Girls Und Panzer: Rise of an Emperor

Chapter 8

The sound of a tape being loaded into a cassette tape player echoed, and someone pressed the play button. The tape began to play as someone placed the WALKMAN in the middle of a table. A recorded voice of Houston spoke up.

"What's up?" Houston's recorded voice inquired.

"Do you know about the secret project that your father created... The well Les... Enfants... Terribles," Jefferson's voice on the recording added.

This caused Houston to chuckle upon hearing Jefferson's accent or speaking mishap when trying to pronounce the project name in French.

"I guess that's why you never liked the French nor took any French classes," Houston remarked.

"Hm... Well, all that Catherine the Great and those palace talks ruined it for me," Jefferson replied with a huff.

"Les Enfants Terribles... The terrible children," Houston said, pronouncing the French phrase perfectly, then translated it into English.

"That project that your father started after what you told me," Jefferson recalled.

"So, anything new about it?" Houston inquired.

"Well, you said your father continued the project until he later abandoned it. After he shut it down, I was worried about what happened to you, or should I say your 'other' siblings," Jefferson said, quoting the others.

"They're no siblings of mine... the only true sibling is Red; he's my true sibling. And one thing's for sure, they're not me nor Red," Houston asserted.

"So, what are they? Just a bunch of cells grown in a lab?" Jefferson asked.

"What they are is much sicker than that," Houston replied.

"Well, not to Sienna... After you and her faced each other during the Oshima Island match a few months ago against the Federation Sensha Do when your old Commander came back from the grave," Jefferson said as he continued.

"Even though, after you killed her, to her, she a copy of you and Red... They're you down to the last hair," Jefferson explained.

"Hm... I guess," Houston replied.

"However, there's another one besides Sienna," Jefferson continued.

"What do you mean?" Houston asked.

"Well, review your father's statement. He said that he created two, one was Sienna, and the other was a boy. However, the boy has disappeared, might as well be called abandoned; he ran away. Pretty sure he found out about his birth, just like he found out about your 'half-sister's' birth," Jefferson explained.

"Hm..." Houston then continued listening about his supposedly 'half-brother.'

"Pretty sure he's out there, which your father doesn't know where he ran off. But, however, I have a feeling he's alive out there. Even if he's alive, Houston, what's the plan?" Jefferson asked.

"Well, at first, I have nothing to say to him. Treat him like a human being, just another person, not like my brother," Houston said.

"I mean, he grew up without me, without any connection to this messed-up legacy. It wouldn't be fair to impose any expectations or assumptions on him," Houston explained.

Jefferson nodded in understanding, "True, it's a lot to take in. But what if he seeks you out? What if he wants answers, or worse, revenge for whatever he believes your father put him through?"

Houston sighed, "I'll face that when it comes. If he's out there, living his life away from this chaos, I won't disrupt it. But if he ever needs answers or decides to confront me, I won't turn him away. We'll deal with it then."