Click click click
The heels of Senator Tina Skylark resonate along the steel hallways of a recently built secret facility.
She stops briefly in front of an automatic door. As it opens with a hydraulic whoosh, the letters “BMM” can be seen flying past on the door’s nameplate.
Tina steps inside and lets her eyes adjust to the darkness of the room illuminated only by numerous screens displaying various girls in different Gate Battles.
“I expect to see results today, Professor. My re-election is riding on this.”
As Tina coldly voices her displeasure, the heads of two men rise up from the screens in front of them.
“Ahh, Senator, a pleasure to see you today.” Professor Whirlybird responds. “I’m pleased to announce that we have had a decided success.”
“Yes, it’s nice to see that my investment is finally going to pay off. They will work nicely to exact my revenge against the doddering old fool who cheated me off my land.” The second man speaks.
“I didn’t expect to see you here.” Tina says to him. “It’s nice to finally meet our financial backer face to face.” She reaches out her hand.
The second man, Vincent McGee shakes it. “A pleasure to meet you in person as well, Senator. Your world’s Gate Technology really is something else. I never thought I would leave my home country, let alone my home planet.”
“Yes.” Tina nods, ending the conversation abruptly “Professor, let’s see those results.”
“Quite. Well, we have finished the recruitment of Kaya Rose and her Link, Raianna. As it turns out, we can successfully tap into the massive power of the creatures of Ceres. So long as the method of combat is in the context of a game, they can go all out. Keeping the human Link in one of our simulation rooms while warping their Link to where we wish for combat to take place has yielded the exact results we hoped.” Whirlybird then pulls up footage of Kaya in a simulation room battling a holographic version of Corona with a holograph of Raianna. At the same time another screen shows the actual surface of Venus where the real Raianna is looming over a furious Corona who has been blasted to the ground by Raianna’s might.
Kaya starts laughing in the footage. “This is great! I can finally go all out and no one will get hurt!”
“As you can see” Vincent explains “We got the strongest organism on Ceres on our side by simply telling her Link that it was all a simulation.”
Tina nods “Whatever gets the job done. However these mock battles against the other members is a far cry from what I wanted to see today, Professor.”
Whirlybird smiles. “I was saving the best for last.”
A few keystrokes pulls up new footage of another simulator room with Erin Bardiche inside. Just like with Kaya, she is holding several gate cards and is up against a holographic opponent. The game and the field seem quite different however.
“Erya, END THIS!” Erin pushes forward the card of her link and the footage changes to where Erya is.
The monstrous Praying Mantis lurches forward. Her dress is torn and her carapace is filled with the arrows of her now defeated opponents. Only one target remains in her way, an Arengard Battering Ram. With the clacking of her mandibles and a war cry Erya moves much faster than a beast her size should be able to. Looming over the ram she raises her scythe-like arm, dripping with the viscera of the insect allies she ate to power up. Like a judgment from the heavens, the arm swings down. Smashing the Ram to pieces. Wood, metal, and logs fly away from the massive impact.
“Now Erya stands in the center. I WIN AGAIN!” Roars Erin in the simulation just like Erya does on the battlefield.
“As you can see, Senator, the forces of that new world are no match for our recruited agents.” Whirlybird explains. “That planet’s unique power source will soon be ours to harvest.”
Vincent muses “What did that orc wizard call it again?”
“The Skorg.” States Tina. “Harvesting that much concentrated energy should secure my re-election. Well done, Professor. For the first time in your career.”
