"Speech"
"Flashback Speech"
'Thoughts'
/Speech over communication tech/
Infinite Stratos: The Iron-Blooded Devil
Chapter 8: Rip and Tear
She never blinked, never turned her eyes away and yet the Barbatos Lupus Rex went from right in front of her to behind the transformed Schwarzer Regan almost instantaneously. The only indication that it had moved was twin trails of red from the machine's eyes to where it had been not even a moment earlier and the mace it was using dropping to the ground where the trails end, anything in between those two points; Houki never saw nor did anyone else. Just as she processed this, the Gundam delivered a powerful punch, distorting the mass that was formerly the German IS; sending it flying into the adjacent wall. Just after it collided with said structure, the Barbatos was already upon it; delivering blow after blow like a machine gun and embedding its target into the wall. The VT IS attempted to kick him off but the Gundam saw it coming and backed off before dashing back at its prey. The VT-controlled machine maneuvered out of the way in time for the white machine's fist to smash into the crater it was just in and rocket away with Barbatos in hot pursuit.
Chifuyu remained rooted where she was as she watched the brawl down below with the two machines going full throttle.
"I can barely follow their movements," she muttered to herself as a bead of sweat ran down her temple.
Barbatos jabbed at its enemy with its golden claws to which the VT IS parried again and again with its sword before the Gundam grabbed the sword arm by the wrist and shifted into an arm lock hold. But that was only the beginning as it ignited its thruster along the right side, causing it to spin and twist off the offending appendage in quick succession. As the VT- controlled machine reeled at having been literally disarmed, the Gundam threw away the useless mass of goo and rocketed at the distracted machine; delivering a powerful clothesline and sending it to the ground. Barbatos skidded to halt and blasted off into the sky before coming back down and elbow-dropping the rampaging IS further into the floor.
Students, Faculty and guests alike were frozen where they were. Some present easily recognized the Valkyrie Trace the moment it activated and knew that inquiries were going to be made after this was all over; but that was an afterthought to what they were witnessing now. The VT is often considered the most powerful and most dangerous weapon an IS can possess and it was being brutalized by this new machine with relative ease. Many of the students felt a sliver of fear in their hearts at seeing their only male schoolmate viciously pummel his opponent, or victim in this case. Adding to the fear was the fact the machine was actually growling and snarling like an animal.
The Gundam was living up to its demonic namesake, it was as if it was a real monster disguised as a machine.
The Gundam then straddled atop the IS and unleashed another barrage of punches, leaving numerous dents and impressions into the metallic surface. The VT system struggled just to attempt to defend itself but the force of the blows only continued to beat it further and further into submission. Finally, Barbatos raised its fist one last time before opening it into a knife hand position and stabbed it into the IS's torso. The audience and faculty watch with bated breath as the fierce red glow faded from the Gundam's back to a soft green as it stood back up and ripped its hand out; a sigh of relief escaped the faculty at seeing Laura Bodewig wrapped in its claws unharmed rather than impaled on them as they feared.
With the loss of its "pilot" the VT system shutdown and reverted into a shapeless mass of metal before reforming back into the familiar Schwarzer Regan. The Barbatos began to shine before being dismissed by Ichika, his face from the nostrils down to his chin were practically painted red with blood. He gently laid the German girl on the ground and waited for medics as Houki, the faculty and others rushed onto the field.
Hours later, things had calmed down significantly but the thought at the forefront of everyone's mind was the mauling they had witnessed that day. The image of the Barbatos Lupus Rex with those red eyes sent shivers down a number of students and faculty.
Laura stirred, her mismatched eyes opening to the sight of the infirmary ceiling. She caught sight of her mentor in her peripheral vision, no doubt waiting until she regained consciousness.
"What happened?"
"This is a most important and classified matter, what do you know of the VT System?"
"You mean the Valkyrie Trace System?"
"Yes, its research, development and usage are completely banned by the international IS Treaty due to how dangerous it is to the pilot's health. However, it appears your IS was equipped with it. Moreover, it seems it was equipped with a remote activation switch but whoever had the remote seems to have destroyed it. We already cross-referenced its serial number to one module that was confiscated by ISRC. My guess is they were counting on you not surviving the strain since I assume you have an idea where it came from."
"Yes," the German girl stated, the older woman staring down at her in expectation.
"Who was it?"
Chifuyu pinched the bridge of her nose as she stepped out of the infirmary, she shouldn't have been surprised at what Laura told her but that didn't stop the headache that followed.
"Long day, huh?"
She turned to her left to find a woman in a mechanic's uniform but the hair gave away her identity: Tabane.
"What happened out there?"
"During my analysis of the Mobile Suits that came over, I discovered that IS Energy and Ahab Waves are remarkably similar. No two Ahab reactors are the same since the waves they give off have a sort of frequency, like a fingerprint, that identifies what machine is what. When the VT System took control, it altered the IS Energy frequency just enough to trick the Barbatos' sensors into thinking it was a Mobile Armor. It then followed its basic programming to hunt down Mobile Armors; those sensors it has are rather sensitive."
Tabane then handed the elder Orimura the bracelet that was Barbatos' standby mode.
"I uploaded a patch, so unless a real Mobile Armor shows up; this shouldn't happen again. I also swapped out the core for one that can take the data load better than the one in it before, the old one nearly got fried because of all the feedback."
"I didn't think that was possible."
"Me neither, it seems these Gundams need quantum computers to work at their full potential."
"But those are still theoretical, aren't they?"
"Man-made ones are. There is one true quantum computer… or at least the closest thing to it: the human brain. Makes that Alaya-Vijnana System look more impressive doesn't it?"
Chifuyu grimaced but begrudgingly agreed
"After that display, I'm starting to think these Gundam Frames were built with Project Mosaic in mind."
Chifuyu gave the IS scientist a glare for bringing up that.
"Sorry. By the way, where's Ichika?"
"Back in his room nursing, what he calls, an AVIH."
"AVIH?"
AVIH, short for Alaya-Vijnana-Induced Hangover.
Ichika was currently lying down on the bed, Houki's lap acting as a pillow, with bloodied tissue stuffed up his nose and looking notably green in the face; a bucket was nearby should he have the need to empty his stomach. Houki was gently stroking his back in some effort to soothe him. He hadn't change out of his flight suit yet and the tight fabric allowed her to actually feel his back muscles, a thought she was trying to suppress. She needed a distraction from these thoughts and she got it when the elder Orimura walked.
"How you feeling?" she asked softly, recalling a few of her own hangovers
"All things considered—urp, I got off easy," Ichika answered in between a gag.
"Considering what happened the last time you did that, yes, you are very lucky."
Houki was a little curious about what the two siblings meant by that. She would have to ask later when Ichika was in a better state. Chifuyu then placed the Barbatos bracelet on the night stand.
"Tabane gave it a little tune-up, she says you shouldn't have a problem like that again."
"Thanks Chifuyu"
The elder Orimura let that one slide in consideration of his condition rather than her usual rebuke.
"You know a lot of your classmates are a little shook up after you went berserk back there."
"Despite how it looked, I was in full control of my actions," Ichika said as he took the bracelet and slipped it on his wrist.
"Still, might be best to avoid doing that again in the future, both for theirs and your sake."
"No complaints from me."
"Now get some rest. Shinonono, make sure he gets plenty of it," she said to Ichika then Houki respectively before turning to walk out.
"Yes ma'am," Houki said, a hint of giddiness in her voice.
Charlotte Dunois kept her eyes glued to the screen as she replayed the footage from today as well as the fight between Orimura and Kobayashi.
"It doesn't make any sense," she muttered to herself.
It was about this time her roommate Cecilia came in.
"Are you still watching that?" she asked.
"There's just something that doesn't add up about these fights."
The confusion in the British girl's eyes prompted Charlotte to explain.
"You understand how the IS shielding system works, right?"
"Yes, it draws from the main power supply; the core. The more damage the shield takes, the more power is used to maintain it until it's used up and the shield count is zero. Basically, a match is to drain your opponent's batteries before they do yours."
"Indeed, however, certain powerful systems require more output of power to function and some will even cannibalize your own shield in the process."
"Those are rare and tend to be avoided but yes that is true. What's your point?" Cecilia asked as she crossed her arms.
"I've been going over the data from Ichika Orimura's fights and noticed something off."
"What's that? His Barbatos has a ridiculous amount of power, what's there to pick apart?"
"That is the problem, it has far too much power."
The other blonde stared at the French girl before her eyes darted around in thought before she looked back with a "Don't follow."
"You and I both know that despite all the advancements in IS development, the one aspect that remains untouched is the Core."
"Yes, but that's only because researchers know so little. Tabane Shinonono is the only one who knows anything about it
"Most of the advancements are about minimizing drain on the core: a percentage for weapons, one for thrusters, one for special equipment, etc. Since every core is almost identical, save for little nuances, their power supply is equal as well. I went over Orimura's first battle with a simulator and they keep coming back as losses due to energy overconsumption before he even gets to Kobayashi. This is why none of it makes any sense, this 'Gundam Frame' should be, for lack of a better term; a gas guzzler."
Cecilia then took a seat as she became more intrigued at her roommate's findings.
"His fight with that VT system controlled IS only raises more questions. He was moving and hitting that thing so fast and so hard that he should've ran dry after the first few punches. But that didn't happen at all, hell; his shields never went down a point after he went berserk on it. There is no way it should do what it can with the limitations of the IS core."
"So either someone cracked the code…"
"Or found a way around it."
Houki was currently grabbing a few drinks for her and Ichika, water was probably best since it will be easy on his stomach. She grabbed two, one for herself, and opened that one for a little sip.
"So, you two are sharing a room?"
Houki turned to whoever just spoke up, only to find Lingyin "Rin" Huang standing behind her with an impish grin.
"I heard you and Ichika are actually roommates."
"Ichika's not here as you can plainly see," Houki said with an edge.
"Actually, I came to see you."
Now Houki started to get suspicious as she took a swig from her water bottle.
"Have you kissed?"
Houki then choked on the water.
"I'll take that as a 'no," Rin deduced as Houki coughed a bit.
"That's none of your business!" Houki shouted, face as red as a tomato.
"Ah, you're the innocent type," Rin countered, her grin getting bigger.
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
"I can see it plainly on your face, you like him."
The younger Shinonono sister blanched white and blushed scarlet at the same time. She then took on a surprisingly insecure and somewhat bashful air.
"Is it that obvious?"
"Like a neon billboard," Rin said flippantly.
Houki's face invented a new shade of red from that comment.
"You might wanna stake your claim before someone else does," Rin added.
Houki didn't like the implication in the Chinese girl's words, something Rin was quick to catch.
"Take it easy, I already have a boyfriend."
That eased Houki a little.
"In another life, maybe I would've gone after him like you," She then sighed and shrugged, "guess we'll never know."
The Shinonono girl wasn't really sure how to respond to that comment. While relieved she wouldn't get competition from this girl, that last statement kind of put her on edge again. But she figured it best not to dwell on 'what if's.'
"But enough about me, let's get back to you…" Rin's impish grin returned with a matching mischievous glint in her eye, "You looking to hook up with him?"
"M-maybe," Houki mumbled shyly while twiddling her fingers.
"Then I say go for it!" Rin cheered, stunning the other girl.
"Huh?"
"You and he are childhood friends and, call me a sucker for that kind of love story, you two would look great together. So don't stop until you can proudly say 'He's my boyfriend!" Rin continued her pep talk.
Houki was actually flattered and touched at someone actually encouraging her. So much so she felt a fire light in her heart.
"And I'm gonna help you!"
"Wait, what?"
A/N: I didn't expect to get this done so soon. So yeah, this is what I'm doing for Rin. I kinda felt she was pushed to the side and didn't get a lot of development other than being the second childhood friend. So I went with this route.
Also, people are getting suspicious of the Gundam and its capabilities. Will they find out?
