Chapter 42 - The Stray

The Stray
Rokiahi was caught from above, round the waist, still a considerable distance from the ground. She turned her head up to see-

"Rin!" she gasped. The leader of the Stray Posse had Rokiaki and Rulia caught round the waist, her rocket boots keeping them in flight. Len was above, looking out for trouble.

"Let's go!" called Rin, turning to the east.

"What about Remilia?" Rokiahi looked up at the Trick Master to see the three diamonds firing consistently against a non-moving target on the wing. It didn't help that Rin did not answer the question. "What about Flandre?"

"For a vampire in sunlight, she's doing pretty well," answered Chamber, flying up behind them with Void sat on his back, "For a Touhou character, she's doing pretty badly."

"Where have you been?" inquired Rokiahi, Rin sat her on her left shoulder, Rulia on her right.

"Oh, you know, just going back to pick Void up," he answered humbly, Void patting him on the head with gratitude.

"What did you mean about Flandre?"

"She had a good advantage against Shepard. But then the Scarlet Witch turned up."

"Patchoulli?"

"No. The Scarlet Witch. Wanda Maximoff. A mutant form the Marvel Universe, Magneto's daughter to be specific. With the power to alter reality."

"Reality? So she's a goddess? Like Haruhi and Sasaki?"

"Not quite. She is hindered by her own feelings, but against only one or two opponents like Flandre or Remilia, that's not a problem. By The Convenience Theory, she could probably override Remilia's ability to manipulate fate."

"So why doesn't she just capture us?"

"That is where Haruhi comes in," input Rin, "She along with Sasaki hold ultimate power, capable of preventing the powers of others. However, since they're on opposing sides, the efforts of one can be negated by the other. Haruhi had our back but probably not for long."

"What territory do you possess?" called Void.

Rin did not immediately answer, "After the Hakurei Barrier went up all we had was Arcania City and the area round the east coast of China. We didn't have the territory in between. But now... we don't have much in the way in territory. All our forces are retreating back here."

Suddenly something rose up from the ground on the road ahead, apparently a black structure with red highlights. As they flew over it, it the building stopped rising, fitting awkwardly between the other buildings around it. Then a satellite dish deployed on top, turning around slowly.

"That's a Nod Operations Centre!" alerted Len, turning towards it. He had a rocket launcher barrel attached under his left lower arm, which had not been there earlier. Aiming the launcher at the Operations Centre, a rocket was ejected out the barrel, spewing a large amount of smoke in its wake. But as the rocket sped towards the building, it was hit from the side by a sickle, its sharp point embedding into the rocket's insides. The sickle had a phenomenally heavy weight, dragging the rocket straight down to ground prematurely, causing an explosion also beyond normal parameters. The force shattered all nearby structures, a tall block of flats toppling over onto the road.

Ignoring the attempt to destroy it, the Operations Centre opened a large hatch in its roof next to the dish, out which launched a red missile, heading straight upwards.

Rin stopped her flight forwards, turning round quickly. She let go of Rulia, pointing her right hand at the missile. Her metallic skin peeled back, forming a small cannon, which immediately shot a bright white laser, tinted with various colours. The Shining Laser hit the missile with pinpoint accuracy but only briefly as the laser began to bend to the side. Following the unconventional laser path, they could see Konata on a building nearby, holding up the Stirling Inferno, her paper star taped to stick magic wand. The wand appeared to be absorbing the laser's energy effortlessly. Rin ceased attacking, knowing her attempt was ineffectual, her arm reconstructing. The only slightly damaged missile continued its flight upwards. Konata smiled as she lowered the Stirling Inferno, catching her automatically returning sickle.

With only a short loudening hum as warning, Chamber aimed up with his own charged cannon and blasted a wide blue energy beam at the missile. However, the missile blew up of its own accord before the beam could strike it. Before Chamber could began to think what to do next, Konata instantly appeared in front of him, with an annoyed expression, and punched him square in the eye. Chamber spun backwards uncontrollably from the force, Void holding on in desperation. Len flew in front of Rin and, with his right arm, threw an electric leash, catching Konata round the neck. Before Len could pull it, Konata brought the Stirling Inferno to the leash, the leash's energy dissipating immediately.

But this was long enough to distract Konata from the projectile from above, knocking Konata down to the road below, a dust cloud rising. Rin observed the cloud for a moment before turning back east, Len and Chamber following.

"Are you okay, Chamber?" asked Void, leaning over his head to look at his eye.

"I've been better," groaned Chamber. His reinforced glass eye was severely cracked, particularly in the middle. "It's a little hard to see..."

"What was the missile for?" questioned Rokiahi.

"Radar jammer," answered Rin, "We're lost our ability to scan the area. Opposing forced could come from anywhere and we wouldn't be able to tell."

The dust cloud cleared to reveal Yuki standing over Konata, the latter laying in the middle of a small crater. Yuki looked at the Stirling Inferno in her hand, snatched from Konata on the way down and broke it in half. She pulled the star off its half of the stick and ripped the yellow paper apart, allowing the remains to fall to the tarmac.

Konata just laughed in response, "It's been a while Yuki. I never expected we'd meet as opponents."

"It is nature," replied Yuki monotonically, looking down at Konata's yellow eyes, "By our different ideals."

Konata folded her arms, "Well, we at least agree Haruhi's ideals are wrong, right?"

"Haruhi's ideals are unrealistic," continued Yuki, "Reimu's ideals are broken."

"Whatever," sighed Konata, jumping back to her feet. She suddenly disappeared, reappearing into the sky, looking down with a growl. Yuki had followed her, catching onto her right ankle, interrupting Konata's flight, preventing Konata from getting away. With a mighty heave, Yuki threw Konata back downwards. Konata spun round, landing on the road on her feet, the tarmac cracking from the impact.

Furious, Konata glared up at Yuki, "I am invincible, Yuki!" she called, "Haruhi learnt her lesson from last year. How do you feel to be the only one of the old North High Administration not to be invincible?"

"Haruhi granted you, Ritsu and Ayu invincibility for you own protection," responded Yuki, "I am invincible in my own way."

Konata laughed again, "You wished you were." She threw her sickle up with force then teleported in front of Yuki, catching the humanoid interface by the neck. "If you don't feel that way now, you will soon," commented Konata. Held in place, Yuki could not avoid the rapidly approaching sickle.

"We can't reach Tokyo any time soon," noted Rokiahi to Rin.

"We're having the Enterprise airlifted here," explained Rin, "The Normandy and Halberd are en route."

"Why airlifted?" inquired Void, "Why not flown?"

"The Enterprise is very fast but is not nimble enough to avoid enemy fire during ground to ground travel due to its huge size."

"When you say the Normandy, you mean the SR-2, right?" noted Chamber, "I'm guessing EDI is part of Yamaha."

"Yes, she is risking a lot to aid us."

"The conflict is shattering a lot of alliances and teams," added Void, "Why did this have to deteriorate to war?"

"Let's hope you don't get to see Reimu any time soon to find out."

"Hostiles inbound," injected Len, "It's the Zero." A green Japanese Zero World War II fighter aircraft was fast approaching from the east, escorted by an X-Wing and an Advanced TIE spacecraft fighters. Len rose his right arm at the incoming squad, his skin retreating to form a gatling cannon. There was no spinup time as Len unloaded a storm of bullets. However, none made contact as they slowed down a fair distance from the fighter, only to begin falling harmlessly to Earth.

"So many of them use telekinesis," gritting Rin, "The Force, biotics, magic, the lot of them." She let of Rulia once more, Rokiahi realising Rulia was gradually tightening her grip round her neck. Rin placed her hand through her shirt as though it was water, the shirt rippling, and pulled out a black megaphone with yellow rims. Taking a deep breath, Rin screeched loudly into the megaphone, which amplified her voice even more. Rough air spikes could be seen coursing through the air, engulfing the aircraft. While the space-worthy armour of the spacecraft, the engine using X-Wing and TIE shook violently in the raging air currents, their windows shattering, revealing Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader as their respectively pilots. With the inside controls now exposed, the strong vocal spikes smashed through the relatively weaker metal plating, ripping through delicate and vital wires and cables. Malfunctioning, their engines shut down, the spacecraft nose diving towards buildings below.

However, the simple propeller flown Zero did not rely on digital controls and had a better pilot. The pilot immediately turned the aircraft upside down, dropping height quickly to escape the brunt of the audio waves before turning right way up again. With the lowered height, it could be seen that Hiraga Saito was the pilot, managing to keep the now rattling Zero flying with pedals and the flight stick, his dashboard in pieces. Noticeably, he did not have his concious sword, Derflinger, on his back. But of most interest was the passenger. Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière was sat down in the back seat, pointing her magic wand at Rin, her yellow eyes in a trance, her mouth murmuring.

"She started the spell early!" cried Rin, "We need to retreat!" Rin, Len and Chamber turned west just as Louise finished the spell, engulfing the Zero in a rapidly expanding white ball of light, displaying her power over Void Magic.

"We won't make it!" called Chamber, aware they could not gather enough acceleration to escape, having only just turned around.

No one had time to reply as a purple eye shaped portal with two red ribbons at the ends appeared in front of them. Yakumo Yukari flew out of it, colliding into Rin and Len, who in turned struck Chamber behind them. Yukari's momentum pushed the group another portal behind them, which closed before Louise's spell could absorb them. "We can't have you going backwards," advised Yukari, flying them eastwards in the strange world of purple, "We cannot waste tim-"

Out of nowhere, a hand grabbed Yukari's throat and pulled Yukari downwards, all seven of them falling out of Yukari's portal world back into Japan. With only Yukari pinned by the penetrator, the other six rolled across the surface they had been brought to, Rin keeping a tight hold on Rokiahi and Rulia, Void onto Chamber. All of the six quickly recovering, they looked at the attacker.

"Elizabeth, from Bioshock Infinite," recognised Chamber. Elizabeth had Yukari pinned down to the ground by the throat on the roof of the block of flats they were on. Yuakri had managed to portal them past Louise but it had obviously been cut short. "She can manipulate Tears in the time-space continuum. Including Yukari's own apparently."

Even though Elizabeth had successfully slammed Yukari down into the roof, her strength was still no match for the youkai. Yukari grabbed onto Elizabeth's throat and pulled her down, their foreheads colliding hard. This impact was nothing to Yukari but Elizabeth being more like a normal human drew blood immediately, her already obsolete grip loosening. Yukari threw Elizabeth off and got to her feet, "Go!" she ordered to Rin. Rin nodded, taking a step back. But then a thundering projectile shot down from the sky, Ritsu striking Yukari on the head with her elbow, the power crushing the building with ease. Rin, Len and Chamber were already flying, watching Yukari, Elizabeth and Ritsu sinking into a rising dust cloud. Rin and Len flew off to the east again, Chamber with a little hesitance.

Ritsu watched them fly away, her right knee on Yukari's neck. She cursed, "Your distractions aren't going to work."

Yukari coughed from the lack of air and the settling dust cloud, revealing plenty of rubble. Elizabeth scrambled out the debris, dizzy and disoriented. "We are fighting for what's right," argued Yukari, "No one is just a distraction."

Looking at Yukari, Ritsu blinked her yellow eyes in annoyance, "Don't bother hiding it." There were sudden explosions from above. Ritsu faced up to see the flaming body of the massive green Thunderbird 2 falling towards them. Ritsu frowned, "Reinforcements," she mumbled, not attempting to escape the impending impact.

The Thunderbird 2 crashed into the ground behind them, exploding in a monstrous fireball. Looking up, Rokiahi could see the number of craft in the air had dramatically increased, all locked in close combat. "Gid's armada has returned," explained Len, "Shot down the Thunderbird 2."

"Is that a good thing?" asked Rokiahi.

"It's good that we'll have extra cover but it also means the Gensokyo force that pushed them back will be here soon."

"We need to make best use of it-" started Rin, when her, Len's and Chamber's flight height began to drop fast due to an unidentified pulling force form the ground. Chamber's was dropping the fastest, until he aimed his cannon downwards and fired again, the strong beam dramatically slowing his descent. Rin and Len hit the pathway at high speed, Rin letting go of Rokiahi and Rulia to allow them to roll away relatively unharmed. However, Rin continued rolling towards the east. Len had landed on his feet but was still being dragged along the ground. Chamber had stopped firing but had switched on his back booster, trying his best to fly to the west against the attractive force, Void pushing him from behind to help.

Len, who was now close enough to see the source of the pulling force, jumped at Magneto who had his right arm outstretched down the road, attracting the three metallic personnel. Using both his hands, Len forced Magneto to bend his right arm. With Magneto's powers unfocused, Chamber suddenly shot forwards, Void falling forwards. "Take another path!" cried Len, as Magneto took hold of Len's head, "Find another way round! Don't wait for us!" Void jumped back onto Chamber's back, who took a sideroad, Rokiahi following with Rulia securely on her back again.

Magneto took hold of Rin's neck and lifted her into the air. Len was nowhere to be found, though a large smooth and shiny silver metal ball was hovering by Magneto's side. "It's been a whole year, Rin," grinned Magneto, "And Yamaha still haven't found a way to protect themselves from my powers. It's even worse for you that The Black Squad will no longer cover for your weaknesses."

Rin growled as her colour, even of her clothes, turned shiny grey, her shape melting, "We'll be back."