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Mission Record 16 – Shattered And Scattered
Corolla slammed her hands on the briefing room’s desk. “Now that everyone is here, you sure are wondering why I’m calling a briefing. Is it bad? Yes, it is! This is a Level One Crimson Red Alert emergency!”
Kathleen leaned towards Gino. “What’s a Level One Crimson Red Alert?”
Gino’s jaw dropped. As Corolla expected, he knew what she meant. “Sergio and Nikki broke up… I assume Nikki was the one who broke off the relationship?”
“Yes, and this cannot stand! As you might’ve noticed, neither of them is here, and the reason is pretty simple. Nikki would just plead for us to leave her alone with some self-loathing bullshit, and Sergio sems convinced that we have to give her space now. I say instead, let’s strike the iron while it’s still hot! First of all, this war is what’s causing all this trouble, so it has to end.”
Gino facepalmed. “No, Corolla. Nuking Belka’s capital would be a war crime. You’re not doing that.”
Corolla froze. Of course her author would know what she was thinking. But, even then, they deserved it!
“And to think I had already designed the extra-large stealth drop tanks for my Silent Raptor… Okay, that’s off the table. For now.”
Gino walked over to her and flicked his finger at her forehead. “Corolla, I know their happiness together is your number one priority, but don’t let it get to your head. No extreme solutions – neither of them would like it, and I’m pretty sure I didn’t write you as an omnicidal maniac.”
Corolla blinked a couple of times. Yes, he had a point. “Uhm… right. So, what do we do?”
“First of all, we call my old self-insert and your commanding officer here as well. I’m getting sick of you guys hiding things from each other, so now you are telling me everything that is going on right now. The only reason I’m not having Nikki here is because she isn’t going to come here willingly as she is now.”
Corolla exchanged a glance with Kathleen, who smiled. “It can be addressed.”
“Don’t.”
***
“And that’s all we know about Sol Squadron. With what they’re letting on, I think they actually plan to betray Belka at some point… but they still aren’t going to be on our side afterwards,” Sergio said.
Gino crossed his arms. “Okay, now I’m really getting why you’ve been keeping secrets. Belka with cordium is pretty high on my Do Not Want list, especially with a second embryonic A World With No Boundaries coming up ready to sweep the tech from them.”
“It’s not just that, Mr. Scribetto,” Johnson said. “While the goals of Sol Squadron are just our personal suppositions, the cordium issue is actually classified military information. By informing you and previously uninvolved personnel, we’re technically breaching our contract. But I guess it is time to do what needs to be done to keep the situation under control.”
Gino nodded slowly. “Yes, it is. On this matter, I agree that we shouldn’t tell Nikki a single word – knowing we have this Damocles’ sword upon our heads would just strengthen her belief that she is abandoning us. Alright, I’m getting why you guys aren’t sparing much time to stay in her company lately, but please try. Her psychological recovery hinges on it – she can’t do this alone, she needs your warmth.”
Kathleen smiled. “Consider that done!”
Sergio glanced at her. That’s what I’m afraid of.
“Uhm… “ Keiko said. “Aunt Kathleen? I think it’s better you leave that to us. In fact, I think I’ll go visit her right away. You know, maybe reminding her she has a daughter will make her realize she can’t dump us all.”
She gave a quick bow, and exited the room.
***
Keiko kept tapping her foot on the floor of the Kinomoto household’s living room. “So? What do you say now, Mom? Dumping a boyfriend is easy, I’ve dumped a couple myself. But you can’t dump a daughter.”
“Keiko, I’m not trying to run away from you. You can come here any time you want… I’m not sure I know how to be a mother yet, though.” Nikki averted her eyes. “But I think I can still be at least like an older sister or a friend, I hope.”
Keiko clapped her hands. “Oh, if that’s the problem, I can bring in what I remember of an older you. But, step one: don’t divorce Dad. I’d like my family still in one piece, thank you.” She took a step forward. “I’d understand if something went sour between the two of you, but you used the most stupid reason in the world to dump him!”
Nikki took a step back, her eyes wide open. She averted her gaze again. “I…” She bit her lip, probably knowing that she didn’t have a good rebuttal.
“Uhm… I’m sorry to interrupt,” Sakura said from the doorway leading to the corridor. “But Syaoran and Syaoron are here, so…”
Keiko turned toward her. Behind her, there were two different iterations of Syaoran – one her age, which she assumed to be the canonical one, and a second one her mother’s age.
“Oh, hi. I’m Keiko, Nikki’s daughter. From the future, as you can guess from the fact I’m almost as old as her.”
Keiko squared off the older Syaoran as the two boys introduced themselves. Mom’s a ‘Sakura’ herself… gonna keep an eye on this guy.
“Oh, right, we were planning to go for a stroll in the park all together,” Nikki said. “You can come with us, if you have the time.”
Keiko thought it up. “Yes, I do. That doesn’t seem like a bad- wait a minute.”
Hanami was getting some help with the math homework from Mikage. So the original plan without her would’ve been her mother, Sakura, Syaoran and Syaoron. Two and two.
“Auntie Sakura, can you and Syaoran give the three of us a minute?”
Sakura nodded, her eyes wide open, and she left the room with Syaoran. Did she scare her somehow? Well, I’ll apologize later.
Keiko stepped in front of Syaoron, cracking her knuckles. “So, I think I’m starting to see another part of the issue.”
***
“And so, I’m officially grounded,” Keiko said, staring at the ceiling of the room she was sharing with the other girls. “Turns out Syaoron hadn’t made a move on her, after all.”
Corolla floated next to her. “Kei, punching him was a terrible idea. If Nikki does like him a bit, now you’ve let him gain sympathy points that will bring them closer.”
“Uhm, Corolla?” Hajime said. “I think the fact it was unwarranted violence is also bad.”
“No violence is unwarranted in making sure Sergio and Nikki stay together! Also, it’s Auntie Corolla.”
Keiko gave her a sideways glance. “I think our author had a point. You are letting it get to your head.”
“I’m not the one who got grounded over it… by the way, what exactly did you get punished with?”
Keiko looked up in thought. “I don’t know. I’ve never been grounded before, and… well… Mom just kicked me out of Grandpa Fujitaka’s house telling me to consider myself grounded, without adding details. So technically I’m not being punished with anything at all.”
Corolla opened up a holographic window. “Well, I dare say that’s not really much of a grounding then, but still… Hey, Nikki, I’m leaving you this message since you’re not picking up the phone. I heard what happened with Keiko, and I decided that as long as you keep this ‘I don’t deserve you’ nonsense going with Sergio, your parental authority over Keiko is revoked. As such, she’s now officially un-grounded.”
Keiko raised an eyebrow. “You know… I don’t think that is gonna work. I’m afraid she might take it as a chance to just see it as not having any obligation towards me anymore.”
“Well, I’m almost done fixing up Vanguard, so if she does I’m bashing her on the skull with it.”
Keiko rolled her eyes. There was no doubt Corolla was taking the matter personally.
***
“I’m really sorry,” Nikki said as she offered Syaoron an ice bag. “She isn’t like that usually, I swear.”
Syaoron took the ice bag and put it over his black eye. “Don’t worry, I think I understand. Since you just broke up with her father, seeing another man around you was enough for her to think I was the cause, I guess.” He brought out a half smile. “I just wish she didn’t go straight to her fists.”
“What can I say?” Nikki let out a short laugh. “She’s just as impulsive as her father.”
Syaoron joined in her laugh. “She sure is. She’s got your eyes, but the way she narrowed them when she saw me was more like Sergio.”
Nikki was taken aback – Sergio and Syaoron had never met each other, as far as she knew. Unless… No way.
Nikki took a deep breath. “Syaoron, are you… The Syaoran from my world?”
***
[Sabaton – Fields of Verdun (soundtrack version)]
Sergio pulled up the throttle lever of the Phoenix, prompting the aircraft to turn into GERWALK mode. The aircraft slowed down suddenly, and the Flapper on his tail flew past him.
I have made my own mistakes but… in the end it is their fault Nikki is like this.
He looked straight at the Flapper and pulled the trigger, opening fire with both the gunpod and the laser cannons.
If they didn’t start this stupid war, she would not be reduced like this!
The Flapper was ripped apart, its burning wreckage falling out of the sky and into a chasm below.
“Nachthund squadron has been wiped out!” someone said over the radio. “There’s only two of the White Birds here today, you should be able to do something about them!”
“Do something?” a Belkan pilot shouted. “Have you seen those bloodstained wings? It’s the Mongoose!”
“The enemy’s air defenses are down!” Long Caster said. “Attacking what used to be a former Osean base is difficult to swallow, but there’s little chewing left to do. One more push, everyone.”
Sergio dove towards the artificial island where the actual 444th Air Base was located. No reason to waste ammo on the shore – the other two runways were fake and the boneyard field contained mostly unsalvageable wrecks.
“Damn it, they’re here! Drive them off, or I’m gonna make sure you’re court-martialed for-”
“Hang on a sec,” Long Caster said. “Colonel McKinsey, is that you? If that’s the case, surrender immediately or I’ll have to consider you a defector.”
“Defector? And from what? The Osean Air Defense Force doesn’t exist anymore, Major Ramsay. At least I’m working with an actual military instead of mercenaries.”
Sergio thought it up as Long Caster kept arguing with McKinsey. That guy… he’s the one who sold Spare to the Belkans.
He went straight towards the control tower. The one who forced Nikki to go on suicide missions and kill people she didn’t need or want to.
He switched to Battroid mode as he hovered in front of the control tower’s windows. That guy held a huge chunk of the blame for Nikki’s self-loathing.
“What?! How did he get-”
“Shut up, McKinsey,” Sergio said over the channel he and Long Caster were using. “You’re in no position to claim any moral ground. You’re the one who put First Lieutenant Cherryflower on that junker to do your bidding or die trying, right?”
“And what if that were true? She was aiding Yuktobanian spies!”
He glanced inside the tower, and saw a man staring back at him while holding a microphone. Bingo.
He aimed straight at him. “You might know me as the Mongoose, but I’m Captain Sergio Turbo of Strike Dove Incorporated. I’m First Lieutenant Cherryflower’s boyfriend and coworker… and the one who wiped out Grabacr Squadron.”
McKinsey took a step back. “You…”
“Now it’s your turn to pay for what you’ve done to her.”
Sergio pulled the trigger, and didn’t let go of it until the tower’s roof collapsed.
***
“With that, the last bastion of the Belkan forces on the southern coast has fallen,” Albert explained to Sergio and Ami as they sat inside the E-767. “This opens up a safe corridor towards the Clow Kingdom – I’ve heard the Belkans already recalled the forces that were trying to besiege it.”
“That’s good to hear!” Ami said. “From what I understood, their royal family is kind of related to Nikki.”
“Yeah, they’re basically an alternate universe version of her family,” Sergio added. “Don’t ask me more, though – Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle was a mindscrew.”
“I see…” Ami lowered her gaze. “Though, if I can be sincere… Sergio, what you did earlier gave me the chills.”
Sergio gulped. He could see her point.
“I agree with her, Captain Turbo. We can pass off taking out the tower as necessary to cut off their command line, but the way you went about it was quite unwarranted.”
Sergio nodded slowly. “I know, guys. That was out of line. I got caught by the heat of the moment, and… well, I also wanted to get a message across to the Belkans for a bit of psychological warfare.”
Ami raised an eyebrow, and Albert leaned forward. “And what would that be?”
“The Mongoose has no mercy for those who hurt his family and friends. I want them to think twice before going after any of you guys”
***
Kathleen crossed her arms as Corolla kept doing “system checks” on the Wave Gundam. They had been sitting inside the mecha for a good twenty minutes, and they hadn’t even taken a single step!
“So… When are we actually going to start having fun? This is boring.”
“I know, I know! But I need to make sure everything is working correctly and we’re not burning anything out due to using too little power. This was built on a Hyaku Shiki frame, so the reactor specified for it was newer and more powerful than a Zaku’s. By the way, I don’t think you’ve chosen a TAC name yet?”
“TAC name? What’s that?”
“Radio callsign. For the record, I’m Robogirl, Sergio’s Lightning, Ami’s Comet, and Nikki used to be Starlight. Well, I hope she will be again.”
Kathleen nodded. “I guess I’ll be ‘Lowroar”, then.”
“… Lowroar? Not “Loudroar? It sounds better, and stronger!”
Kathleen laughed. “Nah. I’m more subtle.”
“Well, if that’s the case… Skystreaker Three, Robogirl and Lowroar, to Tomoeda Control. We’re ready to begin our test run.”
“Tomoeda Control to Skystreaker Three, no aircraft inbound or outbound. You’re cleared.”
“Thank you!”
Kathleen felt the Gundam lurching forward, and in the screens she saw the arms raising up. They looked even more lopsided than they did from outside – the right one was clearly shorter and slimmer than the left one.
“I’m sorry about taking the first turn for myself,” Corolla said. “But before leaving it in your hands I want to be sure it is working properly. I would never forgive myself if someone crashed into something because I didn’t double-check everything on one of my machines.”
Kathleen relaxed against the seat and crossed her arms behind her head, watching Corolla as she pretended to aim the Gundam’s rifle at random things. “No offense taken. But be careful what you aim that thing at, my brother is pretty fond of that old car of his.”
“Don’t worry, it’s safetied up. Shooting practice can only be done at a live fire training area, after all.”
Kathleen pouted. “So we’re not gonna pew pew anything today?”
“I’m afraid not. But we can practice with the beam sabers, I had the ground crew set up a few logs for us to cut!”
Kathleen smiled. Beam sabers? Those were more in her style.
***
Sergio donned up his gloves as he walked towards the Phoenix. The aircraft had been fully refueled, and the NATO forces had just finished garrisoning in 444th Air Base – time to get home.
Ami pulled on his sleeve. “Got a minute?”
Sergio nodded. “Of course. What is it?”
“Well… it’s about what we talked about earlier, kinda.” Ami fidgeted, then hugged him.
“Ami?”
“I know you’re mad for how they messed up Nikki’s mind, I am too, but you can’t take on the entire world by yourself. I promised her that I’m going to be the one to watch your back for as long as she isn’t able to, but…”
She released him, and took a step back. “It’s kinda difficult if you keep tossing yourself into the snake pit. You were flying quite recklessly today.”
Sergio gulped. She was right – in fact, she had taken out an enemy plane that had sneaked up on him while he was too focused on chasing another one.
“She might’ve broken up with you, but I’m sure she still cares plenty. This isn’t what she wants you to do, I’m sure.”
“I know. But…I’ll tell you the truth, I want this all to be over. To be over now. That’s the only way I see things going back to normal… especially for Nikki.”
Ami’s shoulders slumped. “I see what you mean… but making yourself Public Enemy Number One to the Belkans won’t end the war faster. It will probably just make the Grey Men start considering plans to take you down.”
Sergio sighed. “I’m afraid it’s way too late for that. What do you think the attack on Sand Island was? I get it, though – if I let all of this get to my head, I’m dead.”
“Exactly.” Ami smiled. “I’m happy you realized it right away this time.”
She looked up in thought for a second. “We should be back at Tomoeda by late afternoon – what if we grab a bite out this evening? A bit of normal life might help get the bad thoughts out.”
Sergio thought it up. It was ages since he had a nice day out – the only attempt in several weeks had been the failed picnic with Nikki.
“Doesn’t seem a bad idea. I’m paying – I kinda owe you.”
***
“Having dinner out?” Nikki stared at the phone, barely believing her ears.
“Yes.” Syaoron said from the other side. “I know it’s sudden, but Tomoyo had booked a table for two for my brother and Sakura, but then as you know the school trip got rescheduled to start today.”
Nikki let out a laugh. It was probably some plan by Tomoyo for them to have their first true formal date. “I bet Tomoyo had even made her a cocktail dress just for the occasion.”
“I would be surprised if she didn’t. Anyways, Syaoran said that rather than let the booking go to waste, we could go instead. What do you think?”
“Well, if you put it this way… Sure, why not? It’s been months since the last time I had dinner out.”
***
Kathleen walked forward towards the log, beam sabers in her hands – or, well, her “manipulators”, as Corolla called them.
Piloting a mecha was already sounding cool, but controlling it as if it were her own body? Much cooler.
She sprinted at the log, and slashed off the top third with the left saber, and then bisected the remaining stump with the right one.
“I am a Gundam… and a lumberjack too, it seems.”
Corolla laughed. “But it’s still fun, isn’t it?”
“Absolutely. Next time I see Nikki I’m gonna tell her that I’m taking her spot in the squadron if she keeps acting like the wimp she absolutely isn’t.”
She charged at another log, pirouetting as she cut it in half.
“You know, I’ve been a witness to their soap opera since it started. I’m getting tired of it.”
Corolla burst out laughing again. “And you missed the worst part. When they were living together, but didn’t even recognize each other. Well, Nikki didn’t remember who she was either and Sakuras being a dime in a dozen also didn’t help, but…”
Kathleen nodded – or she made the Gundam nod? Or both nodded. This is confusing.
“Yeah, I’m still getting used to the fact there’s three of them now.”
“Four of them. Didn’t we watch the news together yesterday? Princess Tsubasa from the Clow Kingdom is yet another one. There might be even more around.”
Kathleen’s eyes widened. “Even more? Four are confusing me already, thank you. You know, I did choose Nikki as my “official” Sakura, but there’s Hanami who is actually the one from my timeline, and the ‘real’ Sakura is a third one. And now there’s another one who’s a princess, too?”
She pouted. Or, at least, tried. The Gundam had no mouth, but maybe her own body did pout. “I can’t deal with all the Sergios and Sakuras of the multiverse by myself. We need multiple Kathleens for that.”
***
“Not only has 444th Air Base been taken by the NATO coalition, but as I expected it was the flight leader of Skystreaker Squadron, the one who you call ‘Mongoose’, who executed Colonel McKinsey. Rather brutally, I dare say.”
The Professor relaxed in the chair in front of Weisse’s desk. “Skystreaker Four, First Lieutenant Nikki Cherryflower, was captured before the official start of the war and deployed in Spare Squadron there. I think you can connect the dots, Commander.”
Weisse frowned. “Are you thinking Skystreaker One is on a rampage against anyone who hurt that girl?”
“I know he is. I saw it happen in our world before the Collapse, and it’s happening again. Grabacr Squadron, Colonel Rand of Fliegenderberg Air Base, Grabacr Squadron again, and now Colonel McKinsey. He won’t stop until he’s done – and the next target is painted on your back, Commander.”
Sweat beaded on Weisse’s forehead. He’s trying to not show it, but he’s feeling cornered. Good.
“Well, I’d like to see him try. We’re on the most advanced and armed aerial warship of the Belkan Air Force.”
“Commander, please. I know your judgment can’t be that delusional. The Durandal and its flight complement are a powerful asset, but so was the task force you sent to Sand Island.only to have it completely wiped out. You can pile up dozens of chickens against a single wild cat, but all you’re going to get is sending the latter into a killing frenzy.”
“Are you telling me I should just wait for him to kill me?” Weisse shouted.
“Of course not, Commander. Please don’t put words in my mouth.”
“Then, what do you think we should do?”
He’s already capitulated. How gullible.
“It takes an ace to shoot down another ace, Commander. And, as you know, my pilots are the only ones that were able to keep up with the Skystreakers. Unfortunately, I don’t think the airframes we have are enough – but I think Sol Squadron has provided Belka with what it needed to solve the powerplant issue on Grunder’s Project Vortigern.”
Weisse’s eyes widened. “Project Vortigern? You can’t be serious! Are you really asking me to-”
The Professor smiled. “To ask Grunder to assign the developmental airframes to Sol Squadron. Don’t look at me that way – everyone knows Shilage is the most experienced and skilled pilot in this world. His input will be as valuable as gold.”
Weisse inhaled, gripping his chair’s armrests. “I can see your point, Professor, but that’s a tall request. I’ll see what I can do.”
“I’m sure Grunder’s executive board will have no objections if you tell them the King of the Sky wants to be a test pilot for it. I’ve heard they already went through hoops to get his flight data.”
***
Sergio turned on the left blinker and stopped his Trueno right in front of Tomoeda Field’s gate. Ami was already waiting outside, holding a small purse in her hands. She walked over to the passenger side door and opened it before sitting inside the car.
Sergio suppressed a laugh “I see you’ve prettied yourself up.”
Ami laughed too. She was wearing a black strapless dress with lilac frills and a fake corset in the same color, which really suited her. Sergio had to admit it, she was pretty damn cute. I’m starting to see why the me of Hajime’s timeline eventually got together with her…
“It’s been a while since the last time I had a chance to.” Ami looked up in thought while he resumed driving. “Last time I had a dinner out… uhm, as Ami Cappuccino it was before I was deployed on the Wolfram, so several months ago. As Ami Tanegashima…surely it was with you before I died.”
Sergio nodded as he stopped at a traffic light. “Feels like a lifetime ago.”
“Literally, for me. The only way my mind is making any sense out of all of this is thinking that I reincarnated as Ami Cappuccino after I… moved on. It’s not what happened, but it’s making it easier to put things in order.”
Sergio laughed again, “I stopped expecting things to make sense a long time ago.”
Ami joined in his laugh. “I can’t blame you. Speaking about moving, though… I was kinda surprised you already rented an apartment.”
“I started looking for one as soon as we moved to Tomoeda Field. It’s not a big one, mind you – it was mostly meant as a place Nikki and I could have some privacy in while we sorted out everything. You know, mostly the fact I now have a daughter with her and one with you. Corolla suggested we just find a house big enough for all five of us but, well…”
“I get it. You were waiting until Nikki was feeling better before talking about it with everyone, right?”
“Exactly. Mind you, I’m not sold with Corolla and Kath’s ‘Harem Route’ idea, but… at the same time, I’d like for both Keiko and Hajime to be able to live with their parents. For them to be able to have every little bit of a normal life they can, even if only crumbs of it are available at all.”
“Yeah, I understand. I wouldn’t mind sharing a home with you all – that’s kinda what we did at Sand Island, but I agree we need to hear Nikki’s opinion about it too.”
In the corner of his eye Sergio saw Ami lower her head. “I doubt she’d be against having me around, especially since she’s basically tried to hand you off to me. But I want to hear it from her mouth.”
Sergio felt a tug at his stomach as he turned right at an intersection. By trying to distance herself, Nikki wasn’t troubling them less like she thought – she was troubling them more. “That’s what I thought, too.”
He took a deep breath. “I don’t care if she doesn’t want to fight anymore. It’s not First Lieutenant Cherryflower I fell in love with… It’s Nikki. And Nikki is still here. I wouldn’t love her any less even if she was bedridden for life.”
“That’s right! She doesn’t need to prove us anything to continue being our friend. Because that’s what being friends is.”
***
Nikki looked in disbelief at the menu. “Just how much was Tomoyo planning to pay…”
Syaoron looked around. The table that had been reserved for them was in the garden area, under a wooden gazebo. “I think the only thing she cared about was the place that would’ve looked best on camera.”
“That… would be like her, yeah.”
“Anyways…” Syaoron sighed. “It was me who invited you here, so don’t worry about the prices. I’m paying.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! I’m gonna pay my half!”
Much to her surprise, Syaoron almost jumped on his chair, his eyes widened.
“Uh… I’m sorry. I didn’t want to spook you. But… It doesn’t seem fair that you have to pay for both, when I do have enough of an income to do my part.”
But it does feel a bit unfair to still get paid while staying at home all day…
Syaoron chuckled. “Alright, as you wish. You know, you really looked like you were going to punch me there and then…”
Nikki’s eyes widened. “Eh?”
“For someone who keeps saying she’s done with fighting, you still know how to be tough when you want to.” He closed his eyes and smiled. “You’re much stronger than you give yourself credit for.”
Nikki felt her cheeks heat up, and lowered her eyes. But you never saw me when I actually was strong…
***
“And so, you went through the pain of dressing up for a fine restaurant but we ended up in a fast food.”
Ami gulped down the bite she had taken off a hamburger. “It’s fine. We shouldn’t really have expected to find a table without reservation anyway. And you know what? I’m actually more into burgers than very refined but also half empty dishes.”
Sergio laughed. “Yeah, I’ve never been a fan of gourmet restaurants either.” He munched on a couple fries. “Though, even if it makes me sound very stereotypically Italian, I’m more into pizza than burgers. Once this war is over and we have the time, I’m gonna get to what’s left of Italy and eat one at a proper pizzeria.”
Ami laughed. “I hope your years-long quest for a good pizza will be over soon!”
“Oh, well, Nikki and I did live in Italy for a bit before moving to Japan. There was a good take-away pizzeria near my house, so I managed to have my fill. It’s been a while, though.”
Ami took a sip from her cup. “Speaking of places to live in… if you rented the apartment to go live in with Nikki, why did you move in full-time anyway? Isn’t it lonely, all by yourself?”
“Oh, well, that’s to try to get better sleep now since I had to share a room with some of the other guys.” Sergio leaned over the table, and put a hand next to his mouth. “Gramps snores. A lot.”
***
“You know what? I’m still hungry.” Nikki said as she and Syaoron entered Penguin Park.
“To be fair… I feel the same,” Syaoron agreed. “The food was good, but the portions were pretty small.”
Nikki closed her eyes and crossed her arms. “If we see a ramen cart, we’re stopping at it.”
Syaoron laughed. “Never thought you were a street food type.”
“Oh, well, I also like more refined food. But that restaurant had turned it up to eleven. Their dishes were art, but… I was expecting to have dinner, not just an appetizer. If I were to eat there regularly, I’d end up thinner than I was when I worked at the PPC.”
“Don’t tell me, they skimped on food there?”
“Uhm… not quite. There was a cafeteria, but the food was so bad we preferred to cook for ourselves. Except… we didn’t really have the time most days.”
Nikki thought back to the times where Sergio, Corolla and she were more likely to have a meal during a mission than inside Headquarters. They… weren’t bad times, despite all.
She laughed. “I lost count of how many times we were saved by rice crackers, canned meat and dehydrated fruit mix.”
Syaoron pointed at a row of vending machines, and they walked towards them. “And now, a few snacks will have to do the same?”
“Yeah. Though, to be fair, I wish we had vending machines like these in HQ.” She made her selection, and picked up a warm can of corn soup from the chute. “I was quite shocked to discover they aren’t the norm in the rest of the multiverse.”
Syaoron walked across a few machines to pick a sandwich and a can of Pepsi. “I was actually shocked when I arrived here. Pepsi and Coke in different machines? And one machine for each brand of snacks?”
Nikki drank down some of her soup. “At least now everyone has their choices! In HQ, we’d be lucky if we actually found some real Coke or Pepsi… both at once was almost impossible.” She laughed. “I think the only times Sergio and I actually managed to both get our picks were during missions… I like Pepsi like you do, but he prefers Coke.”
“I remember that. It was already that way back when we all were in Venice.”
“Yeah…”
Maybe we always were too different on many things.
She finished her soup in silence, and tossed the can into the recycle bin next to the last vending machine. Ami is more like him on a lot of things… they’re both good with guns, they know a lot about aircraft, they even both like Coke.
She felt some drops hitting her head and shoulders. “What? Not again!”
“My apartment is not too far,” Syaoron said as the rain became more steady. “Let’s make a run for it, I’ll bring you home by car.”
***
Ami followed Sergio on the stairs of the apartment building. “This is quite a climb!”
“Yeah. My apartment is on the fifth floor. There’s a lift, but it broke down. Must be something serious, the maintenance crew has been working on it since yesterday.”
They arrived at the right floor and Sergio headed towards one of the doors. He opened it, and flicked a switch inside. “Here it is. It isn’t very big – nothing fancy really.”
Ami walked in. She had insisted on having a look – after all, her friend had a habit of not really bothering to make his living spaces comfortable unless he had to share them with someone else.
She sat at the bench near the entrance and took off her shoes, replacing them with a pair of slippers. Sergio did the same, putting on his own – as she had guessed, the only red pair.
“You’ve put enough slippers for a few guests – you already know how it works here!”
“Well, I’ve actually been living in Japan for about a year when this happened, so you have to thank Nikki for that. If it wasn’t for her explaining stuff to me, I would’ve made an embarrassment out of myself who knows how many times.”
“I see. So that’s why your Japanese improved so much!”
She got up, and ignored the closed door right in front of her – that was surely the bathroom. She walked towards the next room, which turned out to be also the only other one. On her right she found a kitchenette and a table with two stools, while on the left there was a big wardrobe. In front of her there was a coffee table right in the middle, with a couch on the right and a low counter with the television on the left. Past the coffee table there was the apartment’s only window.
“So… I guess this is what they call a studio apartment?”
“Yes, it’s a bit cramped. Now that I think about it, my Response Center at the PPC might’ve actually been bigger, and that’s saying something.”
She stopped next to the coffee table. “I remember it. I think you’re right, actually – I can’t imagine three people living here at once, two would be kinda pushing it already.”
She turned her attention to the couch. The coffee table left no space for a futon, so it surely was one of those that could be unfolded into a double bed. As it was, though, there were some sheets over the couch without it having been opened. Memories of Sergio using a sleeping bag on his Response Center’s floor flashed in her mind.
“Don’t tell me… You’re sleeping on the couch as it is?”
“Er… Yeah.” Sergio passed a hand over the back of his head. “Though, to be fair, it’s more than large enough for a single person as it is, and quite comfy too, so I didn’t bother unfolding it. This place is cramped enough as it is.”
Ami bit her lip, and sat down on the couch. It seemed quite soft, so she tried laying down. “Oh, you’re right. The gaps between the cushions ruin it a bit, but… I think they actually make for a better mattress than the ones we had at Sand Island, and even compete with the ones at Tomoeda Field.”
She looked up at the shelves behind the couch. Much to her surprise, they appeared to be full of books. “When did you get all those books?”
“I didn’t. They were already there, and… well…”
Sergio leaned over, and much to Ami’s surprise he took a full row of books like they weighed nothing. In fact, they also looked like they were completely stuck together.
“Don’t tell me… they’re fake?”
“Yeah. Fake decorative books. As crazy as it sounds, they’re actually a thing.”
Sergio put the fake books back on the shelves, and Ami sat up.
“That aside, it doesn’t look too bad,” She conceded. “It’s a bit small, but for staying a little while looks comfortable!”
“Yeah, it does. And-”
All of a sudden, the light went off.
Sergio sighed. “Oh, you gotta be kidding me.”
***
Nikki shut off the hair dryer. It was nice of Syaoron to let her take a warm shower – by the time they got to his home, they were both completely drenched.
She made sure the towel she was wearing was wrapped snugly around her before walking out of the bathroom, one hand on her chest ready to catch it if it were to come loose.
She had seen enough anime to know that it was the exact kind of situation in which towels loved to come off at the wrong moment.
Syaoron was in the living room, kneeling next to an electric heater. He was shirtless, his drenched shirt and her dress were on two chairs set close to the heater.
“I’m done with the bathroom,” Nikki said. “You should really take a shower too, before you get a cold.”
“Just a second.” He flicked a switch, and stood up. Nikki couldn’t help but gaze at him – he must’ve exercised in his free time, because his chest was nicely defined.
“I set it all the way up, but I’m afraid it will still take a while before your dress dries up. I can lend you some clothes of mine until then, if you don’t mind.”
Nikki felt her cheeks heat up. It was a nice gesture, but there was a big problem. “Actually… I don’t think it’s a good idea. I’ll keep this towel for now. In fact… I think I have something else I need to hang to dry, but please don’t look at them.”
Syaoron blushed as well. “Do you mean…?”
Nikki joined her knees, hugging herself. “Yeah. They got drenched too. When that car hit the puddle and splashed us, I think. As you can guess, I’m not really into wearing another person’s clothes with no undies on.”
Syaoron looked frozen.“Y-yeah, I agree.”
Nikki raised an eyebrow. “Are you alright? Don’t tell me…” She burst out laughing. “Yes, I’m naked under this towel. Is that shocking you so much?”
Syaoron tried to bring out a smile, but he still looked nervous. “A bit. I wouldn’t have expected you to walk out of the bathroom so casually without underwear on.”
“Well… the other options were to wear them wet, or shut myself in the bathroom for a while trying to dry them with the hairdryer. I mean… I can still do the latter, but you should really get a shower first.”
Syaoron laughed. He looked finally at ease. “You really worry about me, if your priority is getting me to have a warm shower over not being naked in my presence.”
“Of course I worry! We used to be together, years ago. And, besides…” She felt her cheeks go up in fire. “We… are kinda dating again, aren’t we?”
“I hadn’t looked at it that way, but… I guess we are, yes.”
“Now go, unless you want me to throw you under the shower myself.”
Syaoron gave her a wary look. “You’re really going to?”
She stepped around him, and started pushing him towards the bathroom. “Don’t tempt me!”
Nikki kept pushing with both hands as Syaoron laughed. She didn’t care at all when her towel indeed fell off.
***
Sergio closed a cabinet, a light bulb in hand. “Okay, the good news is that I do have a spare bulb. The bad ones are, I don’t think the coffee table is high enough for me to reach the ceiling lamp above it, I haven’t found anything to put over it as a step, and if I drag the other table there at ten thirty in the evening everyone and their dog is gonna file complaints tomorrow.”
He turned back towards Ami and shrugged. “Guess I’ll have to make do with the kitchen’s spotlights until tomorrow. No big deal, I think I’ll go to sleep right after driving you back to Tomoeda Field anyways.”
Ami looked up at the lamp. “Actually… The ceiling isn’t that high. If you stand on the coffee table and lift me up, I should be able to reach it. The table looks strong enough.”
Sergio rubbed his chin. The table was made of thick wood, and neither of them was very heavy – in fact, with her small frame Ami was surely pretty light. “Let’s give it a try.”
He gave her the spare bulb, and they stepped on the table. Sergio put his arms around Ami’s waist, and lifted her up as much as he could. “This enough?”
“Yes. I’m taking off the old bulb.”
Sergio waited patiently for her to finish, but despite guessing right on her weight he found out his arms were becoming sore quickly. We’ve been up since four in the morning after all.
“Oh, just a little bit more. Almost done, I just need to tighten the new one.”
Sergio felt Ami stretching upwards. I must’ve lowered her a bit without noticing.
Just as he prepared to try and lift her a bit more, though, black fabric fell on his nose. The hell?
He bent his head back to get the fabric off, and he saw Ami’s flustered face. Alongside her naked chest.
Shit!
Sergio placed her down as quickly as he could and looked away from her. “Sorry.”
Madoka-damnit, this feels like something out of a crappy visual novel!
“Uh… Why? The top of my dress slipped down when I stretched up. It wasn’t your fault at all.”
“So… You’re not gonna punch me for seeing them?”
“It was an accident, there’s no reason for me to overreact like a character in a harem comedy anime. Besides… The very fact Hajime was born means that in her timeline the other you saw much more than this. So, hey, I don’t really mind this happened, okay?”
Sergio turned around. It had been enough time for her to fix her dress, after all. “Alright, but it still was one hell of an embarass-”
Ami hadn’t fixed up her dress at all. And, to be fair, while she was covering her breasts with her hands and her face was still flushed, she didn’t look uncomfortable at all with the situation.
“Ami?”
Much to his shock, she crossed her arms behind her back, baring her chest again. “And… I wouldn’t mind if you actually do see more, too.”
***
Nikki turned over in Syaoron’s bed. He fell asleep a while earlier, but she was having trouble doing the same. Something wasn’t sitting well with her, and she couldn’t understand what.
Syaoron clearly liked her for who she was – nothing more, and nothing less. And there was no doubt that she liked him back, as well.
We even both agreed that we’re basically dating already, so doing it was simply the next step.
There was nothing wrong in them having gotten intimate – after all, she had already broken up her relationship with Sergio.
Troubling him with the pale shadow of her old self she was now would’ve been even worse, it was like that old saying – “if you love him, you’ll know when to let him go.”
Then… Why am I feeling so guilty?
***
Ami clenched her fists as she tried to get to sleep, laying next to Sergio. It had happened so… Easily. So naturally. Not completely smoothly, of course – even with Sergio’s best efforts at being as gentle as he could, it was still her first time.
Now that the excitement of the moment had passed, though, she felt her conscience biting back at her. Sure, they technically already had a daughter. And, Nikki had dumped him so he technically didn’t cheat on her.
But this still isn’t right. This isn’t “my” timeline. I should be helping solve this situation, not take advantage of it! This way, I’ll just be enabling her distancing from us!
She closed her eyes. She had fantasized about living that night many, many times – but this wasn’t how she wanted it to happen.
***
“Wakey wakey, everyone,” Corolla shouted as she stood in front of a large holographic window in the briefing room. “We got some intel to work on, and if things are like I believe they are, this is getting out of hand.”
Gino rubbed his temples. Considering the limited number of people that Corolla called there – him, Kathleen and Faith – it was clearly not official Strike Dove business. “I assume this is not something related to Belka but to Nikki?”
“Of course. And to Sergio. And Ami. Let’s go in order.”
Corolla tapped something in a smaller holographic window, and the photo of a bed appeared alongside a series of timestamps and coordinates. “Yesterday at 2012 hours Ami exited Tomoeda Field’s front gate, with Sergio picking her up shortly afterwards. Our previously collected intel suggests they were planning to have a dinner out.”
Faith raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t she just tell us that herself?”
“That’s how we collected that intel. However, as can be guessed by the photo of her untouched bed, she didn’t sleep here tonight. I checked the position of her Device, Moschetto, and the coordinates matched the address of Sergio’s apartment. I remotely downloaded some logs from Moschetto, and her physical logs left no doubt: those two have, let’s say, replicated how Hajime came to be. Well, minus the pregnancy bit, hopefully.”
Kathleen raised an eyebrow. “So, they fucked. You can say that straight, we’re all grown-ups here.”
“Where’s the fun in that? Anyways, that would usually be a good thing, ‘cause it would be the first step towards the Harem Route.”
This time it was Gino’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “Harem route?”
Kathleen smiled at him. “Yeah, the plan is to hook up your self-insert with both of them. We can’t have either of his daughters end up with a broken family, can we? They even see each other as sisters already, and I care plenty about my nieces.”
Behind her, Faith smiled indulgently. Gino understood right away the “please bear with them” silent message.
“Anyways, there’s another problem,” Corolla continued. “Someone else decided to extend her dinner date, as well.”
A photo of Nikki appeared on the holographic window.
“We have intel from Hanami that Nikki and Syaoron – who we are suspecting comes from one of the timelines of our world – went out to have dinner together, and like Ami, Nikki stayed out the whole night. Except the latter wasn’t in the arms of the person we wanted her to be.”
“First thing first, you’re not allowed to organize accidents of any kind to Syaoron,” Gino said. ”If he really is an uncanonical Syaoran that originated from Mai Dire Fine… he’s one of my characters as much as you are. Except, in his case, I have little idea of how he acts since last time I wrote him he was a cardboard cutout and not a person. However, from what-”
“Nice of you to tell us right away that you’re useless again.” Kathleen smirked. “Don’t worry, we won’t harm him. We can’t promise their future dates will go on without a hitch, though.”
“Careful, Kath,” Corolla interrupted her. “They have to go badly, yes, but not in a way he can gain sympathy points out of.”
“Stop it, you two.” Faith walked between them, a stern expression on her face. “None of us has any right to force Nikki’s life to go a certain way. Don’t get me wrong – I’ll be the happiest woman on Earth if she gets back together with Sergio, they’re really meant for each other. But if she really made up her mind in a different way… it is not our place to change things against her wishes.”
“Thanks, Faith.” Gino crossed his arms. “Before the two of you go ballistic – and yes, I know you were going to – let me finish what I was saying. From what I understood hearing people who actually met the guy, Syaoron is a lot like Syaoran himself is now, if not even mellower since he doesn’t seem to have magical shenanigans of his own to deal with. Which, unfortunately you’d say, fits exactly in what Nikki wants now – a safe, simple, sweet everyday life. Am I right, Faith?”
Faith nodded. “Yes, that’s exactly the impression she gave me. Her life with us at Strike Dove, not by our fault, ended up hurting her. At the same time, staying around us without fighting at our side, for her, would just be acting like a coward. I’m not sure she fully realizes it, but she’s actually seeking shelter in the people and places from her childhood… from when nothing would try to hurt her, and she was fine not being a fighter.”
“And Sakuras are supposed to be soulmates with Syaorans, so I am not surprised at all that she has some lingering attraction towards one,” Gino continued.
Kathleen’s eyes widened, becoming as round as saucers. “So Sakuras aren’t actually soulmates with Sergios? You’re destroying all I knew of my world.”
“Er… no. ‘Sakura’ was actually a character I and my other partners in crime borrowed from a manga series, Cardcaptor Sakura. You can ask Corolla for more details later. However, the girl I wrote ended up becoming much more than a copy of Sakura, so she’s Nikki now. Rule of thumb: if the ‘Sakura’ is Nikki or derives from her somehow – Hanami, Kurara, Saki – she goes with a Sergio. Otherwise, she goes with a Syaoran.”
“We have a great track record though,” Corolla deadpanned. “Of all the ‘Nikkis,’ one dumped her Sergio, one saw hers die, and the last two died together with theirs.”
“Anyway, you girls are getting distracted here. We don’t need to pull Nikki out of Syaoron’s arms, but from the grasp of her doubts about herself. The plan stays the same.”
Gino walked over to Corolla’s holographic window and erased its contents. “Faith, make sure she does go to her appointments with the therapist. Corolla, instead of coming up with crazy plans, do whatever it takes to get her Device fixed up as soon as possible. Even if you have to go to Osaka to steal the parts under Mariel’s nose, I don’t care. Kath… Uh, I guess you can hang around with her? But don’t interfere – there’s no need to. Syaoron’s actually too plain for her tastes – as soon as she snaps back to being the Nikki we know and love, she’ll dump him herself. But, for now, we have to let her make her own mistakes – she might actually end up giving herself the wake-up call.”
Before any of the girls could say anything, though, the door opened and Johnson walked in, Sergio and Ami in tow.
“Oh, you’re already here,” Johnson said. “That’s good, we have no time to lose. We’ve got an emergency assignment from the NATO coalition.”
***
“As you know, the NATO coalition is continuously launching new spy satellites to get as much coverage as possible of the new continent.”
Johnson projected a map of the continent alongside a CGI image of a satellite and photos of the VF-25 and VF-31 variable fighters.
“What you might not know is that the Coalition is also doing its best to destroy Belkan satellites. This is a field in which the Coalition has complete superiority thanks to some availability of these two aircraft types: the VF-25 Messiah employed by Strategic Military Services, and the VF-31 Kairos and Siegfred variants employed by Xaos.
“They’re much more advanced than the VF-0, and are in fact not only space capable but also able to reach orbit unaided. As such, they’re able to launch satellites at a rate unmatched by Belka’s conventional launches, and perform ASAT missions uncontested since Belka doesn’t have equivalent aircraft, or at least not in meaningful amounts.”
Johnson zoomed on the map, and it was eventually replaced by the satellite view of what looked like a futuristic aircraft carrier somehow parked in the middle of a forest.
“While scouting for possible cordium production locations, the military analysts made another worrying discovery. What you see in this photo is an ARMD-L aircraft carrier, basically the flight deck of a Macross Quarter-class variable space carrier – the original Quarter being the mobile headquarters of SMS.
“This ARMD-L has not been recognized as being part of their inventory, but it crashed in an area currently contested and still likely contains Variable Fighters of their universe and era. It has gone unnoticed until now, but it seems the Belkans have realized its existence roughly at the same time we did. It must not fall in their hands, as it would allow them to close the gap in satellite warfare.”
Johnson smiled. “In fact, the NATO brass is so scared of that possibility, they promised us fifteen percent of the aircraft contained in the target ship if we manage to keep the Belkans off it long enough for it to be salvaged. That’s up to twelve aircraft if the carrier has a full complement of eighty.”
Sergio rubbed his chin. “That’s surprisingly generous, especially since they weren’t willing to give us our VF-0s early even to deal with the cordium problem.”
“It actually makes sense – to nip the production facility in the bud, we need space superiority to pinpoint its location through satellites. And capturing this ship before the Belkans do is vital to maintain said space superiority. The stakes have become so high, they’re willing to pay any price, and I decided ours.”
Sergio nodded slowly. Of course his grandfather had looked into a way to make sure the weight put on their shoulders was worth it.
Ami looked up in thought. “An ARMD-L ship, part of a Quarter-class… So we’re talking about a Macross Frontier-era ship.”
“Exactly!” Corolla confirmed. “Which means juicy stuff like VF-25s!”
Sergio rubbed his chin. “Even if that wasn’t the case, we’d still be looking at VF-171 Nightmare Pluses at worst. Still leagues ahead of what we have.”
“Then I expect you all to put out an excellent performance as usual. However, I’m afraid things will be a little more complicated today.” Johnson sighed. “Eagle 002 is under maintenance as there were no scheduled operations today, and Kuo said it can’t be put back together in time. Ami, you’ll be flying backseat to Sergio today. I took the liberty of asking Scribetto to install those magical pods on Phoenix 016 for you to use. That, alongside the necessary drop tanks to get there on a single flight with no refueling, unfortunately means there are no pylons available for special weapons though.”
Sergio glanced at Ami. “I guess you’ll be the special weapon then.”
“Between my Blaster Bits and my spells, I’ll make sure to not disappoint!”
***
Sergio brought up the fuel panel on the Phoenix’s multifunction display. They were roughly two thirds of the way to the target, so it was time to check if some drop tanks could be jettisoned already. “Looks like the upper drop tanks are empty.”
He glanced at his left. Attached to the fuselage on top of the air intake there was a large fuel tank. “Good riddance, that’s one hell of a blind angle. You ready, Comet?”
“Of course.”
“Lightning to Skystreaker Squadron, I need to drop the top tanks. Stand clear.”
“Robogirl, roger.”
“Knight, wilco.”
He waited a few seconds – those tanks prevented him from even seeing where his wingmen were! – and rolled the aircraft upside down before hitting the button to jettison them.
The two tanks detached, and he rolled the aircraft back straight.
“Seriously, who came up with that?” Ami said. “You shouldn’t need to roll your aircraft to shed the drop tanks!”
“I heard it was something that got added to the design in this world,” Sergio explained. “As you know, the Phoenix guzzles gas like there’s no tomorrow, which was fine for a developmental machine but not so much for full scale deployment in this war. So, since the upper hardpoints meant for the micromissile pods were right on top of the conformal tanks, they decided to plumb them to have drop tanks drain straight into the conformal ones to get that little bit more range.”
“I guess that makes sense, yes.”
There was a chime, and “INTERCOM ONLY REQUEST” appeared on Sergio’s HUD. He accepted it, already knowing what it was about.
He took a deep breath. “It’s about last night, right?”
“Yeah… It was good, but… I don’t think we should’ve done it.”
Sergio nodded slowly. “I’m having second thoughts too. We talked the whole evening on how Nikki was wrong in pushing you into my arms hoping we would be into each other enough to not notice her running away… and then we indeed ended up banging each other behind her back.”
Ami hummed sadly. “And the even worse thing is, she’s in such a bad place that she would actually be happy about it. I… I would rather have her back, chewing me out for this.”
“Same here.” Sergio took a deep breath. “Alright… what’s done is done. Let’s try to not make any more mistakes, shall we?”
***
“You must think I’m a complete idiot,” Nikki said as she lay face down on Sakura’s bed. “You’re here, still mourning your Sergio… and I, who still have mine, am here pushing him away and tossing myself into someone else’s arms.”
“Not so much?” Hanami said, sitting next to her. Nikki felt Hanami’s hand caressing her head. “I kinda understand where you come from. The last couple years… weren’t so nice. I did whatever I could to get him to reason, or even just cheer him up, I really tried everything… but he went all the way down the slippery slope anyway.”
“But you never abandoned him until the end, even when there was no hope left for him.” Nikki punched the pillow. “I distanced myself because they can’t rely on me like this, but…”
She turned her head towards Hanami. “I thought this normal everyday life suited me better. With Syaoron things were even looking like there was chemistry… but last night I still felt like I was cheating despite the fact I had already broken up with Sergio.”
Hanami’s eyes widened. “So last night you and Syaoron really did-”
Nikki sat up. “Yeah. I couldn’t keep my panties on just like a cardboard cutout character from a dating sim. How low I stoop… No way I can show my face to Sergio again. I’m not worthy of him.”
Hanami smiled. “I’m pretty sure Sergio’s actually thinking ‘why is she doing this to herself? Of course she’s worthy of me!’ He will surely forgive you right away!”
Nikki froze. The situation suddenly felt very familiar – but with switched places.
“That’s right.” Sergio lowered his eyes. “Nikki, I like you, but I don’t know if I like you for what you are or just because you look like Sakura a lot. I have to sort out this, and other things, before I can believe to be someone who is worthy of your affection.”
“You already are!” Nikki said with tears coming down from her eyes, “I… I don’t know your past, but… You always look after us… You always try to help everyone… You would even sacrifice yourself for others! If someone like that isn’t worthy…!”
Nikki gulped. I’m… doing the exact same thing he was. An idiot seeks another idiot, I guess.
Hanami grabbed Nikki’s hands. “Everyone is waiting for you, I know you don’t want to fight, but… I think it would mean a lot to them even just to have you around waiting for them to get back. You might not be a pilot anymore but I’m sure you can still make them feel the warmth of your friendship!”
Nikki took a deep breath. She hadn’t thought of that either, lost as she was moping about herself. She had long accepted all of Sergio’s faults, she had no right to say hers were unacceptable when everyone had already stated they accepted them all.
“I can give it a try, yes. I’ll ask if there’s anything I can do to help at Tomoeda Field.” She laughed. “Worst thing that can happen, I end up in the kitchen with Touya… and even then, I can deal with him.”
***
“Knight to Lightning. I think I’ve taken out the last of their Zakus.”
Sergio double-tapped the ordinance release button, sending two missiles after a Flapper. It dodged, only to be hit squarely by a burst of purple orbs from Ami’s Blaster Bits. The two small drones then slowed down to form up again with Sergio’s Phoenix.
“I’m hit, I’m losing thrust!” The Flapper’s pilot shouted. “Schnee Two, pulling out.”
“Schnee One, understood. Our assault units are gone as well, we’re withdrawing.”
Sergio followed the retreating aircraft with his eyes. “Lightning here. Their Variable Fighters are calling it quits. What about their choppers?”
“Robogirl to Lightning, I took care of the last ones. Radar is clear and our own troops will be here soon, I think that’s a wrap. A well wrapped burrito, as Long Caster would say.”
“Great. Good work, everyone. Robogirl, any response from the ship?”
“Nope, it seems to be powered down. If there’s any crew, they fully buttoned up inside.”
“Comet here,” Ami said from the back seat. “If we get closer, I can try an Area Search.”
Sergio nodded. “Please do that. I’m landing on the ship’s deck – hopefully, if they see a Phoenix they’ll assume us to be UN Spacy and not hostile.”
***
Sergio walked down the bridge’s stairs, lowering his Beretta 92. “No one up there either, not even bodies. I guess the ship was brought here by the Unravel without her crew.”
“That’s sad, but good for us,” Ami said. “If the ship had a crew, we wouldn’t be able to lay claim on the planes.”
“Yeah. Speaking of which, at this point we should head straight to the hangars, don’t you think?”
“Of course!”
They proceeded, following the signs dotting the ship’s hull. Only the emergency lights were still running, leaving the corridors barely illuminated by red light, but between those and the flashlight mounted on Sergio’s pistol it was more than enough to get by.
After a while they arrived in front of a slightly ajar sliding double door, labeled “HANGAR” in big letters.
“Bingo,” Sergio said as he walked over. He grabbed one of the doors and pushed to open it, its dead servos resisting but not enough to stop the door. They walked in, and the cone of light of the flashlight illuminated the fuselage of a Variable Fighter.
Sergio closed in. It was a sleek swing-wing aircraft with no horizontal tail planes, but much sleeker than the swing-wing version of the Phoenix. “A VF-25… That’s very good news.”
“Wait, I think I’ve found a control panel.” Ami fiddled with a small console, and there was a whirring sound followed by the hangar’s lights coming on one by one.
Sergio shielded his eyes from the light. “You found the controls for the hangar’s emergency generator? Nice work, now-”
His eyes started getting used to the light, and he remained speechless. In front of them there were rows and rows of VF-25s and VF-31s.
“We scored!” Ami shouted, failing to hide her excitement.
“Well, they look like they’re the basic variants, and we’re only getting a few… but man, these make even my Phoenix completely obsolete. We found the Holy Grail here – both for us and the NATO coalition.”
Ami nodded enthusiastically. Sergio knew what was going on in her mind – with these aircraft, the war was going to be over even sooner.
Wings Of Canon 