Gate: Twenty Tons of Steel

by xxSPARTAN119xx

The Imperial Army crossed the Gate into modern-day Tokyo, only to be quickly outmatched by the JSDF... But, even before the SDF arrived, they learned guns, tanks, and aircraft weren't the only 21st century technology they need fear. Just a block from the Gate, they faced the wrath of a steel beast that devoured earth and rock... Oneshot. T for violence and language

I do not own Gate: Thus the JSDF Fought There and I am making no profit from this work of fan fiction. Gate is property of Takumi Yanai.

Ginza, Tokyo, Japan (One block east of the doujinshi convention attended by Youji Itami)

Tatsumi Yamada hurriedly climbed the ladder to the driver's seat of the front end loader parked near at the construction site. In front of him, he heard the sounds of screams, steel piercing flesh, and a gunshots as a police officer fired what looked like a cross between an ancient Roman army and something out of a fantasy movie.

At first he had thought the army that marched up the street was part of some kind of elaborate movie set. However, that illusion was quickly shattered when they started killed people with very real swords and spears, and were fired on by police.

"Actors didn't go around killing people, and they definitely did not get fired on by police.", Yamada realized immediately. He did not know what was going on, but he knew one thing: "Those cops don't have enough ammo to hold them off for very long, unless someone did something, the mysterious enemy would kill everyone her before the JSDF showed".

And so, that was how the 43 year-old construction worker ended up on the front lines an in inter-world war. Yamada turned the key, and the 1500 horsepower diesel engine of the loader roared to live.

Yamada stepped on the gas, causing the vehicle to lurch forward, plowing straight through the chain link fence surrounding the construction site- now was not the time to worry about property damage- as the last civilian survivors on the street ran past the site.

Turning the massive construction machine towards the Imperial forces, Yamada stared down a force of soldiers armed with spears and square shields, currently forming a shield wall. The soldiers were flanked by orc-like creatures armed with clubs and axes.

Yamada felt the adrenaline rush through his veins as he slammed the pedal to the floor. The loader rolled forward at it meager maximum speed of about 35 kilometers per hour towards the invading army.

The enemy soldiers stood firm with their shields raised, as a group of archers fired arrows at the loader from behind them. At the same time, the crew of a large wheeled ballista pulled back the string of their weapon and loaded a massive, spear-like bolt.

A few of the storm of arrows struck the windshield of the loader and cracked it, but did not go through. Deciding he did not want to push his luck any further, Yamada pulled a lever to the right of his seat, raising the loader bucket over the cab, shielding him from incoming fire.

With a loud thudding sound, the ballista discharged directly at Yamada. Had he not raised the bucket when he did, the bolt would have gone through the windshield and right into his face. As it was, it bounced harmlessly off the thick steel bucket.

When the ballista failed to strike down the roaring steel beast that charged them, many of the rear ranks of the Imperial army turned and fled in terror. A soldier who was dressed like a Roman Centurion raised his sword and barked orders for them to say- probably threatening them with execution. This did nothing to stay their flight.

For the front ranks, who were boxed in by those behind them, there was nowhere to run. Yamada lowered the bucket of the loader to about chest level just before it made contact with the invading horde.

At that moment, twenty tons of steel make contact with the armies of an otherworldly Empire. From the cab, Yamada gave a shout of "Fuck you, Caesar!"

Shields and spears were reduced to splinters by the impacts as men were thrown through the air like rag dolls, before slamming on into the pavement several meters away.

A few soldiers tried to thrust their spears into the tires of the loader. Their efforts proved futile, and managed only to stain the tires with blood as they were crushed under the machine.

As the front end loader effortlessly demolished the now-unmanned ballista, the survivors of the initial contact with the machine fled, leaving behind 23 mangled bodies and a street strewn with splintered shields, snapped spears and bows, and bent swords.

As Yamada looked back in the rearview mirror, he saw that the group of fleeing civilians was no longer in sight- his efforts were a success- he had held them off.

As this thought passed through his head, Yamada heard the sound of helicopter blades fill the air, along with sounds he had previously only heard in movies: machine gun fire and explosions. The JSDF had arrived to make short work of the invaders.