"RHAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!"
Garuda bellowed an enormous roar, like a panther screaming as it strikes
its first kill. The people around its feet ran like madmen, some
stumbling over themselves to get away, other dropping all their shopping
bags and running into the nearest shop to get themselves to safety. Cars
slid to a stop, their tyres screeching along the ground, tapping the
breaks desperately before they crashed against one of Garuda's four
mighty and trampling legs.
Suddenly it began its thrashing rampage once more, and thrust its fist
into one of the many buildings of that Shinjuku street. Its fist smashed
through the wall, glass, brick and metal all imploding upon the simple
touch of his might hand. Businessmen screamed in terror and fright as
they saw the gigantic fist ripping apart the room, leaving behind a
trail of destruction in its path. Garuda pulled its fist out of that
building, and then smashed its fists at it again. This time, some were
unfortunate enough to be caught up in all of the mayhem. One of the men
felt his spine crack as Garuda's fist rammed into it, along with the
fragile wood of his desk. Garuda grabbed the man by the legs and dragged
him out into the open street. With one swing, it hurled the poor man
into the air, and over the horizon of the surrounding buildings. Though
none of the people surrounding Garuda could see it, the man's head
cracked open in a spurt of blood and brain matter as the poor
businessman tumbled into the pavement, head first.
"RRAAAAAAAAGGHHHHHH!!"
Garuda cried out again, and continued to attack its chosen building,
pummelling it with both fists. Soon people started to leak out of the
bottom door like ants, pouring into the streets and running for their
lives. Garuda showed no mercy, and lifted one of his four horseshoe
feet. He then stamped on those who were unfortunate enough to be below
it at that time, crushing their bodies. People in nearby crowds cringed
as the sound of crushed bone and muscle entered their ears, and
horrified woman looked away lest they fall prey to regurgitation.
Whist stamping on the innocent escapees, Garuda returned its attention
to the building it had been attacking. It continued to smash the
business place with blow after blow, until the foundations began to
crumble. The people nearby all looked on with horror as the ground began
to shake and the building Garuda had attacked started shaking. The tall
establishment, the once proud, seamless building began to crumble by the
foundations. It loomed over road and crashed into the street, sending a
surge of rubble and debris into the air. Like a shower of meteorites
colliding with the earth, a shower of disjointed bricks and smashed up
rocks rained down on the streets, killing dozens of people who had not
the sense to try and escape. Men, women and children were impaled like
fish on a spear; people began to drop like flies as they were gunned
down in the onslaught of falling rubble.
All that was left of the building was the shattered pile of rumble it
had once been. But Garuda did not end its madness there. It turned to a
neighbouring building and began to work on that too, piling on punches
to break down the stone it had sprung up from. The people inside
screamed and fled with terror, and by now, the people who had just been
watching in their own buildings began to run from their desks and stands
in mass numbers. They took back exits, fire exits, and if there was no
other way, front entrances, and did their best to flee. Those who dared
to look back saw the second building come crashing down in furious
glory, much to the satisfaction and rage of the insatiable Garuda.
"RRAAAAAAAAAGGHHHHHHHHHH!" Garuda screamed at the sky, waving its
armoured arms and pounding its legs into the ground. Each time one of
its horseshoes stamped on the ground, a wave of a tremor followed, some
were so strong that the fleeing populace were knocked off their own
feet. It lowered its arm, and pushed it forward, then opened up its
hand. The huge blue orb in the centre of its palm began to glow with
strong sapphire light, gathering energy much faster than any of the
other Mobile Shells. A massive chain of energy blasts followed, tearing
through the microbes of the air and passing along the city streets. The
sound of laser fire filled the setting, along with screams of those
caught in it and the sounds of buildings being destroyed alongside them.
Energy ripped through the torsos of the escapees, and freshly destroyed
rubble from neighbouring buildings began to fall down along the edges of
the road, crashing against cars, open street stalls and the elderly,
those too feeble and weak to run any faster. The cries and yelling of
the people around was now being to die down, as they all fell to death
under the iron fist of the mighty God creature, Garuda. They all
collapsed and died under the combination of energy fire, falling shards
of building matter and their own clumsiness.
"RRAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"
Garuda finally lowered his hand, as the blue orb in it shot out no more
energy blasts. It withdrew the hand then smashed it against its own
chest, like a gorilla celebrating victory. After that celebration
however, its gargantuan form began to move forward, its horse legs
galloping down that particular street of Shinjuku, towards another one.
As soon as the sound of Garuda's feet became a feature of the
background, the few dozen survivors began to emerge from the darkness of
the destruction. And those who survived could only burst open in tears
over their miraculous luck. And at the sadness they felt from watching
the result of Garuda's rage.
The once busy street looked more like a bombsite. Two of the business
skyscrapers had been taken down like a tree to a lumberjack. The
carcasses of the dead were spread out over the streets and pavement like
decorations from a festival of the devil. Blood stained the road in
puddles, and the helpless wailing of the injured was the music of the
deadly wind. So much destruction, so much agony, and none of them even
knew what had hit them.
**********
Omega watched as Chimaera studied his movements. He circled the
possessed Mobile Shell, slowly and carefully, watching in his own way,
the actions of the Chimaera. They had both been damaged in the fight so
far. Omega's right arm had been damaged and as a result, his palm
blasters had not been working to the best of their ability. But in
compensation, Omega had destroyed the thrusters built into Chimaera's
legs. This meant that it could fly or use any hi-speed slashes.
Wasting no time, Omega began his charge, running toward the enemy, one
of the villains that had destroyed his soldiers like they were simple
obstacles to a greater cause. His spear was positioned downwards, but he
pulled it up as he ran forward, while Chimaera raised his quarterstaff
to defend itself with. Chimaera swiftly dodged to the side of Omega's
advance, and the man's spear rammed straight into one of the metal
swathed walls belonging to Hidden Vault. Chimaera lifted his
quarterstaff to strike Omega, but he quickly pulled the spear from the
wall and blocked the strike from landing. Chimaera tried to force Omega
into submission by pushing more pressure against his staff, but Omega
saw right through this.
Queen Sagi's knight lowered himself to the ground in a crouch position,
breaking the lock between their weapons, startling the Chimaera. Omega
then branched out his leg and swiped it around the metal ankles of his
enemy. Chimaera's stance gave way as its balance was robbed from it, and
it fell flat to the ground. The sound of the echoed deeply in the
chambers of Hidden Vault, and Omega leapt back from that position to
land somewhere else. Chimaera struggled to its feet, clasping the
quarterstaff it dropped from that sweep attack the Omega Mobile Shell
had launched on it.
Omega watched the thing get up and ready itself. He hated that machine
with a passion. Neganas had destroyed his soldiers, people he had
trained himself. Men and women he had fought side by side with, in the
fight for Queen Sagi's dreams and ambitions. And the Chimaera, possessed
by Neganas, had taken them away from him. It was going to repay his
grief to the creature, using the power of his own Mobile Shell.
Chimaera lowered his staff then lifted his palm, spreading his hand out.
Omega knew full well what that meant. The Asuka Group's second in
command turned around and ran as a chain of energy blasts were fired in
his direction. Chimaera shot and shot and shot, until his chain of fire
chased Omega all the way to the edge of the room. Omega watched as
Chimaera fell into his trap, allowing that laser fire to chase him
around. He ran behind one of the Land Golems that were positioned
against the wall, and waited in the cover. Chimaera stopped firing, and
Omega assumed correctly that this was because it couldn't tell where he
was. Each Mobile Shell was different from the others in certain ways,
though a personal attribute that no other had. The Omega Mobile Shell's
unique difference sensors had a very hard time tracking it. This made
the Omega the perfect tool for stealth missions. When Omega heard
footsteps, he realized that the Chimaera was slowly ambling toward him,
to check for his location. He grinned under his visor, and then grappled
the Land Golem he was hiding behind, trying hard as he could to move it.
In a short few seconds, the Land Golem had been dislodged from its
standing position and with one good hard kick; Omega knocked the large
war machine toward Chimaera.
The Chimaera dashed to one side as the Land Golem crashed into the
ground, creating a cloud of dust that blinded its sensors even further.
Omega pushed away from the wall and ran forward, seeing his opportunity.
He struck the Chimaera with his spear as he rushed past, striking it at
the waist of its black armour. The Chimaera lowered itself in reflex of
the damage, but was jerked forward again as Omega made his second spear
assault.
This one went straight through it. Literally.
The Chimaera was impaled on the long spear of the Omega. The armoured
man ripped his spear free, and jumped back to put more distance between
them, while Chimaera fell to the ground. Omega swung his spear in
confidence, but did not drop his guard. Had Omega been paying more
attention, he would have noticed that this time his spear's blade was
adorned with the redness of blood. He could damage the Chimaera as much
as he wanted to, but the only way Male-Neganas was going to die was by
firing a blast of energy so complete that it overwhelmed each and
everyone of its atoms. That was the one and only way to stop it.
Chimaera clawed its way up into a standing position, using its
quarterstaff for leverage. Slowly the beast rose, clinging to its
weapon, its eyes fixed on Omega. The Chimaera managed to balance itself,
then charged over at the seasoned Omega, unaware that the Asuka Group
commander had the advantage all along. Omega let the creature charge
him, and purely smiled as the Chimaera pulled up its quarterstaff to
strike him down.
Energy began gathering in Omega's left arm, the one that had not been
damaged in this current fight. It began to glow, a furious shine of
gold, and its energy grew even stronger as Chimaera approached in that
insensible fashion. Omega growled out loud, then pushed his arm toward
Chimaera as Chimaera swung its staff towards Omega. There was a searing
flash of light, one that illuminated the massive halls of Hidden Vault,
followed by the echoing resonance of metal slamming into stone. Once the
light died away, the previous sound was revealed to have come from the
Chimaera, as it slammed onto the ground once more. Omega lowered his
metal-covered hand and laughed.
"Back in the AGIST." He said. "You and your friend overpowered me. But
one-on-one, you are no match for someone who has mastered all aspects of
the Mobile Shell. Since they are almost identical aside from the some
slight differences, the advantage always goes to the better skilled
pilot. And unfortunately for you, the better skilled pilot is me."
Finally, Chimaera (or rather, Tetsuken) spoke. "Human... arrogant."
"What?" Omega said in shock. "You can speak?"
But, Chimaera wasted no time explaining that new ability. The downed
machine swung himself around and his breastplate broke open, brandishing
the white, energy-surging orb forged into the chest of the Chimaera
Mobile Shell. Omega was startled with shock, and instantly switched on
his thrusters to get away, but it was too little, too late. An enraged
blast of sheer white-hot power was emitted from Chimaera's chest. Omega
screamed in agony as he was caught in the edge of the fire, just
narrowly escaping its centre and death. The blast thundered around the
room, burning a hole straight through the eastern wall and into some of
the other rooms that lie asleep in Hidden Vault. Shigure tumbled to the
side to escape what was left of the Hyper Blast, the strongest attack a
Mobile Shell can fire. He rolled onto the ground and gasped, feeling a
blindingly hurtful pain at his side. When he looked at his arm to see
what the problem was, he realized that it wasn't there anymore.
Blood from the body inside, had been burned into the bone and tissue of
Omega/Shigure's arm, and so it did not leak. But the pain flowed just as
easily. Omega coughed and groaned, watching as the equally damaged
Chimaera began to advance with his quarterstaff.
Omega groaned once more, then picked himself up on weak legs. The Hyper
Blast had not damaged his spear arm, but it still wasn't working to full
efficiency. "Dammit..."
Omega couldn't delay any longer. If he didn't finish Chimaera then Tokyo
Blossom would have to deal with two of Neganas at once. He wasn't even
sure that she could handle one of them, let alone both. The Asuka Group
fighter launched his thrusters once more, and flew backwards, toward
some cover of the undamaged Land Golems, to the right. Chimaera watched
this all take place and followed, chasing after Omega as he flew behind
the war weapons.
Omega growled as he gathered energy in his own chest. It was time for
him to fire a Hyper Blast. He watched and summoned energy as he flew,
while the running Chimaera chased him behind the Land Golems. This
continued till the end of the room when Omega pulled out of that little
'alley' and flew back into the open. Chimaera followed him, but didn't
see what was coming next. Without the speed of its thrusters, the ones
Omega had damaged earlier, there was absolutely no possible way for
Chimaera to avoid the blast. Omega howled his momentum, as his chest orb
surged out an equally destructive wave of fire. The Chimaera screeched
and shrieked, dropping its quarterstaff, which soon began to burn away,
along with the rest of the Chimaera's body. The hard, almost unbreakable
Kowa-steel that made up the Mobile Shell began to erode like hardwood
under acid, and so to did the fragile collection of nano-machines that
made up Male-Neganas, Tetsuken's body.
Omega was hurled back by the force of the wave, and slid to the floor as
it finally died down. The light vanished without a trace, just like
Tetsuken and the Chimaera Mobile Shell did. Just to be sure, Omega's
sensors scanned the room for any sign of life. But true to the power of
the Hyper Blast, the creature was gone. Omega breathed a sigh of relief,
and then struggled to get on his feet. Even though his arm had been
burnt off, the only thing Omega was concerned about was the mission, and
the safety of Queen Sagi.
Soon as he was standing we enough, he began to walk forwards, through
the door that Tokyo Blossom and Black Orchid led to. That was the
corridor that led to Garuda's tomb. Omega slowly paced himself as he
strolled through it, using his spear as a pole to help him walk. But his
heart went down with despair when he finally made it to that room.
Tokyo Blossom was down, asleep or dead on the floor. Rocks were
everywhere, and a beam of sunlight was coming down on the spot when
Garuda should have been. Omega looked up, at that huge and absurdly wide
hole. Garuda had created and escaped through it, he was sure of it. And
considering that Hidden Vault was around forty metres below the surface
of Tokyo, that hole looked very easily made.
"So the legends of its power were true." Omega said with awe. He then
turned and looked at Tokyo B, whom had been laid out on the floor. "You
there, woman. Are you alive?"
It took a couple seconds but Omega finally got a reaction. Tokyo Blossom
just now managed to wake up, her head still a little shaky from that
blow she suffered from Garuda knocking down the overhanging rocks. She
stood up, dusting her armour, but recoiled with surprise when she saw
Omega and the state he was in.
"Omega?" She said. "What happened to you?"
The armoured man growled. "Nothing I cannot handle. What about Garuda?"
"I couldn't stop Tetsuko- I mean the Black Orchid. She possessed the
thing, and then it started knocking down rocks all over the place.
That's all I remember."
Omega looked up. "I see. Our mission has ended in failure. And if it has
escaped to the surface, the effects could be disastrous. The simple fact
that it escaped Hidden Vault so easily is proof of that much."
"So now what?" Tokyo Blossom asked.
Omega walked up to the large stone podium, the one that had been mashed
by the mighty Garuda's horseshoes. "Our mission is over. Therefore, I
must return to the AGIST. My duty is to protect Queen Sagi and I have
sworn to carry this out till my death. You may do as you please."
The thrusters at Omega's legs began to open up once more, and after
hovering a few brief moments, he launched himself through the hole
upwards that Garuda had created. Tokyo Blossom watched him go, trying
hard to take all of the current events in.
"Man." She started. "This whole situation is a mess. But I've made my
choice. I have to stop Tetsuko and the Garuda Mobile Shell before it
causes any damage. Time to see what the White Orchid can really do!"
Though she had no idea why, Tokyo Blossom suddenly felt like she
understood things (herself and her own power) a little better now. And
it wasn't some crazy feelings she had for having a clear objective for
once, this was really happening. The metal plates at Tokyo Blossom's
legs extended slightly, to reveal her own pair of unused thrusters.
Though Tokyo Blossom thought nothing of it, instead she flew up the
massive hole Garuda had created, in the same way that Omega had done.
Hopefully she could catch up with Garuda before it reached the AGIST,
Kagome and Ryoko.
**********
"It has begun. My prophecy has begun."
Queen Sagi lowered her eyes in regret. The computer system she was
linked to was also linked to a satellite orbiting the earth, one of the
two satellites overhanging Japan. One belonged to the Asuka Group (Kai),
the other belonged to the Japanese Government (NOA3). Through the highly
advanced camera and photographic systems of the Kai, she was able to see
the destruction that Garuda had wrought upon Shinjuku. Maybe Asuka was
right. Maybe destroying Neganas outright was a better option than
researching it. But, no matter what she thought or mused in her heart,
Queen Sagi knew that the time for regrets was over. All she had now was
the desire to prevent more damage from occurring in Tokyo. The Garuda's
energy supply was endless. It would just keep going and going and going
until there was nothing left for it to destroy. It was only through a
miracle that the Asuka Group/Izubata Company was able to stop it the
first time around, during its creation. Now, on this day, it would be so
much harder to defeat. Especially now that it was out in the open.
The queen of the Asuka Group exited her mediation and then looked
forward. She was so caught up by the failure of Shigure and Akari and
the release of Garuda to notice that Kagome was here. The young woman
had a stern, hard look on face, as if she had been made sure of
something for the first time in her life.
This startled Queen Sagi. "Kagome? Is something wrong?"
"You and I are connected." Kagome commented. "I saw everything you saw."
"Then you have seen the carnage that Garuda has already committed."
Kagome bobbed her head. "Yes I have. And I know that you think you could
have stopped it all. Why didn't you listen to Asuka when she told you to
destroy Neganas? She loved you, and I know you loved her!"
Queen Sagi lowered her eyes again. "Asuka and I disagreed over it all.
We both had our own ideas on what was best for the world. We did not
agree and it tore us apart. It made us enemies. You must understand why
I have committed these sins. I thought that it was best for the world.
My love of life was stronger than my love for Asuka."
"What gives you the right to decide what's best for the world?" Kagome
demanded to know. "Just because you've gained all this great power, you
act is if you've become a god!"
Sagi's eyes rose up again, to look Kagome in the eye. "I am not God. Nor
do I believe myself to be. But machines are like gods. They run our
society and we worship them for the power they give us. I am unique in
that I have the ability to communicate with machines. That in effect,
puts me in a better position than anyone else to decide what is right
and what is wrong. I know what future is best for humanity to take
because I am one with the entities that will determine it, machines."
"You're not the only one with that power." Kagome defended. "I have it
to, and I have never acted as though I'm better than anyone else! Stop
using your gifts as an excuse for your misjudgements!"
Sagi rolled her eyes. "What good will arguing do us now? I cannot change
anything that I have done. Everything is set in motion; everything is
just as I have prophesised. My beloved is dead and her daughter is out
there, about to fight Garuda in her place. I have not the power to alter
this."
Kagome felt her heart jumpstart with worries about Akari. "Akari is
going to challenge Garuda?"
"Yes." Sagi said. "I know that she stands no chance against it."
"What if you sent some of your troops to help her?" Kagome asked.
"Garuda cannot be beaten." She said simply. "It cannot be bested. Any of
my soldiers who were to attack it now would die in vain. I will not
allow my hands to be stained with anymore blood."
Kagome scowled at Sagi. "You're such a coward. If you won't help Akari,
I will!"
The young brunette turned and ran from the disbelieving Queen Sagi,
towards the door that led back downstairs. Queen Sagi extended her hand
in urgency. "Kagome! Stop!"
The girl stopped, but did not look back. "What is it?"
"What chance do you think you have against Garuda?" Her mother said
desperately. "You cannot speak with it, neither can I. The mind of that
beast is too furious and too full of rage. If you do challenge it,
you'll only get yourself killed in the process. Do you think that is
what Akari wants?"
Kagome actually looked back. "What do you know about Akari and me?"
"You said we are connected." Sagi said. "Like two sides of a coin, we
are coupled and we are similar, even though we may be very different
from each other in looks and personality. I know of your feelings toward
Akari, because I felt the same for her mother. You love her, don't you?"
"Y-Yes." Kagome said fragilely. "I do. But that doesn't mean you
understand us. What you felt for Asuka isn't necessarily the same as
what I feel for Akari."
Sagi nodded. "I know. But I understand love well enough to know that she
would not want to see you throw your life away like this. I do not want
to lose you either. You are my daughter."
With a look of contempt, Kagome turned her back to Queen Sagi. "I'm
sorry, but I don't consider you to be my mother."
"..." Though Sagi said nothing, that comment did have a hurtful sting.
"But," Kagome began. "I trust you enough to ask for your help. I can't
stand up against Garuda, even if Akari was there to protect me and you
know that. So give me the power I need to stand against it for as long
as I possibly can!"
"What do you mean?" Queen Sagi asked befuddled.
Kagome's determination was solid as iron as she said, "I want one of the
remaining Mobile Shells!"
**********
"Whoa! Is that the thing that attacked the business district? Holy cow!"
"Stop clowning around, Hirakawa and advance! All units, focus your
position on that creature!"
The sound of marching was thundering around the now deserted streets of
inner Shinjuku. This marching, those organized footsteps, belonged to
the great clunking legs of the Japanese Army's fully mobile Land Golem
Urban Division. Though the government had managed to keep most of this
damage under wraps, the media was bound to discover the truth behind the
current destruction at some point. Which was why they had to destroy the
Garuda, so that there was no evidence of its activities inside the city
of Tokyo. Which was where the Land Golem Urban Division came in.
The LGUD were a unit of especially trained pilots, who were taught how
to fight with Land Golems in urban areas such as cities and towns. This
was due to the need for better training in wartime, when occupation of
cities was a vast likelihood. The LGUD was numbered at ten, using the
most powerful Land Golems that the Asuka Group had manufactured and sold
to the Japanese defence economy. Now they were in the midst of action,
and though those men were fearful, they were especially excited for
their first ever mission. Being directly ordered by President Minakami
was considered to be a great honour.
The ten Land Golems marched through the abandoned streets. By now, most
people inside Shinjuku had been evacuated, and the surrounding area had
been put under martial law. They were organized very neatly, two rows of
five, and turned a corner around of the many empty streets, to see
Garuda, smashing another building right down at the edge of the road.
"Right!" The captain declared inside his suit. "We've got a job to do,
men! Attack and destroy! Leave not even one shred of its body to chance!
Obliterate it!
All the men agreed in unison. 'Yes sir!' they all cried.
The captain gritted. "Alright then! Golems 2 to 5! Fire first wave!"
The captain and the four other Golems at his side in the front line, all
raised the large cannon's in their hands. The all aimed at their target,
the destructive Golem, and positioned the crosshairs as far from the
surrounding buildings as possible. Seconds later, the front line of Land
Golems all fire their cannons, firing the destructive Valkyrie shells
that were usually used for Ground Crab cannons. Each of the shells was
right on target, and they all looked on with glee as each of the five
shells collided with Garuda and exploded with the contact. The explosion
was enormous, enveloping the monstrous Mobile Shell in blankets of
burning fire. When no activity came from the smoking flames, some of the
Golems lowered their guns, seeing that the Garuda was no more.
"RRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGH!"
Of course, Garuda's angry and thunderous roar seemed to indicate that
this belief was premature at best. The captain and his group all gasped
as they saw Garuda rise up from the flames of destruction, its
silhouette standing tall and strong.
"Damn that thing to hell!" The captain shouted angrily. "Golems 6-10!
Fire second wave!"
The front five Golems crouched down, their knees banging against the
city streets. The five Golems taking up the rear, readied their cannons
to fire, and aimed for the Garuda in the same way the front troops had
done. Each of them fired at the Garuda and the flames it was moving in,
this time one after the other. Each of the shells travelled over the
115-metre gap between the Land Golem Urban Division and the Garuda. They
all crashed against their target, exploding with each contact. Though
the powerful Valkyrie shells had strength enough to take down at least
three Land Golems in one shot, the ten Valkyrie shells that had been
fired on Garuda were worthless. The creature continued to thrash its
arms about and stamp the ground, tremors beneath the feet of the Golems
getting stronger. All of the Land Golem pilots now understood the
situation a little better.
"Captain! Its not working! What should we do?"
The captain clenched his fist inside the Land Golem. "Goddamn that
monster! Alright then, we'll have to finish this ourselves! Golems 2 to
6 charge!"
The four Golems aside from the captain all lowered their guns and began
running forward, towards the distant Garuda. The final one, no. 6,
followed the command of the captain, while the other five Golems stayed
put. The Golems ran down the path of that street, though their movements
were slow, they covered a fair amount of ground with their large sizes.
But all the same, they were still relatively small in comparison to the
sheer size and weight of the godly Garuda.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
Garuda stood up on its hind legs, kicking its front ones like a wild
Arabian horse. In then returned to all fours and galloped forward, the
clap of its hooves sounded like thunder booming in the sky. The Golems
and Garuda soon reached a close proximity with each other, but also
became obvious who the real force of dominance was around here. Garuda
swung its fist as low as it possibly could, and it crashed into the one
of the Golems. The suit exploded instantly, killing the man right at
that point. The Garuda galloped around and then back, even at his great
size, he was much more manoeuvrable than the more clunky Land Golems.
The others all readied their cannons and fired once more, but each shell
fired had no effect on the Garuda. As it came back to the line of
Golems, it smashed its horseshoe into one of them. This exploded too,
also killing the soldier inside. The two remaining Land Golems hadn't a
clue as how to attack, and so they simply submitted themselves to the
wrath of the Garuda. It grabbed one of them, grasping it in a powerful
grip, and then tossed it against one of the buildings in the street. The
explosion knocked the last Golem of the front line off its feet, and
Garuda wasted no time in squashing the war weapon with one clean blow
from its fist.
Back at the end of the large, empty street, the remaining Golem pilots
looked on in fear, as they watched this unknown entity slaughter their
friends and compatriots.
"We don't stand a chance against that devil!" The captain yelled.
"Remaining units! Retreat!"
Garuda's dark eyes watched the distant Golems ahead, as they tried to
turn themselves away from it. But there wasn't a chance that Garuda was
going to let them escape, not when it was in such a violent mood. The
Garuda's chest plate broke open, to reveal its orb, the one that
controlled the ruthless power of its Hyper Blast. The white orb began to
glow with that constantly shifting and volatile energy, and soon focused
itself in the form of a beam. A gigantic beam of energy, hotter and
faster than a flashing light, cut through the air and pieced something
we like to call the sound barrier. The five Golems at the end of the
street were a smoking pile of molten steel before they even had the
chance to move. Then, as its breastplate reformed itself, Garuda let out
another of those fearsome death cries,
"RAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"
Just before it galloped onwards find more to destroy. But before it
could get away completely...
"There you are, you little bastard."
A certain someone named Tokyo Blossom came to fight.
**********
Omega descended toward the roof of the AGIST. His speed was a lot lower
than it had been before. He now realized that the Chimaera had done more
damage to him than simply burning off his arm. But he could understand
why. The Mobile Shell and its wearer are linked fully until the wearer
dies. When the wearer is weak, the suit gets weak. Omega realized that
his wounds were a lot more serious than previously believed, and this
would probably be reflected in the performance of the Mobile Shell.
The warrior of the Asuka Group breathed a sigh of relief as his feet
slowly touched the stone roof of the AGIST. He was finally back here to
protect Queen Sagi. One of the surrounding soldiers recognized the
Mobile Shell as belonging to Shigure Kagami, his commander. The other
soldiers all gasped at the damaged inflicted on him.
"Commander Kagami!" The soldier cried. "Do you need medical assistance?"
Omega looked onwards. "Forget about me. I am still a soldier after all,
I am sworn to fight even if I am lacking an arm. How is Queen Sagi
doing? Is she safe?"
The soldier nodded. "She is fine, sir. We optimised security as soon as
we learned that the Garuda escaped from Hidden Vault. We even have some
marionettes standing by in case Garuda comes in this direction. They are
ready to be deployed at any moment."
"Good, I expect nothing less from you, men." Omega said. "I'm going to
see our queen and stay her by her side until this threat is over. If
Garuda comes anywhere near here, I want to be expressly informed, do you
understand?"
The soldier saluted his commander. "Yes sir!"
Omega nodded, and began to slowly walk towards the door leading down
into the AGIST. The soldiers respectfully lifted their guns and saluted,
but as they watched him enter the doorway, they could not help but stare
at the stump that had formally been Omega's left arm. Though it had been
burned sharply by the force of the Chimaera's Hyper Blast, it had
started bleeding. Omega walked down the steps inside, the door shutting
behind him. As soon as the rest of the soldiers were out of view, he
leaned against the wall in agony.
It was taking every bit of strength he had to simply walk. But, after
taking a few moments to compose himself, he began to slowly amble down
the steps again. He could not show any weakness in front of his
subordinates. That would lower their morale. He had to remain strong so
that his soldiers would remain strong for Queen Sagi. From the way he
was feeling, it didn't seem that Omega was going to be able to defend
his queen to the best of his ability.
Omega eventually reached the base of Floor 30, and walked through the
doors leading into Queen Sagi's sealed chambers. He knew the code to
unlocking the vastly large titanium door that protected Queen Sagi by
heart, so tapped the keys in the according order.
The computer acknowledged this code. "ACCESS APPROVED."
Omega walked through the doors that swiftly closed behind him, and then
he went through the last door leading to Sagi's room, which was guarded
by at least eight soldiers. They all saluted him, and he responded with
a nod and a grunt. Omega passed through the last door, then smiled with
relief to see his queen alive and well. But Queen Sagi was more than
shocked to see the state that her brave knight was in.
"Queen Sagi." Omega said respectfully, lowering himself to one knee. "I
have returned."
Queen Sagi was in shock. "Shigure! What has happened to you?"
Omega ignored the blood dripping from his armour. "This is nothing more
than a minor scratch, my queen. I can always get a cybernetic
replacement for my arm at a later date. But right now, I have more
important things to worry about. I am sorry to say that I have failed
you. Even though I destroyed one of the vile beasts, I could not stop
Neganas from taking over the Garuda Mobile Shell. I have failed you and
my mission."
"Shigure." The queen said. "You may have failed your mission but you
have not failed me. I am very proud of you, my valiant defender. You
faced insurmountable odds and managed to survive them, to serve out your
duty and protect me."
"Thank you, my queen." Omega said in earnest. "I request permission to
stay by your side and protect you until the threat from Garuda is dealt
with."
Queen Sagi nodded. "Permission granted. You may do as you desire."
"By the way," The protector began. "What of Kagome? Is she safe?"
Sagi made no reply.
"Queen Sagi?"
She then shook her head. "No. I'm fine. Kagome has... gone to pursue her
own desires."
**********
"So, you're the Garuda, huh? I can't say I'm impressed. You've taken out
some Land Golems, that 's true, but do you really think you can take me?
An ugly sucker like you wouldn't stand a chance."
Tokyo Blossom watched from her position on one of the
business-building's roof, the Garuda Mobile Shell. Its head looked back,
then it soon swerved the rest of its body around, trotting towards the
woman slowly and surely. Tokyo Blossom could tell that the Garuda
remembered her from Hidden Vault. If Tetsuko was not in control, then
there was little chance she could reason with the Garuda, but she
anticipated that from the start. Things always came to this when Tokyo
Blossom was involved.
"RRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHH!"
Tokyo B did not flinch, even though the force of Garuda's roar was like
a strong wind. As it screamed those screams, the windows of the building
below Tokyo Blossom's feet just burst open and shattered into millions
of tiny pieces, ones that rained down on the ground below like blades of
water.
Tokyo B just grinned. "Expect me to run, eh? Sorry, I don't think so."
Garuda growled like and animal, roared loudly once more, then thrust its
fist towards the confident Tokyo Blossom. The woman leapt from the
rooftop and flipped away, Garuda's fist crashing against the stone
bricks and metal pipe work of drab building, completely evacuated. Tokyo
B landed away from Garuda, on the city street below, watching the
monster try to pull its hand out of the ruined office block. She was
happy that the people had been evacuated; it meant that she could fight
Garuda without having to worry about any body getting hurt.
Garuda finally pulled its hand out of the building, and its eyes began
to stalk the streets for Tokyo Blossom, its new prey, and its long mop
of beige hair began swaying from one side to the other. It then looked
forward, and saw Tokyo B waiting for it to attack. The beast pounded its
chest with intent, and then went on the offensive. It launched its
mighty fist forward, toward Tokyo Blossom's small smaller form, and she
turned on those powerful thrusters at her legs, flying out of the way.
Garuda sneered at its missed opportunity to land a blow, then swiped at
Tokyo Blossom again with his other fist, Tokyo Blossom dodged and darted
all those strikes like it was child's play, then flew forward, towards
the towering Garuda. She took a sharp dive when she got close enough,
flying under the Garuda's house-like body, between its powerful silver
legs. While she flew under them, Tokyo Blossom altered her position of
flight so that she had her back to the ground. She brought up both of
her hands, spreading her palms out and began firing, using every shot
her aim could muster. Tokyo Blossom continued to fire at Garuda's
underside, until she passed from under it. She flew up to about the
height of Garuda's horseback, and then started firing again. Those each
chain of shots was strong and well aimed; they did absolutely nothing to
damage the polished silver hide of the Garuda Mobile Shell.
Tokyo B ended her double-handed palm blasts when she realized this.
"Huh? All that firepower and not even a scratch? Damn. When Sagi and
Omega kept talking about powerful this Garuda was, they weren't
kidding."
Garuda swerved around again and charged Tokyo B, galloping like a
racehorse. The girl set her thrusters to their maximum and zoomed
upwards. It was enough force to avoid the ramming charge that Garuda
unleashed. Tokyo Blossom breathed a sigh of relief as Garuda passed
under her, and then looked downwards at the creature.
Its head was lodged into the building closest to Tokyo Blossom, rubble
falling from the point of impact and demolishing the road beneath it.
Tokyo Blossom couldn't believe how insane and reckless this thing was.
Considering how small Tokyo B was compared to the Garuda, why would hurl
itself into a suicide strike like that when facing such a target? Still,
this didn't seem to be a problem for the Garuda. It pressed both of its
palms against the wall, then pushed, freeing its head from its position
inside that building.
Once it was free, Garuda started stamping its feet into the ground,
again and again and again, until the windows of each building began
shatter one after the other. Tokyo B could feel her White Orchid Mobile
Shell trembling with each strike to the ground that the Garuda made.
"RRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!"
Garuda lifted its right hand, crying out while doing so, and then spread
out its palm. Tokyo B gasped as she saw the huge sapphire orb inside
Garuda's silver palm. It began glowing very brightly, and it was obvious
what Garuda intended to do. Those leg thrusters made themselves useful
again, and jetted down the path of the street, towards the remains of
the first line of Land Golems that Garuda had destroyed. She zoomed past
them, believing that she had put enough distance between herself and
Garuda, but it was all a delusion. A new wave of intense blue energy was
shot from its considerably large hand, chasing her with all it had. A
line of orderly but destructive compact explosions came as Garuda chased
Tokyo Blossom with its palm blasters, the woman dodging each shot at
hi-speed. As soon as she came to the end of the road, Tokyo Blossom had
to veer upwards like crazy to avoid crashing into the face of another
tall office building.
The chain of fire followed Tokyo B like a magnet, getting closer until
the actual blasts were in danger of hitting her. Tokyo B continued to
fly and fly, then hurled herself through the office window, rolling and
crashing through into the blue carpet. Tokyo Blossom heard Garuda scream
out once more, from the outside, and things went quiet. Then she felt a
tremor rumble the building. At first she thought that it might be more
laser fire, but in truth it was the Garuda's shoulder, crashing into the
face of the building. It was obviously hoping to lure her out so it
could destroy her.
For the time being, she was felt she was safe, so Tokyo Blossom lifted
up her gauntlet and checked a few things out. The screen of her gauntlet
computer indicated that everything was working fine, and the digital
readout over her visor showed that her energy was still pretty full, at
about 87% of its full capacity. No matter what though, she couldn't let
Garuda chase her around with those palm blasters. Though the extent was
minimal, flying took up energy just like palm blasters and Hyper Blasts.
She only had enough power for four Hyper Blasts, which meant that she
couldn't waste any of them.
Another of Garuda's ramming charges made the building tremble, but Tokyo
Blossom took more notice as she saw pieces of the ceiling start to fall
from the beams above.
"This building will collapse if it doesn't stop." Tokyo B said. "I
better get out of here."
The armoured girl ran across the abandoned office, past all the desks
and computers, and then knocked down one of the doors leading out of the
room. This led to a fire escape on the outside. Tokyo B jumped over the
edge, ignoring the current rumblings of the surrounding buildings. The
woman landed to the ground of a dirty little alleyway, but Tokyo Blossom
kept moving, out into the pavement and the open road. She then looked up
and saw that mammoth beast Garuda, about to ram its shoulder into the
office block again.
"Hey, you big freak!" She yelled. "I'm down here!"
Garuda turned and looked down, seeing Tokyo Blossom before it. Tokyo B
watched it as it started bellowing again, then reached to the back of
her suit, to draw her blade. She withdrew her sword, the clean edge
shining with its sharpness, gleaming with the light it reflected from
the sun high above. Grabbling its hilt with two hands, Tokyo B's feet
began to slowly rise from the floor, then the trusty thrusters shot her
forward. Garuda opened its hand and began firing again, but Tokyo B flew
past each of the numerous shots and head for its legs again. As she got
close to the front left leg, Tokyo Blossom prepared to strike, she
yelled,
"Prepare to be crippled, Garuda! Yaaah!"
The White Orchid's sword slashed against the sliver leg of the Garuda,
but instead of cutting through it, the sword rebounded, the blade
trembling with the force of the blow. Tokyo B didn't stop to contemplate
failure, she flew away from its legs, in case Garuda tried to crush her
under its feet, which is exactly what it tried to do.
As soon she got some distance she managed to think about that. "The
sword... couldn't even dent the leg. No wonder the Asuka Group wanted to
seal this thing away. It can hardly be damaged. What the heck is that
thing made out of? It's way too tough to be just Kowa-steel."
Now Tokyo Blossom was actually worried. The last weapon she had left was
the Hyper Blast. But she could not afford to waste those, considering
how much power they absorbed. Even at *full* power she could only fire
six of them.
"Damn." The woman said, staring up at the beast. "I gotta come up with a
strategy to take you down, or else I'm cooked."
Tokyo B flew up again and charged Garuda from the side. By now, Garuda
had studied Tokyo Blossom's attack and flight patterns. It moved its
body around as best as it could in that cramped space, then attacked
Tokyo Blossom. It was too late for the girl to dodge at the speed she
was using, and so she was helpless to defend herself.
"Aaarrh!" Tokyo B cried out as Garuda's fist knocked her sailing, with
the force of dynamite. She was flung back like a gunshot, and was
knocked back down the road she had previously been in. Tokyo B managed
to gain back some of her previous focus, and somersaulted back around to
keep from being knocked back any further. As soon as she stopped moving,
she held a hand to the jaw of her visor.
"Damn!" She cursed again. "The Garuda strikes like lightning!"
Garuda watched Tokyo B from that distance and open its palm. It started
shooting as it previously did, at the building that she was hovering in
front of this. Tokyo Blossom was so shocked by the force of Garuda's
punch that she didn't notice this until it was too late. The laser fire
did not hit her, but the building she was next to, and the rubble from
the explosion came tumbling down. Tokyo B gasped as the rubble came down
on her like a falling sandcastle, and she found herself buried under the
piles of destroyed and burnt brick.
"RHAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!"
The Garuda Mobile Shell bellowed that bloodthirsty cry once more, and
then began galloping toward the downed Tokyo Blossom to finish her off.
But its path forward was blocked by something else.
"Leave her alone!"
A figure appeared, between the pile of rubble that Tokyo B was buried
under and Garuda. That person was wearing a Mobile Shell, in the colour
of neutral purple, and Garuda's databanks identified the MS as the
Silhouette model. The breastplate of Silhouette broke open, revealing
the pearly orb that lay underneath it. A colossal wave of energy was
blasted from that orb, heading right for Garuda. Powerful though it was,
Garuda could not completely defend against a full throttle Hyper Blast,
and howled as it was hit by the searing hot energy. It stamped and
thrashed its feet to stay in place, but recoiled and galloped away when
it realized that it couldn't stand up against the force for much longer.
The Hyper Blast faded, and Silhouette landed to the ground, just before
the pile of debris that Tokyo Blossom was trapped under.
"Akari!" The pilot yelled. "Are you okay?"
Silhouette begun clawing and gnashing away at the pile of rocks until
she knew, and kept digging until she saw a flash of white and blue.
Tokyo B managed to wake up from the daze of all that, and shook her
head, seeing another Mobile Shell standing above her, looking down.
"Akari! Are you okay?"
Tokyo Blossom blinked. "Uh... I think so. Who the heck are you?"
"It's me, Kagome." Silhouette said. "I came to help you."
Tokyo Blossom dragged herself out of the rubble instantly. "Kagome? What
the hell are you doing here? Why do you have a Mobile Shell? How can you
even pilot one?"
Silhouette stood up along with her companion, and looked over at the
Garuda, who had shaken of its inertia and was now ready to attack again.
"Like I said, I'm here to help you. I have a Mobile Shell because I
asked Sagi for one of the remaining two. And I can't pilot this thing at
all. But I have Sagi's power to communicate with machinery. It tells me
what the best thing is and it issue out the command, which the Mobile
Shell performs. I can only do that until I learn how to pilot it like
you can."
"It really is you." Tokyo B said. "But its dangerous here, Kagome. You
have no idea how powerful that Garuda is. None of my weapons work on it,
so none of yours will either."
Silhouette continued to watch Garuda. "Do you think I'd be any safer at
the AGIST? I can't just sit there and watch you die. Not if there is
anything I can do to help. You were given a great power when your mom
died, Akari. And I have been given power too. I want to use that to
protect the people I care about now. And if that means laying my life on
the line, then I will not hesitate to do it."
The thrusters at Silhouette's legs jump started again, then she zoomed
off toward the more cautious Garuda. Tokyo Blossom watched the younger
girl zoom off into battle. There was something different about Kagome
right now. Before she appeared so frail and timid. After meeting with
Queen Sagi, and discovering the truth, she seemed to be changing into
more confident person. Then again, maybe she wasn't changing. Maybe she
was just now breaking out of her shell. Well, none the less, Tokyo B's
thrusters allowed her to rise into the air, and then she flew towards
Garuda, along with Silhouette.
The two armoured girls flew in the direction that Garuda was, and
readied their weapons. Tokyo Blossom tightened the grip on her sword,
while Silhouette withdrew her own unique weapon(s). A pair of daggers,
short bladed but far sharper than even the spear of the Omega Mobile
Shell. As Silhouette neared the beasts, the twin blades in her
metal-covered hands began to shine. The light was of a light, light
blue, but though it appeared frail, it was far stronger than it looked.
As soon as Silhouette was with striking distance...
"Double Slash!"
She extended both her arms and fired two waves of slashing energy.
Garuda took them both to the face, and backed up, unaware of what
technique that had been. Even Tokyo Blossom was curious about that
little number.
"Not bad, Kagome." She said with pride.
Silhouette smiled and blushed behind her visor. "Thanks, Akari."
"RRHAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHH!"
Garuda roared again, and thrust its fist at Silhouette. The girl was
sent straight down with a yelp, and she tumbled into a stall that had
been erected at the side of the road. Tokyo Blossom watched that in
anger, and instantly spread her palm to fire. This time she focused her
attack on the face, which appeared to be the only part of Garuda's body
that was sensitive. Garuda ducked and swung its head in irritation from
the blasts, unable to see straight because of them. Tokyo Blossom kept
up the idea, while Silhouette pulled herself up from below on the city
street.
Silhouette shook her head, and then grabbed the dagger she dropped when
she landed. The energy readings on her visor said that she was running
at only 45% of her full energy. Unfortunately, the Silhouette Mobile
Shell had not been energized in a while, according to the readings, and
the functions of this suit absorbed a lot more energy than the others
did. But rather than complain about it, Silhouette flew back up into the
air, both daggers at the ready, until she heard a scream.
Both Silhouette and Tokyo Blossom looked back to see who it was, and it
was a young girl, just now running out of one of the buildings, trying
to escape the battle.
"Oh no!" Silhouette said urgently. "That little girl shouldn't be here,
she could be killed."
Tokyo Blossom sheathed her sword and added the other hand to the palm
blaster assault she was making at Garuda's head, still managing to keep
the fierce god-beast at bay. "K-Kagome!" She said, belligerently trying
to keep up with her blasts. "Take that girl clear! Hurry and get her
away!"
Silhouette nodded, sheathed both her daggers, then zoomed towards the
little girl. Though it was a little scary for her (and Kagome too, this
was her first time piloting after all) Silhouette grabbed the girl in
her grasp and flew like lightning towards the end of the road. The
little girl started crying from fear, but Silhouette could do nothing to
ease this. She had to get this little urchin away from the destruction
before she got hurt.
Tokyo Blossom continued to hold off Garuda with wave after wave of her
chain firing palm blasts, and it seemed that this method would work
forever, until Garuda ducked his head under the line of fire and charged
Tokyo Blossom. The white-haired pilot gasped and wheezed as Garuda's
head crashed against her stomach, ramming her out of flight and back
onto the pavement. She skidded along the stone for metres till she
slammed into a stoop of a building. The blow was too frank and too
sudden. Tokyo B passed out, while the Garuda ignored her and began to
pursue Silhouette.
The armoured Silhouette flew around the bend of the road and slowed
down. She landed quickly, placed the girl down, and pointed toward the
end of the street.
"Keep running till you find a grown-up, okay?" She asked. "Please be
careful."
The little nodded, tears leaking from her eyes, and she did as she was
requested. The little urchin ran her tiny legs out, and would soon be
out of the firing range. Silhouette then swung around and looked back to
see Garuda, turning the corner in pursuit of her. Silhouette withdrew
both her daggers from their position at the back of her waist, and flew
towards the hulking beast. Garuda ran towards her while she did the
same, and gathered energy at her daggers again. This technique of
gathering energy in her weapons was advanced, but it absorbed at least
5% of her power. It may have sounded like a small amount but she only
had 45% of her energy left. It meant that if she used none of her
thrusters or palm blasters, she'd have enough juice for two Hyper
Blasts.
Silhouette few to the charging Garuda and screamed 'Double Slash'
performing the same move at the Garuda's face. It had the effect of
briefly stunning the creature at its only vulnerable point, and
Silhouette rushed past it, turning a corner back into the previous road.
Silhouette searched up and down until she could see Tokyo Blossom, which
she did, but the other girl was not moving.
"Akari!" Silhouette yelled.
Garuda was galloped back around the corner, chasing after Silhouette,
while she looked back at the god-beast with pure fear. "My god, don't
you ever give up?"
As it ran, Garuda opened his palm and fired, shooting at Silhouette with
its palm blasters. The girl could not avoid this and was blown right
back, smashing her through the wall of a building and creating a new
downpour of rubble. When things fell silent, no sound of zooming
thrusters or energy blasts, Garuda screamed in victory over the two
Mobile Shells.
"GGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"
It started galloping down the street, passed the downed Tokyo B, and
turned to the right, heading for the heart of Shinjuku, an area that had
not been evacuated yet. And if you looked up at the horizon of that
setting, you could see the AGIST, standing less than a mile away from
the rapidly charging Garuda.
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