Girls und Transformers ch 5
Episode 5: Enemy of my enemy is my friend
"Okay okay wait…!" Momo waved the Anglerfish team down, "Start over again…".
The angler fish team all opened their mouths to speak.
"One at a time!" the monocle girl barked, "Miho, you first." she pointed.
The panzer commander took a deep breath, "At approximately twenty-two hundred last night we all rounded back here because I forgot my bag. Upon arriving we found the garages were open and the chains broken, but the chains weren't cut the same way like last time." she explained.
Yukari stepped up next, "Then I found these abnormal tracks here coming out from the garage and into the forest, but they don't resemble the treads at all.".
The tankery team examined the strange prints.
Erwin strolled around one of the prints, "What do you guys think…?" she kneeled and touched the print, "Something like a foo fighter?" she suggested.
"That would be the case if we were air pilots describing strange lights in the sky." Oryou explained as she adjusted her glasses.
Hana explained next, "We then followed the trail until we found-".
"GHOST!" Mako jumped into the story.
Everyone looked at her in an awkward silence.
"... Yeah, no. We found the tank with everything in it…" Saori corrected, "It is very creepy and hard to explain, but I don't think this has anything to do with the tank being haunted." she reassured Mako.
Everyone looked at the stationary Panzer IV. Eyeing it like it was modern art and analyzing it thoroughly for clues. Anything that could help make sense of the abnormalities happening.
The auto-motive club stepped forward.
"Seems like the situation is worth taking a deeper look into…" Reira, "No mechanical flaw can hide from our eyes." she boasted as she tossed a wrench up and caught it.
Anzu tilted her head and tapped her chin with a slender finger in thought, "No disrespect, but this doesn't seem like a mechanical issue if the tank is going places on its own." she pointed out.
"So someone is playing some messed up prank on us? Or do you think it is one of us.".
Yuzu's comment got everybody turning a sharp eye to the other tank teams.
Anzu quickly calmed the rising tide that could be destructive, "Now now lets not jump to conclusions. There is absolutely no reason that any of us would go this far as to just abandon a tank in the middle of the quarry as a prank. There has to be a proper explanation, a clue.".
Keiko fiddled with the sleeve on the monkey suit tied around her hips, "W-well, I did… find something…" she timidly spoke.
Everyone seemed surprised as their attention dawned on her and so was the pressure for answers.
Reira cocked an eyebrow, "Keiko? What do you mean?" she asked.
Guilt seemed to spread over Keiko's face for holding this information as long as she did, "When I inspected the Panzer IV… I found a strange green substance in the engine." she stated.
Momo of course was displeased by this, "And you didn't think to disclose this information with us?!".
Miho quickly took her commander role and intervened, "Okay enough! Fighting about isn't going to change anything…" she began to explain.
The tankery team paid close attention as to respect their commander. However a few gazes began to slightly veer off their commander. The freshman began to gasp in shock, even Momo gaped in awe at what she was looking at. The rest of Anglerfish team behind Miho noticed this and followed the surprised eyes of their friends and soon joined in on their surprise.
"Right now let's just find out what it is that…. what are you guys looking at?" Miho narrowed her eyes in confusion, but she didn't give an answer as everyone seemed to be captivated by something other than her. The Nishizumi turned to see her friends with their backs to her looking up to the cloudy sky.
Miho's gaze finally joined the trending motion of looking up and, "*gasp!* Oh…" she finally understood the strange looks of confusion and worry.
Way up in the air and descending down to them was the Saunders Super-Galaxy in all its glory. The size began to cast a formidable overcasting shadow among the girls. Its engines began to grow louder as the flying behemoth closed the distance quickly.
Miho turned to the ginger of her tank crew, "Saori, did you ever receive word from Saunders that they'd be coming?".
Saori snapped out and whipped to her commander, "Why would I be notified if they were coming?" she placed a hand on her chest.
Good point. Miho then turned back to the president, "Prez?" she questioned.
"Negative. This is news to me…" she confirmed.
Much like before when Saunders had arrived to rescue their tanks from a gruesome fate they landed a bit roughly on the abundant grassy field of their Shensha-Do training grounds. The wings wobbled from the force as the massive bird decelerated. The movement of air from the turbines sent gusts of wind into the faces of the Oorari girls along with grass and dust until the whine of the plane powering down sounded.
Miho gasped, "LET'S GO!" she ordered and ran for the rear of the plane with the rest of the girls in quick pursuit.
The team halted and crowded around the rear of the plane. The ramp hissed before slowly lowering with a hum.
A small smile formed on Miho's face as she was excited to see her blonde friend slash opponent for whatever surprise this occasion had warranted. However, it died quickly once the ramp had lowered to expose the true horror within.
Two columns of Saunders tanks were stationed. The damage on their hulls told a story of recent battle, but the smears of blood painted a horrific picture. However, it only got worse, standing at the edge of the ramp were several Saunders students.
The tankery club of Oorari gasped in horror, covering their mouths or too terrified to move at all… or even throw up.
A few seemed fine physically, but their gloom and doom were thick clouds above their heads. Others were tattered or bloody and covered in soot. Most seemed to be hanging on a thread of consciousness as some girls relied on those in better shape to stand and walk while more were in stretchers.
In the front was the twin pigtailed second in command Alisa, she was in no better state than the rest of the girls. It only got worse when the Oorari girls realized that the blonde usually bright and bubbly commander of Saunders that spewed confidence like condiments on her burger now hung weakly off Alisa with a draped arm.
Holding her side, Kay raised her brashed head. Her blood played with her blonde strands to give it a strange new color and black soot gave her face a dreadful makeover. The light in her blue pools were dull as her eyes met with the Oorari's tankery commander, "H-hey… M-Miho…" her lips twitched up into a very weak smile that instantly fell when she was reminded that there was nothing to smile about.
The doors to the Shensha-Do Federation control room burst open with two men emerging with iron hot faces and heavy steps.
"I want to know what the hell is going on and I want to know now! What am I getting reports waking me up this morning about Saunders highschool suddenly in shambles! The press had swarmed the front of my house you couldn't tell my lawn from the road!" a tall and well-built man with a thin moustache. He is bald and has brown eyes. He wears dark grey and black academic robes. He is also carrying a white fan with the Sensha-dō Federation logo printed on it in blue.
The other man in close follow adored a sharp suit with square glasses and smoothe greased hair, "Don't be assured! An entire highschool campus gone in one night!? This is obviously some sort of over exaggeration!" he exclaimed.
In the control room were several clients and employees racing back and forth with stacks of papers, typing away on a keyboard at their desks, or on the phone in a call with something to do with the unstable situation.
A tall woman with short black hair and black eyes wearing a JGSDF uniform turned to the men and saluted, "Director Kodama! Glad to see you finally made it." she greeted.
"At ease. Seems like the party waits for no one." Kodama lightened up.
The woman smirked only for the Director's enjoyment, "No, but the excitement's only begun.".
"Captain Chono, please tell me that this isn't what it means!" the man in the glasses prayed.
The captain sighed through her nose, closing her eyes, "I'd give just about anything to make that true…" she then turned to the massive screen on the wall that overlooked the entire room of computers and people. The captain held up a remote and punched a few buttons. The screen flickered on and popped up several images of a massive crater that not only expanded outward to meet the size of the Saunders campus, but also into the ship's interior as well, "But it's as worse as they say.".
The two men and every other man and woman in the stopped to gasp and cover their mouths at the appearing images. Some couldn't bear the sights and looked away.
"As of last night. With no warning, and no time to prepare. Saunders High was desomated along with a large portion of the interior of the ship's engine system. Thank God the ship's reactor wasn't struck, otherwise the entire populace would have been blown to kingdom kom. Right now it's just sitting there dead in the water" the captain explained.
The Director clenched his eyes and composed himself with a few flaps of his fan, "Are there no distress calls? An encrypted message maybe?".
The captain shook her head in disappointment, "Unfortunately no. Our best guess is that whatever happened somehow knocked out the communications through the entirety of the campus." she explained.
"How is that possible? What kind of phenomenon is this?".
"Well sir it is possible that this was no natural accident." the captain suggested.
This revelation made the two men in power gasp and feel weak.
"Are you saying that someone orchestrated an attack on an all girls highschool!? Where would they even get the fire power to do this? Not even the military personnel on board are allowed such firepower!" the Director debunked the theory.
"What have the police said about it?" the man in the suit asked.
A man with a stack of papers quickly cut between the conversation.
"There's not much the police have found out that we haven't, but then again they're not exactly sharing." the captain explained.
"To hell with the police!..." the Director slammed a nearby desk and startling a working woman, "Apologies…" he pardoned, "We should be taking matters into our own hands!" he exclaimed.
The captain shook her head, "The police have already seized full custody of the investigation and aren't letting any other parties get a whiff of it.".
"We as the Shensha-Do Federation are within our rights to launch investigations within the boundaries of Shensha-Do means. Considering an entire Tankery team has been cut off from our roster in one night I think that is within our authority to conduct our own affairs." the Director exposed the potential loophole.
The suited man held his chin, "Further research is required, but you may be onto something." he agreed.
The captain hummed with a nod, "I'll get together a case file and someone to take it up with your permission Director." she requested.
The Director nodded, "By all means captain I entrust the situation in your care." he appointed her with the responsibilities.
"One question sir!" the Captain spoke up.
"Ask away.".
"Sir, what of the upcoming Winter Cup tournament? Will we still proceed with the event?" she questioned.
The Director dropped his head in deep thought and regret, "As much time and effort we put into preparing this event to be reopened. I can only conclude to terminate the event due to this recent conundrum." his disappointment was evident in his face and voice.
The grease haired man jolted with surprise and a gasp, "Cancel the Winter Cup?! After everything we've done to restore it you just wanna up and quit because of one little mishap?!".
"You call this a mishap!..." the Director pointed to the screen, "A tragedy on a scale not even dreamt of and you think it's just a spilled glass of water at a cafe!" he vented.
"I understand how grave of a catastrophe this is, but morale is low enough as it is, you think canceling this tournament will make them feel any better? The fall of Saunders is the talk that never ends right now, at least this tournament will take this off their minds." he proposed his argument.
"Oh of course! Because a tournament is going to ease the weary souls who lost their daughters!".
"Sirs!" the Captain scared away the argument with her booming voice, "While I agree with you Director on the fact that this wouldn't give any solitary to those who experienced loss. I also fail to see how it couldn't do a little good. During troubling times like these people will be looking for distraction. Would this not be a keen moment to honor those even who were lost?" he points were shar and valid. The logic was sound.
The Director could have argued further, but seeing as his stand was outnumbered he would have to learn to accept, "I'll trust your judgment then Captain. If this is what you think is best for the public then I'll put my best efforts into making sure it's sought through…" he confirmed to go through with her wishes, "But I want to know about every word that's breathed about this case. If there are any words of survivors I better be on a quick dial. Am I understood?".
The Captain saluted, "Roger sir!" she made haste to get started.
The suited man looked up to the Director, "Do you really think this was an accident, Director?".
The Director's face glowered in tension as his face crinkled, "No… no I do not. There's just more to this situation than meets the eye.".
The Saunders crew and the last of their tanks had been unloaded.
The girls with serious injury and laying in stretchers were immediately transported out of the heat and into the garages while those who could still function without dropping from their injuries worked on moving the tanks off the plane. All with the help of the Oorari team doing what they could.
Meanwhile…
Kay continued to sob in the embrace of the Nishizumi, "It killed herrr! *sob!* *sob!* It killed herRrRrRr…" she sobbed into her speech.
Miho could only pet the blonde commander's hair, not caring for the blood getting on her hand or uniform, "Shhh. Shhh." she calmed.
"And it was under my orders!..." Kay pulled away to look at Miho with water filled red puffy eyes that left hot streaks cleaning the soot off her face, "I-I-I…" she clenched her eyes as another wave of tears flooded, "I killed my best friend!" she planted her face right back into Miho's shoulder.
The Oorari tank commander stared off at the Saunders and Oorari girls interacting, probably either comforting the american themed tank team or trying to understand what had happened. All the Saunders tanks had been lined up parallel with the Super-Galaxy. The girls in their green uniforms had all looked like they'd been through hell. Their hair was in complete disarray; it was like jungles atop their heads. The Saunders trademark joyful spirits had been drained into these pale zombies. This wasn't the result of losing a match… this was the result of war… of losing a friend… losing your home. However, they were alive, and whether that was any better was to be determined, but it was something they had left to cling on.
Miho's eyes sharpened, "No…" she spoke sternly.
Kay gasped in surprise as she lifted her head, "*snif!* No?" she questioned, "But… my orders got people killed.".
Miho grasped the Sherman rider by the shoulders and turned her, "But look at what they accomplished…" Kay now looked at the remaining Saunder tankery students, "If what you told me is true then you have no right to blame yourself. You kept yourself composed under pressure where people who have more experience and are professional would have very well lost it. Naomi didn't just take your orders because you were her commander, she trusts your judgment, she trusted her friend, and she knew the risks, but despite the low probability of success she gave her trust and her life. For. You…" the Panzer commander patted the blondes shoulder, "Because she knew that had she not stayed back, you all would have been shot down before you could leave the ground. Because she knew that these girls that you saved would need you…" Miho turned Kay back, "You can take a few seconds to collect yourself, but run by me one more time what attacked you, and what you think the next course of action should be.".
Kay whipped her eyes and sniffed, a few more sobs escaped before being caged back, "Alright, well… it was…".
"Huge! Like something you'd see from a movie!" one of the Saunder's girls explained to the trembling group of freshman girls (Except Saki who is always calm) as she sat atop a Firefly, "It was some sort of robot about the size of a house. A machine with no soul and yet…" she grasped at her head as she began to sob, "Oh god those burning red eyes… and the screams…".
"W-wow, that sounds scary." Aya spoke raspy.
"OF COURSE IT WAS SCARY! WHAT YOU THOUGHT WE WERE LIGHTING OFF DAMN FIREWORKS!" the traumatized student snapped like a wild animal.
One of the other Saunder's students sitting next to her pulled her back, "Angie calm down!".
"Don't tell me to calm down!" Angie snapped at her friend, "This is not what I signed up for!".
Alisa set aside her third plastic empty water bottle on the hull of her tank, "I-I'm sorry, I just can't remember how it all really happened. I just remember seeing tanks exploding, but not like taking a shell to the side and being knocked out… no… they were actually destroyed and… oh god the screams!" the pigtailed girl gripped the sides of her skirt as the tears began flowing.
Yuzu quickly embraced the girl, "Hey now don't force yourself to remember anything. Just breathe… shhh, shhh" she soothed like a mother almost.
Anzu stepped back to talk with Momo, "She's too out of it right now to talk about it. Say, you don't actually think Pravda had anything to do like some are saying. I mean a giant robot-".
Momo threw her clipboard, "This is ridiculous! Why have we not told staff about this yet! They are more qualified for this!".
"And what would we tell them exactly?...".
Kay and Miho came strutting back to disarrayed girls.
"A giant robot transformed from a helicopter into a thirty foot tall murrder machine and decimated an entire campus. Let's see them not throw us all in an insane asylum." Kay spat facts, "Alright everyone pull yourself together and form up!" Kay ordered her girls.
"Girls, you too!" Miho waved over the Oorari team.
All the girls crowded around the two commanders.
"Commander Kay! What are we going to do about Pravda!".
"We need payback on those bitches!".
"Hey hey quiet down!..." the voice of reason Alisa cut through, "Kay… is this really the doing of Pravda? I mean it was their hind.".
"N-no. I mean…" the blonde held her head as a headache began to bloom, "I don't know, but this isn't something we can just tell the Shensha-Do Federation. We have no evidence of what we saw." Kay explained.
"I think the giant damn crater that was our school is evidence enough." a Saunders student exclaimed.
Kay's gaze narrowed, "We need to be smart about this. If we do come out clean think of how authorities will handle the situation to keep us and Oorari quiet. We'll just be doing more harm than good until we have proof, and the truth." she declared.
Not far from the group of girls an extra pair of eyes zoomed in on the two tank commanders. The holographic vision squared in around their faces and downloaded them into its memory.
Anzu stepped up, "Miho, what are you and commander Kay planning on doing exactly?".
The robotic infrared vision labeled the two faces as according to the girl with the long pigtails.
Miho nodded to her before turning the the whole group, "A select few of us will go to Pravda High simply for the sake of getting answers. I highly doubt this has anything to do with them, but afterwards we'll decide what to do next.
The vision of the stalker darted in alarm upon hearing the plan. Knowing this could very well contrast what was planned. It needed to be stopped.
Slowly one of the turret cannons began to turn unknowing to the cluster of high school girls turned away. The side of the turret was exposed to the sun to reveal the trademark Saunders High symbol. Except the art was modified to a strange symbol that resembled a sharp, dangerous looking face with a crown of three horns.
The Turret of the Panzer IV did the same. Only its sights were aimed at the Sherman.
"For now the rest of you guys lay low here and don't worry about classes. Make sure no one not affiliated with what we know enters the garages. If you go out, keep school staff interaction to a minimum, but don't make yourself suspicious." Miho explained.
All the girls nodded in agreement with a few 'yes ma'ams'. Suddenly a loud thunderous roar exploded from the Oorari Panzer IV which shocked just about everyone.
"What the hell!?".
The Panzer IV suddenly dug into the earth within seconds of its treads shoveling to rocket itself forward.
"EVERYONE LOOK OUT!" Miho screamed.
The Panzer despite not being close to hitting any of the girls caused them all to run away, and for good reason too.
The Sherman locked onto the two commanders and fired an air cracking round.
Miho gasped as her eyes met the Sherman's open barrel and flinched as her eardrums rattled. Covering her head with her arms in a last minute defense. Suddenly she was tackled to the ground by Kay who shielded her.
The Panzer IV raced with speeds at which the mechanism of the tank weren't designed to go to, yet it was happening as several of the girls turned their shock expressions as the tank zipped past just to intersect the trajectory of the Sherman's shell.
*PING!*
The round rang as it bounced off the armor of the Panzer. Leaving a black scorched dent on the Oorari symbol.
"HHU!?" Kay and Miho were shocked at the split second event.
The Panzer drifted to face the Sherman as it turned its turret.
*BANG!*
The Panzer's barrel was left smoking from the just fired shell.
The round struck Sherman which exploded on its hull. However something very different happened other than a tiny white flag popping up.
The force from the blast sent the tank back which suddenly began to transform, "GAAAGH!" a metallic voice roared from the rolling tank as its form shifted and broke apart only to reform into a more human-like figure. The mech crashed into another Sherman as it finished rearranging itself into a large mechanical beast.
"Miho!" Yukari cried as she and the rest of the Anglerfish team rushed to get the two commanders on their feet.
They all then turned to the standing green red eyed mech that growled in one however was nowhere near as big as the hind fought at Saunders.
Kay's eyes widened in horror as she stood and got a better look at the situation, "IT'S ANOTHER ONE!" she screamed in out right fear as flashes of last night played back in her memory. A fear that carried on in the hearts of her comrades as they to screamed and ran for the garages.
Miho turned to her friends, "Get to your tanks now!" she ordered.
The Oorari tankery crews were off in a heartbeat to mount their battle steads.
"Are we really going to fight that thing!?" Ayumi from the freshman Rabbit team questioned in disbelief.
Keiko growled looking back at her, "It's better than waiting for it to kill us!".
The red eyed alien mech stood and roared at the Panzer. Raising its hand which began to shift into a stubby three barreled cannon.
The Panzer IV suddenly shot forward at an abnormal speed for its type.
"Miho your tank!" Kay pointed.
Miho saw very well what was going on, her mind already creating a theory which she wanted, praying even that it wasn't possible, but her fears were made true within the next few seconds.
The American Sherman themed alien's cannon charged and spun, "Die Autobot menace!" the triple barrel cannon fired off three high velocity rounds.
The first two shots exploded off to the sides of the Panzer, sending clouds of dirt up, but the third hit its mark below the front of the hull which caused the tank to flip forward.
The being within the Panzer really didn't want it to come to this, but that wish had been tossed out the window the second it intervened. It noticed the fear in the humans eyes, how terrified they were. Would they look at itself the same way? It would just have to come clean in the future once this enemy had been dealt with, it would have to gain their trust, and the best way to start that path…
Was to show its true form.
The Panzer suddenly began to come apart like a puzzle disassembling itself only to reform the parts of the tank into different shapes. The interior and wheels were reformed into leg-like appendages. The turret armor clicked into place as shoulder pads. The tread armor shifted over to the left arm while the treads ran along the forearm up to the shoulder of the right arm. Lastly to form was the triangular shaped head and face mask. The pink eyes vibrantly glimmered like jewels as they were exposed to the sun.
The transformed tank went with the front role before launching itself at the attacking alien and grabbing it in a hug and rolling with it.
"GAAAGH!" the Sherman mech howled as it was thrown. The force of impact forced chunks of dirt and sand to cloud around. The alien quickly picked itself up as it made eye contact with its prey, "Found you Autobot." it growled.
The once Panzer IV now revealed Autobot stood in a fighting stance, "Treader, these human have nothing to do with this." the alien spoke in a stern femanine voice with the hint of a German accent (Because it's fun. Hopefully everyone reading this knows how the German language pronounces words).
Treader bellowed as he lowered his gaze into sharp blood red daggers, "No… but you brought them into it." suddenly the Cybertronian charged.
The Autobot's left arm shifted so that a long barrel that was the tank's cannon extended out and pointed at the charging mech and fired.
Treader doged to his left and brought his fist up into a perfect uppercut.
Kay growled as she and everyone else watched in astonishment at the two mechs duke it out, "For our sister!" she spat between her clenched teeth, "Alisa! Everyone get in your designated tank and get ready to engage!" she made a beeline for her designated Sherman when suddenly her sleeve was pulled back. Looking back to see Miho with a handful of her jacket, "Miho let go!".
"No Kay, it's too dangerous! This is your life you're putting on the line here!".
"And others gave theirs for ours!" Kay snapped back as she yanked herself free from the Nishizumi, "And I will not let them die for nothing!" Kay barked with tears trickling down. The blonde raced with the other Saunders students for the Shermans and Fireflies.
"Damnit!" Miho swore as she ran for the tank garage. Her gaze never left the giant robot that was just her tank fighting it out with another smaller robot that had just been a Sherman. Upon entering the garage her sights were set upon the many injured or tankless Saunders girls shaking with fright. As for the Oorari tankery team, their tanks growled and roared as their engines powered to life and ready to take on the heat of battle. Miho gasped seeing her fellow comrades about to be sent into a real life or death battle, "You guys wait! This isn't a game anymore, we're not cut out for this!" she was alarmed.
From the Type-89, Noriko popped out from the top, "Saunders is out there taking on those things alone, we have to go help!" she announced.
From the Char-B1, Midoriko came up, "Commander Kay can't do it alone! Regardless, we need to have their backs just like they had ours!" she announced.
The other tankery girls seemed to mimic this same desire to assist their allies without giving much thought on how their lives were at stake.
Miho wanted to continue to object, but it was clear that her selflessness had rubbed off. If they weren't under attack by two large robotic tanks at the moment she'd cry proudly. With watery eyes she looked at her friends, admiring their faces and thinking back on their times together. The sounds of fighting outside didn't wait for her decision however, with a sigh she swallowed back her tears and nodded, "Keep your distance from the fight, try and make sure Saunders doesn't get too close either. I don't exactly trust Kay's state of mind at the moment. And hold your fire on the Panzer, I think it might be on our side." she assessed.
Momo looked as though Miho grew a second head, "That's absurd! We need to go out there and scrap these machines!".
"Maybe she's right…" Anzu spoke up, "Whatever they are, they don't seem to be getting along, and the Panzer did take that hit back there for Kay and Miho." her facts made the other girls think extra hard on who the enemy was.
Momo slack jawed in shock as she registered what her friend was implying, "Prez, please don't tell me we are considering helping that thing!".
"I'm not setting anything in stone, but it would be nice to know that one of these things are fighting with us rather than against us no?".
And who could argue with that reasoning? The silence didn't last long as Miho spoke up.
"Alright then! You know what to do!?" the commander barked.
"YES MA'AM!" they all roared.
"Panzer vor!".
