Chapter 10

Preparations: Outside the Barrier

"I assume you're all wondering why base put me, a hired hand, in charge of our squad." Alexis says.
The members of Beta, Theta, and Gamma Teams look nervously at each other, agreeing with the sentiment but not wanting to acknowledge the fact that they doubted their C.O.
"Well, the first reason," Alexis says, pulling twelve rifles seemingly out of nowhere, "are these right here."
Everyone examines the guns, not bothering to question from where she got them. Touko, captain of Theta Team, turns one over before saying "But ma'am, these just seem like normal rifles. Why'd these give you a captainship, if I may ask?"
Alexis pulls out the magazine on one of the guns and tosses it to the red-headed woman. Instead of bullets, the magazine simply has a number on it: 100%. "What, do these things run on batteries or something, Alexis?" Chaz says, looking over Theta's captain's shoulder.

The leader of Beta Team, Gilgamesh, says "Refer to your captain by-"
Alexis cuts him off. "Actually, I'd prefer it if you all called me Alexis. I'm… uncomfortable with formalities." the mercenary says. She says "Anyway, Chaz was pretty much right. These guns don't shoot bullets, they shoot lasers. I know a bit more about our enemy than you all do, and if I remember correctly, normal bullets wouldn't even be able to hurt them, let alone kill them for good."
"Wait, Alexis. If you knew about our enemy beforehand, why didn't you tell us anything? That doesn't exactly foster a relationship of trust." Battery says.
"I'm sorry, and I do wish I could've told you sooner, but I'm not allowed to reveal this sort of information unless it becomes absolutely necessary." Alexis says.
Mirielle, leader of Gamma Team, says "And who exactly decides when we need to know?"

Alexis simply pulls out another gun, a pistol, and starts talking about it. "This is the most dangerous weapon I have, hence why I'm keeping the only one. I'm not allowed to tell you exactly what it does at the moment, but if I pull it out, make sure you're nowhere near where I'm aiming the thing. Understood?" she says.
Battery starts to say "Why aren't-"
"Understood?" Alexis repeats, with a threatening tone.
"Yes, ma'am." everyone else in the room says.
"Good." the woman says.

"So, anyway, since our enemies can't be hurt by normal guns, does that mean we have the element of surprise?" Chaz says, indicating the ordinary looking guns and trying to alleviate the heavy atmosphere in the room.
Alexis gets up and heads to the window. She looks in the direction of the shrine, and shakes her head. "No, I don't think so. The sky above the target is perfectly normal at present, so I can only assume that trick with the night was supposed to scare us away. In order for that to happen, they would have had to have known right when we entered the forest. I can only assume that they're keeping tabs on us. Another reason why I can't talk too much." Alexis says.

"Well, why don't why find the bug and dispose of it?" Mirielle says.
"I doubt they'd need a bug," Battery says, shuddering slightly, "You weren't there when they chased us off. We couldn't see any of them, and any bullets we shot just came flying right back towards us."
"Are you sure there weren't just monkeys in the trees throwing rocks?" Gilgamesh asks condescendingly. His team snickers.
"I'd appreciate no more comments of that nature being made, okay?" Alexis says. "Unless, of course," she says, picking up the pistol she was talking about earlier, "you really want to find out what this does, firsthand." Gilgamesh scowls and sits down.

"Anyways, back on topic, Battery is right. I have to imagine that the enemy has someone watching us right now, and that person is reporting everything they see and hear to the enemy commander. As such, I suggest we make our strategy on the go, and that none of us discuss our personal combat skills. Also, in that vein, similarly to how normal bullets won't work on our foes, neither will melee combat. As such, I recommend we keep our distance as much as possible. Is everyone clear on how tomorrow's going down?" Alexis says, looking around the room.
"Yes, ma'am." everyone says.
Alexis puts her hand on her forehead and says "I thought I told all of you to use my name, didn't I?"
A few of the members of her new squad chuckle.

"Who is that woman who knows so much?"
"What was that, Yukari?"
"Their commander appears to know far more about us than any ordinary outsider, and she also has technology that no one else in the outside world has. It appears we will not be as safe as I had thought."
"She has something that can hurt youkai? I thought only magic could do that."
"She has technology that emulates magic, it appears."
"How long until Alex wakes up?"
"Only a few more hours, likely."
"And when do you think Rumia will show up?"
"Don't worry about that, I'll fetch her when the time comes."