonna do with it?!" Ichika said.

"Fine. I'm checking if there's anything on your phone that might be used by the Phantom Task to track you." Alex said.

"Where did you get THAT idea?!" Ichika stammered as he heard Alex's theory.

"Besides watching those crime drama series? I actually did this for a few times back then. Some of them actually worked." Alex answered. He connected Ichika's phone to his laptop.

Alex checked every file in Ichika's phone—Documents, Music, Photos, Downloads, History. One file caught his attention.

"PT1470… For a group with a high threat, their file-naming's making it easy. Ichika, have you been downloading some stuff recently?" Alex asked.

"No, not at all. I don't browse or download anything on my phone. Though I never saw this file before." Ichika said.

Alex clicked on the file only to be faced with a security interface.

"Aaargh, I HATE it when I face this! This might take a while, Ichika. Go to the girls." Alex groaned. Ichika didn't say another word and left his room.

-0810 HRS. Dormitory Lounge-

Ichika walks to the girls, giving notice to his presence. The girls stepped closer to him.

"Well?" Houki asked.

"Alex wants to check my phone for any weird stuff. I'm a little freaked out right now." Ichika said.

"Something wrong, Ichika?" Cecilia asked.

"He said something about a file named PT1470. He's in his room trying to check it out." Ichika answered.

Footsteps were heard, getting closer to the doorway. As everyone looked to see who it was, it was Tatenashi.

"Tatenashi?" Everyone said in unison. The girls glared at her.

"Look, you already have Ichika as roommate! What more do you want?!" Cecilia said.

"Haven't you done enough?!" Rin added.

Tatenashi sighed, gesturing that she isn't looking for an argument.

"As much as I like to spend arguing about Ichika-kun, I'm not in the mood, and even if I am, I don't have the time for now." She said, making the girls calm down.

"Where's Alex?" Tatenashi asked.

"He's up in his room, checking some weird things from my phone." Ichika said.

"What? Jeez, he's already investigating THIS early?!" Tatenashi exclaimed.

"He never takes a break!" Rin added.

Someone's phone rang. "Speak of the devil…" Laura said. Everyone pulled their phones to know who got the message. It was Laura's phone.

The text message read:

"I got something. Room 1027. Call the others, now.

-Fields"

"He's calling us. Come on, let's get to him." Laura said. The rest wasted no time to go to Alex.

-0815 HRS. Room 1027-Alex's Room-

Alex was typing on his laptop, bypassing the security of the file. Everyone walked in his room to see how is he.

"Alex, do you have something?" Ichika asked.

"Bingo. I'm in." Alex said as he cracked through the interface.

"Impressive, Fields." Laura said.

Tatenashi's presence called his attention. "Kaichou. Is the crime scene sealed off?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, Alex. Nothing's gonna get in or out." Tatenashi answered.

"Good. That's all I need to hear." Alex sighed. "Just as I thought. This PT1470… It acted as some sort of a virus." He analyzed the data presented in his computer.

"Meaning?" Everyone asked in unison.

"This virus was programmed to patch a tracking program to whoever's phone is infected with. Kind of like a tracking device—only in this case, Ichika's phone is the tracking device. The virus was just the program." Alex explained more in his analysis.

"Great. There goes my phone." Ichika groaned.

"It's not lethal to the phone, so you don't have to buy another one, Ichika. I'll try to remove it from here." Alex suggested.

Rin raised a concern. "But Alex, wouldn't this virus affect your computer?" She asked.

"I had my computer's security system on high before I pulled this stunt. So my computer's safe—even for a high-threat like this." Alex said.

"Come on… Come on… There! All right, Ichika. I removed the program permanently. Let's see if these bastards track us down now." Alex said as he breaks the virus before handing Ichika's phone.

"Alex, you are full of surprises." Laura chuckled.

"How do you even pull these off?" Charlotte asked.

Alex paused for a minute. "I have my ways…" He said as he saved the analysis data to his computer.

"That's one piece of the puzzle. There's more to sniff out. You guys can go with your day. And Tatenashi?" Alex said.

"Yeah, Alex?" She tilted her head.

"I don't want you pull another stunt like that. You understand me?" Alex said, talking about what happened yesterday.

"You worry too much, Alex." Tatenashi assured him. "After all, if it wasn't for you we would have been goners." Ichika added.

"That wasn't enough…" Alex sighed in frustration. "But we held her off-" Tatenashi tried to convince him

"That wasn't enough! We faced a god-damn psychopath! For God's sake, we could have been murdered right then and there!" Alex yelled as he stood up from his seat.

"Alex, please calm down!" Charlotte pleaded. He paused for a few moments.

"Tatenashi-senpai helped the two of you to hold out! Does that even matter to you?!" Houki reprimands. Alex pauses and collects his thoughts after his outburst.

"No one's getting hurt when I'm around, end of story." Alex said as he glared at them. "I have more work to do." He stormed out of his room.

-0930 HRS. Crime Scene: Play area-

Alex jumped down to the play area, where the pieces of Autumn's IS scattered from the blast zone.

"Okay… This is Arena 2. Play area. Every burning piece should have died down by now." He said to himself as he approaches the broken pieces, starting from the center of the blast.

He walks to a piece where the core used to be placed. Just the usual circuitry, until he spots a small data chip on its center. He puts on a pair of latex gloves as he pulls it out, only to be intrigued by what he saw.

"Some sort of data chip I guess." Alex sighed as he looked at an ash-covered chip. "Thank God it's still intact. This could be a big piece." He said, placing the chip in a plastic bag, labeling it as evidence.

Alex went to the epicenter of the blast zone, only to find some pieces of burnt explosive casings.

"C4 Explosives… By the look of the blast, the amount is enough to blow up two buildings." He said as he examined the numbers of burnt casings that were scattered. He picked up the least damaged casing and placed it in another bag.

He gives one more search throughout the area. There's nothing left to gather. He walks through the locker room by the hole on the wall.

-0945 HRS. Crime scene: Locker room-

"It's even messed up after the fight…" Alex said to himself as he looked at a destroyed locker room, seeing a few rows of lockers intact. He pulls out a flashlight from his pocket to see around the area.

"Rubble… lockers and more fucking rubble. There should be something here…" He grunted as he searched the area.

"God, it's humid… What's this?" He said as he picks up some sort of hexagonal device. He drops it and backs off as he pulled his gun.

"It's the same device that she planted on Ichika!" He raised his voice.

He aims his gun at the device if there's any weird stuff happening. After a few seconds later, the device had no reaction. He slowly approached the device and picked it up.

"Nothing… I better seal this before it jumps and latches on my face." Alex said as he places the device in another bag. He continues his search. As he walks around, he hears something fall to the floor. It sounded like a small stack of papers. He looks down to see some sort of magazine.

"Hmm… This is the same catalogue Autumn used." Alex said. As he looks through the pages, something dropped from the catalogue. He picks it up to reveal an ID Card.

"What do we have here? An ID Card… Ayako Makigami… I have a hunch this is stolen, or worse." Alex said, examining the ID.

"That's it for this place. I've squeezed what I can from the crime scenes." He said as he looks around the area before heading out the door.

-1000 HRS. Hallways-

"…Alex-kun?" Maya was at the hallway when Alex exits the crime scene, carrying the evidences.

"Yamada-sensei? Where's Chifuyu?" Alex asked him.

"I'm on my way to meet her in the research facility. Why?" Maya asked him.

"I collected some evidence about yesterday's attack. I was wondering if you and Orimura-sensei can help me." Alex requested.

She was completely silent.

Alex stared at her with sympathy. "I-I'm sorry. I really shouldn't pressure you with this sort of work. It's okay if you say no." He said with guilt in his voice.

She cried enthusiastically. "I'D LOVE TO HELP YOU OUT, OFFICER!" By her look, she really meant to help Alex.

"Yamada-Sensei, are you sure? I mean, you and Orimura-Sensei are gonna help me with POLICE work. This isn't like any movie." Alex warned as he was concerned for his teacher.

"Why would I hesitate to help you? I am your teacher in the academy after all! I want to help you!" Maya said, smiling brightly. Alex responded with a sigh and a soft chuckle.

"All right. This won't be easy to report back at the station, though." Alex said.

"I'm sure it'll be all right, Alex-kun." Maya assured him.

"Um… Yamada-sensei. I'm fine with you calling me Alex. You can drop the honorifics." Alex said.

Maya stammered. "O-okay… Alex." She said, blushing.

-1010 HRS. Underground Research facility-

Alex was impressed with the facility and its features. As he looks around with Maya, His sight-seeing was cut when Chifuyu whacks him with her clipboard.

"What are you doing here, Fields? This is a restricted area!" Chifuyu said as she glares at him.

Alex rubbed his bruise. "Wish I can follow that rule, but I need your help. I got some evidence that needs cracking." Alex said, presenting her a large bag that was labeled as evidence.

"Evidence? Hmm… Sarashiki was right all along." Chifuyu said as she remembered Tatenashi talking to her, requesting to seal the area.

"Well, now that you're convinced, I found these among the blast zone…" Alex said, placing the chip and the casings on a table.

"…And these on the locker rooms." He said, placing a catalogue, ID and the device.

Maya and Chifuyu were intrigued by Alex's investigation. Chifuyu picked the catalogue and handed it to Alex. "Fields, I've seen and dealt with IS corporations, but I'm not familiar with this one." Chifuyu said.

"No address… No contact numbers… Nothing on the back." Alex said, examining the catalogue

He entered the name of the corporation to the computer. To his surprise, the results comprised a long list of IS Corporations—local and international. "This can take a few moments…" Alex said to himself.

"Cross-reference with Active Local Infinite Stratos Corporations." Alex said, giving a voice command to the computer.

"NO MATCHES."

"Cross-Reference with Infinite Stratos Corporations Worldwide…" He gave another command.

"NO MATCHES."

"Nothing. The corporation in the catalogue doesn't exist in the books. Pretty sure whatever they're running, it's illegal." Alex assumed.

"What about their products? Their expansion packs?" Maya asked him, making him flip through the pages…

"What the hell… I think I've seen these being carried in back in Los Angeles." Alex said as he looked at the content.

"The incident?" Chifuyu assumed.

"It was supposed to be a routine patrol. Then dispatch called about unusual activity at the docks. When we responded to the call, we didn't know that these… things would be the cause of it." Alex started to narrate the incident back at Los Angeles.

"What happened next?" Maya asked.

"Some of these pilots were shipping these things, next they were rounding up hostages. My partner and I tried to rescue them, but one of them acted like a child. We were spotted and next thing I know, my partner was injured." Alex said, sneering at the last part. The two were completely silent.

"You know the rest, sensei. I'm not talking about this again." He said.

"I understand." Chifuyu said, looking at a distraught Alex. "What about this data chip?" She asked as she picks up the chip from the table.

"We should be lucky. Despite the blast, this thing was completely intact. Let alone the ashes cover it." Alex said, examining the chip before handing it to Maya. As she plugs the chip in the computer, its data revealed information about its core and the pilot.

"It's an illegal core, all right." Maya said, analyzing the core's information.

"An illegal core?! But I thought there's ONLY 467 cores registered!" Alex stepped in.

"You may not know this, Fields. But we encountered an unmanned IS drone months ago, attacking Orimura and Huang. Despite his flaws, they were able to hold it off." Chifuyu said.

"Who knows how many of these cores are being made. It's gonna be a total shitstorm when this goes off." Alex said.

Maya then focused on the pilot's data. "Wait—There! Hold on, Maya. That's her." Alex pointed at the picture of Autumn.

"You know her, Alex?" Maya asked him.

"She's the one that attacked Ichika within the academy grounds. She must have infiltrated the academy with this." Alex said before handing the ID card to Chifuyu.

"Well, if she's gonna have any beans to spill, the computers will check any list of corporations that has her name under it. Take a break, Fields. We got it from here." Chifuyu assured him. By the looks of it, they insist.

Alex shook his head. "I'll take a break once we get some info." He said.

-1200 HRS. Cafeteria-

Alex took a breather as he sits down near an empty table. In his hand was an envelope containing data and results from the data chip.

"Ayako Makigami… No matches on any corporations' human resource." Alex said as he reads the files.

He picked up his phone as it buzzed on his pocket.

"Hey, your friend Nat (Natasha) told me what happened there. Your cousin just got out of the hospital. We're just checking how you're doing. Stay safe, kid.

-Doug"

Knowing that what's left of his family back home cares for him, he gave a sigh of relief, at the same time, distraught. He placed his head on his hand, staring at the window. As he stared at the window, someone places a cup of coffee at his table. He turns around to see Laura and the others. Laura placed the cup on the table.

"Oh… Hi there." Alex greeted to break the silence.

"How are you doing?" Laura asked him.

"Been better." Alex said, looking at his cellphone before putting it in his pocket. "Coffee's yours, Laura?" He asked.

"It's yours. Already had mine an hour ago." Laura said as she shook her head.

"I could use a jolt of caffeine. Thanks, Laura." Alex said after a short pause. "Take a seat, I could use some company." Alex moved to the side for his friends to take a seat. They did what he told.

"It's good. The blend's really delicious." Alex complemented as he takes a sip. "Still mad about what happened this morning?" He asked. There was no response.

Houki broke the silence. "How's the investigation so far?" She asked.

"Pieces are still missing. We need to know their motive. If not the phantom task for now, at least Autumn's." Alex answered.

"What's being done to find out their motive?" Rin asked.

"We've checked every corporation for the disguised name. Employees, administrators, nothing on the list." He answered. His phone buzzed again. He sighed as he reads the message.

"Is everything okay, Alex?" Charlotte asked him.

"Yeah. The folks back home are just asking me about my day." Alex answered.

"Do you miss your family?" Cecilia asked, giving sympathy.

"What's left of them, Cecilia." Alex said, showing a broken smile.

"…what's left of them? What do you mean?" Ichika asked. Alex paused for a while to collect his thoughts.

"Let's just say that I lost a lot of people dear to me. I swear to myself that I'm not gonna lose another. Never again." Alex said as he lowers his head. Ichika patted him on the back, showing sympathy.

As Alex regains his thoughts, he sets his eyes on Ichika and Houki. "You two. Know any police stations around the city?" He asked.

"…yeah, why?" They said, nodding in unison.

"I need to know where to find them. I need to dig deeper if I need to know her motive." Alex answered.

"How are you supposed to do that?" Laura asked.

"We already know Autumn's profile, but she disguised herself with someone who's not in any corporations. What I want to know is who is this Ayako, and why was she be the subject of disguise." Alex said.

"You investigate every detail. That's very thorough. I think I know a few…" Houki said. Alex pulls out a small notepad and pen and gives it to Houki.

"If any of you know any stations, just write them down." He said to the rest. A few minutes later, the pen and notepad were handed back—Rin wrote two addresses, Ichika wrote three, Houki wrote two.

"Thanks, you three. Now if you ladies excuse me, duty calls." Alex said as he stood up. Laura, Charlotte and Rin gave way for Alex. He heads off to the tram station leaving to the city.

-1500 HRS. Downtown Police Station-

Alex checks his notepad. He crossed out four of the locations that Rin, Houki and Ichika gave him. So far, the previous stations had no reports. Next was on his list was the Police station downtown.

As Alex enters in the police station, a handful of officers shift their eyes on him. By the looks of it, some of the local policemen recognized Alex. He approaches the front desk to talk to a female officer.

"May I help you?" The recipient said, looking down at her notes. Alex showed his badge to her.

"Officer Alex Fields. I'm here to inquire a few police reports." Alex answered.

"The American officer who was sent to the IS academy?!" The recipient exclaimed, recognizing Alex.

"At ease, Officer. I'm on-duty." Alex chuckled.

The recipient regains her focus. "Ah, yes. So how can we help you?" She asked.

"I'm looking for any data about an Ayako Makigami—Police reports, background, anything." Alex said.

The recipient looks through the records for the name. "Makigami… Makigami… Ah! We have a record!" She said as she found the name.

"May I request for a copy?" Alex asked.

"Of course! Is it okay for you to wait for a while?" The recipient asked before rushing deep into the station.

"Not a problem. By all means, I can wait." Alex assured the officer.

While waiting, Alex talked to the police officers who recognized him. The usual topics; Tactics, apprehension, recognition of suspects; anything that a police officer deals with. The recipient returns to the front desk.

"Officer Fields, the report's ready!" The recipient called. Alex walks to the front desk, only for the officer at the front desk hand him an envelope containing the information he needs.

"A thin stack." Alex whispered to himself. He thanked the officers and left the station. He grabs a snack and heads back to the IS academy without haste.

-2000 HRS. Underground Research Facility-

"I've milked the leads dry. So far, Phantom Task, shards of Autumn's IS, catalogue, and some hexagonal device. These are the ones that I could find in the locker area and the arena." Alex said as he examines the evidence.

"Phantom task… Fields, do you think this is the same syndicate that attacked Los Angeles?" Chifuyu asked.

"It's possible. Autumn's our only lead here so far—her, and the three pilots I arrested. Can I have that catalogue for a minute?" Alex said before reaching out his hand. Chifuyu gave him the catalogue.

"…Just as I thought; Iridium ammo casings, Tungsten stun rounds, Plutonium ammunition, high-caliber weaponry. These specs are off the charts. They're illegal black market material. What's worse is that I've seen several shipments of these at the docks back in LA." Alex analyzed.

"And Ayako Makigami—er… I mean Autumn?" Chifuyu asked.

"I've cross-referenced her with the name that she disguised herself with some data I got from a police station downtown. Talk about good luck…" Alex said, mentioning the data gathered about the person.

"Well, you have anything?" Chifuyu asked.

"No wonder her name's not on any of the corporations' human resource. Autumn's been disguising a dead person. According to local police reports, Ayako Makigami was murdered 10 months ago. Who knew, huh?" Alex said as he hands the police report to Chifuyu.

"If she disguised herself under a murder victim's name, how is she able to infiltrate the academy?" Chifuyu asked.

"The ID card was a fake. Oldest trick in the criminal's book." Alex said.

"What about this?" Maya gave him the device that Autumn used on Ichika.

"Be extremely careful with it, Yamada-sensei. This acted like an EMP device when it was planted on Ichika. I've never seen anything like it. But considering what it did to him, it might be worse if we analyze this on the research facility's computers in this condition. It's too dangerous." Alex examines the device.

"Well, we can't keep it like this forever." Chifuyu added.

"Who says we'll keep it like this? I'll try to disarm this the old-fashioned way." Alex said as he pulled a multi-tool from his pocket.

"Wires… Circuits… For something this advanced, the internals are pretty conventional." Alex whispered as he force-opened the underside of the device.

"Just a few more cuts… Device disarmed." He hears a beeping sound dying out. He closed the device and handed it to Maya. She plugged the disarmed device to the computer.

"Got anything, sensei?" Alex asked as he approached her. The screen's interface gave a thorough detail on the device.

"All right, I'm in." Maya said as she types a few commands on the computer.

"Fucking A, sister." Alex muttered.

"Remover?!" Maya exclaimed.

"This takes out the IS unit from the pilot. This could have killed Ichika if we hadn't acted sooner!" Alex was alarmed as he reads the detail.

"It was a good thing we did, Alex-kun." Maya nodded.

Alex stared at the monitor blankly. "Fields, is there something bothering you?" Chifuyu asked.

"…It's nothing." Alex said as his mood soured.

"Fields, try to calm down. Hand me a copy of the report once you're finished." Chifuyu said.

"As soon as possible, sensei." Alex nodded.

-2200 HRS. Outside-

Alex furnished three copies of his report. As he walks down to the faculty room to give one copy to Chifuyu, he bumps on something small and platinum-haired.

"Oh my God! Laura, I'm so sorry!" Alex exclaimed as he was surprised to see who it was.

Laura stands up and helps him pick up the documents. "It's fine, Alex. I'm not looking where I'm going." She said. Alex stared at her in the eyes.

"What?" Laura asked as he stares at her.

"I didn't know you had heterochromia." Alex said as Laura's left eye was exposed, showing a gem-like shine.

"Wh-what? This?" Laura stammered as she realized her eyepatch wasn't on her person. "It's nothing, really!" She said as she covered her face.

"Well, I'll admit it's like a gemstone. Here's your eyepatch by the way." Alex said as he hands Laura's eyepatch.

"Thanks… Is that for Instructor?" Laura asked as she points at the envelope Alex was carrying.

"Instructor? Oh, Orimura-sensei? Yeah, it is. I was required to give a copy. The rest are gonna be sent by mail back to the department." Alex said.

"Now that I think of it… What are you doing here at this time of night?" He asked her.

Laura looked around the area. "I'm just looking for my bride." She said.

"Bride? Oh, you mean Ichika. Pretty sure he ain't walking around here at this night without reason." Alex said.

Laura sighed as she thinks that he may be right. "I guess so… Can I walk with you?" She asked him.

"Yeah, sure. I could use some company. Hop aboard, kid." Alex said as he nodded.

-20 Minutes Later-

Alex finished his errands for the night and heads back to the dormitories with Laura.

"So you and Orimura-sensei go way back, huh?" Alex said as he breaks the ice.

"Pretty much. When I was still in the Schwarzer Hase back in Germany, she was my instructor. She showed me how to pilot an IS." Laura answered.

"One of Germany's special forces division?" Alex asked her.

Laura was surprised by Alex's guess. "How did you know that?" She asked.

"Their mark's on the side of your eyepatch." Alex said as he pointed at the side of her eyepatch.

"I see… Most people don't see it." Laura said.

"So… How are the three of you feeling? I mean… after the attack?" Alex asked.

"All better, thanks to you. Why did you stay and tend to us?" Laura asked him.

"Laura, I've been working a job that needs me to help people. So I got used to helping people." Alex said.

"That's nice to hear." Laura said before punching his arm.

"Ow! What was that for?!" Alex exclaimed as his arm gets punched.

Laura chuckled by his reaction. "That's me being friendly to you." She said.

"Who knew friendship hurts." Alex joked, making Laura punch him again. "Aaah! Okay, Bodewig! That hurts to the bone!" He exclaimed. Laura chuckled after punching Alex.

As they walk to the dormitories, a gunshot was heard within their earshot.

"Gunfire?!" Laura said as she became alarmed.

"It came from over there!" Alex exclaimed as he pulls out his gun. The two rushed to the source of the gunfire, only to see Ichika shielding himself from a girl with a petite figure. She was shooting at Ichika. Alex fired a few shots and disables the gun.

"Stop right there!" Alex yelled at the girl.

"You've got some nerve messing with my bride!" Laura added. The girl glared at the two as they interfered.

"I'll get you next time." She said. She materialized her IS, making Alex's eyes widen.

"It's the same IS that attacked the academy yesterday!" Alex thought as he recognizes the IS. He attempts to partially deploy his IS.

"Look out!" Alex warned as a barrage of lasers rain down on the three. Laura shields the three of them until it stopped. They looked at the fleeing IS.

"It's just one trouble after another!" Alex exclaimed.

"Are you all right?" Laura asked Ichika.

Ichika nodded. "Yeah. I'm all right. Thanks, you two." He said.

"So much for your evening stroll. Let's get back to the dormitories." Alex said as he puts his gun on safe, holstering it.