Chapter 47: Life goes on
Around the time Kouzuki Yuuko disappeared, leaving her followers behind without a clue to follow. A piece of report, the DDay file, was distributed all around the globe from an unknown source.
It was a scientific report, written in multi languages, and was the kind of report that predicted the Operation Babylon and its outcome. The one massive Operation that mankind would wage against the BETA in an all-out battle with their most destructive weapon which were the nuclear weapon and the G-bomb that was Operation Babylon.
That report brought a great deal of trouble to many groups of people due to its highly classified nature and the way it was handled. That single report brought a huge amount of controversies and chaos. At one point, it almost sparked a war between America and many European countries.
The main reason why the report was a real controversy because it was publicly delivered to the mass media despite its highly classified nature. Most of the key materials related to the report required a high level of clearance to approach and handle, notably the mention of Operation Babylon, the finer details related to the Operation and above everything else, the usage of nuclear weapon and the fifth dimension bombs.
Within days, the content of the DDay file was distributed to public, sparking a wave of chaos and unrest in its path.
Governments, armies, authorities and Intelligence agencies all around the world immediately jumped into the scene, tracking down the source of the chaos while putting up countermeasure against public opinion. Some tried to make the DDay file look like a hoax. Some tried to make the DDay file look like a part of a plan of a malicious terrorist group that tried to spurn the world to another world war. Some simply denied the existence of the DDay file. Some suppressed the media from distributing the DDay file to public. Some worked actively to learn if the DDay file was all true or not. Some tried to use the DDay file as a mean to spread even greater chaos.
It was chaos everywhere, even Japan was not spare from that.
Within the next few month of the release of the DDay file, another piece of shocking information surfaced as people around the world questioned the identity of the one who made the DDay file. It was discovered that prior to the public release of the DDay file through media, the UN army, the US army and several super power countries have received it from the same unknown source… and chose to bury it according to a leak.
The chaos and damage of that single information almost spurned the world into inevitable destruction, a third world war if it wasn't for the imminent thread of the BETA that held them back altogether. For the first time in mankind history, mankind had to thank the BETA for their existence, for being the annihilator of their own kind, for preventing the last one billion from killing each other off by wiping 6 billion people from the surface of the earth. The BETA, mankind's ultimate nemesis was the only thing that prevent the last one billion of mankind's population from going to war with another.
The second reason to why the DDay file sparked such a controversy behind its existence was its acute prediction of the Earth climate change after Operation Babylon taking place and the contradictions to the public knowledge in regard of the topic. The DDay file made it clear that mankind must pay a great cost in order to exterminate its nemesis the BETA, to great and to grave for mankind.
The DDay file showed an in-depth understanding of the report maker toward the G element and the fifth dimension bomb which actually helped governments to narrow down the few individuals who have the opportunity to work in the field. It helped them to track down the very identity of the person who boldly made that report and distributed it in such controversial manner.
Apparently, radiation toxicity was the least of the concern in the report. It was mention on several occasions and that was it. The real problem mentioned in the DDay file was the gravitational abnormality and sudden gravitational fluctuation induce by the fifth dimension bomb which resulted in a never-before catastrophic mega-tsunami threats in all around the globe. The scale of these mega-tsunamis was unlike anything mankind has ever encountered. It was one that threatened to submerge nations and even a continents beneath sea water.
The earth climate would change completely, for instance, two third of Europe would transform into desert of salt at the end of the mega-tsunami. For instance, a major landmass of Japan will be disappeared from the map, sunken beneath the sea floor.
Furthermore, the gravitational fluctuation resulted from the fifth dimension bomb could make it virtually impossible for mankind or nature to reclaim the affected land later. Worst, that gravitational fluctuation could possibly stimulate a variety of bacteria and virus into bizarre paths of evolution which could result in a global epidemic.
It was no wonder authorities tried to keep the public from such information. The chaos, the damage it would cause to the world would outdo that of the scenario where the DDay file was kept hidden… or was it…?
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The youth could not remember the intense scorching heat of the battlefield. He could not remember the screams of agony, the cheer of joy, the shout of anger and hatred or the cry of despair he heard. He remembered them not.
He could only remember the faintest of the desperation that he had, digging up an impossible victory from the bottomless bog of despair.
Yet, never would he forgot the tearless goodbye he had to his trusted steed.
"Thank you my friend. This is it. This is goodbye. Thank you," the youth whispered, patting his non-responsive steed for the last time as he waited for his men to rescue him. The Mk II was out due to the damage it took. Its cockpit could not be open due to the deformity from the damage and had to be pried and cut from the outside.
Never the youth would forget witnessing that re-entry HSST falling from the sky, dropping on the monumental stab of the BETA HIVE, completely erasing the extraterrestrial structure along the hundreds of thousands BETA from the surface. The earth shook as a fiery mushroom rose sky-high on top of the impact area.
Two more HSSTs followed, dropping on the same area as the first HSST did. The second HSST impacted, raising another glowing mushroom, far bigger and far larger than the first. But, nothing in existence was anywhere near the terrifying destruction produced by the third HSST.
A white light flashed across the Earth surface momentarily, carrying a shattering shockwave. An ever expanding spherical dome of darkness appeared above Sadogashima, distort and devoured everything on its path. It devoured everything, land, air, BETA corpses, TST skeleton, and even light itself like a black hole. It grew in size, getting bigger and bigger, swollen like an inflated balloon as it reaching to the cloud before bursting apart, releasing all hell within.
Even a hundred of leagues away from that dome of darkness, the youth could still feel its impact. The TSF carrier vessel that he was on rocked alarmingly from the blast. He thought it would capsize at any time. But it didn't.
"It's finally over," the youth told himself as he braced himself against the rocking and swaying vessel, "It's finally over", he believed as his conscious faded into darkness. His longest nightmare was finally over, he believed.
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Shirogane Takeru had a dream, a real pleasant dream he had in a long while.
His dreams were usually riddled with battles of machines fighting against machines in which he often found himself in unfavorable spots, pressed and cornered either by his opponent's sheer number or by the difference in skills and tactics. Or it would be against the BETA. In those dreams, he was outmatched and defeated, always.
Sometimes, it was the face of the man who threatened and blackmailed him regarding of Yuuko and her legacy. He remembered that man's face vividly; that smirk, that perverse gleefulness, and that distorted expression on his face when he realized the table has been turned against him and above everything, that cursing look on his face as his life sipping out of his body in red blood.
Once in a while, he dreamed of Yuuko. He dreamed of those depressing days they spent together, running away from their pain and guilt. He irresponsibly sought after her flesh and warmth as she did his in an immoral wanton mess, thoughtlessly and superficially. They used each other as a reason to run away from their guilt. He wondered where would she go and what has she do since then. He realized that he missed her and loved her more than he thought.
Sometimes, he dreamed of Sumika and his previous world, a world without war or BETA. He missed it, very dearly.
Without fail, his dreams always left him with regret, guilt, anxiety and pain in which the line between nightmares and dreams blurred. He couldn't tell if they were dream or nightmare.
That's why Shirogane Takeru could not immediately realize that he was dreaming at first. It was pleasant and lucid as if they were real, all of them.
Meiya was there. She joyously leaped into his arms like a ball of energy she was, hugging him tightly and kissing him wholeheartedly. The White Knights were there, crying tears of joy as they shared a hug with him. Tsukuyomi was there, rubbing her callous palm on his head and telling him that he did well. Marimo was there, knobbing him on his head as she tear up, yelling at him for making her worry. And Yuuko was there, standing at a corner, waiting for everyone to have their fill of a reunion with him before walking toward him, giving him an awkward hug that was so unlikely of her. She would then tenderly wrapped one of her arm around the back of his head and whispered into his ear, "Stupid Takeru, you did well this time".
This is it, Shirogane Takeru thought, this is it.
This is home. This is all that he's ever wanted. This is all that he's ever wished for.
He's home like he has promised.
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The heavy smell of disinfectant stirred him up. The youth squinted his eyes out of reflex due to a bright light. He continued to squint his eyes as he tried to sit up from where he was. Slowly, his eyes adjusted to the brightness.
He was inside a fully hospital ward, packed with beds and injured men and women. He saw nurses treating to injured men and women, bandaging, injecting, checking the IV drip, etc…
He heard painful groan and snore around him.
"You're awake," a soft voice beckoned the youth to turn his head around.
A young nurse looked at him as she stood, switching a new IV bag for a male soldier sleeping on a neighbor bed. She looked young, probably of the same age as the youth if not younger.
"Give me a second, I will come over shortly," she said, hanging the new IV on top of the patient bed and disposing the empty IV bag.
"How long have I been sleeping?" the youth asked.
"25 hours or more," the nurse replied as she adjusted the IV dripping for the sleeping male, "You was out before admitting here."
The young nurse walked toward the youth shortly, stood next to him and ordered, "Look over here," flashing her medical pen light.
The youth knew the drill and did as he was told, staring at the pen light.
"Good, now try to follow the light with your eyes," the nurse nodded her head and told. Shortly, she turned off her LED pen light, "How are you feeling right now? Any headache or nausea?"
"No, I'm good,"
"No concussion, that's great," the young nurse smiled, nodding her head again, "If there is anything I can do for you, tell me."
The youth thought and realized that he was quite parched, "Water, please."
"With pleasure," the nurse walked toward the end of the room and came back with a cup.
"Thank you," the youth said, wolfing down the cup in a single gulp.
"More?" asked the nurse
"No, I'm good," the youth declined, looking aimlessly around the room and asked, "What happened to the battle? Did we win?"
"The operation was a success, so I was informed," the nurse smiled.
"That's good. Thanks god,"
"No, thank to you," the nurse interjected.
"Me?" the youth tilted his head in confusion.
"Those guys," the nurses gestured with her slim index finger, pointing at one person after another, "Him, him, him and her, and her as well. While you was still out, they were telling everyone that the only reason we made it was that you was there. They told us that you lead the final assault and single-handedly kill all the Laser class. You did that, didn't you?"
The youth was slightly flabbergasted, followed the nurse's direction with his eyes and made out familiar faces, "No, they are just exaggerating stuffs. I was…" his voice trailed off at the end.
"Where are we? Is this Japan? What happened to the Tsunami?" His voice was that of alarm and anxiety.
"Calm down, First Lieutenant," the nurse chided, putting her hands on both shoulders of the youth to calm him down, "First off, this is the new Niigata airbase hospital. Your vessel luckily managed to reach the Niigata coast in time and sheltered from the Tsunami. Second, we are not 5 km below the sea like it was forecasted. The Tsunami countermeasure installed in the west coast works, apparently. You could hear the finer detail on news this evening".
There was a pause, a moment of silence before the youth could sigh, "Ha ha ha," he laughed in a deflated voice with all of his tension cut. He brought his hand up, covering his face as tears started rolling, "Yuuko, you did it. You saved us all," he whispered quietly.
He knew who released the DDay file to public before all those investigations could even show any result. It was Yuuko. She might not be the only person involved in making that file but it definitely her who released that file to public. Only Yuuko had the boldness and craziness to risk pushing the last one billion of the population to war and extinction itself so that mankind could standup and do what was right.
The BETA must be weeded out but mankind needed earth, a place to live, a place to settle down and to call home. An unlivable Earth to most surviving human is no place to live. There is no future for all the human left behind in Earth. There is no future or salvation to all the Earthling left behind.
Thus Yuuko gambled. She gambled that mankind would stand united against their common enemy and settle their differences. She pushed mankind to the very edge of extinction, forcing them to make a choice. She gambled and won.
But, the sense of elate and euphoria that Shirogane Takeru felt didn't last long.
"Meiya," the youth called the name of his lover, suddenly jumped off his bed, "Meiya," he leaped off the bed with his bare feet, quickly scanned the room with his eyes and started running.
"First Lieutenant," the nurse called, her voice was that of shock and dismay.
The youth could hear no longer.
"Meiya, Chizuru, Tama, Mikoto, Ayamine, Tsukuyomi san," the youth muttered his lover's and his friends' name as he ran. He dashed through a corridor full of people, doctor, nurses, and patients.
The youth let his eyes swept around in one clean motion to capture each and every person's face within his field of vision. He saw them not.
"Not here," he muttered.
"Sir, sir, how may I help you," a doctor called out to the youth. His expression was that of genuine concern.
The youth didn't reply, instead cross the crowded corridor, continuing his search. He walked fast, scanning every person, every patient bed, and every room he came across. Not here either.
His eyes scanned each and every patient rooms that he came across. He could not see them. He continued walking, paying no heed to the stares he received from all directions..
"Did they manage to board on the same vessel as he did? Were they transferred to another hospital?" the youth thought as his feet seemed to have a mind of their own, walking aimlessly to another floor of the hospital.
The youth walked through one ward after another. He saw men and women, critically injured and lightly injured. However, he could not see any of the White Knights. He ran around, looking and scanning with his eyes. It was such a big place, big and crowded, this hospital. There must be thousands of people occupied this place. He could see civilians among the patients inside the ICU and operation wards. Outside of the hospital, there was even a hastily constructed field hospital with large tents to accommodate the crowd. Still, he could not see any member of the White Knights
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It's windy, cold, the youth thought. The air was humid and salty, carrying the smell of the sea.
The youth sighed, a long and depressing sigh. He was on top of the hospital highest floor, standing and leaning against the fence.
He walked around the hospital from one end to another, looking and searching like a mad man he was. But in the end, he could not find any of the White Knight. He even thought that his eyes failed him and went around looking for his squad again, still, the result was the same. Only when the sense of helplessness reached the very peak, he finally realized what an idiot he was, he could just ask around to see if his team was being admitted here. And so he did, again, the result was the same. He knew nothing of the fate of the rest of the White Knights.
"What happen to the rest of the troops? Where are they? Where could they be?" he asked everyone the same question, from the head nurses, doctors to wounded soldiers. Regardless, the result was the same. None of them know anything.
He even tried to walk around the base, asking the soldiers regarding the detail. The answers he got were pretty much the same.
The youth sighed again. He just went back from the guard Barrack after listened to the evening news with the military polices and guards.
According to the news, the Tsunami hit the western coastal area of Japan hard. The recently erected 500 km length seawall did little against the Tsunami, however, without the towering seawall of 20 meter height, the damage would be far more horrifying.
Coastal cities and towns as well as vast areas of farmland in the tsunami's path were submerged by blackened sludgy waters that swept enormous quantities of houses, boats, cars, trucks, and other debris along with them. Luckily, the population within the Tsunami-effected area has evacuated for months so the damage was only collateral at the moment.
Niigata was first area that the Tsunami hit, in fact, it should be where the Tsunami hit the hardest considering just how close it was located to Sadogashima. The fact that this New Niigata airbase was intact and not submerge a good 5 to 10 km under the sea proved that the Tsunami countermeasures that Japan adopted has been a great success.
Aside from the 20m height seawall erected along the west coast of Japan, Japan has installed hundreds of the Tsunami cancellers along the west coast. It was in fact that these Tsunami cancellers were the only reason that Japan was saved from the Mega Tsunami. Realistically, there was no way some 20m height seawall could prevent a 20km height of a Tsunami.
The youth still vividly remember the time when the DDay file was wreaking chaos, insecurity and anxiety to everyone. It was a dark time. People was subjected to an understanding that whether they won or lost against the BETA, they had no place to live on this Earth. If they lose against the BETA, it would be extinction. If they would win against the BETA, they will live on an inhabitable Earth, filled with salt deserts and blighted lands.
Amidst the chaos spurred by the DDay file, an anonymous organization seized the opportunity and made a public announcement of their latest success in reverse-engineering the BETA's space travel technology. This science breakthrough came in the form of the world first anti-Tsunami device. Using the same technology as the fifth dimensional bomb and the Beta's space travel, with a few tweaks, this anti-Tsunami device could produce an artificial micro black hole that absorbs mass within its area of effect till very core of the micro black hole is filled. By shooting this device in the opposite direction and toward the Tsunami in its early stage, this anti-Tsunami device will drain the mass of the Tsunami as it travels like a nonrotating and moving micro black hole, thus effectively deconstruct the Tsunami.
Everything about this anti-Tsunami is problematic. First, by nature, this device is a weapon of mass destruction on the greater scale compare to the fifth dimension bomb and nuclear weapons. Second, this device could not be controlled once it goes off. It may be a counter to the mega-tsunami disaster, but one thing goes wrong whether that it was the execution or calculation, the earth itself could be destroyed. Third, the mass that was absorbed by the micro black hole will disappeared for good, moving into another dimension according to the theory stated. Lastly, this device used the extraterrestrial G element, the same element that is used to create the Fifth dimension bomb and used as fuel for the migration fleet. The amount of G element that mankind possessed was nowhere enough to create hundreds of these anti-tsunami device to counter the Mega-tsunami.
Shortly after the public announcement of their success, this anonymous organization delivered three prototypes of the anti-tsunami device, AT1, AT2 and AT3 along with the blue print to the UN army, Russia and the US government respectively.
Immediately, the world plunged into greater chaos.
America suddenly is no longer the sole possessor of extraterrestrial WMD technology which they tried their hardest to monopolize for the longest of time, almost one decade. This could potentially lead to another arm race at the worst hour.
There are tons of questions that begin with W and H. Regardless, the biggest questions among all the questions has to be "How does this organization come to possess the G element of this large quantity to create as many as three anti-Tsunami prototype models?" and "How did they come to contact with the research and technology related to both the G bomb and BETA interstellar travel?"
Kouzuki Yuuko and many of her associates, there are many evidences that identify them as the creators of the anti-tsunami device and people running the organization. All these people, their whereabouts is unknown after the great purge or the great "reallocation" or the great "shift" according to public knowledge. After the Fourth Alternative movement felt apart, personnel related to Yuuko and her research, associates, supporters, and followers are either reallocated or be involved in fatal accidents of some sorts. It isn't hard to find the link between these missing researchers, their field and the subject of their research before the shift of the Fourth Alternative movement to the creation of the anti-tsunami device. Many investigations were carried to track Yuuko and her organization's whereabouts but all of them ended nowhere. That entire organization seemed like a lizard that shredded its own tail whenever it's in a bind.
However above everything else, the shortage of G element was the true problem. There was only a limited amount of G element that could be distributed and used as fuel for the migrating fleet in the quest to colonize the second earth, making fifth dimensional bomb, using as research sample. There was not enough of the G element supply to manufacture hundreds of anti-tsunami model to counter the mega-tsunami crisis. And in order to attend more G element, mankind must steal it from the BETA, entering a level 4 BETA Hives or above and conquered it.
In spite of everything, mankind was forced to sit down on a table and threw away their differences for a united purpose, otherwise, there would be no future for anyone, neither the escaping one hundred million nor the staying one billion. The escaping millions could not escape and the staying one billion will not live, there would be no future. The negotiation lasted for two whole weeks before the decision was made.
AT1, the anti-tsunami prototype model in the possession of the UN army was used as a trial to examine its effectiveness according to the agreement. A fifth dimension bomb will be dropped on a target in a military operation to test the authenticity of the DDay file and provided the allied army of the UN, US, Russia and NATO the opportunity to raid and secure the supply of G element from the Hive. The chosen target was BETA HIVE number 08, the Finland's Rovaniemi Hive, a Phase 5 BETA Hive formed in 1981. The shockwave created from that fifth dimension bomb and the gravitational abnormality would raise a mega Tsunami from the Baltic Sea toward Northern Finland and Sweden. AT1 will then be deployed to deconstruct the mega Tsunami. That was the plan.
September 21, 2003, two years after ALTERNATIVE IV was officially canceled, Operation Red Tint began, and mankind began their desperate fight for survival.
The target was a Level 5 BETA Hive, it would be an extremely difficult task to raid such target. This was the first time in the history of mankind to attempt attacking such high-level-designed target.
After 49 hours of struggle and constant bombardment, the allied army has finally erased more than 3000 Laser class off the map and reached the optimal coverage of anti-laser cloud above their target. The combat force had only 10 minutes to withdraw and evacuate their unit. After that, the fifth dimensional bomb escorted by dummies and UN orbital fleets dropped upon it designed target. During this phase, the test for AT1 was carried in the Baltic Sea. It was a success, a piece of good news for the world to be rejoice, but not yet, not until the real objective completed.
After 27 hours of fighting and gaining ground from within the exposed Hive, with the help of the UN Orbital Divers, the combining raiding taskforce managed to reach three of the many reactors in the Hive. The struggle lasted for another 5 hours as both sides, human and BETA flushed the reactor chambers with waves of reinforcements, mankind prevailed for a short moment with their sheer firepower and strategy. G element materials were mined and transported out of the Hive in a race against time, all that firepower could give them just the amount of supremacy for only so long before the BETA manage to regroup and launch their next attack, flushing every man, every TSF out of their base and tunnels with thousands upon millions of BETA. Complications arose as expected, the BETA launched their counter attack too soon. The allied army exhausted their resource and ammunition to hold the ground as long as they could until the last of the G elements transporting vessels withdrawn.
The Red Dawn Operation has since then been documented for further study and used as the stapled material for anti-BETA combat. It was considered as a major success despite the heavy casualty toll. The Red Dawn Operation was considered as a success because it gave just a glimpse of hope to mankind, that there is a future for the Earth and there is a future for mankind.
The newly mined G-elements were distributed between the UN army, US and Russia and used to produce hundreds upon hundreds of the AT anti-tsunami model.
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Despite everything people said, the youth believed that he was weak, a weak and soft man who pretended to be strong and tough. But he didn't realize just how weak he really was. For the last 48 hours, he could not sleep. He volunteered himself to be among the people who were out there, setting sail across the sea to search for the survivors of Operation Babylon, but nobody would authorize him. He befriended with the guards, requesting them to take him along with them when they patrolled the coastal area, searching for drifting survivors. He borrowed an old and unused broadband device from the guards, fixing and tuning it to capture transmissions from the searching teams. His heart leapt, beating with hope and expectation every time a good news came through. Every 8 hours, an update was posted on the data base, erasing the names of the found survivors from the list of missing people. The youth kept close track of those updates.
The youth kept being hopeful. He waited for the news and the updates. Every now and then, he prayed along with many people around him, not knowing anything better to do, lighting up candles and incenses and prayed to Gods as if it would help. He prayed to the Shinto Gods that he believed, to Buddha and Jesus those who he has no connecting with until now. He prayed with all of his sincerity that his most beloved family was safe.
A week passed, Meiya and the rest of the White Knights, along with the Blood were still on the missing list. The search was still going on, but everyone was less hopeful. But still, the youth hoped, still he believed in the promise. He kept his end of the promise, Meiya and the White Knight, too, would kept it. He waited, doing whatever he could, still applying for a spot in search team and hoping that he himself would find his family.
The second week has passed. Still, no news of the White Knights. The list of missing people was still hundreds of pages in length. There was news of the search being called off. Still, people prayed as their hope dwindled. At the same time, the youth along with the survivors of Yokohama base received an order to return to the base.
At the start of the third week, the youth has finally returned to the base, the place he could at least call home. But home was Meiya, home is Meiya and the White Knights, home is the training fields which he spent time laughing and crying with his family. Home was no more, only an empty house remained.
The youth shockingly discovered that Kasumi still remained on Earth when he arrived the Yokohama UN base. She escaped her shuttle in the last minute and found her way back to the base on the same day he participated in Operation Babylon. He could not even scream at her for doing such stupid thing, he simply could not. He had no strength for that.
Shortly, the UN officially called off the search despite everyone's frustration. The Imperial Army and Imperial Royal Guard persisted in their search, perhaps out of goodwill, or perhaps out of their desire to appeal a better image to the mass.
Before long, a month passed. All search were called off. There was no news of the White Knights. The UN army and the Japanese government picked a day to make a ceremony to honor all those who died on the day Operation Babylon went off. There was also a talk about an award ceremony after that. People was talking about him and how he would receive the highest grade of medal for his valor, but the youth could not remember any of it
It was a corpse-less funeral. There was no corpse. The army reissued the dog tags for the White Knights, to use them as replacement for the real one. The youth himself dug the graves, five for the White Knights, and another four for the Blood and planted a wooden plank on each grave, marking the spot. This was the makeshift grave which they used for the ceremony. The real one would be made later when the army was ready for the official burial ceremony at the military graveyard in months to come.
Surprisingly, he didn't cry, or sob or shred a single drop of tear during the funeral. It's not that he didn't cry. He found himself unable to shred a drop of tear whereas people around him did just that. Some of them muffled the sound of their sob within their throat during the ceremony. Some of them quietly shredded tears. Some of them endured, biting into the inner of their mouth to drown out their pain.
During the ceremony, the youth found Marimo among the sea of people. He wanted to say sorry for ignoring all of her call ever since she received the news of his survival, yet, no word came out of his mouth. Marimo said nothing, embracing him tightly in silence. She hugged him for a long time and held his hand tightly during the entire length of the ceremony.
When the ceremony came to an end, the youth was asked to join with the many of his colleagues to a drink, he refused, telling them that he had some business to attend to. He remained on the grave site with Marimo, standing and staring wordlessly at the graves. Kasumi came shortly, placing flowers on the graves.
As if Marimo could not stand the silence any longer, she started talking. She stood in front of the graves and talked. It sounded like a monologue and yet it wasn't. But it didn't sound like she was talking the deceased White Knights. She talked about many things. She spoke of the time when she went to war with her squad and returned as a lone survivor. She spoke of the time when she was offered a spot among the Fuji tactical training school. She spoke of the time when Yuuko offered a salvation to her, telling her to train young people how to fight and live on the battlefield. She spoke of the many of her failures. She spoke, recounting how she met the White Knights, how each and every one of them became her most special students over the years. She spoke as she cried, choking in her tears.
The youth went, hugging Marimo who was crying and sobbing in his arms. She cries, asking him why he didn't cry and why he had that emotionless mask plastered on his face. The youth thought, almost curious of what kind of facial expression on he had at that moment. He turned and looked at Kasumi, wondering if it was the mirror image of Kasumi's face that was the expression of his face at this moment. He thought, pondering and replied.
"I don't know,"
That was his answer. Such was his answer. Cold as steel.
Marimo cried, dejectedly shaking her head and kept on crying. She cried for the White Knights. She cried for many of her students who died during the great purge and during the Babylon Operation. She cried for herself and Yuuko. She cried for the youth who found himself unable to cry, she shredded his fill of tears. She cried three-years-worth of tears.
Suddenly, a siren went off. Marimo stopped crying with disbelieving look on her face. The youth turned and look at the base. He knew what siren it was, it meaning it represented. His nightmare was far from over, his battle was far from over. That was code 911. It's a BETA invasion.