I don't own Tank Girl or AD.
Chiyo-chan sat on the edge of her bed, feeling more than slightly lost. The other women bustled around her, but everything was simply background noise.
"Our new squad leader? Major Minamo-san!" Kagura-san exclaimed.
"Wow, really?" someone whispered, amazed. Chiyo-chan heard it all dimly. Sakaki-san hadn't even been gone for half an hour and already a new squad leader was assigned. Chiyo-chan couldn't take it all in.
Getting to her feet, Chiyo-chan pulled on her desert boots and laced them up tightly. Quickly she strapped on her armour, grabbed a belt of weapons and went up the stairs.
"Chiyo-chan, where do you think you're going?" Yomi-san demanded.
"To fix the quad-bike, Yomi-san," Chiyo-chan explained quickly, walking up the stairs. She didn't care that her entire military career was about to be destroyed.
"Chihiro-san, guard her." Yomi-san commanded instantly.
"No thankyou, Yomi-san. I'll be inside the shed behind the jeeps. No one will see me." Chiyo-chan opened the door and went into the house.
"Chihiro-san, suit up and guard." Yomi-san said again. Chihiro-san did as she was told.
By the time Chihiro-chan was in the shed, a quad-bike was gone, and Chiyo-chan was nowhere to be seen.
Over the roar of the quad-bike Chiyo-chan heard gunfire up ahead. Her heart leapt into her throat - she pushed the bike into its highest gear and tensed. Suddenly the dunes dipped down and a war zone appeared. To Chiyo-chan's left was a semi-circle of Rebel jeeps, all overturned, and a huddle of soldiers around one figure, the others strung along the jeeps to return fire. Sakaki-san, I'll bet, Chiyo-chan thought grimly. To her right were Merchant SUVs, also overturned. Alternately the two were shooting at each other. The Merchants outnumbered the Rebels, and had more powerful weapons.
Chiyo-chan took this all in in a glance. Turning to the right she pulled an AK47 from her weapons belt and opened fire on the Merchants huddled behind their cars. Gunning down four in the first sweep and another three in the second, the Merchants finally began firing back. One shot grazed Chiyo-chan's thigh - she shot the man who'd fired at her, before turning sharply and screeching to a halt behind the Rebel jeeps.
She ran crouched over to the huddle of soldiers, and sure enough Sakaki-san was in the middle, her face tight. When she saw Chiyo-chan her eyes lit up briefly.
"How many are there, Lieutenant?" Sakaki-san asked, all-business. Chiyo-chan struggled to remember the blurs of blue and blood across the small divide.
"At least ten more than us," Chiyo-chan said. "I'm sorry I can't be more definite than that. Where are the reinforcements from Main Base?"
"They blocked our radio signal," Sakaki-san declared. "There's no help coming."
"Right." Chiyo-chan paused to think for only a moment. "I'll get on the bike and someone can sit behind me. We'll drive behind them and reduce the numbers."
"No, it's too dangerous," Sakaki-san noticed Chiyo-chan favouring one leg and saw the torn trousers and blood oozing. "You're wounded!" Her eyes filled with panic. Chiyo-chan wore only the breastplate and arm guards.
"Tis just a scratch, milady," Chiyo-chan said merrily. "So, who's on the back of the bike?" she asked, looking around the men.
"Lieutenant, I order you not to go!" Sakaki-san snapped before hanging her head. "I cannot let one of my officers put themselves in so much danger!" Sakaki-san declared.
"It's that or all of us being shot like ducks in a barrel, major," Chiyo-chan argued. Sakaki-san opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out. All these men, or Chiyo-chan?
A bottle trailing purple clouds was hurled over the jeeps. A soldier pushed Sakaki-san to Chiyo-chan. "Get the commander out of here!" he whispered to Chiyo-chan before he spluttered and fell to the ground.
Chiyo-chan didn't even think about what the man had said. Pulling her scarf up over her nose and mouth, she grabbed Sakaki-san's arm and pulled her to the quad-bike. Chiyo-chan started the engine and sped away across the dunes. After less than a minute their tyres were shot out.
Chiyo-chan stopped the bike and gave Sakaki-san a weapon. The two women turned and began gunning down the Merchants as they ran toward them. Sakaki-san gripped Chiyo-chan's spare hand tightly. Several of the enemy soldiers hurled bottles at the women. The bottles smashed on the ground, purple clouds blooming and swallowing the women. They collapsed onto the sand.
Awakening to the strange sensation of being carried, Chiyo-chan sighed. Her lungs felt heavy and her neck was cramped. Through half-opened eyes stinging from the gas, Chiyo-chan saw nothing but grey. Grey walls and floor, with blue-dressed Merchants surrounding her. The only sound was the rhythmic marching of the military boots on the stone floor.
"Sakaki-san?" Chiyo-chan murmured. She couldn't see the tall woman.
"Right here, Chiyo-chan," Sakaki-san replied softly. "Always right here." Chiyo-chan looked up into Sakaki-san's gentle face. "We're in a Merchant prison."
The Merchant leader called for them to halt, and Chiyo-chan heard a door slide open. Roughly the two were pushed inside and the door was closed and bolted behind them.