Infinite Stratos: Gone Astray

by CodeCipher

The world was meant to go down one path and one path alone: A hero saving the world alongside his friends in suits one can only dream of. The addition of three unknowns, however, may have altered a few things... (Rated M for coarse language, violence, and suggestive themes) (OC-SI characters) [Rewrite in the works: Prologues-Episode 9 done!]

60. Season 1 Finale - Waves

Season 1 Finale - Waves

---

"The attack on the RIMPAC is a deliberate attempt by a yet unknown terrorist group to destabilize and threaten the security of the nations involved. We here in the United States urge our allies to keep watch for future events and to inform your neighbors of any findings relating to such."

Tatenashi let out an amused huff as she passed by a few students watching one of the many news outlets that were hyper-focused on the events yesterday. At least they weren't standing in the middle of the hallway and blocking everyone's path. As she turned the corner and up the flight of stairs, her mind wandered to her own findings of the event.

While the others were focused on the battle itself, she was looking at the entire series of events, from the hijacking of the Silverio Gospel in Hawaii to the communications between fleets concerning being out in the storm and all the way to the end of Operation Valkyrie. She sifted through the information given to her by capable agents within the Russian Pacific Fleet and feelers on the island of Okinawa, the latter having some moved there when she approved of the first year's break taking place in the same place. It was tough, given the Okinawa Restoration Bureau's own counterintelligence measures, but they made it past the net by the skin of their teeth.

Still…

"An unknown terrorist group? Just what kind of terrorist group would have those Astray-like suits?"

"Probably a well-funded one, like those rumors of some group stealing all of those IS Cores…"

"Do you think those men are connected to this?"

"Seriously? They literally fought them off! You can't be serious in thinking that our kouhais are part of some scheme!"

"They are no kouhais of mine."

Tatenashi's brows rose as she stepped out to the roof of the Academic building. Around her were various groups looking at phones, laptops, or even holographic screens displaying the same videos repeated by billions worldwide. Not even a step in, she found herself in another gossip pit about the events that just happened, which were being called various names.

The Battle of Ogasawara.

The Silver Debacle.

The Second White Knight Incident.

The last one was a stretch, with only middling connections to the original, but she knew that the news channels loved to embellish for the sakes of views and attention. The 'White Knight' in the second was an antagonist, and there was no fancy swordsmanship that took down all the missiles. It was a giant beam that took out all those cruise missiles, one that she had witnessed on the distant horizon as she organized the Academy's pilots for interception.

As if that wasn't enough of a blatant show of power, the fight back at Ogasawara had shown the full capabilities of the test pilots in actual combat.

'And wasn't that interesting…'

Walking over to a vacant spot by the railing, she leaned against it and stared out into the ocean, the occasional Rafale-Revive Basic or Uchigane flying past as the teachers kept their air patrol.

'I think the Board of Directors know the implication of the Academy housing the three more than ever now.'

While her position as Student Council President gave her authority almost on the same level as teachers and some of the administrators, she was not privy to what happens behind the doors of the Boardroom. But, from what little she could piece together, there was a subtle scrambling as the members saw the storm coming their way and were preparing for it. Things such as a potential press conference, private questioning, and even talks that involved 'disappearances'.

She was definitely going to have a fun time organizing those if they ever came to fruition.

Not.

"Hey, did you see that new red IS though? The one that one girl in Class 1-1 has now?"

"Yeah, the one that was paired with the Byakushiki, right? Before the whole thing over the RIMPAC."

"Apparently, it's some high-spec model, or so my little sister said. Never saw anything like it, and it even glowed in the videos."

"Who do you think made it? Last I remember, that girl wasn't even a Representative Candidate."

"Think she's related to the Professor? After all, they have the same surname, so it's probably her?"

"Now you're talking crazy."

Tatenashi's keen ears picked up that little tidbit of information amidst the chaff of chatter, a quiet hum escaping her lips.

Overshadowed by the performance of the Astrays, most of the world had by and far ignored the Byakushiki and the red IS' fight against the Silverio Gospel. They danced in the skies, exchanging blows in a deadly waltz of beams and blades while there was chaos below them. The bluenette had analyzed the footage taken by her agents within the Russian Pacific Fleet, what little there was focusing on the IS battle, and found herself intrigued.

The pink glow of the red IS was a curious phenomenon, as were the flying shields around it. So far, she hadn't heard of such weapon systems from many of her feelers, but it wasn't far-fetched that they were an offshoot from the Optical Bits the United Kingdom was focusing on for their IS'. But what was the glow, exactly?

She had seen the energy pulse around the IS during maneuvers just before it had an increase in speed. Perhaps it was an Ignition Boost? Or another form? Maybe an upgrade.

The bluenette shook her head, pushing away the endless pondering about the machine to focus on what would happen next, namely, what would happen to the test pilots. The whole world's eyes were on them now trice-over, and she knew just how tedious it was to be in the limelight. Already, she could tell that various factions she was aware of and more that she was not were already turning their gears on what to do then.

---

"Major Loewenherz, report."

Alektra glanced at the room behind her, at all the girls meticulously analyzing the leaked footage of what happened over Ogasawara the day before. There was still a tense atmosphere among the student body following what happened the day before. The sight of distant explosions, as well as that large beam on the horizon, had spiked their fear of an attack on the Academy. There had been little to no classes going on as the teachers were still on high alert, being put on air patrols in case of a surprise attack.

"Bodewig has sent her latest data packet concerning the HVT's." The dark-haired woman answered, entering her private workshop-turned-office. "As well of Operations Angel Down and Valkyrie."

"Excellent."

"I wouldn't say so." She muttered as she sat down on the office chair behind her desk. "Things happened in Okinawa that are not to our benefit."

"Well, given that the RIMPAC attack is all the news right now, I guess not."

"HVT's got wounded, two of them pretty badly." The third-year reported, activating her personal computer and sifting through the reports her underclassmen had sent her the night prior. "And the last one has gone missing. The brunette that was the Professor's favorite."

"Verdammt, I'll ask whatever feelers we have nearby to have a general search. Continue."

"The Gospel has been neutralized and its pilot rescued." She skimmed through the data packet, breaking through the layered cypher Laura had used to hide the true information. It was easy to decipher, as she was the one that taught her that specific script, after all. "The Americans have also used their new generation strike craft to engage it, managing only to lose a single unit. And get this, she mentioned that it was Falco Squad."

"Falco Squad?! So that's where they went…Did she include any specs for this strike craft of theirs?"

"Check for yourself, I don't have the time to-!" Alektra's snark abruptly cut off when she sucked in her teeth, eyes wide as she stumbled across a series of images. "Oh."

"Found something interesting?"

"Scheiße, Tiegel, this…" She took in the images of what looked like a morgue that had a gray-haired man in scrubs and an orange-haired woman clad in blue standing around one of the metal tables. On the said table was a body inside of a body bag, zipped open partially half-way, revealing the figure of a young girl around her junior's age.

She was, understandably, deathly pale, with faint stitches running diagonally across the visible chest, another diagonal set stitched across the throat, and the faint edges of a horizontal set peeking past the zipper across what would have been the stomach area. Her short black hair was splayed around her head like an umbra halo, making her look dignified even in death. There was a familiarity to her that Alektra couldn't put her finger on, so she shelved it away for now and moved on.

Accompanying the images were the words typed out in bold…

Sahaku Clan in possession of one of rogue Astray-like suits and cadaver of its pilot. Pilot is stated to be a super soldier with cybernetics.

"...Remember the footage of the attack on the RIMPAC?"

"Alektra, it's still playing on the news. But, I see where you're going with this. Go on."

The third year breathed out lowly as she thought of the implications of what she was reading. "Bodewig's saying that Goldilocks' family has one of the suits and its pilots, and they're not saying anything to the public. And that said pilot was a super soldier."

There was silence from the communicator as Alektra leaned back in her chair.

This was big, the third-year knew that. She was privy to her homeland's own super soldier program, it was why she was chosen as Bodewig's handler when she was transferred to the Academy.

Personally, she disagreed about the conditioning and borderline disregard for her junior's growth as a person. Having been disgruntled at the clinical and almost insulting manner they referred to Laura as a weapon, as if she wasn't a human first, but rather just an item that could be discarded. They didn't even care to check whether or not that cybernetic implant that was the Odin's Eye was compatible with her, which led to her rampaging further down the line. It was under control now with the newest batch of immunosuppressants shipped straight from the Fatherland, but there was still a chance that the implant could cause a psychotic break in the albino.

Shaking her head, she focused her thoughts back to the contents of the data packet before her.

The knowledge that the pilot of one of the unknown machines was a super soldier didn't surprise her as much as she thought it should. Laura was a living example that there were super soldier programs in the world, she wasn't foolish enough to believe that it was only they, the Germans, to have created such programs. Hell, if she believed in the muddy rumors in the Black Ops circles, the original Doctor that created the German Super Soldier Program came from another Super Soldier Program.

"I'll need that data packet ASAP, Major." Tiegel ordered, her voice stone cold and familiar to the dark-haired woman. It was the voice of one of the top operatives in the Bundeswehr, the so-called 'Grim Reaper', and the voice Alektra was far more used to from her old friend.

"Of course, Obersleutnant."

As the third year began to send the packet via the encrypted network she had painstakingly installed amidst the Academy's cyber-defenses, her mind wandered to the footage she saw of the fight over Ogasawara. The five unknown machines were the subject of much debate and discussion, yes, but so were the test pilots of Project: Astray.

It was clear in many of the videos filmed by various crew members that the three Astrays managed to dodge and endure the onslaught of lead and missiles from the hijacked Aegis System. On top of that, they were fighting against the rogue machines, who themselves were also able to endure the Aegis.

At that point, Alektra was convinced that the test pilots were not who they said they were. A barista, a courier, and a mechanic are able to make all those moves? Their excuse of being trained by the Professor could only go so far before things started to fall apart. Even more when High Command suddenly had a vested interest in the trio just days after they had arrived on the Island.

The logical conclusion to all of this was that the three of them, the 'test-pilots' of Project: Astray, weren't normal. That they were super soldiers themselves.

… Which was why she needed to reevaluate her relationship with Davion. He was part of Arzenal, part of her flock in the Academy, but he was also most likely a ticking time bomb for all she knew. What was his mission? Was he under orders from the Professor? Did that mean that the Professor, a global fugitive, was able to produce super soldiers of her own? And for what reason?

So many questions, so few answers…

As she scrolled down to another page of the report, her brows slowly rose at the pictures of what seemed to be an IS. Her eyes then locked on to the text attached to the series of photos that came after.

Professor Tabane Shinonono personally handed the first Fourth Generation IS to Houki Shinonono, and christened it as the "Akatsubaki".

'Speak of the Devil and she shall appear...'

She played a short video detailing how the gray armor of the IS slowly shifted a brilliant red, her interest peaking as she leaned forward and steepled her fingers, elbows resting on the table as her purple eyes glinted with intrigue.

"Interesting…"

---

The tension in the van was thick and heavy, the occupants' murmuring thankfully filling the uneasy silence that would have pervaded it. The quiet purring of the engine further filled that silence as the vehicle began to make its way out of the parking area.

Laura was seated at the rearmost seat, arms crossed as she gazed at the hotel building and at the direction of the beach further behind it. The albino was clad in a black hoodie and joggers that were tucked into boots, a welcome change to the pilot suit. Her body still ached from the damage it received the night prior but it wasn't too debilitating, she had endured harsher sensations before.

She remembered her fellow first years enjoying the waters once more, having been allowed by the other teachers in order to lift the overall mood. Many among them didn't stop to ask questions as to why they were suddenly free to enjoy the resort again, despite having been in what was basically house arrest for a whole day. A fair few had approached them during breakfast, bold and naïve enough to congratulate them on a job well done.

A job well done.

They didn't know how much had been sacrificed.

The fresh memory of their shallowness caused her to quietly growl every now and again, her red eye glinting with warring emotions.

Kanzashi was seated beside her, her expression twisted in worry as she tapped away on her phone. Occasionally, she would bring it up to her ear before lowering it back after a few seconds of silence with a frustrated huff. She wore clothing similar to the albino; a hoodie, loose pants, and sneakers. She hadn't responded to any questions asked by the others prior to them entering the van, only shooting Houki a quiet glare the whole time.

And next to the bluenette was Charlotte. The purple-eyed blonde was blankly staring out the window, barely paying any attention to the passing scenery. She was twiddling her thumbs, eyes half-lid and dull as she nary made any noise aside from her near-silent breathing. The hood of her large orange jacket was up, casting a light shadow over her tired visage but doing nothing to hide the small frown on her lips.

On the seat in front of her, Houki's blue eyes were burning with warring emotions as she stared at Cecilia, who was sitting at the front passenger's seat. The altercation last night was still fresh in her mind, and when she had tried to approach the noblewoman and press for answers earlier during breakfast, Laura had surprisingly moved between the two of them and fixed her a chilly stare. Her defending the blonde only made her all the more frustrated, as she also had some choice words the night prior!

Cecilia herself had her eyes closed and her arms crossed, her face the very expression of noble countenance and disdain. She sat in her seat stiffly, prim and proper like the noblewoman that she was, accompanied by the gravitas that her status granted her. Like the rest, she was clad in loose clothing, though hers were a bit more well put together than their own.

Clad in a light blue top with a cream cardigan over it, denim shorts, and the same gladiator sandals she wore two days prior, she didn't even look like she participated in a battle, rather looking as if she was heading to a beach party. Her hair was not in its usual curls, now running down her back like a golden river, as she didn't have the drive to style them back in their usual way.

"...Where are we going?" Ichika finally spoke, breaking the uneasy silence as he turned to the green-haired teacher at the driver's seat from his place beside Houki. He was clad in a plain white shirt and blue shorts, having grabbed whatever he could from his luggage bag to wear. "And are we really going without waiting for Chifuyu-nee? Or Sahaku-san and Ryo-san? What about Davion? I haven't seen any of them since last night. They weren't there for breakfast earlier either…"

Maya's expression scrunched as she glanced at the phone in its holder, the GPS app showing her where to go. She was wearing a loose jacket over a tank top and a pair of sweatpants and sandals, looking disheveled with clear eyebags.

"Orimura-sensei told me that they're all in the Sahaku Estate, which is where I'm taking all of you to. Reserve any questions that you have until we arrive, please."

Inwardly, the teacher was greatly relieved to have heard from her fellow instructor. She had been at her wit's end trying to find both her and her student hours before, forgoing sleep to search for them. She even contacted the local police to organize a general missing person's search all over the coastline, which she had to call off after Chifuyu had contacted her an hour before.

Both teacher and students– and that had been a surprise and great relief, as she didn't know that Sahaku-kun and Murakumo-kun had been removed from the Camp Schwab Medical Clinic and that Davion was there– were at the Heir's Clan's Estate, located up in Mount Nagodake. But that begged the question of why they were relocated from Schwab, where it had a hospital, and how the mechanic got up there without having been spotted by the teachers that she had tasked to search the area around Kanucha.

"Why are we going to his Estate, anyway?" Houki muttered sourly, crossing her arms as she scowled at nobody in particular. "Didn't even know that he had an Estate. Bet he's just trying to show off…" A rolled ball of paper bounced off her head, causing her to fix a dirty glare at her seatmate. "Hey!"

Rin frowned at her disapprovingly, having seated on the other side of Ichika, effectively sandwiching him between the two of them. The twin-tailed girl wore a mustard yellow tank top with her midriff exposed, wore jean shorts, and plain white sneakers. "Houki, have some respect, will you? All this beef you have with the other boys is going out of hand. They literally did nothing bad to you."

"'Did nothing bad'– Did you forget when that blonde bastard humiliated me during the last exhibition match?! He caught my sword between his palms, after making me think that I had him, and then broke my blade!"

"Yeah, and Murakumo-kun beat me handily on that same day with his own sword skills! But you don't see me snarling and growling at them whenever I could!" The twin-tailed girl countered with a hiss. "Even if he used an underhanded trick like blinding me, literally underhanded, I took that defeat as a learning experience!"

Houki looked at her with disgust. "What can you even learn from them? They're freaks! Have you ever seen someone move that fast, hit that hard, and think that quick?!"

Whatever retort Rin had was interrupted when the van suddenly lurched, the screeching of the brakes their only warning as they let out sounds of surprise.

"Children." Maya growled as she gripped the wheel tightly, to the point that the material was audibly straining in her hands. Her green eyes were sharp and steely as she looked at them from the rear-view mirror. "I will not have all this bickering in the car. I can and will turn this van around if you keep on fighting, so I suggest you don't try me. Clear?"

Ichika gulped, a chill going down his spine at the sight of the ordinarily meek and peppy teacher being so stern. "Y-Yes, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am, I'll keep these two under control."

"Good."

With that, the van started to move again, and an uneasy silence once more pervaded inside the vehicle.

In that silence, the verdette inwardly sighed as she turned the van to the road that wound its way up toward the mountain.

She wasn't blind, nor was she naïve. She had seen the hostility between certain Cadets carry over from last night. It broke her heart to see a friend group as close as theirs break apart, and it hurt her, even more to see the angry and cold glares exchanged between Cecilia and Houki.

Again, Maya was not so clueless as to realize why the two were fighting.

The Test Pilots.

The Neo-Types.

Houki's suspicions about them were understandable. After all, they came out of nowhere with no warning whatsoever. They were some of the only males on the all-female island, and that in itself made them naturally untrustworthy.

However, over the past few months, they had disabused plenty of the initial distrust among many of the student body.

Ephraim had his Golden Rule that he abided by, where he treated others how others treated him, and his tendency to light up a competitive fire in the student body was seen by most as good. To many of the girls, he was a goal to surpass, a mountain to overcome, with those same many actually getting serious in their training in the hopes of defeating the provocative blonde. And for him, he welcomed it with genuine eagerness.

Ryo was the ever-reliable delivery boy you could trust to do a task with; gaining a spot as the (unwillingly) appointed assistant by the Student Council President herself. While more dedicated to his mundane work as the resident errand boy, one should not underestimate his combat capabilities. Although he was not as outwardly competitive in battle as his blonde roommate, those who were able to see him in action once was enough to know that his status as a swordsman wasn't just an empty title.

And Davion was an awkward yet eager mechanic who was well respected, and even well-loved, by the students who frequented the Engineering Bay. He was her personal favorite among the three, not that she would admit it out loud. Always asked questions regarding the IS, was always ready to help out when it came to anything mechanical-related, and was simply adorable whenever he was with the younger Sarashiki.

Maya couldn't help but liken him to an excitable dog– or perhaps, an excitable wolf would have been more accurate. He was dangerous, that she knew, but he was pretty much as harmless as a pup unless… he was antagonized.

Which was why she would admit that Houki's antagonism was getting out of hand, especially in the past few days. She would chalk it up to her finally gaining a personal IS of her own and that she most likely did not know what happened to the test pilots, but the way she was so callous about it was…worrying.

Hopefully, things will resolve themselves peacefully…

---

"Nee-chan, you look awful."

Sea-green eyes narrowed as they scanned the numerous documents laid out on the desk. A wordless grumble escaped from downturned lips as Lath lazily waved her hand.

"Busy." The orangette mumbled as she signed off on another document. "Lots of things to do."

Kazahana frowned as she entered her sister's home office, balancing the tray carrying the Scandinavian's breakfast.

"Well, you can't do anything on an empty stomach and a lack of sleep." The younger girl chided as she placed the tray on the part of the desk that wasn't occupied by papers and folders. "And I don't want you to waste our cooks' efforts."

"Listen," Lath closed her eyes and let out a long sigh, frustration seeping into her tone. "I need to do this. We're running out of time."

The brunette's eyes widened briefly as she walked around the desk and looked at the documents her sister had been signing.

"So HCLI accepted the deal… Does that mean we're going to have to build-up our production base again?"

The Scandinavian hummed as she wrote her signature on another document.

"Do we have the capabilities? Or even the funds?" Kazahana looked at her sister with a furrowed brow, crossing her arms as she rocked on her heels. "...Don't tell me you asked for a loan from the Seirans."

Lath's expression twisted in displeasure. "It will be a cold day in hell before I approach that weasel. No, I didn't ask for a loan. I cashed in on some of our favors."

A series of folders were flicked over to the younger girl, who took and opened them up.

Her eyes widened.

"Wait, I thought that Melisandre cut off all contact with us following mother's passing?"

A grin stretched the Scandinavian's lips.

"Who said I was dealing with that witch?"

Kazahana's eyes shone with hope as she looked at her sister with growing excitement.

"No way… Ruben?"

Lath stopped signing and arched her back, grimacing at the popping noises as her spine straightened. "Yep. He's still kicking and just as stubborn as he was nearly a decade ago. We've got access to their production facilities, including those that were for the IS."

Kazahana looked back at the papers and began to read. "That's great! That's really great! We don't need to retool anything and have the necessary resources to produce an initial batch!"

"Why do you think I'm trying to finish signing all of these?" The Scandinavian sighed as she picked up the pen once more. Each time she picked it up, it felt as if it was getting heavier and heavier. "The sooner we can put out Mobile Suits, the quicker we can corner and monopolize the market for them. And the quicker we do it, the less time the UN can slap treaties on it."

Just as she was about to sign another document, the brunette reached over and stopped the hand holding the pen.

"Eat first, Nee-chan." The brunette stressed as she motioned to the tray with her hot breakfast. "I can't have you passing out due to hunger, no matter how important this is. I don't want two older siblings bedridden right now."

The mere mention of the other 'sibling' made the orangette frown ever so slightly.

Ephraim was a whole different can of worms that she hesitated in trying to approach, at least for now. The incapacitation of the Clan's Heir hasn't been publicized, not yet anyway. All she knew was that there would be hell to pay once she got to the bottom of what happened over Ogasawara.

She might not have fully accepted him as her 'brother'– he was too suspicious no matter what Kazahana spoke of in his favor– but as he was the formal Heir of the Sahaku, she had a duty to defend her clan member as the Successor. There was also the matter that he got hurt under the watch of both the IS Academy and the US Marines, which would earn her another favor from the latter when she'll address it with them later on.

'And speaking of the Academy…'

Glancing at the door briefly, she slowly set the documents aside and pulled the tray that held her breakfast before her.

"Kazahana, how are our…guests?"

Kazahana pursed her lips as she put the folder back on the table. "Behaving. So far, it's only been silence between the two of them, as in total lack of communication. He's down in the facility, as he had requested upon arriving. I've been monitoring his actions but so far he's been helpful, especially regarding the firewalled areas of the facility. He unlocked a few more levels below, which were thankfully still pristine." She then paused as Lath took a drink of her fruit smoothie.

"...He even has an AI helping him."

The brunette then quickly ducked away from the ensuing spit-take, muffling her giggles with a hand as she ran out of the room, heedless of her enraged sister calling her back.

Maybe it was better for her to help out her brother's friend than stick around and further risk her sister's wrath.

---

"The identity of the terrorists who attacked the RIMPAC is still unknown, however, the machines that they used to commit the deed are more suspect. Footage circulating around the 'net showcases five machines that are similar in form to the suits in the Professor's Project: Astray-"

Click.

"-gamma radiation far beyond what is natural through the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. Our sources say that it was the beam that took out the cruise missiles headed towards Tokyo that was the cause of the ionizing-"

Click.

"-telling you, Cassandra, something fishy is going on with those male pilots. I mean, did you see how fast that gold one was going? He was dodging bullets and missiles like they were nothing, and from multiple ships and multiple angles! They even nicknamed him 'The Crimson Lightning' or 'The Red Come-"

Click.

Setting the remote down, Chifuyu sighed as she leaned forward, steepled her fingers, resting her elbows on her knees as the TV played another news outlet spouting drivel on the events a day prior.

Things weren't looking too good.

Oh sure, the Gospel had been taken down, and its pilot had been safely retrieved, according to Maya, but at what cost?

Thousands of souls lost, millions of dollars of military hardware wasted, and what little discretion on the power and potential of the Astrays?

Gone at the drop of a hat.

"God damn it…" She buried her face into her hands, her shoulders feeling heavier as the thought of the Astrays once more echoed in her head.

Or more specifically, their pilots…

---

"Guele."

The bandaged mechanic stopped, shoulder tensing as his hands tightened into fists. Chifuyu also stopped her approach, seeing the way her ward reacted to her words.

"...What do you want?" The brunette's voice was a low hiss, still hoarse from whatever had happened during Operation: Valkyrie. There was accusation in his tone, as well as suppressed anger, both of which caused her to furrow her brows.

"I overheard your talk with Tabane earlier." She started, idly looking around the empty stretch of road they were on. She didn't know why the mechanic started going up the mountain, more specifically on the road that she knew led up to the Sahaku Estate, but she wasn't going to let a wounded student of hers be all by himself. "Is it true that Sahaku and Murakumo..?"

She had been on her way to confront Tabane when she spotted her with her unconscious student on her lap. That had alarmed her enough, and she was about to walk out of the woodline when the rabbit-eared inventor started talking. Taking care to hide her presence, she hid behind a tree and eavesdropped.

So when she overheard that little bit of the conversation concerning the other two Neo-Types, it was like a sledgehammer had struck her right in the gut. Now she knew why she hadn't seen hide nor hair of both the blonde and the swordsman lately.

They had been incapacitated.

Gravely.

Whatever annoyance she had towards them for their lack of presence had been doused with the ice-cold sensation of failure.

She was supposed to be their minder, their guardian, and they, her wards. They were her students, people who trusted her to not let them down.

And yet, she didn't even know their fates until half an hour ago…

"You would have known if you saw them in the hospital after Angel Down," Davion growled, the words squeezing between grit teeth. "But no, all I heard was that when you went to the ICU, you asked a doctor where your brother was, not bothering about what could have happened to the other two."

Chifuyu frowned, affront bubbling within her, stoking the embers of anger once more.

What he was saying wasn't fair to herself and to her brother. It was like he was expecting her to prioritize them over her own sibling! She had her own worries to take care of, damn it!

"Of course I'd go see him first. He's my brother." She defended herself, crossing her arms just as the burgeoning sunrise behind them cast long shadows on the road. The teacher didn't want to argue about priorities and loyalties right now. She didn't have the patience to. With a somewhat cross expression, she shook her head. "Look, for what it's worth, I'm sorry for not visiting them. I…I wasn't thinking straight. I was rightfully worried for my kin. You understand, don't you?"

"I do, and I really would empathize if you went your way to even at least wonder-!" He stopped mid-snarl and exhaled audibly. "But that's already too little too late." The brunette muttered, uncaring of the feeling of his bare feet on asphalt. "Laura, Cecilia, and Charlotte saw you enter the ICU and leave just a few seconds later, not bothering to ask any of them questions. They probably just thought you were in a rush and quickly checked how the three were all doing. As for me? Well, you already answered that question just earlier."

Chifuyu didn't really know how to answer that. She could try to say that she did care for them, but she would have been barking up the wrong tree, per-say.

Or maybe not, given that the mechanic's been upset with her. Did he think that she betrayed them in a way?

Unable to find an answer to both of their questions, she instead quietly followed, making sure to be a few steps behind him in case he might get agitated at her close proximity. Looking around once more, she asked a question that would hopefully steer them away from the current topic.

"... Where are you going, Guele?"

"Why bother asking? Your brother's safe. That's all you need to know." Was his clipped answer, let out in a half-rasp, half-hiss that was more than enough indication for her to stop any further questions.

The rest of the hike was spent in tense and uneasy silence.

---

That had been a few hours ago, and between then and now, they hadn't spoken a word. Upon arrival at the Estate, he had talked with Kazahana and practically never showed up again after they turned a corner. Lath had greeted her after Davion, but it was clear that the orangette also laid some blame for the state of her brother on her, evident by the clipped tones and passive-aggressive air that she had.

The teacher knew of the Scandinavian's own reservations towards the blonde Neo-Type, but for her to also react this way? She didn't know if the two of them had genuinely bonded in their off-time or if the European was simply taking advantage of the wounding of her clan member to get the upper hand in whatever future deals she might have with the Academy. Either option was probable, and her cynical side leaned more towards the latter reasoning.

"Orimura-sensei."

'Speak of the devil, and she shall appear.'

Lifting her face from her hands, she turned her head to see Lath walking into the living room. The younger woman's lips were set into a frown, and the disapproving gaze she sent told her all she needed to know about her current mood.

"Winslet-san." Chifuyu greeted back as the Scandinavian sat on the couch across from her, posture stiff. There was a faint scent of something fruity coming from her, but the teacher paid it little mind. She made sure to not stare at the eyebags, not when she had some of her own. "How…have you been lately?"

The question was awkward to ask, given all that had happened.

"Busy." The orangette shrugged slightly, her sea-green eyes locked to her equally tired browns. "On top of the family business, I had been busy cleaning up after your messes. The police weren't thrilled by the launching of multiple missiles near Abu Village. They had to calm the villagers down, especially when the missiles started exploding. And don't get me started on how Camp Schwab reacted."

"I…see." The teacher nodded, unwilling to break the staredown. Internally, she winced and cursed Tabane for her rash actions. She knew that whatever goodwill was left in the woman before her was rapidly dwindling after all that had happened. "I apologize for that. We were conducting a test flight for a new IS."

"Out near a village? Without prior warning, especially?" Lath raised a brow before rolling her eyes. "Reckless. Absolutely reckless, sensei. It should have been done in your Academy, not in my territory. And you did it without my permission."

Chifuyu tensed her jaw.

This was why she hated dealing with businessmen and politicians. The humble and honest ones were few and far between the sea of snakes, those always looking to propel themselves further first as their priority. Some of them even acted like they were god's given gift to the world.

"The test…" The teacher had to be careful. She wasn't sure of the Scandinavian's stance on Tabane or if she was aware of her presence on the island. "Was requested by the student's sponsor company at the last minute. It was either that or they pulled their support."

"Hmph." The orangette shook her head, a disgruntled look flashing across her face for a moment. "And I suppose Shinonono-san's sponsor has a lot of pull to threaten even the Academy. Kuromochi Machinery Development already has your brother's Byakushiki in their grasp, and if they were the red IS' sponsor, they would have been bragging about it by now…"

Chifuyu kept her expression calm, years of dealing with snakes like her paying their dividends with how well-crafted her poker face was. She wasn't all that surprised to hear that she knew who the pilot of the new IS was. After all, they launched Ichika and Houki out in full view on the beach of the resort.

All she needed to do was to lead the orange-haired girl in circles concerning who really gave the Akatsubaki to her student.

A black-suited staff member then entered the room, gaining the attention of the Scandinavian as he bowed respectfully.

"Forgive me for interrupting, my lady, but Yamada-san and the rest of the IS pilots involved in the events of yesterday have arrived."

Lath's expression cooled into a regal mask, one that the teacher was more than familiar with. It was the same expression her blonde ward would wear during class, his public face, so to speak, when around his peers.

It just reminded her of her earlier failure.

It was a bitter feeling.

"So they have, then." The Sahaku Successor stood up and smoothed her skirt down. "Let them in and guide them to the old council room. It's about time we finally learn the truth of what happened yesterday."

Chifuyu also stood up, her eyes not leaving the orangette's form. She wasn't sure what her true intentions were, which made her all the more suspicious.

Did she plan to use the leverage of the Academy's wrong towards her to pressure them in some way?

Was she going to demand them to give concessions to keep her conglomerate afloat?

"Orimura-sensei," Lath was already walking away, flicking her hair over her shoulder. It was a dismissal that dripped of displeasure. "We shall continue our talk some other time. If you'll excuse me, I need to freshen up."

With that, the orangette left the room.

"Ma'am." The suit-wearing staff member, most likely a bodyguard of some sort, turned to her slightly. "If you could follow me, I shall lead you to the conference room."

Chifuyu closed her eyes as she took a deep breath, her mind whirling at all the new questions surrounding the younger woman. She still hadn't decided whether or not to treat the Sahaku Successor as an enemy, even a marginal one, but it was clear that she wasn't on their side fully either.

So far, all that she's done was self-serving and reeked of corporate action.

'And that's not to mention the presence of the three Neo-Types here. Does she know of their nature? It's far too suspicious of her to have pulled them from Camp Schwab to here…'

"Ma'am?" The guard called out again, expression neutral as the teacher blinked.

The former Brunhilde slowly stood up, smoothening her rumpled shirt. She still hadn't had the time to change out of the shirt and jeans that she wore during their stay in the resort, not when there was so much happening.

"I want to greet them," Chifuyu answered him, a steely look in her eye as she adopted the mask of the stoic teacher once more. "I'll wait for them at the foyer."

---

"Whoa…"

Ichika couldn't help but let that slip from his lips as he exited the van, his eyes taking in the Sahaku Estate.

Nestled in the shadow of Nagodake, the Sahaku Estate was a fairly large compound that was more akin to a temple in size. Several buildings were scattered around, traditional in design with red tile roofs. Between the buildings were stone pathways lined with fauna, such as flowers and trees. Some were in full bloom, while others were not, and he was sure there was probably more that he couldn't see.

It was like he stepped into some sort of museum piece rather than an actual place where people dwelled.

"Damn, it feels like I stepped into a period drama." Rin whistled lowly as she looked around with appreciative and envious eyes. "All that's missing are the samurai guards or servants wearing kimonos."

"It has some modern aspects to it, though," Charlotte noted with a weak smile, nodding towards the security cameras around the wood and brick walls. She was more than familiar with such surveillance measures, especially in the labs of the Dunois Corporation. "But nothing too obvious that could ruin the aesthetic."

Houki huffed as she crossed her arms. "Let's just get inside already."

Kanzashi frowned at the swordswoman, but a tugging of her sleeve switched her attention from her to the albino. Laura was subtly nodding towards Cecilia, who the bluenette found was looking around with a melancholic expression. It wasn't hard to deduce that their presence in her crush's estate would dampen her mood, and if the younger Sarashiki was right in her guessing, the blonde was most likely thinking of 'what-ifs' and 'what could have beens'.

"Alright, everyone," Maya clapped her hands to gain their attention. The older woman looked nervous at being watched by some of the patrolling guards, especially since she didn't look all that well-kept, with her hair still somewhat messy. "Let's go inside, and please make sure to not touch anything without permission."

Without much resistance, the teacher herded them along as a pair of guards opened the large wooden doors for their entry. They walked into the hallway beyond and noted the pairs of shoes neatly arranged at the genkan. Taking that as a sign, they all removed their shoes and stepped up to the somewhat raised, varnished wood platform.

The verdette reached out to the round finger catch of the wooden sliding door before them, which had a rather pretty painting of what looked like a sunrise.

"Please excuse us," Maya uttered out of politeness as she slid the door open, green eyes locking on to familiar browns and blinking in slight surprise.

"Took you long enough." Chifuyu greeted them with a small smirk, her gaze lingering on her younger brother as a wave of relief pumped through her. The foyer that she stood in was a traditional, almost regal-like, tatami mat room, the walls composed of fusuma that depicted a sun peeking behind clouds.

"Chifuyu-nee!" Ichika stepped forward, hesitating half-way before resuming his half-jog to embrace his sister. "Were you here all night?"

Somewhat surprised by her brother's action, the elder Orimura patted his back as her smirk softened into a smile. "No, just for a few hours… Thanks for bringing them here, Yamada-sensei."

The verdette shook her head, a tired smile on her lips as she watched the heart-warming exchange of the two siblings. "It's nothing. I'm just glad that you managed to find the test pilots."

At their mention, the smile on the combat instructor's face faded. Separating from her younger brother, she fixed a stern look at each of the students behind her fellow teacher, taking in their expressions.

Laura, Kanzashi, and Charlotte all shared the hopeful gleam in their eyes, the tension in their shoulders ever so leaving them as they stood a bit straighter. The albino, in particular, looked more relieved at her presence than the others, bar her brother.

There was a silent question of where the boys were in their eyes, but she was going to address them later.

Houki was looking around with thinly-veiled annoyance, though there was a begrudging appreciation at the traditional decor. "So, why are we here again?"

And there it was.

The question she had been both anticipating and dreading.

Chifuyu took a deep breath to balance herself and calm her emotions.

"The truth." She simply said, causing everyone but her and the guard to freeze. "The truth of what happened over Ogasawara. Guele was willing to disclose the audio and video footage of both Operation Angel Down and Valkyrie."

Kanzashi and Cecilia shared a discreet look while Laura's brows furrowed.

"I've been wondering about that." Ichika muttered, his expression troubled. "I didn't get to watch the news channels during breakfast because everyone was congratulating us and stuff…"

"Well, follow me and find out." His sister instructed as she nodded at the guard. "Let's go."

Wordlessly, they fell in line behind the teacher and estate staff member, heads swiveling as they navigated through the manor. As they walked, they took note of the interior of the whole place and how it was an oddly harmonic blend of traditional Japanese and modern Western. Old-fashioned lacquerware existed alongside plastic and metal, such as an inro cabinet that had a charging phone atop it.

The further they walked into the manor, the more Westernized the location seemed to be. Shoji and fusuma panels were soon replaced with wooden doors and walls, the floor having shifted to carpet from tatami mats. Where there were scroll paintings of olden times, there were now more oil paintings of recent events. And one painting in particular…

"Hold on," Ichika called out, breaking the quiet murmuring of the other students. "She looks kind of familiar…"

Chifuyu looked over her shoulder to see her brother standing before a large portrait of a woman from her thigh up, the gilded gold frame and the craft of the painting itself immaculate.

The woman had long, straight black hair with the bangs just cut above the brows in a hime cut that had a slight parting of the fringe above her right eye. Said eyes were a vermillion red and still shone with a regal glint even though it was a painting. Her sidelocks were left long enough where it stopped half-way down her chest. Her hand was on her hip, revealing simple silver rings on her middle and pinky fingers. On her lips was what seemed to be lipstick, the pale red accentuating her proud smirk.

She wore a dark purple mantle that had the front and sides stop at the elbows, leaving the back free to flow until just shy past her knees, and on her shoulders were gold epaulet-like decorations that lacked the tassels. Underneath the mantle, she wore a pale blue shirt of some sort, as it lacked buttons, that had three horizontal golden aiguillettes going down the middle. Her sleeves were covered in the same fabric as the mantle, which made him think that it was an odd mantle-jacket hybrid, as it acted like how a blazer does to a dress shirt as the pale blue sleeve was visible beneath it and was secured with golden cufflinks. She also wore equally purple pants underneath the shirt, and both it and the mantle's high collar had a lavender cravat tucked into it to finish the ensemble.

"Well," Rin spoke up as the group took a few seconds to stare at the painting, having stopped their walk as they seemed captivated by the work of art. "Given that her painting's here in the Sahaku Estate…"

"She must be a clan member, yes?" Charlotte followed up, having lowered her hood once they were indoors. The poor girl had faint eyebags and a faint redness in her eyes. "Though, I also do get an odd sensation of having seen her before…"

Laura unconsciously traced the shape of her eyes with a finger, feeling an odd sensation of familiarity the longer she gazed at the painting.

Cecilia blinked before jolting slightly in realization, feeling a bit of shame for taking so long to come to her conclusion. "That's Rondo Mina Sahaku." She pointed out, her tone a bit subdued as she remembered researching about the Sahaku Clan in her first month in the IS Academy, back when she was looking for any signs of weakness from her then-rival, now-crush. "She was the matriarch of the clan a decade ago."

Houki glanced at her, curiosity edging above her current annoyance and anger at the blonde. "...Was, huh?"

Ichika suddenly snapped his fingers, his expression brightening up in what seemed to be a revelation. "Ah, no wonder she looks familiar! Her face reminds me of Sahaku-san!"

Everyone stared at him blankly.

"...Well, duh, that's probably his mom. Former matriarch of the clan and all that..." Kanzashi muttered audibly, frowning at him disapprovingly.

"Stop staring, and let's move," Chifuyu spoke up with a slightly harsh tone, causing most of them to flinch from how flinty it was. "Remember that we're guests in this house. We don't have the privilege of standing and poking around."

"Sorry, sensei."

Once more, they followed in silence, appreciating the paintings that lined the halls that they walked down in. Eventually, they were ushered into a room through a set of double doors and into what looked like a meeting room.

It wasn't like the ones back at Kanucha, with the large executive chairs having been replaced with simple office chairs. Rather than an oval table, like back in Kanucha, there was instead a U-shaped table that took up most of the space in the center of the room. On one side of the wall were large windows with blinds half-way down, revealing a rather captivating sight of what looked like a large garden that was being tended to by a few visible gardeners.

"-made a few deals, pulled a few favors…"

And there, at the left end of the U-shaped table, was a familiar orangette on her phone.

"Yes, Cagalli, I'm sure. Miyabi's already on board with this." Lath drawled as she stared at the empty wall space across from the door, her back to them as a result. There was an open laptop on the table beside her, one that seemed to be connected to a hologram projector in the middle of the space of the table. "And no, I'm not letting the Seirans in on this. Look, I know you care about our people's unity, but I don't give a damn about those money-grubbing morons and even less for that sleaze!"

Maya shared a glance with Chifuyu.

The bodyguard that led them here cleared his throat, causing the Sahaku Successor to look over her shoulder.

"I'll call you back– You know what? We'll have a meeting in a few days about this. I have to entertain my guests." Swiveling the chair around to face them, she stood up and pocketed her phone. She was wearing a dark blue blazer over a white blouse and a pair of denim pants. Her orange hair, set in its usual half-crown braid, looked somewhat damp in the lightning, and her eyes were a bit bloodshot.

Giving them a welcoming smile, the young businesswoman gestured toward the other chairs.

"Please, have a seat."

They did so without much complaint but with quiet apprehension and anxiety about what would come.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't greet you at the door, but allow me to welcome you to the Sahaku Estate." Lath nodded at the guard as the two teachers took their seats beside hers. "I know that what I'm going to say is going to be a bit forward but…" Her sea-green eyes flickered with concern, her brows furrowing ever so slightly as she looked at each of the younger teens.

"How are you?"

A few of them were surprised at her concern as they took a second to register what she said before their shoulders sagged in apparent exhaustion.

"I don't even know," Ichika admitted, leaning back into his chair in a slouch. He was seated next to his sister, who, in turn, was seated next to Maya and Lath. "Everything's been a wild roller coaster of a ride. I got wounded and knocked out in Angel Down, and then I'm back up to finish the fight in Valkyrie." He fixed a look at an impassive Cecilia, who was seated on the other side of the table alongside Laura and Kanzashi. "And that's not even the end of it…"

Chifuyu blinked and glanced at Maya, a silent question in her eyes.

'Ugly split.' The verdette mouthed. 'No context. A slap and words.'

"I just want things to be over so we can go back to the beach. I want to enjoy what little time we have to relax." Houki grumbled, narrowing her eyes at the other blue-eyed teen in the room. "Especially after someone snapped."

"You're one to talk about being snippy." Kanzashi scoffed, returning the glare the ponytailed girl sent her. "You've been nothing but crabby the whole trip."

"Stay out of this, blueberry. You got knocked out last night!"

"Wow, resorting to name-calling, huh? Real mature."

"Shinono, need I remind you that it was you that prevented us from taking down the Gospel without it going into Second Shift?" Laura growled as her sole eye glared into the angered blues of the swordswoman. "Because of you, it incapacitated most of us!"

Clap! Clap!

"Okay, okay, I can see that things aren't going well," Lath interjected as she walked into the space between the U-shaped table, stepping over the holo-projector as she did so. "So, how about we all calm down before we say anything we might regret."

"Why are we here anyway?" Houki didn't get to rein in her annoyance, almost growling at the older teen. "Orimura-sensei said that we'll learn 'the truth' about what happened, but why does it matter? We beat the Silverio Gospel. We should be celebrating!"

"Houki, people died." Charlotte fixed her tired and troubled gaze at the volatile girl, the look on her face almost reminiscent of a certain Astray pilot the day before. "Just because we beat the experimental 3rd Gen doesn't mean we can ignore what happened. That's why we're here, right, Orimura-sensei? To know just how such a tragedy happened?"

Chifuyu held the blonde's gaze for a tense dozen seconds before giving an imperceptible nod.

"Winslet-san," Kanzashi raised her hand, gaining the attention of the orangette. "If I may ask, where are the Astray test pilots? Why did you transfer them here?"

Lath's expression softened when she saw the concern in the younger girl's eyes. Concern for another, concern for her significant other. The Scandinavian had seen Guele and her together back at Kanucha, and she had quickly known that they were involved.

"Resting." She answered, which was a bitter thing to do, telling half-truths like that. "They've had a long and tough fight. The least they deserve is a good bit of rest. As for your second question...well, I'd rather not have the Americans poking around them."

Ichika straightened from his slouch in slight alarm.

"And Davion..?"

Creak…

"He's fine, just busy."

All those of the IS Academy turned to look at the door, some of them gawking as the most unlikely person entered the room.

"Murakumo!" Chifuyu noted with slight surprise, her perplexed browns staring into hollow green. "How? You were in a coma…"

Ryo stared at her blankly, gaze scanning across the room, his lips set into an indifferent line.

"I got better." He muttered, audible enough to be heard in the stunned silence of the room.

The courier was clad in a plain black hoodie and loose gray sweatpants, his feet covered in white socks. His somewhat long hair, which had grown considerably since the start of the semester, was tied back into a messy ponytail, save for the bangs with some strands he let hang over his eyes. While he didn't display the sluggish movements of one that had been bedridden for more than a day, he did move with a particular gait with no energy given to them.

It was like he was never in a coma in the first place, but to some, it was clear that something else entirely different was affecting him.

That was not to mention the tired and near-apathetic gaze that he held in his emerald eyes, one that spoke of having run out of patience for anything that might get on his nerves.

Simply put, he was all out of shits to give.

"Ryo-nii! But…how?!" Laura stood up in shock, having snapped out of her surprise and breaking the stunned silence of the rest of the pilots. "You were in a coma yesterday!"

"Ryo! Dieu merci pour les petits bonheurs!" Charlotte rose out of her chair and practically barreled into him, wrapping her arms around his torso tightly as she buried her face into his chest. The black-haired teen took a step back from the force of the tackle, his brows rising before lowering as one of his arms gently wrapped around the shivering girl. He rested his chin on her head, gingerly squeezing her every now and again to reassure her that he was there.

"There, there… But just because I got better doesn't mean I'm completely healed."

Ichika was relieved at seeing his friend, lips curling into a smile as he let the two have their moment, looking at the others instead. The fact that his friend was here and hearty enough to walk by himself was a huge weight off of his shoulders. However, his sister's words still bore down in his conscience.

'He was in a coma..? But…how?!'

Ryo took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. He knew why he woke up from the coma. It was a lingering boon, a reminder that all was not as it seemed. That there were still greater powers pulling strings in the background…

"Dunno." He sighed, opening his eyes and looking around at the table, the stare that he had somewhat unnerving to the others. "I just woke up, and that was it."

"W-Wait," Houki stuttered as she stared back at the older teen, her expression a mix of worry and confusion. "A coma? How did you…why were you in a coma?"

The courier fixed her a blank look that agitated and perturbed her.

…

A pulse.

"What?"

"Murakumo, where's Guele?" Chifuyu quickly decided to steer the conversation back to the topic at hand. "He was supposed to give us the recordings of what happened."

"As I said, busy," Ryo repeated, gently untangling himself from the purple-eyed blonde, who was wiping her eyes clear of tears. He guided her back to her seat as he retrieved an item from his hoodie pocket. "But he left me with this."

With a lazy motion, he tossed a small blur towards the orangette, who caught it deftly and held it aloft for all to see.

It was a thumb drive.

The courier took the empty seat next to the Frenchwoman, who wrapped her arms around one of his, holding on for dear life as if he was going to disappear if she let go. Lath plugged the drive into the laptop and fiddled with a remote she pulled from her pocket.

Click!

The blinders fully extended down, and the holo-projector activated, a brief wave of light encompassing the room before a large black screen materialized on the vast empty wall space.

"Start with the file named 'Video_1a'." Ryo instructed, propping his free elbow unto the armrests and letting his head rest on his hand.

He didn't need to look to know that the mechanic had edited the footage. Sensitive information would have been replaced with more acceptable stand-ins, such as mentions of their true nature and origin, references to Project: Neo-Type, and other suspicious actions. Ryo was glad that his more soft-hearted Outworlder had the sense to do such a thing. He wasn't really looking forward to play 20 Questions with the group concerning who and what they were.

With a nod, Lath found the file and accessed it. There was a flicker of static before the main screen broke apart into three smaller screens. They all activated at once and had their small box in the upper left corner.

A blue expanse greeted their eyes, speckled with white as clouds flew by, the nature of the three screens making the view a much bigger horizon. There was silence for a few seconds before the three small boxes in the corners were replaced with the faces of the Astray pilots, with Ryo at the left most, Ephraim in the middle, and Davion at the right.

〈 Observers had spotted a red IS launching within Kanucha Resort's airspace, with a white IS latched on to its back. It was headed East, towards you three, so I'm going to assume that that was the IS Academy's backup. They achieved Mach 2 even before she got past 10 kilometers off of the coast. 〉

Murrue Ramius' voice filled in the silence as the cadets sat up straight, their attention fully on the recordings. The teachers also paid attention, though they also kept a careful eye around the room.

"Great. Looks like we'll be seeing them soon."

Laura winced at the audible exhaustion in Ryo's voice. Through the helmet cams, it was clear that the green-eyed teen hadn't slept in a while. His eye bags were more prominent, he had bloodshot eyes, and there was a general air of 'let's get this over with' all over his tone and expression.

A quick look at her brother beside the blonde, and she noted that he looked nowhere near where he was during Angel Down.

Perhaps the coma somewhat helped..?

〈 Actually, based on her speed and trajectory, she'll be with you three in less than a minute. 〉

"Understood. We'll go into radio silence to reduce chances of the Gospel detecting us."

"Smart." She mumbled, catching the way her brother eased into the role of being the commander of the three. She vaguely remembered that he also took the lead back when she…beat down Alcott and Huang. "Given that the Gospel had the Super Hyper Sensors…"

"I think I see them."

Davion's screen shifted to where it showed the ocean far below, with what looked like a red glint in the distance.

"...Wow, they're really clocking in with the speed there."

The two other screens shifted as the Astrays also looked to where the glint was. The pilots' expressions remained the same; Indifferent for Ryo, serious for Ephraim, and curious for Davion.

"Open communications with Shinonono and Orimura."

Ephraim's screen displayed the Blue Frame to his right.

"We need to coordinate with them to maximize-"

He was cut off when the red glint rocketed past underneath them on both the left and right screens.

"Uh…Does she…not see the shiny gold light above?"

Chifuyu looked at Houki, who scowled as she crossed her arms. A click of the tongue from the blonde Astray pilot curbed any exchange between the two, but there was a promise of one later in the older woman's eyes.

"Why does she have to make things difficult?"

Despite his words, Ephraim's lips were curled into a smirk, which gained the attention of everyone. Normally, one would scowl or frown at such an event, but…him smirking about it?

Something was up.

"Duke, silence the birds."

A faint buzzing in an odd pattern caused the blonde's smirk to ease into a pleased smile. Almost all of them were wondering who this 'Duke' was when Ephraim spoke.

"You know what? Let them go ahead. Let's give them a bit of space, we've been coddling them a bit too much lately."

Ichika and Houki both jerked from that, the former more in surprise and the latter in affront. The elder Orimura merely narrowed her eyes, glancing at the courier in a silent question, only to receive a stoic stare.

"… Really, you're going to do this right now of all times?"

The disapproval was clear behind the tiredness of the recorded courier's voice. His screen having shifted as the Red Frame turned its head to look at the Gold Frame. Ryo was sending an annoyed look at the blonde pilot, who merely rolled his eyes.

"It'll be a good opportunity for her to cool off, as hot-headed as she already is now with all that fourth-gen power going into her head. And we get to see just how she'll fare in actual combat."

"Fucking asshole." The ponytailed girl cursed, earning her the glares of the girls across from her. She merely returned the glares twice-fold. "What? You heard him!"

"...That doesn't feel…right, man."

The Blue Frame's screen shifted to look into the cold blue optics of the Gold Frame.

"I mean, I get that giving her space won't piss her off more, but…are you saying that we let them get hurt?"

Kanzashi smiled slightly at her boyfriend's words. Despite his rough appearance, he was, by far, the most kind of the three. Not that the other two weren't kind, per se, but Davion was the most genuine in his intentions and words.

There was silence from the recording for a minute, one that caused them to look and murmur at each other, wondering if something went wrong, but the twisting of Ephraim's expression from smug to begrudging and serious told them otherwise.

"Of course not."

Cecilia's furrowed brows eased in relief. Her crush may have been spiteful at times, but she believed that he wouldn't be that spiteful to the point of letting others get hurt for his vindictive pleasure.

"We'll just need to revise Plan Zulu according to the information we have now."

'...'Plan Zulu'?' Chifuyu made a note to needle her student about that at a later date.

"Revise it how?"

"I'll consider the Akatsubaki as a rogue element. Shinonono won't follow any of our instructions now that she has that red eyesore."

"Prick."

"The Byakushiki, or rather Ichika, will cooperate with us when the time comes. So in this respect-"

Ichika didn't know whether or not to feel glad that Ephraim put that much trust in him or be insulted on Houki's part for the blonde's abject dismissal of her skills.

"And when is that?"

The Gold and Blue Frame's screens shifted to look at the Red Frame, and Ryo's image depicted him closing his eyes, brows furrowed as he fought the mounting exhaustion from creeping onto his face.

"...When they miss twice, we should already be in the thunderstorm's clouds. At that point, you two go in and support them to make it seem as if we were 'late'."

Ichika then recoiled at his words, the sensation of betrayal suddenly weighing him down. Chifuyu, however, tensed her jaw.

''When they miss twice'? How would he even know that? The surety in his tone…'

"That goddamn…asshole!" Houki spat as she slammed her fists into the table before her, face twisted in a rictus of rage. She whirled around to Ryo, pointing at him accusingly. The courier merely stared blankly at the gesture. "I knew it! I knew you bastards were shady as hell!"

"Ryo, you use the Arrow mode to shoot down whatever the Silverio fires, I trust your eyes, even in the storm."

"Mn."

"That's what you think, Shinonono." Laura scoffed, understanding her brother's words. He was right, of course, to consider the ponytailed girl as a rogue element. Her behavior following what happened at Takabakasaki Lighthouse was clear she was hot-headed and impatient to prove her worth. Mavericks like that were a danger in any operation, especially delicate ones like Operation Angel Down. "Your behavior then and now only proves his decision to count you out of his plan."

"My behavior?! The bastard was trying to show me up!"

"No one was trying to show anyone up!" Kanzashi snapped, glaring at Houki, much to the subtle surprise of Ryo, who had never heard her be this mad before. "Will you just let it go already?! You're the only one that thinks of it that way!"

"Enough." Chifuyu ground out, fixing a stern stare at both parties and shutting them up. "If you want to fight, do it outside. I could care less about your grievances, even if it's justified or not. I'll reserve my own opinion until after we go through all the recordings. Orimura, control Shinonono."

Ichika nodded stiffly, gulping quietly at the irritation he could see in his sister's body language.

"Murakumo," She turned to the Astray pilot, who was still leaning back against his seat, almost nonchalantly. "'Plan Zulu', explain."

Ryo stared at her for a few tense seconds before looking at Lath. "Please, Unpause it."

The orangette glanced at the teacher, who sent her an irritated glare and resumed the video.

"Davion, suppress it with the Tactical Arms. Hold nothing back. We'll be in the rain. Your barrels will be fine."

The Gold Frame's screen shifted as it focused on its blue brother unit's black back skirt armor. Kanzashi tensed as she remembered what she saw hours before and frowned, crossing her arms and cupping her chin as she ruminated.

'That trefoil…Maybe I just saw things, but…'

"And…be ready to use that when the time comes, understand?"

"...Understood. And you?"

"I go for the finishing blow. With any luck, we'll get this over with sharpish."

With that, the recording ended, and the screens turned black. They all sat silently, stewing in their thoughts about what they had just seen and heard.

Houki was glaring at Ryo, fury in her eyes at their dismissal of her capabilities. Besides her, Ichika laid a hand on her shoulder to keep her from getting out of her seat. Both of them were the most affected by what so far has been given.

To think that they were basically classified as…bait by the blonde was…hurtful.

Rin was silent, leaning back against her seat as she pondered on the Astray pilots' words. They were still missing a lot of pieces in the puzzle, but this first recording was a good foundation on what the three of them were feeling during Angel Down.

Charlotte and Laura were of similar minds. All of them wanted to know more about what happened, to hear and listen to the words of the people they cared for to understand what was happening on their end. They wanted to know how and why they returned as wounded as they were following the first operation.

Cecilia, however, dreaded what they'll see next. Her right arm throbbed at the phantom pain of what happened the day before, and she had to control herself from grabbing it on reflex. She was starting to believe that she and Ephraim were more connected than she thought. And not in the romantic sense, too, as it was highly suspect that she felt the agonizing sensation of her arm being lopped off only for him to have his actually be missing later on that day.

Kanzashi, in the meanwhile, send a worried glance at the nervous looking blonde.

With the slight creaking of his chair, the dark-haired teen leaned against the table with a frown on his lips. He stared at the combat instructor as he did so, almost in a challenge.

"You want to know what 'Plan Zulu' was? It's right there, easy to piece together." Ryo steepled his fingers, hiding the lower half of his face. "Davion and I were meant to coordinate with, as Ephraim would put it, 'friendly elements' in a pincer attack, splitting the attention of the Gospel. With its attention on us-"

"It wouldn't be able to react to the Gold Frame teleporting behind it, right?" Rin snapped her fingers, remembering what she saw before Camp Schwab started exploding the day prior.

The courier looked at her for a few seconds, confusion clear on his face before it eased back into the blank expression he had worn since he entered the room.

"Teleportation…yeah, sure. Let's go with that."

"Wait," Ichika's brows furrowed as he reviewed his own memories of fighting the Perfect Gold Frame in the exhibition match. That, and he didn't much appreciate the sarcasm of the older teen. "If it's not teleportation, then how did it…"

"Not important right now. I'll explain that later." Ryo grumbled, heaving a sigh as Charlotte squeezed his arm comfortingly. He fixed her a tired but empty smile as thanks before looking back at the rest calmly until it rested on Houki. "And you. If you're done burning holes into me, let me get one thing straight. We had to specifically prepare for your bullshit because we took into mind your penchant for possibly doing something like you did."

"The hell do you me-"

"I'm not finished." There it was again, an almost tangible pulse, some form of weight, spreading throughout the room. "It was not that we didn't acknowledge your skills. We recognized your stupidity instead. Otherwise, we wouldn't have planned this backup if we believed that you would go along with us as a team like it should have. So save the rest of your questions and watch. We'll still get into the brunt of the matter either way. Winslet-san, would you kindly continue on to the next file."

Before Houki could vent in retaliation, Cecilia then abruptly stood up from her seat, her hands lightly slamming on the table as her lips drew back in a restrained snarl, teeth gritting as she took a few calming breaths. "If…If you'll excuse me, I shall not partake in this."

The courier looked at her in both confusion and sympathy, the latter more than the former before slowly turning his gaze to the resident guardians of the room.

"It's fine Alcott-san, you're excused." Their green-haired teacher softly acknowledged her request.

As the blonde began to walk towards the door, Kanzashi rose from her seat and placed a hand on her shoulder, her expression also one of sympathy. "I'll…keep you company." The bluenette turned towards Lath, who was looking at them with slight worry. "Is there a place that we can maybe stay while we wait?"

The orangette blinked before she sat up straight in her seat. "Ah, yes, well…you can perhaps stay in the living room, or take a walk out in the grounds, the garden, and the like. You can also ask the servants if you wanna stay in the recreation room. I'll...inform you once we've finished watching the next, if you'd like?"

"Thank you." The noblewoman muttered, her voice shaky as she sent a scathing glare at a confused Houki. "We'll be leaving now."

Ryo furrowed his brows as they walked past him, his mind running a mile a minute as he spotted small tells and shifts in body language. He wasn't sure but…

"You already know what happens next…" he whispered lowly enough for only her to hear. It was less of a question and more of a statement.

Kanzashi bit her lip, not that he could see it, as the piercing stares of her teachers bore into her back. "Davion."

The Red Frame's pilot took a deep breath and let out in a long sigh, which seemed like the cue for them to leave. With the quiet opening of the door, the two girls exited the room, the twin wooden barriers closing with a muted thud.

…

He kept quiet for a good minute, leaning his head against his fingers as it attempted to stifle a phantom headache before he lifted it up, his apathetic green eyes locking on to equally tired sea green.

"Play it. Would you kindly."

---

Fshhhh…

Calloused hands cupped and gathered the water running from the sink, letting the water pool for a few seconds before flicking up and splashing the liquid against an already wet face. Those same hands placed themselves on the marble countertop, fingers pressing against the surface as a low sigh slipped out from frowning lips.

Davion lifted his head, uncaring of his damp bangs stuck to his forehead, and stared at his mirrored self, at the new but faint scar that peaked from his hairline just above his right eyebrow. Fresh out of the shower, he lifted a hand to gingerly trace the new remnant of a wound, just another addition to his body's collection of scars. The same hand lowered to trace the eyebags that framed his bloodshot grays, the weight behind them near palpable as he stood straight and twisted his torso.

With his back partially to the mirror, he narrowed his eyes at the three small, almost unnoticeable dots just below his nape, arranged in a neat column that aligned with his spine. The flesh on the bumps was darker than his olive-skinned pallor, too clean to be a natural skin mutation like a mole or a birthmark. It looked engineered and artificial, and the roiling of emotions within him was wild as his mind worked itself to identify just what it was.

Faint and blurry memories of the past, of sterile walls and grease-stained tables, operating tables, and faceless doctors that cared not for his well-being. Anger and fear clashed within him, causing him to shudder and bare his teeth, but he calmed himself and unclenched his tightened fists. He reached over and behind his shoulder to touch the bumps, frowning as he felt the hotter than body temperature just by a second of contact. Underneath, the flesh was solid but not something akin to bone.

Something like metal.

Davion let out a nervous breath as he walked to where the folded towel was on the closed toilet lid, a more recently unearthed memory flashing into the forefront of his mind.

"You said 'most of the implants'. What's in 207 that isn't reacting too negatively?"

"The three Spikes are in, and that's pretty much it."

Three Spikes. Three bumps.

Implants.

Cybernetics.

He wasn't all meat and flesh. He apparently had some steel in him. While he would make a joke about praising the Omnissiah and that 'the flesh is weak', this was not the time.

He did not know the extent of what Project: Neo-Type had inserted into him, nor what these 'Spikes' could really do, and that scared him. The brunette knew enough literature and media to know that shady super soldier projects like the one he and his brothers were from often had failsafe measures to rein them in.

Who was to say that these 'Spikes' didn't have such measures?

And not to mention how those 'Spikes' reminded him so much of a certain cybernetic from a barren red dustbowl of a planet…

Fighting another shudder, he hung the now-damp towel on the towel bar and began to change. Slipping on a pair of black joggers and a white shirt that was a size too small for him, he ignored the ever-uneasy sensation of going commando. Slipping his damaged gloves on and a pair of indoor sandals, he exited the bathroom as a couple of items quantized into an open hand.

A tarnished gold sun attached to a damaged black metal choker and a pair of dirtied calligraphy pens.

Each of them was a personal failure, more regrets to pile on and to toss toward his burning anger. He should have been more prepared. He should have pulled out all stops. Hell, he should have disregarded the rules and snowballed so that his brothers wouldn't have suffered as they have. Closing his eyes and letting out a quiet growl of aggravation, he shut the door behind him just as his stomach rumbled.

Quantizing the two Closed Forms of the damaged Astrays back into the Blue Frame's Inventory, he shuffled his way through the manor and…wherever his feet would lead him. He just wanted to find one of the staff to ask if they could guide him to where the kitchen is so he could make himself some onigiri. Whatever that woman had done to heal him of his wounds, it had made him hungry and very, very tired.

'But I can't rest.' He thought as he slid a fusuma aside, revealing an empty room that had a tea table in the middle and a few zabuton around it. Frowning, he returned the fusuma to its place and continued wandering. 'Not yet. Not when I know now that some other faction is out there with mobile suits. With…' A flash of angry gray eyes went through his mind, and he clenched his fists.

'With Neo-Type pilots…'

And wasn't that a surprise?

None of them really thought back to Project: Neo-Type, much less that it had any far-reaching consequences. The trip back memory lane during Laura's rampage made them believe that they were the last, since the entire facility– wherever it was located– was gassed to contain the rioting Neo-Types once they somehow got free.

'No, Delt…Ryo had somehow orchestrated the breakout.' The brunette shook his head, then shook it harder when his vision began to swim. 'We just assumed that we were the only ones that got out of there alive, but…'

He could barely remember if there was an explosion or not, the memories muddled.

'If there are more, then…'

"Guele-san!"

The brunette was taken away from his thoughts when he heard the steady thumping of footsteps coming up behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Kazahana jogging down the hall with an embarrassed expression on her face.

"Sorry, I told you to get breakfast, but I forgot that you didn't know where the kitchen was, sorry!" The young girl apologized as she slid to a stop before him, her hands whirling as she regained her balance. "Come on, I'll lead you there!"

"Ah, thank you." He murmured, following after the shorter brunette as he pushed away the whirlwind of thoughts and worries just for a little bit so he could enjoy his coming breakfast. His mind idly thought of tuna-filled onigiri and of fried rice, his stomach rumbling in protest of what he was doing. "Gotta make breakfast quick, though, I feel like we've only barely gone half-way through the whole facility…"

Kazahana turned to him with a bitter smile. "You don't have to push yourself…"

Davion sighed as he ran a hand through his slightly damp hair, ruffling it even more from its normal mess. "I know. But…I don't know. Maybe we can find something in there that could help Ephraim. Your mom sealed a majority of it away for some reason, and I want to know why."

The young girl's smile eased into a small frown as she, too, sighed. The reveal that the facility underneath the Estate was more expansive than they first thought was a big surprise to her. She had been unaware of just how big the whole thing was. If she was correct in her estimations, they were already going far below sea level!

Just why did Rondo Mina Sahaku create the facility that deep? And just what did she seal away, and why did she do that?

That question would remain unanswered as they made their way to the kitchens.

And along the way…

"'Zashi?" Davion breathed out, eyes wide as the bluenette ahead of them whirled around at his voice. Her rubies locked onto his gunmetal grays and crossed the distance between them in a desperate gait, Kazahana having to step away from her brother's friend when the older teen leapt towards him.

"Davion!"

The taller brunette easily tanked the flying tackle, wrapping her arms around his girlfriend in a stunned but automatic hug. For a moment, he took his eyes off of her and into the melancholic blues of Cecilia, who had a mixed look of longing and pain on her face.

Kanzashi blubbered gratitudes into his chest, which he reciprocated with gentle squeezes as the blonde walked closer to them with a half-smile.

"It's quite unfair, isn't it?"

The mechanic only blinked in confusion and the noblewoman shook her head with a quiet huff.

"...Nevermind."

Davion frowned as he ran a hand through Kanzashi's hair, placing a chaste kiss on her crown before he looked back at the blonde. "What're you doing here? I thought that you'd be in a debriefing."

"I didn't want to be in the same room as her." Cecilia muttered bitterly, her lips curling in a harsh frown. "If I had to watch her attack Ephraim again, I don't know what I would have done."

"Same here," Kanzashi mumbled into his chest. "If I had to spend another minute of her bad-mouthing you, I'd have lost it."

The mechanic's heart fluttered, but he reined his emotions in. With a quiet sigh, he shook his head. "Right. Well, we were heading to the kitchen so I could get some breakfast. Where were you two going?"

"Anywhere but near Shinonono." The noblewoman huffed, crossing her arms. "She's being a right bit-"

"What do you mean 'watch her attack Ephraim again'?"

The three teens froze.

Kazahana stared at Cecilia with blank eyes.

"What did Shinonono-san do..?"

Crash!

At the sound of splintering wood, they all turned toward the source of the noise. It came from further into the estate house, and faint but indecipherable sounds of yelling accompanied it. The four of them looked at each other before quickly running over to check and see what happened.

---

"Let me go! I SAID LET ME GO!"

"God damn it, calm down!"

Chifuyu applied more pressure on the berserk albino, pressing her down more on the carpeted floor as their strengths clashed against each other. She held her student's arm back, ensuring her knee dug into her back to pin her in place. A few feet away, a combat knife glinted in the council room's lights, the edges lined with a thin layer of blood.

"SHINONONO!" Laura howled, her sole red eye glaring hatefully at the target of her ire. The German's face was a rictus of rage, almost demonic in how she looked. Her free hand was scrambling for the knife, the action desperate as unbridled anger fueled her struggles. "YOU GOD DAMNED GLORYHOUND!"

Houki herself was silent, a hand covering the left side of her face as she took shuddering breaths. Tears were running down her wide eyes, mixing with the blood dribbling between her fingers. Her sole visible pupil was a shrunken, shaking dot in the white of the eye, and her lips moved as incoherent sounds escaped from them.

"I…No…No! I didn't..!"

"Laura, what the HELL?!" Ichika roared as he held his friend close, uncaring if droplets of blood stained his shirt. He had been rattled by the sudden action of the albino, more so at the flash of steel and the coppery scent of blood in the air. "You nearly took her eye out!"

Rin was frozen, the shock of it all having anchored her to her seat. Her eyes were fixed on the holographic screens, at the still image that hung over them all.

Houki's face frozen in a visage of wrath.

Ephraim's expression twisting in disbelief, shocked at the turn of events not even he nor Ryo could've predicted, mixed with pain as his sole pristine eye's pupil shrunken in surprise.

The pink energy blade cleaving through the Gold Frame's right arm, the amputated limb frozen in the air mid-spin as an explosion of blood and cauterized flesh flew out of both ends of the stump.

Charlotte didn't fare any better, her already pale complexion going even paler and getting a green tinge as she squeezed Ryo's arm as if it was a lifeline. Her lips moved, mouth slightly ajar, yet no words managed to escape, her eyes closed so she wouldn't see any more blatant violence, especially between those she considered friends.

"Is this what happened?" Maya whispered, having stood up when Laura had launched herself out of her seat and across the room towards Houki. "Friendly fire..?"

"THAT IS NO FRIENDLY FIRE!" Laura snarled, struggling underneath her mentor's grip, still in the throes of rage. "SHE DELIBERATELY CUT MY BROTHER'S ARM OFF!"

"I DIDN'T DO IT!" The culprit screamed as she shut her eyes, pain, and anguish lacing her tone as she turned away from it all. "I DIDN'T DO IT– I DON'T REMEMBER!"

"BULLSHIT!"

Lath merely shut her eyes and leaned back in her seat, jaw tense as she let out a long but quiet sigh. She knew that the truth would have been complicated, but she had hoped that it wasn't going to be this complicated. She would have accepted if the Sahaku Heir lost his arm during combat with the five rogue suits, not from one upstart girl from the damn Academy!

"Damn it, Bodewig, calm down!" Chifuyu hissed, tightening her grip around the wrist of the albino's arm she was twisting. She turned her head to the only other person that was capable of handling the angered German. "Murakumo, A little help here!?"

Ryo's expression had finally changed from the beginning of the impromptu debrief, one from mild disinterest to complete and utter apathy. His dull eyes showed nary any emotion as he stared ahead at the still image of his fellow test pilot's expression as his arm was lopped off.

"Murakumo!" The combat instructor repeated, a hint of pleading in her tone. "Damn it, just– Just calm her down!"

…

"Laura."

A simple utterance of her name, carrying the weight of authority never before heard from the usually docile Neo-Type pulsed throughout the room, making them all pause in recognition as their peripheral visions snapped to the source.

"Lets all calm down, shall we?"

Not an order, not a request, nor was it a suggestion. It was a decree to be followed without question.

Again, the courier went silent as he tilted his face toward the incoming-

Crash!

This was the scene that Davion, Kanzashi, Cecilia, and Kazahana were met with as the Blue Frame's pilot ripped the doors open.

"Jesus fuck..!" The mechanic cursed, gaze quickly wandering towards the bloody knife and the wounded swordswoman. While he didn't quite like Houki after what she did, he certainly didn't take pleasure in seeing her all hurt and vulnerable like she was right now. Pushing down his bubbling irritation towards the ponytailed girl, he approached her as he quantized a white box from his Inventory. "Hold on, I got a first-aid kit!"

The noblewoman and the bluenette merely stared, mixed expressions on their faces as Houki turned to look at them. Like with the brunette, they weren't as cruel to enjoy the pain on their fellow first-year's face, much less the possible loss of her eye. Still, they held back, distaste and annoyance bubbling in their eyes as the sole blue of the younger Shinonono quickly looked away in shame.

Kazahana, meanwhile, stared dead ahead at the holographic screens. In an uncharacteristic display of maturity, she shut her eyes and shook her head, muttering words that were lost amidst the screaming and crying.

"Where did it all go so wrong..?"

---

AN:

Proofread and Edited by: Project Ryo

I have returned!

Sorry for the late upload, I was super busy with life. The biggest one being my graduation from the University. That's right, this bumfuck right here has got a diploma after years of suffering! Now the next problem is finding a job that'll fit me. But first, I'm going to take a well-needed and deserved vacation, away from all the dusty books and eye-searing articles that I had to study. Tokyo sounds lovely this time of year...

I've also been writing a lil' something something in the background, but that'll take a bit longer to finish. After all, I still have the rewrite for this thing to do.

Yup, you heard me right. There's gonna be a rewrite of this fic, more specifically the earlier chapters. I will confess, the early chapters really were written without much structure or attention to what plot Project Ryo and I have written now. It was legitimately written while I was how many cups deep in liquor and with the drunken bravado of a wannabe author.

So, it's time for it to get a proper revamp worthy of the later, more cohesive chapters!

I'm not making a new story for the rewrite, rather I'll replace the earlier, less-fleshed out chapters like the Prologues and first few Episodes, with more lore-accurate ones to the LN. (With thanks given to P.B.S for his informative reviews!)

Anyway, this now properly marks the end of Gone Astray Season 1! And a heads up that the next chapter's going to come out later in...quite a while.

To the reviews!

DARKPHANTOM13: That'll come in time, the effects of which will be felt in the upcoming Summer Arcs and further on afterwards.

MrSoandSo: I wonder who as well~?

KnightOfZaku: A sneak peek into Tabane's fate, hmm? Well...let's just say the words 'Boss Battle' would fit it. Yeah. Boss Battle.

RoyalTwinFangs: Sad to see you go, but was glad to have you along the ride. Hope we'll see again, friend!

SkyFireW: I think I've already given a clear enough indication of who got Perpetual Engine. ;)

Commissar Baphomet: Glad that I got you on the edge of your seat. Personally, I still feel as if Operation Valkyrie was lacking something, but the other ideas I wanted to put in would have thrown the narrative into a wild flat spin.

MVC X BBCTB: I think I addressed the topic of the Archetype Breaker characters before and I think my answer was that I wrote the story way using both Anime and Light Novel resources. The game story is interesting, I'm not going to lie, but its plot would have clashed with the main storyline. I mean, I can squeeze some in later on, I suppose, but I fear they won't put much stock into the narrative other than being background characters that the cast interacts with on occasion. But, we'll see where the chips fall. Using AB characters in Omakes though, that I might do in the future. And given that the game includes alien life forms attacking Earth, it's definitely gonna be Super Robot Wars level of whack, ha!

Guest who demanded that more Haros be present: They will! In the future, that is. Can't be a SEED Crossover without those funny little balls.

P.B.S: So the Princess is a typical Princess but has a...a what. An IS equivalent of the GP02? What in the-

Ah, yeah, I guess it was kind of inevitable that there were going to be some incorrect story elements for the Light Novel enjoyers out there. I really should have read the LN's beforehand, but this story literally was made using spotty memories, the fandom wiki, what little of the anime was out there on Youtube, and a few bottles of whiskey and Irish Cream. Which is kind of why I'm thinking of a rewrite where I'll incorporate what you suggested in this review and in the past few. Not a total rewrite/overhaul, but more of a correction, I guess?

Again, I'm sorry about the plotline following too close to the original. This is my first publicized fanfic and I was really scared of getting shouted down for diverting too much from the source material. And yeah, the first chapters are very messy with all the plot points I've put in there. Early Chapters Cipher and Later Chapters Cipher are two different idiots, in the sense that the latter actually had a put-together storyline compared to the first. It's why I'm thinking of the rewrite.

I'm glad that none of the characters (except for Laura) are OOC for you. I'll take that as a high praise, since you're my senior in IS Lore. As for Laura, well, I'd like to say that the presence of the trio hastened her growth from being 'cold soldier' to 'socially awkward dweeb', but I haven't really written that kind of showing all that well or too much. So, it's really just my bad for not knowing the character all that well. On the albino not being in the harem orbit, I'd personally like it to stay that way, but the better choice would be to let Laura as a character organically grow to love Ichika later on. For now, she's being nurtured (in a sense) by the trio as their little sibling in the ways of "How to person", with varying degrees of success. The decision to have her fall for the blockhead is still up in the air.

Ain't gonna lie, the way you talked about the three actually got me grinning and laughing because that's exactly what I wanted someone to notice and point out. I feel very accomplished, because all that you've said is an almost one-to-one copy to how I, and the other Controllers, wanted to portray them as; Ryo as the most well put together, Davion being wallpaper at times, and Ephraim just an overall asshole of a character. Though, these are subject to change, of course. We're just getting started with Season 1, and all the pieces are in place just in time for the ball to get rolling.

"the principal of the academy is an old man posing as a janitor" I really want to rewrite the early chapters just for this. How could I have missed such comedic potential?! I am utterly ashamed at myself. As for the layout of the island, I really just relied on how it looked in the anime, but if what you're suggesting that the LN has a proper layout, I'll bump it up my bucket list.

And no, I'm not really offended by the things you say. Your reviews are very enlightening to the Controllers and I, to the point that we even await for your eventual review! I might even say you're our favorite reviewer with how much content you pack in 'em. Hell, sometimes you even terrify me with how much more you know of Infinite Stratos than I. Project Ryo called it "He's t-posing while you're cowering in the corner.". Also, he's flabbergasted as to how you like Ryo the most as, in his words, "How in the hell did he choose Ryo as the best. Man's just tired with dealing with the IS-verse bullshit lmao". But seriously though, we value you a lot. Thanks for your reviews!

And with that, this is Cipher, still reeling on the fact that I graduated, signing off!

But before that, how about I leave you a little crumb for what's to come...

---

In the depths of Mount Nagodake, a figure stalked through the empty metal halls.

Illuminated by aging lights, Lath schooled her expression as she found herself down a familiar path, the sound of her heels echoing down the corridors as she went.

The events of the day prior was...enlightening, to say the least.

'I didn't need to spectate all of that drama.' The Scandinavian thought as she entered an elevator, frowning at the thin layer of dust on the floor. 'And now I've got blood on the carpets that need cleaning.'

Pressing a series of buttons in a specific order, the doors closed and she waited in silence as the lift went down.

'But still...some group's out there possessing mobile suits...that's definitely going to make my already difficult plans even more so.'

Ding!

The doors opened and she stepped out into the cold recycled air, another metal hallway greeting her, another identical corridor amidst the maze that was underneath the Sahaku Estate. But unlike the halls that she was familiar this, this one was by far the least she was used to. After all, she didn't have a good reason to come here in the first place.

Until now, that is.

Stopping before a door nearly thrice her size, she crossed her arms and took the time to study the obstacle before her.

This was the door that her mother kept secret. Placed in a sublevel only accessible through a specific code in a specific elevator, and then locked with even more convoluted measures.

Just what did her mother hide behind this?

Releasing a long sigh, she made her way to a terminal off to the side, the lit screen faintly glowing and flickering. Reaching out, a keyboard then popped out from the device before she began typing. This was a step she was familiar with, as everything had been described in her mother's journals. The instructions were clear, even if the words weren't meant for her.

'The world's changing fast, and I need to keep up with it or risk being left behind in the dust. The plan that I have is risky, very risky, but what other choice do I have?'

The terminal then beeped.

"Please place the required item in the highlighted slot."

And there it was, the one step that had stopped her dead in her tracks in her previous attempts.

A panel slid open beside the screen, and she took a step back away from the keyboard.

"Well, this is it..." The Scandinavian muttered, her hand creeping closer to her pants pocket. "Hopefully this won't bite me in the ass later on..."

Pulling out a vial of blood, she held it up to the light, her lips curling into a mirthless smile.

"Not even sure if you're truly mother's son, given your artificial nature. So this has a chance to fail." Lath continued, her smile turning brittle as she lightly swished the vial around. She could only hope that the chips would fall where she'd want them to. "But beggars can't be choosers. Time is of the essence on this gambit of mine…"

Her eyes tore themselves from the vial of blood and put it into the open slot. A few seconds later, and the machine quickly took it inside for what she could only assume was analysis.

It was tense silence that filled the room as she waited for the analysis to complete. Her hands grew clammy, and her regal mask broke into a nervous grimace.

"Come on, come on..." She muttered, sea-green eyes darting between the panel and the progress bar. This was the make or break moment for everything going forward. "De som önskar att sjunga hittar alltid en låt...."

Beep!

"..!"

"DNA Match at 67.6% between Subject X and Subject Z. DNA Match at 67.6% between Subject Y and Subject Z. Direct Child Relationship Assumed."

"Amaterasu, driven to curiosity by the sounds of merriment and of laughter, peeked out from within the cave and caught sight of her glorious visage in the Yata no Kagami."

Lath jolted at the voice of her late adoptive mother, eyes wide as a rush of emotions surged forth through her. Sorrow, grief, longing, fear, all of those swirled into a chaotic maelstrom. How long has it been since she's heard that voice? How long since she had shied away from any memento of her mother?

"There she stood transfixed, and so, Ame-no-tajikarao removed the boulder that had her sealed."

"My children."

The Scandinavian once more jolted at the direct address that her late mother spoke of. A piece of her was eaten away at guilt for standing alone before the barrier, guilt for her selfishness and desperation. She should have brought Kazahana, at least, or have awoken her estranged 'brother'. But time waited for no one, and all she could do was apologize.

"I know not why you have decided to come here. Perhaps it was in your hour of need, perhaps it was out of greed. But I know this... What lies beyond these two gates will bring either prosperity upon our Clan or doom upon the world."

Clank...

"I only ask that you exercise wisdom, patience, and regality that befits our position. As we, who felt the call to lead and to guide, will become the beacons for the future."

Clank...

As the ground rumbled at the slowly opening gates, Lath clenched her fists as she took in her mother's words. Was this really the right idea? Should she have waited? Should she have sought counsel first before doing this impulsive act?

"And so, I welcome thee, to Ama-no-Iwato and the Treasures hidden within. The culmination of the Sahaku Clan's research, both foolish and noble, in guiding the world whether through force and fear or by benevolence and free will."

An influx of stale air blew her hair back, and Lath stood her ground as the biggest mystery in her Clan was slowly revealed to her. Treasures? Research? Guiding the world..?

"Let this be my last gift to you, my dear children... From a mother who has made many mistakes in her life."

---

.

.

.

---

【Thorn Unit E (IS): Status...72%】

{Branch Unit Condition: 66% }

{Access to [Prime] Database: Bottlenecked. Admin Mandated.}

{System Boon: 〔Comet Protocol〕[Active] }

{…}

{Running Unit Diagnosis…}

{…}

{Thorn Unit E (IS) Simulated History Integration: 75%}

{!/Warning! Branch Unit has suffered hardware damage! Role Efficiency reduced by 25%!/!}

{!/Warning! Branch Unit has suffered software damage! Data store corruption at 15%!/!}

{...}

{Admin Action…Processed. Activating Sub-Routine (GI 2.5 ver. 0bbt)}

{Admin Action…Processed. Initiating Narrative Conflict Drive E (IS-A.63)}

{...}

{Thorn Unit E (IS) Simulated History Integration: 80%}

{Simulated History Integration has achieved optimal levels on Unit E (IS). Further integration risks loss of data packets and MITM attacks.}

{System Action…Processed. Initiating Soft Reboot of Unit Software.}

{...}

{Admin Action…Processed. Reboot canceled.}

{!/Warning! Unstable Software may cause irreparable damage to Unit E (IS)!/!}

{...}

{Admin Action…Processed. Shutting down Unit Diagnosis.}

{System Action…Processed. Initiating Sub-Routine PH-C-66-1.}