Yo everyone, sorry I took such a long time.

I was spending a few days at my mom's place to work out my coming years of school and/or college. The good news that we have figured it out. Next year I'll be going to evening school and after that, I can do college at a somewhat slower pace and that'll take three years.

For you guys, that means that updates will be frequent until September 2019.

I'm a bit disappointed that nobody guessed the Easter Egg I had in this fic. When Mattheus says he is from Flanders, Kizuna wonders if he is from Antwerp.

That's where the story of a Dog from Flanders took place. A story that is very well known in Japan and you can say it's a part of their childhood like fairy tales are that in the Western World. I only know about that story because I read that in a comic once called Suske en Wiske. Spike and Suzy if you go in the USA.

I'm sorry that my chapter took a while. Last weekend, I died from a headache. So sorry but I couldn't write. And while I did prepare this chapter, my Internet fell out so I could write a few chapters out but I couldn't upload them. Hey, the biggest of my work is done on my computer.

That aside, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. Thank you for the support I got in the last month and for the new guys please review my story.

Mattheus had some hours to sleep although it was an uneasy rest. When he opened his eyes, his brain noticed that this wasn't his normal room. For a bit longer than usual, his head puzzled everything together. He was at Ataraxia, where he was brought by those Heart Hybrid pilots.

He had taken Ichika's place as a prisoner and he learned about his and by extension the ISA situation. Reiri was strict if a bit more loose than Chifuyu. She certainly was strong-willed and she had the same aura like Chifuyu around her. Mattheus didn't bother changing his clothes last night but the smell came from his clothes.

Deciding a shower might be something he needed, the young man undressed. Tossing his sweater and t-shirt in one, he winced from the touch on his arms. He didn't wear any shoes due to his sleep and he had removed his belt so he could sleep easier. Taking off his trouser and boxers, he walked to the shower.

He looked at his arms. Living a life as sleeper agent / Infinite Stratos student/soldier, he certainly gained some muscles. But more importantly, it looked like someone made a really fucked up painting using his body as paper and that person had succeeded and failed at the same time. Cuts over his entire body and scratches where the cuts were too small.

Mattheus still thought himself as lucky. He wasn't castrated in the end. Each time, he looked at his body, the memories of a life ago washed over him. He didn't know if that was good or bad but one thing he knew sure. He hated his wounds and scars.

He entered the shower and the hot water washed over his body, the initial sting he got long used to but still noticeable. He never took long showers to avoid irritation on his skin and before long he took his escape from the shower.

When dressing, he made a mental note to get a fresh batch of clothes when he got back at school. After he was dressed, he heard a knock. It could be the case that he grew up with a twelve-year-old punk that his first reaction was to look below his chest. And that worked out because in front of him stood the living definition of cute.

A young blond haired girl, maybe just two years older than Joel with bright purple eyes and a flower in her hair. She was tiny, maybe even more than Joel or Designer could just be tall for his age. "Hello." A chirpy, upbeat voice said.

Mattheus smiled and lifted his hand as greeting. "Sup. May I ask who you are and why you are standing at my door?" She made a small bow.

"My name is Silvia Silkcut. I came to pick you up, Mattheus-san." The Hunter shrugged and followed the girl. "Sure, I'm ready." Mattheus followed the girl whose mouth never seemed to shut up. Not that he really minded. Hearing her talking made him feel a bit better.

He just listened and nodded to her. Turning his head, he saw the faces who were the only familiar ones in the school, all dressed in the uniform. "I brought him here, captain Kizuna," Silvia said while Kizuna patted her on the head.

Mattheus lifted two fingers for a greet. The uniforms were different from his school but at the same time, similar. White was the general color with some differences from his uniform or the ISA uniform by default.

"Thank you, Silvia." Kizuna tossed a small casket to Mattheus which he caught. Smiling Mattheus looked at the piercings. "They did their tests. Neechan didn't tell me what they did. I suppose they don't need more information." Mattheus titled his head and put the rings back on.

"Good to hear. Sorry to ask you but Hida, do you know at which time we will arrive at the ISA?" Mattheus asked while the girls all had a surprised expression on their faces.

"ISA?" Hayuru asked. "Infinite Stratos Academy or ISA for short. It's my school. Or it's the island that got out of the Entrance you'd prefer." The clouds on their faces disappeared like snow before the sun. "So you go to school?" Yurishia asked, earning a nod.

"I take you must be senior." Aine was third. Mattheus cool aura was replaced by a sheepish smile. "No, because of a lot of things, I'm a first year. That said, I already did a normal high school and I graduated back home. I just had to return."

Kizuna raised an eyebrow. "Really? Given your age, we thought you must be a senior."

An annoyed groan escaped Mattheus' lips. He really should start drinking to get an older appearance. "How old do you think I am?"

Silvia scratched her head. "Eighteen." A small smile came on the older man's lips. "Good, I'm passed the eighteen. But no, I'm twenty-one." He enjoyed the expression that was shocked.

"Twenty-one?" Hayuru asked. "You. But, but, but." A luminous blush got most of her face covered. "You're in a school with minors. How indecent." Getting a wicked idea, he decided to tease her. "Oh, don't worry. I'm dating a trainee teacher and before you ask, we're screwing each other. Been doing that for a while."

The three teenage girls or rather, two of the three got a blush by the blunt answer. Kizuna was a little unnerved by that answer while Silvia's face was one of the questions. "Screwing? Captain, what does that mean?"

Enjoying this much more than he actually should, Mattheus decided to press on. "Yeah, explain captain. But I'll spare you the embarrassment. It's a way of saying." Hayuru snapped out of her stupor "that we got an intimate relationship."

It looked like Silvia got the message but it was Mattheus time to be uncomfortable. "Just like you should have Captain."

Was it because Mattheus had spent a year with Ichika or was it because silence had become a trademark. Either way, he did not question on the otherwise really wrong statement.

Somewhere, Kizuna was grateful for the silence. If that gratefulness wasn't mistaken. Before they could continue chatting, a voice boomed over the island.

"The task force Amaterasu plus Mattheus Adjzof are requested to come at the general assembly. We will be arriving at the ISA in less than an hour." The group moved at a fast pace.

Mattheus might have no idea where that room would be but if he just followed the group, he'd get there. Surprisingly, the room was really similar to the ones at the Hackers or at the ISA. Or at his dead comrades, the Metal Claw.

Biting back the sting that the thoughts of their death brought, Mattheus focused on the present. Because of most of the member's origin, some were former soviet commanders, Mattheus took over their characteristics. Not that much mind you. He was still Belgian and it would take a lot more before his mindset was altered to that of his comrades. But if you live for three months with a group of Russian soldiers, some things rubbed off on him. The hints were more subtle but when he referred to his allies, he had the habit to call them comrades. Mattheus looked at the room and noticed something.

Unlike the rest of the school, it was dark with several students if he was right, working on the computers while Reiri and Kei had taken the command seat and overlooked the situation.

"Good to see you are here. Adjzof, we have been trying to get in contact with your school now we're in closer range but so far we have no luck. I'd like to send a word before they recognize us as hostile. Just going back like this isn't such a good idea." Diplomatic, that made sense.

The fact that a Heart Hybrid Gear could destroy the Infinite Stratos rather easily was something he rather kept to himself. Mattheus cupped his chin until he got an idea. "May I?" He asked Kei. Reluctantly, the petite girl moved from her seat. The Hunter began to work on the computer. "I don't think I will get any contact but someone there has a private server installed. Made for the pure sake of fun, the thing is highly professional. I think we can use it to make our requests." Reiri was baffled. Was this just a normal guy?

Mattheus' fingers flew over the keyboard. "Patching in and making our call." A few beeps later, someone took the call.

"Hello." A voice, clearly belonging to a younger person boomed over the room. The students turned to Mattheus who had a relieved expression. "Hey, Joel." He familiarly greeted the boy.

"Mattheus, yo. Good to hear from you again. How are you?" Mattheus turned to Reiri asking her to wait in his motion. "I'm fine, Joel. Can you run to Orimura-sensei to tell her we'll arrive in at the ISA in less than an hour? We need the shields turned down." Mattheus asked the young boy. "Eh, can you wait for a sec? I'll run to Chifuyu and I'll let you do the talking. For the record, tensions are high at the school and everyone had a very bad night of sleep. I hope you're keeping that in account." Joel's painting was the only thing they heard.

Mattheus again breathed a sigh of relief. Seems like Joel and the working source of energy told him that he could still trust on that boy. in truth, the whole thing was set up by Joel who had installed a server at his home when Mattheus went for the first semester to Japan to keep the eyes of the world out his backyard. When the two moved to the school, Joel installed a server at the school. While you could use a normal computer to hack in, you just needed to know the code and the right places to look at.

Joel also made a few phones and Mattheus passed those to the contacts that didn't have a computer or that could be linked back to him. Joel was a real genius. Maybe not at the level of Tabane Shinonono but he could certainly compete with the nutjob. He at least was a lot more preferably to live with.

But that was up for debate. Unless your name wasn't Adjzof Mattheus, he'd be a real eyesore. He had the certain policy of beating seven kinds of shit out of you if you pissed him off or treated him like a kid.

Funny enough, Mattheus did treat the twelve-year-old as a kid. But Joel found that Mattheus made the perfect mix of a kid and a grownup. Certainly, at some points, Joel could enjoy being a kid. Having idiotic ideas or just plain stupid ones, demanding his brother would carry him on his back, (not that Mattheus was against that, it was fun for him as well), playing video games, having zero ideas about sexuality or romance. But at some points, Joel was grown up.

Having no problem with killing certain persons, being good with weaponry and having a good idea of the world, Joel's energetic and insane attitude was his way of keeping himself sane.

The running stopped and a sharp voice rang in. "Adjzof;" Matheus had a little uncomfortable dryness in his mouth. Gulping it down, he began to speak in a casual tone. "Sup, Orimura-sensei. Good to hear you again. Eh, sensei. I think you'll have a hard time believing it but I'm on a floating island making my way to the school. In fact, we'll arrive in less than an hour. Could you shut the energy fields down so we can land."

You could like it or not but Mattheus was POW. And it wasn't just for his sake he asked the favor. The whole school depended on it as well.

"Very well. With how many units will you arrive?" Reiri spoke before the Hunter could even open his mouth. "We will arrive with the task force of Amaterasu, consisting of four pilots plus myself in a chopper and a pilot."

Mattheus had hoped he could tag along but that was a little too much to ask for. Yeah, this wasn't going to work. In the short time, Mattheus had been on Ataraxia, he figured it out pretty quickly. Chifuyu and Reiri had the same personality and that would give sparks. Both were headstrong, proud and stubborn women. Both had the suffer from a high tension and an awful lot on the line.

In this kind of situation, at least the ones he saw or heard from Ichika, Chifuyu was the winner of those confrontations. In reality, Mattheus knew that Chifuyu would never play this on equal ground. Government officials weren't stupid enough to risk anything to try and play it dirty.

Chifuyu didn't tell him, she has made it very clear that he shouldn't dig. That and because Kerlongsj told him that he better didn't be for the best. If even his captain told him not go where he didn't dare to go, Mattheus took the word of his officer.

Funny thing now he thought about it. Kerlongsj was probably the only one who did have such matches with Chifuyu and it often was for the better. By acting laidback but still level headed, Chifuyu's ice queen persona broke a bit. Enough for her to warm up towards the Hacker. While Kerlongsj did mess around with her, he still treated her with respect and while he might be insane to a level that was fun to be around, insanity wasn't a synonym for stupidity. Sure, he'd put himself through danger that would kill normal people. But that was either to get others out of harm's way, rather than a kick or to make a point. Like Kerlongsj had once told him, he had a lot of power stored in him, to the point that overpowered was a better term but the Flemish Devil told him that it's no fun to live that way. In this life, there aren't that many opponents that can give you a challenge.

You often restrict yourself to keep others safe instead of spite towards your foe. And because having the aftermath or a small bomb didn't make a real good idea to use the full extent of your power. That's why Kerlongsj liked Chifuyu in a romantic way. She could put up with him.

But when he would compete with her, he would always play it fair. He hoped to remain intact given the fact that Chifuyu could easily dismember him. And while he could restore his testicles, Mattheus could imagine that wouldn't be fun.

But that was beside the point. Chifuyu and Reiri were largely the same and they wouldn't give any ground. "Oh." Chifuyu didn't use that tone often but when she did, that wasn't good. Mattheus gulped and moved away from Reiri. He was pretty damn sure that Joel would do the same.

"And you think that I don't want my student back to our school. If you want to land, I'd appreciate it if you would return the prisoner. We can otherwise refuse you access to our school."

"Really? I can put Adjzof through less than favorable experiences to the point you won't get him back intact. And miss, you are the ones who have come out an Entrance. Most of us don't really trust you. If you want him back, you all better start listening."

Mattheus hoped he could restrain himself. While he was a prisoner, he was no one's bitch. Since he became a sleeper agent/part time soldier, he made it a point that he belonged to nobody. And that even if he worked for you, it still didn't mean that you can pull stupid tricks. One act really cemented that when he pushed Chasseur pistol under Kerlongsj nose.

The same pistol that could down and kill an Infinite Stratos fired in five till ten meters. That pistol was pushed under the nose of a man. One bullet would destroy the head.

Mattheus namely did that after he found out how it ended up with the Metal Claw soldiers. He made it very clear to his boss. He was a Hunter and if Kerlongsj would use such a thing on him again, Mattheus would fight his captain with every bit he had. Now, Kerlongsj was considered as most dangerous man, strongest Hacker but the look Mattheus gave him caused the Flemish Devil to have shivers down his spine.

He was the first and only soldier who openly defied and threatened Kerlongsj. Oh, he was the first who did that and walked away. So when Reiri told him that they could make his stay a lot less enjoyable, he really wanted to pull out his customized M1911A1 and aim at her head. But this wasn't about him.

This involved the school. This involved Ichika and his friends.

Mattheus was a soldier. A soldier of a mercenary / paramilitary unit perhaps but a soldier nonetheless. He couldn't allow flipping. Not now. Not here. Reiri had a score to settle with Chifuyu, not with him. "You believe we'll just accept that?"

Chifuyu asked. Her vicious smirk normally carried when she would lay a smack down on her hapless victims. Reiri crossed her arms.

"Yes miss Orimura. You will accept that. we know about your machines, told by Mattheus." The Hunter shivered. 'Way to throw me under the bus, Hida-san.'

Reiri continued. "The Infinite Stratos is severely inferior to our own machines, the Heart Hybrid Gears. Even when we're speaking about a modified machine like Adjzof. You do not want to piss us off. So I suggest you go along with our wishes. They are not too much, I hope."

Chifuyu might be proud so Mattheus decided to push a few other buttons." Orimura-sensei. I know it's a lot to ask for but at this point, my captors have been treating me in no other way than just. I think we all like to keep it that way. Please go along. If not for me, okay but for the school. And for Ichika."

Using her brother was a low blow, yes but a necessary one.

An audible sigh came through. "Very well, Adjzof. Seems you got some interesting persons at the place. I'm interested in how she looks. And who is she is to speak to me like that? But we will see you soon enough." Mattheus gulped. He could never handle women like Chifuyu or Reiri for that matter.

He never was like that in woman's regard. He had talked with them sometimes but a woman who was stronger weren't interested in him. The most of who were 'attracted' to him were the ones who thought of him like a cute plaything instead a boyfriend. Any wonder why it took till his twenty to graduate from virginity?

Or the ones who looked at him as a little brother instead. While he now was a lot more level-headed and laid-back, that wasn't always the case. The years after he went from high school, one year, he had the time to work for Joel's expenses and taking care of the young punk had also given him a more mature side.

One time he went back to his high school. While it was fun with most of the old friends, the girl he had a crush on, ignored him like she did in his fifth year. So he didn't even bother to talk to her.

Life had been changing after high school. But when the guys asked him if he had a girlfriend, the picture of Natasha had blown them away. Seems like it worked out for him. And he and Natasha would be close for a long time.

He had wished a few times his leader was here. Mattheus didn't like playing leader. He rather is fighting alone or under someone's command. And Kerlongsj most certainly deserved that title.

Not because of what they might face but the fact that he could bring some peace of mind in this sea of women.

Scene break.

Mattheus stood outside with the four members of the task force. Behind them, the chopper was ready to rise. They got a nod from Reiri and the four deployed their machines.

The young man examined the machines. They were very different from the other. His own machine had some things similar to the White Knight. A bit how the M1911 inspired newer pistol designs. The five flew up, Mattheus leading the group. His speed a bit higher than the four but still making sure they could catch up.

He caught up a smell. The smell of a home. One he could use. His sharp eyes picked up the ISA. He would nearly home. Nearly. He could see Joel again and Ichika and the girls. To have Natasha back around him.

As long he had a few persons watching his back he'd be fine. Even if he was in a world that wasn't his.

Okay, sorry I took so long. I have written quite a lot in my notebook and I had to write it over. I wanted to push on but in that case, the update would have taken longer and that's something I wanted to avoid. I also got a few other works I wanted to focus on, namely The Graduated Student and the Irish Street Punk (Mattheus original story) and En Route to a better life (DxD fic.)

Next chapter will feature a fight and it will also have the scene of the picture I have used.

As we're now more than a month further, I'd like to thank you all for the support I have been getting. Ten reviews, thirteen favorites, and fifteen followers, not counting in the guys who have been putting me on their follow list. So I'm really happy with that given how my other stories turned out.

I'm sorry for the smaller update but I'm not that good with doing huge chapters without the proper planning and thought out ideas.

I'm having a few holidays, next week so you can bet I'll be updating this a lot more.

If you want to put on more, then I'll tell you this. Even if I have worked things out and I enjoyed working (you guys won't believe how many chapters I have written without being motivated) on this, it still takes the time to put this on paper. But given that my homework is done, the Division bores me, which will be soon, I'll be doing a lot more because writing and gaming is a pretty combination to get tired.

So for the guys who want more, I have twenty-four stories posted on my profile and my total word count is 701 527 words, exactly. So you can be busy for a while. And for the new ones on my stories, Kerlongsj Evert Orlejov isn't a self-insert. In a trope, the name is the same. That's all.

He's just an OC I created before I started working on this site and because the strong name was good, I decided to use that as my account name.

The OC and I have nothing in common, except for the fact we're both Flemish. But would that really be so bad?

I have a lot of stories of my Hackers and while they aren't that good, they're still pretty well done. Crossed Paths and At Another World are pretty well done so look those up if you're bored.

I have nothing else to say. Only that I'm surprised by the amount of feedback and that can only ask to work out better. This is going to be a ride and I know that I will enjoy that.

Saluut.