Battery Farming

"What the hell is going on?"

Blood splattered across his pristine white shirt from the Argentinean diplomat, whose chest had been perforated by burst fire. The questioning man looked on as the diplomat fell to the floor. Before he could get a response, he too had hit the ground, blood seeping out of his ears. The last thing he saw before his lot was up was the gunman's muzzle flash.

Bodies lay about the hall like fallen dominoes, never to rise, never to be set up again. Teenagers had been hired as waiters by Hikari. She had helped one boy straighten his bow tie. A peachy-faced lad of fourteen, he had been told by her it would aid his pursuit of that waiting job at the local café. It was crooked now, pulled by the boy in an effort to breathe after he had been shot in the throat. He lay motionless, crumpled over unused napkins.

Hikari had watched him be mown down from her hiding place behind the gym mats. Her face was stained with foreign and home blood alike, all equal in the eyes of the gunman.

Most people were pulling at the main entrance's door handles, banging at the doors in desperation. They were locked. Chairs and tables were strewn everywhere. Some had been thrown against the windows and, indeed, they had shattered the glass but could do little against the outside steel grilles. Used to protect against thieves, they had prevented escape.

The gunman turned his head to one side and closed his eyes, listening to the guinea pigs squeal. No-one had dared to challenge him, no-one had risen to fight him and no-one had made an impact on his psyche.

'I would have done better,' he thought. He climbed out of the one window without a steel grille.

Asuka had no idea of the massacre in the main hall as she ran crouched under the windows. The gunfire had stopped. When she was out of sight of the windows, she straightened her back and tugged at a door. Locked. She tried another. Locked. And another. All locked. She tried the maths corridor. Surely they had to be open? Gendo would have arranged a tour so the guests could see the new computer suite. No door budged. Her brow and back were sticky with sweat. She ran back down the corridor and straight into a boy with long hair.

"Oh thank God. Come on, we've got to get out. I've tried down that corridor but it's all locked. Where did you come from? Is it safe?"

"I ran from a man carrying a gun. I don't know. Please help me, I've got to get out."

"It's okay, we'll find a way. Come with me, let's try down here. I would bet on my Oma's grave that cheapskate Gendo left the locker room doors unlocked. Sure, protect your precious computers but don't worry about all our belongings."

Not even an inkling of a smile on his face. Poor boy was probably in shock.

'I'm petrified and still able to be witty. Okay, best not dwell on my superiority just yet," she thought. She grabbed his hand and they made their way right down the last corridor. At the end of it was the locker room. The knob turned in her hands.

"Gott sei Dank!"

She motioned him into the room first and looked down the corridor. Not a sound could be heard. She moved into the room and shut the door behind them.

"There's no lock on this door. We're going to have to move one of these lockers up against it."

"Why?"

"To stop anyone getting in. Who knows how many of those freaks are out there."

"What about the other students? We need to leave the door open in case they're out there."

"Did you see anyone coming out of the main hall? I sure as hell didn't. In fact, you're the first person I've seen. Now help me move one of these lockers."

"That's really selfish of you, Asuka."

"No, I'm thinking with my head. Wait, how do you know my name?"

"You don't think I know who the most popular girl in school is?"

"I know everyone in this school, every exchange student, every teaching assistant - especially the cute ones - and I've never seen you before in my life. Who the hell are you?"

He put his hands behind his back and removed a gun from his waistband, pointing it at her, "Damn, they said you were smart but you really got me. Nevermind, at least we can cut the crap. Turn around, hands on your head."

She had reached a state beyond fear. "I should have known. Nobody with that mane could have a healthy social life. God, to think I tried to help y-"

"Shut your fucking mouth and turn around, bitch!"

She complied. "Feel good to say those things to a woman?"

"You have no idea who you're dealing with. You go round with your phone glued to your braindead skull. You talk all day to anyone who will listen about things that don't matter. Nothing you have ever said has been of worth. And now you think you can judge me? Fuck you. I'm going to enjoy putting you out of your misery. Move over by the benches, I want you to sit and pray."

She walked over to the benches and sat down. She went to put her hands in her pocket.

"What have you got there? A can of mace? You think that's gonna hurt me from over here?"

She pulled out a nail file. "Gotta do something of use while I'm stuck here, eh?" She stretched out her hand in front of her, deciding which finger was in dire need of repair.

"What the hell is wrong with you? I've got a gun pointed at your face and you sit there doing your nails. This could be your last moment alive on Earth!"

"And you think I should spend it doing what you wish? No effing way." She looked at his face. "Besides, I don't think you have the guts, if I'm being honest." She looked around at the windows, eyeing an escape route. All were covered in the damned steel grilles Gendo had insisted on installing when he became Principal.

"I'll fucking doing it, don't tell me I won't." He walked towards her and placed the gun square in her face.

Her eyes looked up at him. He couldn't have been older than fourteen or fifteen. She looked beyond him. "I don't think you should be throwing your life away on this. There are things beyond this room, beyond you and me, beyond whatever you've done in the hall. Trust me, you won't feel any better killing me than you did them."

"You think that was me? Hahaha. I'm not the only one involved in thi-" The fire extinguisher hit him before he could finish.

"Misato?"

"Even I'd had enough of his megalomaniac bullshit and I teach history for a living."

They embraced. Misato held her redhead student close while she cried tears of relief.

"There's some others housed in the Graphics block. The hall is sealed off. The prick was right," she kicked him in the sides, partly to check he was out cold and partly to plain kick him in the sides, "there's a few crackhead students trying to be Rambo. Or beat Cho's high score, I don't know. I rang for the police and they're on their way."

Asuka wiped her eyes. "What are we going to do about him?"

"Leave him, he won't wake up before the police arrive. C'mon, there may be others we can still help."

"Have you seen Shinji?"