World Tree, Yggdrasil, Hydra Base:
Asuna made herself strut around the inside of the Hydra base, managing to muster that self-confident, dismissive air of authority that many of the senior Hydra leadership held. She managed to stop crying back in the bird cage after almost twenty minutes. But for her, it felt like hours.
'Pull it together... Kirito will be here, and this will be over.'
Asuna took a deep breath through her nose and composed herself. With a forced steely expression, she powered on through, with some of the slugs making way for her. As she walked passed the slugs, she heard a voice calling to her.
"Hey there doll, you looking for a date?"
Asuna darted her eyes towards the source of the voice. A slug looked at her rather lecherously as he said, "your outfit shows a lot of you..."
"What do you mean, Shuto?" Asuna demanded. She put her hand on her hip.
"Well... for one..." The slug, Shuto, moved rather close to her. And eyed her figure from head to toe. "Your curves really show with all that black leather," Shuto laughed.
Asuna glared at him in the eyes. "Was that your attempt to woo me? If you must know, I'm already taken, minion," she spat. The first part was quite truthful for a certain black swordsman, and the insult toward the end was for her to play her role. "And furthermore," She continued, "King Oberon had made it clear that I'm off limits to everyone but him."
"Sorry," Shuto said, but he sounded disingenuous, "is it wrong for me to compliment a woman?"
"Only if that woman is no longer available." Asuna shot back.
"Well how about I change your mind, dolly?" Shuto was apparently either very stupid or just overtaken by lust, because he wrapped one of his tentacles around Asuna, with the tip dangerously close to her rear. "I know a place where we could be alone together..."
Asuna shuddered internally as she felt the slimy tentacle touch her bare skin.
"Just entertain me this once..."
At those words however, righteous anger at being lusted at, on top of the indignity of having to play along with Oberon, flashed in Asuna's eyes.
"...No one will ever find out about our fun..." Shuto inched another one of his tentacles near Asuna's face... "Not even Ob.." His sentence was cut as he felt a sharp pain. She had planted her steel-toed boot into his lower body. Shuto stumbled back. Releasing Asuna from his tentacles.
"You insolent pig!" Asuna yelled as she delivered a strong slap to one of the eyes.
"AAAHHH!" Shuto screamed as the stinging sensation hit his eye. Normally the prim and proper Asuna Yuuki would not inflict such violence in her anger, but the stress of her ordeal with Hydra was making her vent on this pervert. She delivered a backhand with the metal part of her gauntlet. Shuto was knocked onto the floor. The other workers in the hallway turned to see Asuna's outburst.
"It appears that you're deaf!" Asuna yelled as she delivered a kick into Shuto's stomach. "I'm off limits!"
"Agh!" Shuto screamed. She spotted one of his tentacles and stomped hard on it. Twisting he heal into it.
"You creeps just think ladies like me are easy prey!" She continued to drive her heal into the tentacle. "You need to know your place!" It was then that two of Oberon's armed Hydra guards came rushing to her.
"This slug tried to make a pass at me!" She stated as she took her boot off of him. "Even though King Oberon made it clear that I'm his queen!"
Shuto looked up, and saw the ex-STRIKE crew. He slinked back and trembled in fear.
"This should teach you to touch his queen." She turned to the guards. "Take him away!" She ordered.
"Yes, Queen Titania.." One of the guards replied as they both grabbed Shuto's tentacles and dragged him away.
"No wait," Shuto begged, "I was kidding around, honest!"
"I'm sure you were." One of the guards grunted.
"Please, I promise I'll be good! Anything but correction, please!"
"Shut up!" The guard kicked Shuto before continuing to drag him away. Soon, Shuto, and the guards are out of sight. Shuto's screams echoed throughout the hallway as he begged for mercy. The rest of the slugs shuddered when Asuna turned to their direction.
"Let this be a lesson to all," she said earnestly, "don't give them any reason to... correct you." She knew enough to know that it was torture.
"Y-Yes, Mistress Titania." The slugs stammered. Asuna huffed. While some seemed to be under Hydra's duress, others like Shuto were perverts and cowards who would take advantage of the weak. Asuna spun around on her heel before continuing down the corridor. She searched for the cyber operations hub.
'Now, where did he say the op hub's located at?' She asked herself. Finally calmed down from her outburst, she traced her steps on which rooms are where.
"Excuse me," a feminine voice sounded. Asuna glanced to her side to see it was Naomi Hunter, from when she was introduced to the Hydra leadership
"Oh... Hello Miss Hunter." Asuna said. Not turning around, the young Yuuki was silent for a bit. She could feel that Naomi starting to tense from the silence. She decided to play it simple. "I need to get to the operations center."
"Oh.. Okay Mistress Titania.. I was heading there myself." Naomi stammered for a moment.
"Would you care to join me then?"
"Sure." The two young women walked together. Asuna from the edge of her vision took in Naomi's appearance. Naomi is older by a few years than Asuna. Either late-teens to early-twenties. She had bronze hair and a fair complexion combined with brownish red eyes. If anything else, her appearance almost resembles Asuna's beauty herself.
"Naomi Hunter?"
"Yes, mistress?"
"So what brought you into service for Hydra?" Asuna decided to break the ice. Naomi seemed to hesitate at first. But she finally answers.
"Well... I joined Hydra because I felt that we need to take charge of the world.."
"Something about the world dissatisfies you?" Asuna gave a smirk.
"Well..." Naomi said. "As you know about the chaos shown in the world."
"Yes I have..." Asuna nodded.
"And, it also shows that the world cannot be trusted with itself." She continued.
"And you think that Hydra provides the solution."
"Y-Yes, I believe so.." Asuna hummed. There was something about Naomi that did not fit in with Hydra.
"Really?" Asuna then asked.
"Of course," Naomi defended, "why would I be here if I thought otherwise?"
"Okay then." Asuna decided to change the subject. "So what do you do here?"
"My job is to analyze the systems of the ALO servers, as well as the NerveGear and AmuSphere helmets."
"You're a programmer then..."
"Basically, yes.."
"And evidently a good one," Asuna said.
"T-Thank you, mistress." Naomi's cheeks went pink. The two then reached the command center. It was busy with activity. The technicians focusing their attention on the holoscreens while the staff were shuffling back and forth.
"Mistress Titania!" Asuna turned to see one of the technicians approaching her. "Welcome, Mistress," he bowed, "how may we serve you?"
"I'm here to check up on the progress all of you are making.." Asuna answered.
"Why... we most appreciate the attention you give us," another technician gushed.
"Same here..." A third technician added.
"Thank you," Asuna smiled back, while thinking at the same time that these people were a little too proud of what they were doing. "Anything else to report?
"Such as?"
"The progress of the 299 players."
"Oh right!" One of the technicians brought her and Naomi over to his station. He changes the image on the hologram image and starts displaying the brainwaves of the 299 players. As well as the NerveGear helmets.
"Tell me what we are looking at," Asuna ordered.
"Well..." The technician began. "As you can see, the brainwaves of the 299 players are monitored through here. They can also be monitored through the lab as well. But, it's easier when it's done here."
"Why is that necessarily?"
"Well, we had to keep an eye on them. At first, we had issues of breaking into the NerveGear systems several months ago. As the systems of the NerveGear was complicated. However, we managed to tap into the Cardinal System that made SAO when Argus merged with RECT."
"And," Naomi added, "we would be able to hide our research in the most unlikely place where no one else would look."
"Which is Alfheim Online.." Asuna surmised.
"Correct," Naomi nodded, "if we tried to do it inside the RECT lab or anywhere else in the real world, it would be more likely that someone else could detect us and intervene."
"And who exactly could oppose Hydra in Japan?" Asuna wondered.
"Anyone who opposes Hydra.." The technician answered. "However, since they've been weaken in the past six to seven years. I highly doubt they'll do anything to stop us."
"You mean the Americans and the Avengers," Asuna named the opposition.
"Correct."
"I see..." Asuna said, "and what exactly do you do with the brainwaves of the... subjects?" She felt dirty referring to the poor people like that. "How do you turn them into loyal agents?"
"Once the manipulation of the mind and soul is one-hundred percent complete. We'll be planting Hydra ideals within their minds." The technician said with pride. "We've have made some attempts to do so, just to test the waters and such. However, each and every one of them failed as it faded completely."
"Faded?" There was a slight glimmer of hope as Asuna heard that result.
"Yes, unfortunately, their minds have some resistance left in them. Probably due to being in SAO for so long."
Asuna shook her head, pretending to also be disappointed, "well I was quite resistant before I saw the truth."
"Rest assure you, mistress. I'm confident that their resistance will be futile." He smiled.
"Well, if you need any help, maybe I can get them to see things my way," Asuna teased... like she was about to turn them into Hydra agents before she found out a way to log them out.
"Oh... Why of course." The technician blushes. "Well then, we could give you the run-down on the GM system."
"Please do," Asuna giggled.
"Alright. I believe that's all I have to report. I'll let you know on further results." He smiled.
"Good..." Asuna smiled before leaving, Naomi followed her.
"Did you find everything you need?" Naomi asked.
"I did." Asuna answered. "It was... enlightening."
"Good to hear." Naomi smiled.
"Though I'll say that their resistance is commendable..." Asuna remarked.
"Indeed, they are." Naomi agreed. "But like he said, it's only a matter of time..." Naomi glanced sideways, as though to hide her expression. Asuna might have been mistaken, but she heard some sniffling.
"Naomi... Are there other places in the facility where one could be alone?" She asks. This time, in a hushed tone.
"Umm... the higher level briefing rooms for senior leadership, why?"
"Nothing." Asuna replied. "Just wanna chat with you... Alone.." Naomi seemed stunned.
"Uh.. S-Sure..." She stammered. "We could head into one of the r-room... But we should check if they're o-occupied."
"We'll have one to ourselves, I'll make sure of it."
"O-Okay then." The girls walked quietly.
Onboard the USS Wilson:
Rogers watched the mission play out from Revere and Jackhammer's player feeds as the group fled into what was called the Legrue Corridor in-game. Thomas Anderson also watched on, as well as checked the IP addresses of the newly-joined players.
"Come on, guys," Rogers muttered, "lose them." The female Sylph, Leafa, managed to lead the group through a series of corridors and secret passages. From what they could see, those passages are known by very few players.
"This is Revere, we're deep inside a cave of some sort, and our flight abilities are currently disabled."
"Copy that, Revere." The operator, Helios, replied. "Maintain your course and stay alert. There's no telling what's in there with you."
"Copy that," Revere acknowledged. Unity for her part was silent as Titania pursed her lips. "I would also recommend being ready for possible ambushes. Hydra is known for those."
"Agreed." Rogers acknowledged with the bitter thought. Helios tried to track the two Rangers and the others into the Corridor, but their player signatures and feeds started to buzz with static. "Revere, we are experiencing interference with our feed. Do you copy?"
"zzzzzzzzzzz-gain! We-zzzzzzzzzz-still runn-zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz"
"Revere, Jackhammer?" The feed and tracking went completely dead. "Um... sir, we lost them."
"The cave in-game must've cut off the signal.." Anderson surmised. "We won't be able to reach them until they get out in the open."
"And according to the in-game logs," Trinity added, "this is rated as one of the most challenging and dangerous areas due to high-level monsters and narrow passages that make retreats difficult."
Both Rogers and Anderson felt a cold chill sweeping them like a wave of ice-cold water. Titania Miller groaned, "of course it has to be the darkest and most dangerous path."
"I detect extreme exasperation in your voice, Captain," Unity noted.
"Yes," she muttered. "It's always the same with this. And Hydra always takes advantage of that."
"And it's likely that they can still see them while we can't," Titania added.
"Then what should we do?" Unity asked.
"Well, provide all the extra support and information we can give... and pray Godspeed to them," Rogers shrugged, "but I have confidence in Captain America and Iron Man's competence."
"It wouldn't be their first rodeo without support and logistics for long periods of time," Anderson added, "I heard that Howlers are trained for these kinds of scenarios."
"And besides... These kids have been trapped in SAO for two years. So they're battle-harden themselves."
"I wouldn't put it past that, Anderson." Rogers warned. "They may be harden from SAO, but they're still in danger."
"You're right." Anderson agreed.
Titania nodded. "I should know that."
"We should focus on the Legrue Corridor." Anderson suggested. "The moment they resurface, we'll try to re-establish contact with Jackhammer and Revere."
"Good idea," Unity remarked.
Anderson sat back in his chair and focused his attention on the monitors. "I knew that Asuna's hasn't gone bad... We should be thanking those two for clarifying it with us."
"But who exactly were those two girls?" Titania wondered.
"Yui and Strea."
Titania pursed her lips. "Those names sound familiar..."
"How so?" Anderson asked.
"I... can't put my finger on it, but somehow..."
As Titania and Anderson pondered that, Colonel Rogers took Fury to the side. "I've been wondering," he confided, "the tracking of Nobuyuki, and those two photos of the Yuuki girl... would your... Delta One have something to do with that?"
"Well..." Fury hesitated for a moment. But then, he let out a small smirk. "About two months ago, right after SAO was cleared but the 300 players remained trapped in their NerveGear helmets. I've ordered Delta One to lead an investigation inside ALO."
"I take it that Nobuyuki was the main target, and in the course of finding him, you found out about SAO," Colonel Rogers deduced.
"Correct."
"Wait a minute!" Anderson interjected. "You're saying that you already had someone in ALO before we started this mission?!"
"Yes.." Nick Fury answered. "We needed to be sure," He reasoned.
"Well, you could've told us about it. Aren't we on the same side?" He countered.
"We all are," Rogers regained control of the conversation, "and the intel we have still comes a long way in helping us navigate this minefield. Remember, we are still not officially sanctioned to operate over Japan."
Anderson paused for a moment. "Very true. I was just saying that this information about Delta One's whereabouts could've given us a head-start on the mission. And we would've freed the 300 players sooner." He sighs. "But I guess there's nothing we could do about it but to proceed with our current mission."
Titania hummed as she closed her eye and said. "We should take advantage of this, though," she mused. "Mr. Fury, what if Delta One could infiltrate RECT Progress itself?"
"If he can establish contact with Asuna Yuuki somehow, it would give us a better picture of what is going on, and how deep Hydra may be in RECT." Nick Fury rubbed his chin.
"I could probably help with that." Anderson then said.
"It just need whoever Delta One is to provide his or her profile so I can fabricate some employee credentials, then have Trinity hack into RECT and insert clearances without raising alarm bells. That should let Delta One enter RECT without having to go through so many hoops."
"Also, remember the fail-safe for the players in case Hydra tries to hack their accounts?" He then asks.
"What about it?" Colonel Rogers wondered.
Titania narrowed her eye. "I recall that."
"I had Trinity to have the program to keep an eye out for the Yuuki girl and to scan her to confirm her identity. Once that happens, it'll give her connection through us." He smiles.
"Okay." Titania nodded. "Unity can provide some extra support."
"And we'll be able to know what is going on the other side."
"Then get it done, Captain Anderson," Colonel Rogers ordered, "we need our agent to give Burke and Preston every advantage they can get over Hydra."
"On it, Colonel." Anderson nodded before turning to his laptop. "Also, Fury. Is Delta One, by any chance, already in ALO?
"Actually, already on the way to RECT," Nick Fury informed, "so better work fast."
"Right, I figured that if they're in ALO, they could bail out Preston, Chris, and the others." He types in the laptop's keyboard.
"Give Delta One the credentials into RECT," Fury ordered, "having them reach Yuuki through RECT is the best way to help right now. Burke and Preston will have to manage."
"Got it, sir." Anderson replied.
RECT Progress Inc. Headquarters, Tokyo:
Shouzou Yuuki enters through the main entrance of the HQ.
"Sir?" A receptionist greeted him.
"Hello.." Shouzou smiled. "I'm here to check on the progress."
"There are two gentlemen here to see you," the receptionist said.
"Who are they?" He asks.
"They're Americans," the receptionist said, "and... in uniform."
Shouzou did a double take. "Americans?"
"In uniform."
"Where are they?"
"In that black SUV." The receptionist pointed outside. "And there is a Defense Force man with them too." He looked outside and sees the black SUV parked outside. When Shouzou walked through the main entrance, he was too deep in his thoughts to even noticed it.
"Okay, you can invite them in."
The receptionist nodded to security. "Let them in." The guard headed out the main entrance. Thirty seconds later, he returns with two men. Both of them were wearing US Navy uniforms. Upon closer inspection, Shouzou notices that one of them is in his fifties like himself. While the other appears to be in his twenties. The one in his twenties had a noticeably more desert camo compared to the older officer's green camo.
"Mr. Yuuki.." The older officer greeted him.
"Hello, officer?" Shouzou said in English, perplexed.
"We should take this conversation outside," the younger officer whispered. He gestured to some of the RECT security, who seemed to give menacing looks to the Americans. Shouzou wasn't sure, but he agreed and led the navy officers outside. As they approached the SUV, Shouzou saw a young JSDF officer at the wheel, no doubt to liaison the Americans in uniform around. Shouzou, and the two navy officers stepped into the SUV and closed the doors. Little did they know was that some of the RECT security were phoning their real bosses to report what Shouzou was doing.
World Tree, Yggdrasil, Hydra Base:
It took a while, but Asuna finally found a place where she could be alone with Naomi. Using her high-level security card she locked the door.
"Have a seat, Naomi.." Asuna pulled up a chair for her.
"Um, yes Mistress." She sits down in the chair. Asuna pulls up a chair and sat down next to her. Naomi looked tentative in the dark-dressed Asuna's presence.
"If I'm not mistaken, these rooms are sound-proof. Correct?" Asuna asked.
"Y-yes, Mistress," Naomi tried to compose herself.
"Relax, you're not in trouble." Asuna reassured her with a smile.
Naomi looked at her with a nervous smile. "I-I'm not? Why would I be anyways?" She tried to laugh it off. Asuna chuckles with her.
"I could tell you didn't join Hydra on your own accord." She whispered.
"W-what are you talking about?" Naomi laughed, "why would I not?" It was then Asuna took Naomi's hand, and held it gently.
"Naomi... please. I know because I myself did so under duress." Naomi did a double-take.
"R-Really?" She asks.
"I can see it in your eyes too," Asuna confided, "and I am taking an enormous risk with you being a possible spy, with my access and life to try and help those 299 other players..."
Naomi couldn't believe what she heard. At first, her ears could be playing tricks on her. However, when Asuna took her hand, she looked at her in the eyes. They're not filled with malice or intimidation. But with tender care and kindness.
"You... care for them, don't you?"
"Yes, I do care.."
At those words, Naomi began to stream tears and sob as she collapsed into Asuna's arms. "I can't take it anymore! I hate myself," she confessed. "I hate myself for not standing up to Hydra and going along with this!"
Naomi shook as the guilt and shame wracked her inside out, "Hydra threatened my family if I did not work for them, and I couldn't refuse because they knew everything about me at work and home."
"E-Everything?" Asuna asked. She held Naomi in her arms with care.
"T-they had spies... at my u-university," Naomi sobbed, "a-and you know... they control Gaming and Moderation here... and they... have people watching my brother in the h-hospital... and my mom and little sister... at home..." Naomi looked up at Asuna with reddened eyes. "T-they threatened that if I didn't work for them... they would do to them... w-what they... already did to Dad!"
"I'm... I'm very sorry to hear that." Asuna said, with sympathy. She holds Naomi closer.
"Th-they killed him..." Naomi shook, "they killed my dad for knowing the truth... and used me..." Asuna felt Naomi's pain. It was like a knife stabbing through her heart.
"I followed everything they wanted... and now," Naomi nearly collapsed, "they have my brother too..."
"Was... Was your brother one of the 299 players?" She asks.
Naomi nodded. "I hate that Nobuyuki, I hate that creep and murderer!"
"I do too, Naomi... I do too.." Asuna soothed her. Tears start streaming down her face at Naomi's confession.
"They make me oversee the experimentation of my own older brother!" Naomi cried, "his own sister... brainwashing him to be a killer and spy for Hydra!" She sobbed into Asuna's shoulder. She could feel her tears dripping onto her bare shoulder and trickling down. "What kind of a sister am I to do that!? I defy Hydra, I lose my mother and little sister! I obey, and I turn my brother into their puppet! I'm losing everything!"
Asuna continued to cradle Naomi in her arms. It was clear now that Naomi was a victim of Sugou's Hydra. Not only Asuna will have to secure her own escape, but for Naomi's as well. After what seemed like hours. Naomi calmed down, but Asuna continued to hold her.
"Naomi... I promise this... I will see to it that you and the rest of my father's company will be free of Hydra..."
"H-How do y-you know?" Naomi sniffled. Wiping the tears away.
"Because my beloved and his friends are on the way with help," Asuna smiled, "we can expose Hydra to the world."
"R-Really?" The glimmer of hope started to sparkle in Naomi's eyes.
"Yes," Asuna assured, "but we need to be careful to not expose them to that Rollins guy and his goon squad."
"With my access, we can get into the GM system, and contact the authorities." She continued.
"Be careful, Mistress..."
"Don't worry. As long as we watch out for each other. We'll get through this."
Naomi pursed her lips. "Mistress, the Supreme Commander has agents in the National Police and Defense Forces."
A chill went down Asuna's spine by Naomi's revelation. However, she isn't giving up. "There's got to be someone else we could contact."
"I don't know who they are exactly," Naomi added, "but the Supreme Commander has spoken with people whom I believe have some sort of roles in the police and military. I overheard some of them talking about weapons and arming loyal agents and troops across the country."
"In that case, we should be careful. If we find someone outside the Japanese police and military, we have to chance it." Asuna reassured her. "We're not giving up on the 299 players."
"In the meantime, is there anybody else inside RECT who may not be Hydra?"
"I don't know." Naomi shook her head. "But I'll keep an eye out for any."
"Please do. We need all the help we can get to fight Hydra, Naomi," Asuna urged, "the more, the better."
Naomi hugs Asuna. "Will do... And thanks... I am at your service, Mistress."
Asuna giggled, "please, call me Asuna." The two girls looked to each other for a while, before laughing a bit.
"Well, I guess we've cleared that hurdle," Naomi said in relief.
"Glad that we did." Asuna smiled. "Now, I think we should get going. I'm pretty sure that the others would noticed our absence." She suggested before standing up. She help Naomi up on her feet.
"We actually made good time," Naomi said as she pointed to a timer on the wall. "we only used seven of eight minutes allotted for use. It's their way of keeping the rooms open for appointments and to hinder spying."
"Good to know." Asuna smiled.
"At least we are punctual." Both girls laughed.
"Now's let's get out of here before they get on to us," Asuna urged as she opened the door. Both She and Naomi leave the room, now new friends trapped in the Hydra prison.
"Is there anything more I can help you with, Mistress Asuna?" Naomi said with a smile and wink that showed her newfound confidence.
"I think that'll be all, Commander Hunter." Asuna giggled, followed with a wink to her. "Though I would appreciate further details of King Oberon's plans regarding economic, political, and military interests. I doubt that our army of loyalists can assume control without resources and equipment."
"Okay then." Naomi smiled. "I'll get the full report for you."
"And..." Asuna paused for emphasis, "if anyone else shares our... convictions, send them to me immediately."
"Will do, Mistress Asuna." Naomi salutes her.
"Don't let me down," Asuna nodded. With that, Naomi turns to leave. Asuna strolled along with confidence, happy to see an ally in Naomi, and hoping to find more.
Legrue Corridor:
"Helios, do you copy?" Revere radioed again, only to get static. Everyone else was standing and catching their breath as they watched the captain pace about to get a signal. Finally, he relented. "The corridor seems to inhibit our external communications." He then ordered Jackhammer, "Jack, can we get a headcount?"
Jack turned to count the number in Kirito's guild. "I've counted twenty-three with us." He called out.
Revere turned to Kirito. "Is that everyone?"
Kirito looked to Lexar, Leafa, and the rest of his SAO survivor friends. "Yes, that's everybody."
Lexar looked to Jack. "So this Helios is really your mission command?"
"Our mission operator actually," Revere clarified, "Colonel America is our superior officer."
"Right.. Of course.." Lexar concluded.
"So... what's next?" Sleek asked.
"We lost those guys," Silica muttered, "but now we are lost..."
"Don't worry, everyone!" Leafa called out from the front of the group. "I've been in this corridor before..."
"Lead the way, Leafa!" Lexar called back.
"Hold up," Revere held a hand up, "before we proceed, we should establish our tactical objectives and the chain of command. Without us being able to contact Helios or the Colonel, we need to regroup and inventory our assets and assess our battle strength."
"Come on, man," Klein whined, "so serious..."
Agil shook his head towards Klein, "I would actually agree with him, buddy. If what he said is correct, we need to organize ourselves with armies of bounty hunters and a fascist organization gunning for us."
"Same here." Spade added. "We may be in over our heads in this mission. But, we need to stick together if we're gonna fight back and rescue Asuna and the others."
"And I think the rest of us should really know who you two are better," Mace pointed out, "seriously, Steve Rogers is your superior officer!?"
"Well, yeah," Revere seemed to be nonchalant, "he is."
"Still couldn't believe that was the Steve Rogers! The original Captain America!" Lexar added with excitement and surprise.
Revere crossed his arms. "He still is that same Captain, you know..."
"I know.." Lexar acknowledged. "But still..."
"Not to mention Thomas Anderson, aka Iron Patriot II. The Hero of Frankville!" Spade chimed in.
"It's very hard to believe that Nick Fury was with you guys too.." Haze spoke up. "I mean, wasn't he killed back in 2014?"
"He faked his death." Spade explained. "Are you recall, SHIELD was under the control of Hydra since its creation. And they've been feeding the crises throughout history. Ranging from the Assassination of John F. Kennedy, the USS Liberty incident. The supplying of Al Qaeda. Etc."
"Wait, what?" Philia did a double-take.
"You never heard of all that?" Lisbeth asked. "We were too young to realize it. But, that really did happen."
"And they were going to kill millions with Project Insight..." Rex recalled with a shudder.
"Someone from inside SHIELD leaked all that information to the world," Agil recalled, "there was a media blitz when the net was suddenly flooded with SHIELD's top-secret files."
"I remember hearing about all that on the news, not to mention on the internet.." Klein recalled in a surprisingly circumspect tone. "And I recall that Steve Rogers was framed by SHIELD and on the run until he made that public speech to everyone in DC."
"And I still find this strange that, despite proof that Hydra controlled SHIELD. Many people accused Rogers of destroying buildings and property." Spade shook his head in disbelief.
"So wait," Codex asked, "this Howler Platoon that Revere and Jackhammer are part of... are they some sort of anti-Hydra unit?"
Revere hummed. "Not exclusively anti-Hydra, but we are trained in asymmetric airborne counterinsurgency operations," he said, "aside from frontline combat, we specialize in long-range reconnaissance and neutralizing extraordinary threats, whether they are Hydra remnants, Anti-Inhuman supremacist groups, former rogue Pacifican Army personnel, and even Chitauri scout units left over from Loki's invasion."
"Chitauri?" Strea asked. Unfamiliar with that name.
"The name of an alien race, young lady," Jackhammer clarified.
"It's the alien race that invaded New York City back in May 4th, 2012 for Loki's invasion of Earth." Codex explained to her.
"I was among the troops who fought to defend New York then," Jackhammer added, "so I can say that I saw things there firsthand."
"And that's when I saw Captain America." He added. "At first, I thought my mind was playing tricks on me as in history, he disappeared at the end of World War II when he brought down the Valkyrie bomber. But how he took on those alien soldiers with nothing but his shield. I knew he wasn't no actor or cosplayer."
"So you saw the Avengers in action!" Mace was wowed.
"Yep. We all did." Jack smiled.
"That is so cool!" Haze beamed, "you're a real veteran!"
"You said it, Haze." Rex interjected. "Who would knew that we would not only meet the Howler Platoon, but veterans of both the Battle of New York and the Second Civil War."
"Haze... Rex..." Kureha giggled at the boys' geekiness.
Revere clapped his hands. "As much as we would enjoy getting to know one another, we have a mission in progress." He looked to Leafa. "Leafa, you said that can lead us through this corridor."
"Yes. There's also places that we could catch our breath and plan our next move." The female Sylph explains.
"Such as?" Revere pressed his questions.
"We should be coming up one of them right now."
"Very well." Revere turned to the rest of the group. "The rest of you will be following mine and Jackhammer's lead. We'll be deputizing the lot of you for this mission to make our way to the World Tree, and establish a spawning point for reinforcements."
After some time, they came across a clearing. It was dark, but the area has enough room. "Our objective is to make our way up the tree, find and liberate the 300 hostages under Hydra's duress, and neutralize Hydra and whatever it is they have going on inside ALO. Now as you all know, they have put a bounty on mine and Jack's heads. So far there is no indication that any of you are being targeted specifically." Revere then smacked his right fist in his palm. "However, I can establish these rules of engagement..."
"Okay. Once we enter the city of Alne and through the World Tree gate. We should make great time." Lexar added... "Hopefully, they're no one waiting for us there for the bounty."
"And if anyone does?" Kirito asked with a knowing smirk.
Revere then gave him a serious look. "Then it will be either us or them. Don't hesitate to attack and kill if necessary."
"I thought the rules of engagement were 'do not fire until fired upon'," one of Klein's friends, Kunimittz joked.
"You gotta love those rules," Harry One jested.
Jackhammer chuckled as he rubbed his hair. "Actually, we Howlers follow some slightly amended rules of engagement."
"Really?" Klein raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
"You threaten or attack Howler Rangers," Revere deadpanned, "we terminate with very extreme prejudice."
"Oh..." Klein was taken by surprise.
"Many Pacifican military remnants and partisan enforcers who refused the stand-down orders eventually got the message," Jack added, "just ask the wiser survivors."
"The Pacificans are very stubborn... Even after their government lost." Jackhammer said.
"But we got it through their thick skulls with a combination of targeted infantry raids, heavy airstrikes and armor, and the fact that our military tribunals have a very high conviction rate," Revere added. He then cleared his throat to get the conversation back under control. "Anyways, even if the players are unwitting civilians," he clarified, "if they show hostile intent, I am telling all of you to not hesitate in putting them down."
"Okay then." Kirito acknowledged. "Even so, that's not gonna stop us."
"We've been down this road before," Issin remarked.
"And we'll go down it again.." Lexar added. Revere looked around and saw looks and gestures of determination, even from the shy-looking Sleek and Silica. Most civilians would have backed out of this, but these SAO survivors were something altogether.
"Very well." Revere then prompted, "Leafa, you're with me. Take point, but stay close to me."
"Got it, Captain." Leafa acknowledged.
"The rest of you will follow behind me," the Sylph captain said, "we'll move in provisional squads of five, with Jack, Kirito, Lexar, Leafa, and myself as Squad Alpha." Leafa glowered at Kirito, who seemed to sweat drop a bit nervously. Lexar glanced at Kirito and Leafa. He still couldn't believe that they had their family drama a short while ago.
"Um... why are we doing squads?" Rain was confused.
"In case either of us are still followed, we can pick off our pursuers." Lexar explains. "And/or if one of us finds the exit, we'll alert the others."
"And like I said before," Revere reminded, "this is a military operation, and like it or not, I am the ranking officer on the scene. We have to assume that Hydra has numerous bounty hunters and security looking for us, and we need to stick close together to survive."
"Okay.." Rain replied.
"Any questions before we proceed, anyone?" Jackhammer asked.
"No, I believe that's it." Sleek shrugged.
"None from me," Mace shook his head.
"Just raring to go," Lisbeth raised her Mace.
"A million or so," Philia joked, "but not the time."
"I'm all ready." Spade smirked.
"As am I." Kirito added.
"My samurai posse and I are ready for war," Klein assured, getting cheers from his men.
"I guess we're all set." Lexar smiled.
"As am I," Yui chimed in as she floated next to Revere, "don't forget me!"
"Right, how could we forget you?" Jack chuckled to see the fairy float near Revere.
"And if you are doing squads of five," Yui quipped, "Silica, Sleek, Agil, and Klein are short one player."
The Sylph captain looked over to Charlie Squad, and saw that they were indeed short. He saw how young Sleek and Silica were, and he was not entirely comfortable with someone as wild as Klein. "Very well, Jack, take command of Charlie."
"It'll be an honor, sir." Jack saluted before turning towards Sleek Silica, Agil, and Klein.
"So... lieutenant isn't it?" Agil asked.
"Silica and I also overheard your... captain call you that," Sleek remarked.
"Aren't you like, older than him?" Silica asked, confused as she can tell that Jackhammer looked older than Revere.
"Well, he is my superior," Jack simply said, "but don't let his age fool you; I've sheparded the Captain in combat, and he is no greenie."
"I see..." Sleek glanced over to Revere, then back to Jack.
"I'm guessing that Revere is a military academy graduate," Agil rubbed his goatee, "most officers that young are typically trained from such places."
"Right. He came right out of academy by the time the Second Civil War kicked off." Jack explained. "I was trained by the marines since high school. But I left in 2016 and was recruited by Thomas Anderson to help run the Private Military branch in his company. The American Rangers."
"Oh, a jarhead?" Agil raised an eyebrow, "my old man would have had an aneurysm hearing that."
"Ex-Jarhead." Jack chuckled.
"Yeah... my old man would definitely clobber you for that," Agil laughed.
"You never told us about your family," Sleek looked to Agil, "and your dad was Marine Corps?"
"Yes, he was actually." Agil replied.
"Cut the chatter there," Revere ordered, "Leafa, take point, we are moving out!"
"Right," Jack rubbed his head, "you heard the man, let's go!"
Leafa stepped outside of the large room and looked down the corridors. So far, no one and nothing's in sight. "We're clear."
"Still, let's not burn our daylight. We've got some fixin' and real hill-stepping to do," Revere said with a slight, but noticeable drawl, "everyone stay mobile and armed."
Klein noticed some of that and asked Jack. "What's with some of the drawl in his voice? He from Alabama or something?"
"Texas, actually." Jack clarified.
"Ah... a Lone Star Ranger!" Agil laughed. Sleek and Silica smirked at Agil's reference.
"Long way from his home on the range," Sleek snickered.
"Long way for sure, Sleek," Silica giggled.
"I can hear y'all making Texas jokes," Revere suddenly called out.
"Eep!' Both Sleek and Silica squeaked and blushed.
The others either snickered or just sighed. "Definitely a Texan," Codex remarked to Strea.
"Agreed." Strea whispered.
Downtown Tokyo, Japan:
The Black SUV drives through the busy streets.
"So what do I owe the particular pleasure to the people taking me on a drive to who knows where?" Shouzou used his previously-dormant senses to probe the minds of the three other men in the car.
"Well... As you're aware of the 300 players remaining in the NerveGear helmets." The older officer stated. He introduced himself as Captain David Mitchell.
"I am aware of that, Captain Mitchell." Shouzou replied.
"It was your son who came to us," David continued, "he was most concerned about his little sister."
"Asuna..." The younger officer, Lieutenant Junior Jonathan Mitchell, clarified. Shouzou was surprised that his son, Kouichirou in the States would reach out to members of the American military on such matters.
"Don't take this the wrong way..." David continued. "But, he's concerned on not only her remaining trapped in the NerveGear, but he gave out details on the Arranged Marriage that was set up."
"But why would he not have come to me first!?" Shouzou loved his son, but was a bit miffed to have been left out until now.
"Begging your pardon, Yuuki-san," the JSDF military officer driving cut in, "but we have reason to believe that what is happening with your daughter involves serious national security concerns between Japan and America."
"Indeed." David agreed as he continued. "Even my son, Alex, told me what happened last night. He was using the NerveGear helmet to log into..." He turned to Jonathan and asked. "What was the game called again?"
"Alfheim Online." Jon said. "Been out for a year."
"National security!?" Shouzou wanted to believe that the men were exaggerating, but he could sense no deception.
"Yep. Based how Alex described the details of the situation... Well, with the 300 players, including your daughter. It doesn't sound like exaggeration..." David continued.
"We've been getting some troubling intel from someone calling himself Delta One," the JSDF officer indicated.
"That's right. According to the new intel. There's something going on in ALO. We don't know what, but it has something to do with the 300 players." David went on, "furthermore, our signals intelligence indicates that suspicious military communications have picked up across Japan in the last two months, some of them being traced as far as China, and even the United States."
"Delta One managed to trace one of those communications through ALO."
"That's impossible," Shouzou gasped, "Nobuyuki and my own team would have reported it!"
"Has he?" David asked.
"No... but..." the Yuuki patriarch's words died in his mouth, thinking back on Asuna's picture in the birdcage.
"Mr. Yuuki. We're gonna try to help you get your daughter back." David reassured him. "If the reports are true. Then we may be facing something greater than what we've faced in the past."
"Officially, the civil authorities are the sole authority handling this," the JSDF liaison said, "but the SAO Investigative Task Force is also prepared to recommend a joint military cooperation between the special forces of our respective countries in light of the possible international collaboration between the kidnappers and militant groups worldwide."
"We're prepared to send one of our team into ALO to investigate." David concluded.
"And you both want my permission?" Shouzou deduced.
"Yes." David nodded. The JSDF officer then noticed something in his rearview mirror...
"Something wrong?" Jonathan asked. Noticing the JSDF officer glancing at the rearview mirror.
"I thought I saw a car following us, but now it's gone." Sensing that something is off, Jon turned to the car's dashboard. "Scan the security cameras in the Downtown Tokyo area."
The voice from the dashboard spoke up. "Scanning the Tokyo security cameras now."
The driver then looked forward... "Oh, sh-"
Shouzou felt himself jolt violently into Jonathan as the SUV was struck from the front at an intersection. The car spun into a traffic light pole, smashing in the driver's right side.
"Impact on vehicle's engine totalled. Emergency power is activated." The car's computer voice stated before the SUV was push back as another vehicle came from the right side. The third car appeared and crashed into him. Boxing the SUV in.
"Fracture detected. Recommend anesthetic injection." The car's CPU suggested. As David applied the anesthetic for himself. He checked Shouzou for any injuries. Shouzou was shaken up. They see several police cars surrounding the SUV. Officers stepping out and drawing their weapons at them.
"Tokyo Metro police dispatch shows no units in this area." The SUV's voice said. Jonathan Mitchell was dazed and stunned as he found himself staring down several weapon barrels.
David looked to the driver's side, and found the driver crushed in his seat, his dead eyes staring off to the side. The damage to the car was such that there was definitely no driving off. The survivors were now trapped.
"Threats detected. Deploying countermeasures." Suddenly, several spots of the SUV opened up, revealing small barrel-like devices inside. Fire and Repulsor beams shot out of them. Hitting the disguised mercenaries and the engines of the police cars.
"Get out! Now!" Jonathan shook the cobwebs out of his head as he forced his passenger door open. Jonathan forced his passenger side open and fell out with a pistol in his hand. He saw one of the mercenaries trying to point his pistol at him and shot him, causing bystanders to scream and run. Jonathan grunted as he limped to the front passenger door. He forces it open and David climbs out. Then they helped Shouzou out of the car.
"We've gotta move," Jonathan grunted as he ran/limped to an intact police car. He opens the driver's side door and steps in. David and Shouzou climbed into the backseat.
"Drive, son!" Jon floors the gas pedal and the police car took off speeding down the streets.
"We need to notify the base about the situation!" Jon made a hard-right turn.
"I'm going to call Seijirou," David reached for his cell phone.
"Okay, I'll keep an eye out for these false police officers." Jon darted his eyes in both directions to see anything suspicious.
Sure enough, two more police cars came blaring in with sirens. David looked through the rear window, in time to see the officers with guns at the ready.
'Japanese officers are not this gunho,' David thought as he rubbed his sore parts.
"Hang on!" Jon called out as he swerves to the left. Other cars on the road honked loudly as the commandeered police car swung hard. The rear window shattered in web-cracks. Indicating that a bullet struck the rear window. David and Shouzou ducked down as the false police officers fired at them. Shouzou breathed hard... as memories of a past life came rushing back.
"They're trying to overtake us!" Jon sees one of the cop cars trying to drive on the sidewalk. The cop car tried to bump Jon into oncoming traffic.
"Oh no you don't!" Jon slammed on the brakes as the cop car turned to slam them. The car ended up overshooting them, crossing the lanes to the other side. The car was t-boned twice and flipped on its side.
'That's one.' Jon thought. He glances on the last car in the rearview mirror. He then glanced back at his father and Shouzou. "You guys alright back there?"
"We're okay," David said, "but we've still got company!"
One of the fake cops then leaned out the passenger window, brandishing an F2000 bullpup rifle.
"See if we got anything to even the odds!" Jon turned his attention back on the road. He was forced to duck as machinegun fire pelted the cabin, shattering whatever remained of the rear windshield. David looks around for something. He spots what appears to be a SMG. David reached for the gun as he laid low over the deadly zipping of rifle rounds. He reached for it and sees it's a Steyr SSP SMG. And next to it is a bag with a few clips in it.
"Hurry Dad," Jonathan yelled, "he's trying to shred our tires!" David checks the clip, it's fully loaded. He switches the safety off and quickly peaked over the seat before rising up and firing the SSP at the cop car. The rounds hit the disguised cop. However the cop just shrugged off the blows, reloaded, and continued firing.
'Gotta adjust my aim!' David thought. He fires the SSP again. This time, the rounds hit the cop in the head. The fake cop dropped the weapon, clutching his head in pain from the glancing shot. David then aims at the driver and squeezes the trigger. The rounds hit the driver, causing him to swerve all over the road before crashing into a street light.
"Go go go!" David yelled. Jonathan turns left onto a different street. Bypassing every car whenever he got a chance. Ignoring the other people honking their horns at him.
"We need to ditch this car soon," Jon said, "I don't want to chance this car being tracked by whoever is trying to kill us."
"Agreed." David replied. "Let's find a place where we can ditch this car and find another one. Then, we drive back to the US Navy base and alert our superiors of what's going on."
"Whatever is going on," Shouzou managed to compose himself, "they are going through a lot of trouble to get rid of us."
"Which is why we need to launch an investigation, find out whoever's in charge, and expose the whole thing." David reassured him. Shouzou took a deep breath as he sank back into the car seat... Learning that Asuna may be trapped in ALO, the possibility that Sugou's involved with the 300 trapped players, and now, someone's trying to get rid of them. This was all to take in at once.
'Oh Kyouko,' he thought, 'I hope we did not make such a huge mistake with giving Asuna to Nobuyuki...' Little did he know that he had just projected his thought to his wife working at Tokyo University miles away...
"Okay, we're coming up to one of the parking lots." Jon said as they rounded the block. "We'll ditch this car, and find one that'll let us blend in."
"I can't raise anybody," David said as his phone continued to beep with no connection, "I think I'm being jammed."
"We'll have to lay low for a time being." Jon suggested. As they rounded the corner, he spotted the parking lot.
"We'll ditch the car here and get out of sight fast. Hopefully we can get a rental without too-" Jonathan's sentence was interrupted as a light-armored vehicle slammed into them and flipped them over completely. As the car skidded to a stop. Everyone felt themselves pressed against the car ceiling. Jonathan pushed himself up and reached for the door handle. However, it was instead thrusted open, and Jon felt himself being grabbed and roughly dragged out. He was kicked and his pockets rifled through as his trusty P226 sidearm was tossed to the side.
Jon was in a daze as he looked up to his captors... He looked younger than Jon himself. However, he couldn't make out his facial features. While the helmet and mask obscured most of the face, his eyes betrayed a look of glee as he raised his rifle's buttstock and brought it down hard on his face.
Soon, both David and Shouzou were forced out of the flipped patrol car, kicked to the ground and their pockets rifled through. Taking their phones away along with David's P226 pistol. As he was stuck with a needle, Shouzou's last thought was... 'Kyouko, Asuna, forgive me...' In his haze, Shouzou's thoughts projected outwards...
Tokyo University:
The typically professional and frosty Kyouko Yuuki was hit by a sudden sense of regret and dread. For a moment, she thought she heard her husband, Shouzou Yuuki, calling to her out of nowhere. She froze in the middle of her lecture on economics to the confusion of her students.
"Mrs. Yuuki?" One of the students asked.
"Yuuki-sensei?"
"I.." She paused for a moment. The sudden feeling of regret and dread, a powerful surge a moment ago, was now gone.
She quickly recomposed herself. "It's nothing, just a slight headache." She carried on the rest of the class like nothing happened. As soon as she reached her office however...
"Shouzou..." She muttered to herself. Her husband was supposed to keep his powers dormant as part of their normal lives...
She quickly picked up her office phone and speed dialed him. However, the call went straight to voicemail. The normally taciturn professor quickly redialed. Again, it went to voicemail. It was then she knew that something was wrong; her husband would always take a little time to leave a quick text or voicemail if he was unable to talk. A feeling of dread returns to her. Had someone found out and taken her husband for some nefarious reason?
It was then a thought occurred to her. During Shouzou calling to her, she heard Asuna's name being called as well. 'But why?'
As far as she knew, Asuna was still in some sort of coma thanks to the accursed NerveGear. And then there's Nobuyuki, who promised to help free the 300 players still trapped in the NerveGear. Yet there was something about her husband's surprise telepathic message that told her that it was not what it seemed.
She slouched back in her office chair, now completely unsure of her decision.
World Tree, Yggdrasil, Hydra Base:
Asuna inside the bird cage froze at the sound of her father's voice.
'F-Father' She thought. She looked around to find the source of her father's voice. However, she saw no one. Her heart panged at the sound of a loved one absent from her life for two years. She came back up to the bird cage to rest after making her rounds in the World Tree when she heard the voice. There was a deep sorrow and repentance in the voice. There was also a sense of regret in the voice as well.
'Forgive me...' Asuna's father's voice rang in her head.
'Did he find out about Nobuyuki?' She mentally questioned herself. 'But how could I hear him?'
Her existing emotional turmoil had now been added on to by this mysterious occurrence. It had taken her mind off of the current situation Kirito's facing. At least for a moment. She then tapped on her new terminal to contact Naomi.
"Mistress?" Naomi's voice spoke from the other end.
"Hunter, I just wanted to ask you about members of my family," Asuna expressed, "it's been two years since I've seen them, and I want to know how they are doing."
"Okay, I'll check on the updates." Naomi replied. There was a long pause as Asuna waited for the results. There was a grim expression on Naomi's face.
Mistress... You must gather your courage.." She said before continuing.. "Your father, Shouzou Yuuki, was at the RECT Inc's lobby before he left..."
"What happened?" Asuna's heart leapt in her chest.
"Your father appears to be captured along with two other individuals... someone on security tipped off the Supreme Commander, and he gave the order to agents inside the National Police to make it look like he was being kidnapped by these two men before disappearing him."
"W-Who are the other two men?" Asuna asked. Her voice trembling from the revelation.
"I... I don't know," Naomi said, "they're not giving out any further information."
Suddenly a newscast showed up on both girls' screens. Asuna could not believe what they were saying; RECT was putting out a statement that Shouzou Yuuki had been kidnapped in the parking lot, and police were in pursuit when the kidnappers violently retaliated. He was now listed as a missing person of interest.
"T-they are covering it up," Asuna trembled. The sudden news of her father being kidnapped by Hydra only added to her emotional turmoil. "D... do we know where they have him?"
"Hang on..." Naomi said. A moment later. "It appears that he's being held at the basement in the RECT headquarters along with the two men..."
Asuna was surprised. "They brought him back to RECT?"
"Yes, they did... For what purpose, I don't know."
"Wait... of course, it is the least likely place for anyone to look," Asuna exhaled as she collapsed in her seat. 'But who are the other two?' She thought to herself.
Inside the Legrue Corridor:
Revere and Kirito cut down several more monsters, leveling up in the process. Lexar and Leafa also leveled up in the process. Revere then spied some monsters creeping up on Sleek and Silica. Like lightning, he threw his shield, which bashed the monsters back and poofed them.
"Thanks!" Sleek called out.
Agil whistled after slicing through a brute. "That is some shield toss!"
"You said it, Agil." Klein agreed.
Revere just nonchalantly caught the shield back in midair. "The Colonel taught me," he answered.
"Of course." Klein smiled. Sleek slashed two more monsters.
"These Corridor creatures are really causing my progress to shoot through the roof!"
"Same goes for all of us." Silica pointed out. "But at least we'll be completely leveled up by the time we leave."
"And ready for whatever Hydra has in store for us," Sleek hooted.
"Do not underestimate Hydra, kid," Jackhammer warned as he stabbed a monster in the eye, "they always have a dirty trick or two up their sleeves."
"They managed to survive this long." He added. "So, there's no telling what else they have in store for us."
"Knowing Hydra from the Colonel's accounts," Revere grunted as he held an orc down with his shield and beheaded it with his sword, "they're probably able to see us while we can't see them."
"Whatever the case is.. We're not giving up." Sleek said with determination. As that part of the cave was cleared, battle finalization stats were shown for the players.
"Hey," Lisbeth remarked, "look at Revere and Kirito's stats!" Everyone checked the stats on both Kirito and Revere and their eyes widen in surprise. The two were neck-to-neck.
"Man, looks like Kirito's got some competition." Klein joked.
"I don't think I've seen anyone neck-to-neck with Kirito before," Codex whistled.
"You said it." Lexar said in awe.
Kirito looked to Revere. "You're definitely very different from your brother," Kirito remarked.
"How so?" Revere raised an eyebrow.
"Well, mainly he's more care-free. Even while trapped in SAO. Kinda like I was..."
"I can see it too," Mace remarked, "you're much more aggressive than the last Revere was."
"You definitely move with a lethality and edginess none of us saw in him," Spade added.
"And I can still remember how you killed that Sylph without any hesitation," Leafa shuddered.
Klein and his samurai crew laughed nervously. "I think I'd pity anyone who got in your way, Revere 2.0." Revere looked at Klein with a raised eyebrow at the nickname he's been given.
"Y'all are stuck in a life and death game for two years, and you all are scared of a soldier doing what he is trained to do?"
"Not me..." Lexar spoke up. "To be honest, Sigurd did had it coming. Going after other players like that. It reminded me too much of both what happened in SAO. And before the Second American Civil War." He shook his head. "I can never understand why people would stoop that low and look down on others."
"Some people are bullies simply because they can be," Philia said, "believe me... I know."
It was then Jackhammer sighed. "You have no idea how many times that exact same thought had crossed my mind. Even when I was leading the American Rangers at Anderson Tech. I've witnessed how the government and Pro-Accords persecuted anybody with Inhuman capabilities. All it takes is for that one group of people to gang up and bully others."
"Well, if it helps y'all sleep soundly," Revere chimed in, "guys like me exist to do bad things to really bad people. No sugarcoating sending them to meet the Maker."
"Though I think in your case," Klein quipped, "you'd be roping them down in Texas."
This earned a glare from the Texan Sylph. Then Jackhammer cut in. "The point is, the world is full of bad people. Even before the Second Civil War, the collapse of the European Union, as well as several governments around the world." He paused for a moment. "But... In spite of it all, most of us still believe that there is good in the world. Even in the darkest moments, I never gave up. And neither did Anderson. And you shouldn't too. Always keep your faith strong, no matter what."
"It certainly got us through our most difficult days behind Pacifica's lines," Revere added, "the more they squeezed, the more of us slipped through their tight fingers."
"Agreed." Jack smirked. "In the end, good will eventually triumph.."
Kirito's breast pocket stirred and shift slightly. Yui flew out of it seconds later.
"You humans are so complicated." She stated. "Honestly, your psychology is confusing." She stood on Kirito's shoulder, like a bird. "Why do you act so horribly to each other when all you wanted is companionship?"
Jackhammer turned to face Yui. "What do you mean?"
"It it were me..." The pixie fairy kissed Kirito's right cheek. "...I'd do that. It's simple, straightforward, and efficient."
"Well, we all wish that," Revere said frankly, "but the world doesn't function that rationally, little miss."
"Sad, but true." Jackhammer agreed.
"It's true though," Strea whined, "you humans make things so complicated!" Codex placed his hand on Strea's shoulder.
Revere glanced over to Kirito. "Do your... daughters always behave like this?"
"Well... They're smart and have observed us since SAO." Kirito confessed.
"I see..." Revere then steeled up, "anyways, let's get riding on people. We've still got a war to finish."
"According to the layout. We should be heading to a lake that surrounds Legrue." Leafa said as they started to move out.
"Then that's where we are heading," Revere said.
As Leafa and Revere walked side by side, it was then that the captain spoke. "So," he began, "you still angry at Kirito?"
Leafa hesitated for a moment. She gazed towards the ground.
"For what it's worth..." Revere continued, "you should be grateful."
"I know that I should be since he survived SAO." She finally said.
"Then what troubles you?"
"The fact that he was still the same since his tenth birthday. I thought he would change after all that." She glanced at Kirito, then back to Revere.
Revere sighed, "maybe he has changed... just not in the ways you'd think you see."
"For one, would he have risked going back into VR for a girl he had only met in-game after two years of fighting for his life?"
Leafa remained silent as he continued. "And maybe he didn't tell you, because he knew or thought you would try to stop him," Revere added, "but since he is alive and now that the both of you are here together because he loves Asuna, maybe you should be thankful for all that. It's a heck of a lot more than can be said for my brother and best friend." The last part came out with some of that underlying bitterness. "I failed them both, and because of that, I can never face the girl whom I also failed."
This got Leafa's attention. "Your friend, Kyle is it?" She asked.
"Yeah," Revere said, "what about him?"
"Was he related to the girl you were referring to?"
"Older brother," Revere shook his head. Leafa sense a wave of remorse and guilt from the older Sylph.
"My brother's dead, and my girl... or former girlfriend's brother is dead. Yours is still alive. Think about it." Leafa remained silent, her thoughts processing of what Revere had said. Even though she was still mad at Kazuto for distancing her, she couldn't help shake this feeling of dread. If Kazuto were killed, she'd probably would've felt the overwhelming sense of guilt.
'Perhaps I'm the one who is a selfish, heartless jerk..' She thought.
Lexar saw that Revere was surprisingly talking to Leafa. He moves up to see if he could add his two cents in.
"And I can't tell you the number of boys and girls back in the States I've had to tell that their siblings would never come back home because of some cheap bullet or bomb blowing them to bits," Revere went on, "that's real loss for you."
Leafa felt she should say something. However, she found herself at a loss for words. She realized that she was really talking to a real war veteran who had seen that sort of pain and anguish as a common occurrence in his line of work. Her, on the other hand, was into Kendo and playing ALO and almost came close of losing Kazuto to SAO. And talking to this stranger... she saw the kind of hidden pain in his eyes that she saw in Kazuto.
"I'm..." She finally spoke. "I'm sorry..." It was all she could say.
"Hey, I'm not the one to say sorry to," Revere put it bluntly as he nudged his head to where Kirito was just behind them, "you have the chance I've been denied for good this side of heaven if you take it."
"You're right." She finally confessed. Before they knew it, they were at the edge of a lake surrounding a city.
"I'm guessing this is the place." Lexar observed the view of the lake and the city across it. "Is there a bridge here?"
"That's Legrue, and yes, there is one bridge across," Leafa pointed to the singular bridge leading towards the glowing blue city.
Revere assessed the path and frowned. "Only one way, perfect for an ambush to cut us off."
"Well, let's check it out to see." Lexar suggested.
"Sharp eyes everyone," Jackhammer warned. Everyone approached the bridge very slowly. Checking for any traps or hidden players.
"I don't like this," Philia admitted.
"It really feels like a trap," Rain added.
It was then a beam was fired overhead. Everyone jumped out of the way as it struck the bridge's entrance. As the smoke began to clear, they see a stone wall erected in front of them.
"You just had to say it, didn't you Rain?" Lisbeth glared.
"Great! How are we gonna get past this?" Spade groaned.
"You won't." The two Rangers and the SAO guild looked behind them... They see a male Salamander player standing before them. "Because we are here to collect that bounty on those two Sylphs."
"Is there another way to cross the lake?" Lexar whispered to Leafa.
"No..." Leafa shook her head with gritted teeth.
Several more Salamander vanguards with shields and wizards also appeared. And then, they see Sylph players appear before them. Sylph vanguards with shields and wizards standing side-by-side with the Salamander players.
"W-what!?" Leafa was shocked. As the leader of the Sylph appeared from the crowd. It was a familiar face.
"Sigurd!" Lexar growled.
"We meet again, Spriggans," Sigurd glowered, "and it seems that you've aligned yourselves with the two rogues, and even more riff-raff."
"H-How did you find us?!" Codex demanded.
Sigurd grinned. "Having a connection to the game moderators has a lot of perks, you know."
"Hydra..." Revere murmured.
It was then, one of the Salamander players approached behind Eugene and Sigurd.
"As you can see.." Eugene said. "You two have a very large bounty that'll give players a head-start before everyone else." He grinned deviously. "And since Sigurd and I forged an alliance, we've decided to split the reward with each other."
Leafa was about to retort when Revere stepped up. "You must be the one they call Eugene," he said, "I am ordering you to step aside this instant before my subordinate and I take extreme action. We are on a mission of life and death here."
"And what would that be?" Eugene smirked. "To get all of the rewards before everyone else?"
Strea whispered to Codex, "Revere did say 'life and death', did he not?"
"I wouldn't bother with these guys, Strea." Codex whispered back.
"This is not a game... civilian," Revere retorted with an emphasis on 'civilian', "you are obstructing an important mission, and we have no time to explain, let alone deal with you. You and your band will step down and withdraw, or suffer the consequences."
"I'd listen to my captain if I were you guys," Jackhammer warned, "when my captain threatens, he's DEADLY serious."
"Oh boy," Rex and his girlfriend, Kureha shivered, having seen what Revere could do. Leafa was stunned that Revere was hardly intimidated by the larger and buffer Eugene and his large number of Salamanders and Sigurd's Sylphs.
"You and what army?" Sigurd retorted. "As you can see, we have you outnumbered thirty-to-one."
"So, it's best that you give up. And we'll let most of you go.." Eugene pointed out. "Otherwise... We're gonna do it the hard way." He drew out his sword.
"Final warning," Revere reiterated his threat as he made a knowing glance to Jackhammer. It seemed that stealth was no longer an option... with Hydra putting bounties on them, idiot civilians playing bounty hunter, and 300 lives at stake. Kirito and Lexar looked back to the rest of the band. They knew a player vs player fight is approaching rapidly. They don't have a choice but to fight.
"Come on. I say let's take these goons." Lisbeth whispered.
"With you Liz." Mace whispered back.
Silence filled the air.
"Enough of this!" Sigurd was the first to move, "get them!" Players from the Sylph/Salamander alliance start charging at Kirito and their guild. Kirito, Lexar, Leafa, Revere, and Jackhammer drew their swords and faced front. Kirito readies the Black Iron Great Sword. Lexar displays his Great Steel Broadsword. Leafa drew out the Sylph Katana. And Jackhammer with his Great Iron Short Sword. Revere drew his Zephyr Fast Saber and Flying Spinner Shield and flashed them with the poise of a sharp and dignified military officer ready for battle. The rest of the players drew out their own swords and maces. Strea, however, drew out a double-handle sword. Which is just as big as the Black Iron Great Sword Kirito is wielding.
"A battle, whee!" Strea hooted. Codex chuckled at Strea's excitement. But he was impressed by the size of the sword she drew.
"That bounty is ours, rogues!" Eugene laughed as he charged with his great sword. Revere sighed... he did warn the guy.
"Just like old times?" Lexar asked Kirito with a grin.
"Like old times," Kirito said with a flash of his blade. Together, they both charged at the oncoming players. Leafa, Spade, Klein, and everyone joined in the charge.