Infinite Stratos: Secrets of the Gospel (I don't own Infinite Stratos)
A Mysterious Lady, Indeed.
Previously…
"Well, I thought I should use this opportunity to take your Byakushiki." She said, smirking at Ichika. "What?" "Just give it to me already!" She said, a crazed look in her eye. So, I reacted. SMACK! CRASH! I shook my hand as I looked at her, "I don't think so." She stumbled after I had punched her, sending her and the set of lockers behind her into the next set of lockers. "Just who are you?" Ichika demanded from behind me. "Me?" She coughed, standing. "I'm the mysterious beauty, disguised as someone from a corporate business." She said, activating her IS. Damn it! I thought, hoping she wouldn't do that quite so soon. Eight spider-like limbs appeared on her back. Double damn it! I thought, recognizing the IS. "Ichika, get back!" I said, waving him back behind me as I stepped back. Then he activated his IS, "Byakushiki!" He called. "No!" I said, turning to stop him and instead being flung against a wall away from the two IS users. "I've been waiting for you to use that!" She said, looking at Ichika again. I reached out a hand, as if to grab something. "No." I weakly called, then looked down. "Of course." I muttered, seeing metal sticking out of my abdomen. I looked up, seeing the weird lady charge at Ichika. "Someone, help." I whispered, then the world went black.
And now, back to our scheduled programming…
I opened my eyes, seeing green rolling hills and a concerned Gospel leaning over me. "What happened?" I asked, sitting up. "That crazy lady from Phantom Task hit you when you turned away and you got impaled on some metal shards. Then you passed out." She said. "Can you wake me up?" I asked, rubbing my head. She shook her head, "I don't dare try. Who knows what that metal hit when you got impaled on it." She said. "Can you show me what is going on there?" I asked. She nodded and we watched as Ichika fought with the spider IS. "If I remember correctly, Makigami is from "Mitsurugi" or something, right?" Ichika said, standing. She snorted, "I called myself "Makigami" or whatever because I had to. I hope you won't be freaked out by this, you little brat." She said, flinging her arms out to the side and the rest of her IS formed. "And the whole spider is here now, great." I said sarcastically. "What? IS?" Ichika said. "That's right! It's Arachne! Her poison is pretty strong!" Arachne said, firing her guns at Ichika, bathing the locker room in pink light. Ichika ducked out of the way behind some lockers. "What's the matter with you?" He said. "Not your brightest move, Ichika." I said, meaning giving away his position by yelling at her. "What? Don't you know?" She said, knocking down the lockers Ichika was hiding behind. He jumped out from behind them, then charged at her. She evaded and jumped onto the wall. "You could say I may be from a so called 'evil-organization'." She said, chuckling. "This isn't a joke!" Ichika yelled. "Bad move!" I said, "I'm not joking, you little brat!" She yelled back, jumping back down to the floor. "Would you recognize me if I told you I'm 'Lady Autumn' from the secret organization 'Phantom Task'?" "No, he won't" I muttered. "Phantom Task?" He asked, confused. "You still don't know? In that case, I'll tell you before I kill you!" She said. "I'm surprised it's still a secret with her blabbing." I said, chuckling. She rushed Ichika, firing at him again. He jumped over the shots, then rushed her. "I got you!" "Why you!" She exclaimed, meeting Ichika's sword with her extra legs. They clashed over and over. Ichika wasn't doing much damage till he ducked under her stab, and severed the leg. "What?" "Alright! Let's keep it going." He said, pushing his advantage. She continued to evade his attacks though. She retaliated by knocking him off balance and swiftly jabbing him repeatedly, knocking him into a wall. She pinned him there, "Trying to be cute with me, huh?" She summoned a rifle and began firing at him point blank. He flared his boosters, creating an impromptu smoke screen. She lost control of him and he ducking farther into the screen before charging back at her. They clashed again, "Pretty good, little brat!" "Shut up!" He said, emphasizing it with a swing before boosting away. "That was close! Too close!" She said, firing her rifle at him. I barely heard Orimura make an announcement before Ichika used his Ignition Boost to close the distance between him and Autumn. "Worst idea yet, Ichika." I said, covering my eyes as she used her 'web' to tangle Ichika up, immobilizing him. "You're just a kid after all. You came at me head on." She said, taunting him as she made her way towards him. She used some more wed to pull him up, suspending him in front of her. "This is a piece of cake! That's what you get for underestimating the spiders web! Now for some entertainment." She said, pulling a device from her back. Not on my watch! "G, wake me up, now!" I said. She shook her head. "Please, before she gets Ichika!" I pleaded. She lowered her head. "Fine, but whatever happens is your fault." She said, doing something before I opened my eyes again.
"I. don't. think. so." I said, pushing myself up into a kneeling position. The armor still encased me from earlier. "Ah, so the masked guardian decided to wake up and join the party. I'll deal with you in a little bit." She said, moving to place the object on Ichika. I stood up, shakily. I formed my IS pistol and fired, hitting the object out of her hand. "Like I said, I don't think so." I formed Gospel part of the way, her wings and body armor encasing me. "Oh, so you're the other male who can pilot IS. I thought you were gone." She said, turning to look at me. I smirked at her from under my helmet. "I'm just full of surprises today, then." I replied, crouching. She spun and placed another of those object on Ichika. It began to shock him and I darted at her, boosted by Gospel's thrusters and I punched her for the second time today, knocking her away from Ichika and I grabbed the object. I felt the electricity flowing down my arm and I crushed the cylinder, tossing the pieces away and turning to face Autumn again. "I'll kill you both!" She yelled, preparing to fire at us. "That would be a problem, since these two are my favorites." I heard Tatenashi say, standing on some of the rubble from earlier, her fan in hand. "Where the hell did you come from? I thought all the systems were locked." Autumn questioned, focusing on Tatenashi. "T-Tatenashi." Ichika stuttered, the electricity still affecting him. "I'm the student council president of this school so therefore I behave like one!" Tatenashi replied. Most of the time. I thought. "What the hell are you talking about?" Autumn asked, thoroughly confused. I sighed, "Student Council President Tatenashi, strongest IS user in this school. Tatenashi, meet Lady Autumn of Phantom Task." I said, powering up Gospel's arsenal. "Take this!" Autumn said, ignoring me. She swung at Tatenashi, stabbing her. Ichika gasped, my eyes just narrowed. "Tatenashi!" Ichika yelled from behind me. "Wait, that was too easy." I said to him, quietly. I summoned my knife and cut him down, catching him as he fell forward. "You… show no reaction?" Autumn said, ignoring us for the moment. Tatenashi let out a laugh, then dissolved into water. "Thought so." I muttered. "Is this… water?" "That's correct. It's a fake made from water." Tatenashi said, standing behind Autumn in her IS. "I knew you weren't there." I said from next to Ichika, raising a fist in the air. Tatenashi glanced at us, grinning. Then she swung at Autumn, getting a glancing hit on her chest. "But I guess I underestimated you. That IS has pretty high mobility." She said, moving back into position. "What's your deal?!" Autumn yelled. "I'm Tatenashi Sarashiki aka IS Mysterious Lady. Remember that." Tatenashi said, posing. "I'll kill you right now!" Autumn yelled, firing at Tatenashi. Tatenashi just used the water to form a shield in front of her spanning out from her lance. I made sure Ichika was alright before moving and leaping at Autumn. "Don't forget about me." I said, spinning and smacking Autumn with a wing before correcting my stance with the thrusters and unleashing my charged guns in her direction. "Damn it! You brat! Don't get carried away!" She exclaimed, pulling out two daggers and rushing me. I jumped up, allowing Tatenashi to charge under me unimpeded and clash with Autumn up close. I readied another salvo for my next opportunity as I watched the two girls fight. Autumn swung and jumped away, firing at Tatenashi again, who raised her water shield again. "You'll never break this shield with this kind of attack." "It's not just regular water? What's going on?" Autumn said, utterly confused. "You're just now getting that?" I said, leaping above Tatenashi and firing my guns again. "This water is being controlled by nano-machines that transmit IS energy. Isn't it cool?" "Shut up!" Autumn said, throwing one of her daggers at Tatenashi. She blocked the dagger, opening herself to Autumns next attack which pinned her against the wall. "'The most powerful', you said? You've got to be kidding me!" Autumn said, firing point blank again. I was prepared to charge in, when I got waved off by Tatenashi just before an explosion. "Tatenashi!" Ichika called, kneeling. "Ichika, let me handle this." She said, standing without her IS. "Don't get cocky!" Autumn said, grabbing Tatenashi and throwing her, webbing her and grabbing her again. "The next blow will end this." She continued. She began to charge her gun to kill Tatenashi, "Hey, don't you think it's hot in this room?" "What?" "I'm not talking about the temperature, but the heat index." "Where are you going with this?" Autumn asked, "Heat and humidity determine the discomfort index. Don't you think it's awfully humid?" Tatenashi asked. "Mist can enter the armor through the cracks." Bingo I thought, bracing myself for a rush. "Yes, that's the face I was looking for. The face that shows that you realize your plan failed." Tatenashi said with a giggle. I fired my guns as she snapped her fingers and there was a staccato of explosions. "Mysterious Lady, which also means 'mist bearing lady' can control the water freely using nano-machines that transmit IS energy." The smoke cleared to show Autumn struggling to stand, "I'm, I'm not done yet." She said, finally getting her feet under her. "No, its already over. Right, Ichika?" Tatenashi asked the now functional Ichika. He replied with, "Yukihira Nigata, Maximum output!" He attacked Autumn, using his one off ability. I jumped back a bit, watching as Ichika clashed, backed away and then forced Autumn out of the building. "Boys, go after it." Tatenashi ordered. We acknowledged her and made our way out of the locker rooms. Ichika was first, I followed close behind. He rushed the malfunctioning Arachne, ready to finish it off when we were interrupted by a large shot of energy flew between us and Arachne. I looked up to see another IS… "No, not that one!" I thought, noticing the IS, "BT Second, Silent Zephyrus?" I said, shocked. I shook it off as Ichika engaged the Zephryus. "Wait, don't engage. Ichika!" Tatenashi and I called, but he was already gone. I turned to look at Arachne to see Laura, Houki and Char had it all under control. I was about to go help Ichika when my wounds caught up to me. I yelled, in pain and fell clutching my abdomen. "I'm out of the fight now." I muttered, pulling a hand away, seeing it covered in red. I looked over to see the Zephryus deactivate Laura's AIC and then take off. Autumn removed her IS core and left, the IS charging the girls and Ichika dashing towards them before I fell unconscious again.
Later, in the Infirmary…
"Ow! Did anyone get the license plate on the truck that hit me? Because I didn't get the chance to." I said, opening my eyes. I didn't get a reply, so I looked around from my prone position on the hospital bed. I raised my right hand and felt my stomach, feeling the bandages wrapped around it. I pulled myself into a somewhat raised position and looked around again. Nobody here but me, huh? I thought, sadly. I leaned back into my pillows, sighing. "Sorry for making you wake me up, G. But I couldn't let that happen while I was there." I apologized. Gospel gave my mental body a slap on the cheek before tearing up and hugging me. "I deserved that. And everything else you want to throw at me." I said, hugging her to me. She backed away, wiping her eyes. "Did anyone come by while I was out?" I asked. She shook her head. I frowned, "Not even Char?" I clarified. She shook her head again. "Well, might as well get comfortable. I'm going to be here awhile." I muttered, shifting a bit so that I was a bit more comfortable. I closed my eyes and fell back asleep, confused and hurt. Why didn't anyone come by? It makes no sense. I thought as I slipped into sleep's comforting embrace.