Chapter 40: A Mistake Worth Making
November 29th. Around 10:30 AM.
(In a sim pod.)
[Kei]
Sigh… What have I done to deserve this shit? This is the third time in a row the Instructor puts me along the princess, and now with Special-kun too. Why isn't she saying anything? Why isn't she stepping in?
I'm not making a miss… If we followed her orders we would die in the field, and she just won't shut up about how we're mistaken. Easy to throw your comrades' lives away when you can just run away to Daddy's mansion.
The initial rumbling slows down as the scenery comes into view, yet another urban layout.
"01, all green. 04, 06, report your status."
"…04, all green."
Still, I can't fail this training, and I don't wish to become a burden. But then, how on Earth do I make her understand? If I say anything, she gets all irritated. If the others do, she pressures them until they shut up. Some squad leader you are… We all are scoring good enough numbers, perhaps not when compared to the irregularity that is Special-kun but we're still doing remarkably well. Actually, she should be the one revising her stance. The military has to do all it can for its people, that also includes one's squadmates and underlings. Yet, she still acts all high and mighty despite being the one with the worst numbers across the board. She's just like the idiots that blamed me after what Dad did, skull as thick as her eyebrows.
"06, report your status." She asks again.
And then… there's no answer.
"06, do you copy?" Some seconds pass, but he doesn't answer her calls.
"Should we call the Instructor?"
"Yes, just a second… Instructor, do you copy?"
…
Okay, now the Instructor is also missing? Maybe something came up? But then, her face zooms into view as usual.
"Were you calling, Sakaki?"
"Yes, Ma'am. We can't seem to reach 06's unit… And he is nowhere in sight."
"Don't worry, this is all part of the exercise." Smirking as always, she begins the briefing. "Now then, let's begin exercise C-2. You currently have a base behind you, guarded by some artillery and infantry units, that's in the middle of an evacuation." A blink in our radar shows us the location of the target we have to protect, located at the tail end of the map to our seven. We were somewhere close to the middle, near a highway. "A hostile TSF unit is closing in on your location, and you cannot allow them to reach the perimeter of the base. You are to stand your ground and subdue the aggressors. However, your data link's functionality shall be reduced, and your mapping won't be as fast as it should. Make sure you communicate well between yourselves to clear this mission. As always, the goal is total annihilation of the hostiles."
"Roger." Still, this is weird. We didn't clear C-3, yet she's sending us to the next one… Well, this might be one last show of patience to force us to work together before punishments come out pouring.
"Understood. Instructor, what will 06's role be?"
"06 has been placed on a different location, and has to remain alone during his part of the mission. Said reason is why your data link is limited, so that neither he nor yourselves know where the others are. You have a few seconds before the mission starts to discuss strategies, that is all." And with a nod, she cuts the connection.
So she's sending him all on his own, to test his real abilities. This will be a nice way to see his true colors. While our sparring yesterday wasn't bad at all, and he did better than before, I still can't find a single weak point in his piloting. But… he didn't give us any advice as usual, and even kept some distance from Mitsurugi and me. Even asked us to ignore him… as I did when I got fed up with the princess.
No, I'm not wrong on this. He's too suspicious, too skilled to be a cadet. Closing my eyes for a moment, releasing some air as I hunch forward, I refocus on what's ahead. Can't involve myself with him, can't let my guard down.
"04, I think we should each take one side of the crossroad up ahead." The princess cuts into a corner of my vision, a small marking appears on my radar. "Most of the landscape to our twelve seems to be collapsed so any hostiles won't be able to get past it without jumping, and then we could snipe them. So, blocking the open highway seems like the most appropriate choice."
…For starters, it is. Until we see through the missing dots where Special-kun is on the mission, blocking that street is our best bet. However…
"I suggest that we stand behind the collapsed buildings further into the ruins, there is very little cover near the highway."
There's a clearing near our position, and big enough buildings and large lots full of rubble to each side of the highway both in front and behind us. Getting too close to that small clearing equals exposing ourselves unnecessarily, our rifles have plenty of range to deal with any hostiles rushing through it, and the extra space would give us ample time to react to any that jump through the toppled ruins.
"However, our data link will be hampered." She retorts, hand on her chin. "We might not be notified on some of them approaching through the ruins, and if we're focusing on the highway there's a possibility that we might miss some. I believe we should be closer, so that our radars locates their signals sooner."
"We can slowly approach the highway as we deal with the hostiles." Even in the case of a sudden rush with multiple enemies, we should have enough room to chase some if they happen to evade us somehow. Having more cover would be beneficial so that those enemies can't strike at us from a blank point.
"Acquiring intel on the enemy's position would be a priority in this situation, in my opinion. Also, neither of us can snipe as well as Tamase, so we should shorten the distance in case some sneak by us."
"We can chase them then." In this narrow space full of debris they won't be able to get near top speed, and if they jump they'll be sitting ducks in the air. No AI could match up Special-kun's deranged style, after all.
"What if the Instructor deems any hostile getting too close to the end of the map as an instant failure?"
"…Damn, didn't think of that."
She's got a point, all be damned. If the Instructor wants to, she can say we didn't cooperate well enough. She did say we couldn't let anyone reach 'the perimeter' of the base, so if we take too long during the chase we might fail this. And yes, neither of us got Tamase's sniping, and we don't know where Special-kun is, nor if he'll get close enough to lend a hand. And, if the hostiles go in the princess' direction, she ain't got the ability to hunt them down. She can't fly as precisely as I do, but also lacks the marksmanship of either Yoroi or Tamase to make up for that. And if there's a sudden rush of hostiles after she's forced to chase a stray enemy…
Sigh… For the sake of the training… For my own commission… At least we can't retreat on this exercise.
"Roger. I've no complains, let me take front point then."
"Huh?" Arching a brow, she taps her glasses. "Why would you take front point? Your long range is worse than mine."
"My CQC is better, I can rush the enemy while you cover me in case many come at us all at once."
"Don't be stupid, we have to operate close to each other. Especially in this mission, without our data link working well."
"What do we do if some slip by through the ruins?"
"We'll have enough time and space to give chase if we're near each other, since they'll have to jump through all those toppled buildings to do that."
…Not even considering the chance that they might strike at us from a blank point, huh. And no way in hell she'd be able to chase them down. I'll just listen to the radar and take out any enemies that try to break past us. No need to keep bashing my head against the wall.
"…Roger."
"Well, here's the positions I thought of." The radar shows two spots near the start of the clearing, quite some meters in between each of them, behind two of the few buildings that we could use as cover. "This gives us a good vantage point to attack the enemy while also letting us see far enough into the highway with our combined footage."
"Okay. Which side is mine?"
"You prefer the right one, so take it. Remember to use the comms to notify me of any changes you see."
Yes, I know you like being on top, princess. No need to remind me. Worst of this is, if she misses an enemy I'm too far away to try to snipe it from here. There's a goddamn building in the way and if I'm not careful I might end up taking the princess down if I try to get it on the small opening I'll have from there. And we also don't have a frontal view of the highway, so we might not see an incoming rush quickly enough.
Sigh… Don't have time to argue, just focus on doing what you can. As much as I dislike it, at least Special-kun is somewhere out there. For all I know, he might have been placed as a last line sweeper.
Before neither of us could say anything else, the green message appears on our view. The mission started, and wasting not a second I move forward, running through the rubble. Gotta conserve my fuel, in case a chase is required later.
The princess decided to jump instead, making it to our decided spot a few seconds before me. As I did, though, I saw the first few enemy signals pop up on my radar. Five enemies, two right behind each other on the right, the others lagging behind on the left.
Alright, I'll begin with a dash to gain momentum and suppress them with the 36mm, from there I can-
"Ayamine, take your position! The enemy is closing in already!"
"…I know." God damn it all.
Rifle out, fire angle locked. The enemy appears, heels on the pedals then I tap the trigger to send a short volley, and then do the same when the second one appears as I move back. Both of them neutralized, less than fifty 36mm used. Taking cover as they shot at me, the princess begins to attack then.
Shooting together at the rushing enemies while taking cover when necessary, we subdue the first wave. More than I thought would come, but we did have to go toe to toe against eight enemies at the end of Level D. Luckily, their response time is rather slow and we even have the aid of auto-aim for when we have to move back. Locking onto another target does take half a second, so just shooting is actually the better choice since the machine remembers the last angle I used to shoot at, added to the absolute lack of evasive maneuvers of the AI. Guess Special-kun was right about that, too. Maybe because he actually piloted a TSF before.
Bringing me back to the fight, more beeping comes in through the radar.
"What the…" Nine signals, all at once. Closer than the others were before when we noticed them. A rush so early in the mission? "01, hostiles located. Nine coming, first four coming on the left to your two through the ruins."
"Nine?! Dammit. Can you handle the highway?"
"Yeah."
Moving under cover, going to the left side of the building to get a good sight of the enemy, seeing the first two hostiles get shot down by the princess, I prep up a boost. As the hostiles rushed from the highway into my range, I again opened fire upon them, moving behind cover when necessary. As the radar updates, I see one is near me and getting closer. Readying a dagger on my free arm, crouching as I move out, a rush aimed at its cockpit drives the dagger home. Lost the weapon but the enemy Fubuki was neutralized without me taking any damage. Sigh… All done here.
But once I saw the radar, there were five more signals coming our way.
"04, five more hostiles sighted. Prepare to engage again."
"Way ahead of you."
"Why, you… Here they come!" Don't need you to tell me.
Reverting to the 36mm, going back a few steps, more and more bullets are sent at the hostiles, that get shot down on the spot. Before the radar could tell us, another four come through the highway, trying to scatter as they dash away from us. Rushing out of cover, veering to the right, I try to spread my angle to not miss, but one of them had sent missiles my way, forcing me to move behind cover. And as I was re-aiming, the shock warning appears on my sight as my inputs cease to work. Damn… As soon as I got out of cover, one of them landed a hit on my feet, and I began to fall down onto a building, pretty much headbutting it face first. Just a scratch, no damage to the visor thankfully. Then, her face pops up in the left corner of my vision.
"I got hit. 04, can you still move?"
"No, they got me too. Let's chase them, no signals over the radar."
"Roger, let's hurry with this!" And for once, she isn't being a bother. It's gonna snow, dammit.
Diving my heels onto the pedals once the response comes back, the shaking increases as I suddenly shift to full march towards my fleeing target. Her dot on my radar was unmoving despite how she took off immediately once the shock time stopped, as I did. Looking at it, there's a three second lag in what's displayed.
Choosing to boost jump when I realized I wasn't gaining time on it, the distance between us finally begins to shorten.
Don't have time to waste, if too many come out now we won't be able to get them if they scatter. If this were a real mission, and she ends up surrounded… she would die, I would die, the base might get overrun. And I'm sure… this is nothing compared to what our armies had to do when that attack happened a few weeks ago.
"I won't let something like this bring me down…"
Boosting again while leaving my feet firmly planted on the pedals, the Fubuki finally enters my sight again. It's running instead of boosting… probably because it should conserve fuel to escape after attacking the base. Shaving the distance, the hostile stops in its track as it turns around, readying its rifle. Not giving it enough time to properly aim, switching to 120mm, then flickering the trigger once more with a vengeance, another volley comes out and the hostile is shot down.
Sigh… Thank the Emperor it didn't get near the cramped part of the ruins, or that it didn't have time to shoot. Worse, if it had boost jumped, I would have made us lose. Alright, let's return. Radar shows nothing, but I shouldn't count on it.
"04, stray neutralized. How's the situation?"
"01, I just shot down my target as well. Let's return to the highway."
I nod to the projection, shutting it off later.
Again activating a boost, jumping above the nearby buildings and rubble lots, I quickly return to our prior position. However, I don't return to the spot she chose. Circling to the place I had thought of before, crouching in between some broken down buildings in front of a small amount of rubble, I take aim at the highway.
The enemy's goal is clear, split us up. Wouldn't surprise me if another rush was coming our way, so we need space to not end up shooting at point-blank, we might get taken out otherwise. If another rush comes right after this, and I have to give chase again, I might not make it in time to suppress the enemy. Hell, the princess might not make it back before the next ones come here, her target ended up farther away than mine after all. Worse, they might stop using the highway altogether and force us to separate to then gang up on us. Better take these next ones from a safe distance and then get some breathing room to see where the next ones come from.
Prepping the 120mm, the radar beeps, just two signals.
"04, two hostiles sighted."
"01, roger that. I'm getting close and… Wait, why aren't you by the highway?"
"Risk of taking a hit at point-blank, can't take that if you're not here."
"That's… No, good call. I'm almost there."
Wow, she didn't begin to scream? Shit, a blizzard is on the horizon. Heh… Well, a Fubuki is coming towards me, actually.
Looking back forward as I grin, said hostile Fubuki comes through the highway, running with its guns blazing. Too bad you can't hit me from that far away by simply spraying your shots around. Not fast enough for me to miss, nothing like Special-kun or Yoroi, trigger pulled and down it goes. The other again tried to break through the ruins, to make a run for it, but I had enough time to lock onto it, move out to intercept and take it down in between the streets. Didn't even have to give chase, I knew this spot was the best pick.
"04, both targets down." Her face again appears in a corner of my vision, this time her brows were down and arched very, very hard.
"Good work. I'm right around the corner, how's the situation?"
"Both targets shot down. And… nothing on the radar." She is almost here, so I guess I'll just return on foot to my cover. Turning around, stepping on the pedals with just a bit of impulse, I jog my way to the buildings.
"Stay on your guard, we don't know when the enemy will appear." Sigh… I know.
"By the way, I noticed the radar takes three seconds to update when you left."
"Oh, really? Good work, 04." It's gonna rain icebergs, I tell you. "I can see the highway already, any updates?"
I look over the radar, that was blank three seconds ago, as I bring my unit to a halt.
But then, the image displayed a singular dot in the highway, almost to our end of it actually.
But… But the enemies so far didn't move that-
Beep!
For just a second, as I turned around, I saw the figure of the Fubuki as it flew right through the open space of the clearing. Locking my barrel onto it, my shot missed. Once its feet touched the ground it again jumped, wasting no time and in a fluid movement as if it were dancing a ballet, taking cover behind the buildings we were behind before while dodging all of my shots. Then, it sent a volley my way, tumbling my Fubuki down. Light damage to the outer armor of my left foot, dammit!
"01, a single enemy sighted! It's- Tch, damn." Forced to crouch and hide behind a cover to avoid its heat, the radar shows me the hostile again began to advance as I did.
Looking out from my position, I saw it flying about for a second before it landed behind some buildings, out of my sight.
"04, where's the enemy?!"
"Got past me, landed on a street to your Five. Giving chase now."
"Wait, leave it to- Woah!" Her face tightened, gritting her teeth.
So the runaway ran into her, huh. Good enough, we'll regroup after taking it down, so unless there's another rush we should be able to manage. No other signals on the radar… I could leave it to the princess… But if more of those come out, I can't hold five or so by myself if all of them boost jump in different directions.
"01, currently engaging. Can't seem to pin it down."
Sigh… If it wasn't because it caught me by surprise, I wouldn't have let it slip. One alone is not a threat to me. Shows how good she truly is. The radar changes, showing me their positions. She's… actually getting driven back? What the hell, squad leader. Much lip, little skill.
"04, I've located you. Coming in to your Three."
"Got it, I'll distract it to let you strike from behind then. Just hurry it up!"
Thank the Heavens she's cooperating, even if we're gonna swim in snow the next few weeks. As my Fubuki runs through the broken streets in between the buildings, I caught sight of the radar as it updated. The hostile is in a clearing, not letting the princess move out from her cover.
…But wait, why would a hostile AI do this? If their mission is to reach the base, it should have tried to run away as soon as she couldn't retaliate, like the others did until now. After all, all the enemies we've faced before don't stay to fight when the mission entails defending a perimeter.
Then… Why is this one acting differently?
Three seconds passed, the radar was updated as I was almost to the clearing in the ruins, taking a corner to reach their position and seeing the back of the enemy Fubuki. And wasting not a second, the hostile turned around. Pointing its rifle right at me, making me bite my lips as I yank the controls.
"Damn it!" Moving sharply to my left, the increased shaking tells me that shot just grazed me. "01, this is no ordinary hostile. It noticed me and attacked in less than a second."
"What? I thought it was just my imagination when he engaged me…"
So you saw it and said nothing? No, now's not the time. Where is that-
"The target is fleeing!" And again, doesn't seem like it's running either. Triggering the boosters, pushing the controls a tad bit too strongly, I begin to make consecutive jumps to get closer to it. "I'll take care of this one, you return to the highway."
"Don't be foolish, you can't take that one out by yourself."
Heh, tell your pride to get down from the pony. My reflexes aren't as bad as-
Looking forward once I landed, the warm end of a rifle was pointed at me on the corner of my sight.
"Guh!" Feeling my elbow hit my ribs, the edge of the seat sinking into the back of my knees, instinct takes over as I jolt the controllers to move back.
Dammit, again just barely managed to dodge it. And by jumping away from it, again. Doesn't matter, I'll take it out with the next shot. Like I always did with the other hostiles up until now. Getting out of cover, my trigger finger ready to shoot, the first thing I see… is a sword coming down onto my head.
Barely pulling away to avoid it, the follow up forces me to backboost for the first time since I started my piloting training, all to barely escape the edge that creates a blizzard of concrete and a deafening sound burst as a building is shredded down, prey to the onslaught of the hostile.
And through the rubble, through the dust… the green light of the enemy Fubuki's visor was there, staring right back at me and getting closer.
"Damn… But I've got you at point-blank. Now you're gonna bite it." I shoot, confident that it will be enough to take it down at this distance.
But, somehow, it brought its blade to its body, covering my shoots with it. Moving forward once more, bringing its blade above its shoulder, again all I can do is backboost away as it eviscerates another building.
Damn… That trick won't work twice on me, though. I'll just shower you with a few 120mm, let's see you block this with a sword.
"04, pull back! Let's pincer it toge-"
"Shut it, I can take it down."
I won't retreat. If this were a real mission, if real lives were at stake… we should subdue such a threat immediately!
I open fire again, this time not lifting my finger. Don't care how many bullets it takes, this one's going down. We're wasting too much time as it is.
With this it should… should be… enough… Huh?
It didn't move left. It didn't move right. It didn't backboost or use its sword to block my shots.
It jumped forward, looking more like a short hop, avoiding my firing line altogether. And raising its blade, I saw it would also tear me down as it did to those buildings as soon as it landed. Biting my lips as my tongue sinks down, clawing at the controls, and not because of the intense shaking, backboosting is all I can do. Again.
Landing with a feet forward, using the momentum of the jump to do an upwards slash, my pressure on the pedals is not going to let me avoid this. As I gritted my teeth, the hostile suddenly froze over in its stride, letting me get around a corner to catch my breath.
"04, I told you to pull back! I barely managed to cover you!"
"…My bad."
I ran away. Again. But… But that reckless attack pattern…
"Damn, I'm getting pinned down again. Did you sustain any damage?"
"No…" The radar gets updated, the hostile is in the middle of a street. The princess is on a corner diagonally from my position.
"Let's coordinate an assault on this one, we can't leave the highway undefended for so long."
"…Wait, let me try something first."
"Huh? This isn't time for any selfish maneuvers!"
"I'm not going to move, just give me a second."
"Ayamine, now's not the time to-"
Tapping the button, I open the common channel. Which should be useless during sim training… unless you're fighting against someone else.
Those sharp moves, the way in which he always jumps forward to close the distance with his enemies… If this isn't him, then it's an AI loaded with this moves. And while he might have been placed on the other end of the map with the same mission as us, I don't see the Instructor sending someone on a solitary mission like that. If she wanted us alone to do another run as a punishment or a test, she wouldn't have called him.
"So, seems like you got a nice role to play in the mission, Special-kun."
"Huh? What are you saying?" She sighs, shaking her head. "Come on, 04. There's no way that's-"
"Ah, goddammit. You had to go and spoil the fun." That same complaining tone as when he had just gotten here, couldn't help but to purse my lips.
"Huh?! Shirogane-kun?!" Eyes wide, mouth as well, she seemed to not believe it.
"Oh, well. No point in hiding it. I was given the role of your enemy for this mission. Nice eyes, Ayamine."
"…So, what was up with those moves?" They were better than usual. He never… cornered me in such a way. I never… shivered by seeing the green glint of an opposing Fubuki as it chased me. To think I ran away instead of retaliating… "Seems like you've been hiding your best cards from us. Bad Special-kun."
"Ayamine, this isn't the time! We're in the middle of-"
"Nah, it's cool. She's right, though. Sigh… I am doing my best right now." He groans a bit, his voice sounds… exhausted, drained.
"Really? Because you're fighting two on one?" The princess asks.
"Or because he thought we wouldn't notice." She groans as I say it, but he speaks up before she can.
"Well, can't exactly take it easy against you two. But hey, most of my work here is done already, so might as well enjoy this early mock battle we have going on here." His voice again full of cheer, of the fake variety since he's clearly tired, Special-kun chuckles a bit afterwards.
As I wondered what the hell he meant by that, the radar let out a beep as it updated.
Revealing over ten signals coming from the highway, rushing towards the base.
Some odd minutes afterwards.
(On a hallway near the sim room.)
[Mana]
Mumbling and whispers filled the simulation room, yet all eyes were unmistakably gazing at the same monitor. While the performance of both young women was acceptable, it paled in comparison to the dexterity and finesse in which the male of the group commanded its virtual machine. A few pilots were gambling on whose side would emerge victorious, eliciting a small cheering from certain sectors towards either the females or the lone male as they continued to spar.
…And yet, in no way could I possibly believe what my eyes see now. It would be no jape to say I am petrified on the spot, as if my arms had been molded into my stomach, aware of my inhaling through my nose despite how tightly my throat is closing up at what I am seeing.
It isn't the same, not in its intent at the least, yet the similarities… are too large to ignore. More conscious footing, sharper cornering and jumps, barely no wasted movement in any of its attacks, and… a most polished control of the jump units that would leave anyone thinking the man is truly deserving of the darker suit he endows for his training.
However… It is less rash, impulsive, and far more aware of its surroundings. Takeru-sama tended to abuse its machines much, gaining the animosity of all of our mechanics in doing so, as he preferred to remain as close to top speed as possible while somehow managing to not crash as he did so. He truly was addicted to the element-based line-piercing doctrine Amato devised. And yet, despite being alone in this fight, he only ever uses a complete boost at the last moment, or sometimes even at random just to throw off his squadmates' offensive. Halting the advance of both of them at the same time, in spite of some… remarkably odd movements on his end, there is no mistake left in my eyes.
This is person… is none other than our Takeru. Even if its adusted impulse has been diminished, that most eccentric movement pattern is his no doubt. Then… Then, he truly was… alive? How on the Heavens could anyone replicate to this level of detail his piloting, if this isn't him? It is hard to imagine, when his fellows in training or even his Instructors were left lacking of all words when in front of his ways.
Sigh… You always were such a reckless boy… Even now, fighting on your own while relying on sharp dodges as opposed to taking cover… You never enjoyed using the shield, after all. Biting softly the inner side of my lips, I repress a smile. Finally exhaling heavily, my back allows itself to lean onto the frame of the wall.
"…It truly is a wonder."
"Indeed it is." Kamiyo says, yet with hostility permeating her tone. "What a parade. The man is flaunting his position as a commissioned pilot openly, and the fools are cheering on him." Looking back at her, one of her hands was coiled hard enough to crush a rock, if one had been within its grasp.
"It is nothing but a cavalcade of clowns, what did you expect?" Tomoe says, shrugging. "However, at the least we now know our suspicions were spot on."
"That is true." Ebisu nods, taking a step closer. "Mana-sama, should we report this to the Great General? It is obvious the man should be detained, all things considered."
"And since when you are the one who decides what we do? Remember that we cannot act at our leisure in this base, even less after being appointed by her as the eyes of these testings we've been taking part in." Narrowing my eyes, she makes a sudden bow.
"Apologies, Mana-sama. However, in light of what we're seeing, I believe a report would be welcomed. There is no need to leave such a dangerous element near Meiya-sama overlong."
"I do agree with her." Kamiyo nods, then also bowing down. Tomoe follows suit. "While it is true we have no choice but to bow down and allow the UN to treat us as their mooks, we should not let this matter rest in my opinion. The damn American was in possession of a katana, and now we know of his true skills. We, as the servants of the House of the Shogun, should act to apprehend this-"
"Any further repining shall be reported to Her Highness." Freezing up, the trio simply bows down again. "You should know we cannot act by force. We're not some barbaric buffoons, we are the Royal Guard. And as my underlings, I am expecting you to measure up to the honor befitting the title you possess."
"Apologies, Mana-sama!"
"Sigh… Not so loud." And again, they bow down. While I am pleased with them as my fellows, and that they always listen to my words, from time to time I can't help but to wish they were slightly less noisy in their loyalty. "In any case, you do have a point. Enough woolgathering, a report is in order. Ebisu, remain here watching over Meiya-sama and do not, unless it is an emergency, approach the man. Have your communicator at the ready if anything that requiered my attention were to ocurr." Again narrowing my eyes, she stands upright and salutes me. "Then, let us go."
Taking one last look at the monitor, at Meiya-sama as her stare was transfixed onto it as well, I briskly walk away from the simulation room.
…So you're alive? Is it truly you? If so, then…
How were you taken from us? Who plotted such a thing? And… Does that vixen fox know of your true identity?
Otherwise, despite the discussions regarding the blade, despite Chief Yoroi's warnings, despite how detrimental to her relation with the Guard it is to not hand over the man and instead have to negotiate herself…
Why would she so stoutly deny us the chance to speak with you? Why erect such a wall over your person? For that woman to do such a thing…
Biting my lips, feeling my boots repine as their grip on the floor loosened once I picked up my pace, a frown expanded on my face despite my efforts.
…For this equals that she sees you as an important piece, which would mean…
She knows something about your identity, however small that knowledge may be. And if not, then she plans to make you into her pawn, to truly make you into her bodyguard.
…And I'd rather face damnation as we did during the '99 than see that come to pass.
"Mana-sama, please wait for us!" Kamiyo repines, her voice sounding out of breath.
"I believe you were the one who was wishing to make a report? Then, make haste. Time is of essence, after all." Descending the stairs without slowing down, the sounds of their hastened steps soon follow.
At the same time.
(Sim Pod.)
[Kei]
Volley to the left, he dances away from it. Retaliating with his own, an ember scratches my left arm. Orange numbers, two more hits and its dead. Pressing the tip of my tongue against the base of the inner side of my teeth, my heels sink into the pedals. Veering left, I spray him with more bullets. Special-kun dodges them, but I manage to hit one of the AI hostiles that was behind.
"04, move back!" She shouts, the radar updating as she moved forward.
That I do, and she sends a few 120mm and manages to neutralize another AI Fubuki. And not a second later, she has to run away as Special-kun almost introduced her to the sharp end of his sword.
I move forward and firing immediately, but he jumps away, into a building as if it were a trampoline, and if it weren't for the princess' covering fire I would have been the one introduced to his sword just now.
"Damn it all… Can't chase the hostiles…. Can't take him down…"
I thought he was commissioned, that he had experience, but this is just asinine. He isn't even using a shield! And he's just dodging our shots as if it were effortless…
He said… He once said that, since the auto-correction in the aim systems would remember the last angle the TSF fires at, taking a second to truly look at the target would make a difference in our results. Taking a single second to truly look at where you have to aim, that's the advice he gave us before things went south between us.
But… while that applies to stationary defense, if you're constantly on the move then not only you need to readjust your target, you practically have to align both the maneuver and the shots you fire. Such coordination while using a manual configuration… to make such precise and fine movements, to dodge our heat, and almost always hit the mark despite the constant shift in his position at the speed he moves…
"Forget being a commissioned soldier, you're a monster." Can't help but to complain as he again forces us to move away after another failed attempt at doing even some little damage to his unit.
Piloting a TSF is already complex as it is, but to instead take manual control of the machine to this extent? Was this… what you always were aiming at? My lips tremble as he again takes a sidestep to my left, the arms of his Fubuki moving slightly up as its torso shifts its weight back. My bullets, that were aimed at his upper body, move under its elbows as the arms raise, the edge of the blade now facing out and moving to the left. His Fubuki making the battle pose he always makes when sparring with Mitsurugi, the coming slash losing no momentum.
You're telling me… you're seeing through my moves with such ease? To dodge point-blank fire… and prep up a counter in the same move? Hands shaking, mouth wide open, stare is all I can do. I… He knew I would spray my shots, instead of aiming at his feet. He was jumping like mad all this time… banking on this chance to take me out?
At the last second, it had to do a backboost.
"04, you have to pull back! I'm almost out of 120mm!" Her face appears in a corner of my vision, those thick brows arched.
Barely putting force on my pedals, I again… I again run away. As he gave us a breather, I looked at my radar and he wasn't moving.
A few hostiles broke through, but we can't move carelessly because he'll take us out if we try to rush. Once those AI get to the base, we will fail the exercise. He'll win this time, again.
Suddenly gritting my teeth, shifting my hold on the controls, I inhale sharply to fill my lungs. I'm going to take you out. Don't think you can ridicule us like this…
"04, how are you holding up?" Her face zooms in, tone also exhausted.
"…Arms in orange, fuel at half. No more 120mm, around 500 36mm left."
"…I'm not much better, to be honest." Closing her eyes, she sighs really heavily. Seeming to be biting the edge of her lips, she then shakes her head. "I… I propose that we should… retreat to a safer position while we deal with the rest of the hostiles."
…
"…You're planning to run away?"
"It's a… strategic retreat." Grimacing as she said it, she then sighed. "We need to neutralize those other Fubukis or we will fail this mission. And we can't stay near 06 or we risk being taken out. If either of us falls, this mission ends in failure."
"…Then, you go back."
"04, now's not the time. We both should-"
"You should go take care of the AI, don't think they'd give you trouble. I'll self-destruct my unit to off Special-kun from this mission."
"That's too risky. We should both take a vantage point to neutralize him after we regroup closer to the base." Furrowing her brows, her tone rose in complain.
"…We're wasting time. Go and run away already." Hitting the pedals, I boost towards Special-kun.
"Ayamine! Stop it, we should-" Ignoring her, the radar guides me to his position.
But, why isn't he moving? Heh, thinking to give us some advantage, hmm? Damn it, Special-kun.
Rushing through the broken streets, I make visual contact with him. Quickly sending a volley his way, the Fubuki crouches down as my bullets tickle its head.
Huh? He didn't… move or jump? Maybe his radar didn't update fast enough to notice me.
Boosting forward as I shoot short volleys, he again sends a few well timed shots my way. But he's slowing down, I can actually dodge his attacks now all by myself. I can do this!
We trade paint with the buildings' rooftops as we move while shooting at each other, painting the simulated streets with Fubuki footsteps, evading the other's heat.
"Haa… I'll be damned." He speaks over the common channel, still sounding tired. All those maneuvers had a cost, after all. "You're getting good."
"Look down on me and you'll pay."
"No one's looking down on you. Just… Sigh… Surprised to see you holding up so well on your own." …Why does he sound happy? Making fun of me? "So, what's the plan? Pincer me as you play decoy?"
"…I'm plenty enough to take care of you." Crouching and moving forward, I shoot at his feet, forcing him to glide away.
Entering a sudden boost to not miss the window where his rifle can't aim at me in the ground, I rush at him as I leave the boosters activated. Once the boosters go off, we'll both explode. With this, you'll be removed from the board!
Tackling him in full force as my arms grapple his arm joints to halt his attacks, the jump units begin to overheat. Holding my breath tight as the shaking intensifies, buckling my knees and hips down to not let go of the pedals, I let out a groan as my arm extends even more to push the controllers all the way forward, keeping my arms locked onto his arms with all I have.
However… Suddenly, for some reason, my machine ends up on top of his.
…He let a single foot slip as he bent backwards, and then activated a single jump unit. Spinning around, Special-kun took measures to bury me into a building as we both crashed. The increased shaking was too much, making me dizzy for a second, and my feet slipped from the pedals.
"Damn it all…" I couldn't self-destruct… My fuel… is getting low. I can do it one more time… but now I don't have the surprise factor anymore… Ugh… My head hurts a lot.
Yanking the controls and stomping on the pedals, I bring my Fubuki on its feet once more. He did too, and we stood close by, sizing up the other.
"You're one nimble bastard, Special-kun." I've got a newfound respect for you now. Quick thinking, sublime piloting, I wonder if there is something you don't have. If it weren't for his age and lame jokes… I'd say he's a vet.
"…What was the deal with that?" He asks, his voice making me shiver for a second. Dry, rough, somewhat upset. Heh, he's mad I almost took him out.
"Thought to self-destruct, since you're one tough obstacle."
"And why? Sakaki is still nearby, and the rest of the hostiles aren't down yet."
"I just said why. As things stand, you're the biggest hurdle to overcome. If this was a real mission, I doubt we could take you down without suffering casualties."
"…You still have your partner here, why would you choose self-destructing as the first option?"
"Because that's all a dead soldier can do."
If this was a real fight, I'd have a foot in the grave. All I can do is take you down with me to cut the losses of my forces. That's all I can do, I refuse to retreat and allow such a dangerous pilot close to my base.
"…Don't give me that bullshit."
"Huh? Did you…" Did he just call me plans bullshit? How dare he… Wait he's angry? I… I think this is a first.
"All a dead soldier can do my ass… Don't you give me that excuse."
"It's not an excuse." I ready my rifle again. "It's the most cost effective way to-"
In the blink of an eye, his Fubuki lunged at me. Looks like he was warming up his jump units. Barely able to dodge the slash, I can't reposition as it quickly turns after me, shaving the pavement with the tip of his blade, as if sharpening it against the concrete and making sparks fly off, sending a rising slash at me.
That was… faster than before. And… he aimed at my cockpit this time. All the times before he was aiming at my arms or shoulders… What the hell is wrong with him?
"Don't give me that bullshit, Ayamine." Again coming after me, now with his rifle out as well, his voice sounds hoarse as if he were restraining a shout. "Your goal is to protect the base. Dying doesn't accomplish that."
"It takes you out of the equation, so it does plenty enough." Crouching to avoid a 120mm, he's forced to jump to avoid a hit to his feet.
"You're just giving up on the mission by choosing to die now!"
"No, because I'm doing all I can for my comrades and my base."
"And what about their lives?! Nothing guarantees they are safe."
"You'd be down, and that's enough to-"
"No, it isn't!" This time shouting in true anger, he jumped over the buildings separating us, starting a boost at the height of his jump.
Looking as if he were about to do air jousting, if I hadn't been on the move already I wouldn't have been able to avoid his attack. Couldn't even react to it, it was… simply too fast. Piercing through another building as I dodged, and quickly scattering the dust and crumbling concrete by swinging his blade around, it's as if I had been frozen in place after seeing the sheer speed and aggressiveness of his move. If that had connected… Finally, hands, shoulders, lips, even my knees shake for a moment.
How the hell did he do that? How did he came up with that move? He's a monster… To move with such precision even at top speed… To manage to not crash at that speed despite missing his target…
"Hear me well, Ayamine." I twitched at his tone, unlike anything I've ever heard from him. Sounding as if he were talking over clenched teeth, almost managing not to snap. His Fubuki turned around and pointed its blade at me. "Suicide is the last option. You choose that when abso-fucking-lutely you don't have another path available."
"…Not like I have much cards against a monster like you."
"Then, tell me. If the military has to do all it can for the people it protects, why are you abandoning them?"
"What did you say?! I'm… I'm not abandoning anyone! I'm removing the most dangerous target on the field." I fire another volley, he crouches and shaves the distance between us.
When I thought I was done for, he punched my cockpit instead of going for a slash. Damn, lost the grip on my rifle! Why didn't he knock me out?
"No, you're giving up. That's why you're choosing death instead of fighting until you've no other choice!"
"Shut up! This is all I can do now, I can't beat you in a one-on-one fight so this is the best course of action I have!" And I won't retreat. I'm not a traitor… I'm not like them… This is all I can do, don't talk so high and mighty as if you knew what it is to be in my shoes.
"…One person once told me that staying alive was the best thing a soldier could do."
"Huh?" His tone eased up all of a sudden, giving me time to stand up and locate the rifle I had lost.
"Once you're dead, you can't save anyone. It doesn't matter if others call you a coward or whatever, staying alive and fighting on is something that someone has to do. If you enter a fight thinking that you can only make yourself useful by self-destructing, you're about as good as a loose frag grenade."
"…Don't talk down to me. This is all I can do. I tried everything and nothing worked!"
"Then, why not try working with Sakaki instead of acting on your own?" Finally moving forward once I dashed towards my rifle, he kicks it away. Tackling his Fubuki, I sprint forward and recover my gun.
"I won't retreat, never. This is how I fight."
"…Don't fuck with me, you gotta know that stance is the same as asking to be killed."
"It's how I do things, deal with it."
"…So when things don't go your way, you place your pride above the rest and choose to just blow everything up?" Again talking through clenched teeth, his words froze me in place. "What about the people that placed their trust in you? What about your comrades? How do you think they'd feel when they see you exploding your everything away?!"
"I… I… What? I… I'm not doing that."
"Yes, you are! You always do! You just shut up and let your relation with the squad implode instead of taking the steps to talk your issues out with them! Shutting up and doing your thing without a care… You have to know you can't go on like this, dammit!"
…Huh? I… do what I want without a care? No, that's not it… But… When I can't take the loss, I shut in and do what I want? I… let everything explode?
His face flashed before my eyes, both when he was with me back home and the last time I saw him, during the execution. Traitor, American supporter, military scum, the names he was given were many. But all despised him for the same reason.
Dad killed the people that didn't agree with his ways at the last mission. That's why… we lost so many of our men, why the UN took so much damage. It is true many civilians managed to be evacuated due to how he refused to buckle from his position from what I heard… But… But… I'm doing the same? I'm the same as him?
My hands begin to shake, I hunch over.
No… I've been making an effort… to not be a traitor, to follow the rules as best as I'm able… But if I had retreated, we could have offed the other AI hostiles, and then it would have been a matter of keeping Special-kun quiet. But then…
My eyes and mouth open wide as the realization hits me.
I screwed up? I… If the mission fails, I… I got the princess and the base killed. Because I… placed my pride above them? Because I acted like he did? I… acted like Father did, all those years ago. But I… I always….
"Ah… No… You're wrong, I didn't…"
His Fubuki takes one step towards me.
"You did." He said, a bit calmer now. "And you shouldn't assume that's the only way forward."
"…What do you know? What the hell do you know?!"
"That to keep struggling isn't pointless. And believe it or not, I'm sure that at the very least me, Tama and Mikoto would welcome you being more honest with open arms. You're not fighting alone here."
"…The end goal of a surface pilot… is to enter a Hive. There's no retreat… in the battlefield against the BETA, there's no retreat."
"You know that's not true, the war would have been over if that was the only choice left for us."
"I… I'm not a traitor. I won't retreat." If I do… it's back to those days… What do you know? You can fly back to America any time you want, don't you?
"…So what if people call you names?" Again angry, his Fubuki took another step closer. "So what if the odds are against you? So what if you're not good enough? Who the hell decided that you have no choice but to lay your life down like that?!"
"T-That's the way it is with the war, there's no option left for- D-Dammit!" Yanking the controls, I barely dodge his slash.
"Wrong!" He sends another wide slash, leaving me with no choice to backboost away from his flurry. "When you give up, that's when you're truly out of options. Keep struggling on, until you find a better solution!" Wasting a second, I take out my sword and we begin to trade blows.
"And what about the ones that can't find a solution?! What about all the fallen to the war?!" Come on, mister American! I'm sure you know all about it!
"You honor their sacrifice by making the most out of your life, so that when death comes knocking you don't leave a mess behind."
"And what if you don't get the choice? Pretty sure the high-ups won't hesitate to use us as meat shields." The mission was to stand our ground, no matter what. While the Instructor hasn't chimed in so far… that wouldn't happen in the field, we would have been forced to remain in place.
"Don't shield yourself behind excuses! Plenty of people die without having a say in the matter every day, but we are different. We, as soldiers, are given the choice of how to die once we enter the battlefield. Be it prey to fear, to an accident, or to protect someone. But what you're doing is none of them, since you assume from the get go that dying is all you can do, all you're doing is looking for a place to die. Will you just choose to explode at the very first sign of danger, then?!"
"Don't mock me! Then, what can I do? What if I don't have a choice?!"
"So what if you don't?!" This time his shriek was… guttural, pained. The slash that came with it forced my hands to push the controls as hard as I could to not bend under the recoil and shaking. "There's a difference between a sacrifice and a suicide. And if you keep thinking that your only last resort is the red self-destruct button, then you'll only become the latter. If you don't struggle to find a way to victory, a way to bring you and your comrades alive from the battle, you're just a loose cannon." Sending a kick my way, my legs brought to red numbers, I barely manage to not fall back.
"…What's the point? If we die anyways… Might as well take some of 'em down with me. Why struggle if the result is the same?" It's just like when I tried to reach out to the squad. Those same eyes… the silence as people spoke behind my back… Why even bother?
"…Struggling in itself is meaningless, yeah." Calming down and sighing, he gives me a breather in his assault. "When faced with the situation you described, when you're just a meat shield," For a second, his voice sounded as disgusted as I've never heard someone be, "whether you die as a pig or bravely fighting to the end doesn't matter. But you know what? Even if the act is meaningless, we can give it a meaning of our own."
"…Huh?"
"Leaving the big picture out, fighting to live your life is a valid goal to have. And even when you think you've no choice but to die, maybe you should take a look around first. Maybe your presence inspired people to fight harder, maybe your comrades were closer to lend a hand than you thought if you had looked around instead of at the red button. And for all you know…" Then, his voice creaked as his swings became less fierce, allowing me to parry them without crippling my wrists. "…maybe someone could have needed your company when shit hit the fan at a latter point."
"T-That's… I don't really… think that's true, I don't really fit in anywhere." Tamase has her family and old friends… It's not like I'm that important…
"And guess what? If you keep shutting yourself in, you'll always be just a misfit lone wolf. You know that already, and I'm sure as hell that you're better than this!"
"S-Shut up! You don't know shit about me. Don't get all preachy on me… This is all I can do…"
"No, it isn't!" Sending another of those vindictive slashes, eviscerating another building to my right, his voice was filled to the brim with anger again as I backboosted away from him. "You don't have to do this because we're right besides you, you stupid idiot."
And then, instead of chasing after me, he jumped sky high while readying his sword for another of those air jousting maneuvers. And going by his usual speed… I won't be able to dodge this one, and I doubt I could take out my rifle quickly enough either… His visor looks down right at me, diving as a hawk.
"Open your fucking eyes already, Kei!"
SWISH!
BOOM!
I blink, still frozen in place. Everything is still working… And there's a huge cloud of dust to my right.
"Ayamine, why didn't you try to dodge?!" Sakaki's face enters in sight right in the middle of my vision, brows narrowed and tone way too high.
"Ah… I… What did you do?"
Finally looking around, I spot Special-kun some meters behind me, lying on the ground. His Fubuki seems to fumble around as it tries to regain footing.
"Why aren't you shooting at him?!" She complains, making me focus back again. Seeing that he was on and about again, I backboosted behind cover since I hadn't even taken my rifle out.
"I… Just shocked. What happened? What about the AIs?"
"Only managed to cripple them. I took down two and damaged the legs of the ones left to make it here."
"…Why did you come back?" Just to mock me? To hold the line as the plan said?
"I'm not abandoning you. I'm not turning tail and leaving you behind just because the plan is crumbling." Frowning, her Fubuki lands behind a building to my five.
"…I see. So, uh, how did you stop him?" Pretty sure he was going to skewer me right there.
"Using what you told me of the refresh time of the radar, I managed to catch 06 by surprise by going into a full boost after the refresh, but… What on Earth was that move?"
"That's what I want to know."
"Well… I shot and managed to hit his shoulder, which caused him to miss you and crash land further in." Then, she taps her glasses as she plucks her lips. "Anyways, Shirogane-kun! I'm going to have to ask you to stop lecturing Ayamine while we're in the middle of a fight."
"Shut up, Chizuru!" He retorts, still pissed. "This is your fault for not being more open with her! Kei wouldn't feel so left out if you had tried to be more civil."
Is he… defending me? Why? Why would he? I… I only give him shit, never talked much with him to begin with, even tried to harm him during our bouts at times before the CCSE.
She frowns in the small window that's in my sight, tapping her glasses.
"I have been trying. Not once did I shout at her as I used to do during this mission, and I made a conscious effort to be supportive despite her refusal to follow the plan."
"That's not enough! You have to be open and clear with her, you know Kei's skull is as thick as your eyebrows."
"Wha… I'm not that unreasonable, that's pure slander."
"My eyebrows aren't that thick! And I have been clear today."
"You're both wrong! Kei, you never listen to anything anyone ever says. And Chizuru, you never openly praise her nor directly ask her what she thinks first. You're both at fault!" His voice raising, he then sighs.
"Not my fault she never takes our words in consideration." After all, she only came back to deal with you. She used me as bait, all to take you out. The princess only wants the praise.
"I have been trying, Ayamine!" And of course she snaps. "You were the one who moved on your own, allowing Shirogane-kun to exit the highway and leaving me alone before."
"You're both right and wrong." He says, right before I could retort. "Yes Chizuru, Kei rarely listens but that's because you never tried to ask her opinion before without snapping at her. And Kei, Chizuru doesn't try to hear you out because you always get angry before her and begin to make sarcastic remarks which then makes her snap at you. Sigh… You two really are so thick-headed."
"Pure slander." She always snaps before I do, and always insist on me being mistaken… She's got it coming to her, to be honest.
"My head isn't that thick… And neither are my eyebrows. I always try to be honest, yet she dismisses my words and answers in insults."
"Because a certain someone doesn't know how to get down from the pony."
"What?! You're the one who never talks and continues to act on her own." Frowning again, she once more begins to shout. "And I do recognize your talent, but you never return the trust I place in you."
"Heh, you never did that. You just delegate what doesn't get you praise."
"What was that? Why don't you say that again?!"
BOOM!
A shell hits a nearby building, silencing our argument.
"See?! You're both at fault. You two can't keep throwing your biases and expectations on the other, because you know what's gonna happen? You're gonna die in the field if you keep this up." Another shell hits the building, it begins to crumble away. "And I assure you, the Instructor won't let this petty issue between you go unchecked for long."
"…I am following her plans, yet she never listens."
"I do listen! You are the one who never talks to me!"
"So, are you two gonna let this go on?" Again sounding hoarse, more bullets hit another nearby structure. "If you gotta talk things out, do it on your free time. Beat each other out if you must, say to the other all the shit you've been holding in, but for now, you've got a problem on your hands. Can you defeat me by working together for once, you thick-headed dragons?! Or will you let the base be destroyed by the hostiles?!"
The radar didn't refresh in time, but both of us had begin to move away as he shouted. Barely avoiding his shots, we flee in the direction of the base by moving out towards the section filled with tall buildings. Wasting not a second, he begins to chase after us.
"…Let's do peace for now." She says, sighing as her Fubuki runs in front of mine.
"…Fine. So, what's the plan?"
"The hostiles shouldn't be near the base, but we don't have much time. I may have crippled their legs, but they should still be able to jump. We should try to perform a flat-scissor maneuver to pincer 06 when he comes closer again, even if only to cripple him to give us some time."
"How many hostiles are left?"
"Five, and they're not exactly close by. And my fuel is getting low, so if I'm grounded I can't reach all of them with all the rubble."
Sigh… So that's what it comes to. Neither can hold Special-kun down alone, and if we don't spread out to finish off the hostiles before they leave the cramped part of the ruins, we lose this. The Instructor is hearing our talks, so… chances are she's gonna punish us regardless of how this mission turns out. But if we screw it up… So then, if halting him is what we gotta do first…
"…About that, I noticed something about his style." Doubt she'd want to go along the idea but… If I just shut up and do what I want… I'd be the same as him.
"Hm? What is it?"
"He can't stand up fast enough after the inputs cease. When you shot at him, his Fubuki didn't get up as fast as it should have."
It was as… Well, to be honest, it's as if he wasn't used to regaining his footing after falling. Not just today either, he always does that little fumble after he falls. For how good he is in everything else, it feels as if he didn't pay mind to the cease of inputs when he moves. That's the only amateurish point in his skillset.
"Really? Hmm… Then, I've got an idea." I nod, seeing in the refreshed radar that he was closer, far closer than I thought. Just a few buildings behind us to our seven… He could do that air jousting thing any minute now. "When we pincer him, I'll try to rush in after him at full speed first, so that when the freeze happens you can finish him off."
"…I'm faster, I could do it better."
"Yes, I know." Her brows narrow. "But you're probably almost out of ammo, aren't you?"
"…Sigh. Yes. But you can't get shot down, I'm also low on fuel."
"I am aware. But on the off chance that this fails and we can't freeze him, your CQC is our best bet to bring 06 down."
…So she's still leaving the kill to me, huh. I guess… she was a bit nicer this time around, just a little bit. Sigh… No, focus. I can't be an asshole right now.
"Got it. Just be one breath faster than usual if you wanna do it right."
"Sigh… What do you even-"
"Take a short breath and see." I take a second to do that, to inhale through my nose and then exhale it as if I were running. "Move that little bit faster when you dash."
"Okay, got it. Ah! He's nearby, stay alert!"
Looking at the radar, he's in the second innermost circle already. We don't know if his radar is updated with ours or not but if he didn't see her assault, then it is safe to assume it is rigged too.
"Let's scatter fast, to make him come after us and put some distance." She says, I nod.
We both separate and go into a moderate boost, taking different roads. The dot in the radar shows he's coming straight through a road to her five.
"One street front, one right." She says, informing me.
"One front, one left." I reply.
For a few seconds, we tell the other the streets we cross as we reposition to begin the pincer maneuver. The updated radar shows he's to my eight and her five, right before a crossroad without rubble. If he gets any closer, he might go into a jump and off one of us after we lose the cover of the buildings.
"One front, one right. Scissors?" I ask.
"One front, one right. Scissors in next two streets."
"Roger." Gritting my teeth, I double check my weapons. Less than a hundred 36mm, one knife, and a damaged blade. Still… better than nothing.
Letting out a some air, tightening and loosening my hold on the controls for a while as I leaned back, nothing I think of can quell the quiver of my knees.
What if he does that mad maneuver again? What if I fuck this up? Should I just trust in her and follow her lead? To begin the pincer on foot makes sense since we gotta conserve fuel and keep as much distance before we engage, but still.
The second streets comes up, I turn right and put my rifle in position on my right, and ready my pylon finger to take out the sword once I exhaust the bullets. You never know, I should do a boost dash just in case. And as I did, planting my feet slowly onto the pedals to dash through the street as we had planned in a moderate speed…
The radar updated, and he wasn't on the street as we thought.
His dot was in the middle of the lot the leader had to her right as she traversed the street we decided to use.
And I looked up in a flash, only to see the Fubuki in the same pose I saw twice some minutes ago.
But… she has nowhere to run to in the street surrounded by tall skyscrapers, even if she somehow dodges him.
"01, above you!" Heels trying to pierce the pedals, I force a sudden boost jump once I'm almost to the crossroad, locking my rifle onto him.
"Huh?!" Her Fubuki looks up as it runs in the middle of the street, but he's already descending.
Pressing the trigger and leaving it hard on while in the air, I shot where I thought he would descend to, since he should be aiming at the leader.
But he didn't dive down to the street, and my shots missed. Instead, he decelerated before crashing onto the roof of a skyscraper and then used it to change direction towards me.
"I knew you were gonna jump the gun!" He screams over the common channel as his Fubuki approaches, in the same posture of the last two times.
Again… I screwed up. I'm falling on air, I just used the boosters so I can't trigger them again without risking a failure or an overload, and I'm out of ammo. If I had sticked to plan… I… failed…
"04, stay quiet!"
Huh? Then, on the corner of my vision, I saw her taking aim at me, the signal of being locked on by a friendly beeping in. As Special-kun was almost to me, a rain of bullets showered on him, making one of his arms explode and sending him recoiling to crash onto a building to my left.
Landing hard, still a bit shaken by what happened in the last few seconds, my arms move on their own as I run to take a turn on the street. If this window of time expires, we're done for! Taking out my blade, stomping my way to him, his Fubuki was barely standing up amidst the rubble. No… It looks like it's swaying?
"Ugh… Damn it…" His groans come through the common channel, sounding hurt. Coughing a bit, his Fubuki isn't even trying to stand up as I approach him.
No! He's faking it! As soon as I let my guard down, he'll shoot me without hesitation! And so, raising my blade, I dash towards him, since I'm sure he'll retaliate.
"Take this!" Triggering the boosters, I rush at him.
And so, I slice his Fubuki in half, the sudden burst of speed enough to send the upper torso flying through the street as the legs explode.
"Argh! Cough! Cough! Goddammit… There was no need… to rough me up like that…" Coughing and hacking drowning his complains, I'm left staring at the one-handed torso of the Fubuki, its signal marked as down.
Huh… He was this exhausted? No, this isn't exhaustion, this sounds downright hurt. Maybe those air jousting moves give him motion sickness? I mean, with how fast they are…
"Good work, 04! Are you in one piece? …Huh?" Her smile on my sight turns into a wide gesture as her brows rise. "What did you even do to his Fubuki?"
"…I rushed him thinking he was going to… Wait, I really did it?" I look back, the signal is still marked as down.
Did I just… beat Special-kun? Huh… He really is down, is he. No… It would fit better to say 'we' beat him. Despite me fucking it up and playing into his bait… I only delivered the last hit. No, that's not right either. He was dizzy and down after her shot, she could have dealt with him even if he had shot me down. Maybe he would have surrendered on his own. All I did… was bring her down in this fight…
"While you did went a bit overboard, you truly saved us back there." She smiles, nodding at me as her Fubuki begins to walk away.
"What are you talking about? If I hadn't jumped out, his bait would have failed, and in the end he was dizzy enough for you to take him out without issues. Sorry."
"Uh, you do realize he might have actually attacked me if you hadn't moved out as you did?"
"…Huh?"
"Yeah, if he saw you weren't nearby, then he would have proceeded to dice at me. And your radar refreshed before mine, for some reason. I didn't see his dot until you shot at him." So our radars receive intel at different intervals? So that's why the Instructor told us to communicate at all times. I… didn't even think of the possibility. "And furthermore, if you hadn't moved out, 06 wouldn't have given me an opening to aim at him with such precision. Because I knew where he was going to be, and because he was in midair with no buildings to bounce off, I could land a hit, and by depleting half of my remaining 36mm. So, uh, if it weren't for you, he'd have taken me out. Which means, you made the right call back then." Again raising a finger and doing circles, she nods again. "Good work, 04. We won this fight thanks to you."
"…No, um, if you hadn't landed a hit… I wouldn't have been able to take him down… Let's just say both of us won this one."
"Alright, I can agree to that." She chuckles, I do too after a while. "So, let's go finish those remaining hostiles. We've no time to lose! You take the right side of the highway, I cover the left one. You do have enough fuel to jump, right?"
"Got enough to fly, let's not take chances." I smirk, stepping on the pedals softly to heat up the boosters.
"Heh, fine by me." She smirks back at me, I can see her own boosters ready to go. "Alright, let's take-"
Beep!
A green message appears on my view as the response fades from my controls.
"Exercise failed. Cadets, you may disembark." The Instructor's voice reached me, but I blinked a few times before what she said sank.
"Huh?! I-Instructor, Ma'am, did we run out of time?" The leader asks, her brows tensing much in my vision. Then, the Instructors' face zooms into the center of my view, eyes narrowed as she was in the middle of sighing while rubbing her forehead with a single finger.
"No, that was not the case. A hostile breached the base after the other four were destroyed by the little units stationed nearby, leaving them without ammo to stop it. Thus, you failed the exercise. Come out, the morning runs are finished."
"Ma'am, does this mean 06 won?" I ask, unable to not pluck my lips.
"No, both teams lost. He didn't stay alive, and you didn't protect the base. That is all. Disembark at once." And with that, she cut her connection.
"…Goddammit. This sucks." It's so anticlimactic, too. Just as I was getting ready to blast those suckers, just when the leader finally admitted how I helped out…
"Well, at least we defeated Shirogane-kun." She says with a small smile, her face now coming to the center of my vision.
"True that. So, uh…"
"Yeah?"
"…Sorry, for, well, everything. Can we… have a talk later?"
"…Sure, I guess we do need one. And me too, sorry for everything."
"It's cool… Guess you weren't as thick as I thought, huh."
"Listen here, I'm not thick-headed. And by the way, my eyebrows aren't that thick either."
"…They are, though."
"Wh- No, they're… D-Do you think they really are?"
"Well, just a little bit."
"Uh…" Plucking her lips, those brows furrow more and more. "Shirogane-kun, don't think I'll let your comment slide, either. I still want an explanation from you."
But then, he doesn't answer.
"Shirogane-kun? Are you there?"
"Ugh… Yeah."
"Hey, you alright?" He does sound hurt… Maybe I really went overboard?
"…I think I'm gonna puke yesterday's breakfast any second now."
"Sorry, shouldn't have attacked so hard."
"Yeah, a lil' late for regrets now, ain't it. Funny, how you two sync up only to beat me up." He groans, coughing again.
"Well, it serves you right for calling us thick-headed." She folds her arms, brows still tense.
"Cadets! Why are you not disembarking? Get out from the sims, this instant!" Frowning much, she barks at us.
"Roger." Me and the leader say, Special-kun groans.
"And Shirogane, if you puke now you'll have to clean it yourself, you hear me?!"
"…Yes, Ma'am. Loud and clear." Sounds like he just barely whispered that out.
"Well, come on. Get out, now." She then once more cuts the connection, Special-kun also closing off his channel.
"…Just what did you do to him, Ayamine? To send his torso flying like that…" Narrowing her eyes, she raises one brow at me.
"Look, if you had been the target of those air jousting moves, you would have done the same." I still can't wrap my head around how the hell does he manage to move so precisely while maintaining top speed. You're truly a monster, Special-kun.
"Sigh… Well, let's get down before the Instructor comes in again." I nod to that, cutting the connection.
And after a sigh, I begin to slowly unbolt myself from the seat. Still… We did just take him out. I think that's a first, to win against him when he's on his best. I should be happy about it. But I'm not.
Not only he sounded super beat down, but all he said… He was just trying to make deliver a point across, and if he didn't give a damn about me… He wouldn't have snapped as he did, if he was just angry he would have shot me down when he had a chance. And he had plenty of those. Defending me when the leader appeared, trying to make us see the other's point of view, just the fact that he cared enough to reach out despite how awful I have been with him is surprising. And plenty of proof to show me he's… not a bad guy at all.
"Sigh… I guess I really was being an asshole, huh."
Just saying sorry won't cut it… But I won't forget this. Regardless of whether I manage to make peace with the leader, someday I'll pay this favor back. Even if you compared me to her eyebrows, when I am in no way that thick-headed.
"But from now on, I'll try to answer to the trust you placed in me, Shirogane. And to show you… how grateful I am, for how you made me realize I was acting like him."
Inhaling sharply and opening the sim, regaining my usual composure, I step outside and walk over to the rest.