Infinite Stratos: Uncle Sam

Chapter 2

Ichika didn't have the slightest clue where in America he was right now. Heck, he didn't even think he could name five states. Was Hawaii even a state?

Very soon after he had agreed to Angela's proposal, he'd been thrown into a hurricane of preparation. It wasn't long until they shuttled him onto an unmarked van then another helicopter afterwards. They had left around mid afternoon but the trip didn't end until the morning sun was rising once again. Even though Ichika didn't really get motion sick, he still felt queasy as a result.

Ichika took a peek inside the single duffle bag they tossed into his arms at some point. Inside were several different pairs of military looking clothing, toiletries, and two pairs of boots. He idly wondered how they knew his sizes before shrugging. Military people just knew these kinds of things.

He felt the jolt of the helicopter touching down through his seat and quickly closed the bag. He still didn't know where he was, probably on the Atlantic side of America?

The heavy side door to the helicopter suddenly slid open, a woman with dark brown hair tied into a neat ponytail peeking inside.

"Grab your bag and get out, Orimura."

"Y-Yes ma'am!" Ichika sounded off with gusto. He did his best to emulate the movies he'd seen.

The woman grunted. "For now you will refer to me as instructor, am I clear?"

"Yes instructor!"

"Good, then follow me. You're the last recruit of the cycle to arrive," the instructor stated, marching away at a brisk pace that Ichika struggled to keep up with.

Ichika's mind wandered slightly as he practically ran to keep up with the instructor as she strode through the military base. It really was just like on t.v. The only difference was there weren't rows of guys being screamed at by scary looking adults. There wasn't anybody in fact, with only an empty quiet drifting throughout the base instead.

The instructor led Ichika into a building and opened the door to what Ichika could only describe as a pseudo classroom. Desks were arranged in the center of the room facing a whiteboard. It felt despairingly empty, only containing the bare necessities to sufficiently teach a group of students.

Seven gazes instantly zeroed in on him. Seven girls, mostly around his age, were seated in the desks and were keenly scrutinizing him. Ichika gulped at the varying expressions that were leveled at him.

"Instructor, why is there a boy here?" The girl pointed to Ichika like he was a convicted felon.

"This boy is capable of piloting an IS, thus he will be training alongside you," the instructor replied, stone faced.

"But instru-"

"Silence, there is no time for idle chatter. Take a seat Orimura," the instructor commanded, gesturing to an empty desk which Ichika quickly took before setting his duffle bag to the side.

Taking a position in front of the whiteboard, the instructor crossed her arms. "As of now you are fresh recruits training to be FOXHOUND operators. You will be primarily trained on how to destroy the enemy physically, mentally, and emotionally whilst piloting an IS. Further, you will be taught several disciplines that are standard to tier one operators."

The instructor received a round of serious nods from the girls followed by Ichika a second later.

"However, the IS is first and foremost a weapon and weapons are wielded by warriors. Therefore you will first be indoctrinated to our way of life before you are instructed how to be a pilot," she continued.

After a brief pause, the instructor continued her speech. "The organization that you will be training for is a highly secretive one. FOXHOUND gets dirty so that Uncle Sam stays clean, that's the mission and our solemn duty. You will now and forever be expected to abide by this creed. Do not break this expectation, am I understood?"