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Post by Cross on Oct 26, 2010 0:35:12 GMT -5
The dark figure stood on a hill overlooking the once magnificent city. Now it was blackened, and there was rubble and debris everywhere. The results of the bomb detonating. The man was tall, over 6 feet, and had long-ish red hair, which was being tossed around in the wind, along with the long black trench coat he was wearing. His eyes remained on the city for a short while, and his jaw clenched, as he turned around, and mounted the silver and black motorcycle that was behind him. Akahiro kicked it into gear and he sped off from the scene, the coat whipping behind him.
He rode until he reached the nearest suburbs of the destroyed city, and he stopped at a park, and dismounted. Akahiro gazed around. He could sense there was something here, but he wasn't too sure what. His blue eyes darted around, trying got see something which apparently wasn't there. That was when he heard the scream. It was a loud scream and easy to locate, so he turned around to face it.
He was met with the sight of a young girl being dragged off by a bipedal, fox-like monster. A Fox Lord. Akahiro broke into a run, heading straight for the Lord and the young girl, punching the Lord so as to free the girl.
"Quickly, get out of here." he said solemnly, as the girl, frightened, turned and ran off as fast as she could. Akahiro meanwhile, stared down the Fox Lord. "Haven't you Lords learnt what will happen to those who attack the Agito seed bearers?" Akahiro questioned, as a belt appeared around his waist.
"Henshin!" he said firmly, as he changed from his human form to Zoanthros' base form. It was different from before, changed as Akahiro was. The chain around his arm rustled as he took a calm, measured step towards the Fox Lord. "I'll just teach you then!" and with that, Zoanthros ran at the Fox Lord ready for the fight...
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Post by Akaki on Oct 26, 2010 6:34:14 GMT -5
It had been so long since she had stepped foot in Japan. It should be comforting, but instead it overwhelmed her with nervousness. For two days, she had not stepped out of the S-Trailer ever since IDUT had deployed the S1 unit (consisting of herself and the S-Trailer) in her home country. More precisely, she was stationed near the city where the foreign invaders had struck. Her current mission however did not yet involve them. In fact, it was not a true mission. It was a field test of the S1 system, and Japan was picked because of its high concentration of Unknown acitivity.
A siren suddenly blared at the computer screen flashed to life. Aina might as well have leapt off the cot as attended to the computer console. She did not need to read the message to know what it was, her training already taught her how to interpret the sirens. Already, she could feel the S-Trailer moving.
Precisely the prompt she was waiting for. Aina immediately tapped the 'Y' key and stripped her pajamas, leaving them in a pile as she reached for a black jumpsuit from a locker nailed to the wall. With trained speed and precision, she gained a second skin within a couple of seconds and immediately ran towards the loading trailer. In front of the Shield Chaser was a contraption suspending various pieces of the S1 armour. Stepping into it, mechanical arms began to manipulate her limbs and clad her within the suit. The head pieces came last, with the AI Interfacer inserted into the port at the back of her head, and then the rest of the helmet. Completely encased, the sound of her breathing became more audible and diagnostics flashed across her eyes.
Feeling a cylindrical weight in her right hand, Aina proceeded to mount the Shield Chaser and inserted the Acceler in the port. The engines hummed in activation, and the exit opened with a rail extending to the road. She loosened the brake and kicked back, letting the machine slide back and followed up with an acceleration as soon as both tires were on the ground. A map flickered open on her interface, blips pinpointing her to the direction of the Unknown signal.
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Post by Cross on Oct 26, 2010 19:20:22 GMT -5
Akahiro's first punch as Zoanthros swung right past the red Fox lord, who nimbly dodged to the side.
"You'll have to try harder if you want to catch me, Zoanthros." The Lord said in it's deep rumbling voice, as it gave a sly grin.
Enraged, Akahiro leapt after it, aiming a left hook for the Lord's cheek, the blow landing and knocking the Lord backwards a fair way. He flicked his wrists slightly, and Akahiro stared at it, sighing. This was a one sided fight, the Fox Lord was fast, but weak otherwise, and Aka guessed that he'd only have to land a few more blows before this fight was going to end. Grinning underneath his helmet, He broke into a sprint and chased after the Lord who had picked himself off the ground and had started to run away. As he caught up to the Lord, Akahiro sensed something wrong, but was caught in the chest by something small and fast moving, and knocked off his feet. What was that? he thought, looking around while he was still on the ground to locate the source of the projectile. His eyes landed on a grey Fox Lord holding a bow, and gave a slight growl.
"Now now Zoanthros, don't think you can best two of the most cunning Lords around." the grey one taunted, in a higher pitched feminine voice, as the red one began to cackal.
Not sure what to do, Aka got into a kneeling position and awaited what would happen next. He had a feeling something else was coming, but he wasn't sure what.
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Post by Akaki on Oct 26, 2010 22:32:35 GMT -5
The Shield Chaser raced in maximum speed, never relenting along the way except for bends on the road. Imminently approaching to the site, the S1 picked up the images of the Unknown from the distance and diagnostics scrolled down the screen before the AI made a request for control of the suit. Aina allowed it.
The S1 continued to charge towards the Unknown, intent on ramming them but they moved out of the way with seemingly little effort from what she observed. With a response only a computer could possess, the brakes were punched in and the suit allowed the inertia to pass. Recovering immediately from the effects of physics, the S1 wrapped her fingers around the weapon on her right thigh and pulled it out.
The pistol's trigger was then movable. In the background, the system made an estimate of the Unknowns' last position before they saw them, and the result prompted the S1 to turn to the Red Fox and punch bullet after bullet into it. While Aina allowed her body to cooperate with the AI, she looked at the one known as Zoanthros. She did expect to see him at the scene, but she could not help but think how different he looked from the photographs IDUT showed her.
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Post by Cross on Oct 28, 2010 0:56:26 GMT -5
The Red Fox took the bullets without being phased. This particular lord had faced G-3, and had found that its bullets were useless when it came to killing a Lord. It chuckled.
"You'll have to try better than tha-" the Lord began, stopping as a halo appeard above his head, and he fell to his knees. "What is this?" it said, unable to comprehend what was going on, as it exploded. Its companion seemed to panic, and took a step back, but raised its bow in defense.
Akahiro was also surprised. He'd also witnessed G-3's power and hadn't seen it quite as powerful as this new model. Come to think of it, he'd not seen one quite like this before. Its colours were off, not blue like the G-3 series, or blakc like the G-4. But that didn't matter at the moment, what mattered most was that its bike was providing ample cover for Aka to transform to Akribos form, his armour becoming green, and a sniper rifle and two pistols appearing at his disposal. He grabbed the rifle, and aimed directly for the Grey Fox, firing off a few rounds at it from behind the cover of S1's bike.
The shots didn't miss, but they failed to kill the Lord. Akahiro growled, but waited, unsure how to act with the arrival of this new Rider.
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Post by Akaki on Oct 28, 2010 9:32:39 GMT -5
Aina was unsure whether the SP-01 would be strong enough to defeat the Unknown, a sentiment shared by the AI evidenced by the message appearing in the head-up display:
The handles of the miniguns propped down, but her hands did not yet move to them. She knew what it was doing. The S1 did not choose to start out with the pistol because it would lessen environmental damage, but so it could estimate the power of their weakest firearm against the opponent. And fortunately for damage control, the SP-01 proved strong enough against the Red Fox.
The AI waited for Zoanthros' attack, analysing the results and then suggested a course of action. The SP-01 was aimed at the Grey Fox and the weapon fired without rest at the Unknown. The effort to take out the Red Fox had already depleted the pistol slightly above half its total capacity. Zoanthros' attack was a positive factor, but the Grey Fox also had awareness of the S1's power. She suspected the only reason the Red Fox was easily dispatched was because of its overconfidence.
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Post by Cross on Oct 28, 2010 23:10:27 GMT -5
The Grey Fox was certainly more cautious after seeing what S1 had done to its comrade, and managed to dodge many of the shots S1 fired, but was hit by a few slowing it down a tad, and weakening the Lord.
Meanwhile, Akahiro decided that he didn't have time to waste. Not that he had anything to do, he was just sick of fighting this monster. So he stood up, his rifle aimed precisely at the Grey Fox Lord, and before he fired, he gave a little grin, not that anyone would see it. The horns atop his head opened up, and the Agito symbol appeared at the end of the rifle's barrel, and as Aka pulled the trigger, the symbol seemed to be absorbed into the rifle, as a beam of golden energy burst from the barrel, heading straight for the Lord. Akahiro would not miss.
After a short time, the beam stopped coming from the barrel, and the Grey Fox lord was left standing, smoke rising off its chest, where it had been hit. It fell to its knees, one arm raised out towards the two riders, as its halo appeared above its head, and the poor creature exploded. The shockwave sent Zoanthros scarf fluttering back.
As it settled, he reverted to base form, and Akahiro looked intently at S1. He wasn't sure whether this was a friend, or foe, and he sure as hell was not going to revert all the way back to human form before he found out. Zoanthros stood tall, and crossed his arms, waiting for S1 to make the first move.
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Post by Akaki on Oct 29, 2010 23:48:08 GMT -5
Knowing that the ammunition for the SP-01 had been depleted, the AI holstered the pistol and retracted the triggers for the miniguns alongside relinquishing the system to Aina's control. Its purpose was restricted to combat, and there was no further need of that function against Zoanthros. He was a friend as far as IDUT was concerned.
Aina however had been briefed about the eventuality that she encounter Zoanthros. She took a slight turn to look him mask to mask. The thought of speaking to him felt awkward, but the mantle of the S1 made it easy to take up a professional demeanour. "Zoanthros," she said as though confirming the identity. The voice projected from the mouthpiece was different from her own, taking a synthetic and near genderless quality. "My superiors would wish to speak to you."
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Post by Cross on Nov 1, 2010 2:15:26 GMT -5
(ooc: sorry for the delay)
Akahiro stood still for a short while after hearing what this rider had to see. He hadn't noticed until the rider had turned to face him, but the presence of the rider diminished. It had been as if there was a second presence with the rider during battle, but whatever it had hadn't been able to distinguish between the rider, and it. What was that? he thought, frowning intently, and glad that the mask hid his face. And the voice he heard, it was filtered through the mask. He hadn't doubted it previously, but this was definitely a man-made suit, there was no mistaking it, unlike Akahiro's own suit which was mystic in origin.
"Your superiors being SAUL? I was under the premise they'd been out of service since Agito went missing?" Aka asked, wary of S1. The mini-guns on its shoulders were quite intimidating, he thought to himself.
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Post by Akaki on Nov 1, 2010 9:59:32 GMT -5
It took a moment for the name SAUL to register, but Aina did remember. It was the organisation responsible for the outstanding Generation line of suits, and the Victory One suit, which were were used as reference for the very one she was wearing. Her trainers had taught her that much. Beyond that, Aina knew nothing else about them except also that they were defunct and that they Unknown reports she read were recovered from them.
"No," she decided to answer honestly. "My superiors are the..." Years of not speaking Japanese had left Aina less proficient in her mother tounge than she would have been, and she found herself unable to translate the name of her organisation. "<International Defence against Unknown Threats,>" she said in perfect English. "IDUT."
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Post by Cross on Nov 4, 2010 18:03:53 GMT -5
IDUT? Never heard of them... can I trust them? Akahiro thought, pondering this new development. He had been fairly sure that this rider had been a member of SAUL, the resemblance to the Generation series and even the V1 were striking. But he supposed that it didn't matter too much.
"Ok then. I suppose it can't hurt for me to speak with them." he began, still a little wary. There was no way he was reverting to normal until he could see them. I'll wait until I get there. Then I'll go back to human form. he decided. "Lead the way, I'll follow on my bike."
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Post by Akaki on Nov 5, 2010 7:07:45 GMT -5
Aina let a soundless sigh, tension built up from the uncertainty that Zoanthros would agree to meet her superiors. She straddled the Shield Chaser and push a button. Faint static immediately followed. "<S1 to Asian Pacific Command,>" she reported again in exotically-accented English. It was one which could not be placed in any geographical region, the byproduct of cultural mixing. "<I have made contact with Zoanthros and followed the recommended protocol, the term which he has agreed to.>" "<Acknowledged S1,>" a young male voice answered from the other end of the line. "<The General will meet Zoanthros at Tokyo Bay. Asian Pacific Command out.>" She switched off the radio and looked to Zoanthros. "We will go to Tokyo Bay," she explained before switching the motor on and riding forward. Expecting that the matter ranks high in priority, the police siren was activated and the speed hitting terminal. Every ten minutes or so, Aina would glance at the rear view camera to ensure that he was still following. Even if he was a hero to humanity, she still did not want to take chances. The sun was already setting when they reached the rendezvous. Aina parked beside a small-sized ship guarded by Japanese soldiers. Despite wearing the uniform of regulars, she knew they were elites. It was merely a ruse to downplay the importance of the ship. As she unstraddled her vehicle, the S-Trailer drove from the distance. The soldiers would likely move the Shield Chaser into the launch trailer, so she decided to leave the Acceler as it is and walked up the ramp into the ship. Their destination was below deck and after some uncomfortable walking down corridors, they ended up in the office of the General. He was a big man of African heritage, dressed in a white medal-heavy uniform, tailored by IDUT. Not the the medals, for they were earned elsewhere. "Konichiwa," he greeted with assertive enthusiasm, his accent heavily British. "Ore namae wa Francis Williams." "<You could have taken off the suit first Aina,>" he said quickly to her as he rose from his chair and extended a hand to Zoanthros. "<Yes General,>" Aina replied. Clamping her hands on her helmet, she pressed and then pulled it off, leaving only the rear bottom half on her body. |
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Post by Cross on Nov 6, 2010 6:34:31 GMT -5
Zoanthros followed on the Machine Zoanther and felt rather silly following like this. But it didn't matter too much, he supposed, as they went below deck. He surveyed the man, Francis Williams, from behind the mask. He specifically noted the poor japanese, but that didn't bother him too much. Deciding it was safe now he removed his belt, reverting to human form. His red hair and blue eyes were the most striking thing about him for a Japanese man, but he smiled at Williams all the same, taking his hand and shaking it. "<Pleased to meet you, I'm Akahiro Yamato, or Zoanthros>" Aka attempted in a very broken english manner, with heavy Japanese accent. He hoped he'd be able to speak in japanese for the remainder of the conversation, but he waited for the IDUT members to do something first. |
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Post by Akaki on Nov 6, 2010 11:48:04 GMT -5
"Very nice to meet you," Williams answered with a teeth-flashing smile and vigorous handshaking. He then stepped back and looked Akahiro from head to toe and head again. Aina knew what was going on in the General's mind. It was the same for her. IDUT suspected as much that Zoanthros had a human form, based on surveilance on the ground zero site rather than SAUL's contact with Agito. SAUL's records never mentioned Agito possessing a human form after all. But what was unusual was that besides the strange hair and eye colours, Akahiro did not look like an idealised heroic sort.
"Let's go back to business," Williams then went back to his chair. "Please," he made a gesture with a hand. "Sit down Yamato." He waited for Akahiro to settle, dark eyes steely watching the youth's every movement with interest, and only then did he speak. "Firstly, we want thank you for everything you do for the world. But it make you very tired, yes?" Williams hardened his expression slightly. "You know you cannot fight alone, we also know. Everyone know that Unknown are a very serious threat, but the aliens are more serious now."
He sat back and swerved his chair to face Aina, the sudden attention which made her tilt her head down. "You already meet Aina and our S1 System," Williams closed the distance between himself and Akahiro. "Please tell me what you think."
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Post by Cross on Nov 10, 2010 23:55:01 GMT -5
(ooc: i meant Yamamoto. my bad.)
Akahiro sat as he was told, and scratched gently at his chin with his hand, pondering what Williams was saying.
"Well, don't paint me out to be a hero, I didn't exactly stop the explosion caused by the madman Gin. A whole city was wiped out. I suppose this is wearing me out,' he began, thinking hard about what to say next. His eyes flicked to Aina and the S1, and his eyes narrowed slightly. "But I don't like the idea of putting others at risk to fight on my behalf, it's wrong." he added, continuing to inspect the S1 with his eyes. His words wouldn't stop the actions of the IDUT, he knew that. But perhaps the S1 system would manage, it certainly seemed powerful enough.
"As for the S1 system, it seems powerful enough to do the job, it handled the Unkown just before with little effort. I can't help but say I was impressed. I've seen the Generation series in action, and the superiority of the S1 is definitely noticeable. Whether I like it or not, you're equipped to deal with Unknown perhaps as well as I am." Aka finished, his eyes moving back to Williams now, their steady blue gaze looking intently at the IDUT's official.
Whatever happened now would be interesting. But Akahiro wasn't sure how this would turn out. His short absence didn't seem to have been noticed, and the training he'd accumulated in what for him had been a long time had only helped him harbour his rage and frustration at what Gin had done to the city. Perhaps with the help of the IDUT and S1, Aka would be able to put less focus on fighting the Unkown and the new alien threat, and work out his own frustrations a little more...
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