"So how do we save this?" Takao asked, looking around for a drive port or some sort of other portable storage we could use.

"Wish I knew," I grumbled as I checked my pockets. "Don't have my phone on me so I can't take a picture. Let me guess, they confiscated yours, too?"

Both women nodded and frowned, and we got back to checking for additional ways to save the data when something started happening. The folder closed itself, and one by one, to my utter horror, the data files started disappearing.

"Shit!" I exclaimed as I tried in vain to recover the files or to halt whoever was in the system. "Quick, you two shut off the suppressors and kill the fog before whoever's in here locks us out!"

They dashed back to their stations, and alarms began blaring throughout the base as the Sirens became alerted to our presence. The data began disappearing from my terminal faster and faster until there was just a blank screen, leaving me frustrated and empty-handed. Now I know there's a traitor in Naval HQ, but I've got no way to prove it. If I simply alert them, it gives the traitor a chance to go to ground, hide their tracks. Assuming it was just one person. The very real and unsettling possibility is that it may be all of them. Naval HQ had been making some strange calls as of late, almost as if they were actively trying to break the cease-fire.

In any case, it would have to wait. With one last disgusted snort, I smashed the monitor with the butt of my rifle and turned back to the two sisters. "How's it coming on your end?"

"Rigging suppressors are down and I've even found a map!" Takao shouted over the klaxons. "We're not too far from an exit onto the north side of the island!"

I gave her a thumbs up in response. "Excellent! Atago, you need any help?"

"Almost…there!" she announced. "Fog's shut down! Now we just have to-"

"-nder, do you read me?" Washington's voice suddenly filled the room, flooding me with relief. "Does anyone out there read me?"

"Washington?" I called out. "Can you hear me?"

I could hear the relief in her own voice as she responded. "Commander, thank goodness! We've been trapped out here for days, and now the fog's lifted and we can summon our rigging again. I see a Sakura cruiser anchored off our starboard bow…"

"Do not engage the Sakura ship!" I hastily and emphatically ordered her. "I say again, do not engage! They were trapped here just as we were. They've actually been helping me out a great deal. But now it's your turn to help, Washington."

She wasted no time with her reply. "Aye aye, sir. Washington at the ready."

"Do you have a fix on where this transmission is coming from?"

There was a brief pause. "Yes, sir."

I glanced over at Takao. "How long do you think it'll take for us to get out of the complex?"

She glanced down at the map and frowned thoughtfully. "...about…two to three minutes, but we'd have to be sprinting the entire way."

"Thank you," I nodded to her before I took a deep breath and kept my voice as even and calm as I could. "In five minutes, unless you hear from us, I want you and South Dakota to level this mountain."

There was a silence on her end for a few moments, and I knew this had to be hard for her. "But sir-"

"I know," I acknowledged. "But if we're not out of this mountain in five minutes, we're not going to make it out, period. You have your orders, Washington. Carry them out."

Even through the blaring alarms, I could hear how subdued her voice was. "...aye-aye, Commander. And…good luck, sir. Washington out."

While I didn't hear the channel click off, I knew she would've cut communication to prepare for bombardment. Part of me wanted to take another few moments, try and get more information. But we were out of time. "Takao, take point."

Takao nodded solemnly, tightly gripped the hilt of her blade, and darted out of the room. I quickly followed, with Atago bringing up the rear. As we navigated the maze of corridors once more, we sprinted past the hangar windows. Within, I could see warning lights flashing as the Siren aircraft were beginning to warm up their engines, getting ready for launch.

"How much time do you think we have before they're airborne?" Takao called back over her shoulder.

"About two minutes!" I shouted back as best I could without running out of breath.

She didn't reply, but I was sure she was thinking the same thing: those would pose a problem for us. I hoped Takao and Atago would be able to handle them, but that was a problem for later. The next two minutes were a blur of corridors, my legs pumping, my lungs burning in my chest as we tried to beat the clock and get far enough away from the mountain before Washington and South Dakota turned it into a smoldering crater.

As we rounded the last corner, I saw the daylight, no longer muted by the fog, streaming in through the entrance. We gathered our energy for one final sprint as we charged into the light.

The bright sunlight blinded us, but we kept going on, running as fast as we could, ignoring the tree branches and vegetation until we couldn't go on anymore. Almost at once, we collapsed onto the jungle floor, gasping and panting, blinking as our eyes finally adjusted to the daylight. After nearly twenty-four hours without the full light of the sun, it was almost painful. I glanced back up at the mountain to see it still looming over us, and I knew we still weren't far enough away. We were out of immediate danger, yes, but when that thing went up, I couldn't be certain we would be safe from debris.

Slowly, unsteadily, I got to my feet and staggered over to Takao, who was still catching her breath. She took my hand as I helped her up, each of us making sure the other was alright. Despite the small tears on her uniform, and the twigs and leaves stuck in her hair, she still looked okay. She was similarly inspecting me, and the way she quietly nodded to herself as she looked me over did much to reassure me that I wasn't hurt badly. When her eyes met mine, I gave her a shaky smile and a thumbs up, to which she nodded before glancing over my shoulder.

"Atago, are you okay?" Takao called out to her sister as she made her way over, helping her back onto her feet.

Somehow, Atago seemed remarkably untouched, not a hair out of place, not a rip or tear anywhere on her clothing. She got to her feet with ease and brushed off the bits of vegetation and smiled at both of us. "I'm fine!"

"Good," I replied, sparing a glance at my watch. Four minutes had passed. "We still need to get as far away as possible. To the shoreline would be best where we can link up with Washington and the rest. Speaking of which, can you two summon your rigging?"

They paused, looked at each other, and then the air around them shimmered and flared. When it faded, their rigging had materialized around them, and they both let out an audible sigh of relief.

"Takao standing by," she smiled proudly, "What are your orders?"

I grinned back as I glanced up at the sky, trying to get my bearings. "Let's get to the shoreline as quickly as we can before those aircraft find us and start to pin us down."

"Understood, Commander," Atago piped up. "Just leave it to Takao-chan and Big Sister!"

"Let's get moving then," I said, putting words into action. "I want to get out of here before-"

"Before what, Mister Lee?"

A cold, familiar voice boomed out over the jungle, and we looked behind us to confirm what we'd all just heard. Sure enough, Tester had returned in a new body and was descending from the mountain peak, her weapons slowly charging up.

"You thought you'd get away so easily?" she sneered, a cruel smirk on her face.

"You're still not angry about the whole 'harder mommy' thing, are you?" I grinned up at her.

"Harder mommy?" Atago whispered behind me, and Takao quickly answered her with a hushed, "We'll explain later."

Tester's grin faltered, replaced by an angry scowl. "You'll pay for that! No more tricks this time!"

"No, just a fair fight!" I called out before ducking down and behind the two kansen. "Takao, Atago, open fire!"

Both women opened up with a full volley from their main guns, the deafening roar and shockwave flattening the jungle in front of them. Tester moved to dodge, and while she managed to avoid some of the shells, many still connected with her, sending her tumbling from the sky.

I knew that wouldn't be the end, however, it would only buy us a bit of time. "Quickly, to the shore! Fighting withdrawal!" I shouted as I began sprinting through the jungle, stopping to make sure they heard my order.

They were falling back, supporting each other with practiced ease. One would begin to fall back, then stop, turn, and begin firing salvo after salvo at Tester, trying to keep her off balance. Then once the other had turned and begun firing, the first would fall back. It was perfectly choreographed and just as beautiful as any dance I'd ever seen.

But it wasn't enough. Eventually, Tester centered herself and unleashed a devastating barrage of energy beams at us. I threw myself down on the ground and covered my head, hoping she was aiming high. I felt the heat from the blast pass over me, along with an explosion further ahead as the beams connected with the ground. Once I was sure it had passed, I quickly scrambled to my feet, only to find Takao in front of me, her rigging braced before her, smoldering and steaming. She'd taken the full force of the blast to shield me.

"Commander, are you okay?" she called back, fighting through what looked to be a great deal of pain.

I was stunned. She's the one who just took an energy lance to the face, but she's asking me how I am. At that point, my heart went out to her. "I'm fine, but what about you?"

She shook her head defiantly. "Don't worry about me."

"Like hell," I snapped, placing my hand on her shoulder. "We need to keep moving, and I need you with me." She looked back at me, matching my stern gaze with one of her own. In the end, she relented and broke eye contact as she nodded. I turned to Atago, who, while still smoldering somewhat, seemed to be in better shape. "Atago! Keep falling back! Gonna take this right to the sea!"

Atago gave a thumbs-up as she loosed another salvo, the shells causing Tester's rigging to erupt in flames. The Siren shrieked and fired another barrage of energy beams, but this time all she was able to do was scorch the treetops.

We continued to fall back, guns blazing the entire time. But out of the water, both Tester and the Takaos were deprived of the heavy punch of their torpedoes, and so it became a slow, grinding war of attrition. At least, it would have.

In between the sounds of the energy blasts and thundering cannons, I faintly heard a staccato thumping from the ocean. I didn't recognize what it was until the base of the mountain erupted into pillars of fire. Rock and stone were hurled in all directions, with several large chunks landing worryingly close to us as we were peppered with pebbles. The gunnery duel ceased as we all turned to look at the utter destruction wrought on the monolith. While it was still standing, it had nearly a dozen large holes blown into it, and I could already tell that it would only take another few salvos to bring it down.

Tester looked back at us, fire blazing in her yellow eyes. "You think you've won? You think this will change anything? I'll kill you all!"

She immediately put words into action as she fired another devastating salvo, and it was only through Takao's brave sacrifice of putting herself between me and harm did I manage to survive it. "I think we made her mad," I quipped. "Time to pick up the pace!"

"Understood!" Takao called over her shoulder as she and Atago began to fall back, faster this time. Tester charged forward after us, that smug grin now replaced by a furious snarl. Just as she surged forward, we heard the familiar whine of jet engines in the distance. The Sirens had unleashed their aircraft.

Even if it was just a few of them, between the fighters and Tester, we'd be overwhelmed and I would certainly be killed. While self-preservation was certainly a high priority, my more pressing concern was the chaos that would be unleashed should I die here. The Sirens could frame the narrative however they liked, and I was certain they would use it to shatter the cease-fire. The Sakura and Eagle Union would be at war once more, our hold in the Atlantic would slip, and all that we had fought and bled and suffered for would be for nothing. I wasn't afraid of dying in the line of duty, but I was terrified of my death being used to undo all that we'd accomplished.

Takao must have reached this conclusion as well as she glanced between Atago and me. Her sister nodded and gave her a thin smile before she turned back to face me. "Do you trust me?" she asked, something hidden behind her eyes.

I was taken aback by her question, but with no time to argue, or even to ask why, I simply answered, "Yes, but-"

It happened so quickly. Takao didn't wait for me to finish, instead darting forward as she drew her sword, casting aside the scabbard in one fluid motion. Atago likewise sprung into action, racing towards me as she tossed her own katana to her sister, who deftly snatched it from the air. I could only watch in dumbstruck horror and cry out her name as Takao brandished both blades and leaped towards Tester. As I tried to go after her, Atago quickly intercepted me, holding me back as she scanned the skies for the approaching aircraft.

The Siren grinned madly and counter-charged Takao, Sakura steel clashing against alien metal as the kansen rained down her first series of powerful, sweeping strikes. Despite her arms being connected to the rigging above her, Tester still managed to deflect the blades with the arm guards and her cannon barrels, sparks flying as each strike was parried. While she had no sword of her own, the razor-sharp whip-tail of her manta ray rigging was no less lethal, and it stabbed and swiped at Takao, looking to find its way through her defenses.

In a dazzling show of grace and speed, Takao nimbly danced away from it, leaping back and skidding to a halt, her katanas at the ready. Tester glanced at the sky, smirked, and stood there. While she didn't say a word, her message couldn't have been clearer: she could wait all day, but unless Takao killed her, those Siren aircraft were about to bomb us out of existence.

To punctuate her point, the sound of jet engines was growing louder, and I could see the dots of Siren fighters and bombers circling around from the other side of the mountain. Most were heading out to sea, likely to try and stop Washington and South Dakota from finishing their work, but at least a half dozen broke formation and headed directly towards us.

Almost as if it was a brutal counterpoint to Tester, the staccato thumping echoed off the ocean, and once more the base of the mountain erupted in fire and stone. More debris was hurled out, and with a horrifying crack, fissures began to travel up the stony face of the monolith. Its fate was sealed. Even if Washington and South Dakota were somehow silenced, there was no way it could be repaired before it collapsed in on itself. One more volley would be all that was required to completely bring the structure down immediately.

But there was no more time for gawking. "Commander, get behind me," Atago ordered as she slipped around me as best she could with her rigging, preparing to fight off the aerial assault as best she could. I skirted around her and pressed my back against her rigging as I drew my pistol. Despite knowing it was one step above harsh language, I wasn't about to go down without a fight. If I was to die, I was going to die on my feet, guns blazing.

As the roaring of the aircraft got closer and closer, I spared a glance over at Takao. She was staring down Tester, sizing her up as she slowly shifted her stance and tightened her grip on her katanas. Tester licked her lips as her rigging's tail whipped back and forth behind her, waiting for Takao to strike. She didn't have to wait long.

Takao charged in with a fierce yell, stabbing a single katana forward towards her foe. Tester took the bait, her tail wrapping around the blade and jerking it aside. But rather than putting Takao off-balance, the kansen immediately released the sword, her hand quickly moving to her other sword hilt as she brought it up in a sudden upward slash.

With her arms still locked into her rigging, and her whip-tail now out of position, there was no way for her to block the blow. And she was far too close to dodge. The Siren had only one option, and she fulfilled it to the best of Takao's abilities: die.

For the second time in as many days, she collapsed into a heap on the island ground. Hopefully, for the last time. As much as I wanted to cheer for Takao, however, we didn't have time. The Siren bombers were nearly upon us, and Atago had just started to open up with her AA guns. Takao added her own fire to the mix, and the sky rapidly filled with the black puffs of flak and the dashes of tracer fire. The effect was immediate as the enemy formation scattered, breaking off into individual fighters to make it harder for them to be brought down by concentration fire. It wasn't enough for two of the bombers, however, who got caught in bursts of flak and tumbled from the sky in flames.

Another pair took several tracer rounds and wobbled unsteadily before they tried to break left. The wind resistance, combined with the damage already done to the airframes, caused one of each of their wings to shear off from the rest of the bombers, and they, too, promptly fell to the ground.

The last two, however, formed up practically on top of each other and dove down, practically at treetop height as they made their attack run. Takao, in an amazing display of gunnery, paused, sighted her targets, and fired a single salvo from her forward turret. Each shell found its mark and promptly obliterated the pair, who crashed into the jungle canopy. Bits of flaming wreckage scythed through trees, buried themselves into the earth, and otherwise destroyed the landscape. All but one.

The fuselage of one of the bombers, no longer in flames but still smoking, exploded out of the treeline, spinning end over end as it headed right for Takao. She got her rigging in front of her to act as a shield just as the wreckage slammed into her.

"Takao!"

A/N-We've got more chapters, don't worry, but will Takao still be in them? Until next time, fair winds and following seas!