I do not own Ghost in the Shell or any of its characters.
Busy Work
"Aw, you're leaving already?" May asked, watching Cane step out of the bathroom in a Section Nine dress uniform.
"We have to," Kusanagi said, following him out in her own. "We have work to do."
"Fine," April sighed, she and May walking over and both giving each of their partners for the previous night a kiss. "Come see us soon."
"We will," Kusanagi promised.
She and Cane left the room, Kusanagi motioning for Cane to be quiet before leaning in to whisper.
"The guy across the hall usually gets mad at me for being too loud when I bring someone home," Kusanagi said. "After last night, he's probably pissed."
Cane nodded in understanding, and they put their shoes on. However, just as she reached out to open the door, both heard a shotgun rack outside the door. Both dove to the side as a hole exploded into the door. Kusanagi's dress was ruined, and a single pelet punched into Cane's right shoulder, but both escaped serious injury beyond that.
"Motoko!" April shouted.
"Cane!" May shrieked, seeing blood.
"Down!" Cane shouted.
"Hard cover!" Kusanagi ordered.
Both shot into the bayhroom just as Cane and Kusanagi emptied a pistol out through the door. Once they had, Cane kicked it outward, only for both to freeze, staring at the corpse, which had a brick of C-4 sticking out of its torso. Kusanagi tackled Cane, putting herself in the way of the blast less than a second before the C-4 detonated.
Cane groaned as he stirred, looking around slowly. As he sat up, Kusanagi took his left hand, squeezing it lightly.
"How bad?" Cane asked.
"Mild concussion, and the pellet that hit your shoulder cracked you...your upper arm bone," Kusanagi said. "I'll avoid using bone names."
"I appreciate that," Cane grinned. "But I meant 'how bad were you hurt?' You shielded me."
"Nothing permanent," Kusanagi said. "Some surface damage to my back, but they fixed it already."
"And May and April?" Cane asked.
"Both were hiding in the tub, so they're fine," Kusnagi said. "They got medically cleared already."
"How long was I out?" Cane asked.
"Fifteen minutes," Kusanagi said. "You just missed the chief and Batou."
Cane shrugged at that. "Who's the primary suspect?"
"Toru Soma," Kusanagi said.
Cane nodded. "I was afraid of that."
"So, you remember him," Kusanagi said.
"Well, we did use similar methods to try and kill him, and successfully kill six of his top men," Cane said, wincing as his shoulder throbbed. "Have I ever told you I'm jealous of your titanium bones?"
Kusanagi smiled, kissing him. "Don't be a wuss."
Cane laughed. "Yes, how dare I act like I'm in pain after being shot and blow up?"
Kusanagi smiled, then stood, holding out a hand yo pull him to his feet, Cane allowing her to help. "We're being used as bait while we sesrch for him. I figured you'd tell the chief you're fine, so I did it for you."
Cane sighed. "I was actually hoping for a paid vacation."
"Too late," Kusanagi said, walking away.
Cane rolled his eyes, smiling, and changed into the clothes beside the bed quickly before leaving as he pulled his pistols' harness on. When he joined her in the car, she passed him an upper arm brace thst woulf be tight, but would absorb impacts yo reduce the pain in his arm, allowing him to fight if it came to it. He strapped it on while she drove, then grabbed a rifle from the back seat, checking its ammo before grabbing a few spare magazines.
"Not relying on your pistols today?" Kusanagi asked.
"Not with that car already following us," Cane said. "They're on us too early to be idiots."
Kusanagi nodded. "We'll head for an abandoned factory about eight miles from here."
Cane nodded. "Back up?"
"One Fuchikoma a hundred meters back," Kusanagi said.
"Strategically, it'd be better to blast them with it," Cane said. "But we need to get information from them."
Kusanagi nodded before skidding to a stop at the factory. They ran into it just as a homeless man stood from benesth a tarp ahead of them. Then, more and more begsn to step into view.
"Shit," Kusanagi swore, just as the car that had been chasing them arrived.
Four men with rifles got out, but a second later, a box truck arrived as well.
"Fuchikoma, blast that truck!" Kusanagi ordered. "Now, now, now!"
The Fuchikoma robot following them complied, but after the truck exploded, bullets flew out of it, blasting the Fuchikoma back. Then, a massive heavily-armored, spider-shaped tank emerged from the smoke.
"Shit!" Cane swore. "HQ! Get us at least four fully-armored Fuchikomas, now!"
"Let's get away from all these civilians!" Kusanagi said urgently.
Cane nodded, and they quickly ran toward the back of the factory where they'd be able to get back to the car. However, just as they opened the doors, the mercenaries, Cane assumed, chasing them opened fire. Despite being an armored car, the bullets ripped through it easily. Cane dove away from the car just as adrenaline flooded his system. He rolled to his feet, a pair of short bursts dropping two of the mercenaries before he took cover just ahead of the tank blasting the car and turning it entirely into a fireball.
"Shit!" Cane shouted. "Now what!?"
"Up the wall!" Kusanagi shouted. "The windows!"
She leapt out within a second, and glanced back to make sure Cane got out okay, only to see Cane flipping out of his window already, having used his parkour skills to ascend a support then leap to the window sill. She smiled, dropping out her own window, only to stop as she found herself face to face with a man ahe'd almost had a relationship with in the past. A man from Section One of the SDF. She shot him instantly, just as Cane sped around the corner, breathing rapidly growing heavy from his adrenaline rush wearing off.
"HQ, come in!" Kusanagi shouted into her radio. "Aramaki, Alpha Code! The enemy is Public Security, Section One!"
"Not all of...them," Cane panted, bending forward at the waist. "The tank...is...Soma."
Kusanagi swallowed hard, lowering him to the ground. "You're done. I'll deal with Soma."
"Take the rifle," Cane said, slowly recovering his ability to breathe as he sat against the wall of the next building over.
Kusanagi nodded, taking it, then ran back toward the building. Cane waited a few seconds before sending another burst of adrenaline into his system. He picked up the dead Section One fighter's rifle, double-checking that it also had HV rounds before running into the factory. Just as he arrived, Kusanagi crashed down in a pile of rubble, one arm missing, and a chunk of debris crashing down on her ankle, breaking it. The tank's gun hissed for a moment before its manipulator arm reached out toward her. Cane thanked his lucky stars he was at a ninety degree angle from them, and opened fire, his HV rounds broke off both arms. He turned the gun on the tank itself, but after a moment the gun clicked empty, and the tank moved to step on Kusanagi.
Cane sprinted toward them, knowing he wouldn't make it. Then, a rocket exploded into the tank's engine compartment from above, and the tank staggered backward a step. It rocked forward, just as Cane reached Kusanagi, and he hurled the debris on her ankle aside before grabbing her and diving out of the way, only barely able to lift her weight. A split-second later, the tank's foot crashed down where Kusanagi had been. After a second, the hatch in the top of the tank opened and Soma stood, only for Cane and Kusanagi to both open fire with Cane's pistols. Their shots first knocked the bullet-proof control helmet from his head, then punched through his head and torso, killing him. Once he'd collapsed, both looked up at an upper balcony where Boma had fired the rocket from.
"Just in time, Boma," Kusanagi said. "Where'd you get that?"
"Aramaki got it from Miyazaki," Boma said.
Kusanagi nodded, then looked down at Cane, who was panting and barely conscious from exhaustion. "Sleep, Cane. You'll need time off to recover from overdosing on adrenaline, but you were going to get that anyway for your concussion."
Cane nodded tiredly, and passed out, slumping to the ground. Boma dropped down beside them and picked up Cane first, heading out to where Aramaki was waiting with the car, then returned for Kusanagi.
Cane sighed as he lay back in the bed, Kusanagi laying beside him as they slowly calmed their breathing.
"I don't think this was the cardio rehabilitation they meant," Kusanagi said.
"Probably not," Cane agreed. "But this is much more fun."
Kusanagi smiled, reaching up and kissing him. "True. I'm glad Aramaki agreed to give me time off, too."
"I blackmailed him," Cane grinned.
Kusanagi laughed. "You did not." She paused as he grinned. "Shut up! How?"
Cane leaned down, whispering to her, and her jaw dropped before she began to all but cackle with wicked glee.
"I love it!" Kusanagi grinned.
Cane smiled, kissing her, then set his head down. A few seconds later, however, Kusanagi's phone rang. She frowned, picking it up and answering on speaker.
"What is it, Chief?" Kusanagi asked.
"Meet me at Megatech Body Inc., both of you," Aramaki said.
"Chief, do we need to discuss-" Cane began.
"Trust me," Aramaki said. "This is important. It might be the Puppeteer."
Cane's eyes narrowed.
"Understood," Kusanagi said. "We're on our way."
Leave a review.