The return of the Distortions could not have occurred at a more inconvenient time for Commander Genjuuro. Having just completed a meeting with the world council's spokesperson, the Commander marched towards the bridge of the submarine as soon as the alarm klaxons began blaring across the vessel. S.O.N.G. personnel within all of its modules simultaneously kicked into gear at the announcement of danger and Genjuuro could only silently appreciate his crew for their immediate response. The organization was relatively small for a global defense force. And yet, the scale of the threats they faced never once made them falter.
Marching through the double-doors of the submarine's command center, Commander Genjuuro spotted numerous identified energy signatures being displayed on the bridge's three monitor screens by the time he arrived at his post. The command center's crew all readied themselves at their terminals, accessing reports to bring up the information they were consistently receiving from their updated scanners. While Genjuuro's subordinates began relaying updates from one person to another, the Commander crossed his arms over his chest, and readied himself to prepare an immediate counterattack. They could only pray to Lady Luck for the disaster-response teams around the world to be just as ready as they were.
"Give me a status report on the situation!"
Fujitaka swiftly announced the incoming data at the Commander's behest. "We're counting five- No, six rifts, Commander!" Through a few quick inputs into his personal terminal, the bridge operator proceeded to display images of increasing rift activity from all across the globe onto the bridge's monitor screens. "Scanners are pinpointing their locations to California, London, Montreal, Sydney, Melbourne, and Tokyo. We're counting at least a dozen Category-1s that are about to make their way through the rifts. Energy signatures designate them to be Caster and Armour-types. Sensors are estimating less than 30 minutes until those rifts open up to start dropping Distortions!"
Tomosato also turned around at her post to calmly face Genjuuro with a report of her own. "Six of our Wielders are prepared for deployment, Commander," she stated, her voice clear and precise. "They're ready to launch towards the pinpointed locations on your order."
Six rifts exactly. While there was always the possibility that the Distortions were keeping their forces in reserve for the meantime, S.O.N.G. unfortunately didn't have the luxury of playing it safe when lives were at risk. It was just far too convenient for the Distortions to suddenly return with such a dramatically-decreased force. "They have clearance. Send them out!" With one sharp order from the Commander, Tomosato inputted a command into her holographic terminal, causing six of the vessel's manned intercontinental missiles to rocket into the skies on rising pillars of fumes one-by-one.
Genjuuro kept his eyes on the monitor screens and observed the flight paths of the deployed Wielders as the missiles speared their way from one part of the world to several others. Computer calculations predicted each of them to start touching the ground with their feet mere minutes before the rifts would begin releasing their payloads of battle automata. While this was a relieving estimation, the distance between their destinations and the submarine's position in Japan undoubtedly required them to requisition the best aircraft they can muster if S.O.N.G. desired to retrieve its Wielders later on. Few of the organization's past operations ever required them to regularly stretch the Adaptor Corps like this, so they weren't exactly operating within the zone of familiarity.
When the Commander heard a single footstep sound out right behind him, Genjuuro turned around, and spotted Tsuchiya Kagero standing in front of the bridge's double-doors with his arms at his sides. "How is she doing, Tsuchiya?" Genjuuro instantly asked the blonde man.
Out of the habits which were no doubt infused within him by Clan Hida, Kagero greeted the Commander with a formal bow before giving out his own report. "Miss Jiang appears to be taking in her new surroundings quite well, Commander. Even if she still seems to be processing her situation, she's remarkably calm considering what she has already been through." Kagero folded both hands behind his back, continuing, "I will also add that she appears to be already getting along with Kazanari, Yukine, and Tachibana."
At least there were some good news, Genjuuro mused to himself. After confirming his aide's report with a grateful nod, the Commander turned his attention back to the bridge's monitor screens, and continued focusing on the current situation with an obvious grimace. Maintaining an effective poker face was never a skill which Genjuuro bothered to master, but even if that wasn't the case, the Commander had a feeling that Kagero's subsequent question would have been voiced regardless. Genjuuro's sudden order for Kagero to keep an eye on Lanfen ever since her acceptance into the Adaptor Corps was as confusingly immediate as it was important.
"If I may, Commander," Kagero began in a low voice, soundlessly placing himself at Genjuuro's side, "is there something that is expected of her which not even Miss Jiang herself is aware of?" Kagero kept his curious gaze on the monitor screens in front of them while the Commander silently furrowed his brows in thought. "Even if she happens to be the person who was initially charged with the SG-r04's theft, I'm curious as to why she would require constant observation to the point of-"
Commander Genjuuro released a sharp, distinctive grunt and Kagero instantaneously silenced himself.
The blonde man certainly possessed a demeanor which was evidently different from Ogawa Shinji. Even if both of Genjuuro's personal aides had been trained underneath the tutelage of Clan Hida before their respective transfers into S.O.N.G., Kagero's lingering curiosity betrayed just how youthful he was compared to his by-the-book senior. Kagero had only experienced about a month's worth of operations within S.O.N.G. thus far. But every minute spent with him gave the Commander enough information he required to understand just what sort of person the young man actually was like beneath the formalities Kagero trained himself to uphold.
"Forgive me for my rudeness, Commander." Kagero provided an apologetic lowering of the head alongside his words.
"It's fine, Tsuchiya," Commander Genjuuro gently reassured him. "If anything is going on, the council will make it clear themselves," he soon added, now lifting a large arm from his side to massage his aching temples. The brief mention of the world council understandably made Kagero visibly tense up his shoulders. "For now, just keep monitoring Lanfen and report to me if there's anything I need to worry about. Understood?"
"Affirmative," Kagero declared. He then excused himself from the vessel's command center with a bow and made his exit without the faintest of sounds.
Kagero's ability to seemingly vanish out of sight without a trace was a habitual skill that Genjuuro hoped Ogawa wouldn't be mimicking anytime soon.
Directing his gaze back to the bridge's three large monitor screens again, the Commander tightened his hands at the sight of the six Adaptors' ongoing progress towards the detected Distortions rifts. Category-1 Distortions weren't an issue for the Symphogears in the slightest. But there was little the Wielders could actually do if the enemy was capable of expanding their influence into zones far too distant for even the Adaptors to react in time. As the minutes continued on in the submarine's bridge, Commander Genjuuro began dreading the moment when the Spokesperson would contact them again with essential news pertaining to their seventh, active Symphogear-Wielder.
Following the shortest path that was provided by her wrist device's holographic map, Lanfen stepped through a sliding door to find herself standing at the entrance of a well-organized laboratory. Numerous pieces of machinery and gadgets filled the tall shelves which took up most of the room's space, giving it a clinical atmosphere that one would expect from a paranormal task force's scientific facility. As Lanfen announced her presence through the sounds of her thumping footsteps, she looked at the large computer terminal up ahead, and saw a stream of data pertaining to some sort of 'black box'. The computer chair in front of the terminal itself was empty and strangely appeared far too small for an adult to be sitting on it.
"Cassandra Jiang Lanfen?" a young voice formally addressed her, prompting the greenhorn Adaptor to swing her gaze over to a now-opened doorway to her right.
A distinct 'Warning' sign adorned the metal door which closed itself shut behind the arriving person. To Lanfen's surprise, the 'Professor' she had been told to meet looked no older than a teenage girl. In fact, she almost appeared to be of the same age and height as Lanfen's own little sister. Holding a small, old-fashioned clipboard within her hands, the Professor wore a pair of plastic goggles that hung around her neck, and a lab coat with a couple visible stains on it. If it weren't for the few streaks of green which dyed her blonde hair, the small braid the Professor wore would have looked comparable to a fried shrimp's tail.
"I take it that you're Professor Elfnein?" Lanfen asked her, passing by a few occupied tables and shelves on her approach towards the young-looking girl. "The Commander ordered me to meet with you before I can get any work done." Despite the Professor's undeniably short height and teenage appearance, the scientist's mere expression radiated an air of intellect that felt almost immeasurable. Her title clearly wasn't just for show, Lanfen thought, knowing better than to underestimate someone purely based on their physical features and stature.
The two shared a polite handshake while Professor Elfnein placed her clipboard underneath one arm. "That would be correct, Cassandra," she said, greeting Lanfen with a dip of the head. "I'm sorry to request your presence like this all of a sudden, but I felt that it would be best for me to speak with you before your first official deployment." The Professor then approached the large terminal of her personal laboratory and inputted a few commands into its holographic keyboard. "Are you finding our vessel to be comfortable thus far?"
Clicking her tongue at the Professor's perfectly-innocuous question, Lanfen glanced down at her wrists, and saw the faint marks which had been left on them by a pair of coffin-like restraints. "I... guess?" Her answer was almost inaudible. Simply remembering the tightness of her handcuffs made Lanfen quickly change the topic. "So, what am I needed here for, Professor?" she said afterwards, reaching beneath her black-and-white tie to take off the relic pendant that hung around her neck. The SG-r04, Sword of Damocles.
"I only desire a final analysis of your relic fragment," the Professor answered, manifesting several detailed reports of Lanfen's Symphogear onto her terminal's wide monitor screen. "This won't take long, so you can simply sit down and wait while I take a look at your Symphogear." She hit the 'Enter' key on her keyboard and one of the Professor's strange devices next to the control panel suddenly rang with life. The egg-shaped machine subsequently split open its casing, revealing a slot inside it which was perfect for a pendant to slip right into. "Simply insert it inside there, please."
If Tachibana was the friendliest face that Lanfen had seen so far on this ship, then the Professor would be considered the most polite judging by the utmost formality of her speech. As expected of someone who bore the title of 'Professor'. Following her instructions, Lanfen placed her relic pendant inside the machine's slot, causing it to slowly close back up while red lights lit up along the base of the small, unusual device. After the Professor had gestured for Lanfen to take a seat anywhere she'd like, the teenager sat down on her small chair, and went to work like a living machine. Countless streams of data were brought onto the monitor of her terminal all through the teenager's rapid key-presses.
Whatever Professor Elfnein was doing, Lanfen could not comprehend it no matter how long she tried staring at the terminal's monitor screen. Seeing as how the Professor also seemed to be in this state of perfect focus, the Adaptor simply went over to one of the room's tables before quietly sitting down on an available chair. For now, Lanfen passed the time she currently had by examining the other systems which were available on her wrist device. In addition to its communications system and holographic map, the device provided a scanner, a built-in camera, an audio translator, a hacking tool, and lastly, an unnamed option that was locked behind the prompt of a fingerprint scanner.
Lanfen had to raise a brow upon noticing this particular system.
Lifting her other hand from one side of her body, Lanfen curiously pressed one finger against the device's holographic prompt, earning her a soft ring of confirmation while the scanner accepted her ID. "Identity Code accepted. Welcome, SG-r04," were the words which her wrist device subsequently displayed. Once Lanfen had passed by that strange security measure, a list of seven titled records unveiled themselves one-by-one right before Lanfen's narrowed eyes. The files were all arranged by the following designations: SG-r01, SG-r02, SG-r03', SG-i01, SG-i02, SG-i03, and SG-x00.
They were undeniably Symphogear model numbers.
Lanfen hovered her hand above the projected screen and slowly clicked on the 'SG-r01' file. Several more holographic screens pertaining to the Ame-no-Habakiri relic then sprung forth from her wrist device, filling the greenhorn Adaptor's vision with all sorts of information. But while Lanfen initially found all this to be fascinating, she was beginning to feel this sensation of confusion slowly creeping upon her the longer Lanfen stared at the selected data. This was no mere 'record' of Lanfen's Adaptor teammate. Everything Lanfen essentially saw before her was information which one could learn to perfectly understand Kazanari's combat prowess. Its recorded footage gave insights on Kazanari's unique attacks, her fight patterns, her strengths, and lastly, her tactical shortcomings.
It was everything that a person would need to know in order to fully understand a Wielder's battlefield potential.
"Cassandra?" Professor Elfnein called over to her, immediately causing a startled Lanfen to dismiss the holograms and switch off her wrist device. The Professor then spun around on her computer chair and got off it so she could approach Lanfen with a data-pad held in one hand. "How are you feeling?" she inquired, bringing up a multitude of captured imagery on her small device through a few swipes of one finger.
Shifting her focus onto the Professor for now, Lanfen rested both hands on top of her lap and pondered about her answer. "... I'm ready," Lanfen eventually stated. "For my first mission, I mean."
"Oh." The Professor nervously chuckled, holding her data-pad close to her chest. "I'm actually referring to your injuries." She took off the goggles which were hanging around her neck and placed them on a table beside her before presenting the images on the data-pad to Lanfen. Official medical reports of a faint scarring on Lanfen's back were clearly displayed on the device. Lanfen subconsciously bit her lips at the sight of the familiar injury. "Can you please explain what caused this?" she inquired again with a level of professional tact this time.
Slowly, Lanfen nodded her head, and held one hand to the data-pad so she could brush a single gloved fingertip against the image. "It was from a Distortion." Lanfen's answer was straight-to-the-point. The sickening warmth that Lanfen felt during the night of the global attack was impossible to forget. "The person who gave me the SG-r04... She saved me. And if it wasn't for her... I probably wouldn't be here," she continued, glancing past the Professor to stare at the egg-shaped device where her relic pendant was currently stored. "I don't know what she did, but I know she used some sort of medicine to heal my injuries."
Professor Elfnein quietly listened to Lanfen's hush story until she was obviously done. Once the Adaptor refused to speak any more, the Professor closed up her data-pad and placed the discomforting imagery of the woman's scarring aside. "The healing capabilities needed for such a wound would be immense," she explained, bringing a hand to her chin in thought. "Not even our own medicinal facilities have progressed far enough to heal injuries of that size in an instant. For that to happen, it would take..." The Professor sounded equal-parts fascinated and confused before she glanced back at Lanfen and noticed the slight discomfort which the Adaptor was feeling in response to her analytical observations.
Dropping the topic in an instant, Professor Elfnein opened up her data-pad again, and dismissed the medical reports to instead display an examination of Lanfen's combat data this time.
As the Professor momentarily observed the recorded footage of Lanfen effortlessly cleaving her way through a Distortion horde, the scientist's voice took a far more obvious shift towards formality. "Cassandra, are you prepared to utilize the power within your Symphogear?" The question sounded like it required far more than a simple 'yes' or 'no' from the greenhorn Adaptor.
If she was being truthful with herself, Lanfen was still processing all of the information that the Sword of Damocles had flooded her mind with. An entire library's worth of knowledge was practically implanted within her brain the very moment Lanfen had donned her Symphogear. Even if she had spent the past two days stuck within detainment, the greenhorn Adaptor still felt like she was only just beginning to grasp the extent of her combat abilities. It was comparable to being thrown into the driver's seat of an unfamiliar vehicle with its control manual on her lap. Even so, Lanfen refused to display any hesitation in front of the person who had supposedly designed her Symphogear in the first place.
"I'll fulfill any tasks that I'm expected to complete, Professor," Lanfen declared without an ounce of trepidation.
She had come too far by now to start having second-thoughts about her newly-accepted position.
Strangely enough, Professor Elfnein appeared far more concerned than anything else after hearing Lanfen's answer. But the Professor gave no further comment. Instead, she walked back to her terminal and pressed a button next to the egg-shaped container, causing its shell to open up again with a low hiss. "Although I've designed the Sword of Damocles to be a next-generation Symphogear, its capabilities are far different when compared to its contemporaries," she explained, plucking the pendant out from the machine's slot. "Whomever was the person that completed the SG-r04 evidently did not possess the same skills and knowledge as the original creator of the Symphogear. The same could be said of myself."
While Professor Elfnein slowly strode back over to Lanfen, the scientist gave the ruby-like pendant a wordless stare, hesitation clearly flashing within her eyes.
Lanfen only remained silent purely out of proper etiquette.
Once the Professor stood in front of the awaiting Adaptor, Professor Elfnein pulled her gaze away from the item and carefully held it towards Lanfen. Judging by the way the teenager placed the pendant on top of Lanfen's open palm, one would assume that the crimson object was far heavier than it actually looked. Perhaps it was - in a figurative sense - even if it didn't appear to appear any different from all the other relic pendants which the rest of the Adaptor Corps utilized. "... Therefore, while you will be unable to match certain feats that your fellow Wielders are capable of," the Professor quietly resumed, "I can assure you that your relic will be a formidable weapon on the battlefield, Cassandra."
It honestly didn't matter to Lanfen if the Sword of Damocles wouldn't be giving her the strength to change the official height of a mountain. Or the power to cut down an entire forest. All she desired was an Armed Gear to eventually fulfill her oath with.
With her analytical gaze still aimed at the relic pendant on Lanfen's gloved hand, the Professor twiddled her thumbs together and quickly added, "Can you also promise me one thing, Cassandra?"
Lanfen sensed what felt like concern within the Professor's quivering voice and silently nodded.
"Please, be responsible with the powers that have been granted to you," Professor Elfnein requested, taking a few steps back to place herself on the laboratory's small chair. Due to her short height, the scientist's feet barely touched the ground as she made herself comfortable. Professor Elfnein subsequently looked as if she was about to say a couple more words, but the teenager instead folded her hands atop her lap, and wordlessly gazed at the floors beneath them with a child-like sigh. Lanfen guessed that she was just giving her the time she needed to process everything S.O.N.G.'s newest Wielder had undergone so far.
Such a promise was an easy one to accept. It would only be the second promise Lanfen decided to begin upholding today to start with. While the greenhorn Adaptor lifted a pendant in one hand by its string, Lanfen stared at her reflection on its shimmering, crystal surface and said, "The circumstances surrounding my acquisition of this pendant." She tried to prevent her words from sounding even remotely accusatory. "I take it that all of it only makes me suspicious?"
"There are many things which S.O.N.G. is concerned with outside of how you attained the SG-r04. How it was even completed, for starters," Professor Elfnein calmly answered. "But the situation demands that we acquire as much help as we can." She let out another sigh and rested one hand on her forehead. "Even so, while S.O.N.G. has its suspicions, I will gladly put my faith in your qualities as a person, Cassandra. Every Adaptor that we've met so far has always proved themselves in the end... so I have little doubt you're any different." The Professor subsequently gave her best attempt at an encouraging smile. Lanfen could only wordlessly appreciate the scientist's sentiment.
Even if Lanfen felt that the Professor was drastically overestimating her.
Placing the pendant around her neck and underneath her black-and-white tie, Lanfen was about to ask the Professor a small, curious question of her own when they heard a knock suddenly resound on the laboratory's entrance. The metal door then slid open to one side with a small hiss, allowing Ogawa Shinji to make his presence known with a polite greeting which was aimed at both Lanfen and the Professor. After giving the pair a formal bow, Ogawa glanced over to Lanfen, and swiftly gestured towards the open doorway behind him.
"My apologies if I am interrupting anything," he said, sounding as affable as when Lanfen first met him, "your presence is currently required on the bridge, Miss Jiang."
"Right through these doors, please."
After the pair had arrived at their destination with Ogawa in the lead, Lanfen approached a large pair of automatic doors that soon slid open to reveal the underwater vessel's bridge. She was immediately greeted by the chattering of its operators as the command center's crew were all in the midst of an operation. Standing nearest to the entrance was Commander Genjuuro, who conveyed all of his orders through a stalwart, booming voice. A man and woman were stationed at two separate posts on his left and right respectively, both of them clearly dressed in the navy-blue uniform of S.O.N.G. while they typed away on their terminals at incredible speeds. Two staircases on Lanfen's sides also led to a lower section of the bridge where several more operators could be seen carrying out their duties.
The air in the bridge. It felt tense.
Every word its operators transmitted was one in regards to an ongoing life-and-death situation.
Directing her attention to the bridge's three large monitor screens, Lanfen could see live footage of Kazanari Tsubasa and Tachibana Hibiki battling countless Distortions at two different combat zones. Yukine and three other Adaptors had also been deployed throughout the globe in an attempt to simultaneously fend off the arriving knights at a total of six separate locations. And when Lanfen tried comparing her seniors' physical feats to the recorded footage of her first ever battle, she could immediately see how the pair were cutting their way through the Distortions with a distinct 'flow' within their movements. A flow which displayed years of accumulated experience when it came to donning their Symphogears.
A familiar shape in the corner of Lanfen's eye proceeded to pull her attention away from the central monitor. Turning her focus to the large screen on her left this time, the greenhorn Adaptor soon spotted multiple scanned images that were being analyzed by the lower-bridge's crew.
Lanfen couldn't stop a proverbial fire from subsequently igniting within her eyes. Because within those still images were snapshots of the cloaked being who had taken Kai-Ming away from her. But it was not the only thing which was being displayed through a collected group of scanned photographs. In addition to the grainy images of her little sister's killer, there were also captured photos of the armoured knight who Lanfen had witnessed on her television screen right before the global attack even began. Merely focusing her attention on the two unknown individuals made Lanfen's sword-hand twitch at her side as Commander Genjuuro turned around to greet the arriving Symphogear-Wielder.
"Welcome to the bridge, Lanfen." The redheaded man approached her and calmly crossed his large arms over his chest. Whether or not he noticed the restrained fury within Lanfen's purple eyes, Commander Genjuuro provided no comment about it and simply treated her graciously. "Considering how we had to handle you upon your arrival, I was hoping that your entry into S.O.N.G. would've been a bit more grandiose," he said, almost ruefully, "but it looks like celebrations will have to wait until the Distortions are dealt with."
Hiding her twitching hand within a pocket of a uniform's jacket, Lanfen stood to attention, and sharply saluted the Commander with her other hand. It was a gesture that appeared to be too formal even for Commander Genjuuro's liking. The Adaptor was simply glad that she managed to memorize their standard protocols so quickly. "It's fine, Commander," Lanfen insisted, resting her arm at her side again, "I don't think there's much to celebrate about anyway."
"Debatable, but I'm sure we can argue about that during another time." Commander Genjuuro casually clapped the Adaptor on the shoulder before gesturing for her to accompany him to his personal post. With Ogawa now mysteriously out of Lanfen's sight, the woman stayed by the Commander's side while they observed the live combat footage of Lanfen's colleagues on the bridge's central monitor screen.
Since the Commander had yet to open his mouth again to give out any further orders to his crew, Lanfen eventually spoke up with a question for the man she assumed to be related to Kazanari Tsubasa. "That cloaked being," Lanfen began, momentarily shifting her narrowed gaze towards the images of Kai's killer. She could taste the brewing disdain on the tip of her tongue. "Do we have any information on its current status and location?"
Sitting down on his post with his elbows now on his terminal, the Commander appeared perturbed by Lanfen's sudden curiosity, but answered her anyway. "Other than a few unclear images and vague reports? Unfortunately, no." Commander Genjuuro proceeded to give out a quick order which was aimed at one of the lower-bridge's operators. Soon after, additional images of the cloaked being were brought up on the bridge's side-monitors. None of them provided a clear look at what was underneath its tattered cloak. "Witnesses describe a 'monster' who had sowed destruction wherever the Distortions went. But as soon as the global attack lost its momentum, it disappeared. Hasn't showed up since then."
Which means it's still alive, Lanfen quietly determined.
The Adaptor needed to bite down on her lower lip in order to quell her twitching sword-hand. In the back of her head, Lanfen desired to ask the Commander if she could personally lead a hunt for the cloaked being, but the greenhorn Adaptor quickly stayed her tongue. Lanfen was in no position to be requesting anything when she had yet to even be deployed for her first official operation. Thus, all she could do for now was to stand down and go along with the orders of the organization that she was now a part of. It would only be a matter of time until her sister's killer showed itself. Her gut feeling reassured her that it would barely take much longer than a week for such a monster to reveal its location again.
In an attempt to redirect her mind towards something else for now, Lanfen tried to satiate her curiosity regarding a different topic entirely. "My parents," Lanfen said to the Commander, eyes now fixated on the central monitor screen where her seniors could be seen bestowing swift justice on a horde of surrounding knights. It was honestly impressive to see Tachibana bludgeoning her way through an entire army with nothing more than her bare hands and a masterful utilization of martial arts. "... Did they die on missions like these?"
As if he was addressing a topic which the Commander had been expecting to discuss for a while now, Commander Genjuuro turned to Lanfen, and answered her question with a gentle nod of the head. "They were brave people. Just like the women you're seeing in front of you," he told her, grabbing a hot mug of coffee that was sitting right next to his elbow. "They carried out their duties in order to protect the world every day, even if nobody would ever really hear about it." The Commander's following words came with a lowered voice. "You have our apologies for covering up the reasonings behind their passing."
"It's fine," Lanfen assured him, placing a hand on her hip, "I... had a feeling that this was the case a while ago, honestly." After she released a silent sigh between her chapped lips, the greenhorn Adaptor focused again on the live footage of the operations, and began wondering how long it would take for Lanfen herself to reach the same heights which her seniors were currently standing on. "If anything... maybe they'd be proud of the fact that I'm continuing their legacy in a way?" Lanfen quietly mused, lifting her other hand so she could grasp the pendant beneath her tie between a pair of gloved fingers.
Commander Genjuuro surprisingly provided his own personal theory regarding the opinions of Lanfen's parents. Judging by the way his voice calmly addressed her, the remark felt like it came from a solid understanding of the two deceased S.O.N.G. agents. "You think they would've preferred it if you were enjoying a peaceful life instead?"
Lanfen could not find the words to answer the man's question. Perhaps she simply did not wish to. Regardless, neither of them had any reasonable way of actually proving their assumptions to begin with. Cassandra Jiang Lanfen was now an Adaptor of S.O.N.G., a paranormal task force responsible for the defense of the world against threats such as the Noise and the Distortions. Nothing was about to change that. Lanfen had signed her contract without hesitation and would do so again if she were given the chance. There wasn't anything else in Lanfen's life which she would rather be doing right now. Even if the Commander appeared sympathetic towards her circumstances, Lanfen felt only complete apathy towards her situation.
Without another second wasted, one of the bridge operators spoke up with a report.
"Commander, we're detecting a seventh rift situated in Kazamino, Japan!" the brunette declared, inputting a command into his terminal to display an image of the aforementioned Japanese city. "Energy signatures designate them to be Category-1s. Blade and Caster-types. Estimating less than 20 minutes until the rift opens." The man ran another calculation through his terminal and visibly grew concerned from the presented results. "Sir, our currently-deployed Adaptors will be unable to reach it in time!"
It was the opportunity that Lanfen had been waiting for. The Commander's next decision was clear. There was nothing else stopping her from heading out there and holding Lanfen back would only be a tactical mistake in her eyes. While Commander Genjuuro glanced over to the Adaptor at this side, S.O.N.G.'s newest Symphogear-Wielder felt her sword-hand begging for Lanfen to step out onto the battlefield right then and there. Her anticipation was clear enough for the Commander to immediately sense as he stood up from his post, and inputted a command into his personal terminal, bringing up a visual on his screen to showcase what appeared to be a missile with an empty interior. Commander Genjuuro's subsequent words were far sharper than anything the man had spoken to her thus far.
"Lanfen, prepare yourself for deployment."