Fantasy Stellar ARMOR Satellizer (Ranix Aurus & Admiral19)

[Ranix Aurus]

"What? Oh, right, the others... oh, oh no..." Seiichiro suddenly went pale. In his excitement over finding his savior, he had completely forgotten about the scale of OLYMPUS's influence. That's right. Just because they have one medallion on their side didn't mean that they were in the winning lane. Crap.

"...There are eleven more. Each corresponding to the zodiac signs... and they're in the hands of OLYMPUS," he explained, his tone grave. "This one... I've only managed to grab the Leo Medallion out when I made my escape. You're not the only one compatible with them. OLYMPUS had gathered many people under them over the course of their existence, some joined willingly, others weren't so amiably. They... I've seen what you can do. You're a natural! But they're no slouch either, and they're more familiar with the ARMOR system. Young lady... I'm afraid that they will come to get me, to get us, sooner or later. As long as the Leo Medallion is with us, OLYMPUS will never leave us alone."

"I'm... sorry for this," the man slouched down on the couch. "Your friend is right. You shouldn't have gotten involved with me. This is all my fault."

She and her friends were just civilians, living their normal lives. This... this shouldn't have happened to them.

 

[Admiral19]

Kanae sighed. Figures. "It's alright. I don't think either of us thought this would happen."

Other people could use the medallions, ah? How many others? How many of them willingly joined OLYMPUS? How many of them were forced? Could Kanae somehow convince them to defect from OLYMPUS, or would she need to...There were too many uncertainties, too many variables, too many fucking things that Kanae didn't know...she couldn't make a reliable decision, not right now. So should she just not try to?

"..."

No, she's made a decision. She's had one made since she ran off with the medallion this morning.

This was the world giving her a chance. She's squandered all the ones before it, but she can't afford to do that now.

"I'm gonna assume we can't just go knocking at OLYMPUS' door right now." Well, duh. "So then, Uncle..."

Her grip on the medallion grew tighter. She thought of Akira and Hotaru.

"...how do I get strong enough so that we can?"

 

[Ranix Aurus]

"Strong... what?" Seiichiro looked at her funny. "I mean, ARMOR system is designed to greatly enhance your physical abilities. You should've felt it yourself. What I used before was only the basic exoskeleton function. With the medallion, it should be even stronger. How much 'stronger' do you want it to be? Maybe we can make it more powerful if I override the limiter, but that's too dangerous. Your body will literally explode from the excess energy."

Also, what was this talk about raiding OLYMPUS?

"Young lady, you're too inexperienced with life," he tsk'ed at her. What can one person do? "To take down OLYMPUS, we can't do this just by ourselves. When I got into the accident yesterday, I was on my way to meet my colleague. I have shared information with him, and he had agreed to help me break it to the public. We'll need the government's help for this. I refuse to think that OLYMPUS has everyone in their grasp. Surely there will be heroes who will stand against them!"

Raising a flag right there, Seiichiro-san-

"But I think it'll be a good idea if you practice with your ARMOR. Try transforming. The longer you use it, the better the onboard AI will sync with you, allowing you better control over the system."

 

[Admiral19]

"I know, but..." God, she was tired. "There's no way OLYMPUS isn't gonna throw tougher stuff at us. I wanna be ready for it, whenever it happens, sooner rather than later." An understandable sentiment, but one born out of impatience.

Fortunately, Uncle was the sound one between the two of them, and as much as Kanae didn't want to, he was right; they couldn't just, well, walk up to OLYMPUS and try to take them down. A little at a time was the only way they could go, it seems. It was the safest route, but...now that she knew what kinds of threats existed in this world, she couldn't help but get a little frustrated. If she could, she'd take them all out right as they came...or ideally, before they even had the chance.

For now, though..."You really think the government will listen to us? Not even my two closest friends believed me when I told them about all this! We'd need proof—untampered, undeniable proof. Here's hoping your colleague knows how to get that."

 

[Ranix Aurus]

"I know, I know..." Seiichiro nodded at her assertions. Kanae was correct. As much as he wanted to stay positive, the government would never give them attention if they couldn't provide any proof. "That's where you come in."

He snapped his fingers.

"My friend is a freelance reporter, see. This is a big scoop, and it will be beneficial for his career if he help us uncover the conspiracy. We should be able to convince him that everything is real if we show him the medallion. That was my original goal yesterday. Unfortunately... well, you saw what happened. I figure that they would try to hinder me again if I attempted to go out. But now I have you! With your ability to synchronize with Leo, we would be able to handle anything that they throw at us. At least while OLYMPUS is still underestimating us. That's why, please help me?"

He clasped his hands together, pleading.

"Escort me to my friend's place. The sooner the better. If we wait for too long, OLYMPUS might notice him and everything we have collected so far would go poof. Time is of the essence."

 

[Admiral19]

Ah, an escort mission! "Understood! We'll get you out of here posthaste!" Well, as posthaste as one could go while someone was still kinda coughing up a storm.

Ah, oh, but...hold on. "But...what about Akira and Hotaru?" Time was of the essence, for sure, but at the same time, she didn't want either of them to worry about her, or—god forbid—try to stop her. They might get paranoid enough to try and submit her to a mental hospital or something, and that'd slow them down a significant amount!

Hm. "What if we gave them something to do? Just...something to distract them for a while?" She didn't want to lie to them, but if they weren't gonna take her seriously...besides, it's not like they'll be gone that long! Hopefully.

 

[Ranix Aurus]

"I heard that," Akira's voice boomed from upstairs. He came down with a first-aid box in tow, minus Hotaru. "Don't you dare get yourself in trouble now! ...Is what I want to say, but who am I fooling? You never listen to anyone once you've made up your mind."

He plopped the box on Seiichiro's chest, causing the man to groan in pain. "Fix yourself, old man. Ain't nobody have time to nurse you." He then turned to Kanae, ignoring the pouting Seiichiro behind him.

"Listen, I'm still not convinced with... whatever you and this guy are planning to do. But I don't have to understand to know that I'm not leaving you by yourself. If you're dead set on doing this, then I'll also go with you. End of story."

It didn't matter whether Kanae had a screw loose in her head. Akira would be there for her, come hell or high water. Also, Seiichiro was in no condition to walk by himself. What was he trying to do, make Kanae carry him around?

"I'll handle the old man. You just do what you need to do," he said. "But we should keep Hotaru out of this, mayhap." He didn't want his baby sister to get involved in risky business. Nevermind that she was only a year younger than the two of them. "So, where to go?"

"Right, we need to go to XXX street. Here," Seiichiro showed them a location in his map app. The address was at the other end of the city.

 

[Admiral19]

Surprised as she was, Kanae nodded. Maybe if Akira saw what she did for himself...maybe then he might believe her! Who knows, they just needed to get out of here. Beyond that, however...well, it was comforting that Akira was willing to help her out. Plus, if things ever got dangerous, she had all the means to protect him.

"Right, then." Kanae took a look at the map. "Let's take the metro there, 'cause what's not gonna happen is a walk across an entire city. If Hotaru asks, we went to get some stuff for the busted door. Are you gonna be alright here, Uncle?"

She felt...well, more than a little bad that Hotaru had to be left in the dark. But if there was any chance that they could keep Hotaru safe, Kanae was willing to take it, because the last thing she wanted to be responsible for was something bad happening to her.

Well, that extends to Akira too, but Akira was tough.

 

[Ranix Aurus]

"Right, then," Akira turned back to the stairs. "I'll get some stuff to prep the old man. You get ready yourself. I'll be back in a jiffy."

"You have a good boyfriend," Seiichiro said in a fatherly way. Even though he was a forty-years old bachelor. The things science do to a person's romantic life...

Akira disappeared for almost fifteen minutes before he returned with a fresh change of clothes, and most importantly, a loose hoodie, sunglasses, and a face mask. It was easy to figure out what his plan was.

"Alright, let me borrow the old man for a bit."

He pulled Seiichiro to the bathroom, finally managing to help him change out of the hospital gown while being accompanied by painful screams. Then again, it seemed that Seiichiro looked healthier than before? His bleeding had long stopped, and he was able to walk, although each steps were met with crippling pain.

"Old man, weren't you dying just a while ago?" Akira asked while supporting him out of the bathroom.

"Ah pei, are you cursing me?!? Wait, you're right... It seems that I've gotten better? Ouchouchouch-"

He tried swinging his arm, only to feel excruciating burn frying his shoulder joint.

"What the hell is your body made out of?" Akira blinked, partly amazed, partly confused. Anyway, that was good news. At least the old man could walk by himself this way, he just needed a little help.

"Alright, let's go," Seiichiro said. "Our destination would be Mr. Mikawa's apartment."

 

[Admiral19]

It took maybe ten or so seconds for Kanae to register Seiichiro's comment. "Hm? Wait, no! He's not my boyfriend! Like, sure, we're close and all, but...I mean, me, him, and Hotaru knew each other since we were in diapers! Of course we're all close!" Quite defensive of you to say, Kanae. She was relieved when Akira eventually took Seiichiro away to get changed, spared of any more awkward and potentially revealing conversation. N...not that she had anything to reveal!

Kanae was similarly astonished when she saw how much better Seiichiro had gotten...was that an effect of the ARMOR system?

"Downtown we go, then," Kanae said, and hopefully they wouldn't have to be out too terribly long.

 

[Ranix Aurus]

They took Kanae's suggestion to ride the metro. Well, Akira did. Seiichiro was reverting back to this paranoid self from yesterday. Akira reassured him that 1. His pursuer, if there really was any, would have a harder time making their moves in public space, and 2. He had to rely on Akira to lend him a shoulder to lean on just to walk a few miles. He sadly got no say in this.

As expected, their travel was devoid of any trouble. Akira settled comfortably on the seat, while Seiichiro slouched down beside him, keeping himself as small as possible. Not that it did anything. The other passengers stared at him with strange expression for a while. Akira clapped his hand, as if apologizing to them, and they went back to their business.

Ah. Senile old fool and his grandchildren. The passengers had an understanding look in their face.

"Why do I feel pitied all of the sudden?" Seiichiro mumbled.

"Just your imagination," Akira retorted. "We have some time. How about you brief us with anything that you think we need to know?"

"Hmm..." Seiichiro rubbed his chin in deep thought. "My friend is called Yuusuke Mikawa. As I said before, he's a freelance reporter. He's just a small fry in this business, but he has some connections, especially with the more... uh, radical ones. He's in this for the scoop, but I'm sure that we can convince him to help us for the greater good. If OL- ahem, if 'you know-who' succeed in their evil scheme, nobody would be spared. He'll have no choice but to help us."

Very optimistic of you, Seiichiro-san.

Akira gave Kanae a nudge. "Why am I starting to feel that this is a big mistake?"

 

[Admiral19]

Kanae has been on the metro exactly four times; twice when she was initially starting college, once during a break, and once now. The ride was about the same as it was the last few times, save for the fact that they were also accompanying an injured scientist that had a connection with the freelance reporter they'd be visiting.

"It's okay," she said, trying her best to reassure Akira, "if anything happens, I'll do my best to keep us safe. You won't have to worry about a—"

She made a startled yelp. Somebody had bumped into her shoulder trying to walk down the train. Not a major issue, especially with what time it was right now; there were quite a few people on the train, so some of them had to stand, and some might have to move. Even still, she should apologize. "Hey, sorry about..."

The person who bumped into her looked back; a woman, probably about Hotaru's age. Dressed rather plainly, but the most strikeout thing about her was her eyes; a vibrant, sharp green, far too sharp to be natural. The woman smiled in understanding. "That's alright! I'm sorry for running into you."

The woman then glanced down at the band around Kanae's wrist, leaning in as close as she could.

"That's a very nice wristband you have." Her voice was barely louder than a whisper. "I know someone who has one just like it."

Without another word, the woman moved further down the train, leaving Kanae confused...and concerned. She hoped they got to Yuusuke's place soon.

 

[Ranix Aurus]

Akira grimaced. Keep them safe... he felt like he should be the one saying that? Did he look that weak in Kanae's eyes? The silly boy pouted as he wallowed in self-deprecation, totally missing the small interaction between Kanae and the strange woman.

"Oh, this is our stop," Seiichiro noted after a while. The metro was slowing down as it entered the next station.

"Let's go- Kanae? Are you okay?" Akira inquired. She looked worried about something.

The station was located above ground, hidden amidst the towering high-rises surrounding its vicinity. Seiichiro pointed at one of the shabbier-looking apartment complex sandwiched between two luxurious skyscrapers. "That's where he lives. It'll just take a few minutes by foot. Let's hurry."

 

[Admiral19]

For the remainder of the ride, Kanae had her attention on the woman that had passed her. She was chatting it up with someone else on the train now, but Kanae couldn't forget what she had said to her...

At least up until the train came to a stop and Akira called Kanae out of her confusion. "Ah? Oh, I'm fine! Got...distracted." Truth. Not direct truth, but truth.

Even as the three of them exited the station and grew closer to their destination, Kanae still looked a bit out of it. Maybe lengthy train rides just tired her out? Well, yes, but not to the point where she actively seemed distracted. Thankfully, Yuusuke's apartment wasn't a far trek at all, so there wasn't much time for Kanae to dwell on the occurrence for too terribly long.

They eventually arrived at the complex, which really was a shabby-looking spot, way out of place amongst the high-rises. Sounds about like the kind of place a freelance journalist would live, that's for sure.

 

[Ranix Aurus]

Akira wasn't paying attention before, but now that he was, he got worried for Kanae. He spent the entire trek being overvigilant, even though he had no idea what he should be careful for.

Seiichiro on the other hand was more relaxed. Too relaxed, even. He has his nerves strung for too long. The moment he was close to reaching his goal, everything snapped, flying to a completely opposite direction.

They passed the security very easily. Well, for one, the person manning the post was sleeping on his job. Not like anyone ever wanted to target this apartment. There were two condos straddling this dumpster fire of a living space, why would thieves bother wasting their time stealing from these poor peasants?

"Mr. Mikawa is at floor 4," Seiichiro said as he pressed the elevator button. The apartment was quiet. The first floor was devoid of people, even. Judging from the absence of light from the rows of closed doors, the residents were either out in this fine sunday afternoon, or the apartment was bleeding tenants. Perhaps a combination of both.

"He's in room 403. Don't worry, he should know that it's me once he see my face."

The elevator arrived with a ding.

 

[Admiral19]

Within the entire space of that elevator ride, Kanae had time to run through everything that had happened to get her to this point. This morning—just this morning—she had run from a violent squid-lizard that wrecked a convenience store and almost blew said squid-lizard(squizard?) to pieces with an armored suit straight out of the 70s, sleeked up to an almost fashionable degree.

That all happened in the span of...what, thirty minutes? That was enough action to last her a lifetime. And the day wasn't even over.

Room 403. Kanae knocked twice on the door. "Hello? We're looking for a "Yuusuke Mikawa"?"

 

[Ranix Aurus]

The door creaked open just a slit. An eye peered out, followed by a man's raspy voice.

"You have the wrong room."

"Wait, wait, Mr. Mikawa, it's me!"

Seiichiro rushed over before the door was closed. The moment he pulled down his sunglasses and mask, the door was flung open. Not deliberately. The person behind the door was so surprised by his appearance that he had accidentally pushed the door away as he fell to the floor.

"It's- it's you! But, but I saw you on TV just a while ago! I thought you've gone missing?!"

"Kids, close the door!"

Akira quickly slammed the door shut, and then blocked it with his body, preventing Mikawa from escaping. The reporter was still a young man, seemingly only a few years older than the Akira and Kanae. His entire body was shaking.

"No, no, get out, get out!"

"Mr. Mikawa! You said that you'll help me spread this information to the public. We need your help!"

"You almost died, you old fool!" Mikawa was close to tears. He had initially thought that Seiichiro was just another conspiracy theorist, but when he saw him in the news, and the wrecked hospital, his brain finally clicked. Even if those ridiculous things Seiichiro had told him before were fake, he still knew something dangerous. Something that necessitated such a flashy assassination.

No way. No way! He was just a small time reporter, okay? What kind of top-secret hot potato had landed on his lap? He didn't want to get burned!

"Aaaaah! If you want to die, die by yourself! Why are you dragging me into this?!?"

Wow. Akira gave him the stink eye. What a wuss.

 

[Admiral19]

Kanae sighed. She didn't know what she expected this reporter to be like, but she certainly didn't anticipate this sort of cowardice. It was understandable, it really was, but...goddammit, even without everything behind the hospital's destruction, didn't he know what was at stake here?!

"Listen here." Kanae brought out her medallion, her expression perhaps the most grave anyone's ever seen it. "I've seen more in the past few hours than anyone could even imagine. Something terrible is happening, and people need to know about it. But unless we get some actual proof—unless we have your help, Mr. Mikawa—no one will believe us no matter how loud we scream."

She looked back at Akira—trusting that, at least for now, he would trust her—before returning to Yuusuke. "You don't have to believe me or Uncle right now. But please, just for a while, trust us."

 

[Ranix Aurus]

Mikawa flinched. He was influenced by Kanae. Even if it was just a tiny bit, that was more than enough for an opening.

"...Fine! I'll at least listen to what you guys have to say. But I'm not promising anything!" He steadied himself, taking a more proper sitting posture. "Lay it on me. What's this 'terrible thing' you're talking about?"

Seiichiro proceeded to tell him about OLYMPUS. About the P.A.S. and their true intention, the ARMOR system. About the monster that had attacked them. And finally, about the medallion and the power it contains. He even had Kanae to corroborate with her experience. At the end of the story, Mikawa was in deep thought. He looked up and locked eyes with Akira, who was also listening closely as he finally heard the full version of what the two had discussed earlier in his house.

He shook his head. Don't look at me. I'm not a part of this tomfoolery. I'm just here for this silly girl.

"Alright, let me ask you something," Mikawa's tone turned inquisitive. Although he didn't look like it, he actually sounded like a real reporter. Well, they did kinda break into his apartment unannounced, so him dressing shabbily was excuseable.

"Sure thing," Seiichiro responded.

"So you're saying that OLYMPUS -that big transnational multi-billion dollar company- was manufacturing weapons and biological weapons in order to conquer the world?"

"That's correct!"

"...Why?"

Seiichiro fell silent. "What do you mean why?" He blinked a few times before choking out his reply. "Because they want to take over the world!"

"...Why would they want to take over the world?" Mikawa stared blankly at Seiichiro. "They're the number one company in the entire country, nay, maybe even in the international market. Put it this way. The C-suites have enough money to live lavishly for the rest of their lives even if they closed the company this very hour. Why would anyone like that bother to do something so troublesome like 'conquering the world'?"

...

Well... when you put it that way...

 

[Admiral19]

...Oh. Oh, shit, that was a good point.

Kanae stayed silent for a while in thought. A big company like OLYMPUS would have no trouble covering their tracks, but that's assuming they wanted to cover tracks in the first place. Why try to take the world when you already have a hold on the financial scene?

Unless...

"What if...what if someone was using OLYMPUS?"

She could almost feel the incredulous looks she was probably being given. "Hear me out! Mr. Mikawa said the execs at OLYMPUS have enough money to set them up for life. What would stop someone from using that money to do their own research on the ARMOR system?"

She probably sounded insane. It didn't matter; they needed all of their bases covered.

 

[Ranix Aurus]

Seiichiro looked like a light bulb had been turned on in his brain. Mikawa, however, was less impressed. Actually his expression got worse than before.

"Alright, miss, so you're saying that there's this hypothetical mastermind within OLYMPUS, someone so smart and powerful, who had managed to fool all these MBAs and experts so they can use the money to perform research on this robot and monster nonsense?"

"Exactly!" Seiichiro snapped his finger with glee.

"...I get it. You guys are truly conspiracy theorists. It's better if you write your articles directly in 2chan. I guarantee that they'll lap up your story."

Akira gave Kanae a "see? I told you" look.

"Mr. Mikawa! Please! The fate of humanity is at stake!" Seiichiro rushed over to plead, but Mikawa just scooted away with disgust.

"Yes, yes, go ahead and fight for our future and all that crap. I'm not interested in this anymore. I thought you're going to give me materials about corruption, or tax evasion, or... something more realistic. Not this... thing! You guys are whack!"

He stood up angrily and was about to pick a bat so that he could chase them away, but he stopped near the window.

"...You guys have more friend coming with you?" He asked.

"What? No? What do you mean 'more friend'?" Seiichiro asked back. "I just have these two kids to accompany me."

"Then who's that?"

Someone was standing outside the apartment building, staring at his window. Actually, he couldn't be sure that the person was deliberately looking at his direction, but his survival instinct as a reporter was blaring the alarm in full force.

Something wasn't right.

 

[Admiral19]

Aaaah, this was so frustrating! Mikawa was literally their last lifeline; if they couldn't convince him, what the hell were they supposed to—

Kanae tilted her head, then went to look out the same window Mikawa was looking through. Someone was out there, in fact; a woman who, after noticing the other person that came to the window, quickly looked down and came through the front of the apartment complex. She'd be up here soon enough, surely.

Kanae hoped it wasn't who she thought it was. Just this once, she wanted to be very, very wrong.

In case she wasn't: "Mr. Mikawa. If someone knocks on that door, I want you to stay out of eyesight. I've got a really bad feeling." Whether Mikawa listened to her or not, a polite knock on the door would be heard a few moments later. Kanae gently nudged Akira away from the door and peeped out from the crack...

A vibrant, sharp green eye—far too sharp to be natural—stared back.

"Hello!" A chipper, polite voice spoke through the door. "I wanted to speak to a...Ms. Saitou?"

Kanae didn't say a word. Her...she was looking for her.

 

[Ranix Aurus]

Seiichiro and Mikawa weren't quick enough to understand, but Akira did. He had known Kanae for a long time. When his friend looked this serious, that means the situation is FUBAR. The moment Kanae nudged him away, he immediately rushed at the older men and dragged them away from the entrance.

"What are you doin-" Mikawa mumbled.

"Sshh!" Akira clasped the reporter's mouth. That voice was bad news. It felt familiar, making his skin crawl. It was because he had heard something eerily similar just this morning.

"Kanae, what now?" He whispered, as quiet as he could. They were at the fourth floor. Jumping out of the window... might not be a good idea.

 

[Admiral19]

"Just...stay calm. I've got this." With that, Kanae stepped outside, leaving the door cracked just enough for the three men to listen.

Just as she thought; there in front of her was the woman Kanae met on the train. Kanae put on her kindest smile. "Hey! Aren't you the person who accidentally ran into me? I never got your name..."

The woman waved an arm dismissively. "Ah, it's alright...although if you're really curious, you can call me Aoi."

"What, do you live in an apartment here?"

"Well, no," the woman—Aoi—said, "I just came here to visit. Much like you did, actually! Initially, I had another station that I wanted to stop at, but...well, at the last minute, I figured I'd just get off around where you were!"

That was...suspicious. "Why...?" Kanae asked.

Aoi stepped a little bit closer. Very slowly, her hand reached into a pocket.

"I was curious, that's all. After all, it's not every day I find someone—especially a stranger..."

Kanae saw something glimmer on Aoi's wrist; a band in the shape of a watch.

"...who's just like me."

Kanae reached into her own pocket quickly, but Aoi stopped her arm just before Kanae could pull out her medallion. She looked up with wide eyes at what Aoi had in her hand, marked with ornate maroon markings, the most prominent of which was the astrological sigil of Taurus.

"Suit, up."

 

[Ranix Aurus]

The voice command activated the wristband, and what followed next was a veil of brilliant white.

Akira was almost blinded by the sliver of light that pierced through the small opening of the door. A circle with a curved line on top, with sharp points at each ends, flared up on the woman's wristband's display. The sign of Taurus. Scattering light swirled around her, forming a proverbial cocoon that broke off like shattering glass. A vision of a raging bull descended from above, enveloping her in royal blue.

The woman was now clad in a sleek metallic armor. Golden tiara decorated the top of the helmet, with two, horn-like extensions on its left and right side. Bluish pattern ran along the suit's edges and curves. A cape made of silky-smooth fabric materialized from its shoulder pads, followed by a spear on her hand, the shaft adorned with strange runes carved in gold.

"ARMOR ON," the system prompted. The armor's eye slits shone brightly, finalizing the transformation. "LONG LIVE THE QUEEN."