Sup guys. Guess what! I'm not dead, so you can stop worrying. Sorry for my absence, but my computer took a massive dump, and I have yet to retrieve my files from it, so until that happens, IWGC and my other stories are on temporary hiatus. Also, I am probably going to end the story soon, simply because I don't have the time to write six matches on such a scale as the story demands. I may go back to it, but we shall see. I have so many other stories I want to share with you guys. Speaking of which, this is something I've been thinking about for a while. Something to keep you guys entertained until I get my crap sorted out. I'm going on break soon, so I'm hoping to get a lot done. Thanks for being such a loyal audience, and I will see you at the end of the page.
The Black Tiger
The engine of the Panzer IV chugged loudly as it rumbled through the forest. The Belgium tank commander in front of them motioned the column to halt. Miho hopped down to the ground and walked over to the Sherman tank, and the young girl dropped down next to her.
"What's wrong?" Miho asked.
"I lost contact with Charlie team about ten minutes ago. I'm getting nothing but static when I try to raise them." Answered the sixteen-year-old blonde haired commander, Chloe Peeters.
"Do you want me to try to raise them on my radio?" Miho asked.
"Could you?" Chloe asked.
"I'll try."
"Thanks."
Miho walked back over to her tank and hopped up onto the engine deck. She leaned into the open commander's hatch.
"Saori, can you try and raise Charlie team?" Miho called into the crew compartment.
"Okay. Is something wrong?" Saori asked.
"I don't think so. Chloe says she lost contact." Miho said.
"Okay." Saori replied.
"Charlie team, this is Anglerfish. Do you copy?" Saori said into the radio but got nothing but static in return.
"Duck team is in the same column, right?" Miho asked.
"I believe so." Saori replied.
"Try to call them." Miho said, hopping into the tank.
"Duck team, this is Anglerfish, do you copy?" Saori said into the radio. But once again, the sound of static filled the crew compartment.
"Duck team, this is Anglerfish. Come in, over?" Saori said again. But there was still no reply.
"Get Anzu on the line. Their column is only a kilometer from Charlie team's location." Miho said. An odd feeling suddenly came over her.
"Turtle team, this is Anglerfish, come in." Saori replied.
"This is Turtle team. Go ahead, Anglerfish." Anzu's voice crackled through the radio.
"I'm having trouble raising Charlie team on the radio. Can you give it a shot?" Saori said.
"Sure thing. One sec." Anzu said.
Five Kilometers East…
Anzu flipped a few switches and turned some dials before pressing down on the transmit button, "Duck team, this is turtle team, do you copy?"
Static.
"Duck team, this is turtle team. Please respond." Anzu said once more. But still, there was nothing.
"Anteater, this is Turtle team. Do you copy?" Anzu tried again. Anteater, Duck, and Rabbit teams were all in Charlie team's column. Which consisted of four Matilda medium tanks. Much like Oarai, the Belgian team from the Brussels Women's Academy consisted of a very diverse set of tanks from all around the world.
"Anteater, this is Turtle team. Do you copy?" Anzu tried again, and when there was no response, she tried to contact Rabbit team.
"Anteater, this is Turtle team. Do you copy?" Anzu tried again, and when there was no response, she tried to contact Rabbit team.
"Rabbit team, this is Turtle team. Do you copy?" Anzu said. But nothing bust static crackled through the radio.
"Rabbit team, do you copy?" Anzu said, starting to get a little worried. But still, there was nothing but static.
"This is Turtle team, calling any tank in Charlie team's column. Does anybody copy?" Anzu said. The worry was starting to leak into her voice.
Anglerfish Team…
"Miho, I can't get a hold of Charlie team's column. Would you like me to scout the area?" Anzu asked.
"If you can. Make sure they're all alright." Miho said.
"Okay." Anzu said. Saori clicked off the radio and turned to her commander.
"You don't think anything's wrong, do you?" Saori asked.
"No. But it is best to be sure." Miho answered, attempting to keep her composure.
"Commander!" A voice shouted from outside. It was Erwin.
"Yes?" Miho said, poking her head out of the commander's hatch.
"Look!" Erwin said. She stood half exposed out of the gunner's hatch of the StuG. She pointed to the east, where black smoke was billowing into the sky from what appeared to be three or four kilometers away.
"Do you think that's-"
"No." Miho said. Dread filling her voice, "Chloe!"
Miho turned around in time to hear a high-pitched whistle rip through the trees. A white-hot streak sliced through the engine compartment of Chloe's tank from the left. The Sherman erupted into flames. Flames leaked out of the open hatches, and with a mighty belch, the fuel tank exploded, sending flames leaping into the sky. The screams of the crew filled the air, but Miho knew there was nothing more they could do.
A flaming hand reached out of the commander's hatch and Chloe managed to pull her burning body out of the tank and tumbled to the ground, landing on a bed of dry pine needles. Girls rushed to put out the flames, and began to dump water on her lifeless body.
Another high-pitched scream whistled through the air, and slammed into the Sherman behind Miho's tank. The tank was enveloped in a mighty fireball as the ammunition detonated, lifting the tank's turret off its mount.
"What do we do?" Yukari asked, looking up towards her commander.
Miho stood there, here eyes fixed on the vision slats. The dull orange glow of the fires illuminated her eyes in the dimly lit compartment.
"Miho, what do we do!?" Hana asked. But she didn't respond.
Another shell whistled through the air and obliterated the Sherman at the very rear of the column. They were boxed in with five tanks left.
Miho felt a hand being placed on her shoulder. She looked over and saw that it was Yukari.
"We're with you." Yukari said.
"Tell everyone orient right. That's where the shots are coming from. Find the tank and return fire." Miho said.
"Miporin. All we have are simunitions. They won't penetrate a real tank's armor." Hana said.
"That's a high velocity round. Eighty-eight by the sound of it." Yukari said.
"Tell everyone to load smoke rounds. We'll fire a smoke screen and retreat into the forest." Miho said.
Saori relayed the orders and all remaining tanks turned their hulls to the left. The commanders began desperately searching for the source of the deadly fire they were receiving.
Then, like a ghost, the attacker revealed itself. About three hundred meters in the distance, directly ahead of the remaining tanks, from behind a group of trees on a small knoll, the massive hull of a Tiger tank rolled into view. It's turret, mounting its powerful cannon, rotated from side to side, like the head of an eagle eyeing its prey. Its armor painted a jet black, yet it stood out surprisingly clearly against the forest behind it. Bits of branches, and logs were tied to the front and sides of the tank. Creating a skirt of branches that served as camouflage.
"All tanks fire smoke. Blind them!" Miho shouted into her radio. The cannons of the remaining five tanks belched smoke and flames, and the area around the Tiger exploded in a brilliant white screen. Flaming bits of material scattered everywhere, creating a thick white screen of smoke. The tanks began to reverse back into the forest as another shell shrieked through the air and slammed into the hull of the Sherman to the far left of the line.
The mighty Tiger rolled forward through the smoke, bits of phosphorus clinging to the hull, and the big gun fired again.
"It shoots so fast!" Miho thought as the eighty-eight millimeter shell ripped through the air and tore through the hull of the Sherman to the right of her tank sending its turret flying in a mighty explosion.
"Return fire!" Miho ordered. The guns of the remaining three tanks roared in fury. The machine guns on all of the remaining tanks opened fire, showering the Tiger in hot lead. Not that it cared.
The shells slammed against the front of the tank in mighty explosions, but the massive tank seemed unfazed. Its big gun roared in anger, and the last Sherman disappeared in a flash of smoke and flame. Leaving nothing but a smoldering hulk in its place. The turret of the massive tank turned to face the Panzer IV, and a wave of fear washed over its crew.
Miho always thought that each tank had its own personality. They were like people that way. The way it was molded, and crafted. Every bolt and weld gave it character. The tank in front of her was no different. Staring down the barrel of the massive tank, it was as if the tank was staring back. Some tanks looked big, and friendly. Somewhat of a contradiction, considering what they were designed for. Some tanks even looked like animals. But this tank, its character, its personality. It had the bearing of a warrior.
The gun roared again, sending a hot round straight at her. She could see the shell flying through the air, like it was in slow motion.
"Miho!" She heard Yukari yell before the shell made contact with its target.
Charlie team's Tank Column…
The Hetzer slowed to a halt as it came up on the source of the black smoke billowing into the sky. Before them lay the smoldering wrecks of the tank column. It wasn't the normal carnage that one would see in a sensha-dou match, or even a tankathalon race. This was something one would see on a battlefield.
The tanks were all in a single file line their turrets facing forward. The wreckages still a blazing inferno. What ever happened here, it happened quickly, and it happened recently. The air was filled with thick black smoke. The smell of cordite and oil filled Anzu's nose and through it she smelt something that made her stomach churn. The smell of burning flesh.
Yuzu shut the engine off as the three members of the student council disembarked the tank destroyer.
Through everything, one sight made Anzu's heart drop. In amongst the wreckages were the remains of Duck, Anteater, and Rabbit team's tanks. A charred arm dangled lifelessly from the driver's hatch of the M3 Lee and a blackened body lay half exposed from the commander's hatch of the I-Go. The sight made Yuzu heave as she vomited what was left of her lunch onto the forest floor.
"How did this happen?" Momo said grimly.
"Who did this?" Yuzu asked.
"Or what?" Anzu said solemnly, "What was that?" Anzu said, snapping her head to one side.
"What?" Momo asked.
"I heard something." Anzu said, "There!"
There was something. Over the roar of the flames, and the gentle rustling of pine needles in the breeze, Momo could definitely hear something. It sounded like…sobbing! It was coming from the other side of the tanks.
They quickly followed the sound to its source. Behind a large conifer tree, was a girl. Her black hair was slightly charred from the fire, as was the right sleeve of her uniform. She was sobbing gently, and when Yuzu stepped on a branch, the girl whipped around with a wrench in hand and shrieked in terror. It was one of the Belgian girls.
"It's okay!" Yuzu said in an attempt to calm the girl. The girl kept her weapon towards the three girls as they slowly inched closer.
"It's okay," Yuzu said, "It's okay. You're safe now." Yuzu placed a hand on the girl's outstretched arm and got her to lower the weapon.
"What's your name?" Yuzu asked.
"Natalie."
"Okay, Natalie, can you tell me what happened here?" Yuzu said calmly.
"It came… from the trees…we couldn't stop it…" Natalie said. She was hysteric.
"What came from the trees? Was it a tank?" Yuzu asked.
"No…not a tank. A ghost!" Natalie said.
"A ghost?" Momo said in disbelief.
Natalie took Yuzu by the arm with a vice like grip and pulled her close. Yuzu stared into Natalie's fear filled eyes. What she said next sent shivers down her spine. Not necessarily what she said but how she said it. As if what ever it was might hear her.
"The Black Tiger!"
It feels so good to be posting again. The chapters for this will be fairly spread out on account of me attempting to get IWGC back up and running, so I'll pump them out depending on how you guys like it. Well, that's all I have to say guys. Please remember to R&R and F&F. No put downs, only constructive criticism, and, as always, Semper Fi Carry on.