Fantasy Stellar ARMOR Satellizer (Ranix Aurus & Admiral19)

[Ranix Aurus]

Hotaru was left in a daze. She had only heard about how good kissing felt, how the human lip could transfer countless emotions through touch alone. How their tongue could measure the compatibility of their partner from the act.

She felt... good. Really good. So good that she almost cried when Kanae broke off their touch. If that was how she felt, that meant she and Kanae was... compatible... right?

She let out a silly little giggle as they leaned on each other, just enjoying the comfortable silence. Maybe it was a mistake. Maybe she would regret it later. Maybe she would be hurt. But--

For now, just for this little amount of time... it should be fine, right?

...Hotaru was, after all, a selfish girl.

"Uhhhhhh."

A gasp came from behind her. Hotaru slowly turned her neck around, only to see Akira's head peeking out of the slightly opened door. He looked like he was frozen in time as he wanted to walk out of the room.

"...You guys... continue..."

He slowly retreated back inside, closing the door with a soft thud.

"..."

"Umm... right, Kanae..." Hotaru twiddled with her fingers, unsure on how to break the news. "We... we lost Gemini. I'm sorry... even though you've left it with me..."

 

[Admiral19]

Whereas Hotaru couldn't help but feel awkward, Kanae couldn't help but laugh. Yeah, this felt more like the three of them. Things were gonna go uphill from here.

Well, they would soon enough. "I heard. It's alright, you didn't know what was gonna happen. I'm just glad you're safe, and I am going to...applaud Shouji once he's better. Holy shit."

There was nothing they could do but head back to Japan. The only thing, though..."Aesir is gonna be looking for the medallions that we have now. We've gotta find a way to shut them down, and that means we gotta keep the medallions away for as long as we can. How do we do that?"

 

[Ranix Aurus]

"I'm not sure... maybe your father has an idea?" Hotaru pondered out loud. The best method to keep the medallions safe from the reach of bad guys would be to completely destroy them... except that it was impossible. The only option was to safeguard it. Which would paint a big crosshair on their backs.

"...What if we... forget everything about this and move away somewhere else? Somewhere that won't have anything to do with Aesir, or medallions, or this monster stuff..." She murmured. The same suggestion that Akira had given Kanae just a few hours ago. It seemed that their thought process, even if they didn't want to admit it, were one and the same.

"Ahh... what a load off my shoulder..." With a ding, the elevator door opened, and come Seiichiro looking like he had a few years shaved off his life. "Guys, good news! Shouji's regained consciousness now. He should be able to get back up tomorrow. Not to full health, but it's a start. We can-- hmmmm?"

Seiichiro's gaze fell upon the girls' hands, which were interlocked with each other. Not a strange things to do with friends, but why did he feel that something was different somehow?

He coughed. An old man like him shouldn't comment on young people's life.

"Anyway, let's get back home to Japan. America isn't that safe. At least in Japan we have Shiori backing us up, and I know some people as well."

---

Alfred had taken the flight to Japan before the Holders returned to the America base in order to prepare for Operation Clearwater. In the luxurious first-class seat, he twirled the wine glass in his hand as his mind wandered to his future plans.

The trap was already set. The stage would be a small village at the outskirts of Tokyo, where Aesir had, using the resources from OLYMPUS, gained control over its leadership. It would be a perfect place to hunt a wild lion.

As for the bait... he looked at the data in his tablet. Mochizuki Mamoru. College student. He was a victim of Shouji's unsanctioned actions way back then. It was unplanned for him to be injected with the Jotunn serum, but somehow he was able to return back to normal.

No... that wasn't completely right, was it? There was no such thing as "turning back". That could only mean...

"Interesting... perhaps that failure of a Holder had his use after all."

Alfred flashed a creepy smile.

 

[Admiral19]

The flight back to Japan was loooong. Kanae faded in and out of consciousness throughout, resting from everything that had happened in America. In between naps, she was sketching in a notebook that she brought along. It was a decent sketch of all of the medallions in a circle, with a few questioning scribbles by the circle.

She happened to be seated by Seiichiro when she was doing this, and showed the sketch to him. "Hey. What do you think the Kaiserin might do with all these medallions?"

 

[Ranix Aurus]

Seiichiro was staring at a report in his tablet when Kanae broke his concentration. His mind was dazed for a moment before what she said finally clicked.

"Oh. Hmm... I'd think that she wants to harness their power. Make an army of ARMORs... wait, there's only twelve medallions, hmm... I guess they're really powerful, but it won't be enough for something as big as world domination, isn't it?"

He clicked a few times on his tablet, showing Kanae a graph of energy output recorded from the medallions.

"See here, the power that a medallion held is immense. Even with the ARMOR, we haven't unlocked everything that the medallions could do. I wonder if the Kaiserin knows something that we don't? Like if she has an ancient artifact that can use up the medallion's powers... but that doesn't sound realistic, huh? That kind of thing only happens in novels or movies!"

He laughed at his own joke.

 

[Admiral19]

Kanae gave Seiichiro a look. "Uncle, in case you forgot, I used to think armored heroes were a thing of fiction. Let's not rule out something crazy, now."

That was something Kanae wondered about. The medallions had a bunch of power...were they gonna power up the Kaiserin? Were they something that would attract something bigger? Were they simply fodder for a monster?

It all sounded scary.

---

Ah, her stage looked even better up close.

The Kaiserin stood alone in the old mine, inspecting every inch of the platform. Thick stone, smoothed over and colored red...solid pillars built on each corner...in the very center, a platform with a circular shape, 12 indents placed on the circle's path...

Squared lines ran through the stone surface, currently empty. Ah, but when her precious Holders got her medallions...

She'd be able to finish what her fellow scientists started.

The Kaiserin looked up. There was no sky for her to see, but it was like she was looking at an expanse of stars.

"A little practice won't hurt before the show, would it...?"

 

[Ranix Aurus]

The seemingly long flight finally ended as they touched down at their home country's airport. Ah, the air was completely different from the States. The passengers stretched out their tired muscles before trickling out of the plane.

Shouji had to walk with a crutch for now, but otherwise he was on good for recovery. He trudged behind Aisuke and Yuna, feeling regret over losing Gemini. More so... he regretted not being able to keep up his promise to Rui.

He was still too weak...

Akira and Hotaru... was in a cold war. Back in the plane, Hotaru had yelled once at him, although their seats were too far from the others to catch what they were fighting about. Even on the way home, they still kept silent.

When they arrived at their destination, Hotaru ran over to Kanae with a worried look.

"Kanae... you met with Gen- with father?"

---

Alfred's voice came through the intercom.

"Rejoice, my Kaiserin. We will proceed with the plan soon. It wouldn't be long before the medallions will be in your grasp!"

His voice had a rare trembling in it, as if his frozen emotion had thawed.

"It's been ten years since our first meeting. My Kaiserin... thank you for giving me this opportunity. You're truly a human who stands above all."

 

[Admiral19]

"I did." Kanae's response was curt. "He was somehow harder to talk to than I expected him to be."

She could tell that Akira and Hotaru were in a bit of a stalemate, but she didn't know what she could do about it. She figured that it had something to do with Genki, but...

"Bullheaded, that's what he was. He was acting as if none of the threats we faced so far even existed! It was infuriating!"

---

The Kaiserin chuckled at something. "Well, thank you for working so hard to bring my dream to life. Trust me, your efforts will be rewarded."

 

[Ranix Aurus]

"Hmmhm, G- father is like that. Don't pay him any mind."

Hotaru replied offhandedly as she seemed to be more keen on inspecting Kanae from head to toe. When it wasn't enough, she went into a full body hug. Leaning her head on Kanae's shoulder, she sniffed once over her neck.

"You're really fine...? Did he give you any weird stuff? You didn't eat anything funny, right? Did he say anything about me?"

She blushed a bit when she realized that her barrage of questions were inappropriate.

"Sorry... just, father doesn't like me, so... I'm afraid of him telling you bad things about me..."

She didn't want Kanae to hate her as well. Anyone could, just not Kanae...

---

Alfred at the other end of the line was smiling widely.

"The fruits of my labor is reward enough, my Kaiserin! I will personally lead our force to trap Leo and regain her medallion. At long last... our wishes will come true. Glory to the New World!"

He ended the communication before turning around and issuing orders to his men. Soon the Holders will join him in this village, and then... it would only be a matter of waiting until their prey bit the bait...

 

[Admiral19]

"Hey, it's fine. Really." Kanae pulled Hotaru into her arms. "I don't think he said anything about you...he was mostly focused on Akira. He had points, but they weren't points we could afford to listen to."

Kanae couldn't hate Hotaru. "It's fine, really. Whatever it was that he would have told me...it couldn't have been your fault."

---

Alfred disconnected, and the Kaiserin was left to look over her stage again.

"A human who stands above all"...

She chuckled. Then she laughed.

Being human had nothing to do with it.

 

[Ranix Aurus]

"Hmm..."

It was Hotaru's fault. And yet... did she have the courage to tell that to Kanae? No.

Because she was a coward.

"I'll listen to what Kanae say," Hotaru hugged her arm, feeling blissful for this peaceful moment.

Mochizuki Industry's laboratory was as quiet as always. The middle-aged guard, who had been accustomed with Kanae and friends at this point, waved at them with a smile as he sat in his box watching a variety show on his phone. Shiori had been notified by Seiichiro about their arrival, and she was waiting for them at the entrance.

Something seemed odd about her, as if she was agitated. After everyone had settled in, she timidly approached Kanae in a hushed tone, as if afraid that others would hear her.

"Kanae, I... I... may I have a bit of your time?" She murmured, shooting a glance at Hotaru at the side.

 

[Admiral19]

"Uh..."

Kanae was skeptical. Shiori wasn't usually like this...well, if circumstances were normal. Either something was going on, or Shiori just needed to get something off her chest...

She nodded. "Sure thing. Something going on?"

 

[Ranix Aurus]

Shiori gestured for her to follow into one of the meeting rooms prepared for presentations to the higher ups. It was soundproofed to prevent leaks of information. When she closed the door, she finally broke down into tears.

"I... I'm sorry...! I don't know what I should do...!"

She gave her phone to Kanae with trembling hands. There was a video file in it, which when played faded into a scene situated in a huge warehouse complex.

The alarming thing was the person at the middle of the video. It was Mochizuki. He was laying on the ground, seemingly unconscious. And then... a man shrouded in trench coat and a top hat appeared on screen.

Youmo.

He stood over Mochizuki's body like a ghost, before his tentacles burst out of his back. They quickly dived in, aiming straight at the boy's chest, until they stopped right before they touched the target.

"This is what will happen to him if you don't follow our demands."

A deep, chilling voice rang out from the phone's speaker. Kanae might not know who it was, but the Aesir's Holders should be familiar with him. That was Alfred's voice.

"I only want Leo. Come alone. If you don't appear in twenty four hours, then consider his life forfeit."

The video then faded into black. A string of text appeared afterward, showing the address of a village at the outskirt of Tokyo.

Aesir had finally showed their fangs.

 

[Admiral19]

It didn't take very long for Kanae's face to pull itself into a grimace. She didn't care too much for Mochizuki. But Shiori did. And watching Aesir threaten Mochizuki like this...

Ah, the lows they've stooped to are repulsive.

"I'm on it." Kanae didn't hesitate in the slightest. "He'll be back by tonight. Promise. If Akira or Hotaru ask, I went to get lunch."

 

[Ranix Aurus]

"Kanae, I... I'm sorry..." Shiori sobbed. She wanted to stop her, but at the same time, it was her nephew. She didn't know what to do. In the end, she could only follow the villain's demand, powerless to do anything else.

---

The sleepy quaint village was located at the foot of a mountain, accessed through a single road that passed through the entrance. Its main attraction was the traditional Shinto shrine situated at the hill, as well as a beautiful waterfall that was popular as a dating spot. Its location between Tokyo and neighboring prefecture gave it a huge influx of visitors during tourism seasons.

Aesir had bought a secluded patch of land in this place a year ago as one of the many potential test sites for Project Clearwater. A huge warehouse was built on that land, to the protest of locals, but a generous payout quickly silenced those voices. It was barely used in the year to follow, so the locals quickly forgot about it.

The inside of the warehouse was like any other, except that half of the interior was disguising another building inside, with clean futuristic look similar to their underground base in Tokyo. Mochizuki was being kept there, sedated the whole time he was kidnapped. In there, Alfred was overseeing his subordinates moving barrels upon barrels of mass-produced Jotunn serum, ready to start the project at any moment.

He was waiting for the Holders to arrive. And more importantly, his message should have reached Leo. Soon... soon this ridiculous game of cat and mouse would be over. He would personally watch over her downfall.

 

[Admiral19]

Aoi, Aina, and Rui were also alerted about the message sent to Leo, and were promptly called to the warehouse. All three arrived in their ARMOR.

"Alfred." Rui was the first to address him. "What's up?"

 

[Ranix Aurus]

"Ah," the scientist pushed up his glasses. Something about him felt different today. He was more spirited. Joyful. In a sense, he looked like a child who was going to open his present under the christmas tree. There was an eagerness in his every actions that made him feel impatient, as if he couldn't wait for something to happen.

"I have mentioned Project Clearwater a few times to you. Do you know what it really is?"

Alfred pressed on a button. A display slid out from the wall, showing the local map of the village they were in. Several dots were highlighted all over the place.

"Those were the spots connected to the ground water underneath our feet. It's the same source of water that the villagers are using on daily basis. Washing, bathing, cleaning... even drinking. This plan few weeks, we have diluted a small trace of the Jotunn serum into this water source. Not enough to trigger any notable changes, and never will be. Unless... a catalyst was added. And this catalyst... will be delivered airborne."

He pulled out a small vial containing a grayish liquid.

"This is the catalyst, an extracted material from the finished Jotunn serum. By themselves, both this substance and the one we put into the water source wouldn't do anything to the human body. But the moment this catalyst is spread through the air..."

Alfred closed then opened his hand, mimicking an explosion.

"The entire population of the village, anyone who are compatible with the Jotunn serum, they will transform into monsters. As for those who aren't..." He put a finger on his mouth. "Their survival will depend on their own skill. But I digress. You're not here for my boring scientific talk. You're here for Leo, aren't you?"

He snapped his fingers. Youmo appeared soon after, carrying the unconscious Mochizuki on his shoulder.

"The plan is simple. Use the bait, wait until Leo appear to save the bait, then we defeat her. She'll be alone against you three, surrounded by emerging monsters. There is no getting out from this. What do you think, dear Holders?"

 

[Admiral19]

"I think it's wild how you've been keeping this under our noses," Aoi said, slightly annoyed.

Aina sighed. "It's a massive project, Aoi. Surely it wouldn't do him any good to let us know about it before he could even begin to make it possible."

Rui kept silent. Other things were sitting in their mind. Namely...

"If you or Aesir dare to hurt Kanae..."

Not even a day after they were threatened, and they were about to do exactly the thing she didn't want. Figures.

Leo was gonna be coming alone. That was alright. If they could get the medallion and hold her hostage, the other medallions would naturally come to them. And then...and then...

"Rui!"

Aoi's voice snapped them out of their head. Right, right. They had to take the bait and wait for Leo first.

They could do this.

 

[Ranix Aurus]

Alfred placed three small bottles on a table.

"The controller pheromones," he explained. "If you carry one of these, you will be able to control the monsters to a degree. This is the version that we will keep, just as a precaution."

Just in case the people that the Kaiserin had sold the monsters to would betray them. It was to ensure that their own creations wouldn't backfire on them.

---

Akira and Shouji's doors were closed shut after arriving. Both were severely worn down after the flight, not to mention their injuries, with Shouji being at the worse state. Meanwhile, Hotaru was watching TV at the lounge by herself, feeling withdrawal from the lack of Kanae around her.

"Shiori... where's Kanae?" She asked when Shiori ran pass by.

The scientist jolted for a second before replying in a stutter, "S-s-she went to get l-l-lunch...!"

Without bringing her along? Hotaru frowned. Shiori didn't let her ask any further as she rushed off into the lab.

"...Suspicious..." She muttered.

 

[Admiral19]

It didn't take long for Kanae to reach the village, ARMOR and all. It took even less time for Kanae to find about where Mochizuki was being held.

"Hey!" Kanae cried out. "Where are you?! Where's Mochizuki?!"

One second passed. Two...three...four—

Something jabbed its way through Kanae's shoulder and lifted her up.

"Hello, Leo."

From her left and right, Cancer and Taurus stepped out, and from the sound of the voice behind her..."Dammit...!"

She had walked into a trap, and now she was impaled on Scorpio's pile driver. Fantastic.

 

[Ranix Aurus]

From under the shade at the other end of the warehouse, Youmo walked out with Mochizuki laying limp on his shoulder. Haru followed beside him. She bit her lips when she saw Kanae, but ultimately didn't say anything as she turned her gaze away.

And finally, in an overly-dramatic way, walked out a man neatly dressed in contrasting black shirt and white lab coat. A pair of gold-rimmed glasses framed his face, which he slightly pushed up to correct their position. His gaze was cold as he stared at Kanae, at the Leo ARMOR, from head to toe.

"This is the first time we've met, haven't we? My name is Alfred. I'm the head scientist of Aesir."

He stepped forward without a trace of fear. Perhaps he was that confident with Aina's ability, that he was sure Kanae wouldn't be able to break free and hurt him.

"You have been the thorn in our eyes for so long. But today... today everything will be over. This is the start of our glorious days. You will not disturb it any longer. This is your last chance. Surrender the Leo medallion, and stay away from us. If you do, then we will let you and your little annoying group to keep your lives."

 

[Admiral19]

"Absolutely not!" Kanae didn't even take a second to consider, grabbing at Aina's arm in an attempt to pull herself off Scorpio's weapon. The attempt didn't go too well, considering how Aina actively slammed the weapon—and Kanae—against the wall.

Kanae glared at Alfred, still trying to pull herself off the pile driver. "I don't know what the hell you're all trying to do, but I won't let you get away with it...!"

She had to. She wasn't gonna be able to take them all on without it. If she could just reach and touch her wristband—

Rui, perhaps realizing what Kanae was thinking, went over to her and held her arm back. Dammit...!

 

[Ranix Aurus]

"Still stubborn until the end... fine. Have it your way."

Alfred harrumphed, seemingly about to walk away, when he was reminded of something. He put his hand up to tell the Holders to keep her up for the moment before he walked forward, closer, closer, until he was inches away from Kanae.

And then, he suddenly sniffed at her.

"...No... it's a bit similar, but it's not you," he frowned as he looked up at Kanae. In a voice so low that only he could hear it, he mumbled, "You're not Enjyuu, are you...?"

...No. Impossible. But what Haru had told him previously... No. It didn't matter. Not anymore.

"Project Clearwater will now begin. I'll go and supervise it. You guys... do what you must."

He finally walked away, with Haru and Youmo tagging behind him. Mochizuki was unceremoniously thrown to the floor, laying limp like a sack of potato. Outside, the drones were starting to spread contaminants into the air, affecting the villagers one after another as they went through their day.

 

[Admiral19]

"Enjyuu...Hey, wait—!"

Before she could ask Alfred any more questions, Kanae was thrown to the ground, where she was kicked hard in the head by Aoi.

As her ears rang, from somewhere distant, Kanae heard: "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that, Leo!"

Kanae had to focus. All three Holders approached her, weapons raised...

This couldn't happen. This couldn't happen. Not when she had just grasped the most happiness she's ever felt in her entire life. Not when she was the only person who could stop these people. Not when she...!

Override confirmed. Dosing.

Kanae's breathing became more labored. Fire shot through her veins, a burst of energy that sharpened her vision and allowed her to stand...

Something...was wrong.

 

[Ranix Aurus]

That day, hell had descended upon the quiet little village.

The contaminant took a few minutes to seep in. Trickles of nano-sized airborne substance, absorbed through the very air that their breath, through the condensation on their skin. The villagers... finally noticed when it was too late.

It started with a roar. An explosion-- a house was wrecked into pieces as a huge reptillian monster emerged from the inside. And another. And another. Humongous creatures, chimeric abominations with mashed-up traits deriving from various lifeforms. An earth dragon with the head of a squid. A gigantic carrion bird with the body of a venomous centipede. A nondescript six-legged ursine covered in purplish growth of moss and fungi.

Not everyone were turned; those fortunate-- or unfortunate-- enough to be spared of the transformation were flooding the street, the sight of the monsters themselves were enough to drop them to the pit of despair. Those were once their friends, their family... and now, they were murderous beasts hellbent on devouring everything in their path.

Alfred stood on the roof of an intact building, watching the carnage unfolding below.

"It has been done," he casually reported to the Kaiserin. "Of the five thousands and three-hundred people in this village, about two thousands are compatible. Merely fifty-percent compatibility rate... but it should be enough for your purpose, is it not?"

Not all of the monsters were rampaging. Some of Aesir's men had taken the pheromone capsules and used them to herd the monsters over to the main road, effectively blocking access to the village. This way, the outside world wouldn't be able to find out what was happening, at least for a while. As for those men who couldn't use the pheromone well and got eaten by the monsters, well... that was their own fault.