[ooc] app part 5.2 - character history

[tomysister]

Reiko was the first child from her father's second marriage. Very shy, she rarely opened up to anyone except for her half-brother Jun, who would visit. Through him, she learned the importance of being open and friendly to others. She looked up to him quite dearly, and planned to follow in his footsteps to make him proud of what she would become. She began to develop an interest in technology from a young age, an interest that she carried through school. Even when her brother began to visit less and less, she was still determined. Watching her brother graduate with honours was only fuel to the fire, and she began to work twice as hard in order to keep up. He moved to Tokyo to work, and that was the last time she saw him. She eventually went on to university, and graduated at the top of her class. That he didn't come to her graduation was a great blow to her self esteem, but she managed to keep her determination up. If he wouldn't come to her, she would come to him, instead.

She took a programming job in an up-and-coming firm, and began to start her own life in Tokyo. After about a year when she was starting to be somewhat financially stable, she got a rather large package from her brother. She ripped it open, not realizing that it was about to change her life forever. Inside were many copies of documents, CDs with hastily written labels, and a letter that had been scrawled in an unsteady hand. It advised her to read over everything he had sent her and to do with that information what she would, as he felt she was more than able to fight for what was right and bring everything to a proper end. He finished saying that he loved her and was proud of her, and that he would most likely never see her again. Unsure of what to make of it, she went through the information. What she learned shocked her. She remembered being called into a room with her father, but hadn't thought anything about it. Now the truth came out - she had been picked for this project that her brother had been involved in, and he had sacrificed everything in order to keep her from being dragged into some sort of disaster. Not willing to let it go, she stashed the information she had been given and dashed out to try to find him based on the address on the package. She drove over to what she presumed was his house only to find the door open and nobody home. She ran down the side street and heard voices. Walking carefully, she turned a corner and peered down only to see what appeared to be her brother being beaten viciously by thugs. He was putting up a good fight, but they were doing more damage. One of them managed to get a grip on him, and the other one pulled out a gun and shot him in the head.

With that, everything seemed to stop. The thugs left after they made sure he was dead, but she did not say or do anything. Everything... was over. The one person that meant the most to her was gone. That man... that lunatic Amagi had made sure that the person who had opposed him got his just desserts. She didn't know what to do. She just stared at his corpse, her mind completely blank. Everything she had worked for had just suddenly disappeared... just like everything he had been doing. He had left her a legacy, a quest. A request. She would take that on, from now. She would carry out his last wishes, to make sure he would be proud of her. But at the same time, a deep resentment awoke within her. Amagi... it was his fault this had happened. She would go and work for this company, and carry out her brother's request. But deep down inside of her, the burning need to find Amagi and make him pay began to grow.

One of the things that Jun had sent her was the implant he called a Reality Ascendance device, in a protective container. It was as it had been, ready to be inserted through operation. But the question was, how could this be done? Well, she had some information about the government agency that had been doing it... she just needed a contact. Luckily, her brother had included a list of names. She began to make some calls that night. Most of the people denied any knowledge of things, but one person referred her to another individual by the name of Takumi Hino. He had apparently been put in charge of the now-defunct project. With that name, she managed to dig up his information online, and a contact number as well.

Takumi had been surprised to be contacted by anyone about the project, but was willing to meet her regarding it. Upon their meeting, he was an 18-year-old boy, who said that he had received the job from his father. Sensing something she could easily work with in regards to her goals, Reiko professed her desire to revive the project, and attempt to finish what had been improperly started. Even if it was just herself working on it, she would do whatever it took. Takumi was pleased at the prospect, as his position had little influence as it was, he agreed to pull the strings to get her the necessary surgery to implant the device.

When she had recovered from the surgery, it was time to attempt to learn to use it. Her brother had given basic instructions, but it was more difficult that he had described. While it would emit the appropriate resonance and frequency by stimulating and feeding off of bioelectricity from the cells nearest it, she had to learn to exert her will to be able to use it to slip into the AIDA dimension. Once there, she slowly began to learn how to concentrate and still be able to move. Although things were slow-going, Takumi assured her that it was fine and that the end results would be worth it. After a bit of work she managed to be somewhat functional, and was learning how to control her projection. She began to experiment with her feelings, and learned how to use them to her benefit.

Then the moment of truth came. Takumi had been trying to stir up interest in the project even though it had been considered a failure and a threat to human life. He claimed that if carefully controlled things would not escalate to that point, and that he had a cautious and pragmatic test subject who was willing to work within guidelines to take care of things. There would be a test, and an AIDA-possessed victim would be brought in for her to deal with. If she could take care of the problem with no harm to herself or the AIDA, then those involved would consider sending some funding back to the project. She was very nervous, as she remembered everything that her brother had said about the AIDA experiments. What would come out of her when confronted with the AIDA? She wasn't sure what to expect. Still, things were relying on her. She had to accept that and do her best.

The day came and she projected, and walked to the appointed meeting space in order to try to relax. She had gotten quite used to the sensations of moving around in the real world while having her focus also be on the AIDA reality. Acting in the AIDA reality came separately, apart from walking. She could make her projection wave its arms around or punch the air without needing to do anything herself. How would an actual fight go? Would she show any signs? Part of this was going to be seamlessly integrating in society and working there. Could she do it? Only time would be able to tell. Then, something huge and dark appeared in her field of vision, as in the real world the AIDA victim was led in. The human was subdued, but the AIDA was still awake and very belligerent. It took notice of her right away, and went to attack...

And all she could see at that moment was Jun's face just as he had been shot. Anger, horror, and burning hatred shot through her limbs, and suddenly she felt energized, almost lighter... as if a great weight had just been lifted off her shoulders. Raw power was burning through her now, and she turned to face the AIDA, the only feeling in her was the need to rip it apart like she would tear apart him... with a wave of her wings, nails flew through the air, striking the creature. Its long body pulsed and rippled, firing out a multitude of laser-like beams, but she nimbly dodged between them almost instinctively. Oh, it would be so wonderful to see it in such pain... and she began to concentrate on the nails, and they started coming back, but with long strings of emotional residue on them that would allow her to ensure that they would stick. Those nails went right back, hitting precisely, and there was such a buildup of fury within her that she just had to show it how she felt... it coalesced into a sizzling purple energy ball which she flicked at the thing with her wings, and it thrashed and writhed when the ball struck it, and she sprayed it with nails...

oh yes, something within the creature shattered

and she reached out her hand to it

and pulled

and it thrashed one final time before flopping over, slowly dissipating into glowing lights

and the feeling left and with it the power. All at once she was as tired as if she had stayed up all night working on a long program. She had succeeded, but it had taken a lot out of her. Still, she had managed to pull it off, and with only her exhaustion as a result. After awakening, the victim was back to normal with minimal side effects, only resulting due to the long-term influence of the AIDA being removed. It seemed as though favour could return to the project once again.

With more funding coming in, Reiko was able to start working in earnest. Her main goal was to patrol different areas where AIDA-infected were commonly found, and try to stop cases before they came to a head. If she could find others who seemed to have the potential to be Chosen Ones, they would be tested and if found worthy would be offered a position. She would travel around the country to various places and major cities, cycling areas in order to make sure nothing was left uncovered. It would be a very gruelling job, but she didn't mind. Takumi was her boss, and she was settling in to her role quite happily. Plus, being able to get information from him was a bonus. Thus, she began working for the government. Days were more or less the same even if the settings were different. When reports of potential AIDA outbreaks came in she would be sent to those locations. Days where there were no reports she simply patrolled. Walking around, constantly in the AIDA dimension, and often fighting AIDA that hadn't fully attached or were simply hovering around people was what she did. The AIDA dimension was a rather strange place, but she was becoming used to it and its obstacles. Unfortunately, it was starting to have its own effects on her. Her temper was shortening, and while she maintained a professionality, she was having trouble keeping objective. The negative emotions were beginning to spill over, just like the documents that Jun had sent her had claimed. For the time being, it was relatively minor, but if things continued as they were... well, that was the price to be paid for this. Perhaps she would have to act on those feelings sooner rather than later.

But then one day she saw something she had never seen before. Occasionally people would flicker in and out of existence there, depending on their emotional state - often drug addicts high out of their minds would have brief moments where they would project due to proximity to the Reality Ascendance device. These were rarely anything more than figments with no staying power. After taking care of a string of AIDA in one of the game centre districts in Kanazawa, she almost passed out. A young man had rushed over to catch her, but was was more intriguing was that when he had entered the space where the Reality Ascension device had effect, the shadow of a projection rippled into existence before her eyes. The man was nattering something at her, but she was barely focusing on that... could this really be another Chosen One? Did he have potential? She dropped the scan on the AIDA dimension to pay attention to him finally, and brush him off of his grip on her only to realize that he had been holding her up. He offered to take her to the hospital but she said that she was fine and was on her way to travel back to her home in Tokyo. He was rather concerned about her well-being, as she looked quite pale and exhausted, and she decided to use that to her advantage to get him to come back for testing. She said that if he was willing she would permit him to escort her back to ensure that she would be all right, and that she would pay for his airfare. Pleased as punch, he was quite willing, although concerned about his job. She advised him that if he came with her, she would ensure that he would receive compensation for his time. Getting his name - Tomonari Kasumi, she permitted him to accompany her.

On the return flight, her exhaustion got the better of her and she slept through the trip. Upon arrival she called Takumi to arrange a pickup, claiming that it was to a hospital to the worried but yet still chipper Tomonari. It was to a hospital, but of a different sort. It was the government hospital, where Reiko was admitted, and Takumi would be waiting to speak with Tomonari and to ensure that he would get tested for potential. After a couple days, when she was more than ready to leave but the doctor would not let her, she was visited by Tomonari. He had turned up positive in the test, and had been spoken to by Takumi, but wanted to speak with her about it. He understood the situation and what they could do for those in need, but at the same time wanted to know how she had found out and started. She refused to say anything, not wanting to draw anyone into her own affairs. He seemed to accept this, but was curious what he would get for putting himself into this sort of situation away from everything he knew. She said that being his only contact, she would stay with him and ensure that he would be comfortable and well-treated until he could make his own way. He then asked if she would go out with him. At first she snapped that she was busy, but then she realized that keeping him compliant would be essential. He seemed like the rather clueless type anyway... what could the harm be? And then said that she would try to figure something out for him. Pleased enough, he nodded and left and she sighed, wondering what else she would do in the name of following her brother's wishes.

After his implantation surgery, the first step was of course training Tomonari, which was a difficult task. While she could explain things, of course his experiences were different from hers. She had to rely on feedback from him to try to ascertain where he was as far as level and ability went. At the same time some terminology explanations were required. The term "projection" was used by her brother to describe one's appearance in the AIDA reality, and "Avatar" had been used to describe the projection's change upon encountering an AIDA. When he began to be proficient at accessing and moving in the AIDA reality, she began training him to use his emotions for various effect. It was quite difficult as her temper often flared, especially due to his very casual attitude. While he was serious about things, he was very relaxed and it unnerved her. Still, she managed to put up with it enough to make it through a week of training, after which he declared that Friday night was to be time for a date. Tired and willing to wander with him while secretly working, she agreed. As long as the discussion was work-related she did not mind, and it was a good way for Chosen Ones to work things out for themselves.

Finally, Reiko deemed Tomonari to be ready to attempt to fight an AIDA. This was the moment when his true nature would be revealed. Working with Takumi, she had learned about Tomonari's background, and had some ideas of what would come out, but it was still impossible to truly know until it happened. Just as she had not been fully aware of the depths of her own hatred and anger, perhaps something unexpected would come out of him. She decided to sit in on the sesssion just in case something happened to him, but more to observe and see what resulted in order to document it. Due to Takumi's lack of ability, someone had to gather the information.

Tomonari's Avatar was quite different. A long snakelike creature covered in leaf-like protrusions, it seemed much more defense oriented. He was capable of using shields, but also to switch to using attacks with ease. Slower but much more steady than her own, but also long-distance oriented. It would work well, as they would be able to work from opposite sides without affecting each other. His cleansing attempt was a success, and Reiko thankfully decreed that he was now a full-fledged operative. Takumi was quite pleased, as now he had two subordinates. The communicator aspect of the Reality Ascension device could now be used. But in order to keep things under wraps, code names would be used. Reiko decided to go with "Pi", as she felt that the number represented herself aptly: indivisble and thus unbreakable. Tomonari decided to go with Kuhn, but Reiko did not press the issue as to why. Takumi chose Yata. Dusting off the barely-used operator transciever for the Reality Ascendance devices, he could speak with them as well as they could speak with each other or him. A documentation system was started, and each of them created accounts within the computer system, using the marks on their projections as a sort of ID method as they were unique to themselves. Even with only two active members, things were starting to go well.

Unfortunately, that Friday things came to a head. Reiko hadn't been completely sure what form Tomonari's darker feelings would take, and was unprepared for them surfacing so soon. However, her own feelings came to her rescue, and she lost her temper promptly, lashing out at the young man. In that way they both learned their lessons - his dark side was laviscious, and she was someone to be feared when angered. She explained the emotional bleeding, identifying it as the expression of the desires of the Avatar, and thus the name "Expression" stuck. After that, Tomonari decided that the next time he would ask her out would be when he felt confident that he could keep his Expression in check. Knowing that this would be a futile endeavour, she accepted.

Needing some time to herself in order to ensure that she remained stable after the incident, Tomonari was sent to do patrols around Tokyo. He reported in declaring that he was engaging an AIDA. A while after that he reported back in claiming a success in more ways than one - he said he had located what he thought may have been another Chosen One. He returned to the centre with a surly-looking young man in tow, who Reiko quickly scanned to confirm Tomonari's suspicions. Takumi went to have him formally tested, while Reiko began to try to find information on him. The search turned up one Ryo Misaki, a 17-year-old orphan. His checkered past and related amnesia made Reiko concerned about what would come out of his subconscious, and she did not think training or testing him would be a good idea. Tomonari argued that having more manpower would make their jobs easier and allow them to cover more ground, and Reiko decided that Ryo's training could be handled by Tomonari as she did not want anything to do with it. Tomonari agreed to that, and thus Reiko found herself on patrol alone once more. It was something of a relief, but at the same time she did miss the nattering company that she had gotten accustomed to. Still, she could speak with Takumi about Ryo's progress. Tomonari was a much less strict teacher than she was, which made her concerned about Ryo's willingness to comply to their standards and guidelines. There were many unusual loose ends in Ryo's life, including the fact that his social worker, Shino Nanao, had been brought in to one of the AIDA-infected containment centres. Still, Ryo managed to pass through the training and join the ranks of the others, taking on "Haseo" as his codename. However, after being given his first assignment he simply laughed at them and disappeared to do as he pleased. Reiko and Takumi were furious, and all three began to search frantically to recover Ryo before he hurt himself or someone else.

Ryo wasn't too hard to find, as he turned up outside of the centre where his social worker was being held. Both Reiko and Tomonari confronted him, denying him entrance as entering would set off his Avatar, which would in turn cause all of the contained AIDA to turn on him. One AIDA at a time was possible, but that many would spell his death. He claimed not to care, and said that he would go through them if necessary to free Shino. Reiko was ready to take him out due to him being a threat, but Tomonari said that he just needed to understand the true danger of what power that the emotions could be. He told her to stand down and let him deal with Ryo, and if anything happened that she would be well within her rights to step in. Ryo and Tomonari began to fight, first only as projections, but then Ryo drew on his emotions and called out his Avatar. Responding in kind, Tomonari called out his and the fight escalated. Unfortunately, Ryo had less experience controlling his Avatar and instead let the emotions control him. He lost control and the Avatar went berserk, threatening to destroy Tomonari's avatar and put him into a coma. Just as the monstrous horned creature struck for the final time Reiko's resolve snapped, and she began to attack Ryo in the real world. Once Ryo was unconscious his Avatar disappeared, but the damage had been done... or had it? Tomonari was fine, although quite exhausted. He had at the last minute just wished for some sort of replacement for Ryo's Avatar to destroy, and a copy of his Avatar had appeared in his place. Creating it had been gruelling work, and the damage done had almost knocked him out, but he had managed to survive. Reiko was surprised, and that night re-read some of the documents she had been given by her brother. There was mention of potential special abilities that each Avatar could use, and perhaps this was related. The next day she visited Tomonari in the hospital to discover Ryo there. After some long discussion the three came to a mutual agreement, and Ryo consented to join the group's direction if he could be permitted to recover Shino.

The notion of special abilities was intriguing, and based on their feelings the three collaborated and came up with some names and descriptions. Tomonari's was called The Propagation due to its copying abilities, and named Magus. Ryo's was The Terror of Death, Skeith. And Reiko's was The Avenger, Tarvos. With their projections' unique tattoo marks and their three separate emotional revelations, it seemed there was a wide spectrum of area to cover. However, there were a limited number of remaining Ascendance Devices - four more, in fact. As the traits for being a Chosen One were quite rare, it wasn't really seen as a rush to fill the remaining spots, but at the same time, expanding numbers would be good. Takumi advised everyone to keep an eye out for potential Chosen Ones while they were working. Ryo also had something new to bring to the table, as after going berserk his Avatar had seemed to change form and become more powerful. The loss of control had resulted in more emotional bleeding, but also a greater strength in his Avatar. In order to allow him to Express and as a means of building camraderie, she began to seek out troublesome areas that wouldn't be upset by more violence. Thus, their working relationship began to grow and they began to bond, in an unusual way while doing some good in clearing out degenerate areas.

One of the holding centres for the infected had a string of unusual people who would every day come by and examine the place from the outside as well as they could. The security cameras showed the individuals, although one in particular would show up quite often. A young girl, she would walk around outside the building as if in a daze. The only reason this was a concern worth mentioning was that whenever these people, especially the girl, would show up, many of the victims would begin to act up inside the centre. With some of them becoming increasingly difficult to contain due to their power levels, and not enough Chosen Ones to clear through them in a timely fashion, things were getting a bit risky. Ryo was assigned to try to track down the girl. He soon called in requesting backup due to an issue at the centre itself. Reiko and Tomonari rushed to the centre, where Ryo filled them in. One of the most dangerous individuals in the centre had just broken out after the girl had visited. He had managed to speak with her and get her name - Chigusa Kusaka - but had lost her when she had fled after the patient had escaped. Apparently the individual had gone out of control and his AIDA had suddenly super-powered him when the girl had turned up, and he had thrown off his doctors and fought his way out the door. The fact that he had done this was alarming, and emergency measures needed to be taken. Someone this powerful had the potential to start "budding" AIDA and could potentially infect many more people. The three began to chase after the escapee. They did not notice the young boy in a hospital gown chasing after them, however...

Catching up to the escapee was relatively easy, as due to the influence of AIDA he was taking out his aggressions on the people and structures around him. However, in the AIDA realm there was a complication. While the malevolant presence of AIDA was there, it was wrapped around something else - something suspiciously like an Avatar. Could the escapee be a Chosen One as well as an infected? The man was not truly coherent, as the AIDA had infiltrated his mind so thoroughly and was controlling his emotions like a puppet through the Avatar. He was simply acting without realizing or thinking, and with strange direction. He kept muttering something about "Her..." and "She will be happy..." and when spying the three on the AIDA dimension dismissed them as nothing but "ugly dolls waiting to be smashed". Ryo started the fight with his Avatar, but due to the influence of the AIDA it seemed that the escapee's Avatar was much stronger due to the AIDA removing any and all mental restraint or filter. The other two rose to assist him, and together the three managed to weaken the AIDA enough that Ryo could remove its core and kill it. Without the AIDA to control it, the Avatar on the escapee went berserk, but was quickly dispatched by the three without harm to the person controlling it. In the real world, the escapee collapsed, unconscious. Ryo and Tomonari watched over him while Reiko called for the "ambulance", and thus they were not expecting to be attacked from behind. With a shrill scream, the boy who had followed them lunged at them, and Ryo and Tomonari found themselves snapped to the AIDA dimension where they were under attack from yet another AIDA-controlled Avatar! The young boy was also a Chosen One, it seemed. How could someone so young be a Chosen One?

Instead of just one AIDA, however, there were two controlling the young boy. With Reiko forcing herself not to participate so that someone could wait for the ambulance, it was just Tomonari and Ryo in a two-on-two match. While watching, she requested the information on the two of them, and got the names - Kaoru Ichinose, a voluntary shut-in who rarely showed any desire to leave his room even at the centre and who seemed to be connected to something in the project's past; and Iori Nakanishi, a young boy who had been diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder and had been receiving treatment up until he had started to reject the treatment and regressed into his other personality so aggressively that it was decided that AIDA must have taken him. Both had been at the centre for quite some time, and although Kaoru rarely showed interest in anything, Iori had seemed to be interested in him to the point that he had become a sort of "silent stalker" - or rather, the other personality manifested through the AIDA had. Thus, when Kaoru had escaped, in the confusion Iori must have followed, and when "she" saw Kaoru taken down, had been driven by the AIDA to destroy those who seemingly had dispatched the object of "her" desire. When the ambulance finally arrived, there five people to be taken in - three for exhaustion treatment, while the other two were to receive something different. Reiko explained the situation to Takumi, and he agreed to make sure that Kaoru and Iori were tested and briefed.

While waiting for the two boys to recover from their difficult fights and for Takumi to finish processing the two possible recruits, Reiko was doing research on the name Chigusa Kusaka. A young girl, a bit younger than Ryo, with a slightly checkered past... but why was she hanging out around the centre? She went to speak with Ryo about her, but Ryo didn't really have anything to add as he hadn't had much time to check her out before things had happened. For some reason she seemed able to stir up the patients. Some searching on the internet turned her up as being a rather emotionally distraught young girl hanging around on suicide help websites, and a bit of clever manoevering turned up some messages between her and someone whose online name was Sakaki. However, finding information about Sakaki was turning out to be difficult, as he did not leave much of an online trail. He seemed to be much more cautious than Chigusa had been about revealing himself.

Takumi returned with good news, in that Kaoru had agreed to join the team "as long as that cute young man was there". Iori was a different story, as he was so young his parents needed to be contacted so that agreements could be set up. The boys were recovering well. Reiko decided to do some investigating herself while waiting, and staked out the centre again, hoping to be able to catch Chigusa in the act. At first, mostly random people went buy, but then Chigusa appeared. Looking through the AIDA realm revealed that Chigusa seemed to have potential, but at the same time somehow was actually using that potential without realizing it. She didn't seem to have any visible means of doing so, which was highly unusual. However, this was cleared up due to the fact that the other people who were walking around all had low-level AIDA possession. What in the world was the girl doing in a group like this? Did the AIDA know about her ability? When the group left, Reiko began to trail them cautiously, making sure to stay far enough away that they would not clue in to her presence.

The group met in a schoolyard, and all of them apart from Chigusa had varying levels of AIDA infection. Then, something dark blotted out her vision, and a huge AIDA attached to what appeared to be a child in the AIDA dimension, but looked like a young man in real life, walked up to them. Chigusa said that she was certain that the most powerful "feelings" seemed to come from that particular centre, and the young man - apparently the mysterious "Sakaki" - smiled and told her that she had done well. He advised the others to "round up everyone to go take the place out", but requested that Chigusa come with him for a moment as he had something important to tell her. Realizing that trouble was about to hit the centre, Reiko reported to Takumi what she had heard and rushed back. When she arrived she was too late, as the centre had reported trouble and Tomonari, Ryo, and Kaoru had left to deal with it. However, Takumi was nowhere to be found, so Reiko took over the vacant operator position. Calling up the blueprints of the building, she began to guide the three through the centre. It was exceptionally dangerous, as all of the patients had gone crazy and at every turn something needed to be cleansed, or otherwise dealt with. The three were very exhausted by the time they made it to the end, only to encounter "Sakaki" and Chigusa. "Sakaki" was impressed that they had made it that far, and that now they would join his "empire" of AIDA-controlled minions. Although tired, the three prepared for another battle, but instead, he budded an AIDA that proceeded to latch on to Chigusa, which forced her subconscious open and her Avatar to appear. Ryo worked to try to take out the Avatar, while Tomonari and Kaoru attempted to get past "Sakaki"'s minions to subdue the girl in reality. Eventually both measures succeeded, and the AIDA was removed from Chigusa. Realizing that he was potentially in a bit of trouble, "Sakaki" used his abilities to escape while the three were preoccupied with Chigusa. With the majority of the trouble gone, Reiko sent in backup to assist them in getting Chigusa out. It seemed like their little group was almost filled out...

While the others recovered, Reiko had yet to see or hear from Takumi. This was rather alarming as he had always been there, whether it was to issue orders or directives or to oversee the functions of the group. He was rarely away from his command post, which made his absence even odder. She finished dealing with Iori's parents and getting the agreements set up and taken care of, and she tested Chigusa, and briefed her on the situation. When she had a moment she would check through all of her systems to try to locate him. She had grown so comfortable with the system that they had, with him giving orders and her commanding the others, that his disappearance was rather an upset and she was having difficulty handling it. The little things that their working relationship had built up - her bringing him tea and listening to him when he ranted, and him always being pleased at everything she had done to bring the project back into greatness - left her quite concerned with his absence to the point that it was becoming an obsession. She stopped doing missions and only coordinated, then while the others were out she would search areas that she knew he would go to. She left Chigusa in the care of the others for training so that she could devote her time to trying to track down Takumi. It was thus that while she was out searching for Takumi that she located something she hadn't been looking for - Sakaki. She sent out a call for any available Chosen Ones in the area just before she was dragged into an Avatar battle against his powerful AIDA.

Luckily, Ryo and Chigusa came to her call. While not terribly skilled, Chigusa had something to settle with Sakaki, who she screamed had been using her all along. Even with the three Avatars the battle was still extremely difficult, as the AIDA within Sakaki was very powerful. However, they managed to subdue the AIDA long enough to destroy it. With the AIDA gone, the influence it had disappeared, and the young man seemed to deflate into a very young boy! His body was stretched out hideously, which would require a great deal of reconstructive surgery in order to get him to look and be able to move normally again. Realizing that if left unchecked the AIDA could distort their hosts physically as well as mentally, Reiko brought all of the accounted for Chosen Ones together for an important meeting about dealing with the current infected in order to ensure that they would not experience what had happened to Sakaki. It was agreed that those who were ready and capable would start to cleanse those in the centres in order to reduce their numbers, while Chigusa would train on patrols with Iori who was too young to work without an escort. After the meeting Reiko was confronted by Ryo and Tomonari, who, having worked with her the longest, could tell that her health was declining due to stretching herself too thin. Knowing of her seeming obsession with Takumi, Tomonari told her to focus on finding him if it would get her mind back in the game, and he would manage things while she was gone. It took both Ryo and Tomonari to convince her to stop trying to do everything herself and to trust them to manage things in her absence, but eventually she realized that she felt that she could trust them, and agreed.

Now free to devote her energies to searching, she began to do wide sweeps. She would still assist in dealing with AIDA when she found them, but it was only a secondary thing. However, even with the extra time, it was not her who found Takumi. While on a patrol she got a call from Ryo, who had found the missing leader. She hurried to their location only to arrive in time to see Ryo and Takumi battling with their Avatars. Although she cared about both of them, she had more of an affinity for Takumi, and seeing him under attack drove her into a fit of Expression. She lunged out to attack with her own Avatar, engaging in a rather rough battle with Ryo that eventually drove her unconscious from the strain. When she came to in the hospital, she was told by Tomonari, Ryo, and Takumi that she was on a paid vacation until she fully recovered. Out of relief that everyone was back together she agreed, although she quickly regretted the decision as even when she felt better she was kept to ensure her full recovery. While she was waiting, she would sneak usage of her computer, back to researching on AIDA. Luckily it was rather quiet on the encounter front, and everything was manageable. No surprise attacks, although after a point the number of people being affected by AIDA was balancing out those being cleansed, making completely purging it a somewhat unfeasible task.

To this effect, she and Takumi began to work on researching the origins of AIDA in the hope of learning something else about it. Eventually isolating the first place it had been seen, she took a trip with Ryo and Chigusa to the area in the hopes of discovering how it had become aware of their reality. Their search led them to a hospital in a remote part of Tokyo, where the apparent first victim had been taken. Unfortunately, the girl was not there anymore, as she had been transferred to one of the AIDA containment centres. With a bit of pressure through official channels, they managed to get a name connected to her - Masato Indou, who had come in with her due to odd injuries but been released later. This was more than enough to pick up the trail, and before long the three were heading to his location in order to have a bit of a chat with him.

The man who opened the door looked tired and unhappy, with strange bandages all over his shoulder and arm. The instant he saw them, it was as if something changed. The three were subsumed by their Avatars, as if they were in the presence of an AIDA... a very powerful one. It seemed that Masato had indeed had contact with AIDA, and much like the others in their group, that AIDA had drawn out the presence of an Avatar. Unlike the others, the AIDA seeemd to be rather intelligent, and dangerously powerful. With one strike both Reiko and Chigusa were wiped out. Upon awaking, Reiko learned that she and Chigusa had both been out for a week. Ryo had only managed to escape with a warning not to disturb Masato or the AIDA - who called itself Tri-Edge - or they would really be in trouble. Realizing that within Masato was perhaps the answer to the whole situation, however, meant that they could not simply leave things be. The AIDA had to be purged from him in order to finally unravel the mystery - and possibly solve it - once and for all. A group strategy was planned, involving all the members of GU, in order to attempt to subdue him long enough to drain the AIDA and free him.

However, there was one final thing that had yet to come into play. Having all of the active Reality Ascension device users together in a group, all acting together, seemed to boost the effects of the devices. Not only that, they were able to move "sideways" as it was determined, travelling along another dimension entirely that permitted them to move deeper into the AIDA dimension than before. Using this, they hoped to sneak up on the Tri-Edge AIDA, who would not be expecting them to come from that front, and gain the upper hand long enough to subdue it. It was risky, but to gain the long-sought-out answers, it would be worth it. Thus, the group moved into position, with one person acting in their reality as a trigger and a decoy, while the others would launch their attack from the AIDA dimension. Ryo was chosen to be the decoy due to his powered-up Avatar, and thus the trap was laid.

With Ryo being taken to Masato's home again, the others began to travel cautiously through the AIDA dimension, not getting too far ahead so that they would give themselves away. Even in that depth, there was still nothing but a lifeless void to the realm, but keeping contact with Ryo allowed them to navigate within a fashion, until they were at the waiting point. They could feel the presence of Tri-Edge, an niggling feeling that made those feelings of rage well up within Reiko, but she held fast, waiting for the signal...

And then it came and she and six other Avatars rose to attack... Masato was waiting for them... or was it Tri-Edge? The true extent of his body's AIDA contamination was evident with his arm stained black and dripping blood, and the sentient tentacle that oozed from a festering wound in his shoulder. As soon as he saw them, the AIDA made itself manifest, triggering his Avatar...

but that moment was enough, and the first strike was theirs. As he turned to attack them, Ryo as Skeith rose up behind him and launched an attack as well. The rapid assault without warning was enough to shatter the Avatar protection, and leave an opening for the AIDA to be drained...

But then a tired voice could be heard from the corrupted Avatar. Was it finally Masato himself? All he said was "... and now, your control of humanity ends!" Masato's Avatar began to glow with a strange light. Takumi yelled for everyone to retreat, but it was too late, as Masato's Avatar suddenly exploded in a brilliant burst of light...

The entire staff had been knocked out for a week, Reiko learned upon waking up. The mental effects had been rather staggering, and headaches and dizziness as well as narcolepsy and amnesia were a constant plague for all of the Chosen ones for quite some time after the event. However, there was not much time to recover, as a new problem had arisen. while it seemed like the AIDA were gone - inexplicably - a new problem had arisen. Strange "tears" were appearing and disappearing everywhere, with odd effects on those nearby. Those who were managing to recover well enough were rounded up to investigate, but Reiko was forced to rest until she had fully recovered. Even so, she could not be stopped from working, and would sneak onto her computer when she had the chance. While the AIDA were gone, the mystery still remained of what had happened. Of Masato, there was no sign. His physical body had not been recovered, nor was there any sign he had attempted to leave the country. However, the contents of his computer had been downloaded into the GU system, and these she went over with great detail.

What information she managed to gather spelled out an unusual picture. A half-finished report, as if for the news or a journal of some sort, about a scientist who had been working on some sort of radio transceiver rumoured to be able to send messages across the galaxy in a very short span of time - whose name was that of the woman who had led them to the hospital and then onto Masato himself; several odd files written seemingly by Masato himself indicating periods of memory loss, but then increasing awareness of the circumstances and even brief communications with the Tri-Edge AIDA; and finally a long entry compiling many things, as if he had been trying to come up with a conclusion. There, at the end, had been a note stating simply "I find within myself, within this being of my mind the ability to end this... if only there was a means to get rid of Tri-Edge for a moment so that I could activate it..." was this the strange thing that had ended the encounter? What sort of power was it... the special ability of the Avatar? He had simply referred to it as "The Rebirth" in his compilation notes. They had driven down Tri-Edge, had that been enough for Masato to do what he needed to?

But what he had done had further implications than just driving out the AIDA. It seemed to have weakened the fabric of reality itself. From what information had been gathered from the tears being reported, they were just that - small holes in reality leading to other dimensions. The members of GU took it upon themselves to patrol, monitor the rips, and ensure that nothing came from them. So far, nothing had... but it seemed that they were beginning to be more frequent. What did that mean for the world as they knew it? It wasn't the ending that Reiko had been hoping for, but she still pressed on, her promise to her brother and that deep subconscious need to avenge him fuelling her forays into the tears to investigate.