Leap into the New Era

Mika is forced onto her knees by the intense pain in her chest. Icarus grins, knowing he has won.

“I’m sorry, Mika. But nobody can get in the way of progress.”

Except Icarus hasn’t won.

Mika steels herself. She picks the mushroomed bullet off her chest rig and tosses it to the floor. She raises her katana again, her grip digging around the hilt.

Caught in disbelief, Icarus fumbles as he tries to load the next round. He clumsily cocks the lever, rushing through the motion.

But Mika is faster. Fueled by boiling rage, she unleashes a bloodcurdling scream, charging with a frenzy, and wails down successive strikes. Icarus is forced to block with body of the rifle, with block each cut leaving a deeper groove in the hardened steel. Mika gathers all of her remaining strength, unleashing one final blow…

The massive underground explosion shakes the castle, throwing both Mika and Icarus off balance. He crashes to the floor, prototype rifle skittering away from him.

Mika slams forward, her momentum sending her careening into the wooden wall. The force of the impact drives her sword deep into the wood. She tries to pull it free, but it won’t budge.

As Icarus comes to, he and Mika look at each other, then eye the rifle lying equidistant from both of them.

They both scramble for it, but Mika performs a summersault, snatching the gun. Once returned to her feet, she aims it at Icarus. He freezes, raising his hands slowly.

“You’re under arrest, Caleb Ferris. For participating in dissident behavior. Assassination of a Councilor. Kidnapping an Enforcement officer, and betrayal. Surrender now or I… will use force.” She chokes on the last words, welling with emotion.

He chuckles to himself. “I see now.”

“How does it feel? Your own weapon turned against you.” Her trembling hands betray her attempts to keep the rifle steady.

Mika has the advantage now, but Icarus doesn't look defeated.

“Helpless. But that means it’s a success.”

“I can get your identity back. We can fix the system from the inside. Come join me instead. Don’t let your talent go to waste!” she pleads, her voice softening.

Icarus laughs, a maniacal sound that echoes through the chamber. “You think I would gamble my entire revolution on a single siege?” He rips open his shirt, revealing a blinking device on his chest. “If my heart stops, all my research will be uploaded to the internet in full.”

“Damn you…”

“You will have dissidents all around the world making firearms of their own. When that happens, Interpol will be chasing endless Icarus-es for eternity.” His expression exudes insane mockery.

“That was your plan all along!?”

“I told you, Mika. This power isn’t just for me. It’s for you. For everyone.”

“I can’t let you destroy society and lead us into chaos.”

“Then shoot me and let the people decide their own fate.”

The rifle quivers in her grasp. She hesitates, the weight of the decision heavy on her shoulders.

Flaming debris falls between them, the inferno growing stronger.

“I thought so. Then we shall meet again.” He turns away, heading for the exit.

“Caleb!”

BANG. Neither expected the shot. Icarus is thrown forward, sprawling onto the floor. A gaping hole torn through his back.

Mika drops the rifle. She takes a staggering step backward. Her vision blurs as a ringing fills her ears.

She did it. Icarus is defeated.

Just like that.

The power of a gun.

But was it the right choice?

The roar of the flames and the crash of a falling pillar snaps her out of her daze. She has to get out of here, but not without her weapon.

She tugs and yanks at her katana, wiggling it, the heat widening the gap in the wood. With a final heave, she yanks the sword free, tumbling backward, her body hitting the ground hard. 

With nothing left to lose, she gets up and dashes out to the balcony, vaulting over the stone railing and onto the steel scaffolding. The flames weaken the steel below, causing the scaffolding to tilt. Mika holds on, screaming as she plummets to the ground below. She leaps at the last second, splashing down into the garden pond.

The chill of the cold water is a welcome shock.

…

Locke stumbles into the throne room with her hand against the wall, guiding and stabilizing her as she clutches her wound in her side. Each breath is a ragged fight with each step forward. She needs to find her dear leader.

She finds Icarus lying on the ground, limp and broken.

“Icarus-sama… ICARUS-SAMA!”

She wails as she scrambles to his side. She props his upper body against her. “Icarus-sama…”

“Locke,” he rasps, you’ve served me well.”

“But… I have failed you. I have failed to protect you.” She feels like her world is shattering.

“No. You have succeeded. You helped me complete my mission.”

“But what… what will I do without you, Icarus-sama?”

“I need your continued servitude.”

A blush creeps onto Locke’s cheeks. She cradles his head closer.

“You must lead Accel Order into the next chapter of the resistance.”

The castle burns around them, the inferno intense and suffocating.

“Do me one favor,” he whispers. He points weakly at the throne.

Locke hesitates, a lump forming in her throat. She lifts him, wincing from her own wound as she does.

She carries him back to the throne and sets him down in the commanding chair. She notices that sitting next to it, is the black titanium case with the algorithm, ready for extraction.

“Go now. Before you perish too,” he says, his voice fading.

A tear escapes Locke’s eye, falling through the grime on her face.

“I will follow you for eternity.” She utters her last words to him.

Locke grabs the case and stumbles out of the throne room, leaving Caleb to his last moments as the castle burns around him.

Icarus’s eyes are half-lidded, as the inferno inches closer to his doom. A faint smile of acceptance plays on his lips.

“I’ll see you soon, Abby.”

A figment of Abby appears in front of him, the ghost of his only sister that he loved, looking exactly the same as she did five years ago.

She takes his hand.

Caleb, now also looking like his younger self, smiles brightly as Abby pulls her into the fire.

The castle’s rafters finally give way, crashing down on the throne, unleashing sparks and embers everywhere.

…

In the rear of the castle, the grass lawn suddenly splits open, revealing a giant cargo dropship rising on a platform. It’s engines are already buzzing, plasma thrusters primed for takeoff. The aircraft is painted in the white and blue of Enforcement livery. A few Accel Order shock troopers ride as passengers stand guard, ready to be the craft’s last passengers. Inside the cargo hold is packed with stacks of newly assembled rifles and crates of ammunition.

And in the pilot seat is Sergeant Nambu.

Locke limps across the grass, titanium case cradled against her chest, to her escape craft. The two troopers leap out and assist her in boarding, guiding her in. One trooper inside immediately starts bandaging her wounds.

Nambu pulls off her headset as she scans the cabin. “Where’s Icarus?”

Locke simply shakes her head. Her eyes sting with unshed tears.

Nambu’s face falls, but understands. She nods, puts her headset back on and pulls on the yoke.

The trooper slams the cabin door shut as the dropship ascends. Through the window, Locke stares back at the burning castle with rising elevation. The engines rotate, propelling them forward as the craft makes its escape. Flying in their opposite direction towards the castle, are a swarm of real Enforcement drones and dropships, paying them no mind.

…

Beaten, bloodied, and soaked, Mika emerges from the pond with every muscle aching in every step. She stumbles across the castle courtyard and is greeted with the chaotic flurry of Army soldiers and Enforcement Officers securing the site. Accel Order members are arrested, their faces grim as they are lined up against the wall with their hands pressed on the back of their heads. Firefighting drones buzz overhead, spraying water on the burning pyre that once was the main tower of Osaka Castle.

She spots Ray lounging on a park bench, his eyes hollowed out with exhaustion. He casually smokes his electronic cigarette while staring at the blazing Osaka Castle.

Mika plops down next to him, sprawling her legs forward without a care.

She holds out her hand expectantly.

“I didn’t know you smoke,” he says, voice hoarse.

“I don’t.”

He hands her the cigarette. She inhales and coughs as the smoke irritates her throat. She hands it back.

They stare with dull, distant eyes at the burning castle like admiring an art piece.

“A bit sad to see such a historic monument be burned to the ground,” Ray says, breaking the silence.

“Well, it wouldn’t have been the first time it has,” Mika responds with dull tone.

A heavy pause settles between them.

“So, this is the start of a new era of warfare,” Ray says, a hint of dark humor in his tone.

“With a literal bang,” Mika agrees, her gaze still fixed on the burning castle.

“Did you kill him?”

Mika nods with defeat.

He takes a drag, contemplating the consequences. Finally, he speaks again:

“You made the right choice, Mika.”

“But with Icarus dead, the blueprints will be decrypted and out in the open. Dissidents will be able to make deadly ballistic weapon now. Maybe make it even deadlier.”

“You’re right, you’re right. But Icarus forgot about one thing. So can we.”

Mika’s eyes widen as she turns to Ray, realizing the implication.

“The enemy may have this new portable weapon of destruction, but we so do we now.”

“Fight fire with fire,” says Jade, now bandaged, limping forward with Dell in tow. “We can still fight, even when we’re at a disadvantage.”

“That’s what it means to be in Unit 7,” Dell says, exhausted but smiling.

The three look at Mika with newfound hope.

“The investigation has just begun. Are you ready, Mika?”

Mika smiles and nods. She puts her hand on the Interpol insignia patch on her chest rig, her fingers tracing the outline.

She has never been so sure of anything else in her life.