Disclaimer: This is a continuation of my first story, Infinite Stratos; Flesh and Metal. If you haven't read it first before starting this one, I suggest you do so.

Also, if you're not a fan of harsh language, dark scenes and themes then I suggest looking elsewhere. For everyone else, here's my second arc. Enjoy.

Chapter 1; New Beginnings

Looking out the window, Simon admired the view his office afforded him. He also regretted that it was such a nice day and he was stuck inside with paperwork. It was still another week before classes officially began, but he was swamped with requisition papers for spare parts, maintenance reports for the various IS, shipping schedules for the various new machines the Academy had purchased as well as having to finalize his class schedules for his first, second and third-year classes. Sometimes that woman can be a real pain he thought as he turned back to the mound of papers and files. Even though Chifuyu had taken over as head of the Academy, it still didn't eliminate the bureaucratic system that was in place. And since Simon had become the head of the IS tech department, as well as one of the instructors for IS repairs and maintenance, he had been forced to wade through mounds of paperwork as he rebuilt the program from the bottom up.

Screw it he thought with a sigh, turning and leaving the office. The day was too beautiful to not spend some time outside. As he walked across the grounds, he marveled at how much the Academy had changed. It had only been about 10 years since Chifuyu took over as Headmaster, and in that time the Academy had broadened its acceptance. The student body was gradually becoming more diverse, both in ethnicity and gender. After Simon spent a year doing research to prove his theory on the IS cores, he presented his evidence to the Academy board and convinced them that just because males couldn't always pilot IS, they could still serve as R&D and maintenance personnel. As a result, the Academy had gradually been accepting applications from male students looking to learn about IS technology. This massive step forward did come at a personal cost to him, however.

Simon had been brought on as a technical consultant 4 years prior to his proposal, and as a result of his work he was offered a full-time job as the head of their IS tech department. After he had successfully proved that men can work on the suits as well as women, he was also saddled with the new male dormitory that was put up to house the students. Regardless of what evidence he brought forth, the board wasn't about to try co-ed housing on the grounds. This also meant that his already full schedule had to include time making sure that the boys didn't cause too much trouble, which wasn't as hard as the job the head of the girl's dorm had. It may have been two years since the policy change officially took effect, but the girls still outnumbered the guys by more than 4 to 1.

As he walked through the main plaza, he noticed that there were already several girls checking out the few boys that had already moved in. While the opposite was also true, it wasn't as bad for the boys considering they didn't have any real competition with each other. Note to self; stock up on coffee he thought with a grimace. If the last two years were any indication, he would get to spend a lot of nights up late keeping these young bucks in line. "Fancy meeting you here," he heard from behind. Without breaking stride, he smiled as Houki caught up and matched his pace. She had been offered a job at the Academy two years after she married Ichika and had been made the head of the dorms in Chifuyu's place when she moved up. This now meant that she was in charge of the girl's dorm, a job that always tested the samurai's short patience. She was also one of the combat instructors; responsible for teaching these pilots how to use their IS in matches.

"You finish your work yet?" she asked, glancing at him and smiling at his look of disgust. "I swear that half the people in our supply chain can't understand simple requests," he said, huffing, "Hell, I'm not even sure they understand any language I've tried to use, and I've used a lot." "Ah, the politics of the academic world," she said, "You got to love them." "No, I don't." This earned him a laugh from his long-time friend, which was enough to bring a smile to his own face. Despite the frustration he had with some of the other departments, his working relationship with Houki was pleasant. Just thinking about the other departments brought another scowl to his face. "What's wrong now?" she asked, noticing his darkening mood. "I was just thinking about that one woman on the board. Meriden Kel, I think her name was?" he said, trying to remember, "She's been throwing a lot of work at me lately. I think she's trying to prove a point." "She's just a stubborn traditionalist," Houki replied, waving a hand dismissively, "She's doesn't like you. You seriously didn't know this?" "Oh, I knew," he said, "I just didn't expect this kind of backlash. It's like she's trying to bury me."

"Well, you could always get my sister to step in," Houki suggested as she turned to go on her way, "I'm sure she would love to help you straighten that woman out." Tabane, as it turns out, had built herself a private lab on the grounds. She made it a point to stick her nose in every department to make sure that her technology was being used responsibly. She also had been butting heads with some of the more stubborn members of the governing board. Yeah, she would jump at the chance to get some pay-back Simon thought with a smile. Sighing again, he turned around and walked back to his office. Suddenly remembering something, Simon looked down at his watch and did some math in his head. If I remember correctly, she should be getting on the train about now he thought, smiling as he returned to his office.

Fiddling with the strap on her bag, Maylin struggled to keep her nerves in check. She hadn't been this nervous since she had taken the entrance exam for the IS Academy. Of course, the nervousness hadn't come from the test itself. It had come from the fact that she had sneaked out to take it without her mother knowing. She hadn't been too supportive of her decision to become an IS pilot, despite the fact that her aptitude and test scores were among the highest in Britain. Finally, it had taken her father paying a visit to finally talk her mother down, and even then she hadn't been too happy when Maylin had left. Now she was in a country she had only ever visited twice when she was much younger. While there were other students on the train, at least she hoped they were other students; she was still too nervous and shy to try and talk with any of them.

As the last student got onto the train, the chime sounded and the doors closed. Maylin noticed that it was a girl. She had shoulder-length black hair with an orange flower clip over her right ear. For some reason she looked familiar, but Maylin couldn't remember why. As the train made its way to the Academy, Maylin kept glancing at the girl while trying to place her. She's not from Britain, that's for sure she thought, but I swear I know her. After one particularly long glance, the girl caught her and scowled at her. Maylin quickly looked out her window, thinking, oh great, now she's going to think I'm a freak. She spent the rest of the ride trying to look everywhere else but that other girl. But when she finally chanced a glance at her, Maylin saw that the girl was still glaring at her, which just caused Maylin to quickly look away again.

When the train finally reached the island, she stayed in her seat, hoping to get off last and avoid the mystery girl. The last thing she wanted was some kind of fight on her first day. However, when she finally got off the train, said mystery girl was standing there with her arms crossed, glare still in place. "Did you need something?" she asked, her tone challenging. "N-no…I mean, I'm sorry for staring," Maylin stammered, trying not to meet the other girl's gaze, "Y-you just reminded me of someone." "And who would that be?" Maylin just kept quiet, her gaze averted. She didn't want to make things any more difficult by saying something else offensive. She had no idea where this other girl came from or what she might consider an insult, so she decided that saying nothing was better. Huffing, the mystery girl turned and walked off, slinging her bag over her back. Several of the boys who had been on the train glanced at her, clearly interested. However, she answered that interest with another withering glare that sent them on their way.

Wow, she's confidant Maylin thought as she started to walk towards the dorms, and scary. On the way she took the time to admire the place. It was truly a beautiful island, and the people in charge had clearly taken great pains to keep it that way. There were plenty of trees along the walkways as well as a large park she could see in the distance. Even the air was clean and refreshing, especially after being in the city nearby. Maylin had never been a big fan of cities; something about the smells always bothered her. Taking a deep breath, she savored the ocean breeze before continuing to the girl's dorm, smiling cheerfully. When she arrived at the building, she immediately noticed the que for checking in, and her shoulders dropped at how long it was. This is going to take forever she thought as she got in line. "There's no need for that, Miss Felix," she heard from behind her, making her jump slightly. When she turned around, she saw a woman with a really long ponytail standing behind her, smiling. It took her a moment to remember who she was, but when she did she leapt at her and hugged her, saying, "Aunty Orimura!"

Houki hugged her back, laughing softly at the girl's nickname for her. They had only met twice, the last time when she was only 7, but since the first time Maylin had called her 'Aunty,' it had stuck. Besides, Houki liked the way that it sounded, so she wasn't about to try and break that habit. Leading her aside, Houki brought up the housing on her tablet while she spoke with her. "So, how was your trip?" "Ugh, too long," Maylin said, grimacing, "How can you stand living this close to the city?" "Believe it or not, but you get used to it after a while," Houki told her, laughing softly. "I think I'm going to choose not," Maylin replied. "Well, I have your room all set up," she told the girl, handing her a key, "You're on the 3rd floor, room 316. Have you talked with your father yet?" Maylin looked away at this, looking rather sad. "No, not yet." "Try not to be too hard on him. He's doing his best," Houki said. She knew that Simon had been swamped in work lately and had little spare time to talk with his family. She could only imagine how Cecilia felt about that one.

"I will," Maylin replied, heading for the elevators. "And Maylin?" Houki called out, "Try to stay out of trouble, I have enough on my plate as it is." She remembered full well how that girl could be. She was Simon's daughter after all. Maylin just smiled innocently as she continued walking. After a rather awkward ride up to the 3rd floor with several other girls, she got off and quickly found her room. When she entered the room, it was to the sight of the mystery girl from the train sitting at one of the desks. Thinking she had the wrong room, she checked the number on the wall only to see that it was indeed room 316. Great she thought gloomily as she walked in and closed the door. "Oh, it's you," the other girl said, turning back to her magazine, "The far bed is mine, by the way." Without a word, Maylin went about unpacking before she lay down.

Deciding the tension in the room was too much; she decided to try to make friends. "I'm Maylin Felix," she said, sitting up. "Good for you," the girl replied, turning a page and continuing to read. Well, that's rather rude Maylin thought, irritated. She didn't like admitting this openly, but she had inherited a slight temper from her parents, something to which several of the more difficult people she had met could attest. "So, what are you reading?" she asked, trying to remain diplomatic. "A magazine," the other girl replied, still refusing to look at her. This only served to tick Maylin off more, though she tried to control it. "I really am trying," she said finally, "The least you could do is tell me your name." Putting her magazine down, the girl turned around and glared at her. "You really don't recognize me?" she asked in an icy tone. "I'm sorry, but no." "Well then, I guess it's your lose," she said, turning back around and looking out the window.

Maylin just sat on her bed, racking her brain as she tried to place the girl. She wasn't British, she was sure of that. She also wasn't American; she had been on enough trips to America to be able to pick one of them out of a crowd any time. Russian? No, there's no real accent there. Japanese? Maybe. So, how many Japanese girls do I know? And then, as if someone flipped a switch, the name came to her. "Madoka?" she asked, slightly surprised, "Madoka Orimura?" It had been years since she had seen her, and they hadn't really communicated since she had been here for the girl's 7th birthday. "Finally. Took you long enough," Madoka responded, turning back around, "So, how long's it been? 10 years? 11?" "11," Maylin mumbled, looking away, "Sorry we didn't stay in touch." "No, I get it. You were obviously too busy to talk with a normal person," Madoka said, "I wouldn't have talked with me, either. A rich girl making friends with a commoner? Please, get over it." Turning away, she returned to her reading, clearly still annoyed with Maylin. I never realized how much that hurt her Maylin thought, laying back down on her bed.

The last time they had met, Maylin and Madoka had gotten into some trouble together that may, or may not, have involved the local youth. All that Maylin was willing to admit to was that there were a few jerks that got exactly what they deserved. That had served as strong bond between the two girls and for the rest of her stay they had been almost like sisters. Then Maylin and her family had returned to Britain, and thanks to her classes as well as preparing for IS training Maylin hadn't been able to make the time to talk with Madoka. It wasn't something she was incredibly proud off, and having it thrown back into her face didn't help matters at all. I'm too tired for this she decided as she got up to change. Maybe she'll have better luck talking with Madoka tomorrow.

Unfortunately, it wasn't that simple. Any attempt to talk with the girl met sharp comments and glares. After two days of trying, Maylin decided to give up for now and went to explore the grounds. It was a lot like her parents had described; an incredible mix of man-made structures and nature in a balance that she hadn't really thought possible before. Wandering into one of the buildings, she made her way through several hallways before finding herself standing among rows of bleachers. Looking around, she recognized it as one of the Academy stadiums, as well as seeing that it was already in use by a pair of IS pilots. They were sparing with each other, one of them using a sword while the other was trying to stay at range with his rifle. The fact that one of the pilots was a boy should have been more surprising to Maylin, but then again, her father was also a pilot so that gave her a unique perspective. Sitting down in the front row, she watched as the two continued to fight.

Neither of them seemed to have a definitive advantage. The boy's IS was black with white trim and used a semi-automatic rifle. While he also had a dagger at his hip and a pair of cannons mounted in his wings, he was relying on the rifle primarily as he continued to take pot shots at his opponent. The girl had almost the polar opposite equipment; with a regular sword in her hands and another large one on a shoulder clamp, her IS was white with black trimmings. She also clearly lacked any kind of long-range weaponry, although she didn't seem to be inconvenienced by it. Instead, she was using her shoulder-mounted sword as a makeshift shield while she dodged the boy's fire and closed on him again. As she brought her sword forward in a stab, the boy dodged to the side while smacking the blade aside with his rifle. Taking advantage of the close range, he brought one of his wing cannons up under his right arm and fired at point-blank, sending them both flying in opposite directions. As they slid to a halt, they stood ready to continue, although they were both panting and clearly exhausted.

The boy then looked up into the stands and saw Maylin watching them. Saying something on a private channel, he must have told the girl about her because she then turned and saw Maylin as well. Suddenly feeling awkward, Maylin was about to get up and leave before the girl waved to her and said, "Hey, the view's better from the arena itself." Smiling slightly, she got up and made her way down onto the arena floor as the two approached her, their IS destructing in a flash of light. Up close, she could see that they were definitely siblings, probably twins. "So, what did you think?" the girl asked, looking very energetic. "Come on, Anna, you can't just jump in like that," the boy said, crossing his arms, "At least introduce yourself first." "Oh, right!" she said, looking a little embarrassed, "Sorry, I get a little worked up over my fighting. I'm Annabelle Steffens, and this is my brother, Erin."

"Pleased to meet you," Erin said, extending his hand. "Likewise," Maylin said, taking his hand, "I'm Maylin Felix. So, what kind of IS was that you were using?" "Wait, Felix? As in the daughter of Simon Felix?" Erin asked, lighting up. "Ignore my brother. He's kind of a techno geek," Annabelle said, snickering at the glare he shot her. "Excuse me? Who is the one that keeps your IS properly calibrated?" he asked. "So, you're a fan of my father's work?" Maylin asked, trying to not sound depressed. She knew full well where this was heading. "Of course!" he said, that light coming back to his eyes, "I mean he's the reason that guys are actually getting recognition in regards to the IS. He's the reason I can attend this school." "And it clearly doesn't have anything to do with you being able to pilot an IS," Annabelle mocked, smiling again, "Anyway, you've seen our IS. His is called Yang and mine is Ying. Cool, right?" "So, you're machines are designed for team combat?" "Yep. Erin is the best shot around, while I can take anything at close range," she boasted, putting her hands on her hips and puffing her chest out a bit, "Oh, I almost forgot to ask. Do you have one?" "Yeah!" Erin said, darting up beside Maylin, "I'd love to see the kind of IS you have. I bet it's an amazing one!"

Scratching the back of her head, Maylin tried to not let her shoulders drop. But they did, and the siblings noticed this change. "Well, to tell you the truth," Maylin began, "I don't really…have one." It wasn't something she was really proud of, and she tried not to let it come up when talking about IS. But as soon as people figured out who she was, they inevitably asked her if she had a personal IS. And why not? Her father was a well-respected IS tech as well as being a good pilot. Her mother was also the Representative Candidate for Britain, which already guaranteed her a personal machine. It's not that Maylin didn't want one, or hadn't tried to put one together. But her personal IS was more theory and half-drawn blueprints than an actual machine.

"Oh, that's a shame," Annabelle said, elbowing her brother, "Maybe we could help you put one together?" "By 'we,' you mean me, don't you?" Erin asked, glancing at her. "It's not a big deal, really," Maylin said, taking a step back, "I'd hate to impose…" "It's no problem," he said, smiling, "Really. You put a concept together, and I'll make it a reality. Deal?" Again, he offered his hand. For a brief moment Maylin considered refusing. She had just met these two, and they were already offering to help her on a major project. Part of her felt guilty for the offer, while another part felt ashamed at not having an IS of her own. She knew there was no reason for it, but the feeling was still there, unwilling to go away. She was Simon's daughter; a person that could understand the nature of an IS just by looking at it. She had witnessed him dismantle an entire suit in little more than an hour before putting it back together. She had often wondered why she didn't possess the same deft touch with machines.

Looking between the twins, she decided against it. "Really," she said, "It's alright. I'll manage with the Academy's Uchigane." "Alright," Annabelle said, placing a hand on her brother's shoulder, "But you ever need help, let us know, okay?" Maylin nodded as the twins turned and walked away, undoubtedly heading for the showers. They're good people she decided as she left the stadium. She didn't notice the girl standing up in the bleachers, watching the three of them. Madoka stood there as Maylin left, trying to pin down what it was with that girl that irritated her. It wasn't her constant chatter; that she could understand. They had been close before, and Maylin clearly wanted to try and make amends. That's not it Madoka thought as she left. Neither was it something Maylin had said or done previously. She was always kind to people, even if she didn't know them. She was also soft-spoken, so even when she disagreed with something she didn't speak out against it loudly.

So what is it? Why does she irritate me so much? No matter how long she pondered it, Madoka couldn't come up with a satisfying answer. Apparently, she just didn't like the girl at all, despite how close they had been before. That prior friendship, however, hit close enough to the problem that it made her even more confused. It was close, but not the real reason why. Punching the wall to try and relieve some of her frustration, she grit her teeth as she continued to question. What is it about you, Maylin Felix she wondered again as she continued walking. Outside the stadium, she continued on her way, avoiding the entrance Maylin was sure to take. Until she could figure out just what the hell this was, she was going to spend as little time around that girl as she could.

Meanwhile, Maylin had returned to wandering around the grounds. She finally found herself standing before the IS maintenance building. It housed all of the storage bays for the IS that were in active use, as well as the offices of the maintenance staff. This included her father, and for a brief moment she considered paying him a visit. He had to know that she had arrived on the island by now. But for whatever reason, she decided against it and walked away. Not just yet she thought. Her father's work had always been a rather sore point with her. Because of his technical knowledge, he had been able to help her mother invest her fortune into several well-founded tech companies. This ensured that they wouldn't ever have to worry about money. This also meant that he was often called away as a consultant for these various companies. When he had taken the job at the Academy, it was partly to avoid having to travel around the world so much. They had all believed that it would give him a more stable life at home, but it hadn't turned out like that at all.

Before she or her mother knew it, Chifuyu had begun to restructure the Academy, and Simon's assistance was in increasing demand. This had kept him in Japan for most of the following years, further straining his relationship with his daughter. While Cecilia clearly understood what he was doing and why he did it, Maylin hadn't. All she knew was that her dad wasn't around when she needed him. It wasn't that she had grown to hate him, but her relationship with him had cooled over the years. Now she was nervous about having to face him again, more so because she had no idea if he even wanted to see her. Shaking her head to clear it of these depressing thoughts, she decided to try and find the dining hall. She was starting to feel hungry since she had slept through breakfast. Such thoughts were soon disrupted as a chain of explosions rippled through the air, coming from one of the other stadiums. And true to her bloodline, rather than stay put or run away, Maylin ran towards the noise. What is going on?

Maylin has taken her first steps towards becoming an IS pilot. Classes haven't even begun and there already appears to be trouble forming. What was the cause of that explosion? Can Maylin and Simon reconcile the divide growing between them? And what of her relationship with Madoka? Till the next chapter.

This is the start of my second arc (though it doesn't have an official name yet), and I hope you all enjoy it as much as the first. Hope you also enjoyed how I worked Madoka Orimura into this, I promise there will be much 'fun' regarding her character. Look forward to more OCs as Maylin meets her classmates in future chapters.