Author's Note

Back again, hope you enjoy.

''Delay always breeds danger, and to protract a great design is often to ruin it.''

-Miguel de Cervantes.

Another Delay

The mood for the entire ride from Starlight's little cult place was, as I thought so, quiet.

From what I was able to gather once the rest of us came to backup Daring and Snow, it seemed that Starlight left in the midst of our friends fighting her off. We came to the conclusion that I did to a degree once we touched down in her village.

Starlight was fucking crazy.

The actions of Rin and Blank going against the mission was also something that had to be taken into account as we worked to set things rights before we left.

A few of the books that were left in Starlight's house failed to explain what she used to basically enslave the town, but the only natural thing I could think of was to use Yuu's electricity as a mass spread to shock the residents back to their former selves. It certainly was a miracle that it worked, but we still had to find some way to improve the situation we were in.

And that little hat bet was thrown out of the way once we got back on the ship.

''And the last thing I remember, that wench knocked me with her staff before I blacked out,'' Rin recounted the events of what she and Blank attempted to do, only for the both of them to be changed and put under Starlight's control. It seemed that this different personality, Nir, was entirely a fabricated personally formed from the spell that Starlight made from her more primal than anything.

''Same here,'' Blank nodded as she nursed her headache, looking to see the clouds pass us by. Daring and Echo coordinated where we would go next, which they honestly did not have the smallest idea of where to go, and even what to do if they had such an idea. ''But glad you guys were able to bring us to our senses before anything too bad happened.''

''I would not go so far as to say that, but we were vigilant in our mission to free you and these fellow ponies from the grip of corruption,'' Hanabi commented as she still shot a bit of a sour look to Rin for their little disagreement on that night. I completely understood, seeing as Rin and her emotions always had a way to complicate certain matters that may have required a bit of finesse. Hanabi, however, smiled once she relished in the thought of battle. ''The thrill of the fight has replaced this sour feeling in my heart of hearts.''

''But where did Starlight go? Are you sure that we can just let her go when she might do this again?'' Grass Song asked, worried about Starlight escaping; there wasn't much to be done when it came to finding out her next move. And we did have a mission to get back home to Detroit versus anything else.

This world may be in a bit of a pickle, but it's not like we can just take this fight on two fronts.

''We need to find something; otherwise, this will be all for nothing,'' I said, gripping the railing with a passion. The thought of Junko, and whatever the hell her plan for the city began to stir within my mind.

''Ai! Master, the local police and even the military may be able to hold her off for the moment, but we should still make it out priority to make it back as soon as possible!”

“Indeed, Ai,” Hanabi agreed, her face scrunched in thought. “But how what means would we be able to use from this world to return to our own?”

That I didn’t have the slightest clue about; I only hoped that something would happen that would be beneficial to us in some way, no matter how small.

Detroit. . .

The sound of various machines beeping in the background did little to deter Junko’s current thought process.

Chloe and the rest of her followers made it a point to secure some of her ‘assets’ in the midst of the retaliation of the city. Detroit was certainly a beautiful city that offered a great many things, and that in itself made it a target for the rest of the world, if not within the borders of America itself.

Some may call her ideals. . .different and unthinkable, but she cared not for any information or concerns that did not provide a postive side of events. Before long, her control on the city would be finished, and any resistance outside or in would be at her mercy.

“Ma’am,” a scientist walked over to her as she looked upon the testing area before her covered by thick plexiglass and military-grade barricades that provided the utmost protection if anything unaccounted for happened. That, paired with hard light shields and inertia dampers made for a safe environment. “We are ready to begin on your command.”

“Excellent, please see to it that everything happens with the utmost caution and attention; I do not want to have a reason to make my day more difficult if need be, understand?” Junko looked to the doctor who nearly wet himself in fear at the piercing gaze she laid upon him.

Those cold, blue eyes that seemed to breach the way to a never ending pool of soul reaping torment and shame.

“Yes, of course. Start the process!”

Junko walked over to console that displayed the information about Last Order as she was finished being checked over by workers before leaving the room. What were they intending to do with her? Why was she strapped down? Why was she fitted with an IV? And why did everything feel so wrong?
“M-Master?”

“I need results, Last Order,” Junko spoke into the intercom, folding her arms as she needed to have some semblance of control when it came to achieving her true goal.

Finding him.

“W-What can I do?” Last Order whimpered, almost being on the verge of crying once again as the head strap was pulled rather tightly and making her forehead raw from all the moving around. The giant helmet clamps that encompassed her neck, chin, behind her ears and on top of her head felt cold and lifeless.

“You claim to not know where you sent the two of them, and I do not believe that for a second,” Junko simply said, knowing the scope of Last Order’s memory for her remember on her own to be shoddy from time to time, but this process would eliminate all of that headache. “We need to ascertain the coordinates by peering directly into your mind.”

Last Order began to cry, pulling and tugging at her restraints, she knew enough of what her master was saying to know what was going to come next. It. . .always hurt, and made her feel weird afterwards. “N-No!~ Please; anything but that!”

Junko ignored her protests, waving her hand to the doctor who went over to dim the light on the wall, slowly dimming the view until darkness engulfed Last Order’s view of them, but not vice versa.

“It will be over before you know it.” Junko gripped a fighter jet style lever, slowly pulling it back as the machine behind Last Order came to life, whirring and clicking before her shouts were heard, the purest sound of agony and suffering as the information came in spades. “Your powers of opening into space and time is often a tricky situation when you fail to think, but we will rectify this,” Junko rapped her fingers against her leg.

“Vitals are spiking for the moment, obtaining the brainwave signals, rerouting into the translation system, progress is at 50, going on 65%.” Junko cracked a small smile, knowing her prize would soon be in her grasp. “Retrieving destination coordinates. . .locked on.”

“Open the portal,” Junko said as the doctor pressed a few buttons, a almost defeaning whoosh of wind sounding from behind the wall, flanked only by the chiming of the sensors of the room alerting them of the small time limit. “Open up the second door, and prepare for the jump.”

“Lady Junko, we are ready,” a voice chirped through her earpiece com. “What are your orders?”

Junko only wanted one thing, and one thing only; anybody else were of no consequence.

“Capture my brother and bring him back by any means necessary; everything else in your path is irrelevant.”

“A-And Akame, Ma’am?” another meek, though raspy voice asked.

That was indeed a good point, Akame would be a cog thrown in the wheel she did not expect, so she should be taken care of.

“Order of precedence; if you can capture, do so. If not, kill, and leave no trace.” Junko said.

“Worry not, your grace. We will take care of everything.” Junko hmmed at the last voice who chipped in, sounding assured and excited. “Question; is Chloe not coming with?”

Chloe would be possibly the most pivotal part of all, she merely had yet to be there.

“She will join once you all make contact; we will only be to communicate when the portal is open, so stand by until she gets there after you touch down first. We have no information about where you will be, only that Lady Junko’s brother and Rin Akame will be there, so it would be beneficial to hold nothing back,” the scientist chimed in, running a check of the systems at the last moment.

“Worry not, mucker. We are the best of the best. Redeye and the brother will be no problem for us.”