[Brainwashing, Dronification]

“That girl’s a real pain in the neck…”

A voice rang through a young lady’s bedroom. She was Raye, the Ace who had been authorized with the latest and greatest weapon developed by her country. The Sky Striker. Thanks to it, she was able to bond with several different suits of armor that would allow her to defeat those that dared try to invade, and yet.

Somehow, someway, the enemy managed to replicate the technology that they had used. Down to the Sky Striker itself. Their Ace, a younger and calmer looking girl named Roze, had managed to endure her assault time and time again. Whether she used one of her armors or went at her one-on-one with nothing but their own power at stake, she just couldn’t find an opening. It left a girl like her frustrated, angry that she couldn’t serve her country…

“There has to be a way that I can beat her. I just have to find out how…” Raye muttered as she buried her face in her pillow. She really just wanted to forget that her duty existed, with how little she could do to show that she was worthy of it.

Just as she kept innerly whining to herself, she heard her communicator beeping. “Ace.” A formal feminine voice, unrecognizable to the young lady, spoke through it. “Your performance against the other Ace has yielded great results for our research. We would like you to test out our latest mode for your Sky Striker, should you choose to accept our help.”

...The fact that whoever was talking to her was able to get onto her frequency was suspicious. But the young white-haired girl didn’t care, as she lifted herself out of bed. “You better not be lying, or I’m going to make sure you pay. Deceiving an officer’s a grave offense.”

“We know, Ace. We know that all too well. Follow these coordinates, and we’ll meet you for the first test of your new armament. For the time being, let's just call it X-XXX. If you choose to accept our help, we’ll name it together.” With that, the connection was cut short, leaving only a map to where she should show up visible on the screen…

Raye should know better, but her pride wouldn’t let her turn down a chance to show that girl who of the two was better. She headed straight out, determination filling her heart.

---

When she arrived in the seemingly abandoned structure that the coordinates led her to, she expected to see some sort of secret entrance. Something that would indicate that she was working with trustworthy folk. Instead…

There was nothing more than a single woman wearing the same colors as the girl that she had clashed with time and time again. In fact, she looked so much like her that it’d be hard to not call them related.

“So, this is a trap?” Raye asked as she brought out her Sky Striker, glaring straight at the dark-blue-haired woman clad in black. “You really took me for that much of a fool, putting out bait this simple?”

The woman smiled a little as she saw the girl’s spirit shine on through. “I’m glad you’re remaining vigilant, Ace. But no, this is not a trap. It’s not intended to be.” The woman explained, lightly tapping the box behind her. “I was thrown off the Sky Striker project from my home country. Thus, I’ve come to you instead. So that you may help me get revenge on those that would toss me aside. In exchange, you may have the last armament I made for her. Formerly known as Z-001, I believe X-XXX will suit it just fine.”

“...And why should I think that you’re telling the truth? Who’s saying you aren’t just trying to trick me into wielding a weapon that’ll slow me down so you can claim glory?” The Ace asked, her weapon slowly lowering as she spoke.

What she got in return was a smile. “You can’t know. Unfortunately, anything and everything I try to tell you will just go out the other ear, due to your preconceptions involving me and my country. All I can offer is the armament.” The woman explained as she stepped aside, showing a hole on the box. “Sink the Sky Striker into its container, and it will register you as its user. Forever depriving your enemy of another advantage.”

Raye’s tongue clicked as she walked all the way over to the box, glaring a little at the woman. “No wonder she’s like this, if you’re who I think you are.” She muttered, already imagining the ways that her rival had mocked her during her defeats. But that would change, as soon as she had bonded with whatever was inside this box..!

“Sky Striker - Engage!” She cried out as she stabbed the blade straight into the hole, watching the box shoot open, every mechanical part shining brightly as her signature was registered…

Once the smoke released from the opening box cleared away, the newest armament sat inside. Instead of something bulky like the other armaments that added to her firepower or to her defenses, it was nothing more than a golden and glimmering suit. “Behold, Ace. Z-001. To you, officially, X-XXX. Considering the naming scheme of your other armaments, I believe Kirameki will fit right along with the others.” The exiled engineer explained, adjusting her outfit ever slightly as she stepped back.

“Kirameki… I like the sound of it. Though it doesn’t seem very special.” Raye muttered as she stabbed her weapon into the ground below, tugging on the elastic looking material with a bit of a tilted head. “Are you sure this is going to help me fight back against her?” She paused, before her gaze turned into a glare. “...Were you intentionally trying to sabotage her by creating something that’s not very impressive? Is that why you got kicked out?”

The engineer woman laughed a little, brushing a hand through her ankle-length hair. “You are quite the chatty girl, Ace. But no, I did not design it like that. I designed it with minimalist elements in mind, letting it seem harmless on the surface while it does everything that it needs to upon being bonded with the Ace. Activate it, and you’ll see what I mean.”

“You better not be lying.” The girl warned her ‘ally’ as she grabbed the blade once more, holding it firmly in front of her as it glowed a bright crimson. “Engage! Kirameki!” Her eyes shined the same color as the blade, as the energies that called armaments to her started radiating off her.

The golden suit split open down the middle, practically magnetizing onto her in response to her command. Once it shut on her, several circuits blinked with life as the armament became active. And the rush she could feel, the power radiating through her… It was definitely the real deal.

“Wow..! You weren’t lying! You weren’t lying at all!” Raye cried out, her smile beaming as she slashed through the air, golden waves leaving her blade thanks to the immense power contained within the simple suit. “Despite its simplicity, it has more power than Kagari! To think this is what the other country’s engineers are capable of!” She was excited, to say the least. It also made her wonder just how much power was inside her rival’s preferred armament, considering how many times she had been thrown to the curb.

The engineer laughed a little. “See what happens when you trust somebody, Ace? You get what you want. Power, and the chance to beat your rival.” She chimed, hiding her smirk behind her rather long sleeve. Things were going according to her schedule.

“I’m sorry for doubting you, miss! Thank you so much for giving me Kirameki! It’s so powerful, so perfect!” The Ace laughed as she held her blade in front of her, causing golden angelic wings to shoot out from her back. It was like she was equipped with all four of her normal armaments all at once, being able to switch between them on the fly directly instead of needing to swap between them in such a cumbersome fashion.

Her benefactor nodded ever slightly, watching the girl zip around in the sky. All while slipping a remote out of her pocket. It was time to clip the Ace’s wings and deprive her of the sky that she so adored, right as she had gotten a chance to enjoy it…

A painful discord rang throughout Raye’s head as she was deprived control over her suit, sending her crashing back into the ground. The substance around her protected her, but at the same time it started expanding. Covering more and more of her, sucking in her hands, her feet and her head. “W-Wait, what!?”

“I must admit, I was worried that your intuition would make you attack me on sight. Your childish pride, however, saved my skin.” The benefactor explained as she stepped over to the grounded girl. “I didn’t just name it X-XXX for the sake of secrecy. It’s meant as your termination, Ace.”

The girl struggled against the golden substance, which now looked more like latex with how it was stretching around her and shutting away her head. “You..! LET ME GO-” She tried to scream, only for the substance to fully shut her face away. There was nothing left of her, besides a dome that reflected the older woman’s face back at her.

“Stand, Unit X-XXX.” The woman commanded, and the suit with the Ace inside obeyed, forcibly using her body’s muscles to follow the command. All while subtle cries of pain were resounding from within. “Cease your struggling, Ace. Let X-XXX integrate with your body, and become nothing more than a weapon for your enemies.”

Raye wanted to scream at her. But she couldn’t. Not with this much thick stuff in the way. Not with her arms actively screaming at her from the circuits digging into her. Not with her head trying to split itself apart from the rush of information filling it. Not with her legs on the verge of breaking from continued usage, the crash from earlier not exactly doing them any favors.

As she peered into the blackened gold on the inside of her suit, she saw nothing. Utterly nothing. But that was what a weapon like her was supposed to see. She wasn’t supposed to have any senses. Sight, Taste, Sound, Smell and Touch. None of them mattered to a weapon. All that mattered was utter obedience.

She struggled. She really did. But the way that way of thinking was being hammered into her, repeating no matter how she tried to avert her eyes, it made the struggling way harder than it had any right to be. She wanted to tear the entire thing off right then and there, but it was like a second layer of skin at this point. It’d be like ripping at her own body..!

“You are a resilient girl, Ace. However, your purpose in this war has expired. It’s time to let X-XXX take over.” The engineer that had tricked her said as she picked up the blade that she had dropped after crashing, holding it right above the golden-clad girl before uttering a single word.

“Engage.”

She dropped the blade, pointy end down, as it sank into the golden latex-like substance. Everything tightened hard around the girl as one last muffled scream echoed from within. Then… Silence.

X-XXX stood up. Her eyes, hidden underneath the armament, had gone blank. The words had taken hold of her processor. The Sky Striker being assimilated into her caused everything to go black, leaving her with no more options to keep herself independant. All she could do was obey.

“Mobilize, X-XXX. Your Master awaits.” The woman gave her a command, and the faceless drone-like girl nodded as a pair of mechanical wings grew from her back. In a matter of seconds, she blasted off. Heading for the one she was meant to bond with. The one who she once considered a rival.

Her benefactor took a deep breath after all of that, giggling a little to herself. “I sure hope my little Roze appreciates the gift I made for her. It took a while for me to reconfigure her old training suit into something more restrictive, but if it means she’ll warm up… Well, it’d be worth it.”

All she could do now is wait. For the fall of the Ace’s country. And for her daughter to open up to her new drone. All in due time.