Lanfen did not bother to resist when she was forcibly deprived of her belongings. She was barely even coherent when armed personnel secured Lanfen's hands within large cuffs, preparing her to be escorted into an arriving helicopter. When the aircraft's landing skids made contact with Yamaku City's sand-covered roads, all she could make out through the darkness with her tired eyes were the 'S.O.N.G.' emblems on its opening side-doors. If Lanfen had possibly heard of them at some point, she could not care to remember. The entire time she sat in the helicopter's seats with suited individuals at her sides, Lanfen simply stared at the metal floors beneath her feet, eyes still sore from all the tears she had shed.
An hour passed by. Possibly even longer than that. She felt the helicopter judder upon touchdown. Following her escorts' lead, Lanfen was soon brought out of the aircraft to step onto some sort of small landing bay. Following it were long corridors filled with personnel in distinct, navy-blue uniforms. Many of them were running from one area of the place to another with an obvious sense of urgency. It was clear to Lanfen that whatever they intended to do with her, it was to be dealt with only after these people were free from the predicament they were currently preoccupied with. For now, all her escorts did was bring her into a large medical bay to clean up the few injuries she sustained.
Lanfen had honestly forgotten how she was even hurt to begin with. She was even growing accustomed to the bitter taste of copper on her tongue.
Once her wounds were completely sanitized and treated, Lanfen's awaiting escorts brought her through the busy corridors again to finally lead her into a small, dark room. Lights from outside the room poured in to shine onto a modest bed, a table beside the entrance, and another door which presumably led to a restroom. After a quick report into the comm beads within their ears, Lanfen's armed escorts undid her large handcuffs, handed her a bunch of plain, gray clothes, and wordlessly exited the room without even looking at her. A high-pitched ringing then rang in the cold air when the sliding entrance closed up and locked itself shut.
Standing in the darkness of what she assumed to be her detainment room, Lanfen sluggishly changed into the clothing she was given, and tossed her civilian wear inside a provided basket before dragging herself over to the room's bed. The metal floors were icy-cold to her bare feet. Her new outfit barely shielded her from the chill of the room. After everything that had happened in the past couple hours, Lanfen simply dropped herself onto the bed, and buried her tearstained face within its thick blankets. It was only when she felt her guard finally drop down did Lanfen begin to cry again. Everything which she had been holding back was released all at once. And by that point, Lanfen could not restrain her tears any longer.
"Mei..."
It hurt to utter even a single syllable. While most people would find themselves completely terrified after being dragged to an unknown location by individuals of an unfamiliar organization, Lanfen still could not bring herself to care, for she had consigned herself to whatever they intended to do with her.
It's not like there was anyone who would miss her if Lanfen suddenly disappeared.
She honestly may as well have died during the attack on the city like so many others.
Lanfen dragged a pillow beneath her heavy head and kept her eyes open for what felt like forever. Her fingers would twitch every now and then, as if just to remind Lanfen that she was indeed still alive. It was true in a physical sense, at least. Her mind, on the other hand, was a drifting, incoherent mess of scrambled thoughts, jagged memories, and persisting, incomprehensible voices. She constantly replayed the events of tonight. Over and over. All to try and make sense of it. To find out what Lanfen could have done to prevent what she was still refusing to believe even until now. Her thoughts were then interrupted by the sound of a gentle knocking on the room's locked entrance.
She hoisted herself into an impromptu sitting position using whatever strength remained within her body. With her sore back now slouched against the wall beside her bed, Lanfen directed her eyes towards the door and watched while its locks undid themselves with a loud click.
The reinforced entrance slid open and the light which flooded inside from the corridor forced Lanfen to squint her eyes as a familiar, blonde man stepped inside the room. It was the apparent head of the group that had brought Lanfen here to begin with. With a tray of food clearly held in his hands, the young man placed it on the table beside the closing door, and flicked open one of the wall's switches to turn on a provided table lamp. Its dim, yellow light was the only thing which even allowed Lanfen to notice the fresh-looking meal the man had brought. The individual in question appeared only about a few years older than Lanfen herself.
"We will be giving you some time before we intend to question you," the young man spoke up in a formal tone. Whatever emotions lingered beneath his words were obviously being restrained, even to Lanfen's own ears. "You may rest here in the meantime. Until then, we'll provide you nourishment three times a day alongside any essential medical aid."
Lanfen was only capable of acknowledging his words through a slow but affirmatory nod. She then narrowed her tired eyes on the man and slowly caressed her reddish wrists. Lanfen could still feel the deep marks that had been left on her arms by the large handcuffs she was brought here in. "Tell me..." Her words were hush but clear in the silence of her detainment room. "What happened... tonight...?"
The blonde man visibly considered his answer before walking over to the farthest side of the room.
After pressing a few buttons on the wall which Lanfen had not noticed, a large monitor screen switched itself on beside the control panel. Through a few more inputs into its digital pad, the man proceeded to display numerous CCTV images sourced from population centers all across the globe. Every single one of them were being visibly assaulted by the same armoured knights that Lanfen had fought off mere hours ago. Ambulances and paramedics rushed to save the dying. Fire trucks fought to extinguish buildings which were doused in raging flames of paranormal amethyst. And while some cities were already starting to report the elimination of the invading monsters, there were many others that were still in the middle of an active crisis.
"We call them 'Distortions'," the man explained, contempt clear in his voice when he pointed at a grainy image of the monstrous knights. "We're still trying to figure out where they came from exactly, but we've already confirmed them to be some form of battle automata." He clicked on another button, manifesting additional visuals and recorded sightings of the invaders. Instead of the axes and shields which Lanfen had become familiar with, these ones were wielding two-handed blades, and strange, glowing staves. "... The death toll has currently risen to over 23,000 and counting. And it's only been two hours since their attacks first began."
'Distortions'.
Lanfen imprinted the name within the very forefront of her scrambled mind. Digging her fingernails into the palms of her hands, Lanfen tore her sights away from the screen and redirected it back to the blonde man. She hesitated to even ask her next question. "And what about... my sister...?"
He switched off the monitor and returned to the room's front door. Clearly avoiding Lanfen's desperate gaze, the man's back faced Lanfen when he decided to answer her. "I'm sorry." Those two words felt like a nail within her chest. And it was the only response she honestly needed to finally confirm it. As Lanfen tried to hold back her tears this time, the man reached into his suit and carefully approached her. From his pockets, he pulled out a pair of smartphones. One was Lanfen's. The other belonged to Kai. "I managed to find it before we departed. You... have my condolences."
The screen of Kai's smartphone was completely shattered. Some of the internals were even visible through its broken casing. But the keychain that had been clipped on to it - the keychain which Lanfen had gifted Kai during dinner mere hours ago - possessed only a few noticeable scratches. Taking the two devices into her hands, Lanfen placed hers aside before holding on to Kai's smartphone within her shaking palms. Her fingers tightened around the device while Lanfen held it close to her pounding chest and squeezed her eyes shut. The sight that Lanfen witnessed when she pushed aside the last of a building's burning debris would not leave her vision no matter how many times she tried to deny it.
Lanfen heard the man slowly step away from the bed. His next few words were inquisitive but gentle. "I understand that you are facing an unfathomable loss right now. But I must ask you this: Why were you in possession of an experimental piece of technology?" He positioned himself beside the table near the room door. "I have met many people in my life, so you do not strike me as anything other than a regular civilian."
Wiping away the teardrops in the corner of her eyes, Lanfen gazed directly into the man's focused eyes, his face barely lit by the glow of the room's small lamp. "I wanted to save my sister." Her answer was blunt and matter-of-fact. "I took it into my hands because I needed its power." Lanfen's fingers grasped the sheets of her bed. "The power to get her to safety! And yet-!" Lanfen choked on her words and remembered the statement she had declared to the woman in the azure suit. The oath which she had made right to her pale face. In the end, Lanfen realized it was all just hot air. "And yet..." Her voice soon trailed off into nothingness, leaving complete silence between them once more.
Clearly aware that Lanfen would not speak any further, the blonde man wordlessly excused himself through a formal bow and went back to the door. After a few clicks on its security panel, it slid open for him to leave before it once again locked itself with a high-pitched ring. As Lanfen rested her head against the cold, steel wall of her detainment room, she could smell the aroma of the food which had been left on the room table. Her stomach grumbled. But Lanfen could not bring herself to eat. She could not even bring herself to quench her parched throat with the water they had provided. Before Lanfen could try and lie down to sleep away the hunger pangs, she heard a few voices conversing right outside her room. Neither voice sounded like the blonde man from earlier.
The room entrance slid open again and Lanfen shielded her face from the corridor's light behind her hands. This time, two different men entered the lamp-lit space. One wore a black suit similar to the man from earlier. His brown hair was kept short and proper as his posture remained completely formal. The other man bore a large physique and striking crimson hair. He wore a matching shirt with a pink tie that was tucked into his breast-pocket. Without anything said, the one with brown hair handed a data-pad over to the largest of the pair, allowing him to display a duet of holographic dossiers. Lanfen wondered what they were even here for, only for her eyes to subsequently widen at the images of two familiar faces on the data-pad's projected holograms.
"Cassandra Jiang Lanfen," the large man calmly addressed her in a deep voice. "So, you are the child of Keith Silverstein and Margaret Jiang Pao-Lin?" He gave her a pondering look and Lanfen slowly nodded. His expression seemed to soften when she did so. " I see. Our time is short, but I will assure you that you will be treated well here in our custody as long as you are cooperative." He closed up the data-pad in his hands and handed it over to his companion. "Even with the crimes of theft which are being charged against you, I'm sure you have your reasons for being in the situation you're in."
Sensing the smallest hints of sincerity within the redheaded man's voice, Lanfen placed Kai's broken smartphone on top of her pillow before uttering a weak whisper, "Thank you."
The younger of the two then went over to the room's table and placed a different data-pad right next to her lingering food tray. He seemed almost concerned that it had yet to be touched. "You may read up on who we are using this," he politely informed her, tapping one finger onto the second data-pad. "While the information here is highly-classified, do take it as a gesture of our goodwill. We only wish for this situation to be handled without causing unnecessary harm."
When Lanfen decided to remain silent in response to the man's words, the two men shared a nod between them before they excused themselves from the room, and headed outside to attend whatever urgent matter which seemed to require them. Once their footsteps were no longer within earshot, Lanfen hesitantly got out of the bed and walked towards the table that was barely lit by a small, hanging lamp. The tray of food they provided her made Lanfen's stomach grumble again. But she chose to simply pick up the data-pad they had given her. She then lifted a hand to wipe away a few more stray teardrops. It was difficult to see with them persistently lurking within the corner of her eyes. And yet, no matter how blurry Lanfen's sight became, she could never forget the image of that cloaked being.
The one who had taken the life of her little sister.
With a data-pad now held within her tightening grasp, Lanfen bit into her chapped lips, and tore into them until she drew fresh blood.
The barking of Chris' twin double-barrel rotary guns raged on until a ringed moon eventually showed itself in the night skies of London. Through a combination of her Symphogear and Chris' own on-the-spot trigonometry calculations, the crimson Adaptor had expertly landed every single shot she fired ever since she saw the rifts first appear in Japan's own skies twelve hours ago. Chris' Symphogear had a readied bullet for every Category-1 Distortion that tried charging in her direction, and while any regular military would have dried up their ammunition reserves halfway throughout the fight, Ichaival would sooner break apart and shatter than emit the clicking of an emptied heavy weapon.
When a confirmation of the worldwide battle's cessation had been relayed throughout S.O.N.G.'s communications network, Chris was finally allowed to depart from London through a V.T.O.L. aircraft which had been requisitioned to deploy the Adaptor here to begin with. Now sitting tight within its small passenger hold, Chris' gloved hands held on to her metal harness as she solemnly gazed down onto the wrecked streets of London through the aircraft's windows. Extended deployments weren't unusual from S.O.N.G., but jumping from one warzone to another across the globe in the span of just half a day made Chris' eyelids struggle to keep themselves open. The winter cold wasn't making it any easier to not fall asleep either.
Snow as white as the Adaptor's own hair fell onto the burning roads below, slowly joining the accumulated heaps of both golden and emerald sand that were left behind whenever Chris directed the fury of her guns against the Distortion force. If Chris focused her vision hard enough, she would see ambulances and military vehicles all trying to navigate through the debris-littered roads, all while the airborne vehicle she sat in soared in the direction of Japan. The Category-1 Distortions were nothing too different from the Noise when it came to giving her a tedious, long fight. But the damage they left behind definitely wasn't as 'clean' as the carbonized remains the Noise always made out of civilian casualties.
A lingering image of the bodies Chris briefly witnessed in London's bloodstained streets quickly made her whip out her smartphone to text a few of her friends.
Ayano Komichi, Godai Yuki, and Kaburagi Otome. Or rather, Godai Otome, now that she thought about it. After peeling off one of her mittens using her bare teeth, Chris typed in a couple quick messages to check up on the trio. No replies were sent back to her for about 10 minutes. So, when the Adaptor heard three notifications ring out one-by-one within the aircraft's passenger hold, Chris felt a sigh of relief subsequently escaping her. The global attack only occurred after Chris' reunion with her friends had ended, so she had little time until now to actually call them up. Since Japan was 8 hours ahead of London's own time-zone, it was probably already early in the morning over there by now.
Komichi was the first to send a response back to Chris. "We're A-OK!" she said, punctuating her text message with a giant heart symbol. "Hope you can get some rest soon, Chrissy."
Yuki was the second. "Komi' and I managed to get out of Mitakihara during the confusion. Outside of a few scratches on our van, we're all good."
Otome was the last. "My area was unaffected by the incident, but thank you for your concern. Please take care of yourself!"
After relaxing her tense shoulders, Chris pocketed the device, and slowly rubbed her hands together for warmth. "Thank god," she quietly muttered, pulling her removed mitten back on with haste.
Half an hour subsequently passed by while Chris waited for the airborne vehicle to finally drop her off in the S.O.N.G. submarine. The passenger hold wasn't exactly spacious, but since the Adaptor was the only one inside it, it gave her a decent amount of room for the short woman to stretch her legs in. Chris was starting to consider maybe falling asleep for the rest of the ride when the wrist device on her left arm suddenly rang from an incoming audio transmission. Judging by the caller's feather symbol and the contact ID on the holographic display, Chris could immediately tell who it was. She tapped a holographic prompt with one finger and held her wrist up to her face before answering the call in her usual dry tone.
"Already back at base, Chairwoman?"
"Indeed, I am," Tsubasa answered, sounding formal as ever. The azure Adaptor's new position within the Kazanari household made the woman almost hesitant to simply relax until Ogawa and Maria pestered her enough to do so. "Maria, Akatsuki, and Tsukuyomi are still on their way here, so it's only Tachibana and I for now. I was simply wondering if I could check up on your end of the situation as well, Yukine."
Chris didn't know where to start to even describe their current situation. "Well, I'm doing plenty fine myself," she mused, resting her aching head against the hard wall of the passenger hold. "But the world just got hit pretty hard, huh?" Chris' tone turned far dryer than usual. "Can't help but wonder on how the fuck are we even gonna clean up after this mess."
Despite the crimson Adaptor's crass language, Tsubasa did not disagree with the core of her statement. "As the Head of the Kazanari household, I intend on ensuring that we will be able to rebuild after this, Yukine," she sharply declared. "The number of lives lost thus far is already difficult to fathom. But we must push on regardless for the sake of those who could not. There are still countless people who will require help long after the end of this fight."
"No arguments there," Chris said, silently appreciating how stalwart the Head of the Kazanari house could be in times like these. "Hey... Chairwoman," she added, hearing Tsubasa respond to her call for the woman's attention, "I think I'm gonna take a nap while I'm on the way, but before I get to that... you wouldn't have happened to hear something about some new Symphogear-Wielder in Japan, have you?" Chris let out a small yawn which she did not bother to hide behind her hands. "Maybe I was just hearin' things, but I could've sworn there was something about that being screamed over the comms."
Tsubasa was initially silent before she responded, "Your assumption would be correct, Yukine. Tomosato detected a seventh Aufwachen signature in Japan merely twelve hours ago. Ogawa and Tsuchiya have already apprehended the Wielder, but for now, we'll have to save the questions regarding it for later. We can solve the mystery of the SG-r04's return and its mysterious user after we've counted our losses."
It was definitely one hell of an evening, Chris thought to herself. They already had their hands full dealing with an enemy who just practically appeared out of nowhere. Now, here she was, hearing about how a failed lab prototype is suddenly now up and running with a confirmed Wielder to boot. Chris probably shouldn't have betted her money on the SG-r04 getting chucked somewhere into S.O.N.G.'s storage pile. But there was no point in crying over spilled milk right now. Finding a new Candidate with their current resources was like finding a piece of hay in an ocean of needles. And that was before they even considered just what the world council intended to do with a next-generation Symphogear in their current mess.
"Well, whoever that new Wielder is," Chris continued, now getting herself comfortable in her seat for a well-deserved nap, "let's just hope they can help with whatever's comin' next."
After downing his fifth steaming cup of Tomosato's coffee mix, Commander Genjuuro sat back in his command chair, and loosened his shoulders to take in the proverbial weight of their situation. The last of the invading Distortions had just been eliminated, and with their global battle having finally ended, the bridge crew of the S.O.N.G. submarine were now allowed to rest for the time being. Fujitaka, Tomosato, and most of the operators were either sleeping at their posts or chatting amongst each other with mugs of caffeine in their hands. Those who had left for a meal in the mess hall or an extensive nap in the vessel's sleeping quarters were replaced by their reserve personnel for the time being.
Either way, the Commander felt that the crew had earned their moment of respite. Especially after several grueling hours of hastily organizing a worldwide counter-attack.
Glancing over to the deployable benches which had been set up on the sides of the bridge's main entrance, the gathered Adaptors themselves were also using the time they had right now to recollect their strength. Shirabe and Kirika were leaning against each other while they slept. Since they insisted that it was better for their blankets to be distributed equally among the crew, the two shared a single blanket of their own to keep themselves warm. A half-asleep Hibiki sat next to them, her smartphone in hand as she slowly texted messages back home to Miku. At the bench on the other side of the entrance, Tsubasa laid down with her head on Maria's lap. Maria herself slouched against the wall while both of them were in the middle of a deep slumber.
Even with all the powers that were granted by the Symphogear, the Adaptors were not immune to something as simple as exhaustion.
The command center's doors slid open and Commander Genjuuro got off his post to welcome the arrival of Yukine Chris. Having already changed into her Adaptor uniform like everyone else, all six of S.O.N.G.'s Symphogear-Wielders were now back in the underwater vessel without any notable injuries. "Good work out there, Chris," he said to the short woman with an almost fatherly smile of approval. "Our personnel in London have much to thank you for last night."
"Yeah, and thanks for the quick ride, Old Man," Chris dryly replied, looking over to the other resting Adaptors. "Guessing it's time for our usual briefin'?"
Nodding at Chris' assumption, the Commander gestured for her to start waking up her fellow Wielders while the Commander disposed of his coffee cup into a nearby bin. A few friendly words to Maria and Tsubasa brought them out of their slumber, and a playful bonk on Hibiki's head made her brain kick itself back into gear. But when it came to Shirabe and Kirika, the nudge in the shoulders Chris gave them would not rouse the two women out of their comfortable cuddle. A subsequent blunt comment from Hibiki on how the pair had grown taller than Chris by now only provoked the red Adaptor into stripping them of their blanket. Fortunately, the fiery act actually managed to wake up the groaning duo.
All six Adaptors eventually stood to attention. With Hibiki right in the center, some of them were still clearly exhausted from their extensive fight when Commander Genjuuro formally addressed the gathered women.
"Hibiki, Tsubasa, Chris, Maria, Shirabe, Kirika. In spite of the casualties which we were unable to prevent, your efforts have managed to save more lives than we can even fathom," he said, arms crossed over his chest. "We were caught off-guard, there's no doubt about that. But it still didn't stop us from preventing a disaster that a worldwide attack like this could have caused in full." Genjuuro looked over to the monitor screens. All three of them had yet to show any signs of further enemy activity. "While I would like to act as though this battle is this last we've seen of the Distortions, that likely isn't going to be the case."
"They can send as much as they want, we'll scythe 'em all down anyway!" Kirika eagerly boasted, prompting the twin-tailed woman next to her to calmly agree with the blonde.
"I'm just relieved that we managed to protect our university," Shirabe calmly added, "even if there were still a few people who ended up getting hurt."
To the Commander's left, he could see that Tsubasa did not share the same sense of hopefulness which the duo had, prompting Maria to comfort the swordswoman by wordlessly grabbing on to one of her hands at her side. Even though Tsubasa was the first to actually return to the S.O.N.G. submarine, the extensive paperwork that she had to deal with as head of the Kazanari Household kept her well-occupied long after Hibiki, Kirika, and Shirabe had returned as well. Such was the duty which was placed on her shoulders. Meanwhile, Chris and Hibiki appeared to be taking the situation far better than Tsubasa. While the global battle was undeniably a tragedy, the fiery spirit of Genjuuro's personal student wasn't so easy to dampen.
An incoming transmission subsequently appeared on the bridge's central monitor screen, scaring some of the operators to abruptly end their rest as the audio transmission originated from none other than the United Nations itself. The Commander promptly furrowed his brow at the familiar symbol of U.N. while its ID code marked out the caller to be the world council's spokesperson. "Fujitaka, answer it," Commander Genjuuro ordered, his body now facing the monitor screens.
Holding back a yawn with one hand, the operator connected the line, allowing the diplomatic voice of the council's spokesperson to address them through the bridge's speakers. Despite the events of the past day, they sounded as polite as they typically were during their daily conversations. "Greetings, Commander Kazanari. It's certainly a relief to see that you and your forces have managed to weather the storm."
"The feeling is mutual, Spokesperson," the Commander responded, sitting back down at his post again while the Adaptors silently stood to attention behind him. "You could say that the lack of communication from the council thus far felt like an ill omen to us regarding their safety."
"I assure you, Commander, the council possesses some of the best security one can afford outside of heretical technology," the Spokesperson replied, almost with a tinge of amusement. "Although they are disappointed by the devastation which has been wrought by our new foe, the world council shall extend its gratitude to S.O.N.G. for its efforts in pushing back these horrendous attacks on our lands. Were it not for the assistance of your Adaptors across the world, many a life would have been lost. We can only pray that those who could not be saved shall find eventual peace in the afterlife."
44,000 casualties and rising, the Commander mentally noted. Even if it felt almost like a miracle that the global attack claimed such a relatively low number of lives, the bloody massacres which were carried out by the Distortions were nothing if not wanton butchery. At this rate, the casualty count was nearing the same numbers of the infamous concert attack that had been carried out by Noble Red nearly half a decade ago.
"As for matters unrelated to this global tragedy," the Spokesperson continued, shifting the conversation with ease, "the council is relieved to hear that not only were you able to retrieve the experimental SG-r04, but apparently, it had been activated in the defense against the Distortion menace. Would you care to elaborate on this?"
The sudden mention of the SG-r04 caused one of the Commander's nerves to twitch. "... It was awakened by a civilian," he curtly stated. "We've already apprehended her, but we only intend to start asking questions after we've settled the current situation with the Distortions, and the damage they've incurred," Genjuuro explained further, quietly wondering if the retrieved relic interested the council more than the lives of lost civilians. "Alongside that, while we were able to recover the SG-r04, we were sadly unable to obtain any information regarding the 'leader' of these Distortions. All we have for now is a recording of the message they broadcasted before the attack began."
"The latter is quite understandable. The enemy essentially had the opportunity of surprise on their side. Still..." The Spokesperson's words turned firm. "The council is currently demanding for S.O.N.G. to formally deploy the SG-r04 against this new threat as soon as possible, Commander Kazanari. The United Nations in general desires your Adaptor Corps to double their efforts in the face of this new enemy, even when they're currently considering utilizing a contingency plan initially proposed by Kazanari Yatsuhiro years ago."
Upon hearing this news of the Kazanari household's involvement, the Commander looked over to Tsubasa, who was evidently aware of this judging by the look she gave him. He then glanced back at the central monitor screen and said to the Spokesperson, "While I will not disagree to the notion of bolstering the Corps' numbers, we must at least consider the possibility of the SG-r04 having been tampered with before we retrieved it," Commander Genjuuro argued, knowing full well that the Sword of Damocles was nowhere even halfway completed before it was stolen. "We are not even aware of who managed to complete the SG-r04 to begin with, let alone how its completion was even possible."
"Do whatever you must to quell your worries, Commander Kazanari. But the council's order remains as it is," the Spokesperson suddenly declared. "Even if we may have to consider the possibility of recruiting the person currently accused of its theft, the deployment of a next-generation Symphogear is crucial in the world council's willingness to continue your organizational efforts. Especially when it's clear that there's only so much that six Adaptors can do to defend our world." Their intent now made clear, the Spokesperson politely proceeded with the end of their conversation. "... Do be aware that I am also doing whatever I can to maintain S.O.N.G.'s reputation within the United Nations, Commander. Neither you nor I are currently in favourable positions with them."
Commander Genjuuro did not brush off the Spokesperson's words. But talk was cheap compared to full-on action in the man's eyes.
"Good luck, Commander Kazanari. May luck favour both you and your forces. Until next time."
The transmission ceased, letting the bridge crew and the Adaptors all relax once the symbol of the United Nations vanished from the central monitor screen. While some of the operators went back to their much-needed rest, a few others chose to instead check their terminals for any updates they had received during their respite. Commander Genjuuro himself got out of his command chair with a subtle grunt of frustration before turning around to see how not a single one of the Symphogear-Wielders themselves appeared to enjoy having to deal with the world council. It was a feeling he shared but would never actually voice considering the professionalism which was demanded by his position.
The atmosphere of the bridge soon softened up again. Unsurprisingly, this allowed Hibiki to step forward with her hand held up to signal an eager question.
"Master! I want to ask if we can know more about the new Adaptor who Tsuchiya brought in."
Having expected to hear this from Hibiki as soon as it was convenient for her, Commander Genjuuro looked over to Tomosato while the operator finished pouring another cup of her own coffee mix for herself. "Tomosato, please bring up her file." Upon hearing a quick confirmation from Tomosato, a subsequent input into the operator's terminal brought up the Wielder's acquired profile on the central monitor screen, giving them all a good look of the woman who Genjuuro had met with inside one of the vessel's rarely-used detainment rooms. The Commander was at least glad that they managed to bring her in without any form of physical conflict.
'Cassandra Jiang Lanfen'. 22-years old. Born on the 1st of April, 2027. Filipino-Chinese descent. A graduate from Lydian Music Academy and a resident of Yamaku City in Japan. Judging by the information which Clan Hida had gathered on her, Jiang held no records of any criminal activity in her past, nor did the woman ever once participate in anything that would make her a suspect of collaborating with the Bavarian Illuminati. Retrieved CCTV recordings showed her to be partaking in regular day-to-day activities in the time leading up to the Distortion incursion. But when it came to the timeframe where she was witnessed using the SG-r04, no footage existed to portray her actually receiving the relic pendant.
"The same age as the Dummy, huh?" Chris remarked as the others looked on in wonder at the recordings of the SG-r04's first ever usage in an actual battle.
"We'll be questioning her on how she attained the SG-r04 once she's had her time to collect herself," the Commander stated, gazing at the CCTV footage on the three monitor screens. "I don't think she's in any condition right now to be answering anything." When Hibiki lifted her hand to obviously ask why that was the case, Genjuuro recalled the information which Kagero had provided him earlier, and carefully elaborated on the woman's circumstances. "... From what Tsuchiya has reported, her younger sister was apparently a casualty of last night's attack. He found the woman sitting by herself in Yamaku City after she had repelled the attacking Distortions."
Once Genjuuro's words had visibly registered across the six Wielders, it wasn't surprising to see that out of all the Adaptors who heard this, it was Maria who subsequently appeared to be the most sympathetic with this Jiang person. While Tsubasa tried to awkwardly hold on to Maria's hands to try and ease her newly-wedded wife, the Commander looked back at his terminal, and noticed a notification which was coming from the submarine's research facilities. He promptly approached his post and clicked on the interface to answer an audio transmission from Professor Elfnein.
"Do you have any news for us, Professor?"
"I do, Commander," Professor Elfnein responded. "First of all, I must report that after analyzing the SG-r04, I can conclude that the prototype Symphogear is indeed fully-functional. I also cannot find any traces of tampering within its internals as it appears to have been completed without any deviation from the original planned design." Her explanation lifted some of the concerns off the Commander's shoulders. But the fact that it was even accomplished by an unknown party continued to concern him. "In addition to this, I have also completed an analysis regarding its recent Wielder. Using combat data I've gathered from the SG-r04, I can confirm that Cassandra Jiang Lanfen is indeed a naturally-attuned user of the Symphogear system."
"We've finally discovered another one after all these years, have we?" Tsubasa calmly commented, her fingers still tightly intertwined with Maria's.
"Thank you for the work, Professor, and do rest up when you can," Commander Genjuuro suggested before turning off the transmission so he can look back at the gathered Adaptors. "Now then... does anyone have any other questions?"
"Will we be able to determine when the enemy will attack again?" Maria quickly asked, prompting Fujitaka to speak up from his post as he folded up a thick blanket in his hands.
"With the information that the Professor's decrypted, we've updated our sensors so they can start tracking the energy signatures emitted by both the Distortions and their rifts," he said, hiding another tired yawn behind one hand. "So, as long as our information is correct, we should be able to detect the locations of the rifts before they're even fully open. This'll give us a chance to be ready the next time those Distortions come knocking on our doorstep."
With her arms held up in the air for a good physical stretch, Tomosato chimed in as well. "Our operators have also confirmed that the information we've extracted from the Bavarian Illuminati's data-codex matches up with everything we've seen so far. Right down to the exact details of the enemies' capabilities, defenses, and weaponry."
Relieved by the fact that they won't be caught off-guard again by the time of their next assured battle, Commander Genjuuro faced the six Adaptors again to finally relieve them of their duty for now. There was a lot to take in at the moment and the brain can only handle so much information before it eventually combusted into flames. "Rest up while you can," he told the six women, knowing it was what they needed most right now. "We don't know when or where the Distortions are going to strike next, but as long as we're prepared, S.O.N.G. won't be lacking its efforts to continue saving lives." Genjuuro gave them a sharp salute. "Carry on."
After the Adaptors dismissed themselves from the bridge through their own unified salute, the six women turned to the entrance of the command center, and presumably headed for the submarine's sleeping quarters. But while all the others went on their way to go catch up on their strength, Hibiki proceeded to stay back by herself, most likely to ask the Commander just one more question. It was one which Commander Genjuuro was expecting to hear from her the moment they received word about bringing in a new Symphogear-Wielder.
"Master," Hibiki said, now standing by herself, "will it be alright if we could try and talk with this 'Jiang' person?"
The urge to reach out to someone and understand them was an essential aspect of Genjuuro's student, he had no doubt about that. Sadly, the Commander could only answer her with a slow shake of his head. "Right now, the council's prohibiting us from making unnecessary contact with her until we've retrieved the information we need," he stated, subconsciously remembering the lifeless look he witnessed in Jiang's purple eyes. Genjuuro had not seen eyes like those for the longest time now. "... For now, you'll have to wait until then, Hibiki."
Although she was obviously disappointed by his answer, Hibiki's determined smile did not leave the woman's face. "Whoever she is, I've got a feeling that she's not as bad as the council thinks she is," Hibiki easily claimed, holding up a clenched fist as she winked at the Commander. "S.O.N.G. has a knack for bringing in lots of great people, doesn't it?" Her cheeky observation got a small, honest laugh out of Genjuuro. And with those words said, the woman turned towards the bridge entrance so she could try and catch up with the other departed Wielders.
Hibiki's bright spirits were always appreciated during times like these.
As Commander Genjuuro heard the command center's double-doors close back up, the large man looked over his shoulder to wordlessly stare at the bridge's three monitor screens. The demands that the world council was placing all on S.O.N.G. could not be argued against so easily. Regardless of whatever plans the Commander could muster in their skirmishes against the Distortions, the sheer scale of this new conflict undeniably necessitated an increase in their defensive forces. The addition of even a single Symphogear-Wielder alone could bolster their organizational capabilities tenfold. And yet, no matter how convincing this path before them appeared to be, Commander Genjuuro could not stop himself from growing concerned about the power which lingered within the now-completed Sword of Damocles.