Episode 12-2 - Monster
"We're really burning the midnight oil for this, huh, Eltee?"
Mu la Flaga quickly downed the energy drink in his hand before tossing it into the nearby trash can. "Not like we haven't done this kind of op how many times before."
"True. But this is basically the first time we're playing second fiddle to people almost a decade younger than us."
Zipping up his flight suit, the blonde shook his head with a small smirk. "Well, what can you do? Our country's top-tier IS got hijacked, the RIMPAC fleet got mauled by unknowns, and the Professor's golden boys almost got killed on our watch. No matter how much you try to reason it out, the other countries will blame us for this."
"As is expected." His wingman groaned as he strapped his helmet on. "We're the US after all, we always mess up somewhere."
With a wry chuckle, the ace pilot put on the flight vest and attached all the necessary gear. "So, let's leave all the political haggling to those stiff suits and do what we do best up in the air."
"We got any instructions from the IS Pilots, boss?" Falco-3 asked as she tied her hair into a tight bun. "Surely they can't expect us to just go hog wild?"
"Their plan is both admirable and stupid in its simplicity." Mu shrugged as he scratched the side of his head. "They'll set up a defensive line 30 kilometers to the East. It's practically a last-ditch effort on their part. Then and there, they'll engage the Gospel and, with any luck, neutralize it."
"Their version of The Thin Red Line, huh..?" One of the pilots muttered, a frown on his lips before another spoke up.
"And what of Fairs?"
The blonde's face fell slightly, his lips curling down into a frown. "...Command basically told us, through me, to take down the Gospel once and for all. Fairs'll be a martyr."
The other members of Falco Squadron looked at each other in both disbelief and shock. What they just heard meant that they would have no repercussions in shooting down a fellow pilot. No possible charges of Friendly Fire or anything of the sort…
"That's right fucked, sir." Falco-4 spat, disdain clear on his face. "Natasha's one of the Army's top pilots, she's an Ace like us!"
"Which is why," Mu cleared his throat, giving them a stern but confident look. "We won't be going for any kill shots if we have to. We've all made it through the Round Table, we're sufficiently skilled to not outright go for it. And," His lips curled into a smug smirk. "You know just who I am."
His wingman, Falco-2, rolled his eyes. "Christ, you can't shut up about it, can you?"
The blonde opened his mouth but whatever he was gonna say was interrupted when their communicators all beeped in unison. They all looked at each other and then nodded, whatever mirth they had quickly melting into professionalism.
"Alright, boys and girls," The Hawk of the Round called out as he put his helmet on. "Get to your birds! It's time to soar!"
( BGM Start: The Independence Force - Jose Pavli )
Davion rechecked the list of weaponry he had in his Inventory as he and the girls made their way to the defensive line they were going to make.
Full Weapon System Pack: Ready
Sensor Unit Pack: Ready
Short Region Assault Pack: Ready
Lohengrin Launcher Pack: !damaged!
Glancing over to his cheek armor, he then looked up at the corner where the ammo counters were.
Igelstellungs: 300/300
Type 70 Beam Sabers: 100%
Type 71 Beam Rifle: !missing!
Caledfwlch: 100%
Tactical Arms: 35̸͕͉̈̃0̷̛͍̩0̶̨̓̇̆/̷̲͑̅͛35̶̦̝̏̚0̷̤͗͛̾0̷̞͚͑͜
He had to use the Red Frame's CIWS to replace the ones that he had lost. It was a fairly easy transfer, no doubt thanks to the near-identical internals of the Astrays, even with their more recent upgrades. However, he still had to adjust for the difference in position, from being located near the temples of the Red Frame to the cheeks of the Blue Frame.
'And speaking of the other Frames' weaponry…'
Holding a manipulator out, white-gold motes of light began to gather.
《 Laura. 》
Beside him, the pilot of the Schwarzer Regen turned her head from looking at a holographic map.
《 Catch. 》
The albino barely had a second to register his words when her hand caught the thrown object by reflex. Claws wrapping around the grip of the weapon, her sole eye widened as she took in the sight of the Gae Bulg Rail Bazooka.
"Wha-?!" Laura gaped at the Blue Frame. "Why give me this?"
《 Because that Railgun of yours is a clunky mess and won't be that effective when battling an agile enemy at long range. That thing's got only 5 shots in its internal magazine, so make them count. 》 Davion didn't hold back in his criticism of the Purizushi. The Gae Bulg was more energy efficient and fired a bigger caliber, all the while being relatively more compact! What the hell were they thinking making something that wonky?!
German Engineering, his ass…
The younger supersoldier's expression twisted in offense but she shouldered the weapon, after moving her left shoulder binder a bit higher to make space. It was a bit of an effort, really, as the weapon was made for Astray use and was not IS, and by proxy, human, scaled.
Hell, it was practically twice her height in length!
《 Charlotte, Cecilia, here. 》
Two more weapons were tossed towards the blondes and they caught it in mild surprise. Quickly recognizing what was given to them, the Type 71 Beam Rifles, the Frenchwoman was quick to look for some sort of ammo counter on the thing.
《 I modified those to hold 15 shots, all high-powered, so I trust you two to not miss any of them. 》
"I will do my best." Charlotte nodded as she attached the weapon on her skirt armor. She sent a slight longing look at the weapon, wondering if it was Ryo's weapon. And with that thought, she hoped.
Hoped that, in the infinitesimal nature of possibility, he would guide her shots to be straight and true.
Cecilia looked at the rifle wordlessly before attaching it to her skirt armor, her eyes blank of any emotion.
She had been silent ever since she and Kanzashi had witnessed what truly happened over Ogasawara. The near palpable aura of betrayal hung on her shoulders heavily but she waved away any questions with a stern look and a stiff upper lip.
She would not fall into such despair, not yet.
Not when they had a duty to uphold first.
But when everything was done and gone…
"Don't pressure them, Davion-kun." Kanzashi lightly reprimanded her boyfriend as she flew up beside the Blue Tears. She glanced at the slight tensing of the blonde jaw, the only ever so subtle clue to her warring emotions, and quietly sighed.
The bluenette herself felt conflicted on what to do with the information she and the blonde had been given by way of camera footage from the Astrays optics.
Kanzashi held no illusions that the three were 'normal', not since Ephraim and Cecilia's duel in the opening days of the school year. There was always this nagging feeling in the back of her head that the blonde was sandbagging, and the footage just showed how much he and the other two had been holding back.
It was…humbling.
And terrifying.
Both the sheer amount of firepower being thrown around as well as the skills to evade said firepower were both equally terrifying to her.
But the most…off-putting thing was how they each took a life.
Yes, they were in combat and yes, their own lives were at stake but…
The dispassionate and detached way they viewed their opponents moments before they…ended them was…
Concerning.
It was almost as if they had done it before, that they were desensitized to the sensation of killing.
She did not like that possibility.
That was not to mention the weird eye effects Ephraim and Ryo had during the battle. From the dementedly battle-hungry expression of the blonde, veins pumping around his eyes casting a monstrous look, to the cold and almost apathetic look of the swordsman as his emerald eyes dulled and his pupils shrunk to a pinprick.
Add that to Davion's mysterious crimson glow in his eyes whenever he got mad…
《 Kanzashi. 》
The voice of said mechanic snapped her out of her musings, causing her to look over at and into the sea-green optics of the Astray.
《 Everything good with the Striker Pack? 》
"A-Ah," She took a quick glance at the holographic windows that opened in response to his question. "Yeah, everything's running smoothly. The energy conversion rate is in the positives and the drain is negligible."
The Strike Uchigane had been equipped with the Gold Frame's Aile Pack, distinct with the golden trim on the wings and around the thruster blocks. The eight high-spec thrusters were more powerful than the Barrage Pack's jets, allowing her far greater speed and acceleration, as well as maneuverability. However, the Aile Pack lacked the heavy firepower of the former, forcing her to equip the Blue Frame's Type 71. Her Naginata was stored separately on her side skirts, split into two parts; the telescopic pole and the blade.
Rumble…
Whatever the Astray was going to say was interrupted by the distant sound of thunder. All eyes looked forward as flashes of lightning lit up the far away clouds, the chill wind reminding them of the coming stormfront.
《 Ballistic goggles on. Wouldn't want the rain to hit you right in the eye. 》
Prior to their takeoff, the mechanic had handed the girls each a set of ballistic goggles he 'liberated' from the Camp Schwab Armory as he was leaving. He wasn't taking any chances for them to falter at a crucial moment, so he set about giving them eye protection against the weather.
Unlike what happened earlier that day with Ichika and Houki, he wasn't going to let anything slip past their grasp.
〈 Girls, I'm removing your speed restriction. Go ahead at full burner, time is of the essence! 〉
Fwoosh!
And the girls did just that, after a synchronized affirmation. The Shenlong rocketed ahead of the pack, the Chinese girl quantizing her dual blades, with the Schwarzer Regen following close behind. Cecilia glanced at Kanzashi before she went on ahead, her hands pulling down the polarized goggles over her eyes.
However, just as the bluenette was going to follow after the blonde, she noticed that the Blue Frame had yet to activate its boosters.
"Davion..?"
Kanzashi looked at her boyfriend in slight worry. The Astray was looking towards the North, the sea green optics flickering before they looked back at her.
《 Thought I saw something pop up on the sensors… 》
She looked to the North for a brief moment, a stab of paranoia emerging within her at his words. But before she could focus her Hypersensor to alleviate said paranoia, their comms crackled back to life with Chifuyu's angered voice.
〈 Guele, Sarashiki, you're lagging behind! Get your asses in gear! 〉
《 Tch! We hear you! 》
The Blue Frame took one last, lingering look North before giving a glance at the bluenette. A frustrated growl escaping his lips, the Astray boosted ahead at speeds greater than what the present IS could do. The Strike Uchigane followed, keeping pace easily due to the Aile Pack and its own upgraded thrusters, but the pilot couldn't help but worry about whatever Davion had seen up North.
Unknown to both, a photonic mast slowly lowered beneath the churning waves…
( BGM End: The Independence Force - Jose Pavli )
.
.
.
Splish…
This place was…familiar.
Splash…
An endless expanse with an endless sky and a gentle breeze…
Splish…
Ichika stared ahead, transfixed by the figure several meters away from him. She wore a white sundress alongside an accompanying sunhat. Her hair was white as snow and her skin was nearly a sickly pallor. He stood up from the tree that he sat on and stepped forward into the shallow water that covered the surface of this…realm.
It was so much like that one time with the boys and Bodewig…
But they weren't here, it was only this woman.
However…
'Why does this…' He stopped a few feet away from her, unsure as to why. 'Why does this remind me of something I've seen before..?'
The woman had her back to him the entire time as she gazed out to the horizon at…something. He didn't know how long he watched her as she stood there, but when she moved, he nearly jolted.
"It's calling for you."
Ichika blinked, surprised that she spoke.
"You have to go now."
He blinked again as he followed where she was looking. Up at the cloudy sky and into the azure beyond.
Looking back at her, he nearly took a step back when he realized that she was no longer there. No sounds of footsteps, no visible hiding place… It was like she just disappeared!
As he pondered on her words, the sky gradually began to turn orange. From a bright and sunny day to a heavy sunset….
(BGM Start: Ace Combat 3 - Turbulence)
《 RAAAAAGH! 》
CLANG!
Sparks and raindrops were blown back as the massive flat of the Tactical Arms impacted the body of the Silverio Gospel. The Blue Frame used the rebound from its reckless charge to switch to Gatling mode, the barrels pointed and spinning at the troublesome IS.
BRRRRRT!
Beams and bullets pinged off of the shields of the Silverio, causing it to perform rapid evasive maneuvers. It swerved left and right to throw off the aim of the Astray, meeting some slight success. Turning around, it returned fire with a dazzling spread of beams.
The Astray stopped firing and turned the Tactical Arms back to Sword form, using the flat of its blade as a shield. The collective impact of the beams blew him back into the clouds with an angered snarl. The silver IS made to pursue-
"Take this!"
-when the Shenlong suddenly passed by it, sending the Gospel rocking forward with the collective force of a double slice and a Ryuhou shot impacting its back. Its head snapped towards the black and pink IS as it retreated into the clouds below and made chase-
Woosh!
-just as a black blur suddenly appeared before it and a singular red, glowing eye glared deep into the reflective material of the helmet.
"Fall!" Laura snarled as she fired both the Gae Bulg and the Purizushi at the same time. The 35mm shell impacted the shields first, the nature of the SAPHEI round causing the shield around the impact site to ripple and flare with embers. Then came the booming rapport of the 20mm Railgun, the slug crashing against the shield with a big shockwave.
Fwhip!
And then came the wire guided daggers as they quickly wrapped around the limbs of the IS, the albino having to grasp the wires herself to make sure they didn't snap. Bullets and beams from the Tactical Arms still pinged off of the shields, but the albino wasn't too worried about ricochets hitting her too seriously.
"Now!" She yelled out as she fired off yet another Purizushi shot.
Fyoom! Fyoom! Fyoom!
Coming up from below and behind her were the Blue Tears and the Rafale-Revive Custom 2. With Type 71 Beam Rifles in their hands, the green beams splashed against the spherical shield of the silver IS. Both blonde's expressions were twisted in frustration and anger, the high-powered shots physically pushing the hijacked IS back a foot with each impact.
Whirrr..!
"I..!" Laura grunted as the Silverio began thrashing in her wires, her sole eye wide in surprise at the sheer strength it had despite it being AI-driven. "I can't hold on for much longer! This thing's stronger than it looks!"
"Just a little bit more!" Cecilia ordered as she stopped firing her Type 71 and aimed her missile launchers at the American IS. "Kanzashi!"
"Taaaake this!"
From the clouds above, came the Strike Uchigane. Now equipped with the Barrage Pack, both the Beam Launcher and the Railgun were in her hands, pointed at the struggling Gospel.
"FIRE!"
Both a red-to-blue beam and a slug shot forth…
Whoompf…
The full-face visor of the Silverio flashed red.
WOOSH!
With a harsh shriek and a shockwave of pure energy, everything from the beams, and missiles, to the IS' and Astray, were blown away. The clouds also parted, but the air turned supercharged from the energy wave. Stray arcs of electricity sparked from the silver IS, as it shook in place, wings opening and closing erratically.
Davion looked up at the Silverio Gospel as wind began to pick up around it. With the rain washing off of its armor, it looked like a goddess ready for another round of battle. And seeing it unmarred from the previous combat angered him so.
〈 Keep your composure! No need to be reckless, you're doing damage! 〉
'For fuck's sake, just how overpowered did Tabane buff this shit?!'
〈 Hang tight, kiddos! Falco-1, Fox-2!〉
A screaming missile impacted the shield of the Silverio, followed by three more. A total of 80 pounds of explosive ordinance crashed against the bulwark, and Davion looked at his sensors and saw the four fast movers coming up behind them. Turning his head, he spotted the amber cockpit glass of the four Apalis' flying towards them at Mach speed.
〈 Alright, Falco Squad, let's bring our girl home! 〉
Brrrrrrrrt!
The four craft's 20mm gatling gun lit up, sending hot streams of lead that cut through the air and pinged off of the shield through the smoke. Then the squadron broke off into two, swinging around them for another attack run.
With another ear-ringing shriek, the Gospel suddenly shot up and started chasing one of the pairs of planes, wings open and charging as it left a visible trail of energized air behind it. Davion put the Tactical Arms back into its backpack mount and quantized the Pardus missile launchers in a hand-held form.
〈 Girls, provide cover fire for Falco Squad! Do not let them get shot down! 〉
"Do you desire strength?"
Ichika's eyes widened when he turned his attention back forwards. There, with the sun at her back, was an armored woman. He couldn't make out the exact details, but she definitely had a massive sword that reminded him of the Tactical Arms.
Still, there was something…something very familiar about her…
Mu didn't need to look behind him to know that the Silverio was on his ass, nor did the screeching of the beams that passed by his canopy. He wouldn't let it spook him, not when he was also fighting against the storm. With skillful maneuvers and split-second tilts, he dodged the stray beams that the IS fired at him.
〈 Eltee, you're flying straight into a more volatile part of the storm! 〉
"Tell me something I don't know, Falco-2!" He grunted as he performed a barrel roll to dodge a helical beam. "Too busy trying to not get my wings clipped here!"
Crack!
Thankful for the polarized nature of his helmet's visor, a lightning bolt streaked down beside his Apalis. The energized state of matter somehow managed to magnetize some of the beams that were flying over his canopy towards it and he quickly banked away from the resulting explosion.
Boom!
The shockwave caused his craft to buckle and hissed as he kept the plane steady amidst the turbulence.
"Come on, girl, you're built for this…"
A white bolt!
"..!"
Performing a sudden cobra turn, the Silverio passed by him and-
BOOM!
-right into a double missile strike. Falco-3 and Falco-4 flew past him and right back into the clouds as he grinned.
"Fox-2!"
〈 Fox-2! 〉
He released one of his own missiles just as his wingman's own screamed past him. Executing a split-s after, he activated the afterburners to get away from the screeching IS.
"Alright, now we just gotta-"
A white bolt!
He executed a sudden dive to dodge the helical beam fired after him.
Mu grunted as he fought against the g-forces, grimacing when he saw that the beam curved down after him. "Jesus, fuck!"
〈 Eltee! 〉
"I'm fine, Falco-2!" The blonde snarled as he pushed away the creeping darkness in his vision. A quick glance at his altimeter told him that he was approaching 5,000 feet. "Just gotta wait for that chance..!"
He broke through the cloud cover and immediately saw the churning waves below him. Breathing heavily into his mask, he kept a careful eye on the altimeter as it decreased…
4,000 feet.
…
2,500 feet.
…
1,000 feet-!
A white bolt!
〈 Pull up! Pull up! Pull up! 〉
The EGPWS sounded out in the cockpit and he immediately pulled hard on the flight stick. He was careful to not bite his tongue as he did so, even as the g-forces bore down on him. The bottom of his aircraft practically brushed against the waves and both seawater and rain splashed against the cockpit glass.
Crack!
Lightning strikes around him reminded him that he wasn't out of the woods just yet. He took a quick look over his shoulder, which yielded a near crash against a tall wave, as the helical beam impacted the water with a great column of steam.
And emerging from said steam, was the Silverio Gospel as it charged its wings for another of its attacks.
"Come on, any moment now…"
FYOOM!
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
The incoming beams caused the warning system to blare loudly, and he weaved between waves as said beams impacted them, bringing up more and more columns of superheated saltwater. The blonde yanked the flight stick up and the Apalis juked up just in time to dodge a beam that was meant for his engines.
"Come on..!"
Brrrrt!
Five streams of bullets flew past him from different angles. Three come from above, while the last two came from in front of him. His lips curled up into a relieved smile just as a massive sword flew past him and towards the Gospel.
CLANG!
Mu raised a fist in cheer as the Blue Frame rocketed past him, followed by the IS Academy Cadets. "Haha! I knew I could rely on you, boya!"
Times like these, he wished the other two were here to help.
Woosh!
He reached up and caught the spinning Tactical Arms, using the leftover energy to do a downward slash right on top of the IS.
CLASH!
Two claws caught the blade with difficulty, the Silverio Gospel glaring up at him as he removed the limiters for his Flight Pack. Blue flames turned purple-hot as he pushed the thrusters as much as he could, trying to force the Silverio into the water.
Ting-a-ling~!
Suddenly, the wings opened wide and shot off a veritable storm of beams.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Warnings began blaring in his helmet as the Astray's armor was pummeled by the beams, majority of them splashing off of the Anti-Beam Coating. Red-hot spots erupted wherever a beam hit, and he could only weather so much before he needed to back away.
"Davion!" He could hear Kanzashi cry over their comms, and yet all that mattered to him right now was to survive.
《 All of you, get behind me! 》
Presenting the massive flat of the Tactical Arms, he took this moment to do a quick check of his armor. Despite the second or two of exposure to the barrage of beams, there were already steaming craters in his armor. Parts of the exposed inner frame were more lucky in that aspect, as he applied several thin layers of ABC on top of each other, meaning that it would take longer for beams to burn through them all in one go.
Several of the beams went above and around his bulwark, smashing against the sea and causing a roiling mist to erupt. He needed to get out of here before things got worse!
With a roar of its thrusters, the Silverio Gospel quickly shot up and away, as if answering his plea, still firing its beams haphazardly.
Davion took one look at the direction it was fleeing to and his body froze.
"Don't let that thing escape!"
The Schwarzer Regen rocketed ahead, followed quickly by the Blue Tears and the Rafale-Revive Custom 2 as they made chase. The Shenlong shot past him before turning around briefly, the pilot's face twisted in confusion and worry, and then resuming her interception.
"Davion!" The amber visor of the Strike Uchigane filled his vision, de-polarizing as ruby eyes stared in concern into the dimmed optics. "Davion, what's wrong? Why did you freeze up?!"
《 …dare… 》
"Eh..?"
Sea-green flickered as a veritable aura of killing intent coated the Astray.
《 HOW DARE SHE..! 》
Instincts screaming, the Strike Uchigane backed away just as the chin armor of the Blue Frame snapped up to cover the faceplate. Thrusters positively roaring, the Astray rocketed recklessly towards the out of control IS.
Towards the direction of the resort.
Cecilia felt it far before the others.
The tingling sensation in the back of her head told her of DANGER and of a primal FEAR.
And so, so much ANGER.
So much that it physically hurt her, if the piercing headache were to say anything about it.
As she fired off her Type 71, which would end up being her last shot as the subsequent trigger pulls yielded green puffs of energy, she looked at the most likely culprit to these…sensations.
Laura's face was set in a rictus of determined rage as she fired the last shell of the Gae Bulg, the telltale 'click!' of its magazine signifying that the weapon was now empty. She watched as the albino's face twisted in annoyance as she kept the launcher on hand, obviously lacking a place to properly store it.
It was the consequence of using a non-IS weapon, Cecilia supposed.
The Purizushi picked up the slack and, despite being of a lower caliber, fired off just as hard hitting rounds that rocked the Silverio back.
And yet, the beams persisted.
Throb..!
Looking to her right, and ignoring the headache, she watched as Charlotte quickly weaved between beams with both grace and urgency, her own Type 71 having run out of energy seconds prior. Reattaching it to her skirt, she then shot up and quantized a pair of Vent Rifles, the staccato of high-caliber bullets joining the cacophony of rain, beam, and waves.
'Not Charlotte.' The blonde noted that the Frenchwoman's expression was determined, but not angry enough to trigger her headache. 'Unless she has expert level control of her expressions-'
《 HOW DARE YOU! 》
Another sharp stab of pain went through her head and she quickly looked over her shoulder.
…That was a mistake.
Even through the darkness of the night, she could clearly see the baleful glare of what could have only been the Blue Frame. Blackened craters dotted the white armor as the Astray skated on the tumultuous surface of the churning sea, acting akin more as some sort of demented sea beast than a piloted suit.
The sea-green optics left a lightning-like trail as it wielded the Tactical Arms one-handed, the sight of which would have surprised the IS pilot, if she wasn't wincing from the sheer amount of HATE and RAGE coming at her from the mechanic.
《 YOU THINK I'M GOING TO LET YOU ESCAPE THAT EASILY?! 》
A large beam suddenly swept across the waves, as if answering his roar, and engulfed the Astray.
"DAVION!" Kanzashi let out a gut-wrenching wail at the sight of her boyfriend being vaporized.
Maya's fingers froze as she watched, through the Strike Uchigane's cameras, the Blue Frame disappear in the light blue beam. Her heart skipped a beat as her wide green eyes took in the awful sight of another of her students being…
'No, no! I gotta check… I gotta check!'
Adrenaline pumping through her veins, she quickly pulled up the status of the Astray….
And found herself in a mix of relieved and worried.
Because there, before the flickering screen of the heavily damaged but still functioning suit, was…
Chemically Enhanced Ruthless Battle Experimental Rampage Urgency System
C.E.R.B.E.R.U.S. Status:
〔 Online 〕
1st Spike: Administered.
"That…" Her whisper caught the attention of Chifuyu, who had her fists clenched in a white-knuckled grip. "That can't be good…"
(BGM Start: SD Gundam G Generation Cross Rays - Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans)
《 HRAAAAGH! 》
Whatever grief ran through Kanzashi was quickly pushed to the side at the sound of the roar. The beam was, just as sudden as it was fired, dispersed by the powerful swings of two massive blades.
Everyone, even the Silverio Gospel, stopped and stared at the wielder of said blades.
Most of the armor on the Blue Frame was simply gone, melted to slag by the beam. Parts of the inner frame were damaged, blackened by the sheer heat but somehow whole despite the attack. The upper right quarter of the Astray's head was missing, revealing the damaged helmet underneath, and even then, that revealed the damage done on the pilot itself.
The mechanic's brunette hair was partially burnt, still steaming in the rain. Whatever flesh was visible was stained with his blood, the source being a cut on his head, hidden by the hair.
The bluenette would have leapt for joy at the survival of her lover, were it not for his sole visible eye.
The normally warm gunmetal gray eye she was so used to was gone, replaced with a foreign steel in them that brought shivers up her spine. The blood from the wound on his head poured down the visible eye, staining the sclera red and mimicking tears of blood as it continued to run down. And if that wasn't enough, the visible expression of the Astray pilot was one of sheer RAGE.
The suit was still hovering over the water, the Flight Pack having been replaced with the standard Astray backpack. White-gold motes of light gathered by the legs of the suit and, in the next blink, the Pardus missile launchers had quantized.
Woosh!
Munitions far more than what should be contained in the launchers were fired towards the Silverio, who had snapped out of its stunned state and began evasive maneuvers. The wings, open as they already were, let loose with numerous beams as they shot through the veritable missile swarm.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions blew away rain and sea as the IS pilots scrambled away from the ensuing duel. Kanzashi watched with trepidation as her lover used the two Tactical Arms with such savagery and skill that it almost was like she was looking at something...something different.
《 I WILL-! 》
It wasn't from the guttural roars that he bellowed out, nor was it the savage way he moved with those twin blades in his hands.
No, he wasn't…different.
《 -KILL YOU! 》
He was…
CLANG!
The sheer force of impact from both Tactical Arms meeting the desperate guard of the Silverio Gospel was more than enough to blow away a circular hole in the cloud cover hundreds of meters above, not to mention it creating massive waves from the impact. It was strong enough to almost blow them back, and they were almost a kilometer away from the fighting.
"...more…"
Laura looked at her in slight confusion, somewhat cursing the fact that visor and faceplate hid much of the bluenette's emotions. She made to ask but then shook her head, her expression twisting into frustration. "What are we doing? We have to help him!"
BOOM!
As if to prove her point, the Blue Frame was engulfed in an explosion. But before she could even react to it, the very same Astray shot out of the debris cloud with frightening speed. With purple flames carrying him right before the Gospel, he drew back his blades before swinging them both at the silver IS.
SLASH! SLASH!
CRACK!
The green energy shield of the Silverio Gospel visibly broke apart from the twin cross strike, large shards of the crystalline material quickly dissipating just as the Blue Frame drew the Tactical Arms 2 back.
"He's gonna do it..!" Rin gasped, her eyes wide behind her goggles.
Ka-chank!
The massive blade suddenly split down the middle, and the two halves curved until they formed pincers.
FWOOSH!
"Wait, what is-?!" Laura pointed off at the distance, towards the direction of Okinawa. The girls turned their heads to see a red glint flying towards them at a rapid pace-
"KARAWARE!"
A pink crescent soared through the air, forcing the Blue Frame to back away from the Silverio and for the silver IS to do the same. The beam crescent cut through the waves between the two, releasing steam before dissipating nearly a kilometer away. The Gospel quickly turned towards the red glint before firing off a multitude of beams.
〈 What the?! Is that-?! 〉
The Blue Frame turned its damaged head and Davion narrowed his visible eye at the incoming fast-mover.
《 You..! 》
Weaving between the beams, the Akatsubaki quickly closed the distance between it and the Silverio Gospel.
"AMATSUKI!"
Red beams interweaved themselves with the blues of the Silverio before lightning up in a chain explosion. The twin swords of the red IS drew back before-
Swing!
-the wings of the Gospel were cut off. The red IS shot past the stunned Silverio before arresting her momentum and turning around. Pink energy was dispersed and released from hidden vents throughout the IS, the Fold-Out Armor giving it a light glow in the darkness of the night.
"I'm not too late, am I?" Even through the masked visage of the ponytailed girl, everyone could hear the grin in her voice. The mask in itself was a new addition to the IS, a visor-faceplate combination that resembled much of the Strike Uchigane's, save for the visor being green.
(BGM Switch: Out of Control - Masaru Yokoyama)
Davion snarled as he switched the Tactical Arms into its Gatling Form, holding it one handed, and pointed at the 4th Generation IS.
BRRRRRT!
Eyes widened when bullets and beams impacted the Akatsubaki's shield, stunning the masked pilot before she quickly began taking evasive maneuvers.
"What the-?! How are you-?! What the hell are you doing?!" Houki demanded as she used her Blade Bits to mitigate most of the damage of the physical shells, the munitions breaking apart upon contact with the Phase Shift Armor and the beams splashing against the metal of the remote guided weapons.
《 ▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅! 》
Davion's answer was a wordless roar as he launched himself at the red IS, Flight Pack quantizing as their two blades clashed against one another. One pair wielded with trained grace with the other wielded with savage skill.
"The Gospel's right there, you-!" The ponytailed girl's growl was cut off when the gunmetal gray eye bled into a baleful crimson, some form of electricity starting to arc from the organ.
《 DAMN YOU! 》
"Orimura-sensei!" Maya quickly called for the combat teacher as the holographic screen before her started to flicker from light blue to light green. "Something's happening to Guele-kun's body!"
Chemically Enhanced Ruthless Battle Experimental Rampage Urgency System
C.E.R.B.E.R.U.S. Status:
…
The whole screen began flickering and glitching, the light green borders bleeding into a sickening carmine. The Astray pilot's heart rate skyrocketed, as an x-ray of him highlighted a massive increase in heart rate and brainwave activity. Three points along the upper spine, just below the nape, began pulsing as a variety of foreign elements flooded his blood vessels.
〔 〔 〔 L̸̟̹̝͊Ĩ̴̳M̶͚̙̰̈Ḯ̸̯͇̃T̴̪̏Ë̴̖́̀̈Ŗ̵̗̜̄-̷̳̞̼̆O̸̙͑̒F̷͍̞̓̌F̴̺̀̃͘〕 〕 〕
1st Spike: Administered.
2nd Spike: Administered.
3̷̝́̋͝ͅr̶̡̙̣̅d̷̢̙̺̈́̽̄́ ̵͔͐́S̵̡͉̝̊ͅp̶̼̠̃͗̊̀i̵͎̹͘k̸͕̝͕̳̽ȩ̷͖̄̔͘:̷͉͎͍͊̔̋͜ Ä̷̧́͂̈̔͝d̸̡̖͍̦͉̈́̑̿͝͝m̷͙̮̹͂͠i̶̱̗͒̉̓͐̽n̶̠̖͍͔̑̄͌ͅi̶̥̋̀̓s̵̺̙͕͊ț̴͔͈̩̦́̇̓̑̃e̶͇̯͈̾̽͆̕͝r̷̢͇̙̮͜͝e̴̼̼͔̎̔̉̈́d̵̩̟̘̈́̉̓͌̑.̷͙̔̃̍̐͘
"'Spikes'?" The green haired teacher whispered in trepidation, giving an uneasy glance at the frowning Chifuyu.
"'Rampage Urgency System'..." The combat instructor muttered before she shook her head and turned towards one of the communication windows. "Bodewig, restrain Guele! He's not responding to any of our hails!"
〈 But, Mentor, the Gospel-! 〉
Chifuyu grit her teeth as the audio-only connection turned visual, showing the veritable vortex that surrounded the Silverio a kilometer or so away from the dueling IS and Astray.
"Bodewig, focus on Guele! The others can-!"
Suddenly, the window was filled with static and Maya quickly went to work in trying to stop whatever was happening. A quick glance out the window yielded no sight of an explosion from Schwab, but the teacher knew that they were being jammed.
Again.
〈 –entor, you're breaki– 〉
Krssssht.
Chifuyu couldn't help but slam her fist down on the conference table, sending splinters into the air as she broke off a piece of the solid wood furniture.
"Damn it all!"
Charlotte was torn between wanting to rein in the rampaging Astray or gawking in horror as the Silverio Gospel entered what could only be a Second Shift. The metal wings, shorn off by the Akatsubaki's sudden attack, were now replaced with tendrils that resembled feathered wings.
Screeeech!
And then came that high-pitched singing that forced them to cover their ears. Keeping her eyes open was a fight in itself, as the noise was painful enough to induce the start of a migraine in her head. Through squinted eyes, she watched as a volley of missiles impacted the renewed shield around the Silverio Gospel, the unit turning and letting off a wave of blue shotgun pellet-like beams towards the scattering Falco Squad.
Laura boosted in front of her, her mouth moving but she couldn't make it out through the rain-splattered goggles that she wore. Her hands were free now, the Gae Bulg having been attached to some magnetic plate on the small of her back. Her hearing still occupied with a high-pitched ringing, she made an effort to ask what she was saying either way.
"Quoi?!"
Fyoom!
A red–to-blue beam shot past them, splashing against the Gospel's shields and pushing it back. Turning their heads, they then saw the Strike Uchigane swap to its Railgun. Small sparks erupted around the MS-IS hybrid's skirts as they opened up, revealing micro-missiles moments before they were fired towards the silver IS. And in the next moment, a barrage of yellow shells were launched, all breaking the sound barrier.
In an array of explosions, the ringing in her ears slowly went away, replaced with the thunder and pitter-patter of rain on her armor.
"DUNOIS, WE NEED TO FOCUS ON THE GOSPEL!" Laura yelled out before her sole eye, dimly glowing underneath the visor, widened and she quickly whirled around to block a beam with her AIC. Above them, the roar of the Apalis' jet engines were audible over the whining of unleashed beams and of the sheer amount of ordinance being thrown around.
The Frenchwoman quickly checked her ammo levels and frowned when she saw that the Vent rifles were nearly out of ammunition, likely from her shooting earlier. A quick glance at the Gospel, seeing it be strafed by the 20mm gatling guns of the Aces they were assigned with, and she quantized a Garm PDW and a Rain of Saturday shotgun.
"BACK OFF!"
The yell was followed by the ear-ringing sound of metal meeting metal, and purple eyes looked over to see the Blue Frame's head having snapped up from a kick by the Akatsubaki. The Astray quickly recovered and swung its swords up to block the incoming downward slash from both the red IS' katanas.
"The hell is your problem?!" Houki demanded as they traded blows once again, metal crashing against metal as she barely kept up with the deceptively fast swings of the massive greatswords that were the Tactical Arms'. "The Gospel is right there, you idiot!"
Brrrrt!
The cheek vulcans of the Blue Frame was its retort and the ponytailed girl was thankful that her sister had upgraded the Akatsubaki with the visor, because it hid her surprised and fearful expression as the bullets exploded against her energy shield. Still, it did not stop the individual blasts' kinetic energy as her brain rattled in her head painfully.
"DUNOIS!"
Charlotte looked back forward right into Laura's angry ruby. "Get your head in the game! We need your guns to suppress the Gospel while Huang, Sarashiki, and I try to close in and subdue the damn thing!"
"B-But what about Mademoiselle Shinonono?!" The Frenchwoman had to ask, wincing as the Astray pilot let out another wordless roar. "And-and Monsieur Guele! We need to stop him before he seriously hurts her!"
"Let him."
The two European's heads snapped over to the speaker, recoiling slightly at the sheer disdain present on the face of the noblewoman. The Blue Pierce in her hands was visibly shaking as she, reluctantly, pointed it away from the red IS, and right at the Silverio, which was dodging the rapid swings from the Shenlong's swords.
"She's the reason why everything went from bad to worse." Cecilia continued, fixing a venomous look at the ponytailed girl. "Let her suffer the consequences of her actions." Imperious blue flashed with malice. "This is the least that she deserves."
"What are you talking about?" Charlotte asked, dismayed that one of her friends would just…leave the other one to her fate. "She's our friend, we have to-!"
"She is not my friend!" The noblewoman snapped, her expression twisting into one of grief-filled anger. The two fellow Europeans flinched at her tone and could say nothing as she turned away. "Not anymore. After what she's done, she's barely worthy of the title."
With that, the Blue Tears joined the battle against the Silverio. Blue Pierce fired and deflected a whip-like attack from a tendril aimed at the Shenlong, gaining the attention of the silver IS.
Laura narrowed her eye before looking over at the Akatsubaki as its foot blade ignited. The Astray immediately dodged back, an axe kick to the IS' shin stopping the attack cold before she was launched back by a push kick to her chest. Her sight locked on to the foot blade before looking back at Cecilia, dread surfacing in the pit of her stomach as her mind made the connections.
'No…No, she couldn't have..!'
"What…" Charlotte whispered, almost lost amidst the noise were it not for the albino's enhanced senses. "What did she mean by 'After what she's done'...?"
The German was silent before she turned away from the duel, much to the dismay of the blonde. "...We have to set our priorities straight right now." Her voice was cold, detached, and impersonal as the Purizushi charged up. "The sooner we deal with the Gospel, the sooner we can…help…Shinonono."
"But-!"
"Dunois." The Frenchwoman flinched at the steel in her tone. "If you want to get between those two, be my guest. I'm going off to help restrain the Gospel, as per our original plan."
《 ▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅! 》
CLANG!
Charlotte grimaced as the Schwarzer Regen boosted away, wire-daggers slithering out as she flew into the chaos. Turning her head to look at what caused the ear-ringing noise, she couldn't help but tighten her grip on her guns at the sight of the Blue Frame and the Akatsubaki having another sword clash. Sparks flew through the air with each swing, and it was only by virtue of their respective skills and armor that no limbs had been chopped off.
Yet.
Shaking her head in sorrow, she uttered a silent apology before boosting after the German-made IS.
Houki could handle herself in that 4th Gen of hers.
The others needed her help more.
(BGM Switch: Reckless Anger - Masaru Yokoyama)
Raising her shield, Kanzashi grimaced as the helical beam pushed her back several meters. She would have been blasted further were it not for the efforts of the Barrage Pack's thrusters. Rivulets of the beam splashed against her energy shielding, and she held firm even as the edges of the shield began to heat up.
Boom!
The beam abruptly stopped and she lowered the shield to see the Silverio be engulfed in a debris cloud. The roaring of jet engines above her reminded her to thank the ace pilots for their covering fire, their efforts were key in distracting the monstrous IS long enough for them to blindside it with attacks.
Beam Launcher swinging into her right hand once more, she switched to thermals and took aim. The Gospel was a massive red blot in her sights, even through the smoke and she depressed the trigger and-
Ch-Chk!
-her ruby eyes widened as a small puff of energy escaped from the end of the weapon. Glancing at her energy levels, she found them in the low double digits and cursed. Turning her head to the Barrage Pack's wings, she saw the empty hard points and when she moved the rocket pod, it also came up empty.
"Damn it, I'm out!" She growled as she switched the Barrage Pack to the Aile Pack. Her energy levels increased once again thanks to the power extender and spare battery in the Gold Frame's Striker Pack. Taking a moment to thank the currently hospitalized blonde for his propensity to go fast, which warranted the power extender and spare battery in the pack itself, she retrieved the Type 71 attached to her rear skirt.
A blue beam sped past her and impacted the Gospel, causing it to lurch right into another flyby slash from the Shenlong. The Ryuhou's fired as the twin-tailed girl passed, stunning the silver IS just enough for the bluenette to fire her beam rifle.
Fyoom!
"Thanks for the setup." She kept firing even as the Blue Tears boosted up beside her. Glancing at the British-made IS, Kanzashi took note of the bitter look on the blonde's face. "Not gonna help Shinonono?" She asked somewhat sarcastically.
Cecilia scoffed, insulted by the very implication. "You very well know the answer to that."
Fyoom!
〈 Shit! 〉
They turned their heads just in time to see one of the Apalis' wings be clipped by one of the scatter beams. Black smoke accompanied flames and white-hot slag as the aircraft listed left.
〈 Hawk! 〉
Their eyes widened when they realized that it was Lieutenant Mu la Flaga's craft.
〈 I'm fine! Just…just keep on the pressure, I'll find a way to get rid of this fire! 〉
With that, the Apalis rose until it was lost in the clouds. Their comms were then filled with the semi-panicked chatter from Falco Squad.
〈 Did we just lose Hawk?! 〉
〈 He's fine! He'll get himself back home after this, we just gotta keep up the pressure as he said! 〉
〈 I'm Bingo fuel and Winchester on weapons, Falco-3! 〉
〈 Ditto here, we gotta go back! 〉
〈 I'm not leaving the boss behind! 〉
Cecilia winced at the last transmission and turned to Kanzashi. "We have to finish this, here and now. Otherwise-"
"We're going to be in trouble." The bluenette finished for her, her tone grave as the Gospel once again lurched, this time from a railgun round from the Schwarzer Regen.
The German-made IS was up close and personal with their opponent, utilizing the beam katars and the wire-guided daggers to their best ability. The Purizushi was firing quick-charged shots, but due to the lack of range between the gun and the target, they were just as hard-hitting as its fully-charged counterpart.
Coming up by her side was the Rafale-Revive Custom 2, weapons barking as she circled the silver IS. Pellets and bullets dangerously ricocheted off of the shield as the Frenchwoman flipped and rolled to dodge the errant beams sent her way, her lips set in a determined frown as she provided covering fire in between the melee of the Shenlong and Schwarzer Regen. Occasionally, she would switch her Garm to her Trompe, the handheld rocket launcher launching unguided munitions which would provide some form of smoke cover for the two.
Glancing at the Blue Pierce, Kanzashi quantized her blackened shield and used her now free hand to grab her naginata's blade. "How many shots do you have left in the rifle?" She asked, sliding the end of it into the telescoping pole magnetized to her left skirt armor. With both pieces combined, the pole extended and she wielded the now-whole naginata in her left hand.
"At most, I have 3 more shots before I redirect the rest of the energy to recharging my Bits." The noblewoman answered as said Bits detached from her wings. She had withheld from using them out of fear of her units being hacked, but now they needed all the trumps they had.
"Then let's make them count."
With a determined war cry, the two girls charged right into the fray.
(BGM End: Reckless Anger - Masaru Yokoyama)
"Ichika. Do you desire strength?"
He nodded.
"Why?"
He paused…and then frowned.
"It's obvious, isn't it?" Ichika started, his hands slowly clenching into tight-gripped fists that shook ever so slightly. "I want the strength to protect others, to keep them safe, and to make sure that…"
"Look, I know that you're genuine and that you want to help but...we're too broken for you to help."
"We don't exactly belong here, Ichika…."
His shoulders eased slightly, the tension leaving them as grief clawed its way into his heart.
"That my friends won't have to suffer the pains of their past wounds…"
"Friends?"
"Yes. My friends." He nodded to himself, closing his eyes as he took deep, quiet breaths. "Because…because there's just so much in this world that you, that we, have to fight against. It's just…fight after fight, and most of them don't even involve fists or swords. We have to fight against critique, against prejudice, and, for us boys, sexism and slander. The world's chock full of irrational violence and I want to help my friends, those close to me, through it. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
The woman was silent, her lips set into a neutral frown that he could barely get a read on. They nary even moved when she spoke…
"Even though they have their own strengths, it won't always be an almighty, omnipresent thing. They have to lower their walls, their guard, their shields, sometimes because they get tired of presenting a strong front. I want to be their shield in those moments. I want the strength to be their Aegis, I want to-"
"What I want to be is part of the safety net that will catch her should she fall. I want to prop her up in a time where she'll waver. I want to be a pillar she can lean against, a beacon she can easily find should she get lost in her path."
He swallowed some spit to dry his suddenly wet throat, ignoring how his heart was pounding in his chest.
"I want to be the pillar that they can lean on when times get tough. Their beacon when the darkness surrounds them."
The woman barely moved, hell she barely even breathed! Ichika was starting to think that she wasn't even listening to his plea when she gave a barely perceptible nod.
"I see."
"Then you have to go."
He turned his head, surprised that the other figure in the sundress— when did the woman and the sunset disappear?! —had reappeared. In a blink, she was right next to him and he took a step back in shock.
Her hand reached out and grasped his, a gentle touch that almost was as light as a feather.
"You understand, right?"
Ichika stared at her for a few more seconds, her eyes ever hidden by the shadow of the sun hat, and nodded.
"Yeah…"
(BGM Start: Vulnerable Surface - Masaru Yokoyama)
CLASH!
Houki grimaced as her sensors started going crazy, alarms and warning beeps filling her ears even as her blades ground against both Tactical Arms in their nth clash. She had lost track at this point, focusing on surviving the onslaught this monster leveled at her. So when that baleful glare looked away from her eyes for once and over her shoulder, it surprised her greatly.
FYOOM!
Turning her head-
CLANG!
-she suddenly found herself out of breath as a metal foot impacted her side. Flipping head over heels, she almost crashed into the ocean before she righted herself. Snapping her head up to let off an angry retort, after taking a moment to catch her breath, she suddenly found her ire dying in favor of shock.
《 DID NOT…FORGET..! 》
There, the Blue Frame held back the helical beam fired by the Gospel with its crossed Tactical Arms. The flat of both blades were weathering the sheer amount of heat and energy of the attack, rivulets of it reflecting wildly as the Flight Pack of the Astray barely kept it from being blown back.
《 ABOUT YOU! 》
If she was still where she was-
Wait.
Did the Astray just save her?!
"NOW!"
Houki turned her head to see the Strike Uchigane charging in from behind the Gospel, the naginata's edge igniting as the beam blade function of the weapon activated. Flanking her was the Shenlong and the Schwarzer Regen, the former having her daos combined into a guandao while the latter had wrapped her wire-guided daggers around her arms in a mimicry of chains as she spun them around. Beams were shot off by the four Optical Bits surrounding them, but the Blue Tears was nowhere to be seen, oddly enough.
Screeeech!
Then the Silverio let loose another ear-ripping screech as it whirled around, the beam still going as it cut through the rain, leaving steam and energized air. The Shenlong and Schwarzer Regen abandoned their charge, instead dodging up high before resuming their attack. The Strike Uchigane rolled around the beam, the wingtips of the Aile Pack melting at the attack.
"TAKE THIS!"
From up above, the orange armor of the Rafale-Revive was obvious, even in the dark. Charlotte came down like a meteor, her shield-arm reared back for a punch as she closed in with the Gospel.
Screeeech!
The tendrils suddenly went wild, flicking and undulating this way and that before shooting off in various directions. She noticed just in time that one of them was heading her way and she shot off a crescent before she boosted back.
The others were not so lucky.
Given that they were too close to dodge and react, the Shenlong and Schwarzer Regen were caught in the tendrils. With their momentum stopped so abruptly, the two girls struggled and cursed as their energy shields strained against the hold.
The Strike Uchigane was quick enough to slice at the tendril heading its way with a spinning slash from its polearm. Utilizing the heavily modified thrusters of the Gold Frame's Aile Pack, she quickly made distance between her and the Silverio.
The Rafale-Revive was able to dodge one of the tendrils, shifting its attack from the Gospel itself to the offending limb. With a resounding impact, the piledriver dispersed the energy limb and forced the French-made IS to back off. The second tendril, however, latched around her right leg unit before swinging her into both the Shenlong and Schwarzer Regen.
Fyoom!
A blue beam from above was stopped by the tendril holding the orange IS. It maneuvered the stunned girl in the path of the beam and she cried out as the attack splashed against her already weakening energy shields.
"You dishonorable cur!" Cecilia spat as she descended from above, her Optical Bits returning to their recharge ports as the glow on the end of the Blue Pierce died down. "Using our friends as hostages-!"
《 ▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅! 》
BOOM!
Something flew past her fast enough to break the sound barrier.
CLANG!
"Agh!" Laura cried out as her shields took a heavy hit, her sole ruby scrunched in pain from the kinetic energy of the impact. The Silverio had used her as some sort of makeshift shield against whatever was thrown. "Bruder, stop!"
Houki locked on to the object spinning high above the Gospel, taking in the darkened but still obvious blue paint of the Tactical Arms. The thrusters at the guard of the sword sputtered before dying out as the weapon fell into a flat spin.
Gritting her teeth, she tightened her grip on her weapons before charging.
If the others couldn't do it, then she'll have to pick up their slack!
"Kara-!"
Rin was brought in front of the Silverio, stopping her from going through with her attack and charge.
(BGM End: Vulnerable Surface - Masaru Yokoyama)
Shit.
That thing was using her friends as hostages, or at least meat shields.
"T-This thing..!" The twin-tailed girl snarled as she struggled to get free of the hold it had on her IS. "It's draining our shield energy!"
"Bruder, p-please! Help!" The albino pleaded, her face a rictus of pain as her IS' shields visibly cracked around her. "Help us!"
"Cecilia..! Kanzashi..!" Charlotte hissed as she fought off a concussion and nausea. "Finish it..!"
The noblewoman looked torn, looking at each of her captured friends with desperation and increasing anger. The Strike Uchigane's head shifted from tendril to tendril, carefully watching their every move even as they snaked closer to the other pilots. And, if the frustrated panting from behind her were any indication, the Astray seemed also unsure on what to do next.
Houki cursed as her grip on her weapons became so tight that it audibly began to strain the metal of both her claws and the handles of the katanas.
Why wasn't she able to help?! This situation is impossible now and-!
…Wait!
Furious blues, hidden behind a green visor, turned and locked on to the blackened Astray.
'It's his fault this all happened! If only he didn't-!'
Her train of thought was derailed by the sounds of yelling.
(BGM Start: Brave it Out - Masaru Yokoyama)
Masculine yelling.
The Blue Frame's head was tilted up, and she could see the crimson eye of the pilot widen at whatever he was seeing.
Brrrrrt!
〈 DID YOU FORGET ABOUT ME, NATASHA?! 〉
She followed his gaze and found herself gasping as an aircraft, one that had a massive hole in its left wing, emerged from the storm clouds high above. Bullets pinged off of the renewed shields of the Gospel, which only tilted its head up in seeming curiosity.
〈 DID YOU FORGET WHO I AM?! 〉
In that instant, a barrage of beams filled the sky. Cecilia and Kanzashi dodged to the best of their abilities, fending off opportunistic tendrils with shot and blade. The aircraft weathered the storm, even as its metal frame suffered melted holes and shorn panels.
It was diving towards the Silverio at a suicidal pace, the engines roaring as it's afterburners burned a bright purple. The Gospel finally started to move, but a cluster of missiles impacting its back caused it to lurch once more. Davion let off a ragged snarl as the Pardus missile launchers at his calves reloaded in a blink.
〈 I'M THE MAN..! 〉
Mu la Flaga shouted and roared as he fired the last of his missiles and bullets at the reeling IS. A beam broke through his cockpit, melting the top and compromising the pressurized cabin. Through the Hyper Sensors of the IS and the damaged optics of the sole Astray, they could see the defiant blonde and his utterly confident expression.
〈 THAT MAKES THE IMPOSSIBLE, POSSIBLE! 〉
BOOM!
(BGM End: Brave it Out - Masaru Yokoyama)
AN:
I have returned from exams! Sorry for the relative silence, I was busy studying my ass off for this class I was having trouble with. Resulted in some sleepless nights and several empty cans of Strong Zero, but I'm 70% sure that I passed the test.
Maybe.
Hopefully.
Anyway!
Here we are with the next part and it's pure battle! Let me tell you, it was a bit of a pain in the ass to write since I don't often write long fights nor do I like dragging them out for no reason other than to pad for words. Originally, this was meant to be uploaded on New Years but academics decided to step back into the picture and it's just been on the backburner. Combined with numerous revisions and scene rewrites, it took me until now to be satisfied with what I've done.
Which I'm not 100% sure I am, to be honest.
Eh, whatever. I'll fix it later on when I'm not too distracted by more exams.
On to the reviews!
KnightOfZaku: The Windam, eh? If it weren't for those big shoulders, I would also like it but to each their own. As for Mass Production Suits? I've already got a whole list of 'em ready, as well as which country will be using which. But that'll stay a secret until after Season 1, sorry! But there will be MP suits, I assure you. SEED's got really nicely designed grunt suits that it would be an utter waste to not use them in the story. In fact, SEED ranks 2nd in my top 3 when it comes to grunt suits. UC being the first and Post Disaster being the third. And I would love nothing more than to introduce other universe's grunt suits in here but Project Ryo talked me down from adding too many outside elements.
P.B.S: Don't worry about the spoiler, I'm not that upset about it. It just kinda makes me put 'Reading the LN' up higher on my bucket list. So the personal IS' have those abilities, huh? Well, that just fits in line with some of my plans for those with personal IS' in Season 2 and beyond. Still, the ability to influence and even control the pilot? Sounds like a mix of the EXAM, HADES, and ZERO System.
Well, with that said, this is Cipher, signing off!
I hope you all like the chapter!
Location: Unknown…
Multiple screens displayed the chaos happening off the coast of Okinawa. Illuminated by said screens, the room buzzed with muted activity as those operating computer units typed away numerous lines of code and commands for unknown reasons.
"Connection Stability is at 88% and holding."
"Countermeasures are approaching the third firewall, deploying counter-countermeasures. Worm units are being destroyed by the second, we won't have much time until they breach the blackwall."
"The Gospel's shields are slowly regenerating, but not at an optimal rate. Redirect more energy from the beams to the defense."
The sound of a door sliding open was ignored by the operators, nor did any of them look away from the screens.
"My Lord, I have returned."
Red eyes slowly opened, almost boredly, as the owner set a wineglass down on the Italian Maple table.
"Were you seen?"
"No, my Lord. I made sure to cover my tracks."
"I see.
Burgundy velvet cushions easily accommodated the weight and stature of the figure on the decorated throne as they shifted, bringing one leg over the other.
"And the documents?"
The kneeling figure before them took out a folder full of papers from their satchel. "From both the Kestrel and from Schwab's Clinic, digital and physical. However, I wasn't able to retrieve the copy of the documents that were given to Captain Andersen."
A flick of the wrist.
"No matter. I have other agents that will take care of it. You shall have your 'prize' waiting for you in the Infirmary."
The head was bowed.
"Thank you, My Lord."
"You, Delta model."
The figure standing by the doorway aways from them flinched.
"Y-Yes, Master?"
"Has the arm been retrieved yet?"
'Delta' tapped on the tablet in their hands.
"The storm has given the diving teams ample time and cover to retrieve the objective, my master. It is currently within safe keeping with the mechanics and they are currently trying to see if it can be reused."
The figure on the throne sighed.
"Good. At least I have some good news to distract me from the utter disaster that is that…flailing around with the Gospel. Hardly could call it a dance, more like a barbarian's ritual…"
Red eyes watched as the Blue Frame's sea-green optics turned crimson.
"Hm. Looks like he decided to reveal the next Act. How droll."
Clap clap!
One of the operators froze.
"Contact Goat Wheel and tell the boor to stop lollygagging. It's time for her to do her part in this play."
"Yes, my lord!"
The figure leaned back against their throne, steepling their fingers as their red eyes smoldered with intent.
"This is but a mere step forward…"
A vicious smirk graced the lips of figure as they watched the Apalis strike the Gospel in a suicide attack.
"I do wonder what you'll do next, Professor Shinonono…"