Chapter 11: Fight It With All of our Might
A/N:
Well, the story's back after another hiatus. I was moving house, had a five day period before I could move into my new one, didn't have Internet even after I did, blah blah.
Sooooooo to make up for it, I'm making this chapter huge. 12k words. And I think it's finally time to experience some of this so-called "Way of Power Armour" the story is named after, don't you?
The sound of the pistons in the power armour's legs were loud enough to wake up anyone in the vicinity, if the shooting hadn't already. The jackhammer-like sounds echoed throughout the metal halls.
The three men had only a split second to react as the power armour came speeding toward them. Aiming for the one in the middle, Yukari braced a fist, and brought it swinging forward as she got close. She mistimed in, and her target only got struck by the peak of the fist's arc, but this fist still had eighty kilometres of velocity behind it. He didn't even go flying back, he just immediately fell backwards, and his head struck the floor with a clang.
Yukari's feet touched ground and produced an ear splitting screech as her bent legs tried to bring her to a halt, only to actually be stopped by colliding with the wall at the end of this T junction. Both men cupped their hands over their ears, at least as best they could with an assault rifle in one hand.
As Yukari was still experimenting with the controls to the armour and tried to turn around, one of the two men opened fire upon her back. The other slapped his hands.
"You idiot! You'll shoot the core!"
Yukari turned at the waist to face them, and shortly after, her stepped around on the spot to face forward. Even though it was just mimicking her movements, the weight on the joints made moving feel unnatural.
Both men took more careful aim, at her head. She wasn't completely sure in the armour's defensive capabilities, so she tried to weave her head as she stepped forward. They opened fire, bullets rattling as they left the magazines and bounced harmlessly off the suit.
Yukari swung a clenched fist downward, the motors in the shoulder and the elbow joints of the armour whirring excitedly as she attacked. She caught one of the men on the shoulder, and he dropped like a sack of bricks, screaming in pain and clutching his shoulder with the other arm.
In a panic, the other man dropped his rifle and slid his arms under his companion's shoulders and tried to pull him away. Yukari could see the look on his face. He was genuinely fearing for his life.
She stood up straight, flexed her fingers, and swivelled her arm at the shoulder like a boxer. This only encouraged the man to hurry up with hauling his friend away, who upon seeing the walking weapon prepare another attack, had suddenly remembered his legs worked, and made a run down the hall, one hand still clutched tightly around the pistol grip of his assault rifle.
Yukari watched as they fled. Good, she was glad she didn't have to kill anyone else, especially not an enemy trying to run away.
After a moment of silence, doors in the dormitory hallway started opening. Ooarai students reluctantly poked their heads out to see what the commotion was, a lot darted back inside when they saw Yukari standing at the far end of the corridor.
Anzu strode out of her hiding spot and marched toward her, Momo and Yuzu in tow.
"Great job, Yukari," she said, bending down to pick up an assault rifle. She glanced at either side of it, before activating the safety catch and handing it to Momo, making sure to keep the muzzle pointing upwards. "Check both of them for damage, make sure their safe and then give one to Yukari."
Behind the helmet visors, Yukari's eyes widened in horror.
Momo nodded once and took the rifle. While she wasn't as qualified as Sodoko, she had some training in firearms handling, Anzu had made sure of that. Her reasoning was that it made sense for those in charge to have a basic understanding of all of the important jobs and activities of the vault. It was certainly paying off already.
Momo took the assault rifle and walked away from the group to perform the safety checks. While she did that, Anzu picked up the second rifle and activated the safety catch.
"How are you feeling, Yukari?" she asked the suit.
"Miss Anzu..." the transmission filtered voice of Yukari peeped from within, "Do I have to have a gun?"
Anzu gave a little sigh. "I'm afraid so..."
The power armour visibly slouched at the shoulders.
"Hopefully you won't have to use it, I'm hoping that you with a gun will be intimidating enough that nobody will dare attack. If they do, though, and they attack with the intent to kill, I want you to beat them to the punch."
Before Yukari could protest, however...
"What is going on?" Miho had returned, and the stars must have aligned, for she had a scowl on her face. She didn't look happy.
Anzu hadn't noticed that other students had stepped out into the corridor to observe what was going on. From the other end of the hall where Miho had come from, Erwin, Saemonza, Azusa and Nakajima were also observing, deciding on behalf of their roommates to find out what the commotion was.
"You should all go back to your rooms," Anzu said. She thought about putting a serious tone on, but she felt that the gun she was holding was going to do the job for her.
"Miss Kadotani, you can't expect us to-"
Everyone in the hall jumped, some even squealed, as a gunshot was fired, mimicking the sound of Thor's hammer.
"Sorry!" Momo called, "Forgot to give a warning."
Miho looked back at Anzu. "Is there something that we should be concerned about as vault residents?"
Anzu knew she was backed into a corner. She couldn't say no, that would be lying for a start, and all of these bystanders knew that guns were involved in whatever was going on and the power armour had been deployed. That certainly wasn't "nothing".
And she couldn't say yes, because then she would have to explain what was happening and possibly put them all into a panic.
"And what's happening at the mess hall?" Miho asked.
Ah yes! The mess hall!
"Thanks for reminding me, miss Nishizumi!" Anzu chirped, and turned to Yukari, "You're escorting me to the mess hall. I want to see what Hangyaku wants."
"Hangyaku?" Miho asked, "Isn't he the man that came second in the polls?"
Anzu ignored her. Hopefully she would go away.
"Just stand there and look intimidating," Anzu continued, "Don't shoot unless, y'know... they do first."
Miho looked between Anzu and Yukari. "Yukari, what's going on?"
Uh oh.
"U-umm..."
Anzu sighed and rubbed her temple.
"Some residents aren't too happy with the poll results," Anzu said to Miho, "We're just trying to get them back under control."
"So it's a riot?" Miho asked with a raised brow.
"Yes," Anzu said quickly. Technically it was a coup, one step above a riot, but a little sugar coating never hurt anyone. "So you should all go back to your rooms and wait until we have this under control."
"Miss Overseer!" a voice called from somewhere.
A member of the Morals Committee was jogging up to them with a pistol in her hand and dried blood running from her nose.
Anzu panicked slightly on the inside. This would not be a good sight for the residents. She turned to Yuzu. "You stay here, keep these residents calm and get them to go back to their rooms."
"Yes, miss Overseer!"
Momo was just returning with the rifle at this point.
"Excellent," Anzu said before Momo could say anything, "Give that to Yukari, and then clear this one," she handed her the gun.
Anzu parted from the group and met the Committee member halfway.
"What's happening?" she asked her.
"There's a standoff in the mess hall..."
"What? What do you mean?"
"When you gave the order to sweep the vault earlier this morning..." Anzu remembered giving that order. It was about fifteen minutes before Yukari showed up at the office. "...Chief Sono lead our squad and took us to the mess hall. They shot us on first contact and there was a shootout-"
"Is anyone hurt?" Anzu interrupted her. The blood on this member's face was worrying her. Surely they would send the healthiest member to find the Overseer to tell her about this situation? Maybe she was the healthiest member? Maybe they deliberately sent this one to show how serious the situation was? Too many parameters.
"Umm... there have been some injuries..."
"Any serious injuries?"
"Well, yes..."
Anzu quivered as she breathed in and brought a hand to her forehead.
"But, once the shootout came to a standstill, Hangyaku called a truce. He said that we could treat our injured and send them to the medical wing if we allowed them to do the same."
"Please tell me you did..." Anzu would've taken that deal in a heartbeat.
"Chief Sono took the initiative and agreed to it."
Oh, thank God... Anzu thought. "So all serious injuries are being treated?"
"Yes, miss Overseer, though I don't know on the patients' current status."
"So what's happening in the mess hall now?"
"Well... guns are being pointed, from both sides, but no shots are being fired. Hangyaku wants to see you."
So that's what she meant by a standoff. All it would take was one bullet to be fired and carnage would ensue.
"Did he say what he wanted?"
"To negotiate."
Of course he did. He probably didn't want a bloodbath any more than Anzu did.
But now the question was: what should she do?
"Thank you," she said to the Committee member. "Stay here with us for a bit, I need to think something over before we head off."
"Yes, miss Overseer," the Committee member bowed and made her way over to Yuzu, who was currently talking to an angry looking Miho.
Anzu needed to think.
Anzu backed up into the wall of the corridor. She leant against it, and slid down until she sat on the floor. She put her hands together, and placed the tip of her index fingers against her lips. She closed her eyes, took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Blocking out the senses of the world around her, Anzu entered a deep state of thought.
I have to go to negotiate either way, Hangyaku will just start shooting if I refuse.
Okay, so if I did go, what would be the possible outcomes? Could I negotiate a deal where I remain in power while he and his followers are happy? Maybe... maybe I could hire him as an ambassador of sorts? A spokesperson for the adult demographic?
No, because the problem they have isn't that they don't have a voice, it's that a child is in charge. That's been the problem since the very first day we stepped foot in this vault. And they've come too far and worked too hard to just settle for a seat on the Council, they'll want all of it.
So... do I have to give him what he wants? Do I give Hangyaku the position of Overseer? Do I even want to keep the job?
Well, say if I did give him what he wants, what happens next? What happens to me? And the rest of the Council? Would he let us live as normal residents?
Maybe not. After everything he's tried to do to me, maybe he wants me gone for good. He might see me as a risk to retaining his Overseer status in the future. If he could succeed in a coup, what's to say I wouldn't try one as well?
So he would...execute me? No, killing a minor after they've given you what you wanted would permanently stain his public image, he would have a lot to prove as my successor, so capital punishment would scare the public.
So he would jail me? No. I'll always have followers of my own. I'll eventually escape, or get released. And then what? It's not like I can leave the vault, so of course I would-
Wait...
Oh no...
He wouldn't...
...
Yes... he would...
Meanwhile, just when Anzu had left to go speak to the Committee member, Miho tried to follow her, but Yuzu held an arm out and shook her head.
"I want to know if this is something that we as students need to worry about," Miho said.
"Miss Nishizumi," Yuzu said, half pleading. She was beginning to crack. "Please, this isn't a movie. Let those in charge deal with the situation."
"Why can't I help, Yuzu?" Miho asked, looking straight into her eyes.
Yuzu winced as she tried to come up with a response. "Because you might get hurt..."
"And you won't? Miss Kadotani won't? Yukari won't?"
"Well, actually, I would be surprised if miss Akiyam-"
"Yuzu, that's not the point!"
"Miss Nishizumi, as a member of the Council, I order you to go back to your room," Yuzu was getting impatient now.
"Miss Nishizumi," Anzu chirped as she came back, with a beaming smile on her face, "Just the person I wanted to see!"
"What?" Yuzu and Miho asked at the same time.
"I need you to do me a favour," Anzu continued.
"R-really?"
"Well, you wanted to help, didn't you?" Anzu beamed.
"I... suppose..."
"Well, here's what I need you to do. I need to go to the mess hall to meet with someone, but because tensions will be... high, I need to take Yukari with me to keep face, and I would also like Momo to come with me. All of the Committee members are also... occupied. That doesn't leave very many people I trust to do this job."
"You trust me?" Miho said, putting a hand to her chest.
"Of course I do!" Anzu splayed out her arms. And then she gestured for Miho to come closer.
Miho leant forward and Anzu wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "What I need from you is to go to the storeroom with Yuzu, since she knows the code, and gather some things for me. It doesn't have to be just you two, grab some friends, people you trust, and I mean trust..."
Miho's frowned with widened eyes. She might have been starting to regret this.
"What do I need to get?"
Anzu put a finger to her chin. "Some Rad-X, some RadAway, a couple of medkits, three ration boxes, some spare jumpsuits, umm..." she pondered a little longer, "A blanket, a sleeping bag, a travel cooking stove, and a bag to keep it all in."
"What's all that for?" Miho asked.
"Indeed, miss Overseer," Yuzu crossed her arms, "What is all of that for?"
"A safety precaution," Anzu grinned. "Oh, and once you've collected it all, leave it by the vault door, would you?" Before either of them could say anything else, Anzu withdrew her arm and did a little hop with a clap of her hands. "Well, those are your orders from your Overseer. Yukari! Momo! We need to get going!"
And with that, Anzu started her way to the mess hall, with the Committee member right beside her.
Momo strode after her with the rifle she had just been checking in her arms. Just as she passed Yuzu, she handed it to her with a, "Take this, hopefully you won't need it."
Yukari gave Miho one last look before sighing just quietly enough that the transmission microphone wouldn't pick it up, and walked after Anzu. The assault rifle in her power armour hands felt like a kid's toy from how light it felt with the suit's strength, and the gloves' chunky fingers struggling to fit into the trigger housing further added to that image.
Miho and Yuzu watched them for a bit before Yuzu realised they needed to get moving.
"If you just give me a moment to get all of these residents back into their rooms, miss Nishizumi, we can be on our way."
"Yes, thank you," Miho said. "Oh, but don't send Erwin, Saemonza, Azusa and Nakajima back to their rooms. I'd like them to come with us."
Yuzu gave a slight bow with a smile before directing the spectators back to their rooms.
Just then Miho got an instinctive urge to look at her Pip-Boy.
Quest added
Who Knows What the Fates Have in Store?
* Gather the requested supplies for Anzu Kadotani from the Vault 131 storeroom.
* Stash the supplies near the entrance to Vault 131.
BEEP BEEP BEEP
Miho tutted as the Pip-Boy displayed an error message and crashed.
Anzu made her way to the mess hall, her heart pounding faster the closer they got. The more she thought about what was going to happen next, the more the butterflies in her stomach fluttered. By the time they got to the door, she felt like she was going to be sick.
Actually...
"Give me a moment, ladies," she said. She walked over to a trash chute, opened it, stuck her finger down her throat, coughed and then hurled into the compartment.
Momo rushed over and rubbed circles into her back.
"Nerves?"
"You could say that," Anzu said as she spat some remnants down the chute.
The Committee member produced a tiny bottle of water, like the sort that would fit in a mini-fridge. Without a word she offered it to Anzu.
"Thanks," the Overseer said, taking the bottle and drinking it. She swished the water around her mouth.
"I couldn't have that happening halfway through negotiations," she explained, "Best get it out the way now."
Anzu finished the bottle and threw it down the same trash chute.
She stood in front of the door to the mess hall, took a deep breath, and stepped forward. The door hissed open to her presence.
What she saw on the other side were rows of people, all Committee members, the helmet hair style betrayed them of that. Most of them were wearing flak jackets, all of them were pointing their guns down the mess hall. Some were standing, others were crouching on the tables and benches.
From the side somewhere, a ghoul approached them.
"How's things, Sodoko?" Anzu asked her in a hush.
"We've been standing like this for about ten minutes now, their arms are getting tired," she growled.
"Thank you so much for holding down the fort," Anzu took her hands into her own, which Sodoko twitched at, feeling a little uncomfortable but still appreciative of the gesture. Sodoko's hands felt like avocados.
"If had known this was happening I would've got here sooner."
"Just talk to the dickhead so we can end this."
"Sodoko! That's not like you to use such language!"
"Forgive me if looking like a full grown fetus has made me a bit jaded."
Any other time, Anzu might have been able to crack a laugh, even though Sodoko had said it with a completely serious tone. But now was not the time for laughter.
She let Sodoko's hands go. She gestured to Yukari to stay where she was, and with Momo by her side, they walked through the crowd of Committee members, which parted slightly to their presence.
"Now I know what Moses felt like," Anzu mumbled to herself.
On the other side of the crowd, which spanned the width of the mess hall, was a large patch of unoccupied land, other than the cafeteria tables and benches. On the other side of the room, also spanning the width, was the Resistance.
Every single one also pointing their gun. At them.
"This certainly is a standoff..." Anzu observed.
"The lady of the hour makes her grand appearance!"
The crowd parted, guns still trained on the entire Committee force, and Hangyaku sauntered through, his jumpsuit clean and pressed.
Anzu balled her fists at the sight of him.
"Alright, Hangyaku, what do you want?" she demanded.
Hangyaku slipped his hands into his pockets, and with a shrug of his shoulders he replied, "First, why don't we all lower our weapons first? The atmosphere feels a little tense, don't you think?"
"Not gonna happen," Anzu replied. While she certainly would've liked for the weapons to be lowered, she couldn't trust him to not have one guy ordered to keep his weapon up hidden in the crowd, or for someone to be hiding with his gun trained on her, or for him to suddenly burst out an order to fire that all his men would be anticipating and catch them off-guard. Plus, he was trying to take control of the situation.
Anzu wasn't going to let him.
Hangyaku held up his hands in defence.
"Alright, I'm just trying to make things easier," and then he gestured to a table and bench that had been rearranged to go widthways across the room, marking a halfway point in the room, acting as a sort of barrier between the two forces. "Would you have a seat?"
Anzu slipped onto the bench. Momo stood behind and just to the side of her, who had a shaky hand he was hiding behind her back.
Hangyaku sat down, on the other side of the table, opposite Anzu. Almost in synch, the two leaders laced their fingers and rested their elbows on the table.
"Now," he began, "Let's talk politics."
Miho's reasoning for choosing Erwin, Saemonza, Azusa and Nakajima was because they were already there and aware of what was going on. She didn't want to send them back to their rooms, wake up others and fill them in on what was happening. She now understood why Anzu had tried to get them to go back to their rooms; the fewer people that knew what was going on, the better; less chance of panic.
So her first order for them was to go back to their rooms and tell their roommates that everything was fine but they were needed for a little Overseer business. Plus, some of them needed to change out of their nightwear.
Oryou and Caeser were still half asleep anyway. Erwin wasn't even sure of they had properly heard her.
Aya had been suspicious of Azusa's claims, and tried asking where she was going. Azusa managed to divert her attention by saying that Aya was in charge until she got back.
None of Leopon team were bothered, Suzuki was even still asleep.
What had been tricky was Miho trying to tell Saori and Hana what was going on. Well, not Hana so much, she was still asleep. But Saori was suspicious.
"You're doing what?" she asked.
"Oh, err... miss Kadotani needs me to... do... something..." Miho stuttered.
Sitting up in her bed, Saori crossed her arms and pouted. "What is this 'something'?"
"She's a little short on hands so she needs me to collect some stock from the storeroom..."
Saori continued pouting. "Okay, then," she said, "Off you go. Don't keep her waiting."
"See you later, Takebe!"
"You too, Miporin."
Poor Miporin. She's so bad at lying.
And so the storeroom errand girls set off. Most of them were dressed in Vault 131 jumpsuits, and each had a Pip-Boy strapped to their wrist.
Erwin kept her German military jacket and cap, and life in the vault hadn't done anything to change her desert fox hair style. Saemonza was bringing her bow, eager to try out her skills should it come to that, with her chest protector strapped on nice and tightly. Of course, her hachimaki was also coming with her, she never left home without it tied over her head, and her left eye was glued shut.
Azusa looked just as she always did. She had combed her hair while she tried explaining to her roommates where she was going. Nakajima, in contrast, still had her bed hair; she had also abandoned the jumpsuit some days ago in favour of her mechanic's outfit, for she had grown to miss it. Miho had a fresh jumpsuit on, but she had also taken to wearing the Ooarai navy blue Tankery jacket in a similar style to Erwin.
The posse started their journey in silence. The hallways were empty, devoid of any communal life. It was still fairly early in the morning.
Then, picking up the pace to catch up with Miho to walk alongside her, Erwin spoke up, "Commander, what is it we're actually doing for Overseer Kadotani?"
"She wants us to pick up some spare supplies from the storeroom and leave them by the vault entrance," Miho answered truthfully.
"Mmhmm. And what supplies are they?"
"Oh, er..." Miho paused, brought up her Pip-Boy and flicked a few switches, "Rad-X, RadAway, medkits, ration boxes, spare jumpsuits, some camping equipment and a bag to store it all."
"Commander, don't you think that's a bit odd?"
"Honestly, Erwin, yes," Miho sighed.
"Doesn't it sound like the Overseer plans to leave the vault?"
"Yes," Miho agreed, with a little worry and fear in her voice.
"Then why are we doing this?"
"I don't want to either, Erwin, but think about it like this. The best thing that could happen is that miss Kadotani stays and we did this for nothing. The worst that could happen is that she does leave and we didn't bother."
"But shouldn't we try to convince her not to leave?"
"If the Overseer intends to leave, it is for a reason," Yuzu spoke up, who was a step or two ahead, and had just been listening until now. "She wouldn't want to leave, everyone knows how dangerous it is out there. If she has to, it'll be for a reason she can't control or avoid."
Erwin looked to Miho for a counterargument, still not completely convinced. All she got in response was a shrug. She pinched the bridge of her nose with a frustrated sigh.
And at that, Yuzu stopped in her tracks, spun around, balled her fists and shouted "None of us like this either, miss Matsumoto!"
And everyone stopped dead, too, dumbfounded by the usually calm Yuzu's outburst.
"You know what the president is like!" Yuzu continued, oblivious to her misuse of Anzu's position, "Once she gets an idea, we can't stop her. The best we can do is help to make sure her departure will be with as much support as we can give her!"
And the air was left hanging in silence.
Erwin pulled her cap over her eyes. "I'm sorry..." she muttered.
And from what seemed like nowhere, Saori stepped forward to put a comforting hand on Yuzu's shoulder, who was standing to get tears in her eyes.
"Takebe?" Miho acknowledged.
Saori then took Yuzu into a hug, which she accepted, wrapping her arms around Saori.
"Where did you come from?" Miho asked.
And the voice to respond was actually Hana's, from behind, "We followed you."
Everyone bar the embraced Yuzu and Saori turned to see Hana standing there in her 131 jumpsuit.
"Wh-what?" Miho stuttered, "Why?"
"Miss Takebe was worried about you, and she woke me up to tell me what you were doing and I suggested we follow," Hana replied with a soft smile.
Miho wasn't sure what to do now.
"We're coming with you, Miporin," Saori said over Yuzu's shoulder, "I overheard what you and Erwin were talking about, you could get in trouble!"
Miho winced. She didn't want too many people to come with them on this errand for the Overseer, but she also knew that Saori wouldn't take no for an answer.
"It should be alright, miss Nishizumi," the recently quiet Azusa said, suddenly appearing next to Miho and placing a comforting hand on her arm. She could see Miho was looking slightly distressed. "It's just picking up some supplies from the storeroom. The more hands the better, right?"
"Miss Isawa's got the right idea!" Saori said, and she and Yuzu parted. "Come on, Miporin, we're your friends, why refuse?"
"I..." Miho started, and then slumped her shoulders and squeaked out an, "Okay."
"Awesome!" Saori pumped a fist. "Onwards to the storeroom!"
"Indeed, Hangyaku, let's talk politics. What do you want?"
"Quite simply, my dear, I want you to step down from the chair and give me the title of Overseer. Those are my terms."
"Then what are the conditions?"
Hangyaku chuckled. "You know, if you weren't so young, I wouldn't have any problem with you being in charge. You've got some wit to you."
"You're too far in the deep end for flattery to be earning you brownie points, Hangyaku. What is in this deal for me?"
"You won't come to any harm, if that's what you're worried about," he said with a wry smile.
"Oh, so I'll get to continue living?" she asked sarcastically, though choosing her words carefully.
"Of course you will!" he smiled, fanning his hands out before lacing them back together. "What, were you expecting me to execute you? What a horrid thought."
Anzu narrowed her eyes into slits and slowly asked, "So as long as I give you the position of Overseer, my subordinates and I will continue living in the vault as normal citizens?"
Hangyaku retracted his arms and placed a hand over his heart. "Miss Kadotani, if you grant me my request, I can promise you will continue to live your life with your friends."
You sly dog...
"I know what you're up to, Hangyaku," she said.
She relished in the fact that in that split second, Hangyaku looked surprised. Rubbing his hand over his scar he asked, "I beg your pardon?"
"I'll repeat the question, since you seem to be hard of hearing," she placed her hands flat on the table. "So as long as I give you the position of Overseer, my subordinates and I will continue living in the vault as normal citizens?"
Hangyaku pursed his lip into a line and his eyes narrowed. Anzu could see he was trying to think of another half truth.
"What are you accusing me of, miss Kadotani?"
"Don't you dare try changing the subject, Hangyaku, you know I'm too clever for that," that might have come across as a bit arrogant, but Anzu had just found a weak spot and needed to keep looking big, "Will I, or will I not, get to continue living in the vault?"
"Yes," he said immediately.
Shit... what did I say wrong?
She replayed what she had just said in her head.
So long as I give you the position... my subordinates and I... continue living in the vault... will I, or will I not... aha!
"Okay then," she smirked and crossed her arms, "So I get to. What about my subordinates?"
While his expression remained stone faced, Hangyaku's eyes flashed with anger. He had hoped that she would take the deal and exploit that slip of words she had made: Will I...
Hangyaku sighed, shook his head, and put a hand on the table. "You're clever, miss Kadotani. You remind me of me."
"We are nothing alike."
With his head looking slightly down, he looked up with his eyes, straight into hers, almost looking through his brow. It made his eyes look very sunken. He gave a slight smile, and that expression spoke for itself: You know we are.
"Admit it, Hangyaku, you want me gone," Anzu didn't want to get into a debate with him of how similar they were, even though she knew it. She had even admitted as much to Momo.
"Of course I want you gone," he scoffed.
"You want me gone gone. You were going to exile me from the vault once you came into power because you," she jabbed a finger at him, "don't want to risk me taking the title back!"
He shrugged his shoulders. "Can you blame me?"
"That's vile!" Momo suddenly said. "How dare you even consider-!"
"Miss Kadotani would've done the same!" Hangyaku interrupted with a raised voice, and then he looked at Anzu. "Wouldn't you?"
"We are nothing alike," she repeated, knowing where he was going with this.
"And yet you figured out what my intentions were..."
"We are nothing alike."
"...ever heard the English expression 'takes one to know one'?"
This was getting them nowhere.
Anzu leant forward. "Hangyaku, back down. You are not getting that seat."
Hangyaku sat there, drumming his fingers against the tabetop. They remained unspoken, the cough of someone from the Resistance side being the only sound heard.
"I'm sorry, miss Kadotani," he tapped his fingers in a calculated manner.
Taptap taptap
"But that isn't the response I wanted."
Taptaptaptap taptaptap
Hangyaku's men parted down the middle, and as they did the sounds of heavy, thudding footsteps could be heard. The hulking figure of a humanoid in samurai armour strode forward, fists gripped tightly.
The walk to the storeroom felt like it took forever. Miho couldn't help but worry at the amount of people she was bringing along for this assignment. It was a harmless assignment, sure, but she was getting a really bad feeling crawling across her skin. The fact there was currently a revolution going on somewhere in the vault didn't calm her nerves either.
Miho! The weather is picking up. We are going to use this chance to flank the Pravda forces.
Where?
See this passing along the river? Take your tank and a few others and follow it and you'll end up behind enemy lines while our main force strikes the front.
B-but, onee-ch- err... Commander, it's thundering and the rain is coming down heavy! Is it safe for the tanks to use that path? Look at the contour lines, it's suspended a good ten feet above the river!
Miss Nishizumi! Do not worry! I volunteer to come with so I can protect you!
But, Koume... it's dangerous...
I'm your friend, miss Nishizumi! I want to come with you! Let's win the tournament together!
I... I... okay then...
"Miho?"
Miho snapped back to Earth at the mention of her name. With her fingers laced together, she turned around to see everyone watching her, while Yuzu fiddled with a console on a wall next to a door.
"You just walked past the storeroom," Saori chuckled, pointing to the door.
"O-oh yeah," said Miho.
Yuzu finished inputting the password and the door to the storeroom opened. One by one they all filed inside.
"Alright!" Saori exclaimed, hands on her hips. "What are we looking for?"
"Um... "Miho muttered as she brought up her Pip-Boy to read out the list. "Some Rad-X, some RadAway, medkits, ration boxes, spare jumpsuits and a rucksack."
"This is where having lots of people is helpful," said Yuzu as she gazed at the hundreds of rows of tall shelves in the large room, "I'm not sure where a lot of that stuff is off by heart, not without my files."
"So we're just going to have to search?" asked Azusa.
"I'm afraid so," Yuzu frowned.
"What about the sealed boxes?" Nakajima asked, walking up to a shelf with a pristine cardboard box on it and running her hand across it.
"They'll be labelled," Yuzu answered. "Open them if you have to."
Saemonza glanced toward Yuzu, looking quite serious with her straight mouth, closed eye and a bow in her hands. "How dangerous is this mission?"
"Oh, err... why do you ask?"
Saemonza nodded to the assault rifle in Yuzu's hands that she forgot she had been holding.
"Oh..." she muttered. "Well... I don't think it's likely that we'll be attacked but... if we are, some self defence certainly would be nice."
"Would you like me to take the gun, miss Koyama?" Erwin asked. "You don't seem comfortable with it."
"Are you trained in firearms?" Yuzu asked nervously.
"I've been airsofting. That's not going to earn me any licenses, I know, but I am aware how to safely handle a gun and not blow my own head off," she finished with a smirk.
Yuzu was somewhat relieved. Truth be told, she had next to no firearms training. She had only been shown how to safely clear and handle one, but she had never fired one and didn't really want to, especially not at somebody else.
"Okay, then," she said.
Erwin turned to Miho. "Commander, I recommend that I stay near the door for first contact purposes."
"I volunteer for the front line, as well," Saemonza added.
Miho's spirits were raised by just a little bit at the humorous dialect of the two reki-jo. "I think that's a good idea," she nodded, "But... be careful, okay? Don't be heroes, don't get yourselves hurt."
"Understood, Commander," said Saemonza and Erwin simultaneously.
"And the rest of us, miss Nishizumi?" asked Azusa.
"We will look for the supplies for miss Kadotani. Find what you can and bring it back here. We'll designate rows of shelves between the six of us to cover as much ground as possible. okay?"
"Right!" came the response.
The frowning helmet did its job beautifully of radiating fear into every enemy unit. Every Committee member froze in horror at the sight of the advancing hulk. Mouths slightly parted in disbelief, muzzles started to dip as they absentmindedly loosened their grip on their guns.
Even Anzu and Momo were left dumbfounded as the power armour emerged from the crowd. She should say something. She should give the order to shoot. It wouldn't do anything to the armour but it'd get some chaos stirring. But she couldn't move, seeing her doom physically approach left her paralysed.
The armour stomped forwards. Hangyaku rose from his seat, smirking delightedly at the sight of Anzu left speechless. As it approached the table, the armour rose a fist, bracing for the strike that would end Anzu's life in an instant.
And suddenly, the armour was flying backwards, as a second suit of power armour made contact at eighty kilometres an hour.
The mass of metal quickly touched ground from the weight and the two suits slid down the gap that was still parted in the crowd of Resistance members, screeching along the floor and coming to a halt.
Everyone watched the event unfold and were all left dumbfounded at the sight, many mouths were agape. Anzu had completely forgotten about Yukari. She got so riled up over Hangyaku and was left so scared as she watched a power armour suit approach her with the intent to kill her, she had forgotten she was commanding a power armour suit of her own.
She snapped her jaw shut, turned at the waist to address her Committee members and gave one clear, concise order.
"Fire!"
She swung her legs over the bench and dashed back to the safety of her subordinates, grabbing Momo's wrist as she did.
"Fire!" Sodoko from somewhere repeated.
"Fire!" Hangyaku roared at his own men, dashing back to them.
As guns were cocked, a few individuals from both sides that had been given orders prior, started flipping over tables to provide a semblance of cover. The mess hall tables were thick and well built enough to sustain several hundred years of several generations of vault residents, so both sides had the confidence they were strong enough to stop a speeding bullet.
Meanwhile, Yukari and the other power armour suit came to a halt behind the entire Resistance force. When Yukari saw over all the heads of the Committee members that a second power armour suit had emerged from the Resistance's ranks, she panicked. She knew that no bullet could stop it, and it had been making a bee line for miss Anzu.
So she did the only thing she could think to do. Panicking, she literally leapt into action. She barraged through the ranks, shoving people out the side as delicately as she could, and once she was in front of all them all, he activated the pistons in the armour's legs.
Her only intention was to just stop the enemy power armour suit from hurting miss Anzu. Now she was in a heap with it behind enemy lines.
The rebel suit shoved her off. The suit's strength was enough to pick up one of its own as easily as a human picking up another person. Yukari flopped onto her back as she was shoved off. The suit's HUD display flickered. She only just noticed she could see a triangle in the sides of her vision pointing in the direction of rebel suit.
Mere seconds later heard the shouted orders of Anzu, Sodoko and Hangyaku, and a cacophony of rattling assault rifles sounded. In her peripheral vision she saw the rebel suit getting up.
What did she do now?
The suit stood up fully and turned to look at her. The frowning face of the samurai helmet filling her with fear.
How should she react?
The suit reached down and grabbed her by the neck and started to hoist her up.
She was going to have to fight another power armour suit, wasn't she?
Yukari grimaced, balled her hand into a fist and uppercutted.
The strike connected, and in contrast to the usual reaction to being hit by a power armour punch, the rebel suit simply stumbled backward, dropping Yukari.
She collapsed to her knees, a hand landing flat on the ground to brace her. She spotted her gun at her feet, she must've forgotten to grip it while she was being picked up, a forgivable mistake for a novice power armour user. She was about to pick it up, but she spotted the rebel suit striding forward and swinging with a right hook. She rose to her feet and held up an arm to block the strike and the two motor powered arms connected.
Even in the radiation sealed, bulletproof super armour, the sound of the two metal arms connecting gonged in her ears.
The rebel suit followed up with an uppercut from his other arm. Yukari reflexively twisted in the hopes the strike would brush past her, but she forgot she was the size of a fridge. The punch clipped her abdomen and she stumbled backward, the little power armour sprite display in the corner of her vision flashing red in its torso area.
Yukari was glad she wasn't fighting someone without the suit on. Whoever was in that suit, they were clearly just as inexperienced as she was. Their movements were robotic and simple, and they rarely ever moved one limb at a time. If she was fighting someone while they were both out of their suits, she'd be flattened.
The rebel suit stepped forward in an attempt to follow up the strike with another jab. She sidestepped while holding her hands up defensively, and the attack missed. But she stepped straight into somebody else. Her sudden movement and her large, solid metal build meant it was like hitting the guy in the back of the head with a shovel, and he fell flat forwards.
The feeling of impact caused her to reflexively look behind her to see what she'd hit.
She briefly saw the entire collective Resistance force scrambling around, dashing, diving, ducking and crawling all over this side of the mess hall behind overturned tables, taking potshots at the Committee members on the other side, which returned in kind. Stray bullets from the Committee were occasionally pinging off her armour.
Seeing an opening, the rebel suit stepped toward her, bent a leg at the knee and jabbed it forward.
In the split second she looked behind her, Yukari remembered she was meant to be fighting and turned back to see-
The foot connected and she tumbled onto her back. Not even a power armour suit could stand up to the mighty boot of another power armour suit.
Yukari could've sworn she landed on top of someone but didn't want to check. She didn't have time to anyway. The rebel suit was striding toward her with purpose. She had a brilliant flash of inspiration.
The rebel suit squared up to her downed body and went to bend down to grab her. Yukari squatted her legs and placed both her legs against the rebel suit's chest...
And activated the piston release mechanism.
The following clang was louder than the collective sound of assault rifle shots. The rebel suit was launched into the air and flailed as best they could with the restricting suit they were wearing, and they clotheslined their head on the ceiling, flipping upside down and splatting against the wall at the end of the mess hall.
Yukari was now for sure that there had been someone underneath her, she sunk further toward the ground as whatever she had been lying on was crushed underneath her several tons of weight, further pushed down by the pistons striking the rebel suit.
Yukari got up, and saw the rebel suit was in a heap on the floor ahead. They were instinctively clutching their chest as they rose to their feet. Yukari wasted no time and charged for the suit.
It didn't see her coming as she shoulder barged it, pinning it against the wall. She wind a fist back and jabbed it forward, but they caught it in their hand. As Yukari tried to pull her arm free, she didn't notice the rebel suit raising its leg and pressing the flat of its foot against her stomach.
Her heart skyrocketed as the shock of suddenly flying backward terrified her. Bowling a few unlucky individuals over, she was in the air for a good couple of seconds before touching ground and screeching across the floor. She reached out with a hand to grab at anything and the tips of her fingers produced sparks and she tried to grab the flat floor.
She impacted a sideways table, dragging it along with her before coming to a halt in the no-man's-land between the two forces, colliding with a second table and bench arrangement which was the one Anzu and Hangyaku had been sat at minutes before.
Gunfire had noticeable slowed down as both sides witnessed this event. A clean path had been carved through the mass of Resistance members. The rebel suit made a dash down it, each hurried step stomping loudly.
In the storeroom, those who weren't guarding the entrance had been split into teams of two and assigned a random shelving row, and they were to walk from one end t the other trying to find anything that was on their shopping list.
Miho and Azusa were halfway up their row. They hadn't found anything, but earlier they did hear an excited cry from Hana and Saori when they found the medkits.
Miho was absentmindedly tracing her eyes over the labels of the boxes and only vaguely taking in the shape of loose products on the shelves. Noticing this, Azusa spoke up.
"Is something wrong, miss Nishizumi? You've seem troubled for a while."
"Oh, sorry, Azusa, I'm... just worried."
"About what?"
"I just have a bad feeling about what's coming and I can't shake it," Miho frowned.
"Is that all, though?"
The question caught Miho somewhat off guard. "Wh-what?"
"Well, you seem too troubled to just be having a bad feeling."
"I suppose I'm also worried for miss Kadotani's safety. And I'm worried about Yukari, what with the coup going on at the moment. I hope she's okay..."
From within her suit, looking down at the floor, Yukari groaned. The piston had made a large dent in the stomach of her power armour, and she could felt the bulge pressing against her belly uncomfortably. The power armour sprite in the corner of her vision now had a solid red torso, and one of the legs had turned orange at some point.
She noticed the arrow indicator bobbing up and down, indicating toward the rebel suit. She looked up and saw it jogging after her (for running was next to impossible in this heavy armour).
She placed her hands on the ground. While one found the flat metal floor, the other slipped off the leg of an overturned table. Gripping it, she slowly climbed to her knees to seem injured and tired, keeping her head hanging. Once she was on her knees, she clutched her stomach to add to the facade.
And when they were close enough, she swung as hard as she could. The table's arc was wide, and the wearer of the rebel suit was left surprised as it struck them in the side, a gong ringing out. Yukari reeled it back and swung again.
The rebel suit flailed an arm and made contact with the table. It was snatched out of Yukari's grip and went spinning through the air towards the Committee side. It struck someone in the head, thankfully they were all wearing helmets.
Yukari and her opponent continued to trade strikes and blows as bullets whizzed around them. They were a real distraction to the soldiers, causing the exchange of lead to slow. The two were ducking, dodging and striking. They were as good at each other at controlling the suit, and there was no obvious eventual victor.
The rebel suit made for a grab with both arms. Yukari snatched his wrists and twisted at the waist to haul them to the ground like a wrestle. The suit wasn't quite up for hauling that much weight and so the rebel armour fell forwards, with Yukari dragging them along the ground by their wrists.
And it was right then when Yukari's HUD turned red. A warning message appeared right in front of her face reading 'WARNING: IMMINENT HEAT OVERLOAD'
Yukari hadn't realised it until that message pointed it out, but the inside of the suit was boiling. Her face was drenched in sweat, her fluffy hair was clumping from moisture and sticking to bits of her face.
"Wh-wh... what is this?" she panicked.
On the ground, the rebel suit swiped at her legs with the back of its hand and she dropped. It climbed on top of her and went for a few jabs to the face. At first, with the stupid warning message in her face, Yukari couldn't see what they were doing, and by the time she did, she tried to hold her hands out in defence but it was too late.
The first fist strike came crashing down onto her face. She reflexively shut her eyes as tight as she could. Even in the helmet she felt her skull rattle from the impact. She flailed an arm to try and get them off, but it barely made contact, and they were pinning her down. The suit wasn't going to budge.
In desperation she activated the piston in one her legs. It uselessly struck empty air, but the warning message disappeared and the HUD turned back to its original colour. Only then did Yukari notice the suit sprite was red on its torso, helmet and the arm the suit was pinning down with its knee.
A second strike from the fist and a crack formed in the visors. Yukari started to panic.
"No! No! No! Nononono!"
The rebel suit dug its fingers into her neck and ripped the helmet off. She gasped as she felt a rush of cold air as the heat was flushed out of the suit. The rebel suit wind back its arm once again. It flexed its fingers as it curled them into a fist.
And then a bullet pinged off the side of its head.
What was strange is that it was the only bullet that could be heard. In their struggle, neither had noticed that all the shooting had stopped.
The rebel suit looked in the direction of the attacker, its fist still prepped to end Yukari's life.
It was Hangyaku, still aiming down the sights of his pistol.
"Touch her again and there will be consequences," he said.
And straight away the rebel suit dropped the arm and stood up, its knee releasing Yukari's arm.
Yukari breathed a sigh of relief and let her head drop, hitting the floor which was welcomingly cool.
The rebel suit reached to its helmet and pulled it off. The man inside breathed delightedly as, he too, was blessed with cool air. It wasn't anyone Yukari recognised. The person inside was just a man. A member of the rebels.
"Yukari, are you okay?" Anzu had approached Yukari's body and knelt down beside her.
"Yes... miss Anzu, I'm... okay..." Yukari huffed from the heat.
Anzu didn't feel like pointing out there were tears in Yukari's eyes.
"Miss Kadotani," Hangyaku had also approached, standing on the other side of Yukari's body. "The cease fire was called, we let our best men settle the battle for us, and I even showed mercy to your friend. I think the best you can do now is-"
"Shut up, Hangyaku," Anzu spat.
Hangyaku's face flashed with anger. "You disrespectful little-!"
"You didn't let me finish," Anzu interrupted again, "I'll go. I'll respect your kindness. Congratulations. The vault is yours."
"Oh, look!" Azusa exclaimed, as she reached out with both hands to grab a sealed box with a sticker on the side that read JUMPSUITS.
"Oh, well done, miss Isawa!" Miho smiled. "We found the jumpsuits!" she called out to the others.
"And we found a rucksack!" Nakajima shouted back.
"Let's take this back to the front," Azusa said, followed by a grunt as she pulled down the surprisingly heavy box of clothes.
"Here, Azusa, let me," Miho held out her hands to take the box.
"Don't worry, miss Nishizumi, I've got it!" the young girl grinned.
Miho smiled back and they started retracing their steps back to the front of the storeroom. Along the way, Hana and Saori announced they found some ration boxes. When they arrived, they placed the box in a pile next to some medkits, which came with sealed packs of Rad-X and RadAway. Nakajima and Yuzu showed up moments after with a fairly decent sized hiking rucksack.
Azusa frowned at the sight of the survival gear at their feet.
"It looks kind of sad when you see it all here," she said.
Everyone had been thinking it. While the idea of Anzu leaving the vault was a little unsettling (if that was indeed what she had planned), it became just a little bit more real when they saw all the supplies they were going to be giving her. The rucksack, two medkits with extra medicine for radiation poisoning, boxes containing pouched meals with powdered drinks and other kinds of snacks, and an extra change of clothes.
"We... we are going to try convincing her to stay, right?" Azusa asked.
"Of course we are," Yuzu responded. "This is just... just in case."
After a bit more searching, they eventually found blankets - which were in the far corner of the room for some reason - a camping cooking stove with a pot and a sleeping bag.
Nakajima and Erwin took the responsibility of packing the rucksack, they were good at space efficiency. They needed to open the ration boxes and spill all of the contents into sealed plastic bags that came in each box, and they couldn't fold the jumpsuits or blanket since stuffing them into cracks and gaps would save space, but they managed to get everything inside. The sleeping bag was attached to the back by weaving the clip straps through some woven small bungee cords.
"Jesus, the bag's almost as tall as miss Kadotani is," Erwin grunted as she stood the bag up.
That was all anyone said. Nobody felt like laughing, or reciprocating. They just stood there, thinking of Anzu leaving the vault.
"Let's take it to the vault entrance, then," said Miho, trying to muster up some cheeriness. Morale died with its commander's, after all.
"Nakajima, gimme a hand," said Erwin, as she turned around, bent her knees and hooked her wrists under the rucksack's shoulder straps.
Nakajima grabbed either side of it and they both grunted as they hoisted it up together onto Erwin's back.
"Straps are comfy and padded on the shoulders," Erwin observed, "Very adjustable," she gave a little hop as she yanked on the straps to tighten it to her shoulders, "Even comes with a waist clip," she finished as she attached the two halves of the clip together.
"Is that important?" Azusa asked.
"Are you kidding?!" Erwin asked, "Have you ever been hiking?"
"No..."
"For long distance travel, you want all the weight to be resting on your hips, rather than pulling your shoulders down," to prove a point, Erwin slid her arms out of the shoulder straps and leant forward slightly so the rucksack wouldn't tip backwards. It sat comfortably on her back, all the weight supported on the strap around Erwin's waist.
"Oh, I see," Azusa answered, though she didn't really. She didn't see how much of a difference it could make. "But won't your hips get tired?"
"Not really," Erwin answered as she slid her arms back in. "Sore? Yes, from all the rubbing. Tired? Unlikely. The weight is on your pelvis, which is made of bone. Bones don't get tired, muscles do."
Miho gave a light giggle. "Are we finished with our camping lesson, miss Erwin?"
Erwin stuck her tongue out at her.
Some of the girls giggled. Spirits had been lifted.
At least a little.
The door to the vault entrance control room hissed open. Anzu stepped forward, not wanting to receive another uncomfortable shove to the back of the head from one of the men escorting her. Amongst them was one man, Hangyaku and a power armour suit. She couldn't fathom why Hangyaku thought he had to bring one of those along.
Momo came with her, as did Yukari, both wanted to say goodbye. None of them had said anything to each other on the way from the mess hall. Anzu wasn't sure what to say. She knew Momo was upset, she could see she was trying to hold back tears.
Yukari occasionally winced as her stomach was given a jolt of pain from the bruise of getting jackhammer kicked. Other than that, she had no serious injuries, the power armour suit had made sure of that. She had to keep her back straight so she didn't slouch and trigger the pain. She was too distracted by trying to keep good posture to think about anything else.
Momo, however, was feeling a mix of lots of overpowering emotions, which were all filling up her mental limits like a jug. Any moment, and the jug was going to overflow and she would ball her eyes out and sob for probably hours. It was taking all of her willpower to keep her composure.
She was furious at Anzu for giving up the vault.
But she also respected her because she knew she did it so there would be no more injuries.
She was distraught at the thought of her going.
But also knew it would be unsafe for her to stay here, constantly under the watchful eye of the new Overseer.
But the outside was dangerous. Would Anzu be okay?
Momo wasn't sure.
The vault control room was left mostly untouched since the first day they arrived. Nobody had any reason to ever go inside. The whole vault was built into a cave, and there a few steps going down a metre or two that marked the end of artificial vault flooring and the beginning of the natural cave ground.
A few feet beyond that was the large bank-like vault door, sealed shut, with the number '131' painted on the front. Besides the few steps on the landing was the control console, with buttons and levers.
"Well, miss Kadotani," Hangyaku cheerful voice spoke up, "I guess this is goodbye."
Anzu turned to look at him and wish she hadn't. She was crossing his arms with a triumphant smirk on his face. She could just punch him. That attitude of being so proud of one's victory. "Sore winners" she liked to call them. Last time she saw it was when she had to speak to the MEXT representative when asking him why they closed the school when they said they wouldn't.
And it was too much.
"For now," she said.
"Excuse me?"
"It's goodbye for now, Hangyaku, but mark my words, this will come back to bite you later."
"I'll be waiting," he said sarcastically.
Anzu balled her fist.
"Anyway," Hangyaku sighed, and then nodded to the man beside him, "Open the door."
The man stepped up to the console and brought up some notes on his Pip-Boy to figure out what configuration of buttons to press to get the door to open.
Anzu took the opportunity to say goodbye to Momo and Yukari. She turned to face them, who were standing a couple of feet away from her, side by side each other.
"Akiyama... and... K-kawashima"
Momo sniffed.
"Th...thank you for everything," Anzu finished.
Momo grimaced, the tears trying to burst free. Yukari closed her eyes and frowned, dropping her head and keeping a hand on her stomach.
"Oh don't worry, Kadotani," Hangyaku interrupted, "They're going with you."
Anzu snapped her neck to shoot a glance of pure malice to Hangyaku.
"What?!"
In contrast, Momo and Yukari shot him a look of terror. Some tears that managed to escape from Momo silently streaked down her cheeks.
"They've broken the law," Hangyaku stated.
"What law?!" Anzu growled.
"My first law as Overseer: Any individual found to be colluding with the first Overseer, Anzu Kadotani, shall be found guilty of treason against the vault and be given the ultimate punishment: exile," he recited the law perfectly, as if he really was reading it off a contract or from a law book.
"Hangyaku! Y-You..." Anzu stopped and desperately looked around the room, having just remembered what she asked Miho to do. She couldn't see the rucksack anywhere. Not beside the console, not at the base of the vault door, not in any of the corners, so... she hadn't been here yet.
Oh god... Miho...
"Something the matter, miss Kadotani?" Hangyaku asked with fake concern.
At that moment, the man had finished pressing the right buttons and the door started to unlock itself.
Anzu glanced over at Momo and Yukari. She now struggling herself to hold back tears as she considered the fact she might be bringing all of her most trusted friends along with her.
"Hangyaku!" she growled, raising her voice so it could be heard over the sound of grinding gears, "This was not part of the deal! You said that if I-"
"NO!" he bellowed, silencing her. "We negotiated that deal before any punches were thrown! I offered you my terms and you refused! And then you lost the conflict, and simply said you give me the rights to the vault. You are in no position to negotiate terms now, miss Kadotani!"
Anzu couldn't believe it. She felt awful. She really did just hand Hangyaku the vault without negotiating. She had let her friends down.
The door into the room opened and Miho and her posse entered, Erwin still carrying the rucksack on her back with the gun in her hands and Saemonza with her bow drawn.
"Nishizumi!" Anzu shouted. "Leave! You are not needed here!" She said this in a desperate attempt to try showing Miho wasn't involved with her at all.
"Miss Nishizumi..." Yukari squeaked as she, too, came to the realisation of what could happen.
Everyone coming into the room stopped in their tracks at the sight.
"Well, well!" Hangyaku purred, "What do we have here?"
Miho took a step back, a hand to her chest.
"Hold it right there!" Hangyaku ordered, "None of you are going anywhere!"
The power armour suit off to the side tapped his foot to alert the girls of his presence.
"State your business here!" Hangyaku ordered.
Miho didn't know how to respond. "I..."
"They have nothing to do with this, Hangyaku!" Anzu lied. "They are here purely by coincidence! They-"
"Arrest them," Hangyaku ordered, and the power armour started walking toward them.
"NO!" Anzu screamed. "Hangyaku! Please! I'll do anything! Please not them!"
Erwin made a move to raise her gun at Hangyaku.
"Put that fucking thing down now or you will face capital punishment," Hangyaku ordered, unfaltered, the scar on his neck starting to pulse.
Before Erwin could do anything else, the power armour reached out with a large hand and grabbed the rifle and ripped it from her grip. She almost fell over forward from the rucksack on her back.
"All of you! Get in this room! NOW!"
Anzu cried, the sobbing and tears falling down her face a testament to the fear she was currently experiencing. Momo reached out and grabbed her hand, to comfort herself as well as Anzu.
The girls had no choice but to comply with Hangyaku's order and all filed into the room, every single one of them looking terrified.
"Oh!" Hangyaku acknowledged as he saw Yuzu. "Koyama is with them!" he looked back at Anzu, "And they have a gun!" and then he looked to Erwin, "And they look ready to venture out into the wasteland!" And then he turned to the man at the console. "This looks like collusion with the ex-Overseer, does it not?"
"Yessir," the man nodded.
"Ex-Overseer...?" Yuzu breathed.
"Hangyaku..." Anzu croaked. "Please..."
The vault door finished opening, setting into place with a thunk.
Hangyaku then addressed the girls - Miho, Saori, Hana, Yuzu, Erwin, Saemonza, Azusa and Nakajima - one last time.
"I find you guilty of colluding with the previous Overseer, Anzu Kadotani..."
Anzu pressed herself against Momo, burying her face into her chest.
"... and I sentence upon you the ultimate punishment. You are all hereby banned from this vault."
"What?!" half of them wailed.
Miho was suddenly struck by a thousand yard stare as she peered through the open vault door into the dark cave beyond.
"There will be no arguments!" Hangyaku shouted, his voice louder than any desperate cries the young girls could muster. "NOW LEAVE MY VAULT!"
The power armour suit stomped its foot. Loudly.
Some of the girls jumped at the sound, all of them struck silent.
"But you may keep the bag and whatever assortments you have inside it. Let it be known that Hangyaku is not without mercy."
"Mercy?" Saori shouted. "You horrible man! We have done nothing wrong! How could you-?"
"You have been found colluding with the previous Overseer. Was my sentencing not clear enough for you? Now leave my vault before I really lose my temper!"
Some of the girls glanced at the power armour suit. The frowning samurai helmet did its job.
"Guys..." said Yukari, and they all looked at her. Most of them hadn't noticed she was there, in her state of hunched over, gripping her stomach, hair in a mess after drying from sweat. "You can't fight back. That thing will hurt you if it needs to..."
"You should take her advice," said Hangyaku.
The girls stepped forward, tentatively. Some of them were shaking. Hana had to pull Miho along by the arm as she realised they were leaving her behind. Both Saemonza's eyes were open, and she was secretly ecstatic he hadn't confiscated her bow. Yukari walked up to meet them, letting most of them walk by her so she could join Hana and Miho at the back.
Anzu continued sobbing into Momo's chest. Yuzu approached them, and offered her hand to Momo, who took it. Anzu pulled away and saw Yuzu offering her her other hand. She took it. They stepped in front of the other girls, trying to be leaders until the end.
The girls slowly descended the few steps, their feet touching rocky ground for the first time since entering the vault. Every step they took toward the open vault exit was slower than the last, as their desire to stay became stronger and stronger.
"Before I die of old age, ladies."
Anzu grimaced, grinding her teeth together.
Azusa started to sniff and cry, too. Saori put a hand on her shoulder as they walked. She was trying to hold back tears herself.
And one by one, they stepped over the boundary, over the large metal vault door frame. A crackling suddenly started sounding from Anzu's, Momo's and Yuzu's Pip-Boys. Their Geiger counters were going off.
And finally, the last people, Hana and Miho - the latter still being pulled along because of her oblivious state - stepped through the door into the cave.
The vault door started to grind shut again.
Anzu looked down. She sniffed. She closed her eyes tight to squeeze the last tears out. And with newfound determination, she took her hands away from her two best friends, wiped her eyes, turned around and pushed her way through the group.
Just as the vault door was halfway through closing, Anzu stood on its border, and looked Hangyaku straight in the eye. He was slouching his shoulders with his hands in his pockets, like he was just waiting for a bus. He stared back.
"Mark my words, Hangyaku," Anzu started, "I will not forget this. And whether it takes me until tomorrow or twenty years from now, I will find you. And I will kill you."
Hangyaku smirked. He pulled a hand out of his pocket...
... and waved as the vault door sealed itself shut.
A moment of silence passed. Well, not complete silence. Some of the girls' Pip-Boys further down the cave were crackling their Geiger counters. Emergency lights on either side of the vault door were providing a small degree of soft light.
"S-so..." Azusa spoke up, her voice echoing, "What do we do now?"
"We carry on," said Miho. All eyes turned to her, except Anzu, who was hanging her head, both hands pressed against the vault door. Nobody had realised Miho had snapped out of her shocked state, thus it was a surprise to hear her speak again.
"We carry on," Miho repeated, "We can't give up now. As a team, we've never given up before and it's proven to work for us in the past," one by one, smiles started to return to their faces as their commander inspired them with her words, "We need to work together now, more than we ever have done before. We need to be there for each other. We need to help each other. We need to..." she breathed in as she prepared to lay out the harsh reality, "We need to survive together."
"That's our Nishizumi," Yukari beamed.
"I'll follow you anywhere, Commander," Erwin saluted.
"To the ends of the Earth," Saemonza agreed.
"We might just have a chance with you around, Miporin," Saori croaked, wiping away her tears and her snotty nose.
"Yes, miss Takebe is right, miss Nishizumi," Azusa gave a small smile, secretly the most terrified out of everyone.
"Together as a team!" said Hana.
"It's just the apocalypse!" Nakajima pumped a fist, "We'll be fine!"
Miho smiled, feeling a little bashful.
"Miss Nishizumi..." a small voice spoke out.
With everyone crowding around her, Miho couldn't see who it was. Some parted to show Anzu, with Momo and Yuzu standing either side of her, all three of them looking utterly drained.
"Miss Kadotani..." Miho acknowledged.
"Guys..." Anzu started again, "We... I mean, I am so sorry that you all had to be dragged into this."
"Miss Kadotani, it's not-"
"It is, Miho," Anzu interrupted her. "It is my fault. You are all standing out here because of my actions... and my inactions. I hope I can... I hope I can make it up to you all..." her voice was cracking.
They stood there, nobody was sure how to respond, or what to say next.
"Umm, I'm sorry for interrupting..." Azusa squeaked, looking at her Pip-Boy, "But... isn't it dangerous for us to be standing here intaking this radiation?"
"Shit!" Erwin cried, "We've got to move! No time to stand around feeling sorry for ourselves!"
"Miss Erwin is right," Miho nodded, "We need to get moving. We need to find shelter, a source of food, and we need to get out of this radiation."
"Onwards!" Yukari pointed dramatically down the cave, and started to make her way to the upward slope that would lead to the mouth of the cave.
"Right behind you, Guderian!" Erwin cried, he rucksack still attached to her back.
Miho smiled. In this time of desperation, a good attitude was exactly what they would need to get through this. Not everyone was happy, that much was obvious just by looking at the defeated expressions of Anzu, Yuzu and Momo. But, she had hope.
Hope that they would survive.
As she took her own first step forward, her Pip-Boy lit up. Looking at it, text typed itself onto the screen.
Quest failed
Who Knows What the Fates Have in Store?
She frowned, and was just about to object to an inanimate object before something else appeared on-screen.
New quest added
Home On the Wastes
* Survive
Chapter and first quest title: Lyric extracts from Something's Gotta Give.
Second quest title: Song title from Fallout: New Vegas.
A/N:
So, another reason I made this chapter extra long is because it's the conclusion to the first arc. I'm going to split this story into parts, think of them as seasons like from a show.
But what does this mean? Well, this means the story is going to be put on hold... again. But it's actually scheduled to be put on hold this time. I'm doing this for two reasons:
A) I will always aim to write the end of the arc to be conclusive in some way, so if I ever get bored of the story and want to stop writing, I would have left it at a conclusive point and won't leave future readers hanging. Like this one: the vault arc has reached its conclusion. We had our setup, anticipation, climax and the villain won.
B) Arcs will be about 10-12 chapters (ideally). I will likely start to lose my creative spark and drive to write around 8 chapters in (I have the attention span of a fruit fl- ooh, a squirrel). I know this will happen because it HAS happened, I got a little bored a few chapters ago, and I felt they were losing quality. So time in between arcs is some time for me to get my creative spark back while the story is on an intended hiatus.
C) I can spend time in between arcs writing a backlog of chapters. I have a busy life, I usually only get time to write on the weekends and just before going to bed, so I want to create a backlog. I think I wrote the first five chapters for this arc before I started releasing any. This way, if my writing ever slows down, it shouldn't matter too much. That's the theory anyway, this arc still proved that my release schedule can catch up to me and bite me.
This arc has taught me it can be important to plan. I usually write my stories as I go, relying on my imagination and creativity to guide me. It's usually worked, but I'm already starting to dislike a LOT of what I've done with this arc because of my lack of foresight. If I ever re-write it, I'll spend more time establishing the Resistance and its members (maybe even give some of them besides Hangyaku names! Gasp!), and re-write a lot of chapter 7, I think that's the weakest chapter of the lot.
So, what did you guys think of the first arc? I liked writing it. I would also like to hear what you think about Hangyaku, I'm quite proud of him as a villain, I tried to write as despicable as possible, but being despicable for a reason. He's not being a bastard for its own sake, he's being a bastard because he genuinely believes its in his best interest, and by extension, the people of the vault.
Oh, and I'll be updating chapter 7 with mentions of vaults if/when I release arc 2. That's mostly for new time readers, I'll add the new vaults into the A/N of chapter 12 and any chapters after as I add even more.
TL;DR: Story will be split into arcs. I'm taking breaks in-between arcs to create a backlog of chapters. I'd love to hear what you think of this arc, the story, and especially Hangyaku! New vault mentions are going to be added to chapter 7, though the A/N of future chapters will mention ones I added in retrospect.
This is MarsAres signing out!
