Mizuno

"I have done my duty. Nothing more, nothing less."
Colonel Mizuno (first name unknown) is an Officer Reaper from Week Fifteen of The Reaper's Game. The head of the Special Operations Division of recently-formed PMC group "Takamagahara", the Colonel is a straight-laced individual who prides herself on her ability to handle any duty given to her.
== Appearance ==
The colonel keeps the appearance of a rank-and-file soldier in modern military gear, replete with digital camouflage and load-bearing vest. Mizuno is generally carrying several objects of import on her person, from grenades to knives and other various tools. Mizuno's camouflage switches colors depending on the current climate she is stationed in - during the events of Week Fifteen, for example, she is dressed in urban winter camouflage. Mizuno's army helmet has a mount installed on it which allows her to subsequent install a variety of tools onto it, from night vision goggles to a miniaturised targeting computer.
Mizuno's dominant armament is her M4 Carbine assault rifle, the standard-issue rifle to the Special Operations Division, while her prominent sidearm is the Heckler and Kock USP. However, she is trained in a variety of weapons from sniper rifles and surface-to-air missile launchers to grenades and anti-personnel mortars, most of which she keeps in the static pocket all Reapers access in order to be used. Mizuno's wings as a Reaper are very rigid and sharp-looking, as if the points were combat knives; it is a perfect accent to the soldier's personality.
=== Formicidae Cantus ===
Mizuno's Noise Form is known as Formicidae Cantus - the Singing Ant. As the name implies, Formicidae Cantus is an ant writ large - normally standing on its hind legs like a human, the Ant stands approximately nine feet tall; when all its legs are on the ground it is easily as big as a good-sized truck. Formicidae's exoskeleton and Noise Tattoo color is dependent on the camouflage Mizuno was wearing at the time of transformation; if she was in winter camo, then Formicidae takes on a whitish hue. Noise Tattoos comprise Formicidae's antennae, mandibles, and stinger.
Formicidae predominantly stands on its hind two legs, effectively giving it two sets of arms to work with. In the lower set, it carries the one holdover of Mizuno's regular self - her M4 Carbine, now massively upscaled to accommodate Formicidae's size; however, regardless of what underslung attachment Mizuno had on the M4 prior, as Formicidae the rifle always has a bayonet underneath the barrel. Her upper arms are vestigal, though they still work and thus see use in CQC or situations where her gun is compromised. The antennae atop Formicidae's head constantly transmit sensory input and output to it, allowing it to seek and destroy foes with extreme prejudice; however, they are relatively fragile, and repeated blows will damage them.
If forced to walk on all of its legs, Formicidae simply uses its massive weight to trample foes. Capable of clinging to and walking up surfaces is a skill only possible when Formicidae walks on all limbs, and like most overgrown insects in horror fiction, it becomes capable of jumping great distances, crushing car-sized objects in its mandibles, and piercing through objects using its stinger with the force of a jackhammer. As an aside, Formicidae's eyes are normally black, though they are known to change color if Mizuno had night vision or thermal imaging goggles installed on her helmet prior to transformation.
== Personality ==
Mizuno is very much a dutiful, straight-laced individual. It is rare for her to show emotion or compassion while on duty, and as Mizuno is almost always on duty her expression rarely falters as a result. She is the kind of person who carries out her orders unquestionably and without fail, more akin to a machine that has commands input into it than a person. While she may have her misgivings about an action, she does not voice them unless able to speak freely. Her ultimate loyalty is to her employer - Takamagahara first, then the Composer of her current District of Employment, should the two conflict.
These traits make Mizuno perfect for handling tasks, but at the same time make her impossible to deal with in regards to emotional changes. To her, duty and tasks must be completed, even if it means comrades falling in the heat of the moment - that is war, after all. There is time to grieve when the duty is done, and duty is not done until the task is undone. Many have called Mizuno "heartless" and "uncaring" as a result; she is certainly capable of leading and commanding a group of people, but understanding them is beyond her.
== Backstory ==
=== Prior Life ===
Mizuno's first memory was waking up with wings on her back and a gun in her hand; everything before that is a mystery to her, up to and including her ultimate identity - her dogtags simply had a space inbetween her rank and last name, as if she simply never had a first name to begin with. Despite this lack of intelligence, several ideas can be inferred from Mizuno's current state: It is highly likely that Mizuno was a soldier in the Japan Self-Defense Forces prior to death (given her knowledge of military hardware), and that she was made to play in a Game in an unspecified part of the World, wherein she became a Reaper.
Mizuno's life was that of a soldier of fortune even as a Reaper; with no obvious home District, she traveled and served as a Reaper from District to District. In 2016, however, that would change when Mizuno had a chance meeting in the city of Fukuoka with Takehiko Takenaka, a former Player of the Game himself, who had come to the District to meet with his younger sister. Seeking Reapers and Players that were similarly inclined as he was, Takenaka invited Mizuno to join the group he was forming for the betterment of Underground participants and citizens alike - the Paramilitary Company known as Takamagahara.
Mizuno became the right hand and first member of Takamagahara that day, traveling to help recruit similarly-minded Reapers to bolster Takamagahara's ranks. Eventually, her employer gave Mizuno her first major mission as the head of Takamagahara's Special Operations Division: Head to Shibuya to aid the new Composer in the upcoming Week, as well as establish a base in the District for future operations.
=== Week Fifteen ===
Mizuno was hired by the interim Composer of Shibuya, Jean Duvert, for a three-Game contract outlined by Takenaka as an Officer-level Reaper. Establishing the Takamagahara Forward Base in an abandoned lot near Towa Records, Mizuno quickly set to her duty, guiding and escorting wayward Players before the Game began and overseeing their progress through the Week. Her blunt attitude, obsession with her duty, and general lack of enjoyment put her at odds with several Players and Reapers, who were on the whole more likely to enjoy themselves than work at their duty.
During the Game proper, Mizuno mostly watched over the Players as they continued their tasks. On the third day, however, Mizuno put the Players to the test; the Contract Takenaka had penned with Jean allowed Takamagahara to test an anti-Noise and anti-personnel weapon using the Players as guinea pigs. This weapon, the personal powered armor known as the Myrmidon Mark I, was unleashed upon the Players, with Mizuno inside the machine commanding it. The Players were victorious during the fight, revealing several design flaws with the Myrmidon that threatened to take Mizuno's life.
Mizuno was also a vital part of the fifth day, wherein the Players were required to cook eggs. With little access to kitchens - as well as Takenaka recommending a short-term vehicular transfer to Mizuno - the Colonel was able to bring in the British-made Covenanter tank for the Players to fry their eggs on. The Covenanter was later used to teach Players how to fire the cannon, as well as during Shino's Erasure to put distance between the Game Master and Hawk.
As the Week came closer and closer to a close, Mizuno found herself closer to certain Players than she had originally intended, particularly the pairs of Kazuya and Satsuki as well as Taiki and Kou. She was one of the Reapers who bore witness to their - as well as the other Player's - survival at the end of the Week.
== Relationships ==
=== General Takenaka ===
One of the survivors of Week Thirteen, and Mizuno's current employer. She obeys him unquestioningly, even if she has her misgivings about his casual attitude; Orders from Takenaka would override even her Composer's orders in her mind.
=== Jean Duvert ===
The current Composer of the Shibuya District, and Mizuno's superior for her time in Week Fifteen. Mizuno obeys Jean's orders to the letter, as that is her duty.
=== Kazuya Naito ===
One of the Players during Week Fifteen, though the two knew each other well before the Week. Kazuya and Mizuno were originally stationed at the Higashi District of Niigata for one Week back when the former was still a Reaper. Mizuno is unaware of Kazuya's reasons for replaying, but accepts them nonetheless as former allies.
=== Kou Mizoguchi ===
One of the Players present during Week Fifteen. Mizuno's opinion of Kou is mostly neutral, though she believes that he has a natural shooting talent. Kou seems to have admiration for Mizuno, perhaps even bordering on a crush.
=== Runa Spiros ===
One of the Harrier-level Reapers present during Week Fifteen. Mizuno appreciates Runa's sense of duty and her directness regarding orders. Conversations between the two are often terse, but manage to work out the goal quickly. Secretly, Mizuno is glad Runa was allowed to survive the week.
=== Satsuki Koizumi ===
One of the Players present during Week Fifteen.
=== Taiki Hiraoka ===
One of the Players present during Week Fifteen. A self-proclaimed hero, Taiki and Mizuno would often butt heads during debates on what exactly it meant to be a hero, with Taiki convinced that heroes exist and Mizuno saying that they could not. The two have reached an understanding since, despite their differing opinions.
== Trivia ==
* Mizuno's birthday is the same date as the original publishing date of the popular series GATE: Where the JSDF Fought.
* Mizuno holds a tank commander's license for two tanks: The Type 97 Chi-Ha tank as well as the O-I, an experimental tank the Japanese designed in World War II that saw very limited. Where Takamagahara managed to obtain and drag an O-I into the UG is currently unknown.
* Oddly, despite being a Reaper, Mizuno is rarely seen to use the phasing ability that Reapers have, preferring to move on her own feet (or wings if necessary). It is questionable if she is even capable of phasing from area to area.
* Mizuno's Reaper Power is known as Control, Command, Communicate. The explanation of this ability is that Mizuno is entirely capable of remotely controlling her personal tanks, the Type 97 Shinhoto Chi-Ha and the O-I, so long as she is seated in one of the tank's positions.
Category:Reapers
Category:Week 15
Category:Officer Reaper