Calamity Plus One
X:II
A/N: I'm not letting that month off/short hiatus from this story make me lazy. In fact, enjoy the new standard-for-now of longer chapters. A fun little tidbit to know is that I listen to a lot of happy hardcore, furry techno, and trance while writing, but for what I'm pretty sure is the first time, actually used some depressing music while I wrote...I wonder if anyone can figure out which part that was. ;)
The order coming down the line into the base was one that I was all too delighted to hear.
"Whip, the Dragon's rising. Get your fine ass down to the cave. Oh, and make sure to come back in one piece, so I can keep sneakin' peeks." Fucking vulgar men, I reminded myself I needed to masticate another one by the end of the week. That made it what, around seventy, I believe? You'd think they'd stop harassing me after I found each and every one of them and cut off the funsies with a rusty knife.
Getting up from the chair in the converted subway maintenance hallway, I began hurrying down the labyrinthine hallways towards the base proper. Troops moved out of the way to let me pass through with minimal reduction in speed. Everyone had heard the order, and while very few knew what the hell was going on, the infantry had learned to never, ever, get in my way, unless you liked losing some non-vital body parts. Palms taste the best, and the only way I'll put genitalia in my mouth is if it's been sauted. I must admit, it's not bad. Not too much nutritional value, though. For the ladies, I usually just forced my hand in there with a lighter in hand and lit it for a few seconds. Same type of damage, same type of psychological scarring. I've only had to do that one twice. I made them both pleasure me afterwards, too, even as their vaginas bled. IT probably hurt to kneel in front of me during all that, too.
Bitches know their place.
Reaching the mechanic's den, I headed for the back, past the crates of munitions and armaments that the engineering geeks were working through. We had to fix every single piece of damaged equipment and get it back out in the fight; even now, a good two to three million infantry had nothing but whatever blade they managed to scavenge out of the trash.
That being said, with that many sharp and pointy things pointed at you, it's no small wonder that the military hasn't turned tail and ran away. It might have to do with those red-masked rape combines, the reason the Dragon is even needed at all.
When Russia started dropping in supplies for us, we thought it was good enough that assault rifles and submachine guns, as well as ammunition, were dropped en masse. But when this hulking monster landed on our doorstep, literally, along with a few of those armored trucks Konata and that bitch are roaming around in, it was safe to say that more than a few bricks were deposited neatly into the trousers of many.
It might have been the fact that it weighed in at over 60 tonnes after the genii we had modified it, mounting more of the Russians' weaponry to it, and modifying the internal structure to carry an additional 9 tonnes of ammunition, without sacrificing the amount of punishment it could take, which had been strengthened, apparently. I don't know quite how, listening to some of those nerds talk made me want to take a fire axe to their neck. Theoretically, the Americans could bomb it with a couple of bunker busters, and while everything else for a few hundred meters would be wrecked, this unholy creation would still be able to kill you, and crush your corpse while it was driving away afterwards, to boot.
It was ridiculous, in the same vein as myself. You know, the one that's better than every man, by leaps and bounds, and only better than other females because they're not me. It's only fitting that only four people among our number can actually drive the main unit itself. Seeing as three of those people are in the field right now, I'm needed to actually get it moving and wage monstrous amounts of destruction with it.
I'm getting a little excited just thinking about it. Before my hands could stray south, however, I made it to the massive tunnel dug out simply to store the main battle tank.
The tops of the mounted turrets flanking the main turret caused the height of this beast to be just over three meters, nearly a whole meter more than the original design. Climbing onto the platform, I opened the main turret's hatch with a key I had dug out of my pocket. It was in the shape of a skull, and that was no coincidence. The Russians were really subtle in their meaning, I have got to say.
Entering the interior, I hit the switch to prime the engines, punching the ignition once the priming light went green. The rumble of the engine shook the tunnel, but it was music to my ears. The rumble was just the sound of death coming ever closer to so many people. People whose' lives I would crush personally under several tonnes of steel and kinetic energy generated from heavy ballistics. People who, really, weren't even people. Animals, foolish to stay and wait for their impending doom. Thus, it wasn't my fault that I was just speeding up the natural process.
I eased the throttle forward, ramping it up to nearly a quarter to full before the accurate definition of a "tank" rolled forth into the tunnel. It was slow moving, having to turn slightly this way and that to avoid scraping the turrets against the ceiling. Though the ceiling was high enough for easy travel for the normal version of this tank, after those blood-crazy nerds had had their way with it, the same could not be said.
Finally pulling out into the main tunnel, I increased the speed, making a timely 15 kph to the entrance, which had by now become swarmed with people who were curious at just what exactly was shaking the whole network of tunnels. More than half of them had no doubt ever encountered the metallic menace, and those that had, had done so before it was upgraded to the status of "mounted Gsh-6-30 turrets, 4cm thick steel frontal armour" status. I cannot stress enough, I'm going to have a moment of ecstasy when I get to pull the trigger on those things. The bastards were designed to punch through other tanks, and I was going to be hitting infantry with them! Ah, such a wonderful life.
At the beginning of the incline to the exit, I stopped the weapons platform, and opened the hatch to stand tall at the assembled crowd. Scanning for the crew that would operate the auxiliary functions, I spotted them in the corner of the mayhem, fighting their way through the throng to get at the armored fighting vehicle.
I snapped my fingers and pointed at them, causing many to scrunch away in fear. That was a smart move for them. My methodology is legendary among the troops, whether out of fear or admiration, I don't care. I get results, and as a result, the crew was then ferried to the vehicle itself in less than ten seconds following my unspoken request.
It's good to be queen, let me assure you. To be doted upon, to be told that you are the best there is, whether the people telling you this believes it or not. I , of course, know it to be true, but for those rare non-believers, that's why I carry a pair of pliers with serrated blades.
It's mostly those piggish men, of course, that dare say anything negative to me. In return, I don't dare to give them any mercy. I've already climbed to the top of the pile of ignorance and stagnation, anyone who dares to usurp me will be dismembered and mounted to the wall for all to see and mock.
That's only happened 29 times so far, which I think is a pretty small percentage of our total number.
As they climbed onto the rig and entered the interior to take their places as the working crew, I climbed in again and sat in the properly vacant gunners' seat. This was facing rearward, as it was the only place it would fit. It was using a fly-by-wire system scrapped from an enemy helicopter, and was hooked up to those rotating hell fuck spawn monsters. I don't even know by this point. I have butterflies in my stomach, knowing that I'm about to mow down streets of people, both friendly and enemy.
Oh, I didn't mention? The command structure had agreed, if this was to be used, it was going to go on a complete rampage. If there was a goal to be completed, we would complete, and then proceed to cause as much damage as possible, before returning to our lair in victory.
For this, we would force entrance to the university, before heading back out into the untouched portions of the city. We're going to bring down fucking apartment buildings and shit, damn it all to hell.
I grabbed my radio as the tank eased up the slope. The driver, Oda, had started off, as I switched on a radio that hung next to my head. I leaned over in front of him and stopped the behemoth with a flick of my finger, bringing us to a stop. I tapped him on the shoulder, nodding for him to stay put, pointing at my radio. The old speakers in the subway tunnels had been hacked by those same techies to accept these radios' as mics. Damn useful.
I warmed up with a cough before beginning another speech to rile up those around us. It was quite a talent, to make people run face-first to their own deaths. I relish it as such.
"All of you may be wondering 'what the hell is that thing?'. Well, it's exactly what it looks like. It's a fully-loaded T-90 Russian Main Battle Tank, so kindly given to us by the Russians at NATO, for use in our war against our oppressors. Some of you may have been part of the effort to better prepare it for the day in which we would be forced to use it to overcome staggering odds.
Today is that day.
There is a group of enemies who stand between us and our objective at the university. They have been repelling all efforts to force our way through them. They are mere foot soldiers who dare get in the way of our might, wearing some type of advanced battle armour that is impervious to small-arms fire, even up to the .50 caliber rounds that Warrior and Whip have tried and failed to eliminate the targets with.
This is the Dragon, capable of untold amounts of death and destruction. We will crush these enemies, and all of those who stand in our way. We will sow death, destruction, fear, despair, and desperation into the hearts of our enemies.
They may have obtained this small mote of superiority against us on one front, but while they act smug and assured of their victory, we will crush them into infinitesimal pieces of gored sludge. There is no escape now. The enemy, is coming to its' last legs, surely, and this will be the piece that will tip the scales.
I am aware that if you were in the base at this time, you had a reason to be, but I invite all of you to follow us on our path to victory. Drop what you are doing, grab your weapons, and assist in what may very well be the last major engagement of this war.
For those of you physically unfit to use your own limbs to carry you the distance to the just fight being fought in the other half of the city, have someone lift you onto this mighty Dragon, and we will carry you to the fight ourselves.
I only ask of you to fight your very hardest, your bravest, and without any fear. Not all of you will survive this, that can be sure.
But there is nothing that is worth fighting for that isn't worth dying for.
This is your Tactical Advisor, Wisp, out. Forward to victory!"
As I depressed the button on the radio, the silence around us erupted into cheers and whoops that could be heard even outside of the thick, sound-dampening metal of the cockpit. From what I could see on the cameras mounted to the turret, my only means of seeing outside, the crowd was surging, those injured being actually lifted above the heads of the healthy, so they could rest on the sides of the beast.
Overzealous, the masses were, and many of the freedom fighters, imbued with my words, were running up the slope, quickly exiting out of view, no doubt beginning to line the streets for our passage. It was amazing, really, how weak of mind these people were. Sure, they were my comrades in arms, but to be moved so easily by words, made them no different than the people we were trying to remove from power.
Oh well, I still get to stain my hands with the blood of hundreds. That's all I'm here for. Though unlike Hiiragi-san, I plan on sticking around afterwards.
With the masses now coming close around us as the crowd surged forward, I reached forward again, pushing the throttle forward, and giving the thumbs-up to the driver. He nodded.
He was actually quite exemplary for a man. He didn't talk until you talked to him, and he would do whatever you asked of him. Though I think that might be due to the fact that I crushed his left nut under my shoe when he was sleeping one time. I don't think he knows it's me who did it, and either way, I don't give a single flying fuck.
Up the slope we went, quicker than I thought possible, no doubt pushed along our path by the sheer number of walking meatbags behind us; they most likely numbered in the thousands, as it were.
Breaching the sunlight, or the bleak daylight that came through the clouds that were mixed with ash and smoke, there was the gargantuan crowd lining the street as we went along. So many happy faces, hopeful, happy. Well, maybe not so much happy, but rather empowered to go along with this.
That makes me happy. Happy to know that in the space of a few hours, I might have the chance to personally crush a fair number of those ignorant souls underfoot, as well as crush the hopes and dreams of those stupid enough to truly believe in selfless actions. I'm only doing it for me, if it helps someone else, well, good for them, I guess.
We rolled through the ruined city, the stark images of death and destruction on the road ahead, coming in with full clarity to my viewscreen, made me tingle with anticipation. We, the people, were tearing this city apart, and we were going to re-build it in our own demonic, twisted image. Let it be known, the world will never be the same.
A helicopter was heard, and it appeared over the lip of a bombed out building further down the road. It was a gunship, attempting to strafe us. I could only imagine the feeling of dread the pilot must have felt to see a sea of infantry, crowding around a massive tank. Or maybe, we were so covered in people, that the tank itself was invisible at this range. In that case, perfect. They wanted an easy target, and they would pay the ultimate price for it.
"Permission to fire?" The loader for the main cannon came through on the radio, her voice high and cold. Her name I did not know, but I felt like it was Makoto. Not that it mattered.
"Granted." The barrel elevated as the single-seat helicopter began its' run down the middle of the 4-lane street.
The whole vehicle bucked backwards almost half a meter as the shell was fired, the sound of it whistling through the air as before it slammed into the gunship seeming to echo off into the distance. It was ripped apart into a fiery explosion, whirling to the side, colliding with another building, and crashing straight through, leaving nothing but small debris ahead of us.
A quick listen to the radio chatter in the local area told me no one was harmed, but, as we lurched forward at full speed, everyone was amazed at the insane firepower of this harbinger of the apocalypse.
I chuckled as we continued on our way to the university, where the main force was engaging in an all-out attack with the enemy.
If they thought this was all we had to offer to our enemies, then they would be easily swayed by the forces that will come to the forefront in the late stages of this little 'game'.
Well, you know, the one that comes after I fill Warrior's body with so many holes that she begs for death.
I might give it to her, too.
"The hell do you mean the support went silent!?" Hearing shit like this right after the report that the ZPU was not among the rubble of the highway overpass was not a great way to improve my mood.
"Check again, there wasn't even a report of AA fire. You find me a reason to believe that they just fuckin' disappeared off the face of the planet, and I'll believe you." Peering over the screens and charts of data, I felt only one feeling. Unfiltered, psychotic rage. I wanted to kill something, anything. My plans were falling apart, but snuffing out the life of something would make it just a little bit better. I could pretend my sister's face was on it, maybe. Think that I was ending the cause of it before it even started.
Yeah, that's what I'll do. I grabbed my rifle from the chair it sat on, loading a full magazine into it. Yeah, operating out of an airport had some perks. Mainly, there were always people around. And these people didn't matter. I had singular command of all the forces that weren't dead, so if anything, I could be expected to do some fucked-up shit to keep my control solid.
Ah, yes, where are my two 'aides', I wonder? I already know the answer, of course. Enjoying their time not doing anything. Actually, Minoru is an alright person. He can be useful sometimes. That cunt Akira, however. She deserved the hollow-point rounds more than anyone I can think of...that's still alive, of course.
I took my radio with me as I let myself out of the command center, locking the door behind me. That way, if someone really needs me, they can get in touch with me.
I tucked said radio into the back pocket of my pants, closing the flap to them, before taking my favorite rifle in two hands, making sure the safety was off and the first round was chambered.
Strolling along at a slightly faster pace than normal, I quickly came upon the room where I would find my target. Standing outside the door where I could hear the pink-haired little bitch verbally abusing her timid, unwilling 'significant other', I stopped.
I breathed in through my nose, and sighed.
Sis, this is all your fault. I'm beyond help, just like you were. Why? Why did you do it? If I were you, in the same position, I wouldn't have done it. You know that, don't you? I would've sucked it up and dealt with it.
But you weren't like that. You were too nice. Too expectant of the world to not be such a harsh place. I guess what really broke you was the point when it wasn't just a few people, sometimes. It was all the time, everywhere, even at home, even if we didn't realize it. All that doting from Mum and Dad, and all the one-sided affection, and nothing for you. You were left in the dust, expected to simply be the lower-tiered one, never expected to do anything with your life.
But no. You did something greater than what I could ever hope to achieve. You ruined it. You ruined everything. You murdered hundreds in cold blood, ravaged untold families, crush the dreams of those you took the lives from unjustly. They had families, sis. Now, that type of thing, a 'family', is unheard of here in Tokyo. You took that all away from us. Now we're just killing each other until one side runs out of people to kill other people with. Somehow, I know I won't be on the winning side, even if I had chosen to follow your legacy from the very beginning. I thought about it, many times.
You've driven me past the point of no return. You've made me in your image. You must be proud, huh? Your perfect sister, all set to coast through the rest of middle school, and go to law school, be successful, and leave you in the dust of disappointment and unknown flashes of contempt.
Now I'm killing for the sake of killing, to take me down a peg from an undeserved fury that might threaten to engulf me, had I not devised a way to control it.
If reincarnation does exist, and your wretched soul ever walks this Earth again, I hope you live a thousand lives in the worst way possible. No, a thousand is too little. A million, maybe more. Until the sun slowly snuffs itself out, I want you to be in agony, tortured by the mortal body you no doubt sought to rid yourself of.
Killed in the fruitless civil wars of small Middle Eastern countries, torn apart at the waist by mortars. Left alive, to suffer in agony for hours before you finally bleed out, taking in your last breath through shattered lungs, cursing the fate you were delivered, yet again, by the forces that be.
Raped and beaten to death at the hands of gangsters who thought your body was enough of a prize to take...permanently.
Think you've finally sorted out the demons of past lives, but be forced to be destroyed in one way or another, to remind you that you're nothing but scum. Scum, who thought that the best solution to your problem was to send off the youth of the nation to their deaths, and send yourself along with them.
Sis, I'm not giving you forgiveness. I'm just asking that, when I meet you again, in another time, in another place...can I kill you?
I don't care if it's in the womb, or at a birthday party of a mutual friend. Maybe it will be that you are my job interviewer.
All I ask is that when you look into my eyes, and I into yours, you allow my dominance, and allow me to finally shut down the monster that you've become. I will strangle the life out of you, and because of our inseparable bond of twins, undiminished even when tested with the limits of time and space, I will eliminate you from the book of life, and maybe bring some justice back into this lawless world.
It's not out of hate, it's out of necessity. So, sis, I'm sorry, but, if you can hear my thoughts, even in death.
Fucking kill yourself.
I grinned. Theoretical as it were, it sounded good, and with my next set of actions, I might make myself as sick as she were on that day, all those years ago.
After all, Akira Kogami is only 19, and I know the dumb bitch was held back at least once. You know, for being a self-entitled bitch. So technically, she should still be in school.
The thought brought a smile to my face, and no doubt made me look like I was fit to kill. I wonder why.
I decided to be as terrifying as possible, kicking down the door in one swift kick.
What was behind it, however, made me exhibit one overly large sweatdrop, along with an exhale of breath that sounded like myself in high school...
Minoru was strapped to the bed by several chains that were hooked to mounts secured to the floor, and sitting on his face, completely naked, while whipping his stomach with a whip, was the bipolar, maniacal bitch herself.
...You know what. Now I don't feel so bad about doing this.
"Eat it! Lick it, you pig! Oink oink, motherfucker!" Her shouts were cut off when I entered the room in an all-too-nice fashion, so now she was just staring at me, mouth open, expression blank.
I gave her a sneer and leveled the gun on her. She still didn't seem to process what was going on.
From underneath her nether regions, came Shiraishi's voice.
"Pwan koo eez het oof oo ee?" She reacted to that, jumping off the bed and covering herself as best she could. She noticed that my aim followed her. Minoru's face was all wet. Ew.
"...C...Can I help, you...uh...Major Hiiragi?" So quick to change expressions, huh. Well, that wasn't going to be enough to save her.
I adjusted my aim to her heart as I explained myself, feeling it was slightly more dramatic than simply popping her heart with a NATO 5.56 round.
"Well, you see, I was thinking about how my sister was. You know. Tsukasa, the fucking crazy one.
I've become like her, I realized. Sure, I tell myself it's for the good of the people, but really, it's all about revenge. If someone pisses me off, I fucking kill them. But with you, I have a different reason.
Not only am I going to kill you, but since you're still young, and could even still be in school right now, I feel like I'll be just like Tsukasa, only you're a self-serving cunt, whose death will only better everyone else in the world.
So yeah, I'm just going to kill you, I guess." I shrugged, aiming my gun at various limbs as she squeaked in fear and backed up to the wall, but she knew full well that I was between her and the only exit of the room.
Her arms splayed out on the wall. She was skinny, but I still wouldn't' miss that ugly target. She changed position, pointing at me with her left hand, almost in an accusing manner.
"You can't do this! We're on your side!" Hm, Shiraishi is useful to me still, but you're just trash. Trashy trash. Trash. I like that word. It fits her very well. Not to mention what I've done to her...well, that was just that one time, anyways.
I pretended to lull this over in my head, even as I adjusted my footing oh-so-slightly. Now the barrel was in line with her thin, frail arm.
This is going to be awesome.
As a final move, I imagined her head being replaced by that of my sisters'. It filled me with rage like no other.
"No one is on my side." Before she could drop her arm, I pulled the trigger once. A single, solitary round shot forth, crossing the distance to her hand, and going all the way down the bone, almost splitting it in half. The blood was everywhere, and the crack as it went was the greatest sound I have ever heard.
"AAAAAAGGGHHHHHHHHHH!" Her screams of anguish as her arm was literally split apart erupted in an instant. She dropped to the floor, attempting to cradle the ruined limb in her other arm, but it was in two distinct pieces all the way up till her shoulder. It wasn't that the round was particularly powerful, or fast, but it had hit the exact center, and her frame was very frail. The bones were so thin that even the 5.56mm wide round caused a bisection that was slightly cringe-worthy to look at, even for me. And that's saying something.
Blood and mucus dripped from her nose. Blood dripped from her split arm. The girl looked up to me with tears in her eyes, her mouth set in a scream that lasted for several seconds.
I just stood there, waiting for her to stop. Torture isn't any fun unless the tortured has time to calm down.
While I was waiting, my gaze fell on Shiraishi, who was still strapped to the bed. His expression was amazing, however.
He was laughing, and smiling, no doubt taking this as being hilarious. He hated the bipolar wench as much as I did. Maybe more, considering he was around her much more...either that, or he was a masochist, which was also entirely possible, considering the fact that he was strapped to a bed while wearing nothing but a strip of cloth over his privates.
Bah, I'll just chalk that up to being 'Kogami-Mania'.
Oh look, she stopped bawling her eyes out. I was expecting it to take much longer than that.
"p...ple...please, kill me...you...mmm...mon...ste..." She couldn't even form coherent sentences, but that wasn't going to stop me from denying her, her 'dying wish'. Haha, puns!
Well, except for the fact that I had no intention of killing her...just yet.
I looked back to her, squatting down to her level, where the broken girl of short stature was shivering from blood loss, and neatly shot her in the right leg, from above, several times, before repeating the same to her left.
She was really bleeding now, and possibly in shock. Her screams weren't as intense; she no doubt lacked the energy to put on such a good show for her audience. She fell backwards, having been kneeling, but now, seeing as the muscles to keep her from falling backwards were minced, she couldn't stay up.
Now her head was against the wall, her broken body in front of her. Her breath came in ragged gasps, each breath an effort.
Now, I could just let her bleed out, but I wanted the final kill. I walked over to her useless flesh that was now all over this corner of the room. I stopped in front of her body. Moving her legs apart with my boot, I wound up with my foot and kicked her right in the pelvis, feeling it shatter with a rather feeble crack.
Her back arched, and she let out another cry, this one even less satisfying than the others. It seems I broke her too quickly. She now was most likely fading fast, meaning I had to end her swiftly.
"Well, this is it, cunt. Say hello to my sister for me." I aimed the German rifle down, and, switching the fire selector to full-auto, emptied around a dozen rounds into her head.
With that, Akira Kogami, bitch and useless administrative assistant, was dead.
A shame. Breaks my heart just thinking about it.
Really.
...Great, now I have to get him out of the...uh, harness.
I set my rifle on the dresser, and moved over to him to begin undoing the many bindings. He was going to have some scarring, but he can deal with that.
Wait, why the hell do I care about an underling? Great, Sis, you made me all emotional. I'm going to fucking kill you. Yes, I'm going to kill you, though you're already dead. I'll go to your grave, piss on it, cover it with plastic explosives, and blow your remains to kingdom fucking come.
Yeah...that brings a smile to my face, amongst all this bullshit. That's not a good thing, either.
A/N: Well, that was interesting. I really felt the need to kill her off, she was kind of useless. Quite a few references to what's about to happen, but it's going to be completely unexpected...well, mostly, hopefully.
