Chapter 7; The Return
As soon as the match began, Erin and Annabelle were in motion. Maylin and Madoka barely had time to react at all as Anna charged. She brought her sword down, aiming for Madoka's head but only succeeding in striking her scythe's pole as she guarded herself. Erin, meanwhile, had brought he rifle up and shot Maylin right in her chest, sending her stumbling a few steps. Thankfully, her instincts kicked before he fired again, and she took flight as she returned fire. Smiling, Erin took off as well and traded fire. The stadium was lit up with their crisscrossing shots as they tried to hit each other but kept failing. Meanwhile, Madoka and Anna finally broke away from each other only to charge again.
Opting to stay on the ground, Madoka started spinning her scythe in arcs to build up speed before she began lashing out at Anna. The other girl, however, was as skilled with a sword as she always claimed to be and was able to turn aside the slashes fairly easy. She even managed to get a few attempts in at Madoka, but her spinning scythe also gave her an almost flawless defense at close range as she used the entire weapon to turn aside her blade. Anna had to admit that it took considerable skill to wield such a large weapon with so much skill, despite the strength enhancement the IS gave her. Turning aside another slash, Anna leaped back to gain some distance and try to think of a way past her defense. It was at this point that Erin turned to her and fired. This is exactly what Madoka and Maylin had been waiting for.
Triggering her Flower Fall, Madoka was quickly surrounded in glowing flower petals. The instant Erin's shot hit the field it dissipated as she smirked at him. Meanwhile, Maylin had switched her rifle over to its staggered mode. Opening fire again, she sent a constant stream of bolts at Erin, forcing him on the defensive as he struggled to return fire. Noticing that Anna was on the move again, Maylin detached a pair of her bits and sent them after her while she focused on her brother. The bits had also been switched to staggered fire and they immediately began hosing down the area around Anna, forcing her to stay near Madoka. Taking advantage of her momentary pause, Madoka charged again and managed to catch her off guard. Anna only had enough time to register that someone was behind her when Madoka's blade smacked into the shields around her stomach, sending her into the wall.
Up in the stands, Cecilia watched the battle with a mix of concern and awe. She hadn't known that her daughter had become so skilled so quickly, and with rather complex weapons at that. While she definitely needed to work on her accuracy, she was still making good use of her rifle and keeping her opponent off-balance. She was also managing to keep good control over her bits as they focused on another person altogether. "It's rather impressive, isn't it?" Houki asked, startling her slightly. Sitting down next to her friend, she smiled at the look Cecilia shot her. "You're starting to act like Simon," she said as she returned her attention to the field. "Well, it's a useful skill for a teacher to sneak up on people," she said, laughing slightly, "Keeps the students on their toes." "I'm sure." "Is something wrong, Cecilia?" Houki asked, sensing the strain in her voice.
"Simon told me about the final match," she said simply. Houki just said nothing for a while, taking the implied rebuke in its stride. She had been sure that Cecilia would react this way ever since she heard that she was coming down for a visit. She had always been protective of her daughter, almost to the point of smothering her. Lost in these thoughts, Houki found herself wondering where Ichika was. He had promised that he would make it in time for the final rounds, but had yet to show up at all. That idiot; always making me worry she thought with a smile. However, Ichika was still a man, through and through, and he would rather die that break a promise. In that regard, he was a lot like Simon. Turning her attention to the field, she noticed that the Steffens twins had finally regained their momentum and were starting to counter.
Anna had taken flight and was using her entire body to attack Madoka instead of just her sword. Madoka, meanwhile, stayed on the ground to limit her blind spots as much as possible as was managing to hold her own against the new onslaught. Erin had shifted his focus to Maylin and had started taking this seriously. He was managing to pull off rather impressive shots at high speeds, just barely missing his mark each time. Maylin had since recalled her bits to recharge them and was continuing to return Erin's fire. As things stood, it was highly likely that one or more of them would get knocked out of the fight due to low energy before any of them had their shields drop. However, before she could take advantage of this turn of events, fate intervened.
Just as Madoka began her charge, the stadium field was ripped apart in a series of explosions. This triggered the safety systems and the shutters over the stands immediately closed. This didn't stop a second wave of missiles from hitting all across the island, tearing the buildings to pieces. What the hell is happening Houki wondered as she rushed to get outside with Cecilia right on her heels. When they finally made it out, it was to the sight of burning buildings and machines they hadn't seen in over 20 years tearing into the defenses. Harpies roamed the skies, challenging anything and everything that moved. As one, Houki and Cecilia triggered their IS and prepared to fight back when three IS landed in front of them. One of them in particular looked very familiar. "It's been a long time," Fairy said, stepping forward, "Did you miss me?"
Ichika had just gotten off the train from the mainland, and as he looked around the platform he smiled as old memories came back to him. He also noticed that Simon was waiting for him on one of the benches. Walking up to his old friend, he offered a handshake that turned into a hug, since they hadn't seen each other in a long time. "So, how're our girls doing?" Ichika asked as they headed towards the stadium. "Well, you can tell from here," Simon replied as an explosion rocked the air, "I think that was Maylin cutting loose with her rifle." "She really takes after her mother, doesn't she?" "Yeah, but she's definitely inherited my drive," Simon said, smiling, "Still not sure if that's a bad thing or not."
Looking up, Ichika noticed something concerning. "Simon, why are there missiles in the sky?" he asked about a second before they impacted the stadium. The concrete around the outside was ripped apart, and Simon clearly saw several of them get into the arena before he heard the explosions. They summoned their IS in a flash just as the second wave struck, forcing them to cover their faces as the blast waves struck them. "What the hell is this?!" Simon asked, taking flight to see better. When he saw the flights of Harpies, his blood ran cold. He saw the same look of utter shock on Ichika's face as he saw them, too. They're supposed to be dead Simon thought, gritting his teeth. Unsheathing his sword, Simon was prepared to tear into this ghost from the past when a wire wrapped around his leg. He noticed it just as whoever was on the other end threw him into Ichika, sending them both into a nearby booth.
As they picked themselves up, a pair of IS landed in front of them. One of them held a pair of beam swords, while the other was just spooling the wire back into its wrist. "Hello, boys," the Is with the wire said, "It's so good to finally meet you. I'm Weaver, and this is Saber, and we'll be your opponents for the day." "What the hell?" Simon demanded, "We beat you! I know we did." "Clearly not," Saber replied, bringing its swords up. "I know this is our first meeting, but I have a request," Weaver said, sounding a lot like a 12 year old girl, "Could you two bleed for me?"
Before either of them could wonder about that particular question, Saber smashed into Ichika and carried him into a nearby building, while Weaver launched four wires attached to small anchors at him. He managed to dodge them easily, launching several fangs in response. However, Weaver responded to that with a second wave of wires from her wings, destroying two of the fangs and managing to wrap one around his wrist. Simon had just enough time to say, "Crap," before the IS flung him into a tree. He didn't even get to hit the ground as it then proceeded to land a double kick on his stomach and send him through the tree. "You killed our sisters," she said as he tried to pick himself back up, "You'll bleed lots for that."
Rather than engage the IS again, Simon fired a quick bolt at it while taking flight. He needed to reach Chifuyu, and he needed to do it now. "13, I need a link to the headmaster's office, and I need it now!" he said just as the IS took off after him. A small window popped up on his HUD as his core's AI worked. "Be careful, Simon-kun," it said, sounding serious, "I can't get an accurate read on this machine." The fact that 13 was acting focused and serious was warning enough. Usually, it acted a lot like its creator, Tabane. Dodging a pair of wires, Simon charged up another bolt while he launched three more fangs, trying to buy time. Thankfully, Ichika was holding his own against the duel-wielding IS. Being married to someone who used the same kinds of techniques definitely gave him and advantage there.
Finally, the connection went through, and 13's image was replaced with a feed from Chifuyu's office. "Felix, what the hell is going on out there?!" she demanded, just barely keeping her voice steady. Simon had worked with her enough to recognize the difference from an annoyed Chifuyu and a truly pissed-off one. And right now, she was livid. "It's them," he said, "I don't know how, or why, but those damned IS are back. We need to get everyone out of here, and we need to do it now." Thinking about her options, Chifuyu nodded in agreement before cutting the call off. Simon breathed a sigh of relief just as his opponent appeared in his face and tried to bury a dagger in it.
Picking herself back up, Maylin looked around the dust cloud as she tried to locate her friends. "Everyone still breathing?" Madoka asked over an open channel, coughing slightly. "We're all good over here," Erin replied. "Y-yeah, I'm fine, too," Maylin said, trying to locate them in the cloud, "What was that?" "Who knows," Anna replied, taking off, "But we need to get out of here and find out what's going on." Before they could even begin to agree with her, they all had a screen pop up in their faces. It was a general address from Chifuyu Orimura over a priority channel. "Attention, all students and staff. The Academy is currently under attack. All staff rated for IS use are to take up defensive positions around the train station and the west end docks. All students are to make their way to those locations and immediately evacuate. This is NOT a drill. I repeat, all students are hereby ordered to evacuate IMMEDIATELY."
Looking at her friends, Maylin was torn. On the one hand, she wanted so badly to help out, while her upbringing told her to listen and get them out of harm's way. However, it was Madoka that made the decision for them. "Someone is attacking my school?!" she said, her voice turning to steel, "Well, that's just not going to happen." "And what do you expect to do?" Erin asked, skeptical. "That's easy," she replied, bringing her scythe up, "Take them all out." Not five seconds after she said this, four Harpies landed in the arena just opposite them. They took a second to size up the four IS pilots before charging them and firing. Everyone reacted on instinct, fanning out to split them up.
Focusing on the one in front of her, Maylin opened fire while she launched a pair of laser bits. The machine, however, was quick on the uptake and dodged her shots with ease. Even when her bits opened fire it still managed to dodge the blasts, performing all manner of maneuvers before finally accelerating at Maylin directly. She wasn't prepared for that, and didn't have any time as it brought its sword down. She almost managed to dodge the blade, but it was too fast and came down on her left thigh, passing through the shield and giving her a nasty slash. Crying out in pain, Maylin accelerated back to try and get some distance as her mind reeled. That thing just bypassed my shield and the Absolute Barrier she thought. Unfortunately, the Harpy wasn't about to let her recover. Pursuing her, it raised its sword to try and impale her. The machine was too fast, and Maylin didn't have time to adjust for another dodge. I'm going to die she thought, locking up, I'm going to die!
Before the Harpy could finish her, Madoka appeared behind it and buried her scythe in its back before tossing the dead machine aside. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Thanks," before turning her attention to the rest of the field. To her relief, she was the only one that had had any trouble with her opponent. Landing carefully on her good leg, Maylin examined the cut as the others gathered around her. "How in the hell did they do that?" Anna asked, kneeling down to make sure it wasn't a serious wound. "I have no idea," Erin replied, looking troubled, "Even if they can bypass the normal shields, the Absolute Barrier is supposed to be, well, Absolute." "We need to move," Madoka said, looking around, "Staying here is just inviting trouble." They all agreed without hesitation and took off, quickly getting clear of the stadium. However, when they did, they witnessed a raging battle just outside between two familiar IS pilots and three other IS.
Dodging the swipe at her head, Houki tried to bury her sword into the wolf IS' stomach, only to have the machine jump back with incredible speed. The moment her sword swung clear, it was right on top of her again, using its knives to effectively counter Houki's swords. As long as we remain this close, we're dead-locked she realized as she powered her bits up. Launching them as a distractions, she tried to get clear so she could use her firepower to blast this ghost from the past away. The IS didn't even hesitate; faster than she would have thought possible, the IS slashed through her two bits before accelerating into her again, taking her with it into a nearby building.
Cecilia, meanwhile, was fighting an IS that used a technique similar to her own. While her laser bits deployed their holograms in an attempt to confuse it, the IS responded with its own, superior, projections. Not only did it make almost a dozen copies of itself, the thing was even projecting fake attacks to throw her off-balance even more. And it was working very well. The Is managed to isolate and destroy two of her bits while Cecilia was still trying to figure out which of the damned things was the real enemy. Meanwhile, the Fairy was watching this entire fight from the ground, and that just pushed all of Cecilia's buttons. The machine responsible for causing so much grief for her, for her family and her friends, was watching like it was some kind of spectacle. However, Cecilia knew that if she tried to focus on it instead of her opponent, it would end very, very badly.
Unfortunately, this line of thought broke her concentration just enough. At some unknown signal, the Wolf IS delivered a savage kick before accelerating at Cecilia. Meanwhile, the other IS destroyed her remaining bits in one synchronized attack, stunning her. Recovering quickly, she brought her rifle up just as it charged her. As she fired, the IS opened several ports on its wings and fired a volley of missiles. Instead of streaking towards Cecilia, they moved out in all directions before detonating and creating a massive smoke screen, blinding her. Cecilia didn't even have time to wonder what the hell this was before the Wolf IS smashed into her from behind, ripping the sniper rifle from her back with one hand while it slashed into her left arm with its other.
Whirling around, Cecilia tried to fire into the machine, only to have it disappear into the cloud just as quickly as it had hit her. A second later, the IS that had deployed the smoke came at her from below with a spear, Cecilia just managed to avoid the blade, but as she tried to counter again, the IS vanished right before several copies came at her from all directions. Outside the cloud, Houki was trying to move to help her friend. However, before she could even come close, Fairy moved into her path with its javelins raised. "Try and get past me, Samurai," it said, "I dare you." gritting her teeth, Houki answered that challenge with a swipe from her sword, sending a large energy wave at it. Fairy didn't even move, rather it brought one of its javelins up to defend. As the blast wave was about to hit it, Fairy brought the javelin down and effectively cut it in two, sending the halves around her and into a warehouse. Houki, meanwhile, was too stunned to move. That was her single most powerful technique, and it had just been countered.
Up above them, Maylin and her friends watched this battle unfold. When the IS deployed its smoke screen and the Wolf moved into it, she immediately tried to get to her mother's side to help. However, several Harpies stood in their way, and they weren't about to let them pass easily. Deploying all of her bits and dividing them, Maylin attempted to force her way through with brute force, but the pesky machines were still too quick and nimbly dodged all of her shots. Even Erin had a hard time trying to hit them, only ever succeeding in hitting their limbs instead of the center of mass shots he wanted. Thankfully, Anna and Madoka were having more luck with their melee, and they quickly cut three of the machines down. Unfortunately, this wasn't quick enough as they watched Houki square off with the third machine.
Watching it effortlessly counter the biggest attack they had ever seen, Madoka was momentarily stunned as she watched her mother get forced onto the defensive. The other IS was much more skilled than they had thought; throwing attacks almost too fast to track as it pushed Houki back further and further. Finally, Houki managed to get a counter in, but was blocked with almost contempt as Fairy brought its other javelin up. Before she could react, it fired a blast into her chest, sending her into the stadium wall. It then just walked calmly over to her, as it the thing had all of the time in the world.
Gritting her teeth, Madoka blew through the remaining Harpies before accelerating at the machine from behind. As she brought her scythe around in an attempt to through it clear, Fairy turned around abruptly and dropped one of its javelins before stopping the blade with its hand. That stopped everyone cold as it stared at a shocked Madoka. "You really need to learn your place, human," it said. Instead of using its other javelin, Fairy launched its laser bits as Madoka broke off. She tried to dodge them, but they moved too quick and fired too rapidly. They cut her shields down to critical within seconds before they began to fire at her. Most of the shots were aimed at the armored section, while those aimed at her bare skin just grazed her. Clearly, the other IS was simply toying with her. While Madoka tried to use her anger to stay upright, the pain from the repeated hits proved too much and she collapsed, her IS destructing in response to the loss of power.
Hearing a cry from behind, Fairy turned just in time to dodge a frantic attack from Houki. Instead of pressing this advantage, she landed on top of Madoka with her swords up. "You touch her again, and I will kill you," she promised. "Oh, there's no need to worry, dear," Fairy replied, recalling its bits, "I was only here for one purpose. And it's now completed." Pointing behind her at the cloud, the Fairy just waited as they all realized what was going on. As if on que, Cecilia dropped free from the cloud as it began to break up, her IS destructing in a flash. She was also badly hurt, with several wounds weeping blood as she fell to the ground. "Mother!" Maylin cried, finally breaking free of the remaining Harpies. Pushing her IS to its maximum speed, she just managed to catch one of her legs and lower her to the ground.
"Mother! Mother, please!" she said, trying to wake her up. However, Cecilia was out cold, her breathing very shallow. She had gashes all across her body, and the unmistakable bruises from repeated blows. It was all Maylin could do to not break down and cry as she continued to try and wake her up. Erin and Anna landed next to her, prepared to defend her as the other two IS rejoined Fairy. Instead of pressing their obvious advantage, they remained where they stood. "And now the dream is broken," Fairy said, laughing softly, "I hope it was worth it, spending all of this time lying to the world." "What do you mean?" Erin asked, confused. "Well, I can understand them not telling you," it replied, "But if you're going to tell me that they kept it from you, Samurai, and from their own daughter… Well, I'd wonder just how worthy that woman and her husband are of your trust."
Turning around, Fairy took flight along with the IS that had deployed the smoke screen. "I leave the rest to you, Reaver," it said, "Try to stick to the plan and get clear when Colossus shows up." Without a word, the IS identified as Reaver stepped forward as the other two IS withdrew. "You think you can take us by yourself?" Anna asked, completely livid. Without saying a word, Reaver charged them and smashed into Houki, throwing her clear of Madoka. It spared a look at her, causing Madoka to flinch since she thought there was more pain coming. Instead, it stepped over her body before accelerating at Houki again. Before it could attack her, Anna dropped in between them with her great sword out and caught the IS by surprise. Unfortunately, it didn't result in a clean hit; instead Reaver broke off its charge and soared clear of them. "We got this bitch," Anna said, taking off to follow, "Get them out of here!"
Before Maylin or Houki could argue, Erin took off after his sister and they were quickly caught up in a battle across the sky. For a moment, Maylin was torn between getting her mother and Madoka out of harm's way, and helping her friends against an opponent that was clearly beyond them. Thankfully, Houki made the decision for her. Walking over, she picked Cecilia up as gently as she could while saying, "Get Madoka. We're leaving." "But-But there's no way they can take that woman on their own!" Maylin protested. "We don't have a choice, Maylin!" Houki said, her voice pure steel, "We need to get the wounded to safety. Now, get up and move!" Despite what Houki said, Maylin still struggled with the decision. It wasn't in her nature to just abandon friends. But, Madoka and her mother needed help, and they needed it now. This was one of those situations she had always seen in movies, where the hero is forced to make a choice. They always seemed to be able to do it within seconds, but Maylin found it much more difficult.
With a final effort, Maylin got back onto her feet and slung one of Madoka's arms around her neck while she wrapped her hand around Madoka's waist. She took off and followed Houki as they moved towards the west side docks. It took all of her willpower to not turn around each time she heard an explosion. Instead, she tried to believe that her friends would make it back unharmed. She had seen how well they fought together, so it wasn't too much to think that they would come out of this on top. However, that machine had taken her mother out, and she was using a 4th generation IS. That didn't bode well for their odds.
The human IS have returned with a vengeance as the Academy finds itself under siege. With the casualties beginning to mount, our pilots are forced to make choices that will forever alter their fate. What trick does Fairy have up its sleeve next? Will the Academy be able to weather this storm as well as it did the last? And what will victory cost them this time? Till the next chapter.
Alright, I will admit this chapter makes me feel like an asshole, but you had to see this coming. No, I'm not about to kill one of these characters off (probably). Also, I apologize for the delay with this chapter, had a minor case of writer's block combined with schoolwork. Anyways, feel free to drop a review if you feel so inclined, always nice to hear some constructive feedback.
