The Runner
by BCE
An Arpeggio of Blue Steel fanfic

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Title: Reboot Resurrection
Prompt: n/a
Word Count:4500+
Rating: T
Summary: You are not who you were before, you are both more and less. Follow one man whose life ended and began with the arrival of Blue Steel.

Disclaimer: I do not own Arpeggio of Blue Steel

Notes: Give it a shot, please?

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/Boot-up complete.
Running system checks/

Waking up was... Normally groggy, I guess is the best way to put it. This time was odd. More than groggy, but at the same time less. This time felt more structured, but I was aware of less before becoming fully awake.

/Hull integrity:100%
...Sensors:online-passive
...Weapons:locked down
...Klein-Field:powered down
...Drives:powered down
...Ballast:setup required/

There's a buzzing in my ears, faint but structured like a scratchy radio station with the volume low. When my awareness became more focused, I almost wished it hadn't.

"Iona, how is he?"

"The core is not registering any anomalies, Gunzou-kun."

I know those names... But, not why...

"You confirmed the crossover was complete?"

"We determined there is a four point three percent chance of flaws or failures within the transfer, to varying degrees. We will not know until he assumes control of the core, and generates a mental model or activates the ship."

Failures? Transfer? I struggle to open my eyes, but I'm not even sure I have them...

/Accessing nano particles...
Generating mental model: Runner.../

My eyes snap open, accompanied by more buzzing, and I finally realize the odd hum in the background was a voice.

"Where am I?" Despite the fact I had just woken up, my voice is clear and strong, my body feels charged and ready, and I sit up, "what happened?"

"Do you know your name?" looking to my right I spot an oddly familiar young man and similarly familiar young woman. Gunzou and Iona respectively, I assume. The question was hers.

"It's-" I don't know, I suddenly realize. My mind calls up SS-275, but that's not the name for this me... What? "I don't... Know?"

"Tell us what you can recall, and we will proceed from there." She responds, her eyes soft as she glances to the man beside her, "Gunzou-kun, please have Takao check the lock down, and request Hyuuga join me. I will alert you if I need you."

He nods, eyes hooded in thought. He rests his hand on her shoulder, lingering a moment, then calmly leaves the cramped med-bay. For the first time I realize I'm on one of the three beds in the small room, and that my two visitors had stood in the space between my bed and the next over.

"I am Iona, mental model of I-401." she begins, and I focus on her as she hops up and sits on the bed behind her, "This is my medical bay. We are currently docked one kilometer outside San Diego awaiting final resupply before departing for Yokosuka, Chihaya Gunzou's home."

"He's your captain...?" I begin, frustrated that it seems I know more about the people I've woken up to than myself.

"Correct." She blinks, finally, and tilts her head slightly, "You have yet to ask about yourself."

I blink at the unsubtle attempt at a hint, mulling over what I'm aware of... And realizing I dread asking what it might mean...

"I... Died, didn't I?" Transfer, crossover, flaws and failures. Either I'm a clone or-

"Please calm yourself." She implores, and I detect the faint change in the tone of her voice, "You have nothing to fear, you are safe here."

"I feel trapped..." And it's true, I feel like iron bands wrap around my chest, arms and legs even though I see no belts holding me to the bed. I focus on wiggling my fingers, and the obvious bit of freedom right in front of my eyes helps me a little, "just... What is the situation...?"

"Please focus on remaining calm, or the locks will remain in place." She orders, her tone softening slightly as she continues, "Two days ago a group of Fog destroyers attempted to attack this base and destroy both myself and the Vibration Warhead we had delivered.

"During the course of the battle your destroyer intercepted a corrosive torpedo intended for me after my Klein-field had dropped. While the maneuver saved us, it crippled your ship." A faint smile touched her lips, "Despite the damage to the stern of your ship, you and your crew maintained sufficient control and operational capacity to engage and disable a Fog Gato-class patrol submarine.

"However, this victory was short-lived," here Iona's eyes became downcast as she continued, and I had to fight the surge of sorrow as I began to recall what had happened, my last memories before waking up here, "A Fog Heavy Cruiser, which had used the destroyers as cover, fired its super-gravity cannon. Your ship, and all crew, were lost."

"Then how did I get here? Why am I not dead?" I flex my fingers, turning my hand over and then forming a fist.

"What did you do to me?" I plead.

"That is a question for me, the genius Hyuuga-chan!"

The two of us look to the door to find a slightly older, taller woman in a lab coat, sweater and skirt, her orange-brown hair curled on top of her shoulders. Arms crossed, she smirks knowingly at me, a shiver running up my spine as she walks over and sits shoulder to shoulder with Iona. The faint look of annoyance on the face I-401's Mental Model is lost on the other woman.

"No need to fill me in, I was outside waiting and heard what you've said so far." she declared airily, then smirked again, "Besides, I still have my backdoor into your core, so I know your conflicted and missing large chunks of memory, so-"

"WHAT?!" while Iona seems shocked at Hyuga's admission, my yell is less surprise and more anger, some instinctive knowledge helping me understand the violation of personal space.

"Hyuuga, you said you'd leave him alone." Iona admonished, tone rebuking but soft.

"And I will, once he's fully adapted and accepted his position now." Hyuuga brushed aside Iona's rebuke with a wince, turning to me as her smirk appeared for the third time, "Tell me, you've figured it out, yes?"

"I'm Fog?" my question instantly draws a snort of laughter from Hyuuga, Iona tilting her head the smallest degree, "What?"

"Focus in here," the brunette tapped her temple, "Focus on pulling up your ship specifications. Then I'll tell you what I did. It's absolutely brilliant! Sister Iona should be suitably impressed!"

I sigh and grumble, the by-play oddly calming, and mentally summon 'my' ship's information.

"Oh my... perhaps a bit of training?" Hyuga's comment has me opening my eyes.

[specs: Gato-class submarine, 1x 5in deck gun, 2x 40mm bofors anti-air, 6x .50caliber machine guns, 6x bow torpedo tubes, 4x stern torpedo tubes, short-range radar, upgraded sonar. No torpedoes in magazine, weapons locked down]

"Oh... Wow..." I breath, looking over the stats and image of the ship on the holographic display I'd summoned up, the spinning rings of forest green around me adding to the effect, "This is... me...? Or, my... ship self?"

"Correct. The torpedo tubes are the only weapons which require ammunition, as the others are beam cannons." Hyuuga points out, clinical as she begins to speak, a welcome change from her earlier haughty or arrogant attitude, "As you might have finally guessed, you occupy a Fog ship's Core, taking on most of the qualities and abilities including a Mental Model like us. You, however, are male where we are female. You are also not a true Fog persona.

"You are the transferred and copied mind of the ship captain that saved Sister Iona." so much for clinical, I lament, as the former Battleship continues in a haughty tone, "While your body did not survive, it lasted long enough without brain damage for me to fully map and download your personality and memories. Unfortunately, there were errors in the transfer and copying process which caused a degradation in your memories.

"But I've been running diagnostics in the background, and I've found nothing else wrong." she declares as I stare at her in what she must think is awe, but what is really a mix of horror and shock, "You're still you, just missing a large part of your memories. Which is unfortunate, because then you'd know first hand why I'm doing this and not because of stories told by people around you."

And so saying, she grabs my face and proceeds to shove her tongue down my throat. She must take my freezing in place as an invitation, a notion I quickly disabuse her of by shoving her off me and across the other bed with a scream of so many tangled emotions it will take me weeks or months to sort out.

"What the H_LL! You tell me I'm a copy, then tell me I've forgotten all my family and friends like it's no big deal, and try to make out with me as reward for saving your crush!" I yell as she picks herself up and Iona leans away from me wincing, my hands pull at my short cut hair as I jump up and pace the tiny open space in front of the door, thankfully wearing a replica of my uniform and not in a hospital gown, "Why? What possessed you to do this?"

"You saved me, and Hyuuga was convinced she could save you." Iona stands, pleading in her stance as she watches me struggle to calm down, "This was the best course, even if we had hoped you'd retain more memories."

"So because I was gonna die anyways, you decided it was ok if you used me for an experiment?" I sputter, staring at the two, arms limp at my sides as my tone goes cold, "What gives you the right to play god with my soul?"

The two jerk back, and Hyuuga sputters for a response. Squaring her shoulders, I have a split second warning before Iona's hand impacts my cheek. I stare at her wide-eyed, then feel like ice water had been poured on me when a prompt registers at the front of my mind.

/{I-401} Command: Join fleet [Blue Steel]./

I pause, freezing in place, knowing if I accept what is happening now and join her fleet, I give up everything that made me who I was and become just like them...

That's not right, I'm already like them. My personality contained in a computer, my body made from nano particles. All this would do is give me a rock to stand on, instead of the panicked floundering my mind has been in since Hyuuga came in. Since I woke up. With a sigh, my choice is made.

/{SS-275} Accept Command./

/{I-401} Command: Grant root access to {Hyuuga} for final check and unlock. Access Concept Comm System./

/{SS-275} Root Access granted. Connecting to Concept Comm.../

And the world around me melts.

0o0o0o0

And reforms into a large pavilion, a table in the center large enough for the five women around it with two extra chairs. They watch me, gazes neutral as I slowly approach and take a seat opposite Iona. Hyuuga stands from her seat to Iona's left and walks around to lightly place a hand on my shoulder with a whispered 'relax'.

"Why did you need Root Access?" I shiver as my limbs tingle and go limp, looking across the table at Iona, the tightness around her eyes telling me she is still angered by my comment in the med-bay, "didn't she already have it?"

"She had monitoring access, used to ensure a patient is running as they should." Haruna says, "This time it is to unlock your access to your ship's systems and functions. After this, you will be able to go as you wish, just like us."

"So now what?" I ask, and it hits me how calm I am now, "why am I suddenly so calm...?"

"To answer your second question, that is because I'm using a large part of your own processing power for the diagnostics, which include emotion simulation sub-routines," Hyuuga says, "It will be fine when I'm done."

"The answer to your first question," Iona takes over, voice monotone, "that depends on whether you wish to go with us, or remain with the Americans."

"I can stay if I choose to?"

"Yes." Haruna answers, and I suddenly wonder how I know their names when they speak, "each of us made a choice to remain with Gunzou, thus you have a choice to make for yourself."

"The Americans are already asking Gunzou-kun about you." Iona adds, taking a sip of her tea, followed by the others doing so as well, "They have already chosen a captain, one you apparently knew?"

Following her question, blue and green data rings appear around her and myself, a small screen appearing and displaying the info she sent me on this potential 'captain' my old command had in mind.

Is it odd, I wonder all of a sudden, that I so easily brush aside what should have been a concrete loyalty? That here, in an illusion generated by my processor and linked to others which I now mimic, is where I come to terms with losing my old life and the memories it contained? Perhaps that was the purpose of bringing me here. I can't say I'm ungrateful either.

"I'll... Stay," I begin, saving the data on the candidate for later, acknowledging that there will be candidates and a future, "I'll try and build a new life. Start over fresh. My memories are a blank slate I can build on now."

"Good." Iona declares, startling me, and Hyuuga removes her hand, allowing everything to rush back to me like it'd never left, "I hoped for you to keep your Will, even though you have lost your past."

From one moment to the next all but Hyuuga disappear, leaving me alone with my rescuer. She stands a few feet away, her back facing me.

"Sister Iona and her captain inspire three questions in us, whether consciously thought or in what passes for our subconscious. 'Where did we come from? What are we? Where are we going?'. You are unique, perhaps more than I-401. You never had the Admiralty Code and have the instincts of the humans we seek to emulate." her voice is soft, but all the more riveting, "Maybe, where we cannot answer these questions, you can.

"Though, of course I have faith in Sister Iona!" with that final statement from her, the pavilion dissolves around me as my mind returns to the mental model and all the data pouring in from my ship.

000000

/Setting up graviton ballast...
Accessing active sensors...
Unlocking weapons...
Powering drives to standby...
Klein Field to standby...
...
Sensors functioning...
Drives on standby...
Weapons unlocked, in stand-by, no torpedoes onboard...
...
...
Klein Field on standby...
...
Ballast setup complete.../

I blinked a few times, looking around myself. I was back in the med-bay, Iona and Hyuuga in front of me. The battleship smirks and winks before walking out, leaving me with the other submarine. Iona watches me, and I can sense her monitoring my data logs from her position as flagship.

"Gunzou-kun will meet us on the conning tower. From there, we will escort you across the gangplank to your conning tower." she says, tone precise and to the point, I doubt she has gotten over my earlier gaffe, "at that point, you will be released from dock to make your way back into San Diego Naval Harbor itself."

"Thanks," I mutter, and when she tilts her head I clear my throat and try again, ears burning, "Thanks for saving me. I apologize for my earlier insult, I realize you only wanted to help me."

"I am not the one you should apologize to." And with that, she stepped out of the med-bay and proceeded to walk away.

"Just diggin deeper holes, 275," I grumble to myself as I follow, "diggin'em deeper and deeper..."

000000

"John!"

I wince as the man I recognize only from his file waves at me while my hull pulls up to the dock. I'm standing on my deck in front of the tower, and realize then that this may be harder than I'd thought. John, I think as I glance to the emblem marked on the side of my tower below 'SS-275', is that better or worse than 'Runner'?

Better than 'cat' in Spanish, I decide.

"Captain Williams!" I call out, leaping the three plus meters from deck to dock easily, much to my and his surprise, "We've a bit to talk about. What did Captain Gunzou tell you?"

"Possible memory loss, and that you decided to stick to us instead of running off with the Blue." He grinned at his play on words, and his next statement causes me to roll my eyes, "not that I would have blamed you, bunch of good-looking women even if they are just made of nano particles."

"The memory loss is near total." No point in dragging this out, "I have only a few memories of the battle, and nothing before then."

"Oh," he stops, something flashing through his eyes before he covers it with a chuckle, "so you don't know me, then...?"

"Afraid not," I shake my head, sighing as I come to a decision, "for now, just call me Runner."

He gives me a quizzical look, so I gesture behind me to my conning tower and the 'nose art': a man in white shorts and t-shirt, painted in the act of running with the words 'The Runner' in bold white font beneath it. Originally it had been a busty woman in a skimpy white bikini, aircraft nose art typical of that era, but seeing as I was male I'd directed the nano particles to alter the image.

"It's my other half, and the sub I disabled before that destroyer killed my old ship and crew." I blink as I realize there is data in the core, memories after a fashion, from before I was placed inside it, "as I have no other memories, I might as well start with a new name to go with my new life."

"Well... I suppose you have a good point." He then grins again, extending his hand, "Welcome to San Diego, Runner."

0o0o0o0

"I should warn you," Williams murmurs as we approach the door to the briefing room, "pretty much everyone in there is expecting a fake. You might have an ally in Admiral Corvan, he seemed to get along with Captain Gunzou and his crew, but the others..."

I nod. In a way, I half expected this. If I was told someone had been copied into an enemy computer and then sent to me as an 'ally', I'd be wary too.

Doesn't mean I didn't wish it was different.

"Are you sure you want to go in like that?" He asks, and when I give him a confused look he gestures to me then to his clothes, "You're an American naval captain."

"I was," I correct softly, glancing over my jeans, dark green button-up t-shirt, and black leather jacket, "Now I'm a ship, looking for a captain."

Pushing the door open, Williams nods and follows me in. The oval table is between us and the large window overlooking the bay, and my hull, with the four admirals standing on the far side. On my side of the table is a single chair obviously meant for me, with the others pushed against the walls at either end of the room. Williams takes a seat beside the door as I salute the gentlemen and lady opposite me. Returning the salute, Admiral Corvan gestures for me to sit as he and his fellows do the same.

"Captain-"

"Apologies," I interrupt the female admiral, Hathaway her name plate reads, feeling I know where this is going, "My memories from before the battle are nonexistent. I've decided that whoever 'John' was, he died with his ship. I'm Runner, mental model of the SS-275."

"See! I told you it was some trick or other." Admiral Alexander scoffed, leaning back and crossing his arm when I finished, "now that we've settled that-"

"Admiral." I cut him off, barely keeping my tone respectful, "My memories are what is missing, not who I am. If you lost all your memories, would you then be a fake?"

"Let's try this again." Hathaway cut in, switching her glare between Alexander and myself, "SS-275, Runner, thank you for appearing before this board."

"My pleasure, admirals." My tone is clipped and professional, like hers. This is better, straight forward and professional I can deal with, "I hope to be as good an ally as I once was as a captain."

"Glad to hear it." Garrick intoned, amusement written in his grin and the crows feet at the corners of his eyes, making me think that maybe I have two allies, "Corvan, you got along with Gunzou and his Mental Model companions, you handle this."

"Of course, shove the 'dirty work' on me and watch from a safe distance," Corvan rolls his eyes, then leans forward, "Mr. Runner, if I may be so bold, may I ask exactly why you chose to remain with the U.S. Navy rather than follow Gunzou with the other Mental Models? They recovered enough nano particles from the wreckage yesterday for Hyuuga to reform Takao's Heavy Cruiser hull, so you could have been part of an actual group."

"Take your time answering." Garrick chips in, his grin less amused and more predatory now, sending a shiver up my spine and through my processors.

I spend little time thinking on it, I had made my choice in the Pavilion.

"I might be a mental model and a ship now, my memories gone with my human body, but I'm still American." I affirm, taking a deep breath before continuing, "But I have to admit the loss of my memories makes me less trusting than the old me might have been, less... willing to follow just because it's expected of me."

"You're saying you'd ignore orders if they don't suit you?" Alexander sputters, "You're a Naval Officer and U.S. Naval property. You'll do what you're told!"

"John Died!" I snap, bolting to my feet with fists clenched, "I'm what's left! I'm starting over, so don't make me regret my decision to emulate whoever I used to be."

"Alex, you're such a pig sometimes." Garrick snorts, words almost lazy, leaning back in his seat and staring at the ceiling, "275, the purpose of this 'meet-and-greet' is to determine your willingness to obey the orders of a Naval officer and accept a crew. This is not a black and white demand, we will consider your terms."

"I'll take Captain Williams," this is what I want, to pick my crew, to have some level of control. Machine or not, I won't be some robotic puppet, "I'll work with him to pick my crew, but I'll only need a few. Maybe six all together."

"You want him? Good." glancing at me, Garrick rolls his chair back enough to get his feet up on the desk, "You'll report to me directly. Williams, you'll find reassignment orders in your hands in an hour. Runner, I'll send an aide with twenty dossiers for you and Williams to review at the same time. Give me your picks by tomorrow afternoon."

"That's not in your purview, Garrick!" Hathaway snaps, standing and slamming her hands on the table, "The West Coast is my area of command, not ONI's!"

ONI, Office of Naval Intelligence. I have stepped in the 'big one', I think.

"Any Fog tech and information automatically fall in my area." he rebukes her calmly, a self-assured smirk painted across his face, sending another shiver through me, "You're dismissed, Runner. Follow him out, Williams, get settled in aboard."

Seeing the looks on both Alexander and Hathaway's faces, and spotting Corvan planting his face in his hands, I move as fast as is polite out of the room with Williams hot on my heels.

0o0o0o0

/Access: Dock side computers...
...
Access granted.
Install 'Backdoor code'...
...
...
'Backdoor code' installed./

I sigh, One thing done.

/Internal layout: generate crew quarters...
...
Quarters generated./

"I've made basic quarters for you just stern of the bridge," I say to my new captain as we step inside and make our way to my aforementioned bridge, "Let me know if you want anything changed."

"I appreciate that Runner." he responds, grateful, as the hatch opens and I lead him into the control center of my hull, "Think Harbor Control will let us go out for a shakedown run?"

"Perhaps, but one thing first," I say, feeling out a sensation not quite my own, but which feels annoyingly necessary. Hyuuga's digital finger-prints are all over this, but I'm tired and don't care enough to try and dig out the lines of code and 'burn' them like I might have wanted to earlier, "Making you captain."

Bring my hands chest high, I push forward and swing out, summoning the glowing forest green rings and expanding them beyond my hull. Williams takes a step back, and I understand the shock value. A little startling for me as well.

"Confirm: What is our purpose?" I ask, rephrasing what feels like the right question, "Give me the reason you are captain."

"Our purpose?" he whispers, then squares his shoulders, "Our purpose is to free the oceans from Fog tyranny. I'm captain because you're willing to trust me, and I'm willing to trust you."

"Good enough for me." I grin, relaxing a little, "Logging you in as commander."

The room brightens for a moment as the codes in my system recognizes the position of captain, and I realize Hyuuga might have copied programming from Iona. Which makes sense considering Iona would have been the template Hyuuga used to help craft me.

"By the way..." I arch an eyebrow as he speaks, moving over to the small daïs in the center of the room while he continues, "I thought World War Two ships didn't have nose art, just the aircraft..."

"I know," shaking my head, I bring up the data rings again and power thrums through the hull as I cast off and begin powering around the harbor, testing out my engines and maneuvering, "I think Hyuuga did it as a joke, especially considering the image was originally a woman. Could've been one of Iona's crew that gave Hyuuga the idea too."

"What about the one on your bow?"

I pause, bringing up a mental image of my hull's bow, and realize what he saw. On the port side of my nose, in the same blue as on 401, is the Blue Steel symbol. Back tracking, I realize it must have appeared when I joined their fleet. On the starboard side, though, is a shield with a sword behind it detailed in rich gold. I shrug, turning forward and bringing up an image of the harbor on the main monitor as I think of the symbol on the bows of Fog ships.

"It's better than the Fog Cross."

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A/N: Well, first chapter. Honestly, I've had this idea for several months, just wasn't sure I wanted to put it up. But, I've learned from myself that if I don't post things they tend to set in my HD forever and slowly rot away, but if it goes up then people find it and sometimes leave encouraging reviews that help me want to add more even if it takes awhile.

I've written more, possibly three times as much as what is in this chapter, so you'll get at least another chapter before I go back to slowly working on it like my other works like "Not What You Bargained For" and "I'm Needed: Redux".