Inception

Chapter 54: The Brass

Soshiro wanted to go back home.

He'd never been a big home body. But having an adorable, vulnerable Lena in his house certainly went far in making him one. Especially since Leno had been summoned back for court marshal. Property of the State and not oneself and all that.

Sadly, Soshiro had been ordered back as well. It was time to face the music.

The music being a metal paneled room filled with the top brass, all old and all leering down their noses at him.

Despite having accepted a retired life in his mind, his heart still clenched painfully. His life would be too much like a car that wouldn't be driven even though it still worked.

To his surprise, after reading out his name, station, and the details of his actions of leaving base to hunt kaiju with a minor officer without reporting where they went, they didn't mention that he had more or less stolen military equipment. Instead, one, which Soshiro remembered particularly well due to his unfortunate nose, asked while reading off a screen as though this were a regular check in:

"Is it true that you had Captain Ashiro fill in your orders to hunt down the suspected kaiju who'd taken Ichikawa Lena rather than doing it yourself, as is protocol to do so?"

Soshiro tried very, very hard to keep a poker face. He mentally imagined nailing down his eyes with tie rods so he wouldn't look over at the Captain in question.

"Yes," he said.

Welp, if she was going to lie, like hell he'd let her down and let her get caught in it. Especially if it was to save his sorry ass.

"Is it true that you used your authority to pressure Dr. Derrell Cromwell to unlock Lab Delta's security 5 room so you could access the Ichikawa Metis-40-A suit?"

Well, Cromwell more or less threw it at him when he'd seen both him and little brother Ichikawa, but he didn't want to get him in trouble either. Oh, what to say.

"I included in the report that Dr. Cromwell took it upon himself to surrender the suit," said Captain Ashiro. "He is invested in Ichikawa Lena's work and knew of it's functions."

"We've already gotten calls from Russian National affairs about illicit sightings of it. Did Cromwell know of the consequences of letting that suit out of Third Division's lab?"

"Seeing as it is property of the Ichikawa's, I wouldn't say he had any right to keep it once Ichikawa Leno had requested it. It was to Officer Ichikawa that Cromwell gave the suit to, and therefore there was no trespass."

"Then the responsibility of the Russian ire can go upon him," said another, dry as several day old bread.

"He did it to save his sister," said another, who Soshiro vaguely recalled having a sister himself. A twin, even, who worked in operations on another base.

"The Defense Force is here to protect the population as a whole, not for dangerous rescue missions for one scientist who was most likely dead."

"But she wasn't," piped Soshiro, unable to help himself. The flicker of their sharp attention to him made the hairs on his neck prickle. "Pardon my interruption to say so. You did receive my report?"

"Yes, and I find it difficult to believe," said Mr. Unfortunate-Nose, leaning back in his chair, which didn't so much as squeak. "Captured by Kaiju No. 9 with no wounds to speak of? For what purpose would he have to kidnap her? Something isn't right."

"Which is why," broke in another, his eyes hard on Soshiro. "We have brought you in for questions. But no matter the answers, we are still ordering Ichikawa Lena back for house arrest and medical observation. We don't know what Kaiju No. 9 could have done to her in the time he had her—or why."

"It could have been because of her research," said another.

"Again, we do not know. While this event has brought to light the results of her efforts, it has yet to produce results that could make the sort of difference in our war against the kaiju that would draw the apprehension of a numbered kaiju."

"Though really, human fortitude for combat suits without a trial run or DNA test, who would have thought?" murmured another. "You just point and no one is the wiser."

"And she plans on being able to manipulate it as well."

"Perhaps that could even roll over to making more compatiable with the numbered weapons."

"Gentlemen, this isn't the time."

A swell of pride warmed Soshiro's otherwise chilly chest. Of course his future wife would change the world.

Now to just make sure none of these old stooges could ruin that.

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While we were drinking smoothies in the car the other day, I started whistling on my smoothie straw, because I'm talented like that. It annoyed my eldest and he kept whining at me to stop like I was stabbing him with a pen. My youngest started cackling, though, and said, "I like you, Mom. You annoy Kai. I like that." 

Kai-eldest at 10 years old. The youngest is 5.