The New Blue Steel: Redesigned

Chapter 3

Iona, who has already left Kongou at the Southern Island, had created another clone of hers which Kongou is now currently fighting.

"Wait, where's Gunzou?!!" Kongou panicked. She leaves her battleship to fight Iona's clone and she heads where she had a talk with Iona. He saw no Gunzou around.

"Damn it!!" she curses. "She has Gunzou."

Kongou went back to her battleship and it took her an hour to sink Iona's clone. She heads back to Iwo Jima with her damaged ship.

"Takao's here," Kirishima says upon detecting Kongou.

"What the hell is going on?!" Takao exclaimed when she couldn't detect Gunzou in Kongou's ship. Kongou reached their whereabout with a bitter expression plastered on her face.

"Kongou, your ship is too damaged," says Hyuuga. "I will fix it as fast as I can."

Takao shook Kongou's shoulders in anger as well as fear of losing Gunzou.

"Gunzou, where is he?!" she exclaimed. "Why is he not here with you?!"

"Iona took her," Kongou replied. "I am truly sorry. I didn't notice it because I was being attacked by I-401."

Takao, who has been controlled by her anger, slapped the blonde woman.

"I shouldn't have trusted you to take him!!" she yelled. "How could you let her take my captain?!"

"I apologize since I wasn't able to take him back," says Kongou. "But don't you dare lay your hand on me again. You do not know how strong Iona has become. You do not know how much I struggled to fight her and her clone. Why don't you go and see how greatly damaged my ship is? It even took me an hour to sink her merely clone. If you were to face her with or without Gunzou, you will be finished in 30 minutes."

Kongou stares at Takao with her cold and sharp glare. Takao wasn't able to retort against her because what Kongou said is true. She knew that Kongou is still stronger than her even if she had defeated her before. She was only able to win against her because Kongou has surrendered and has disengaged her corrosive warhead which could've ended her.

Takao stomped away and sailed out alone.

"Takao!!" Hyuuga yelled out. "You can't go alone!!"

"I will go and take Gunzou back!!" Takao yelled back.

On the other hand, Gunzou finally wakes up. He looks around and realizes that he is inside a wardroom. It was pretty clean and tidy so he thought that there must be someone around. He stood up and took a closer look around the room. He saw few personal cabins which could be being used by the crew of the ship. He enters in a spherical room which seems to be the bridge deck. He sees a raised platform with two seat and between these two is an elevated space. In front of the platform lies three crew stations which are arranged in a semi-circle. He also saw big screens which seems to display the tactical data.

He took his exit from the bridge deck and was startled upon seeing Iona playing a starfish.

"It seems that you're perfectly fine, human," she says without looking at him.

"What are you planning?" Gunzou asks as he sits across the girl.

"You're not my captain so you do not have to know," says Iona. "Just stay here until I finish my mission. You're in my way so I have to keep you in here to avoid you from contacting the other mental models."

"Don't tell me this is inside your ship?" Gunzou asks.

"It is," Iona replies. "Is there something wrong?"

"I'd never thought that something like this exist in her ship. It seems to have been made for humans since it has a wardroom, cabins and a bridge deck," Gunzou thought. "And honestly speaking, it looks better than that of Takao's."

"If ever you're hungry, you can use the kitchen and cook anything you want," Iona says.

"You have food stored in here as well?" Gunzou asks upon opening the refrigerator which is unusual to be seen inside a 'Fog' ship.

"Yes," replies Iona. "I, too, get hungry from time to time."

"What?!" Gunzou asks himself. "How could a mental model get hungry? Is she another type of 'Fog'? Wait, what if she's created to perfectly infiltrate human settlements? Maybe I should use this chance to know her more. It would be an advantage to us if I successfully know what she's exactly into."

While Gunzou is observing the bridge deck once more, Iona has made herself busy for a while. Gunzou tried controlling the fire control station to see how many weapons I-401 has.

"You're wasting your time, human. You can't control my ship without my permission," says Iona who has been watching Gunzou and is sitting on the captain's seat.

"Iona," Gunzou calls out. "Why do you destroy and kill humans who has done nothing to you?"

"I have no obligation to tell you, human," replies Iona as she takes her exit from the bridge deck.

Gunzou, who has failed to take control of I-401's fire station, headed to the wardroom and sees Iona eating. He sees another plate across her which seems to be served for him.

"Eat it if you want," says she. He takes his seat and starts eating in silence.

After a while, Iona stops eating for a second upon detecting Takao's presence. She starts eating once again since Takao wouldn't be able to detect her.

"It seems that Takao is searching for you," she says. "She sure is fast."

Gunzou freezes for a moment. "Damn it!! She's as reckless as ever!! She knew how dangerous it would be to go against Iona and yet she came!!"

"I am not planning to destroy her yet so finish your food," Iona says which made him come back to his senses. "Should I destroy her or should I spare her? Which one do you want?"

"Why are you giving me a choice now?" asks Gunzou.

"Nevermind. Whichever you choose, I'm still going to destroy her completely," Iona says. "I am still deciding which of you both that I should kill first."

"I think you should kill me first," replies Gunzou. "Because with or without me, Takao will destroy you."

Iona stares at him as if observing him closely. Gunzou suddenly grabs her hand and stares back at her with anger in his eyes.

"Don't try my patience, Iona," he says. "Destroy her or any of my crewmate and I will surely destroy you without leaving any piece of you."

"A mere human like you couldn't kill me," Iona replies. "And Takao could barely win against my clone, could she win against me? She couldn't even detect me, I could destroy her with just two Super-Graviton Cannon."

Iona takes Gunzou's hand away from her before going inside her cabin.

"Choose any room you want to stay in," she says. "If you're planning to escape, it's no use since we're underwater and there's no exit unless I create one."

Iona enters in her own cabin while Gunzou enters in the Engine Room. He tried accessing it but it suddenly shutdown. He takes his exit from the room since it couldn't be accessed anymore.

"Did she purposely shut I-401 down?" Gunzou asks. He enters inside a cabin and takes his rest. "Iona is totally different from Takao. She could turn into either a battleship or a submarine whenever she wants. Her corrosive warheads are stronger than any Fog ship since it could destroy a wave-force armor easily. What else does she differ from the others?"