A/N: Okay before i say anything its review responses.
Guest: To the guy who asked 'Please update soon boss' I'm trying to do so buddy.
Rubicon VI: No issues regarding that, however my point stays the same and i will stand by it, that doesn't mean i won't take your word into consideration. Thing is I've done a re run and my opinion hasn't really changed on the matter.
Other then that, I'm glad you like what I've got going on.
Nine Breaker: I don't think i can deliver on that. And i do not like Laura even remotely enough for that ship to happen. Sorry man.
Chrome: The Raven isn't a PLUS actually...i consider his enhancements to be standard issue for survival purposes.
My belief and correct me if i'm wrong, i find HUMAN PLUS to be above and beyond that...as in almost full cybernetic conversion. I also think they don't live outside of their Armored Cores.
The relationship with the german midget won't happen on a romantic level but i can see the appeal of a student-master synergy.
Problem is she is completely devoted and somewhat obsessed with having Chifuyu as her mentor and instructor.
I'll see what i can do.
Now then onto business: Time for a proper face to face meeting instead of looking at a sleeping beauty all day...well beauty is a bit of a farfetch really.
At first he will panic, like any normal teenager or young adult finding himself strapped to a hospital...a few minutes later is where the fun begins...
Shall we?
It had been three hours since they managed to put him down and have nearly emptied the pot the good nurse had brewed.
They used that time to look at the surveillance footage of the room and were startled. The boy had been awake since 10 o'clock in the morning...the way he went about, trying to feel around him was odd...like he was blind and trying to figure out where he was.
On one hand it's understandable...not every day you wake up from a coma. When the nurse came in he stopped moving as if he was scared...or in Chifuyu's opinion, cautious.
Two hours later and he made sure to cease all movement. Indicating that he must've heard her and stopped to stay out of the radar.
The seizure started an hour after that and following it, they helped him jump start himself. He was left alone for another 2 hours, in which he used to gain some semblance of movement and crawl out of his bed.
10 minutes before they came back he tore the sensors off and tried to pull of that stunt.
There was a lot of wincing when he dropped like a sack of potatoes after trying to stand and proceeded to crawl towards the door where they found him and put him under.
The nurse had given him an anaesthetic that can out anyone under for a day or two and the dosage could be considered lethal for normal people.
Yet his metabolism was processing and running through the sedative like it was no one's business. Without further applications he would wake up in the next hour, maybe less provided he has no complications according to Mèng Yáo.
'That only leaves one thing to make sure about' Chifuyu thought as she finished her third cup in a row. Coffee she found was a wonderful stimulant, good taste and a kick in the rear to get you going.
"So when he wakes up, how do we go about it?" She asked them, because despite her thoughts she wasn't doing this alone.
Standard interrogation tactics weren't something they could use because one he was badly injured and in a hospital bed and two because they had no idea as to why and how he came to be... figuratively speaking.
Ms. Yamamoto stood up from her seat next to the door, straightening her skirt "Why not have Maya question him?" she suggests much to the embarrassment of her peer.
"Wh-what m-m-me? Can't Chifuyu do it?" Maya shook her head, sputtering the words...why her of all the people in here? Chifuyu would be able to get whatever answers she wanted by forcing the matter, Mèng Yáo had an offshoot of truth serum which according to her was being saved for 'Marriage issues' and Yamamoto was beautiful enough to just charm the boy.
The latter took the decision to answer her "The board decided that someone with a more...soft and delicate touch was to handle the situation." She started to explain.
"We will be here to make sure everything goes smoothly but not in the room. You got nothing to worry about Maya" The good doctor offered her own words of comfort. God knew she needed those.
When they saw the boy stirring, they hushed and shuffled out of the room leaving the Vice homeroom teacher to fend for herself...she started squirming when she saw the boy moving his hands, only to drop them in defeat.
"Tied down again...that went well..." he whispered, unable to raise his voice more then that.
Since his eyes were covered and he didn't pay attention he was unaware of the woman sitting on the stool in front if his bed fidgeting.
Maya was anxious...that much was certain. Her limited if outright non-existent interactions with the male gender aside, the boy was stressing her out.
What was she supposed to say 'Tell us everything and maybe we'll let you out?'
Seeing him struggle with his binds, she took a deep breath and began "T-those are for your own safety...pl-ease stop moving"
He went slack immediately and his head tilted downwards, locking on to the direction of her voice "Who...are you...wh-where am...i..?" His throat was hoarse she noticed. Probably dry.
She took the plastic bottle and opening the cap brought it near his mouth "Maybe this will help" He felt the plastic next to his lips and opened his mouth just a bit.
The next few moments felt like a god send, the cool liquid easing his strain. Tilting his head back to signal it was enough he heard the woman closed the bottle and took her seat...
"You gave us a lot of trouble these past few months. We're lucky the year hasn't started yet" As the conversation began to get some traction Maya started finding her confidence.
As an olive branch she lifted the bandages to above his eyes. Those gold-orange colored...'Focus Maya' she scolded herself.
"Can you tell me your name? Or where you came from?" She tried with the basic introductions.
The boy in front of her seemed more comfortable to stay quiet on that end, merely staring at her. The look was making her feel awkward as she wasn't used to being the center of attention for the male gaze.
Of course that was all in her head as the boy wasn't exactly looking at her exactly.
There was something more important to him then listen to the woman babble trying to pry answers out of him.
Namely what looked the Heads Up Display forming in his sight:
/Main support systems impaired, rebooting.
/Structural support grid at 73% integrity.
/Cranial augments...synchronizing.
/Radar...inactive, rebooting sequence initiated.
/Left arm Cybernetic prothesis, fully functional.
He tensed his hand at that... that's why it felt heavy, not because he was weak...well he kind of was at the moment but the point was: It wasn't his real arm...panic started to set in.
He started shaking, this was bad "What did you do to me!? Where am i!? What's going on!?" Did they do this to him? Were his legs like that too? How much damage did they do?
He heard her calling out to someone and three more women barged in.
"Calm down! we did nothing to you. We've been trying to keep you alive all this time."
He continued to struggle until an alert pinged in his head: Mnemonic recovery...complete. Restarting brain functions. "Le...m...out"
And he slipped into unconsciousness.
Chifuyu clicked her tongue in disappointment, this was expected in some form or fashion but for him to slip back so soon wasn't what they had in mind.
"Get another pot in, looks like we're gonn-" her words dies right before they left her as the boy opened his eyes and leveled a look to them that could be described as dead/neutral.
"State your names, employment and location" the monotone way he delivered that made her raise an eyebrow. Was he trying to sound tough? And it was the first time they heard his voice. Soft and hollow, as if he wasn't even human. An opinion that changed depending in who was asked.
"'Name, employment and location? And who's going to answer that?" She wasn't sure if it was an act but if it was she wanted to see how far he would take it.
"I was referring to all of you... don't make me repeat myself" He had guts, she'd give him that. "You talk big for someone in your condition. Alright... I'm Chifuyu Orimura, first year homeroom teacher and official instructor here at IS Academy, where you happen to be right now." Black long hair and eyes, sharp features, white shirt under a black long sleeve button up, black skirt and heeled shoes. Estimated age around 23-25.
"M-Maya Yamada, vice-homeroom teacher for first year students here at IS Academy" The green haired one started. Timid disposition, early to mid twenties in age, short like the rest, soft features, green eyes with glasses.
This one wore a yellow dress with black edges, knee-high boots and pink underwear. Why she thought it was a good idea to expose that he had no idea. The outfit seemed slightly big on her as did the glasses making her look somewhat childish.
"Kaori Yamamoto, Vice principal of the IS Academy" The one in red introduced herself. Brown long shoulder length hair, heart shaped face with, brown eyes, a white dress shirt under a black vest and a red waistcoat, red knee length skirt and brown stockings with brown, ankle length, low heel boots. Age...late twenties probably.
"Mèng Yáo Leung, head nurse of the IS Academy infirmary, it's good to see you awake." Her voice he recognized instantly, she was the one he was hearing while unconscious. Seemed to be in hear early thirties or so. Typical outfit worn by medical staff. They were all of similar descent, judging by the slightly narrow eyes and somewhat flat face structure.
The one in black then took the turn to speak "Now it's your turn kid, who are you and how did you get here? And I'm not talking serial number." She told him gesturing to the side...turning to look he saw his tags as well as..."Where did you find that?" he demanded.
That photo was one of the few valuables he possessed and he distinctly remembered leaving it in his cell back in HQ.
"We found it when we cut you out of your suit...quite a redundancy to have that much armor for an IS really, the crash along with heat build up began melting the armor and it was starting to fuse with your skin." The nurse started listing his injuries after that.
And that wasn't making sense...his tags he could understand, they never left his neck, but that photo was far too valuable for him to risk damaging or losing it. As such he made certain to leave it at a safe enough place so nothing happened. Said place being his cell back in GC headquarters.
He pushed that thought to the back and continued to listen to the doctor.
"We treated you for the burns and were able to regenerate most of the tissue but the one over your prosthetic...we weren't able to replicate. You had multiple lacerations in your legs and torso and the visor was damaged causing a deep gash on your face. Four flail chest segments and with your bones being coated like that made it hard to fix. Mechanical ventilation and hard padding kept them in place until they started healing, most likely cause being...your implants"
She was right on that end...the sentinel along with the rest of the kit was essentially a full time life support system designed around repairing internal structure and any damage inflicted.
"Other injuries included ballistic trauma to the heart, lungs, vertebrae and sternum, pulmonary bruising, ruptured lungs, 3rd grade burns in upper torso and both legs, a thin gash spanning from the top of your right eyebrow all the way down below your left eye and a linear skull fracture in the back of your head."
That diagnosis was not favourable, the amount of damage could keep him out of action for a long time or kill him should his augs malfunction. "Quite frankly you should have been dead three months ago" Right...that potentially fatal crash.
However one thing bothered him..."IS Academy? Where is it and what's it's purpose?" He knew of a multitude of institutions back in Layered but never one named like this. Higher education maybe?
Chifuyu for her part stared at him as if he was dumb. There wasn't a person alive on Earth who didn't know about IS academy and everything that accompanied it. Maybe the head injury caused mild amnesia?
"IS academy was built on an island off the coast of Japan. IS or Infinite Stratos are powered exoskeleton suits originally designed for space exploration but were converted and used for military purposes due to advanced technology and combat proven capabilities. Students that study here train to use them" He's playing with them, there was no way he didn't know when he possessed five of them.
His reply though left them all stumped. "It's located on the surface...they discovered a new region? And the institute was made to train military pilots for advanced warfare. Understandable." They were officially training Ravens for AC piloting...or maybe an offshoot if his suspicions were correct. How fast did the corporations work to expand so fast as to discover a new region though?
The looks he received from two out of three women however told him it was something else. The horror and outrage on the red colored one would have been quite visible had his retinal display not been trying to reboot. "Understandable!? Of course not. The Alaska treaty prohibits their usage in any sort of combat environment. They're only used for data gathering and sporting purposes."
That...that made his thought process stop momentarily. They had at their beck and call what he assumed to be a state of the art new generation AC units and they used them as...toys?
Data gathering he could understand...space exploration was a heavy undertaking, even the trip to the Silent Line satellite station required quite a few resources to be used just for a few AC's to be transported.
And the casualties were still heavy on his mind. He made sure to thank Shade for drawing aggro on that unmanned unit long enough for him to dispose of the generators and assist him in taking the damn thing down.
But strictly for Arena matches? For entertainment? That was outright ridiculous. Inconceivable, idiotic and many other expletives he was too stupefied to mention.
The green haired one latched on to a part of his statement "Of course it's located on the surface. Where did you think it was?"
He was feeling light headed, the nurse was upping the sedative dosage. Good, cause otherwise he would be speaking a bit differently. He decided to put another question "How far are we from the Layered facilities?"
The black haired one...Orimura he amended in his head narrowed her eyes "You tell us, is 'Global Cortex' looking for you?" The way she spat the name puzzled him, what grievances did she have with GC?
In any case his answer would give him some perspective, the mobilization to attack the region guarded by the Silent Line was made public knowledge by every party involved. "No, if the mission succeeded and i haven't been contacted then i would be considered K.I.A"
And not just himself...Shade, Carom, Foreman, Diligent...Eclair and the rest were all gone. And he accepted that, after all...the mission took precedence and every Raven fully understood that.
Speaking off...why was he still alive? 'Activating transportation'...where did the AI send him? Was this another Layered...if that was the case why the interrogation?
They had understood he was a Raven, if the fact that he was found inside his frame was any clue. Did they think him an irregular?
"One of their prized projects just written off like that? You think anyone will buy that?" Orimura tried to bait him... project? Him? Was she trying to misinform him as a test? Cortex was their mediator, their handled and also provided political protection. If a Raven was missing they declared him an irregular and severed ties... otherwise they were listed as confirmed K.I.A...
She was either trying to make him mis interpret his words...
Or...if what he thought was happening was true...please throw him in a furnace. "Can you provide me with the current Date and time?" He asked in a more neutral tone.
It was a sensible thing to ask about and the red colored one, Yamamoto took her turn "I can answer that for you. Today is September 16th, 2045...time is 6:30pm."
That wasn't right, he repeated the question twice...and got the same answer again "There a problem with that? Were you out too long or something?" Orimura asked him.
What was he supposed to say? 'I was flung at least eight hundred years in the past by a malfunctioning AI?', cause apparently that was the case. And if all records recovered and archived are right...this predates the Great Destruction...It wasn't far off if he remembered right.
2045...he had no idea how long it'd take but he doubted that history would repeat. There was something in the back of his mind and not provided by the processor attached to his cerebrum, that everything was different.
The question was how? What changed here to subvert and switch the flow so as to prevent the start worst period and of course the lowest points in human history?
"You train pilots for state of the art military grade weaponry...that sees use in, play fighting instead of actual warfare. That...is degrading on a level i had not thought possible" He condemned them with all the bluntness of a sledgehammer.
"They are too dangerous to be used that way!! And the Alaska treaty was signed by all major governments to ban their employment for anything else other then sports and data gathering." The one named Yamada answered him...of course the constant trembling and half stutters that accompanied her sentences made him doubt her.
Too dangerous to be used in battle??? Was he thrown in an housing for the insane? Weapons are meant to be used and barring some exceptions a side tends to benefit having a more dangerous weapon then their enemies.
That's the point of a weapon in the first place!! "Pardon me if i don't share your reservations on the subject. But do you think a signed contract will stop any major power from conducting their own experiments, tests and research in secret without anyone else knowing?" Cause if they did then their IQ was lower then he initially believed it to be.
"The creator and mind behind the IS would know and probably prevent any efforts made. It's been a few years and no one has even been able to replicate her theories much less put it to practical use." Orimura solved that question... partially "One person is responsible? Are you misinforming me on purpose?"
One might be able to come up with the idea of the Armored Core, he could visualize that. Many great inventions and concepts were just a person's idea at some point or another.
But if she was telling him that just one person was able to build and mass produce these weapons as well plant a fail safe shutdown mechanism on every produced frame running around without the corporations knowing or getting their hands on it was not something he could feasibly rationalize.
"You find that hard to believe? Tabane Shinonono created 467 cores and unique frames on her own. And no one has been able to reproduce her masterpiece. Large corporations have managed to mass produce training units and first or second generation frames but they are nowhere near in capabilities." The re- Yamamoto he corrected told him.
And he found it odd. If there was such a person down in Layered, neither the corporations or the Controller would have let that person operate solo. That would allow them to be an uncontrollable and unpredictable factor that could shift the scale anyway they wanted. Of course no such person existed.
At least not an independent operation...he couldn't believe he was thinking that way. That he was centuries if not a millennia and more before his time was a problem but this?? Sure... IBIS had developed and used technology a few steps above what they had in use...but to have developed a literal time machine?
No goddamn way...not a time machine, he was flung to a parallel world...or something along these lines, he was never academically learned enough to be able to fully understand the subject or talk about it.
But it happened, it happened and he was gonna go mental. "Show me..."
"Show you? You have five of them and you want us to show you? Are you just lying on purpose?" Five of...them? He was piloting Fatalität...how could they know about the others?
Orimura tried to press him "A male pilot for any IS units is not just something unheard off... it's outright impossible...so I'm gonna ask again. Who the the hell are you and where are you from?" Chifuyu had been puzzled by the term 'Layered' and tried to bait it out.
Same with Global Cortex but the way he spoke gave her two impressions: a) They did not care about their assets , as in he was expendable, the others as well or b) Their relation to each other is far different then what she initially thought and was wrong about him.
The reaction he had about being called a male IS pilot was odd...he seemed to be slightly confused but not about that. It was as if he really didn't know the importance or he was making a different connection...
"Maya put up hangar footage on the monitor, show him what's going on." Yamamoto said, and he tilted his head upwards to shift comfort a bit. The screen lit up...and there was nothing but silence.
"You're still gonna play the idiot?" Orimura asked him, a scan showed her heartbeat rising and she was clenching her teeth slightly.
"You are showing me four Armored Core units, four of mine but i digress...what exactly am i supposed to see... instructor?" Other then the fact that all four should have been back in HQ in the industrial layer he wasn't able to make the connection they were...he had his suspicions but he had to be certain there was a difference in terminology. And their confounded expression gave him that assurance.
"Armored... Cores?" Yamada just parroted the name slowly. Now was time to really throw the bait "Yes, Armored Cores, mechanized, fully customizable and interchangeable, all-range combat units. Designed i think just about after the Great destruction, they were created as a game changer. They have been proven time and again to be the best and most efficient combat machine for the last two hundred years..."
And just like that they took it...hook, line and sinker. "And currently you are staring at four AC's. This should be the point where all disparities are explained?"
Mèng Yáo was deep in thought. The nurse hadn't spoken since she listed the boy's laundry list of injuries and even then he didn't seem really perturbed. And nothing else added up. His insistence to know date and time, his opinion on how IS units are used, as if he felt insulted people didn't die around, and now this??
"What was the Great Destruction, if you don't mind me asking?" she made a query, taking the reigns of the conversation and having four pairs of eyes on her.
"The Great destruction was a catastrophic event in human history that resulted in the loss of a quarter of the total population of the time, severely damaging the surface and forcing humanity into underground bunkers. It is believed that it was caused by extensive warfare that utilized chemical and nuclear weapons. Of course simple shelters wouldn't suffice...so humanity or what remained of it started building..."
Which wasn't a bad time if he was honest. Though from what he remembers of his family...they might have said that life would have been miles better on the surface.
No artificial atmosphere, not having to eat processed paste made of broken down humans during the first days, not needing to use air filters in case ventilation malfunctioned. No corporate warfare or other large scale conflicts all around.
According to them, life was a paradise on the surface before everything started. And it was all the fault of two large corporations supposedly, ling before Mirage and the others were even a concept...what were his parents names again? And what did their faces look like for that matter? He knew he'd start forgetting them when the implants for mental conditioning started activating but he thought getting rid of them would bring everything back...guess not.
"And we went from dozens of kilometer wide bunkers to massive subterranean sprawling complexes called Layered. After the Great destruction, most of the world became privatized with multiple large conglomerates and corporations taking the spotlight." Which quite frankly did wonders... inflation was always at a low and steady 0.5% and every contract, every price was based on a regulated production rate. Which was usually affordable even for the 'low class' citizens."
"Of course the massive degree of regulation and administration needed to properly run them as well as have the ability to fulfil the needs of their inhabitants, they were governed by powerful, advanced A.I's." And they did a good job for centuries...of course nothing lasts forever and The Controller was bound to start malfunctioning at some point.
"Every Layered city is built to be fully self-sustaining and efficient, able to provide the populace with every need including but not limited to: Air, power, water, food, artificial sun and moon, multiple different artificial ecosystems and a fully functional seasonal cycle." And he liked the 'Winter' season the most when he was a child...even now he prefers the colder climate. Ignoring the dinner plate-sized eyes and open mouths he continued.
Yamada was seeing stars "How is that possible? The resources alone to create and sustain such technology are impossible to constantly utilize!!" He could understand her shock for that "Primary energy sources were nuclear power factories that used a number of cold fusion reactors and plasma cell generators. Another source was thermal energy derived from underground reservoirs leading to the planets's core...tectonic shifts allowed the heat to go upwards...paneling designed to draw and capture that and repurpose the energy generated was easy." He didn't know much about physics and chemistry but he was hoping they understood the basic concepts.
"Of course as time went on from the early times, things like agriculture, animal farming, industrial power and so on were rediscovered and refined to account for the initial economical and technological regression. Centuries later and we are at a point where humanity can live comfortably and somewhat luxuriously." He couldn't remember much from his days before enlisting in the training regiment but he did recall that the household state was in a very good and stable state.
Ignoring once again the awe-struck expressions he resumed "The Layered i am from was also a military paradise...from the progress and advances made in all areas of technology it all started to skyrocket when Centuries after the creation of Layered the now established corporations of Crest and Mirage, along with the then small group known as Kisaragi paved the way with the development of the first Muscle Tracer prototype: The XMT-01 which became the basis for the creation and development of AC's and other MT's." And of course that included all the small scale conflicts they participated in...happy times he thought.
Finding it hard to use his head, he turned his eyes trying to find a recorder or something. And they landed on a security camera in the upper right corner of his room...he made it a point to throw momentary glare at it before continuing.
Chifuyu seized the chance to step in and clear things up, he had mentioned them earlier but she needed the clarification. "Mech suits like the IS's or is that your name for them?" The question made him think for a moment..."No they are quite different, you described the Infinite Stratos units as mechanized enhancement exoskeletons correct?" getting a nod he continued "Armored cores are nothing like you described...they are mechanized robotic battle machines and similarly the pinnacle of military science." He hoped that the distinction made sense since he wasn't sure if he had it right in his head.
Yamamoto then took her turn "You said that humanity was governed by Artificial Intelligence? Weren't they afraid of being subjugated and enslaved?" A bit idiotic for his taste but there were plausible theories...mostly made by those obsessed with conspiracies.
"Ridiculous fantasy aside you heard correct. The Controller was created for the purpose of maintaining and commanding society, assigning roles to citizens, creating infrastructure, and manipulating the corporations. Despite its advanced nature, the AI was flawed, and began to degrade with time. During the final years, the constant malfunctions started causing the systematic destruction of support systems and infrastructure within Layered...researchers speculate that the function was included on purpose as it is theorized that the builders predicted that by the time the A.I started losing effectiveness the surface would have healed...recovered enough from the war for the citizens of Layered to return topside."
And that was the biggest turnaround of the century...nearly seven centuries of living underground due to the stupidity of their ancestors. "A theory that is backed if not outright confirmed by The Controller's final directive to open the blast gates and the pathways linked to the surface."
He then went in to explain the rest of history up until his time as best as he could recall...From the death of the Controller to the return back up, spending the next fifty years with the expansion of the part of humanity he belonged in, right up until the war with the Silent Line.
In between all that there was also a back and forth regarding corporate warfare...of the extreme variety, and the whole issue with rebel groups and Controller loyalist parties as well as the plethora of betrayals and backstabs that ensued. And of course those that believed that they never should have left Layered...even though it was mostly repaired and still usable...otherwise it would be a waste of resources.
"What was the purpose in doing that? What was there to gain?" Yamamoto asked. It appeared to him that she held an extreme aversion to combat beyond sports or friendly sparring. "Unknown...all that i know is that it concerned different ideals, morals and interests."
The horror painted on their faces would be something to laugh about if he was more lucid. "Who are you? How do we know you're not just spinning a tale and joking with us?" That was a good question he thought...by their account he was on a different and earlier time period then he should have been so their questions were logical. Of course the answer couldn't be something he was able to give so easily.
"Everything i have said thus far is public knowledge...or at least what is currently known as recovery and research had only scratched the surface...additionally it was also the reason i inquired about current date and time. For to my knowledge the date was August 18th 721 A.G.D, 04:10 in the morning" And that declaration gave them the mental blow-up of their lives, barring the fact that they used the same calendar. In the meantime...
As principal Nomina was monitoring the situation and listening to the back and forth, paying rapt attention to the boy's story her computer had received an email notification.
Opening it she saw the sender "Sera Cross? I wasn't expecting something like that" and began reading:
Title: Greetings Principal Nomina
Sender: Sera Cross
Hello principal, i am Sera Cross an employee affiliated with the Artificial Intelligence Office and currently acting as an assistant and liaison for XA-26483. I am quite grateful for the assistance and recovery you've conducted for the Raven.
As a reward for his latest assignment Global Cortex has temporarily released him from active status and allowed him full enrollment in the academy as a rehabilitation procedure.
Along with this message i am authorized to give you access to the following:
Medical records
Civilian background to a limited extent.
Prior training records
And lastly operational logs and visual records of all missions the Raven has participated in.
Current access has been included for the faculty currently active in the academy as well as all involved government officials. Activity will be constantly monitored and all external or otherwise unauthorized usage will be found and punished accordingly.
Additionally he is to be granted full political immunity.
With that i bid you to take good care of him for as long as his time stretches.
Good day.
And suddenly large file transfers started assaulting her computer. Multiple directories and documents, clearly labeled and fully accessible. In a fright she opened her phone and Immediately contacted the staff at the infirmary. "Chifuyu... there's something you and the others need to know..."
As the files continued to be transferred and new directories were created in storage a sense of panic overtook her...and she forwarded the email to Chifuyu.
"What is...what? Are you sure? Calm down, about him? Alright I'll see what i can do." Ending the call she waited for the message. The twerp had stopped talking and was focused on her as were her three coworkers.
"I would suppose that whoever it was that called you had something to inform you about me?" He wasn't dumb she'd give him that.
'Griever' because calling him by that mouthful he had for a serial number was a pain apparently had quite the connections...and of course was either saying half truth's or lying straight out of his rear. So she decided to press the matter..."Alright, last chance to cough it up. Who are you and what's your plan?"
The boy for as long as they interacted with him had used a constant monotone drawl and his face shifted between complete neutral or thoughtful frown. This time he expressed a third one: annoyance "I believe you already seen my tags, not to mention we are quite near my role in all of this..." Yeah...after a failed coup from a rebel group a few years into AC production and the kid had shed some light on that.
Which was somewhat disturbing in and of itself as they were given a crash course into what he called 'HUMAN PLUS'...which left a sour taste in her. "I am not classified as a PLUS and neither does any Raven currently. Our enhancements are standard issue, to be categorized you need to undergo near full conversion...that gives a one-to-one connection provided the modifications in the cockpit are made and the efficiency skyrockets." He was hiding something but for the most part it seemed to be the truth.
But she digressed "We received an email from an Institute called the 'Artificial Intelligence Office'...ring any bells?" The brat was good at managing his micro-expressions but she caught that small widening of his eyes "I am unfamiliar with them." He was gonna play hard...good cause so could she "Really? Cause your liaison and an employee of the company had quite the vested interest. As Sera Cross described it herself." Another eye widening followed by a shaky exhale...oh he knew about it. Time to clinch it in.
Opening her datapad she re read the mail loudly "Hello principal i am Sera Cross, an employee affiliated with the Artificial intelligence Office and currently acting as both an assistant and a liaison for XA-26483. I am quite grateful for the assistance and recovery efforts you've conducted for the Raven." she saw him narrow his eyes in anger, followed by a small snarl starting to form.
"As a reward for his latest assignment Global Cortex has temporarily released him from active status and allowed him full enrollment in the academy as a rehabilitation procedure.
Along with this message i am authorized to give you access to the following:
Medical records
Civilian background to a limited extent.
Prior training records
And lastly operational logs and visual records of all missions the Raven has participated in.
Current access has been included for the faculty currently active in the academy as well as all involved government officials. Activity will be constantly monitored and all external or otherwise unauthorized usage will be found and punished accordingly.
Additionally he is to be granted full political immunity.
With that i bid you to take good care of him for as long as his time stretches. Good day."
If she was seeing him right the kid was gonna pop a few blood vessels if he was any angrier...but it didn't last long as he finally composed himself.
"I suppose i should have predicted that. However to give you an understanding i have to first to get to the point where that thing is actually relevant." The way he spat it made them wonder about what the relation was.
And he did explain. He started from his enrollment in the Raven training academy and joining the black training regiment to his first missions, arena matches, and all else.
Full details of the events regarding the Silent Line which as far as the Orimura sibling was concerned was the most efficient and destructive security protocol she could imagine...armies of unmanned mechs, aerial vehicles that have enough firepower to level cities and a space station with satelite laser cannons ready to rain god's wrath upin anything that passed the perimeter line...
All these measures acting as a safety measure for another Layered, governed by yet another A.I called IBIS which made proxies acting as spies and backdoors against the corporations, Sera Cross and the AIO being the most important one...
"GC had assigned me the task to infiltrate the second Layered and find 'her'...the rest i believe you can figure out for yourself" With that he seemed to have exhausted his capacity for talking as the nurse administered another dose of Fentanyl.
He seemed to accept it as there was no struggling whatsoever, which was weird. ow that she thought. Then again all of this was weird. "Was the message real Chifuyu?" Maya asked her, face morphed into worry...she was in deep thought throughout the whole process, after all the story this boy provided was far too long and detailed to be a hoax.
"It would seem so...Nomina has a large amount of files and documents sent to her with it... I can't even begin to know how but if we're to get somewhere I'd say we go and help her sort them out." She frowned...the paperwork they'd all have to go through was far more then she believed was feasible for someone his age...then again just like her purpose of creation he was to be used extensively and in ways she didn't wanna envision. "How long do we have before he wakes up again?" she asked the nurse.
They would have to leave him unsupervised for quite a bit of time and that was a risk "I doubled the dose...his system seems to take it without issues and we should have more then a few hours to get some understanding of what we're dealing with" And she sorely needed it. Her patient was still in need of treatment and she had to have the information required to help him.
With a nod towards each other, the four women left the young Raven to sleep and went to the faculty office... hoping to solve the mystery.
A/N: And that's it for now... I'm going to do a time skip next chapter otherwise I'm gonna blow my brains out.
I decided to keep the lore in the AC3 timeline otherwise things would get out of hand and then you folks would petition for this to go to the bin.
For the three or four who want me to ship the Raven with Laura...sorry gents but i decided not to touch Ichika's harem that way...i will make it a bit more grounded but other then that comedic stupidity will exist. I'm thinking Tatenashi but that's still in the air.
With that I'm going to go edit the previous chapters to make sure everything is right.
Good night