I hope I did not write any stupid things with the computer connection part. Ah well, it's a fiction, right?


It's the moment of truth and the moment to lie

The moment to live and the moment to die

The moment to fight, the moment to fight, to fight, to fight, to fight…"

30 seconds to Mars: This is war


Chapter 13

Exactly in the middle of the second main zone, in F5, Dan Nomura and Rena Bando had found a building in the deep woods, which was surrounded by a big electric fence in every direction.

"Strange." said Dan silently "electric fences are the borders of the game field. But we are right in the middle of all."

During the speech he investigated the digital map on the watch.

"I'm sure, there's something across the fences the soviets want to hide from us."

"Does it matter? We can't get to there." whimpered Rena "I am sick of this mess, I'm hungry, tired and want to go home!"

"Think of it, Rena! If we can get into there, can find out what are those bastards hiding! Maybe we can have a good use of those things and manage to end this crap!"

Dan's optimism gave Rena's confidence a bit back, she wasn't that grumpy. She followed the boyfriend, who started walking along the fence.

"There's another one within."

They came as near to the dangerous fence as they could, then saw another electric fence in the yard of the building.

"You are right, Dan. They have something to hide from us."

"We have to get into there somehow. After that, it will be easy."

"But how?" Rena stared at him angrily. She almost hit the fence, but noticed in time: it would have some serious consequences. No tree in the near - they could land into the other side of the fence from the plant - no electric-free gate or a switch.

"We'll never make through. At least the building would be a good hiding place." the girl sat down in the grass and followed her boyfriend's movements with attention. Meanwhile she was thinking about that, how much she wanted to avoid the others. Everybody. They had seen Gouki Hayata (boys #4) once, at a run, but he seemed not like the old Gouki. Like a totally crazy person.

Rena returned to the present, because Dan's joyful sound could be heard.

"What's up Dan?" she asked.

"Look, what I have found!" Dan swept aside an oversized frond, when a hole appeared behind it, in the lower side of the fence. It wasn't too big, but...

"I think you just fit in." the boy changed look from his girlfriend to the hole and back. Catching sight of Rena's frightened look, quickly added:

"I'm too big for the hole."

This was but a poor comfort for the other. Now Dan stepped into his love and hugged her, like in an average day in school. Then started to explain with nice voice:

"Look, I think it's not a coincidence, that this building is so guarded, we're from the escape within reach. Your only task is to crawl under the fence into the yard, search for a switch or something and deactivate the electricity, until I'm going in. You have to do it, for us, for the class. Maybe it's still not too late."

"But I am afraid." Rena whimpered "what, if dogs are over there?"

Dan couldn't give an answer momentarily.

"You HAVE to do it." he rehearsed expressively "Everything will be all right. I swear."

Rena sat silently in Dan's arms, she was thinking strongly. With a sudden came idea set herself free from the hug, held Dan's both hands and looked into his eyes.

"I love you." she whispered softly.

"I love you, too."

"You should know, if... if I hadn't survived all these..." She was looking for the right word. Once in her life, it would be good to say something nice. Like in movies.

"I know."

Dan gave her a kiss into the lips, then led the girl into the fence with mild was the time, all of Rena's doubts faded away. She felt, who was ready to face danger. Although every part of her was shaken from fear, managed to crawl under the fence without getting a shock. None of a word sounded until she found the deactivating-switch and Dan was standing next to her.

"I did it!" Rena shouted happily and jumped into the boy's arms. He did an elfish smile and winked - this was the sign of being proud of Rena.

The second fence-line wasn't a problem at all, they found its switch in the near of the previous one. Just two minutes had passed and the two students stood at the massive metal door of the huge building. From that close range it looked far bigger. Stepping in, they were welcomed by a roomy and drafty forefront. All the windows were fastened with tin-plates, no glass could be seen on them. That's why the wind flew freely through the forefront. On the ground, shard of glass, tile pieces, some broken furniture, dispersed documents, a few tools and old machine parts laid everywhere. An absolute chaos.

"These are protected against us so much?" after coming to herself, Rena went off the hooks.

"Let's take a look around!" Dan advised.

This was a good idea, because a short time after they found something behind a squabby steel-balk: a small, dark corridor with a stairway at the end. Right, the building was double-storied. On the second floor a lot of parallel offices came next, juts in the case of great firm structures. Dan and Rena found an endless mess here - dispersed documents and furniture parts etc. - like before, neither of them seemed useful. Dan didn't give a single notice to these offices, hurried along the corridor and aimed the last door, which was made of steel. This was a security door, it gave a creaking sound during the opening.

The kids arrived into the generator.

"This is where the electricity for the fences coming from." Dan became a little sad at the sight of this: from the ground to ceiling touching - monster. Rena asked him, what's wrong?

"I was sure, we 're going to find one of the main generators of the fucking soviets in this house. I thought this has something to do with the control-room, from where they supervising this whole goddamn game! We could turn off the generator, so the connection through the control room and our watches would have broken off. We would have been free from the watches. And could skip off."

Unlike his languishment, some ray of hope glanced in Rena's eyes.

"And? It's worth a try, isn't it?"

"It's surely not the generator of that control room."

"This gen powers another room, eh?" this ray of hope vanished in no time.

"That's right. The control room, which belongs to this gen is somewhere in the near."

"But it's a good thing, or not? You are a pro of computers, just connecting into the internet and..."

"Ssh!" suddenly Dan covered Rena's mouth with his palm.

Whose face turned into a puzzled grimace.

"What now?" she asked.

Still after, that Dan was pointing at their watches with dashing movements and started to speak about an absolutely different topic; for example, they should leave this place immediately. There was enough dust in the corner of the room, so Dan could write down the problem he found.

'We are intercepted.'

He blessed himself for remembering Moskvin's guide about the watches in time. Too much happened since then and he almost forgot, what Moskvin said:

"You are being watched in many ways, you can't even imagine!" So the class was intercepted, it wasn't a question - thought Dan and continued writing in the dust.

'As our actions turns out, only a button-press and we're dead.'

Reading the sentence, Rena covered her lips in great fear. But nothing happened so far. Dan's plan was this: they acted like leaving the building, while they stayed there and had a look around. The main point to take the soviet's mind off their real purpose with words.

On the other side of the generator-room, there was another door. Through that door the two kids found a long, connective-corridor, in which end came the control room. The control room was almost empty. Only a huge desk stood there with full of devices and some LCD displays over it. Rena's task was only to speak continuously, while Dan was working on the computer. It was needed, because typing on the keyboard proved to be a suspicious thing in full silence.

The computer started off, now the OS could be seen, which was not Windows or another well known operation system. Maybe a specific, soviet development - to be honest, not so perfect. Well, better than nothing, isn't it? The desktop appeared on the display, on every displays among the ten or twelve. Each of them showed the same. Dan didn't need a mouse as he found only a DOS based program and he could give commands to the computer via keyboard. Now it was a luck, that Dan finished a programming course last year so a program made up of such basic commands - like this - was no match for him.

After typing a short command, a window appeared on the screen; exactly what Dan wanted to see. The network system of all the computers, which were connected into this one. Those connections happened via ports and IP addresses, that's why Dan had no idea, whether the computer of Moskvin's band was among them.

"And I don't need to know!" suddenly he shouted, totally forgot himself.

Rena stopped the sing-song (after tired speaking, she thought, this would be a great diversion too) and glanced at her boyfriend suprisedly. Dan just waved hand.

'Could you do me a favour?' Now he wrote to the girl 'Please, find me an USB cable, while I am working.'

At first Rena looked around in paralysis. In a situation like their was, this so called favour sounded like turning water to wine. Then with a sudden came idea, Rena left the room and headed toward that corridor with the many offices. She didn't want to go back until doesn't find an USB cable. Many minutes has passed and Rena finally managed to find one (the kids in the Zentsuji Junior High simply called that "chicken-bowel"), then ran back to the control room with great speed and joy.

"Here you are!" she panted.

"Oh... Rena, I've already found another one. I should let you know, sorry." Dan gave her a warm smile "I was quite wrapped up in my work."

He realized immediately, that he almost blabbed out their actions.

Rena didn't give an answer, just turned up the nose. Not for long, she cooled off soon.

"No problem." answered later.

She simply couldn't be angry with her boyfriend, mainly not in the middle of that stupid "game". What is more, she was the one, who felt guilt, why she always did wrong to Dan.

'I know, I am the only one, who can yell with him, when I am mad-cowing.'

She stepped closer to Dan and the computer, so saw the other during work. Dan made a connection between his watch and the computer with a mini USB cable and loaded the data into the last one. All the screens showed different now: the first showed the digital map with their red spot, the next the dead-list etc. Dan also found out, how to display the connection list of the network system. With that, easy to tell, which was Moskvin's. At the moment, Dan's watch was in connection with two computers, one was the soviets' without doubt.

'I can't access to the soviets' computer, they'll notice my attempt. Strong protecting system they have, the firewall will report me in no time. It's a question of time, when they'll see this connection at all. I have to figure out something, very quick.'

He told the conditions to Rena in a nutshell. The only way to solve the problem to search deeply in the system. Rena has not spoken for a while now, just made circles during walk. Didn't understand, why the enemy took no notice of their little action.

'Better to be in silence then.'

They may draw attention. To soften noises, they used Rena's orange uniform-scarf (after tearing in half) and packed up the two watches, so the Russians in their base couldn't intercept them anymore.

'Let them think, we are sleeping or something.'

Finally the students could speak and continue the work freely - unfortunately the success didn't want to come so easily. Dan seemed to fight with impossible, while Rena played the role of watch. It was necessary to catch sight of intruders in time.

"I think I've got it" after long minutes, Dan clapped his forehead.

He didn't believe, why that didn't come to his mind earlier. He started to type faster as ever, while took glances at some other screens often - one was the map with the danger zones itself, the other was a timer until 9 AM, when some other zones was going to turn into danger zones. Sad to say, zone F5 (so their current zone) was in that list. Dan had to finish until 9, or else all is lost. This thought made the boy nervous, thinking with cold head seemed to be already hard. He felt like he had run a marathon race.

"Rena, please come here!" hardly said out, Rena stood immediately next to him.

Dan spoke in a lower voice along typing flowingly.

"I managed to connect to the internet for about a quarter of an hour. I've sent an SOS message into Japan, but I haven't the faintest idea, where it would end. Within Japan, I mean. It might end in an average resident's computer, then he or she will consider it a bad joke. I hope the military would get this, however and I've sent a copy into my own laptop at home. Mom, dad... Maybe somebody finds it. This is our only hope."

"Dan..."

"I'm on to hack my watch at the moment. If I can change the settings, namely to send messages in a hidden channel - only within a particular area - we can inform the guys without being unfold."

"Dan..."

"We're going to send a PM then and can come together. I just don't know what to do with those, who are in the game."

"Dan! Can you pay attention to me, please?!" Rena yelled at the boy, much louder than she wanted. A small slap smacked in Dan's face.

"What?" he groaned.

Rena had some concerns.

"While I was patrolling on the corridors, I think... I think I've heard something. Voices, noises. Not much, only a few, but... There's someone definitely here, not only us."

The lovers realized, that they let themselves to dive into a false sense of security. Fear came into its place as Dan's eyes rounded.

"The electric fence! They aren't turned on again!"

"Too late now."

"I know." Dan knuckled the keyboard with the fist. As he rose up his arm, the USB cable strained and separated from the computer. The connection was lost.

"Son of a... Now this!" Dan cursed.

Then quickly bent for the cable down to the floor to undo everything.

"Dan." Rena asked uncertainly.

"Yes?"

"I don't want you to inform everyone."

No answer came.

"You can't be so certain, who's playing. Think with those head: easier to kill everyone like waiting for a never coming wonder."

Dan turned round at a slow pace.

"Who do you think of?" asked gently.

"I don't know. Maybe we should escape together: just you and I..."

"Are you kidding, girl? Flee and leave the guys behind?" The bare idea was strange to think.

"I know it is a very shitty step from us, but... It's an emergency, right? Everybody has to take care for themselves." Rena avoided to look into Dan's face, into that cutting, unstirred glance. She was glazing at the floor while speaking.

"Don't get me wrong, but what would happen to you if I wasn't be here? Or we weren't together? And others did the same in this control-room with the watches and the computers. If turned out, that they would left you here. What would you say then? They were free and you suck here in this goddamn hell."

He didn't get an answer. Rena just stood in one place and stared at the sparkling, grey floor. It was not a question, that Dan would prefer die than let Rena alone - still, escaping from here only two of them...

'It's worse, than a cardinal sin.'

They stopped chatting. Minutes have passed and they were just standing. Dan looked at Rena's skinny, but pretty face, which was also extremely sad: now he decided.

"Okay, just you and me. If that is, what you wish." his girlfriend's safety worth a tired sigh and a guilt for the rest of his life.

It looked like Rena was ashamed of herself.

"If... If you'd like, you can call some. Those, who have your full trust."

"Like Yamato, Norito and Goushi Kakutama. Oh, and Nana, too. She's cool."

"I fear of Erina's gang. And from my room mates, too."

"So we shouldn't call the girls?"

"There are the good girls: Sonia, Yaeka, Rumiko, Sonoko... Well, I'm not sure of her. She used to hang around with Amika a lot."

"I think she's sick. In good sense. What, if we inform these four?"

"Maybe Baku Baisotei can come. I don't trust the others, mainly not Fuyuki. I'll bet my life that he killed Shoda."

"No kidding! Their partners, Nana or Fuyumi... They aren't able to do such things. Or any girls at all."

"Fuyuki is a bastard! He deserves to rot in here!"

She needled herself by thinking back to Shoda's body in his own blood. Because of that, Rena said the last sentence half shouted. Dan immediately waved her down, they shouldn't have to risk for the intruder to notice their presence. This bypass was but enough for Dan to stop working. He utterly forgot their hot situation.

'We have no time for this!'

There was not much time left until nine.

"I go back to the corridor and watch suspicious things." it seemed, Rena had the same in mind. Dan nodded without a word.

"Take care, love. Really." said later.

"Okie-dokie."

The girl left the room quickly, after that only the knocking sound of Dan's fingers broke the silence, as he was typing on the keyboard. Dan Nomura dove into work so much, that the outside was totally gone. He had business here, so didn't have to leave place - go to pee or something - as he also couldn't check on Rena. He was worried and reared his head at the time he heard something, sounded like a dull slam. He kept his ear open for minutes, then finally decided to go after Rena.

The silence was way big. But he couldn't leave his work. Figuring out, which watch belonged to their owner on the computer network system... Well, seemed to be a rough task. As Dan said before, he managed to set his watch to send outgoing calls from now on, and with that setting, he saw all the other watches of the classmates.

"The first three letters of the surname and first name plus a sequence, according to that, who is the owner." such success attended his efforts so far "this should be Yamato (CHIYAM - with Cyrillic writing of course, followed by lot of numbers), and this is maybe Baisotei."

What a pity, that they had to learn German as second language after English. Now, they could have had a good use of speaking Russian. He solved some of the Cyrillic alphabets with the help of a Russian-English dictionary he found on the local server. Unfortunately, not enough, not to speak about that little time, which was at his disposal.

"Huh?"

The slamming noise sounded again. Exactly from the end of this room. From behind him.

"Rena?" asked Dan aloud.

The click of latch came as an answer. The intruder was surely here and locked the control room door. That was the time Dan left the computer and ran on to the metal door. No matter, how hard he pulled the door handle, it didn't bear fruit. Until this point he hasn't felt the wound he got by the wolf escape, but with this movement the pain hurt again as hell. Not that if he cared about at the moment.

"Who the fuck are you? Tell me, if you are not a freakin' coward!" he yelled as loud as he could.

The intruder laughed with strong, raspy voice. Fuyuki Shinji Egami (boys #3) was that.

"What have you done to Rena, you fool!" Dan started to siege the door and waited for the answer with fast beating heart.

'I don't want to learn, that you did something with her or I swear I'm going to eviscerate you in the most painful way!'

"Better care for your own safety, dude! You're never going to get out from this building! Not until nine." Fuyuki laughed again malevolently.

"I ask for the second time: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO RENA?!"

Fuyuki didn't give a damn to Dan's words, just went on speaking.

"And why? Because I locked your door and not only that: I broke the key into."

Then he leant nearer to the door, so the classmate could hear him on the other side more clearly.

"You enjoyed insulting me whenever you could, eh, Danny? Like you're the boss and I'm a loser. You always achieved that everyone, even teachers - the whole school laughed at me! You could never shout your cake hole! You Mr. Whiz Nomura! So, you want to escape without me. Imagine, I happen to eavesdrop your plan and you know what? You're going nowhere, I will be the winner of this game and I will be the one who goes home! Sorry, my surgeon career in the future awaits me!"

Fuyuki felt, that he avenged his bad times in school upon Dan with this action. A diabolic laugh, then the boy left. Dan remained his own.

'Why didn't he forced us to help him escape? Is it not easier than killing everyone? Man, this guy is crazy!'

There was another troublesome thing, for example Fuyuki freely roamed in the near. Rena was in great danger!

'Who cares for the danger zones and the escape now, I have to save her! Find her!'

He didn't stop hammering at the door. His fist was now red and quite hurt, not to mention the wolf-escape wound. Shit! Shit, shit and shit!

Fuyuki thought the same.

'Damn, I don't have any weapons left! Those bitches, Fuyumi and Nana took away all! I can't force Dan to arrange my way home.'

Fuyuki ran desperately all along the long corridor. Not enough, that he had to find the way home in a more difficult way (his industrious ambitions always gained success so far, so why not?), Rena was here somewhere, too. With a real sniper rifle (it has scope!), wonder if it is not too heavy for her. The best gun, you can wish for, when you want an ambush! He needed to find the girl quickly. Every place inside this building was too close, so she had no opportunity to snipe him down, but sigh...

'A sniper rifle is not for weaklings! This beauty is waiting only for me!'

The boy had an idea in mind. What if he use trick to call Rena forth?

"Where are you Rena? Dan is in trouble! He's stuck in that control-room and I have the key! Give up or else, he will be dead after nine o'clock!" Fuyuki checked the time

"Few minutes past eight. You have some time to save your love! But not much, 'cause I'm leaving, I have nothing to do here anymore. Can you hear me, Rena? Answer and show yourself!"

Of course the girl heard every single word in one of the offices on the first floor. She was sitting behind a huge copy-holder to be specific - thanks to her skinniness, she could hide in some places, where no one else. An advantage for the second time. Sure, she didn't dare to come out for the call - can I believe Fuyuki? But knowing, that he might did something with her boyfriend, made her uncertain. As Fuyuki spoke, tears stood in Rena's eyes. Her shoulders shattered because of the helpless situation. At last, the previous one left the first level, metallic throbbing was the sign as he reached downstairs.

'Now's my chance to check Dan! We'll see, what will came next.'

Rena cleaned her face from tears, then came out of hiding. Time to put the foot down!

'I have to help Dan, not only I, who need assist again and again!'

She went back to the long corridor with these dauntless thoughts, but first left the gun behind the copy-holder.

'I'm sure no one can find it here. It's useless for me: too heavy, loud and not good in melee.'

No need for more background info, her little bro was a big CoD fan. Rena tried to sneak as quiet as possible. Finally reached the control-room, even it seemed an eternity. One thing was sure at first place: the door couldn't be opened with force. It was locked and the key had been broken into the keyhole.

'Guess, who has the key! The little scum wanted to fool me all along!'

"Dan!" Rena called Dan quietly.

She pulled her weight at the door and waited for an answer. The early fear, that Dan will not call back came out with renewed strength. Then she thought, maybe the boy has not heard this low voice. So the next "Dan" sounded a bit louder.

"Rena!" Dan appeared on the other side of the wall. His girl told the affair with Fuyuki then, as Dan himself his story.

"We have no other choice." Rena hesitated. An inward voice tried to persuade her more and more.

"We have to put faith into the others. have to send a PM to everyone! Tell them to come to zone F6. Meet at that small waterfall, we saw before. We will gather there and going to save you!"

"Rena... Are you..."

"No, Dan! I won't ever let you die here, until I breathe!"

No answer came.

"I love you Dan!" Rena cried desperately.

A long silence, when...

"As do I, darling. But think... What if the players come to that place?"

"I HAVE to trust, or else we loose everything! That's why some of us are already in. They don't think we have hope. More and more falls into that trap... But we have hope and I can't let it gone!"

"Rena.."

Dan was touched. He hadn't shown his emotions though, as ever. He felt sadness and also some happiness. Yes, happiness, because it was given him to have such a lovely girl, like Rena. It would have been also good to tell her all these and Dan almost did.

The metallic voice from Rena's side busted up everything.

"Ah, there you are, little bird! Back for your mate, aintcha? So predictable."

It was Fuyuki and that smarmy voice meant nothing, but danger. Rena turned around quick and saw the classmate walking toward her position along the long corridor. By hearing the third one Dan started to lash the door in phrenetic anger.

"DON'T DARE TOUCHING RENA OR I'M GOING TO BRAKE YOUR NECK!" he crew.

Maybe the old Rena would have been afraid, but not the new, the changed one. She felt no fear anymore. Even more, the girl came into action fast - quite surprising for Fuyuki, that she went for him (he was an enemy indeed) as a cold-blooded killer. At the time they met, Fuyuki was knocked to the ground.

'I'll hammer him, until his head's flat!'

What a pity, that she had to hurry, so there was not many time for playing. I mean, such actions. After Fuyuki was lying on the ground, the other left. The boy was not lazy either, hate burned in him mixed with vengeance - was eager to strike back.

Fuyuki followed Rena so furiously like a storm, even ran downstairs three at a time.

He reached forefront. Quit the building.

Two gates left.

'She can't run away!'

Wait! What was that droning sound? Fuyuki stopped so suddenly, that his shoes made deep scores into the soft soil. Almost, but managed to avoid the crush with the electric fence. The working electric fence.

'Rena! You... You!'

Between the two fence lines, there was a pile made of concrete - Rena stood at that point and was doing something with the switches.

'Like activating them, I guess?'

Exactly that happened. First she activated the electric fence-line inside, so when Fuyuki arrived into the yard, he found it in full of electricity. Then came the other line next, at last Rena could leave this place through that hole, in which she just came into long minutes (probably hours) before.

She felt Fuyuki's eyes on the back so turned around last time. The two students stared at each other for seconds when a "fuck you" came from the girl for an answer.

'I hope Dan is going to send that message and some will waiting for me at that waterfall.'

Later in F6, at the location...

One person? Just a short girl in school uniform stood in the shadow of the waterfall rocks. Nichie Shiomi (girls #11), the one who had black hair, always smiled and looked elfish. Not like this time, Nichie waited stressful and watched the thick bush groups often - these were the border of the waterfall glade. She noticed Rena's presence very soon and did not give an answer at first, when the other said hello.

'Why is this one smiling when we are die like flies?' Nichie thought and checked every step Rena took.

"Sakes, thanks for coming! Good to know, that there's someone who can still trust." Rena hugged Nichie, her eyes almost laughed.

"Dan's faith in me was not in vain after all."

"To be honest... I didn't think this whole message thing is true." Nichie started to flounder "I was sure, that..."

"That is a trap? You wanted to say that? Or the soviets' trick to make more trouble?" transient shadow could be seen on the blonde girl's face. She swallowed and forced herself not to act aggressively. No need for another argument.

"So, Nichie. Have you seen someone coming?"

"No." answered Nichie shortly "I had just passing by, you know... not for your call... I have business here... Souma... I saw... I have to go back to the girls."

Rena snubbed down her mate, Nichie seemed so confused. All their hopes with Dan fell into ruins. She couldn't tell whether she felt such desperate before? She was wrong. Nobody couldn't be trusted in 3/e.

"Need help? Why don't you join me?" all of a sudden Nichie asked.

"Where do you go?"

"There's an old villa in the deep, southwards. Benika, Kirika, Erina and Katsumi are there. They let only the former room mates in, you know, from the hostel. I wished I stayed there instead of following Souma. She called me up here to the hell. Damn, I should remain in safety."

"You mean... You took the risk and left the villa just to go after Anri?" Rena amazed.

What is with Nichie then? She trusts or not?

Before they set out, Rena wanted to interview her, where did Souma go? Why the third one wasn't here now? Unfortunately Rena was too excited about Kirika's gang, about their teaming - so not many seconds and she forgot everything else. Just would like to know every little detail about these four.

She forgot also those questions in her mind during the way from F5 to F6. She and Dan packed their watches up, so they could not be heard by the Russians - but what about the others? They surely talk about the PM they got. And the meeting at the waterfall? Or the affair with Fuyuki? Or the soviets are already know it and they are simply curious, that is why everyone was still alive? And now… Was it surely better not asking about Anri Souma? Rena thought, she could be trusted, Norito Royama was also dead - the last person, who could tell the truth. What will happen in the close future, well, only a matter of time. One thing was for sure: 45 minutes left until nine.

[Number of students: 26]