I'd just as soon die.

continued to make grim assessments of her situation.

obscuring the coniferous trees that barely were visible in the farthest

The girl caught a glimpse of her reflection in the side-view

I should be tanner from tennis practice. Why am I so pallid?

A year?

It'd be easiest if they just killed me now.

was wearing a stiff military uniform. "In just a couple of miles, we'll

Liar. We'll never get away in a vehicle like this.

water tank—that deep, dark water tank, a place where nothing exists but endless,

"I'll do anything, just let me out!"

Gradually, they will break me.

only joy. Nails are fantastic: They hurt, they bleed. They're great. Blood comes out, it

"Stop that!" the man brushed the girl's hand away from her

For a moment, she stared absently at him. "Let me bite—or

The man's face contorted with pity as the girl's speech devolved

turned to anger.

A bright flash of light behind the vehicle punctuated the man's

painted a streak across the sky as it sailed over the fleeing Jeep.

An explosion sent flames and debris hurtling toward the front

the jeep toppled and rolled through the flames.

through the side window.

her mouth to scream, the whirling flames would have scorched her

Crashing shoulder first into the snowy, muddy ground, she tumbled to

But her cloudy consciousness cleared. When she slowly lifted

twig, its rear wheels spinning futilely.

shoulder—it was either broken or dislocated. Oddly enough,

wreckage, spotting the battered and bloody driver pinned beneath

"Take this," he gasped, holding out a CD case with a trembling

His eyes were wet with tears.

And that was it for him. His tear-filled eyes were still halfopen,

The girl did not understand why the man was crying. Pain? Fear

Suddenly, her survival instincts kicked in. She stood, took the

through the mud. She had no idea which way south was, but she

she went.

it sucked in air and gas. It was a helicopter—and it was approaching

The girl looked up to see a gray attack helicopter, its body

How ugly, she thought.

be shot to death!"

straight line.

fired a few rounds into the ground near the girl. Chunks of earth flew

"Bad girls get punished."

smattering of shots struck the ground around her.

impossible for her to get up. The sound of laughter came through the

Determined, the girl continued to crawl.

keeps—" the voice cut out, leaving only the sound of the chopper's

"Look out! It's an AS. Increase alti—"

The helicopter became a veritable spark factory. The girl looked up

A knife?

red-hot blade stuck clear through the helicopter's nose.

lurched in a great spin. Fishtailing like crazy, it hurtled toward the

path. She stayed rooted in place, watching the hunk of iron that

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of an

The mysterious figure straddled her, spread its arms, braced its

Crash!

sky. The grating sounds of grinding gears and uselessly spinning

When the girl looked up, she saw that the giant humanlike

vigorously, and steam gushed from the joints in its arms, shoulders,

It began to walk, its heavy footsteps kicking up chunks of dirt

from the girl, whereupon it tossed the whirlybird into the forest. The

The machine, which was roughly twenty-six feet tall, turned

Finally, the girl was able to get a good look at the mysterious

legs, tight waist, massive chest, and burly arms; it just happened to be

wearing a helmet, and it carried a proportional gun and backpack,

"It's an .. Arm Slave, an assault trooper!"

"Are you injured?" asked the humanoid machine in a calm male

close to you. My shot cannon would have been much too powerful."

braced itself with one of its giant mechanical hands, and lowered its

before a tattered princess.

A hatch on the Arm Slave's torso opened, and a soldier popped

He wore a black pilot suit and small, lightweight headgear that

First-aid kit in hand, the AS operator climbed out of the weapon.

knitted brow, and a tight-lipped mouth.

girl he had come to rescue. But there was nothing childlike about his

characteristic of boys his age.

"Where are you hurt?" asked the pilot. He spoke in Japanese,

When she didn't respond, he asked her if she understood

"Are you with that man?" she asked, pointing to the spot where

"Yes. I'm also part of Mithril."

"An undercover military organization with no national

Again, the girl did not know how to respond.

became cognizant of her intense pain. Her breathing became ragged,

"He died."

"He was trying to set me free."

"Doesn't it make you sad?"

in tape so he could consider his emotional state. "I'm not sure," he

After he finished wrapping the girl's shoulder and arm, the

bashfulness.

"First, I'll take you in my AS to the transport helicopter's LZ.

is at sea. I don't know what happens after that—that's where our

"Our duty?"

clearing a path through the trees while keeping a vigilant watch on

They looked almost identical to the first one, and they carried

"Don't worry: They're with me."

field of vision narrowed, and her thoughts grew cloudy. She couldn't

"What's your name?" she squeaked.

"Please, tell me."

"Sagara. Sagara Sousuke."

Armed with a clipboard and a fruit-flavored Calorie Mate, Sousuke

post-mission report.

VTOL fighters, and the like—were lined up there. Sousuke gazed at

"Hey, Sousuke!" called an overbearing voice.

Weber.

Kurz was movie-star handsome. His long, perfectly styled hair added a

faster.

"Why the long face? Constipated? Hemorrhoids?"

"I'm in perfect health," Sousuke responded absentmindedly,

"You're really dense, you know that?" Kurz's gaze wandered

"Wow, they already cracked it open, huh?"

frame system."

helicopter! Weren't you scared?"

The model AS both Sousuke and Kurz used was called a M9

military circles. Compared to previous models of Arm Slaves, the M9

"I guess, but the M9 is the only mech that could pull that

stared at the line of M9s in the hangar.

President Ronald Reagan strongly supported the development of

project:

"A grand technical challenge!"

Driven by suspicious rhetoric, the AS became reality just three

joke now ran at speeds of more than sixty miles per hour, employed

Specialists were blown away—after all, non-military bipedal

What genius had masterminded this project? What think tank had

"It's technology from interplanetary visitors!" claimed UFO

Eventually, however, people came to regard the AS the same way

weapon.

explosive progress. It got to the point where it was dangerous to

A thought interrupted Kurz's stare. "Hey, Sousuke, about that girl

"Will she live?"

"Narcotics?"

exactly, but they think it came from the KGB research facility. I don't

damn cruel."

"Who knows? Even if she does, it probably will take a long time."

seemed to know what kind of guinea pig the girl, was, they didn't

really: Frontline combatants rarely had all the details.

intelligence bureau. Saving the girl wasn't part of his original mission,

However, he had suffered a tremendous twinge of conscience and put his

In spite of the spy's death, the CD wi th the top-secret

Sousuke and the others.

the hangar. "There you are."

descent. Her short black hair nicely framed her pretty face without

skilled AS operator. The three of them often were lumped together as a

"Good work on the overtime," said Mao.

"What's up, girl?" said Kurz.

comic relief around here."

model extraordinaire. This delicious face graced the pages of Esquire,

"Oh yeah, I think I saw that. Wasn't it a farce—like that

"You bitch."

He yelped.

“Jus the smar'es, preddies', mos debendable—”

Quietly nibbling, Sousuke watched the whole exchange.

"Those things any good?"

"Cool. Sousuke, the lieutenant commander wants to see you."

“You too, playboy.”

"Consider this a countermand," said Mao, laughing. "I, however, am

"If that bitch knew what was good for her," commented Kurz,

As she walked away, Kurz flipped her backside the bird.

Knock knock!

Sousuke and Kurz filed into the small room filled with

uniform—Lieutenant Commander Andrei Kalinin. Although

short.

"Yeah, here we are." Kurz submitted a halfhearted salute.

looked up from the documents he was reading.

beat around the bush. He tossed a file folder toward Sousuke and

"Yes, sir," replied Sousuke.

The documents in the file appeared to be a personal history,

age twelve in the photo, the girl was nestled up against a woman,

a lovely child.

"Actually, the photo is four years old," announced the lieutenant

"So, where's the picture of her now?"
"We don't have one."

As he already was accustomed to Kurz's manner, Sousuke paid

information.

she lived in Tokyo, Japan. Kaname was a student in one of Tokyo's

She had one sibling: an eleven-year-old sister who lived with

earlier.

history, and more—the report spared no detail.

W*******d: 88% (according to Miller Statistics Act).

with black marker was the real reason Kurz and he were being

"So, what happened to her?" asked Kurz.

"Huh?" Kurz grunted his confusion.

looked at a map of the world that was mounted on the wall. It was

Soviet bloc, the split of the northern and southern Chinese territories,

"All you two need to know is that there are a number of enemy

agencies, including the KGB, that might want to kidnap Chidori

"Why?" inquired Kurz.

not need to know."

It all seemed pretty vague to Kurz. This girl, Chidori Kaname,

"What, exactly, is our mission?" pressed Sousuke.

because you're both fluent in Japanese."

Kurz's father was a newspaper correspondent and, consequently,

fourteen. Thus, he spoke the language like a pro.

will handle this."

the three of us?"

"Rough," assessed Kurz.

Sousuke, Kurz, and Mao were more than just AS pilots,

reconnaissance, combat, and more. They were members of a team

the many tools of their trade.

The two soldiers' jaws dropped open.

"Yes."

"You'll just have to operate in ECS invisible mode," reasoned

Though the technology was pioneered for Arm Slaves, many

Camouflage System. Using hologram technology, the cutting-edge

infrared rays. Mithril’s ECS systems were so advanced that they could

In other words, it made them invisible.

possible) during combat, but it was no problem when the vehicle was

"You'll take one M9 with you. Armament will be minimal, so

"Check," affirmed Kurz.

"Say what?" Kurz frowned.

"it'll get messy. So you must protect Kaname without her or anyone

"That sounds very..." Kurz struggled for words.

knowledge or permission was beyond absurd.

This girl—Kaname Chidori—spends most of her time at a co-ed

and he's even Japanese."

few times under the scrutiny.

"We're forging the student transfer papers right now."

"Say 'cheese,' Sousuke."

"Come on, man," goaded Kurz. "Don't you want a nice picture

Calling on little-used muscles, Sousuke formed an expression that

"Close enough." Kurz snapped the picture.

instantly returned to its most comfortable, sullen expression.

"What is all this?" Sousuke asked, staring at the collection of items strewn

brush, some hair gel, a portable CD player, CDs by Hiroshi Itsuki and SMAP,

a coupon for “Tower Records,” a Game Boy, a Mister Junko watch, Yunker

“Dragon Magazine,” etc., etc…

things a typical Japanese high school student might have."

of vinyl that contained a rubbery-looking circle.

"I know. But I can't figure out why a high school boy would

"Don't play innocent, you hornball!"

Sousuke. "They can hold an entire liter of liquid."

"Yes, if you've lost your canteen in the jungle, these can be a real

"Is that so?" Master Sergeant Mao rolled her eyes.

screen. "Okay, take a look at this. These are Japanese high school

When Kurz hit play, a generic-looking classroom filled the

in the classroom. Despite there being plenty of space in the room

"I've always thought of you as a childhood friend," admitted the

took me this long to realize the way I feel about you."

As the young man leaned in to kiss her, the door to the

saw another student standing in the doorway.

"How could you?" she demanded as she ran away in tears.

pulled on his sleeve and told him to let her go.

"Why did she run?" asked Sousuke. "Isn't the girl in the corner

Kurz blinked in awe of Sousuke's lack of social sense.

eliminated. She ran because she's a survivor. Clever girl!"

As the Tuatha de Danaan rested half-submerged in the sea like a

the tarmac from which the Arm Slaves, combat choppers, and VTOL

A seven-rotor transport helicopter sat on the flight deck,

all kinds of gear, including an Arm Slave M9.

his seat belt. He checked to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything

pocket.

"You put your real name on there?"

problem arises, I always could change my name."

"It's not a problem. Let's get a move on."

"Are you nervous? I mean, it's your first day of school," pointed

"I'll do my best," replied Sousuke.

submarine's captain.

eliciting a simultaneous sigh from both Mao and Kurz.

helicopter informed them that it was time to take off.

Her dark brown eyes wandered for a moment, surveying the

hair that hung clear to her hips swayed to and fro at a leisurely pace that

"Completely and totally sucked," she concluded after a moment of

Tokiwa Kyouko, a classmate, said "Gee, Kana-chan, you haven't

"Worse!" insisted Kaname. "He talked incessantly without ever

and everything, so you'd think he could find at least one interesting

Like you? thought Kyouko. His father's a designer, he's got a

though, she just said "Uh-huh."

Pacific, religious strife in the Middle East—"

"Are you even listening to me, Kyouko? Or are you just saying

"Uh-huh,"

postdate recap. After all, you're the one who introduced him to

"He asked me to."

do that, too?"

"Ha ha! You brat," Kaname said fondly.

extending from the front door.

many random bag and pocket searches.

"Not unless they outlawed books over the weekend." Indeed,

Zhuge Liang!; Warning of the Dolphins—So Long, and Thanks

Dead Sea Scrolls?

Kyouko.

school?"

the teacher, Kagurazaka Eri, grilled one of the students.

on your first day here?"

"Until you show me the contents of your bag, you may not enter

"But…"

an air of immense confusion and a desire not to be the center of

"Who's that? I've never seen him around before."

maintained a real sense of mystery about him.

and alert eyes indicated an extreme sternness slightly undermined by

if he participated in an active sport, like judo.

Fed up, Kagurazaka Eri slapped the bag out of his hands. "Wait."

She thrust open the bag, pushing aside notebooks, textbooks, and a

automatic handgun with three ammo magazines. There also was

camera, and a length of piano wire.

"Yes ma'am."

confiscate toys like these."

"Please wait in the staff room. It's almost time for class!"

"Gross—he's a military nut," opined Kaname. "That gives me

"He looks like he might be interesting," declared Kyouko

Poor Sagara Sousuke. Though he was at home on any battlefield

campus, he was a clueless moron.

Miss Kagurazaka walked through an empty corridor.

he might have failed the mission already. After his weapons were

basement, where he assumed they would interrogate and beat him.

that it was routine.

explosives to class?

support or negate the idea.

mission a bit more complicated. That meant it was conceivable that

carrying submachine guns.

Weber was in an M9 Gernsback, camouflaged in a grove of trees

radio, the M9 could be there in about ten seconds.

Tired and hungry," Kurz replied into Sousuke's hidden

Kagurazaka Eri continued to lead Sousuke briskly down the

wore a short bob haircut and a tight-skirted gray suit.

"It will be returned to you at the end of the school term," she

"That's not the issue. The problem is that there's already a

the trigger under any circumstances."

"It's loaded with splat rounds that have an extremely high kill rate.

caution, please."

She clearly did not understand. Against her instructions,

From their desks in the clamorous classroom, Kaname and

Kyouko conducted a brief, wordless conversation through facial

Look, there be is!

"Quiet down, everyone!" shouted the teacher, rapping the

down. It's time to meet your new classmate."

"Okay. Sagara-kun, please introduce yourself."

Sagara Sousuke," he boomed.

"Surgeon Soggy Log So Gay?" called one of the jokers from the

"Sir John Saw Gulag Soaks a?"

"Quiet everyone! Give the new student a chance to speak,"

blackboard with her book to quiet the class down. "As for you,

"I apologize."

mission. The pressure was intense. Letting that one word slip

Sweating profusely, he snapped to attention and started over.

"That's it?"

Eri turned to her class. "Any questions?"

"I have lived many places—Afghanistan, Lebanon, Cambodia,

class fell silent.

concluded Eri. "If I'm not mistaken, you transferred here from

"That's correct," said Sousuke, acknowledging his fake transfer

Carolina. Although Sousuke never actually had been there, he knew

One of the students raised his hand, but he didn't wait for the

"Model guns!" offered someone from the back of the room, and

“I enjoy fishing and reading,” Sousuke said truthfully.

base, he dropped a line in the water and picked up a good weapons

immersed in his own little world.

Sousuke's eyes lit up. "Primarily technical writings and

Arm Slave Monthly. I also have read the Japanese AS Fan, which contains

captivated by a series from the Naval Institute Press ..."

already. He hung his head. "Never mind. Please, forget that."

listening. One of the girls near the front raised her hand.

This could be difficult—Sousuke rarely listened to music.

given him before he left on his mission.

"What a weirdo," exclaimed Kaname as she undid the ribbon on

all. I don't think he's trying to be funny, either—I think he's legitimately

As Kaname removed her blouse and put it on a hanger, she

locker.

looking around. And in between classes, he paced around in the

"Really?" asked Kyouko, who was in the process of removing her

"So weird. Seriously, it annoys me just to look at him."

"I-I wasn't," protested Kaname as she readjusted her bra. "Why

couple of times, I caught him looking at me. He played it like it was an

"A lot of guys look at you, Kana-chan. You're really pretty,

her socks and reached for her orange softball pants.

know, Kana-chan, you've been ragging on Sagara-kun nonstop."

With long strides, Sousuke crossed the school grounds, stopping in

were six windows in a row on the second floor. He located the stairs.

"Yes, you have!" said Kyouko.

popular despite having a dangerous mouth and a very candid demeanor.

had been forced into the position of student council vice president.

know—and to do it behind his back—well, that was a very rare

"For someone you're not interested in, you sure seem to talk

"Don't be ridiculous! It's not like that. Ha ha. Ha ha ha!"

roughly translated to: "I don't know, but I don't want to talk about it."

Having finished changing into their uniforms, Kaname and

many girls in various stages of undress.

violently.

doorway: Sousuke.

"Eeeeeeeeeeee!” Shrieks rattled the windows.

Completely wasting a golden opportunity, he barely glanced at

distraction from the mission at hand, he knew.)

ground. Somehow, by the time they hit the floor, he had drawn a

"Everybody, get down. Get down" he yelled as he made a

He waited, gun trained on the doorway.

Keeping Kaname pinned to the ground, he kept the gun pointed

appeared threatening.

crowding around him with murder in their eyes.

"I never suspected you to have something like this," said

"I apologize for the trouble, ma'am," Sousuke said meekly.

his wrists were chained behind his back to a chair (with his own

He never liked interrogations.

"Please—"

"Please unload it. Those are hollow point rounds—very

"Oh, for the love of ..." Eri trailed off. Then, she stood up.

"I have a staff meeting. We're planning the class trip, you know.

other girls and decide how to deal with him, okay?"

was irresponsible. Either way, she was gone already. Sousuke, who

was extremely disheartened to see her go.

women, Sousuke had a good idea what was in store for him.

"The what?"

Kaname had no reason to know anything about those;

"So, Sagara-kun, what's the big idea? I mean, being a perv is one

commando! Are you mental or what?"

mental at the same time? What is the meaning of this contradiction?

"You psycho! Look at this!" Kaname rolled up her sleeve. "See

about it?"

was a little bit red. The injuries Sousuke had sustained during the

Finally, he spoke. "It should heal very quickly."

"You creep!"

"So, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Sousuke felt like a tank caught in crossfire. As far as he could

"I'm sorry for violently handling you," said Sousuke. "But

your friends any harm."

"I'm afraid that information is classified."

"No, I'm sorry..."

You came here in the first place."

None of the girls knew how to respond to that.

proud of my participation, and that's why I was hoping to join. I'm

from including me. So, what do you think?"

his impassioned plea.

girls' softball club."

"Of course not!"

Fed up, the girls picked up Sousuke, chair and all, and kicked him

April 20, 18:45 (Japan Standard Time)

Tigers Apartments #505

apartment and went inside. After she swung the door shut, there was

"Eighteen-hundred forty-five hours. Angel is safe at home. No

She toggled the display to see what Kurz was up to with the AS.

he would be running along the road and probably would be back in a

Mithril's intelligence bureau prepared a base for their mission— a

Kaname’s apartment.

and some folding chairs. Still, the apartment was pretty full, loaded

"I can't get over how expensive everything is here in Tokyo,"

then, she pulled out her menthol cigarettes, firing one up.

Mao laughed out loud when she saw him. His hands were

him the whole way.

"It's a chair."

“Because I can't get the handcuffs off. They're a hinge model and

"Give me a break," Mao chuckled as she pulled out her own

"Thanks," said Sousuke. Then, he related the details of the day.

“... and that's what happened. Buying a subway ticket at Sengawa

Pinching the top of her nose between two fingers, she said, "It's

"Oh. Perhaps you should rest a little."

transmission from Kurz. "This is Urzu Six, done for the day. Does

The M9 was safely inside a makeshift hangar, an oversizedtrailer

"Are you sure no one saw you, Kurz?"

barked its head off. I nearly smashed up a pachinko parlor. I stopped

should've seen the little dudes freak out."

near misses might have ended in disaster.

suggested Mao.

impossible," agreed Sousuke. "I think it would be best to have the AS

"It seems like such a waste of its firepower and sensors, though,"

Because the M9 was the absolute latest in AS technology, it was

audio-detection system operated a "smart filter" that alerted the pilot to

discharge permitted.” On top of that, the M9 had two machine guns that

In hindsight, the M9 might have been a little too extravagant for

in the world—the U.S. armed forces.

avoid rush hour and move along the river, I think we'll be okay."

"Somebody swap with me! I'm exhausted!" lamented Kurz.

twiddled some knobs on her equipment and offered Sousuke a spare

"I suppose."

America. They had a friendly chat, touching on many subjects,

pretty entertaining, at least." When it came time for her to hang up,

"Poor girl, living all alone," said Mao, sympathetically. "I guess

I'm not sure I understand completely," said Sousuke, "but a

minute. "It's strange, though. In my dealings with her, she was a lot

"Of course, she was different—she was talking to her little sister."

"Yes."

totally despise me."

"Do I?"

any traces of elation.

Pacific Ocean, Depth: 165 Feet

"Sergeant Sagara sure seems to be having a tough time with this

appearances, was only in her mid-teens.

hair that hung down over her left shoulder. She wore informal

Regardless, a captain's rank insignia sparkled on her collar. And

nowhere to be found on her chest, the girl, Teletha Testarossa (a.k.a.

Captain.

One of them, Lieutenant Commander Kalinin, stood beside her

small theater. It was the Tuatha de Danaan's brain, unifying the ship

"It could be a valuable learning experience for him," opined

The young captain continued to scan the most recent report

a business-like fashion.

the guarded target. Returned to safe house in exceedingly disabled

"Nothing he can't handle, Captain."

and Weber with him."

JST—on her display screen.

will have to be in Tokyo?"

source of the threat, Captain." In spite of his physical seniority,

"So, it all depends on the progress of our mission," concluded

everything goes according to plan, we will eliminate the need to

"As well as the rest of the Whispered candidates."

"-Yes, unfortunately."

Meanwhile

Outskirts of Khabarovsk

Apparently, all noise in the outlying area also had frozen solid, as it

Three men stood in the center of the bridge: one Asian man in a

"Too quiet," grumbled the Asian man, adjusting his slicked

line that resembled a knife's slash or a bullet's kiss. It looked almost

"Quit whining; you're the one who designated this meeting

according to the decorations on his shoulder.

moths' wings flapping!"

"What'd you just say?" The colonel restrained him.

skills."

Whispered test subject was stolen, and there's a good chance they got

conduct the research; it's as simple as that."

research he spoke of was being conducted without permission

activities were a failure, he most certainly would be sent to a

"So Gauron, are you through investigating the enemy's

"More or less. Take a look," said the scarred man, handing the

gave me."

"It's using ECS—that's why the outlines are blurred as if they're

maybe transporting VIPs up that mountain slope."

the colonel raised an eyebrow. "What is this? I'm not familiar with

"It's a Mithril AS," Gauron cheerfully responded, "much too

"Mithril?"

good ten years ahead of the rest of the world: top guns, elite soldiers.

Mithril was an enigmatic force, perpetually present in the

and destroyed drug-manufacturing plants. They allegedly annihilated

Mithril's mission was to extinguish the flames of regional

"Why would they interfere with my project?" asked the colonel.

would upset the world's balance of power."

Whispered candidate, I suspect."

absolutely essential to their project's success. Now that theirs was lost,

"I can abduct one, but it'll take some time—it's more trouble

"Does that mean an increase in your fee?" growled the colonel.

Very funny, you yellow monkey!" shouted the captain. "You're

colonel who keeps hiring you, anyway?"

“You Chinamen are all empty promises!" roared the captain.

Gauron.

Ural mountain coal mines and turn your grinning yellow face black!

"You, sir, are very annoying."

from under his coat. It was such a smooth and simple action, it looked as

The red point of a laser sight dotted the captain's forehead. A

Blood, skull fragments, and pieces of brain littered the snow.

the ground with a thud.

kidnapping," Gauron nonchalantly put away his pistol. He looked at the

"Ah, here. This is it," said Gauron. "Is there a problem, Colonel?"

"But really, you just brought him here to intimidate me, da?"

Now, let's get down to business."

conversation.

fifteen separate files with the personal information of fifteen

girls were different nationalities and races but all roughly the same

"Now, which one do you want me to get? I know, I know—it's
already decided. You want," Gauron shuffled throu