Chifuyu strode intently through the halls of the base, her eyes blazing with rage.
“Tabane!” She had found her target.
“Oh, hey, Chichan. What’s up?” Tabane was perfectly nonchalant as she sat at a table in the break room, sipping a latte. “These vending machine drinks are terrible. I really wish Kuu was here right now.”
Her thoughts were obviously more on Chloe, deployed on another mission, than anything else. Something deep in Chifuyu snapped as she watched the sheer self-centeredness on display.
“Quit fucking with me! What’s your game here?!” Chifuyu kicked the table over, pinning Tabane to the wall behind her. A fist quickly followed, punching through the sheetrock as she roared in anger. “Don’t you realize what you’ve done?! This isn’t like what happened with Shirokishi! Ichika is... Ichika is dead!”
She could tell she’d been outsmarted, but the fury clouding her eyes hid everything else from her.
“Well, you know...” Tabane rolled her eyes, like she was explaining something to a child. “It’s your fault, Chichan. If you won’t get out there yourself, sacrifices have to be made.”
“Sacrifices?!”
“And this time, it just happened to be Icky. Do you really think you’d be this mad if it was one of the girls?”
Chifuyu winced.
“Well...” They were her students. She cared more for them than almost anything in the world. Almost anything. Ichika was on a completely different level. He was vitally important to her. Maybe too important to her.
“Houki and the others are still up there, you know. How are they doing? Who’s giving them orders?” Tabane smirked as she awaited Chifuyu’s reaction. And the answer came as a grin. A crazed grin. Tabane was smart enough to tell. She’d broken Chifuyu.
“They’re keeping watch in stealth mode... We’re narrowing down the position from which Excalibur will fire next... We’re referring to it as ‘Zero Point,’” Chifuyu growled.
“That’s the stuff!” Tabane nodded gleefully. “I knew that no matter what happened, you’d never take your mind off the mission. No, really, you’re even better at it than I expected! I just loooooove a woman who can take charge like that.”
Chifuyu didn’t have the energy left to snap back at Tabane’s cheer.
“Get out of here, Tabane. Before I kill you.”
“Okay, okay. See you around, Chichan! I hope you get involved personally this time. Can’t wait to see the IS Kurezakura in action!”
“Shut up!” Tabane was gone before the shout left Chifuyu’s lips. Like it had all been a lie. Like it had all been an illusion. “Uuuugh...”
Chifuyu was left alone, shuddering with rage that had no outlet.
✦ ✦ ✦
[Ichika is dead.]
The realization pierced her heart.
“Ichika...” Tears streamed down Cecilia’s face as she sat inside the Afternoon Blue BT particle accelerator. “Why... You promised me...”
She thought back to their conversation just before the mission.
“By the time we wrap this up, it’ll be your birthday.”
“You remembered, Ichika?”
“Of course I did. It’s hard to forget Christmas Eve,” said Ichika with a smile.
“Ahh... Thank you.”
“Listen, though, I’m sorry. I forgot your present in Japan.”
“No! That’s perfectly fine! Just remembering is enough.”
“Doesn’t take much to satisfy you, huh?”
“By the way, I’m planning a party here in England.”
“Oh? That’s too bad, I only brought my uniform.”
“That’s fine! I’ll pick something out for you! You’ll look every inch the gentleman.”
“Go easy on me...”
His gentle smile. The warmth of his body as they walked together. His composure, always concerned but sometimes teasing. Now, those were—
“I... I can’t believe he’s gone...” The more she thought of him, the harder the tears came. There was a space left in her heart, and nothing but emptiness to fill it. No matter how hard she yearned for him, no matter what words came to her lips, they would never get through. Ichika was somewhere she couldn’t reach. All Cecilia could do was sob at her own powerlessness.
✦ ✦ ✦
“New orders. Prepare for an all-out assault. We move out in thirty minutes.” Laura’s voice was empty, detached as she looked out over the void. It streamed past Houki and Ling, not breaking through their shell shock. “Are you two listening?!”
They shied back at Laura’s sudden anger.
“I... I can’t do it. Not Kenran Butou. Not now...” Houki’s words trailed off.
Laura flew into a rage, her right hand wrapping around Houki’s neck. The plasma dagger on her right arm hummed to life. “Would you rather just die here?! I’m not going to go down without a fight!”
This was enough to spark Ling to action. “What’s wrong with you?! Ichika is... Ichika is... He’s dead! And you’re just fine with that?!”
“Like hell I’m fine with it!” Laura’s voice shook with passion. She had a determination born of Ichika’s last words. The others may have sunk into despair, but she had no time left for that.
“I know...” she muttered. His decision may have come from trust in her. But it was a cruel decision just the same. One which robbed her of even the chance to shed tears. She resented him for it, but he was no longer there to resent. “There’s nothing else left to me...” There was no other option.
The only way to give her life any meaning was to fight. Fight with every ounce of her being. That was the only answer she had for him.
“No matter what. We destroy Excalibur... For Ichika.”
“For Ichika.”
“For Ichika...”
Houki and Ling wiped away their tears and stared into the distance. The could only look forward. No matter how hard they tried to look back, Ichika would never be there. All that remained was to take down Excalibur, even if they died trying. A determination hammered out from sorrow.
“All right. Let’s go over the mission one last time. We make an all-out attack on Excalibur. At the same time, Cecilia attempts to snipe it from the surface. If either of us succeeds, the mission is a success.”
The three nodded solemnly. Just as they steeled themselves, an alarm came over the radio.
“Something’s happening on Excalibur! We’re detecting high energy levels! All units, attack immediately!” It was Maya. Excalibur’s recharge had completed an hour before expected, and the busy activity at ground control audible behind her betrayed their panic.
“This is Orimura Chifuyu. H-Hour has been moved up. England expects that every woman will do her duty. Out.” Her steely voice gave the signal to attack.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Mistress, your decision?” Chelsea’s question brought Cecilia back to herself. Along with the realization that, if she couldn’t focus now, the operation would have to move ahead without Blue Tears. “There’s no more time.”
“Understood. I... I’ll be fine. Let’s do this.”
“I expected no less of you.”
Off to the side, Madoka watched with disinterest. “Hmph. Not like we would’ve needed you.”
“Bold words.” As if rising to Madoka’s challenge, Cecilia leapt into the cockpit of Blue Tears. “Here goes.”
“Finally,” Madoka yawned.
“I knew you could do it, Mistress.”
Madoka and Chelsea, likewise, took their controls. As they did, a countdown to when Excalibur would fire again popped up.
“Ten minutes left... This’ll be close.” But there was no looking back. Cecilia had reached a determination beyond her sorrow.