Shirogane Archangel 1. Flight A, Element A
Sumika Archangel 2. Flight A, Element A
Yuuya-Inia, Idar 1. Flight A, Element B
Meiya Archangel 5. Flight A, Element B
Sakaki Archangel 4. Flight B, Element C
Mikoto Archangel 6. Flight B, Element C
Ayamine Archangel 7. Flight B, Element C
Kasumi Archangel 3. Flight B, Element D
Tamase Archangel 8. Flight B, Element D
—
Jerzy Sandek
Soviet Б-01, outskirt
05:45 AM
"—Blyat! Focus fire on target! He's so fucking fast!"
"—get clear of the blast! Guided shells are not hitting anywhere close!"
"—this is fucking ridiculous! Mudak! That unit's just charging us!"
Unexpected development of events should be considered as norm, seeing as this team of only nine TSFs had breached one of the world's most high-tech army bases. Yet Sandek truly didn't suppose for things to work out like this.
It didn't work; Sandek constructed a good countermeasure to the hostile's elite machine under the assumption it would take logical actions during combat, it didn't do that at all.
Instead, what he had to face was a crazy suicidal Third-Gen holding its CIWS in reverse and recklessly running straight for his men head-on. A Japanese banzai charge was the foremost similarity he drew, but unlike WWII, it proved to be much more successful.
"—Kapitan! We're losing men like crazy! That guy is completely slaughtering us out here!"
"—all units, turn back and retreat beyond point D-5. That enemy's goal is me, I will bait it away. Your team can attack it from behind if it chooses to give chase."
"What're you—! Kapitan! That's crazy! You're basically telling us to retreat!"
"Do not mistake an escape with a tactical withdraw. This terrain is unfavorable for us, that frame is capable of faster and quicker maneuvers in midair than your Battalion. Only my Berkut can keep up with its speed, I will draw it to somewhere more suited for concentrated fire."
Acceptable or not, Sandek had to admit that he was in quite a pinch. The 25th Battalion fighting by his side was the most basic grunts; they had regular TSFs paired with regular training, no match for the test flights stationed at Yukon Base; the same flights that were taking heavier casualties by the minute.
Besides, what the pilot of that Unknown said was beyond interesting. He addressed the Russian Captain by name in his second announcement. From what Sandek heard and analyzed, there was no doubt this Phase 3 look-alike's user was a Japanese man in origin, making him the second one to ever hold such a huge influence over his plans.
"But, sir! That's still—" Real-time discussions were prone to interruptions at any time, such as when the surface fighter in question already pushed up to deliver a blow on Sandek.
The Su-47 Berkut should have been the pinnacle of Soviet Tactical Surface Fighter development program. Surpassing the second best model, the Su-37 Terminator by a whopping thirty-seven percent, over one-third of the Terminator's potential.
"Such power… faster and stronger than the base Phase 3 model. This configuration… modded by Americans?" Blocking with its twin Motor Blades, Sandek saved himself just in time as the heavy PBs came crashing down.
The Unknown was a butterfly in a thunder storm, its every action gorgeously beautiful to the core. Not one wasted thrust or an overshot lunge of its swords, its competent pilot couple with spectacular machine could be any more deadly. If the Su-47 was able to defy the law of momentum conservation, then the Unknown unit owned it, physics belonged in the palm of its hands.
"—all units! Pull back at once! I will be withdrawing to the centre of the base, provide fire support if the hostile unit gives chase. Act immediately!" There was little time left for disinclination.
Backing his jump jets in full force, Sandek ejected a powerful storm of compressed air directly onto the new 94 Second as it boosted him in reverse. During situations like this, flying away in an unbent line was only safe due to the lack of firepower the Unknown possessed. Unhappy with his escape, the invader gave chase the instant Sandek turned his back.
"—Kapitan! Currently engaging hostile Type-94 and Su-47 pzX1… it's Martica's unit, sir!" Another new radio update arrived from the espers he sent away earlier.
"—can you detect its pilot?" When Sandek responded back, it had none of his prior uneasiness in the voice.
"—ne-negative, Kapitan…! It's not going well! We can only sense Trista but we can't control her! Whomever she's with, we can't activate the possessive hijack!"
"—it… shouldn't even be possible! Not like this! This shouldn't be happening!"
For once, Sandek did not anticipate that, not one bit. The two espers on his team spoke in perturbation, what they met wasn't with expectation. He didn't know how, he didn't know what happened. This circumstance was spiralling out of his control fast and into the hands of another.
"Idar 2, Idar 3. Explain your situation clearly."
"It's not the right effect, sir! Their Prafka is not collaborative with ours!"
"But we don't know who it is! Her… coding is not like us! She's on another level… she's just isn't normal! It's not in sync with ours!" Clueless, Sandek disliked intensely the feeling of losing control.
"I understand, is the engagement ongoing?"
"Da! They just killed two of PLA's Bao-Feng Flight! An element from America's Infinities is also present!"
"Okay, keep your distance from Trista and the unknown esper. Avoid direct contact and only have the others fight on the front. I'm on my way over immediately. Continue attempting to gain control." It would be very troubling if the Yukon Base incident were to repeat here.
"Vas ponyal!"
Now Sandek wasn't retreating from combat, he was racing to reach a new one. The Phase 3 hot in pursuit was luckily thwarted by another wave of Soviet reinforcement, giving him precious time to make his escape. Whoever the new esper was or how she came into being, Sandek was intrigued by the idea of a creature beyond what Trista was capable of, seeing as she was their best.
"2nd Lt. Bridges… did he bring along more interesting subjects as the catalyst? Or perhaps they're with another collection…" Sandek sought after knowledge; it was knowledge that will grant him control.
Takamura Yui
05:47 AM
"—1st Lt. Takamura Yui, White-Fang 1; data-link online, initiated seat information transfer, secured control block. CP, deactivate Gantry lock."
Yui's fight was now, she must face the decisions she never wanted to make. She still wished for it to be only a hoax, if there was just a method to avoid all this violence and death ahead of her path. It wasn't how things were supposed to be, she shouldn't be fighting against any of them.
"—CP confirmed, cockpit block secured, Gantry lock disengaged." Two massive clamps keeping the shoulders of Yui's Takemikazuchi in place were freed, allowing her unrestricted movement within the Honour Guard hangar.
"White-Fang 1, equipping inventory." Taking no unnecessary steps, Yui grabbed her standard gear off the weaponry stall. Using a Strike Vanguard loadout, she stocked two swords on her Mount Pylon and two guns in her hands respectively.
"Inventory checked, open hangar gates."
"CP confirmed, hangar gates opening. You'll be faci— hostiles immediately after departure, be —reful, 1st Lt. Takamura. Godspeed." The connection was starting to become choppy as the source of the ECM was closing in.
"White-Fang 1 copy, launching." On that note, Yui marched out step by step to end the already prolonged war.
"…What… is this?" Although she didn't have to go and search for any fighting, warfare itself quite literally was thrown in Yui's face.
A narrowly intact F-15 was cruelly smashed against the hangar door next to Yui, its poor structure dismembered into a thousand pieces upon impact. Legs, arms, chest block and jump engines all mauled beyond repair, only the cockpit was spared of this brutish treatment.
"Why… would…?" Yui snapped herself out of the trace to regain emphasis on her situation. Scouting the scenery around her, the IRJ officer only arrived at a single word; death.
The world was burning; an endless field of mechanical corpses littered the ground. A sea of red dominated all other colours of the spectrum; there was no limit to this fire, it consumed everything in sight, every life smoldered by a lone devil painted in royal purple.
Yui saw her directly, her majestic Type-74 PB Blade held dignifiedly in the machine's right hand as she pinched the head of a surviving Falcon using her left. Then she crushed its sensory block completely, the decapitated carcass of the F-16 fell lifelessly to the ground. This entire scene was all too similar to what Yui witnessed a while back.
"—Takamura… I have been awaiting your arrival." It shouldn't be her voice, anything else but another betrayal. Logically, a transmission designated to another unknown unit without utilizing the open channel cannot reach the receiver of its goal.
"—Mitsurugi…sama…! WHY?! Please explain your reasoning! For you of all people to attack Yukon! There's— there must be a misunderstanding regarding this! Please tell me so I can solve it!" One omission for this rule could be applied to the IRG's Type-00s, as a secure line was always available between frames of the Royal Household.
In slow motion, Yui met the eyes of the Takemikazuchi. A freezing, emotionless glare entered her instantly. Alongside being addressed individually by name, Yui couldn't deny knowing the identity of her attacker, no matter how desperately she hoped for everything to be mistaken.
"There is nothing to understand, Takamura. I stand here, before you as your only antagonist. Temporize not; strive to strike me down for the sake of your peaceful home." How was this acceptable? Mitsurugi demanded her of the one task forever forbidden for an Honour Guard to carry out.
"I cannot do that, Mitsurugi-sama! You should know that better than anyone!"
"You are misguided, Takamura. Do not see me as a member of the imperial family, as far as you shall be concerned, I am a mere terrorist threatening the safety of everything you have left." And this, this was more unacceptable. Mitsurugi said it herself clearly; other than what Yui had in Yukon, there was nothing else for her.
"…Must this all end in bloodshed, Mitsurugi-sama!?"
"Yes, you have no choice. If you are incompatible with this future, you'll have no escape." Heartless words froze Yui's sentiments for good. Acting as the model Honour Guard that she was, this was her only mission which must be accomplished. XFJ's success was her goal, duty came in priorities.
"If no other outcomes are convenient, so be it."
Without breaking their burning bond of the eyes, Mitsurugi extended the left arm of her unit back right above the shoulder, its palm open and ready to receive. Similarly, the Takemikazuchi-00F flung aside the Assault Cannon it never used and assumed the same exact stance with its right hand outstretched.
It had never been more comprehensible than this; either party realized what they must undertake no matter the cost. So at the same time, the Mount Pylons on supporting both of their PB-Blade leaped up at once. The sharp fingers tightly seized the handle of two swords separately, and a final expel by the Mount Pylons pushed the weapons into the hands of both fighters.
It was about to start, a dance between warriors like no other. By the time Yui was prepared to intercept Mitsurugi's strike, she waited not one second to charge forward.
"I must defeat you here, Takamura. Our destiny depends on this victory."
"I, too must achieve this win to maintain order of our lives."
And then there existed nothing left to be said, the soldiers preordained to carry out their fate charged forward, unafraid of their unseen future.
"TAKAMURA!"
"MITSURUGI!"
Yashiro Kasumi
05:49 AM
Kasumi lived, alone in a world of void. There was no floor for her feet, yet she stood balanced. There was no air to breath, yet she didn't feel the oxygen was lacking. It was indeed a strange incident, Kasumi had no physical form, the part of her remaining was only the thoughts.
Her body moved by her will, but it wasn't as if the body belonged to her. This perception, it reminded Kasumi or her old days. Times spent sleeping in pods after pods for experiment's sake; she didn't enjoy those days, not to mention how much fun her daily life was now.
Like controlling a game character, Kasumi was the puppeteer over her own body. Yet she wasn't the sole ruler of herself, there existed the true game master. Someone much, much stronger in contrast had higher sovereignty to her physical form than the Russian girl.
Sumika was there, Sumika was with her.
Their pupils expanded wide outward equally, and so did their iris augmented to shield the white sclera. From the core of their enlarging eyeballs, a new light radiated brilliantly. A colour that could be recounted as black and white, the blended shade sparkled luminescence of pure strength.
Kasumi could witness herself behaving in ways unfitting her usual nature, doing things such as speaking with emotions and having expressions. But it was still her, the flip-side of the coin was just another Kasumi she often forget existed.
Besides, it felt good; the pleasure Kasumi enjoyed was challenging to put into words. It was unlike copulating with Takeru, which was much more… stimulating than what Kasumi currently experienced through Sumika's occupation of her physique. The gratification came constantly, almost never-ending as both girls showered themselves in ecstasy.
Anyway, seeing through the hazy eyes of her mind, Kasumi observed the battlefield to the best of her abilities. Akin to Sumika's TSF, her Type-94 was lit ablaze by a seemingly endless cloud of blackness. Kasumi's real world self was enjoying the massacre of her foes, missing shots purposefully to lengthen the amusement of cornering their preys.
Kasumi wasn't too sure about what her unit was doing now, Sumika probably had it covering for her Berkut as she tore apart TSFs from limb to limb. Publicly, relishing death was morbid by the view of society, but to the pair of rabbit girls who accompanied their saviour through thick and thin, the girls cared little for rules created by a relic of a world.
KAGamI suMikA
0:0:0:0
Life was truly a bliss to allow such pleasure. And to think this hour of euphoria was associated with only the two of them, the pure delight from that thought alone was tipping Sumika over the edge.
Now only if the death of others were allowed, nothing would stop Sumika anymore. For now, she limited her urges to contain herself. She mustn't kill, she must not kill people.
"CoNfroNt uS! rEleaSE thAt BEAutIfuL fUrY!…" In the cockpit of the Su-47, Sumika leaned forward, filled herself with zeal and screamed thrillingly to the quarries under her fingers. The strikes by the Jian-10 were hysterically weak, just like the Eishi who flew it.
"-WE ShalL HunT YoU DowN. PiecE BY PiecE, MaN TO MaN." The shell which used to contain a full person known as Kasumi finished Sumika's sentence.
As an Element, the pair of esper girls owned the sky. Neither the American Raptors nor what remained of the Chinese Jian-10s could pull the immovable rug from under their feet, plus the newcomer espers weren't even worth a mention. This battlefield was their haven; the outcome of Takeru's dream will be their obligation to fulfill.
"sHoW US! thE IdLe lifE You sO FoUGHT to PrOteCt!…" Like the devil, she spilt her mouth to a terrific grin. The 00 unit grinded her teeth bitterly and thrillingly at every passing moment, she was enjoying the carnage to fulfill all her fantasies.
"-LeT US SeE. HoW WorthlesS ThaT ColouR OF YourS MusT BE." Her expression was not gentle; not kind by any standard. Under the influence of her friend, Kasumi loved the heightened sensation of flutter running in her veins.
The F-22s were slower than a snail clawing upstream, they could never hope to escape the border of Kasumi's scope. Dashing left, right and all around, her Shiranui perfected the essence of evasive maneuvers.
As for the white Su-47s, they just happened to be there, that was the only purpose they served. Sumika couldn't distinguish who fired which rounds; it all looked the same when nothing came closer to hitting her. Thinking too much here was only a bother.
The Eishi of the Jian-10X, however, was much more satisfying as a toy in comparison. Her emotions fluctuated wildly, from the confidence thinking her team had the upper hand to eventually stampeding in her sightless anger. And more hilariously was that the lone girl held such high pride, every second she faced them with her senses shut burned angst deep in her arrogant heart.
"WHy Do thE WeAKINGs fIgHt!? FutILiTy! dO You nOt undERStand!?…"
"-TO Not ProtecT YouR DreaM IS ThE FaulT OF OneselF, We ShalL SlaY YoU HerE TO ShoW ThE FailurE YoU MusT EndurE."
To the Bao-Feng leader's credit, she was a hundred twenty percent steadfast on killing Sumika in the worst ways possible, that itself was quite a pretty colour to be projected. Nonetheless, the vectors of her attacks were all wrong; a swing, no matter how powerful was pointless if all Sumika had to do was sidestep to avoid.
"C'MoN, c'mOn, Try haRdEr yOu GoOd-For-noTHiNg fILth!…"
"-OuR PlaytimE StilL ContinueS TO ThE EnD OF TimE."
Casually, just like a cat toying with a captured mouse, Sumika flew backwards bit by bit as the Jian-10X missed every single one of its openings to deliver the blows. It was just so much fun to watch, the struggle to win a pointless battle.
Cut by cut, Sumika was careful to only bruise the opposing TSF so it wouldn't be too discouraged and back away. Her Motor Blades missed the vitals by margins so small, measuring tape wouldn't be used to calculate her accuracy; a microscope would be preferred.
The other PLA's TSF was asking to be dealt with, its Eishi acting like too much of a killjoy who tried to stop her leader's attempted rampage. If Sumika wanted more fun with her limited time fighting, that nuisance needed to be removed.
"yoU! We shAll STARt fRoM YOU!…"
"-YoU CannoT RuN, YoU CannoT HidE."
Yanking her joysticks back, Sumika sent her Berkut in a backflip chained to a tailspin and back up with a Rocket Boost. A beautiful three part maneuver executed to perfection. Her Berkut was heading straight for the second J-10 shadowing its leader, the Motor Blades were triggered once more as Sumika smelled the blood in the air.
Concomitantly, Kasumi threw her Shiranui away from the Raptors and the white Su-47s. To stop their pursuit, she bent her main arms backward to continue the bombardment of shells upon her chasers. Her heading suddenly lined up with Sumika's, without the use of radio or data-link communication, the Element of Eishis had a much better method.
"HoPeLEss! wHy WoN'T YOu juST laY Down and DIE!…"
"-OuR TimE IS ValuablE, DO NoT WastE IT AT YouR LeisurE."
Closer and closer now, the Chinese leader's TSF rotated itself around in chase of Sumika while she was darting at the other PLA frame. From behind, Kasumi also rushed ahead with her afterburners on. Acting on instinct, the Jian-10X crammed by the invading Element flipped on its boosters to escape such terrible position, it would have almost made it too.
If not for the explosion originating from the Berkut and Shiranui, that is.
"Hihihihahaha! tRy It! JUSt TrY US!…"
"-NowherE TO RuN, ThE ToY StruggleS BetweeN OuR FingerS." An insane laughter, unfitting for either of the esper girls was echoing within their cockpits. A malicious countenance of pure pleasure replaced any of their previous manners.
It wasn't an explosion in the literal sense, but for anyone observing the onslaught of a battle, it couldn't be called anything else.
The already thick cloud of black smoke constantly encasing the Element's TSFs ruptured in every single bearing, bursting out and erasing the earth. Much, much stronger than before, the smoke seemed like an unstoppable surge of all-consuming destruction, brining extinction to anything touched by this dark smoulder.
Still, the darkness continued. Unending shadow engulfed the land, stopping at nothing as it spread further and further, it couldn't be contained until the entire Yukon Base was eaten by their mist of energy.
"—HihihihI-AhEhEhEhEhE-AHAHAHAAHA!" At the high of their extreme ecstasy, both girls let their elation be known by a bloodcurdling laughter.
"…TAKERU-CHAN! WE OFFER YOU. THE ENTIRETY…! OF YUKON!" It could be said that; on this day, a never-seen before progress in esper research was made.
Shirogane Takeru
05:53 AM
"Goddamn it, pussy! Is running away the only thing you're good for?!" Pent up anger without a proper outlet was one of the most painful experiences in my book. So regrettably for the dozen of Su-27s surrounding me, it wasn't going to be an easy night for any of them.
But the amount of scrapped metal didn't mean shit if I couldn't catch up to that 47E, he just hightailed it right out the moment another bunch of dudes got in my way. Seeing we were already so short on time, if I couldn't clear this area for Sumika to unload, Barchenowa was kinda gonna stay dead.
Also, coincidence or not, my fleeing target was going in the exactly same direction as where I came from dozen minutes ago. That unit most likely was the commander of those white Berkuts which Bridges saw eariler, making its pilot someone I will have to talk with.
"—Arc 2, 3, we have a Su-47E heading for your AO. Do you have eyes on?" So naturally, I radioed the Prafka team to get a firm update.
"—AhHAA! aHhhaAAa! It'S TaKeRU-chAN! taKERu-ChAn TAKEru-ChaN TAKERU-CHAN!…"
"— -MY LorD, WE HavE YeT TO SpoT AnY IntruderS. CurrenT SkirmisH IS GoinG WelL."
Well… that was weird, the way Sumika and Kasumi replied to me. That was… super weird. Nevermind the strange term Kasumi addressed me by, they sounded so fragmented, kinda like a terribly made mixing tape.
"Errrm… I'm coming over right now so… keep up the good work, eliminate all tangos quickly and if you see a black Su-47, go for capture." I so very much wanted to ask them about their speech difference, but something told me now wasn't the best time.
"AHHAaa! takERU-cHan iS comINg to SEe US!…"
"-UnderstooD, MY LorD."
"Okaaay theeen… okay… Arc 1 out." I could literally say nothing to them right now.
My best guess was Prafka, or whatever induced Prafka that turned their language pattern to something this strange. Again, I have never personally seen the effects of Prafka on an Eishi with these eyes, the best I got was a video clip of a Terminator emitting funny lights while tearing through BETA, and that was from Yuuko-sensei.
Although I wasn't sure if that massive, black cloud surging towards me was also related to that.
"Alllriiight…! What the fuck IS THIS!?"
On my way over to my bunny girls, a giant pit of raven-coloured fog engulfed my machine whole. I was submerged in this smoke, visibility reduced to a minimum as even thermal was obstructed because for some stupid-ass reason, the cloud of darkness had the temperature of a normal human.
Still, I wouldn't call this mist dangerous. As it completely inundated my YF-23 and robbed me of my vision, it wasn't emitting any sensation of aggression. Instead, an invisible path constructed from a separation in the clouds paved the road ahead, as if inviting me to push onwards.
"Well… if you insist." Of course, any invitation is a good invitation.
Jerzy Sandek
05:54 AM
It was everywhere; the endless haze blinded Sandek's sensors. He couldn't see more than five metres ahead, behind, or in any direction for that matter. Standard pilot training did cover for when heavy metal cloud impedes with the visual quality, however it was unlike anything to this extreme.
"—Idar 2, 3, come in. Status report." Despite all that drawbacks, Sandek was still a brilliant man with tricks up his sleeves. As long as the espers were safe, he could put them to good use.
"—K-Kapitannn… our apology… they… they reverse hijacked us! –HAA—haa!"
"—uur-wggaaa! Too much…! The Nastroyka Effect! It's eating into us—!"
As for that, Sandek's plan just went completely out the window. The failure was much, much faster and earlier than he would have foreseen. Albeit he wasn't all that surprised by it. The moment he was told another esper stronger in abilities than Trista was present, he already expected things to not work as intended.
"What is your situation?" Sandek asked just to confirm.
"Protect…? Who? Endless strength, unbeatable might… for what? To protect who? A name… why do you call for him? Guard him, shield him, watch him…?" Unresponsive were the dolls, they failed to register what Sandek had said and replaced their answer with more clues leading to their state.
"Yuuya Bridges… is that man capable of administering the espers to this degree? Is the twins a conductor or—"
"Take-run… Takuren… Takeru? Shirogane… Takeru…? Is that… your saviour…? The reflection… of your mirror?" Then they both muttered in unison a wrong name. It was not Yuuya Bridges who ran the white-haired pilots, it was another man. Could it be a man even more fitting as a catalyst?
"Shirogane Takeru…? Is he the Japanese?" Sandek's question was more meant for himself instead of the Idar Element, since he knew the chance of their compromise was too high. So he didn't think anyone would be there to answer him, as in there shouldn't be anyone answering him in the first place.
A slight buzz over his radio broke the Russian's concentration. Something was up with his data-link, perhaps it was a side-effect of being absorbed by the cloudy substance. Sandek clicked around his transmission settings looking for any disturbances, and found one.
"—oUR mAStER, dO YOu unDERSTanD wHAT He DeSirES?…"
"— -Gospodin (Mister) Jerzy Sandek, dobro požalovat' (Welcome), to our stage of performance. It has BeeN a long time, there're matters we MusT discuss."
Words formed dialogue, sentences directed at none other than the Captain himself. Addressed by name, Sandek couldn't dismiss the astonishment he felt from hearing a voice long lost to another world.
"—Gospoja (Miss)… Trista Sestina… how long has it been now? Since your departure." Drying his cold sweat, Sandek did well in keeping his cool under such circumstances.
"-Physical AgE, that was six years ago. We HoweveR existed too long to remember our maturity." And that made no sense whatsoever for Sandek.
"…Is that so? Then what is your purpose here?" Naturally, he decided to withhold his question on a pointless topic, espers under the influence of Prafka could rarely think or speak properly. Even if Trista was an omission from that law, she still was fraught by the ability.
"-CryskA, she still lives. Her revival, that is OuR goal." Her reveal came unannounced as a less-than awe-worthy news for Sandek.
"Hupm… so the medicine Martica stole was effective enough to last her until now… how much time does she have left?" Trista's faint gasp was an indication on the amount of knowledge she had access to, this could be a card for Sandek to use against her at a later time.
"-YoU KneW?! …We admit out surprise, Sandek. Unforeseen, as it came." A short snort was Sandek's reply, he was proven wrong when he thought that Trista had no sense of humour.
"How long does she have?"
"-If we do not receive your cooperation, then not enough." Cogently, Sandek was perhaps the only one capable of delivering the assistance she sought.
"What can I do to help?" This wasn't an offer, it was merely a probe.
"Instructions and preparations, must be done; it must be DonE to bring her back, Cryska."
To Sandek, this was nothing short of a golden opportunity. Inia Sestina rejected the idea; unknowingly or willingly, it didn't matter. But here, right here in the centre of this gas was someone who never even registered as a potential valid participant. The girl who was sold off had returned, bringing along the most beneficial reward.
"I have demands as well, this is a compromise for both of us. Agree to me, then I will help you with reviving Barchenowa." Nothing was said back for a short time.
"…-WE shall at least HeaR your request."
"I want you to come with me. If this is truly the status of your Prafka, then you can achieve the П3 Plan for me."
"-To bring back the TotaL EclipsE of our world; with time, we deem it possible. However you shall not own us, ToolS of another master we ArE." Sandek received a half agreement; it was concerning how Trista Sestina now pledged loyalty to someone else.
"Who is it that you serve now? Who is this Shirogane Takeru?"
"wHY wOULd yoU WANt thAT knOWleDGe tO ReaCh YoU, COmrADe SaNdEK!?…" The same voice that started this conversation refused the Russian. She sounded different, at an even higher apex in terms of Prafka than Trista. So in turn, her words were almost completely nonsense.
"-He is the saviour of our worlds, speak with him on the terms to our covenant. Everything and AnythinG cannot be without his authority; with permission, we shall black out the MooN."
"Are you this confident in yourselves?" Sandek couldn't help but ask, dream and reality had too much of a gap in-between.
"-WatcH US, endless sight within our mirror. Tonight marks the beginning of our darkness." Then, just for Sandek alone, the smoke cleared. A path forward was curved out.
Shirogane Takeru
05:56 AM
"—god damn-it, it's like I'm applying for a job or something. I'm not here for an interview, alright!? Don't get started!" As I ranted on about all sorts of things, my newly-made Russian friend was silent to the end.
"So, anyway. The Fox of Yokohama said she'll be paying you a visit soon, to discuss many fun and enjoyable topics for the both of you; hopefully. As a reprehensive for Alternative IV, I just wanna say we do look forward to any potential collaboration with you."
"—is that so? For Dr. Kouzuki to personally arrive at Yukon for the esper program… I understand. This is very intriguing, Capt. Shirogane." I kinda wondered, why she bothered giving herself a nickname when everyone knew who she was?
"Well, that's my job done. Now if you would please setup your labs so we can bring back the esper, that'll be greatly appreciated."
"…Very well, once your men have this mess cleaned up, bring Barchenowa's body to the barracks. I am sending you the exact instructions right now. By the time you arrived, most of our equipment should be ready for use."
"Nice, thanks for your help. Capt. Sandek."
"We'll see, if Alternative IV holds what it takes to create an army." Then without leaving me a farewell gift, Sandek turned around and flew off in his Berkut, uncaring about any of the survivors from the Soviet Battalion I destroyed.
And that was it. I did also mention our willingness to assist the guy in his eclipse plan and he seemed happy for the most part about it. Really general stuff here, more politics wouldn't be coming from someone like me anyway.
kAgaMI SuMiKa
0:0:0:0
Soviet Б-01, Centre
"Abide by us! Obey the orders we give you!"
"Watch closely, we shall show you our range of power." They concurred, whoever they were. The pair didn't say anything back, but Sumika knew they had no choice but to follow.
The white Berkuts belonged to her now, their esper Eishis influenced by her strength. It was far too easy to manipulate others, she never thought the work required would be this low. Dominance was her power, all must answer to her and she only answered to one.
"—lEts AppRISE yOU! foR tHE SAKe of OUr oNLy MaStER!…"
"— -SooN, YoU WilL UnderstanD. WhO WE ServE ShalL BrinG AlonG TomorroW'S HopE."
So the Berkuts stopped moving altogether, their weapons lowered and stance peaceful. Sumika and Kasumi were successful in convincing them to act only as observers, with the rabbit girls and their enemies as the only performers.
"TIMe! thERE iSn'T MuCH LeFT!…"
"-OuR PlaytimE IS OveR, BE GlaD YouR SufferinG WilL EnD HerE."
Attention now converted back to their foes; the two F-22As and Jian-10Xs that had yet to be destroyed.
Their opponents, disoriented by the massive cloud of psychic energy were for the course completely blind. Using this golden set of circumstances to their advantage, Sumika constructed a plan even though none was needed, she wanted to feel smart for once, that was all.
"huRry anD daNce fOr US! AcT ApProPRiatiElY foR a PupPET!…"
"-SurrendeR YourselF, DeatH IS ThE OnlY OutcomE."
Of course, that plan was to just simply kill everything. What else did she need to do anyway?
It was the same as watching crabs trapped in a pot, never aware of their impending death no matter how much the water boils. To her enemies, there was already no chance for victory. And for herself, she didn't even have to spare any lives right now.
The 00 unit's unfortunate prey was the second J-10X who just happened to be there, she wasn't important enough for Sumika to remember her name. For that Eishi's end, Sumika sliced its halberd-holding arm clean off as she made her path on the right side by the Bao-Feng member.
Crossing paths with Sumika as she flew by, next on the attack was Kasumi. The Russian girl pumped a half-full mag of EMP rounds all over the Jian-10's body, utterly removing any possibility of it ever fighting again. As the Second-Gen took its nosedive for the earth, Kasumi side-strafed to her left, ripping the Type-77 Battle Halberd from the dismembered hands of her fallen victim.
"jsUt GViE up, yoU sLOw-wiTTied FOolS!…"
"-AlL ToO EasY, NeveR StooD A ChancE AgainsT US."
What could they do? Thermal? A mass of heated gas could be condensed at Sumika's will. How about laser designation? They were inside a smoke-screen, not even worth mentioning. Seeing as firing blindly or taking an educated guess was just a gamble of luck, nothing seemed to work.
They were invincible, Sumika and Kasumi.
"No AdVaNTAgE! nO OppOrTuUnItY!…"
"-TakeR OF WorldS, GuardianS TO OuR LighT."
Death, only death was ever permitted.
And now there was only one. The last TSF was proving to be quite a bit of trouble as its Eishi fuelled herself using pure rage, the sight was too beautiful Sumika had difficulty with ending such an amazing fire.
What happened to the Raptors again? Sumika wasn't even sure. Were they defeated amidst the chaos? Most likely so. Besides, did it really matter that much where her unentertaining enemies went? Of course not, they were either here or not at all.
For all that joy, Sumika had elsewhere to be, Takeru awaited her presence so she must finish the game at hand. Rocket Boosting for at least the seventeen's time that day, her Su-47 was already noticeable by the Taiwanese Eishi.
The unstable Chinese girl pushed Kasumi away by the build-up of tension gathered in the machine's arms, who she wanted was Sumika; she believed Sumika to be the one who robbed her of everything.
"AcCEpt! We ACcEpT yoUR pOStEd ChALleNge!…"
"-YouR DeterminatioN OnlY ServeS TO MakE YouR DeatH SweeteR."
By that notion, Sumika stopped her acceleration completely. Her Berkut hovered in place, awaiting the final battle to be started by the opposing Eishi. They stared at each other intensely, A mad smile over her front and a detested frown over the Chinese's. Kasumi stood by the sidelines, silently observing the fight.
Impatience was an obvious characteristic of the Bao-Feng leader. When Sumika made no moves within a span of two seconds, her opponent already began her charge. The Type-77 Battle Halberd was pulled back in the right hand, its limbs compacting themselves slightly to unleash a devastating attack.
In the face of imminent danger, Sumika didn't take a single step backward; or forward, or go anywhere and doing anything. She simply rested in place, not even a stance was put up to defend against the Jian-10X's attack.
"UsElesS! Why dO yOU coNtiUNe to StRuGgle!…"
"-EndlesS, OuR StrengtH CannoT BE MeasureD."
It wasn't waiting a second longer. Exploiting her own rocker thrusters, the Jian-10 was hurled ahead incredibly fast. Her compacted right arm was ejected bit by bit the closer she got, a strike at this speed paired with the Jian-10's use of Combined Tension would be impossible to block. The power was just too strong.
"-Ahha, what a waste, what a waste. Even to this very end, your colour still remains the same unchanging shade…"
For reasons unknown, Sumika now was once more speaking in harmony with Kasumi. Both girls were evidently faking their lack of interest, as anyone peeking in their camera could tell exactly how wild their grins were.
How much fun, truly. Savour everyone moment, Sumika was sure to do just that.
"-A sin oF BoREdOm! NoT EntertaininG EnouGH! YoU must PAY foR youR cRIME!"
Worthless, the Jian-10 could never touch her. The distance it closed in didn't matter, the strength behind its CIWS didn't matter. It shouldn't have even bothered.
"-DeATH! SentenceD TO DEatH! ThaT ShalL Be YoUR PunishmenT!"
The J-10X was upon her, now was the time for a counter. Anything would work here, really. For killing a single girl, Sumika didn't trouble with putting in any effort.
So she struck; faster, harder and more brutal than any assaults she dished out earlier. All done with a single press of the button, it was within her mind where most of the attack pattern was carried out. She ruled over her Berkut; it moved by her every will.
At the last fraction of a second possible, the Berkut lifted its left arm and just stretched out. Easy as that, Sumika defeated the remaining member of Bao-Feng. Her Motor Blade cut in between the hand section joint and the forearm section, a tiny gap unfortified by Armour Plating.
"-YouR DrEaM oF TouchinG US ShalL gO UNfUlfILled FoR ALl Of EternitY!" Enlightened like never before; both rabbit girls asphyxiated to their endless wave of pleasure.
The hand along with the steel in its grip sailed off, fast and harmlessly behind the 47's head. Even now, none of its body budged save for its left arm which was plentiful in fighting against the Jian-10X.
Their duel had ended, the winner rightfully claims her entitlement to the treatment of her defeated.
"-HERE IS TO YOUR END! BY OUR HANDS! SPIRITED AWAY! THAT FINAL LIGHT!" Her chainsaw was lifted high, and swung down hard.
"-EXEEEECUUUUTEEEED!" Finally, Sumika and Kasumi reached the long sought after climax.
Shirogane Takeru
05:58 AM
"—Sumika, Kasumi, we done here? Barchenowa got like thirty seconds left or something, probably should head for the pods now!" Honestly, I wasn't sure if we had enough time left.
"—woRRY noT, TakeRu-cHAN! We HAvE TakEn goOd CarE Of CrYskA-chAN!…"
"— -There'rE StilL TimE LefT, PlentY OF TheM."
"You two sure about that?" Because my watch disagreed,
"-Absolutely." Nice, synchronized creep was better than one.
"Then let's go, bring your lackeys along as well." It was funny, they used to be my lackeys, and now the servants got their own servants.
"oN StATiOn!…" Sumika's statement was the cold hard truth.
Through the thick, intrusive black fog of unknown origin, a sudden split of mist occurred contained by the unbreakable air. Similar to what I imagined the Red Sea was like when the bearded guy and his friends tried to crossed it; the smoke ruptured apart, each half made way for the arrival of a grand beauty.
The Su-47 Berkut was truly a sumptuous work of man, I couldn't deter from admiring its splendour at every look. Sumika rode in with Kasumi's Type-94 closely behind, their jet boosts softened the units' landing as both crafts gracefully came out of NOE.
"Wooow, Arc 2 and 3… you got a, er… little, something there coming from behind your back." Also, did I mention how these two were emitting this hazy smoke like mad?
A black hole which displays gravitational forces so strong, not even light can escape its pull, that was the first impression I got of the smoke. Then how could I describe what Sumika and Kasumi produced from their TSF? Did they cross over from event horizon or something? Utterly ludicrous, yet undeniably real.
The quality of this cloud changed as my rabbit team made their approach, I watched personally with my eyes. From afar, the black smoke only seemed like something from a burnout; a bit strange, yes. But outside the reclaim of reality, probably not.
Now they were close, they were right before me, I couldn't refute the scene of absolute absurdity I witnessed. The light particles were sucked in to the Berkut and Shiranui, their darkness waved and agitated like living, breathing creatures. Some could call them the 'wings' of her TSF, I wouldn't argue against that theory too much.
Finally, obediently following them two were another pair of white Berkuts. They were just kinda there… didn't really serve any purpose. Just happy to be there, I guess.
"So… you two are talking like that because the Prafka thing?"
"-YeS, It'S A Side-EffecT To OuR BeloW A HundreD SynchronizatioN RatE. PleasE AsK ThE ProfessoR FoR FurtheR DetaiL." I was answered by Kasumi.
Thinking back to it, Sumika and Kasumi's tag-team was one of a kind. Throughout my years as an Eishi, I had met less than five people more skillful behind flight sticks than I was. There was never a day when I would have imagined for my two escorts to be stronger than me, indeed quite a revelation.
The pair's fighting style was hard to get a good grip on, I honestly had no idea what was happening half of the time watching their fight. Without proper video playback program, the naked eyes had a difficult period even tracking their movements. The Berkut and Shiranui maneuvered all too frantically, ravishingly and brutally all at once.
If TSF combat was like a game of chess, then Sumika's Element would be compared it a handgun. What good is strategy if the opponent is already dead? It was so simple I couldn't believe I never thought of it before, just pure genius. An Arrowhead 1 formation is useless if nobody could land their shots and a pincer attack goes to waste if everyone dies before attacking.
That was my bunny girls tag-team; they were the best rule-breakers yet.
05.59AM
Soviet Б-01, Barrack
"—Captain! Capt. Shirogane! What's Cryska's status!? It's already after the DEADLINE!"
'Okay me, just don't answer him.' I stealthy muted Bridges' unlimited yelling from reaching my ears.
"Sumika… oh, Sumika. You're gonna be having a time of your life if Barchenowa doesn't come back, okay?" I kindly reminded Sumika for some hustle.
"—Arc 4 to Arc Lead! We're currently sitting inside a giant smoke-screen right now! Data-link and sensors are non-functional at all! Requesting assistance!" That one was also on Sumika.
"You heard that? Fix it."
"…cErTAinly…" She murmured back obediently. Looking at her TSF, nothing differentiated from what it was a second ago. Still, if Sumika did as told to, Class rep should have her maps back now.
"Ah… if you're talking, Takeru, I can't hear you. But we do have real-time update back online, thanks if that's what you did." I thought about calling her back, then again, there wasn't a point for it anymore now.
At this moment, we were just outside the main Soviet building. Sandek was nowhere in sight although he messaged me that everything required for Barchenowa's revival was already set up, we only had to physically enter the room and dump her body in a washing machine.
"Okay, there goes the wall!" I shouted as my AWCAXW whatever sword craved out a huge chuck of the structure, revealing the Russian's old room while also creating an instant path to it.
"C'mon, Sumika. Get over here." Spinning around, I waved my TSF's hand to direct the 00 unit.
Astonishing as it was, the Berkut grabbed its rifle's barrel and stamped it into the ground before taking a knee of all things. My first impression of its stance was like a classic knight often seen in movies, royal and respectable. Perhaps Sumika gained the latter trait which she was in dire need of.
With a quiet hiss, her cockpit block dislodged from the locks and slid out. Two headlights of my YF-23 shining on Sumika gave me a good look of my new, improved childhood friend. For anyone else, it would be an irksome grin of madness which was over Sumika's façade. She smiled like a crazy madman from ear to ear, it was honestly even creepy by my standard.
Sumika stood up from her pilot seat and stared intensely at my unit, almost lecherously if I looked closer at her expression. Then for god knows why, she bent her right leg and kneeled down to my TSF, a classical genuflection like the ancient times. She kept her head lifted as the lustful stare aimed at my TSF escalated in passion.
"mY MaSTeR! WE aRE hEre To caRRy OuT YOur BiDdInG!…" In the same broken Japanese, Sumika stated her role and asked for my order. I couldn't even say this was a first experience for her; being weird, that is.
"Err… okay, okay… ermm… right, what you should do is… err… park next to the building and unload Barchenowa, grab a sheet and fortified suit for her as well. As for Kasumi, guard the perimeters and don't let assholes get close." Why did she waste my time asking this? Was I being trolled?
Pure awkwardness in the air, I was beginning to believe Prafka was just a chuunibyou symptom. I already hated this shit so much. Could Sumika get even more edgy? Not worth finding out.
"-UndERstOoD!…" A unison answer this time when Kasumi joined in, hopefully whatever Prafka did wouldn't last permanently.
Sceptically, I moved my TSF out of the way for Sumika to position hers right next to the opening on the wall. Even with herself not actively sitting in the control seat, this girl still managed to walk her fighter perfectly to the building. After serious mental debate, I decided to not further pursuit the topic of her crazy-ass everything for the time being.
Since the breach I chopped in the wall was large enough, I also hopped off my TSF and set foot on the third floor of the Scarlet Twin's lab/room. Quickly, I got to work on the computer connected to the machines for start-up.
"Alright, bring her in!" With a devilish smirk, my 00 unit reached out her palm for nothing and only grasped thin air as she closed her fingers. Interestingly, the esper pod containing Barchenowa voluntarily opened up and flushed out the water without being touched by a physical object.
Using a blanket that probably was in the Berkut, Sumika wiped and wrapped the Russian esper before piggybacking her to the bunch of us waiting in the room. After so long, Barchenowa had returned to her Motherland, albeit in all likelihood not the way she imagined her homecoming.
"Okay… okay… I think I got this, drop her in the left… thingy."
Climbing up a short ladder, Sumika carefully dropped the currently deceased Eishi delicately into the water tank; which was just a glorified washing machine, I must add. After the body was lowered into the tank, she drifted around for a while until settling lifelessly on the bottom.
"WhAT aRE you DoiNg, Takeru-cHan?…"
"I think I'm filtrating her system for… any anomalies and restoring her somatic stability." Maaan, a lotta words I didn't understand popped up in my screen right there. The Russian system had to be a dick and not put the terms in simpler terms.
"Nice, once she's back to full regular person… mood, I'll jam this needle in her heart and hopefully the mana left is enough for a magic trick."
"I SEe. hoW is Cryska-chaN?…"
"No clue, this picture says whatever virus she got almost reached her brain ten minutes ago, but was stopped by something before that. you got a clue to this?"
"Cryska-ChAn told Me, PrafKa stops the virUS, SHe said…"
"Gonna go with that. Sumika, link with the rest and update them. This could take some time, I really hope nothing goes bad."
—
Shirogane Archangel 1. Flight A, Element A
Sumika Archangel 2. Flight A, Element A
Yuuya-Inia, Idar 1. Flight A, Element B
Meiya Archangel 5. Flight A, Element B
Sakaki Archangel 4. Flight B, Element C
Mikoto Archangel 6. Flight B, Element C
Ayamine Archangel 7. Flight B, Element C
Kasumi Archangel 3. Flight B, Element D
Tamase Archangel 8. Flight B, Element D
—
Author's note
So in all the fics in read, the author always says how he/she doesn't own the source material. Which I don't either, this shit is still Age's. Does anyone ever gets sued for this? I also don't own anything I ever referenced in this story. Do I even own this story? Not too sure.
I learned when editing this chapter with notes from my BETA that the word 'hangar' which is plane storage isn't spelled 'hanger'. Just fuck me, right? Can't believe I never knew that, none of it was ever spelled right before. Serious thanks to my BETA, putting up with my crap is ridiculously annoying. You da man, chad001!
Hit me up with anything you want, I'm always here for communication if you got a question, suggestion or a spotted a mistake left. Not gonna lie, this archive is a bit empty these days, I'll still keep posting but that's all I really can do.
BETA done by chad001, thanks for explaining the word 'many' to me
It means a lot.