"Sir, you won't believe this," an operator said, looking up from one of the bridge's screens, "But enemy forces are being pushed back by the Colombian army after Perfect Ultimate Getter entered the battle."
"What in the name of the motherlode?" the general said, looking over the screen. Red dots were actually converging at the Parque Santander, being chased away by blue dots, "They're doing what much better equipped armies couldn't even think of! Care to give your opinion, Mr. Overseer? I'm familiar with the fact that no plan survives first contact with the battlefield, but we're watching zombies rising up and tearing it apart!"
"It might go beyond all known logic, general Forrester," the young blonde man replied in a calm and soothing voice; his smile grew, showing his golden teeth, "But that is the power of Getter. Didn't you notice how everyone in this command room suddenly got a productivity boost?"
The general grunted and, then, asked, "What are the Colombian casualties?"
"Not sure, but preliminary reports that we had access seem to indicate high level of casualties. They're throwing everything at the aliens and it seems to be working."
The general looked at the overseer; his eyebrow was half-arched.
The overseer kept his smile. He raised his hands, intentionally making himself more dramatic than needed.
"Have a little faith in the Getter, general. It is the key to humanity's triumph."
The remains of the Beetle and the Dragon stood in front of her, burning and destroyed. The entire park had their pieces scattered everywhere, along with the remains of the Centaur nearby.
Now that the adrenaline was over and Getter-2 just detached from Getter-1 on its own after reaching its lowest energy threshold, Ai looked at the burned remains: nothing recognizable.
She didn't know how to feel about it. Even before becoming an idol, she didn't like death. Once, she saw a dead dove in the street when she was a kid. She just stared at it, wondering what could be the proper reaction to it, until her mother forcefully dragged her away.
Even after dying once, she still didn't know how to react to death – she died when such concerns were so, so distant from her. She wondered if she had let herself think she was immortal. And, then, death came unannounced.
Seeing the great journey of life in that vision was something completely different from…that pile of burning deformed metal and…whatever the Beetle was made of, in front of her. As a soldier, however, she would kill and destroy to protect humanity. She had no personal feelings towards the pilots that died to her hands; she wished she could've sung pretty lies to them instead.
"Sapphire!" The woman's voice called her. "Sapphire! Are you okay?"
"Um, yeah." She finally answered.
"The electronic warfare plane didn't detect any incoming enemies. A drone swarm is going to fix Ultimate Getter. Take your solution, it'll restore your health."
A small compartment in the right side of the cabin opened, where a can of electrolyte solution was within her grasp. It had supplies in case the pilot needed to eat or drink something.
Ai picked a can and a straw got out. The thing tasted like lemon. She made a grimace; acid beverages were one of her least favorite. Why couldn't it be sweeter? That didn't matter, however. She greedily drank through it, realizing she had been really thirsty.
"Stand by, I'm waiting for the general or the overseer's orders. We will likely retreat. We got enough data for-"
"It's not over yet," she said, after finishing her drink.
"What do you mean?"
"Sorry to interrupt, but…what is your name again?"
"My…my name is Soraya, I'm from Morocco."
"Soraya, what I'm going to ask is extremely important and might not make too much sense: where is the pilot of the Jellyfish?"
"We heard witnesses claiming that a white-haired alien is painting the nearby university's walls red. Videos in Spanish are popping up in the social networks, but nothing gives us a good view. They're calling her La Diabla Blanca. Intelligence has declared her extremely dangerous and of little strategic value."
"Soraya, stopping her is the key to win this battle, maybe even this war. Tell me: why would the enemy leader abandon her mech to pursue a target on foot?"
"Oh…"
"Send all surveillance drones to the university. We might not have too much time!"
Three drones surveyed the building, but the one at the top recorded something. It transmitted back to Getter's panel: a lot of people running away in the highest floor, while something approached.
First, she could see white tendrils. Then her form: white-haired, with what looked like a jellyfish cap sprouting from her back, yet with a somewhat human body. Although Soraya's words painted her as a savage monster, she didn't seem dangerous.
While the enemy was distracted looking at the distance, probably trying to see what happened to her subordinates, Ai could see Aqua sneaking behind her and stabbing her in the abdomen.
That's my boy! She thought, letting a long smile on her face.
But she changed to a concerned expression when it did nothing.
She changed her seat to Getter-3 and detached it from the main body, flying towards the building. She opened a compartment under her seat, where there was a small box labeled "Self-Defense Kit". Inside it, there was a light machine gun, military knife and a couple of grenades (they didn't work with a pin, but two levers; unless activated, they wouldn't explode not even if they were smashed by a car).
The video feed showed the alien cornering the twins.
Mommy is almost there, hold on…
"Sapphire, what are you going to do?"
"There's a mic in my earring, right?"
"Yes."
"I'll need your support."
Her fingers danced on the panel, while typing commands for Getter-3: fly close to the building, open the cabin, shoot the Vulcan gun at the glass window and retreat. She, then, removed the keys from the panels – the mecha could work for a few minutes without them.
Her pupils glowed green when she jumped off the Getter. She stretched her left leg, while letting her right leg half-stretched, into a flying side kick; her hands also stretched, while protecting her head from the glass shards see.
While the shards of glass fell down, and the alien turned her head. Ai screamed, narrowing her gaze, landing a powerful kick right at the alien's chest.
She dragged the alien through the air, letting it drop all the rings her tentacles. It only stopped when they crashed against a wall. She heard something like a water balloon bursting, while kicking the alien's chest further to do a somersault.
The moment she landed, she used her right feet to impulse herself in the alien's direction, while pulling the two levers in one of her grenades. The alien glared at her, but, after a couple of steps, she was close enough to shove the grenade into the alien's throat.
While the alien struggled with the grenade, she yelled to the children, "Come, this way!"
She brought them to a panoramic elevator. After closing its door, they could hear a loud explosion. Ai slammed the floor button and the elevator started a low descent.
The twins sat down, in front of the view – they could see the entirety of Bogotá. The girl started to sob uncontrollably. The boy held back its tears, in an expression of pure wrath and hate, while holding his fists so tightly one could turn coal into diamond.
Ai took a seat between them. She ruffled both of their hairs, while bringing them closer to her.
"Look," she said, almost whispering, "You went through something utterly traumatic. But there's one real thing: your mother loved you and she wants you to be safe."
The girl continued crying, this time hugging Ai. The boy, however, still kept his strongman façade.
"You can cry," Ai said, glancing at him, "No need to be strong now. Crying makes you human."
The boy's face started to twitch, but eventually he started to cry and hugged her, while she caressed both children.
"You can let it out all you want. I will protect you."
After a brief moment, the elevator stopped. The kids whimpered and held on to her tighter.
Ai got up and said, "Stay behind me." She pressed her earring and said, "Soraya, send me your heaviest cargo drone available."
The ghostly figure of that jellyfish-like alien appeared in front of the elevator. It did float midair, like a ghost, but she reminded Ai more of a shinigami. Those water rings that the tentacles were holding were her scythe. She looked at her with a bone-chilling glare. It didn't even look like she had eaten a live grenade, aside from her dress around the neck being slightly charred.
That thing won't die so easily.
The female twin placed a hand in front of her mouth. The male one instinctively put himself in front of her.
Ai, however, stood between them and her enemy. She had a knife in her hand, being tightly held. She growled at the alien.
The alien's expression narrowed. She launched one of her tentacles at Ai – she could hear the sound of water circulating in high speed around the ring. If those rings approached her or the twins, it would be over. She dodged it and cut it off, making sure the angle would make it miss her and the twins.
The alien kept striking, but Ai would either dodge or cut off. Good thing her tentacles weren't hard to cut off. She, then, cut off one of the tentacles vertically with a downward slash, grabbing it by its cut tip. Although she wore gloves, she could feel it burning her hand and forcefully tossed at the alien.
The water ring cut off the left side of her abdomen, letting out a gush of a blue, viscous substance.
It healed almost immediately. Ai grumbled.
Having had enough, the alien decided to shoot all her tentacles at her.
Ai raised her light machine gun and unloaded it entirely at her, while screaming; the twins also screamed out of fear, while hugging each other. The alien seemed merely startled with the bullets piercing her body until Ai tossed the second grenade.
While the alien struggled with the smoke, Ai tapped her earring. She turned to the twins, extending a hand: "We are jumping. I'm strong enough to take you too. Hold on to my body and do not let it go! At all!"
They made a face of someone who ate and didn't like, but they still followed her; the female hugged Ai in the front, while the male hugged in the back. While alien was distracted, Ai jumped out in the air.
The twins screamed for their lives.
The drone Ai had requested flew right over them while she held on to it.
It was a quite robust model, but it still lurched down when Ai caught it. She glanced back and saw the alien floating into their direction, propelling herself like a jellyfish in the water.
She could hear the drone's motor overheating, as the twins continued screaming.
"Voice command Getter!", she screamed, "Fire directly at my position!"
Getter-1 moved its massive right hand and picked the giant handgun from Getter-2's leg. Ai could feel the alien approaching, her tentacles almost on her neck.
"Faster…"
Getter-1 finally fired and, moments before the shot connected, Ai let go of the drone. The shot hit the alien point-blank and it only stopped when it hit a building. It was a getter-infused bullet; therefore, it made a large explosion. The alien couldn't have survived, could it?
Ai and the kids fell into a pond, making a huge splash. After they went to the shore, the boy cried: "Are you insane?"
Ai didn't reply. She felt a piece of the alien tentacle in her neck. She could feel her body trembling. After she tossed it away, she grabbed the two remaining Getter keys.
"What are your names?"
"Uh, I'm Ruby."
"Aquamarine. Don't mind our names."
"Ruby, Aquamarine…" she trailed off, holding back her excitement. The alien jellyfish poison would propagate faster if she let herself become too excited. She extended the keys to them. "You can call me Sapphire. You have what it takes to be a Getter pilot. Take them."
"What?" They both cried.
"What? Sofia, you can't do that without the Overseer's approval!" Soraya talked loud enough to the point even the twins could hear.
Ai grabbed her earring, tossed it into the ground and stomped on it.
"Ultimate Getter cannot work at its full potential without three pilots. I need you." Her heart ached. "This the chance of your lives. Avenge your mother."
While Ruby was taken back, Aqua stepped forward and grabbed one key from her hand.
Ruby still seemed unsure. The Ruby she knew had a lot of fear and regrets for some reason. She was always afraid of falling – quite the contrast with the Aqua she knew. He wouldn't hesitate not as a toddler, neither as a teenager.
"Do you have a dream, Ruby?"
"Yeah…I wish I could be an idol."
Ai wanted so bad to smile and hug her. She could only hold herself back. She couldn't even bite her lip or pinch her own arm to contain her excitement.
"Then, fight for it, so that more mothers can see their children's dream realized."
Ruby gulped, but she nodded. She stepped forward and took the remaining key from Ai's hands.
Struggling a bit, Ai managed to walk to her seat in Getter-1. Aqua took Getter-2 and Ruby took Getter-3. She could, at least, see her children activating their mechs.
Aqua was eager to start his machine. He slammed the keycard in the keyhole. Getter-2 came to life. He looked hypnotized at the panel's lines turning green and then into the colors of the rainbow.
Ruby was nervous. She missed the key slot once. She stared the green lines advancing, from her look, she felt a bit more relaxed. Getter-3 also came to life.
Ai smiled slightly, to the point of nobody noticing it.
"Sapphire, have you understood how many procedures did you violate in just ten minutes?" The voice of the Overseer called her. "What happened to your loyalty? Your discipline?"
"I'm trying to save your butts." She replied, her tone cold. "They're the best options."
"Convince me of why I shouldn't disable their Getter engines."
"Do you want to live or not? They are our last hope. Enemy reinforcements will arrive soon."
"I just received the report from technical: their getter ray tolerance is actually quite high. In that case, as the Overseer, I declare a vote of confidence. We will register Aquamarine Hoshino and Ruby Hoshino as Getter pilots. Command, link them to the network."
"Roger!" Soraya said, "Initiating redesignation. We'll assign personal communications officers to them."
"What getter rays?" Aqua asked. "You didn't say nothing about getter rays."
"I said you have what it takes, Aqua." Ai replied. She couldn't feel her legs anymore. "As your first mission, go support the Colombian army against the invaders. Command will mark the hotspots."
"What about me, Sapphire?"
"How is your Spanish, Ruby?"
"I can…read a bit."
"Go to the closest pharmacy and pick a medicine titled Metilprednisolona. You need to hurry; we need to be in full force for their counterattack."
"Sapphire," Soraya said, "I can have a drone deliver it."
"We can't risk that. If enemy reinforcements appear, they'll likely shoot down the drones. Ruby has a chance to fight back."
"We just got into these robots, Sapphire." Ruby said. "What are we supposed to do?"
"…Believe…believe in Getter."
With that, she lurched in her seat. She could only see Aqua and Ruby's looks of concern before her vision became blurred. She could hear the sounds of the Getter machines taking off.
After they left. Ai lurched further and, using her tongue, she managed to put a code cutting all communications. She just wanted a truly private time. It had been a while since she had felt so many emotions – that day, she died; this time, however, she was alive.
It was like the entire spectrum of human emotions flooded her body and soul. So many things running around her and the only reaction possible was crying loud, under the stupor caused by the venom. She cried because…her body really didn't know what to do, other than letting her emotions overflow.
Ai Hoshino, former genius idol of B-Komachi, now pilot of Getter-1 had found her children.
She would take care of them.