CHAPTER 15
SNOWED IN
More than anyone else, Senku was disappointed. The others had been counting on him to calculate all the risks. But this was a scenario he failed to predict. "We'll have to move quickly," he stated, burying his frustration for the time being. "And the way back is blocked… so we'll just have to move forward."
Before he could move on, Genos needed some repairs. Fortunately, Pina used its magic to take care of that. However, after it was done, Pina coughed and suddenly appeared bothered by the weather. While the others were unsure of what had happened, Silica came running over and wrapped her arms around the small dragon. "Looks like you caught a cold," she announced, shaking her head. "Dammit Pina. Now, of all times…"
They were joined by Deku, who brought a cloth over to wrap Pina for warmth. "Guess Pina isn't used to all this chilly weather."
"Pina can't use his magic if he's sick," Silica revealed.
Despite the bad news, Deku was focused only on Pina's health. "Don't worry. I'll help you keep him warm. We can take turns holding him if you need."
When she witnessed Deku's reaction, Silica felt guilty. Thinking about Pina's use to the team caused her to overlook her partner's health. She sighed and gave Pina a tight hug. "Okay… thank you." It was all she could think to say.
Surprisingly, Caitlyn made her presence known as well. "I'll help, too." She even held her arms out, volunteering to carry the dragon first.
Normally, Silica would have been adamant that she held onto her partner, but thinking back to her conversation with Caitlyn before, she nodded and handed it over. Caitlyn had her machine gun strapped behind her back so her arms were free, and she held the weakened dragon carefully.
Elsewhere, Kotoko joined Senku's side, noticing he looked like he was beating himself up over the miscalculation. "We are up against an enemy of advanced intelligence as well," she pointed out, hoping it would provide him with some consolation. "Perhaps a pure battle of intelligence will not be enough."
"Intelligence is what I've got to offer," Senku explained. "I'm not exactly a superhero, like the rest of these guys, you know."
"But even superheroes need to be highly trained," Kotko explained. "Otherwise, they won't be able to work effectively. The key for us is to figure out how our comrades can put their special abilities to the best use."
By now, Senku was feeling better. Sometimes, all he needed was a stimulating conversation in logic and tactics. He rubbed the back of his shoulder and smiled. "You'd make a pretty great scientist yourself, you know," he said, praising the Goddess of Wisdom. "I guess it isn't always easy to stay focused. But I won't let myself be discouraged again."
Kotoko nodded slightly, pressing her left hand to her heart, while still gripping her cane with the right one. "Even if you need to express frustration, you'll always have your teammates to keep your spirits alive." When he gave her a humorous smirk, she giggled. "Very well. It can just be our secret, if that's what you prefer."
It was time to get moving again. The heroes marched through the snowy field, which fortunately wasn't too dense, considering only a small amount of snow had fallen. In fact, there was a good chance the snow was artificially crafted, simply as part of the great trap. This place was now a vault, locked down so they couldn't escape. Even though some of them could fly, they weren't all going to be able to get out that way. Besides, if they took to the air, they'd be more vulnerable, especially now that Teckh knew where they were.
The town came into range soon enough. Unlike the cities before, the buildings were log cabins, and mostly only small structures. There was one larger facility closer to the center of the town, suggesting it was a city hall or something similar. Stone statues were present, indicating that people's lives would be at risk if Techk decided to launch an attack here. Just another factor to add to their already heavy burden.
Although he continued to monitor the energy levels, Genos found no source of a generator. Apparently, the energy readings had been caused by something, which was no longer present in the area. The team theorized that one of Teckh's bots was capable of luring them in with some sort of energy display, and that the machine had left once the trap was sealed shut. Either way, they had fallen for it.
"Let's scope out some of these buildings," Senku instructed to Kotoko. "The ones to the back and to the sides. It should be away from the main locations that are at risk of attack. We need to begin getting the people indoors, away from harm's path. Even the weather can impact them negatively."
Once Kotoko started to leave, she signaled to some yokai that were beginning to head over. From there, she gave them instructions to spread out and explore the buildings, which would help speed things up.
Next, Senku turned to Caitlyn, who was still carrying Pina. "Better get our little friend inside by a fireplace. We'll need to help him recover from his cold as soon as possible."
"Right," Caitlyn said with a nod. She turned to Silica and urged her to join them. "Let's get to a cabin with a fireplace and get him warm." The two of them hurried off to tend to that.
Meanwhile, Genos charged his cannons and looked like he anticipated combat at any moment. "I should stay on lookout. It won't be long before we are under attack."
"Agreed," Senku replied. "We'll fortify the place while you watch our backs." From there, Senku addressed the remaining members of the team. "Deku, Maka, Soul. You three begin moving the statues inside the cabins. I've got an idea on how to turn the tides back in our favor."
There were no objections, but the others were indeed curious about what Deku planned for his next move.
(Later in the evening)
Deku had joined Genos now to help stand watch. The snow was no longer falling, but the air was still very frigid, so they needed extra blankets over their shoulders for warmth. Even though Genos was a cyborg, he needed to keep his systems from shutting down due to the cold. The two of them weren't enjoying the temperature, but they still focused on their duty.
At one point, Deku thought up something to ask Genos. "What's your master like?"
"My master?" Being reminded of Saitama also caused Genos to think back to how things were before with the Hero Association. "My master is the most powerful being I've ever encountered. I couldn't possibly imagine him ever losing a battle."
"Wow," replied Deku. "He must be really famous."
To this, Genos shrugged. "No… he is not. In fact, few people are even aware of his power."
"What? Really?" Deku didn't understand how that was possible.
"The truth is, Saitama's power is so elite, that most people believe it isn't legitimate. They think he's cheating to make himself look better, and stealing credit from other heroes. But the truth is that it's the opposite. He kills monsters easily all the time, and doesn't get the credit, or he simply doesn't report it."
Deku sighed, trying to imagine what that would be like when applied to his own world.
"What about you?" Genos put the spotlight on Deku now. "What is your master like?"
Deku had a sweat drop on his forehead. "Well, actually… he's more like a mentor. Not a master." He laughed, hoping to restore the conversation back to the way of life he was more familiar with. "All Might is the number one hero in the world. Or, at least, he was."
"What happened to him?"
"He retired." Even now, Deku was sad to revisit that fact.
"I see," Genos said, expressing empathy in his attention to Deku's story. "What was he like?"
Deku's face lit up. "All Might would overcome every villain, no matter how strong they were. He would always find a way to save everyone. And when he did it, he would be smiling, and he would always announce, 'I am here!' He truly was the Symbol of Peace."
Upon hearing the explanation, Genos looked quite impressed. "As powerful as Saitama is, I can't imagine him being something like the 'Symbol of Peace.' Master Saitama never seems to get hung up on how he presents himself."
"Huh," Deku said. "I guess both of them have different ways of carrying themselves. But they're still amazing heroes."
"That is true." Genos looked down at his own hands, weighing those words. "I suppose I've already caused problems by trying too hard to emulate Master Saitama's prowess."
When he thought about it, Deku was guilty of that as well. "Actually… I was doing the same thing," he admitted with a sigh at the end. "It's just hard, you know? He's my mentor and my inspiration in life. But those times when I tried to act just like him… they usually ended up pretty badly for me."
The conversation soon turned into a shared silence of mutual understanding and respect. Both heroes pressed on with their patrol, occasionally speaking to one another. As much as they gained from their conversation, they were now both consumed with reflecting on their individual journeys. After all, they had one remarkable aspect in common with each other, and thus they both understood what the other was experiencing to some degree.
(Inside one of the cabins)
When there was enough wood at the bottom of the chimney, Caitlyn lit the furnace, using a torch from her machine gun. A rich fire sprung to life, quickly sending out waves of warmth into the room.
Silica had Pina still wrapped in blankets, and she helped the dragon rest against a couple of pillows by the fireplace. "Feel better soon, Pina," she told her partner in a sweet voice. She was about to back away, but first she came in close and planted a gentle kiss on the beast's head, above its right eye. Pina blinked its eyes, still in a weakened state.
After staying with Pina for a few moments, Silica gave it some space to rest. When she looked back at Caitlyn, her new friend was gathering more pillows and blankets from one of the closets. It felt like Caitlyn was always trying to stay productive. Perhaps she worked like this with her job back home.
Then again, being that she was from another world, there was no telling what 'work' was really like for her.
"Thank you for being sweet to Pina," Silica told her graciously.
Caitlyn paused in her work to glance over. "It's nothing," she replied, "But… you're welcome."
The two girls ended up sitting next to each other, overlooking Pina by the fireplace. They had enough blankets to give extras to the rest of the team, but the others hadn't returned yet from building up defenses for the town. Even when they did, there probably wouldn't be much time to rest. Odds were that an attack from the enemy would come late at night, when they would likely be fatigued.
"How are we going to get out of here?" Silica asked. There was a strong trace of worry in her tone.
"We'll get over those walls," Caitlyn answered with confidence. "It's just going to be difficult unless we wait until dawn. We'll need the light to help see our surroundings." With that said, she grunted, anticipating they wouldn't reach that point in time so easily. "I'm certain we'll be attacked tonight. And soon."
Silica shivered for a moment, and but then gave an expression of determination. "No matter what it is, I'm ready for it!"
As Caitlyn looked the young girl over, she nodded in approval. "Good. I think it's about time for some of that spirit of yours. This is going to be a good battle."
The two of them sat in silence for a good while, enjoying the peace and quiet, even with warfare looming on the horizon. At least, for now, they got to have this serenity, however brief it would be. No matter what, appreciating something like this was important to them.
Eventually, Silica twitched her nose. There was something new; an appealing aroma in the air. "What's that?" she asked curiously.
"What?" Caitlyn said, turning her head.
"That… smell." Silica's eyes watered up, apparently in delight. "It smells amazing."
"I don't smell anything…" Suddenly, the aroma reached Caitlyn as well. Unlike her comrade, Caitlyn quickly detected that it was coming from the kitchen… inside their cabin. "What the hell…"
While Silica continued to enjoy the smell, Caitlyn slowly made her way over to investigate. First, she fetched her machine gun and made sure it was charged and ready. Considering the people they were all traveling with, Caitlyn didn't recall any of them being some sort of gourmet chef. Therefore, there was reason to believe someone else was here.
Caitlyn silently creeped toward the door to the next room, taking plenty of time to avoid revealing her presence. By now, Silica noticed what she was doing as well, and looked nervous. She was about to stand up as well, and when she did, Caitlyn motioned for her to be absolutely silent. Silica nodded, but didn't stay put. She was still eager to be reliable, and so the two of them quietly passed through the door into the dining room. The next room over was the kitchen.
As they proceeded, the aroma grew in intensity. By now, it appeared to be pastries, and the crack in the doorway revealed that the lights were on.
"Shh," Caitlyn reminded, even if it felt unnecessary.
Silica gave no protest. She simply nodded in compliance.
With that, Caitlyn held her gun up toward the door and resumed her path. She managed to make it all the way there without making a sound, and then she stood motionless and waited for Silica to catch up. Once she did, Caitlyn held the gun against the wall and waved her hand to the right. Apparently, her idea was for Silica to pull the door open, while Caitlyn brought her gun in quickly, so she could be ready for whoever was in the other room.
Quickly understanding, Silica got in position. She gripped the door handle, already feeling the sweat on her forehead. And then she kept her eyes locked with Caitlyn's.
First, a deep breath. And then, Caitlyn gave the signal.
Remaining quiet, Silica turned the handle and slowly pulled the door open, while Caitlyn made her entrance, gun first. She had eyes on the kitchen immediately, and the person that was baking pastries.
The intruder spun around, a silly grin on her face. "I didn't realize cheesecake was so difficult to bake," she confessed in a goofy voice. "I thought the formula said to put in two gallons of milk, but it was actually just two cups. Now, it's just a bunch of milk overwhelming the egg and sour cream. Oopsie poopsie!"
It only took a few moments for Caitlyn to remember this absurd woman. Haruko Haruhara, the alien woman they'd recently battled with. She was here.
(At the edge of the town, overlooking the steel walls)
Since it was later in the night now, Deku and Genos were supposed to head back in to switch shifts with Maka and Soul. They'd been patrolling for hours now, and although they were focused the entire time, they began to succumb to fatigue now that they were soon going to be relieved.
As the two of them headed back toward the town, Genos stopped suddenly. He spun back around, staring intently at the imposing walls that were erected by the mountain entrance.
"What is it?" Deku inquired, watching him curiously.
Genos didn't take his eyes off of the spot he was staring. "Someone is here."
When he heard that, Deku hurried over next to his comrade and peered in the same direction. "Where? I don't see anyone."
"My scanners aren't working," Genos explained. "But I can feel it. The presence of another. Something that my scanners are unable to identify. Whatever it is, Bofoi must have figured out a way to block my scanners from functioning." He still kept his eyes locked in the same direction, but he was charging the guns on his palms and shoulders now. "I don't need scanners to find my enemies. My gut is telling me what I need to know."
Then Deku sensed it to. The presence of another. His Quirk functioned in that fashion as well. He could gain a warning of danger with this special intuition. Even if it was mostly his gut talking as well, he knew it was true. They were not alone.
As they both watched closely, they saw something remarkable. The steel wall moved. Amidst the chilly wind and foggy sky, the wall was closer to them than it had been before.
"What just happened?" Deku asked in disbelief.
"You saw it, too?" No matter what they said to each other, they both kept their eyes peeled in the same direction.
"The wall. Something happened with it."
Suddenly, the wall appeared to be rumbling. The next thing that happened was it began to move higher than it had been before, until it was climbing over Deku and Genos, like a tsunami approaching the shore. As it did, the snow at the ground began to burst up in torrents.
It was finally revealed to be a bot. Not just any, though. This one was massive. It appeared as though the wall itself had been a mere piece of this machine's body. Now, the monstrosity was ready to reveal itself. Red lights began to glow in different locations as the machine began to expose more of its form.
Then, it showed that trademark face scanner which lacked in emotion, like all the rest of Teckh's creations. Even without a face, it was clearly facing Deku and Genos.
This was the trap.