Hey readers, first things first. This is a restructured reupload of three related stories that I am merging into one for the sake of simplicity and continuity. I wrote the initial iterations of this beastie before knowing much about Steins;Gate 0 in any medium, so right away there's going to be a huge variety of things that sharply contrast with Zero, especially with characters and plot aspects. You will immediately notice a lacking of most of the lab members, and all I can say is congrats, that's the magic of a costly and destructive world war three and my own authoring focus on certain characters. That said, now that I do know about Zero and very much love it in VN and anime form, imagining a dusty and dismal future Tokyo became way easier and awesomer and certainly adds a lot to the experience in that manner.
In any case, this story takes place twenty six years after the events of Ulterior Requisite, and follows the modified post-war future on the world line reached in the previous story. SERN's global dominance exists, but isn't nearly as great since they were unsuccessful at achieving time travel thanks to the onset of World War 3. In the meantime, the Japanese underground revolution, known only by its codename 'Valkyrie', continues to strengthen, drawing in all who are willing to fight to reclaim their island nation of Japan.
Having never time traveled in this particular world line, and being completely unaware of the events of August of 2010, the young freedom fighter Amane Suzuha battles the scattered regiments of Japan's oppressors in honor of her late father, believing him to be responsible for beginning the revolution she now fights for. Then, in a swift change of personal fate, she finds herself centric to a desperate plan, far beyond the scope of the national revolution she considered herself part of, and all for the sake of the past, future, and countless lives in-between.
Viva La Revolución!
Yokohama Ghetto, Japan; 04/17/2036; SERN East-Asia Time, 17:21p.m. [0.014319]
Resting against the cracks of a concrete wall, legs aching, heart throbbing, and chest heaving with labored breath, Amane Suzuha sat beside a large hole on the third floor of a heavily damaged structure; somewhere between the recently neutralized safe house she previously resided in, and dozens more hidden in the largely abandoned city. Resting on her lap lay a stubby machine pistol, known only by a small factory stamping on the side as a Minebea PM-9, loaded with a small drum magazine, and like her, sporting the wear and tear of ongoing battle.
Turning her head from the ripple of machine gun fire on a distant street, one of her braids brushed against her cheek in a fleeting tickle, and she rubbed her face in response, only to realize she smeared grime and gunpowder residue from the weapon onto herself.
Eh, oh well. Face paint, right?. With my luck I'll be stuck hiding in this block until tomorrow. Where the hell would I find washing water around here anyway...?
Eyes descending to the firearm, she pressed the magazine release latch, slowly pulling the drum cartridge out of the receiver. Shrugging off her backpack, she dug through food scraps, ammunition, and other elements of survival, finding an old bottle of light machine oil. Prying the gun's action open until it locked, she unscrewed the bottle's lid with haste, squeezing several dribbles of lubricant into the inner surfaces of the weapon. Releasing the slide with the push of a latch, she squeezed another stream of oil onto it, capping the bottle and dropping it into the backpack again.
There we are.
With rough fingers curling around the sight mounted on the slide, she began working the action back and forth, letting the life-bearing liquid find its way into the workings of the weapon.
You always love your lube, huh? Burning through bullets at a high rate is demanding, I know.
*BANG*
Startled from the concussion of an explosion nearby, she nervously zipped up her backpack, quickly swinging it over her shoulders as she rose to her feet, sliding the drum magazine back into the weapon's receiver until it locked with a *click*. Peeking around the crumbling concrete and bent rebar to the city outside, distant shouts and further gunfire interrupted the idling of a truck, and she looked down to the rubble-strewn street below, seeing no sign of her previous opponents.
Huh. Maybe I can get out of here. Just need to avoid the situation over that way...
Tucking the gun's strap around her neck, she gripped it with both hands, smelling a hint of the oil through the light haze of smoke for a moment. Turning from the view of the decaying city outside, her boots kicked up a small cloud of dust as she headed back towards the previously ascended stairwell.
...And find my way into a shelter, before nightfall.
04/18/2036; SERN East-Asia Time, 01:43a.m.
Laying upon the carpet floor of an abandoned office, hidden in a cubicle upon a thin fire blanket, her eyes were closed, but her mind remained wide awake, listening to the rainfall outside of the shattered windows nearby.
Shelter. Safe houses. Hah. The weather sucks and I'm holed up in this place. Office chair paradise, with zero peace and quiet cause every damn window in this city is broken.
With a tingle of sweat coursing through her arms and legs, she slowly exhaled in the humid darkness.
Sure glad its not winter anymore. I had to lose that coat a while ago, and I'm going to be hard pressed to find another. Still wish the zipper hadn't busted... Stupid thing. I'm not about to carry around something like that in the summer. Already limited with storage as it is.
Moving her foot over, and confirming her backpack was still present, tied to her leg, she quietly grunted.
Ugh. Speaking of summer... I don't even want to think about how muggy its going to be. Whatever temperate middle ground there used to be is long gone, besides a spare few weeks in spring and fall... Or something. Otherwise you're freezing your butt off for a few months, and then boiling alive for the rest.
Vision rising to several wrinkled papers pinned against the cubicle wall, she stared at the indiscernible lines of characters printed on it.
Guess that's what the world gets for bombing everybody... A couple powerful idiots messed it up for everybody else, and we lost most of the world population, along with predictable, fair weather... And if that wasn't enough, even with nothing left to fight for, SERN still slithers around and guns down whoever they find around here. 'Extremists' barely surviving in this mess. Broadcasting their kills on the daily death report... Gloating over their achievement of reigning over a world full of nothing and nobody.
Brow furrowing angrily, she closed her eyes.
Bastards. I don't think I could ever hate anything more than that.
04/18/2036; SERN East-Asia Time, 08:42a.m.
Stepping apprehensively out from the darkness of a dilapidated commercial structure, her nose took in the smell of ozone, and her boots stepped in and around small puddles of water that collected among scattered debris under the humid, overcast sky.
Must've rained for hours. This place feels like a jungle. Cause it is a jungle... Kind of.
Weaving around several abandoned cars, she drug her fingers alongside one, rubbing her thumb across her wet fingertips.
Tons of standing water. I wonder...
Pulling off her fingerless gloves, she ran her bare hands along the sheet metal hood of the same car, collecting water on her skin, and then rubbing her face. With another swipe of water, she then rubbed her hands together, eliminating some of the previous day's grime. Coating her forearm with water, she rubbed her eyes one at a time, and then exhaled, pulling the gloves back on.
Half ass face wash, yay.
Ears perking from the distant chop of rotor blades, her vision lurched upward in an instinctive scan of the decayed skyline.
Shit. A helicopter? Out here?
Hustling aside into the darkness of a nearby shadow, she crouched down against the weathered concrete of an apartment complex, heart beating with a surge of fear.
What brings air power out to this zone? Nobody out here even has anti-aircraft weaponry that I know of... What the hell is the draw to the south ghetto?
Listening to the roar of a turbine engine rapidly escalating in volume, she squinted into the distance, exhaling with alarm as sprays of water and trash began being blown around just down the street, revealing the dark blur of the aircraft's rotor blades just above.
Of course they're heading my way... Dammit!
Ducking through an open doorway, she spun around and backed up against the adjacent wall, peeking just beyond the jagged shards of a broken glass window. Squeezing the grips of her weapon, adrenaline tingled in her veins as a cushion of hot air whirled in a circle just outside, with clouds of dust swirling in through the structure's orifices.
Awesome. A SERN chopper, and they're deciding to hover right here. I'm dead if I move.
Leaning her head back against the wall, she stood still, indirectly captive beneath the enemy. Then, hearing a whir of mechanized parts among the roar of the turbine, her fingers tightened as a large machine gun on the aircraft spooled up and began firing rapidly. Holding her breath as a lack of bullet holes appeared around her, her ears instead picked up the distinct clatter of large caliber casings dropping freely to the street, and she slowly leaned over, tempted to peek outside again.
Go somewhere else you s-
*KABOOM*
Grimacing from a sudden flash, a thunderous explosion pierced the air outside, blasting a concussion of air through the doorway and window around her, followed promptly by the dense clatter of debris falling to earth, and a persistent crumbling beginning in the absence of the helicopter's gunfire.
Finally peeking outside, the helicopter's engine spooled up, lifting it higher into the sky, and Suzuha watched with morbid fascination as a strangely large shadow grew across the street, amongst the jumble of noise. Taking a single step onto the sidewalk, she looked up, mouth opening agape as the upper two stories of a building just meters ahead slowly leaned further over the street, fracturing and rapidly failing from the hole blown into the floor beneath. Then with a shrieking snap of steel beams, the upper floors collapsed down onto the building's own missing midsection, forcing the ground floor to bow outwards from the sudden crushing weight, and prompting the upper section to tilt over and collapse onto the street below in an earth-shaking cascade of destruction.
Closing her eyes from the cloud of dust, she waited until it settled, discovering a heap of twisted steel and broken concrete that lay in a line across the road in front of her, and the spindly remains of where the structure formerly stood
Holy shit. Whatever just did this was big and powerful.
Stepping out onto the middle of the street, her eyes rose back up to the helicopter, now much higher in the sky.
...And doesn't belong to SERN. That must be why they're here.
Spooked by the approach of footsteps from behind, she whirled around in alarm, discovering other gun-toting civilians hustling up towards her, having seemingly appeared from the shadows. Leveling the PM-9 towards them with apprehension, her eyes narrowed towards the closest as the muzzle of his rifle rose towards the sky.
"Whoa, at ease!"
"Who are you?! Who do you fight for?!"
"Japan!"
"The revolution!"
"Valkyrie!"
Exchanging apprehensive nods after a series of valid answers were offered, her nerves relaxed slightly.
Alright. Friendly resistance.
"Me too."
Breathing heavily, she joined their gaze upwards towards the helicopter as its machine gun began firing again, only to notice the flame trail of an approaching rocket heading straight for the aircraft, which vainly attempted shooting it down in response.
Oh man, an RPG? Who is out here?
Staring as the rocket struck the machine and detonated, its onboard fuel and ammunition exploded in sequence, erupting into a spectacular fireball as the entirety of the helicopter was obliterated, sending fragments of steel, rotor blades and an intact tail boom plummeting to earth.
Grinning from the observed victory, Suzuha's arm rose into the sky, first curled as the others around her began cheering.
"Hell yeah! Take that and stuff it, SERN!"
Watching as the others around her hurried ahead towards the destroyed building, she began following hesitantly.
"Wait, where are you going?"
"Those were Valkyrie's forces! They're going around recruiting everyone in the underground to officially join their ranks!"
Eyes widening, vivid imagery of military training and prior battles began playing in her mind.
Join... Official ranks? With Valkyrie?
Exhaling with disbelief at the development, her lips then curled into the beginnings of a grin.
Yes! Finally! "I'm coming with you guys!"
Tightening the sling of her gun against her chest, she charged forward, rapidly passing and outpacing several of the resistance members, and then scaling the rubble ahead, shoving aside rebar and concrete and clearing a small path. With a turn aside, she then extended her hand to the first person behind her, helping them up with a nod.
Might as well show some friendly allegiance...
In exchange, the same man helped her shove a heavy rooftop A/C unit, watching as it tumbled down in front of them, clearing the majority of a path through the debris down onto the street beyond. Taking the lead and quickly navigating her way through twisted steel and loose concrete fragments, her boots found flat pavement, and she turned her head, watching with a hidden smile as a small group of fellow resistance formed into a group behind her.
"You guys know where they are?"
"Didn't you see? They're only a few blocks ahead."
"They've been on patrol here in Yokohama. Someone said they're visiting every remaining safe house on the map. Everyone's packing up and following their lead."
"They're recruiting everybody?"
"Everybody that wants to join."
"Rumor has it they're planning an invasion west from Tokyo, now that they have loose control of the coast to Shizuoka."
Heart racing from the spoken news, Suzuha brimmed with excitement.
Oh man. Valkyrie having control of any land is amazing. What have I missed? That last safe house didn't have a working radio but... I guess these past couple of days have been crazy. Maybe that explains the sparse presence of the hit squads. I haven't been shot at as much as I'm used to.
"That's the best development I've heard for months."
"Which is exactly why we're headed towards them. Anyone that openly swears allegiance to Valkyrie is permitted to follow the convoy."
Keeping pace as the group began a forward jog, she slowly began grinning.
All this time we've been fighting alone and scattered. Now there's an organized gathering of resistance members? I wonder how many there are here in the ghetto? I barely encounter one person a day, much less a group like this.
Loosening the sling around her shoulder, she brought the machine-pistol to her hands, held at her hip as she jogged forward towards a curve in the road.
I can't wait to see this convoy! If they're the ones with the firepower to blow up buildings and SERN choppers... Things might be looking up for once. Especially for my sorry ass wandering around this place. I wonder if they'll have food and water? Who knows what Valkyrie has at its disposal. Everybody just whispers what little they know and huddles around radios when secret broadcasts come on... But, anyway, no matter what happens, this is gonna be way better than what I've been dealing with since I fled what remained of the Japanese military. I'd love to be part of an enlisted rank again if it means a meal, a shower, and a strategic purpose.
04/18/2036; SERN East-Asia Time, 09:26a.m.
Slowing their jogging pace, the group drew to a hesitant halt as the rumble of diesel engines grew in the distance, and mouths opened agape as a procession of darkly painted Type 10 tanks crept across an intersection ahead, followed closely by a short convoy of cargo trucks, all of which were surrounded by a heavily armed plain-clothed crowd. Several commanding figures rode astride on the vehicles in camouflage battle dress, and one shouted praise and encouragement to the small army through a megaphone.
"Oh my god. They have tanks!"
"And trucks!"
"I bet they have supplies!"
"Hell yeah! Let's go everyone!"
Surging forward with cheers, a variety of pistols and rifles pointed into the sky as the group approached, and dozens in the convoy began cheering in response, accepting them into what was rapidly discovered to be at least three hundred bodies.
"Valkyrie! We're with Valkyrie!"
"We fight for Japan!"
Listening to the back-and-forth chanting, Suzuha's attention went in all directions with utter fascination.
Oh wow. So many rebels, and we're all armed to the teeth. This is awesome!
Several individuals crowded around the trucks, and rations and bottles of water were swiftly provided to clamoring hands. From another, several pistols and magazines of ammunition were passed to those unarmed, all in a manner of open generosity marveled by Suzuha as she moved with the crowd.
If it weren't for my own scavenging, I'd be there too. Maybe later I'll get one of those cans and some water... But I need to see these tanks first.
With a strange feeling of glee, she ran just outside of the crowd, hopping onto benches, over fallen signs and other debris, rapidly approaching the armor ahead as the low roar of diesel engines and squeals and groans of heavy moving steel filled her ears. Glimpsing drive wheels and sloped armor plating, she moved further ahead, watching as rubble and abandoned cars were easily pushed aside from the leading tank, fitted with a massive plow.
Hoho man this is too cool!
Walking alongside one of the machines, admiring the mass and noise, a presence of power filled her being from the unearthly vibration beneath her feet, mixing with a rare feeling of relative safety and superiority as she looked up towards the crewman in the turret, surrounded by several men armed with assault rifles.
If we've got heavy artillery like this around... Anybody that gets in our way is toast. Just like that chopper earlier. They got blown to hell, right out of the sky.
Peeking back towards the mass of people that followed, excitement bristled through her skin.
Strength in numbers, baby. This morning just got awesome.
Moving right alongside with the fourth tank in the convoy, Suzuha's fingers dug into a can of beef rations, savoring the flavor of pre-cooked meat as her stomach gladly absorbed the infusion of protein.
Clean, purified water too. This is a dream! Even got a can of... Corn. Whatever that is. I'll try that later. Right now this beefy goodness is all mine.
Looking to the toothed drive wheel next to her as it slowly turned among the the tread links, her eyes rose along the riveted armor plating up towards the bustle rack on the rear of the turret, laden with spare parts and soldiers seated upon it.
I wonder what its like to drive this thing. I bet even just being on top of it feels awesome... Astride a big metal monster with a huge cannon. You'd probably feel invincible.
Noticing one individual in different dress than the soldiers, her focus narrowed with interest, slowly realizing from the short hair, slender figure, and feminine complexion, that the person was a young woman like herself.
Cool. So I'm not the only girl in all this. What brought you here, huh?
Bringing one last cut of meat into her mouth, Suzuha watched with continued interest, chewing as the girl's head moved, breifly noticing she was being observed.
Yeah, I'm looking at you. What makes you so important that you get a free ride on a tank?
Eyes breaking contact, the girl turned in place, peering ahead, and a wood-stocked rifle shifted behind her back, slung over her shoulder.
Oho, armed too. Rifle lady is part of this Valkyrie convoy. I wonder if sh-
Pausing as the tanks groaned to a halt, a low commotion of radio chatter began as soldiers assumed defensive positions of cover, and one man looked through binoculars.
"Contact!"
Ears perking from the already familiar drone of helicopter engines, Suzuha peered ahead amongst the dozens around her, but then a sudden escalation of shouts and pandemonium began as gunfire blasted from several places down the street, ricochets peppered the ground and the tanks, and several people fell to the ground in front, causing a riot of returning fire from soldiers, machine guns mounted on the tanks, and numerous revolutionaries as an unexpected battle began in the street.
"FIND COVER AND FIGHT!"
Listening to the shouts from the megaphone behind and other commanding voices, Suzuha stepped aside hesitantly, watched among the liquid movement of people seeking shelter in the surrounding buildings as two additional SERN helicopter gunships approached in the sky. Jumping free from the armor and trucks, soldiers rapidly moved in organized groups towards cover as flashes of automatic weapons ensued down the street, mixing a fury of gunfire with screams and shouts in all directions. Then, a thunderous report erupted from the lead tank's main cannon, followed by the tank just behind, rapidly reducing a distant building into a liquefaction of rubble tumbling onto the street below.
Wow. That explains what happened earlier.
Drunk with head-spinning excitement, she watched as several dozen enemies approached in the distance, but in a surprise, she was grabbed by her arm and forcefully drug aside by the young woman she had been staring at only moments before.
"Do you know what finding cover means?!"
Jerking her arm free and breaking into a run alongside her with a grin, Suzuha tossed the empty can in her hand aside and jumped through an open storefront window, keeping just ahead of the girl as she slammed through a partially ajar door just beside her.
"Of course I do! This is just awesome!"
Grunting as she launched herself aloft over a counter with her arms, she floated in the air for a spare few seconds, knocking small shelves and dozens of items onto the floor. Landing squarely on her boots however, she maintained her swift pace, continuing towards the rear of the building with a spree of energy.
"And you're insane!"
Storming up two stairwells in a pace just faster than her, Suzuha began laughing from the comment as her gun bounced around against her chest, mirroring the jostle of her backpack behind.
"Thank you!"
Rounding a corner and bursting into the living room of an apartment, both of them approached the windows, hidden in the shadows behind tattered curtains. Observing their surroundings outside, dozens of rifles, shotguns and pistols exchanged constant fire through several stories of windows on the block, providing a distracting opposition to the swarm of SERN squad members that surrounded the tanks, as machine guns of both armor and aircraft exchanged fire outside. A fiery explosion and crash ensued just out of sight from the downing of one helicopter, but in exchange, the rearmost cargo truck violently exploded into a burning wreck, and Suzuha held her machine-pistol readily, itching to fight.
Looking to the dark haired girl as she unslung her rifle and brought it to her shoulder, she studied her steady poise for a moment, and then peered down through the window, aiming the iron sights of her gun towards unsuspecting enemies already engaged in a multi-direction battle for survival. Squeezing the trigger in several short bursts, rapid chatters of small caliber fire spewed from the gun's long muzzle, and the dark-haired girl's attention went to the stubby weapon as it spewed lead and fire among a clatter of spent casing.
"Where did you find that?"
"My PM-9?"
"Yes."
"Its a secret."
"You stole it, I assume?"
"Of course! SERN stole all the good hardware first. I just took it back!"
Ducking away from the window as a steady hail of bullets struck the window frame and roof above their heads, wood and drywall fragments flew asunder as numerous holes appeared in the ceiling.
"Someone noticed you down there."
"Guess so!"
"I'm changing positions."
"Right behind you."
Hurrying to their feet and hustling back into the hallway behind, boots met another door just down the hall, breaking it completely off its hinges onto the floor. Allowing the dark haired girl in first, Suzuha knelt back against a dust covered desk, tugging the drum magazine out of her gun.
"I'm almost empty."
"What caliber?"
"Nine millimeter."
"There should be plenty of that to go around soon."
"Awesome."
Looking over in surprise from a series of loud singular reports erupting from the girl's semi-automatic rifle, she suddenly spun around, backing herself against the wall between both windows as several stray bullets flew in through the openings, breaking what little glass remained on the window frames in a tinkle and sending puffs of concrete and drywall dust aloft. Then, both of them sat still in alarm, just out of sight of the remaining helicopter as it slowly hovered past outside of their building, absorbing dozens of ricocheting impacts from small arms fire.
"Somebody has to have the rocket launcher... Unless they were killed."
"Is that what got the chopper earlier this morning?"
Looking over to Suzuha, she slowly nodded.
"Yes. You witnessed that?"
"Would've been hard not to. I was going about my day, and then it appeared on my street. You guys blew up the building next to it before shooting it down."
"I see."
"After that I encountered some other resistance members that were headed for this convoy. I didn't even know what was going on until I asked them. They all said Valkyrie was recruiting everybody that wanted to join the cause."
Watching a smile slowly rise upon the girl's lips, she nodded.
"Its true. We're rounding up everybody out of the ghetto. The time has come for some serious organization of resistance forces. We'll be stronger as an army."
Pausing as a rocket roared past into the air, the girl's head turned, awaiting the result. Then, another flash, and another explosion rattled the floor beneath their feet for a moment, followed by a distant tumble of destroyed steel among the rapidly decreasing gunfire outside.
"There we go. About time they shot that thing down..."
Rising to their feet and leaning through the windows with apprehension, numerous bodies lay scattered on the street around the idling tanks, and only occasional gunshots rang out towards the spare few enemies that remained.
"Won't be long. There's three hundred of us and less than ten of them."
"They'll probably send more squads later."
"Maybe. But I think we'll be alright in the meantime."
Watching with morbid fascination as numerous revolutionaries appeared out of the shadows onto the street, a procession of several dozen people crept up towards the last of the enemies, wiping them out in a series of quick engagements.
Waiting as the area quieted down to the low idle of engines below, numerous people looked in all directions on the street and in windows.
"Clear!"
Exhaling from the distant crackle of the megaphone, Suzuha stood back, shifting the straps of the backpack on her shoulder.
"That was an exciting couple of minutes."
"A bit, yeah. Would've been shorter for you if I let you stand there earlier."
Rubbing the back of her neck bashfully from the stranger's remark, her arm brushed one of her braids aside.
"Hey. I've had my share of action but I haven't seen anything like this."
"Regardless of how impressive it was, you were an easy target."
"And you saved my butt, I guess. Thank you."
Extending a hand towards the girl, she offered a friendly smile.
"Amane Suzuha. Who are you?"
Looking at her glove, and then to her twin-braided hair, she slipped the rifle around her back.
Amane... Where have I heard that name? "Urushibara... Kamiko."
Hesitantly meeting Suzuha's hand with a single shake, her lips parted.
"...You've seen battle before?"
Propping her hands onto her hips, Suzuha nodded with affirmation.
"Yep. I'm an ex-JSDF grunt. Was drafted at sixteen and saw a little bit of combat. Then when SERN invaded Tokyo and dissolved the government a year ago, everybody with a half a brain fled the military. From that point, I've been on my own here in Yokohama... Realized pretty quickly that fighting for Valkyrie was more worth dying for than living under SERN's rule. Plus, as long as we fight, the revolution still lives, right?"
Listening with unexpected interest, Kamiko folded her arms.
Ex-military even. Besides that deer-in-the-headlights moment earlier, any sort of combat training is useful.
"Indeed. Thank you for joining the cause."
"I've always been part of it."
"Then we'll be glad to have you in our ranks. Let us be on our way."
Stepping over the fallen door, both girls moved in tandem down the hall, descending to the ground floor, and exiting back out onto the street, greeted by the reappearance of the recruits en masse. Watching as literal armfuls of weaponry were carried through the crowd towards the cargo trucks in the rear, Kamiko hailed one of the nearby soldiers.
"Status report?"
"Twenty eight dead, and the rearmost truck is a total loss."
"Damn. Any accumulated spoils?"
"Several dozen rifles and sub-machine guns. Still searching bodies for ammunition, body armor and anything else of use. We also have the tech crew going back to the second chopper to attempt salvage of the GAU-19 onboard."
"Alright. Bring along as much as we can carry. I want a redistribution of weaponry upon nightfall."
"Consider it done."
Keeping alongside Kamiko as she turned and walked through the bustling crowd towards the trucks behind, Suzuha peeked at her curiously.
"So, uh, are you running this show?"
Looking towards Suzuha, her eyebrow rose.
"I'm not completely in charge, but I'm overseeing this recruitment operation. Higher ups consider this to be important, hence the tanks."
"Wow. I didn't even know Valkyrie had big guns like this."
"We do. But they're valuable. They don't come out too often."
"So rounding up everybody in the ghetto is important enough for tanks, and because of that, you came along?"
"In a manner of speaking."
"Lemme guess, you answer to the guys running Valkyrie. Don't you?"
Her mouth moved to the side in hesitation.
"Could say that."
Tucking her thumb under the strap to her gun as they walked, Suzuha grinned as the weapon's circular drum magazine slowly bounced against her stomach.
"Must be awesome."
"Don't think that's the right word for it."
"Yeah? How would you describe it?"
"Arduous."
04/18/2036; SERN East-Asia Time, 11:06a.m.
"Commander Urushibara."
"Yes?"
"Salvage of munitions is complete. We are ready to proceed to the next checkpoint."
"Alright. We've got about seven hours of daylight. As soon as the sun gets low to the horizon, set up camp and camouflage the vehicles for one more night. Tomorrow we'll head back to the Gate after the final leg through surface streets."
"Yes ma'am."
Saluting the officer, she observed several soldiers assuming positions atop the vehicles, and then turned to Suzuha.
"Miss Amane, come with me."
Following the stride of Kamiko as she approached one of the tanks in the convoy, she waved to one of the soldiers up top.
"We're departing. Lend us a hand up there!"
Noticing the soldier's pointed look towards Suzuha, several eyebrows rose.
"A civilian?"
"Yes. This girl nearly saved my life. She's riding with me, and that's an order."
"Understood."
Exhaling from the authority emanating from the teenage girl beside her, Suzuha tried to hide a smile from the bogus statement as the commander was helped onto the tank, only to turn and offer an arm towards her.
Hah, a little backwards there but...
"Thank you."
Hands gripping each other steadily, she stepped onto the drive wheels, clambering up onto the sloped armor, releasing her hand as she rose to her feet just in front of Kamiko.
"Please. You showed your worth. The least I can do is let you rest your feet."
Looking down towards the machine as her boots vibrated, she exhaled from the exhaust heat of the diesel engine just beneath.
"I appreciate it. These legs have seen a lot of miles."
Looking out towards the rear of the convoy crowd, Kamiko waited as Suzuha sat beside her in the bustle rack of the turret.
"I can only imagine."
Looking to her worn boots, and the tears in her denim pants, Suzuha squeezed the calf of her leg, scratching a resulting itch.
Yep. They've seen miles but they're tough and toned. Can't be weak in this hellhole. As long as you can run faster and climb harder than the next guy, you might just survive into the next day.
Listening to several engines spool up, the tank slowly began crawling forward, and she gripped her steel seat from the slow lean into motion. Eyes widened as dozens of eyes met her among the armed crowd, and she looked to Kamiko with a smile, who was quietly observing the procession behind.
Oh man, what a badass perch. I can see why the commander gets to be up here. Seems like she outranks everybody. I bet she's my age too. You don't look very old with your short curls there, missy.
Propping herself onto her arms behind, she looked up into the hazy sky above.
I wonder why she's so important to Valkyrie? There must be something I'm not aware of. Pretty awesome that she's in charge of stuff like this though. You have to be pretty brave if you're giving and receiving orders to fight against the rule of SERN. Everybody knows that once you've gunned down one SERN grunt, you're pretty much screwed. So to be part of a rebellion that's killed thousands of them... Yeah. You know what you're in for. We all do. That's why there's three hundred of us and every single person has a gun. We're here with Valkyrie, and we'll probably die fighting for it too. Its the only thing worth doing anymore.