11 Volume One | Chapter - Quiet Before The Storm Part Two

It was already afternoon in Essentia Japan Academy since this morning, Aiko hadn't been feeling her usual self as of recently.

So far the situation in the Korean Peninsula was escalating and there were rumours that the academy's third and fourth years and their Coordinators may need to be deployed along with the same year groups from Essentia USA.

Aiko was in session, typing notes into the system server that filed the students work by using the holographic keyboard attached to a white monitor connected to her desk, as the teacher gave them a lecture on the Nebula Pincer.

She continued to take down notes when her vision started to become blurry with black dots appearing, it wasn't long before she started to breathe heavily.

She wrapped her arms around her waist, she felt cold as if she were in the middle of an arctic winter.

Aiko could feel her heart rate increasing to the point that it felt like it was about to burst out of her chest.

To her left sat Uli, she noticed that Aiko wasn't acting like her usual self so she leaned over ever so slightly from her desk, "Hey, Aiko are you okay? You don't look good" Uli whispered.

Aiko looked towards Uli, her response was strange it was as if she had no recollection of why she was here in the first place, and to make it even more unusual her hearing was starting to go.

Aiko let out an ever so slight sigh of relief upon hearing the academy bell signalling the end of the period for their current class.

Powering down the monitor in front of her, Aiko stood up, her legs almost giving way but she was quick enough to grab of the desk so as not to fall over.

As she held a hand to her head, her eyes squinting shut.

Once her eyes opened again, she could see flashing lights of blue and orange in various shades.

This time Aiko collapsed to the floor rear first, the students around her pointed and looked speaking in hushed whispers.

Aiko felt an excruciating pain going through her head, as her eyes flickered still seeing the colours, her hands now pressed relatively tight against her head.

Running to her aide, Uli tried to help Aiko up but her friend was reluctant to move, "Aiko, what's wrong?!". Uli panicking didn't know what to do. Tears started to run down Aiko's cheeks as she continued to press her hands against her head, more so than before.

"I...I don't know...my head...and chest..." Aiko whelped out in pain mid-sentence "...it feels like...I'm about...to die" Aiko barely had any energy to muster those words.

Coughing violently blood immediately spurted out of Aiko's mouth across her uniform, the pristine white floor and the dark grey desk that Aiko was sitting at moments ago.

"Instructor, help!" Uli called out, the surrounding students looked on in fear as hushed whispers became gasps and scream at the sight before them.

The instructor of their class dressed in a formal shirt and dress with heels came over, what she saw shocked and surprised her, to say the least.

Aiko laid weakly against the front of the desk behind her, the girls' eyes looked like she was drugged with an aphrodisiac except her eyes were lifeless.

Aiko's chest was moving rapidly as her breathing became so quick and short, it was a surprise to the instructor that she hadn't lost consciousness at this point.

Blood continued to drip from Aiko's mouth, as she started to cough again shortly followed by more blood escaping her mouth.

"We need to take her to the infirmary, now" the instructor ordered Uli to help her move Aiko.

Both Uli and the instructor wrapped an arm around either side of Aiko's waist as the duo carefully moved her out of the classroom towards the infirmary.

The surrounding students looked on, many of them wondering what was really happening with Aiko.

***

Out in the academy's fields were various groups of students conducting physical activities.

Instead of wearing the typical Japanese gym kit provided in normal schools, the students at Essentia academies wore black skin tight nanotech suits along with knee-high greaves and boots as well as elbow high gauntlets.

Seeing that it was coming up to lunch and they had another physical conditioning class, both Sachika and Hibiki thought it'd be best to stay in their gym clothes.

The two friends sat on the field eating energy bars and drinking energy drinks, both of them had unsealed the midsection of their nanotech suits revealing their cleavages and stomachs.

"Find it hard to believe that such suits can stop sweat from clinging to your skin..." Hibiki takes a sip from her energy drink "...and gradually repair damaged tissue and cells" she looked to Sachika expecting an answer only to lay sight on a girl deep in thought.

Hibiki glances back behind she could see the rows of water fountains that were used for drinking out of, nearby she spotted a water hose.

With a grin on her face, she sneaks off without Sachika realising.

As for Sachika, she continued to sit and stare at the floor where Hibiki left her.

Without warning a sudden gush of stone cold water drenched Sachika, she screamed in surprise as she jumped up on her knees as dozens of trails of water ran across her body while she held her arms tight around her stomach.

Sachika was not prepared as she started to shake from the cold water, what made matters worse was when their class instructor called out for Sachika.

"Sachika, help Riku with the equipment so we can set up the next period for class!" the woman instructor called out in her casual tracksuit attire.

Jumping up saluting Sachika responded, "Y-Yes ma'am!" before she could stop what was about to happen Sachika's nanotech suit slid off the shoulders due to the cold water, standing there Sachika's bare chest was on the show to the instructor and the rest of the class.

"Ahhh!" Sachika fell to her knees wrapping both arms around her breasts as her face was washed with embarrassment.

The instructor stood there unamused, she knew beforehand that Hibiki drenched Sachika with cold water what she didn't know was that cold water made the nanotech suit unsheathe itself from the user's body.

This was the first time that the instructor's or students had seen these suits so they knew very little about how they worked.

"I got to say Sachika, for a girl your age you got a body that many would kill for..." the instructor crossed her arms before continuing "...you even have well developed B cup breasts so I don't know why you're embarrassed to show them off"

Sachika didn't know how to respond at first, "HH-How...do you..." before she could finish, the instructor cut in mid-sentence.

She laughed, "Come on Sachika, there's a reason why the system has physical examinations prior to your enrolment ceremonies" the instructor turned walking in the opposite direction as she ordered the other students on what to do.

Sachika still on the floor covering her breasts looked around to see some of her classmates giggling and blushing as they looked at her.

Hibiki walked up behind Sachika laughing, Sachika wasn't amused at this point. "I'm going to kill you for this!" Sachika was seething with anger as she narrowed her eyes at Hibiki.

In response, Hibiki shook her head, "Hey now, you can wait until this year's Royale starts" Hibiki had a big smile on her face.

The two of them were interrupted when they heard someone calling their names from a distance, turning around the two of them could see Chi-Sun jogging towards them, upon seeing their friend a look of relief flooding their faces.

***

Upon one of the many United States Armed Forces warships within the strait between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, the intelligence team had confirmed the self-destruction of two Nebula Cruiser Platforms and the Nebula Titan Platform.

The Nebula ships as many became to refer to them would always self-destruct within twenty-four to forty-eight hours of appearing on earth and no one knew why, however, there was still the issue of dealing with remnant Nebula such as the Pincer and infantry units.

Dealing with that was hard enough seeing that the standard weaponry wasn't powerful to always deal with the Nebula, ninety-nine per cent of the time, the standard military forces had to rely on the help of Familiars and Coordinators for such tasks.

On the bridge of one of these warships, personnel were in a frantic state as they were taking plasma beam fire from the nearby shore of South Korea, the driver of the ship trying with all of his might to move the ship as fast as he can, as holes were starting to appear on the hull of the ship. In turn, the ship itself was starting to take in water.

One of the bridge officers at the radar station turned to the Captain of the ship, "Captain, The Third Fleet has lost visual contact of the third Nebula Cruiser Platform!"

The Captain gave the officer an irritated look, "What did you mean they've lost it?!"

The ship shook violently as it was struck again by another plasma beam, the grey eerie bridge was illuminated by flashing red lights signalling that the ship was in an emergency state as they continue to take in water.

The Captain, with his grizzled look with the unshaven beard and gel smeared short brown hair, slammed his fist upon the armrest of his Captain's chair.

His moment was interrupted when the same bridge officer shouted out, "S-Sir, I'm picking up energy spikes from the third Nebula Cruiser Platform...". The Captain jumped out of his chair towards the bridge officer as the ship took another direct hit from plasma beam fire.

"What are the coordinates!..." when the Captain saw the coordinates he gasped in fear, and then gulped turning his attention to the bridge officer "...get a message out to someone..." the Captain grabbed the speaker piece that was used for across ship announcements.

"All personnel abandon ship, I say again abandon ship!"

It wasn't long before all the remaining personnel on the ship proceeded with the Captain's orders, as sailors jumped from the ship or manage to descend in lifeboats all the while trying to dodge plasma beam fire.

All around them American warships, destroyers and aircraft carriers were ablaze with fires or sinking whilst thousands of sailors were in the water, the barrage of plasma beams continued to descend upon them.

***

In a bar located in Los Angeles, the atmosphere was the same as ever, people enjoying themselves laughing and having fun.

It made one man sick to his stomach how people could act in such a way while just across the Pacific ocean young girls and military men were dying in the thousands to the Nebula, and here they are acting like nothing was happening.

He was dressed up in scruffy dark pants, timberlands boots and a white shirt, the sleeves of his long coat were rolled up, his brown messy short hair looked as if it hadn't been combed for months.

As he sat on the stall by the bar drinking his neat glass of rum, the bartender came over to him.

"You alright, son?" he asked, whilst cleaning a beer glass his grey hair reflected the light emanating from above his head.

The man drank down the remainder of his rum on that note, "Yeah, I'm good David at least I pretend to be" he responded.

David nodded as if knowing how the lad felt, he noticed him looking at the television above the bar, so he too turned around to get a glimpse.

"It's hard watching them, and not being able to do anything..." David sighed, as the man before he scoffed at the comment "...you know those girls' could really use you guys?"

The man laughed at David's comment, "Yeah, well tell that to the Colonel..." he drops a twenty dollar note to pay for the drinks, David takes the money putting it in the cashier not too far from him "...the damn idiot is still convinced we're not ready yet" and with that the man started to leave.

As for David, just watching the kid whom he uses to watch grow up on his home planet for many years walk out of his bar a sense of pity washed over for him. Well, I hope you guys make it sooner rather than later, he thought to himself as he attended to his own work.

Stepping out of the bar, the man noticed it was pouring with rain, he pulled over the hood on his long coat over his head.

Taking a step out from under the cover of the front door porch, he looked around seeing all the neon-lit lights reflecting in the pools of puddles littering the street.

Looking up to his right, he could just barely make out the moon amongst the rain clouds, it wasn't long before he instantly regretted doing such a thing as memories flooded him of home, remembering how he and his little sister use to look up into the night sky to gaze upon the moon before everything went to shit.

Immediately turning to walk down the street his once kind carefree attitude was replaced with a sour and disdainful persona, as he pulled out a cigarette from his pack along with is lighter.

He lit the cigarette then placed it in his mouth puffing out smoke, as he continued strolling down the street.