RPG Kakashki Academy

[Talon]

[color=teal][i]Kitsune heard the whole conversation. He got up and reached into his bag, pulling out the goods he bought earlier. He walked into Veil's room.[/i]

[b]Veil:[/b]Fox! You're.....dressed up. Why?

[b]Kitsune:[/b]Surprise for Mira. Gotcha some goodies, as well as an AI for Phalanx. By the way, couldja help me out with workin' on the big guy?

[b]Veil and Zieg:[/b]Er...sure. Goodies?

[i]Kitsune laughed as they looked at each other, and produced a pair of new programs. He tossed them to Zieg and Veil.[/i]

[b]Kitsune:[/b]I assume you know how to copy and reproduce a program, Veil, but one of the programs is an enhancement for weapons systems, improving accuracy and firing rate. the other one is an engine booster, increasing engine output and lowering heat levels. The last one is for me, but you can copy it if you want. It improves turning speed, jump height and length, and agility. All i need now is a beam-sabre or beam-scythe upgrade and Phalanx will be all set.

[b]Veil and Zieg:[/b]Umm.....whoa......

[i]Kitsune smiled sadly as he turned around, heading into the main room. Every thought of asking Mira to dinner at the finest restaurant in town was pushed away as he saw Mira, with tears in her eyes, in his room.

She was wearing the necklace.[/i][/color]

[Cyriel]

Zieg looked at Veil, "Hey, you didn't tell Fox that we already have these."

She continued hooking various wires to other components, "Yes, well, you didn't either. There's no sense in letting him feel like a fool. For now, he's a suitable ally."

Zieg shook his head, looking at the code running down his screen, "Do you always have to be so...tactical?"

Veil shrugged. "You should keep an eye on your friend Fox. His...emotions...are quite unusual it seems. It could affect his performance in training."

"Ok, I'll keep an eye on him. And meanwhile, I'm going to install something in your room." Zieg stood up, a small device that looked like a bottle cap in his hand.

Veil strained to see it, but turned back to her wiring, "What is it?"

"Well, it's a sound barrier. It'll neutralize any sound waves that travel outside your room, so that we won't have an unexpected surprise like Fox again. And it works so that the sensors in the security can't detect it either, so don't worry about it." Zieg took out a panel in the ceiling, fiddling with the device there. Veil continued working, running through all the encryptions, her brain taking in all the codes.

"Music to my ears," she said, her hands flying over the keyboard and twisting over the sensors. Her headphones remained over her ears.

[Squall]

Legacy, keep in mind that students don't leave the Academy, therefore shopping or stores are new concepts for them.
----------------

James waited in the darkness, as the cockpit flashed to life all around him. [color=teal]Please enter MBSP data into the disk drive, now.[/color] James waited, as it comfirmed that he did not have any information to give. [color=teal]Information, accepted.[/color] "Say what?" He looked to see a disk sticking out of the drive. He groaned. "Haze, hang on a sec. Somebody left their data here." Haze didn't respond. "Haze? Yo!" James flicked on and off the Radio, but it wouldn't turn on.

The Kakashki sim shown in front of him, the large dome broken and rampaging students flying around it. That was normal, but he couldn't seem to pilot the mech, or whatever he was in. Suddenly the screen flashed blank for a second. "...Haze? Are you still there?" Nothing but silence. He waited, trying all the controls for something to work. [color=teal]Accessing sim-D12[/color] The screen flashed again, this time in a grid enviorment. He looked around, puzzled. Then he saw it, a group of mechs materializing right in front of him.

On both sides of him stood an army of cream colored Mechs, all bearing the KA symbol on them. James assumed he was one as well. It didn't matter, he was far more interested in the group of mechs in front of him. They were oddly familliar, but too far away to recognize. He and the army slowly moved closer, as details started to reveal themselves.

It took a while longer, but he finally got it, leaving him speechless. Angel, Prowler, Phalanx, Shadow, Shrapnel, Whiteblaze, one he saw before, what he thought called Daimon, and...at the far end was his own mecha, Cooler. There were more of them, but that was all he could recognize. "6112, 1197, 1338..." A high class looking mech seemed to be reading off random numbers to the students, as they all stood straight as a board. James realized they were ID numbers when he heard his own. "...and 6698. You are all found..." A moment of utter disturbing silence. James had a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Guilty." There was a round of gasps as the line of students started shouting and screaming "we didn't!" and "We were saving it!". James saw his own mech leap forward in the exact way he would think to attack. The entire army of mechs raised their guns, and there was a flash...

Haze sat boared in her cockpit, picking off renegade students as they came, when a muffled scream hit her ears. She unlocked the cockpit and pushed out, looking around. The screams came from the cockpit next to her, James's. All the cracks in it were spewing smoke and a blinding light. She pressed the emergency unlock button, and the door was rammed open by James' foot. James looked at her, horrified, clutching a disk in his hand. Shattered glass flew out from the now broken VR screen. "James! What the hell-" The door bursted open, as a teacher came in. "What's going-" She stopped when she saw the disk in James's hand. Her tone changed from worried and suprised to furious in a split second. "SEIZE HIM!" James took off, knocking the teacher out of the way. "They'll kill us!!"

The sound of gunfire echoed through the halls, whcih had been emptied by other teachers. James hauled down the hall, a newly aquired pistol in his hand. He shot back at the presonell, who were now open firing on him. He busted out one of the few open doors left and went to a dead sprint across the grassy field towards the hangar. He would have been picked off for sure, had it not been for Haze's attempt at shoving the personell's guns off target.

James entered the hangar and ran up the stairs to the head section of the under construction mechs. A mechanic tried to stop him, only to be greated with a barrel staring in his face. James continued running down the path, hoping to get into the finished mechs section, but no such luck. Raining bullets befell him again. He came to a dead halt in front of an unfinished mech, unpainted, one arm unattatched, and the head hainging on by a thread. All of which were connected to support cables leading from the walls. He lept down and landed on the door to the open cockpit, throwing out a mechanic who was typing on the computor.

James dissapeared inside as the door closed, and the unfinished mech lit up. It pushed off the wall, snapping support cords in a show of sparks and gunfire. The mech lifted it's only arm and blasted a hole in the roof with an odd lazer-ball attack. The mech soared up through the hole and into the sky. It turned around and shot another powerful ball at the main dome of Kakashki, blowing a hole in it. The other mechs started to launch as the security code took affect and locked down the hangar, trapping them inside. James and the mech turned around and took off, dissapearing from sight.

[Dead Alice]

"Mira..." Kitsune began.
"I don't deserve this," said Mira with tears in her eyes.
"Yes you do," said Kitsune softly.
"This must've cost you a fortune..." Mira looked at the floor.
"I can save up again."
"I don't know what to say..." Mira stood up and hugged him tightly, tears still welling in her eyes. "Thank you." Kitsune smiled and hugged her back. "I have a lot of homework, so... See you later?"
"Ok..." Kitsune looked disappointed, but reluctantly let go. Mira glanced back at him, and went to her room.
After all her homework was finished, Mira added to her picture.

[Talon]

[color=teal][i]It happened just as Kitsune went in to cry in his pillow.[/i]

[b]Wristcom:[/b]Student #1788, mission is available. Please proceed to briefing office.

[i]Kitsune glared at his wristcom and sighed, walking to the briefing office, still in his formal wear. When he arrived, he saw a single, extremely stressed secretary. She handed him the portfolio and told him to retrieve his MPSB.[/i]

[i]Kitsune walked down the hall, reading the file as he entered the bay. He broke into a run as he read his mission, all but punching the mechanic out of the way as he reached Phalanx's cockpit.[/i]

[b]Kitsune:[/b]James, you freakin' nut!!! You ran out after the sim?!? Veil mad eit herself. Jeez, you moron...it was an incentive to inspire rebellion, sure...but still......NOT JUST NOW!!!!

[I]He fired Phalanx up and proceeded down the trail after the unfinished MPSB. He activated Phalanx's Verneas, rushing as fast as he could. The hulk of a machine was hidden under a bridge, its movements erratic and illogical.[/i]

[b]Kitsune:[/b](In comm) James, you nut!!!! You went crazy over the Execution sim?!?!?!

[b]James:[/b]Leave me alone!!! If you're smart, you'll follow me and be done with the academy!

[b]Kitsune:[/b]James, I understand you, but still.....come back. Haze needs you......and Mira needs you.

[b]James:[/b]What's with the wistful tone? Are you a soldier or not?!?!?


[b]Kitsune:[/b]....I'm...I'm not.

[b]Kames:[/b]What?!? You're the best student at the academy!

[b]Kitsune:[/b]BECAUSE I WANT TO USE MY SKILLS AGAINST THEM!!!!! I WATCHED MY PARENTS MURDERED WHEN I WAS SIX!!!! SIX!!!!!! MY ONLY FAMILY IS GONE, TAKEN FROM ME!!!! NOW, I"M IN LOVE WITH MIRA AND SHE'S NOT SURE ABOUT ME!!!!! I AM NO SOLDIER!!!!! I AM AN AVENGER!!!!!

[i]It happened. the supersoldier chip in Kitsune's head activated, driving him to his his Replisoldier frame of mind. he attacked James' unfinshed MPSB, unaware even of his best friend's cries of warning......[/i][/color]

[Squall]

James dived out of the way, the cockpit rattling and thundering against the ground. "What are you doing?!!" James shouted at Kitsune, the MPSB slowly struggling up. Phalanx was motionless for a second, until it's smoking rifle turned on James. James couldn't understand exactly what Kitsune had told him, about a family, parents, but he did know what murder was, and a terrible feeling swelled in his gut.

But why would he fire? James saw the beam building up inside the rifle again, and James shoved the controls to try and dodge. It struggled jerkily, and almost got out of the way. The MPSB's hand was destroyed, ahnnialating The lazer-ball attack, James' lifeline. He knew he couldn't win, it would have taken all he had in his best condition. But why would Kitsune attack? After what he had said? "Kitsune, go back to the Academy. I've...I got to do this. Please, just go." Kitsune didn't respond.

James' mecha got up, almost collapsing on itself. Phalanx turned and readied its beam sabre. "Kitsune..." Phalanx charged and slashed, the broken mech's arm going up barely in time to take the damage, a large piece of the arm flying off. As phalanx continued to slash, more and more of the arm was destroyed. James knew Phalanx was going at a fourth of it's best speed, it looked like Kitsune was waiting to see if James had anything hidden.

Finally the arm was completely taken off, and James defenseless. He looked horrified at the MPSB as it drew closer. In the corner of his eye sat the sim disk he took with him. He knew what he saw, it was a plan to kill all the students, he was sure of it. He needed to get away, get help..The unfinished mecha made a run for it, taking off and flying at the highest speed it could manedge. Phalanx caught up in no time, a turn slash straight through the mecha. James screamed and hit the eject button, the sabre appearing over his head just as his seat ejected out the back.

The seat unfolded a parachute, as James watched the unfinished mecha explode, and Phalanx turn to him. It caught James in its massive hand, and James stared off at the cockpit in its chest. He took out the small handgun from before. He knew he would be considered expandable for what he knew, for the damage he caused. James would fight as long as there was breath in his body, no matter what.

[Talon]

[color=teal][i]Kitsune's mind was lost. He prepared to crush James in his mecha's bare hand. But a voice from the past filled his being.[/i]

[b]Man:[/b]Show them......what a gentleman is! My little Fox.....

[i]Kitsune opened his eyes, James aiming a pistol at his cockpit. His hands were shaky. Kitsune looked down at them, wide-eyed. He opened the pit, staggering out along Phalanx's arm. He fell.[/i]

[b]James:[/b]Kitsune!!!!

[i]He rushed to Kitsune's side, leaning down and pressing his fingers to Kitsune's jugular vein. His pulse was very abnormal.[/i]

[b]James:[/b]holy crap! A drug-pulse! What are they DOING to you, Fox?!?!

[i]Kit opened his yes, looking at James and climbing to his feet.[/i]

[b]Kitsune:[/b]Get in the cockpit, hide behind my seat. I'm bringing you in. They finished Cooler. And the program....it was made by Veil, you idiot. She did it to get back at the academy.

[i]James simply nodded, realizing that Kitsune was setting himself up for James to escape. Kitsune was probably going to be executed or at least confined to solitary for a very long time. James clapped Kitsune's hand and climbed in. He noticed Kitsune editing a video in his flight recorder.[/i]

[b]James:[/b]What are you doing?

[b]Kitsune:[/b]Making you look dead. Don't want them thinking I let you live. Write a note to Mira and Haze and the others. I don't want them going mutinous on me.

[b]James:[/b]Why are you doing this? You'll get in some seriously deep sh*t.

[b]Kitsune:[/b]Because.....I love Mira. And you're my best friend.

[i]James kept the knowledge that Kitsune was crying to himself in the note. He resigned himself to the space behind Phalanx's pilot seat as Phalanx lumbered back to the hangar........to Cooler.[/i][/color]

[Cyriel]

Veil rushed out of her room, the wrist-com barely finishing its message. She had hacked into Phalanx and watched the whole fight on scene.

That idiot! her mind screamed. But then again, it was her fault for leaving that disc in the MPSB. God, why was she such a fool? She had just been bored and playing around, and now James was going to be executed. Well, she wasn't too worried about that, but the disc...it could get her into serious trouble. That idiot!

The administrators had told her to annihalate both of them: James and Kitsune. Sensors in both of the MPSBs had shown that their emotion and sanity levels were peaking sporadically, and now the officials had decided that they had had enough; James and Kitsune were too much of a risk. Those idiots.

"Veil!" She turned, and saw Zieg running after her. She didn't say anything, just started accelerating as much as she could to get past the blast doors into the hangar. She was almost there...she didn't want to have to explain to anyone right now... oh god, why did she have to do this?

"Veil!" Zieg shouted again. When she hadn't answered him the first time, he had known what she had been called in to do. Only Veil would have been called in for a mission like this: to execute some of the top students of the academy. She was the only one that the officials could trust to carry out the assignment. After all, she was their creature, born and molded by their twisted hands. He had to stop her. Pushing for more speed, inch by inch he slowly caught up to her, and then rocketed himself off the ground.

Veil was rammed into the wall by Zieg's form, crushed beneath his weight. She bit her lips at the pain, and then attacked. Quickly she showered blows to his head and groin, attacking the sensitive pressure points. All the while, the headphones were screaming into her head, their soundwaves interrupted by the administrators' voices ordering her to kill James and Kitsune.

It took a little while for Zieg to defend himself; he couldn't bring himself to hit her, but soon enough he realized that he wouldn't live if he didn't protect himself. Instinct soon kicked in, taking over the fevered emotions as the two struggled in the hall outside the hangar. She was smaller and faster, more agile and quick, but her size didn't reflect her strength. Her blows were enough to kill any normal human, but Zieg, like all students at the academy, was not normal. He withstood her blows, but barely. Meanwhile, he was trying to disable her without seriously hurting her. He was almost shocked; when had Veil learned to fight like this? Had the administrators trained her to be this horrific monster?

"Veil! Stop! Stop now!" he cried, as he turned her blows away. She said nothing, just continuing her savage attack. Her dark eyes stared at him, and for some reason he thought that they looked...sad. Was she silently pleading with him to help her? To help her escape?

That one moment of distraction cost Zieg. Veil whipped out a small syringe and plunged it into the side of his neck, emptying the contents. The drugs flowed out into his bloodstream, paralyzing him instantly. He felt his body grow heavy, and his eyes closed. Veil ran into the hangar and then locked herself in, sealing the blast doors. There from one of the computers, she hacked into the system, taking over security and all modes of transportation. The admin would think it was normal - she would want to be secure and have privacy while she worked. In fact, it was in her orders; they couldn't let the government of Japan find out that they were exterminating their own students.

Veil blocked all the other signals, and jumped into her Shrapnel, loading a program for swift execution. She readied to launch, and then...stopped. On her radar, she could see the Phalanx approaching. It would be in target in 15 seconds. 14...13...12...

Her hands shook...her body was covered in cold sweat. Blood started seeping from her body, her veins pushing through her skin and pumping blue blood out. Damn it, she thought. 3...2...1... They were in sight. Her target was set. She watched as Phalanx loomed closer, saw it raise its gun just in case she fired...which she was supposed to. She knew that they would never have a chance...and that she would live.

And then she realized, 'I'm not living. I'm not living right now. No one here is really alive, we're just programmed to fight, and kill, and die. I'm not...alive. Do I have a right...to take away their lives?'

Veil pushed another control, putting communication between Shrapnel and Phalanx. "Veil to Kitsune: take James. Get away. Don't come, they know you're alive, and I'm supposed to kill you. You don't have a chance here anymore, they'll kill you. Leave now; they'll think you're dead. Leave." She released the comlink, breaking communications. She hung her head, now dizzy from blood loss. Blood pooled around her ankles, and it was steadily growing deeper. Through a haze, she saw the Phalanx turn, and then lost sight of it. She quickly targeted a piece of rubble and fired at it, using her ammo.

'Zieg,' Veil thought. He would recover in about five more minutes, and she had something to do. She hacked the security system again, and revised the videos in the hallway of them fighting. Then, she shut down her Shrapnel, sealing herself inside.

"Breathe," she said quietly. "Breathe...oh, please, let them live..." And she gave herself away to the dark fog enveloping her...
___________________________

"Veil! God, Veil, where are you??" Zieg ran through the tidy, deathly-quiet hangar. He had broken through the codes, unlocking the doors. "Veil???" He saw Shrapnel, prepared to launch, standing frozen before the open launch pad. Climbing up, he forced open the hatch. He drew in breath as a trail of blue blood flowed out, a thin, steady stream flowing to the floor. The coppery smell filled the MPSB, and he resisted the urge to be sick.

He waded through the calf-deep blood, going two steps before seeing Veil's still form. Too still...deathly... "Veil! God, Veil," he said, rushing to her side. The blood had stopped flowing, but it had made trails everywhere on her body, and her clothes were soaked. The headphones were gone, somewhere beneath the blue pool. He gently lifted her limp form, somehow getting to the floor in one piece. He checked for a pulse and breathing...none. "Veil, come on, Veil!" He ducked his face, he didn't want to cry. He stayed bowed over her still form, until the administrators found him there.


OOC: she's not dead. yet.

[The (Sic) Shape]

Zieg suddenly looked up to see five people were in front of him and Veil. He knew that three of them were a few of the administrators and the other two were guards. Anger suddenly surged through Zieg as he got up.

"Is this what she was created to do?" Zieg quietly mumbled, "To be your puppet!?!"
He seemed to lost all control as he charged toward them, but suddenly stopped halfway as he felt a sharp pain in his leg, a loud piercing sound echo through out the hanger. He fell to the floor, gritting his teeth in pain, resisting the urge to scream or cry. He looked up to see that one of the guards had fired his gun.

Zieg grabbed his wound, trying to get up, but was kicked down by an administrator, and yelled out in pain. Another administrator walked up to Veil and checked for a pulse.

?Is she dead?? One of them asked.
?Possibly. She could just be unconscious, but we need to seal up these wounds before she bleeds to death. She?s already lost a lot of blood.?

As he picked her up Zieg began crawling toward him.
?Let her go,? he barely was able to say as it seemed like he was attempting to reach Veil with his arm. Another gunshot was heard as Zieg screamed in pain from the bullet that hit his arm. A program fell out of his coat and the administrator near him picked it up. He examined it and realized it was a hacking program.

?So you?re the one that?s been causing all those problems all these years. Check the girl, she probably has some herself.? He grabbed Zieg?s hair, slightly lifting his head up to face him.
?You both are to be executed without trial for tampering with the Academy systems and insubordination.?

He motioned to the others.
?Bandage up their wounds and throw them in solitary,? was all Zieg heard before his vision went black.
_______________________

Zieg suddenly snapped open his eyes and looking around him. All he saw were bare, gray walls. He realized that he was in solitary and was sitting up on a bed. He looked at his arm and leg to see that they were bandaged up, yet he still felt sore. He searched through his clothing to realized that he was stripped of all the programs and devices he had.

Zieg let out a sigh has he tried to recollect the events that happened before he fell unconscious. He remember watching a battle between James and Kitsune, then Veil has suddenly ran out of the room and he gave chase after her. He then remembered seeing her bleeding and unconscious body, and that he was attacked by the administrators. Zieg?s eyes suddenly widened as he recalled what they had said. He and Veil were to be executed.

He snapped from his thoughts has the door in front of him opened, and he saw one of the administrators from before come in and throw someone in, and it was Veil, who was still unconscious, but she looked better then the last time he saw her. Zieg looked up at the him.

?Your execution will be viewed by the entire academy to show what happens to scum like you,? he told Zieg, ?They have all been notified and will witness your execution in several hours, so you two had better say your farewells before then.?

He then left, leaving Zieg and Veil. Zieg slowly got up from the bed and gathered Veil in his arms, and placed her on the bed.

?Come on, Veil, wake up,? he said worriedly.

Suddenly her eyes slowly began to open, trying to adjust to the dim lights.

[Talon]

[color=teal][i]Kitsune placed James in a safe place. He stared at his flight recorder's video, seeing his own eyes glow with a red hatred as he brought James' MPSB down as easily as tearing through tissue paper. Kitsune stood, looking at James.[/i]

[b]Kitsune:[/b]Get behind the seat again, and be ready for some serious heat.

[b]James:[/b]Wha...why?

[b]Kitsune:[/b]I have to stop this bullcrap. And I have to save Veil. We're going back, you're getting Cooler, and we're starting this rebellion. When you've got Cooler, you go straight to the American embassy and alert them to the Kakashki situation.

[i]James didn't question a thing. They took up their positions, Kitsune firing Phalanx's Verneas in a beeline for Kakashki Academy......[/i]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[b]Loudspeaker:[/b]ALL DEFENSE PERSONELL REPORT TO HANGAR!!! RENEGADE MPSB IS ATTACKING THE COMPOUND!!! REP-

[i]The laser beam from Phalanx's twinbarrell took out the P.A. system. The assulting mech paused for a second to allow James out, who instantly ran for his now-complete MPSB. Phalanx headed for solitary, hoping that Veil was alright.[/i]

[b]Kitsune:[/b](On comm)Mech Cooler, this is Captain Fox, please keep watch over my MPSB while I infiltrate the compound.

[b]James:[/b]Mech Cooler, acknowledging and en route.

[i]Kitsune jumped from Phalanx's cockpit after keying the ignition to Kitsune's DNA structure, taking with him the spare pistol he kept in the "glove box" as he called the space below his seat. He rushed in, killing two of the guards and stealing a set of keys. He ran to the first cell, opening it and finding nobody. He ran to the second, a repeat. Finally, the third block revealed a young woman, injured and bleeding from various areas, and a young man, hunched over her.[/i]

[b]Kitsune:[/b]Zieg, Veil, get to your mechs. We're leaving, NOW!

[i]He led them back to Phalanx, picked them up in its bare hand, and carried them to the hangar. Veil stopped before jumping into Shrapnel, which she noticed had not yet been scheduled for demolition.[/i]

[b]Veil:[/b](In comm) Captain, there's a matter of interest to you in the administrator's offices. It's part of your "special elective", keyed to your DNA structure. Go there before heading to the dorms or even you'll never walk away.

[i]Kitsune made Phalanx nod it's head before dropping into the main office building's complex. Drawing his gun again, he took out four of the guards. Reloading his pistol, he rushed into the office where his "elective" was normally held, finding a suit of red armor. He suited up, wondering if he should connect the neural-link but decided he didn't have the time. He hopped into Phalanx and rushed to the dorm, drawing the energy sabre. Inside was an entire cohort of guards, all aiming automatic rifles. Kitsune levelled the plasma rifle in the armor's left hand, firing and demolishing a small group. the cohort opened fire. Kitsune ducked and dodged while firing, but he didn't escape unscathed. His old head wound reopened, and he added a number of scars where bullets hit the unprotected joints in the armor. Kitsune dashed in, removing his helmet. A mistake, as Mira brought a large object down on Kitsune's head. Before shaking his head, he dimly realized it was his own trunk.[/i]

[b]Mira:[/b]Oh my god, Kitsune! Are you.....

[i]The stress from his absence for over twelve hours, Phalanx's disappearance after James' rebellion, and the knowledge that Veil had been dispatched to destroy Phalanx and all occupants caught up with her.[/i]

[b]Mira:[/b]You....you jerk! Don't you ever do that to me again! Do you have any idea how much I worried? Do you have any inkling of what I've been going through?!?! WHAT IF YOU'D DIED!?!?! WHAT KIND OF FAMILY WOULD YOU HAVE THEN!?!?!?!

[i]Kitsune simply took her in his arms, rocking back and forth and humming the same lullaby as before.[/i]

[b]Mira:[/b]I guess we'd better get everybody's stuff, huh? Haze's already packed. She was gonna go after James. Kitsune....please.....tell me we're leaving for good.

[b]Kitsune:[/b]Love, we're leaving for good. We might have to fight the Academy, but damnit, we'll do it. We'll make our own family. We'll....we'll get married someday, to people we love, and we'll lead normal lives. But we have to get out of here, first. Phalanx is just on the other side of the wall. Get everybody's stuff, their trunks and clothes, and stuff, and get ready to load it into the compartment in Phalanx's right hand when I break the wall down. I'll comm Haze....

[i]Kitsune left the last sentence hanging as he lifted his gaze to Mira. She was wearing the necklace, still, and her cheeks were stained with tears from constant crying....[/i][/color]

[Haze]

[i]Damn you James...Damn you!![/i] Haze paced in her room. It had been about an hour since James had left the sim room. [i]Why did he run? More importantly, why was he chased like that?[/i] She rubbed her cheek where the administrator had slapped her for knocking the gaurds gun away. [i]I hope this is our chance...[/i]

She did an intenerary of her equipment that was in her duffle-bag once more. [i]Now all I need is James to say the word and I am outta here...[/i] She walked into the hall and saw Kitsune and Mira embracing. "So are we outta here or what?"

Kitsune nodded. "Hai. We are outta here for good."

"Where's James?" Haze silently chided herself. [i]Way to make yourself look desparate. Idiot...[/i]

Mira smiled knowingly. "He is in the hangar getting his mech."

"Well then. I suppose I will join him." Haze reached back in her room and grabbed her bag. "See ya' in a few."

Haze Porter walked out of the rooms she had lived in since she was too young to remember without a glance back. This was her chance for a new life. A better life. And by God, for once in her entire life, the Academy was not going to stop her.

[Cyriel]

Veil clutched her chest, her breathing laboured. "We...we can't do this. The administrators..."

Zieg almost forced her into her seat in Shrapnel, "We don't have a choice anymore! They're going to kill us anyway. If we don't leave, we die here. If we leave, at least we have a chance." Then he remembered the condition she was in. "Will you be able to make it? I could probably take you in mine if you need."

Veil's eyes hardened, and she sat up. "No, if they can do it, then I can make it. I won't leave Shrapnel here; I've worked too hard on her, and no one else will be able to pilot her."

Zieg looked at her with a little worry on his face. "Well...ok. We can make it. Don't get soft now."

"Right." Veil waited until Zieg had left the cockpit, and then she let herself curl up, the pain almost making her scream. She bit her knuckles, more blood running down from the new wounds. The cockpit still reeked of blood. She concentrated on breathing, and listened to the jangled chaos in the Academy. Screams...yells...the voices of admins...all echoing in the halls.

Suddenly, she heard Kitsune's voice, "Hey! Let's get out of here! Move move move!" Veil sealed the hatch, the pain taking her breath away. She gritted her teeth, and the blood leaked out from under her bandages. She gripped the controls, breathing slowly to get herself under control. She looked at her hands trembling again, and forced her mind to concentrate.

Zieg's voice came on the com: "Hey, Veil, you ok? Lets get going before they blast us outa here."

She breathed deeply before she replied. "Ok, go first. I'll follow you. And Mira and the others might need some cover. She's never been in real combat. She might go into shock, so watch it. I don't know if the others will be able to fire on their people." She launched, feeling the steady hum of Shrapnel under her. She almost smiled. It was surprising how much comfort she found in the MPSB.

Then, as she was following the others out of the hole that they had blasted, she saw the devastation of the chaos. Students were running everywhere on the ground, and several MPSBs were warming up to come after them. She fired some shots, disabling their power units and scaring off the pilots. Fire and smoke was billowing out of the buildings, and there was shrapnel flying through the air. It was odd, but she felt so calm...

Veil looked down, and saw her headphones on the floor. They were stained with blood, and she could still hear sound emitting from them. She picked them up... With her com she could hear the others talking to each other back and forth, conflicting with the rambled noise from the headphones. Veil held them carefully in her hands, Shrapnel piloting itself for a few minutes. Then, she put the headphones carefully into the dispenser, and pushed the button to eject them.

They flew through the air, dropping as the pull of gravity met them. The headphones disappeared, falling back towards the chaos and the Academy...now an old life.

Veil turned, setting her hands back on the controls, and followed her friends higher into the clear sky...

[Dead Alice]

[I]I'm finally getting out of here...[/I] Mira thought wistfully. [I]After all the crap I've been put through... I'm finally leaving...[/I]
"I'll be waiting for you in the hangar," said Kitsune, kissing her forehead. He got up and walked to the door. "We'll all be waiting." Mira nodded before Kitsune left. She gathered up her few posessions in her backpack, then managed to fit most of everyone else's things in two trunks. With a firm grip on both handles and her backpack strapped tight, Mira made her way to the hangar.
"Where do you think you're going?" said a guard trying to stop her.
"I don't have time for this," Mira huffed as she knocked him out with one of the trunks. "Oo, that looked painful..."
---------------------------------
Sorry I've been at a loss for words lately... <_<;;

[Squall]

James stood in front of Cooler, stunned in the surrounding chaos. It was more than he had ever hoped for, a mech of his own. "James!" He turned and saw Haze running towards him. "Hey, Haze."

"James, you idiot! Why did you run like that? What's going-" The sound of gunfire and running feet drew their attention off. James jerked on Haze's shoulder to get her down, and he fired off at them. "There's no time for that! Listen, They built Whiteblaze, we're outta here." She smiled. "Take this," he handed her the pistol. "And if anyone official looking gets in your way, squeeze a few rounds off, but try not to kill any of them." She nodded and took off.

James ran in the other direction, towards the stairs up to his cockpit. In a minute he was inside, the controls flashing to life. He had only been in a real mech once before, and that time he was too numb with anger to appreciate it. Cooler stood up, giving James one heck of a rush. It was like going straight up on a roller coaster, unbelivable to James.

He tapped the comm to give orders to Haze, but paused. "Hey, you ready to go?" He said. "You bet!"

"Good. Let's get out of this trash heap."

[Talon]

[color=teal][i]It happened before Phalanx could give the readout. An oversized MPSB rose from the debris of the hangar, apparently from a hidden under-hangar. Phalanx was barely turned as it raised its main gatling. Phalanx had just moved as the finger squeezed the trigger. And Mira's MPSB was the target.

[b]KRESHH-GRANK-GRANK-GRANK[/b]

The sound of metal grinding against bullets resounded through the area. The smoke settled, the MPSB relaxed, sure thatn at least one opponent had been eliminated. The smoke of the discharge cleared, revealing...

PHALANX?!?!

It's shoulder and left arm, the blade arm, torn to shreds from the gatling fire. Even part of the cockpit had been breached. Kitsune breathed heavily, standing before Mira's MPSB as he forced the right arm up, hefting the double-barrel upwards, pulling the trigger....

The smoke cleared. There was no MPSB, though there was a large set of legs and a missing torso. Kitsune's breath came extremly heavily, blood seeping from a large burn wound on his chest and lower face. He fainted, Phalanx's neural connection to him making him feel the pain in his MPSB. Phalanx collapsed on top of Mira's MPSB.[/i]

[b]Mira:[/b]FOX!!! Fox, damnit, talk to me! FOX?! FOOOOOX?!?!

[b]James:[/b]MIRA!!!! Drag Phalanx behind you. They're too packed-in and scared. WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!!!!

[b]Mira:[/b]Oh, Fox....please be okay.....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[i]It was hours later, the group of people and MPSBs were hidden in a glen, James returning with a sled of various parts for Phalanx and Shrapnel.. Fox was unconscious on a mat, stolen from a nearby village. His burn was worsening. mira leaned against a tree, hugging her knees and crying. Haze crept over to her, noticing a small drawing on the ground.

It was a portrait of the four of them, Haze, Fox, James, and Mira. Mira's necklace was included. In new pencil, however, there was a large, red scar covering a decent part of Fox's torso. Haze looked slowly at the unconscious boy. He was crying, tears streaking his face in his sleep. As she lifted the drawing from the ground, a small box, the thing the necklace had come in, fell open and revealed a note. Another portrait, one of a small stick figure with two more taller ones, fell out. Haze read the note, and handed it to Mira. Haze had tears in her eyes.[/i]

[b]Haze:[/b]You...you want to read this....it's from Fox.

[i]Mira took the note, a fresh burst of sadness pealed from her lips.[/i]

[b]Note:[/b]Mira, I love you! I love you with all my heart.
Mira....will you marry me? As soon as we're free? Please....I love you....
-Your Fox, Kitsune

[i]Mira looked over at Fox....

He was awake.[/i][/color]

[Cyriel]

Veil sat under a tree, watching James, Mira, Kitsune, and Haze. She felt uncomfortable with them...it was so..personal, like she was invading their private space. They showed so many emotions... Didn't Mira feel uncomfortable and nervous? How could she stand being beside the man who obviously had feelings for her? Veil thought it was like walking into a bedroom...she had no right being there.

Unconsciously she started reaching for her headphones, and then stopped. She didn't have them anymore; she had thrown them back at the Academy. Although she missed the familiar items, she was glad; she didn't depend on them anymore. No more raucous noise to keep her sane while she was killing other students, no more clashing cacophany while she was murdering children taken from their homes. No more Academy.

Veil continued to watch as Mira's pictures fell to the ground.. Such personal items; Veil wanted to pick them up and give them back to her in a box. How could she be so brave to display her feelings? It was like walking out on a wire; new territory, and risky too. And she watched as Kitsune woke up, his face radiating love for Mira as she sat weeping.

Veil stood quietly and left, leaving them. She thought they needed privacy. She went back to Shrapnel, taking the parts that James had fetched, and went to work, trying to block out the voices that she could still hear. Finally, in an effort to give the others some privacy in their clearing, she sat in the cockpit, and breathed slowly in the dark. It still smelled like blood.

[Dead Alice]

[I]I'm only 15... but...[/I]
"You love him," Haze whispered, nudging Mira in the shoulder.
She looked at Kitsune.
"Mira..." he was still crying. She crawled over to him.
"Fox, why are you crying?"
"You are too..." Mira quickly wiped her eyes.
"How do you feel?" Mira looked at Fox with deep concern.
"Like crap... but at least I have you..."
Mira couldn't find words to say... Her head was filled with too many thoughts. An endless wave of emotions, filtering through her web of innocence...

((writer's block sucks. @_@;;;))

[The (Sic) Shape]

Zieg had remained inside the cockpit of Prowler ever since they decided to rest here until they could get their bearings straight. He was busy downloading all the data he had gained from the academy systems into Prowler, as well as inserting the copies of the upgrade programs he had recieved from Kitsune. Once he was finished, Zieg remembered that he and Veil didn't get a chance to give Kitsune back the upgrade programs he wanted copied.

Zieg exited Prowler and let out a yawn as he thought of what to do next. Maybe he should give the others the data he had just inserted into Prowler. That would help them prepare for what the academy was planning to do to find them. He decided to find Veil first, and decided to check Shrapnel first. Zieg looked inside to see Veil inside, motionless.

"What do you want, Zieg?" She suddenly asked.
Zieg jumped down to the ground, and Veil followed.

"I just wanted to give you this," Zieg said, handing her a disc, "It's all the data I could get ahold of before we escaped the academy. This way we'll be ready for what the academy throws at us"
Veil just stared blankly at the disc, but eventually put it in a pocket.
"So what exactly are we planning to do now?" She asked.

"There's really nothing we can do. Once Kitsune wakes up we have to get as far away as possible from the academy. They'll certainly be looking for us, and we won't be able to survive against an entire army. We should tell the others soon."

[Cyriel]

Veil nodded, keeping her face emotionless. "Yes, we should tell them soon. But not now."

Zieg looked at her. "Why? Is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong."

Zieg shrugged, and then looked over at the clearing, trying to get a glimpse of them. He turned back. "Then what?"

Veil looked down, an uncomfortable look on her face. She reached for her headphones again, but stopped herself. "Well...they.... I think they need some privacy. They're all.. very emotional right now."

Zieg understood fully, and nodded. Then he smiled at Veil. "Are you missing those headphones of yours?"

She sighed, looking down again, and then started to climb back up Shrapnel. "Sometimes I do. But I'm glad they're gone."

[Talon]

[color=teal][i]Kitsune pulled Mira's lips to his, holding her close, though his burn screamed for release. He kept the kiss on for a while, then stubbornly stood up. He wiped the tears away from his face, stumbling over to Phalanx. He looked up, noticing that Veil and Zieg had made a combined effort of repairing the damage. He smiled as he collapsed to his knees yet again, but he stubbornly stood and climbed into the cockpit.[/i]

[b]kitsune:[/b]Everyone, into your MPSB's. James, I'm sending Cooler the coordinates for a secluded area away from the Academy. Nobody could find us there if we tried.

[i]James nodded, and after climbing into Cooler, began to lead the party to the area....which turned out to be the inside of the extinct Mt. Fuji. Veil commed Kitsune along the way.[/i]

[b]Veil:[/b]Kitsune, promise me you will not do anything rash and foolish once I tell you this, okay? Wait until you've been to a hospital, first.

[b]Kitsune:[/b]....Agreed.

[b]Veil:[/b]I hacked the school's main files a long time ago....your special elective....it's a project titled Replisoldier. They were controlling your mind, drilling you to kill and kill and kill. They used drugs, steroids and stimulants, mainly, to turn you into a super-strong, super-fast, lethal killing machine. That armor is a protective shell that also enhances your reaction time. There were kinks in the program....you have a high risk of death from cancer and overuse, but....your body is extremely resilient and you are damn near unkillable. There isn't a trace of cancer, and....they cloned you.

[i]Kitsune stopped, staring into his comm.[/i]

[b]Kitsune:[/b]They....CLONED me!?!?!

[b]Veil:[/b]Yes, they cloned you, believeing you to be the ultimate killing machine. what they didn't count on was your conscience...and your ability to....to.....to love. The clones all failed and became generic soldiers, incapable of reproduction, emotion, and extreme "friction". You killed the last one when you blasted the MPSB that burned you.

[i]Kitsune clenched his fist so hard, he broke the neural connection to his helmet. This action saved his life, as that neural connection was needed to control his actions and inject the carcinogenic steroids into his skull. He stared into his monitors. he knew Mira was staring at his, praying for him to be okay. He had made a promise after all.[/i]

[b]Kitsune:[/b]James...it's your call. I'm going with you guys. But I swear to God, after I heal up, I am annihilating the Academy. those inhuman beasts have got to PAY!!!!

[b]James:[/b]We continue to the destination, then get you to a hospital. Run on stealth. Don't want the news to report a bunch of giant robots walking through town towards Mt. Fuji....[/color]

[Squall]

James sighed heavily, having overheard this. Of course, he didn't know what a great deal of the things he had heard ment. "We continue to the destination, then get you to a hospital. Run on stealth, we don't want any winesses to Kakashki robots just waltzing around towards Mt. Fuji."

"I hear ya, ecspecially with a town nearby." Kitsune said. James stared blankly at the comm. "A what?"

"A town. It's uh, well you'll see when we pass it." James nodded. "Allright." The MPSBs slowly crept by the town, James staring in aw at the usual hustle and bustle through the streets. "Wow, I'm glad Kakashki's a bunch of idiots, or I may have never been able to see this." There was a pause. "What do you mean?" Haze asked, glued to the town view.

"Well, you'd think that KA would keep some control over their own MPSBs. I mean, they had that sim on it and everything..." Sharpnel froze, as Veil punched some commands into the MPSB. A small warning beacon went off over the Comm. "Oh crap! They've been tracking us! They're closing in now!" Veil yelled. There was a commotion over the comm.

Cooler turned, and saw small dots in the distance. He zoomed in, seeing Kakashki MPSBs closing in. He froze in terror, seeing that they looked exactly like the ones he had seen in Veil's sim. "What do we do?"

"Let's take 'em!' Kitsune yelled, a grunt of pain escaping his lips. "Not in your condition!" Mira yelled. "You need medical A-sap!"

"I can disable the tracker in about twenty minutes!" Veil yelled. James didn't bother listening. "MIRA! Get Kitsune outta here!" Cooler kneeled down, showing the spray missle launcher on its back. "No!!" A barrage of spray missles fired off at the KA mechas.

[Cyriel]

Veil's fingers flew over her controls. She kept one eye on the others and the chaos outside of Shrapnel, the other following the code running down the screens. They were going so fast it was almost a blur, but her eyes darted back and forth. It was inhuman. She quickly found Zieg's familiar pattern of hacking, and followed him, tidying his path. Damn, he was getting faster than her. She'd have to practice more.

"Mira!" she called on the com. "Mira, come in."

Mira's frightened voice came back to her, "Veil?"

"How's Kitsune?"

"I - I - I don't-"

Veil shook her head in frustration. "Mira! Listen to me, Kitsune's condition won't allow him to enter combat. His body is too fatigued and damaged right now. If it's stressed anymore, he'll suffer permanent damage. You need to follow James's orders and get him out of here. Do you understand?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"Mira!" Veil was shouting now, and she turned Shrapnel to face them. "Listen to me: get him out. Kitsune CANNOT FIGHT. It is imperative that you keep him out of combat."

"How?? He's trying to fight!"

Veil left Zieg's path, trusting him to break through the tracking codes. "Ok, Mira, you're going to pilot the Phalanx."

James's voice now came in. "What?? Are you crazy?? No one but Fox can pilot Phalanx!"

"Right now we don't have a choice! Just follow my lead, or Kitsune's chance of survival will be zero!" She waited, until she heard their quiet voices telling her to continue. "All right, Mira, I'm going to rewire Phalanx to your controls. It won't be able to recognize Kitsune as the pilot - only you'll be able to. Understand?" Her hands flew over the controls as she quickly disabled Phalanx's program defenses. They were indeed quite extensive, a show of Kitsune's skill, but they were no match for her. For once she was thankful that there was no challenge or problem. Her heart was beating fast enough as it was. She quickly adjusted the codes, watching as Kitsune's signals in the code were wiped away.

"Veil? Is it ready?" Mira's voice could barely be heard over the fire and noise of combat.

She hit one last key, and then replied, "It's ready. Go..now!"