Strike Witches Boy Meets Witches
Episode 7 – You're an Ace in the Sky, Now Never Fly Again!
Since Steve had come to the realm of Strike Witches, he had noticed Mio was in fact loosing her magic. He tried not to care so much about it after all she was older that him by two years and the second in command, but he knew if she continued to push herself like this she would lose her magic.
'Even though I said I don't want to mess with their world. I still need to make sure Mio does not over do it! Cause as it is there were not two Neuroi when Shirley broke the sound barrier.'
Steve found her training in the field.
'Stubborn as always.' Steve sighed
"Mio, can I speak to you for a moment." Steve said walking up to her.
"Sure Steve, What's up?"
"You should take it easy, your twenty years old now."
"So what are you implying, I should quit fighting at settle down and have a family?"
"No! Well not that much anyway, I mean just retire from active duty before you hurt yourself. I know your type; you will push yourself to your limits and then beyond that. So Please! For all of our sanities, please consider this option before it is too late."
"We'll see!" Mio said giving him an evil glare before going back to her swing. Steve sighed and walked off.
As he approached the castle He overhead Yoshika and Lynn talking about the rule for limited interaction with witches.
"Why would she create such a rule?"
"Sometimes its better to just follow the orders, that to question them." Steve said startling both the girls.
"How long have you been there?" Lynn asked
"For a few minuets."
"Come to think of it. Why are we able to interact with you and not the other men?" Yoshika asked
"Maybe its because I already knew the rule since before I came here or maybe it is because Minna trusts me, Who knows?" Steve said shrugging.
"Look it's the Akagi." Yoshika said pointing to the massive aircraft carrier.
"Oh Yoshika, Commander Minna's looking for you." Steve said looking at her.
"Ah, Okay."
Yoshika made her way to Minna's office and she almost bumped into Shirley and Francesca.
"Ah, there she is."
"Commander Minna's looking for you."
"Oh ya! Steve already told me."
"What? How did he…?" Shirley said looking at Steve who just gave her a big cheesy smile.
Steve walked off to the hanger to practice dive-bombing. After finding out about the lack of target bombs Steve just wondered around aimlessly. He saw Yoshika and Lynnette walking. Yoshika had a package in her arms. A young boy stepped in front of them and held out what Steve knew was a love letter. Steve literally teleported behind the boy and growled causing him to jump and let the letter go.
Steve teleported again, this time to the top of a fence. The letter was wedged in the stonewall. The wind picked up again and blew it right into Minna's extended hand. Steve appeared to the left of Minna, both looked angered.
"I believe I told you such things were prohibited,"
"I'm sorry, I just wanted to convey a word of thanks." The boy replied
"That's right he didn't do anything wrong."
Minna nodded and stepped forward and handed him the letter.
"Unnecessary contact with the witches is strictly prohibited!" Steve growled
"Therefor I will return this to you." Minna said.
"I'm Sorry…but why is he allowed contact with the witches?" the boy questioned.
Steve teleported behind the boy and growled in his ear, stroking the side of his face with a scaly hand, sending shivers down the boys spine.
"Because I'm not from this earth. I'm not even human." He said in a demonic voice.
The boy ran off, leaving a trail of smoke.
A short while later.
"Commander Minna and Steve sure were scary." Lynnette said as they walked back to their rooms
"Ya." Yoshika sighed.
In Minna's Office.
Minna was looking out the window facing Neuroi occupied Gallia. She was remembering herself not to long ago, flying over the city on fire. It was nighttime when Mio walked in.
"I heard about it."
Minna looked glumly at Mio
"Mio."
"I heard you returned the letter."
"You know the rule Mio." Steve's voice could be heard as he teleported into the room.
"So, you still have not forgotten." Mio said approaching Minna.
She and Minna looked out the window. Steve groaned and left to go to bed.
The Next Morning
Minna stood before the 501st in front of map.
"We've received a report from Gallia of enemy movement."
"For once, the predictions were accurate." Mio grinned.
"Yes, current altitude is 15,000, heading directly toward this base."
"All right we can go with the routine intercept pattern." Mio said standing up.
"For today's embarkation assignment, Barkhorn and Hartmann and Clark will take the lead."
"Wait a minuet!" Steve and Gertrud said simultaneously, both then blushed.
"Why am I on lead?" Steve asked.
"You should take the opportunity to rack up some kills." Plus that will get you off my back about this whole nonsense of retiring from active duty.'
"Argh, Fine!" Steve said.
"I just don't wanna hear any bitching that I stole your kills." Steve added grinning.
Mio rolled her eyes.
"Anyway, Perrine and Lynne will take the rear, followed by Miyafuji, Minna and myself. Shirley and Lucchini, Eila and Sanya, stand by on the base."
"House-sitting, House-sitting" Lucchini gleamed.
"Stay outta my room and away from my guitars, Francesca!" Steve said giving her an evil glare; she laughed nervously rubbing the back of her head.
"I guess I can adjust my units settings." Shirley said stretching.
"All right, Get prepared!" Mio said.
No sooner had Mio said that Steve had runoff to hanger, stripping off his shirt, He ran to his docking bay with had to heavy looking guns under tarps on either sides. Steve had made a few modifications to his radio ear so he could not only listen to his music but also broadcast it. He figured he might be able to freak the hell outta the Neuroi.
"Everyone ready?" Mio asked.
Suddenly music filled ever ones radio ear.
Even Flow – Pearl Jam
Everyone looked at Steve. He stood there, shirtless, his unit revved up and ready to go, a cigarette in his mouth and two very un-usual looking guns in his hands.
"What are those?" Gertrud asked.
"Hand Held M134 Miniguns! 4,000 rounds per minuet."
"That's impossible!"
"Not in this time!" Steve Said pushing his internal throttles forward.
After a few minuets of being airborne, Lynne flew over to Steve.
"Steve aren't you cold."
"Nah, I'm in fire mode right now, I'm actually quiet hot."
Lynne letting her curiosity get the better of her felt Steve's arm, sure enough it was hot, not enough to burn you, but enough to make you think he had a very high feaver.
"Enemy sited." Mio said
"What type?" Minna asked
"Confirming now." Mio said lifting up her eyepatch.
"600 meter class, take the usual interaction?"
"Yes." Minna replied
"Hang on a sec!" Steve said, he closed his eyes then reopened his left eye. His iris was now purple.
"500 yards closure, we heading right for it…HOLY SHIT THERES TWO OF 'EM!"
Sure enough there was a seconded cube type Neuroi.
"The Neuroi have to have been traveling together as a whole unit to confuse us." Steve said.
"I'll take the one on the left you girls take the one on the right." He continued
"Roger!" Everyone responded.
"Ok, Attack!" Mio commanded
Steve flew to engage the second cube, knowing it would split apart any second, so he opened up on the Neuroi with his twin Miniguns, a present from Shadow for being honest with her.
"EAT LEAD, ALIEN SCUM!" Steve shouted.
The witches were about to engage the enemy when they all heard Steve shout
"EAT LEAD, ALIEN SCUM!" followed by what sounded like and almost constant firing of bullets. Gertrud looked in disbelief as the twin guns where firing what she could only describe as a rate of fire was well over a thousand.
Steve was holding his own pretty well. It seemed just as he had opened fire was when the Neuroi split into about 900 cubes, He all ready had bragging rights of over 130 kills, He hit the core of the Neuroi watching the rest of them shatter.
He saw Yoshika fly by shooting at two Neuroi which one of them had the core of the other Neuroi in it. Steve fired a single round right through the Neuroi without the core as Yoshika shot the one with the core. Both disappeared into cloud of metal shards. Everyone threw up their shield and only Steve and Minna noticed that Mio's shield didn't hold, and a shard flew right by her head.
Minna also saw something below her and flew toward it. Only Erica, Gertrud, Mio and Steve knew why.
"So, How kills did you get?" Erica asked Steve beaming at him.
"Nine Hundred…and One." Steve sighed.
"Holy crap! How did you do that?"
"With these bad boys." Steve said indicating his red glowing Miniguns.
"Wow those look hot!"
"Yes they are."
"They can't really fire off over a thousand rounds a minuet. Its just not possible."
Steve sighed. He pulled out a two foot long chain outta his back pack and held it up for her.
"This chain right here has 1000 rounds in it." He loaded it into his right gun and pulled the trigger, 15 seconds later the gun stopped with a clicking noise indicating it was out of ammo.
"Believe me now?"
Gertrud's face was priceless, her eyes were about as wide as plates and her mouth had almost fallen off her face.
"Lets return to base, we should see the Akagi off."
After they land Steve approached Minna with a grin on his face and a guitar case in his hand.
"No Steve, don't even think about…" Steve started o wispher into her ear.
"Ok, that will work, you sure though, its not really your style."
"I started off on classical guitar. So just give me the chords."
They left to find Shirley, and Sanya.
As Yoshika, Mio and Lynne did a fly by of the Akagi, they all heard Lili Marleen, there was a gorgeous voice, a melodic piano, and a soft pluck of guitar. At the base, while Shirley was broadcasting the transmission, Mio was singing while Sanya played Piano and Steve plucked on his acoustic guitar.
When the song finished. Everyone applauded.
"That was such a beautiful song!" Yoshika said with stars in her eyes.
Minna looked over at her
"Thank you."
Eila pulled on Yoshika's cheeks as Lynnette and Minna approached Steve.
"That was beautiful Steve." Lynne said blushing.
"Thanks Lynne."
"I never knew that a guitar could be played that beautifully. I thought it was some weird instrument from your time." Minna said,
Steve chuckled nervously rubbing the back of his head.
"Well to tell you the truth, I begged my parents for a guitar for a long time and finally one Christmas, I got one a classical guitar and the rule was I had to take lessons, to which, I agreed. After a few years I got an electric and created my very own unique playing style. Over the years I acquired all the guitar that I have with me. Although, I did smash a guitar once, Hehehe."
Soon everyone was laughing along ether at Steve nervous chuckle or Eila harassing Yoshika about Sanya's playing.
Later that Night, in Minna's office
Minna was staring out the window, a knock on the door broke her train of thought.
"Eh!" She said spinning around caught off guard.
"That was a nice song." Mio said. She walked in.
"Thanks." Minna Smiled.
"Thanks for granting us permission to see them off." Mio said as she approached the other window.
"You wanted to go too, didn't you?" Minna asked.
"Yeah, I was in the care of that ship, after all."
Minna looked at Mio who looked back at her, Minna looked down and said,
"When I lost him, It was really painful. I thought that if I'd have to feel this way, the I should have never fallen in love…but…I was wrong…"
"I see."
"But, even now, I'm afraid of losing someone. So I've got to make an effort to never lose anyone." She said drawing her gun and pointing it at Mio.
TO BE CONTINUED…