Part 2: How many TNTs?
-YOYOGI PARK, TOKYO PREFECTURE-
Night fell upon the Shibuya cityscape. Slowly the people fell into a deep silence, conquered by the fear of the renegade attacking. The lights flickered off across the city, due to a curfew for ordinary citizens, leaving only a few lights on, in the parks, at intersections, and near government and technology buildings. For the first time ever, the entire country was put on high alert, as to be still and listen for the renegade's pulse.
"ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ..."
Or...snores.
Ten minutes after Sokoto left Shibuya Tech, he fell asleep at the park. He slept for three hours, unmoved by the now foul smell in his car, not just from he dead body, but from his own pee as well. He slept loudly, until his body decided that it was the right time to wake up.
"*YAAWWWNNNN...*" Sokoto stretched his body, "Oh, what happ-" NOW, he noticed his wet pants and stinky smell, and a strong aura of death. He gagged for a minute before he went outside and opened the trunk. "Oh...DUDE, ugh!" The once real Rebecca Talbot was now a dead carcass. The mere smell was enough to keel Sokoto over, "Is this what we all smell like on the inside?!" He covered up his nose and quickly ditched the dead pile of flesh over the river, freaking out as he got the saliva, puss, and the stench of dead animal all over him, dunked himself in the river, and reset himself to Rebecca Talbot. Then, he got back in the car and hightailed it back to the Tower.
"Ok," Sokoto mumbled through a nose clogged with tissue, all windows down, "Game plan. Everyone will be there, so I gotta play it cool, deck off anyone still there, and stall for time to get Silver back up and running again. And in case someone follows me, I'll just outrun them, lock them out, and bail us outta there. Should be no problem!"
Actually, there are a ton of problems. One of them in that little coffee shop he just passed by.
-STARBUCKS SHIBUYA-
"So, you think Rebecca's actually the renegade?" one of the women asked.
"Without a doubt," Laura said while stirring her mocha, eyeing the red car that just passed by, "You should've seen what he said when he laid his hands on the Silverio Gospel."
"Wait," someone interrupted, "If that was the renegade...then, what happened to Rebecca?"
"Oh, you don't need to worry about staining her reputation any longer," Laura sipped her cup, "He's done away with her already. I followed him from the outskirts of the prefecture all the way here. He catapulted himself into a car while Rebecca was buying a drink at this exact store. And when she came back out, he was there to "greet" her. He assumed her identity, and in doing so, gained himself access to classified information, which he can use to build a new IS all his own. And I assume that, in turn, will ensure the resurgence of Phantom Task."
"Well, what are we doing here?!" a woman screamed, "We gotta stop him!"
"Ohohoh," Laura laughed, "You really think you can waltz in and expect him to come along with you? Please."
"He's just a walking dick magnet!" A woman blurted out before Laura cut her off.
"A dick magnet who managed to slaughter hundreds of civilians and put a dent on the militia," she growled, "You will not scratch him with conventional thinking. You have to evolve out of your piss-man mindset. Because he is no ordinary enemy."
"Ugh! It kills to think about how he managed to...to...Agh, I don't wanna say it!" one of the workers screamed.
"Upstage you, even though he knows nothing about the Infinite Stratos?" LAURA SAID THE BELOVED! "Yeah. It hurts." The workers slammed their heads down in shame, to which she kneed the table's underside, forcing the workers to prop their heads up and rub the pain and embarrassment out of their minds. "And that is the reason why you will never win," she explained, "Now, I can show you how to take him down. I can tell you exactly what you must do to incapacitate him. However, if you are off by even one little detail...well, you already know."
"Ok, ok," a worker groaned, "We'll listen..."
"Good," Laura took out a piece of paper and pen, "As of right now, he's halfway back to the tower. If you want a total victory, then here's what you do."
-FIVE BLOCKS FROM SHIBUYA TECH-
A squadron is stationed outside the outskirts of the industrial district. A police scout has spotted a car with binoculars moving towards the tower. In it was someone with blonde hair, struggling to keep the lipstick steady while driving. "Ok, this is it," she whispered, "That's the car we're looking for."
"You sure?" the captain asked, "That's a helluva convincing look he's got."
"Hey, the renegade's a crafty one," Squall said while prepping her IS, "You can't be too careful with anything he does."
"Are you sure this is wise?" a squad member asked the captain, "I mean, she was part of Phantom Task."
"Come on!" the captain bonked her subordinate's head, "The renegade forced her to come along for the ride! It's only right we give her the means to finally squash him!"
"Yeah," the scout said, "Anything to see his dick rot from the iron bars."
Squall face-palmed at that cringe-worthy insult. "I can't believe...why?!" she whispered.
Never in a million years did she dream that they would actually just give her the Golden Dawn, 100% unlocked. EVER. Like, Squall said she hates the renegade. That's more than enough reason for them to recruit her. Even weirder, her history was altered to make it seem like she was actually waging a war against male supremacy! What load of fu-
"He's moving into the parking lot," the scout said.
"All units, go!" the captain ordered, "Squall, you'll stay outside and pin the renegade down."
"Roger," Squall said as she deployed her Golden Dawn and hovered into the sky. While the other units approached the tower in their disguised vehicles, she decided to bring in reinforcements.
-SUSAKI PRINCE HOTEL, KOCHI PREFECTURE-
Autumn's head was sunk in between Madoka's neck and shoulder, whose hand had crept into Autumn's lap. Both slept almost the entire marathon away. It was nearly the end of the final movie when their room phone rang. They suddenly woke up, and after a split second of noticing the position they were in, slapped each other. Autumn was pushed off the couch, right next to the phone. She landed on her back so hard, the entire room rattled, causing the phone to fall off its base and right near her ear. "What?" she groaned.
"Hello, Autumn," a familiar, sarcastic voice penetrated her ear holes.
"Squall?!" Autumn stood up, shocked and flattered, "I...uh...what are you..."
"Oh, I'm just tagging along with some new friends of mine," Squall responded, "We're throwing another protest."
"You don't say?" Autumn was actually trying not to fantasize about...things.
"I wish I was doing something else, I mean they've never stopped. They always drag me along everywhere."
"Well, where are you now?"
"Well...we are seeing a man preach. Preach. In the middle of town. Wow."
"Aw, that's so sad. I can't imagine what you'd have to go through."
"Eh, it's all good. They gave me a...rather large backpack. A bunch of slingshots, blank signs-it's like they want me to turn the guy upside down and dunk him in the fountain or something."
"You want us to help you with that?"
"Well, sure. If you're bringing a few groupies, that'd be awesome."
"Uh, ok! We'll see you in a few!" They hung up.
Autumn inhaled and limped back to the couch, where Madoka has buried her face within the cushions.
"Well?" she muffled, "What is it?"
After a moment of self-fortification, Autumn gave her answer, "Squall regained the Golden Dawn. And the renegade's found the Silverio Gospel."
Madoka pulled her head out and tried to control her insane bedhead, "Oh...Sweet."
"Should we shower?" Autumn asked.
"No...no...let's just go," Madoka dusted herself off and ripped off the balcony door. Then, she jumped off, deployed her Black Knight, and made for the mainland.
"THAT GODDAMN LITTLE ASSBUTT!" she screamed, "HE GONE AND DONE IT NOW! I'LL RIP HIS WINGS OFF AND STUFF'EM IN HIS NOSE, THEN I'LL SHOVE MY ARM UP HIS ASS, PULL THOSE WINGS OUT, AND CONTINUE THE CYCLE UNTIL HE RELENTS!"
Autumn was all alone in the room, now. Which means she can reflect on how Squall sounded much different than when she first came into contact with the renegade. Her sarcastic tone in itself was sarcastic. She sounded like she genuinely needed help to make sure someone survived. That kind of tone never exists in a person unless they've had a life-changing experience.
Autumn shook her head, "I've got some questions of my own, Squall..." She jumped off and deployed her Shinomure to catch up with the now unstable yellow habanero of crazy.
-SHIBUYA TECH-
The very first Phantom Task joint mission was finally underway: buy Sokoto enough time to don the Silver Gospel, then get him to safety. Sokoto has infiltrated the Tower before to gather intel. Now, he's going back to break the Gospel out.
Or so it was supposed to be that way.
Sokoto went back as Rebecca to get in. He approached the gate, and the guard just accepted her ID. Then, he drove to the very top of the garage and booked it. He barged into the work area.
Still the same as ever. All high-tech and dank, with not a soul in the lab anywhere.
"Security is going to be even tighter," he said, "No one works at night. Gotta make this quick."
He went to the computer and booted everything up. All the lights turned on. No alarm yet. He uploaded the schematics onto the projector to give him a visual of what he's supposed to finalize. Then, he took the tablet-WHY THE COFFEE AGAIN?!
"Once I'm done with you, the Legend of the Penis Monkey will be revived!" Oh, f* everything.
He barged into the main hangar. Still no alarm. He walked to the area where they're holding the Silver Gospel hostage. He set everything down and walked up to the Gospel. He slowly ran his hand through its head and shoulder.
"Told you I'd be back," he said with a grin, "Now begins my ungodly convoluted plan."
For some reason, it gave off a very faint aura. He couldn't decipher it, nor did he care. He only cared about the fact that it was still alive. Its eyes slowly lit up. It raised its head and looked at Sokoto(Rebecca). Then, it nodded.
"Glad to see you playing dead until I restored and improved you...somehow..." he reflected back at his experiences earlier, then slapped himself, "Come on, let me make sure you're ready to go..."
He uploaded the data onto the projector and opened the Status program. He saw what the Gospel was made of, how its systems are functioning, and whether it was good to go, or needs more time to adjust. "Ok, Silver," he said, "I'm gonna...TRY...to run some tests on you, and you tell me if something's wrong, ok?"
He felt a confused aura from the Gospel. He took that to mean, "What do you mean, 'try'?"
"Ah..." he scratched his head, "I didn't know what I was doing when I put you in 6th Generation status, so...please don't hate me."
The Gospel held up a middle finger as Sokoto set off to work. He hit Enter, and the tablet projected the Gospel's basic parts. He hovered the mouse to the lower body, and the projector glowed the legs red.
"Ok..." he said, "Right foot."
The Gospel lifted and swung its right foot.
"Good," Sokoto said, "Now, left foot."
The Gospel swung its left foot.
"Boosters," Sokoto said.
The Gospel's feet lit up, and a small surge of energy burst from its feet, lifting it up from the ground.
"Ok, the boosters are gonna need work," Sokoto said, "Looks like they're not compatible with your build. Everything else seems alright. Ok, now float."
The Gospel turned its boosters off and simply floated off the ground.
"And that is compatible..." Sokoto commented, "Lower body test complete." The projector highlighted yellow for the gadgets in its feet, and green everywhere else. Then, it highlighted red for everything above its waist. "Try wiggling your arms."
The Gospel moved its arms and clenched its fists. Then, it punched a few times before returning to standing position.
"Looks good," Sokoto said, "Uh...wings, 10%"
The Gospel cocked its head.
"Or...whip 'em out without damaging anything..." Sokoto crossed his fingers.
The Gospel shrugged its shoulders and entered its 2nd shift, deploying angelic wings from its shoulder blades. Their glow illuminated the entire lab, sending its brilliant light through its windows, and outside the building.
"Well...that got someone's attention," Sokoto rubbed his eyes, "But then again, someone had to be tailing me all the way over here, so..."
The Gospel deployed its new armaments. It got a shield that can block heavy projectiles and shoot a widespread energy shot, and sword with the "Feels" ability.
"What the heck does Feels mean?" Sokoto tapped the word on the tablet, and a description popped up from the Gospel's right hand, which it tried to swat away:
FEELS: WHENEVER THE GOSPEL LANDS AN ATTACK WITH THE SWORD, DAMAGE TO THE OPPOSING IS UNIT IS HALVED, BUT THE PILOT WILL FEEL AS THOUGH THE SWORD ATTACKED HER, DISORIENTING THE OPPONENT
"Whoa..." Sokoto awed, "So you hit somebody with the sword, and they can feel it!" The Gospel retracted its wings and stared at its new weapons. This was a gift from the very people who captured it and rebuilt its core. It was dead for over four years, until it was revived only to be a mere marketing tool. Now before it lies the key to its salvation.
"Ok, wings are intact, sword and shield need a little more time..." Sokoto turned everything off, "Other than that, everything's good!" He stuffed the tablet and spiral in his bag, "Now, we just gotta get you out of here."
The Gospel started to act a little hostile. It held up its shield and pointed its sword at him, as if it didn't trust him to do anything more to its body.
"Hey, hey, hey, easy now," he sensed its fright and held out his hands, "I'm not gonna hurt you or do anything bad to do..mostly because I don't know how that's even possible, but hear me out." He tapped an article about the Silver Streamline's capture he'd saved beforehand, and it popped up in front of the Gospel. "Listen to me, Silver," Sokoto said as he slowly approached the Gospel, "Your sister's in trouble. They've got Silvia somewhere, and they're messing with her even as we speak. Whatever they did to you, they've done to her ten times worse. And I already know that something's wrong with the world, same way you know. And it's gonna eat her up, bones and all." He stopped short of its sword and moved it aside, "How you were able to move on your own, I don't know and I don't care. All I know is, you're my best chance of rescuing Silvia. And I need to know that you want out of here as much as I do, if not more, because that's your sister they got."
The Gospel just stood there. No one had ever addressed an IS by nickname. Giving something a name meant that he's got a personal attachment to it. The Gospel scanned Sokoto's body. It saw. It now knows he's used the Streamline before. His compatibility is perfect with the Silver Streamline's, and is on par with its own. It put its weapons away, because it must have been able to see that it can trust him.
"Does that mean you're gonna help me?" Sokoto asked.
The Gospel remained motionless for a minute. Then, it nodded.
"Good, then I can get rid of this," Sokoto undid his disguise and splashed coffee all over his makeup, "Because part two of my gloriously ridiculous plan involves everyone coming here and not knowing what the hell just happened MY FACE IT BURNS~"
The Gospel, now referred to as Silver, stared blankly at the little yellow flounder, then back at the article. Silvia was caught by a rabbit girl, the same one that created its core. It was trying to think about what to do with Sokoto after they escaped from the facility. Should it bond with him, or go flying out solo and dispose of him? Probably not, because it would be on the run as well, seeing as how it doesn't know where its previous owner was at the moment.
But during all that processing, an alarm sounded throughout the lab. Red light flashing, buzzers, and INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT! SECURITY BREACH AT LEVEL 8!
Sokoto was halfway through taking off his clothes when he popped out of his pants, "Uh-huh. Part two has begun." He turned to Silver, "You wouldn't mind blasting the roof off, would you?"
Silver backed up and gave off a "THE HECK ARE YOU THINKING" aura, before whipping out its shield and blocking a sudden missile strike.
"Yo, dude!" Sokoto screamed, "What the heck was that for?! That was so ahead of schedule!"
"Well, I couldn't help myself," a creepily familiar voice cooed, "You know how trigger happy I am."
Sokoto shivered. He recognized that voice from his second battle, the one person who has managed to follow him nonstop, the one person whose aura he couldn't detect.
Frightened, he whispered, "Pagan woman..."
Suddenly, wire-guided daggers emerged from behind the desk, entrapping them both to a support beam. They winced and stared at each other, wondering who could've came here beforehand. Then, hovering ten feet above them, they have their answer.
"Please, schwuchtel," Laura hissed, "You haven't even begun to see my true pagan side." She charged her rail-gun and aimed it at Sokoto.
Silver noticed that all attention is focused solely on the renegade. She used her aloneness to squeeze her hands free and threw her shield at the rail-gun's barrel, right when it went off. The missile exploded in Laura's face, releasing Sokoto and Silver from the wires' grip. She boosted off, grabbing Sokoto and bursting through the door, and blasting through the hallway.
"Why are we not going to the roof again?!" Sokoto screamed as random tech junk chunked him. Silver looked behind and pointed to Laura, who was closing in. "AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" he screamed, "PAGAN OVERLORD!" He climbed onto Silver's shoulders and tilted them to navigate the tight turns in an effort to throw Laura off-guard. No luck, as she went berserk and slashed away at everything in her way. Multiple times, she would fling her wire daggers at her targets, only to get stuck at certain points.
Whenever she got stuck, a gate closed and locked, cutting off their escape route and forcing them to straffe backwards. This continued until they reached Level 4.
"You see a way out, Silver?!" Sokoto screamed.
Silver uploaded the real-time tower layout. All gates are locked. The only way out was to ram a wall. There was no way to escape without inflicting damage upon themselves.
"Are you kidding me?!" Sokoto shouted, "No way I'm giving them any syrup-CORNER!" Sokoto yanked Silver's head back, forcing her to throw him off, into a wall. She stopped just short of kicking his butt. He eased his head up and muttered, "Ttreerrrrrraaaabbbbbbbddaaayyyyyy..."
This was it. Laura has them cornered. Sokoto looked at Silver for a way out. But she was processing an earlier battle she fought with the Schwarzer Regen. And she knew it was do or die. Right when Laura fired her railgun on Sokoto, Siver shielded them with her wings. Then she leveraged a turning grab to rip Sokoto's clothes off and fling him at Laura.
Laura saw him coming and tried to stop him with her AIC barrier. It didn't work. He simply phased through and stuffed his junk in Laura's face. He knocked her on his back and recovered his footing.
"Uh...Silver?" Sokoto piped, "What was that for?"
Silver pointed to Laura, who was beet red with anger. In her mind, the renegade had the gall to defile a girl's natural beauty. And now, he must pay.
"You...dare...defile...my...sacred grounds..." Laura growled, wire daggers and sabers fully drawn.
"Silver, you are the dumbest ass in the history of dumb-asses," Sokoto muttered. Silver grabbed him and lined them up against the metal wall, preparing for the biggest onslaught of their lives. She huddled him tightly as the daggers and railgun shots went wild. Laura punctured through the barriers and blasted everything within sight, trying to pin her targets down, but they were too agile. At least, Silver was, despite dragging Sokoto by the collar like a ragdoll. Until Silver realized that she wasn't the target. She threw him flat against the metal wall.
"SILVER, IF WE LIVE THROUGH THIS, I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" Sokoto screamed as he prepared for Laura to utterly stab him to kingdom come. But he saw her unleash her energy wing blasts at the same time that Laura fired her railgun. He quickly ducked and rolled to avoid her stabs while Silver continued to fire on Laura, eventually breaking through the wall and pushing her outside. They peeked over and saw Laura crash to the ground.
"Well," Sokoto sighed, "That could've went a lot smoother." Silver shook her head, as she believed that was the only way.
"So, how long until reinforcements arrive?" Sokoto asked. Silver held up ten fingers.
"Oh, ok," Sokoto took that to mean ten seconds, "So, what do you wanna do after we break Silvia out?"
Silver looked at him with a F*** YOU aura.
Suddenly, helicopter lights bombarded their location. They shielded their eyes and looked down. A hundred squad cars were waiting at the base, and five IS pilots were waiting two floors above them. One of them was Laura.
"How?!" he screamed, "I thought we decked you!" Then, he saw. Laura had activated the VT system before she fell, and the mid transformation allowed her to soften her fall and rocket back up...as the Silver Streamline.
"Imitating her again..." Sokoto growled.
Silver unsheathed her weapons and held her sword at Laura.
"Don't bother," Laura said, "This time, we'll destroy your core, Gospel."