Be warned, I will be making minor changes over the next 48 hours as I find gramatical errors and edit exact wordings to hit character personalities. However this version is like, 90% done and I'm so tired right now I wanna be done and upload this thing. ENJOY CHAPTER TWELVE! NO THIS STORY ISN'T DEAD YET!
Run once more my friends. Run once and forever.
(Longer set of A/N at the bottom)
Chapter Twelve: Meme Lords and Bladed Tongues
Day 3
Date: Sunday, January 23rd 2015
Location: Kheawuton: Khua, Abandoned Cafe
Time: Roughly 5:04pm S.S.T. (Standard Sanctuary Time)
Black Rock Shooter
The truth about Blue Rift Sanctuary had clearly shaken the entirety of Squad Keeper, as shown by their continued silence and lack of movement for the past half hour. Black felt a small pang of sympathy for the group. Just like her life had been turned upside-down a mere four days ago, their lives had changed just as much.
Black was sorry to force the truth upon the group, but it wasn't right for her to let them continue thinking that they were destroying false characters in some kind of twisted game, which also seemed to be created from deception from the sudden loss of Rush's job in her world. This secret plan of the council may run deeper than I first realized.
The long silence was finally broken when Black's radio crackled. "White, it's Beals. The engineering team just reported back. Your T.A.T. is ready fixed and ready for the attack. Report to the programmed coordinates within three hours."
"Understood Sir." Whitestar responded calmly before standing up. "Well we won't figure this out by sitting around. Let's shelve this for now and focus on blowing up some Thilans."
"Is that even appropriate anymore?" Rose asked flatly. "I mean, what if the Thilans turn out to be the good guys!?"
"They aren't." Black answered quickly. "They murdered several thousand people in cold blood just to demonstrate their power."
"What if that's a lie too!?" Rose yelled.
DJ let out a long sigh. "You know what I think? I think that we're making this harder on ourselves than it needs to be-" Rose cut DJ off.
"This isn't a game anymore DJ! Rush got fired! Black is a real person, and the council had brainwashed the rest of the Keepers! Who's to say we won't get killed in real life if our little plan goes wrong!?" Coward. The second she's at risk to lose her life she backs out. It was a selfish thought, but at the same time felt no guilt for thinking it. Rose supposedly was the one to convince the others to aid Black, and now she wanted out.
"Rose I know you're worried, hell Rush was probably about to blurt the same damn thing. But isn't helping Black still the right thing to do?" DJ asked, in what Black guessed was a rare moment of clarity for the muscular Trooper.
"I know it is!" Rose shot back. "But I'm not going to rush in there blind and take away people from their families!" Black realized that this was about her mother, and the pain that came with losing family.
"Loss is inevitable in war." Black said softly. "We cannot protect those on the other side, but we can make sure that no one on Blue Rift has to suffer that kind of loss." Rose stopped with her mouth hanging half open.
"Black's right Rose." Whitestar pressed. "Besides, even if the Council of Blue Rift do turn out to be the bad guys, remember that there are still many innocent families who don't know any better."
Rose sighed. "Yeah, alright fine." Black felt that Rose wasn't totally happy with the reasons given, but there was no happy answer to this problem.
"What do you think Rush? You've been oddly quiet." Whitestar asked. One look at the newest member of Squad Keeper and Black knew that this woman was beyond furious. Whatever reservations Rush had about taking on the council and attempting to free the rest of the Keepers were clearly gone.
"Just give me something to shoot before I blow up the whole fucking city." Rush growled darkly. Whitestar grinned, and Black guessed that an angry Rush in this situation was a good thing.
"We shouldn't delay for much longer." Winston pointed out. "Otherwise the Colonel will begin to wonder where we are."
Whitestar nodded and headed for the exit to the abandoned café, everyone else slowly getting up and following.
Pulling out Black Blade to use as a crutch, Black began to follow them, pulling the hood over her head without bothering to retrieve the abandoned tarp that lay in the corner of the room.
Black wondered where they would go after the battle against the Thilan base. Since their stolen T.A.T. would allow them to be separated from the rest of the army, she wondered if they would be sent deeper into enemy territory to start doing some damage behind enemy lines. Black hoped they would be given the freedom to do as they pleased so she could get assistance in freeing the other Keepers.
Black knew it was selfish to think that way, and while normally such pangs of guilt would be suppressed instantly, Black felt an honest regret in using Squad Keeper. Despite only knowing them for a little under a day she had gotten to know Rose fairly well, and knew that it would be wrong to put them in a situation where they could be hurt not just in her world, but their own as well.
This was no longer going to be a simple mission of destroy the mind control device and free her family, now she had to consider the safety of the Guardians she had recruited to her cause as well as keeping their identities a secret. It may be time to seek out that former councilor. Black thought to herself. Perhaps he could be helpful.
"Are you all seriously going to keep brooding over this!?" DJ's sudden cry yanked Black away from her plotting, however no one else seemed to notice. Black wondered just how strong these Guardians were mentally. When they thought her world was a game they had no fear, and while yes they treated everything as a joke they were undoubtedly the strongest Guardians on Blue Rift. Now however, they looked like nothing more than a group of depressed students being sent to their deaths. DJ, Rush, and perhaps Winston, were the only Guardians who looked ready to fight.
Whitestar stopped and turned around. "DJ, control alt F-five please." Black stood there in absolute confusion, which only grew as DJ grinned wildly. Without any warning and before she could react, DJ slammed both of his fists into the guts of Whitestar and Rose, sending them crashing to the ground.
"Better?" DJ asked, still grinning.
"Much." Whitestar grunted.
"What the fu-" Rose cursed, getting halfway through before Winston interrupted.
"DJ is right, we're over thinking this. In the end it's quite simple, rescue the rest of the Keepers without getting caught."
"Alright dumbass, but in case you haven't noticed we're still technically playing a game. I'm sure the guys over at Fulldrive can track our every movement and action!" Rose retorted bitterly.
"Then that needs to be our first objective." Whitestar grunted, picking himself up off the ground. "Considering there's a good chance that whatever coding Rush worked on for BRSO was thrown in the garbage, we have to start from square one."
"We find out if Fulldrive or the council can track us, and get a way around that." Winston guessed. Whitestar nodded.
"Exactly. First we gather information and go from there. But before we can do that…"
"We gotta blow some Thilan ass sky high!" Whitestar nodded at DJ's energetic declaration.
"Regardless of the consequences, these guys are the invaders and BRSO is our adopted homeland. Not to mention that going against the orders of the General would probably be a bad idea."
Black was amazed that Whitestar was able to recover so quickly, and that the group was able to break down their problem, despite it changing their entire life on Blue Rift. The Keepers had been raised with the practice of suppressing both emotion and moral consequences, both of these said to be critical hindrances to their strength. However Squad Keeper seemed to function just fine with them, even rebelling against the system to do what was right, despite the enormous odds against them. Her thoughts trailed back to the book Sy had given always knew that there was more to life than killing Thilan and following orders, but never before had Black seen it up close like that.
"So any guesses as to what we'll be going up against? DJ asked with a renewed enthusiasm as soon as the group started walking again.
"I just hope I don't have to snipe from the top of the T.A.T. again." Rose muttered bitterly.
Black, walking to the immediate right of Rush barely overheard her muttering something about combat in an open field and slashing Thilan soldiers to ribbons and making them into a sweater.
"What was that Rush?" DJ asked with a grin. "And would you like a grenade?"
"You know better than to give Rush a grenade DJ." Winston cut in flatly.
"No kidding! Don't you remember what happened during Winston's party last month?"
Rose cried, her voice filled with anger.
"Why is giving Rush a grenade a bad idea?" Black dared to ask.
"Let's just say that when my sister gets angry friendly fire is no longer a concern." Whitestar answered with a sigh. "And people quickly turn into mush." Black raised an eyebrow but said nothing. It sounded as if Rush became even more violent and reckless while angered.
After several minutes of walking Black reached the conclusion that listening to the Squads pointless banter was a waste of time. Her thoughts began to drift towards her sister, a subject she found herself thinking more and more about with each passing day. The dream Black had the night before replaying over and over in her mind, and wasn't any less disturbing than the first time.
She knew that Whitestar had nothing to do with her sister's accidental death, but nonetheless she remained wary of the Guardian. Something deep inside Black told her not to trust him. That he might be some secret that he was keeping from her. That he might turn the White Rock Cannon on her at any moment.
Another question raced through her mind, should she go back to Obroseon and try to find Yeman Aland? The former councilor clearly had a great desire to free the Keepers from the council's grip, but at the same time seemed to lack the resources to do so on his own. Getting the famous weaponsmith and former General Riho Medias on his side was a feat, but was it enough to launch an attack on the council?
No. Black concluded. A single former general with a Rock pistol couldn't take on the entire city of Obroseon. There was also no doubt that the Council had figured out that the pair of them had been outside the lab where the Keepers were being held the night of her escape. As much as she hated to admit it, her best chance at the current moment was to remain with Squad Keeper and hope for another opportunity to show itself.
But what kind of opportunity would be the right one? Despite their skill, Squad Keeper couldn't hope to launch a full on assault on the capital, and they lacked the information for any kind of (Insert word) mission. Then there was the question of the mind control chips. Black's chip had either been defective or she was somehow immune to the devices, but how was she supposed to disable the ones implanted in the others? Electric shocks were out of the question, as two of her fellow Keepers had the power to control electric currents.
Black suddenly remembered the third man in the hotel room, and wondered if he could help. The man was clearly a hacker, but without any way to track him, that lead was also a dead end. Black's eyes narrowed. She hated not having the tools, nor the information to complete her mission. It was like a tall mountain had been placed in front of her and she had been asked to climb it without any tools. It wasn't impossible, but it was going to take every bit of focus and concentration she had.
"You okay?" Whitestar asked. The sudden question causing Black to turn her head towards Whitestar in surprise, although her face remained neutral.
"I'm fine." Black replied simply, the demonic smile on Whitestar's face from her dream flashing in her mind. She tried, and failed, to push it away.
"You know if you need someone to talk to we're here for you." Whitestar's attempt at reassurance was filled with hesitation, like the Guardian wasn't sure if what he was saying was right. "Of course, we probably just seem like a bunch of arrogant, reckless idiots after that display back there."
"Your reactions were… understandable." Black replied slowly, thinking over every word. "You recently learned that you have been lied to. Panic and fear is an expected reaction."
"Way to break it down like we're a bunch of robots." Whitestar said in a teasing tone. "But thanks, I guess that gives us something in common." Black narrowed her eyes, annoyed and slightly offended by the Guardian's comment.
"Do not compare the betrayal of the council to the creation of the Guardians. unlike you, we had our future stolen from us."
"Yeah and I guess we kind of stole that out from under you." Whitestar finished before Black could continue. Whitestar looked up at the sky, the sun hidden behind the clouds. The Guardian seemed to be searching for the right words.
"I appreciate your concern, but I am fine." Black insisted, trying to dismiss him.
"Don't give me that." Whitestar warned, his voice falling into a serious tone that Black hadn't heard from him before. The Shooter had been dead serious when he was in the Cafe talking with the rest of his squad, but this was different. His voice was filled with a feeling Black recognized, it was almost exactly like the feeling Black first felt when she learned that the Keepers would be turned against each other. Black stopped walking, Whitestar halted right next to her.
"Something is on your mind, and while I'm not a good enough leader or friend to know by instinct, I know when something's bugging a person deeply. I want to help, so what's wrong?"
There was a pause as Black looked into the eyes of the Shooter, and was surprised to find a deep concern in his eyes. It felt like he was expecting something terrible to happen if Black didn't explain herself right then and there. The look made Black uncomfortable, but not in a bad way. She was tempted to tell Whitestar everything, but she couldn't. Not with the vision of him killing his sister fresh in her mind.
"Show me that i can trust you." Black finally replied before walking ahead.
Day 3
Date: Sunday, January 23rd 2015
Location: Kheawuton: Khua, Underground Bunker
Time: Roughly 3:26pm P.E.T. (Pacific Earth Time)
Whitestar
Black's last words in their conversation gave White a general idea of what was on the Keeper's mind. He had essentially, without warning, taken her sister's name, jacket, cannon, and role in less than a day. White wasn't even sure that Black wanted him as anything more than a tool to get the remaining Keepers free. White didn't mind that, but he kind of wanted to have the other Shooter trust him. Maybe even be friends.
There's nothing I can say to her to get her to trust me. White realized. And only Black can decide if she wants to trust me. The thought may seem dismissive to many, but White wasn't the type of person to go out of his way to seek trust quickly. In his mind, something that valuable had to be built up over time, and three days wasn't a lot considering what the Keepers had been through their whole lives.
Which meant that the next issue at hand was the upcoming battle with the Thilan. Not long after the groups little episode in the cafe, they made their swift return to The Liberator and got briefed on their mission.
General Caelus was surprisingly upfront with them about the twofold purpose of their mission. The first and foremost was to reclaim a critical position on the southwest edge of the city. A spot where the Thilans had easy access to the railroad connecting Khua to Obroseon in addition to several smaller cities.
Winston had remarked that it was a miracle that they weren't attacked when the groups of Guardians were coming in, and that's when they learned that more than half the stationed troops had been sacrificed to make sure the Thilan didn't get the chance. White couldn't even imagine having to make that call. Trading half your army for a bunch of gamers from another world who were unpredictable, moody, and had no real reason to follow the General.
Of course that meant that the other reason for the attack was to really test the skills of the Guardians by sending them out alone, and have them direct themselves in the battle. The entire group shared a worried glance, knowing how dangerous that could be if there wasn't any organized leadership.
Rush had been the only one to verbally protest the idea of sending in the Guardians without any real plan, and it almost exploded into a full on shouting match between her and the General at one point. So several minutes of calming Rush down followed by some minor details and a data transfer led to a prolonged silence from the six people sitting in the command center of The Liberator.
"You know I'm starting to get the impression that the General doesn't like Guardians." DJ sighed. Rose turned her head and gave him a flat stare.
"No shit Sherlock!" She cried.
"So what is our plan of attack?" Black asked, not looking at either Rose or DJ.
"I will have to look at the provided information while we are en-route." Winston admitted. "However I should have something before we reach the Thilan base."
"You'd better, there won't be much time for planning once the shit hits the fan." Rush said grimly with narrowed eyes.
"It will take approximately four hours for all remaining Guardians to reach the rally point." Winston informed. "I will have a plan."
"And if he doesn't I don't think anyone here has a problem of pulling a Leeroy Jenkins." DJ grinned wildly, an action White quickly joined in on. Black glanced towards DJ and narrowed her eyes but said nothing.
With their rather short strategy meeting concluded the group, save for Winston, moved back into the lower section of The Liberator and within moments were out of their secret underground parking garage and on their way to the rally point. According to the map given to them by the General, all Guardians were supposed to meet up in a broken down residential district just inside city limits. From there they would march on the Thilan base roughly four miles southeast of the city in what used to be a forest area. A combination of past battles and Thilan infrastructure turned the whole place into a massive military base protected by ten foot high walls, similar to the factory complex that the group had destroyed the previous day. Naturally it was going to be up to them to open the gates.
As they sat on the beds, which were starting to double as their seats, White stole a glance at the large staff attached to Rush's back. It wasn't too hard to guess that his sister had chosen the Brawler class, the only one the group hadn't chosen. While clearly not ideal for the type of combat that BRSO was going with, the class and weapon fit her perfectly.
True to her name Rush Queen, White's sister was a master of fast-paced close quarters combat, and often focused on speed and offensive stats so hard she turned her character into an assassin rather than a bruiser character. It left Squad Keeper without any real tank, but then again BRSO didn't play by normal MMORPG rules. There was no effective way to be a tank and draw aggro in the first place, making the whole class somewhat pointless.
Black didn't seem to question Rush about her specialties either, not that she would need to with the little spat the pair had. At the current moment she had found some kind of rag and cleaning equipment from who knows where and was cleaning her cannon. The compartment was empty save for the sounds of DJ singing away marching tunes as he drove through the streets of Obroseon. And if it weren't for the fact that T.A.T.'s ran off of some kind of anti-gravity technology, White was sure his friend would be running over every single abandoned car left on the road.
"So Black!" DJ called, interrupting one of his marching songs. "When the Keepers prep for a serious op like this one, how to they get themselves psyched up?" Black didn't reply and continued the cleaning process. A few moments of silence passed before DJ tried again.
"Yo, Earth to Black! Don't tell me you want comatose on us again? I'd hate to have to give mouth to mouth."
"DJ if you don't shut that perverted mouth of your I'll make sure to do it for you in the most violent way possible." Rose's tone generated a dark, evil aura that surrounded her as she replied. White smirked in amusement.
"Good to know some things haven't changed." Rush muttered to White with a grin. "How hard has he fallen for her?"
"I'd have to give it a six out of ten." White answered. Rush's grin became wider. A six out of ten for DJ meant that he'd forget about Black and fall for the next pretty girl they came across.
Black however, seemed oblivious despite all the conversation directed towards her. White reached over and tapped Black on the shoulder.
"I would prefer not to be disturbed." The Keeper said in a low tone, clearly annoyed at DJ's childish attitude.
"Geez Black you're too serious!" DJ piped up again.
"It's respectable that you can ignore DJ." Rush praised. "But ignoring us won't do you any good you know. We're not going away anytime soon."
"I would rather not engage in meaningless conversation before battle." Black replied, obviously more frustrated than before. "I'm disturbed that this how Guardians behave before battle."
"And we're not an oddity either. All hail the meme generation!" DJ shouted proudly. Black's left eyebrow twitched.
"Ignore them Black, they have no common sense." Rose sighed, to which Rush started laughing hard.
"Ignore? Us? Yeah good luck with that. Stopping a train with your bare hands would be easier!"
"Hell yeah!" White held up his hand in a high-five which Rush quickly met.
In what only could be described as an action done out of annoyance, Black stowed her cannon and quickly jumped from her seat and stormed up the ladder to the Command Tower. White watched her go up and let out a long sigh. He had to admit that they may have taken their antics a little far. Black was no doubt used to a more serious atmosphere where the only focus was victory rather than spouting out some random joke. It all came down to a difference in culture, and one that White hoped could be bridged soon.
"So uhh, what just happened?" DJ asked in confusion. White's face scrunched up as he realized his mistake.
"Well played you idiots. Now we can look forward to Black ditching us at the first opportunity." Rose spat.
"Did she just storm off?" DJ asked again, clearly trying to resist the urge to turn around.
"Yeah. We really need to do a better job of shutting the hell up." White observed.
"What would be the point in that? It's better that she gets to know us for who we are now rather than later." Rush's logic made sense, but still Black had been giving off queues that the entire group should have picked up on. It was like having that one friend who would never stop tickling you even though you asked for him to stop several times. True it was in their nature to push the limits, but that didn't make it okay. White stood up, only to be stopped by Rose grabbing his left arm.
"Leave her. You'll only make things worse, and she has Winston to talk to." White considered her point for a moment.
"Well then I guess I'll have to try and not make things worse. Probably not a good idea to have her go into battle not trusting the guy calling the shots."
"You really can't just leave these things alone can you?" DJ asked. "Man you've got a heart of gold you know that?"
"Sell it on the market and I take your head." White retorted in amusement before turning away from the group and climbing the rung ladder that led up to the command tower. He figured Black was nothing more than annoyed at the carefree attitude that the Guardians were taking with a major battle looming over the horizon. An act that must have made them look like nothing more than children playing war.
Okay yeah that was probably a pretty big insult given the circumstances.
White found Black sitting down on the left side of the circular room with Winston at the head of the map looking down at a plan of the Thilan base. Upon stepping into the tower Winston glanced back briefly and shook his head. White rolled his eyes and glanced around the room.
Like before, Black was focused on cleaning her cannon. So White went either unnoticed or ignored as he walked over and sat down on her right and pulled out his own cannon, although he wasn't really sure what to do with it. For several minutes the pair sat there in silence, something White was perfectly comfortable doing… for about the first twenty seconds. Patience wasn't exactly his strong suit. But White couldn't form the words.
It didn't take too long before White started feeling awkward. He wanted to apologize for the antics a few minutes earlier but the words weren't forming in his mouth. A part of his remembered the conversation between the pair of them on the way back from the cafe and figured it might be too early to say anything. But then again he'd rather not leave things in their current state.
So like an idiot he settled for approach number three, and said nothing at all while looking super uncomfortable. White could feel Winston watching him from a distance. Apologizing was never one of his strong suits.
"If you have something to say then speak." Black grumbled monotonously. "Your awkward presence is distracting."
"Sorry, I'm not very good at this." White replied honestly.
"Do not concern yourself with me, however I would appreciate being left alone before we arrive."
White had to change the conversation somehow. The last thing he wanted to do was leave Black with the impression that they were a bunch of bumbling idiots who were still dealing with the shock that BRSO isn't just some game for kicks and giggles, and Black was only getting more annoyed the longer White didn't say what he needed to.
"Why do you like being alone so much?" White asked slowly, making sure he chose his words carefully.
"I do not enjoy being alone." Black's voice was firm, as if the question itself was an insult. "However I consider your childish behavior inappropriate for the situation we are about to find ourselves in."
Better get used to it. White thought bitterly to himself, forcing the words down in his throat. While it was true that many gamers were going to take the battle seriously, none of them would have the level of seriousness that Black did.
"Sorry, but that's how we normally are while we're not focusing on blowing someone's head off. I'm guessing you didn't do much joking before all of this?"
"Laughter and jokes are actions tied to emotion, something the Keepers did not require." Black explained.
"That's… unfortunate." Black turned and stared at White, her eyes filled with a dark, questioning glare.
"I do not need a Guardian telling me how 'unfortunate' my upbringing was. It is my life and I accept the role I have been given."
"Did you know that people do better at things when they enjoy doing them?" White continued, smiling at Black. "It's true. The mind works faster and more efficiently when a person enjoys a task. I can understand the reason for wanting to suppress your emotions, but you won't ever best someone who truly enjoys what they do." Blacks eyes narrowed and it was clear that she was becoming furious.
"You're saying I'm weak!?" Black spat, her left arm starting to enter her cannon.
"No no no, I'm asking for you to loosen up a little bit!" White clarified quickly.
"Emotions get in the way of making effective decisions, and will only get people killed."
"Emotions also give you a reason to fight. If you truely didn't have any emotions you'd be back in that Obroseon arena fighting to the death again and again." White countered.
"What White is trying to say," Winston interrupted, his voice flat, "is that you're human, not some machine programmed to wage war."
"Wow, way to make it sound like I don't respect her way of life at all." White stuck his tongue out at Winston.
"But isn't that what you're trying to say?" Winston guessed, and not incorrectly. White would love to see Black loosen up a little bit from being this badass war machine and show the person underneath.
"I'm trying to say that while we act like careless idiots a lot of the time, we're here to help you Black. We laugh because we do better if we're smiling and making a joke out of everything."
"That and a pissed off White is something we never want to see again." White met his friends side comment with a hard glare, not that he would show it if he noticed.
Black's shoulders relaxed a bit, and the cannon returned to her lap for cleaning, the once red rag she was using now covered in dust and dirt. Her facial features returned to the all too familiar neutral look, the same one that was incredibly hard for White to read.
"Then do you not value life?" Black asked. "The way you laugh carelessly in the face of death is similar to those who enjoy killing." White paused for a moment, sucking on his lower lip as he searched for his answer.
"I'd be lying if I said that the five of us didn't enjoy combat," White finally answered, "but remember we're used to fighting virtual enemies in worlds where death has no real consequence. It's closer to a sport than war."
Black shot him another glare. "You make it sound like the Keeper Battles."
White glanced off to one side and nodded slowly, seeing the connection. "True. Remember though, no consequence. If given the option I'd gladly take the Squad Keeper into that arena and fight another group of Guardians to the death, because it doesn't actually kill us and doesn't come with any real consequence other than disappointment. Keepers on the other hand," White poked Black's shoulder. "Are a different story."
Black turned back to her cannon and seemed to ponder the argument for a few moments.
"Then it is overconfidence and arrogance." White opened his mouth to disagree before realizing she was right.
"Okay yeah you've got us there. Still it's how we roll, and it's not like we're trying to get killed out there."
"We may sound like a bunch of arrogant idiots now, but if you recall the battle earlier you know that most of us take a more serious attitude into battle." Winston added.
"The only exception being DJ and my sister." White sighed. "Those two really do love the thrill of battle."
"Then why do you fight?" Black asked. White looked at Winston, who shrugged. Silence filled the room for a few minutes as the Shooter searched for an answer.
"Uhh, ask me again sometime in the future. Right now it's mostly me going with the flow. Sure I care about saving the Keepers and all, but if we're being truly honest with each other then I have to say that I don't have any personal investment in this." White dared to steal a glance towards Black, half expecting to find her cannon aimed at his head and glowing with energy. Instead he found the girl staring at him with a neutral expression, like she was trying to come to terms with what she heard.
Deciding to end the conversation before he made things worse for himself, White stood up. "Listen, I may not be fully invested now. But rest assured the longer I hang around you the more I'll care." With a wink White headed back down the ladder, where the screams of Rose could be heard over the antics of Rush and DJ.
Day 3
Date: Sunday, January 23rd 2015
Location: Kheawuton: Khua, Southeast Rally Point - Abandoned Residential District
Time: Roughly 5:58pm P.E.T. (Pacific Earth Time)
Whitestar
Time to Guardian's Attack - one hour thirty minutes.
It had taken The Liberator two hours to navigate the broken southwest part of Khua, which seemed to be in the worst shape of any part of the city. Debris the size of semi-trucks blocked most of the roads, and unwilling to just blast their way through, Rush, Rose and White all had to sit there and listen to DJ's non stop complaining and swearing the whole way through. White was sure that Rose was going to punch the man the following morning before school.
When the group finally did arrive at their destination however, White was surprised to find the quote 'abandoned residential district' had been converted into a full on forward operating base. Two story houses were converted into structurally sound barracks, Sanctuary soldiers lined the streets armed, and from what White could see, a well established perimeter keeping watch for any unexpected Thilan attacks. They must have been planning this from the moment they knew the Guardians were coming. White realized.
A higher ranking officer directed them into a makeshift warehouse for a last minute inspection of The Liberator to make sure the main cannon and other secondary systems were working as intended, leaving the six members of Squad Keeper to discuss their plan over the sounds of mechanics and engineers.
"Alright teach what you got for us?" Rush asked as she finished climbing the ladder behind DJ, the last two up.
"I would prefer to keep the nicknames out of the briefing please." Winston remarked before pressing a button on his control panel, bringing up a red colored three dimensional holographic map of what looked like a small city. Everyone gathered in a circle around the map, Black getting up from her spot and standing opposite of White.
"Uhh, Winster? I think you got the wrong map buddy." Winston glared at DJ before replying.
"I assure you I have the right data. This is the information that was sent to me about the Thilan base."
"It is not uncommon for the Thilan's to construct large military fortifications at key strategic locations." Black explained. "It allows each to act independently, both as a show of power and in the event that they are cut off from supply lines."
"Well then this should be interesting." Rose mused.
"The plan is similar to the one at the Thilan factory complex, however this time we will be taking a more direct approach." With a few more buttons, the map zoomed outward to show the surrounding area around the small city that was the Thilan base. Dozens of small blue triangles appeared to the northeast of the massive circular wall that surrounded the city-base.
"Both our plan and the General's depends on the success of The Liberator getting within three hundred twenty-eight of the wall, close enough to destroy it with the main cannon." The triangles moved forward toward the city as he spoke, with one larger triangle in the middle that White could only assume represented The Liberator.
"We cannot expect to get that close, the defenses of a Thilan base are much too strong. It would be safer to destroy the wall from two hundred crons." Black suggested, pressing a few buttons on her side of the map, which moved the large triangle back to twice as far away from the wall.
"Just a question from the stupid jester, but what the fuck is a cron?" DJ asked with a raised hand.
"A cron is equal to a meter, a micron equal to a centimeter." Winston answered.
"Great… more of the goddamn metric system." DJ muttered.
"In any case," Winston continued with a glare at DJ, "I'm afraid that firing The Liberator's rock cannon from that distance would be ineffective."
"Because of the range right?" Rose guessed. Winston nodded.
"In addition to the battle plan, General Caelus sent me all the data they had on Thilan T.A.T.'s. Based off of information from previous battles, a T.A.T.'s main cannon loses both power and accuracy beyond a range of four hundred feet, or one hundred twenty crons."
"So let me play the role of clueless blonde for a minute. Why aren't we shooting from the edge of our range instead of being stupid enough to try and get close?" Rush asked.
"Because any target within one hundred feet is guaranteed to be destroyed as long as it is not protected by an energy shield." Winston answered.
"And how do we know that the Thilan base isn't protected by a shield?"
"Well, my dear Rush, if I had to guess I'd say it would be because none of their defensive cannons could shoot at us if it was!" DJ declared proudly, puffing out his chest.
"Precisely." Winston confirmed. "However it is unreasonable to assume that the Thilan's do not have a shield."
"It wouldn't be in their best interest to use a shield though." White pointed out. "Not unless they could get reinforcements here quickly."
"There is little doubt that more troops are already underway to reinforce the position." Black said with a shake of her head. "And a Thilan fortress is more than equipped to handle drawn out sieges."
"Then we have to make sure we blow the wall and get inside before that happens." DJ punched a fist into his other hand.
"Hey big shot, what if they put up the shield after we blow the wall?" Rose asked with narrowed eyes.
"Not to worry Rose, Winston had over two hours to figure out how to get around this issue, so I'm sure he's got a plan." White declared with more confidence than he truly felt. In the back of his own mind, White was still wondering how to get around this issue. Thankfully however, Winston gave a small grin and adjusted his glasses. Inwardly, White groaned and made a mental note to tell his friend to stop watching so much anime.
"Indeed." A round of groans followed from everyone but Black, supporting White's initial reaction. Winston either ignored the groans or was too caught up in his act to notice. "Thanks to our new Keeper companion, I learned that the clothes Keepers are equipped with make them invisible to enemy radar, allowing them to get in and out of locations undetected." White immediately knew where he was going with this.
"You want Black to sneak inside the hole The Liberator will punch in the wall!" DJ shouted. "Nice! My princess in the spotlight, the hero of the Great Guardian Battle!" A loud smack echoed through the room as Rush leaned over and hit the back of DJ's head with a closed fist, sending his head crashing into the side of the hologram projector. Thankfully the blow didn't have enough force behind it to cause any damage to their equipment, and no one in the group was the slightest bit concerned about their perverted friend.
"Not just Black." Winston continued. "White received the jacket of White Rock Shooter, and therefore it would come with the same benefits. I have also been told that Snipers receive the same technology, meaning that it will be White, Black, and Rose undertaking phase two of the mission."
"Get in there and blow whatever is powering that shield?' White guessed with a smirk. "I've been looking forward to some more demolition." Winston nodded.
"Once the shield is down the Guardians will storm the base from the inside, disabling the defenses and taking the city by force. However that will not be our only goal." White smirked and knew where he was going with this. One look between himself and Winston and he had the go ahead to finish the explanation.
"We're going after the leader of this base." A round of various reactions from excitement to sighs of disappointment passed through the group. The only one who seemed genuinely shocked by this was Black.
"A bold decision, however isn't undertaking this task in the middle of a battle overreaching ourselves?" White shook his head in reply.
"Not at all. Once we're inside Rush can join up with us, giving us the muscle to force our way to whoever is in charge."
"Thilan leaders are notorious for escaping the impossible, even the best assassins have been unable to capture one alive." Black explained. Rose shrugged.
"Guess we'll just have to be the first. Besides, whoever is in charge couldn't possibly escape until the shield goes down."
"This plan is glorious." Rush grinned, licking her lips. Her face was similar to that of a mad serial killer about to get high off a kill. White sighed inwardly. His sister was a bit of a punk woman outside of the online world, but put a controller in her hands and she was worse than a sadist. Love didn't even come close to describing the pain she liked to inflict on her enemies. A glance at Black and White didn't have to guess, the Keeper was worried about her mental state. Yeah sorry there Black, no way I can get her help for that.
"So we're all clear on the plan then?" White asked.
"Yeah we're clear on it all right, but I've just one question." Rose glared at White and gestured towards Black. "That girl's been limping with that injured leg of hers all afternoon. How the hell do you expect her to go on some kind of secret operation like that!?"
"I assure you Rose I am fine." Black insisted, tapping the foot of her formerly injured leg against the ground. "Keepers have strong regenerative abilities. I can recover from minor wounds within moments, and a bruised leg a few hours." Rose stared at the Keeper with a look of surprise for a moment before shaking her head.
"You Keepers just keep getting more and more impressive. Soon you'll be surfing with sharks on the surface of the sun."
"That is not possible for anyone Rose." Black said with a monotonous, bored voice. White smiled and shook his head at Black's inability to catch the sarcasm.
"Any other questions?"
"Yeah, I've got one." DJ glared at White through narrowed eyes. "What the hell are Winston and I doing? Not once have either of our named been mentioned!" White rolled his eyes.
"Dumbass. Who do you think is driving this bucket of bolts?" DJ opened his mouth to reply, but no sound came out as he realized that he was the only guy in the group who had the skills to pilot The Liberator.
"Oh man that is so not fair." DJ complained. "You're telling me I don't get to have any fun at all?"
"Dude you get to blow up an entire wall and then enjoy blowing up hundreds of Thilan troops with that giant ass gun, don't complain." Rose retorted sharply. The trooper didn't waste any time rounding on their sniper companion.
"Winston's the one actually firing the cannon! I'm just his glorified taxi driver!"
"Actually DJ there is a bit of information you might find pleasure in." Winston smirked.
"Well then out with it!"
"The engineers managed to get the two turrets online and set to automatic control, as well as getting a few forward mini guns online. You'll have your fair share of taking heads." If a human's eyes could sparkle like in cartoons, White was sure that DJ's would have lit up like a Christmas tree.
"DJ likes his new toys." DJ clapped his hands. He was worse than an overeager five year old on Christmas morning.
"Alright with the perv talking about himself in the third person, I think we're ready to roll." Rose pulled out her sniper rifle and tightened her grip on it. "Time to stop talking and let the guns to all the work."
"I just wish we had a radio that played tunes from back home, I could use some hype music right now!" DJ cried out, unable to contain his excitement at the idea of blowing entire legions of Thilan soldiers apart.
Suddenly and without much warning, Rush pulled out a small black box with a speaker and a single red button on it. One push later and the entire T.A.T. was filled with music by Fall Out Boy. White raised an eyebrow.
"Explanation?"
"Synced up this special item I have to my phone."
"That makes no sense Rush." Winston responded in disbelief. Rush winked.
"A girl has to have some secrets."
Black just stood there dumbfounded, trying to process what in the world just happened.
A/N
Yes that last line was necessary. Something like what Rush just pulled fits her character as a programmer and as a goofy idiot much like DJ.
That aside, there is a reasonable explanation for how Rush was able to suddenly start playing earth music for the people of Blue Rift, I didn't just throw it in for a silly giggle. It does have actually story relevance which should be making its way in within ten chapters or so.
FINALLY WE'RE DONE WITH ALL THAT SIDE STORY SECONDARY BULL THAT KEPT ME IN A DEADLOCK FOR THREE OR MORE MONTHS. Wait crap that's going to be the first part of Chapter 13 too. *flops and dies*
These kind of luls are hard to write and honestly shouldn't happen too much in the first place. I blame my lack of experience and will be working to make sure that doesn't happen again in the future. And if it does I will have planned it.
On another note I re-watched the BRS OVA. I am reminded why BRS is sitting at my #1 top spot for all things Anime and otherwise, but a discussion on that topic is for another time and place.
NOTE ON UPLOAD SCHEDULE:
I'll be workin my butt off for the next month or two to get caught up on both my youtube channel and fanfiction. My plan is to have enough content ready in advance to upload for several months so I can focus on raising money for college. So yeah we're going back to a 2 week update system, and no this time i'm not bullshitting it. THERE WILL BE A CHAPTER IN TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY. (give or take a day, I'll try to keep it to Fridays.)
So yeah, enjoy the approaching chaos!
REVIEWS:
BlueSkYes: Well thanks for the holiday wishes! Happy new year! And Valentines Day, and saint pattys… oui u know wat? Screw it happy holidays, ALL OF THEM. Keep that "Lean On" song handy, I think it'll be useful to you here soon. The nightcore version of "Take a Hint" may not be a bad idea either…
UnkownSoul: I may call myself a Cat-Yordle, but I'm also a bit of an internet ghost. Things don't alert people half the time I upload something… I think I might be cursed. Somehow I did manage to add WRS and STR in the same chapter didn't I? Wasn't part of the original plan now that I think about it but hey this was WAYYY better than the original plan… which kinda sucked. Hell WRS wasn't supposed to show up for another two dozen chapters originally, but I needed a plot advancement for Yeman… FML.
As for Rush, I get the feeling we're about to see just how crazy her reaction is going to get… *shudders*
Anonymous Guest: (Whoever you are!) WRS has made her return… and get ready to have your mind thrown in a blender! (I'll try to turn it back by the end at least!)
THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS GUYS! THEY REALLY DO KEEP ME GOING! (Seriously otherwise this fic would have ended up like True Night or The Story of Kevin….)