Fantasy Stellar ARMOR Satellizer (Ranix Aurus & Admiral19)

[Ranix Aurus]

"That's because I'm a genius!" Seiichiro confidently replied, looking very smug. "Well, jokes aside, I just nicked a piece of metal from my phone and shave it up a bit with laser. Anyone who've handled any of the medallions would be able to see through it in one go. Catch!"

He threw the fake medallion at Kanae.

The object had more or less similar size and shape to her medallion, but as expected, the color of the material wasn't quite right, the weight felt completely different, and the Leo sign on top of it was painted. It didn't have the appropriate luster nor the otherworldly glow that the real sign had.

"Listen, I know that you're worried about your sister, Mr. Tanaka, but it is impossible to negotiate with them. The moment we lost the Leo medallion, all of us will die. That's how evil OLYMPUS is. One of us will use the fake one to distract them and buy some time. Meanwhile, we'll save your sister. What do you think, Miss Saitou? Oi, Mikawa, you're part of this too! Help us think of a solution!"

Mikawa clutched his stomach. He really just want to disappear, alright? All of this superhuman megacorporation crime thingamajig was really way beyond his paygrade.

 

[Admiral19]

Kanae took the "medallion" and...yep, she could tell something was off almost immediately; even beyond how it looked, there was a certain feel to her medallion that was completely absent when she held this one. Still, visually, it'd fool whoever they'd need to bargain with, if even for a little while.

"Well, that means we'll have to be quick", she said, "because the moment this person finds out they got a fake, they'll be on whoever gave it to them." Should she be the one to give them the medallion, then? Best case scenario, they get mad enough to attack her, and then she can just hold them off and leave everyone else to get Hotaru...

Well, whoever it should, it probably shouldn't be Mr. Mikawa. Poor guy; part of her understood the turmoil he was going through. The other part, however, wanted him to suck it up.

 

[Ranix Aurus]

"I'll do it," Akira said. "We'll just need to get their attention. When they're distracted by the fake medallion, I'll rush over and take Hotaru away. After that..." He looked apologetically at Kanae. If the kidnapper was someone like that armored woman from before, then Kanae would be the only one who could match them in firepower. It's shameful of him, but they could only rely on her.

"Let's go. Mikawa, you as well," Seiichiro said as he got up from his seat.

"M-me too?!"

"What do you think? We need you to record the entire thing."

The reporter looked like his world had just ended, so Seiichiro had to drag him out of the corner just to get him to move.

 

[Admiral19]

Kanae nodded in understanding. It really couldn't be helped; if it was someone else wielding the ARMOR system, she was the only one who could stand the slightest chance in hell against them. She just hoped to god Akira would be okay.

The trip to the location the note directed them to felt far longer than it actually was. It was only a couple train stops and a 20 minute walk that became more like a 10 minute jog, but something made it feel like an eternity—not ideal when you're trying to deal with a hostage situation.

Eventually, the warehouse complex finally came into view, and it was time to set things in motion. The plan was simple:

Akira would walk in with the "medallion" and present it to the kidnapper. As they're inspecting it, Akira would sneak around them and grab Hotaru. Once the ruse was up, Kanae would drop in wearing her ARMOR and fend off the kidnapper for just long enough for everyone to get somewhere safe. So long as everything went to plan, they'd be in and out with very little problems!

 

[Ranix Aurus]

They arrived at the designated place: the central warehouse within the complex. Akira took the lead, gripping the fake medallion in his hand. As he pulled the huge warehouse door open, the hanging lamp up above flickered. The worn-out couch had been dragged over to the middle of the empty warehouse, with Hotaru lying on top of it, her eyes still closed.

"Hotaru!" Akira was going to run over to her when he noticed somebody else standing behind the couch. That person took a step forward out of the shadow.

It was an ARMOR.

Unlike Kanae or Aoi, the suit was colored in black. It had a minimalistic design, with a spherical head that looked like a biker's helmet. On its right part sat a shoulder pad with spikes jutting out, and a similar rough design on its left leg, which had bulkier plating than its right.

"You had me waiting," a masculine voice came out from the ARMOR. "The medallion. Hand it over."

"What did you do to Hotaru?!?" Akira roared. He was this close from rushing over and smashing that bastard in the face, but he quickly reined himself in when he saw the kidnapper placing a knife on Hotaru's neck. The cold blade reflected the light from the hanging lamp.

"I won't ask again. The medallion. Now."

"That knife... that doesn't look like your claws or that other ARMOR's spear," Seiichiro whispered to Kanae. "It's just an ordinary knife. Maybe that ARMOR doesn't come with its own weapon? Or is he keeping it a secret to catch us off guard?"

 

[Admiral19]

"He's gotta be." Kanae says that, but...was it possible for an ARMOR to just...not have a weapon? Hopefully this would all go well enough for them so that they won't have to find out. "Also...maybe it's just me, but that ARMOR looks a lot more...simple?" It might just be how it looks, but compared to the ARMOR Aoi was using, and of course, her own...

It doesn't matter, though. All Akira had to do now was give this guy the "medallion"...hopefully he'd be dumb enough to fall for their ruse.

 

[Ranix Aurus]

Akira held the "medallion" up in his hand. "Let her go first, then I'll give this to you."

"Do you think I'm stupid?" The man in the ARMOR chuckled. "You, come closer. Give it to me first. Do you think that you have a choice?"

The knife's blade inched dangerously close to Hotaru's neck. Just a bit more would be enough to cut it.

"Stop! I'll do it!" Akira yelled. He glanced at Kanae. They only have one shot at this. Trusting everything to her, he slowly made his way forward.

"Good, just like that... now give it to me."

Akira stopped just a few steps away. "Get that knife away from her first!" He glared stubbornly at the kidnapper.

"...Fine, happy now?" The man pulled the knife away. Akira resumed his trek, one step, two steps... within arms length, he suddenly throw the medallion with all his might at the floor, causing a loud clang.

"Huh?!?" The kidnapper was paying attention to the medallion. Seizing the chance, Akira jumped toward the couch and pulled Hotaru into his arms. By the time that the kidnapper had managed to catch the bouncing medallion, he had leapt away from the couch. It took another second before the kidnapper realized that the thing on his palm was a fake.

"You tricked me!" He roared, brandishing the knife at Akira's back. Enhanced by the ARMOR's augmentation, he would be able to catch up quickly.

 

[Admiral19]

"Suit, up!"

In the handful of seconds it took for the kidnapper to realize he'd been had, Kanae was suited up and charging towards him, claws brandished. She got between him and Akira, grabbing both of the kidnapper's arms and twisting the hand that held his knife as far away from his body as she could.

"With all due respect," Kanae growled, straining to keep the kidnapper held still, "these past fifteen hours have been chaotic, confusing, painful, and tedious. I have had a dreadfully long day, and I"—She held onto the kidnapper's arms tighter, claws threatening to dent armor—"am about to snap!"

 

[Ranix Aurus]

"You bastard-!" The kidnapper tried to break free, but Kanae's grip was strong. Stronger than he had expected. Wasn't she just a brat who had gotten the medallion by mistake? How was she this powerful? Unable to use his hands, he opted to raise his legs in a series of kicks and knee strikes instead.

Clang! Clang! Loud clattering of metal smashing metal echoed within the empty warehouse.

And yet, it didn't seem to do much. Compared to Taurus ARMOR, this one was... surprisingly weak?

"I got her!" Akira yelled as he carried Hotaru over to Seiichiro's spot. "Kanae, make him pay!"

 

[Admiral19]

Kanae noticed it greatly...did this dude get his medallion recently? Nah, that can't be right; he'd be about equal to her if that was the case...yet here she was, rendering his hands useless. Regardless, however, it wasn't gonna stop her from putting his ass into the ground!

"Gladly!" Kanae got a leg up to kick the kidnapper backwards, knocking him—and his knife—towards the couch. "Y'know, I've seen shows like this; the evil guy tries using the protag's best friend as a bargaining chip."

Clang! The sharp ring of metal as Kanae sent an uppercut to the kidnapper's mask. "They usually end with the guy getting laid out, 'cause what you don't do is threaten someone with their best friend!"

 

[Ranix Aurus]

"You- Argh!"

Even inside his armor, he could his head ringing from that punch. A sense of dread began to sprout within him. This feeling... was similar to that time when he challenged Taurus to a fight. This gal's movement wasn't as coordinated, but that bulky armor was the problem. His own punches and kicks were rendered useless against them!

He slammed into the couch, overturning it. This wasn't how it supposed to go. No, he wasn't going to let it end like this-!

"Heh. Hahahaha!" The kidnapper laughed maniacally, like some cheap saturday morning cartoon villain who had to have his laugh tracks typed up explicitly. Before Kanae could continue her strikes, he pulled out a syringe from his... pocket? -Does ARMOR have pockets? -A single drop of transparent viscous liquid was left inside the tube, but it was mostly empty.

"Then, you should've seen this coming, you bastard. What did the evil guy do in those shows? That's right- they turn their friends against the hero!"

"H-Hotaru?"

Hotaru had suddenly woken up in Akira's arms, but she began to shake violently. "Aaahh-!" Her scream rattled the warehouse. One tentacle, two tentacles- a pair of grayish-white tendrils burst out from her back, lashing at anything -or anyone- around her like a vicious whip. One of them struck at the metallic floor, leaving a deep gash. Another flailed wildly in the air before making its way toward Akira.

"Danger!" Seiichiro lunged, pulling him away from his sister before the tendril could reach him. Two more tendrils appeared, holding her up in the air like a pair of extra legs before lowering her down. Akira could only watch helplessly as Hotaru's body morphed into a monstrous form; White, keratinous material grew out of various points, forming a layer of makeshift armor that partially covered her body from head to toe. Her right arm was fully encased in them, ending with sharp, ferocious-looking claws at each fingers. She used them to scrape on the floor, raising a painful scratching noise.

"Grrh... aahhh..." Her usually soft and gentle voice grew slightly deeper, more guttural, like the roar of a wild beast.

"No... no!" Akira was frantic. Seiichiro had to use all of his strength to pull him back, lest he would rush over to his sister.

"Don't! She had been injected with that monster substance thing! She can't recognize you right now!"

"You see, my little hero?" The kidnapper got up to his feet, smiling with glee under his helmet. "This is not a TV show. This is real life! And in real life, evil people... win!"

Hotaru's eyes glow with ghostly golden light. As if by instinct, her gaze turned from Akira, to the two ARMORs. Especially at Leo. Without warning, she propelled herself using the four tendrils, her fully-transformed right arm swiping its deadly claws right at Kanae...

 

[Admiral19]

Kanae watched in horror as Hotaru's body was changed, deformed, turned into a horrid beast. Her voice was mangled, an awful contrast to the soft tone she was familiar with, a discordant sound that drove into Kanae's ears and scraped at her skull.

The tendrils that had grown from Hotaru's back shot her body forwards at breakneck speed, fast enough to catch Kanae off guard. A swipe of the arm and Kanae was sent soaring across the warehouse, landing hard enough against the far wall to create a massive crater in the concrete material.

"Ahhgh..." There was a large gash in the chest plate of Kanae's armor...Had it not been there, she would have died from that attack. She shot a glare at the kidnapper. "You low-down fuck!"

Another tendril began to whip towards her. She was a little more ready this time, diving away from it before it could hit her, but a second tendril managed to hook around her ankle as she was recovering, hoisting her up into the air and shaking her like a ragdoll. This wasn't good...she was able to fight off the first monster she fought without any kind of trouble before! What was different now?!

 

[Ranix Aurus]

"Hahaha! Serves you right! Keep holding her like that, I'll finish this!" The black ARMOR reached for his knife before making his way toward Kanae. When he got close, however, Hotaru's tendril lashed out at him without warning, swatting him away like a fly. He bounced off the floor once, leaving a shallow mark, before crashing on a pillar.

His body was hurt all over. That thing... that thing wanted to kill him just now!

"Has it gone berserk...?! Fuck it!"

He glanced at Akira and Seiichiro, thinking that he should at least kill them, but another tendril lashed toward his direction, slamming on the floor with a loud bang. It seemed that this creature were targetting the ARMORs? It might be an instinctual drive to attack what it perceived as the most dangerous entities around.

"Tch... I'll be back!" In the end, he decided to escape first. He rushed to the exit on the other side of the warehouse, running away with his tail between his legs.

Even without the black ARMOR's threat, Hotaru was a nuisance of its own. The tendril was shaking Kanae up and down, while two others were whipping away at her. The control was rather bad, however, as instead of landing on her body, the tendrils sliced through empty air instead, missing her by an inch or two. It seemed that Hotaru's transformed body wasn't quite as stable as the lizard-octopus from before.

 

[Admiral19]

None of them had time to go after the armored kidnapper, not while Kanae was being thrown around like she was. Fortunately, Hotaru wasn't landing all of her hits, but that lack of control meant that anyone else nearby could be hit as well. She had to stop her...But Kanae didn't want to hurt Hotaru!

"Akira! Uncle! Mr. Mikawa!" The three of them would be in danger if they stayed. "Get as far away as you can! I'm gonna—!"

The tendril eventually got tired of shaking Kanae around and tossed her into the air, where she stayed flailing before the massive spiked claw caught her in midair, squeezing her for all she was worth.

"Please...! Get out of-aaack!" Even if Kanae couldn't finish speaking, they didn't need to be warned that staying here any longer wasn't going to do them any favors. Right now, Hotaru didn't see them as a threat...that was a chance for them to get away and live!

But Kanae..."I'll figure something out! If you stay here, you will die!"

 

[Ranix Aurus]

Hotaru was grabbing Kanae with only one arm, the claws trapping her inside like a venus fly trap. The fingers began to squeeze, exerting strength impossible for a normal human. The tips of her claws scratched at Kanae's armor, not enough to penetrate through the bulky layer but still left a nasty mark. Seeing that her claws weren't effective, Hotaru squeezed tighter instead.

"No! I can't leave you alone!" Akira yelled. Even so, he truly didn't know what to do. That was his best friend and his sister right there, fighting each other. He didn't want any of them to get hurt! This was the first time in his life that he had felt so helpless.

"Understood! Mr. Tanaka, we're evacuating! Mikawa, you too! Stay away from the window!"

Regardless of Akira's wishes, Seiichiro forcefully pulled him toward the exit, right when one of Hotaru's tendril lashed out at their direction. Even if there was still a fair distance between them, it was a wake-up call for them. This wasn't a place for normal people like them. This had already turned into a battleground between monsters.

Hotaru didn't pay attention to the retreating figures. She seemed to be frustrated that she couldn't break through Kanae's armor no matter what she did. She suddenly threw her to the floor, opting for the tendrils once more. Her accuracy was still bad, however, as the tentacles seemed to have a mind of their own, whipping away at random directions. Her small body was flung slightly back and forth each time the tendrils made their moves.

 

[Admiral19]

For a moment, Kanae simply lay there, dazed, allowing the tentacles to lash out and miss and lash out and miss. They flung about, barely even clipping her armor, as if...

As if they were intentionally trying to miss, maybe...?

"Hotaru..." Kanae looked up at the monster her friend had become. Her armor was damaged, the gash Hotaru's claw made slashing across Kanae's chest like an open wound, accompanying all the scrapes and dents the claw managed to make.

Kanae raised her voice. "You don't want to hurt me, do you?"

It was worth a shot.

 

[Ranix Aurus]

The golden eye uncovered by the keratinous growth flickered. "Ka...na...e..." She muttered in a choppy manner, her body trembling.

"Ahh... Ahhh!!" The tendrils lashed out even wilder than before, smashing at the floor, the walls, the pillars, like throwing a temper tantrum. Hotaru clutched her head, shaking it over and over again, as if trying to resist the monster's influence.

"Go away... you'll... get hurt...!" One tendril slashed at the tiles right beside Kanae, missing her by a hair's breadth.

 

[Admiral19]

"I'll be fine." Through the storm of emotion that was Hotaru in this dreaded form, Kanae stood, armor beaten but spirit unbroken. "I'm worried about you, Hotaru."

Ducking and weaving through the tendrils that threatened to smack her away, Kanae approached Hotaru's body, placing a hand upon the massive claw. "I was gonna get hurt the moment I picked up that damn medallion! Compared to the shit I've been put through in the past day, this is nothing!"

Even as tendrils threatened to bring down the entire warehouse, Kanae looked into that flickering golden eye.

"I'm sorry. I promised that I wouldn't put myself in danger, and I lied to you. But...if you knew who I was doing all this for, if you knew what I had to lose if I just left you here...I think you'd understand why I'm staying."

 

[Ranix Aurus]

Hotaru's right arm rose up in the air, five sets of ravenous claws stretched out, ready to cut Kanae into shreds. With a forceful swing, the claws rained down... only to strike the floor instead, shaking the entire warehouse and leaving a horrendous gashes on the ground.

"I'm... I'm a monster...!" Hotaru screamed, her eye locked at the massive, clawed arm on her right. "I'm... disgusting...! Kanae, don't look... don't look at me...!"

The tendrils smashed on the ground at the same time, before laying limp, as if they had run out of steam. Their owner, Hotaru, was kneeling down, her other, relatively still normal, arm covering her face, trying futilely to hide it from Kanae's sight.

 

[Admiral19]

"ARMOR off."

The ARMOR fell away, revealing a Kanae that was probably the worst for wear that either sibling had ever seen her. But Kanae wanted Hotaru to see her like this, wanted her to know that she felt just as terrible as Hotaru probably did.

"You're partly right." Kanae placed a hand gently on Hotaru's head. "You were turned into a monster, turned into something disgusting. That's unforgiveable. But I promise you it's not your fault."

Kanae grabbed Hotaru's monstrous arm, tightly holding a massive claw in her hand. "It's mine. Everything is my fault. You wouldn't have become this if it wasn't for me. I wouldn't have broken our promise if it wasn't for me. But I wanna make it better, starting right now! So..."

The hand around Hotaru's claw tightened. Kanae prayed that today would be the last time she'd have to let Hotaru go.

"Let me look at you, Hotaru. Please?"

 

[Ranix Aurus]

The girl was trembling all over. She slowly looked up, her golden eye staring right at Kanae. Tears began to pool on the edge, until the dam was finally broken and they poured down her cheek like flood.

Hotaru buried her face in Kanae's shoulder. Choked sobs followed afterward.

And then, like a miracle, the grayish-white growth began to stir. They stirred for a moment before they shriveled up, growing smaller with each passing seconds. They retreated inside Hotaru's body as if they were sucked in, until none of them were visible anymore.

The golden glow on Hotaru's eyes faded away, returning to their natural black color.

"Nh..." the girl groaned before she fainted from fatigue.

 

[Admiral19]

A tired yet relieved smile came over Kanae's face as Hotaru passed out on her shoulder. "You look wonderful. Go ahead and sleep as long as you want. I'm sure your brother won't mind."

From outside, all the guys could tell was that something large was beating against the walls and floors and pillars, the sounds coming from inside loud enough that it almost seemed like everything would collapse.

But eventually, the thundering sounds ceased.

A few more agonizing minutes would pass, the only sound breaking up that silence being the sound of the ARMOR deactivating.

And after barely a minute more, Kanae stepped out from the entrance, carrying Hotaru on her back. Kanae looked like she got the shit thoroughly kicked out of her, and Hotaru's face was still wet from crying, but otherwise, both girls seemed perfectly fine.

 

[Ranix Aurus]

"Kanae! Hotaru...!"

Akira staggered over to the two, his eyes already tearing up from the massive relief. "Let me carry her-" He was about to offer, but Hotaru was clutching tightly at Kanae's clothes, and no matter how much he pulled, it was impossible to make her let go. He could only give Kanae an apologetic smile.

"You reverted the monsterification!" Seiichiro hollered, ecstatic. "This is huge! That means there is hope for those poor souls! We need to explore this possibility further! Let me do some experiments-"

"Ahem," Akira coughed real hard. "Save it for later. Kanae need to rest. All of us need to rest, in fact."

It had been a dreadful Sunday. Akira felt like he could sleep for two days straight. Screw OLYMPUS, monsters, robot suits, whatever. All he wanted to do was to close his eyes and faint.

---

Making his way down an unlit street, the man gritted his teeth in frustration. That swipe back then had went through his ARMOR. Even now his bones were still rattling from the aftershock. He tapped at his temple, trying to make a connection to the network.

"Bitch! What's wrong with that syringe?! Were you trying to get me killed?!?"

"..."

"Hey! Are you listening-?!"

"Watch your tongue in front of the Kaiserin."

The voice that replied him was deep and masculine, and although remained polite, the person on the other side was clearly not taking the man's bullshit.

"Alfred... connect me to her. Now!"

"The Kaiserin is busy. I'll deliver your message to her."

The man almost smashed the nearby utility pole out of anger. Talking to this butler-wannabe was like talking to a wall.

"Fine-! That syringe you gave me before, the one that can turn someone into my monster minion. The monster went berserk. I got attacked instead! What's that about?!"

"Berserk?" The voice grew contemplative. "It's understandable. Our products are still in early experimental phase. Hmm, perhaps we should reduce the dosage in the shot to prevent unnecessary growth..."

"Screw your experiments! Why's that Leo gal stronger than me, huh?! I thought ARMOR is supposed to make me a superhuman? Why can't I even win against a newbie?!"

Even though it shouldn't be transmitted, the man was somehow able to hear the chuckle coming from the other side.

"Who knows? Maybe it's the user's skills that's the issue?"

"Screw you! Screw you all!!"

"I'll relay your report to the Kaiserin. Thank you for the good work."

And with that, the connection was forcefully closed. The man roared in anger before kicking the utility pole, breaking it at the bottom.

 

[Admiral19]

The utility pole threatened to topple over with the force of the man's kick, the vibrations going all the way to the wires running through the top. Anyone watching would certainly understand that tonight had clearly not been a good night for him. Not that there'd be anyone out this late anyhow.

What's more, his temper will probably only get worse as the night goes on; he'd have to go back to base and endure Aoi's relentless teasing, hear her get all snobbish about it...that is, if she isn't still babying Rui when he got back. Whoever had the idea to stick the four of them in some shoddy, repurposed self-storage units should get punched in the teeth.

 

[Ranix Aurus]

The "base", or what the man called "garbage dump", was located in an inconspicuous part of the city. From the outside, the complex looked like every other storage units elsewhere, but it had actually been remade entirely by the organization to serve as one of their operation center. The man swiped a card at the security gate, giving him access. Unit 202, 203, 204... stopping at unit 206, he tapped at the numerical keypad, entering a certain passcode far longer than the display should had been made to contain, before the roller door slowly opened up.

If someone had entered the normal 4-digit passcode, the unit would show the usual square room, mostly empty except for a single used bicycle and a wooden crate at the corner. With the right passcode, however, the door revealed a futuristic elevator shaft that went deep into the earth.

The man had taken off his ARMOR since earlier. He was dressed in baggy t-shirt and ripped jeans, with spiked neon blue hair and heavy make-up that made him look like a member of a glam rock band. In terms of age, he wasn't far off from Kanae or Akira, perhaps just older by a year or two. The elevator descended for a full ten minutes before finally stopping at a small corridor that led to a bigger gate at the end.

The inside was miles apart from the tiny self-storage units above.

Pure white walls and floors almost blinded the eyes when one first entered. Futuristic devices were displayed all over the huge hall, with people in lab coats and hazmat suit passing by from time to time as they went from one containment room to another. The man had a scowl on his face as he went through the hall in a hurry, making his way deeper into the facility where the lounge was located. He kicked the door open, displaying his anger for everyone inside to see.