Well this is the last of the first three chapters of this story that I had prepared for you.
Well let me know what you think once you are done with this one alright ;)
Where does the future lead the only thing I can see is darkness
Chapter 3: Back to the sea
Redford and his squad of four had seen a lot of things over the time in the military and even things that seemed like fantasy once they started working as mercenaries right now they were in what seemed to be an absolute massive underground shipyard with several ship bunkers that were massive rooms with about twenty five dry docks in them.
Depending on which type of ship were supposed to be stored in the shipyard the water road leading back to the main port was either rather massive or very small in total there were five of those ship bunkers as well as two other tunnels that seemed to have been used in the past to construct parts of ships that were then assembled in the dry docks at the main harbor.
Right now Redford his squad and the man who hired them Takanaka Tosa were looking at three young girls but all three of them had both the ears and the tail of what seemed to be a fox but after a moment of silence the three girls split up and started to walk into different directions of the harbor.
"Ok then Nomad Marlowe take Haggard and Sweets to look after Kishiko and Mitsuko you´re with me Takanaka" Redford simply ordered and like that his squad did as he told them and a short walk later Akeno went through a door before climbing up a concrete staircase with Redford and Takanaka following her.
Redford was still thinking about how the three girls had changed so much especially Akeno seeing as even though their eyes were no longer glowing but her eyes were still a deep crimson red with her hair being a lighter ruby red.
Akeno went into one room that had a faded yellow triangle on the door and as soon as Redford entered the room he knew what the room was meant for as there down a metal staircase were massive generators and on the upper level where they stood was a massive control center and Akeno was busy with flipping several levers and switches.
Before either Redford or Takanaka could do anything they heard a groaning sound of metal that stood still for god knows how long at first it was a scream of protest to even move but only seconds after Akeno pushed a massive red button the groaning got quieter until there was only a simple deep humming that filled the entire room.
Akeno was already at another table that was full of red and yellow lights Redford and Takanaka approached but by the time they could take a closer look Akeno was already busy with running around the table and one by one the yellow lamps turned green.
Akeno seemed satisfied with whatever she had been doing but for some reason she simply touched the right side of her head with two fingers closing her right eye as well but what she was doing neither Takanaka nor Redford knew.
"Ok thanks sis we better head out then once we made sure they are seaworthy" Akeno mumbled before heading back to the pier but halfway to the ships the walls started shaking and an old rusty alarm started blaring from somewhere.
"What the hell is going on" Redford yelled as he tried to remain standing but despite what seemed to be an earthquake Akeno simply smiled as she looked into the darkness or what had been darkness a moment ago.
There in the distance a small line of sunlight was slowly getting larger and larger illuminating the darkness revealing the massive port once what seemed to be a massive gate had fully opened revealing the blue sea outside as fresh sea air and water rushed into the massive cave.
The water in the basin was changing colors from the ugly dark green and rusty red to a clear almost crystal clear blue until the water level in the port was the same as the sea outside a moment later Takanaka and Redford were able to get back up again however by then the rest of B-company had joined them with Kishiko and Mitsuko standing on both sides of Akeno and all three of them were looking towards the open sea.
All three girls had the same look in their eyes it almost seemed to be longing as they started taking deep breaths of the fresh sea air with small tears in their eyes but the reason why they were having a look of longing on their faces was unknown to the six men that came to the Island with them.
Akeno exchanged a look with her two little sisters before all three girls drew their blades from the scabbards that were now on their backs and as one all three blades were raised towards the open sea "to return to where we belong" Mitsuko started just barely above a whisper "for there are those who need us" Kishiko continued a bit louder "for we are the protectors of the sea!" Akeno yelled the last part as all three blades glowed with crimson red light as did the three cruisers in the dry docks.
The six men could only watch with their jaws hanging open in amazement as the dry docks opened their gates and with black fog rising from the smokestacks all three ships started moving towards the concrete pier that was a bit higher than the water of the harbor with Akeno, Mitsuko and Kishiko moving towards the pier as well.
Akeno had her blade resting across both of her shoulders while Mitsuko and Kishiko were holding them to the side of their bodies that is until the three cruisers came to a complete stop at the pier and all three girls split up walking towards one of the ships each.
All three ships looked similar from the superstructure and hulls but the difference was that the cruiser Akeno was standing before had only two guns per turret unlike the cruisers of Mitsuko and Kishiko that had three guns per turret but all three ships were equipped with four quad torpedo launchers at the rear right before the two aft turrets.
Without a word Akeno, Mitsuko and Kishiko jumped onboard their cruisers and all three ships glowed with red lines that went along the entire length of the hull of the three ships only a moment later the light to disappear once more leaving nothing behind but right after that all three girls had to sit down to avoid crashing to the ground as all three girl felt as if they had been running around for several days as their muscles were burning and their breathing was very fast and short.
By the time Takanaka, Redford and his squad arrived at the pier all three girls were fast asleep with their blades once more resting in the scabbards on their backs.
"Well that was something what now Takanaka we just wait here for them to wake up again?" Nomad asked after they checked on the three girls "at this point in time that is the only thing we can do" Takanaka replied and like that they started the waiting game once more at least this time they didn´t have to run around searching for the three girls.
Mitsuko and Kishiko were simply asleep however Akenos body was the only thing that was asleep as she was once more standing in the white world with the girl with purple hair in her black white garments that had very pointed ears together with her reptile like red eyes and the fangs in her mouth Akeno had only found one word to describe this being, a devil or more commonly revered to as demons.
"It seems you already know of my kind Misaki Akeno" the girl spoke her voice sounding as if they were in a large cave "my name is Asuramaru we meet briefly when you found your first blade" the girl named Asuramaru simply explained "you have questions and I will answer some of them for now know that yes I am a demon that was created due to the remaining hatred and regrets of the dead that were living at that Island before you arrived there" she continued.
"Then why am I speaking with you like this I already know what my sisters and I are and we accepted that fact. Our parents and brothers are dead but for now I want to find out what happened to my clan and hunt down those responsible" neither Asuramaru nor Akeno said another word.
"That is a good thing now then" Asuramaru suddenly was holding a copy of Akenos blade in her right hand what was different was that Asuramarus blade had a sinister green glow to the blade with a golden black handle and hand guard "show me what you are capable of" Asuramaru grinned before attacking Akeno who responded by drawing her own blade barely blocking Asuramarus attack but the force Asuramaru put into the strike was enough to throw Akeno to the ground.
"You seem to have met with someone of my kind before but that won´t mean a thing" Asuramaru grinned as she attacked Akeno yet again what Akeno didn´t notice as she fought with Asuramaru was that the white world slowly changed until they both stood in the garden of an old Japanese style mansion.
Akenos breathing was very fast but for some reason Asuramaru turned the blade in her hand around holding it in a way that Akeno could grab it by the hilt.
"What are you planning?" Akeno mumbled as she kept her blade ready to attack or defend "you have proven to me that you are able to use my power reliably therefore this blade is now your own" Asuramaru answered with her eyes closed.
Akeno blinked at that in confusion but a few moments later she started to slowly head towards Asuramaru but as she took hold of the black green blade she started screaming in pain as it felt as if something was burning away the skin on her back between her shoulder blades.
Akeno had no idea how long the pain lasted or for how long she screamed but by the time her eyes adjusted to the light in the room she found herself in one of the rooms of the Japanese style mansion.
"You are the only one who was able to immediately allow my power to change your body at least somewhat. Due to this I decided to give you a warning Misaki Akeno" Asuramaru spoke sitting on her knee beside Akeno.
"Be careful to trust those that try to get close with you Akeno for there will be those to try and use you and your sisters" Asuramaru spoke again but right after Akeno closed her eyes again allowing sleep to take her once more without noticing the two bat like wing markings that were now on her back going down until the tips of the wings were just above her butt.
"Those three sure look peaceful" Haggard mumbled as he and the rest of Redford's squad played a game of cards as they were sitting on the bow of one of the three cruisers "true enough but how the hell did these three ships just start moving like that we checked all three ships from top to bottom and we found no one" Sweetwater mumbled as he lost yet another round against Nomad and Redford.
"True enough Sweets but we can only wait for them to wake up even though I have to question what Takanaka actually wants to do with those three once we trained them" Nomad mumbled as he collected all of the cards to mix them.
"That's something I don´t understand they are not even teenagers and yet we are supposed to train them to become soldiers leaves a bad taste in my mouth to be honest" Marlowe added as Redford lit one of his cigars.
"Only one of them is nine years old and the other two are eight they lost not only both of their parents but they also believe that their two older brothers have died during the attack on the Luxus liner" Takanaka spoke as he leaned against the railing of the cruiser looking towards the setting sun on the horizon.
"You know anything about those two brothers?" Nomad asked but Takanaka only shock his head in response getting a sigh from the other five men "they lost their family and yet they truly are the last descendants of the Akai senchō" Takanaka added as he turned back towards the setting sun on the horizon.
"Takanaka how were these three ships able to set sail so fast and then just stop right where those three were waiting for them?" Sweetwater asked while checking his sidearm.
Takanaka didn´t answer immediately until he looked towards where Akeno and her two sisters were sleeping "they are the ones who are able to command any kind of ship with just their mind and a blood bond to a blade that has been forged from the very same ship. I wish I knew more than that but that is all I am able to tell you" Takanaka explained.
It was a few hours after dark that Redford and his squad decided to get some shuteye as well with Takanaka taking the first watch of the night.
But a few hours later after Takanaka was sure they were all asleep he went to the roof of the bridge of the cruiser and pulled out a satellite phone from his bag pack dialing a number and seconds later someone picked up on the other end "this is a surprise what is it you want this time?" a voice with a heavy Russian accent asked from the other end.
"Several days from now a group of three cruisers will be passing the golden triangle I want you to send someone to attack them however the group of attackers should be those you wish to get rid of" Takanaka answered a cruel smirk on his lips.
"That can be arranged I really hate you and your colleges but your timing is just too perfect sometimes" the Russian replied with a slight growling "we will have them ready to greet those three cruisers but this is the last time I want to hear anything from you" with that the Russian hung up.
"You have no idea what you are sending those fools into" Takanaka mumbled before he started laughing like a mad man but he stopped a moment later and returned to watching over the three girls for the rest of the night until Nomad took over for him.
In the early morning the sun started to rise again but Akeno was already awake and standing at the bow of her ship watching the rising sun "the days to come will be a challenge for all three of us" Akeno mumbled.
"So you woke up again what are you going to do now?" Redford asked but he did notice that Akeno now had two blades resting on her back but the second blade that had a golden handle and Black Hand guard was resting in a black scabbard that had a green dragon coiling around its entire length.
While the first blade with a red handle was resting in a black scabbard with a red dragon instead of a green one "I will go with my sisters to train for what we need to do in the future and right now it would seem that the offer Takanaka made is our best option" Akeno answered not even turning around to look at Redford.
"You better make sure you survive then" Redford replied before walking away from her and a few minutes later Akeno started exploring her ship to her surprise the ship was very spacious unlike the frigate Takanaka was commanding the hallways were rather wide and the few rooms that she found were also pretty big but very dusty.
Towards the back of the ship Akeno got very confused as she walked into what seemed to be a small prison with several cells with open doors but none of the cells had a window the only thing that was inside the cells was a metal bed that was mounted into the wall and a metal toilet with a metal basin that was mounted on the wall.
"Strange I wonder if the other two ships are the same as this" Akeno mumbled as she continued to explore the rest of the ship but other than the magazines of the turrets and several storage areas that were mostly empty but once she started searching one of the quarters she found two metal cases under the bed.
But both of them were locked but one of the cases had badly rusted and with the combat knife Akeno was able to break the lock and inside the case Akeno found an old black leather holster and wrapped in white cloth were two pistols however the paint on them was more than just faded.
But despite the faded paint Akeno took of her two blades and her jacket before she took the leather holster and a moment later the two pistols were hidden underneath her jacket with her blades resting over her back once more.
By the time Akeno got back on deck the sun was already high in the sky and breakfast was also ready once they all had eaten Takanaka showed them the location of the training camp but for some reason Redford and his squad looked really uncomfortable all of a sudden.
"It would seem you already know something about this place don't you?" Takanaka asked as he looked towards Redford and his squad "yeah we were there a few years ago was a bloody mess with some cartel using it as an outpost" Haggard answered seeing as none of his squad mates were going to say anything on that matter.
"Anyway we liberated that place a while ago and now it has been rebuilt into a secluded training camp for special op units" Takanaka explained to reassure Redford and his squad "from where we are I will escort you to meet up with a supply convoy to load up on fuel and some other supplies in order for you to reach this Island. But once you meet up with the convoy you are on your own from there on."
"What kind of fuel would we even need I mean are you going to send us to this Island with that dingy torpedo boat or what are you planning to use?" Sweetwater asked getting only a look of disbelieve from Takanaka and the others.
"If you haven´t noticed Sweets we actually are on one of the ships that will be heading to this Island so that their captains can be trained by us there" Redford explained causing the rest of the squad to start laughing at the face Sweetwater was making as he realized what he meant.
After that Akeno, Mitsuko and Kishiko went to the bridge of their own cruisers with two members of B-Company joining them with Nomad and Haggard getting onboard with Mitsuko while Sweetwater and Marlowe got onboard with Kishiko.
Akeno wasn´t too happy to have Redford and Takanaka onboard her cruiser but she had no other choice and one after the other the three cruisers left the cave harbor and once they picked up the torpedo boat and the two skippers from the beach they headed into the fog that once more parted before them allowing them to easily pass through it.
Once the three ships were through the fog they soon after spotted Takanakas frigate and only a few minutes later did Takanaka leave with the torpedo boat while the two skippers stayed onboard Akenos cruiser.
They also loaded a few crates of equipment onboard Kishikos cruiser as it turns out it was some of the stuff B-company brought with them just in case they might need it.
Once everything was transferred onboard their respective ships Takanakas frigate started moving and following it were the three cruisers that spread out in a single line and like that the small fleet continued on its way.
Redford had noticed that Akeno had been hiding something from them and once the day turned to night he decided to ask her about it during dinner that they were eating on the deck just above the torpedo tubes.
"Listen I know you have been hiding something from us your choice if you tell me what it is" Redford mumbled as he and Akeno were eating some canned food that they simply warmed up before eating it.
Akeno stopped eating for a moment before she put down her meal "yeah I found something in one of the rooms" Akeno replied pulling out one of the pistols showing it to Redford who had a confused look on his face before Akeno handed the pistol over to him.
"Seems this one is a heavily modified M1911 pistol but what I can´t figure out is why they have this strange rail right under the barrel" Redford said as he inspected the pistol from all sides while Akeno had the other one lying in her lap.
"There is another case that I found together with the one that these two were in but it didn´t rust as bad as that one so I don´t know what might be in there" Akeno admitted as Redford handed her the pistol again after he checked the magazine.
"Well they are in pretty good condition for how old they are might have to clean them though before you try to use them so wait until we got that done" Akeno simply nodded after Redford told her that as she put the two pistols back into her holsters.
Akeno and Redford continued to eat their meal in silence and once they were done they went back into the ship with Akeno sleeping on a field bed that was on the bridge and Redford sleeping down the hallway in one of the rooms.
On the other two ships you would see a similar picture with Mitsuko and Kishiko sleeping on the bridge of their ships and the four members of B-company sleeping in one of the rooms closest to the bridge.
Through the night the three cruisers and one frigate continued on their way even though they passed several other ships none of them tried to approach them one or two radioed Takanakas frigate to learn of their intentions but none of them tried to do anything.
For three days and nights the four ships continued on their way Redford and Akeno managed to clean up the two pistols Akeno found and in the second case they found two bayonets that Akeno could mount under her pistols she also learned basics of gun maintenance from Redford to keep the pistols in good shape all in all it was rather boring until on the seventh day in the evening they encountered a group of three liberty transport ships and three tankers.
Takanaka only told them to slow down and a while later each cruiser had one of the liberty ships on one side and one of the tankers on the other after that it was what looked like complete chaos to Akeno and her two sisters as the deck of their cruisers were full with people loading crates into the storage areas while another crew of men was filling up the fuel bunkers of the ship that were rather large.
Over five hours went by before everything started to die down from the previous commotion and only ten minutes later the cargo ships and tankers started to turn away from the three cruisers and one frigate.
After that Akeno, Mitsuko and Kishiko started to learn how to handle most types of firearms from the members of B-company Akeno turned out to have excellent marksmanship while Mitsuko displayed the same ability to hit a target she was more comfortable with bolt action rifles while Akeno used either her two pistols.
Kishiko was the odd one out as she was more comfortable by having something that could take out several targets in rapid succession but she also got very fond of automatic rifles.
Akeno started training with her two pistols together with those two guns she also tried using several types of assault and battle rifles but none of them quite fit her that is until Redford handed her a rather compact rifle with a curved magazine and collapsible stock.
Akeno learned that it was a Russian gun Redford picked up at some point but the thing Akeno noticed was that the rifle had a red star with a golden hammer crossed with a sickle at the side of the rifle.
Mitsuko learned how to use most of the bolt action rifles Marlowe had with him while also learning from Sweetwater about how to use submachine guns and pistols.
Kishiko learned how to use semi automatic rifles as well as any other semi or fully automatic rifle Haggard and Nomad had for her the girls had been somewhat afraid of learning how to use these kinds of weapons since their parents told them that guns only exist to kill someone.
It was a weird sight for the five ex-members of B- Company to see three young girls handling firearms that were almost as tall as them with relative ease even if they did have some problems to control the recoil on most of the automatic rifles but with time and training that would pass.
Another five days passed before Takanakas Frigate turned away but instead of following it the three cruisers continued on their own towards the Training Island but the real reason Takanaka had turned around was that they had just entered what was commonly known as the golden triangle.