Chapter 17; Goodbye, My Friends
-The day Maylin is sent back-
"Maylin, can you come here a moment?" Tabane asked, getting up from the monitoring station. She had been finalizing the adjustments to the calibration of the various machines they had thrown together for this effort. On a whim she had calculated the odds of success against their enemy several months ago, and the results had been less then promising. She had made an effort to keep her cheerful demeanor going to keep everyone else in good spirits, but even she was starting to run out of spirit. Now, they were attempting a plan that Tabane had drawn up out of boredom one day years ago. I can't believe one of my pointless doodles is now one of our greatest hopes she thought as she checked the readings again. They had put together this rig in three weeks, trying hard to keep it under the radar but also finish it as quickly as possible.
Tabane had forged orders three days ago to get Maylin transferred to her current lab in order to prepare the girl for the job she had in mind. However, when she had explained her insane plan to the girl, she hadn't believed her at first. "You think you can send me back in time? Seriously?" she had asked, starting to sound outraged, "You would have me leave, abandon the fight here? How could you even suggest I do something like that!?" Sitting on the other side of the table, Tabane had allowed her to vent her frustrations. Frustrations that she knew had been building in the girl since her mother had died to save her. Shortly after the incident, she had taken Maylin in and began to give her more advanced training, as well as improving her IS.
However, her efforts hadn't improved Maylin's fortunes in battle by much. She was still a fearsome opponent, but the enemy was beginning to field more and more units at a time, and even a 4th generation suit could only handle so much before being overwhelmed. Tabane could only imagine how many it had taken to beat her sister, since she was sure that is what had happened by now. There had still been no contact from Japan as a whole, to say nothing of the Academy. She had commandeered a spy satellite for a brief look at the Academy grounds, and if she hadn't known that it was looking at the right place, the battle-scarred island could have been any other island facility that had been attacked. The Academy was gone, and she knew that it meant the defenders were, too. Chifuyu would have taken to the front personally, and Houki would never have abandoned her to fight alone. She was Houki's only remaining link to Ichika, a death she had taken very hard. And while it pained her immensely to admit it, Tabane knew full well how that battle would have ended.
"There's no choice, Maylin," she had said after the girl had calmed down, "I ran projections based on what we have remaining. Unless we score a decisive victory in the next week, they will just keep whittling down our forces." "Then we wait a week, and if it does not improve, we run this plan past our superiors," she had responded, still trying to find some other way out. "Maylin, it would take too long to convince them, and it would mean risking discovery. We can't take that chance, not now. And remember who you're talking to. I know what I'm doing." "But-" Raising a hand, Tabane cut off any further argument before she activated a hollo projector in the table. The image was of the mostly finished time travel device. It consisted of a number of particle accelerator rings set at various angles surrounding a central core.
"This device is our only way of ensuring victory, in any form," she said, getting up and walking around the table, "If it works the way I believe it will, we can send someone back to before this all started. We have a chance to stop all of this death before it starts. But to make it work, I need your help." "Why would you need me?" Maylin asked, confused, "I do not understand half of the mathematics involved in this device." Stopping next to her chair, Tabane leaned on the table and looked down at the girl. She looked so much like her mother, but at the same time she could see the same fire in her that her father had possessed. She reminded her of him so much that it hurt some days. Not just because he had been one of the few people she had been able to talk tech with, but because it always resulted in her remembering all of the others that had died. "That's not why," she said, struggling to control her emotions, "I need your help because you are the only one I trust to do this."
"Why? Why not use a trained soldier?" she asked, looking at her teacher, "Or an IS pilot with more experience? Surely there are dozens of people more qualified than me." "When you put it that way, there are," Tabane answered, "But none of them are as close to this as you are, or to be more specific, your family." Maylin just sat there, not really understanding. What did her family have to do with this? "Simon confided in me at one point, a year after you were born, when the fighting was just starting," Tabane continued, "He told me that the IS leading these machines had been his sister at one point, but that she had become twisted by some fault in her systems. He also said that when they were taking their covert actions, that they seemed determined on capturing him. That's why I need you to do this. It's your family that will be their target, and I can't take the chance that some stranger will care about that as much as you will."
After that, she had just stood there as Maylin processed what she had just learned. Finally, she looked up and asked, "What do you need me to do?" From that point on Maylin helped out as much as she was able. Tabane had put the finishing touches on the machine before turning it over to her staff for the final adjustments. She had then gone to work on another of her projects, one that they would need to have completed before Maylin was sent back. Now, as she walked over to her safe while the machine powered up, she prayed that she had built these devices properly. Opening the safe, she took out a metal container the size and shape of a shoe box that held something she prayed would never be needed. Turning back around, she saw that Maylin had come into the room and was looking out the observation window at the machine.
"So, it is time," she said simply, turning around and facing Tabane. Walking up to her, she handed Maylin the box and nodded. Taking it, she looked back at the machine and asked, "Will it hurt?" "Impossible to say," Tabane answered, "All I know is that it will send you back, but it's one-way. There is no coming back." Maylin just nodded as she looked down at the box. "Now listen, Maylin. That box contains our trump card, but it's a big risk. Don't use it unless you have no choice." "And how will I know that it will need to be used?" "Trust me, you'll know," Tabane told her, trying to smile and act like her old self. It was something that was becoming increasingly difficult for her these past few days.
Turning away from the window, Maylin made her way out the door and down the walkway to the machine. Setting the box down, she entered the main chamber and summoned her IS. Two technicians then proceeded to attach the box to her back before hooking several pipes and wires onto her IS. When they moved away, the chamber closed around her, sealing her in a sphere of metal. Walking over to the main console, Tabane typed in some final commands before flipping the plastic cover off the activation switch. She took a moment to breathe a prayer to anyone that might have been listening before she flipped the switch. The accelerators started almost immediately, the main room starting to fill with electric arks as they built up a charge. After charging for three minutes the accelerators fired off their first blast, causing a shock wave through the base and shorting out several monitors. Standing by the window, Tabane watched as the machine steadily built up power again and began to tear the very fabric of space apart.
The accelerators fired again, and this time the wave fried the rest of the monitors. It was now completely under the control of the shielded systems, they had no way of stopping it now. The pod had begun to shimmer around the edges, starting to waver as the hole grew larger. When the accelerators fired again, the pod lit up like a Christmas tree, sparks of lighting firing off from its surface. As the accelerators fired their fourth blast, the pod disappeared in a flash of light, creating a thunderclap throughout the room. The accelerator rings broke down at that point, coming apart and sending metal fragments flying across the room and embedding several of them into the window. Looking at the smoking metal where the pod had once been, Tabane took a moment to wish her student, her friend, good luck in her mission.
-Present Day-
As they approached the beach, Maylin saw that Tabane and Chifuyu were waiting for them. Tabane looked immensely happy that everyone had made it back, while Chifuyu looked like normal; a weird combination of bored and pissed-off. Letting the others land first, she took some time to try and pull herself together. She had been feeling light headed for the last half hour, probably from a minor concussion. When she landed on the beach, however, her legs buckled immediately when she put weight on them, her IS destructing in a flash of light. Rushing to her side, Simon put an arm around her shoulders and kept her from falling completely before he eased her down so she was sitting. Cecilia was right next to him, the two of them looking very concerned. The others gathered around her a moment latter, mirroring the looks of concern on the two blonde's faces.
"I-I am okay," she managed after a moment, "Just a little light headed is all." "No, you're not fine," Simon said as he pulled one of his hands away from her. Looking at it, she saw blood, and it took her a moment to realize that it was hers. Hanging her head, she smiled slightly at the irony of this situation. She had concealed a wound before, and it hadn't fooled her mother. Why would it be different with her father? "Do not worry, it does not hurt," she told him, trying to comfort him. "That's not something to be proud of, idiot," he said, trying to sound tough, "Now come on, we need to get you to the hospital." Before he could try and pick her up, she reached up and grabbed his hand. "No, you do not. It… I am sorry, but it will not help now," she said as she felt herself starting to get colder.
It took Simon a few seconds to understand what she meant, but when he did his eyes widened and he said, "No, don't say that. You're going to be fine, I promise." At this point, Cecilia had kneeled down on her other side and taken her other hand. "He's right, Maylin. We're going to get you some help. Just hold on." In fact, once she realized what was going on, Chifuyu had immediately brought out her phone and was calling an ambulance. Releasing Simon's hand, Maylin activated a special control through her IS' stand-by mode and summoned the metal box she had been trusted with. "You are going to need that, Simon," she said, looking up at him, "It is now up to you to finish this. I have done all that I can." "That's not true. You can do so much more. Just hang in there, we're going to get you help," he said, grasping her shoulder. Damnit, he was not going to lose someone else, not again.
Smiling weakly at him, she said, "It is alright, I knew something like this was going to happen. I am just glad that I got the chance to know you and everyone else." Cecilia had started to cry at this point, and Simon wasn't too far behind her. Ichika had put an arm around Charlotte, who was covering her mouth and trying not to cry. Rin was just looking down with tears streaming down her cheeks while Tatenashi comforted her sister. Even Laura was fighting her own tears as she watched her teammate, her friend, slip away. "And you're going to get to learn more," Simon said, refusing to accept what was happening, "So much more. You can't just go, not now. Please, Maylin…" Sighing, Maylin noticed that her vision was starting to fade. If she concentrated, she could just make out a figure standing before her, two in fact. She could swear that it was her parents. "It will be okay, Simon," she said, barely above a whisper, "I...will see…you…again…"
And with that, her eyes finally closed, her hand going limp in Cecilia's. "Maylin?" Simon said, reaching up and checking her neck. When he felt nothing, it was like his world had fallen away. Seeing the look on his face, Cecilia hung her head and finally let the tears come, sobbing openly. Letting his head fall, Simon felt his own starting to come and did nothing to stop them. Instead, he just cried out, venting all of his pain and frustration. Damnit! Again, I let it happen again he thought as he cried. After swearing to himself to never lose someone he cared for again, he had just watched a good friend die. And there wasn't a thing he could do about it. Not a damned thing.
When the paramedics arrived they took Maylin back to the hospital, leaving behind a group of bereaved teens. Before any of them could try and follow the ambulance, Chifuyu blocked their path and told them all, in no uncertain terms, to return to the hotel. Lacking any will to argue, they had complied and returned to their rooms, each of them struggling with their own feelings on what had just happened. The day passed in silence for each of them. The next day, at around noon, Simon made his way down to the restaurant in the hotel, his hunger finally overpowering his grief. When he had grabbed his food, he saw that Ichika was already there, poking his own food without much of an appetite. Walking over to the table, he set his food down and sat opposite his friend. They sat in silence and ate for a time before Ichika finally spoke up.
"Tabane told me that Houki's condition improved shortly after we left," he said, trying to sound cheerful, "They think she'll wake up any day now." "And then what will you do?" "Well, I guess I'll be there to help her reco-" "That's not what I mean," Simon interrupted, "I mean what will you do? Or are you going to keep avoiding this?" "What do you mean? Avoid what?" Ichika asked, confused. "Damnit, Ichika, stop playing the moron!" Simon said, slamming his fork down, "Hell, it's obvious to most of us how much you two have in common. How much longer are you going to put off admitting what you feel for her?" Surprised at his friend's outburst, Ichika took a moment to think about it. He really hadn't realized he had been putting something off, but now that he looked back on his actions it was clear that he had been.
"H-has it really been that obvious?" he finally asked, feeling himself starting to blush. "Well, you did notice that Laura stopped calling you her wife, right?" Simon said, "Rin stopped trying to seduce you after the first week. Charlotte, God bless her, still tried, but even she's begun to understand who you're interested in. It's high time that you did, to." After that, they just sat in silence while Ichika thought about that. Finally, Simon stood up and took what was left of his lunch over and dumped it into a trash can. Walking past the table, he said, "Just don't wait too long to say something, or you might miss your chance." Ichika remained at the table for a few minutes before he trashed the rest of his food and left to visit the hospital.
After checking in at the desk, he went up to Houki's room to find Tabane sitting beside her bed already. She had been holding her hand and talking to her sister, mostly just mindless technical babble. It was clear to the bluenette that she was just making noise and trying to help her sister, although she also clearly had no idea how to do that. Turning around, she saw Ichika and tried to look happy. "Oh, Ichika, it's good you're here. I think she's got some more color today." "Does she? That's good," he said, forcing a smile and walking over to the bed. Before he could say or do anything, Tabane got up and pushed him down into the chair. "You stay right here. I need to run and get something," she said before darting out of the room, leaving a bewildered teen behind.
Shaking his head, he turned and looked at the sleeping girl before him. For whatever reason, he hadn't truly realized how beautiful she looked till now. If it wasn't for the fact that she was in the hospital and had an IV in her arm, he would have sworn she was sleeping peacefully. Reaching up and taking her hand, he struggled to say what he had come to say. "Houki, I really do hope you wake up soon," he began, "And I promise that when you do, things will be different. I don't know why I didn't realize this until now, but you're important to me. And not just as a friend. Houki, I…" He trailed off there and hung his head, his emotions getting the better of him and choking his words off.
Unknown to him, Houki had opened her eyes when he had started to speak. Now she looked at the boy she had been crushing on for so long, the boy that had very nearly admitted to sharing the same feelings. She flexed her hand and grabbed his back, breaking him out of whatever place he was stuck in. "H-Houki?" he said as he looked up and met her eyes, "Are you…?" She smiled and nodded, feeling herself blush slightly. He does care she thought as she pushed herself a little more upright. Practically leaping from the chair, he reached around her and helped her up, propping the pillows up so she would be more comfortable. In the process, he hadn't realized how close he had gotten until he looked back at her. She was close enough that he could see every detail in her eyes, and it captivated him in a way he had never imagined. Houki, meanwhile, was gazing back in an equal state, unwilling to do anything to end this moment.
"U-um…I," Ichika began before Houki brought a finger up and silenced him. "It's okay, Ichika. I do, to," she said, smiling. Deciding to throw caution to the wind, he leaned in and kissed her gently. At first, she was too surprised to do anything. When he moved back slightly and looked at her again, she nodded before she leaned up and kissed him back, longer this time. They stayed there for a few moments before breaking off to breathe. Ichika then fell back into his chair, blushing madly and looking flustered. For whatever reason Houki found the look on his face incredibly funny and started to laugh, softly at first but quickly making its way up to laughter bordering on tears. Looking at her in confusion, Ichika was soon caught up in it and laughing along with her. After they finally caught their breath, the tension between them seemed to have disappeared completely. Sitting there, they talked idly for the rest of the day, both of them finally grateful to have these emotions out in the open.
Walking back towards his room, Simon got a strange feeling as he touched the doorknob. Rather than return to his room, he turned around and went down the hall before taking a right. Finally, he found himself in front of Cecilia's door. Knocking, he heard no reply and thought that she may have been asleep. Before he turned to leave, however, the door opened to reveal a rather untidy British girl. It was clear that she had been crying and had gone with little sleep; her eyes were red and slightly swollen, and she had bags under them. "Did you need something?" she asked abruptly. For a moment, he didn't know what to say. She just looked and sounded so much different from the girl he had known. "I thought we could talk," he said finally, "Can I come in?"
Without saying anything, she turned around and walked back into the room. As he followed her and closed the door, he saw that she was dressed in her pajamas and that her hair was a mess, which just added to the sense that something was genuinely wrong. She was so much tidier than this normally. As she climbed back onto the bed, Simon grabbed a chair and pulled it up next to the bed before sitting down. She just sat there, trying to look mad, though at what he didn't know. "Well?" she said, sounding mad as well. "Don't try and act mad with me, Cecilia," he said, sighing, "I can see right through it." "Oh really? I didn't know I was that transparent. Is this the part where I'm supposed to just pour all of my feelings out to you?" she said, her voice straining, "Is it because we're supposed to be an 'item?' Is that it? Are you trying to capitalize on my emotional state? Maybe you're hoping to get lucky." "What? That's not why-" he began before she cut him off. "Honestly, why you would think that I would just open up to you know is beyond me. Is it because we kissed? That was nothing, and it doesn't mean a damned thing. I was just being stupid and impulsive, nothing more. Do you understand me?"
She practically yelled the last part, and for a brief moment Simon thought she was telling the truth. Then he remembered what had happened yesterday, the memory crashing through his mind as he looked down at his clasped hands. Of course she would be mad, even if it wasn't at him. "I'm sorry, Cecilia," he said, feeling lower than trash, "I'm so sorry. If I had made a move earlier, if I had done something…" He didn't see it, but the moment he looked down, Cecilia's anger evaporated as she saw how hurt he was. Good God, this was the boy she loved, and she had just ripped into him, telling him that everything between them was a lie. That just further crushed her as she felt herself on the edge of tears. Looking up and seeing this, he decided that now was not the time to be cowardly.
Without her realizing it, he got up from the chair and moved to sit next to her on the bed. Putting an arm around her shoulders, he said, "It's okay now, Cecilia." "How? How is any of this going to be okay?" she asked, trying hard not to cry. Pulling her closer, he kissed her hair and said, "Because I'm going to make it okay. I'm not going anywhere again, I promise." She just nodded as she began to cry again. Leaning back, Simon pulled her down so they were lying on the bed and continued to hold her. They remained there for some time as he let her get it all out of her system. He knew that this was doing her more good than just leaving her alone. And besides, he meant what he had said; he was not about to leave again. When she had run out of tears, Simon propped himself up on one arm so he could look at her easier.
For a while, she refused to meet his eyes, too embarrassed at her actions. Smiling, he put a hand under her chin and angled her head so they were looking at each other. Rather than say anything and risk ruining the moment, he just lay there as they looked at each other. He didn't know it at the time, but this was doing as much to comfort her as it was him. They were both trying to etch every detail of the other's face into their minds, trying to find some indication of the others emotions. Finally, he leaned in and kissed her briefly. Before he could pull more than a few centimeters away, Cecilia had reached out and pulled him in, kissing him deeper and rolling so she was now sitting on top of him. After she released him to breathe, she kept her face close as they both panted. Screw it, I've put this off for too long Cecilia thought as she gazed at him. "Simon, I love you," she said, fighting down the blush. To her surprise, and immense joy, he responded, "I love you to, Cecilia," before he pulled her into another kiss.
Blood has been spilled, and our heroes have been dealt a serious blow. However, they have also been given a great gift. The final showdown is coming, and whether they will be prepared for it remains to be seen. What is the nature of Maylin's box? What will the IS' next move be? And more importantly, will everyone that is left survive the next encounter with an enemy that has only gotten stronger? Till next chapter.
To say that I felt bad writing this would have been an understatement. I knew full well that this was going to happen eventually, but I still felt REALLY bad writing this character's death. That said, I finally paired Ichika with someone! Although I'm sure a few of you saw that one coming. Also, they finally said it!