---

---

---

Major Akane Mitsuishi looked up at the incoming transport VTOL as rain poured down in sheets. Thunder rumbled overhead, though between the VTOL's thrusters and the rain, she could hardly hear it. As the dropship touched down, she took a breath before stepping out onto the landing pad. She strode towards the rear hatch as it lowered. Soldiers stepped out into the rain, carrying weapons and equipment. But she wasn't hear for them.

Mitsuishi was here for the teenagers behind them. She stepped into the dropship's cargo bay, glancing over the group. Though recognizable as human, they all had unique traits, some more noticeable than others. But, as her charge had taught her in the last few years, they were still human. "My name is Akane Mitsuishi, and I'll be acting as your liaison for the duration of your time here," she said. "I know you weren't allowd to bring very many of your belongings with, and I apologize for that. But I hope that you'll be able to settle in."

---

Shirona stared hard at the eight objects from her collection that she'd set aside at Major Akane's request. For whatever reason, the major had insisted that Shirona give the other Zasshu a welcome gift. Being a bit of a hoarder, the girl had taken hours sorting through her treasures and deciding which she'd be willing to part with. But she'd narrowed it down to eight things, and that's what mattered.

She suddenly froze. The Tenshi-song, as she called it, had changed slightly. It was a bit louder, as if there was a Tenshi inside the base. There hadn't been any alarms, so that wasn't the case. Shirona listened harder. It wasn't one signal, but several, all coming from the same location. Shirona hopped up. "They're here!"

Akane had told her about who was coming. She had been shocked to learn that she wasn't the only human with Tenshi DNA in her blood. But now she was equal parts excited and nervous. I hope they're friendly.

But somehow, she very much doubted that they'd all get along like a happy family.

---

---

@PsyBlade @Yankee @Metatrooper @AlternateMan

Lindy shivered, not just from the wave of cold. Admittedly, that was bad enough, the draft the open hatch let in stinging her skin even though her thick clothes. What set her on edge even more, though, was the duty ahead of her, and of the eight other Zasshu. Tenshi signals hummed all around her, bringing back memories of that day five years ago. There was no reason to fear the others, they were human just like her, she knew that - but it wasn't them she was wary of. It was herself, and what could happen if she couldn't cope with the upcoming mission.

She pulled up the large hood of her jacket, curling the serpentine appendages that protruded from her head into it. Partly to shield them from the cold, and partly because the gesture felt like keeping her Archon side under control. As weird as it was not to be able to see all around her like this, hopefully she and the others would be somewhere warm soon.

Her only reply to Akane's introduction was a small smile. With a deep breath of damp-smelling air, she moved to the side so she could see past the Zasshu in front of her, while repeating four words in her mind. Don't mess this up. Don't mess this up. Don't mess this up...

... Only to step on someone's foot. Cringing, she backed away, snake heads peeking out of the hood so as to watch where she was going better this time. "Ah! I-I'm sorry!"

What a great start to the team-up.

Working for an organization against the giant monsters as a soldier that fights giant monsters was a tiresome job. But it also yielded interesting stories to tell people about, like watching two giant monsters fight. Or shooting at an angry monster.
Being assigned to guard a super secret group of monster-human hybrid teenagers... even if he was allowed to spill the ideas, it sounded quite crazy of an idea.

As his ride finally touched the ground, Mir let out a small sigh of relief. In this violent rain, with the possibility of one of those Tenshi's showing up in the middle of their ride, they made it without a scratch. Cool, very cool.

Soldiers who carried cargo unloaded the equipments out of the ship as the hatch opened. Mir, however, stayed behind. As the major approached, he answered with a salute and stepped aside so she could talk to the kids.

The operative waited as the Zasshu's and the Major got used to each other, ready to follow.

@LuckyBlackCat @PsyBlade

Cade pulled up the hood of his jacket as he walked down the ramp of the dropship. He didn't mind the strong winds and cold against his body though, courtesy of his carapace and the several layers of clothes that he was wearing. In fact, he found the cold air refreshing. He took in his surroundings for a moment before bringing his focus back to the matter at hand.

He slipped back into reality as the Tenshi signals droned on inside his head. Back at home, they were usually just really quiet background noise. But ever since he boarded the transport with eight of the other Zasshu, it's been taking some effort getting used to.

While the other Zasshu were in the front and closer together, Cade stuck to the outskirts of the group, listening to the Major's speech while occasionally glancing at the rest of the group. His response to her was a simple nod. Even if he said something, he doubted she could hear it through the noise. He didn't really have much belongings that he wanted to bring anyway, everything he needed was going to be provided for at the base and all his personal belongings fit nicely in his brown satchel.

After Akane finished talking, he moved towards the entrance of the base along with the rest of the group, his head slumped downwards to avoid eye contact. Suddenly, he felt something step on his left foot. Whatever it was stepped on his carapace, so he didn't feel much pain, but he flinched and spun around anyway. It was a girl, one of the other Zasshu in fact. He was shocked at first to see more than one pair of eyes staring back at him from under the hood, but somehow managed to blurt out a response in time. "Oh! N-no It's not your fault! I wasn't uhm, looking where I was going. It's uhm, my fault, really sorry about that."

He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, not even a few minutes had passed and he's already screwed up. What a great first impression...

---

"Hee hee~"

Wèi Lái's voice drifted out from the interior of the craft - light voice; beautiful, haunting. The Zasshu emerged, floating past the humans and the other Projects and out to the edge of the ramp. Only the rain stopped her from going further. With a twirl she landed on the metal floor and turned to face the group, a smile on her face.

"Eeeeeh~? Are these really my fellow Zasshu~?" her question was posed as curious, when in reality it was incredulous. The beings born from Archon DNA were clumsy and meek? She didn't want to believe it, but their unique appearances were really all the evidence needed. She really wanted to pout, but instead she smiled wider. At the moment, Wèi Lái was dressed in the most simple of clothes - a white toga-like cloth draped over her body that didn't interfere with her wings. She curled her fingers into loose fists and put them proudly on her hips, beaming at the group.

"I'm Wèi Lái~! If you want, call me a nickname! Nice to meet you, Mitsu and Zasshu~ and..."

The winged girl tipped her head to the side, noticing the other human. "...curly-head!"

---

---

@Metatrooper @Yankee

The boy whose foot Lindy had stepped on spun round, staring. Cringing at the look of shock as he noticed the snakes, she withdrew them into her hood once more. "N-No, no need to apologise," she replied, her voice barely a whisper. "I'm the one who should have looked. As you just saw, I, uh, don't really have an excuse not to look all around." She cast her eyes - her uncovered, human ones - downwards.

Hearing a giggle, glimpsing movement, she looked up. A Zasshu girl sailed overhead on striking white moth wings, landing in front of the group with a dance-like twirl. The kind of confidence Lindy only wished she could muster. She hunched her shoulders as the moth girl spoke up - of course that hadn't been the start to the meeting the other Zasshu had expected. The warm grin that followed, though, took the edge off Lindy's nerves. A tiny smile even pulled at her lips at the girl's nickname for the operative.

If the others were this friendly, maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

Akane Mitsuishi

She could tell that this group would be... unique. Just like her charge, each of the Zasshu seemed to be a little eccentric in their own ways. A normal man stepped out of the VTOL, stepped out of her way, and snapped a salute. She nodded to him, a nonverbal way of saying, "As you were." Akane tapped her headset, checking in with security on the other end. "This is Major Mitsuishi. The packages have arrived. Initiate Pythia Protocol."

"Copy that."

All of the personnel and security cameras along their route would be evacuated and shut down, respectively. Akane knew it was because the brass weren't ready to go public with the project yet. The less people knew about these young men and women the better.

"Cameras have shut down, and personnel are being moved out of the way."

"Keep me updated. Mitsuishi out." She turned to the group of teenagers. "Alright, let's get a move on. We've got hot meals and bunks waiting for you guys inside. Follow me." Akane turned, leading the group inside.

@LuckyBlackCat@AlternateMan@Yankee

---

@LuckyBlackCat @PsyBlade @Yankee

“N-no really, it’s my fault. You obviously wouldn’t want your snakes to be uhm, left out in the cold.” he replied. Seeing her expression, he tried to cheer her up, already feeling guilty that he got his foot stepped on in the first place. “Hey uhh, how about we just leave this be, stepping on someone’s foot isn’t like a mortal sin or anything. I’m Ca-” He stopped mid-sentence as he heard a light, almost creepy giggle come from behind them.

It was one of the other Zasshu, a girl covered in white fur with moth wings on her back. She landed on the tip of the ramp with a graceful twirl, staying untouched by the rain. His ears perked up as she introduced herself. He recognized her name as a Chinese one. Maybe they could talk sometime, if he could muster enough confidence to approach her, that is. As she spoke, he noticed that her confidence and her radiant grin helped lighten up the mood, even the girl with snake hair had a small smile on her face.

Akane then addressed the group of Zasshu and beckoned them to follow her in. The part about the hot meals specifically sounded very appealing to him.

---

The promise of hot food and warm beds was very nice, especially after the ride in. The aircraft wasn't entirely awful, but it wasn't what any could consider "comfortable" either. At the Major's words, Wèi Lái turned to look outside of the craft, peeking out into the heavy rain. Her shoulders dropped.

"Aw, I hate getting rained on..." That was the truth of course, rain made it harder to fly and with all her hairs and furs, when she got dry again she puffed up even more. She stood at the exit for a few seconds before she whirled around again, flitting over to her fellow Zasshu. "You were gonna introduce yourselves, right~? Don't let me stop you! I wanna know your names too!"

Wèi Lái gave both the Ravager and Medusa Projects a little nudge from behind, prompting them to start moving out into the rain. She seemed to be taller than the both of them even if just a bit. Maybe older too, but it was hard to tell. She hoped by huddling closer to them, it might help with getting rained on. "There's a Zasshu waiting for us here too, isn't there~?"

---

---

@PsyBlade @Metatrooper @Yankee

As Akane beckoned, Lindy shuffled forward. It would be a cold and wet journey, but thankfully a short one, with warm food and lodgings at the end of it. Just what everyone would need after their travels, especially those who'd journeyed further than she had, and maybe what she needed to help calm her nerves. At least, she hoped it would. She froze up as Wei Lai flew back over, brimming with energy despite the weather and asking for everyone's names. Not out of dislike, but a lack of knowledge of what to do in these situations. It was only when Wei Lai nudged her and the boy that Lindy started moving again.

"Eheh... I'm Lindy," she murmured, with another little strained smile at both fellow teens. She glanced from Wei Lai to the torrent of rain, then back. Some Zasshu, it seemed, were just as ill-suited for this kind of weather as she was - waterlogged wings and fur couldn't be comfortable. As such, she didn't mind when the moth girl huddled closer. "And at least we'll be somewhere warm and dry soon." She kept the thought in mind as she stepped out into the downpour, taking care to stay close by the other two. Despite the chill making her muscles ache from shivering, she let her snakes peek out from her hood so she wouldn't trample on any more feet.

At the mention of another Zasshu, she paid attention to the signals she'd been trying to ignore. It's just us, she told herself as unease crept back in. No Tenshi, just Zasshu. One such sensation did indeed seem to emanate from the base. She nodded to Wei Lai. "That's what it feels like... And it makes sense."

With the eight of them on their way, soon the entire Zasshu team would be brought together. A thought that, having known almost nobody around her age, Lindy wasn't sure what to make of.

Akane Mitsuishi

Akane led the group to a service elevator, listening to the group. Some chatted among themselves, while others were silent.

"There's a Zasshu waiting for us here too, isn't there~?"

The girl's voice was light and airy, sounding almost amused. She tried to remember the name on the file. Her real name, not the name she'd been assigned by the TDI. "Yes, there's another Zasshu in this facility. You can hear her, can't you? And I bet she can hear all of you right now."

The elevator jerked to a sudden halt. Akane let out a low string of curses in a mix of English and Japanese that would impress any sailor before clearing her throat and returning to a businesslike manner. "Food's this way." She led the group to a room that had, for the time being, been converted into a makeshift messhall. It wasn't much to look at, being the same steel and concrete as the rest of the facility. But what really stood out was who was in it.

---

She'd gotten all of the gifts she'd chosen into a little red wagon and hauled it to the new messhall. It was practically an antique, and it was a wonder the thing hadn't rusted away decades ago, but it served Shirona's purposes just fine. The song was getting closer now. Shirona's heart began beating faster. They're here, she thought. The girl gulped water from her canteen before tossing it aside. She fixed her outfit, stopping as the door opened.

She knew the Major. The way she walked, the way she talked, even the way she smelled. But everyone else was new.

And they were like her.

Shirona smiled, her hands shaking almost imperceptibly. "Is this them Aka-nee?" she asked. Mitsuishi scowled.

"It's 'Major', 'Mitsuishi', 'Ma'am', or some combination of those three, Miss Sakurai."

"R-Right! Sorry, Major!"

Akane sighed. "Well, I suppose everyone should get acquainted. Pull up a chair and get comfy." She locked the door behind them once everyone was inside.

@LuckyBlackCat@Yankee@Metatrooper

Holding a rifle in hand made him feel like he was in a real mission. The hard ones, where life and death shook hands and played dead pool. But he didn't have one in his hand now. Which was a shame, because he wanted to feel like this was a top secret mission.
Obviously the chatter of these excited teenagers did not help with it at all.

The operative remained silent for the whole journey. He followed the group from behind, making sure nobody fell behind or sneak somewhere they weren't supposed to go. To his relief nobody tried such an action. These teenagers were more behaving than him in the age. Their parents must be proud.

Mir admired the weight of this mission as the group moved from a deserted hallway to a service elevator. It was so much of a secret nobody was supposed to see it. The security cameras had to be turned off too, probably.
"..."
The operative hardly reacted to the Major's intense swearing as the elevator grinded to a halt. He himself was frightened a little, but there was no room to look surprised. He was the kids' guard, he needed to stay tough.

This silent walking and guarding gave Mir a surprising amount of time to monologue to himself and think about random stuff. The man wondered if he could write a whole book with the content of thoughts he produced during this project as Major Akane lockdd the door of the makeshift mess hall. He stood by the door as the Major and the Zasshu prepared to get to know each other.

---

@LuckyBlackCat @PsyBlade @Yankee

Cade was stunned for a moment as Wèi lái popped up behind them. He was still just a tiny bit disoriented from the trip and from meeting new people. He regained his senses as she nudged him and the girl forward. The rain didn’t bother him that much, but looking at Wèi lái’s hairs and furs and the reptilian girl beside him, he thought of something. As the trio huddled closer together, Cade pulled back his sleeve and lifted his forearm above their heads, revealing the gray carapace covering his skin. Just a few seconds later, the carapace began to expand, stopping once it fully covered their heads and the snakes. He hoped he could make a good impression on both of them with this. The girl then introduced herself as Lindy, followed by a small, strained smile on her face. “I’m Cade.” he said meekly.

Once she mentioned the Zasshu that was waiting for them, he spoke up. “Oh yeah, I think I remember hearing that there were nine of us.” That was one of the few pieces of information his handlers had told him before he left, at least now he was sure it wasn’t a lie. He then tuned out the noise outside and focused on the signal. He reminded himself that this was a Zasshu, it sounded just like the Tenshi signals back home after all.

As the group reached the service elevator, Cade pulled back his arm and shrank his carapace down to its regular size. He felt it go numb for a few seconds, before feeling a bit sore afterwards. Though he knew how to use his power, he had by no means mastered it just yet.

The elevator shuddered for a moment as it began to descend down into the depths of the base. Some of the other Zasshu in the group were already making small talk, while others still stayed silent. The Major then confirmed Wèi Lái's suspicions, there was another Zasshu waiting for them. The elevator came to a sudden halt as it reached their destination, accompanied by a string of swears from Major Mitsuishi that Cade expected to hear from anyone but her.

The door in front of them then opened, revealing a bleak-looking mess hall and a lone figure waiting inside. It was a girl with blue hair dressed in a colorful, yet unusual, set of clothes. In her hand was the handle of a red wagon that was stuffed with various items and trinkets, some of which he recognized as pre-war relics. The new girl and the Major exchanged a few words before leaving them to get to know each other. He heard the door lock behind him as she left, which worried him a bit. As the rest of the group sat down, so did he, sitting beside Lindy. He let out a sigh and waited for someone to start speaking.

---

---

@PsyBlade @Metatrooper @Yankee

The rain stopped pelting Lindy as, from several angles, she glimpsed Cade forming a barrier above her and Wei Lai with his carapace. Neat trick, she thought - better than anything she could do. "Thanks," she said, her tiny smile returning.

For all the small talk around her, she said nothing else throughout the journey. The only sound she made was a sigh of relief upon stepping into the elevator, out of the cold - then a gasp at Major Mitsuishi's sudden and unexpected outburst as it juddered to an abrupt stop. Lindy tottered, but quickly straightened her posture. Around such a fiery-tempered person, it seemed everyone would have to be on their absolute best behaviour.

Trailing behind the major, Lindy followed her into a sparsely-furnished but warm hall, where the source of the signal stood. A blue-haired girl, pulling a red wagon loaded with trinkets, wearing a somewhat timid smile. As Mitsuishi told everyone to get talking and left, Lindy nodded and hunched into a chair, her own lips twitching up in response to the girl. She clasped the zipper of her damp jacket, hesitating. No need to be self-conscious, she told herself, they were all Zasshu here. Taking off the jacket and stretching out all five snakes from their cramped position, she rubbed her arms where smooth human skin met patterned scales.

As Cade sat beside her, despite her attempt to muster the courage to say something, she remained as silent as he did.

"I'll get us started," Shirona said; if she didn't, the Major would volunteer her. She fiddled with one of her ringlets, a nervous habit. "My name is Sakurai Shirona. I'm from... well, here." She chuckled. "I... uh..." She glanced at Major Mitsuishi, who had produced a flask from somewhere on her person and was taking a swig.

"My parents are from here in Japan," Shirona went on. "My mother's a historian, and my dad's a doctor." She tapped her lip. "Major, should I...?"

Akane nodded. "I suppose it will come up sooner or later," she said. Shirona nodded.

"I've been told that my DNA donor was Isonade, the Archon of this area." She bowed her head. "I hope we can all get along!"

@LuckyBlackCat@Metatrooper@AlternateMan@Yankee

Still standing next to the door, still standing as still as a scarecrow. Mir was half heartedly listening to the people speak as he made sure nobody uninvited was knocking on the door or was planning to perform violence against the door. Hopefully that never happened.
“...”
‘So she got a bit of the local big game.’ Mir thought to himself as he listened to Shirona’s introduction. He hadn’t got a chance to see that one yet, though he considered it a good thing. Last time he got a good view on one he got to see another, and they did a collaboration destruction of a whole city. There were a lot of people to save, and a lot more he couldn’t save. It was one giant wreck.
Mir stood guard silently. Unless someone asked him to introduce himself and the Major gave him permission to speak, he was to stay that way.

---

The moth Zasshu's wide grin softened into a grateful smile as Cade acted as an organic umbrella for the girls. She really did hate getting wet, but his carapace kept the worst of the downpour off of their heads. Wèi Lái shuffled inside the elevator as quickly as possible, and once the doors closed she separated from the other Zasshu and stretched her arms up high over her head.

"Thanks, Cade~! Rain is the woooorst," she said. Water dripped off the tips of her wings where she wasn't able to draw them under the carapace, and she resisted the urge to shake them off. She didn't wait too long however, as soon as the elevator came to a halt and the doors opened, Wèi Lái hopped out toward the side and flapped her wings to get rid of the excess rain. Once that was over with, she focused on the room at large and the girl who'd been waiting for them.

"Sakurai!" Wèi Lái repeated the Zasshu's name, waving all of her arms at the girl. The Major seemed to be strict with her, and although she was more talkative than the other two, she also seemed to be of the nervous sort. Just how exactly were her fellow Zasshu treated growing up? She'd have to get them out of their shells. Metaphorically, of course. It might hurt Cade to come out of his shell.

Wèi Lái stepped up next to the table Lindy and Cade were seated at, one hand placed on her chest and the other gesturing to the other two Zasshu as she introduced them all.

"I'm Wèi Lái~ This is Lindy and Cade! We came with Mitsu, as you know!" She used the shortened form of the Major's name to see if the woman would make a retort, "I'm from China, and I am Kougou's daughter. Don't you think that makes me sort of like a princess~?" she giggled.

"Mitsu~ You said there's food here, right?" in the absence of anyone else in the hall, Wèi Lái glanced at the soldier stationed by the door. "Can you bring us some food, Curly~?"

Clearly, the moth-like Zasshu had no issues asserting herself or making demands. She turned back to her fellows and gave them a warm smile. "Lindy, Cade and I only just met~ I don't know where they're from. Would you tell us~?"

---

---

@PsyBlade @Metatrooper @Yankee

It was only once Wei Lai had introduced her and Cade that Lindy spoke up. "Nice to meet you, Sakurai," she said softly, with a slight bow of her head, a habit she'd learned from her five years in Japan. "Uh, I'm from America, but I've lived here for quite a while." She turned all six pairs of eyes downward, tapping her foot against the chair leg, hoping nobody would ask about the reason for her move. It didn't help that there was something else to get out of the way.

"And, umm... My DNA donor is Balaur." Balaur, the Archon who had leveled an entire city in a fight with none other than Isonade, the being Shirona shared traits with. Lindy twirled one of her few locks of actual hair around her finger. Maybe she was worrying about nothing, but she couldn't ignore the possibility - would knowing of such parentage unsettle Shirona, or affect how she viewed her?

---

@LuckyBlackCat @PsyBlade @Yankee

Cade eyed both Wèi Lái and Lindy as they introduced themselves, quietly staying on his seat. He narrowed his eyes at Wèi Lái in particular, he could never be that assertive towards other people. After all, he was taught to keep his head down ever since he was a kid. After Lindy had finished, he scanned the room to see if anyone else was going to chime in, only to realize that it was his turn. After a few moments of awkward silence, he hurriedly stood up and spoke. “Hi there Sakurai, I’m Cade.” He inwardly cringed at how boring his introduction sounded. “I’m from Australia, but I’m not exactly Australian.” he added.

“My DNA donor is uhhh... Genbu, the one in China.” He quickly sat back down as his palms started to sweat. Public speaking, even if the audience numbered around ten people, was something that he was still not comfortable with. What stressed him out specifically was thinking about what other people thought of him. He let out a sigh as he rubbed his thighs, wiping off the sweat from his palms.

Shirona listened to the others as they introduced themselves. Once everyone had introduced themselves, she did her best to commit their names and faces to memory, though frankly she would probably remember them better by their scents. However, sniffing people you just met was frowned upon. She knew the names of the Archons, but she showed no malice whatsoever. "I'm glad we could all come together!" she said.

The young lady went to the little red wagon, fishing something out for everyone. "Here, Lindy-san," she said. Shirona held up an old hoodie. It would probably be quite baggy on Lindy.

Next, she handed a gumball dispenser to Cade. "Please don't try eating those," she said, chuckling. "I'm pretty sure that the candy is from the 1980's."

After handing out the rest of the gifts, she came to Wèi Lái, carrying a large box. "I hope you like this! It was really hard to come by." Shirona opened up the box, reached in... and pulled out what looked like a human leg. "Please be careful with this. It's rather fragile. The guy Dad got it from said he was surprised it hadn't broken."

---

Akane Mitsuishi

The Major glanced at Shin, waving a hand to beckon him over. "At ease," she told him. "You need to loosen up a bit. These kids might be half-Tenshi, but you don't need to worry about them." She glanced at the group. "Not yet, anyways." Akane offered the flask to him.

@AlternateMan@Yankee@LuckyBlackCat@Metatrooper