Once again, I do not own AD or Tank Girl.
Having been on solo guard duty for a full twenty-five minutes the young woman looked around her into the desert. On the horizon line heat blurred the sand and sky together. The two guard houses on either side of her own were indistinct again. Sighing, Tomo-chan looked around for a pebble to kick. Only restless sand met her disappointed eyes.
"Not even a frigging rock!" she shouted, settling for giving the sand a good kicking instead. It caught in the wind, and blew back into her face. She coughed and spluttered, trying to clear the grit from her eyes. Not far away she heard a chuckle. "Shut up Yomi-san!" Tomo-chan shouted, her eyes still closed and stinging.
"How did you know it was me?" Yomi-san asked as Tomo-chan blinked burning eyes.
"Because only you can laugh at me like that," Tomo-chan answered, poking her tongue out. Gasping, Tomo-chan remembered where she was; in a war zone, being disrespectful to her commanding officer. Blushing furiously Tomo-chan bowed repeatedly. "I'm sorry Captain Yomi-san! Please forgive me! I'm sorry!"
"Ah, cut it out already," Yomi-san waved her hand flippantly. "Don't worry about it."
Tomo-chan looked sideways at Yomi-san suspiciously. "What's going on, captain?"
"Just stop with the 'captain' thing, ok?" Yomi-san asked. "Please! Talk to me like a normal human being again, Tomo-chan." Yomi-san looked at Tomo-chan with her big soft eyes. Tomo-chan gulped.
"Hai, Yomi-san," Tomo-chan gave a mocking salute. "As long as you don't get me in trouble for it later."
"I won't." Yomi-san sighed. "You know Chiyo-chan went after the major."
"Hai, Cap- ah, Yomi-san." Tomo-chan nodded grimly.
"I suppose we should follow her. Bring her back."
"Yomi-san, are you crazy?"
"Captain, Captain!" Ayumu-san called, running up behind the two women.
"What is it?" Yomi-san asked briskly.
"Major Sakaki-san never made it to Main Base. She was due there an hour ago; no one has heard from the squad due to bring her in!" Ayumu-san said, wide-eyed. Yomi-san paused, temporarily in shock. "The Commander gave orders to dispatch the Blue Phoenix."
"Chiyo-chan!" Yomi-san cried. "Chiyo-chan went after the major. Damn it!"
"Blue Phoenix," Tomo-chan whispered at the mention of one of the most famed and notorious Rebel fighters. The Group of Phoenix had warriors named for colours. Blue was only third, after the Black and Red. "The Blue Phoenix for our major?"
"Open your bloody eyes, Tomo-chan, she's not just a major!" Yomi-san cried angrily. "Lieutenant, get the others armed and ready, and Radio Main Base for another squad out here now. We're following their exact trail, and we're going to get them back. Enable every weapon we have; tell the Commander I'm on my way."
Yomi-san led the other two women back to the guard house to prepare.
After Chiyo-chan's statement the two warriors sat silently, eyes firmly locked. As usual Sakaki-san's expression gave nothing away; but this time her eyes held something more. That look was all the confirmation Chiyo-chan needed; her face was as open as ever.
"Why didn't you say something?" Chiyo-chan whispered, crawling forward. Gently, hesitantly, she cupped Sakaki-san's cheek in her small hand. She whispered, "we could have-"
"I didn't want to ruin what we had in case nothing came of it. I'd rather live with being just friends, comrades, than have you out of my life altogether, Chiyo-chan." Sakaki-san replied. "I've protected you from the very beginning," the large woman whispered, covering Chiyo-chan's hand with her own. "And I'll keep on protecting you."
Chiyo-chan blushed, lowering her eyes. Sakaki-san gently pulled Chiyo-chan into her, enveloping the smaller woman in her arms. Wild daydreams flew threw her mind, thousands more than ever before. For a few brief moments she decided to ignore reality.
Chiyo-chan breathed in her long-time friend's beautiful personal smell and sighed happily. She remembered the early days of the war; how she couldn't find any of her old friends from high school, and she had searched desperately for all of them, especially Sakaki-san. Only years later did the other girls surface and they began serving together in the rebel forces. "The others," Chiyo-chan said, still holding Sakaki-san. "You got the other girls out as well."
"Yep," Sakaki-san nodded. "But you all came back. I should have known you would."
"Hai!" Chiyo-chan declared.
"Chiyo-chan," Sakaki-san pulled away to look into Chiyo-chan's eyes. "Our chances for survival here are not good."
Chiyo-chan set her mouth grimly. "I know, Sakaki-san."
"Not for the reasons you may think," Sakaki-san whispered as though she was in pain. Her long hands carefully pushed back Chiyo-chan's fringe.
Heavy steps echoed down the hall; at least five people were coming. Sakaki-san darted back, hiding behind the door.
"Major, if you intend a surprise attack, I am afraid it is you who shall be surprised," a man's voice said politely beyond the door.
"Assure at least the lieutenant's freedom and you have nothing to worry about!" Sakaki-san replied. Chiyo-chan's heart twisted in her chest; suddenly, things were complicated.
Chiyo-chan thought she heard a sigh as the door opened and the room filled with a blazing white light. When the light cleared Chiyo-chan was in the grip of a tall, well-groomed man, and Sakaki-san was being held by three giants in armour. They struggled to restrain her.
"Now, now, major," the man holding Chiyo-chan purred. One figure lurked in the shadow of the doorway, seemingly unnoticed by the Merchant men. Chiyo-chan's hands were behind her back in the man's strong hold, his free arm across her shoulders. Chiyo-chan relaxed, breathing deeply. Her eyes calmly found Sakaki-san's. The taller woman's body shook from anger, her heart in her eyes. "Why would I let such a pretty one go?"
Chiyo-chan's eyes narrowed as she jumped and thrust her head backwards into the face of the man holding her. In the same instant she kicked behind her, connecting solidly with his left knee as he bellowed in pain. Swiftly Chiyo-chan broke free of his now-weak grasp, turned and punched him on either side of his head faster than the human eye could follow. As the man fell, unconscious and bleeding, she swooped his pistol from its holster and aimed it at the man in the middle holding Sakaki-san.
"What kind of a warrior would I be if I couldn't even protect myself from the greasy likes of him?" Chiyo-chan raised an eyebrow at Sakaki-san as the older woman grinned in relief. Chiyo-chan shot the man behind Sakaki-san as Sakaki-san broke free and floored the other two with powerful kicks to their legs. Reaching for her own knife hidden in her boot, Sakaki-san quickly slit the throats of the three men. Simultaneously both Rebel warriors turned to see the figure emerge from the shadows behind the door.
Yomi-san raised an arm, signalling the jeeps following her to come to a stop. Quickly Ayumu-san and Kagura-san assumed 'guard' positions, and Tomo-chan sat in the jeep, scanning the horizon. Chihiro-chan and Kaorin-san followed Yomi-san to the remnants of the pitched battle. There was a heavy silence.
"Captain, it could have been any fight, being out here," Kaorin-san offered weakly. Yomi-san shook her head as she saw the burnt-out Rebel jeeps and dozens of corpses. From the centre of the bodies was a trail from a quad bike. Yomi-san and the other two followed carefully. Not a far distance away they found the quad-bike, the tyres blown apart.
"It's one of ours, Captain," Chihiro-chan confirmed after a brief inspection. "The one Chiyo-chan took to follow the major."
"Shit," Yomi-san muttered. She counted the Merchant dead near the bike; nine. She smiled grimly. "At least they went down fighting." Yomi-san sighed, biting her lip and looking down. Suddenly she grinned. "But they're not dead."
"Captain?" Kaorin-san asked, confused.
"This here," Yomi-san stirred broken glass on the ground with her foot, "was from a bomb of some kind. A gas bomb." Among the glass and sand were small pieces of solid purple; gas that hadn't dissolved. "Major Sakaki-san is too important to be killed." Yomi-san said softly.
"What now, Captain?" Kaorin-asked, saluting.
"We follow the tracks," Yomi-san announced, heading back to the vehicles. "My bet is they've been taken to the prison. We'll formulate a plan from there."
"Hai, captain!" the fighters all shouted.
"Hai, Blue Phoenix," Tomo-chan said softly as Yomi-san climbed back into their jeep. Yomi-san winked.
"Long time, no see!" Yukari-sensei hailed. Sakaki-san and Chiyo-chan just stared, numb with shock. Before them stood their old ditzy, all-over-the-place, Queen-of-the-disorganized, lazy teacher, Yukari-sensei. She was shorter than Sakaki-san these days, and wore a tight leather bodysuit with weapons belt around her waist. Curves were emphasised, Yukari-sensei's 'measurements' finally revealed.
"Yukari-sensei? What are you doing here?" Sakaki-san muttered. "Please make it quick or we'll all be killed."
"I'm undercover, here to save you. Come on, girly-pants! And its Yukari-san now!" Yukari-san turned and ran outside. She came back after realising Chiyo-chan and Sakaki-san weren't following. "Do you want to die here? Come on, I have a way out!"
"How do we trust you, Yukari-san?" Sakaki-san asked. Yukari-san lost all sense of fun, meeting Sakaki-san's eyes seriously.
"You are Commander Black Phoenix, toughest of the tough. Most violent of all. Most cunning of all, and definitely the most secret and protected. Commander Kenshin is only Orange Phoenix, fourth in the Group of Phoenix hierarchy. And I, illustrious lady that I am, am Red Phoenix, second only to you, Sakaki-san. Now let's get going!" Yukari-san turned and ran from the room. Sakaki-san grabbed Chiyo-chan's hand and followed Yukari-san through the maze of the prison, abandoning Chiyo-chan's precious armour.
"Why are there no guards?" Sakaki-san asked as loudly as she dared. Chiyo-chan hadn't spoken since the confrontation in their cell; connections were being rapidly made in her mind.
"There are five damn squads in here, all for you, Black Phoenix," Yukari-san said as she ran. "If none of them make it out of here alive it's ok with Main Base."
"Well it's not ok with me!" Sakaki-san retorted.
"Can you hear that?" Tomo-chan shouted to Yomi-san, scarcely pulling down her face scarf. Yomi-san signalled a halt; the women shut off the engines. Faintly was the sound of gunfire across the dunes. "We must be near the prison," Tomo-chan concluded.
"We are," Yomi-san nodded. "We drive down, blast the bastards with the machine guns and hand held weaponry. When the machines are out, Chihiro-chan, Kaorin-san and Ayumu-san reload, then you cover the rest of us as we storm the place for Sakaki-san and Chiyo-chan. Got it?"
"Hai!" the women ignited the jeep engines and flew down the dunes in a rain of screaming war cries and flailing weaponry. Dozens of other Rebel jeeps were already waiting warily the outside of the prison. One person sat in each jeep; that meant that at least that many people again were inside, searching for Sakaki-san and Chiyo-chan. Some Rebel fighters looked over their shoulders in surprise, and grinned as they saw the women approach. Almost in embarrassment the woman stopped shooting and lowered their guns, and Yomi-san pulled her jeep up alongside the nearest one.
"Captain Yomi-san and her squad," she announced. "Who is the leader here?"
"She's inside, captain," one man answered. "I'm second-in-command, Captain Mathews."
"The rescue of Major Sakaki-san is well underway, then?" Yomi-san asked.
"Indeed it is. The plan is to take the major and retreat to Main Base."
"Surely there are other Rebel prisoners in there?" Yomi-san asked in disbelief. She saw Tomo-chan tremble with rage beside her.
"We have our orders, captain."
"Orders from whom?" Tomo-chan demanded.
"Commander Kenshin, at Main Base." Mathews replied calmly.
"I outrank him! I want half of you in there to release prisoners! Now!" Not a man moved to follow Yomi-san's request. In a flash Yomi-san had removed her left upper arm guard and used a small knife to cut away her shirt sleeve. On her upper arm from shoulder to elbow was a blue tattoo of a bird with huge tail feathers. It's detailed wings were raised above its head. The image was frighteningly real. "As Blue Phoenix I demand you follow my orders!" she screamed, her voice echoing. Dozens of soldiers scrambled to obey.
"That's more like it, eh?" Tomo-chan nodded with approval.
As Yukari-san pelted around a corner she came across gunfire between two Rebels and a squad of Merchant forces. Quickly she threw herself into battle against the enemy, supporting the outnumbered Rebels. Sakaki-san and Chiyo-chan aided their former teacher, taking down the Merchants as fast as possible.
"Go, free as many prisoners as you can!" Sakaki-san ordered. The two Rebels, young sandy-haired men, hesitated.
"On my authority as Red Phoenix, go!" Yukari-san shouted as she continued fighting. More and more Merchants poured into the hallway as the two Rebel men fled to do Sakaki-san's bidding. Yukari-san faced them, felling them quickly before they could shoot.
Chiyo-chan suddenly stopped, a sickening image filling her mind. Yukari-san was shot, falling dead after what seemed an eternity. Chiyo-chan's eyes returned to the real world after not even a second to see a Merchant aiming his gun for the leather-clad woman.
"No!" Chiyo-chan shouted, hurling a full-grown man into the face of the gun-wielding Merchant with a surprising amount of strength. "We have to go!" Chiyo-chan shouted urgently. "We have to go now!"
Another Merchant raised his gun, his sight locked on Yukari-san. Chiyo-chan threw a man into the would-be assassin's line of fire.
"Trying to stop fate, little Chiyo-chan!" Yukari-san yelled cheerfully. "It'll never work!" she stabbed a man with his own knife and came face to face with a Merchant, his gun aimed at her belly. She slashed his throat as he shot her.
"No!" Chiyo-chan cried desperately. Sakaki-san gasped as Yukari-san swayed, blood gushing from her stomach. She killed the last two Merchants before falling to the ground.
Without a word to each other Sakaki-san and Chiyo-chan hoisted the woman up and carried her outside to the waiting Rebel fighters.
The Rebels were speechless as the two women carried the wheezing Yukari-san to the centre of the warriors. "Get all the prisoners you can!" Sakaki-san ordered, secretly doubting any Rebel taken alive would remain that way for long. "Get all the water, food, weapons. You know the drill! Take anything that isn't nailed down!" a dozen men ran inside to do as Sakaki-san ordered.
"You can't stop fate, Chiyo-chan," Yukari-san told her sensibly. "You saw my death before it happened. You take up from where I left off." Yukari-san put her hand on her stomach and dipped her fingers into the blood. Taking Chiyo-chan's hand she gripped it tightly. "You are the new, Red Phoenix, Chiyo-chan." Yukari-san smiled wearily. She reached for Sakaki-san's hand, and held the major's and lieutenants together. "Don't argue with fate, girls. You don't have the time. That goes for all of you!" she shouted to the rest of her former class. Looking slyly at Chiyo-chan, she whispered, "make sure Yomi-san and Tomo-chan don't waste too much more time, eh?" And with a beneficial smile, Yukari-san sighed, closed her eyes, and went.
Rebel soldiers lowered their heads and mourned the passing of the Red Phoenix; Sakaki-san and her squad of former classmates mourned their dearly loved teacher.