And here we are again, old day, new chapter! Well, looks like you guys didn't really have any opinion over my previous chapter, so I'll just keep going doing my way. I thought maybe you guys would like to make some decisions upon the development of the story, seeing that you have to read it in the end, but hey, not my loss. But I digress. Anyways, have fun with this chapter.
"Ugh, where am I?" Groaned Comet as he stood up.
His memories were a fuzzy blur, all he could remember was falling asleep next to Fubuki. But right now, he was on a cold floor, within a dark, empty room. He looked around, but couldn't see anything beyond a few feet in front of him.
"Hello? Is anybody there?" He called into the darkness, but there came no reply.
While that would usually convince him that he was alone, his gut was telling him otherwise, telling him that there was something in the dark. A subtle clicking to his right sounded, as if the heel of a shoe hit the ground, alerting him that there really was someone along with him in the room. His eyes began to get used to the darkness, and he began to make out the shape of a girl, walking towards him, being only a few inches shorter than he was. As she got closer, he managed to make out more details, and he could only sight in relief when he finally saw who it was.
"Fubuki! Do you know where we are?" He asked, but his relief turned into worry once more when he noticed that the girl in front of him kept silent, her eyes remaining on the ground in front of her.
"Fubuki? Is something wrong?" The tugboat asked again, walking closer to her, putting an arm onto her shoulder.
He barely had any time to react as Fubuki suddenly lifted his revolver up, pointing it at him and pulled the trigger. The tugboat was thrown backwards by the force, landing on the ground with a thud, blood beginning to flow out of the freshly made wound.
"F-Fubuki…? W-why?" He wheezed, the shell having punctured his lungs, making every breath a painful torture.
The destroyer walked up to him, holding the barrel up to his head, her eyes, usually so full of energy and spirit, now cold and empty.
"Die, pesky tugboat." She said, as tears started to flow out of her eyes, her expression never changing, as she pulled the trigger.
Comet woke up with a yelp, panting hard as he sat up in the bed. He looked around, relief to see that he was back in the hotel, in the bed next to Fubuki who stared at him in concern, having woken up due to her boyfriend's outcry.
"Comet? What's wrong?" She asked, her voice and expression showing how concerned she was.
"N-nothing. Just a nightmare, that's all." Sighted Comet, his head hanging low, not at all convincing her that he was alright.
However, before Fubuki could ask any further, a rather rapid series of knocking came from the door. Comet, glad to be able to avoid the topic, quickly stood up and walked to the door. When he opened it, he was surprised to see a familiar old locomotive driver standing there, but looking terribly worn out. His clothes were torn and at some places burned, he had bruises and cuts in his face and on his arms, and his face had fright written all over it.
"Mr. Brady? What's-"
"The port was attacked." Answered the man, before Comet could even finished his question.
These words sent dread through Comet's system as memories from the last attack waved through his mind.
"What happened?"
"They started shortly after nightfall. It must've been their whole fleet. They attacked so quickly and with such a force, we barely had time to recognize what was happening. They took many prisoners. I have no idea where they are bringing them to or what they want to do with them but they took nearly everyone. The port is almost completely wrecked. We need you and Fubuki down at the port. Now." Explained Allan, as Comet nodded.
"Get my suit into the train, we'll be down shortly." Replied the railway tug as the driver turned and went to get the suit.
Comet walked back to the bed and quickly explained Fubuki what had happened. She was equally concerned and they quickly got ready to move. Once they were outside however, they were greeted by a very unusual sight. There, on the platform stood a strange locomotive. From the size and the number of the wheels, there was no doubt that it was number 23, but one couldn't tell that it was her if looking at anything else. The boiler was surrounded by several sets of heavy metal plates, the cab had been fully enclosed and the motion parts were partly enclosed, preventing any damages to them.
"Less gaffing and more moving! We need to get back to the port quickly!" Called Brady from the cab as Comet and Fubuki quickly climbed aboard the locomotive, before they started to set off down the line again.
"They really did a good job with turning the engine into an armored warhorse!" Commented the railway tug.
"Yeah, they had finished her earlier on yesterday and were just steaming her up when the Abyssal attacked. Barely had enough steam to get her out of the complex. Me and a lot of the citizens fought all night against the fires after they retreated." Explained the engine driver.
"Is there anybody left who wasn't captured?" Asked Fubuki.
"…a few. Not many though. They also took some of the tugs with them as they pulled back. Some of the girls tried to cover the admirals and the rest of the bases human personal escape, but they still got plenty of injuries. They are currently taken care of in the hospital in the town." Replied Mr. Brady grimly.
They soon arrived back at the naval district, or rather, what was left of it. Almost all of the buildings were damaged or destroyed, roads were blocked, rails torn, vehicles of all kinds were scattered around, burned out or damaged beyond repair. They got as far as the main yards before the usable rails ended. They got off of the locomotive and walked the rest of the way to the main square, as Brady told them that it would be there that they should all gather at. Once there, they saw the remaining number of fleetgirls and tugs that manage to escape the claws of the Abyssal. From the several hundred girls that had been stationed here, nothing more than a few dozen were left. Additionally, there were still three members of the steam tugs, and a large part of the firefighting tugs left.
"Not the kinda way I'd wanted ta greet ya back…" Huffed Bull as Comet walked up to them.
"Are you the only ones that got away?"
"Yes. We were still on our way home when we caught a message from Prometheus about unknown vessels heading his way. Then he reported further, and then they opened fire. We waited at the river mouth until the attack ended before we got back. But by then, everything was destroyed and they were all captured." Sighted Mac as they looked around.
All the fleetgirls were concerned and afraid, having lost plenty of friends and sisters during the night, with no idea what to do now. Before any of them could ask a question however, a voice spoke up.
"I'm glad you are all safe." Said the admiral as he walked up to them, accompanied by both captain Walters and captain Red.
All three of them had several bandages covering parts of their bodies. Additionally to that, captain Walters had his left arm in a cast, while captain Red had his right leg in one as well, walking with the assistance of a pair of crutches. Although they all were injured, they were still carrying a lot of maps and documents with them.
"Sir! You're alright!"
"Thank goodness he is okay!"
"Glad to see ya are still with us sir." Smiled Bull.
"Herr Admiral, what will our next step of action be?" Asked Bismarck as she walked up to the admiral. She, Prinz Eugen and Graf Spee were the only three of their task force that managed to get away from the Abyssal, having fended them off well enough to make them retreat from the sector they had been at.
"Follow me please, I will explain everything in detail." He said as they walked over to a rather large piece of debris that served as a makeshift bench to place the maps on.
"Reconnaissance planes have followed the Abyssal in secret for several months, and all their movements have started at and were leading to one specific point" He pointed on a place on the map "Antarctica. We have every right to believe that the Abyssal have built their main base down there. Over the last few months, we have been gathering several strike forces and plenty of supplies at our base, so that we could start an operation to annihilate this base and possibly end this whole war, once and for all. It was planned to give a major briefing to all fleetgirls that would be taken part in this operation, but the surprise attack from the Abyssal destroyed these plans. Currently, we neither have the strength, nor the material to attack their base." Explained the admiral, as photos of Abyssal convoys and documented movement patterns were shown, showing how the Abyssal all headed from one place, on the coast of the south pole.
"We lost many girls last night, all of them were an invaluable part of the planned attack. As for that, our current priority is to rescue them. We believe that they are being held at the Abyssal main base at the south pole." Continued the man, as plenty of the fleetgirls got confused by the statement.
"But you just said that we have neither the strength, nor the material to attack their base sir!" Exclaimed Ooi.
"Yes, that is the case. That's why we won't attack their base. We have to use a subtler, but also more dangerous approach to this situation." Explained captain Walters this time.
"We will form two task forces. The first one will draw the attention of the Abyssal and try to get the main part of their forces away from their base. The second one will infiltrate their base, search for the missing fleetgirls, and then escape with them." Continued the admiral as a row of concerned murmurs and hushed whispering started within the crowd of girls in front of the three men.
"Sir, that ist a highly dangerous plan. The first task force could be decimated within minutes if even a mere part of the attack group from last night would engage them, and if the second task force would be spotted, they'd be sunk or taken prisoner on the spot. The risk of failure on this mission ist way too high to try executing it." Said Prinz Eugen.
"The plan is dangerous, yes. I'd even go as far as saying that it is suicidal, but think of our friends, our brothers, sisters that are currently held as prisoners by the Abyssal! Do they deserve to stay captured like that just because the chances of success are low? We can't abandon them! They are putting their trust into us that we get them out of there! The chances might be low, but they are there!" Exclaimed Comet.
"We'd throw our lives away in a desperate attempt to rescue them. We have no idea if they are even still alive." Retorted Graf Spee.
"I'm not relying on guesses if they are alive or not. I'm going out there and get them back. I'm not abandoning my family." Growled Comet as he turned around and went off to get to the locomotive to get his suit, Fubuki, Mr. Brady and the other tugs following him.
They caught up to him as he was hauling his suit out of the locomotive.
"Get a hold of ya self Comet!" Barked Bull as he tried to stop the railway tug.
"Bull, our family is down there. Trapped with all those we know and come to like and respect. I'm not leaving them on their own if I can help it." Growled the smaller tug back.
"Ye are one tug, they're a whole fleet! What do ya want ta do if they spot ya or any of the othas if ya get them free?"
"…I just have to be quick. In and out before they know I'm there and the girls are no longer with them." Murmured the railway tug as Bull sighted.
"Ya'd be sunk before ya'd get as far as 5 miles away from their base." Said the harbor tug, trying to reason with Comet to not go out there.
"If one of the girls locked up there gets back here that way, then it was worth it. I'm a mere railway tug. Captain Walters will be able to find a replacement for me somewhere. Try getting a whole fleet build from scratch right off the batch though." Replied Comet, as he turned to leave, only to get stopped by somebody stepping in his way, blocking his path.
"Never talk like that again. Never, you hear?! You aren't that simply replaceable! You mean a lot to us! More than you might think! If you would be gone, you'd take those feelings with you, and nobody could replace those!" Said Fubuki with a shaky voice, glaring up at the tug.
Comet looked at her, and then looked towards the others.
"You've been our brother ever since we started working under captain Walters at this harbor." Started Mac.
"Who could replace our brother if he'd be gone?" Finished Rock.
"We're all one large family Comet. Each of us has his own place in it, and nobody else could fill in those places as us eight." Said Bull with a small smile.
"I know, I know! But they are family too! And I'm not going to abandon my family. I'm going, and nothing will stop me." Replied Comet, as Brady walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"The south pole is a mighty fine way away from here. You won't have enough coal for the journey."
"I'll simply load a coal truck and a water tank car onto a barge and"
"How about I'll take you there part of the way? Let's say, around 5 miles away from their base?" Suggested Brady with a smile as Comet started at the man.
"You mean it?" Asked Comet, as the others stared at the man.
"Lad, I've known you for the better part of the last, what? Seven years? I've learned over that time that you are as stubborn as a mule, and twice as fierce if riled up. What I'm trying to say is that I know that you'd go no matter what anybody says to you. So instead of letting you go out there all on your own, best I can do is stand by your side when you face hell." Grinned the old engine driver, as Comet smiled.
"Thank you, Mr. Brady."
"Kid, drop that already and just call me Allan. If this is going to be my final run, I don't want to die feeling like an old man. Just because I am one doesn't mean I have to feel like one when I pull her into the last station." Laughed Brady.
"Alright, Allan." Smiled Comet, as he turned to the others.
"Well?" He asked.
Mac and Rock looked at each other, exchanging a glance, before nodding simultaneously, and walking up to the two.
"Like we said. You're our brother." Smiled Mac.
"And we'll stay by your side, even if that means going down with you." Continued Rock, as Comet hugged both of them.
"You two really are something, you know?" He whispered, as Fubuki walked to him.
"I love you Comet. I'll fight with you until the end." She said, as Comet pulled her close, hugging her tightly.
"I love you my little Blizzard. I'll swear that I'll protect you, and that we'll return home with everyone once more." He muttered, brushing his hand through her hair softly.
"Ah who cares now anyways?" Sighted Bull, as he joined the group.
"If we're ta go down, might as well have ta whole family go down as well!" Grumbled the harbor tug, but a hint of a smile could be seen on his face, as Comet returned a full smile, just as the admiral and captain Walters came up to them.
"Do you still want to head out to the base on your own Comet?" Asked the admiral.
"No. We all are going to get them back." Said Comet, while the group around him nodded, making the captain frown, and the admiral smile.
"I almost knew this would happen." Chuckled the superior officer.
"Thank you for letting me know then…" Grumbled the captain.
"Gather your equipment and get to the launching station, we'll meet you there and give you some additional equipment you could need for this mission." Said the admiral as he turned to walk towards one of the ruins that once held his office, captain Walters following him in confusion.
"No words from you, trying to stop him John?" Whispered the admiral.
"No sir. I stopped doing that. It saves time and me a lot of nerves." Huffed the captain as they continued walking.
After a short detour to their homes to pick up their coats and scarfs (Comet gave Fubuki his spare coat since she left the coat she wore over the last few days at the hotel) the tugs, the special destroyer, and the armored locomotive arrived at the launching station. Once there, they were greeted by all the other fleetgirls, already in their outfits, ready for deployment.
"Took you long enough! Though you got scared!" Grinned Tenryuu.
"I thought you lot wouldn't want to risk it?" Asked Comet.
"Well, we couldn't leave you to do all the work on your own. After all, it's a long way to the south pole, and by the time you'd get there, it could already be night time, and I'm not going to leave out the chance for a good night battle!" Grinned Sendai.
"Wir are going to divert their main fighting forces towards the northeast. Wir are luring them into a trap, as to minimize the chances of casualties on unserer side. Wir don't know how much time wir going to have, so you have to be quick." Said Graf Spee as she moved up with the remaining German battleships.
"Do you have any idea how you want to get all of the others out of that base, kleiner Schlepper?" Asked Bismarck, as Comet pondered.
"Well, I guess the Abyssal still have their suits there. We just need to get them and get out of there."
"That won't be possible." Said the admiral as he came up with both captains and some of the bases' personal, carrying several crates.
"The suits have been left here. All of them." He continued.
"Na wundervoll." Sighted Bismarck.
"However, we thought of a plan to get the girls out, without them using their suits." Smiled captain Walters, as he opened one of the crates, pulling out several shells.
"These are flare shells. Specially made for the Tug Revolver. The factories managed to finish them a few days ago. Along with some other stuff."
"What kind of stuff?" Asked Bull, as captain Red opened another, longer crate, pulling out a rifle.
"They improved the design and built further revolvers, along with some larger prototypes. This lever action rifle fires 35.6cm shells. It should be enough to destroy even their battleships. However, we doubt any other type of tug other than the ocean-going tugs will be able to cope with the recoil." Explained captain Red, as Comet took the rifle, feeling the weight of the gun pushing him further into the water.
"However, the factories also came up with a shotgun that could fire the type 3 shells, as well as other shells that are of the 12.7cm size. Even railway tugs such as yourself should have no trouble in handling these." Said captain Walters, handing him another gun, and two further revolvers.
"That's all nice and fine, but why? For what do we need all this armament for?" Asked Mac.
"Our plan is simple: You will take some of the suits with you. Try to take every suit for the battleships with you, you'll need their firepower if you want to cover your retreat. John Bull, Mac and Rock will have to use the weapons as well. I know you never fought a battle before, but we need every soul out there that can fight to do just that." Explained the admiral.
"Wait, how are we supposed to take all those suits with us? We can barely carry them all, let alone fight against anybody while carrying them!" Exclaimed Rock.
"You won't be carrying them. The train will." Retorted captain Red.
"Wait, does that mean-?"
"Yes Allan. It means just that." Said the admiral, cutting the old engine driver off.
"Okay sir. I'll go and get them right away." Said Brady, as he jumped into his locomotive, and started off.
"Where is he going now?"
"That shouldn't concern you now Comet. For now, we need you to deploy as soon as you are ready. Head to the Abyssal base, find the girls and free them. Once you've freed them, fire some flare shells into the sky. Brady will come in, drop off the suits and pick up those girls that can't fight. Once you are all ready, return here as fast as possible. I've already called Hokkaido and requested support. They have already sent several convoys full with supplies to repair the port and to build up some temporary defenses to handle any attacks from the Abyssal. Once you are back, we will discuss any further actions. Understood?" Explained the admiral, while the others nodded.
"Good luck. And get our girls back home." Said the admiral, as he and the two captains headed back to the ruined buildings, to help the men who started on repairing the port, while the other men stayed and helped the tugboats getting their new equipment out of the crates.
"Alright, then let's go! It's a long way to the south pole!" Called Bismarck, as she started off, leading the diversion force.
"Ya heard the lady! Let's go an' get our family home!" Called Bull as they started off as well, cruising along the waves.
Antarctic Circle, latitude 66°33′47.1″ S
"Wir are getting closer to the coast of the south pole. Expect heavy resistance. Infiltration force, head towards the coast and wait for unser signal." Said Bismarck as the infiltration force branched off from the diversion force, heading towards the ice coast of the south pole.
"So, everyone ready?" Asked Comet.
"As ready as one can be, being thrown into a battle without even gettin' any training and all..." Grumbled Bull as he gripped his shotgun tightly.
"I-I'm feeling a bit nervous, to be honest..." Stuttered Mac, as his twin nodded in agreement.
"That's okay Mac, Rock. Anybody else feeling nervous?" Asked Fubuki as she got down to eye level with the two switchers.
"Aye." Huffed Bull.
"Would be pretty weird if I didn't." Chuckled Comet, but one could hear that he was nervous as well.
"I'm nervous too. But that's alright. It is natural. None of us ever did such a mission. I always fought battles on the open water, never attacked a base. And most of you never even went into a battle before. But we can do this! We just need to be quick! We'll be in and out again before anybody notices anything!" Said Fubuki, trying to calm the other ships down, and succeeding somewhat in that regard, as both switcher tugs seemed to be somewhat calmer now, and even Bull managed to gain a small smile on his face.
Several loud explosions rang out from further up the coast, before the radio started to perk up again.
"This ist Bismarck speaking! Wir have found their base! From your current location, 2 miles along the coast to the east! Wir are already receiving heavy return fire from their base, wir will try to lure as many as wir can away from the base! Bismarck out!"
"It is time." Murmured Comet, as they got their weapons ready.
Fubuki looked at the tugboats, all staring back at her, waiting for her signal.
"Infiltration force, moving out." She finally said, as they started to move towards the enemy base.
They haven't been travelling long, when they could finally see the silhouette of the base growing in front of them. It was partly covered by snow, the buildings looked like they had already been around for decades, and there were several searchlights scattered across the base.
"Creepy..." Shivered Rock.
"Wouldn't ya say... Those darn buildin's look like they've been here since the second world war!" Exclaimed Bull.
"Wouldn't surprise me if they actually were..." Huffed Comet.
"Okay, this will be close enough." Said Fubuki, as she moved to the shore, getting out of her suit.
"We're going the rest of the way by foot. They won't expect anyone to infiltrate them by land, and we'll have a higher chance to survive a fight on land against one of the Abyssal if we do run into them." Explained Fubuki as she stood on the snow next to the water.
The others quickly got out of their suits, but without the warmth of their fireboxes, they cooled down very quickly, even with their coats and scarfs. They marched through the snow, the sun was slowly setting, bathing the snow around them in a warm orange. They were now less than a few hundred yards away from the base, in front of them was a gate, although nobody was there to guard it.
"That's our chance! Let's get in there before somebody passes by and sees us!" Whispered Fubuki as they quickly entered the compound, heading for the closest alley to hide in it.
"Alright, time to start searching for the others." Said Bull.
"Any idea where they could be?" Asked Mac.
"Not really. I guess they have to be within one or several large storage buildings or barracks around here. We just have to search which one they are in." Said Fubuki.
"Well, plenty to choose from around here…" Grumbled the harbor tug, as he looked out of the entry to the alley.
Looking around, he noticed how a small Abyssal ship, probably one of their tugboats, exited one of the warehouses with a large bag on his back.
"Oy, looks like we've got a runner there. Might be able ta 'share' some information with us." He smirked, as Comet smirked as well.
"I think he'd be overjoyed if he could help us." The railway tug said, as he turned to Mac, Rock and Fubuki.
"We'll be back right away, you three stay here. If we get caught, try to find the others without us." Said Comet as the two switchers nodded.
"Stay safe, alright?" Said Fubuki as she looked the railway tug into the eyes.
"Of course I will. Stay safe as well. I'll just get some info from that fellow and be right back." Said Comet as he and John Bull followed the Abyssal tug.
They followed the small Abyssal switcher until they reached a large building with a tall smokestack behind it, reaching tall into the sky, long, drawn out black clouds being spewed out, covering the sky, as if to blacken out the setting sun. The tug opened a sliding door on the side, threw the bag inside, and closed it again.
"I'll never understand how humans manage to create so much filth…" Grumbled the tug to himself as he turned around to leave, just to walk into the barrels of the shotgun Bull was holding up at him.
"Wha-"
"Just one wrong tone from you and all that's left of you wouldn't be enough to be recycled into a tin can." Hissed Comet, as the smaller tug shut up right away.
"Where are the ships you captured from the naval district?" He continued.
"H-head down the road, take the first right, then the s-second left, you'll find the p-p-prisoner barracks there!" Stuttered the switcher in fright, as Bull lowered the gun.
"What do we do with him now?" Whispered the harbor tug, as Comet looked around, his eyes falling on the sliding door.
"Ah, I see…" Smirked Bull, as he put the gun onto his back, securing it via a sling that was attached to it.
With a swift motion, they grabbed the small switcher, lifted him up and after opening the door, promptly threw him into the building, closing the door behind him.
"And? Got any information?" Asked Fubuki as they returned.
"Aye, little shrimp was too scared ta think of any lies." Said Bull.
"But won't he tell his superior about it?" Asked Mac.
"I don't think so. I think he has different things to worry about right now." Grinned Comet, as they checked once more if the coast was clear, before heading into the direction that the Abyssal tugboat told them to head to.
The base seemed to have been a much larger complex than previously thought. The warehouses stretched on, seemingly endless, with windows only near the very top, out of which bluish light sometimes seemed to glow, lighting their path for a few seconds, before the road ahead of them got dark again. The sun had sunk beneath the horizon, but not a single lamp hand been switched on. The base sunk into darkness, making navigating through the rows of warehouses and other buildings very difficult. At last, they reached what they believed must be their goal: A whole section of the base had been sealed off with barbed wire, the buildings on the other side being in even worse condition than on their side, with several of the barracks on the other side partly collapsed or some only having a few walls standing as reminders that a building had been there at some point.
"Looks like this is it. We just have to find a place to get through." Said Fubuki.
"I doubt either of ya brought wire cutters along?" Frowned Bull.
"I doubt we need any." Smiled Mac, as he pointed further along the wire, to where the fence ended at the wall of a building.
He quickly walked over to said wall, and started to dig at a small dip in the ground underneath the fence, until it was deep enough for him to squeeze himself underneath it.
"Nice work Mac!" Smiled Comet, as the switcher stood on the other side of the fence.
"But none of us will be able to get through that hole. Neither will any of the battleships, aircraft carriers or cruisers." Said Fubuki.
"How about just tearing down the fence? We should be able to break the connection to the wall." Suggested Rock, pointing at the rusty fence and its even further rusted connections to the wall.
"It should be worth a try. But we need some tools… Alright, here's what we'll do: Mac, find the girls locked up in there. Get them here but try not to get spotted too soon. We'll search for some tools to break down this fence. Rock, Bull, you search the warehouses on the left side from here, Fubuki and I will search the right side. Get back as soon as you found something and get started on tearing this thing down." Said Comet as they all scattered to do what he ordered.
"Hehe, and I thought I was the leader of this group." Chuckled Fubuki.
"Just trying to support you in any way possible little Blizzard." He winked, as they came up to the closest warehouse.
They silently opened the door and quickly and quietly entered the inside of the building. Inside, plenty of old, dust covered crates stood around, and in front of those, several old trucks stood, looking like they have been standing around on the same spot for the better part of the last few years, if not decades.
"Whatever the Abyssal have been doing, they sure are well prepared. Look at all these crates! There must be several thousand of these, and that just in this warehouse here!" Exclaimed Comet, as they walked through the warehouse.
They walked past the trucks, when they noticed a weathered old sign, on the side of the vehicle. It was a barely recognizable black cross, with a white frame around it.
"Huh? Looks almost like-" She was cut off by the sound of footsteps, ranging out from within the warehouse.
"Quick! Hide!" Hissed the tugboat, as he pulled her behind some of the crates that were scattered around the ground.
From within the warehouse, a destroyer and a cruiser walked up to the spot where they were just a few seconds earlier.
"She said they went in here, so, where are they?" Grumbled the destroyer.
"Maybe they left already? It surprises me that she didn't sent more of us after them, seeing how she wants to settle her score with that destroyer." Muttered the cruiser.
"Maybe she thinks that if they notice us hunting them, they'll try to escape and then the chance to capture her will be gone for good. In here, we have the upper hand. But if they leave and come back with support, they could very well level this whole place down, and we need this base." Said the destroyer.
"Anyways, keep searching, they must be somewhere in here." Continued the destroyer, as they came up to the crates Fubuki and Comet had hidden behind earlier on.
"Did you hear that?" Whispered Fubuki.
"Yeah, they know that we're here. We need to get the others out even faster now." Replied Comet.
They both had snuck into one of the trucks, when their two hunters had turned away from them. They were now in the driver's cabin, waiting until the Abyssal would leave, whenever that would be.
"Ugh, this is pointless, they ain't here." Grumbled the destroyer.
"Alright, let's search in the next building. Ugh, I really hoped we'd find them quickly, these Germans built these warehouses too big…" Sighted the cruiser, as they headed for the exit.
"Phew, close one." Sighted Comet, as they raised their heads to look if they really were in the clear.
When they looked out of the front window though, their eyes widened when they saw the two Abyssal, smirks on their faces and their weapons raised towards them.
"Did you really think we wouldn't notice you hiding in that truck? You really are foolish." Chuckled the destroyer.
"Get out and follow us. There is someone that would love to see you again." Smirked the cruiser.
"Got a plan Fubuki? I'm a bit short of those right now." Whispered Comet.
"I'm thinking of one." Replied Fubuki, trying to reassure him, but not really having any idea as to how they could get out of there.
The Abyssal destroyer seemed to grow impatient, and opened the door on Fubukis side of the truck, trying to pull her out of it. Fubuki tried to fend it off, Comet joining her, punching it in the face and grabbing it by its collar, pulling it inside, and throwing it through the window onto the back of the truck. The cruiser tried to subdue the resisting pair, but Comet and Fubuki escaped through the same window they threw the destroyer through. The cruiser tried to follow them, but overestimated its ability to squeeze through the narrow window and got stuck halfway through. It tried to pull itself back into the driver's cabin, but failed to do that as well. While doing so, it accidentally hit the handbrake of the truck, making it roll forwards, into a tall stacked crate pile. Upon crashing into the pile, the top portion started to fall down burying the truck, as well as the two Abyssal ships underneath it.
"Well, looks like they won't be bothering us anymore." Said Comet.
"We need to hurry, if they already know that we're here and once they know that we know what they know, they will start searching us for real." Stated Fubuki as they continued to search for some tools to open the fence with.
"Hmm, I'm not so sure why, but that sign looks somewhat familiar…" Muttered Comet, pointing to the sign on the side of one of the crates that fell down.
It was an eagle, it's wings spread and the head pointing to one side, over a circle with what appeared to be a snowflake in it.
"No wonder really, this base is almost covered with these signs. You can't take one turn without bumping into them…" Replied Fubuki as she looked through the open crates, finding nothing but empty water bottles and expired cans of food.
"I've noticed, but I think I saw it somewhere else… meh, probably not so important if I forgot about it!" Shrugged the tugboat as he looked through another crate, feeling something metallic. He grabbed it and lifted it out of the wooden crate, revealing it to be a toolbox.
"Pretty convenient." He grinned, as he opened it and found several tools, including a crowbar.
"That should do the trick!" He exclaimed, holding the bar into the air for Fubuki to see what he found.
"Good work! Let's get back to the others!" Replied Fubuki, as they exited the warehouse, and got back to the fence.
Once they reached it, they were greeted by both the rest of the infiltration force, as well as some of the captured fleetgirls. While most of the taller girls were still behind the fence, some of the smaller ones managed to slip underneath the fence like Mac did earlier.
"Ugh, this isn't how a proper lady should get out of such a place." Grumbled Akatsuki.
"A proper lady also thanks the knight who got her out of her prison Poi." Smirked Yuudachi, as the smaller destroyer blushed.
"Y-y-you don't have to if you d-don't want to..." Stuttered Mac with a light blush, as Akatsuki gave him a short peck on the cheek.
"T-there! J-just like a proper lady!" Exclaimed Akatsuki proudly, before being shushed by the others to stay quiet, in case any of the Abyssal might hear them. Mac just grinned a love-struck smile, not caring at all what happened around him.
"Fubuki. Good work in finding us." Said Nagato, who was closest to the fence.
"Don't worry, we'll get you out of here." Said Comet, as he handed Bull the crowbar, who started to pull the fence out of the wall.
"Hurry up Bull, the Abyssal know we're here, and I'm sure they won't be happy when they noticed that all their prisoners have escaped." Urged Comet.
"I'm doin' as fast as I can." Huffed the harbor tug, pulling the last link out of the wall, and pulling the loose piece of fence away, making an opening that was big enough to let everyone get through.
"Come on, let's get out of here!" Said Comet, as the Fleetgirls started to go through the opening.
Some of them had already rallied the other fleetgirls that were held there, and we're now coming to the opening as well. The more there came, the more Comet grew nervous about their chances of success.
"We're too many, we're risking the safety of the girls if we move as one group." Muttered Comet.
"Got a plan?" Asked Bull.
In return, Comet handed him the shotgun and several flare shells.
"Get going, take Mac and Rock with you, send the flares up and get ready for a fight. We're following as soon as the last girls are through. Now hurry!" Explained Comet as the harbor tug nodded, going to Nagato first and explaining their actions. Shortly afterwards, the first part of the fleetgirls headed towards the gates through which they had entered. Slowly, the numbers of girls on the other side of the fence grew smaller, and finally, the last few girls came through the hole.
"Phew! Thank you, Bucky, Stargazer!" Grinned Kongou.
"No problem. Now let's get going before-" But he couldn't finish his sentence, as a bright, red ball was shot into the sky, making a slow arch, before falling back down, the light coming from the ball dying out about halfway through its fall.
"… this happens…" Frowned Comet, as the searchlights were suddenly fired up, the beams of the lights starting to cross through the base in search of the origins of the unknown light source.
"Okay, new plan: run as fast as you can, don't stop for anything and if you see any Abyssal, tell us and we'll take care of them." Said Comet.
"Fubuki, you'll lead the way, I'll keep our rear covered." Fubuki simply nodded and turned to the others.
"On my call, we'll run towards the alley further up the road. We'll catch our breath there and once everything is clear, we'll move on." Said Fubuki with an determined look on her face.
"Is there a way I can help Comet?" Asked Prometheus.
"Funny you ask." Grinned the railway tug, as he pulled the rifle he got from captain Red earlier from his shoulder, handing it to the ocean going tug.
"Just do as we do and fire at anything that moves and is against us."
"You are aware that I have never fired such a thing before, right?"
"Yes. That never stopped me when I first got my revolver though." Replied Comet, as Prometheus just sighted, and turned to get ready for their sprint to freedom.
"Get ready! NOW!" Called Fubuki as she started to run, the others following suit, racing back along the path that they went down earlier.
This time however, the road wasn't as quiet, as from every intersection, Abyssal ships of ever kind showed up, trying to block their way, just to get thrown back by the sheer force of the shells fired by the revolvers. Comet shot another set of shells in the general direction of Abyssal, more and more were chasing them now, as the ones that have been pushed off by the shells were only momentarily stunned, but by no means taken out. Some shots hit them, throwing them into other pursuing ships, but most either landed short of their mark, or flew above their heads. One however, hit the top side of one of the warehouses, blasting out large parts of debris, which started to fall down onto the road beneath, and likewise, the pursuing Abyssal ships, which scrambled to get out of the point of impact, stopping the pursuit momentarily. An idea shot through Comet's mind, as he stopped running.
"Comet! What are you doing?!" Shouted Prometheus.
"Either something that will buy us some time, or something really stupid! Get out of here!" Shouted the railway tug back, as he reloaded his gun, and directly aimed at the wall to the left of the road he was on.
"Suck it Abyssal! Ain't nobody messing with our fleet!" Shouted Comet, as the Abyssal started to run towards him again, having bypassed the obstruction in their path.
The railway tug stood firm, his arm still outstretched with his revolver in it, his finger curling around the trigger. As they got as close as 200 yards from him, he fired three shots in quick succession, followed by three further shots to the wall on his right. The shells detonated, blasting large parts of the supporting walls out. The structures groaned, and with a sick, ear numbing moaning and creaking, the sides of the warehouses that were turned towards the road collapsed, blocking the road completely. Comet sighted in relief, as he turned around and started to rush after the others. Only a few seconds later, a large shockwave threw him forwards, making him land in the dirty snow, sliding a further few yards forwards.
10 minutes earlier, control station of the Abyssal...
"They are escaping. They broke the fence and are running out of the base as we speak!" Reported a light cruiser, bursting into the room where the main leader and several other ships were overlooking the situation.
"I told you we should have captured them when we had the chance! Now they will get away, and we will be back at where we started!" Exclaimed a battleship, but the leader raised her hand, silencing them all.
"Tell the second fleet to send back ten of the battleships and a squadron of escort aerial fighters. They shall open fire upon sight. The battleships shall get their target coordinates as quickly as possible." She said, as the cruiser nodded and left again.
"The situation will turn to our favor soon. Our time for revenge is getting closer. We will destroy the embodiment of their hopes in front of their eyes. Get in position and give them a preview of their new masters might." Said the leader, as the ships left the room.
current time, streets of the Abyssal base...
Comet groaned, as he lifted himself from the ground. He got several bruises, but nothing too severe. He looked around, his hearing slowly getting back, as he heard the roaring of something fast, racing through the sky. He looked up and saw several aerial type Abyssal, roaring down, firing at the ground further away from him.
"Drat, they called for backup..." Groaned Comet as he started to run again, a bit wobbly on his legs, but still determined to fulfill his promise he made towards Fubuki.
He found the alley he went through earlier, and reached the large, open square in front of the entry gates. It was covered with blown out patches of dirt and stones, and he could see a few of the fleetgirls on the ground, still alive, but badly injured. He almost ran towards them but stopped himself when he saw several Abyssal coming out from several other roads and alleyways, swarming the square, making sure that none of the injured girls would be able to escape.
"I think I've bitten off a bit more than I can chew..." Sighted Comet with a sad smile, as he tried to count the present Abyssal, but being unable to do so due to the overwhelming numbers present there.
At last, he gave up, and checked the amount of shells he still had. A grand total of 18 shells. With a final sight, he loaded the first six into his revolver, and put the cylinder back into its place.
"Fubuki. If you can hear me, I'm sorry. I can't hold my promise. I hope you can forgive me." He whispered, as he took aim at the closest Abyssal he saw, taking a deep breath, before pulling the trigger.
Just as he did however, a loud battle cry made both him and the Abyssal look towards the entry gate, where several blue and red cladded beings charged in, firing away at the Abyssal as said beings were pushed back out of the square. Comet, noticing that this was their chance to get out of this base, quickly ran out of his hiding place, firing with the others at the Abyssal. He ran up to two blue and one red clad being, who were surprised to see the railway tug.
"Comet! You're still alive?!" Asked Mac.
"We thought you got hit by the debris from those collapsing warehouse walls Prometheus told us about!" Continued Rock.
"I made them collapse so we'd got more time to escape! Haven't thought they'd get air support though... Where did all these weapons come from?" Asked the railway tug in return.
"Mr. Brady arrived with his train and-" Began Ricky, as suddenly, all three of them seemed to remember something at the same time, as the other tugboats suddenly pulled back out of the base, carrying with them some of the fleetgirls that were too exhausted to walk anymore.
"Quickly! We have to get out of here!" Shouted Mac and Rock simultaneously.
"Why?! The Abyssal won't follow us that quickly!" Shouted Comet, but the two switchers shook their heads.
"It's not the Abyssal! This place will be bombarded by Mr. Brady and the battleships any second now!" Replied Ricky as suddenly, a high-pitched whistling could be heard in the sky, as suddenly, explosions rang out from all around them, throwing snow, ice, earth and pieces of structures into the sky.
Comet understood now why they were in such a rush, and looked around, his eyes landing on one of the craters that have been made by one of the previous hits. He pulled the three switchers into the crater and pulled them as close to the ground as he could, as the bombardment continued. Further detonations screamed all around them, Comet looked around and saw how all three younger tugs were screaming and crying, but he couldn't understand a word they were saying, the explosions and the ringing in his ears deafening all and any sounds made by anything around him. The earth shook another time, but this time, it continued to shake for a longer time than before. He looked up, and saw how one of the warehouses was collapsing, the debris starting to shower down onto the ground. One of the taller walls of the warehouse started to lean forwards, right into their direction. Comet knew what would happen, and without a second thought pulled the three switchers underneath himself, covering them as best as he could.
'Death by a collapsing building. Who could have guessed?' He thought to himself as his world got dark, as the debris buried him and the other three tugs.
Fubuki was helping the others getting aboard the train, her eyes trained on the direction of the base. She had been concerned when both tugboat fleets headed back to aid their missing friends and the other fleetsgirls, and every further moment that went by made her feel more and more uneasy. The night was now completely upon them, the only sources of light being the lights on the train, as well as the artillery guns that were mounted on the train and the guns of the battleships that had already gotten into their suits and aided the train in firing at the base. Mr. Brady was next to her, holding an old petrol lantern, illuminating at least a bit of the space around them.
"They'll be here any minute now..." She murmured.
"I hope so. The longer we wait, the sooner they'll find out what is shooting at them. And once they found that out, I don't want to stand around here any longer." Huffed the older engine driver, as through the dark, they saw several shadows, moving towards them. Fubuki pulled her turret up but lowered it again when she saw that it was in fact the tug boats, followed by the remaining fleetgirls.
"Thank god you got them." Sighted Fubuki.
"Let's get out of here quickly." Said Roger, as he and the remaining Red stacks got aboard the train.
The last few fleetgirls got aboard and the doors were shut tightly. But Fubuki noticed that three suits were still lying on the snow-covered ground.
"Where are Comet, Mac and Rock?!" She shouted to the locomotive driver, who was already in his engine again.
"They aren't here?!" He shouted back.
"Their suits are still here!"
Brady quickly got out of the cab, climbed over the tender and into the first wagon behind his locomotive, where the remaining tugboats were. He explained them the situation, and their expressions turned grim.
"They must've been left behind during the bombardment of the entry gates." Concluded Edwin.
"That is terrible! They've most like been found by the Abyssal by now!" Exclaimed Churchill.
"We need to get them out. Not even a steamer should be left behind to suffer by those bastards." Said Richard.
"I'll get into contact with the diversion fleet. They need to keep the main part of their fighting forces occupied a little bit longer for us to get back there and pull them out. You lot get ready and stock up on shells." Said Brady as he climbed out of the covered area, passing the turret that was mounted onto the wagon, and back into the cab.
He grabbed the radio, contacted the diversion fleet and explained the situation. Once he was finished, he turned back to the where Fubuki was earlier, only to see that she was gone. The only things left were most parts of her suit, except her turret.
"That girl didn't do what I think she did... Damn, and I had hoped she would be saner than he is..." Groaned the old engine driver as he quickly went back to tell the tugs to get moving.
"Comet? Wake up Comet!" Urged a voice as the tugboat coughed violently, smoke and chalk escaping his mouth as he did.
"You lot okay…?" Asked the tugboat wearily.
"More or less. Seeing that we are stuck underneath several tons of rubble…" Grumbled Ricky.
"Better than being dead now." Huffed Rock as Comet tried to move, only to painfully fall back onto the pieces of rubble that he was lying on until now.
"Looks like those stones did their work on me. My back feels like it's in shambles." Said Comet.
"We won't just leave you behind! We'll even carry you out of here if we have to!" Exclaimed Mac as he turned trying to search for something that would indicate a weak point in dome of rubble that had buried them.
"There!" He shouted, pointing at a small crack, through which a small, almost not visible light came through.
"Come, help me dig!" He said as he tried to remove the pieces of rubble.
Rock and Ricky joined the small switcher as Comet looked on from his position.
"Just be careful with digging out of here, one wrong plugged stone and we could all be crushed!" Stated Comet as the three switchers continued to dig.
The crack got larger, and more light streamed into their little air bubble. After some further work, the hole was large enough for the switchers to get through. Mac wanted to lift Comet out with them, but Comet shook him off of him.
"Go and get Bull or Boomer, they'll be able to lift me out! I can still look out for myself! Just make sure you won't get caught yourself!" Ordered Comet as the twin switchers looked at him in concern.
"If you say so…" They muttered.
"Come on you two, let's get some help for him." Ricky said as they got going.
The railway tug waited for a few further seconds before he slowly and painfully lifted himself out of the hole and back onto the surface again. The surroundings were almost unrecognizable. Barely any building in the closer surroundings were still standing, and a thick blanket of mist was floating above the crater filled square.
"Go on and get out of here kids... I'd just drag you down..." Breathed the railway tug as he looked into the thick mist.
He closed his eyes in defeat, even though he survived the collapse of the building, he knew it was impossible for him to get out of this base before any of the Abyssal would notice and capture him. He also knew that, if any of the others would try to get him out of the base, they'd only get captured again, or worse, killed right away.
"I knew it would be good to have taken that thing with me..." He muttered, as he pulled out his radio headset out of his suit.
It was badly damaged, but not broken beyond use. He put it on and listened to the static. He tooled around with the radio, searching for a channel, until the static stopped and he could hear voices calling for support or shouting orders and warnings out.
"This is railway tugboat Comet of captain Walters steam tug fleet..."
Fubuki came closer to the Abyssal base, when she saw three small, dark shadows moving towards her. She quickly got ready to defend herself, when she made out who was heading her way.
"Mac? Rock? Ricky? Where have you been?" She asked.
"We've been stuck under a collapsed building." Said Mac.
"Comet was with us as well." Continued Rock.
"Where is he now?" Asked Fubuki, but before any of the three switchers could answer, the radio of the three switchers perked up.
"This is railway tugboat Comet of captain Walters steam tug fleet. We have evacuated the Abyssal base and will withdraw from the area. I request from everyone to follow us home. Battleships, please cover the retreat of the train, and give the Abyssal a reminder of who they have toyed with. Tugboat Comet, out."
The three switchers and the destroyer stared at each other as the meaning of the message hit them like a ton of bricks. Before anybody could say anything, Fubuki raced off, disappearing into the darkness, heading towards the Abyssal base.
'You promised it Comet! You're going to keep it!' Cried Fubuki in her mind, as she reached the leftover remains of the bases' entry gates.
She stumbled across the uneven ground, slipping sometimes over ice patches, and falling into shell craters, her mind hurrying her to keep going and find Comet before their allies would level what was left of the base. She tripped once more, falling into a crater, but it didn't hurt that much as she hit the ground. She heard a groan and looked up, looking into the battered, bloodied, and dirty face of her boyfriend. She felt a wave of relief wash over her as she hugged him, the tugboat slowly opened his eyes at the familiar, warm touch.
"F-Fubuki...? What are you doing here? You have to get out of here immediately..." Groaned the railway tug with a weak voice.
"I'm not leaving you here. I'm keeping you on the promise you made. We're going home; together." Whispered the destroyer, as Comet sighted in both bliss, and reluctance.
He hadn't had the time to speak, before shells started to rain from the sky once more, crashing into the ground and leftover buildings, throwing up further parts of the ground, ice and debris.
"We need to get out of here NOW!" Called Fubuki over the detonations, as Comet nodded, painfully lifting himself up, his back screaming at him to stop what he was doing, the pain growing across his whole backside.
Fubuki helped the wounded tugboat onwards, the ground was continuously vibrating as they soldiered on. Comet was slowly losing focus, his eyesight was getting blurry, and his hearing became more and more distorted. He knew he would black out soon and hoped that at least Fubuki would be out of harm's way before he would be unable to help her.
'Although,' he thought, 'what real use am I to her now? If anything, I'm just dragging her down...'
There was a large gush of wind that knocked them off their feet, as a shell hit the ground behind them. They both tumbled to the ground, ice covering them as the shells continued to hit the ground around them. Fubuki was crawling towards Comet, who was lying on his back, his eyes partly closed, as he panted in pain and exhaustion. He was far beyond his breaking point. He was a wreck and trying to get any further would only do more harm than good.
"Come on, we need to-" Fubuki started, but Comet cut her off as he kissed her.
"I'm sorry... But I can't go on..."
"Stop that! You will get through this! We did so much up until now! I won't give up!" She replied, as she tried to lift the exhausted tug up.
Suddenly, she was grabbed by her arms, pulled back from the tugboat, and thrown to the ground. Comet stared in shock, as several Abyssal ships swarmed around Fubuki, starting to tie her up. The destroyer tried to stop them, fighting against their attempts, but they were too many, and started to beat her up in return to make her cooperate with them. Comet tried to move, to stand up, to help the girl he loved, but his pain and the cold winds that were howling around them had numbed him, stopping him from making any movements. He couldn't do anything but watch as his girlfriend was beaten unconscious. Then, in the corner of his eye, he could see a familiar battleship, a broad smirk on her face, walking towards them.
"Well well well, look who we have here. Looks like the little hero has bitten off more than he could chew." Chuckled the Abyssal, as Comet glared at her.
"D-don't you dare touch her..." He panted.
"And who should stop me? You? You couldn't even protect yourself. You are a failure. You have lost everything. And soon, you will also have lost your life." Laughed the battleship, as she leaned closer to the tugboat.
"She will suffer, a long, loooooong time. And it is all your fault." She whispered, her voice as cold as ice as she stood upright again, turning to the other Abyssal ships, ordering them to return to their base.
"You will soon join her. For now, enjoy this nice evening." Smirked the battleship, before turning to go as well.
She walked a few meters, but stopped and turned around again, and putting something on top of the railway tug, grinning a wicked grin, her ice blue eyes almost shining at the beaten tugboat.
"Oh, and 'Auf Wiedersehen'." She said, as she disappeared into the darkness.
Comet was now all alone. His eyes empty, his body had given up, succumbing to the cold, as his mind was slowly shutting down. He stared into the cold sky, seeing the stars above. Tears slowly started to leak out of the corner of his eyes, as he inhaled deeply, before letting out a loud, pained, broken howl, before his strength left him completely. He closed his eyes, his mind creating images, of days gone by, places and harbors he had been at, tugs and ships he had worked with and serviced, people he had grown to respect. Finally, his mind stopped at an image of Fubuki, smiling a sweet smile at him.
'I couldn't keep her safe. I really have failed... My duty is over...' He thought.
He didn't even register the people that had reached him, as he was picked up by two of them, and they quickly carried him away.
"Hello there."
Comet opened his eyes. He was standing. He didn't knew how, or why. He also didn't knew why his back wasn't hurting anymore. He looked to his right, and saw a boy, a bit smaller than him, in yellow jacket, with a brown shirt underneath it, black pants, black shoes, a blue flat cap, and messy black hair, barely hidden underneath his cap, smiling at him. He had a small number 1 on the backpack he was wearing, a backpack that had an eerie familiarity to him. On both sides of his pants, the word 'Ten Cents' was stitched into the fabric. When Comet read the word, something clicked in his mind, as his eyes went wide.
"You are too early. You are still needed. You need to go." Smiled the boy.
"Ten-" He was cut off as a blinding, white light burned from behind the boy, blinding the railway tug, making him close his eyes, as he felt himself losing consciousness again.
The battered tugboat opened his eyes once more, but this time, he was in a lot of pain. He felt a mixture of cold and heat, the cold coming from his right, while the heat came from his front and left side. He tiredly opened one eye, and saw a bright light, that kept flashing strongly, before simmering back down to a more barrable level. His eyes got used to the intense lights, and he began to recognize where he was. He was sitting next to the door, on board of Brady's locomotive, the engine driver keeping an iron grip around the controls, while Bull was next to him, shoveling coal for dear life, for he knew that there truly were lives that depended on them getting through. Comet strained himself, his exhausted body telling him to give up, but his brain screamed in reply that there were more important things that he needed to attend to. He tried to stand up, but tumbled forwards, bumping his head into the closed firebox door, pulling the attention of the other two towards him.
"He woke up!" Called Brady.
"I'll get the wee little bugger back into ta carriage!" Called Bull back, as he grabbed the beaten tug, getting a little resistance from him, but it was too weak to stop him.
"F-F-Fubuki..." He mumbled.
"Ye in no condition ta fight Comet. Ya barely survived right now." Replied Bull, as he climbed onto the coal pile of the tender.
He was almost at the door, when a shell suddenly hit the side of the locomotive, rocking the train sideways, making him tumble, and Comet rolling over the edge of the tender onto the gangway connecting the rear of the tender and the coach. Boomer and Churchill, who saw him tumble down, quickly went to pull him inside the coach, while Bull got back to the locomotive cab, wanting to check up on Brady. When he got to the cab, he was greeted by a stomach-churning sight: Brady was leaning against the cab, blood had been splattered across its side, while his right arm was lying on the ground, ripped off his torso, a large piece of metal had been jammed into the seat, probably being the piece that cut his arm off. Bull inched closer, wanting to see if he could do anything, as the engine driver suddenly moved again, moving into an upright position again, as his left hand grabbed the regulator again.
"Allan! Stop this! Ya need ta get a medic, now!" Shouted Bull, as the engine driver turned to him.
A piece of metal shrapnel had jammed itself into his right eye, he had been partly scalped, and blood was running down the right side of his face.
"That little punk rubbed off on me more than what would be good for me..." Wheezed the old man, as he looked down to the floor of the cab, seeing his arm.
"If I'm going to make it through this..." He murmured, looking at Bull.
"I'm going to kill that little bugger..." He coughed with a smile, while the train hurried across the ocean.
It was another couple of hours before they finally reached their home port. The sun slowly started to rise at the horizon, as the train slowed to a stop at the quay, where the admiral, both tugboat captains, and a whole lot of base personal and paramedics were waiting. Bull had patched Brady up as best as he could, followed by a medic who kept the man alive via several blood transfusions. It had been mere luck that there were enough men on board the train that had the same blood type as he did. The paramedics quickly pulled the injured engine driver out of the locomotive, while Comet was brought out of the carriage behind the locomotive by Churchill and Prometheus, who handed him over to the dock workers. Edwin, Prometheus, Nagato, Mutsu, Richard and Roger walked up to the two captains and the admiral, who were waiting for them, both captains had shock in their eyes from seeing the tugboat and engine driver in such states, while the admiral had a neutral face.
"Sir." They all said, saluting.
"At ease." Said the admiral, before turning to Nagato.
"What has happened?" He asked.
"The evacuation of all fleetgirls and tugboats had been a success, but at a high cost. We have nearly run completely out of ammunition-" Started Nagato, but the admiral stopped her, looking at her with a stern look in his eyes.
Nagato knew what he wanted from her and sighted.
"Along with the loss of material, we have several damaged battleships, the armored train has survived with light damages, but some of the crew had been wounded, including the driver, who has gotten the worst injuries. On top of that..." She stated but lost her momentum as she came to the harder part.
"On top of the already mentioned injured people and ships, Comet has almost died, while Fubuki..." Continued Edwin, but couldn't finish the sentence.
"We haven't managed to find Fubuki. We found Comet, almost frozen to death in the tundra outside of the Abyssal base, with a note, resting on top of his chest. It is a message, probably written by Rodney, directed at Comet, that they have taken Fubuki as their prisoner and will kill her if Comet won't show himself at their base within the next 7 days." Finished Prometheus, as all three naval officials felt a lump grown in their throat.
They knew that, once Comet would hear the threat that the Abyssal made, he would seal his fate.
And that seals this chapter! Ain't I an evil b*stard? ^^
With Fubuki captured and Comet having a near-death experience, all paths are open for the future. Either Comet will go berserk and wreck the whole Abyssal base himself or he'll get more careful and takes a more cunning strategy to break Fubuki out. What will it be? Who knows? Welp, looks like you have to find that out in the next chapter. Until then, farewell (I just sounded like XBoxAhoy, didn't I?)
