Heart of the Machine

"A prestigious IS Engineer is sent from STASIS, the sub-division of an organization called FRACTURE, to the IS Academy to form an alliance. But he can't use an IS. And the sad thing is, he's a war-torn soldier. Another sad thing: He's only 17. OC x Laura"

- Summary of the story

"The Alaska Treaty... But what a load of utter bullshit. They handed out the IS technology to every country known to man to prevent one country from "dominating" the other. Because of that, there were constantly people abusing the laws set for IS, International "Competitions" be damned. People still used IS as a weapon, other than a tool. Used them for gain. Used them for power. Used them for murder."

- A quick summary of the present world from the eyes of the protagonist

This story, an Infinite Stratos Fanfic, is a project of EthernalRain. This story was written before the anime and much of the light novel was translated, so from a few chapters on, this story is a definite Alternate Universe, with one major difference from canon: In this Alternate Universe, when the White Knight Incident introduced IS to the world, people grew frightened, some absolutely terrified of the technology and what it could do to them in the wrong hands.

Then there was mass hysteria. And then came the spark of World War III. The world went up in arms, fighting for a hold of this new, deadly technology. Countries were suddenly at all out war with other countries, not to mention that people within said countries fought bloody battles in desperate leaps for power. And soon, there was a pretty big chance of The End of the World as We Know It. But like always, The Apocalypse Brings Out the Best In People. Governments of formally neutral countries, paramilitary organizations, charity organizations, and what was left of the UN came together to discuss plans to prevent humanity's extinction with all the war and infighting going on. Their decision? The formation of a NGO Superpower, dubbed FRACTURE.

FR eedom ACT ion U nity R edemption E limination.

Said organization fought and took control of the war, and soon everything cooled down. Apocalypse averted. And like canon, then came the Peace Conference that would shape quite a bit of the world. The Alaska Treaty.

Fast forward 14 years later, and Heart of the Machine begins. The protagonist, Kyuukai Tokiwa, a 17 year old Japanese teenager comes to the IS Academy. The world in the present day is much like the one in canon, no more wars, no major conflict, just peace and a shared love of a violent sport. But since the tools of that sport can be used as weapons, in this world, there exists IS related crime.

'''Subjugation and Termination of Abusive Sectors of Infinite Stratos. STASIS.'''

STASIS is a crackdown unit that covers the use and misuse of Infinite Stratos. They're one of the main policing units of FRACTURE, and are comprised of IS pilots, and infantry wielding Anti-IS weapons. Kyuukai Tokiwa is a member of STASIS. But he's only a teenager. And he's fought in wars.

Why? Because he can. Because he knows he has the chance and the power to make a difference, and he leapt at it. But he's only 17. And he's seen and done things nobody ever should, and has had to mature at a rate that nobody ever should have to. But it was his decision, and he took, or in better words, is taking responsibility.

So he was sent to the Academy for research, practically demoted from his position as a STASIS operative. Why send a 17 year old boy? FRACTURE couldn't spare anyone else, and with his new role as the Butt Monkey of his own life, he was sent to the Academy.

Fame and infamy as a child soldier. Prestige and glory as an IS engineer. Mentally unstable, somewhat shellshocked. 17 years old with the thought process of an old man. In the prime of his youth. Going to a school full of hormonal, curious, teenage girls. Most of which recognize him as somewhat of a celebrity.

This does not bode well.


 * Action Girl: Most of the girls in the IS universe.
 * Against the Setting Sun: Chapter 12 ending.
 * Applied Phlebotinum The IS cores.
 * Child Soldiers: Kyuukai Tokiwa.
 * Fun with Acronyms: Okay, here's a list: FRACTURE, STASIS, CERBERUS, VEIL, GEAR, ATHENA, etc.
 * Lady Drunk  when drunk. Ended up confessing her inner emotions.
 * Mood Swinger: Tabane Shinonono: 1 part motherly, eccentric, aloof when calm. 1 part fiercely aggressive, ballistic, overly protective, tends to physically abuse whoever's in reach. With energy weapons.
 * One-Gender School: The IS Academy.
 * Power Armor: The Infinite Stratos.
 * Pretentious Latin Motto: Certa Pro Rectum = Fight For What is Right
 * The Engineer: Kyuukai, Tabane, FRACTURE's R&D.
 * War Is Hell: A recurring theme.