The Rhapsodies of Metal and Flame

Sol-Install

All rights reserved to Daisuke Ishiwatari.

Even as a man of science, Frederick could only call his eyes snapping open a miracle.

The darkness split open as the man was met with the sight of craggled and charred ground. His head was still reeling from the impact of where he had landed. He could feel his brow crease and his heart pick up as he remembered what led him to this point. His throat choked up as his head swerved back and forth between rage and confusion.

"Asuka...Why?"

His friend and superior had called him to the roof of the Gear Project facility to discuss Aria's TP infection. She'd been critical for days now and wouldn't budge on going into Cryosleep. Frederick had dropped everything and rushed up the stairs as the world blurred around him.

The two of them couldn't let it end this way. They couldn't let Aria down, Frederick knew he couldn't live without her. He threw the door open, not even bothering to close it and walked out into the cool air. The skies were black all around him. Asuka was standing near the balcony and moved to shut the door as Frederick himself moved to where his friend had been. Frederick could feel his heart slow as he looked out to the neon city below him. The subject of Aria's condition had made him frantic as usual, of course it did, his fiance was at stake. But he knew he needed to calm down, going maniac wouldn't solve anything, not now, not ever. Letting out a heavy sigh as his blood cooled, he turned around to face his friend.

His veins went scolding hot when he saw the gun in Asuka's hand.

Fredrick's mouth exploded into a barrage of frantic pleading and fearful demands of an explanation. His heart was hammering against his chest as he felt the hair of his skin stand on end. No matter what he said, Asuka kept the weapon in his firm grip. Frederick felt his body seize as his friend's finger pressed down on the trigger. The brown-haired scientist felt the nothingness take him as his friend uttered five haunting words.

"Fredrick—-you're going to die."

And after everything went black, here he was, aches pulsing across his body and having fallen off the highest point in the city and yet, still alive. Despite how much he wanted to pull himself up and race into that facility to find Asuka squeeze an answer out of his throat, the impossibility and intensity of the past few seconds kept Frederick's brain stuck on 'Why?' and 'What now?'. What would happen to Aria? What was this all about? And most urgently, how was he still alive?

Looking around the entrance to the facility and reaching upward with his left hand to rub his still-pounding head, Frederick's eyes widened as he saw the limb that responded.

What responded was a hulk of flesh resembling a forearm, its digits were as sharp as nails with his once-tanned skin now glassy smooth and simmering red with some strange form of power.

What the hell? Frederick thought as he pushed himself to his feet. Looking down, he could see that his feet were much the same as his hand, his torso seeming to follow suit. Judging by how far his feet were from him now, he had at least gotten a few inches taller. Pulling out his left arm a bit further, he could see that his limb had exploded with muscle as well as the strange red sheen. Putting two and two together, Sol could feel his seemingly-sharpened teeth clench as the haze of confusion melted away from his mind. Asuka, what the hell did you do to me?

Before Frederick could get any madder a voice cut him off. Not from the surrounding area, but from his own thoughts.

Don't worry.It growled out eagerly. Its tone was low and demonic.We'll find him.