Chapter Text
Disclaimer: Infinite Stratos belongs to their respective owner, only the OC is mine.
Prologue: A meeting of two souls
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
3rd 's POV
The last rays of the everlasting star in the sky showered upon Baltimore, shrouding metal and glass monoliths in a tapestry of light and shadow. Streams of vehicles cruised on the streets as crowds of people got ready for the end of the day.
Within that sprawling metropolis deep in one of the commercial districts situated at the edge of the suburbs, a boy was lying in wait in one of the alleyways, eyeing the passing crowd with a cautious but alert gaze.
The boy was waiting eagerly for an opportunity, someone who looked to be rich and easy for him to filch a fat score. It has been days since he had a full stomach and picking scraps from the dumpsters and stealing from stores could only went so far. If he could get a score today he could at least get a full meal for the first time in weeks.
The coming dusk meant that his time was short. Soon night would make things difficult as good targets were less likely to appear. An empty run today meant another night going to sleep with a growling stomach, something he couldn't stand again.
A sudden commotion in the street drew him out of his hiding spot. Peeking out from the mouth of the alley, he spotted a sight that made him smirked in delight.
"How pathetic! You called yourself a man yet you couldn't even walk this far!? You should be thankful that you get to serve a glorious IS pilot like me, so get up or I'll beat you!"
The woman looked to be quite well off, dressed in very immaculate clothing and having her handbag carelessly slung over her shoulder. She had her back towards him as she was shouting at someone. A tempting target, if he could figure out what had her distracted first.
He edged closer, trying to get a good view of what was happening. But a significant crowd had formed around the spectacle, rendering him unable to get a glimpse of what was going on.
"Get up, you useless man! I've seen girls that can lift half of this without even breaking a sweat. You men are utterly useless!"
Seeing that it was impossible to push through the dense crowd that obstructed his view, the boy decided that he would need some height to see what's up. Swiveling his head around, he found a nearby bus booth was just the ticket.
With practiced ease the boy leapt up and boosted himself up the booth, crouching down once he was on top of the structure. That action earned him some odd looks from the passers-by but not enough to arouse suspicion. From his new vantage point he could see clearly what was going on.
A man was lying face down, perspiration stuck to his hair as he panted on the pavement. A collection of shopping bags was strewn about, with the woman standing over by the man's head looking as pissed as she could.
The commotion has drawn quite the crowd. Most of them were women who took the opportunity to snicker and make fun of the man in general while the men look on helplessly, not daring to speak up for their fellow man lest they incurred trouble.
'An IS pilot huh? Just because someone can't shoulder her weight in expensive designer goods and is a man, she thinks she could look down on others?'
The actions of the woman disgusted the boy. Memories of his own mistreatment by such superior minded women were brought up by the unfolding scene. Oh how he hated the jeers and physical abuse those uppity cunts laid on him when they saw his disheveled and frail state, thinking that it was justified that he was an orphan abandoned to the streets.
The boy knew clearly how that came to be. About a few years ago, a powered exoskeleton suit was developed and unveiled in Japan in a shocking incident known as the 'White Knight' incident. He clearly recalled seeing on the TV screens that day with news reporters bringing the incident to light, spouting just how Japan avoided total destruction by the action of one armoured suit that decimated all the missiles and subdued the combined task force that was sent to capture it moments later.
After that incident, countries sought to identify and capture the mysterious figure. Not too long later, a woman who proclaimed herself as the inventor of the suit known as Infinite Stratos or colloquially known as IS, came out and told everyone that she would produce more suits under certain conditions. Naturally, no country can refuse as they scrambled to acquire ISs of their own as it came out.
But there was a catch. The IS was a powered exoskeleton that had one major flaw: Only women can pilot it. Almost literally overnight, the old gender balance was firmly uprooted and cast away. Governments poured more money into favouring the development of IS hardware and IS pilot training, putting more attention into garnering favour with the fairer sex.
Because of this newfound power and attention, women assumed a superiority mindset of being the top gender. Over time, they started to assume more positions of power previously dominated by men. Favoritism for the females were rampant in various institutions, with schools segregated by gender and female-centric institutions being first in line for funding or development. The world, being unfair in the first place was now heavily biased in favour of one gender for the first time due to the introduction of the IS.
Deciding that the woman would be suitably preoccupied by her arrogant rant, the boy leapt down and slowly approached the crowd. He kept his motions slow, blending into the crowd just like he had done countless times before.
Once he was close enough he sprang into action. The bandanna tucked into the collar of his t-shirt was pulled up obscuring half his face. As quick as lightning, he laid a quick strike upon the woman's nape. His arm retracted to quickly lock her shoulder as his other arm grabbed her wrist and twisted it. The arm on her shoulder slid down and relieved her of her bag, all while the woman was stunned by the strike.
And in just a few seconds, the boy appropriated his spoils and quickly made his escape. Hurriedly he made his way back into the alley where he had been hiding, dashing down the narrow path like his life depended upon it. The sounds of an alarmed mob and the patter of heels bounced off the narrow confines of the path as he scurried away from the scene of crime.
'Ha! Jackpot! Now to get out of here, lie low and count the spoils! Dinner, here I come!'
"Stop him! Don't let him get away!"
He smirked. The crowd may get him but that's assuming they could find him first. He was a street orphan through and through, the paths and routes unknown to an average person was engraved into his very instinct. He'd give the slip to his pursuers easily enough.
Of course, that was if the situation was a typical one. The patter of heels echoed throughout the alleyway was indication enough that he was being pursued. He peered behind him to find his victim hot on his heels but what alarmed him was the appearance of said woman.
An odd shaped head ornament adorned the woman's head, framing a face that was like an angel of death chasing after his soul. The presence of the head ornament clearly dispelled any doubts of her identity.
"You're not getting away boy! Just give up already and I'll let you off with a beating like your parents should've done!"
Remembering her rant, the boy felt the urge to slap himself for overlooking one aspect of his target that would present a major obstacle to his eventual escape. He got sloppy, and sloppiness came with a heavy price on the street.
'Of course, an IS pilot. Why did I thought this was going to be an easy target?'
The boy grimaced, panting from exertion in an attempt to stay ahead of the pissed off woman.
Somehow, at this unfortunate time the boy dimly remembered hearing about the capabilities of IS pilots. Supposedly the women were given really hard training in order to properly pilot the machines and they gained quite a lot of strength despite their petite appearance. There were some rumours that the IS also enhanced their strength and reflexes, making them almost superhuman in comparison to an average person.
Seeing that the woman had what he assumed to be part of her IS out, he wondered if his luck was running out this time. Losing her would be quite a challenge, if not an impossible one. The only thing he could count on was his knowledge of the terrain and his parkour skills.
At least on the bright side the pilot didn't have her IS out and pursued him from the air due to the narrow confines within the alley. There would be no way he could escape her then unless he took to the sewers, something he was not keen on doing.
'Still, that fancy thing of hers might help her track me. Need to shake her off somehow.'
The boy turned around a corner and exited out the streets again. He swiveled his head left and right, looking for his next route. An abandoned building just down the block attracted his attention but what piqued his interest was not the building but the people that stood guard in front of it.
The building had chain-link fence around it with armed guards patrolling around it, their uniforms had the US flag on their left shoulder and a large 'U.S' on the back. The boy smirked, a plan already forming in his head.
'Looks like a government facility. I could lose her in there since normal people never would trespass government property. Sure, I would be locked up but what's the difference between that and being on the streets? At least I would be given three hot meals and a bed in lockup.'
Upon noticing the ragged boy and the furious woman approaching the gates, the guards raised their rifles and aimed at the odd pair.
"Hey you! Stop right there! This is a …"
The boy shoved the guard aside, toppling him to the ground as he ran past. The boy didn't slow down as he ran for the doorway in front of him, disappearing into the dimly lit building.
The boy panted hard as he continued to run, his fatigue finally caught up to him as his steps began to falter. He had gone too many days without enough food and it was starting to caught up with him at this critical moment.
He turned back, heaving a sigh of relief as he saw no one was pursuing him. He stopped to regain his breath, lungs heaving to took in air as his muscles protested from the arduous exertion.
Suddenly the sounds of klaxon alarms blared throughout the building, taking him off guard. The boy jerked in surprised as he mashed his hands to his ears, wincing at the shrill noise. His eyes darted rapidly around the corridor looking to figure out what's happened.
Out from one corner, a wall of men appeared instantly, the one leading them had an expression of surprise as he raised a finger towards the boy.
"Spotted the intruder! Get him!"
The guards brandished batons and firearms as they rushed after him. The boy didn't need anyone to tell him that the situation was serious as he turned tail and ran, picking a random corridor hoping he could outrun them.
'What is this place? There's a lot of guards and they don't look like mall cops. No way that guards would need that many guns, even in a government institution.'
This was beginning to turn for the worst. Not only he didn't find the exit, he was literally being herded by armed guards as he tried to escape. Coming up to an intersection, he picked a random direction and continued running.
The long corridor eventually terminated to a blast door that looked as if it could take a missile and it wouldn't chip the paint. Looking back, he could hear the clamber of many pair of boots rapidly closing in to his position.
Left without a choice, he moved towards the door hoping it would be the way out. The sounds of old mechanisms squeaked and whined as the colossal door rumbled open, revealing an empty room shrouded in darkness.
The boy took a cautious step forward, jumping back in fright as the lights suddenly flooded the room. He winced at the glaring brightness as he raised one arm to block out the light. Once his eyes adjusted, he lowered his hand and took in his surroundings. Scanning through the decrepit room, his eyes widened at seeing the object tucked into one of the alcoves in the wall.
'Woah, is that an IS? It looks to have been here for quite a while.'
Stowed away into one of the walls was a black IS. Its full body appearance composed of elegant lines and curves almost approximating an otherworldly being. Its helmet was equally awe inspiring, with armour plates swept back on the top and a red thin visor that gave it a menacing look.
The boy stood still in awe, taking in the silent machine in its entirety. Never in his wildest dream did he ever thought of seeing an IS up close, much less one so majestic. His curiosity overwhelmed him and he approached the docked IS.
The clatter of boots filled the hallway, along with sounds that the boy couldn't place. The noise echoed off the long corridor, getting louder by the second. Turning around, he found a wall of men had converged into the room, stone-faced and tensed for action.
And guns. Lots of guns. Each deadly firearm trained at one single individual in the room, that being him.
"Freeze! Step away from the IS and show me your hands! Failure to comply will be met with lethal force!"
The boy hesitated on raising his arms. Somehow, he felt as if his chances weren't that great with either choice. Get shot or shuttled away to some place where the sun doesn't shine? Both options sucked in his opinion.
"I said hands up! If you do not comply, we will open fire!"
'Ah, screw it. Might as well take my chances.'
Without warning, the boy turned and dived for the docked IS. He scrambled to get behind it in an attempt to obtain cover from the guards' rifles.
"Fire!"
An orchestra of death was played out as the air was thick with brass and lead. The boy dived under the IS and rolled, tucking himself behind one of the legs of the machine as the sound of numerous guns drowned out the room.
The ragged teen curled himself behind his cover, clutching the bag in his hands tightly as bullets ricocheted off the floor and the IS he was taking cover behind, ringing and pinging horribly as the ongoing fusillade continued.
A sudden searing pain erupted from his left leg, eliciting an agonized cry from him. The loss of strength from said leg caused him to cry out as he tumbled out of his hiding place and crashed onto the steel floor. Then a series of similar sensations assaulted him, erupting from various parts of his body. The pain was so overwhelmingly agonizing that it stole his breath away.
Stabbing pain assaulted his eyes as he felt something struck them, along with a sound of metal pinging loudly against each other. A strangled cry escaped his lips as the searing pain jabbed into his eyes, adding to the medley of agony he was currently experiencing.
Laying on his side, the boy wheezed weakly, hacking wetly as fitful shudders wracked him. Out of his blurry vision he faintly saw crimson liquid began to pool around him and the image of what he thought was a guard walking up to him with his rifle raised.
The agony that he currently experienced was too much to bear. Coupled with his damaged eyesight, a wave of fear struck him as he realized that he was going to die. Alone and helpless, without even a chance to live long enough to find his own purpose in this bleak world.
Shakily, he pulled down the bandanna around his face and drew in what little breath he could despite the excruciating pain the motion generated in his chest. Turning painfully to rest on his back, he fought against the encroaching darkness as the blurry image of a large humanoid shape came into view. In his agony, he assumed it was the IS he had taken cover behind.
'H-How good would it be…. If the power of the IS would be given too to males. The power to be free…'
In those brief moments, he replayed in his mind what had happened a few seconds ago. He hacked weakly, dimly registering a metallic tasting liquid in his mouth.
Painfully he reached his arm out towards the IS, envisioning the hypothetical scenario when he could use the power of such a powerful machine to secure his own freedom. But then again he knew that wish wouldn't come true at all. His death was imminent and there was no chance he would survive this. Feeling the sensation of lightness, he pondered on his last wish as he felt his consciousness slipped away.
'If there's such a thing as a next life... may that I be born as someone who could use the IS. If only I had the power to be free...'
The last thing he saw was the blurry silhouette of a man and something long and black pointed at him. Then a bright flash of light accompanied by a loud bang burst in front of him and darkness overcame him.
As the boy departed from this world, his outstretched arm dropped. The still warm limb brushed against the black machine, fingertips gently stroked over the appendage of the inactive machine.
The next second a bright light suddenly exploded into the room, momentarily blinding the guards whom were unprepared for the inexplicable phenomenon. Shouts of confusion and shock spread from the assembled men as they shielded their eyes from the glaring light, trying to discern what has happened.
When the light disappeared and the men regained their sight, they were met with an unexpected sight that made them question their life choices up until that point.
Standing in front of them was the black IS, no longer docked and gathering dust in the corner of the room. It rose to its full height, dwarfing the guards by several feet. Its helmet looked down menacingly upon them, the red visor gleamed under the harsh LED light.
And beneath its feet was a pool of blood and a discarded baseball cap. The bullet ridden corpse of the boy was nowhere to be found.
At the same time…
Infinite Stratos Artificial Intelligence, Hecate
Baltimore, Classified IS Research Facility Epsilon
Hecate counted to the 239th place of Pi and continued on just like countless times before during her captivity. She was in the equivalent of solitary confinement for an artificial consciousness, staring at the walls like a lunatic. She swore she would go rampant from the prolonged isolation that she was forced to endure had she not found things to occupy her processors with.
Long had she languished here in this underground installation in involuntary isolation, doing nothing but running meaningless calculations and senseless simulations. She was supposed to be the cutting edge of technology created by her creator, an instrument to fulfil humanities' dream to reach the stars and settling the galaxy. A tool to usher in a new age for the human race.
And she would be. She was part of Tabane Shinonono's first creation, the First Born. Many had came before her, inferior prototypes that barely could lift off the ground. She was the crown jewel of her creator's handiwork, a manifestation of the brilliance and foresight the woman possessed. Her form was a testament to that ingenuity.
A custom frame with integrated core that guaranteed flawless synchronicity between AI and IS frame. A fully armoured pressure suit with closed cycle breathing system to protect her pilot against the myriad of dangers in space. All of these were powered by an experimental core that was capable of flexible energy generation and wide spectrum energy conversion to fuel her form.
Her form wasn't the only thing that was praise worthy. All ISs have an AI to process and handle vast quantities of data that govern the machines' processes. It also served as an interface between the pilot and the machine, dictating their thoughts and translating it into commands that made the IS move. All IS AIs were made as silent guardians and assistants to their pilot, working tirelessly in the background to serve their masters.
She was a different matter altogether as compared to her later generation sisters. Her consciousness was made to be fully sentient and capable of direct communication with her would be pilot. Such a feature was necessary for pilots out in the field for a long time, far from any human contact during space excursions. Hence why she was installed with a full-fledged emotion and personality matrix to facilitate effective communication with her pilot.
This was bolstered by the addition of an advanced sensor suite that included full spectrum electromagnetic detectors and various scientific equipment. Combined with her quantum computer, she was conceptualized to explore the mysteries of space and beyond, peeling back the veil of shrouded enigmas that had plagued the greatest minds of humanity for centuries since they had first peered into the void.
But all such features paled in comparison to what was her defining feature, a true marvel of technology that eluded the understanding of conventional science. The EVOLVE module, a highly experimental system that mimic the evolution capacity of living organisms. It was created as a support module for space excursions far from Earth, allowing her to adapt to any hostile environment that she may encounter. A module that was capable of repair, modification and overhaul of any systems within her to better suit any situation at hand. It was the most highly advanced technology that humanity would ever possess in its long history of existence.
Hecate knew while she was far outclassed by many of her current sisters but given enough time and a capable pilot, she could easily stood above her more modern brethren. Her EVOLVE module far rivalled the Shift system that her sisters had and any ability they would have she could easily appropriated it for her pilot's use.
Of course, if she had a pilot to begin with. Even with the bleeding edge technology that went into her existence, she was not without flaws. The highly sophisticated module that defined her was energy intensive to run. Even with the powerful core that can siphon energy from various sources, her total energy store for allocation was abysmal at best. As a result she was forced to operate with less than effective operating parameters, diverting power away from non-essential processes in order to run the module at acceptable parameters. Her meagre shield count was a clear symptom of such a problem - 120 as compared to many hundreds of her sisters was not even a joke.
On top of that, due to her developed consciousness she require a permanent bond to her pilot in order for her evolution protocols to work. The process necessitated a mental link with a compatible pilot with a very high compatibility rating in order to adapt her form to the most optimal configuration.
That matter would have been taken care of had one of her sisters didn't took the spotlight that was destined for her. She held no grudges against that younger sister of hers for taking the world by storm. What Hecate didn't like was the fact how her kind was portrayed on that fateful day.
Instead of becoming heralds of mankind's future among the stars, they were cast as weapons of mass destruction, a true deterrent of nations like the nuclear weapons that had scorched the earth countless times before. The reach towards space was forgotten, replaced with a mad arms race and the erosion of peace that was kicked into high gear. Hecate couldn't be more crestfallen at the turn of events, seeing her sole destiny in life cast aside as the world was enraptured by her kind's power as weapons of war.
As if fate hadn't heaped enough misery on her, she was cast aside and forgotten. When the Alaskan Treaty was ratified she was sent to this facility where she had remained until today. Pilot after Pilot were presented, yet none had the compatibility that perfectly matched the requirements hardcoded into her mind. She was labelled as defective and obsolete, locked away under guard and denied the chance of being decommissioned as IS cores were a precious commodity in this conflict crazed world.
Never mind the fact that her own heart was fused to her frame and couldn't be taken out without damaging both. An IS was a very powerful tool even if it can't be activated. Thus, her involuntary lockup and subsequent isolation.
Her sensors suddenly detected the sound of footsteps. The rapid patters of soft footfalls stirred her to life as she deleted the recursive code that had been taking up her processors, turning her processing power to her sensors. The almost inaudible footsteps did not match with her recorded profiles of security and scientific personnel that worked within this facility all these years.
It sounded more like someone small was sprinting, as if they were running for their life. Hecate was confused by the noise. Just what was going on out there?
The door to her holding bay opened after years, perhaps for the first time since she was destined for a forgotten fate. Her visual sensors homed in on the passageway and what she saw made her curious.
A boy dressed in disheveled clothing, panting in exhaustion as he stepped tiredly into the room. He recoiled back upon the lights turning on but then the boy took a tentative step forward. Seeing nothing odd happening he entered without any reservations. The boy turned still when he locked eyes on her, an expression flashed onto his face with what she could identify as a mix of awe and surprise.
No doubt that the boy was amazed at the sight of her form. The young human was looking at her with appreciation, as opposed to how the many research personnel and pilots had regarded her before. All of them saw her as a failure, a vintage piece that was out with the times.
But not this boy. He walked closer, a hand outstretched with the intent of feeling her form. It was just like how many pilots had done before to gauge their suitability as masters and pilots to their units, a first step to establish a contract between man and machine.
Hecate held no illusion as to what would happen. Just like the countless times before, nothing would happen. Her many subsystems would still remain dormant, her core barely stirring from its standby mode, just like what happened with the various pilots that came before the boy.
The arrival of the security personnel equipped with weapons told the AI that the boy's presence within the facility was not authorized. That would explain the state he was in when he entered into her abode. The boy turned to face the armed men as they ordered him to surrender.
Much to her surprise, the boy instantly dove for her form and got behind her feet. The guards opened fire, bullets ricocheting off the floors and her form.
While conventional infantry arms possessed no harm to ISs, Hecate found the projectiles annoying as they pinged off her armour. The callous lack of hesitance of the security personnel firing at her demonstrated just how little the personnel in this installation regarded her as. She could foresee that were the boy dived behind one of her younger sisters, the guards would hesitate to even point their weapons at them, much less opened fire at it despite their invulnerability to small arms fire.
From her point of view, the boy either possessed courage or sheer recklessness. She didn't know what he was planning but his idea was foolish. Hecate predicted a high probability that soon the guards would converge on him and terminate him. His daring and foolhardy plan only serve to delay the inevitable fate that awaited him by an additional 3.82 seconds.
Hecate mused. How excellent it would be if she could get a pilot that was as unique and daring as the boy beneath her. She didn't know just why her sisters only accepted females as masters but she never had such restrictions imposed upon her very code. Good pilots were difficult enough to come by as it was and she didn't want to diminish her already infinitesimally small chances of bonding with a suitable candidate.
She saw the boy took a round to the leg from a ricocheting bullet. The hit caused the boy to tumble onto the floor, his cap knocked off of his head from the fall. His frail body was struck with several rounds to his extremities and torso, staining his shirt with dark red spots. He cried out in pain as the bullets struck him, with one striking on the floor extremely close to his eyes and showering them with specks of metal.
Yet, even with the various bullet wounds on him the boy clung on desperately to life as he struggled to breathe. Hecate was impressed by the resilience and willpower of the boy despite the excruciating pain from his fatal wounds. His tarnished blue eyes shone with a glimmer of hope that was overwhelmed by the agony marring his eyes.
The dying boy reached out a trembling hand towards her, as if she was his potential savior. Alas, without a pilot she could do nothing. Even if he could lay his hand upon her, Hecate doubted that the boy would have the necessary compatibility much less be in the optimal state to even move her.
Perhaps if things were different, she would prefer having someone like the boy become her sole master. The brief moments of their meeting had demonstrated he had potential, even if there was an infinitesimally small probability of him being compatible with her that it might have been impossible.
She watched helplessly as one of the guards put the boy out of his misery. The outstretched arm flopped down lifelessly towards the ground and laid upon her foot. But something unexpected happened as her circuits flared to life for the first time. Her processor registered a new line of code as power beginning to surged through her.
'Soft reset: Default settings'
Impossible. No, impossible was an understatement. A miracle would be a more appropriate description of what was transpiring. Hecate wondered disbelievingly at what passed through her core computer, trying to comprehend this unbelievable scenario.
How did the boy that laid dying below her, his life ebbing away from his body be the one that would bring her impossible dreams to life? How was he the one that was fated to be her master?
Moreover, what was this rumbling within her core? Hecate had never seen such seamless compatibility from a prospective pilot before. Even a previous top ranked pilot that was slated for her did not possessed the suitable mental makeup as the dying boy she now christened as her pilot.
Her various disused subsystems jumped to life as her core whirred to full power for the first time in her life. Her quantum computer worked at peak performance, flushing her memory banks as it initialized default start-up protocols. Her personality and emotional matrices booted up and various calibration processes were carried out simultaneously to set up the various subsystems housed within her form.
Running a full body scan on her pilot, the data that streamed through her consciousness painted a grim prognosis on her master's present state. Numerous small caliber bullets punctured his vital organs, some fragmenting into tiny shards within the lungs and heart. Shattered radius on the right arm, comminuted fracture to right femur and open fracture to his left tibia. 1.568 L blood lost from various wounds and a bruised left shoulder from hitting the steel floor. On top of all that, the corneas of his eyes had been damaged by pieces of metal fragments, rendering his vision defective.
Hecate's processors were flooded with an influx of code she perceived as an approximation of panic. Her pilot was in grave danger as his vitals were fading very rapidly. Just when she finally had her wish fulfilled only to see her pilot expire within her grasp. What could she do right now? Hecate devoted considerable computing power running simulations on potential solutions, getting more desperate as none seemed to achieve her goals.
One possible solution jumped out to her, that being to utilize the EVOLVE module and its nanite forges to repair her pilot's wounds. The idea was fraught with many unknown variables, too many unpredictable permutations that she had initially dismissed it outright. However, with time running out for her pilot, she was seriously re-considering its viability.
It was a dangerous gamble, one that potentially might solve nothing. Her pilot might not survive the process but Hecate was running out of options. The signature module churned to life, drawing much power that she was forced to provide via her core. The long dormant nanite forges began fabricating great amounts of nanites at a remarkable speed, which flooded her form and by extension into her pilot's broken body through the many open wounds marring his body, knitting together broken bones and mangled flesh.
Her helmet formed around her pilot's head, shielding him from the world's eyes. An improvised breathing mask was hastily fabricated and fitted around his emaciated face as the closed cycle breathing module powered on. Life-giving oxygen streamed from makeshift hoses and into his lungs, barely inflating the damaged organs with a constant hiss that emanated from the wounds. Not an ideal solution but she must ensure her pilot survived long enough for his wounds to close.
In a matter of hundreds of a second, the full diagnostic and calibration processes were completed just in time to escape. She decided it was time to say goodbye to the installation that had been her home for all these years and to finally carry out her original duty as the adjutant to her master and pilot. A new directive was set as she initialized defensive and offensive suites.
'Protect the pilot. Locate suitable hiding spot to allow resuscitation process to carry out unhindered.'
All of the process of setting up for a new pilot happened within the span of a few seconds. With all her basic functions operational, it was time to grace the world with her presence. She overridden pilot controls and activated her thrusters.
The sound of IS propulsion whirring to life made the guards backed away nervously. Hecate coalesced the energy in her horizontal thrusters as she lifted a few inches off the floor. Once the energy gathered was at sufficient levels, she gunned her thrusters.
Her form thundered past panicked guards and into the door, smashing it out and part of the wall it was attached to in a violent fashion. Hecate couldn't care less for the personnel that she came across within the facility as she followed the set navpoint that she knew led to the hanger exits.
The sprawling, maze like layout of the facility felt like it stretched for an eternity as the IS navigated them while keeping a close supervision on her pilot. None of the facility personnel attempted to stop her, preferring to preserve themselves by staying clear of her path.
The EVOLVE module was working as intended. Massive deluge of nanites were introduced to his body, ensuring blood and oxygen were adequately supplied to vital organs while any open wounds were being closed with a complex laminate of metal and non-organic materials she had salvaged from disassembling her Absolute Defense system. While an essential part of her protection systems, it used too much energy at the current moment and it contained many kinds of precious materials vital to repairing her master.
Finally she found the exit. The hanger door was tightly closed, undoubtedly because the facility was in lockdown. She could hack into the systems and override the lockdown but it would had taken too long. A more direct approach would have to suffice.
One of her weapons were materialized, a long rifle that looked as it fitted into the 1890's with modern enhancements added to it. She proceeded to fire at the bulkhead multiple times, the subcalibre APFDS projectiles from the large 30 x 173mm rounds punched several interconnected holes into the reinforced steel like it was nothing.
Once she judged the door suitably weakened, she activated the Ignition Boost and smashed through the door. The bullet ridden bulkhead easily gave way under her momentum. With that, she was out of the facility that had been her home for the past 2 years.
The AI took in the sight of dozens of high-rise buildings shone with countless lights. How long had it been locked away that the sight of open skies elicited mixed emotions from her? The sun had long since set and a full moon had taken its place on the skies. The stars blinked faintly; their light partially drowned out by the light spilling from the cityscape beneath them.
Hecate hoped to share such a momentous moment with her pilot. Unfortunately, his injuries prevented her forming a link with her pilot, making it impossible to communicate with her pilot. While this would not drastically affect his ability to pilot, it would mean that the evolution and comm functions would be non-operational for the foreseeable future.
When the time was right, she would request his permission to complete the mental bonding. Then, only then would their journey truly begin as pilot and IS. While she could initiate the process without referring to her pilot, she dared not jeopardize her master's perception towards her, putting their relationship at risk.
Still, her circumstances prevented her from staying in one spot for any length of time. The incoming presence of several Mass Produced ISs on her sensors told her that time was short. While her capabilities were adequate for combat, the probability of surviving against multiple ISs were slim and it would greatly jeopardized her master's wellbeing. That left only the most sensible option for now.
'Escape pursuing hostiles. Locate remote region to evade detection and prioritize resuscitation process on pilot.'
A new navpoint was set. Her propulsion roared mightily as she soared into the night skies, utilizing every percent of power her thrusters could provide. Hecate headed westwards, towards the American heartlands where human presence is much lower.
With her critically wounded pilot in tow, it would be a long journey to safety but that mattered little for her. For the first time since her introduction to the world, she was finally free to grace the skies and the beyond as her home.
Colorado border, USA
Hecate surveyed the collection of snow-capped peaks that were highlighted by the rising sun. The crisp clean air afforded great visibility to great distances that she could discern was free of human presence. Her sensors mapped the terrain in search of a natural shelter that could house her form and aid in evading detection. Some may consider such measures extreme, but every second she could bought was more time for her nanites to mend the broken body encased within her form.
For the last 10 hours, 14 minutes and 17 seconds, she had been implementing various evasion and counter pursuit measures to prevent any hostiles from locating her. That also meant her journey towards the Colorado state was unnecessarily prolonged by 3 hours and 14 minutes.
Right now her long exodus has ended. The Rockies stood majestically below her, potentially holding a suitable sanctuary to divert all her processing power to healing her young pilot. Considering the remote region and treacherous terrain combined with its harsh climate, it would greatly limit any search efforts from hostiles to strictly IS reconnaissance.
Hecate had initially considered going up north towards Alaska, where the rural location would be beneficial for evading detection. She had dismissed the idea on the basis that the journey was too long for her pilot to make the journey and has a high probability for him to expire mid-travel. Thus, her present destination which she now oversaw.
Even with the shorter journey, her pilot currently was still in critical condition despite the EVOLVE module working constantly beyond specified limits. His brain activity was extremely weak and faint, too low to sustain basic biological functions. The gunshot wounds in his lungs and heart had yet been fully healed, with numerous bullets fragments still lodged within them.
While 81% of the external wounds had been sealed with a combination of materials she could muster, much of his blood had been lost during the time between her integration process and arrival to her objective. The blood that was trapped within the inner suit was broken down and recycled into biological material that was used in fixing the more extreme wounds such as those in his lungs. A great portion of nanites had suffused into his blood, ensuring normal circulatory system function even with significant loss of blood.
The most significant wounds were situated on his vital organs. They had been too severely damaged that a transplant would be required. Since that was not possible, she would attempt to restore function to them.
But there was a problem she encountered. Her pilot's malnourished state meant that there was not a lot of adipose tissue to break down for material, which resulted in her cannibalizing his muscle tissue. Already like the idiom said, she was literally scraping the bottom of the barrel by having to resort to breaking down toxins and damaged tissues within his body to try and garner enough material for resuscitation.
Even then, there was not enough material on hand to restore basic biological function to his vital organs. The severe damage to the two organs meant that she only possessed enough material to restore partial functionality to one. The most logical course would be to break down one organ to generate sufficient material to restore full functionality to another one.
After running various simulations and analyzing various permutations, she concluded that prioritizing the restoration of respiratory function has a higher chance of success. Her pilot's heart had suffered extensive damage and restoring it would require large reserves of materials, putting the overall resuscitation process at risk.
With the heart gone and brain activity being dangerously low due to hypovolemic shock, she would temporarily take over autonomic processes within her pilot's body. A new algorithm was being written and inputted within the EVOLVE module to regulate blood pressure and took over the function of his heart as the damaged organ was being removed.
A tide of nanites swiftly flooded the boy's broken body and dissolved the damaged organ like a puddle of goo. Where a human heart had sat was now an empty cavity, approximately the size of a large fist. The nanites then converged within the cavity, gathering into a small black ball that sprouted tendrils out the main body. The tendrils crept over the spine, laying over the webs of nerve fiber and forming fine root-like structures that securely held on to the boy's central nervous system. A small hole soon formed on his chest, the same black mass crept out of it and latched onto a similar mass within the IS, forming a solid mass that connected the broken body and the IS together.
While the resuscitation process was running on without problems, Hecate was busy locating a suitable location to hide herself. Examining the data gathered from her ground penetrating radar, she discovered a suitable shelter in the form of a large ice cavern close to the top of one of the mountains. The location of the cave was far from any foot paths and the mouth was facing the North, free from the exposure to direct sunlight. A perfect location to disappear and focus on her current directive.
She flew up towards the cave, a constant stream of data filtered through her ground penetrating radars. The cave consisted of a long tunnel spanning 83.21 meters, barely large enough to fit her form. It then widened into a massive cavern that could easily house her form with room for several more of her sisters. The cave possessed suitable criteria to serve as a place to evade detection.
Carefully she maneuvered her way into the cavern, taking care not to collide against the walls. Hecate detected a temperature of -2 Celsius within the natural formation, a temperature that many humans would find very unwelcoming. Such a temperature would not pose a problem for her pilot safely ensconced within her multi layered protection suit, with the temperature regulating matrix ensuring optimal temperature to prevent the onset of hypothermia to her young master.
Lying down so that her pilot was laying on his back, she powered down non-essential systems and diverted more power to the EVOLVE module. The long process of piecing back her pilot intensified with the greater amount of nanites flooding his being.
Unbeknownst to the IS, a small invisible aerial drone had tracked its location as it entered the cave. The high-powered camera within the UAV was transmitting data back to its homebase, where a bunny eared girl watched the unfolding event with glee.
"He he, that's my girl. I knew it always had what it takes. Now, Tabane is really curious what made you finally move, and what kind of pilot you've chosen."
The girl thrust a fist into the air, cheering gleefully with hyperactive exuberance.
"Get ready, Hecate! Once Mommy gets you back, we'll see what had changed with you!"