I'm back whether you like it or not (hopefully you like it though). Anyway i've edited chapters 3 slightly (gave Thomas' AI a name) and chapter 5 was given edited in the bottom so check it out.
Again thanks for the support! As always I accept all sorts of criticisms, responses (just dont shoot/maim/kill me/ etc. IRL) and reviews.
DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING 'cept maybe some ideas and OCs
Amidst the white background and incandescent mood that hangs around a recovery room, Katelyn lay awake on her bed. The regenerative treatment worked, her legs now restored. She focused her mind on the previous engagement once more. The unusual arrival of the nova, the hostile pandoras, and... him. She was angry at the fact that she had entrusted the battle to a man. A greater feeling of anger coupled with grief welled up inside her when she learned that her best friend- Nina was KIA. And HE was beside her at that time. Nina's limiter Carlos, one of only 2 men she acknowledged (the other being Dr. Aoi), gave her the news along with Nina's badge. She was angry not only at him, nor Carlos but also herself for not being able to do a thing. Few things remained in her mind. on the top of the list was only one thought.
'There will be hell to pay.' She will have her revenge.
Thomas walked into bay 7, where his pod was supposedly stored. Thankfully, the information was correct and his pod lay in a corner alongside several APCs. A silver haired woman stood before it, taking down notes as she scrutinized the 6 meter pod. She noticed him approach and gave a warm greeting.
"Hello. You must be the owner of this... thing right?" She asks.
"yeah... it may be a piece of junk now, but it saved me more than once." He replied. Looking at his pod once more, only now did he notice the damage it received. The boosters were gone and the plating was scorched and partially melted. A quick look from the outside showed that his equipment was still inside though he would still check it manually.
the girl smiled at him briefly. "Oh right... my name is Rika. Rika Kusunoki. And yours?"
'Kusunoki... Rika...' The name sounded very familiar. Her looks too matched those of a dear friend. One who stood by his side, one he left behind.
"hello?" Rika shook him back to his senses. "You okay? Is anything the matter?
"N-no" he replied. "You remind me of a good friend. Oh, my name is Thomas by the way. Thomas Shubaltz." in his mind, he wondered if the god overseeing this world was playing tricks on him.
The girl smiled "Alright then. I'm part of the staff who manages bay 7, anything you need? Oh and drop the formalities, I find them too stiffy."
"Aside from checking my pod, I need some info. I'm not from around here you see..." replies the officer. Meeting the facilities top brass, he decided to leavee as soon as possible. Though both adults had a distinct air among them, Dr. Aoi's was particularly strange. The aura he emanated was unreadable. Thomas knew from experience that that kind of people were the most dangerous. The kind that harbored dangerous secrets and conspiracies.
"Hmm, how do I put this bluntly? Mind telling me about Nova?" asked Thomas
"You must be living under a rock if you don't know about nova." replied Rika "They're extra dimensional creatures that wreck havoc on Earth. They appear every 8 years but recently, the span seems shorter since the last one was a month ago." she added with a hint of worry
"And the only ones who can beat them are you people?"
"Sort of. The only ones capable of defeating a nova is a pandora and her volt weapon. Assisting them is their limiter- their male partners." she replies yet again
"So that's why there are so many pairs... One last thing Miss Kusunoki.."
"just Rika would be fine"
"Alright then Rika, one last thing, are there male pandoras as well?" asked Thomas. Rika thought for a moment then replied "None that I've heard of yet. Is that all?"
"yeah, thanks a lot Rika. If you don't mind I need to check out some things in my pod" replied the officer
"alright. Do you mind me lending a hand?" asked the mechanic.
Thomas smiled slightly "I'll take you up on that offer." he replied as he climbed into the pod. Inspecting the inside, his equipment (save for the rail cannon conveniently laying beside it) were intact and still strapped in. Fortunately for him as well, his homing beacon was still transmitting, although when Alex, Wringe or the others would find him, only time would tell. He made a mental note to tell that to Sister Margaret the next time they crossed paths.
The succeeding hour passed by uneventfully. The two were able to salvage all the equipment: weapons, supplies and the onboard AI Revealer- all of which save for the last, was dumped unceremoniously onto a cart. The transmission beacon though was impossible to disconnect at the moment. The work would have taken longer if not for Rika's help. She knew her stuff and was very easy to work with. Thomas was thankful for that.
They just finished removing the last data core when someone came in. A black haired boy who entered immediately came over and introduced himself.
"Er. Hello Sempai." Gesturing to Thomas "I'm Kazuya Aoi. Ive been instructed to lead you to the dorms."
"I see... let me tidy up a few things." Answered Thomas as he started removing the tools used in the past hour.
"Let me take care of that" butted Rika.
" Alright then, thanks. I'll see you around then Rika." answered Thomas as he grabbed the cart and followed Kazuya.
The next morning
Katelyn was back in her classroom. She fully recovered during the night though the doctors barred her from taking part in strenuous activities for three more days. As she was relaxing, her teacher came in and started homeroom.
"... Today we have transfer student" then gestured to a blond boy.
"Goodmorning, the name's Thomas Shubaltz. Pleased to meet you all."
The two's eyes met for a mere second before Katelyn intentionally looked away. The rest of the day went by uneventfully.
The sun was setting and Thomas was heading back to the dorms. He made several aquaintances during the day though none struck him like the girl he saw in homeroom. The silver haired woman was one of few who didn't approach him during the day. It didn't matter to Thomas though, he wasn't a womanizer, nor was he planning to get too close to the inhabitants of this world. The woman named Katelyn though struck him because of her eyes. They reflected those of one who lost hope and could only see endless darkness ahead. Thomas only saw those kinds of eyes in people who were emotionally and or physically scarred. He had a few speculations about her past. He was contemplating on one of them when a voice called out to him. He looked up and in the disance saw the girl in question.
Katelyn stood on top of the hill and spotted him. The one she swore to exact her revenge on. She summoned her volt weapon and activated Accel. Though their distance was at least 20 meters apart, she closed the distance in milliseconds and swung her blade at the man.
"Woahh!" Thomas dodged the volt weapon in the nick of time. The blade missed him by inches and crashed into the ground creating a large fissure.
'What's wrong with you" he managed to add as he jumped to the side, trying to gain some distance. The girl shouldered her blade and faced him.
"I will never forgive you." She uttered as she pointed her blade at Thomas. "You will pay for what you have done" she added moments before she charged once more.
Finally finished :D sorry it took so long. ill try and post the next chapter in half the time
