The three of us were enjoying a quiet night in the quiet of our living room. Char and I were pressed against each other, mumbling little sayings to each other and just plain enjoying each other's company. Keiko on the other hand, was grinning as she flipped through another of her many wedding planning magazines. From what I could tell from the cover, it was about dresses. Every now and then she'd let out a quiet 'ooh' before uncapping her red Sharpie and marking something else in the magazine.
"Ooh." She went, followed by a 'pop' from the pen cap before it clicked back into place and a page was turned. I laughed quietly and Char giggled in my lap. Keiko didn't even seem to hear us.
"I don't think we need to go looking for a wedding planner after all." I whispered to Char and she giggled again before nodding as we both looked at our daughter. She let out another 'ooh' before the pen was opened and something else was marked and the page was turned again. We both bust out laughing and Keiko was still oblivious to anything around her. I noticed an earbud poking out of her ear and I sighed before getting an idea. I stood and looked down at Char.
"Stay. I'll be right back." I said, and she pouted playfully at me. I grinned before making my way into Char and I's office. Well, more like storage room. I opened the door and reached blindly around the corner and grabbing my guitar from its usual place and closing the door behind me. I checked it over and wiped some dust off of it as I walked around the corner. Char grinned at me and I sat down next to her again and started playing a tune from long ago. (Rylynn by Don Ross)
"It's been forever since I've heard that song." she said, leaning her head on my shoulder and sighing.
I grinned, setting the guitar down next to me on the floor and wrapped my arms around Char. She cuddled into my side and I smiled.
"Just a couple more months." I whispered. Char groaned and curled closer to me.
"Why'd we decide to wait that long again?" She mumbled into my neck. I chuckled.
"We decided to wait that long because..." I started before my phone vibrated in my pocket.
"Because... why?" She asked. I fumbled for my phone before pulling it out of my pocket and looking at the number. Blocked number stared back at me.
"Sorry. Work calls." I said, showing her the phone. She froze next to me before she stood and whispered something in Keiko's ear. I looked back at my phone and faintly heard the two of them walk into our room before I hit'Answer'.
"Hello and thank you for dialing... can I take your order?"Was what I heard as the phone connected to the secure line.
"Hello. I'd like the Stratos Special please." I replied.
"One moment please." The voice on the other side said. I faintly heard the sound of fingers on a keyboard over the line and grinned before my line was switched over to our contact.
"Zeke. We need you to come in."A man's voice said over the phone. I sighed.
"Alright. I'll get Charlotte and we..."
"This mission does not require Ms. Dunois. Come in, we'll explain everything when you arrive."The man interrupted. I opened my mouth to question him, but the line went dead before I could start. I glared at the phone in my hand before closing down the call screen and returning my phone to my pocket. I ran a hand through my hair and let out a breath before dropping my hand. I stood and knocked on the door.
"Char... Work just called and I need to go in. I'm not sure when I'll be back." I said through the door. I heard a faint 'ooh' and a pop before grabbing my pre-prepared 'work' bag. Something fell off of the top of it and hit the floor with a clatter. I turned and looked where the sound had originated from and bent down. I grabbed the object off the floor and held it in my hand as I stood. It was a white bracelet, probably Keiko's. I shrugged and without thinking placed the bracelet in my pocket as I shouldered my bag and walked out of the door to the parking garage next door. I placed my bag inside before sliding inside the car and starting it and heading towards the Academy.
Academy Front Entrance,
"Thanks Tom. I hope this won't be a common occurrence." I said as I walked into the Academy, waving at the night watchman. Tom waved back and returned to his post when the door shut behind me. I turned around and made my further into the Academy, trying to think of why the higher-ups needed me to come in so late. I swiped my I.D. card through a scanner and pushed the door open as the scanner flashed green before returning to normal. I was now overlooking our Command room under the Academy. It had been constructed in secret after the Academy itself had been built and was filled with the staff needed to monitor all sources of information. It was one of the largest data centers ever constructed.
"Ahh, Mr. Altec. Thank you for finally joining us." One of the board members said sarcastically as I entered the board room. I just closed the door behind me and made my way to one of the empty seats. Ichika, Houki, Laura and Rin were seated sporadically around the table. Laura and Rin had joined a few days earlier. After I had suggested bringing them on, Houki had brought it up with the higher ups and they had brought the two on. Cecilia hadn't replied yet and was seemingly unreachable at the moment. I had a plan to remedy that, of course. The man who'd spoked earlier glared at my back and my friends just gave me looks that portrayed their hidden amusement. I smiled at them as I sat down in my seat, glancing at the empty one next to me then to my friends. A message flashed across my IS HUD.
"We got a mission. It's in France and it involves her father. -H"I glanced at the only H I knew in this room, Houki. I cracked my neck as the rest of the room began the briefing.
"3 days ago, we received Intel that some the radical groups that have been popping up recently have been seen with IS units. So far, they haven't been using them publicly, but that is going to change. We called you five here to deal with this preemptively." Our Intel officer started, using the projector above our heads effectively with pictures of said IS units and the known group leaders involved.
"So why five of us? One or two would be sufficient to get the job done." Laura asked. I looked at her. She hadn't changed much in the way of appearance. She still was stuck in her militaristic ways. She had grown physically. She was taller and more, feminine. Rin was the same, she filled out well and seemed no different from when I last saw her in the Academy. Although I noticed her rubbing her ring finger and it seemed to be paler near the joint. I smirked as I turned my attention back to rest of the room. Under the table I typed a message.
"So, who's the lucky guy? ;) -Z"Rin showed no obvious reaction to my message, but sent a small glance/glare my way. I just smirked as somebody answered Laura's question.
"There are three different locations they are keeping their units and this is time sensitive, so you'll be splitting up for this mission. Ichika, Rin and Laura will take care of the units. Houki and Zeke, however, will be back tracing the trail these IS took to their manufacturer and shut down the supply line. We know the units came from the Dunois Corp. but we don't have the material needed to shut them down at the moment. The reason for Ms. Dunois not being in attendance for this meeting." The guy from earlier answered. I gritted my teeth at the smirk he was unsuccessful in hiding completely. I fingered my engagement ring in contemplation, not noticing the glances my friends threw at me before seeing my action and their eyes went wide as they caught sight of said ring. I smirked when I noticed their glances before standing up.
"Well, I guess this would be the best time to bring this to everyone's attention since we're all here. I'm engaged, to Ms. Dunois." I said, copying the guy's voice from earlier when he said Charlotte's name. "I would appreciate it if you wouldn't talk behind her back since she's not here. I don't like it." I said, letting my voice drop to a slightly dangerous level at the end as I cracked my knuckles while looking at the culprit. He blanched at the new information plus my icy glare sent in his direction. I sat back down and set my hands on the table, folded so that the ring was visible to the whole room. A couple people wrote something down before the meeting continued on.
"You deploy immediately. Split up when you reach French territory." Our Commanding Officer (CO) said and Laura and I reflexively snapped a salute to him. The three of us consecutively chuckled and Houki, Ichika, Laura, Rin and I walked out of the room and towards the Academy front entrance. The girls seemed ready to pounce and were barely restraining themselves. I grinned and as soon as we were out the front door I jumped and deployed Light as the girls jumped for me. They met empty air and Ichika and I laughed as they glared at the both of us.
"You can interrogate both Char and I when we get back. We'll meet up at her place, yeah?" I said as I landed and my helmet unfolded from my face. The girls reluctantly agreed before the five of us were in the air and headed overseas.
(Scene Change)
"Time till split, 30 seconds." Laura called. The rest of us acknowledged her and shifted into our assigned groups. I was going over the plan in my head before I was interrupted by a private comm.
Ichika... I read before opening the channel.
"What's up man? Pre-mission jitters?" I asked, looking at Ichika's cam display.
"No, I'm fine. Could you... I mean would you..." He stuttered. I smiled. So he really does care.
"Don't worry, I read you. Loud and Clear." I said conspiratorially. He thanked me and closed the channel. I smirked.
"Split in 3... 2... 1... Split up!" Laura counted down before she, Rin and Ichika broke off from Houki and I towards their objectives.
"We'll keep in contact as long as we can." I radioed to the trio. They acknowledged me before Houki bumped me and pointed down. I looked in the direction she was pointing.
"Red truck, 3 o'clock. Looks like our target."She said. I zeroed in on the truck she described and checked it for myself. I switched to x-ray and found multiple crates stacked with hundreds of parts in the bed of the truck.
"Follow from a distance. I'm going to get a closer look." I radioed and began descending towards the truck. I was just above the truck when Houki yelled over the radio.
"Watch your six! We got more incoming!"I checked behind me and saw more headlights headed towards the truck.
"Check the truck beds. See if they're carrying anything." I replied before landing softly on the back of the truck so that the driver wouldn't notice me. I lifted the tarp covering the bed and slid under it as the rest of the trucks pulled up near my truck. All the trucks collectively sped up and I waited for anything to happen.
"Zeke. Those other trucks are carrying similar supplies like the one you're in. I think it's safe to say this is how they get their IS."Houki informed me. I gave her a nod through my face cam before flipping over and switching on a light mounted on my helmet.
"Alright. I'm transmitting a visual to you now. Stream it back to base for me. My range is reduced at the moment." I said as I started the camera next to the camera and ran my vision over the crates. Specifically the logos printed on the boxes. "Let's see... That looks like the Dunois Corporation logo there. These crates were shipped to a port nearby. That's our next stop, Houki. Tell me when we're clear." I said, shutting off my light and camera. I laid on the crates for about 10 minutes before the trucks came to a stop and I heard the driver get out. I went silent, listening to the drivers converse for a little bit before leaving for who knows where.
"There's one still by the trucks. Go on my signal and run to the trees on your 8 o'clock."Houki said. I switched to thermal and located the remaining person before I heard Houki say go. I flipped the tarp up and jumped out, pulling the tarp back into place before sprinting for the trees.
"I hope the others are okay..."Houki muttered as I made it to the trees. I sighed as I joined her in the air and we headed for the port.
"Me too, Houki. Me too." I replied. As we neared the docks, we heard an explosion and looked to see a fireball climbing into the sky.
(Scene Change) 3rd person's POV
"My base is down."Rin radioed, not that she needed too. The giant fireball flying into the sky was pretty self-explanatory.
"As is mine." Laura chimed in. Ichika looked in her direction and found that the base was seemingly normal. Except for the fact that Laura was walking out the front door. Literally.
"Alright. Form up on me and we'll take down this last one together. They just went on alert after someone noticed Rin's fireball." Ichika replied and soon the two girls were crouched next to Ichika as he overlooked the base. Spotlights had been activated and were sweeping the sky sporadically. A couple IS had been deployed and were patrolling around the base.
"Recon to Strike. Got some Intel that points to the harbor. Recon is heading there now and will commence when you strike the last base."Zeke's voice filtered through the channel.
"Roger that Recon. We'll be commencing our strike soon." Ichika replied.
Affirmative Strike. Also, tell that dragon to cool it. We don't need to start a natural disaster."Zeke's amused tone bled through and Ichika and Laura caught the embarrassed look on Rin's face before the channel was shut down.
"Alright, here we go!" Ichika said as the trio made their way into the base.
(Scene Change) Back to Zeke's POV
"Well, Rin's showing off again." I said as I closed the channel. Houki laughed beside me. Both of us had seen the massive fireball as we flew to the harbor. We were sitting on a hill overlooking the harbor chatting as we waited for any sign of Ichika and the others. We quieted down after that and lapsed into a spell of silence.
"Why'd you do it?" Houki asked vaguely. I looked at her, confused.
"Do what?" I asked.
"Why'd you kill all those people?" She clarified. I looked down at my hands. The different faces of those I killed flashing before my eyes. I shook my head to clear them out. I sighed before I looked back to the harbor.
"I killed the first 4 because of what happened to Proto. They'd given us data for a weapon designed to kill Gospel. I had locked it up and buried it in Proto's programming. Then, when we were fighting the Silvario, the weapon came up while I was unconscious. Proto tried to destroy it, but it just destroyed some other data and came back. Gospelcame up with an idea to remove the coding, but it was risky. He agreed to try it and it ended up killing him. The first four were the scientists, coders, and higher-ups that were involved with it." I said, my breath shuddering as I recalled the memories.
"I watched my best friend die in front of me. I felt his pain as he was destroyed from the inside out." I stuttered, clenching my fist. Houki was silent as she processed what I'd just told her.
"And the last one?" She whispered. I went from sad to angry in a split second as I remembered him.
"Did Charlotte ever tell you about her childhood?" I asked. She nodded.
"She told us she was an illegitimate child. That she was sent by her father to the Academy under the guise as a man to steal data for his company." She said. I nodded.
"All of it was true, but what she hasn't told anyone but Orimura and I is that she was... raped. One of the scientists raped her in her father's lab. He's the final person I killed. I don't think I need to explain how I felt when I found that out." I said, growling
"No. No you don't." She muttered. I sighed and shook my head.
"We should get going." I said, standing. I helped Houki up and we deployed our IS again. We took off towards the harbor.
"Recon, Strike Leader. The last base is down. We'll meet you at the harbor."Ichika's voice said in my ear. I nodded.
"Roger that Strike Lead. Recon is beginning their infiltration. Keep us posted." I replied. The channel closed as Houki and I landed just inside the hangar. Akatsubakireturned to standby and I removed my helmet of Light.
"Ready?" I asked. Houki nodded and we ran to the main building in the harbor.
We made our way up to the doorway and she grabbed the door handle and looked at me.
"Ready?"" She asked. I summoned a miniaturized {Rain of Saturday} in my hands and nodded. She nodded and opened the door. It swung silently on its hinges and I walked in quietly, followed closely by Houki. She shut the door and the rooms occupants turned to look. My helmet snapped back into place and Houki ducked behind me as I said:
"Anyone that wants to survive the night will walk to the center of the room and sit down." I said, my voice loud enough to be heard, but not carry through the rest of the building. Everyone walked from their posts and sat in a circle on the floor. I felt Houki shift behind me before she too stepped out, face covered with an improvised mask courtesy of Akatsubaki.
"My associate here will be gathering some information. Do as she says and we'll all see tomorrow. Okay?" I said as Houki scanned the terminals before walking to one and typing away. She gave a small sound of what I guessed was success before she walked to the window near the door and looked out. She opened the door and tapped my shoulder on the way out. I backed towards the door and a small signal jammer, no larger than my finger formed on my pointer finger. I tapped said finger on the wall like I was signaling someone when I was just placing the jammer. I backed out of the door and closed it before sprinting away. I ducked behind some crates and Houki grabbed my shoulder. I looked at her and she gave me a smile before we flew out of the harbor.
"Recon 1 to Strike team. Data retrieved and we are heading home."
"Roger that, Recon."Ichika said.
"Last one back is cleaning the Academy." Rin yelled before she blew past Houki and me. We gave each other a look before increasing our speed and passing Rin easily. A faint 'HEY!' reached my ears but I as too focused on the race.
Back at Char's apartment...
I stopped myself inches from the apartment's exterior with a {Reverse Ignition Boost}. I turned and caught Houki just before she hit the apartment as well. We both turned and watched as Laura, Rin and Ichika duked it out. Ichika used his {Double Ignition Boost} to take the lead and held it all the way to the apartment. Laura caught Rin in her {A.I.C} effectively making Rin, the challenger, last.
"Not cool." Rin said, pouting as we all landed and deactivated our IS. We all laughed and walked into the building. Char, while surprised by all the bodies outside her door, was none the less excited for company. I grabbed a balloon that was floating down from the ceiling and an idea popped into my head.
"Char, follow me." I whispered as I grabbed a few more of the balloons and we made our way into the hallway
A few minutes later... Nightcore- Till The Sun Burns Out
Houki, Ichika, Laura and Rin were sitting on the couch and one of the seats in the living room when a beat started moving through the house. Char walked out and I walked out of the hallway, singing with a higher pitched voice and guitar in hand.
I've walked you to your door
A hundred nights before
And I'll walk you to the end of the world
Cause if falling into love
Is Heaven's wonder drug
I'm addicted and only you can fix me girl
I'm gonna love you til the sun burns out
Love you til the sun burns out
And I'll chase away your clouds
Love you till the sun burns out
Wanna hold you till the moon shuts down
Til the stars are on the ground
Til the end of time is found
Love you till the sun burns out
Oooo Oo
Till the sun burns out, yeah
Oooo Oo
If the water turns to fire
If the fairy tales are lies
If the mountains melt like ice
Still I'll be here
And if love is just a choice
I choose to lose my voice
Singing every song
Only for your ears
I'm gonna love you til the sun burns out
Love you til the sun burns out
And I'll chase away your clouds
Love you till the sun burns out
Wanna hold you till the moon shuts down
Til the stars are on the ground
Til the end of time is found
Love you till the sun burns out
Oooo Oo
Till the sun burns out, yeah
Oooo Oo
So look me in the iris
Of all beauty you're the finest
I don't say these words to just anyone
Nooo
And I will never leave your side, no
(Gonna love)
I'm gonna love you til the sun burns out
Love you til the sun burns out
And I'll chase away your clouds
Love you till the sun burns out
Oooo Oo
Till the sun burns out, yeah
Oooo Oo
Till the sun burns out
Oooo Oo
Till the sun burns out
Oooo Oo
Till the sun burns out
By the time I finished, my voice had basically returned to normal by the end of the song. Ichika seemed confused along with Laura. Rin was laughing her butt off and Houki was trying not to join her.
"How'd you get your voice to do that?" Laura asked. I grinned and pointed to the hallway as another song began to play. Char had slipped away and was now walking out of the doorway like I had. Nightcore- Run Devil Run
I always knew you were a bad boy
I used to think that it was cool
You took me down just like a Rob Roy
But now I'm coming after you
Run, devil, run, run, devil, run, run Run, devil, devil, run, run
I never knew about your red horns
I never saw your evil start
You used to be what I would live for
But then you went and slapped my heart
The promises that you promised
are about as real as an air guitar
So watch your back 'cause Im going to
steal your car
You better run, run, run, run, run
'Cause there's going to be some hell to pay
You better run, run, run, run, run
And that's the only thing I'm going to say, hey
I wish I'd known right from the start
that I was dancing with the dark
You better run, run, run, run, run
Devil, run, run, devil, run, run
Run, devil, devil, run, run
Now that you're living with the vampires
You better get yourself a gun
I'll make you sing just like a boy's choir
I'll string you up to have some fun
Run, devil, run, run, devil, run, run Run, devil, devil, run, run
You better run, run, run, run, run
'Cause there's going to be some hell to pay
You better run, run, run, run, run
And that's the only thing I'm going to say, hey
I wish I'd known right from the start
that I was dancing with the dark
You better run, run, run, run, run
Devil, run, run, devil, run, run
Run, devil, devil, run, run
Run devil, run, run, devil, run, run Run devil, devil, run, run
I'm throwing' the trash, clearing' the junk
I'm lighting' the cannon, you're going to get sunk
You better sail off to the seven seas
There's not enough room for you and for me
(Once again, if you please)
There's not enough room for you and for me
You better run, run, run, run, run
'Cause there's going to be some hell to pay
You better run, run, run, run, run
And that's the only thing I'm going to say, hey
I wish I'd known right from the start
that I was dancing with the dark
You better run, run, run, run, run
Devil, run, run, devil, run, run
Run, devil, devil, run, run
Run, devil, run, run, devil, run, run Run, devil, devil, run, run
Char sat down as we all applauded her. Ichika and Laura were still confused. I laughed again before looking at them and holding up a balloon. I untied the knot as I said.
"Before intaking helium, I sound like this." I sucked in a breath of helium from the balloon. "But after..." I trailed off, the pitch of my voice high again. I handed the balloon to Ichika and he took a little bit.
"What do you mean its," He didn't go any further after he noticed he sounded different. We all laughed as he panicked. I stopped laughing, still sounding higher.
"Dude, trust me. Your voice returns to normal after a little while." I said, trying not to laugh as my pitchy voice tried to sound comforting.
We all had a good laugh and everyone took turns with the balloons. Rin had the highest pitched voice of us all. We bid farewell after a while and I was quick to crash on Char and I's bed. I vaguely heard a voice say something before I lost consciousness.
"Core scan detected, masking signal of Core #000 nicknamed: Core Z. I hope she doesn't find us this time."