User blog:Roinelll/Solace 4-01

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Storm Baptism

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"Thank you Sierra." Dr. Sakaki said after he finished with the check-up, which was thankfully really quick. I've come right after the overexcited Blast gunner left to make come more cookies to share with me. I hoped she forget that. "Now if you excuse me, I have to take a look at these."

I feel bad that I left the freaking tablet in my room.

I frowned and out of curiosity scooted closer to see what the researcher was immersed and, only to notice that they were the bullet casings that Canon used. Instantly, I remembered that we almost kicked the bucket because of a prank that C pulled with the unknowing medic. A very deadly prank.

Didn't the Major want to have a word with that nuisance?

It was a bit frightening how calm I was on the outside and still, the anger inside me towards that pest was past over the boiling point. I really wanted to remove her from the equation of the farce called life, permanently and as soon as possible. But only after she gives me answers and this time she's not going to slip away.

In one way or another, she's going to slip up eventually.

So I've returned to my room to take the tablet with me and wondered where would have the Major taken that devious brat. After a short while of pondering, I've risked that she must have gone to her office, so I've taken the lift to the designated level for the executives and noticed that both the Director and Dr. Sakaki entered her room.

"Sierra, I didn't know you're coming too." I turned around to see the top mechanic, Licca step out of the elevator. "The others are already there."

-Yeah, sorry I had to grab my tablet.- I hoped that my little lie sounds believable, albeit I was wondering why were the top called together again. -I'm kinda useless in communicating without it.-

"Oh, right..." The silver haired girl hummed in agreement and motioned forward for us to join the rest. "Well, you're pretty much an exception to everything around here so that explains Sea's summons."

-C?- I almost froze in surprise hearing that, but managed to continue walking after an abrupt halt. -What's that brat demanding again now?-

"We'll see once we're here, no?" Licca opened the door and we stepped in, the eyes instantly turned to me in surprise and I gave a slight smile and a wave as I entered, the snickering of C filled the room instantly. The bastard pale girl was sitting on the side of Major Amamiya's deck just like before, on top of said furniture a couple of pages were tossed and the three other present adults were probably looking into them a few seconds ago. "Did... we miss something important"? The mechanic asked, puzzled and not understanding the stares of Tsubaki, the Director and Dr. Sakaki aimed right at me.

"My... my... my..." With a half-hidden smile, the pale girl greeted me. "What have we here, are you looking for me perhaps?" A wide grin plastered on her face as she licked her lips. "Do you want to finish what we started?"

What?!

"Sea, enough of your childish games." Director Schicksal stood up from the chair and turned towards me with a serious face and I started to sweat a bit. "However, it does interest my why did you come Sierra. You weren't summoned for this meeting."

"She wasn't?" Licca blinked at me and I gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, I assumed that she was called also, since the last meeting did involve her also."

"Last meeting?" Dens Branch leader turned towards the Instructor and I had to flinch, this wasn't supposed to slip out at all. "Did something happen that required such a large scale debriefing?"

"Ah yes, Johann." The researcher spoke up instead, making his old friend turn towards him. "Your son, you've read the reports. Am I wrong?"

"That he'd come down with an... influence from the Deusphage Izanagi." The leader stashed his right hand into his pocket and recalled the reports. "I've not yet finished the most recent ones, so something happened after that?"

-Soma unlocked a Predator Style of his own.- I saw bot the researcher and the Instructor frown a bit and decided to drop the bomb instead, I mean it's easier this way. I hope. -Which is good, otherwise he wouldn't be alive.-

"Yes~ Yes~" C radiated mirth at the inconvenience that small slip before caused. "The reports can wait, let's just return to what we had here shall we? I'm not made from time." She gestured towards the top of the table and the documents in detail. "I'm waiting."

"Sea." The doctor said sporting a frown very unlikely for him. "You can't just demand something like this from us and have an answer on the spot. There are consequences to action this severe and we can't just jump into an unknown. A very large unknown for that matter, you have to understand."

I'm lost.

"Even if your suggestion is true, it's still a high risk gamble as I see it." Major Amamiya added, straightening from the table and looking at the maliciously grinning brat. "I am against it, this would only further endanger the lives of those who go out to the field. Wasn't today's mission a good enough example for you, Sea?"

"You have the time do refuse me?" C used a dangerously low tone, her whole being starting to emanate a threatening vibe and she let it fill the room in less than the split of a second. "The resources to defy the odds?" Her right arm swung wide, gesturing around everything in the vicinity. "The means to survive left on your own?" She demanded and I frowned at the underhanded tactic she employed now. "Don't you realize where this... Massacre is heading to?" Her lips pressed thin, she stopped for a moment as her head turned towards the Director, as if to tell him something without words. Something that was between them and confidential apparently, not to mention I was certain that it was the very matter that Lindow managed to get a victim of. "You can't win... No matter what, you'll never manage to get on the flip side of things." A small laughter escaped her, a mocking one, unlike her usually mirthful ones. "Fine... do what you want, I'm out of here and leave you to your devices and your own fall." She hopped off the table and started towards the door, when I reached out and grabbed the pest by the neck. "I've not the time for any kinky stuff, so let go, Sierra."

-They aren't this annoyed because of the bullets, are they?- I demanded the answer and spun the pale girl back towards the desk as I followed her with Licca and we saw the documents on the desk. They were reports probably, but with my lack on moon runes I couldn't make any heads or tails about them. -What did you do this time?-

"Just as you summarized, Sea offered numerous powerful Oracle Bullet modules for use, however they are still in an experimental stage and very dangerous if not handled properly. If this would be alone, some time to investigate the module coding would be actually beneficial, however what made us worried wasn't that." Dr. Sakaki started the explanation, his frown deepening. He know of all that the pale girl brought up and I had to agree, however it still worried me. They practically jumped on the application of the Predator Styles as I volunteered for their field testing, but something stopped them dead in their tracks.

What the hell did she offer and demand in return?!

"God Arc Reconstruction." She said simply in a flat voice and I heard Licca gasp beside me, I turned to the wide eyed mechanic and had to raise my eyebrow. "What's there anything to problem about?" With a shrug the pale girl grinned even wider. "Out with the old and in with the new, simple ain't it?"

"But that is suicide!" The silver haired girl couldn't help, but protest in disbelief. "What you just suggested is outright insane!"

-I'm. Lost?-

"Stargazer?" C's grin still remained as she turned to the frowning researcher. "Why don't you enlighten my precious Sierra?"

-Go to Hell.- I scoffed, but she just answered with a simple 'Been there, got the T-shirt.' and I had to grit my teeth and retain my urge to jump at the brat and strangle her to death.

"Sea..." With a heavy voice the doctor started. "Brought up something that... we don't really want to enforce."

"Then just die for all I care." Disgust was very much palpable in the voice of the pale girl and I bit down even harder, feeling some blood to fill my mouth as probably something ruptured due to the pressure. "They are all dead, corpses have no belongings. Just use their fucking God Arcs to power up the existing ones. What's so hard about it?"

What?

"It's not that simple as you make it out Sea." Even the Director sighed at this and I was still processing what was being in notion. "You can't just take an existing weapon and use it as spare parts for a new one."

"Not spares, upgrades!" C scoffed, angry visibly as she slammed palm onto the table, a crunching sound reverberating in the room. "I came here offering a chance to stand up, to offer a final straw!!"

"But..." Licca started, still with wide eyes as she stepped to my side and closer to the table. "It's not that simple."

"It is!" The pale girl grabbed a single sheet and showed it forcefully into the arms and chest of the mechanic. "Take a better look here." She waited until the surprised female grabs the paper and digs her gaze into it. "According to this very report, which was taken over a decade ago: God Arcs can be compatible with each other and in cases when they are used as parts for another matching weapon, the other one undergoes a positive change and gets empowered subsequently. What is so hard about understanding this?"

-Because, it has a risk.- I've summarized as my eyes skimmed the document also. -It has to have one, if it's coming from you and for free. Just like the bullets.-

"No risk involved this time." C grinned at me deviously and I glared back. "Honest, I promise this time."

"Sea is right." The doctor sighed and his ever closed eyes focused on the pale female. "But for you come out with such a request, it's simply not fulfillable. The HQ will not allow this notion to go trough. Even if it could potentially improve our forces combat capabilities. The materials you are requesting for are the very God Arcs that were stored and awaiting reactivation in the hand of their new owners."

"Which is a joke and highly impossible." Came the brats retort as she let out a deep sigh. "Look, those weapons are decades old most of them aren't they? That means their compatibility levels are WAY past the minimum allowable for current standards." She scratched the back of her head in annoyance. "I'm not saying to use the ones that were recently recovered, only to get the ones out that are at least a year old or more."

-How would that benefit us in any way?- I played with the thought of going through that ideal. -Didn't you say that those God Arcs would be incompatible since their compatibility levels are way below the allowable? This sounds rather fishy.-

"God Arcs encompass multiple man-made and Aragami based components. If we take only the parts that would be compatible with the transfer, it can work. But that would mean that most of the one used for the reconstruction will become not better than scrap." Licca answered to my question, frowning at the idea as she was clearly opposing it. "Sure, those weapons are unusable by today's standards, however... To trash something that served humanity for so long in the hands of their users. It's... it's... just wrong."

"Like I said, lie down and die." C interjected coldly. "Take it or leave it, I'm heading off." She tried to leave again, but I still her her arm firmly. "Didn't you state you're not into girls? Or..." The girl purred snuggling into my side. "You just prefer me over anyone else?"

I let her finish the sentence, even with the anger building in my veins. In the blood boiling in my system. Then I simply grabbed her head and slammed it face-down into the tables edge very much to the surprise of everyone else present, since I did it with the strongest and fastest motion I could do it and watched as the girl went down groaning and curling into a fetal position, grasping her mouth in pain.

-What?- I asked to the disapproving gaze of the Instructor present. -She started it.-

"Sea has a point." Admitted the Director and I turned towards the influential man. "Our technology had advanced by leaps and bounds thanks to the findings of many researchers. These suggestions could actually turn the tables for now, even if only momentarily, yet granting us a well deserved respite we need until the Aegis Project is complete." He hummed for a few seconds and I caught a small hint of concern on the face of Dr. Sakaki. "I'll see what I can do to convince the HQ about authorizing this... What did you call it again?"

"God Arc Reconstruction, but it's purpose would be to transfer partially or in some cases completely the skill sets of the unowned weapons into a compatible machine." C shrugged dismissing it on the ground, still in pain from my surprise attack and hugging her jaw with both hands. "Do you have a better name in mind?"

"No, it's going to suffice." Director Johannes nodded to the people present and left the room with a short nod. "I'll have to return to the HQ soon with a report on Aegis, I'm going to bring this up for... discussion."

"See, that wasn't so hard." My foot stamped down on the fingers of the annoying pest still wriggling on the ground, causing her to yelp in surprise. "I told you that I'm not into this kinky stuff." The girl groaned and I had to step back as I got a very stern glare from the Major for my act. "If your getting off from sadism... I don't think I'm ready to get into the bed with you."

I'm going to fucking murder her!

"That's enough Sierra!" A thundering voice stopped me as the Instructor stepped in my way and stopped my attempt of trying to fulfill my wish of killing the damn bastard on the ground. "You should know better when to stop pushing the wrong buttons of others, Sea."

"Can't help it..." With an obviously painful groan the pale girl stood up and staggered towards the door. "I'll be in touch and Sierra..." She started in a sing-song voice, that immediately alerted me that it will definitely push me into rage. "Call me when you're ready."

'''Eh... I though she'll drop a more...'''

Let's forget it...

"I'm going to push the modules into an extensive testing period before they will be applied." The doctor started to gather the notes that belonged to him and headed for the door as well. "Licca, if you would go through these and get some matches sorted it would be helpful." Dr. Sakaki handed a few sheets of papers to the mechanic, who took them with a small frown. "I have a feeling that Johann will be able to convince the higher ups."

"Will do." She said sadly and joined him on the way out. "It's... just makes me sad to do such a cruel thing."

"Sierra." Major Amamiya called and I've turned towards the stern woman, her long visible eye scrutinizing me. "Should you keep this behavior up, I'm going to have you pull from the team. I'm worried for your well being."

-Worried?- I was genuinely surprised about that. -Why?-

"Izanagi influenced Soma in a way that made him danger not only to himself, but to his environment and.... knowing that you harbor that very being inside you, outbursts such as these make me realize that you aren't uninfluenced by Izanagi either."

-Eh.- I shrugged, I knew that the beast inside me was the cause of these murderous feels. -Only that bastard makes me go bat-shit crazy.- Which really make me wonder, as only she triggered such responses from me. Was it because of our.... similarity? -I'm perfectly normal in any other way.-

"If this is because of Sea, if you had realized this I expect you to behave accordingly." Her stern gaze glared daggers into my eyes and I tried to shrink as small as possible. "Do I make myself clear?"

-Yes, Ma'am!-

"Good!" She nodded in response, taking up a tablet from the table containing an assignment. "Meet in the lobby in a few minutes, I expect the full 1st Unit there."

O-okay?

I nodded and left for the destination, wondering what is going on. I waited patiently and greeted the unit as they arrived one by one. Sakuya was pretty somber and that made me feel uneasy. Kota rushed in next and started instantly babbling about Bugarally, yet again...

'''God, I wish he would can it... I know he is impressed by that show, but not everyone shares his enthusiasm...'''

"Pipe down, Dead Weight." Soma arrived, instantly scowling at the over-hyped gunner. "This is serious if even someone as me has to be present."

"Hey!" The red-head boy greeted the New-Type who just arrived cheerfully, but got only a 'hmpf' in return. "I came because they called this meeting all of a sudden." Kota approached the russian girl, his cheeriness fading somewhat at the rebuttal. "What's going on?"

"I really don't know." Alisa frowned, crossing her arms before her chest turning away from the boy. "And even if I did know, I certainly wouldn't tell you." She huffed and her gaze fell on the silent medic. "Sakuya, do you know anything about this?"

"No, I haven't heard anything." She shook her head, being surprised by the summons also. "Still, it's pretty unusual for us all to be summoned."

Soma only scoffed once more, leaning to the side of the railing of the stairs a bit further from us. He glared at me especially and I took a safe distance from him. At the other end of the 1st Unit present. The other end farthest from him, yes sir. Not to mention positioned Kota between him and me.

"I see you're all here." Tsubaki greeted us holding the same assignment that I saw her pick up in her office. She walked before us and slowly brought her gaze over all of us in a slow arc. "Administration officially announced a new appointment today." She then turned straight towards me and I froze in place as the mature woman's gaze fixed on mines. "When the next mission will be cleared, you'll be appointed captain of the 1st Unit, Preservation Bureau, Fenrir Far East Branch, Sierra Declaine." I stood there stiff like an ice cube, not quite understanding the words. I had to replay them a couple of times until I've understood what was being said. "From now on, you're the leader of this unit." She paused to see if I understand the order at all. "I'm counting on you, Sierra."

I stared right back at the Instructor, mouth moving despite I couldn't want to form any words even if I wanted to. Fingers of mine pointing sheepishly back at me in confusion, the reason for such a decision entirely lost on me. But before I could begin starting to protest at all, a cheerful cry interrupted my train of thoughts.

"Whoa!" Kota exclaimed, visibly shocked as he was just as surprised that me. No, in fact everyone that heard the proclamation in the lobby turned towards our direction. "You go promoted!" He stated the obvious and I had to roll my eyes. "A-a-and... it's a HUGE promotion!!" The boy started to gesture wildly with his arms, Alisa taking a step further from him in the process. "What do they call this kind of thing?" Obviously he was excited for me, which was kinda embarrassing. "Supplanting one's superior?"

What?!

Wouldn't that be surpassing?

"Actually..." Alisa answered in my steed with an ice cold tone. "That's a kind of betrayal." Kota in turn went his trademark 'huhh?', as the platinum blond girl turned towards me and nudging the downtrodden medic. "Once again... I'm looking forward to working with you Sierra. Isn't that right, Sakuya?"

"Huh?" She looked up, clearly lost in thoughts. "Oh, yes..." Her expression turned dark once more. "Right..." Her eyes still darkened by sadness met mines and I instantly understood that she wasn't over Lindow's passing, not like it would be normal if she could just simply shrug it off that fast. "Leader, huh?" Mused our medic and I had to cringe at the designation. "Somehow you seem a lot more dependable now!" Noticing my own reaction, she laid an arm on my shoulder and looked into my eyes to encourage me. "Well then... I know you'll have my back. I'm looking forward to working with you, Sierra!"

Soma scoffed and left his post without saying anything to acknowledge this abrupt change or not, he walked past me with a scowl. I wasn't sure what to make of his actions, so I gave him a wide space to walk past, not wanting to anger him in any other way.

"Don't get ahead of yourself." Tsubaki warned us and the remaining four of us turned towards the superior. "You won't be officially appointed until after the next completed mission." She started, but her tone came with a warning, one that I had learned was a very heavy one. "It's true that a leader is bestowed with certain powers befitting the position..." A concerned gaze fell on me, recalling how I handled stressful situations. Situations where I had to make a call for the lives of others and it dawned on me. This wasn't a coincidence. "The responsibilities one must shoulder are of equal weight, if not more." Still it was befuddling, the why it happened. Then I was reminded of the basics and most important of the rules bestowed on the leader. "Not just in the capacity as a capable God Eater, but also the charge of making sure the team members return safely." Her tone turned warmer, aimed at me. "Don't die. You must all come back here alive. That's an order." The her voice returned to the commanding, authoritative tone we had been used to. "Now then! Stop daydreaming and take a well deserved rest. Tomorrow will be a hard day as the mission will test your capacity to lead."

Fucking Fantastic...

What else could go wrong...

End of Chapter 2016,12,10

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