Chapter 1

While there's life, there's hope.
Marcus Tullius Cicero

A hot humid breeze passed through the grounds of the Infinite Stratos Academy. The new semester was set to begin in two months, and the buildings were mostly quiet. Only a few students were at the academy right now, trainees who either needed remedial work or opted to stay behind to get some extra training on their own.

The sounds of battle rang out clearly from the third arena, bursts of gunfire giving way to the clash of metal on metal. Two Uchigane suits danced as they exchanged attacks, new volleys crossing through the air. Both pilots were sweating heavily, hair plastered against their foreheads despite the IS environmental controls to keep them comfortable.

"No no no!" a voice cried out, catching both of their attention. Maria Velasquez, Candidate Representative for Cuba and soon to be third year student, flew up in her own Uchigane. The two competitors braked to a halt and leveled off, facing Maria. "You two need to remember that nothing will ever be solved by just attacking at each other and hoping for the best. 'Spray and pray' is used to great success in the movies, but it will never work in reality."

Pausing a moment to glare at the two pilots, Maria's dark eyes flared with outrage. "You two are going to be second year students, you're supposed to be better than that. Now go ahead and land, let the next pair take their turn." Watching the pair descend, Maria carefully ran one hand through her chocolate colored hair, pushing some stray strands out of her dark eyes. Her normally caramel skin flushed from her disgust, she muttered softly, "Why did I volunteer to stay behind for this? Who am I kidding, I had to do this when I chose to stay behind over the break."

The two new students saluted each other with their guns and waited for Maria to signal the start of combat. Appraising both students carefully with a practiced eye, she barked out a single word on the shared channel. "Begin!"

Guns snapped up simultaneously, chittering out in two different rapid tempos. Maria noted with a smirk how much better these trainees were acting. Smooth, controlled bursts. Clicking on the radio, her mouth opened to deliver praise to the pair of them for learning. The words never got out of her mouth as alarm klaxons started wailing through the entire arena, deafening to the students. Toggling the radio to a new frequency, Maria screamed to be heard. "Control, what the hell is going on?!"

The answer for her question came from her IS, not the radio. [Energy field detected 200 meters, bearing 010. Probable IS, type unknown.] Glancing up in the direction indicated, Maria saw a shimmer of an IS teleport effect in progress. Returning to the preset frequency, Maria bellowed out to the other students. "Cease fire, cease fire! Intruder in the arena!"

The sounds of battle cut off instantly, all the students staring upwards now. The shimmer disappeared to reveal a human form, clad in a solid grey jumpsuit. The teleport done, gravity promptly asserted dominance and the form fell towards the arena floor.

Maria reacted smoothly, relying on two years of experience at the IS Academy. Kicking her thrusters to full, she rose up quickly towards the falling object. "New game ladies: catch the intruder!"

Other students started to rise off the ground, complying with the new directive from their student teacher. Maria stopped paying attention to them as she focused in on the intruder. She barely perceived dark hair as the intruder fell into her rising arms. "Gotcha!"

The intruder had other ideas, clamping down on the extended metal shod left arm. Treating the arm like a tree branch, the new person spun smoothly and landed one foot on the top of her left greave. Maria felt the person's foot on bottom of her thigh, ahead of her left leg slamming into an exposed stomach. Breath leaving her in an explosive puff, Maria started to fold over and grab onto the intruder.

Who was not there anymore. Pushing off, the dark haired person fell towards the next student, landing hard on her shoulder pauldron. The Uchigane's shoulder guard dipped hard, unaccustomed to the sudden weight. As the IS compensated to the new burden and started to rise up, the intruder lept off. Bouncing from student to student, the intruder made a controlled fall towards the ground, each new student bringing them closer to the arena's dirt floor. Maria cringed as two students crashed into each other in an attempt to win their game, the clang of metal sharp and clear.

Maria saw what was happening and came to an instant conclusion. Toggling over to the arena channel, she tried to raise the control booth. "Control!" she croaked, tortured lungs screaming for air. A second's delay bought her time to get a proper breath. "Control, close the launch doors to arena three!"

Hitting the ground hard, the dark haired person scrambled to their feet, looking for a way out. One student landed behind them, trying to wrap them with a bear hug. The intruder deftly dodged, head swivelling around frantically. The launch doors started to close, catching the attention of everyone in the arena. The intruder launched themselves towards the closer of the two doors, sprinting fast.

One student, in a stupor from being shouted at earlier, throttled her Uchigane towards the intruder. Thrusters flaring, she started to place herself between the dark haired person and the doorway. One foot was on the ground as the intruder dove, throwing themself into a baseball slide. Mimicking a home run steal, the intruder slipped just under the descending second foot and out the door. A single upraised finger appeared briefly before being blocked by the Uchigane's legs.

Maria watched in surprise as the intruder disappeared under the closing hatchway, cutting off any possible pursuit. "Control, intruder in prep area 3B!"

"Acknowledged, intruder in prep area 3B. Security is on the way."

—*—

Hissing in pain, the trespasser pushes up off the ground. The stink of burned hair and singed meat permeates the air. Grimacing, a quick glance shows an arm that is red and blistered. Words slid out through clenched teeth, heard only by the room's single occupant. "Come on, get up and move."

Glancing around for others and finding none, she quickly assessed the situation. Cradling the injured arm against her body, she leveraged themselves to a standing position. Running for the door, pain blurring her vision with each step.

The launch bay personnel door opened smoothly, but as it did a green light on the frame blinked red. Passing through the now closing door, the intruder dashed into the connecting hallway. Hearing pounding footsteps coming from the hall, she started running in the opposite direction.

Down the hallway the intruder ran, not paying attention to any of the signs posted on the walls. A quick turn left, running harder, a right turn now. Alarm klaxons turned on, blaring a two tone alert to everyone. A voice started shouting from overhead speakers, "Attention, we have an intruder on the campus. Female, black hair, medium height, wearing a grey jumpsuit. All students are to report to the nearest staff member. Teachers and staff are to engage lockdown procedures immediately. Repeating—"

Trying one door, the trespasser frowned upon finding it locked. Running farther down the hallway, she paused at an intersection. Panting heavily from all the running, a pair of blue eyes focused hard on a sign. "Maintenance bay. Sounds promising."

Tearing through the hallways, she hears shouting and the sound of more people from further down the corridor. A pair of thoughts race through her mind, mantras that were the entirety of her existence. Keep moving. Be open. Keep moving. Be open. The archway to the maintenance bay rushed towards her, heavy double doors starting to close.

NO! A new burst of adrenaline coursed through her veins, pushing her faster still. Sliding her body through the door, the intruder felt the metal press her clothes against her skin for just a moment as the solid doors slammed shut. The security light on the door blinked yellow twice and then turned a solid red.

—*—

In the Academy's central control room, blueprints flashed as security points were established. Consoles were all manned, the women running hands across their controls with practiced motions.

"Ma'am, security reports prep area 3B is empty!"

Silver hair bobs once in a nod at the news. "Acknowledged. Make sure the PA system continues to play. Give me updates when the dorm monitors report in."

A moving hand catching her attention, Yelena Bogdanova, the Assistant Director of the IS Academy strode to another workstation. Her voice pitched softly to address the occupant, she spoke a single word, "Yes?"

"I've been working on getting a shot of our intruder's face from the arena footage. So far, her hair obscures enough of her face that I can't get the recognition programs to run with more than thirty percent efficiency." Fingers flew over a set of controls, making minor adjustments to the video image frozen on the screen. "But I might have some clue as to the nationality of our intruder. Here, watch this."

The video started up, watching the intruder slide under both an Uchigane and the closing launch door. Yelena's eyes blinked at the scene, and looked down at the technician. "I'm not seeing anything suggestive there."

Glancing up at her boss, the technician's amber eyes had a touch of playfulness in them. "I missed it too, the first time around. This is the same video, enhanced by the computer."

Replaying the scene, the technician focused in on the intruder as she started to slide under the descending IS. Freezing the playback right as she disappeared, the space between IS and ground expanded to cover the entire screen. Emerald eyes flared as Yelena saw the left hand trailing the body, middle finger proudly raised towards the students.

"Although it is too early to make any conclusions about such things, ma'am, I strongly suspect our intruder is American." Tapping the screen with her knuckles, the technician continued in a dry voice. "She's giving us the finger, which is a clearly American gesture."

Rubbing one delicate hand along her chin, the Yelena nodded slightly. "I can't imagine it's part of the usual IS groups from America though. They'd have no reason to engage in this activit. And no one I've been briefed on has developed an IS teleport system that works with people." A frown creased the director's pouty lips. "I can think of a number of countries who might be working on that system, but the last report I saw suggested that the outcomes of such a teleport were...messy."

A voice clamoring for attention in the background drew the director's attention. Clasping the technician's shoulder lightly, the director turned away with a quiet encouragement. Moving back to the far side of the room brought her face to face with the Academy's central blueprints.

"Ma'am," one technician said, looking up from her display. Hands swiftly tapped controls, shifting the main display to match the technician's. "We have the entire arena facility under lockdown protocols now, as well as the dorms. Six dorm monitors have reported no missing students, two more have reported a total of eighteen students unaccounted. Of those eighteen, we have confirmed via tracking that ten are locked in arena three currently." More taps brought up pictures of a variety of girls. "We are trying to locate the last eight now, and have alerts with local police in case they are off campus grounds."

The assistant director's face frowned as the implications of the news ran their course. "Have all the dorm monitors ask about the missing eight among the students who are accounted. Find out if anyone knows anything. Pull those girl's records, check for any kind of cell phone numbers or local contacts who we might also ask about their whereabouts." The technician gave a fast nod as she turned back to her console.

"What is security's status?" Yelena asked, looking to a different technician on her left.

"Ma'am, all available personnel are in the process of a room by room sweep of the arena complex. We're using our resources here to help track any unusual activity and speed up the search." One hand ran up to a headphone, pressing it tightly against hair hidden ears. "Security is also deploying IS forces in Revives near the dorms, to prevent the intruder any access there."

Eyes narrowed as her mind raced through possiblities, the assistant director blinked hard as an outcome presented itself. "What is the status of the education facility and the Maintenance Branch?"

The first tech's fingers flew over her controls. "Security shutters are in place at the education facility, but internal locks are not completely engaged. The secured classrooms have reported in, but we've been unable to trigger the automatic lockdown." Various controls bleeped as fingers probed for more information. Eyes wide in shock looked up to the assistant director's firm gaze. "The Maintenance Branch building, including the IS bays, show to be largely unlocked."

The assistant director's eyes grew to the size of golf balls as her lips parted in shock. "WHAT WAS THAT?" she bellowed.

The tech tried to shrink down into her chair to avoid the impending wrath. "Chief Pickett had reported an accident earlier in the day, an electrical problem caused when some students dropped one of the IS recharge cables. It knocked out power in the building for approximately one minute." The tech's voice grew quieter to try and deflect some of the director's justifiable anger. "Apparently the surge damaged or disabled some of the security systems. The few doors that were locked down show override usage from teams getting to the Revives."

"Yob tvoyu maht," Yelena breathed between clenched teeth, the foul imprecation hot on her tongue. Furious eyes started to drift from one staff member to the next, causing every person to wither under it's gaze. "Alert security to the problem and make sure they send over at least two teams from the sweep to the tech division building. Their orders are to lock the IS bay down and remain there until I relieve them."

Fighting to bring her eyes up to meet the assistant director's, the technician barely managed to squeak out a response. "Yes ma'am!"

—*—

Traveling down an underground service way, the intruder had to admire the construction detail. That transit system was helpful, but what do they need to move that size? The connection between the arena and the maintenance bays was meant for IS usage, but she didn't know that. All she really knew was it was well lit and had a well marked walkway. Wonder where this comes out, and if I will have people waiting?

A set of stairs at the end of the conveyor system lead her up into a cavernous room. The acrid smell of ozone touched her nostrils, along with the sharp tang of burned liquids. Repair frames were lined up in orderly rows, cables dangling as they waited to be connected. Workbenches were placed strategically next to each station, with oversized lockers of assorted colors lined the walls.

Hearing voices echo through the room, the intruder crept quietly towards the closest workbench. Several tools had been laid haphazardly on it, dropped by the last user on their way to the next job. Chocolate brown eyes danced over unfamiliar objects before settling on a simple meter-long crowbar. The solid weight of the metal tool felt reassuring to her as fingers closed firmly around it.

The intruder winced as the crowbar dragged on the bench, creating an unmistakable metallic ring. Breath held in her chest, she listened carefully to the people sounds for any changes. Her heart thundered in her ears, but the voices continued on as before. Softly exhaling, she started to sneak through the maintenance bay.

Passing by one repair station brought the intruder close enough to make out the words now. "...I'm just saying, Rachel, I don't know why we're the only ones still here."

"Because we blacked out the entire building and Chief Pickett told us that if we left before we finished she'd kick us out of the Academy?'" a second voice opined inquisitively.

Slowly creeping around the repair station she was using for cover, the intruder peered at the voices. Two females wearing dirty overalls, hair pulled back by rags. Quickly judging the distance, she slid back under cover, keeping a station between the two women and herself. Rifling through the workbench found a metal device with several electrical leads attached to it. Grimacing as she shifted the crowbar to her injured left arm, the intruder gave the device an overhand lob in the direction of the two women. She barely had time to get back into her observation place before it clattered loudly close to the techs.

Both women stopped what they were doing and looked up at the sound. "Did you hear that?" Rachel said with a start. Her partner's response was lost as the intruder came rushing from cover, the crowbar held parallel to the ground. A quick swing brought it up to graze the first girl's head in a hard pass, bringing stars to her vision. Rachel started to react to the sudden attack only to slip on the grease smeared floor. Before she could recover, the intruder slammed down on top of her, throwing a single straight punch into her head. Her brain bouncing around her skull, Rachel quickly surrendered to unconsciousness.

The first tech tried to shake her head to clear away the stars, but that only served to worsen it. The intruder grabbed the technician by the front of her overalls and pulled downwards. Unbalanced from the first head shot, the tech toppled forward and landed on the rising knee of the intruder. The tech crumpled to the ground without a word.

Listening hard for more voices, the intruder quickly snatched up some wires hanging from an open access panel. Sparks flew out as the wires went taut, then more showered out as the wires came free. Rolling both technicians onto their sides, the intruder crudely bound their hands behind their backs. Gags were improvised from their hair rags. Her job finished, the intruder smoothly climbed to her feet and started to check out the rest of the bay.

A fast inspection of the maintenance bay confirmed it empty of any other people. Checking one of the oversized doors along the wall, she discovered a sub bay with two spare IS suits. Turning to the doorway, she pressed the control panel hard, triggering the closure of the doors. Using the crowbar, she pried off the cover and shoved it in, pulling wires free and crossing several. A burst of sparks flew out of the panel as the room's lights went dark, only to be feebly restored by a pair of emergency lights in the corner.

Stepping cautiously in the shadowed room, the intruder made her way to the nearest IS. Flared pauldrons gave the design a particularly medieval look, while the armor plating covering the waist thrusters appeared to be a skirt. Finding suitable handholds, the intruder climbed up to the top of the legs and flipped around, dropping her feet into the armored greaves. Her left arm grazed the suit's pressure collar as it slid into the gauntlet, bringing tears to her eyes as pain from the burns flashed white before her eyes. The right hand slid into place easily, but the suit didn't power up immediately.

"Come on, come on—" she whispered out of habit. Working her fingers through motions in the gauntlets got no response. Frustration building fast, she screamed in outrage. "WORK DAMN YOU!"

A soft whirring sound caught her attention as a glowing light appeared in front of her face. [Uchigane R71 online. Power systems 100%. System diagnostics running...]

The display blinked for a long moment before changing. [System diagnostic complete. Life support online. Weapons online. Shoulder thrusters offline. Recommend combat replacement. Do you wish to proceed?]

"Yes I do." She replied, feeling funny at talking to the computer. A new screen flashed across her face. [Scanning for replacement parts in local area. Replacement parts found. Connecting to Uchigane M65...connection established. Assimilating control protocols...done.] The other IS's shoulders powered up, floating over towards the intruder's Uchigane. Her own pauldrons floated away from her head, landing quietly on the ground. [Shoulder thrusters online. WARNING: Shields unstable. Absolute Defense system offline.]

A small grin broke her face for the first time. "Score," she whispered as her eyes started reading over data being presented to her.

—*—

The security team walked cautiously into the IS bay, weapons at the ready. Shadows flickered and dance from the team's lights, each motion changing the aspect of the room. Metal skeletons were placed at regular intervals across the floor, waiting for a big repair job to call them into action. The lack of overhead lights created deep pockets of shadow for a person to hide in. Emergency lights burned around the room, barely providing enough illumination to move around safely.

Using hand gestures, the team leader, Omi Dashani, indicated what she wanted them to do. The team broke apart, pairing off as they started checking behind the nearest frames. Omi worried frantically as her team started wandering through the nearly dark bay. This is too big a place for a single team to secure, especially dark as it is. Why didn't we get another team with us, and why didn't they let us use an IS or two? Her mind drifted for a moment, recalling the last words Chief Pickett had given them. "Be very careful in the bay. A lot of things in there won't react well to bullets."

A hushed voice on the radio grabbed at Omi's attention. "Honcho, got some people here." Omi focused on the waving light, keeping her own light pointed low to help avoid tripping. Quickly reaching the trooper's position, Omi noted two teens in Academy issued overalls. Their hands were tied behind them, while rags had been impressed into gag service.

One set of eyes peered from above the gag, wide from the terror of the moment. Omi's radio chirped as she reached down to pull the gag out. "Honcho, found the problem with the lights. They'll be back up in thirty seconds or so."

Omi reached up and clicked her microphone in response, then set about freeing the conscious teen. The wires were inexpertly tied, but tight enough to cause problems for a person who couldn't see them. Omi tugged at a couple of likely releases to the knot, then gave up and pulled a small pocket knife. Pulling the bundle taut against the blade, the razor edge parted the wires cleanly.

Snatching the gag from her mouth, the student rolled to a sitting position as the overhead lights flickered, then came on. "Thanks," she grunted, rubbing at chafed wrists to restore feeling. Switching her flashlight off, Omi started to cut the bonds of the second student who was still unconscious.

"What happened here," Omi asked, keeping her voice low. Her eyes kept sweeping around the room but always came back to the teen at her feet.

"We were working here as part of Chief Pickett's orders, heard a sound nearby." The teen swallowed tightly, her throat dry. "Looked away for a moment, turned back to see Rachel getting clobbered. Felt a hand on my front, saw a flash of something grey, I think. Next thing I know I'm waking up in the dark and can't feel my hands."

"How many people?"

The student frowned at the question, trying to pull together fractured memories. "I don't know. I think it might only be one or two."

Omi nodded mechanically as her earpiece clicked on. "Honcho, room seems clear. Found a side bay with the door down. Controls seem to be fused."

Looking down at the teen a moment, Omi came to a fast decision. "I know you're hurting, and we're going to get you both to the infirmary ASAP. But my team tells me there's a side room with the door down, and they're telling me the controls seem fused. Think your head is clear enough to try and bypass it for me?"

Swallowing hard, the student starts to get wobbly to her feet. "I can try."

Omi lead the teen back to the sealed door where two security troopers kept guns trained on it. The tech trainee tapped the control panel methodically twice to test buttons. Finding no response, she reached into a pocket for a multipurpose tool and opened a screwdriver assembly. Notching the driver into the first hole, she started turning the implement easily. Omi watched the work silently, tracking her eyes across the room one last time as it came back to the closed door. "Do you know what is inside this room?"

The tool spun freely and came back, a screw held magnetically on the tip. "Uh...this was Chief Pickett's development project, had a couple of IS's she had us tinkering with. Prototype stuff."

Blood drained from Omi's face as the words registered in her brain. "Were they operational?"

The trainee didn't have time to respond as a huge katana blade slammed through the door, followed immediately by a second one. Omi reacted instantly, grabbing the student by the waist and diving away from the door. The blades dropped downwards, cutting cleanly through the fireproof door with an eardrum shattering screech, making a slanted archway in the door. A solid thud came up from metal, causing the newly created door to fall out towards the troopers. Small arms blazed at the silhouette in the arch as the eight centimeter thick door wedge landed on the floor with a massive crash. The IS came down on the extended foot and shuffled through into the main part of the bay, metal arms held defensively in front of the pilot.

Omi looked up to see the IS leave the ground with a slight flutter, the pilot's control uncertain. Toggling her radio over to a new frequency, Omi watched the stolen IS float towards the far end of the bay, away from her troops. "Control this is Dashani with team two. Intruder in a stolen Uchigane, I repeat, intruder is in a stolen Uchigane. I need you to engage overrides!"

—*—

Yelena Bogdanova snapped her head towards a short haired staff sitting to her left. "Disable that unit, NOW!" she bellowed, her voice ringing off the walls.

The tech tapped rapidly for a handful of seconds. "No response from the unit, I can't remote access it!"

Blinking hard, Yelena came up with a new plan. "Pop the exterior doors, let the thief get into the open air. We'll let the teachers overwhelm and disable it."

—*—

What luck, thought the intruder, seeing a door open. The HUD provided a display that showed the door lead outside, which prompted an instant decision to take the door. Flying shakily away from the group, she scanned her HUD vigorously as it flashed new alerts. [Multiple IS in range. Targets entering threat posture. Shield level: 600]

Looking around, the intruder missed the closest danger. Maria Velasquez introduced herself with a quick burst from the borrowed submachine gun. The rounds splattered solidly on the rear shield, the first bullet piercing through unstable shields. Fragmenting from it's passage through the shield, the projectile turned into a cloud of shards that ripped into her shoulders. Crying out in sudden pain, the stolen Uchigane's pilot pushed the IS into a sharp climb. Maria kept the gun tracking as she piloted her own Uchigane after the stolen suit. "Remember me," she taunted on the open channel. "I might not have my personal unit right now, but that doesn't mean you can humiliate me!"

A second burst ripped out and the intruder narrowly evaded, the bullets almost close enough to graze the shields. Maria tightened her grip and pulled the trigger a third time, watching the intruder juke and weave to avoid the tracers. Redirecting power to her thrusters, Maria closed the distance and lined up a new shot. Smiling as stared through the sights, Maria squeezed the trigger confidently.

The hammer came down, but it only struck on an empty chamber. Screaming in outrage, Maria threw the useless gun away and grabbed at the sword on her waist. The stolen IS stopped and turned towards her, the pilot silent. Pushing her thrusters past safe levels, Maria zipped towards the intruder's Uchigane and raised her sword in a baseball grip. The distance disappeared quickly, the unknown pilot bringing up both swords to a loose defensive posture. Maria tightened her grip on the sword and started her swing as she came into range, using her momentum to get more power.

Waiting until the last instant, the stolen Uchigane flipped onto it's back, ducking the deadly arc. The intruder's right hand wrapped around Maria's waist, the leg swept her legs from under her. Maria had a split second to realize she missed as the intruder's left sword came across her back, too close for the shield to block. The blade bit down into the armor and severed control circuits, while the stolen IS engaged thrusters.

Maria's Uchigane flashed damage reports across her face, distracting her. [Primary thruster controls offline. PIC offline.] Wind whipping her hair across her eyes, Maria realized belated that her thrusters were still on full power. The stolen Uchigane, using it's thrusters to guide Maria's, rolled one hundred eighty degrees, putting Maria's back to the sky. The new direction forced Maria's Uchigane nearly straight down into the ground at an impressive rate.

The intruder released Maria's Uchigane at less than twenty meters, breaking into a shallow curve and sliding along the ground. Maria folded herself in half like a cliff diver, swinging her legs towards the ground. The new position changed her direction from a downward direction to a narrowly horizontal angle. If she had six meters, she would skim the ground and be in control, albeit inverted.

When she finished her maneuver, Maria had only two meters.

The Uchigane's computer, calculating direction, velocity and impact coefficients, concluded that it's pilot was in dire danger. Flaring the Absolute Defense system in an incandescent burst, a bubble-like shield snapped into existence around Maria. A bright flash strobed across the area, disorientating everyone present.

In the aftermath, Maria Velasquez hit the ground and tumbled end over end, her Uchigane throwing pieces across the area. Rolling several times, she ultimately landed on her chest, dirt smearing across her face. Blackness eating away at her vision, Maria tried in vain to overcome the shock from the Absolute Defense deployment. Barely getting her head off the ground, she managed to catch sight of the stolen Uchigane, floating triumphantly in the sky over her. "Pinche puta," Maria whispered as her brown eyes closed, dropping her head to the ground.

Bobbing slightly as her head tracked the crashed Uchigane, the pilot of the stolen IS checked her HUD again. [Shield power: 470. 2 Enemy IS approaching. Type: Rafale Revive.]

The two Revives split up, one moving in closer while her partner raised an IS sized rifle. The nearer Revive's pilot had short blue hair with blond highlights, a thick set of bangs slanted to cover the right side of her face. The farther pilot had coal black hair that fell to her shoulders. Taking note of the two pilots, the intruder mentally tagged them Blue and Black.

Blue floated nearby, a submachine gun in one hand pointed vaguely in the direction of the stolen Uchigane. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way," she stated plainly, "your choice."

The intruder maintained her grip on the two swords, while raising her left hand to shoulder height. Rolling the wrist upwards, she beckoned to Blue with her index finger in a silent taunt. Blue's eyes widened slightly at the gesture, but nodded understanding. "The hard way then."

Snapping her arm up, Blue jetted right as she tracked in. The stolen Uchigane started to go to Blue's left, only to get slammed by a volley from Black's rifle. The shield flickered brightly for an instant as large caliber bullets deflected away. The intruder glanced at her HUD. [Shield power:412.]

Cutting off the PIC, the intruder's stolen Uchigane dropped like a stone. The second rifle volley went high over her head as the ground came rushing up. Engaging the PIC again, she stopped her fall barely two meters off the ground. Thrusters flared as she stopped, kicking the Uchigane forward into powered flight. Blue used the Revive's superior speed and pursued, firing three round bursts to keep the thief honest. The distance was closing quickly, while Black's support fire started to ease up. Black shouted a single word on their joint channel, "Reloading!"

Cutting loose with a sequence of controlled bursts, Blue sent a call out for a grenade launcher. The SMG clicked empty as she tossed it away and the grenade launcher materialized instantly in it's place. Blue's eyes widened as the stolen Uchigane pirouetted on one foot, spinning in place to face her. The thruster's glow intensified as the thief charged at Blue.

Blue's grenade launcher came up on it's own accord, a metal finger pulling on the trigger reflexively. The first shell was low, exploding well behind the target. Using the gun's recoil to aid her, Blue got the launcher in line faster. Shells flew straight, exploding as they impacted the Uchigane's shield. The thief crossed the swords in front of her, the right atop the left as the explosion's smoke wreathed her form.

One last shell flew into the fiery maelstrom, a shockwave and fragments pushing back against Blue's Rafale. Glancing at her HUD, Blue saw just how close it was. [Shield energy: 518.] Blue called for a rifle as her eyes returned too late to the fireball. The stolen Uchigane erupted from the fire, smoke dragging from each edge. The right sword was missing the top third of the blade, armor plates were etched and scored from the heat.

"No shot!" Black called out even as Blue tried to raise up the new arrived rifle. The thief's hips shifted, using her entire body to bring up the broken katana into a thrust. Blue jetted back, placing the rifle defensively between herself and the oncoming attack. The katana hummed malignantly for an instant as it struck, slamming through the rifle before hitting the Rafale's shield. The rifle was ripped from Blue's hands as the intruder swung both swords rapidly to the accompaniment of distant rifle fire. Each swing of the sword flashed updates on Blue's HUD. [Shield power:447. 399. 352. 301. 260. 188.] A determined glint entered the intruder's brown eyes as she drove the blade through the physical shield on Blue's left side. Electrical current ran up through the blade of the stolen Uchigane, and into the Rafale's frame.

The HUD told the story. [Shield power: 0. Damage level: D. Main thruster 1 offline. Further combat unadvised.] Engaging her PIC, Blue floated to the ground, keeping an eye on the damaged shoulder assembly.

Employing her own PIC, the intruder floated up shakily until she was level with Black. Narrowing her eyes at the stolen unit, Black started to raise the rifle one more time. The HUD on her IS flashed a warning. [Ammo count: 0.] Black toggled the standard channel for the school units as she lowered the rifle again. "Girl, I don't know who you are, but I do know you're not bad in an IS." A slight grin broke across thin lips. "I'm betting you don't have much left, am I right?"

The intruder eyed her HUD quicky and tried not to despair at the readout. [Shield power 63. Power supply: 11%. Damage level: B.] Not trusting her own voice, the intruder only nodded once. Black took that information in stride as the two floated quietly. Voices on the comm channel were screaming for updates, orders to attack and for reinforcements to engage the thief. Black toggled off the radio as she looked over the stolen Uchigane. "I guess I couldn't talk you into landing and surrendering that Uchigane, could I?"

A shake of the head was the only response from the Uchigane's pilot. Black grinned a bit more as she began to enjoy the moment more. "Yeah, I can't say as I'd be willing to give up, even against a hopeless fight like this either." She dropped the rifle and it disappeared into a white mist. A single IS katana appeared in Black's right hand. It could have been a twin to the one used by the stolen Uchigane. "So at the very least I can give you what you want: a good fight to the very end."

The intruder raised up the sword in her left hand as a quirky smile broke onto her face. Her sword whipped around to a standard salute position, which Black promptly returned. Both women dropped their blades to an offensive position as they locked eyes. The only sounds was the labored breathing of the intruder and the quiet whirring hum of two sets of IS engines.

Jets roared as the intruder broke the staredown and flew as fast as possible towards Black. Katana rising into a wide swing, the intruder's face was locked with grim determination. Blood rushed in her veins as Black raised her own sword in a counter and cut in her thrusters. The two women flew straight as arrows at each other.

Two razor sharp edges clashed for an instant with a loud clang. Swinging her sword one handed, the intruder watched the blade glance off the Rafale's full power shield. Black barely noticed the HUD updating as she swung her katana at the Uchigane. The shields of the stolen IS, already weakened from early fights, dropped to zero and collapsed. Black's katana passed through unhindered as the momentum of her swing carried her along. The weapon bounced under the intruder's katana, burying itself down onto the pilot.

All the confidence in the intruder's face faltered in an instant as pain started to register. Black noticed the sword had gone in deep on the right side, neatly impaling the intruder. Blood flowed easily along the metal edge to run down the lowered tip. The Uchigane's computer beeped as the HUD updated shield status and the thrusters started to cut off. Grabbing the defeated opponent, Black maxed out her PIC and carefully kept the bloody weapon from pulling free. Landing on the ground with her prisoner, Black opened a channel and started calling for medical support.

—*—

The medicinal smell of the infirmary assaulted Yelena Bogdanova as she walked in the doorway to the infirmary. Walking past the door of the doctor's office, she stalked confidently past curtained beds as she searched the spacious set of rooms. Stopping at one bed, she motioned to the doctor flashing a light in the eyes of a student.

"Well?" Yelena asked imperiously as the doctor pushed the girl down to the bed. Dawn Saunders wore a simple white lab coat over a set of teal scrubs, the clothes hanging loose. A few loose strands of platinum blond hair peeked out from the surgical cap.

Pulling the curtain around the bed, Dawn walked back to her office with the Assistant Director in tow. "Just wait a minute," she whispered hoarsely. Entering her office, Dawn quickly sat down behind her desk and waved the Assistant Director to an empty chair.

"Doctor, I am not accustomed to being keep waiting—" Yelena started again, her voice indignant.

"Tough shit, I've got enough to do without you coming in here and making an ass of yourself." Grey eyes flared in challenge, matching the doctor's tone. One hand opened a drawer to pull out a pen. "And before you go off again, remember that you are in MY infirmary, and that means I do have the authority now to kick you out if I find reason to." Dawn's eyes narrowed slightly as she placed the pen in her mouth, making her position clear.

Swallowing a number of choice invective, Yelena forced herself to relax. "Doctor Saunders, could I have your report if you have a moment?"

Nodding marginally, Dr. Saunders kept the pen in her mouth as she pulled up some notes. "We've got two concussed students from the Maintenance Branch I'm going to keep overnight for observation. Student Maria Velasquez had a nasty shock when her IS used the Absolute Defense system, but overall she's okay. Banged up and more than a little pissed off, but okay. I've sent her back to her room on light activity for a couple days, she's to come back in next week for a follow up."

"And the intruder?"

Dr. Saunders nodded mechanically as she reviewed her actions. "A real mess. When Aki Tetsuhara brought the intruder in, I wasn't sure I could do anything. IF this place didn't have the best medical equipment in the world, I'd probably have lost them." Pushing a couple of controls on her desktop, Dr. Saunders waved to a display. "Bullet fragments in the shoulders, second- and near third-degree burns on the left forearm. I dug out what looked like grenade fragments from the biceps on the right arm, but they need to be tested to confirm that. And of course, Mrs. Tetsuhara DID impale them with a sword." The display showed pictures of gloved hands performing surgery. Director Bogdanova tried not to blanche at the sight of blood and exposed organs.

Smiling behind cupped hands, Dr. Saunders tried not to feel too good at seeing the queasy look of the assistant director. "But, I think I've saved their life. I want to keep them here for a while to make sure though—" one hand came up seeing the director's mouth start to open, "and I will be sure to keep them fully restrained. Even if they feel like causing trouble, which I doubt, they won't have the chance to."

"What about an identity? Any luck on that?"

Dr. Saunder's hands dropped into her lap. "Well, they didn't tell ME their name, if that's what you're asking. I ran them through facial recognition and DNA analysis though. We'll get a hit eventually." At that the computer started beeping insistently. Dr. Saunders reached up and tapped a button. "That's odd...shouldn't have gotten any results so soon."

Director Bogdanova watched the doctor's eyes widen in surprise. "Show me what it's got." Dr. Saunders complied mechanically, eyes never leaving the screen. The report replaced a screen that had a frozen scene of surgery on it. Speed-reading the report, Yelena stood up and leaned over the doctor's desk. Activating the communications panel, she waited only a moment to speak to the control room.

"Find me Chifuyu Orimura immediately."

A/N: As I said in the description, I do consider this a sequel to my "Through the Looking Glass" story. So I'll be referring to events that happened to it along the way. Folks might want to read that one to understand some of the elements as we go on through this.

As always, I have to say this: IF YOU READ THE STORY, PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW. Love it, hate it, don't understand it, I don't care. If I'm not getting any feedback, then I can't be sure I'm not doing my best for you all.