"I Know Saint Peter Won't Call My Name…"
A Gunslinger Girl Original Fiction Story By Chris Wallace
This story uses characters and locations based on the Gunslinger Girl manga written by Yu Aida and published in monthly shōnen magazine Dengeki Daioh. The characters of Kara and Michele are original to myself.
Author's Note – The following takes place during Chapter 45 of the manga.
Chapter One – The Speed of Sound
The different velocities in the speed of light and speed of sound meant that the flash of light preceded the sound of the explosion by an almost barely discernable amount.
Inside the Interior Ministry complex off Galileo Street in downtown Rome, Michele and Kara were behind a thick oak counter looking outside the huge plate-glass windows when they saw a garbage truck ram the security barrier and then explode.
Kara's cyborg reflexes and protection priorities kicked in and she tackled her handler, trying to cover as much of his body with her own as possible. Both hit hard and Kara's 75 kilos drove the breath out of Michele's lungs. The sound of the explosion was almost deafening and Michele could feel the shockwave roll over them and the debris falling all around them. He saw hundreds of bumps appear in the back on the counter as it absorbed high-speed shrapnel.
As quickly as the violence was unleashed, it passed, and Kara rolled off of Michele and stood. Michele could hear cries and groans all around him and motioned for Kara to help pull him up. He turned and looked out on a scene of devastation and horror.
The plate glass windows were gone, turned into airborne scythes that had torn though the lobby, cutting down anyone standing in front of them. From the torn and bloodied forms he saw, he knew that many had already been killed and more would die if not quickly attended to.
"Michele to Jean," he called out over the radio.
"This is Jean. We saw an explosion."
"It's the Ministry of Interior. Truck bomb. Huge one. Get medical assistance here, stat."
"Will do. I can't raise Marco or Angelica. They were near there."
"We'll look for them. Michele, out." He headed after Kara whom, listening in to the radio conversation, was already walking outside to start the search. She found them about 100 meters away, lying on a taxi stand near the Direzione centrale della polizia di prevenzione (the Central Directorate for the Anti-Terrorism Police or DCPP), and called Michele over.
"Madre de Dio," he said. Marco was sitting propped up against the stand where the blast had hurled him. His glasses were missing and blood streamed down his forehead. But his exclamation was not for Marco's condition, but Angelica, who lay sprawled across his lap. Her right arm was missing at the elbow, shorn off in the explosion. Blood soaked the front of her jacket, staining the white a brilliant crimson which mixed with the black powder of the explosion like splashed paint.
"Check Marco," Michele ordered as he went to Angelica.
"He's alive, but unconscious," Kara reported.
"Okay. You grab him while I get Angelica." While she had the body of a young girl, she weighed more like an adult, and Michele struggled to gently lift her some 65 kilos. For Kara, lifting the much heavier Marco onto her back was as easy as lifting a sack of potatoes, even if his legs dragged behind her due to his greater height.
Angelica opened her eyes, but the pupils wouldn't focus. "Explosion. Truck bomb. How…how is Marco?"
"He's fine, Angelica. But you are not. We need to get you to the medical ward."
"No…must…protect Marco." Her eyes rotated wildly in her sockets. He imagined the flash overloaded her optical sensors and she was blind. She started to struggle, causing Michele to almost drop her.
"Angelica! Stop! Marco is fine. Kara is taking him to the ambulance. You're seriously injured. Calm down!" Angelica stopped struggling. Her eyes focused on his face, but he figured she was just focusing on the sound of his voice.
"Michele?" she asked.
"Yes, Angelica. It's me. Just hold on."
She looked up and a smile broke out on her face. "Perro! What are you doing here?" Her eyes rolled back into her head and she slumped into unconsciousness.
A moment later, Alessandro and Petrushka rounded the corner.
"Jesus," Alessandro said, crossing himself.
"Where are the medics?" Michele demanded.
"On the way," Alessandro noted. Michele started to stumble under Angelica's weight.
"Petra, take over," Alessandro ordered.
"No," Michele said. "Just help me into a sitting position," he asked. Petra hooked her arms under his shoulders and helped him as he scooted his legs straight out, allowing Angelica to rest on them with her back against his chest.
"It's okay, Angelica…Help is coming…Help is coming…"