Town near the 501st Joint Fighter Wings Base
Yoshika Miyafuji P.O.V
"Lynne!" I shout as I run through the streets looking for Lynne, looking for my friend who I hurt so badly she ran off by herself in a town she's never been to. She's probably lost somewhere and I need to find her, I ran off as soon as Shirley turned her back to go I find her. I know Shirley would never let me run off into the alleyways alone to find but I need to do this, I need find Lynne and apologise for what I did. "Lynne where are you?"
"Leave her" That voice demands. "You don't need her"
"Lynne!" I continue to shout ignoring the voice.
"Just go back to the others" The voice tells me. "You need people like Barkhorn and Sakamoto not someone as weak as Lynne is"
"Lynne!" I call out struggling not to tell the voice to shut up, it's become clear that I'm the only one who can hear it and everyone will think I'm crazy if I reply in any way. I have to ignore it. I have to find Lynne. "Lynne!"
"Fine find your friend" The voice says. "It will be her blood on your hands when the weakling dies"
That last comment really hurt, I don't want to see Lynne hurt or watch her die.
Rome
Atlas Command Centre
General Michel Calvet "Atlas One"
"Sir recon drones are approaching their targets" An officer tells me standing just behind a row of men and women manning screens and controls for the drones. "I don't think they have detected them"
"That's good to hear but keep them clocked to be sure" I reply pressing a button that puts up a drones camera feed on the main screen. "Patch whatever one's closest onto my screen"
"Yes sir" The Officer replies turning back to the drone operators. "Joe yours is closest patch it through"
The large screen becomes filled with the coastline Albania where we've received reports of a massive build-up of enemy troops, the drone is nearing the port of Durres where the reported build up is occurring. The town has been devastated by war and left in ruins, the only people left in the ruins are soldiers. Already despite being outside of town the drone can see the reported build-up of enemy troops is true, everywhere in the ruins of Durres is movement. It's like the town is alive and there's so much movement going on down there it looks like the town is breathing. Even without using thermal or zooming in its clear the reports are true, the enemy are building up their forces here for a counter attack. At least the harbour is empty giving me enough time to prepare my troops and defences, hopefully the lack of ships will buy me enough time to prepare.
"Have the drone scan the area and tell me troop numbers" I order as I stare at the enormous force in the ruins of Durres.
"Sir reports on screen now"
I look to the screen and the numbers are not good, our situation is grime unless we do something fast. The computer estimates the enemy force has between one hundred thousand and one hundred and twenty thousand, their tank force numbers three thousand. This is a strong force and a really threat, zooming in on the tanks and I know who this dangerous force is, Soviets. That's a bit better at this point in time if I remember correctly from school the Red Army is poorly organised and constantly making costly mistakes but, still their numbers makes them a real threat and they may be smarter in the way they fight in this universe. I still need to prepare and stop this massive threat before it becomes an unstoppable force, I still need to find a way to repel their attack and maintain our control over this region. For the good of the world Atlas must hold out here, rebuild our forces and take our world for the greater good. Atlas must and will prevail here. I will fight to my last best to ensure our world is saved by Irons and made a better place for everyone.
"Keep scanning the roads and let me know if any more troops join them, also keep your eye on the docks for enemy ships" I tell them trying to figure out how and where to fight the Red Army.
"Sir my drones found something you are going to love" A drone operator calls out.
"Put it on screen" I reply curious about what he has found, what he has found appears on screen and he is right I do love what I see. "I do love it send…"
501st Joint Fighter Wings Base
Command Room
Mio Sakamoto
"She's what?" I look up at Minna who looks overly worried as she loudly asks that to Shirley who just called the base. "Where are they now?" I have a bad feeling about this, I grab Minna's hand and she looks at me with her eyes filled with worry. "Find them"
"What's wrong?" I ask rubbing the back of Minna's hand with my thumb.
"Yoshika and Lynne ran off" Minna tells me barely able to look me in the eye, I'm so angry at Shirley for losing them that I'm about to pick up the phone and demand Shirley to tell me how she lost them when Minna stops me. "Apparently those two had a fight" Minna says as if she read my mind, I was just wondering why those two would run off after all they are both good well behaved girls. "I don't know what about and When Shirley turned her back to call me and tell me Lynne has run off Yoshika must have ran off to find her"
"Those two better be ready for some pain when they get back" I say already thinking about how I could punish those tow they will never think about doing something like this again.
"Be gentle with them" Minna tells me as if she read my mind again. "They are already upset so try not to make them worse" I look at Minna and she avoids making eye contact, she's hiding something from me, she always can't look me in the eyes when she's hiding something. "I want them to try to make up"
"Minna" I say and she still refuses to make eye contact. "What are you not tell me?"
"Well Shirley told me something else" Minna answers still not making eye contact but that's all she says.
"Minna tell me" I demand and now she looks up and makes eye contact.
"Shirley said Yoshika was arguing with herself after Lynne ran off" Minna tells me and I am instantly feel overwhelmed with worry for the first time in my life, what is wrong with Miyafuji? "Shirley heard her telling something to shut up repeatedly but she could see no one around"
Town near the 501st Joint Fighter Wings Base
Yoshika Miyafuji P.O.V
"Lynne!" I continue to shout as I run from alley to alley looking for my friend, looking for Lynne. I need to find her, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to her because I hurt her so badly she run off. "Lynne where are you?"
"She's gone so get used to it" The voice says. "Just go back to the others the and leave the weakling to fend for herself, she will be dead within a week so you don't have to worry about how she is doing"
"Shut up!" I tell the voice, I don't care if anyone hears me and thinks I'm crazy. I will find Lynne and she will live, I will not tolerate anyone who says over wise. "Lynne's my friend and I will find her so just shut up!"
"Yoshika" I hear a sad depressed voice say, I turn to where I think the voice came from and find who I have been looking everywhere for. I see Lynne say on the ground with her knees pulled up to her chest and her eyes red from crying, tears drench her checks and soaks the top of her jumper. I feel like hitting myself, I knew I hurt Lynne but I never thought I hurt her this much. I'm a terrible person and the worse friend in the history of the world for hurting Lynne this much.
"Lynne" I run straight for her and hug her, I ignore the pain in my shoulders that her knees cause me by digging into them. "Lynne I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said those awful things"
"Yoshika what happened to you?" Lynne asks hugging me back and moving her knees so they thankfully no longer hurt me, I was fine with the pain it caused me after how much I hurt her. "You are a different person now"
"I don't know" I tell taking a deep breath I have to tell Lynne about the voice, I have to tell her it made me say those things. "This voice in the back of my head took over me" That was harder than I thought but now it's out in the open I feel a lot better, it's like a heavy weight has been lifted off me. "I didn't want to say those things but I couldn't help it"
"It's ok Yoshika" Lynne says hugging me tighter. "I know it wasn't your fault, you were affected by what happened in Rome" She pulls away from me and our eyes meet, hers filling with tears and I feel my own start to become watery. "I will help you get through this. I shouldn't have left the truck, I should have stayed with you and tried to help but I ran. I'm sorry I left you Yoshika when I should have been helping you"
"No Lynne you've done nothing wrong" I tell her wiping a tear off her cheek. "It was my fault I made you run away with those awful words, I'm the one who should say sorry not you…"
"Lookout!" Lynne shouts pushing me to the floor and landing on top of me interrupting my apology. It isn't long until I know why she did it, the wall Lynne was leaning against had a bullet hole in it the size of my fist.
"Where did that shot come from?" I ask looking around the area but not seeing the shooter, it's like whoever fired the shoot is a phantom like the voice I hear.
"I don't know" Lynne replies shaking her head as she gets off of me, Lynne pulls me behind a wall before she speaks again. "I saw the tracer come from further down the street but not the shooter"
"I don't think we should stay here" I say starting to feel nervous, that shooter can see us but I can't see him. How can I defend us from something I can't even see? "Whoever is shooting at us knows where we are and is probable moving to get a better shot"
"I agree we need to move" Lynne replies standing up with me and summoning her familiar. "I can try and sense the bullets can you block them when they come"
"Wow you can detect incoming bullets" I say staring in awe after hearing this. "That's awesome I didn't know you could do that"
"I can but not for long" Lynne tells me sounding nervous like she is not believing in herself again. "It uses a lot of my magic so we need to find a safe place soon"
"Ok let's go" I say as we start to run.
Rome
Atlas Command Centre
General Michel Calvet "Atlas One"
"We missed sir" The drone operator reports, he doesn't have to tell me I have been watching on the big screen and saw that the white witch pushed the Asian one on the just before the bullet would have ripped through them both. I thought it would have been an act of mercy for them to both die by the same bullet so they would have to watch the other die, I guess I don't have a choice but to kill them separately now. "Lining up another shot now sir"
"No I'll take control and kill them" I say taping a control panel on my desk so the drone will respond to my controls. I don't say that I want to kill them because that white girl is good and spotting that shot proves it, I want to kill them because it will be a change, a hunt and with that white girls skill fun. "Taking control in three, two, one and I'm in control"
I move the drone and position the drone so that it's pointing its gun down the alley way the two witches just ran down. They are sitting ducks, no cover to take and openings for them to run down, they are an easy kill and it's a shame. I was hoping it will be harder to kill them then this, I line up my sights on the white girl knowing she is the better instincts out of the two from the shot she dodged earlier. It's a shame to kill a young beautiful girl like her but this is war and it has to be done, I use that to justify my actions as I fire the drone's weapon.
Town near the 501st Joint Fighter Wings Base
Yoshika Miyafuji P.O.V
"Bullet behind us" Lynne tells me and I instantly react and put up my shield, even with my quick reactions I only barely manage to raise my shield in time to block the bullet. It was a close call but not for me but for Lynne, I see the bullet bounce of my shield and from where it is I know if I hadn't have blocked it the bullet would have torn straight through Lynne's heart. Now I'm made, I only just hurt Lynne and now someone is trying to shoot out her heart.
"See even they know she is weak" The voice tells me as I put down my shield and we start to run again. "That's way they are targeting her first, to kill her and make you an easy target as you weep, just leave her and escape while they kill her"
"Yoshika are you ok?" Lynne asks me as we run. "The look on your face looks like you're in pain"
"I'm fine the voice is returning" I tell her being honest, I don't want to hurt Lynne again because of the voice.
"Try to ignore it" Lynne says taking my hand smiling but her expression quickly changes to one of concern, she pushes me into a side alley and once again lands on top of me. I see why as a bright tracer flies through the street where we once were, Lynne quickly pulls me to my feet and we start to run again. "Don't worry Yoshika we will get out of this and then I will help you get rid of the voice"
"Ok" I say as we run. We will make it out of this alive, both of us will get through this and I won't listen to the voice and leave Lynne to die.
Lynette Bishop "Lynne" P.O.V
I'm worried about Yoshika, whatever that voice is telling her hurts her and I need to find a way to help her but first we need to escape from whoever is shooting at us. Once we are safe and clear from whoever is shooting at us I will help her so that the voice won't hurt her and will leave her alone, Yoshika is my friend so I have to help her. Now I know what is causing Yoshika to change I can help her, I can keep the old Yoshika I know and love. There's still a chance to get her back, now I know she's in there I won't give up until the old Yoshika has returned to me. I sense the incoming bullet and see an open door, before Yoshika even knows what is happening I push her inside before jumping after her. I land on top of her and not for the first time today, I must be blushing because my cheeks feel hot right now, I'm surprised Yoshika hasn't said anything about it as I'm sure it is hard to miss. I look back and see the bullet shoot past the door before I kick the door shut, only then do I remember I'm on top of Yoshika and get off of her.
"Are you ok Yoshika?" I ask as I help her to her feet.
"Yeah I'm fine" Yoshika says looking towards the now closed do. "Are we safe in here?"
"I don't know" I answer before a bullet tears through the bottom hinge of the door making us both jump into each other's arms as fragments of the hinge shoot across the room, the shooter is right outside the door.
"We need to hide" Yoshika tells me looking around the room.
"Right" I reply as I also start to look for a hiding spot, we haven't got long to find one. I the building I trapped us in looks abandoned and under demolition, knocked down walls, sledgehammers and rubble, there is nowhere to hide. There is very few places to hind, the only places I see are in some cupboards but that will be a tight squeeze and behind one of the walls but with all the holes knocked into them it will be difficult to remain hidden. The only other place to hide is… "Yoshika come here"
"What do you need?" Yoshika asks as I position myself to help her to the only hiding place I can think off.
"We can hide in that space above us between the floors" I tell her looking up at the small gape between the floor above and the ceiling, it looks like it will be a tight fit but it's our best chance of survival. "I'll give you a boast up and then you help pull me up after you"
"Ok" Yoshika replies as I give her a boast up. Yoshika turns round when she's up there and only just barely has enough room to do so, I know I'm too tall to turn around up there like she can. She looks down at me and extends her hand towards me to help me up. "Your turn Lynne" But I don't have time as the second hinge gets blown foo the door. "Hurry Lynne"
"No time" I say running and quickly climbing into one of the cupboards, its empty and I was right about it being a tight fit as I barely manage to shut the door. Now all I can do is wait and hope they don't spot ever Yoshika or me.
Rome
Atlas Command Centre
General Michel Calvet "Atlas One"
"You got them Cornered sir" Someone in the room tells me sounding overly confident that victory is at hand. Big mistake, never assume you have won a battle until all the enemy is ever dead or captured, plenty of people have paid a heavy price for not doing that.
"Don't celebrate yet those two are still breathing" I tell whoever said that not taking my eyes of the drone feed, not letting my guard down and welcoming disaster. "Switching feed to thermal" I hit a button on the controls to change the camera feed settings, now I can find where those two are hiding. "Switching weaponry to automatic"
"This won't last much longer sir" The same person says, clearly I will have to teach him a lesson about believing in early victories when this is all over. "You will get them for sure this time sir, this house will be there tomb"
Town near the 501st Joint Fighter Wings Base
Yoshika Miyafuji P.O.V
I watch Lynne run off and hide in a cupboard, I watch the door fall to the ground but no one enter. I know someone or something has entered the room, I can sense them, I can feel their presence in this room. I just can't see them. I hope Lynne will be ok, her choice of hiding place was a rushed decisions after whatever is in the room with us and trying to kill us shot down the door. I hope Lynne's quick thinking has found her a hiding place where whatever is trying to kill us can't spot her, I know it's in the room I can only hope now that it doesn't spot us. All I can do now is hold my breath and hope it fails to find us, fails and moves on thinking we went somewhere else after entering this building. I know it's in the room with us looking and all I have to fight it with is hope, I just hope that hope is enough to make it move on. I can't see it, I can't hear it but it can see and hear us. How can we fight something like that? How can we fight something that we can see or hear? We can't, all we can do is hold our breaths and hope it moves on without spotting us.
It fires rapidly into the cupboards, the cupboards where Lynne is hiding. Where Lynne is hiding! It knows where Lynne is! It's trying to kill Lynne! I have to do something, anything to save her but what. I can't see or hear it so how can I fight back? I have no weapons, nothing to use against it but I need to do something, I need to help Lynne. Think Yoshika there has to be something you can do, there has to be something I can do to save Lynne from whatever is shooting at her. There is something I can do. I see an open paint tin and if I throw that its paint will show me where the shooter is, there's loads of tools around that I can use once I found out where the shooter is. But I need to do it quietly, I need to surprise the shooter for this to work. I hate this but in order to save Lynne I need to let whoever is shooting at her continue to shoot at her, I hope Lynne will understand and survive this. As quietly as I can I drop down to the floor, I land with a soft thud but thankfully unnoticed by the unseen shooter as whoever it is continues to fire at Lynne.
"Come out now" A voice demands but a different voice from the one that has been telling me to leave Lynne to die. This one must belong to the shooter, it's full of static and sounds like its being spoken through a radio. "If you both come out now I guaranty you a quick death if not then I can't" Lynne doesn't move and I continue towards the paint, just as I reach the tin of paint the shooter fires again and I hear Lynne cry out in pain. I turn to see Lynne fall out of the cupboard holding her leg which is bleeding badly, her hands are soaked red with blood and red streams of blood flow down her leg. "We found your friend" The voice announces. "Come out now or her suffering will continue"
"Leave her to suffer and die" The other voice says, the one that wants me to leave Lynne because she is weak. "You can escape will it kills her"
"No" I tell the voice as I throw the paint. "I won't leave Lynne to die!" The paint spills over the room covering everything including the shooter. I see them now, it's a flying thing with four things I think it's the things engines, a long barrel I believe is its gun sticks out of the front of it and above the gun is a round object I think is its eye. I pick up a hammer laid beside where the paint tin was and charge at the now partially visible shooter. "I will save her!"
The hammer slams into the top of whatever this thing is and I hear the sound of metal hitting metal, something smashes and the whole thing becomes visible. Sparks start to shoot out of where I hit it and whatever it is spins round towards me. I can't pull the hammer out of the hole I created so I have no choice but to leave where it is, I back away from the shooter thing and look from side to side for a new weapon to use as I keep one eye on the thingy that just hurt Lynne. I still can't find a new weapon and I can see the things gun getting close, slowly lining up a shot on me. I watch as the guns barrel slowly aims at me and prepare myself to put up a shield, at least it is attacking me now and not hurting Lynne anymore. At least while that thing is focused on me Lynne is safe, at least I can protect Lynne. Even though I am defenceless and I don't have weapon right now I can still keep Lynne safe by keeping that things attention on me, I can hold out with my shield and wait for my chance to strike.
"Just give up and die" The shooter says as his gun takes aim. "It will be quicker now for you and your friend if you do or do you want her die slowly and painfully?"
"I won't let you hurt her" I tell the shoot who just laughs in response.
"So be it" The bullets slam against my shield, a shield I only just managed to create in time to block the incoming shots. "I'm going to enjoy this, it's been a while since I found an opponent like you"
"You should just let him kill you" The voice tells me as I struggle to hold my shield against bullet after bullet rapidly fired at my shield. "Saving her and staying with that weakling is a death sentence anyway so just let him kill you and get it over with"
"No I won't" I reply as I continue the struggle. "I won't loss!"
I don't have to hold out for much longer though, someone comes to our aid and fires at the shooter until it burst into flames. As soon as the shooter hits the ground ablaze I low my shield and run over to Lynne not caring who just saved me, being rude and not even stopping to thank them for saving us. I find Lynne laying on the floor still holding her wounded leg, her blood is everywhere, on the floor, coating her hands and legs and her hands are shaking so badly. She's going into shock and has lost a lot of blood, she's still losing a lot of blood. I start to heal her and as I place my hands onto her wound they soon become soaked in Lynne's blood, I'm worried I won't be able to save her but I know I must try. I concentrate trying to ignore the blood pouring out of Lynne's leg and the shaking of her body, trying to ignore the pain filled moans leaving her mouth and the pain filled expression on her face and trying to ignore the fear building within me that whoever just saved is an enemy is well.
"Lynne hold on your going to be ok" I tell her as I continue to try and stop the blood leaving her body and remove the pain she's feeling.
"Yoshika what happened?" Our savour asks and I recognise the voice, its Shirley. I don't look at her or answer, I'm too busy right now trying to save Lynne to answer her questions.
501st Joint Fighter Wings Base
Command Room
Mio Sakamoto
"What?" I hear Minna loudly ask as she answers the phone. "Is she alright?" It isn't the question that has me worried its Minna's voice, if her voice hadn't have been so alarmed I would have thought it was Shirley just reporting she found ever Lynette or Miyafuji. But her voice is so filled with worry that I know something is wrong, I know someone is hurt. "Return to base as quickly as possible" I was about to ask her what's wrong when Minna adds. "Yes bring that too"
"What happened?" I ask as soon as Minna hangs up the phone.
"Yoshika and Lynne were attacked by some sort of machine and Lynne's been shot through the leg" Minna tells me and I feel my stomach drop. "Shirley is bring them back right now as well as the machine"
"Dammit how could they have gotten this close to them without being detected" I curse as I slam my fist down on the table. "I would never of aloud them to go if I would have known our defences where so weak"
"Mio calm down" Minna calmly tells me rubbing my hand that I slammed into the table and rubbing away the pain I just caused myself. "Both of them are fine and we will know more soon, right now both of them are asleep but alive. When they wake up they can tell us what happened and we can find a way to prevent it from happening in the future"
501st Joint Fighter Wings Base
Sanya's and Eila's Bedroom
Sanya V. Litvyak
"Eila what are you going to do?" I ask grabbing her arm to stop her from leaving our room. She has been helping me dry off and change after what that demon did to me, the whole time I told her everything about the rest my past with the demon that I started in the hallway making Eila madder with each word I spoke. Eila saw to expose her but I don't know how, I hope she doesn't do anything that will get her in to trouble. I'm not letting her leave until she promises me that, that she will not do anything to rash. "Eila I'm not letting you leave until you tell me"
"Like I said" Eila says stopping and turning back round to face me. "I'm going to expose her"
"But how?" I ask tightening my grip on her. "I don't want you to get in trouble because of me"
"I won't and I have to do this" She tells me winching at the tightness of my grip on her but I can't let go right now, not until she promises me. "After hearing what she put you through I have to do this, I won't let her get away with all that"
"Eila please don't" I plea making her eyes soften. "I don't won't to see you in trouble, I know her. If you do this she will turn you into the villain and get you into trouble, I don't won't you to get into trouble because of me"
"Ok Sanya" Eila tells me sounding upset. "I will be careful but nothing can stop me from doing this, don't worry about me I won't let her turn me into a bad girl"
I sigh realising nothing I say or do can change her mind, I can only hope the demon will show mercy and not have her sent to the firing squad.
