[FIC] Whispered Reign (pt. 7)
Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2004 5:51 pm
Warning
Politics: 1/5 of the first part
Action: the rest of the way...
So, you can skip this whole part if you wanna. No significance to main storyline.
Added: Kaname at school. Jump right over to orange divider.
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Whispered Reign: Part 7
November 5th, 1415 Hours (Western Pacific Standard Time)
Western Pacific, Solomon Island
Mithril Level 3 base
It was indeed a beautiful day. The sun was shining brightly overhead, the clouds were thin and scattered and the sky was a bright blue. Down on Mithril base on Solomon Island, however, the atmosphere was contrary. Close to the beach, a wide area was enclosed in 8-meter-tall walls with only two gates on the west and east side of the base. Both of them are heavily guarded by almost an entire squad of Primary Response Team (PRT) and two ASes.
It was not less tense in the courtyard beyond the walls. ASes were patrolling, staying vigilant to every movement. The three adjoining blocks of building were surrounded by armored vehicles and troops. Sergeants barked orders to their subordinates. Around the perimeter, soldiers and their guard dogs were making sure that any intruder would find a difficult time getting past undetected.
A limo rolled into the compound after passing the checkpoint. Even after their identity have been verified, an automated machine-gun locked onto the car.
“Geez. This tight security is making me nervous.”
“We’re almost there, Sir Malory.”
The limo proceeded to move to the front entrance of the main building and slowed to a halt. A man in a black suit and an earpiece opened the back door to let Sir Malory and his secretary out. Sir Malory stepped out and was ushered into the building by another guard.
Stepping into the rather spacious elevator, the guard escorting Sir Malory started to tell Sir Malory of those who had arrived.
“General Elaine, Admiral Langley, Vice Admiral Sloane, Admiral Borda. They’re all here. General Amitt has just arrived and… Vice Admiral Rajendran will obviously not be attending the meeting.”
When the elevator door finally opened, they walked down a corridor until the guard stopped to open a door. Sir Malory and his secretary stepped into the meeting room where the other executives were waiting. Each of them greeted Sir Malory politely. He was considered a senior among the officers and his presence commanded some respect. The elderly man nodded in acknowledgement and went to his seat.
“So, where is Captain Tessa?” Of course, Sir Malory already knew the answer to that but he wanted to confirm his information.
“She’s on the TDD-1. She’ll be watching over our meeting from there,” Admiral Borda took the liberty of answering the question.
“Will she be joining the meeting?”
“Yes, she’ll be coming online shortly.” Admiral Borda pointed at a monitor.
Indeed, an image of Tessa appeared before the monitor and addressed everyone.
“Well now, shall we begin?” General Amitt noted no objections. As the President of the Intelligence Department, he began his presentation. “Gentlemen… and lady, if you’d look inside the folder in front of you, you’ll find a report of the recent attack on the U.S. base and some photos. Take a look at the first photo.”
Everyone flipped open their respective folder and examined the photograph. It was a black and white picture of the enemy ASes taken from a distance.
“It’s the Venom.”
“Maybe. Officially known as the Codarl M-Series, the AS is the only recorded AS equipped with the Lambda Driver besides the Arbalest. Look closely at this model. Although, it is already acknowledged that it is equipped with the Lambda Driver, it has slight distinctions that separate it from the Codarl M’s we have documented. I’m saying this because there are some who put Amalgam at fault from these pictures alone.”
“So? They’ve made improvements to their ASes. How can you deny their involvement? It’s obviously the Codarl M!” Other officers nodded in agreement. They see no reason to place any importance to the negligible changes in structure.
“No. I’m saying that this is a phantom organization we’re dealing with. All we know is a name: Amalgam. I’m not going to jump to a decision that will send us to war with an unknown force.”
“If you don’t already know, we’re already at war before any of this took place!”
“But none of this scale!”
“Gentlemen, let the man speak.” Sir Malory felt a need to interrupt to diffuse the escalating tension.
“Thank you. However, as in the reports, Vice Admiral Rajendran’s kidnappers had indicated their connection to Amalgam, specifically mentioning the name on a few occasions. It would seem that Amalgam or not, the organization has publicly declared war on us. The attack on the U.S. base was just a challenge.”
“Your comments are contradictory. First, it wasn’t Amalgam. Now, it is…”
General Amitt inhaled deeply to calm his nerves before continuing. He decided to ignore the last remark.
“Our informant has told us of a large congression of Whispereds gathering in the Republic of Malta.”
“Amalgam must be getting their wise men together for some major research.”
“But the concentration of Whispereds is magnificently high. Amalgam or whatever organization we’re up against has been more active than we anticipated. But in view of the mysterious nature of the Whispered condition, other speculations have included an attracting force which we have dismissed.” He looked over at Captain Tessa to see her reaction. “Captain, have you been feeling anything strange lately?”
Tessa shook her head.
“Then, I presume we can safely leave that theory out. In any case, our spy satellite has only managed to pick up this facility in the vicinity of the Whispered concentration. It is the only building large enough to house such number of Whispered individuals.”
The lights in the room dimmed and darkened leaving only the projector lights illuminating a wall. A bird’s eye view of a cliff side base with many Shadow class ASes around was shown on the wall.
“The republic have recently purchased Shadow class ASes but not in this quantity. Malta does not have such a strong military force. We have come to believe that this is an important site of the shadow organization.”
“Good work, General. At least now, we know where to hit them.”
“We will still need to conduct more surveillance…” The general stopped, his voice was drowned by the sound of ripping metal.
Then, there was a loud crash and the earth shook. The executives looked around at each other as if expecting someone to know what’s happening. Tessa’s image on the monitor flickered but did not disappear.
A dead silence.
“What in the world was that!?” General Amitt asked loudly, some anger in his voice.
An officer who was sitting facing the tinted, bullet-proof window saw thick smoke outside which he told the rest of the executives. They all stood up to get a better look from the window.
Suddenly, Tessa shouted for them to stay away from the windows.
“NO! Stay away from the windows!”
It was lucky that she had chosen that time to warn them. The ECCS on the TDD-1 has picked up tiny signals from the compound although the radar showed nothing.
An AS slammed into the building, shattering windows and caused considerable damage to the structure. Some of the executives were thrown of their feet at the impact. The windows in the meeting room were cracked and the walls and floor were crumbling.
Outside, two ASes lay in a burning heap, holes bored through the armor. Mithril’s ASes were desperately trying to find the source of the incoming fire. Their radars showed nothing and the walls were too high for any sniper fire to succeed. The entire base was in a state of confusion.
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Things were not much better of on the TDD-1 either. None of their instruments were detecting anything suspicious except the ECCS which just manages to spot faint signals every now and then.
The launch bay was in full alert. All pilots were ready to be deployed. One by one, all ASes aboard the TDD-1 was sent to provide backup at the base. The last one to be launched was the Arbalest.
“See… I knew those pilots at the base were useless. They don’t have enough experience,” Kurz spoke to Melissa and Sousuke through the com link.
“Just stay on guard, Kurz.” Mao’s voice was flat. She didn’t have anymore energy left in her to comment on his remarks having had enough of Kurz’s antics earlier.
“Sure. Looks like Sousuke will have his chance after all. This will make up for the U.S. taking away our battle opportunity.”
“Not really. Peace is always the best way to go.” Sousuke really didn’t mind missing the chance to go into battle.
“More action, less talk, Kurz.” Mao gave a friendly reminder. She did not want Kurz to lose his judgment.
“Don’t worry, sis. It’s time to show them what we’ve got,” Kurz said in all seriousness.
Mao just smiled at his last statement. Kurz might not be serious all the time but when he was, she could depend on him to get the job done.
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Back on the base, while the guards stayed on full alert, they still could not stop AS after AS from being smashed, ripped apart, or simply destroyed. The head of an AS was snapped back and after a light show of sparks and flames, a 40 mm round was drilled through the cockpit killing the pilot instantly.
Jaafar smirked to himself inside the cockpit of his silent invisible machine. He loved the confusion he was bringing about. He was undetectable, a ghost’s shadow. This AS is not called the Ghost for nothing.
Jaafar spotted his next target, an M9 which had its back against another M9 so they could cover each other. Lifting his cannon, he let the sights align up to the M9’s chest. And with a soft sound of pressurized air, the unfortunate pilot was turned into a lifeless corpse within a metal casket.
The other AS pilot panicked, his back exposed to an almost nonexistent enemy. The AS flung its rifle wildly searching for something solid he could identify as the enemy. Spinning on the spot, the pilot nearly opened fire on friendly armored vehicles at the entrance of the base.
A blue flash. A black cylinder rolled towards the M9. The M9 kept its gun at it, a bit dumbfound by this object which had materialized from nowhere.
From inside the building, Mithril’s executives could hear the shock of a grenade blast, fragmentations spearing ASes, tanks and G.I.s alike.
A well dressed man, rushed into the meeting room breathless.
“Sirs, please come with me! We are under attack!”
“… Isn’t there more than 10 M9’s here! How could this happen!?”
“We don’t know where it’s coming from. Please, sir. We don’t have much time!”
“Millions of dollars spent on all this high technology equipments and you say you can’t find the shooter! What do we pay you for!?”
The guard lost his temper. They had men dying outside and this hotshot officer is blaming them for incompetence.
“Shut up! I’m here to ensure your safety. And if I have to knock you out and carry you, I will! Now, come with me!”
Speechless, the officer did as he was told.
None of them managed to reach the door. The windows shattered and the wall was blown inwards by an impact so great, it left a three meters wide hole in the side of the building. They felt an intense heat that lasted for only a second or two.
Before they knew it, the guard, the door and the subsequent rooms beyond the corridor was nothing but a smoldering layer of concrete, rubble and debris.
Through the hole in the wall, a blue electrical light flickered and glimmer to fabricate the unmistakable diamond-shaped head of the “Venom”.
“Try not to leave the room and run away and I’ll try not to shoot you. Most of you, anyway.”
An M9 saw its break; the enemy had shown an opening. Without hesitation, it raised its GDC rifle and… fell backwards to the ground, crushing several tanks as it did.
A few Shadows had made their way into the base after the Ghost which they had mistakenly assumed as the Venom, has sufficiently weakened the defenses. There was nothing much left of the security forces and so, the Shadows amused themselves by making target practice out of the few tank crews who were climbing out of their disabled armor on wheels.
“Stop it! We’re not mindless murderers!” The pilot of the Ghost sounded furious.
To the Shadow pilots, it was an order to cease fire. But to the sharp General Amitt, the Ghost pilot had let something slip. ‘We’re not mindless murderers’ could also be interpreted as ‘We have a bigger plan in action. Don’t screw it up.’.
Three shots from the 57mm cannon and Kurz had accurately nailed three Shadows. The rest of the Shadows scattered and ran behind the building. The ASes sent by TDD-1 had finally arrived, their parachutes opened fully to slow theirdescent to the ground.
Usually, Kurz would have yelled in excitement but today he was silent. The Ghost had him put on his a serious face. Mao took note of his silence. She could certainly get use to Kurz current attitude but she would miss the old Kurz later.
Sousuke could see the Ghost and its extraordinary weapon.
“Is… that a suppressor!? But a suppressor for a cannon. That’s…” Urzu 5 was in total disbelieve.
“Affirmative. France has been researching it for some time, but I’d never though that one would be use in battle already.” Lieutenant Clouzot shared his military knowledge.
“That’s why our men were unable to pinpoint the direction from which the Venom was attacking from. No muzzle flash and nearly noiseless. Lieutenant, look at the feet.” Sousuke also knew of the suppressor.
“Yes. It’s some sort of shock absorber. Obviously, to reduce the sound when it is moving.”
Landing hard, the M9s began a furious firefight with the Shadows. They would leave the Ghost for Sousuke. Sousuke had let loose his “Boxer” scattershot, firing away at the Ghost relentlessly as the Venom shielded itself and backed away.
Sousuke wasn’t intending on hitting the Ghost with the stream of cannon rounds he was raining on the it. When he had the Ghost cornered, he pulled out the anti-tank dagger and raced at full speed towards his enemy.
The anti-tank dagger tore through metal and stopped only when it could not go any further.
Sousuke gasped.
The Arbalest stopped before touching the Ghost. The ECS of a black AS deactivated and it was clear then that it had taken the blade in the chest to protect the Ghost.
“NO!!” Sousuke was slightly taken aback by the scream of the Ghost.
Sousuke was in a jam and his mind quickly came back on track. The black AS of unknown design refused to release the dagger. Sousuke was certain that the pilot would definitely be injured.
How could he summon such resolve to grab the Arbalest’s hand so strongly?
Sousuke could not free the Arbalest’s arm of the grasp of the AS. A metal fist made contact with the side of the Arbalest’s head. For a moment, the monitors only displayed static as Sousuke was rocked violently in his AS as it stumbled backwards.
The Arbalest stood up instantly in a battle stance, ready for the second strike. But the Ghost did not attack again. Another AS had come out of ECS mode and lifted the damaged AS over its shoulder while the Ghost put both its hands to its head.
Jaafar was calling a retreat. One of his best friends had given his life to save his. Kashim was indeed a strong opponent. That made two of his closest people killed by Kashim. He would return the favor ten fold but not today. His mind was rational enough to deduce that the Arbalest would be too strong for them to defeat. Only his brother can handle Kashim. He would let his brother settle the score with Kashim.
Jaafar flipped a switch on his control panel. This Lambda Driver function would allow him to reach his mind out and touch other minds within range. It amplified his Whispered ability so he did not require physical contact to manipulate a person’s mind.
Sousuke felt his movements slowed. He felt like he was swimming in water so dense that extra strength was needed to move. He could still defend himself and avoid from being shot but he wouldn’t be able to launch an effective attack.
The black ASes and the Shadows were retreating through the main gate still firing. Mithril’s M9 could only take cover. No doubt, they were experiencing the same thing Sousuke was going through.
With one swift motion, the Ghost leaped over the walls. Sousuke could only watch as it faded into ECS mode like the rest of the enemy ASes.
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Same Time
Choufu-Shi, Tokyo, Japan
The bell rang for lunchtime, just the sound the students were waiting to hear. The entire classroom broke into a collective of excited chatters. Most students were already packed and rushing to the nearest exit like an Olympic runner sprinting at the gunshot.
Kaname slowly began to put book after book into her bag. Kyouko Tokiwa, Kaname’s best friend, noticed the change in Kaname’s behavior. She was not her usual spirited self but it’s not all bad; there was a dreamy look in her eyes.
Kaname’s eyes also displayed a whole spectrum of emotions: sad, disappointed, depressed. But despite the myriad of negative emotions, she was happy, relaxed, content. Was this the look of a girl in love? Kyouko didn’t know but she was sure who caused these emotions.
Sousuke. The very person Kaname was thinking of then and the person Kyouko had guessed correctly. This young man who had only appeared in Kaname’s life in this year but has made such an impact in her life.
Kyouko as witness, Kaname could recall many suitors who had tried their hardest to win her heart and failed. Only Sousuke had managed to steal her heart and he wasn’t even trying.
Yet, the sergeant was as clueless as ever. Kaname had thrown many hints but Sousuke, the “Specialist” that he was, had never figured out her feelings. Would it take a direct approach to finally get him to understand? Her stubbornness insisted that Sousuke should be the one to make the first move.
It was clear that she harbors strong feelings for Sousuke but what did he feel about her?
Yes, it was true that he was always genuinely concerned about her, looking out for her interests and placing her needs above his own. Doesn’t that mean that possibly he liked her, too? Or was he just doing his duty?
Kaname sighed.
“Kana-chan, are you ready to go?”
“Uh… yes, let’s go.”
“You miss him, don’t you? …Sagara-kun, I mean.”
Before, Kaname would have laughed it off. Not today. Today, she was quiet, silently contemplating her sentiments.
“Yes…” Kaname answered so softly that she could’ve been talking to herself.
“Well, don’t worry. I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”
“You’re right.” Kaname forced a smile.
How could she not worry?
Every time His cell phone rang, her heart would skip a beat. Every time he took off on a mission, fear would wrap its cold fingers around her. There was a constant possibility that he would never return. Mithril could hold him back, make him stay and cancel his guard duty here at anytime. Although, the thought that Tessa would have Sousuke all to herself made her furious, she could accept it. At least it was way better than the other possibility: Sousuke losing his life in battle.
The thought sent shivers down her spine. She didn’t want a fallen hero, she wanted him.
Why was her feelings so strong today? Usually, she would be able to just put aside her feelings? Why not today? How was today special? Does it have anything to do with Sousuke being more open to her?
She made a mental note to let Sousuke know how she felt. She didn’t care anymore. She might as well get it done while she had the spunk.
“Come on, let’s go. Mizuki and Ren are waiting for us.”
Kaname slung her bag over her shoulder, with new determination to get through the day to await Sousuke’s return.
Politics: 1/5 of the first part
Action: the rest of the way...
So, you can skip this whole part if you wanna. No significance to main storyline.
Added: Kaname at school. Jump right over to orange divider.
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Whispered Reign: Part 7
November 5th, 1415 Hours (Western Pacific Standard Time)
Western Pacific, Solomon Island
Mithril Level 3 base
It was indeed a beautiful day. The sun was shining brightly overhead, the clouds were thin and scattered and the sky was a bright blue. Down on Mithril base on Solomon Island, however, the atmosphere was contrary. Close to the beach, a wide area was enclosed in 8-meter-tall walls with only two gates on the west and east side of the base. Both of them are heavily guarded by almost an entire squad of Primary Response Team (PRT) and two ASes.
It was not less tense in the courtyard beyond the walls. ASes were patrolling, staying vigilant to every movement. The three adjoining blocks of building were surrounded by armored vehicles and troops. Sergeants barked orders to their subordinates. Around the perimeter, soldiers and their guard dogs were making sure that any intruder would find a difficult time getting past undetected.
A limo rolled into the compound after passing the checkpoint. Even after their identity have been verified, an automated machine-gun locked onto the car.
“Geez. This tight security is making me nervous.”
“We’re almost there, Sir Malory.”
The limo proceeded to move to the front entrance of the main building and slowed to a halt. A man in a black suit and an earpiece opened the back door to let Sir Malory and his secretary out. Sir Malory stepped out and was ushered into the building by another guard.
Stepping into the rather spacious elevator, the guard escorting Sir Malory started to tell Sir Malory of those who had arrived.
“General Elaine, Admiral Langley, Vice Admiral Sloane, Admiral Borda. They’re all here. General Amitt has just arrived and… Vice Admiral Rajendran will obviously not be attending the meeting.”
When the elevator door finally opened, they walked down a corridor until the guard stopped to open a door. Sir Malory and his secretary stepped into the meeting room where the other executives were waiting. Each of them greeted Sir Malory politely. He was considered a senior among the officers and his presence commanded some respect. The elderly man nodded in acknowledgement and went to his seat.
“So, where is Captain Tessa?” Of course, Sir Malory already knew the answer to that but he wanted to confirm his information.
“She’s on the TDD-1. She’ll be watching over our meeting from there,” Admiral Borda took the liberty of answering the question.
“Will she be joining the meeting?”
“Yes, she’ll be coming online shortly.” Admiral Borda pointed at a monitor.
Indeed, an image of Tessa appeared before the monitor and addressed everyone.
“Well now, shall we begin?” General Amitt noted no objections. As the President of the Intelligence Department, he began his presentation. “Gentlemen… and lady, if you’d look inside the folder in front of you, you’ll find a report of the recent attack on the U.S. base and some photos. Take a look at the first photo.”
Everyone flipped open their respective folder and examined the photograph. It was a black and white picture of the enemy ASes taken from a distance.
“It’s the Venom.”
“Maybe. Officially known as the Codarl M-Series, the AS is the only recorded AS equipped with the Lambda Driver besides the Arbalest. Look closely at this model. Although, it is already acknowledged that it is equipped with the Lambda Driver, it has slight distinctions that separate it from the Codarl M’s we have documented. I’m saying this because there are some who put Amalgam at fault from these pictures alone.”
“So? They’ve made improvements to their ASes. How can you deny their involvement? It’s obviously the Codarl M!” Other officers nodded in agreement. They see no reason to place any importance to the negligible changes in structure.
“No. I’m saying that this is a phantom organization we’re dealing with. All we know is a name: Amalgam. I’m not going to jump to a decision that will send us to war with an unknown force.”
“If you don’t already know, we’re already at war before any of this took place!”
“But none of this scale!”
“Gentlemen, let the man speak.” Sir Malory felt a need to interrupt to diffuse the escalating tension.
“Thank you. However, as in the reports, Vice Admiral Rajendran’s kidnappers had indicated their connection to Amalgam, specifically mentioning the name on a few occasions. It would seem that Amalgam or not, the organization has publicly declared war on us. The attack on the U.S. base was just a challenge.”
“Your comments are contradictory. First, it wasn’t Amalgam. Now, it is…”
General Amitt inhaled deeply to calm his nerves before continuing. He decided to ignore the last remark.
“Our informant has told us of a large congression of Whispereds gathering in the Republic of Malta.”
“Amalgam must be getting their wise men together for some major research.”
“But the concentration of Whispereds is magnificently high. Amalgam or whatever organization we’re up against has been more active than we anticipated. But in view of the mysterious nature of the Whispered condition, other speculations have included an attracting force which we have dismissed.” He looked over at Captain Tessa to see her reaction. “Captain, have you been feeling anything strange lately?”
Tessa shook her head.
“Then, I presume we can safely leave that theory out. In any case, our spy satellite has only managed to pick up this facility in the vicinity of the Whispered concentration. It is the only building large enough to house such number of Whispered individuals.”
The lights in the room dimmed and darkened leaving only the projector lights illuminating a wall. A bird’s eye view of a cliff side base with many Shadow class ASes around was shown on the wall.
“The republic have recently purchased Shadow class ASes but not in this quantity. Malta does not have such a strong military force. We have come to believe that this is an important site of the shadow organization.”
“Good work, General. At least now, we know where to hit them.”
“We will still need to conduct more surveillance…” The general stopped, his voice was drowned by the sound of ripping metal.
Then, there was a loud crash and the earth shook. The executives looked around at each other as if expecting someone to know what’s happening. Tessa’s image on the monitor flickered but did not disappear.
A dead silence.
“What in the world was that!?” General Amitt asked loudly, some anger in his voice.
An officer who was sitting facing the tinted, bullet-proof window saw thick smoke outside which he told the rest of the executives. They all stood up to get a better look from the window.
Suddenly, Tessa shouted for them to stay away from the windows.
“NO! Stay away from the windows!”
It was lucky that she had chosen that time to warn them. The ECCS on the TDD-1 has picked up tiny signals from the compound although the radar showed nothing.
An AS slammed into the building, shattering windows and caused considerable damage to the structure. Some of the executives were thrown of their feet at the impact. The windows in the meeting room were cracked and the walls and floor were crumbling.
Outside, two ASes lay in a burning heap, holes bored through the armor. Mithril’s ASes were desperately trying to find the source of the incoming fire. Their radars showed nothing and the walls were too high for any sniper fire to succeed. The entire base was in a state of confusion.
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Things were not much better of on the TDD-1 either. None of their instruments were detecting anything suspicious except the ECCS which just manages to spot faint signals every now and then.
The launch bay was in full alert. All pilots were ready to be deployed. One by one, all ASes aboard the TDD-1 was sent to provide backup at the base. The last one to be launched was the Arbalest.
“See… I knew those pilots at the base were useless. They don’t have enough experience,” Kurz spoke to Melissa and Sousuke through the com link.
“Just stay on guard, Kurz.” Mao’s voice was flat. She didn’t have anymore energy left in her to comment on his remarks having had enough of Kurz’s antics earlier.
“Sure. Looks like Sousuke will have his chance after all. This will make up for the U.S. taking away our battle opportunity.”
“Not really. Peace is always the best way to go.” Sousuke really didn’t mind missing the chance to go into battle.
“More action, less talk, Kurz.” Mao gave a friendly reminder. She did not want Kurz to lose his judgment.
“Don’t worry, sis. It’s time to show them what we’ve got,” Kurz said in all seriousness.
Mao just smiled at his last statement. Kurz might not be serious all the time but when he was, she could depend on him to get the job done.
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Back on the base, while the guards stayed on full alert, they still could not stop AS after AS from being smashed, ripped apart, or simply destroyed. The head of an AS was snapped back and after a light show of sparks and flames, a 40 mm round was drilled through the cockpit killing the pilot instantly.
Jaafar smirked to himself inside the cockpit of his silent invisible machine. He loved the confusion he was bringing about. He was undetectable, a ghost’s shadow. This AS is not called the Ghost for nothing.
Jaafar spotted his next target, an M9 which had its back against another M9 so they could cover each other. Lifting his cannon, he let the sights align up to the M9’s chest. And with a soft sound of pressurized air, the unfortunate pilot was turned into a lifeless corpse within a metal casket.
The other AS pilot panicked, his back exposed to an almost nonexistent enemy. The AS flung its rifle wildly searching for something solid he could identify as the enemy. Spinning on the spot, the pilot nearly opened fire on friendly armored vehicles at the entrance of the base.
A blue flash. A black cylinder rolled towards the M9. The M9 kept its gun at it, a bit dumbfound by this object which had materialized from nowhere.
From inside the building, Mithril’s executives could hear the shock of a grenade blast, fragmentations spearing ASes, tanks and G.I.s alike.
A well dressed man, rushed into the meeting room breathless.
“Sirs, please come with me! We are under attack!”
“… Isn’t there more than 10 M9’s here! How could this happen!?”
“We don’t know where it’s coming from. Please, sir. We don’t have much time!”
“Millions of dollars spent on all this high technology equipments and you say you can’t find the shooter! What do we pay you for!?”
The guard lost his temper. They had men dying outside and this hotshot officer is blaming them for incompetence.
“Shut up! I’m here to ensure your safety. And if I have to knock you out and carry you, I will! Now, come with me!”
Speechless, the officer did as he was told.
None of them managed to reach the door. The windows shattered and the wall was blown inwards by an impact so great, it left a three meters wide hole in the side of the building. They felt an intense heat that lasted for only a second or two.
Before they knew it, the guard, the door and the subsequent rooms beyond the corridor was nothing but a smoldering layer of concrete, rubble and debris.
Through the hole in the wall, a blue electrical light flickered and glimmer to fabricate the unmistakable diamond-shaped head of the “Venom”.
“Try not to leave the room and run away and I’ll try not to shoot you. Most of you, anyway.”
An M9 saw its break; the enemy had shown an opening. Without hesitation, it raised its GDC rifle and… fell backwards to the ground, crushing several tanks as it did.
A few Shadows had made their way into the base after the Ghost which they had mistakenly assumed as the Venom, has sufficiently weakened the defenses. There was nothing much left of the security forces and so, the Shadows amused themselves by making target practice out of the few tank crews who were climbing out of their disabled armor on wheels.
“Stop it! We’re not mindless murderers!” The pilot of the Ghost sounded furious.
To the Shadow pilots, it was an order to cease fire. But to the sharp General Amitt, the Ghost pilot had let something slip. ‘We’re not mindless murderers’ could also be interpreted as ‘We have a bigger plan in action. Don’t screw it up.’.
Three shots from the 57mm cannon and Kurz had accurately nailed three Shadows. The rest of the Shadows scattered and ran behind the building. The ASes sent by TDD-1 had finally arrived, their parachutes opened fully to slow theirdescent to the ground.
Usually, Kurz would have yelled in excitement but today he was silent. The Ghost had him put on his a serious face. Mao took note of his silence. She could certainly get use to Kurz current attitude but she would miss the old Kurz later.
Sousuke could see the Ghost and its extraordinary weapon.
“Is… that a suppressor!? But a suppressor for a cannon. That’s…” Urzu 5 was in total disbelieve.
“Affirmative. France has been researching it for some time, but I’d never though that one would be use in battle already.” Lieutenant Clouzot shared his military knowledge.
“That’s why our men were unable to pinpoint the direction from which the Venom was attacking from. No muzzle flash and nearly noiseless. Lieutenant, look at the feet.” Sousuke also knew of the suppressor.
“Yes. It’s some sort of shock absorber. Obviously, to reduce the sound when it is moving.”
Landing hard, the M9s began a furious firefight with the Shadows. They would leave the Ghost for Sousuke. Sousuke had let loose his “Boxer” scattershot, firing away at the Ghost relentlessly as the Venom shielded itself and backed away.
Sousuke wasn’t intending on hitting the Ghost with the stream of cannon rounds he was raining on the it. When he had the Ghost cornered, he pulled out the anti-tank dagger and raced at full speed towards his enemy.
The anti-tank dagger tore through metal and stopped only when it could not go any further.
Sousuke gasped.
The Arbalest stopped before touching the Ghost. The ECS of a black AS deactivated and it was clear then that it had taken the blade in the chest to protect the Ghost.
“NO!!” Sousuke was slightly taken aback by the scream of the Ghost.
Sousuke was in a jam and his mind quickly came back on track. The black AS of unknown design refused to release the dagger. Sousuke was certain that the pilot would definitely be injured.
How could he summon such resolve to grab the Arbalest’s hand so strongly?
Sousuke could not free the Arbalest’s arm of the grasp of the AS. A metal fist made contact with the side of the Arbalest’s head. For a moment, the monitors only displayed static as Sousuke was rocked violently in his AS as it stumbled backwards.
The Arbalest stood up instantly in a battle stance, ready for the second strike. But the Ghost did not attack again. Another AS had come out of ECS mode and lifted the damaged AS over its shoulder while the Ghost put both its hands to its head.
Jaafar was calling a retreat. One of his best friends had given his life to save his. Kashim was indeed a strong opponent. That made two of his closest people killed by Kashim. He would return the favor ten fold but not today. His mind was rational enough to deduce that the Arbalest would be too strong for them to defeat. Only his brother can handle Kashim. He would let his brother settle the score with Kashim.
Jaafar flipped a switch on his control panel. This Lambda Driver function would allow him to reach his mind out and touch other minds within range. It amplified his Whispered ability so he did not require physical contact to manipulate a person’s mind.
Sousuke felt his movements slowed. He felt like he was swimming in water so dense that extra strength was needed to move. He could still defend himself and avoid from being shot but he wouldn’t be able to launch an effective attack.
The black ASes and the Shadows were retreating through the main gate still firing. Mithril’s M9 could only take cover. No doubt, they were experiencing the same thing Sousuke was going through.
With one swift motion, the Ghost leaped over the walls. Sousuke could only watch as it faded into ECS mode like the rest of the enemy ASes.
***************
***************
Same Time
Choufu-Shi, Tokyo, Japan
The bell rang for lunchtime, just the sound the students were waiting to hear. The entire classroom broke into a collective of excited chatters. Most students were already packed and rushing to the nearest exit like an Olympic runner sprinting at the gunshot.
Kaname slowly began to put book after book into her bag. Kyouko Tokiwa, Kaname’s best friend, noticed the change in Kaname’s behavior. She was not her usual spirited self but it’s not all bad; there was a dreamy look in her eyes.
Kaname’s eyes also displayed a whole spectrum of emotions: sad, disappointed, depressed. But despite the myriad of negative emotions, she was happy, relaxed, content. Was this the look of a girl in love? Kyouko didn’t know but she was sure who caused these emotions.
Sousuke. The very person Kaname was thinking of then and the person Kyouko had guessed correctly. This young man who had only appeared in Kaname’s life in this year but has made such an impact in her life.
Kyouko as witness, Kaname could recall many suitors who had tried their hardest to win her heart and failed. Only Sousuke had managed to steal her heart and he wasn’t even trying.
Yet, the sergeant was as clueless as ever. Kaname had thrown many hints but Sousuke, the “Specialist” that he was, had never figured out her feelings. Would it take a direct approach to finally get him to understand? Her stubbornness insisted that Sousuke should be the one to make the first move.
It was clear that she harbors strong feelings for Sousuke but what did he feel about her?
Yes, it was true that he was always genuinely concerned about her, looking out for her interests and placing her needs above his own. Doesn’t that mean that possibly he liked her, too? Or was he just doing his duty?
Kaname sighed.
“Kana-chan, are you ready to go?”
“Uh… yes, let’s go.”
“You miss him, don’t you? …Sagara-kun, I mean.”
Before, Kaname would have laughed it off. Not today. Today, she was quiet, silently contemplating her sentiments.
“Yes…” Kaname answered so softly that she could’ve been talking to herself.
“Well, don’t worry. I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”
“You’re right.” Kaname forced a smile.
How could she not worry?
Every time His cell phone rang, her heart would skip a beat. Every time he took off on a mission, fear would wrap its cold fingers around her. There was a constant possibility that he would never return. Mithril could hold him back, make him stay and cancel his guard duty here at anytime. Although, the thought that Tessa would have Sousuke all to herself made her furious, she could accept it. At least it was way better than the other possibility: Sousuke losing his life in battle.
The thought sent shivers down her spine. She didn’t want a fallen hero, she wanted him.
Why was her feelings so strong today? Usually, she would be able to just put aside her feelings? Why not today? How was today special? Does it have anything to do with Sousuke being more open to her?
She made a mental note to let Sousuke know how she felt. She didn’t care anymore. She might as well get it done while she had the spunk.
“Come on, let’s go. Mizuki and Ren are waiting for us.”
Kaname slung her bag over her shoulder, with new determination to get through the day to await Sousuke’s return.
