Danball Senki Last Re:Arise

In Country A

Far away from Tokio city, on the other side of the globe, a certain brunette sat down to her table with a tablet set before her. Her pencil hovering inches above the screen while her green eyes lingered on the people passing on the other side of the footpath, looking for any inspiration or trigger. She didn't notice a certain blonde stealing behind her until the woman took off her glasses, forcing her to look back.

Elie rolled her eyes with a sigh and tried to retrieve her pink oval-framed spectacles. "Give those back, Jessica."

" No can do." The older woman laughed as she settled down on the other chair, stowing the stolen item in her tote bag. "I don't want to spend the afternoon speaking to myself while you press your nose on that tablet."

Elie considered her for a moment before hiding her device in her backpack. " Satisfied now?" She said giving her a pointed look and the woman nodded approvingly before calling the waitress over.

"So? When are you leaving?" The blonde leaned on the table and closer to her, apparently mistaking their friendly meeting for a questioning session. Elie knew it was because of her line of work that Jessica picked that habit and she was growing accustomed to it.

" Tonight." Said Elie as she retrieved the glasses and deposited them carefully into their package. "Onii-chan has a project validation so we had to wait for him."

" And you're going, just the three of you?" Jessica raised an eyebrow.

" Lilyan-san will be staying back here. She can't miss on her training for the recital." Elie gave a sigh as she cradled her face in her hand. " We told her we could wait until after it, but she insisted we shouldn't miss on spending the new year back home."

" She's got a point you know. It's been a year since all three of you had gone home to Japan." Jessica pointed as she leaned back on her chair. " I get that life is busy, but you shouldn't forget the friends and family you've got back there."

" Spare me your pep talk." Elie snatched her iced coffee as soon as the waitress deposited it on the table. " You're just interested in the other thing."

" What other thing?" Jessica tried hard to conceal the smile as she held her tea to her mouth but it was all in vain. " Well alright, I'm interested in that too. I mean, it's about time he asks for your hand officially. You're telling me all about it later, right."

" Let me see." Elie feigned contemplating before staring Jessica in the eye. " Nope."

" Why?!"

" A payback for the stalling we got on our first date." Elie sipped on her coffee.

" Come on, you're still angry about that!" Jessica choked on her drink.

" Angry? No, not at all. Just hoping for some privacy."

" Touché." Jessica sulked in her seat. " You would be having fun back at Tokio and I will be stuck with yet another patrol on New Year's Eve. "

" Aw, but it would be fun for you too." Elie had a teasing smirk. " Jack will be there with you."

" Don't you bring it up again!" Jessica warned with her face glowing in red.

" You're convinced now he has nothing for you?" Elie quirked her eyebrow.

" I never thought such thing!"

" Oh look, he's coming into the café," Elie said looking past her.

" Haha, very funny! If you're waiting for me to be flustered then you're too dim, Elie. I would never be moved by the like of him."

" The like of who?" Jessica jolted and whirled her head to see the said man standing right by her side, clad in a casual outfit and a green military jacket to fend against the cold. Elie was finding it strange to see him wearing anything but his uniform.

" Jack! What... why..." She cleared her throat as she faced him. " What brings you here?"

" I was looking for you."

" For me?" Jessica's cheeks went pink at that.

" I needed to inform you we're scheduled for watch out tonight."

" Oh... oh" A hint of disappointment in her voice. " I thought it's Geroge and Sam's shift today?"

" George and Samantha had an urgent leave. We are to fill for them."

" Great." Jessica heaved a sigh as she looked back at Elie. " I won't be able to see you off then."

" That's fine. I mean, protecting the national defense base comes first." Elie interjected. " Besides-"

She was cut off by a sudden burst. The pulps hanging off the ceiling shone brighter before erupting into thousands of shreds. The customers shrieked and scumbled under their tables to defend themselves. Jack acted quickly and pulled both women under the table as well as a shower of glass and sparks cascaded from the roof.

A moment passed and once everything was still, Jessica slowly climbed out of her hiding spot. " Jack! Are you alright?!"

The man stood up and brushed the fragments of the glass on his jacket. "Ah. No wounds whatsoever. Yet..." As he turned to inspect what was left of the exploding pulps, the glass underneath him crunched. " What on earth just happened here?"

No one had an answer...

***

Ban groaned as he dropped his bag on the ground and slumped next to his best friend in the lobby. " It didn't go well I take it." Jin looked up from a few papers and to the brunette sitting by his side.

" No... not actually..." Ban heaved a sigh and sank in the seat. " It was postponed..." He looked back at Jin, noting the papers and the absence of his tablet.

" Power surge." They both said at the same time and Ban quirked his brow. " You too?" Jin nodded.

" Apparently it happened all over the country." A third voice added. Elie walked over to them while pulling on a pink and white suitcase. She checked the huge screen overhead only to find their plane number had moved down beyond its original time.

" And the reason why?" Elie looked back at Jin and shook her head.

" Jessica said they're still investigating the whole incident. Nothing is sure yet. All they know is that more than two-thirds of the country's devices rebooted themselves after it."

" That's exactly what happened during the validation." Ban interrupted.

" Anyway, the Fire Sweets are dealing with this so we shouldn't be worried. If anything I trust Jessica to get a hold of things, when her mind is in place." She took the seat next to Jin before glancing back at her brother. " Isn't Lilyan-san coming to see us off?"

" About that, apparently it's because of the power surge, but there seems to be a major accident in the subway. So she couldn't make it." Ban answered. " It was a stroke of luck that there weren't any serious injuries."

Jin folded the papers he had in hand and put them away in his bag before turning to the other two. " The thing is, Eva called a couple of days ago and said the same thing happened in Japan." Both green eyes narrowed at his words. " She wouldn't say much about it. But by the look of what has happened here, I doubt she has much choice on the matter." He gave them a known look.

" Something is happening in the world and she probably knows about it." Elie tapped her chin before her mind was set. " That's it then, first stop back in Japan, your house, Jin." The other two men agreed.