[December 1, 200X. May & Taylor Café]

Located within their university's campus, one cafe's where two magical sciences students planned to meet up for lunch. Among the café's patrons are other students catching a bite to eat, professors picking out what pre-wrapped sandwiches or other grab-n-go goods to bring up to the register, and a trio of teachers' assistants grading stragglers' and extra credit assignments. One of them cracks a joke to her colleagues, to which one sighs, where the other compliments the clever wordplay. "Try telling that to Professor Deacon. Betcha he'll love it," he says.

Seated at one of the tables along the walls is a young man with messy, silver hair that almost covers his gold eyes. He's not too fond of the colder weather December offers – wearing a puffy, white jacket along with a thermal undershirt, a red and white scarf, and black skinny jeans and sneakers. His scarf's utilized as a makeshift mask to keep the bottom half of his face warm. The table's littered with a mess of loose papers hastily gathered into a pile, a textbook with a pencil case on top, and the notebook he's scribbling plans for a schedule in. He recognizes the song one of the staff members set over the speakers – the third track off of the record favorited by someone he'd come close to considering a brother.

Yeah, right. In what bizarre dimension would that be true. Until that day comes, he keeps the façade and makes the most of their camaraderie.

Oh, give me a good guitar
And you can say that my hair's a disgrace
Or just find me an open car
I'll make the speed of light outta this place

He begins singing along to the tune, rhythmically tapping the eraser end of his pencil on the to-go cup's side. "I like the good things in life. But most of the best things ain't free."

A familiar voice joins in. "It's the same situation just cuts like a knife. When you're young, and you're poor, and you're crazy."

The two harmonize the following lyric. "Young, and you're crazy..."

He doesn't look up from the notebook as he knows his company's a good (for now) friend. There's something about the aura he gives off that he's able to immediately identify. Contrasting his lighter than fair skin tone and average build, the other's list of physical traits included lean musculature, dark brown hair, olive skin, and reddish-brown eyes. To top it all off, he's the book's definition of unconventionally attractive. The cold doesn't bother him as much, evidenced by his clothing – a lightweight jacket, paired with jeans, Chelsea boots, and a dark red button-up shirt with the first three buttons undone. A gold chain's visible, whereas the sun charm on his necklace lay obscured by the undershirt. This second young man takes a sip out of the aqua green metal water bottle he removed from his backpack. "I thought you got tired of the music I listen to."

A forced smile appears, slightly obscured by the downward angle. "It grew on me. Did your presentation go well?"

"Yeah," the latter nonchalantly brushes it aside – he leans back with his right arm around the backrest and runs his left through his hair. "The slew of questions were expected, but I handled them all." He takes a quick look around before asking, "why did you call me here?"

"Eh, it wasn't my doing. I'm just here to play matchmaker."

"Matchmaker? But you're single."

"So are you," he points at the other with his pinky. "Don't worry, it's not some random stranger neither of us knows. It's someone who's also in Vince's class. I can tell you haven't noticed there's a person interested in you too."

There's only one person that comes to mind. Petite frame, no taller than five-foot-five, fair complexion, emerald eyes, cherry red hair, and a warm smile complimenting her friendly personality. All positive qualities, admittedly the exact opposite of his aloofness, but he wouldn't lie that she didn't catch his attention. He noted she recently cut her hair short, though she tried to grow it out. Come to think of it, someone matching that description was at the talk he just gave….

A young woman around their age approaches them. She's dressed in a pastel blue beret and coat, white pants and cable-knit sweater combo, fuzzy boots, and a pink scarf. Diagonally across her chest rests the strap of her messenger bag, decorated with cute cartoon animals and logo patches from the comics she reads. The issue she's holding is the newest in a biopunk series about an Atlantic underwater dystopia from the late 1950s where war broke out between social classes. He's read every volume to date, except that one – the author stated the next installment's direction is planned to be set above Earth two years after the Edwardian era. She enthusiastically greets with, "hiya! You must be this friend Asuka was telling me about."

Well.

He was right.

"Uh…." He's utterly unsure of what to say to that. Underneath the calm exterior, his heart rate's increased. Were there people who've hinted at interest in him before? Probably, but he just brushed all of the others off. None of them were her.

"The one he shared thinks I'm cute," her mouth curves into a kittenish smile. "And occasionally sneaks glances while I'm in the library."

Hiding the embarrassment from how she knows those two points, he angrily turns back towards their mutual friend. "You ass!"

Asuka lowly chuckles as he's gathering his belongings. After they're all back in his backpack, he rises from his seat, bidding the two farewell for now. "Well, I'll leave you two be. See ya around, lovebirds."

Flustered state aside, he's maintained a collected composure as the other exited the building. "Asuka R. Kreutz, you are a dead man."

"Have you ordered anything yet?"

"N-no. I was waiting for you first." For someone who rarely emotes, she finds it cute he's nearly tripping over his words. "I am leaving such a bad first impression on her…."

"Oh, okay." Her smile remains with a lessened degree of play, reassuring she hasn't lost interest in the fool he's making of himself. "Wanna go get something together?"

"Sure."

"Oh," she lightly taps her left temple out of habit. "I'm sorry for not introducing myself." She holds her right hand out towards him. "My name is Aria Hale."

He finds her quirk cute and takes her up on the kind gesture, gently taking hers in his. He stands up, and their height difference becomes immediately apparent. "Aria, huh? What a lovely name. I'm Frederick Bulsara."

[December 13, 2187. Illyria Castle – war room]

A multitude of holo-screens above the operator team and knights on standby is what the Second and Third Kings have their attention on. The projection upon the main black screen ranges from radars and surveillance feeds to the coding and encryption language the crew developed themselves. News of the events leading up to I-No's arrest and the story shared about the high-speed chase didn't wholly eliminate tensions and worry. "What a relief that things settled down before I left for the states. I must admit, my mandatory attendance at G4 had been stressing me out."

"Did you read the documents I gave you? I-No's never been captured. Still hasn't." Leo points out one section of the display, showing the aforementioned – accompanying her is their colleague. "She's not sitting on a prison cot so much as our dignity."

"Well, that certainly eases my pre-summit anxiety. Thank you ever so much." Daryl's been keeping track of how long the first interrogation stage has lasted. "How do you think it's going downstairs?"

"No idea. But he's got the other two – er, three, no – two and a half accompanying him." Both watch the screen as the doors leading into the room are slammed open, causing the feed to temporarily fuzz out. "It'd be a miracle if the place doesn't collapse because of him."

"To think she's been the host of two different consciences." A woman in a beige trench coat and black outfit reads over a report before handing it to an assistant. "I need to stop reviewing late at night."

"Your dedication to your position proves unrivaled," her blindfolded companion notes. "We do have people to do the finer details, you know."

What force she houses in her hair shapes it into a large, curved blade that pierces the floor. "I am going to tear him a new one for sharing that data!"

His equivalent prevents her from causing further damage. "Millia, Ky's a trustworthy individual, and he securely sent it to Vernon."

They dismiss Angra and Eddie before continuing, with Rage's hair returning to an inanimate state. "I'm well aware, Zato. I'd prefer if he at the very least consulted with me before doing so." She finishes the remaining coffee in her to-go cup, decorated with the same cat emblem as her clothing. "My understanding is that a select few know of her and that information. If it falls into the wrong hands, the result will be catastrophic."

"How'd the security assessment go, Director?"

"Seems they're increasing output levels because of their special trio of guests. If I were her, I'd kill the person who made me into a monster on sight."

"Living up to your surname?" She shoots a deadpan glare in Whitefang's direction – he grins to her dismay. "What have you two found with your 'specialized' skills?"

"I know what you meant to say," Zato counters. "That our methods are 'illegal.' You say 'specialized' as that's how the government would put it."

Leo walks up to stand in front of the blindfolded man, leaning towards him with a small gap between them. "Don't get the wrong idea. You could be reborn as a buddha, and I'd still hold your every sin against you." He stands back upright, turning his body to take a few steps away. "You're just lucky we don't have any way to prosecute the dead in this country, got it?"

"I'll keep that in mind," he mimes a bow with his right hand held to his chest. "Second King."

"Hmph. Good. Now," he looks towards Millia. "What was it you were saying before you stated you'd off the Gear Maker on sight had he turned you into Justice?"

"If I may have your attention…." Zato sits at the nearby workstation, with Millia, Daryl, and Leo gathering around him. He begins typing on the key ring boards, pulling up information for the three of them to see.

Unbeknownst to the four and everyone else in the castle, a hacker's at work sliding their way into the system. Coming down from the adrenaline rush the six-person chase earlier left, Chaos parks his convertible along the roadside. He sits cross-legged on the vehicle's hood, holding his hands in front of him as two pale blue magical circles project under his fingers. "Okay, it's about time. Better bust out the travel brochure." The spell he casts constantly distorts the space around him.

"We were tasked with checking the security system for G4 and the architecture of the White House for any blind spots." Rage faces her superiors. "To make a long story short, they're both immaculate. We couldn't interfere even if we wanted to. However, we can only speak to the areas we could get eyes on."

"While we were inspecting the White House floor plan that the United States provided us..." The typing ceased as a solid rectangle appeared above the diagram. "We discovered a black box."

"A black box?" Both monarchs asked together.

"As far as we know, not even the President is aware of it." Millia lightly shrugs at her reply. "The file's creation is attributed to several military-industrial complexes the world over. It appears as though, at one point, Illyria was involved in the construction of the White House."

"So," Daryl breaks the silence around them. "What's in the box?"

"It's protected by a nonlinear 3-way matrix authentication encryption process." Zato taps a key to display a black square with red text that reads [!WARNING!]

"Translation?" Leo quips.

"We don't know what's inside," she replies.

"You can't open it?"

"Therein lies our issue. We don't believe that we should."

"Why not?"

"Millia," Zato begins an aside. "What sort of data do we encrypt?"

She holds one of her hands in front of her face, with the other in front of his blindfold. "The kind we don't want people to see."

He holds his bent arms up with his palms open, smiling. "And who loves encryption most of all?"

Angra shapes its host's hair into a pair of hands with the "fingers" bent to resemble claws above her – Eddie's mouth stretches into a big grin behind them for added effect. "Bad people. Well, most of the time, at least."

"That's why the United States didn't notice it, and we did. In essence, King Leo... If we open this and it's a mere jack-in-the-box, we can all laugh it off." Zato rotates in his seat to orient himself in Daryl's direction. "But if it turns out to be Pandora's Box, well..."

"What," he turns his back to them, throwing his hands up in resignation. "Just looking at it will put a curse on us? Don't be so superstitious. It's the 22nd century." He briefly pivots about his right, looking over his shoulder, before headed towards the centermost table. "Archeologists and grave robbers have a name for this kind of thing."

"You're calling it a treasure?" Millia fires a question at the statement. "Regardless, we were tasked with tightening security. We can't predict whether this black box will threaten the safety of G4 or not. Still, whether we open it up and take a look is entirely up to you."

"Do it."

"What!?" Leo interjects. "You can't be serious!"

"What? It's outdated intel anyway."

"The problem's not how old it is. It's where it's from! We should at least check in with the U.S. about it first!"

"I never knew you were so by the book. But alright," he starts heading toward the entrance. "I'll leave this matter in your hands."

"Leaving already?"

"G4 waits for no man..." The nearby swordsman follows him out. "No matter how hard you drag your heels on this."

Whitefang's eyes narrow and his mouth forms a frown. "No need to get snide."

As the three turn their attention away from the screens, the pale blue turns pinkish-red and an animated heart icon surrounded by daggers obscures the center.

A curved wall of screens pop up one at a time, with the one Zato utilized placed right in front of him. "Well done, Post-War Administration Bureau. This is quite the treasure trove of talent." The hacked screen changes to the one bearing his insignia, causing his typing to cease. It opens a multitude of windows, all with extremely sensitive information regarding the White House's secret. "Oho...?" A holographic projection of the building's architecture appears from the top down. It rotates about the center and spins around. "Tír na nÓg. Hey, come on. This is too juicy to ignore. I knew Asuka had to have something fun in the works! Now, let's see where this story takes us."

[Airship. Flight duration from Illyria to Washington, D.C.: 6hrs. Remaining time: 5hrs, 45mins]

"You have something I-No doesn't," he softened his voice to soothe her. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Y-yeah," she hesitates. "I also saw… you, but not as you."

"I wasn't me?"

She lowers her head, averting her eyes to the side. "Forget I said anything."

"Aria, please. Just tell me." He lets go of one of her hands to cup his left around her cheek, gently lifting it so she faced him. Worry in his eyes became apparent. "If it helps, don't speak to me as Sol. Talk to me as Frederick."

It's as if her internal body temperature dropped to a dangerously low level – the only parts of her remaining at an average temp were where he came into contact. Pair that with her stomach turning, she wanted to avoid the conversation altogether. "You couldn't have worded that any other way?" And yet, she managed to continue speaking. "Don't freak out, okay?"

"Uh, okay?" He let go of the side of her face, repositioning his hands and arms to loosely cross. "What are you so hesitant in telling me about?"

She stares ahead of her for a moment before sighing deeply. "I truly hope it was just a bad dream. The 'you' I saw wasn't a Gear. You…." An alternate version of him appeared for a split second – the facial expression remained the same between the two. "You were human."

Time stopped for a moment. A bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face contradicted his calm composure. "I was human? How do you figure that? Did you see what happened?"

She reached out in front of her to wipe it away. "No, I didn't."

"Was my hair shorter?" He reaches behind to bring the end of his ponytail forward. "It's because of my Gear cells that it grew to this length."

"I think?"

He's picked up on her increasing anxiety levels, backing off of the questions. Whenever she felt nervous, regardless of the cause, she'd run off or crawl back into her shell. The possibility of her locking herself in one of the aircraft's rooms and refusing to come out is what he doesn't need right now.

"…Sorry, but I don't think I can share this. I don't want to talk about it further." She relocates to take a seat on one of the cabin's mini bar stools. Her body language – slouching over the counter, elbows acting as support, with her left hand massaging her forehead – says it all.

"Dammit…."

Thinking of changing the room, he gets an idea that she'd like. The basis for this came from the last part of their date night in L'oro di Illyria. He starts by assessing the space, figuring there won't be any difficulty in making alterations – everything in sight is a paperweight compared to his strength.

Aria hears his efforts, turning her seat around. Watching him rearrange all the furniture to set up what he thinks is enough space for them, she sat there wondering what he was up to. A moment later, the floor's cleared to the best of his ability.

"There." Sol removes his leather jacket and gloves, placing them on the nearby chair. As the finishing touch, he removes the suppressor; his hair remains tied up. He doesn't say anything when he extends an arm towards her, only giving an inviting look. "We've got nothing but time, so why not have a dance together? I could use more practice."

She switches between eye contact, looking at the hand held out near her, and back again before asking, "here? Now?"

"This worked when you asked. There's no one else aside from us here."

"…You got me there." She gets up from her seat, removing the same clothing articles he did. She wonders why the gloves had to go too but thinks the answer's clear. A baby step to improving his overall character, he places a quick kiss on the back of her hand – his gruff exterior's slowly cracking. Wearing their "working" clothes and performing a romantic action such as this, in an airship of all settings, caused her to briefly laugh at the absurdity of it.

And damn it all, she loved every second.

Recalling their movements from that night in the park, they mirrored their hand placements. She puts her left hand in his right and right upon his shoulder, where he gently puts his left around her. Without the material of their gloves as a barrier, the callousness of his hands against the softness of hers added to the intimacy. He snapped his fingers to start the phonograph before they moved in time to the music. A tune from over two hundred and twenty years ago, the hauntingly soft sound flowing throughout the space succeeded in calming her nerves. She recognizes what it is, recalling the significance it held.

"…This is the first song we danced to."

"I knew you'd remember. Just forget everything else for now."

Never reaching the end
Letters I've written
Never meaning to send

Beauty I'd always missed
With these eyes before
Just what the truth is
I can't say anymore

'Cause I love you
Yes, I love you

"Oh, how I love you," she sings along. Naturally, she knows the words since she's the one who selected it back then. "You chose this song on purpose."

"Oh no, you've found me out." His deadpan voice had a hint of amusement, evidenced by his slight smile. "You're right. I did."

Gazing at people
Some hand in hand
Just what I'm going through
They can't understand

"Some try to tell me thoughts they cannot defend."

"Just what you want to be, you will be in the end."

Her eyes focus on his forehead's emblem, noting how it hasn't illuminated since he removed the suppressor. She's curious as to how he's retained his human appearance without a sign of turning. "Why did you take it off?"

He half-expected that question. "Just felt like it. And I wanted to show that there's someone still in here between the man and the monster. One that, after all this time, still loves you."

She repositions her arms to tightly wrap them around his midsection – she closes the gap between them and holds the right side of her face to his chest. He does the same, holding her close. While the music continues past the bridge, she hears echoes of what she believes to be an argument. Unlike the nightmare, these are disembodied and crystal clear. What unnerves her further is she recognizes the voices as theirs.

"This wouldn't be the way you want to go out, now is it?"

"What are you doing! Let go of me!"

"No! I've already lost you twice. I'm not letting you die a third time!"

"We'll all die if she isn't stopped!"

"And saving us equates to you losing your life in the process!? Scales of whatever or not, you aren't worth losing for this!"

"(No… no no no…! I heard your voice this time… Please only be a hallucination…)." Believing her voice was inaudible, she muttered, "you were about to lose me again…?"

He immediately picked up on that. The image of Aria in front of him changed from her current ensemble to a heavily damaged version. His vision shifted their surroundings from the aircraft's interior to a colorless, barren battlefield somewhere in the clouds. They aren't the only ones there – he believes there's a group of people standing off in the distance, battered and bruised. The sound of her crying is all he can hear.

"(…Am I seeing things too…?)."

[Oval Office. Time before landing: 4hrs, 45mins]

A holo-screen above the dark wood desk's center activates for a conversation between the President and the Gear Maker. "I-No, you say?"

"Yeah, your former ally's been detained by the Illyrian government." Vernon leans back in his chair, folding his arms. "It's a real weight off my shoulders." He notes the dismal visage of the other. "You don't look too happy about it, though."

"…I once promised her a future." Asuka's seated at one of the bunker's tables, resting his right elbow atop it. "However, it seems I took too long to deliver. She chose to leave me."

"So, you feel responsible?"

"In part, yes, but…." He can't help but think the whole thing is suspicious. "The I-No I know wouldn't allow herself to be captured so easily."

"Some time has passed and I imagine she's already been interrogated. Why don't we save the anxiety-inducing conversations for after she's escaped?"

"My apologies." Asuka lightly blows on his cup of tea to cool it down before drinking.

"Almost forgot. Your old friends are coming over."

"Pardon?" He places the cup down out of the call's view. "My old friends?"

Colin activates a side panel and fast-forwards the brief call from earlier, pausing on a frame where both were facing the camera. He rotates the screen towards the current chat after zooming in on their faces. "Sol Badguy and Aria Hale."

It's as if their static images are staring directly at him. Their expressions are happy and welcoming, yet to him, it seems as if they're glaring and frowning. "She's coming here after all?"

"Learned a bit more than I could've asked for, but I approved it when King Kiske called last night. She seemed nice when I called them upon their departure from Illyria a little over an hour ago." The extra screen closed after a button press. "However, if I were you," he slightly leans forward after holding his clasped hands to face level. He lowers his voice and glares at Kreutz past the light reflected off the lenses before saying, "I'd be fearing for my life right now."

Asuka's uncovered eye darts to the side before owlishly blinking three times. "…You're bluffing, sir."

Vernon sat back upright and undid his hands, smiling at how he's been called out. "Hah! I'm not an actor for a reason. I may not know anything aside from the relayed information, but I have an idea about Aria. We're on the national stage. I don't think she'd let her rage get the best of her here."

"Please don't let her near the PEOC. I'd rather live, thank you."

"No promises, Asuka." He studies the uneasy face on the other end. "Relax, I'm just kidding."

[Airship. Remaining flight time: 3hrs]

Passing the halfway point of their commute, the pair of knights sat at the cabin's mini bar and engaged in a call with their son-in-law. Ky holds the frame housing the photo of him, Dizzy, and Sin up before facing the screen. "How's your flight? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine," Sol responds after taking a drink. "How are things over there?"

"Leo's been camped out in the war room, overseeing events with our security and intel specialists. No sign of your attackers from earlier… though we've upped the efforts here." Ky rotates the camera feed from the interrogation room. "I-No hasn't moved from her seat either. Well, as in stood up and took a lap around. She's just been playing her guitar for the past fifteen minutes." He unmutes the audio channel, allowing them to hear her song.

"My most precious things seem about to be stolen
By a demon that's burrowed into my everyday life
My peaceful moments have already collapsed

Being unconcerned, so nonchalant
Before I even noticed, it'd been torn away...
If I'm gonna get it back, I have to act right away!"

Aria stares at the scene before commenting. "Call it a gut feeling, but she's just waiting for the right time. (Don't ask how I came to that conclusion.)."

"That's what I was thinking," he swipes the screen to the side and lowers the volume. "I'll try to be there before it happens. She let something slip about before G4 ends when you spoke to her."

"You're the one who changed me. The one who can change me back to a plain human at the cost of her life. Wanna see if you can still do that? Ideally before the end of G4?"

"I'm not letting her take me down too," she nearly crushes the cup handle she's holding. "Mark my words. Normal human or not, if she dies, she's dying alone while the rest of us live on."

Sol picks up on her continued aggression, only looking at her through the corner of his eyes. "(What's got into you?) This is going to be a long and weird day, isn't it?"

"God help us all. Guess I'll see you two in a few hours then." Ky bid them goodbye before the transmission ended.

"I'm a little tired. I'm gonna take a nap." Aria stands up and heads toward the onboard bedroom. "Could you wake me up before we get there?"

After the door closed and he heard her lying down, a muffled voice caught his attention. "Uh… Sol?"

He unzipped Aria's backpack to take out the goggles, placing them on the countertop. "Yeah? What is it?"

"You might wanna see this." Jack-O brought up a glitchy projection that resembled a Rorschach test before it stabilized and changed itself. "Neat, huh? It's a synthesized image from Aria's 'premonition.' Is she psychic?"

"Not that I know of."

"I've spent the flight so far trying to make heads or tails of it, but it's pretty vague. I don't even know where this is," she points to herself – she's called for Dorpos and four servants to assist in this scene. "And yet there I am. When we were at the coast where I-No was arrested," she then locates her former acquaintance in the shot. "Aria mentioned something about her being there too. We learned something regarding her possibly attaining godhood, correct?"

"Yeah, that's right. I don't know if you were listening, but In Aria's words, we all fought against her." He tries counting how many other bodies aside from Aria and Jack-O are present. "One, two, three, four… five? She said she saw an alternate me. Doesn't look like I'm in this one. Did you find it?"

"Alternate you? No, I didn't. Maybe if I can put together another synthe-graph from a different scene, I can find you?"

"Synthe-graph?"

"The name I came up with. Anyway, that might take a while longer as what I showed you was from the last part of it." The five other bodies remained featureless, while one of the taller two standing near the back gradually gained definition, and a hint of color faded in – she squints at the dynamic composition. Valentine sees behind the main enemy to locate what appears to be a body floating horizontally in midair; something is protruding from this additional person's chest cavity. She cannot discern who it might be and returns her attention to the prior figure. "A long, two-handed sword? That outfit, body frame, and hairstyle look oddly familiar. Hold on a second, is that…?"

"…Well, shit."

[Washington, D.C. – one hour, 45mins left]

Atop one of D.C.'s many skyscrapers, Chaos places a brainwashing spell on an unfortunate agent. The black and murky green whirl from his magic dissipates before a dark pink mask with rabbit ears covers the man's face. "Let's try something more inconspicuous." The mask changes form to a pair of black sunglasses. One lens turns pink, bearing his black heart icon – the other lens has a white version. "Now, remember what I told you."

"Understood. I will leave an opening in our security on the day of the event."

As the man walked off towards the stairwell, the samurai also under his influence speaks. "Not only can you control people's actions, but their mind and appearance as well? The first option would've singled him out."

"Anyone but you, yes. You get the idea. If you're going to use a plant, you want them to blend in. They'll remove the weeds otherwise." He knows the latter's eyes changed colors again. Knowing this, he turns around and holds his right hand up. The faint green tint and black silhouette highlight the weak point. "Using those fancy eyes of yours?"

"That witch from earlier. You left her behind." Nagoriyuki crosses his arms. "Why do you let me live?"

"She's coming back at a later time, don't you worry. You're the only one in the world who knows my weakness." Chaos hooks his thumbs into the front belt loops of his pants. "That makes things interesting. You could be the key to real drama. That, and, well..." He steps towards the scaffolding's edge – from their vantage point, the entirety of the city's in view. "Honestly, I like you. There aren't many folks out there who hold themselves to their own standards."

"You baffle me. One cannot go far without a destination in mind. Without that, how can you ever know if you've arrived? And yet, you see meaning in pressing ever onwards." One hand near the handle of his first blade, the vampire walks forward. "Just like Bushido..."

"I just want to go someplace that's not on the map. The United States of America!" In the center of it all stands a white obelisk surrounded by a circular grassy area and concrete paths leading to the White House. "You've only ever seen the world before the revival. Isn't this a view? You could say it's a work of art crafted by culture and civilization. But as of tomorrow... It might be called hell."

"So, a path without morality leads to the root of evil, then…?"

[Oval Office. Time before landing: 15mins]

"'Good luck,' huh?" Colin closes the envelope he's holding before looking up to see Erica near an uncovered hidden section of the bookshelf containing multiple zeal canisters. "I'm amazed you managed to get so many of these."

She turns her body around to face him. "It was no easy task, I'll tell you that much. They don't build them to this standard anymore."

"Well," he puts the item down and clasps his hands. "I can't imagine they'll be a necessity for a summit on world peace."

"They're not for the world. They're to protect you," she moves her open palm in his direction before pointing behind her. "I need you to know what we'll be packing."

"Erica, it's not like G4's a war…."

"For me and Dickinson, it is. Do you know why I grew my hair over my ears?"

"Not a clue."

"Because Dickinson talks too loud. Maybe it's old age, and he should've retired God knows how long ago, but he's been telling me the same thing for three years." She puts on her best southern drawl for humorous effect. "'Listen, Erica. To our mission, we stay true….'"

They point their index fingers towards each other. "'Whether the President's tie is red or blue.'"

"Hah, he's still saying that? Make that six years. I want to put an end to the era of might makes right. To let the people look to the future and see a newfound hope."

"To bring about an era where the president designs the badges of his secret service himself?"

"Exactly! And the thing that'll save the world..." He reaches towards the desk behind him to grab an object. "Is football."

"Football?"

"They say that sports once captivated people of all stripes, from all over the country. We should be thinking about how best to enrich the time we spend with our loved ones." His mouth curves into a large smile. "Isn't that the world you dreamed of as well?"

"In one way or another, yes." Erica redirects her attention back to the wall of zeal. "Come to think of it, it's not like we'd need to resort to higher levels of drastic measures, considering who you authorized to come over."

"Eh? Nothing gets by you, does it?"

She lets out a light laugh before taking her glasses off. "How can I let that 'secret' the four of us know and heard from the Gear Maker himself slip my mind? Not to mention your midnight call with the First King and your brief chat with our 'knights' hours earlier? It'll be a miracle if we all survive, let alone Goldlewis doesn't have a heart attack because of not only Sol's but Justice's –"

"Aria."

"Huh?"

He subtly shakes his head while explaining, "she doesn't like being referred to as Justice."

"Ah, right." She corrects herself and makes a mental note not to let it slip around her. "Aria's presence when they touch the ground. How much longer until they get here?"

A mini projector with a sectioned-off map showing the outline of an aircraft started. The timer beneath displayed [Incoming arrival. Time until landing: T-minus three minutes.] "Saved us a trip to the airport. I believe that's them."

After placing her frames back on her face, she holds her hand towards the office door. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but it might be the only time I'll ever get to. Let's go greet our power couple."

[Courtyard]

Armed guards run towards the grounded crafts before the Illyrian airship touches down. A row of agents stand by in front of the colossal statues of past presidents decorating the White House entrance – among them, only one knows the secret. Vernon stood a few feet in front of everyone else, where Bartholomew stood near the rest.

"There they are." Erica spots the wolf spirit standing next to her owner, wearing clothing resembling an agent's uniform. " Wh-… Gio… Did you put a tie, jacket, and sunglasses on Rei?"

"What?" Giovanna retorts. "She wanted to be here to see Sol and his partner too. She's behaving." Both women's heads turned to watch the ship's special passengers emerge after the walkway opened. Disregarding the hero dressed in red and white, her gaze immediately fixes on the woman in black and blue. "Huh, she's pretty. And looks pretty tough. Hard to believe she was the beast we all hated at one point."

Colin's the first to greet them as he's right before the ramp's end. "How's it feel being back home again?"

Sol stretches his arms out in front of him before replying, "it's not exactly Turin in November."

"What do you think of the White House, then?"

"From out here, it looks like the same shit as Illyria Castle. Now I see why taxes are so high."

"In this world, nothing can be said to be certain," Aria adds. "Except death and taxes."

"A dark sense of history humor. Hah! I like her already." Vernon starts walking towards the entrance, motioning for them to follow him. "The laws of this country are grand, you see. If you steal something, you've got to put it to use."

An unusual sight catches Aria's eyes. "Quick question. Does the Secret Service include green and black wolves?" She beckons Rei to her, whistling when she sees it hasn't budged. "It's okay. You can come over." She watches as who she believes is the owner encourages it to go. The wolf begins walking at a slow pace, neutral stance to avoid appearing as if it's hunting prey. Once it was close enough, she kneeled and held out a hand for the spirit to sniff – a second passes before her hand's licked, and Rei places a paw on it to shake.

"Well," Colin begins. "That's new. Is there a dog at home?"

Sol looks over to him, visibly smiling. "Sorta, but it's her little sister's. Is a wolf's paw of approval a good sign?"

"Looks like she's left a positive impression on her," Erica leans towards Gio while still facing forward. "And on us."

Aria looks back at where Giovanna's standing, seeing her hide her smile and laughter. "I think both of them like me," she remarked while scratching the back of Rei's ears. She pats the symbol on her forehead before dismissing to return to her host.

Another vision glitch happens. The agent and her pet become solid light mannequins for a second before reverting back. "First, it was Jack-O, then that samurai from the chase. You too? What the hell is in store for us?"

[".hguone noos tuo dnif lla ll'uoy dna ,llew seilla ruoy esoohC"]

Following the path down the main hallway, the group of four stops at a designated guest room. These quarters are furnished similarly to a luxury hotel suite with all the necessary amenities. White diamond-patterned wallpaper surrounds the space, while the dark brown of the wooden doors, cabinet, and headboard stand out.

"Okay, be frank with me. I thought we knights were supposed to guard the conference room. Why are we the only ones on standby?"

"On the day of G4, each country will bring along their most highly-accomplished knights. If our country were represented by a world-renowned hero," Erica turns to face Aria, "and someone such as yourself, Ms. Hale, it might appear we're making a mockery of the others."

"Should I change into something else, stand by, and look pretty?" She asks, placing her hands into her jacket's pockets. "I've been told I'm dressed more like a brawler than a potential bodyguard in this."

"She does have the same sense of humor as Gio. The two of them will get along just fine. That won't be necessary. As far as I'm aware, you're the first and only female knight in the summit's history." She leans closer to whisper something in her ear. "And that's saying a lot, considering I know who you were before. Your old friend revealed your identity to us."

There's the answer to her question from yesterday if they did or not. Aria's eyes slightly widened from hearing that. "Didn't think he'd share it. You have nothing to worry about. What you see in front of you is on humanity's side this time." She hooked her left thumb around her necklace's chain, elevating the crescent charm into view. "Powers, limiter, and all."

"I trust Colin's judgment more than anything, but I'll hold you to your word." The faintest hint of a smile emerges on her lips; the latter takes it as a sign she's gained the young politician's trust and faith. "Pull this off, and I'll be sure to personally write your name in the books as a heroine, 'Luna.'"

That's the second person who's correctly guessed her alias today. "You picked up on that quickly."

"The charm and what's on your glove are a dead giveaway."

Waiting for the side conversation to cease, there's no time wasted before Sol asks, "so, what? Should we just nap through the entire thing?"

"That's our hope," the youngest in the room responds. "If you slept here through G4, then headed home when you woke up… that would be our ideal outcome."

"Vernon," he changes conversational partners. "You know you can be straight with me. It's Asuka who wants us here, isn't it?"

"You knew that all along, and you still came?"

"Yeah, well… This is between the three of us. You just got caught up in it."

"Do you know what he's trying to do?"

"We have some idea from a mutual source," Aria answers. "Can we see him?"

[The Pentagon – control room]

As the remainder of the summit attendees arrives one by one, Goldlewis enters the dimly lit control center. The sound of keys clacking, monitors humming, and footsteps from those walking about accompany the artificial light from every active screen in the area. Those in the row closest to the entrance briefly cease action to give him their attention.

"Alright... Listen up, people! We're on high alert till each and every ambassador is back in their room with a warm bed and a full stomach. Now, I know you good folks never give anything less than your all. But today... Today your all won't be enough." He picks up on the chatter his statement triggered. "This is gonna be the longest damn day of our lives, make no mistake. Now let's get to it."

"S-sir, I've got to ask..." a youthful, blonde operator dressed in a black suit with a red tie asks. "Is the Gear Maker really that big a deal?"

"Excuse me?"

"I mean," she tries minimizing stuttering. "I've never been ordered to deploy five whole security divisions for one conference before..."

"I've never issued an order like that before, either... But by the same token... You've never met an individual who could take down the entire goddamn Union Fleet empty-handed, now, have ya?" Dickinson sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, knitting his brows. "Not to mention the partner he brought along. If you knew the most minute detail of that lovely little lady's history and how she's connected to them, then you'd understand."

"...I have not."

He pulls up a board of the G4 ambassadors and their respective knights. A snapshot of Aria taken from the landing was placed between the United States and United Kingdoms of Illyria (and next to Sol as there's a line connecting the two). "First impressions are everything, and what I got from her is we have another Giovanna on our hands. Just this one doesn't have a pet wolf and is at minimum ten thousand times more dangerous."

For someone she doesn't know, the operator expressed her concerns. "Mr. Secretary, it sounds like you're placing an unreasonable amount of doubt on one person. But… there isn't much known about her. Not adding to what we could get out of any database – namely what the PWAB shared with us today – anyway."

"Well, she ain't wearing a loose-fitting dress and a blindfold, carrying a sword in one hand and a scale in the other, now is she?" To his credit, he gave a spot-on description for the positive image of a lady with the same name. "I don't completely trust her or Sol, but we're out of options. Assuming she's true to her word about fighting on our side, keep a close eye on her."

"…Right away, sir," she responds before walking toward a different workstation.

"If we make it to tomorrow, you'll have someone else standin' next to ya, Lincoln." Goldlewis's sight fixes on a camera from the rooftop level. The image is of Giovanna and Rei searching for an unseen presence. "Gio? What could you have picked up this time?"

Resting in their usual spot, Rei begins barking. The wolf spirit sniffs around, squinting her eyes as she picks up an intruder. Giovanna follows in her direction. She stands atop the nearby eagle statue, her nose pointed upward and following the skyline – she's oblivious to the person halfway across the city staring directly at her with a malicious grin on their face. "...! What's up with this scent?"

[Conference room]

Four agents stand in pairs on both sides of the entryway before they're dismissed, closing one of the double doors. Erica steps into the room with Sol, stopping right before the nearest chair at the meeting table's end. "I'm afraid we can't approve of an in-person meeting before the event, so you'll have to settle for this." She holds her hands towards the wall-mounted screen above the fireplace.

"It'll do." A moment of silence increases tensions between the two former friends before one starts listing off the other's known aliases. "First, you're 'That Man,' then the 'Gear Maker,' and now the Devil himself." He crosses his arms out of annoyance. "How many names does one man need?"

"As of right now," the silver-haired man begins – the emptiness of where he is creates an echo effect. "None of those apply to me."

"Then who the hell called me here?"

"Just Asuka. The boring man with a fondness for math that you know so well."

"Let G4 end peacefully. Once it does, I'll kick the shit out of you and head home."

"Frederick... I've never decided anything for myself before. I followed the influences around me, tried to adapt myself to them. My long list of aliases is a testament to that. I've never truly been myself. Thinking back on it now," Asuka rests his hands on the control panel's countertop, slouching forward with his head tilted down. "It seems the same could be said for my becoming a scientist. In turn, I've always pushed the responsibility for my presence in this world... ...onto everyone else." He takes a deep breath before lifting his face up to the screen. "But that changes today."

"All of us here are witnesses to this. Including one more."

Asuka knew the scene in front of him was incomplete. He noticed one crucial figure missing, thinking she'd have been standing next to him the whole time. "You didn't come here alone, did you?"

"She asked me nicely, and I wouldn't deny her this opportunity." A smirk crept up on his lips. "Actually, it was more I took her for a night out, and she decided herself after she learned about this." He hooked his right thumb in his front pants pocket, pointing behind him with his left. "She's right behind that door, leaning back against the wall. Given our history as a trio of 'friends' and what happened after a certain awry activation date, I'd be scared shitless if I were in your place."

"You're the second person to tell me the same goddamn thing. She knows that I… unintentionally used her too?"

"You've got some balls for using me as the reason she agreed to cryo. And, well, everything else."

"I sense a strong murderous intent, and it isn't from you… Aria's here, huh? May I see her?"

"Request granted." On cue, Aria stepped through the doorway into the conference room. Her unreadable expression contrasted her vocal tone – an unusual cross between annoyed and hospitable. "It's been a long time since the three of us were, well, together. How have you been, Asuka?"