"Absolution" An attempt to assault the facility was inevitable. That was obvious to all of them. He had his orders. He was to secure and protect the complex – it was too valuable to risk total abandonment. The others had been borrowed or bought off, but this one had been built from the ground up and had nearly a billion American dollars invested into it. So, he could not simply pack up and run. He secured what he felt needed to be secured, and had called on as many personnel loyal to the foundation as he could to help protect it from the HiME. It was a shame the system was not yet perfected to summon Orphans. It would have come in handy. A Makarov pistol sat on Dr. John Smith's desk as he calmly observed the security cameras to watch for any signs of a pending invasion. His icy gaze turned to the Otome standing before him. "They will go for the Emulator, above all else," he began. "I will leave assignments up to you, but there should be two of you guarding it. The rest should deal with maintaining a defensive perimeter around the base to prevent them from even entering. Is that understood?" Because if he lost the facility, they'd hand over control of the project to his god damned rivals within the Foundation. He'd kept those bottom feeders from getting a hold on his research for this long – he wasn't about to let them gain dominance now. He watched as Onyx nodded. "Yes, sir. The Five Columns will deploy immediately. We will not fail you." "You'd best not," he warned in a cold tone of voice, "because if you do, you may consider yourselves dropped from the project entirely. This is your second chance. If you can defend the facility, your previous failures will be ignored. You may eliminate the HiME if you have to. They are no longer vital. I have what I need." Onyx tensed ever so slightly. Well, that was certainly motivation. All of the Otome had been selected because they met the requirements and because no one would have missed them if they disappeared. They had no families, nor did they have the means to support themselves. Searrs gave them food, shelter, and bare essentials in exchange for servitude. They were entirely dependent upon the Foundation for... well, everything. If they lost that, then what would they do? Perhaps that was what Searrs had been going for; to make them into dependent little slaves that could not rebel. "Understood, sir." - - - Even Mai and Shiho were there. Whether they would truly be able to help was a matter of debate, but they were brought along as reserves should they be able to materialize using the Emulator’s emissions. Until then, though, they would naturally remain out of harm's way. Some HiME had gone so far as to put on Kevlar on loan from Haruka and Akane's department. Natsuki had loaned (somewhat unwillingly) a few of her heavier weapons from her stash to the pair in return for their efforts. Their pitiful sidearms had seen a bit too much action lately, and would be ineffective against a large force. They all knew what they had to do. So, upon reaching the outskirts of the Searrs complex, they split up, Yukino tapped into the JSDF satellite feeds from the safety of the SUV Mai had brought her in, giving each of them directions as they approached. It seemed quiet enough. A few light patrols so far, and no sign of the Otome. Each HiME proceeded to their intended destination with no resistance, keeping low to avoid detection, using the cover of darkness to their advantage. "Midori, the APC parked near the building in front of you has a gunner. You might want to toss in one of your homemade pipe bombs to deal with it before they can open fire," Yukino warned the redhead. "I can think of no better way to start the festivities," Midori replied. She'd made three pipe bombs before they set out, and all were strapped to her belt. She removed one and lit it up, and hurled it right under the armored personnel carrier. The gunner, driver, and the support unit inside did not have time to react before the bomb exploded, tearing the vehicle asunder and leaving it as nothing more than scrap metal. Those boys over in Iraq during her archeology expeditions abroad after the Carnival had taught her so many wonderful things. And they said you could do nothing with a history degree! But, that certainly got everyone's attention. The base alarm sounded and guns opened fire towards her general direction. She ducked down low as Akira, Haruka, and Akane ran up behind her, opening fire or tossing shuriken out to give her cover. It was then that they saw their first Otome lying in wait, exiting the main building and materializing immediately. Topaz. She sprinted towards them, batting away bullets with her mace. The Otome lashed out, then, her mace heading right for Midori, who leapt gracefully out of harm's way. She pinned Topaz's mace to the ground with her own conventional axe, smirking a bit. "I'm sorry, but I can't stay here to entertain. However, I'm sure the others will be happy to see to you!" Topaz ducked out of harm's way as Akira sprinted forward and attempted to slice her neck open with a tanto blade. Midori took the time to run, heading into the bunker that supposedly housed the power supply. Topaz hissed as she vanished, knowing full well the others wouldn't allow her to pursue. She dodged Akira again and then punched out, but missed. She followed up with a swing from her mace, which gave her some breathing room as Akira backed off to avoid being hit. In the distance, Mikoto sprang from the darkness and cleaved through three soldiers who had been attempting to shoot the group with her claymore. The wild child proved to be a good enough distraction for the enemy, Haruka and Akane firing back to disarm, injure or kill pesky Searrs grunts who stood in their way. Perhaps they could tap into the Emulator after all. They felt... stronger, somehow. "Payback is a bitch!" Haruka shouted, thinking back on the academy's invasion by the same forces. "Teach you to beat up a woman." "Haruka-chan, there's another squad moving in from the east," Yukino warned. "Not for long," the blonde replied, raising the Tavor assault rifle Kuga had given her hours before. How the biker had gotten her hands on the Israeli weapon was something she would have to inquire about again later. It was debate on whether Natsuki owned more lingerie or more guns. Akane, content with a pistol, opened fire alongside her as Mikoto charged in, blade skidding along the ground in her characteristic way. Akira maintained her fight with Topaz, the two exchanging punches, kicks and weapon strikes. The ninja leapt over the mace as it left a dent in the ground, Topaz swinging the weapon back to defend against another potential strike from the HiME's tanto blade. Akira thought it was safe to say that their efforts to be a distraction were paying off quite nicely. Though one had to wonder where exactly those other Otome were hiding... - - - Nao entered the building she was assigned to via a window, using the distraction outside to her advantage. All the guards seemed to be occupied with that. She picked the lock on the window with little difficulty, and landed silently on the tiled floor inside. She slowly stalked forward, eyes frequently darting around to spot any potential Searrs goons or the computers she was told to destroy. Yukino (and Alyssa, back at Mai's) was theoretically going to hack in and remove the files from the server entirely, to ensure Searrs could no longer access their research. She never minded ruining the careers and lives of immoral men. Especially ones that had tried to kill her several times for 'research purposes.' There were two men kneeling down in the hall ahead of her, loading their guns, no doubt going to head outside to give the distraction team more trouble. That certainly would not do. So, Nao stalked forward, and kicked the right one in the back of the head roughly, knocking him out. She recovered as the other guard bolted up in alarm, and before he could fire on her with his rifle, she backhanded him in the face, the metal rendering him unconscious, and leaving a nasty indentation. She pondered whether or not to extend her claw blades and finish them off, but decided to move along... ...after tossing their clips far away from their guns, should they wake up and try to go after her. One had to think ahead. Still, she couldn't help but comment. "Idiots." Ah, but a third was lying in wait. A female guard heard the commotion behind her, and rounded the corner to see what had happened. Nao widened her eyes for just a moment as the guard raised her gun up to fire, and she instinctively sprang forward, closing the distance in a matter of seconds. She ducked under two shots, and landed her fist square in the middle of her torso, blades extended. Blood dripped out and began to pool on the floor, and Nao ripped her fist free, returning it to her side. The guard fell to the floor, pale already. "We'll win back our independence with your blood," Nao declared as the woman faded away. "Your organization was long overdue for a real lesson in HiME power." She stepped over the corpse and continued down the hall. So, she was in a science wing, that was for sure. Test tubes and all that nonsense were inside the labs. Well, why not just start there? She entered the main lab, or what looked like it, and immediately after doing so, she grabbed hold of a rack of chemicals. She pulled it forward and it crashed to the ground, spilling the liquid all over the floor. She continued on again, grabbing a computer monitor and flinging it off a desk, shattering the glass. The tower was sliced up with a strong swipe from her claws, leaving it shredded and useless. She whistled while she worked. This really had been a lovely task for her. Vandalism was always fun, even if a bit repetitive at times. A refrigeration unit. She opened it. Ah, there was the HiME blood they no doubt collected over the years. Indeed. Names like Sanada and Kuga instantly caught her eye. Nao curved her arm around all of the vials and hurled them to the floor, and they smashed in a brilliant display of crimson, merging with the chemicals already on the floor, contaminating the blood forever more. She smirked in mild satisfaction. But then, she started to notice that feeling like she was being watched. Her green eyes scanned the lab. She turned behind her. Nothing there. When she turned back, however, she was greeted with a familiar blonde woman, and though she initially jumped at the shock (where the fuck had she come from?), she fell into a fighting stance. Lapis already had her bow in hand, an energy arrow ready for release. "Your recovery was far too quick," the Otome commented. "Guess you aren't as good at beating people up as you thought, then," Nao countered. "I'll have to fix that." The arrow was released, and Nao flipped out of the way, only to run forward and prevent her from doing the same thing again. Lapis brought up the end of her bow to block a kick on Nao's part, and pushed back. Nao lashed out again, fully intending to pay Lapis back for that trip to the god awful hospital. The Otome ducked and rushed, punching Nao in the gut and sending her flying back a bit. Nao recovered, blocking another attempt at a punch, twisting Lapis' arm back and around to get her into a hold. It failed. Lapis elbowed Nao with her other arm, forcing the redhead to release her. Immediately after, she spun out with a roundhouse kick that Nao barely ducked under. Lapis jumped back and fired another arrow or two. Nao grabbed another rack and pulled it down, practically hurling it at the blonde Otome in front of her. Lapis dove out of harm's way, glass and chemicals littering the floor. Lapis responded by firing an arrow straight at Nao. The brawler was forced to duck behind a desk and counter, hurling out a small vial of something (she hoped powerful acid!) out to occupy the Otome long enough to escape from her cover. Lapis ducked, the vial smashing into the wall, but leapt onto a counter as Nao just started to stand up. She fired another arrow, and Nao yelped accidentally. The arrow connected with a computer, but not the intended target. Well, at least the woman was helping her, in a way. "You're a bit slow moving today," Lapis commented, as if a mother was chastising her child. "Is your side still sore? I'm dreadfully sorry." Nao hissed. "Why is it always you that bothers me? Do you just wait around and stalk me in your spare time? Go find yourself an actual girlfriend." Lapis fired another arrow, and Nao took cover behind a desk once again. The arrow embedded itself in the wood and then vanished as the energy dissipated. Lapis leapt onto a different counter to get a better angle to attack from and fired again, causing Nao to scurry away and find better cover. "But who could replace you, love?" Nao sprang up just as Lapis was drawing back another arrow. She ran from her cover, a flying fist aimed right for the Otome's arm. Nao's glove blades sliced the robe, leaving two small tears that revealed pale and bleeding flesh beneath. Lapis winced in pain and took a step back, allowing the brawler to throw out two more rapid attacks. The first was avoided and the other was blocked by a quick raise of the bow. Nao dove away again, avoiding an arrow. She rapidly moved from cover to cover, their duel progressing like that for some time. Nao hid behind cover, Lapis fired, and Nao closed the gap while she prepared a second shot. Onward and onward, neither making much headway. Another arrow sailed through the air and left a small cut on Nao's shoulder, further infuriating the angry young woman. It was Lapis, then, who ducked behind a counter to avoid her enemy. Nao fell for the bait. She stood up and proceeded to move forward to avoid losing Lapis, who could have very well crawled to any new location to hit her. But when Lapis stood back up, Nao realized the woman had another trick up her sleeve. She had been charging an arrow, building up its energy over a few long seconds. The Otome stood and fired, and Nao barely had time to react. Perhaps instinctively knowing that she could not dodge something that fast, she snapped both of her custom metal gloves up to stop it. She planted her feet as the energy pushed her back, her hair dancing around her as the energy crashed into her fists. She felt burning pain, even through the protective layers of her gauntlets. It stung so damn much. The shot remained there for several long moments, each one holding nothing but agony for Nao. When it was all over, Nao looked ragged. The gloves on her hands were charred and ripped, the blades having warped and melted slightly. They were so hot that it was unbearable. She peeled them off, her flesh raw and red underneath. Well. Bare knuckle boxing, anyone? - - - Akane was pinned down behind the debris from the APC Midori had blown up what already seemed like an eternity ago. Bullets impacted the smoldering metal and she kept low, her pistol out of ammunition. A tonfa was in her hand, but it was suicide to rush out with a melee weapon while a barrage of fire rained down. Both Mikoto and Akira were preoccupied with dueling with an aggressive Topaz, and though she had cried out to Haruka a few times, the blonde was too far away and too distracted to help as she fired out on her own cluster of foes. Akane cursed her misfortune. She'd never been one of the stronger HiME, even though she could fight. She had fought Orphans in secret, but those were entirely different. She had always had her Child to protect her during situations like this. She felt almost like a liability, and was certain that she wouldn't make it out alive. She heard a clank beside her. A grenade! Staying put was death. Leaving cover was also death. But she had no choice. She stood up to run, but paused as red hot fire raced next to her. The grenade...? No, that had been flung back by the force, and proceeded to explode in the middle of the group that had originally tossed it. Something raced by Akane, and she barely saw what it was. Not hearing enemy fire, she ducked her head out from behind the cover and... she could not not believe it. A wall of flame raced out towards the survivors of the grenade explosion, bathing them in unnatural fire. A solitary figure hovered in midair, golden spirals encircling her limbs and keeping her aloft with their otherworldly power. Except this was not Ruby. Mai turned back with a small smile, giving her a thumbs up. "You all right, Akane-chan?" "I'm seeing things," Akane commented. The redhead laughed slightly, noting that both Topaz and the other HiME had paused (for a half second) to note Mai's ability to materialize. It'd taken quite a bit of concentration, and she still didn't feel all that stable. The familiar heat had crept through her body, and her muscles had tightened in that equally familiar way as her HiME powers kicked in. But the weapons themselves, and her powers, seemed as if they were only half present and ready to fade at any time. The Emulator was still just an emulator. It could not reproduce things exactly. Perhaps that was why it felt somewhat... artificial, for lack of a better world. But it was certainly better than sitting around and watching the fight. Shiho remained behind, still not focused enough to summon her Element or raven Child. Chances were the HiME actually in combat would not have time to even concentrate long enough to summon up their HiME weaponry. They were better off fighting normally, using the Emulator waves to fuel their physical strength like the Obsidian Lord had during the Carnival. She darted to the side, sending another spiral of flame out to meet an incoming enemy, knocking him off his feet. "Yukino, which group needs the most support right now?" Topaz was already being handled quite nicely by Mikoto, who seemed revitalized by Mai's presence, and Akira. "You can always go down and give Midori a hand since she's working solo, or switch Shizuru or Natsuki out and go to the Emulator now that yo-- Mai, look out! Behind the building in front of you!" What? Then, she saw it. Racing up from behind the main building straight in front of her was a spark of red that slowly transformed into something akin to a demonic looking Supergirl. Though she had been moving at breakneck speed, she came to an almost immediate stop, flames dancing around the spirals on her arms. Her eyes seemed both angry and alive with excitement. It meant more work and it would threaten to push Ruby over the edge in the long run, it just wouldn't have been proper otherwise. She looked somewhat like a cobra moments away from striking. "The real Tokiha. This was what I had been waiting to see." Mai was already bracing herself. "You'll see just what I can do, I assure you." Ruby shot forward with her Elements at top speed, a flame shooting out on command to intercept Mai. The redhead formed a shield and blocked it, the fire parting off to the sides like water hit by an obstacle. She immediately spun back around, eyes darting to find the Otome before she could launch another strike. She was behind and shooting skyward like a rocket aimed at the stars. She went up an additional hundred feet and began to rain down a barrage of flame spears to deal with the original fire adept. Mai formed another shield and met the brunt of the attack, arching up to meet Ruby head on. Several of the flame spears hit the ground and forced Akira and Topaz alike to leap out of harm's way before they were turned into kabobs. Somewhere, a still wounded Onyx was swearing. Mai held out her arm and sent a wave of flame out towards Ruby, who darted off to the side to avoid the strike. Mai followed up with a punch with her fist engulfed in fire, rocketing forward to gain even more momentum and power. She hit a shield and was summarily flung back by it. It had done her no damage, but it allowed Ruby to go on the offensive. The Otome dipped down below her and attempted a fiery uppercut. It failed to connect, luckily, and Mai countered by discharging a sphere of flame from around her body in an attack that was partially defensive and partially aggressive. Ruby wailed as the flames bit at her body, but her robe largely protected her from the heat. Mai couldn't help but feel mildly elated at the hit, though her face was nothing but concentration and worry. The Otome rose up again, a few good dozen feet above Mai, and then promptly slammed back down again, hoping to land a kick accentuated by her high dive speed. The veteran, however, skillfully dodged. It seemed like nothing less than an aerial dogfight without the fighter planes. Diving and climbing, dodging and weaving, exchanging fire. Thank goodness the facility was so far away from the public, or else they would have had a real mess on their hands. Flames met each other and stalled, neither able to pass to the intended target. Something similar to a stalemate occurred, Ruby's agitation and rage growing by the minute as her adrenaline pulsed. It was a magnificent fight, but damn, was she getting frustrated with Tokiha's keen evasion skills! "Interloper and Apostate have located the Emulator building," Crystal warned, using the Searrs codenames for Shizuru and Natsuki. Ruby had left her post to pursue Tokiha, leaving the other Otome as the only one down in the bowels of the Emulator building. "Ruby, get back here on the double. Topaz, give her cover then get a status update on Lapis. Who are you fighting out there?" "Queen of Heaven, Kunoichi, Vagrant, Martyr," Topaz ducked under a blow from Akira, "and the Watcher's Key. Sage disappeared into the bunker a few minutes ago. Onyx, you wanna deal with that?" "Fine." "Dammit, Tokiha's right here!" Ruby hissed. "Let me finish her!" "I need you in the Emulator building now. You want to risk having both of them here? Tokiha is not a priority." Crystal was, as always, going to follow their orders to the letter. Mai noticed that Ruby was turning away, albeit with a disappointed expression. As Ruby attempted to return to the building from which she originally came from, Mai began to pursue, not willing to let her get away to reinforce any important positions or attack any of her comrade. The Otome seemed to notice her, however, and spun around, keeping a wall of fire between her and Mai. The redhead was forced to stop to avoid being turned to charred meat, and Ruby vanished into a building. Topaz followed up to further prevent Mai from doing anything by ordering a squad of Searrs loyalists to open fire. Mai rocketed out of harm's way, forming a shield to absorb the bullets. Wanting to help the others, but knowing that if she died she be completely useless, Mai was forced to concentrate on her own survival for the time being. - - - Natsuki ducked her head out from behind a corner to make sure the coast was clear. Shizuru continued to hide behind the wall, watching behind them for an ambush. She noted a guard ducking behind an opposing doorway down the hall, and she snapped up her revolver in an instant, firing and catching him in the head. The guard fell down, sans a head, and after a moment of hesitation to see if there were any more, the biker waved, signaling that it was all clear. The pair moved down the hall and down a flight of stairs. It opened up into a very large and grand hall with several pillars lined up along the sides. And on the far end, a good hundred feet away, was a large spherical structure that Natsuki and Shizuru could only guess was the Emulator. It was confirmed on closer inspection. A few words were holographically displayed on the sphere's exterior. 'X-Type HiME Five Columns Connected, S.Y.' That was surely it. The rest of the hall was dark and dimly lit, save for the Emulator's cool green illumination. Natsuki did not feel comfortable. "Now what?" "Wait for Midori to disconnect the main power and see if that works," Shizuru replied. Her bardiche rested against her shoulder. "If not, then we destroy it." Natsuki tensed, looking back at the other woman with distressed eyes. "Yukariko is in there, then?" "I believe so." Shizuru sighed. "Is your morbid curiosity strong enough to look inside? I don't recommend trying to free her without the aid of a Searrs scientist. Perhaps we'll have to conscript one to help us after the main forces are eliminated." Natsuki pondered whether or not her 'morbid curiosity' was indeed powerful enough to will her to look inside the core of the Emulator. Somehow the mental image of seeing Sister suspended and fitted with wires and microchips was disturbing enough in itself. Instead, she trained her eyes on the rest of the room, trying to banish the thought from her mind. The very least she could do, however, was radio Midori about their arrival at the Emulator. "Midori. Shizuru and I are in place. Let me know when you do your thing." "Ahem." Natsuki sighed. How dare she not follow Midori protocol. "This is November-Alpha-Tango calling Mike-India-Delta. You heard the rest, dammit." "That's better. Understood. I think I'm almost there," Midori replied. "Where are you now?" Shizuru asked. "Bathroom." Natsuki paused. "...You are not talking to us while you're..." Shizuru managed a smile. "Ara, when you have to go, you have to go." "No! Good god. I'm in here hiding from a group of guards, now shut up!" Natsuki did so. A revolver was in her hands, and she was once again left with the grave image of Yukariko trapped within the Emulator core. The urge to look was growing and growing. She and Shizuru couldn't very well have a heart-to-heart to pass the time in the middle of a battle area. Instead, she watched the entrance for any guards going to intercept, hoping to get a quick shot out should anyone try to intervene with their plans. A threat came, however, but not from that direction. Natsuki felt like she was being watched, and with her HiME physical characteristics manifesting thanks to the Emulator's close proximity, she snapped her head back, instantly alarmed. Her grip tightened on the gun and she swept her eyes slowly over the area. "Shizuru." The Kyoto woman looked back, also feeling a bit weary about the situation. Natsuki nodded to one of the nearby pillars. "Get behind there." Trusting in the other woman, Shizuru did so, standing behind one of the stone pillars for defense, a tight hold on her weapon. She periodically looked out to see if there were any signs of a foe. Natsuki saw slight movement to her right. She held up her revolver as a silver and highly decorated shotgun raise up from behind one of the right side pillars. Natsuki fired her weapon before Crystal could, forcing the Otome to cover behind the pillar. The biker raced over to her own cover, pulling back the hammer once again. She heard footsteps, but could not see her. Natsuki waited patiently, and held out the barrel of her gun, to see if she couldn't trigger some accidental fire from Crystal, to check to see if she was there. Hearing nothing, she gently stuck out her head and looked back to the other pillars in the row after leaving her cover for just a moment. Nothing. Shizuru, who was either an idiot or very brave, sprinted out from the pillar she was hiding behind, breaking for the second in the row. She was using herself as bait. As she rushed, Crystal fell for it, sticking her body out just enough to fire. She did so, but hit only stone as Shizuru made it across safely. Natsuki would have barked at her for being a moron if she didn't appreciate the chance to shoot. She leveled a revolver at Crystal's position and took a shot, the bullet landing right on Crystal's leg. The robe absorbed the hit, but that did not mean that it failed to hurt. Crystal winced and fired back. Ice shards connected with the far wall, Natsuki diving behind the nearest pillar for cover. Natsuki did not wait this time. She headed behind the pillars and moved forward, straining her ears to hear any movement. The hall was deathly silent. Shizuru remained stationary for now, also not sure as to where Crystal might have been. In the darkness ahead, Natsuki swore she saw movement. She crouched down and held out both her guns, firing into the blackness that dominated the area behind the pillars. Both missed, but her guns illuminated the area just enough while they were fired to where she could see ahead, making out the form of an Otome standing out from behind the sixth pillar down the line. Natsuki once again dove behind the stone structures to avoid another blast from the ice shotgun. Natsuki leaned back out to return fire, but was caught slightly by Crystal opening fire again. Most of the blast missed her, but two ice fragments connected with Kevlar vest she was wearing, a gift from Haruka. The impact hurt, but much like the Otome robes, it was able to stave off an actual wound. Shizuru heard her gasp in shock, however, and immediately inquired, "Are you all right?!" Natsuki ran back to a different pillar and stayed there, waving back to Shizuru to signal that she was indeed fine. Her shout, however, drew out Crystal, who moved from cover to fire on the brunette. Shizuru ducked as a shot hit the back of the pillar she was hiding behind, wishing that she still had the chain function of her Element. Or Kiyohime. Kiyohime would have come in handy right about now. Muttering a swear word heavily accented in her native dialect, Shizuru debated on whether or not to break for it. It was the biker who acted first. She ran out from cover to the direction she heard Crystal shoot from. In an instant, both girls were out, raising their guns in an almost old fashioned duel. The firearms snapped up, but it was the biker who fired first. The bullet hit the Otome in the stomach, and Crystal was thanking the gods above that she had her robe to protect her. She doubled over in pain, dropping her Element for a brief moment, as she recovered. Natsuki, holding her other revolver at her, moved forward to properly subdue the woman, but was, of course, interrupted. Shizuru noticed light coming from the entrance, and her red eyes widened at what she saw. Crystal had a rescuer, apparently. Standing up, bardiche at the ready, Shizuru waited until Ruby sped into the room, a trail of flame behind her. Natsuki looked rightfully shocked, but Shizuru planned to use her cover to her advantage. Ruby likely didn't even know where she was. So, Shizuru leapt out, the blade of her weapon cutting through the air and heading straight to Ruby's neck. The Otome ducked and hit Shizuru in the stomach with a fireball, and the Kyoto woman fell back onto the ground. She began to roll out of harm's way as Ruby took ragged, almost disturbed breaths. Crystal knew that look. She gathered her weapon and realized she need to finish off both HiME before Ruby completely tweaked out. Crystal ducked down behind a pillar and opened fire, forcing Natsuki to hide from her visual range, while Ruby hovered midair and sprayed the entire row of pillars that Shizuru had taken to hiding in with flame. Shizuru, on her feet again, sprinted down out of the way, ducking behind the end pillar for cover. Flames shot out around her, but missed. Her cheeks were hot to the touch, but nothing was burned. "I don't have time to waste on you two fools," Ruby hissed as she dropped to her feet, stalking forward after both Shizuru and Natsuki, using the pillars to keep out of site. "I've been waiting too long for a chance to kill that damned Tokiha and I won't let you take that from me." "Deal with Tokiha after -" Crystal began to lecture, but was cut off. "After the fucking Emulator is secure. I know," Ruby shot back, glaring at the gunner on the opposite side of the hall. Her nanomachines were on overdrive. She didn't have the patience for this crap. Not after the all too brief fight with Mai that had caused all the adrenaline to pulse through her system. "I don't want to hear another thing about that machine. When they go, Tokiha's dead." Shizuru tossed a look back to Natsuki, who merely shrugged. The hell was wrong with Mai? Her arm nothing less than a flamethrower, Ruby launched another wave down the length of the pillars, forcing Natsuki and Shizuru to flee into the main area of the hall, out into the open, to avoid being hit. Ruby's lips curled into a sinister smile, her eyes alight with livid rage and irritation. "The HiME scurry like rats avoiding certain death. I quite like the feeling. Don't you?" Crystal said nothing. She was grateful for the help, and lined up a shot, but had some serious qualms about working alongside Ruby during that kind of state. Her alarm was raised. Never the less, she squeezed her trigger, the gun aimed at Shizuru, who was scrambling for cover on the other side of the room. Most shots missed, but two shards gleefully hit Shizuru in the leg, embedding sharp ice spikes into her unprotected leg. Shizuru did not fall. She winced but kept moving, Natsuki rushing in to see what the problem was once they were behind cover. Shizuru hand a hand clamped on the wound after removing the ice, a sizable gash left behind by the impact. She looked pained, but showed little of it, managing a smile for her worried Natsuki. "Ara, it stings, but it's light. Keep moving." "Shizu-" It was hard to continue arguing when another shot from the human flamethrower was approaching. Natsuki latched her fist onto the back of Shizuru's jacket collar and drug her out of the way, heading to the opposite side of the defensive structures. They couldn't just keep running back and forth. Crystal was going to pick them off without any effort. So, releasing Shizuru, Natsuki unleashed both revolvers and pulled back both hammers, firing them each as she ran to the opposite side of the hall. Two bullets forced Crystal back into hiding, and a third, hit Ruby on her side. The robe easily stopped it from doing major damage, but the fury it unleashed was perhaps worse than what Natsuki had hoped for. Ruby let out an almost animal like screech, reeling her head back in pain. Flames sprung from the area in which she hovered, and Crystal fled cover to avoid being hit by them. Which meant she was out in the wide open. Damn it, damn it! She was a sitting duck for Kuga, now! What was that insane moron thinking?! Crystal found herself trapped between a livid Ruby and the HiME, and for a moment, she hesitated. It was in that moment of hesitation that she left herself open and vulnerable. Ruby only saw the enemy. She paid no attention to allies. Crystal became nothing more than an object in her path. And so, when Ruby unleashed a furious tidal storm of fire to the opposite side of the hall, the other three occupants scrambled to avoid being hit. Shizuru, hobbling somewhat, saw Crystal consumed by the approaching flames, and felt herself almost body checked by what she assumed was Natsuki. Heat, heat, and more heat pulsed over her body, but she found herself in a tight embrace, the biker wrapping her arms around the Kyoto woman, her revolvers landing on the floor behind them with a clatter. Shizuru's face was buried against Natsuki's neck and collarbone region, and she found herself in something akin to an anaconda's grip. Natsuki was holding her so tight that it almost hurt. The flames washed over them both, and Shizuru widened her eyes in horror as she felt flames dance against her lover, who let out a painful and involuntary scream. "Na-Natsuki?" Shizuru found herself calling, but it was lost in the roar of the inferno. When the room returned to its dark and ominous state, Shizuru felt Natsuki slide out of her arms. The raven haired woman collapsed on the floor in front of Shizuru, her jacket, a gift that Shizuru had given her years ago, was nothing more than a scrap of leather now. The shirt under it as well. Her pale flesh was revealed underneath, the Kevlar only in the front. Natsuki's fingers twitched and she at once stopped moving, the skin on her back no doubt incurring the wrath of a third degree burn or two. Shizuru's breath was caught in her throat. Oh, god. Oh, god, was she...? No, no she couldn't be. She felt a distinct pain welling up in her chest and behind her eyes out of pure shock, her body feeling as if it may have actually gone into true shock itself. But before she could truly comprehend what had just happened, she heard Ruby screeching above her again, the Otome moving to hover in the main room, flames around her arms, ready to strike. The woman was breathing even more raggedly now, looking like an animal or some otherworldly creature. She made Haruka sound like a deaf mute. "You're still not a god damned corpse yet?" Ruby demanded. "I'm done. I'm done wasting my damned time with you. You're worthless. You can't do a thing." She found herself spouting the same painful insults that her handlers had shouted to her for the last several years. Shizuru was only half-listening, having dropped down to knee at Natsuki's side, attempting to shake her and see if she was indeed still alive after that amount of force. In that moment, every violent impulse Shizuru had tried to hide away under a facade of elegance and grace, and every aggressive feeling that she had so adamantly repressed after the Carnival began to re-manifest. Her red eyes shot back up at Ruby with nothing less than murderous intent. She grabbed her bardiche, and charged. - - - 'X-Type HiME Four Columns Connected, S.Y. - Core Damage: 20' - - - "Crystal's life signs read zero!" Onyx shouted over the gems. "Ruby, what the hell is happening?" Topaz, exhausted and so close to her breaking point during her duel with not one, but three HiME, could not manage to respond in any kind of manner. She danced out of the way of two strikes from an equally weary Akira, and countered with a wide, sweeping strike from her mace. Akira, Akane and Mikoto all ducked out of harm's way. Mai was somewhere overhead, taking care of guards. Haruka, out of ammunition, was pinned down somewhere, attempting to find an enemy gun to procure. At least something was going right. She couldn't keep up the fight for much longer. Her chest was heaving and on fire, her lungs running out of energy to keep the air flowing. Even the strength boost from her robe were failing at this point. It was the first time an Otome was going to cease fighting before the Emulator could overload, she felt. Mai twisted around a hundred feet above, seeing two APCs inbound for Haruka. "Ah!" Between the guards and the armored cars, she was having a hard time providing cover for everyone. She dove down a bit, knowing that Haruka's life was at stake, and felt a familiar feeling of fire and fury rush through her body. - - - Shizuru's weapon failed to hit it's mark. The blade embedded itself in the stone pillar that Ruby had been hovering in front of. Shizuru attempted to wrench it free, but could not do so before Ruby attacked. Flames hit where she had been moments before, and when they had subsided, Shizuru's metal weapon had been melted down and rendered unusable. Now unarmed and defenseless, Shizuru could only look at the two bodies in the room. Crystal, charred and unrecognizable, and Natsuki... who was surely only unconscious and would be fine in a few moments. Right? What was Shizuru to do now? Use the revolvers? She had the aim of a twelve year old girl with a lazy eye. Ruby, a whirling dervish above, bathed the air around her in flame, and tightened her fist. - - - Mai held out her arms, preparing to strike. - - - One, and only one of them, screamed. "Kagutsuchi!" - - - Midori was sprinting through an empty hallway, feeling far too much like she was in a ghost town. There were no guards. The rooms were empty. Had she gone the wrong way? Yukino seemed to think she was on the right track, but she couldn't help but feel like she should have been somewhere else. The bunker complex, a labyrinthine structure beneath the ground, went on for a long while, but she hadn't seen anything remotely reminiscent of life. Her conventional axe was in her hand, a wakizashi strapped to her back, just in case. At long last, she reached a power generator. That must have been it. She removed both her remaining pipe bombs from her belt and planted them where the most damage seemed likely to occur. She lit the fuses and ran back, covering her head with her hands. Five seconds later, the generator exploded in a whirlwind of fire and chaos. "Generator destroyed!" Midori reported to everyone. "Did it work?" "Not at all!" Akira yelled back, still in a fight with a very much operational Topaz. Midori hissed out a curse word to herself. "Well, now what?" Midori almost barked. Frustrated, she ignored her NATO code names, and refused to mention Yukariko's name. "Shizuru, Natsuki, I guess you have to destroy the Emulator itself." "They haven't responded to any of my calls for ten minutes, at least," Yukino said. Midori tensed. Had they been taken down? She began to turn around, ready to sprint back up to the surface as long as her stamina remained adequate. "All right, I'm heading over there to check things out. If someone's closer, they should try to as we--" As she completed her pivot, she was greeted with the face of a certain leader of the Five Columns, her pole-axe and gray robe already materialized. Behind her was a blonde man, far older than the rest of them, no doubt the good doctor himself. Smith. Midori ducked under a slash from Onyx's pole-axe, and fell into a defensive stance, her own weapon held up. "It was reconstructed to act as the secondary power supply, unfortunately for you," Smith began to explain. "Making the Emulator self-sufficient was inevitable. It was a mandatory part of the program. You killed the surrogate system, but not the mother system, so to speak." "So, Alyssa was right," Midori replied. Onyx seemed to be bound to Smith's imaginary leash. She did not act a second time. Smith managed to chuckle. "Ah, she was able to tell it was me, was she? I suppose she is familiar enough with my programming skills to determine that. What a bright, if erroneous, specimen she is." Midori's eyes darted from him to Onyx and back again, and the Otome seemed to pick up on the possibility of her striking out at him. Midori held her ground, at least for the moment. "Didn't you learn your lesson from the Carnival? Or must I refresh your memory on what failure feels like?" He wasn't one to slip into a long-winded villain mode. "The Carnival was far from a failure in the long run. Without it, we wouldn't have gathered data enough to form this project, now would we? Onyx, finish her. We no longer need the HiME for anything." Onyx lashed out immediately, and Midori blocked her attack with her weapon. The Otome attacked twice in succession, Midori blocking the first and dodging the second. She looked up to Smith's retreating form as he fled the area. Damn coward! Midori narrowed her eyes, frustrated that Onyx was in her way. There was no going after Smith with his guardian Otome still there. So, Midori put her full focus on defeating her foe. She blocked three more attacks from Onyx's axe before slamming hers up against it and pushing back with all her strength. Onyx stumbled back a bit, treading lightly on her still very wounded leg, the transmitter Natsuki had shot in only recently removed. It was in Midori's favor, so she played on it. She swept her axe down in a low horizontal strike, aiming for the legs. Onyx leapt over the blow and landed back down, wincing as her injured leg hit the ground hard. Midori moved forward to strike out again, using the non-bladed end of her weapon to hopefully knock Onyx out. The Otome simply caught the end of it. But then, a large rumble shook through the entire bunker complex. A distinct and screeching roar could be heard outside, like a dragon had just been released upon the world. Midori's eyes, much like Onyx's, widened in surprise. "What the hell was that?" Midori mumbled to herself. Onyx, equally confused, chose to continue their fight rather than reply. - - - Lapis was pinned under the boot of a certain street fighter. She struggled to breath, nearly all of Nao's weight pressed down on her throat. The redhead above was smirking in satisfaction. It was finally time for the proper payback. Now the Otome knew what it felt like. Ah, but not completely. There was that little matter of the large puncture wound through the abdomen. In Nao's hands was a knife she had hid away in her boot, a spare weapon should her gloves fail her. Her words were merciless and cold. "Surely, at one point, your mother must have warned you that people always get what's coming to them. Karma's calling on you." Nao began to lean down, knife in hand, the point heading for a terrified Lapis' stomach. The blonde Otome struggled and fought, but Nao was only stopped by what felt like an explosion. She looked up and towards a window. The building next to her looked like an artillery shell had just hit it – or something equally large. Debris smashed through the window, and Nao backed up to avoid being hit. Lapis scrambled to get under a table to avoid the onslaught from outside. The ground began to quake. - - - Mai dove down towards Haruka, pinned down by enemy gunfire, and sprayed a whirlwind of flame out at the Searrs soldiers ahead. When they were fleeing, or burning, Mai grabbed Haruka and took off again, dropping the blonde woman a good distance away. Out of harm, Mai landed on the ground and scanned the area for any more major threats that the others could not handle. Topaz, pale and laden with sweat from her agonizing fight against both Mikoto and Akira, was just barely hanging on. She hadn't really been hit, but she had certainly been getting close to her breaking point in terms of fatigue. Mai truly had to admire her determination. Haruka, standing to her left, grumbled in frustration. "What's taking the immigration teams so--" "Infiltration." The blonde nodded. "Right, that. What's taking them so long? Do they just expect us to stay out here and do everything for them? That tea-drinking fool is probably sitting down in the middle of battle because it's... tea... time..." A faint rumble grew louder, and Haruka simply stopped her ranting to marvel at the the scene unfolding. In an instant, a roar filled the air and the roof of one of the buildings blasted away. Flames leapt out from the inside. Wings began to push a great beast up. Both the HiME and the Otome froze in their tracks, awed by the sight. Mai's eyes widened and her mouth dropped. She watched something precious – something that was hers – be stolen from her grasp. "Kagutsuchi..." She flew herself towards the dragon, waving her arms. She prayed and hoped that her Child would still listen to her pleas. "Kagutsuchi, stop! Please, stop!" She received no answer – not even an acknowledgment of her presence. The Child had found a new mistress. - - - She felt intense heat bite at her face and limbs, but all she could focus on was the unmoving, unconscious form of Natsuki in front of her. Shizuru could not, and would not, allow herself to think even for a moment that Natsuki had perished in order to save her life. Instead, Shizuru slowly turned her attention to the hovering madwoman above her, a dragon’s roar tearing through the room and threatening to burst her eardrums with its gutteral serpentine scream. Ruby’s face was contorted into a look of twisted satisfaction as the shape of a dragon on the floor gave way to the Child, and it took flight. Not having enough room inside the Emulator’s room, Kagutsuchi screeched and with a breath of fire, destroyed the entire roof. Widening her crimson eyes, Shizuru sprinted forward and covered herself over the unconscious only wounded form of Natsuki to shield her from the falling debris. Several small fragments of the roof slammed down on her back and shoulders, like meteors impacting a once peaceful landscape. Shizuru winced in pain and, when it was over, she turned her gaze upward again. His fiery wings flapping in the night sky, Kagutsuchi hovered above the building, awaiting a command from his new mistress. Surely the HiME fighting outside had snapped their gazes to him. The dragon would not hesitate. After all, it was not as if he hadn’t been pitted against another HiME before. Shizuru was nothing more than a foe, like an Orphan ready to be torched. Ruby too, seemed ready to strike, to finished Shizuru off once and for all, to prove her dominance over the HiME and assure her a place in Searrs’ new world order. Ruby held up one arm, the ring encircling her wrist lighting up with flame as her dark eyes had their own fire and passion dancing within. "Your time is over. It is time for you to accept that fate. There we be no HiME after you – only Otome. I will make sure that you archaic, outdated relics never again grace this world." The dark haired woman pivoted around mid-air, her orange armor shining under the glow from the dragon’s wings, and stared up at her new pet. "Kagutsuchi…!" Did she not realize that if Kagutsuchi fired at such a close range, that the Emulator would be destroyed, and both her and Shizuru along with it? But, glancing down at the burnt corpse that used to be Crystal, Shizuru surmised that the Otome was truly no longer in her right mind. If Natsuki was… then… she should have just let Kagutsuchi fire and take everyone out. In that moment, it seemed like a very logical option. But what if… what if Ruby somehow managed to avoid the blast, shooting away at the last moment? Then the rest of the HiME would have to deal with the raging dragon above. More importantly, it would all be for naught if her lover was indeed still among the living. And so, Shizuru decided in those few fleeting seconds, she would fight until her body could no longer go on. She felt immediately desperate. What of her weapon? It had been melted, and was now useless. Natsuki’s guns were out of ammunition, and quite frankly, Shizuru did not know how to properly reload or even fire them. With the roar of Kagutsuchi telling her that time was running out, she realized she only really had one option left. She held both hands in front of her, picturing the image in her head of how it was supposed to be. She closed her eyes as she devoted all her mental processes to picturing what used to come so naturally. A distinct and separate heat began to flow through her body. Her eyes snapped open again, and the air in front of her crackled. For a half second, she saw red. The air sparked again. She could feel cold steel on her palms. A flicker of red, like attempting to watch a television channel that was blocked out. The Emulator practically groaned as it threatened to overload from the burden it now carried. Then, perfection. The shock in Ruby's eyes was almost enough to satisfy her. Shizuru twisted her blood red Element behind her, falling into her traditional stance after summoning the weapon. It was familiar. It was comfortable. The bardiche Element had always been perfectly balanced and, unlike its real world counterpart, it was indestructible. With it came its chain function, and with that came a great deal of power for the wielder. At long last, Shizuru could fight at her full strength again. A thousand HiME rules were flying through her head, attempting to apply it all to the Otome. Kill the Child, kill the Key. But would that even work in this particular scenario? Kill the HiME, kill the Child. Praying that her reasoning was sound, she fixed her gaze on Ruby, attempting to pay no mind to the roaring dragon above. He would go with her. "Fujino!" Ruby shrieked, mimicking the dragon well. Apparently, the summoning of her Element did little to please the Otome. "It’s too late for those tricks!" Before she could order Kagutsuchi to fire, Shizuru cut her off. "You’re as dull witted and barbaric as your teammates say you are." Ruby paused, only staring back in what looked like horror. She’d played a similar game with Nao once before, and Shizuru found herself tapping back into those darker and genuinely manipulative aspects of her personality. She needed her to come at Shizuru head on, and if taunting and insults was what could do that, then so be it. Ruby’s face was contorting into rage now, and was beginning to look an awful lot like Mai after Takumi’s passing during the Carnival. "Only a failed experiment – a test subject gone wrong. You are a cheap imitation of a HiME desperately trying to prove she is not the useless piece of meat that truly she is. It is atrocious and pathetic. I am sick to look at you. You’re only a mere shadow of what Mai was. You could not handle the power Searrs gave you," Shizuru said, her voice still cool and detached. She was glad Natsuki was unconscious, she hoped, for this was getting to close to memories she had long since banished. "Shut your fucking mouth, Interloper!" Referring to the Searrs codename for Shizuru; the one who had invaded the Carnival late in the game, only to make it worse. Shizuru, however, completed her task. Instead of calling on Kagutsuchi to fire, the Otome spun both of her arm rings and formed a massive wall of fire around herself, setting the area around her and Shizuru ablaze. Natsuki was out of harm’s way, for now. Shizuru calmly walked forward, the blood red bardiche resting gently in her hands. Flames danced around her legs and body, and the heat was nearly unbearable. Then, as Ruby lurched forward, attempting to ram her, Shizuru struck. Her bardiche’s chain function snapped out in an instant, wrapping around Ruby’s upper torso. Using the momentum, Shizuru hurled the handle of her weapon down. Ruby was snatched from the air and slammed down against the floor with the utmost power, Shizuru’s Element once again giving her the proper power. She heard a loud grunt of pain as the Otome impacted, but did not allow herself to feel victorious just yet. Ruby floated off the ground again, holding out both her hands as she gained altitude in the ruined room. She began to spray a jet of fire out at Shizuru, who, using her full range of HiME enhancements, flipped out of the way with ease. A second attempt followed, but Shizuru had no trouble dodging that as well. Ruby and Shizuru looked skyward, a restless Kagutsuchi taking matters into his own claws. He flapped his mighty wings and roared, charging a shot by taking in the air around him. Shizuru hair wafted up in his direction. "Kagutsuchi!" Ruby yelled. "Fire!" He groaned and arched his neck, preparing to open his mighty jaws and release the fire in his lungs. Shizuru attempted to find a place to avoid the blast, but was stunned at what happened then. Kagutsuchi aborted the attack and dove under several black projectiles. A giant and ominous looking bird Child slammed into him with a howl, tackling the more powerful dragon and buying Shizuru some time. The Children began to wrestle outside, bestial shouts and screams filling her ears. Shizuru knew that Child. Yatagarasu. Somewhere, off in the distance, the reserved and taciturn Shiho was paying her dues to the team. A haunting flute melody was echoing through the air, no doubt commanding the dark Child above. With that distraction, both Ruby and Shizuru fell back to their battle. Ruby attempted to take flight again, but Shizuru would have none of it. She threw her body forward, hurling the chain of her bardiche out, wrapping it around Ruby's torso. Once again, the HiME tossed the Otome like a rag doll, sending her crashing into a wall, this time hearing a distinct crack of bone and tissue. Ruby hissed in pain, standing back up with a ferocious and almost feral look on her face. As Yatagarasu slammed into Kagutsuchi above, Ruby shot forward towards Shizuru. The Kyoto woman leapt out of her assault and countered by sprinting after, slashing out with her weapon in rapid succession. Ruby ducked and hovered out of the way, slowed a bit by her injury. The Otome countered by attempted a fiery punch with her good arm, but Shizuru blocked it with the flat edge of her bardiche, Ruby's knuckles slamming into metal. A muttered strained curse word naturally followed. Ruby flew back quite a ways. The look on her face would have possibly frightened Shizuru if the Kyoto woman had not felt like she had nothing left to lose. Ruby held an arm up and sent a stream of fire towards her, to which Shizuru found herself easily avoiding She leapt over the flames, pole-arm pointed blade down, her HiME enhanced muscles giving her additional power. Ruby was so obsessed with redirecting the blaze that she did not even move. Shizuru felt herself fall through fire, entering hell. And then, upon exiting, she found herself victorious. A blood red bardiche was pierced through the heart of the Otome, and Ruby’s flames, both in the air and on Shizuru’s clothing, vanished entirely. Shizuru pushed forward even more, until the blade of her weapon slid all the way through, forming a large pool of blood on the ground, until the woman was impaled on the shaft. Gripping the latter end of the weapon, Shizuru finished it. She ripped the pole-arm free, blood now left to pour openly from the gaping hole in Ruby’s chest. Kagutsuchi roared overhead, as if in pain, and succumbed to the green sparks that began to overtake him. Disgusting gurgles rumbled from within the Otome’s neck, and spurts of blood dripped from her mouth every time she attempted to speak. In a moment, she fell to the floor, landing with an unceremonious thud. Her heart, torn asunder by the blade of Shizuru’s Element, dripped its liquids on the metal below, her flesh going pale within moments as she was drained of her life force. Shizuru did not say anything. She was staring at the back of Ruby’s head, jerking back and forth for a few moments as involuntary tremors shook the girl until her unfortunate demise. The Kyoto woman turned back around, facing the Emulator in room now free of flame and torment. Shizuru closed her eyes, wondering if just maybe… "Kiyohime." A longing call. The Emulator strained to support all of the users now tapping into the system. An amethyst flash shot through the room, a demonic looking hydra breaking through the floor, coming to rest next to her mistress. When the dust settled, the giant serpent lowered one of its heads to come to rest next to Shizuru. The HiME placed a hand on it, smiling to herself. "Ara, I never did get to say goodbye to you, my Kiyohime," Shizuru said, somewhat forlornly. She had bonded quite a bit with her Child. Perhaps more so than any of the other HiME. "I have a chance to this time." It was bittersweet, seeing the Child there after all that time. Shizuru needed Kiyohime's strength to destroy the Emulator. But that would, in turn, banish Kiyohime once again. Shizuru fingers trailed down the nearest of Kiyohime's heads, until her hand came to rest on the tip of the nose. Shizuru bent down and kissed the robotic serpent lightly. Tears threatened to break through her usually cool eyes, the stress of Natsuki's condition already straining her nerves. Then again, if she could manage to materialize... "You will be sent away again after you destroy that machine," Shizuru said. Much of her emotion found its escape route in her farewell to her Child. A solitary tear fell from an eye. "Thank you for protecting me, Kiyohime. I have yet to, and will never, forget you." The noise that followed was almost like a clicking purr as the serpent brought its head back up, turning its body towards the Emulator. The Child had no trouble finding the conviction to attack. Despite feeling like the Obsidian Lord, it clearly was a cheap imitation. Kiyohime slithered toward it while Shizuru remained stationary, watching every move before she started to slowly walk back towards her lover's body. She dropped her Element, gathered Natsuki in her arms, and left the building. Behind her, Kiyohime's various heads lashed out at the machine, fangs and teeth crushing it entirely. Yukariko was liberated from her prison, allowed to pass on at last. Shizuru kept her gaze on the horizon as she walked, holding back further tears as Kiyohime's roars finally went silent. - - - At once, the remaining four Columns lost power and their robes with it. Topaz fell to her knees, strength gone, unable to fight back against her opponents. Akira and Mikoto merely stood over her, knowing the fight was over. Lapis surrendered to a smirking Nao, whose mercy seemed to recover with the Otome's powerless form present. And in the bowels of the bunker complex, Onyx fell to the ground in a similar fashion as Topaz, her gunshot injury sending pain through her body as the robe failed to give her the proper resistance. Midori stepped over her, not content with killing her in that pitiful position, and sprinted after Dr. Smith. She went through the door he left from, and ran at top speed through the following halls, turning down into a foyer that opened up into a hall. There, a gunshot ricocheted off of the wall, Midori ducking instinctively. Smith, holding a Makarov pistol, fired again, and Midori ducked and rolled out of harm's way. She found herself behind a desk, the doctor somewhere on the opposite end of the room, waiting for her. Oh, guns. Great! Like father, like daughter, apparently. "The descendants of the original HiME all have the memories of the past ingrained into their bodies. We may not recognize it, but we all yearn for that original Golden Millennium – a world ruled by the queens of old. A treasure trove of artifacts recovered from the Levant tell a tale of warrior queens ruling powerful civilization before they were doomed by fate. That was what we wanted – that Golden Millennium, without the Obsidian Lord's reign to crumble it all." Smith never wavered in his stance, refusing to put his gun down for an instant. Midori huffed. She had been to the Levant three times on her archaeological expeditions! Were these artifacts buried under that one rock she hadn't looked under? Damn it all! "Are you a coward, Sugiura? If you don't move, you will die," Smith said, and fired. A bullet hit the wall and bounced back into the desk Midori was hiding behind. Gah! Close! The redheaded woman leapt up and flung her axe towards the man. He dove out of the way, and Midori drew her spare blade from her back, charging in while he was recovering. With a battle cry, she leapt forwards, shooting to the side as he fired again. The bullet narrowly missed, hitting the floor. But no mere mortal could stop a full powered HiME. Midori slashed once, but he dodged. "The true nature of the Ikusahime is to save the world. Not rule it." Midori stepped forward and cut down, tearing off Smith's firing arm. He yelled at the top of his lungs over the pain, but was soon silenced. Midori pivoted briskly, her blade arching out in a precise horizontal slash. A decapitated head fell to the ground, its body falling in the opposite direction. Midori slowly lowered her blade, her visage grim. "You're welcome, Natsuki." - - - The Otome had rallied to Onyx in confusion. Onyx, in turn, was cornered by several of the victorious HiME, each feeling like an animal about to be pounced on by some great hunter or predator. Akira, Mikoto, Midori, Haruka – they were all there, sans for Shizuru and Natsuki. There was only one who seemed willing to speak, and she stepped forward, closing the distance until she was right in Onyx's face. Tokiha Mai, her face grim and her disposition bitter, spoke in a commanding voice. Her words were English, the Otome's native tongue. "You will learn to live like we have for the past five years. I want you to disappear. Go back to the west and live knowing that the hunted have become the hunters. I don't want to see your faces again. The three living Otome, some upset with the statements, did not respond. Onyx, as they knew her, gently nodded her head with a set jaw. They truly had no choice. They were nothing against the HiME without their augmentations. Onyx slowly moved back, and Topaz and Lapis followed. They disappeared out of the nearest door. They were never seen by the HiME again. - - - Six months after the assault against the Searrs facility, life had returned to how it had been during their innocent and carefree days. They began to feel comfortable on the street, and although they probably would never learn to stop checking behind them for their lifelong enemies, they could once again live in peace. Mai wept with joy as she saw her younger brother, now a mature young man, marry his childhood love and loyal guardian. Akira, with some great hesitance, even wore a proper wedding dress. She looked quite beautiful, to which all guests of the wedding agreed on. Akira blushed a deeper shade of red than even Natsuki's usual color that day. Shiho stood quietly next to Mai and Tate as they spoke with various extended family members who attended the ceremony. She was obviously out of place and silent amongst Mai's kin, but her presence there was something that Mai, and especially Tate, was overjoyed with. When the young newlyweds ventured far from Japan to enjoy some solitude and a well deserved honeymoon, Shiho even dared to visit Tate for the first time in several years. She sat in their living area, resting on her ankles, staring at the case laid out before her. Mai offered her a small smile as Shiho reached out to examine it, and her eyes widened after seeing an ornately carved flute resting inside. The younger girl darted her eyes back up to the elder. "Tate told me that, you played the flute excellently, but gave it up some time ago," Mai said. "Would you play for me?" On the first step towards the recovery of Shiho's relationship with the family, she gently picked up the gift, pressed it to her lips, and began to play a beautiful melody that had been taught to her by her deceased grandmother. Mai sat back, closed her eyes, and smiled. - - - Nao was trapped in class. She was in a building at Kyoto University, once again attending courses towards her medical degree. She was in a mandatory general education class, her jaw resting heavily against her hand as she glared up at the teacher in charge of her history course. Oh, she'd gotten back into Kyoto U all right. Midori had indeed helped her out, letting Nao crash at her place until the dorms reopened. There was just one little price to pay. A certain museum had let a certain employee go due to a certain theft of a certain ancient wakizashi that had been lifted for a certain para-military operations against a certain foundation. "Yuuki! Pay attention!" A whip crashed against her table and Nao jumped upright, eyes wide. Midori gave her a toothy and aggressive grin. "I will not tolerate this kind of daydreamy behavior in my classroom!" "Bite me," Nao grumbled. One quickly learned, and Nao should have known full well, to never, ever say such a thing around Midori. She set down her book, walked over towards a fearful Nao, and then horrified everyone in the class by actually attempting to bite the brawler's neck. Nao yelped and backed away. Falling out of her chair and waving her arms in an attempt to bat the other woman away, Nao hollered, "Get away from me, you miserable old pedophile! No, stop that!" "What kind of talk is that? We were living together for several weeks!" Midori shouted back, causing Nao to groan in embarrassment as the other students either gasped, cheered or laughed. "Why don't you ever let me into your dorm or your heart, Nao-chan? Why?!" "Midori!" Nao hissed. "Did I just mean nothing to you? I was only a booty call?" Midori continued on, and was promptly tackled by the younger woman, who got her into a headlock and slammed a hand over her mouth. It probably wasn't a good omen for your teacher and your classmate to get into a fistfight on the first day of class. Then again, none of the men were really ready to complain. Point in fact, Midori mysteriously became the students' favorite instructor after that little incidents. Nao's protests to the administration went unheard, unfortunately. The two had lovely quality time their classes together. So touching. - - - Haruka, Akane and Yukino stood over a grave in a secluded and beautiful cemetery. The hacker held a young girl by the hand. She and the police officers had used her computer to trace Searrs files and had come up with the name in a database of orphanages. She was a sandy haired little thing, shy and emotional, though at that moment she was only displaying wonderment and curiosity rather than sorrow. The same could not be said for a nearly weeping Akane. Yukino knelt down to the girl's height, and pointed to the gravestone, an arm wrapped around the child protectively. "Mariko, I want to introduce you to your mother. This is Sanada Yukariko. She was a very good friend of ours." The child bit her lip, still slightly uncomfortable around the HiME who were still very much strangers to her. She'd never met her mother. Her only memory was of the orphanage and the other children around her. They had told her that her mother had died right after she was born. Yukino continued on, seeing her unease. "Even though she's not with us, she can still hear everything you say to her. She's watching over you, protecting you. If you ever want to talk to your mother, all you have to do is speak from your heart. That's something she once told us," Yukino explained. Akane knelt down and placed a single rose on the grave, and Mariko watched her every move. The somewhat distraught officer smile and said, "Your mother was really quite amazing. She always managed to cheer me up when I was feeling down, you know. She had that kind of personality." Mari' found herself walking from Yukino to Akane, standing behind her after being overcome with shyness. The HiME knew the little girl deserved to be within their group. As the most stable married couple, it was Akane and Kazuya who were pushing for adoption. They had been fostering her for the last few weeks. And, in an attempt to win over her new mother figure, Mariko gave Akane a little hug. Akane half laughed and half sobbed, embracing the child. So very much like her mother. "What a sweet girl. Yukariko, I'm sure, certainly approves." Mariko smiled, just a little. - - - Shizuru stood in the clearing in the forest where her home stood, staring up at the trees and the wildlife around her. She had bought the house inside the city that both she and Natsuki had agreed upon, and although the woman still held reservations about leaving her secluded residence for the city life, she felt that it was the proper thing to do. The burgundy colored kimono wrapped around her body gently flowed back and forth as a light wind bit at it. She would miss her home. That much was certain. After everything that had happened to her in the past, the solitude had protected her from the outside world. But she could not hide away forever. With her enemies gone, and with her sins behind her, she could face civilization once again. It was a fresh start. Her gaze lingered on everything. The leaves. The flowers. The birds. She found herself sighing. She had never enjoyed change much. She would be nestled between her aunt Tanya as well as Alyssa and Miyu. The family presence would be enough to satisfy her, she thought. Shizuru had become quite fond of the young blonde girl, perhaps because she saw quite a bit of Natsuki in her. The same desire to meddle with machinery. The same determination. The same stubbornness. The same innocence, underneath it all. A door behind her slid open, revealing a figure covered only by a bed sheet. "It's still early. Come back to bed." Shizuru turned back. "Ara, can't you sleep without me?" "Shut up and get back here." A huff followed, and the other woman turned back into the house, not giving Shizuru a choice in the matter. That roughly translated as 'no, I cannot.' Shizuru smirked and began to walk back towards her house. It was entirely empty save for their bed and a few boxes of clothing they would be taking over later that afternoon. Tanya, Miyu and Alyssa would be over later to help them move in after throwing them a bit of a celebratory party. Until then, they had time to say farewell to their previous days spent in hiding. The Kyoto born woman softly stepped through the empty house until she reached the bedroom, where the younger woman had already retreated into the bed. She hesitated for just a brief moment before she closed the distance, picked up the side of the blankets, and slid back into bed. She coiled an arm around her companion and curled up against her. Perfection. A snore escaped Natsuki's mouth. Shizuru rolled her eyes. Somewhat noisy perfection. - - - Six individuals in business suits sat at a table in the middle of a facility situated in the southern regions of the Ardennes Forest. The new executive officer and representatives from the other subsidiaries spread over the globe were in the middle of a conference over what to do about the recent situation in Japan. Most organizations would have thought such a loss would have been the end of the world, especially after a far more destructive failure five years prior. Searrs was different. "Losing Smith was unfortunate, but I trust you can handle the project in a more suitable fashion, yes?" The executive asked. A young man, who had long been Smith's rival within the Foundation, smiled to himself. He'd waiting for the chance to take over all of the old man's projects since he had been hired. The fool had been brilliant, but had lost a great deal of his wits over time. He'd been falling deep into that mad scientist category. It was dangerous. A liability. Perhaps it was the reason for his repeated failures when it came to his creations. "Of course, sir. We lost quite a bit of our materials and our data thanks to the HiMEs' little rebellion, but it isn't anything we can't recover later." He flicked his fingers, and a small red disc appeared in his grip. "I think it was wise that I copied most of the Otome test data from his files before he completely lost it. With it, we can restart the project." "I want you to go through another research period," the CEO warned. "Things were a bit shaky. Concentrate on getting the Emulator perfected. Make it capable of hosting a great deal of users without interruption." "That will not be a problem." "I hear that you had a several ideas for the Otome project yourself. Would you care to share them?" "Like the Carnival, a great deal of information was gathered from this hunt through Kyoto," he began. "The possibilities are endless. The Emulator has a limited range. Perhaps we can build an orbital device capable of producing waves all over the globe at once. In addition, the Yatagarasu user demonstrated a new potential weapon. She controlled her Child through music, and wreaked havoc. Perhaps we can build something similar." The CEO shrugged. "You have permission to begin research. Contact me later with all the necessary details for starting a new project." The man nodded. "Yes, sir. As you wish." He pocketed the disc containing the Otome and Emulator test data. The future was indeed limitless in its possibilities. Exiting the room, he smiled to himself. It would take time. But patience was something Searrs had in excess. On the horizon, he could see a golden sunrise. - - - The Author, Signing Off I want to thank every one of you for reviewing or even reading. I hope you enjoyed it. I'm quite shocked an action fic even managed to be semi-popular amongst all of the romantic fics. I'm not that emotional a person, so guts is always easier to write than love and mushy stuff. I had a lot of fun doing this thin, and look, I even gave you some Kiyohime there at the end! See, good author. Good. She should get cookies. There was quite a few scenes that got dropped, actually. Some Alyssa/Natsuki interaction and some additional Midori/Nao mad rants. The chapters just ended up getting longer and longer, and I had to make some sacrifices in order to squeeze it all into ten chapters. And you know? I was actually going to kill Shizuru and Natsuki off there at the end, but I thought, nah, let's break the 'lesbians always die before the credits' routine.
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