January 20th, 10:30 am
Dicey Café, downtown Tokyo:
Kazuto parks his bike in front of the Dicey café, he had been called over by his old friend from SAO. After he and Sugu woke up, he received a email on his computer. And after opening it and seeing a image of what appears to be Asuna in a golden bird cage. He wanted to know what was going on.
He enters the front doors and sees four people at the bar. Behind the bar is Andrew Gilbert Mills, aka Agil. With him are Alexander Mitchell aka Lexar, Nathan Kennedy aka Codex, and Kenji Takeuchi aka Rex.
"Everyone?" Kazuto was surprised to see so many of his old buddies from SAO gathered at the café.
"We got the email from Agil, and we came down here as soon as we could." Alex said, breaking the ice.
"Alex," Kazuto was breathless, "could it be?"
"We believe so." The blonde American turned to Andrew, cuing him to speak.
"Agil?" Kazuto asked.
Andrew takes out the case to a VR game and presents it to Kazuto. "Ever heard of this game?"
"No, I haven't." Kazuto shook his head.
"Alfheim Online... a game built from Sword Art Online's code." Agil said.
"It takes place in the world of fairies." Nathan explained. "I only managed to get a small fraction of the game details some days before."
"And this screenshot is from inside the game?" Kazuto held out the picture.
"That is correct." Agil answered. "That picture was taken by the other players who were trying to fly their way up to the Top of the World Tree." He turns over the game cover, which shows the map of Alfheim. Andrew's finger tapped on the image of the giant tree.
"What is this," Kenji asked, "what is going on?"
Alex turned to Kenji. "We believe that girl in the picture is Asuna. Kazuto's girlfriend." He turned to his friend. "Kazuto, look at the maker and publisher of Alfheim Online." Alex motioned.
Kazuto looked closely at the bottom of the game cover. He sees the name and logo that reads RECT Progress Inc. His eyes widen when he sees the name next to RECT.
"That's... Nobuyuki..." Alex saw the silent confusion and anger in Kazuto's eyes. He knew how much Asuna meant to him, and he hadn't forgotten how devastated he was yesterday. However, it was quickly replaced by concern, determination, and love.
Alex turned to Andrew. "Did you email any of our friends from SAO?" He asked.
"No... I thought about Kazuto here first..."
"Do it," Kazuto said, "and do it now."
"I agree," Alex added. "Get on the horn, we get everyone in ALO." He points at the image of Asuna. "If that is really her, we're gonna need all the help we could get."
"Don't we need the AmuSphere for this game?" Kenji asked. He had read that the AmuSphere is the new, safe version of the NerveGear helmet. The new devices changed the microwave transmitter to a low frequency one. The AmuSphere's design incorporates various sensors that continually monitor blood pressure and brain waves and provoke a safety logout feature in case the person's status becomes abnormal. Also, the AmuSphere does not completely block out signals from the body, as NerveGear did.
"The game's compatible for the NerveGear helmets." Andrew explained.
"Good. Once we get the word out to our friends, we'll come up with a plan and converge on the World Tree." Alex continued.
It was then Nathen spoke up. "Hold up Alex, why are you going through all this trouble?"
Alex turned towards the brown-haired American. "She's one of us," Alex said, "and we take care of our own. I owe Kazuto my life after he saved me from the mountain trolls when my sword shattered on impact. If he hadn't, I wouldn't be standing here."
It was Kenji's turn to speak. "Also, he helped me find Momiji after she was trapped in SAO, I chose to put on the NerveGear and dive into SAO, knowing that I would be trapped."
"And besides," Alex added. "You were trapped with us too, or had you forgotten?"
Nathan was silent, but it was clear that he still had some trauma. Ranging from being trapped in the game on the first day to losing a special person while in the infamous death game. He was not fully done grieving just yet.
Alex placed his hand on Nathan's shoulder. "I know that Sword Art Online was traumatizing for you. Believe me, it has for all of us... But we need to pull together. Asuna's in there, being held against her will." Alex turned to face the others.
"The Sword Art Online game was, indeed, infamous for many. Both in Japan and around the world. But, despite all odds of not being able to survive, we managed to clear the game with the help of Kirito." He gestors a nod to Kazuto. "And now, we're needed again to rescue one of our own. We're gonna dive in ALO and get her back... Whatever it takes."
Silence hung in the air, unsure what to say after the speech. Kazuto felt his heart leap up to his throat. His friends are going through all of this just for him and Asuna. He went over to Alex and hugged him.
"I-I don't know w-what to say..." Kazuto nearly choked up. Tears started to stream down his face.
"You don't have to think anything else to say." Alex reassured him while he held his friend. "You two deserve each other, and I'm not gonna stand idly by and let someone else take away the love of your life. And I'm sure that no one else will either." Andrew, Kenji, and Nathan remained silent as they watched the bond between two SAO brothers unfold.
Kazuto breaks the hug and wipes the tears from his face. "T-Thank you, Alex." He sniffles.
"You can thank me after we storm the tree and rescue your princess." Alex smiled. "And then, you two will get your happy ending. See you in Alfheim, Kirito." He turned to the others. "Now come one, we got a fellow SAO survivor to save."
Kazuto then burst out of the bar with the game in hand and a determined expression to the heavens. With Alex, Nathan, and Kenji following suit.
January 19th, 3 pm HST,
Onboard the USS Bruce Wilson:
Thomas sat in the briefing room staring at the laptop. Colonel and Captain America were both gathering their top subordinates into the room, Nick Fury included. Chris saw Preston and Castle enter as among the last of the Howlers' core command team.
He turned to Steve. "Sir, all of our officers and senior NCOs are present."
"Excellent." Steve said. Standing next to Fury is another agent, Maria Hill. She's been with SHIELD for years, Hill, along with Fury and the Avengers, dealt with Loki's invasion of New York City back in May 4th, 2012. Help Rogers fight HYDRA sleeper agents in 2014, and help evacuate the Novi Grad, the capital of Sokovia during the fight against the rogue AI Ultron. Then later, fought against the Federated States of Pacifica when SHIELD fell for the second and final time.
"Fury, we're approaching the Hawaiian airspace." Hill notified. "Pacific Fleet, Central Command wishes to express their welcome and hopes for a successful joint exercise as well."
"Good to know." Fury remarked.
"Just like we planned it so far..." Colonel America muttered to himself. A few minutes went by and everyone have settled in the seats.
"Room, a-ten-hut!" Chris called. After every uniformed officer rose to attention, Steve said, "as you were."
Everyone sat back down.
"Good morning, Howler Platoon," Steve began. "Many of you know me already, but for those who have just joined the 7th Platoon... I am Colonel Steve Rogers... formerly Captain America, and now Colonel America."
"As many of you are aware, all of us are heading towards Japan. Which is kind of ironic in my case... as when I first joined the Army, it was an enemy country."
"And now, we're allies with them." Fury pointed out.
"And... we're one of the biggest buyers of their anime and monster movies," Chris joked, to the snickers of the officers present. Rogers chuckled for the others. During and after the civil war, he chatted with the other soldiers of the American Rangers and they've mentioned their favorite cartoon series from Japan, known as anime. He also learned about the monster films, aka Kaiju. One kaiju series, in particular, Godzilla. For Rogers, he found it strange that a nation that was once an enemy during the second world war became a number one market for Anime and Kaiju entertainment.
Thomas Anderson too chuckled as he also mentioned the anime and kaiju franchises to Rogers in the past.
"Anyways, joking beside," Steve continued, "we've traced a major national security threat and civil war criminal believed to be residing in Japan, who came to America under an alias before illegally participating in hostilities under the former Pacifica banner." He turned to Thomas, who switches the holoscreen on and displays the man in his mid-thirties, sporting brown hair and glasses.
"Sugou Nobuyuki, aka Barnas Shinsei. The man responsible for the experiments on American captives during the second civil war and employed by the former Federated States of Pacifica. He was spotted working for the company called RECT Progress Inc. Department, Full-Dive Technology Research Division. We believe that he's connected to the 300 players that remain trapped in the NerveGear helmets. Our mission, is to infiltrate the Alfheim Online servers and investigate the setting."
Captain Anderson then changed the display to a map of Alfheim.
"According to the game's descriptions, it takes place in the world of fairies. Our target is believed to be housed in the super-giant tree known as Yggdrasil, situated at the center of the map. We also believe that the 300 players could be held in there too."
"We don't know what exactly is going on in there, but whatever it is cannot be good." He then nodded to Steve. "Colonel?"
"Phase one will be arriving near Japan. So far, it's underway. Phase two, we will log into the Alfheim servers with the modified VR helmets. Phase three, if he and the 300 are located in the world tree, we will stage a siege on the World Tree. And finally, phase four, we deploy our troops in Japan and capture Sugou alive."
"Now, in regards to our current phase of operations," Colonel Rogers said, "the official mission we are on is a joint aerial operational exercise with the 7th Fleet. The White House attempted to negotiate with the Japanese on allowing us to assist in the investigation of Nobuyuki... But, the request was denied."
"So what is the play, Captain- I mean, Colonel?" One officer asked.
"Captain Walker, please do not interrupt the Colonel," Captain Burke said.
"Sorry, sir." Walker apologized.
However, Steve waved his hand to Chris, then motioned to the soldier asking the question, "introduce yourself, please."
"Captain Logan Walker, leader of the 7-2 Howler. Sir."
"Since you asked..." Colonel Rogers said, "we stay on schedule with the fleet..."
"And we're executing the operation independently." The officers looked to one another. Realizing that if they get caught by the Japanese Authorities, their on their own.
"Sir," Logan said, "what you're asking us to do is tantamount to mutiny. We could all be disavowed and executed for this."
It was then Fury spoke. "We are aware of that, Walker. Which is why that we're keeping it discreetly."
"Sir."
"Captain Pierson," Chris introduced, "Howler 7-3."
Pierson stood up, "Colonel Rogers, with all due respect, you are a symbolic representation of the reborn America... if something goes wrong with this operation, you go down with it."
"I thank you for your concern, Captain Pierson." Rogers replied.
"But sir-"
He was interrupted when Fury cut in. "Noted Pierson," Fury said, "but when we all put on the uniform of our country and venture beyond our borders, whether we want to or not, we will always bear our country's honor on our shoulders, fail or not... I know because I did so in the past..."
And with that, Pierson remained silent.
"Continue." Fury suggested.
Thomas then added, "of course, it would be understandable for many of you to wonder how we can be sure that this is our man and the possible hostages... While we were viewing the data and details from the ALO game, I've stumbled across a photo." Thomas uploads the image of the scenery of tree branches. On one of the large branches is the golden bird cage.
"At first, it was just a picture of the top of the tree. Then, we took a closer look." The image zooms in on the cage, and a teenage girl with long, hazelnut hair and matching eyes comes into view. Despite the image not in full solution, the sad expression on her face is visible.
"I had Trinity, the AI, run a diagnosis scan on the 300 players who remain comatose and the image matched one of those players." The image switches to the hospital record and displays several images of the girl with the same hair color and length as the once shown in the screenshot.
"Asuna Yuuki, age seventeen, born on September 30th, 2007, nationality; Japanese." He takes a serious tone. "However, we did a background check on her family. She's the daughter of one of the CEOs of RECT Progress Inc. The very company that developed ALO and the AmuSpheres."
"No crud," another officer said.
"You don't think that her family may be holding them in ALO?" one officer asked.
"Impossible." Preston interjected. "If so, why go through all that trouble, let alone having her locked in a bird cage?"
"Can we consider the Yuuki family as possible suspects then?"
"We could, for a time being until evidence proves otherwise."
Preston glanced sideways. "I can't believe they would do that to their own daughter..."
"With that being said," Rogers continued. "We're diving in ALO and start setting up outposts. Once settled in and when we get information regarding the world tree, we'll lead the assault."
"Will you be leading the assault, Captain- I mean Colonel?" Logan asked, "sorry, it takes getting used to the new title."
"Well, I am told that I will need to help coordinate the different stages of the operation from the Helicarrier's bridge unless there is an absolute need to intervene," Steve sighed, "but I promise you all that you are not without your heroes..."
"And besides..." he looked to Chris, "you all have the new Captain to lead all of you now."
"Same goes for me too." Thomas added. "I'm also needed on the Helicarrier to supervise and monitor the VR helmets unless I, too, have to intervene.
"Captain Burke, Lieutenant Preston, front and center, please," Steve ordered. Both Chris and Jack stood up in attention.
They were beside Rogers as he said, "these are your new leaders in battle... As some of you have heard, Stark and I have since given up our mantles..." Some of the officers, including Turner and Pierson were surprised while Thomas and the others watched on.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Colonel America patted both men, "I give you our successors, Captain America and Iron Man." Everyone stood up to applause and give salutes to the new Captain America and Iron Man.
Maria Hill seemed positively surprised when she whispered to Nick Fury. "Did you know about this, Fury?" She asked in a hushed tone.
"Colonel told me all about it..." Fury said, "he volunteered, and watched as Anderson administered the original serum to Burke himself."
"And Preston?"
"Took delivery of the first suit for 7th Platoon, and even had a personal oath administered by Stark himself."
Maria did a double take. "Stark giving oaths?"
Fury nodded. "He changed a lot since the civil war."
"Didn't we all," Maria remarked. They watched as Rogers continues his speech.
"I have seen these two progress into the fine leaders that will carry the Army into the future with strength, honor, and integrity above all," the former Captain America said, "they've led in battle before, but they will soon lead new generations of heroes with the ideals of freedom and justice that Tony and I worked hard to represent. No matter what the world throws at you..."
"And this mission will put all of you to the test. The test for leadership, strength, courage, and the will to lead the fight to preserve freedom in the word. They will try to beat you down, discourage you, silence you, but they can never take your honor and dignity as American soldiers, as long as you all howl loudly and proudly for life, liberty, and justice..."
The whole room erupted with cheers and applause.
"Let's get to work, people," Steve clapped back.
"You heard the Colonel," Chris, now Captain America said, "let's get howling and hunting."
"Hooah!" Everyone starts leaving the debriefing room.
Alfheim, Spriggan territory:
"Whoa!" Kirito yelled as he found himself falling from the sky. The temple could be seen as he continues to descend towards the ground. As he reaches closer, a glitch occurred, it surrounded Kirito in pitch black darkness. The next thing he knew, he finds himself heading towards the forest and crash-lands into the ground.
"Ow..." he rubbed his head. "Talk about rough landing." He gets up on his feet and looks around. Kirito felt a sort of familiarity to the place. He sees the giant tree far off in the distance.
"Don't worry, Asuna. I'm coming to save you." Kirito muttered to himself. "And this time, I won't be alone." He then opens up the menu window, and checks through the options.
'Please let it be there,' Kirito sweated. He breathed a sigh of relief as he sees the logout button at the bottom of the screen. He then heard more yells and people hitting the ground behind him. He turned around and see three more players in the same avatar that he selected. One of them got up on his feet. Despite the black hair he sports, Kirito recognized the carpet hairstyle anywhere.
"Lexar." Kirito greeted his friend.
"Kirito-man," Lexar laughed as he took his friend's hand. "I figured you'd take the Spriggan avatar." He looks to Rex, helping Codex up on his feet. "And so have they."
"Fitting that Spriggans are renegades," Rex joked, "because we pretty much are." Kirito chuckled nervously.
"Since that the ALO game is build from the codes of SAO, we should check our inventories." Lexar suggested. The four guys opened their windows, and found several errors. All of their skills and various items are displayed in illegible texts.
"Don't think the ALO servers recognize our old codes from SAO." Codex surmises. Lexar seemed to take it pretty hard... All of their skills and items they've earned while trapped in SAO gone.
Kirito scrolls through his item inventory. As he does so, he spotted two items that didn't have illegible texts. MHCP001 and MHCP002. He recognized MHCP001 as his AI daughter, Yui... but MHCP002?
"Wait, a minute..." He clicks on the two items and they materialized into small gem-like items. He clicked on the crystal that he recognized as Yui's. Blinding light gleamed from the blue crystal. Kirito, Lexar, Rex, and Codex shielded their eyes as the light grew brighter. Kirito opened his eyes and widened upon seeing the little nine-year-old girl with long, black hair and a snow white dress.
"Yui.." Kirito breathed.
The girl opened her cute eyes. "D-Daddy?"
"Daddy?" Rex asked, confused by the little girl's words. He looked at Codex, who has the same expression on his face. Lexar, on the other hand, had a different reaction.
"That's the little girl he and Asuna told me about..." He said softly. The three Spriggans watched as the father/daughter reunion begins to unfold.
"Daddy!" The AI child cried as Kirito pulls her in the warming embrace.
"Yui..." Kirito shed tears as he held her. The memories of he and Asuna raising Yui as their child resurfaced in his mind. "You're really here..."
Lexar was almost moved to tears from the display. They broke the embrace and Yui looks around the forest.
"This is not Sword Art Online..."
"It's not, Yui. We're in ALfheim Online." Kirito explains. Yui then closes her eyes and begins running an analysis on the ALO system. After a moment, she opens her eyes again.
"The system that ALO is built on was copied from the Cardinal System from SAO." Yui says.
"That would explain that most of our stuff being transferred here with us." Lexar surmises before continuing with a sad tone. "Although, we're not able to get access to them."
"Correct." Yui stated before she added. "The Cardinal System is a bit outdated. All, well, most of your items are corrupted from the transfer. It's best that you delete them before the error detection program finds out."
"Agreed." Rex nodded before finding the button to confirm the deletion of their items. Lexar and Codex do the same. Kirito hesitated for a moment, as he worked so hard to get the items. But it had to be done, and he pressed the confirm button. Soon, all of their items are deleted.
"Also," Yui said. "all of your abnormal skills are fine, unless the GM checked them directly."
"So... Our fighting skills are intact?" Rex asked. Yui nodded.
"That's some good news, right?" He said to the others. The others nodded in agreement.
Then Kirito remembered something. He looked at the other time, which had a lavender color hue to it.
"I don't remember having this." Kirito pondered at the mysterious item. It resembles the tear-shaped item similar to Yui's, but in a different color.
"This was also with my inventory." Kirito said. "But... I've never seen it before."
Curiously, he clicks on the crystal. Like with Yui's, blinding light shot out of the purple crystal. Again, the four spriggan players, and Yui, shielded their eyes from the ever-growing light before it stops. Kirito opens his eyes and see a girl around Asuna's age. She sports short lavender hair with two long strands on either side of her head which go down to the top of her breasts. She has two freckles on her left breast inside her cleavage. Her eyes are closed, so there's no telling what eye color she has. She wore a lilac-color, strapless dress with a black piece of fabric going across the breasts and down to her stomach, below an intricate coat. This coat is made up of violet and plum shaded components, reaching as far down as the hem of her dress but also leaving some areas open which expose the dress below. Above that, she wears a collar of the same violet of her coat, outlined in lavender with a red jewel securing the collar in place. It appears that the components that go over her detached black sleeves are connected to this collar. These components that go over the black sleeves appear to cover them completely except at the wrist and hand where it joins to her finger. She wears plum stockings with whorls etched on. They go up under the dress and are connected by something triangular.
Kirito blinked at the sight of this unknown girl.
"Who is that?" Rex whispered to Lexar.
"Heck, if I know." Lexar replied. "I've never seen her before in SAO." The two Spriggans pondered of this newcomer that had appeared before Kirito. However, Codex's jaw dropped in shock at the sight of the lavender-clad girl. He blinked a few times just to see if he's hallucinating.
"S-Strea?" Codex asked as he slowly approached her.
"Strea?" Lexar asked, now he's confused. Kirito, Yui, and the others watched the aghast Codex approaching her very slowly until he's inches away from her. The mystery girl slowly opens her eyes, showing the red-violet. Codex felt his heart beating faster by the second and his tongue thickening.
"I.." He gulped. "Is it really you?"
It was then the mystery girl uttered. "Hello... Codex."
He felt his heart stop beating. He never heard that voice since... since SAO.
Unsure how to react or what to say, Codex brought his hand up and moves it close to her cheek. He hesitated, his fingers one inch away.
Kirito can see the silent confusion, doubt, and sadness in his eyes. He's afraid. Then, the mystery girl placed her hand on Codex's and brought it closer. The fingertips made contact with her cheek. With this encouragement, he gently rubs her smooth, porcine face. Examining the features as if for the first time. His lower lip quivered and his eyes being to swell up.
"Strea..." He breathed, and he pulls her into a hug. Unable to hold back his emotions, he shed tears as he sobbed softly into her shoulder.
"I-I thought I-I lost you.." He hiccupped, interrupted with sniffles.
Strea smiled. "It takes a lot more than a monster to do me in." Codex didn't say anything else. He continued to hold her. He felt her hands caressed his tear-stained cheeks and hair. After a few minutes, Codex finally calmed down, but continued to hold Strea.
Strea then looked around, and saw Yui, who seemed to be a bit surprised at seeing her. "Yui?"
Kirito looked at Yui, then back at Strea.
Strea's eyes suddenly lit up, and she had an expression of child-like joy. "Onee-san!" She suddenly rushed Yui and picked her up in a squeeze hug.
"Onee-san?" Kirito was stunned. Was Yui...
"Sister?" Lexar interjected.
"I missed you so much!" Strea squealed.
Yui returned the hug. "I missed you too, little sis'."
Everyone, even Kirito and Codex are confused. Little sister? Yui looked younger than Strea. The two girls spun happily around. Giggling and laughing as they do so.
"Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you!" Strea squealed in Yui's face.
"I was with mommy and daddy! They've been taken care of me!" Yui exclaimed happily.
"Mommy? Daddy?" Strea gave her a curious look.
Yui nodded before gesturing to Kirito. "This is daddy."
She then looked over to everyone else... "Where's Mommy?"
Kirito's face gave a sad expression.
"I don't know. I haven't seen her." Yui said sadly.
Yui looked to Kirito. "Daddy, where is Mommy?"
"That's why we're here." Kirito answered. "To find her."
It was then Lexar spoke up. "We saw a picture of Asuna being held in ALO, we logged in to investigate. And plan for a rescue mission."
"And not to mention two hundred and ninety-nine other poor souls..." Codex added.
Strea was sadden by Kirito's story. "Do you know where your mommy and the others are held at?" She asks Yui.
Yui closed her eyes. Everyone waited until she opened her eyes again.
She pointed to the World Tree. "Up there."
Strea looked towards the giant tree in the distance. "There?"
"Yes, Mommy's up there. I can feel her presence there."
Kirito and his friends also looked up towards the tree.
"Asuna..." Kirito sighed sadly.
"Well, Agil did say that the other players took pictures when they tried to fly their way up." Lexar remarked.
Strea looked at Lexar. "Fly?"
"Yeah, he said something about a barrier that prevents players from trying to fly their way up to the World Tree without taking the path. Five of them stood on each other's shoulders and flew up their like a rocket."
"And it's a good thing that they did, because." Lexar opens up the menu window, clicked on a few buttons and the image of Asuna appeared. "This is Asuna, Kirito's girlfriend."
"That's... Mother then..." Strea muttered.
"We should be thankful for this evidence." Lexar added. "Otherwise, we wouldn't have known that she's here."
"Well, let's not waste any time guys," Kirito resolved, "she is waiting for us."
"Almost forgot..." suddenly Strea glomped onto Kirito, "nice to meet you, Dad!"
Kirito was nearly lost his balance when Strea glomped him. But he regained himself and returned the hug. "Nice to meet you, Strea."
Codex blushed at the whole scene and totally was silent as it dawned on him... He had met Strea after being trapped in SAO for two years. He developed feelings for her. And now she and her supposed sister, Yui, were apparently the adopted daughters of his best friend. He begins to feel conflicted with the situation, he's not sure what to do now.
Suddenly, they heard sword banging and explosions in the distance.
"What was that?" Codex was snapped out of his thoughts.
"Sounds like a skirmish is taking place." Lexar surmised.
Kirito became curious himself. "Let's check it out." He suggested.
"But..." He turned to Strea and Yui, "you two should probably hide somewhere."
"Okay, daddy." Yui nodded.
"We will, dad." Strea followed before they headed deep into the forest. Away from the skirmish.
Kirito turned to Lexar. "Okay, now we can check out what's going on."
"Right on, buddy," Lexar grinned, "Rex, Codex, you two up for another adventure?"
"Why not." Rex smiled. "It's just like old times."
"Same here. Wouldn't miss it." Codex agreed.
Two Sylph players ran through the forest.
"Come on, Recon! Keep up!" The female player yelled.
"I'm trying, Leafa!" Recon shouted back.
"They're over here!" A voice shouted. To Leafa and Recon, it was the Salamander players.
"Hurry!" Leafa shouted. She had her sword at the ready, knowing that the Salamanders were gaining on her and her friend. Recon, on the other hand, didn't have his sword out. He continued to run as fast as he could.
"We've got you now!" One of the red Salamander players jumped out. The two Sylph players skidded to a stop.
"Recon, get your weapon, now!" Leafa ordered. Recon frantically reaches for his sword. But he wasn't fast enough, as one of the Salamander players cut him down.
"Tsk," Leafa grit her teeth as she deflected several blows and dodged with her flying.
"Stand still!" The Salamander player shouted in frustration.
"Catch me first," the blonde Spriggan girl taunted.
Recon, despite being wounded, managed to draw his sword out and managed to deflect several sword clashes.
"Fire cannon!" A salamander threw a flaming blast at Recon, who deflected, but was knocked off his feet.
"Recon!" She called out.
"I'm fine.." Recon groaned as he struggled to get back up. Suddenly a Salamander stood over him with a spear. Recon gulped at the realization of the situation.
"RECON!" She screamed and tried to force her way. Suddenly, there was a shout as a black blur rushed the Salamander. The spear was knocked right out of his hands and flew several feet away. The Salamander was shocked, and stared at the Spriggan, who was Lexar grinning at him.
"You know, I have a very strict policy of ganging up on weaker players. I find no honor of doing so and will gain nothing at all."
Kirito, Codex, and Rex also came in with swords drawn.
"SPRIGGANS!" The Salamander player shouted before drawing his sword and charged at the grinning Spriggan.
"Well, looks like we're gonna have to do things the hard way." Lexar remarked before raising his sword and clashed against the charging player. Kirito smirked as well. Then, the rest of the Salamander players started charging at him and the others.
"Let's get this party started." Codex jumped forward and slammed his sword against one of the players.
Over the Pacific Ocean,
The USS Bruce Wilson:
Ramirez made his rounds across the helicarrier. It was boring as nothing new to report, especially since it's a long trip to Japan. They had already split from the Pacific Fleet, with the CIC making it sound like that they had lost contact with the fleet with a malfunctioning navigation system. Now the 7th Platoon were shifting from their planned training mission to the real mission...
"Next stop, Japan." Ramirez muttered. He had seen long deployments to Europe and the Middle East, but this was the first time since the civil war that he was travelling outside the Americas, and under a different platoon led by a living World War II legend and his named successor, and packing weapons more fitting of the Russian Airborne Troops than a traditional light infantry Ranger force.
As he thought of the upcoming mission, he spots another soldier up ahead. He recognized him as the young soldier from earlier. Upon approaching him, he sports blonde hair with green eyes.
"Private Burton."
"Sergeant," Burton greeted.
"How you like the trip so far?" Ramirez asked.
"To be honest, it's my first time on the Helicarrier." Burton confessed.
"And probably your first ever stint with the Howlers," Ramirez said.
"That's correct, sir." Burton replied. Ramirez took a look at the new recruit. For a soldier, he looked young. However, he looked promising to show his worth in the Howler Platoon.
"So what's your story, private?" Ramirez asked, "how did you end up with this outfit?"
"Well, I joined the US Army last year." Burton answered. "I wanted to serve my country, and to help rebuild after the civil war."
"Don't we all?" Ramirez surmises. "Been lots of volunteers in the past six years. Everyone wants to help rebuild America."
"All my friends have signed up after high school. So, I figured I do the same." Burton says. "Although we never got to serve in the same unit. Most of them received non-combatant roles."
"Well, at least they're serving America, no matter what." Ramirez reassures him.
"I guess." Burton sighs.
"I'm surprised that the Howlers would let you someone fresh out of boot camp."
"Well, I aced every course the army had to offer." He chuckled.
"That includes the Pit, right?" Ramirez asked.
"Even the Pit. I managed to zip through that training course with ease. It's no surprise that switching to my pistol is faster than reloading."
"It was also the day Colonel America visited the training facility that day too. He saw my performance and was impressed."
"And the rest is history." Ramirez finishes.
"That is correct." The two soldiers chuckled.
"And you, Sarge?" Burton asked.
"Came four months out of Hunter 2-1," Ramirez said, "I was a private back under Sergeant Foley, and came here personally recommended by him. I'm Howler 7-1's chief NCO under Captain America himself."
"Nice." Burton smiled.
"You know. You remind me of someone I fought alongside with during the army." Ramirez continued. "Private Joseph Allen. He was a good man and a good friend."
"We served together in Afghanistan and Iraq in the past. We even served in the 2nd platoon, 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter 2-1. By the time the second civil war occurred, Hunter 2-1, along with the rest of the base, sided with the rebels. Our mission was to assist the Free States Rangers in clearing the north-eastern United States from the New England Separatists."
Ramirez paused before continuing. "And believe me, it was no walk in the park. The separatists were prepared for us. The UN Peacekeepers, or what's left of them, were integrated with the separatists. Therefore, they were armed and better equipped. I'm just glad that the Avengers managed to scuttle their HQ in Upstate New York, destroying everything that could provide the separatists an edge."
"We have to liberty every city. Boston, Manchester, Portland, Concord, New York City." Ramirez groaned. "New York City, that's enough nightmares to last three lifetimes. The separatists were well dug in. They turned the entire city into a giant fortress. They even managed to capture Liberty Island and used it as a base of operations. But of course, American insurgents managed to make things difficult for the separatists. Led by Peter Parker, aka, Spider-Man. No matter what the separatists tried to do, He's always one step ahead. By the time we got the Manhattan Island, they were barely holding on."
"Spider-Man, that is. Right?" Burton asked.
"Correct. The web shooters he was using weren't unlimited." Ramirez answers. "Anyway, our mission was to destroy the radio/microwave jammer that was installed on top of the Stock Market Exchange on Wall Street. We met up with Delta Force in taking the mission. It was a success, but we lost Private Gregory Carmine."
"We pushed all the way to the Canadian border. They were on their last legs and desperate. But we managed to crush them." He paused again. "The separatists were known for dirty tactics, as does the Pacificans. One of their favorite tricks was acting like they're surrendering. They started using them on the separatists' final days. That's how Allen got killed in Augusta."
"I'm... I'm very sorry." Burton said with sympathy. "He was a good soldier."
"Yes... He was..." Ramirez thanked him. "His older brother, Mark, joined the rebels after he and his friends resigned from the armed forces. He was crushed when I told him the news."
"Too many good men and women lost, all because of the Sokovia Accords." He lamented.
"And now, here we are. Ready to locate and capture a war criminal." Burton concluded.
"Yeah... and one responsible for the death of yet another dear friend... Corporal Dunn," Ramirez said in a resentful tone.
Silence fell between the two soldiers. The sounds of the helicarrier's repulsor engines humming combined with the activitiy of the crew and soldiers can be heard in the background.
Decided to break the silence, Ramirez asks Burton. "You think you would take a liking to Japan?"
"I hear a lot about it," Burton admitted, "but this will be the first time I've ever deployed, let alone go outside the country."
"Same here." Ramirez agreed. "Heard it's a beautiful country."
"Oh yes, they do have beautiful forests, gardens and such. Even during the springtime."
"Not to mentioned pretty ladies." Ramirez teased. This caused the young soldier to blush from his statement.
"W-What do you mean?" He stuttered.
"Come on, don't tell me that you find them attractive." The sergeant smirked. "I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if you managed to land one while we're in Japan... Unless you got a girlfriend at home."
"Actually..." Burton said. "I don't have one back home..."
"Oh..." He paused. "Well, I'm sure that you'll get one in the future. Poor you," Ramirez chuckled, "you might get lucky though. Who knows, you might get one either back home, or maybe, in Japan. I mean, what are the chances?"
"Ummm..." Burton paused, his cheeks still flushing at the thought.
"Just joshing you man," Ramirez chuckled, "the new Cap might not appreciate detours very much."
"Oh... Okay then." Burton smiled.
"Just stay close to me and Cap, rookie, and you'll be okay."
"I will. Thanks, sarge."
"Ramirez," both soldiers turned to see Captain America II in his unique uniform, "follow me to the armory. Iron Patriot is wanting to outfit 7-1 with some new equipment, and wants us top shots to see it before we start distributing them."
"On our way, captain." Ramirez and Burton saluted before they headed to the armory.
"So what do you think of this Anderson guy?" Burton asked, "I hear that he is Air Force."
"Ex-fly boy from what I heard," Ramirez answered, "with a genius that could give Stark a run for his money..."
"Really?"
"Yep, I heard that he managed to build an Iron Man suit of his own without Stark's knowledge."
"Cool."
"Yep, arc reactor and all."
"How did he managed to keep it a secret?" Burton asked.
"He built it in the secret area in Anderson Tech HQ after managing to convince Stark on his green-energy generator using the arc reactor as the main source. After he finished both, he had it tested in the Kingdom of Wakanda, far away from the prying eyes of the UN, US government, and Tony." Ramirez answered.
"Wakanda? Isn't that where that Black Panther dude is from?"
"King T'Challa? Yes, that is the place. It's now the United Kingdom of Wakanda."
"And no one, not even Tony Stark knew that he built a suit."
"Nope."
Ramirez then added, "there's, in fact, an legal dispute between Stark Industries and Anderson Tech over the intellectual properties of what is proprietary to whom."
"I thought Anderson and Stark were allies?" Burton was surprised.
"Allies? More like rivals on the same team," Ramirez shrugged. "The merger hardly seems to have tempered that."
Burton shook his head. How would the man who built the Iron Man suit and fought alongside with the Avengers took sides with the United Nations, he'll never know. Even before the civil war, it fractured the Avengers in two.
"At least he distanced himself when the civil war began, not to mentioned the UN collapsed after that group from Britain detonated the bomb in Vienna."
"The New Knights of Britain?" Burton surmised with a question.
"Yeah..." Ramirez said, "certainly threw a lot of things for a loop. But then again, Hydra was the one exploiting the UN and many of the old governments to spread lies and wars. I hate to think that all of our previous sacrifices were for some leftover relics that should have died with the Nazis and the Soviets long ago..."
"Too true." Burton agreed.
"Alright Ramirez," Captain America II said as they reached the armory, "only the two of us are authorized. Private Burton, remain on standby until further orders."
"Yes sir, Captain." Burton replied. Chris and Ramirez headed on inside.