[A/N]: Here's chapter four! Finally things start to get interesting! Partway through this chapter is when Touhoufanatic's fic finally meets with mine.

Hayane234: Thanks for pointing out that issue. It's been fixed now. :)

As always, I hope you enjoy!

"Hey keep talking to me!" The platinum blonde hybrid yells as we zip across the ocean surface.

"Lightning, would it kill you to shut up for a bit? I'm -nngh- trying to stop the bleeding." I groan back, trying to focus and direct nanomaterials to temporarily plug the bullet holes to at least slow the bleeding.

"Sorry. We're almost there though! I can see her ship!"

I lift my head up and try to see the ship she's talking about, but due to my position on the deck aft of the wheelhouse I can't really see anything fore of us.

Roughly five minutes later we decelerate and pull up alongside what looks like a Fog version of a passenger liner.

"Hope! I've got a cruiser here who needs you!" Lightning yells as she pounds on the side of the ship like you'd pound on a door.

"So I see. You can stop beating on my hull now!" A voice snaps from the railing. I move my head and find a surprisingly old gray-haired woman standing there next to a hoist that is lowering a stretcher.

"We're way past the Golden Hour. But she's still conscious."

"What's the extent of her injuries?"

"I've been shot, multiple times. Nothing vital though." I respond, mildly irritated at being treated like I'm not here.

The woman jumps down and the two of them gently lower me onto the stretcher.

"My apologies dear. We'll go straight into surgery and you'll be on the path to recovery before sunrise." Hope assures me with a smile before reaching into the pocket of her labcoat and pulling out a syringe. She deftly stabs the needle into the fold of my right elbow before injecting whatever is in the syringe.

It takes only a few seconds for the effects to set in, and before I know it my entire body is completely numb. Every muscle in my body starts to relax, and my eyelids start to get heavier and heavier until I can't keep them open.

Then, sleep sets in, and everything goes blank.

Psssshhhh

'...God damn… I hurt all over.'

Psssshhhh

'What the hell is that sound?'

Psssshhhh

I open my eyes to find the simple answer to my question. A medical oxygen mask sits over my mouth and nose, and a machine off to my right side pumps air through it every few seconds. Slowly I reach up with my right arm and pull it off, dropping it off the side of the hospital bed.

Taking a deep breath of the cool air I perform what I guess could be called a self-diagnostic, checking where my ship is in relation to me and what condition it's in.

To my surprise it's only roughly a mile away, anchored and on standby. I can feel ships all around me but can't identify what they are due to overlapping radar signatures.

I try to flex my toes, but find that I can't feel my legs at all. I can't feel my left arm either, and start to lift my head before a door opens to my right.

"Don't bother. Everything's still there I assure you. I have good news and bad news." Hope says as she enters the long room, quickly pulling up a wooden chair beside my bed and sitting down.

"L-let's hear the good news first." I mumble nervously.

"Good news is that you are one very lucky lady. You avoided being paralyzed by a few millimeters. You should be able to walk around by the end of the week once your muscle damage fully heals." She explains, picking the mask up off the floor and turning off the breathing machine.

"And the bad news?" I squeak out, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"The bad news is that you'll likely struggle to ever have children. One of your ovaries was completely destroyed."

I sigh in relief, grinning before I start giggling. "I'm glad you're thinking that far ahead Doc, because I sure as hell ain't."

"Mind your language young lady. But keep in mind you're around the age where you can start thinking about those sort of things."

I scowl at her for a second before softening my expression and closing my eyes. "Yeah, I suppose I am. Geez, it seems like just yesterday I was graduating from high school."

"That's how it goes." Hope chuckles lightly.

"Those were the good days. I guess these times are alright, but I wish I could play softball with my friends from school. Maybe when I get back I might be able to convince the flagship to let everyone play a game or two ashore." I contentedly sigh, turning my head so I'm looking at the ceiling.

"You used to play softball? What position?"

"More often than not I was a pitcher. I was first base a couple times though." I respond, starting to feel more and more homesick as the conversation goes on.

Then, I get a reprieve when the door opens again and a girl with chestnut hair in a strangely colored Navy uniform steps in.

"How's she doing Hope?"

"She's conscious at least. Alaska, meet Intrepid."

I raise my right arm in a half-assed salute and do my best to smile sincerely. "Pleasure to meet you."

She enthusiastically returns the salute and grabs another chair from beside the door before plopping it down on my left side and sitting down backwards in it. "So I'd imagine you've got one hell of a story. Care to tell it?"

I stare at her in surprise for a moment before smiling and looking back up at the ceiling. "Ain't much to tell. I tried to steal some stuff so the fleet could have some goodies during R 'n' R, but I got caught, and in order to try to keep from tiring myself out I only made a big enough Klein Field to protect my vitals. I didn't count on them firing buckshot at me."

"Hmmm… How long you been a hybrid?" Intrepid asks.

"Since late August. A few months."

"Yeah… heheh. You learn from this?" Intrepid chuckles darkly.

"...Why are you here exactly? Are you just trying to piss me off or something?" I snarl, ready to haul off and deck the woman, regardless of my current condition. Sure there are some mildly irritating people in the fleet, but this girl sounds like she's trying to rile me up.

"What? I'm just asking you some questi-"

"Intrepid. It would be best if you stopped. Now." Hope warns after looking down at my right hand, which is clenched in a white-knuckled fist.

Intrepid looks at my fist and pales slightly. "Err… sorry. I'm used to teasing my friends… I-I didn't mean anything by it."

I take a deep breath and relax, loosening my fist. "It's alright, just… everyone in my fleet doesn't really tease each other like that. Everything's always so tense that the last time someone tried… well, you essentially just experienced it, minus the fistfight and scramble to break up the fight. Sorry about being so hostile. These last few months have been…" I trail off, hoping to find the right word.

"Trying?" Intrepid guesses.

"Yeah. We've been doing nothing but raids and attacks for the past five weeks. One right after another. Each frigate we engage I can't help but wonder if my Dad's aboard it."

After I mention my Dad I start to think about the rest of my family, and more specifically my younger sister.

"Plus… being around all these warships all the time reminds me of my sister. She's a huge nerd when it comes to naval warfare."

"How big of a nerd is she?"

"Well… Because of all the stuff she spouted all the time I know you're an Essex-class aircraft carrier. Hope, you're a Comfort-class hospital ship. She was always talking about something she found out."

Intrepid snorts in amusement and straightens up. "Well. I'll leave you to get better then."

"Alrighty. I'm sorry for snapping at you like that."

"It's fine. I was the one who was the antagonist." Intrepid says as she stands up and heads towards the exit. "Maybe we can talk again later once you're up and about."

"Sounds good."

Intrepid heads out the door and closes it behind her before Hope leans forward in her chair.

"I recommend you sleep as much as possible. While you're asleep the nanomaterials in your bloodstream work overtime to repair any injuries. Having said that, you also might want to get in touch with your fleet and let them know you'll be okay."

I smile at her and do my best to nod. "Thanks Hope. I'll be sure to do both."

"Just doing my job. Now if you can please try to turn onto your right side. I need to take a reading of your vitals, and it's easier to do it the old-fashioned way."

"A-alright. I'm probably going to need some help." I groan with effort while trying to move my stiff, numb limbs.

"That's what I'm here for dear. Your legs and left arm are in protective casts while they heal. I'm currently using nanomaterials to block your pain receptors, hence why they're numb." Hope explains as she stands up and leans over me, grabbing my left shoulder and left hip. "Ready? One, two, three!"

On her signal I try to roll to my right, and with her assistance I manage to get onto my side, using my right arm to brace myself on the bed while she crosses around to the left side of the hospital bed.

She's just pulling up the back of my shirt when a voice yells from somewhere through the open door on the far end of the large medical bay. "HOPE! Where the fuck are you?!"

I hear Hope growl in irritation before she yells back, her response ringing in my ears. "LANGUAGE YOUNG LADY!"

Hope snaps her fingers and grumbles under her breath while pulling my shirt the rest of the way up, then a surprisingly warm stethoscope is placed against my back between my shoulder blades. "Hold your breath please."

I suck in a gulp of air and hold my breath, feeling my heartbeat in my chest for roughly thirty seconds before she taps me on the shoulder as a signal that I can exhale. "Take deep breaths now please."

I happily comply, taking drawn out breaths as I can start to hear footsteps echoing down the hall at the far end.

"Ah, there you are!" A feminine voice calls out from behind me, getting progressively louder. "We just blew up a bunch of russian ships. got some Vodka off them and got a girl who's about fourteen too she seems to be in a… oh, who's this?"

'Well this is a lovely first impression. I probably look like a cripple!'

"She's currently my patient. What do you need Scylla?" Hope sighs before I feel her tug at the top of the bandages covering my lower back. Scylla starts rambling on about a recent mission, and I eventually tune her out until she quiets down.

'This girl has gotta be a destroyer, she's certainly got the energy for it. Didn't Dani say something about a destroyer with that name…?'

"My name's Alaska. I'll be around here for a bit while I recover." I introduce myself before Scylla gets going again. "Care to move around to where I can see you?"

"Yeah sure, unless Hope shoves me out?" The response sounds more like a question.

"That is alright, but do not let her drink any of that! I don't want it influencing her bodies repairs." Hope sighs, evidently worried. "Where is the girl you mentioned?"

"Aft end of my deck. I figured you'd want to look her over before I moved her anymore."

"Very well, I'm done here for now so I'll go take a look at her. do not do anything stupid, Alaska has been through a lot just recently and her body is weak." Hope warns Scylla, helping me roll over so I'm laying on my back again.

Hope's steps fade away, and I can hear Scylla saunter towards me, eventually resting against the wall. The brunette looks like she's been through some shit, between the faded burn marks on the left side of her face and collar, and the robotic looking left arm that includes part of her left shoulder. I'd wager she has some stories she probably doesn't like to tell. She's wearing a loose pair of black pants and a black tank top, but even with them loose it was clear too she was thin, almost worryingly so. Her expression was strange as well, and her eyes, uncomfortable. "So Alaska class Heavy Cruiser eh? Nice to meet you. Name's Scylla, Minotaur class light cruiser!" She introduces herself as she drinks from the bottle in her right hand.

"Large Cruiser actually, essentially a fancy name for a battlecruiser, but I digress. It's nice to meet you too." I hold my hand out and she shakes it rather firmly. Upon Scylla withdrawing her hand I only partially pull mine back before pointing questioningly at the bottle of vodka in her hand. "May I?"

Scylla looks at the bottle, then at the doorway. "Sure, long as Hope doesn't find out."

"I'll keep it a secret, but I honestly could care less. I've been dry ever since I joined the Fog." I take the bottle and partially sit up, just enough so I can press it to my lips and take a quick swig, relishing the taste as it burns all the way down my throat. "Paaah. That's the spot."

"Glad you like it. It's pretty good considering we swiped it from sailors." Scylla says as she crosses her arms. "So, mind if I ask why you're in a half body cast?"

"Not at all. I tried to be conservative in the use of my Klein Field and got blasted with a shotgun. Then the fishermen used my limbs as target practice." I pass the bottle back to her. "Lesson learned. Always have a backup plan for the backup plan."

"Oh, that sounds painful. How'd they know you were Fog anyway?" Scylla asks as she takes the bottle and knocks back another swig.

"I got caught trying to essentially shoplift. Everyone in the fleet wanted drinks and sweets, so I went ashore and got some."

"Ah that explains it. I'd just have killed him and taken what i needed. Not like he'd be missed anyway." Scylla shrugs.

'Woah… Okay, play along.' "Looking back on it now… That's probably what I should've done."

"You live and you learn, right? Anyway, what village was it? The one on the tip of vancouver island, or more north?"

"Uhhh… New Port Hardy. It was the nearest place at the time. I figured it'd be a cinch."

"Ah that makes sense. I wonder if Brisky would let me test that new Napalm missile on it then to test the effects?" Scylla wonders out loud, a disturbing grin covering her lips, and her eyes suddenly looking... off.

"H-hold on a second. That's not necessary. I'd bet that Enterprise has already turned the place into a parking lot. She'd been dying to try out launching bombers, and she's the one who bailed me out."

Scylla visibly scowls at that. " Darn, was looking to try out that Corrosion cluster warhead Mobile and I devised on the way back. Ah, Mobile's one of our fleets light cruisers, a Cleveland."

'Is this chick brainwashed or something?! Those are humans she's killing!'

I hum an acknowledgement while making a mental note to ask Hope something later.

"Something wrong? Or just thinking?"

"We've always just hit infrastructure… I mean, if people get caught in it I've always felt kinda bad but…" I trail off, trying to put my words together to make a point. Scylla's response comes before I can finish my sentence.

"Oh I see. You don't want to hurt humans, you have no reason to hate them!" She says with a strangely odd smile, her robotic hand's fingers twitching slightly.

"I… what? W-w-we were never told to specifically hurt or kill people… W-we were always assigned industrial targets." I stutter, suddenly wishing I could move around so I could get the hell away from this woman.

"That's fine." Scylla mutters as she takes a swig from the bottle and then looks at her twitching arm "Stop that!" her fingers stop twitching. "If you don't want to hit humans if your orders don't say to, that's fine. Nothing wrong with it eh?"

"S-Scylla you're kinda freaking me out a bit here." I squeak, trying to inch away from her a little.

Scylla looks at me for a moment, her expression softening before becoming ever so slightly sad. "Oh, I did it again didn't I? Damn, Molotov even told me about that yesterday too. Sorry about that, I've got some . . . minor problems stemming from my past, so I'm a little. . . unbalanced sometimes."

"You wanna talk about it?" I ask quietly, wary of her now that she's showed a more… Sociopathic side.

"Naw, you look a little startled as it is, last thing I want is you to pity and be afraid of me at the same time when we're supposed to all be on the same side here, right?" Scylla says with a smile as she stretches her arms up into the air. "Got anything else to ask? Otherwise i'll head back out and see how Hope is doing, leave you to get rid of my crazy."

"N-no I'll be fine… thanks though."

"Okay, I'll go see how Hope's doing. I'm kind of curious as to what the new girl will be. Hopefully a sub, we could use one that doesn't end every sentence with a query or confirmation! See ya!" Scylla mutters and exclaims as he walks out, finishing off her bottle of Vodka.

'Hopefully she's just a crazy drunk… she seems pretty nice otherwise. Hell… She's kinda cute too…'

{Knock knock, anyone home?}

"Oh, hey Guam. What's up?"

{Everyone's worried about you. Almost nobody is enjoying themselves.}

"Oh for fuck sake- get everyone on concept comms in five minutes."

{Got it.}

I pinch the bridge of my nose and groan, knowing that I'm going to be bombarded with questions the second I get in the concept communications room.

"Alaska, I figured i'd come by to check on you again. Is everything alright? Any aches or pains that are appearing?" Hope asks as she comes into the room, looking tired, but still with a smile on her face.

"I'm fine thanks. But ummm…"

"Let me guess, Scylla?" Hope asked as she sat down on the chair beside the bed.

"Yeah… is she… y'know, completely there? Or is she just a crazy drunk?"

"I do not believe she can get drunk actually. That was her as she is normally." Hope admitted with a sigh.

"Could've fooled me… she reminds me of my uncle when he gets smashed. Nuttier than a fruitcake."

"She is, and has had a very unfortunate childhood. Surviving a burning building, getting picked on in school, to the point of getting her arm and shoulder blade shattered, and then being used as a glorified slave by her only remaining family after her father passed. Her brain chemistry was a bit unbalanced as well, and still is." Hope says with a sigh. "She is honest, but very clearly a broken person, noticeable to anyone who looks hard enough."

"Do you think… if she had someone to sort of 'lean on' do you think she might… y'know… stabilize?"

"That is a difficult question to answer. She's been used and abused, but because her arm was replaced and her wounds healed, she feels indebted to the Fog. Or more clearly, she likes the situation she is in and considered everyone in the Fog to be allies and possibly friends."

I consider an idea briefly before shaking the idea from my head. "Alright… could you please get my comrades off my case? They're not utilizing their time off because they're too worried about me."

"Of course, would you like me to inform them of your situation or tell them with you to, ah excuse me for one moment." Hope says as she turns around and places a hand over her left ear. She nods her head a couple times, then turns back around letting her hand fall back down. "As I was saying, would you like me to inform them, or tell them all alongside you?"

"I'm not one to leave people to do stuff by themselves, so alongside."

"Very well. I am, admittedly, not very skilled with using the Concept Comms, so I will need to piggyback on your signal once you contact them." Hope explains as she moves her seat closer and places a hand on mine.

"Alright. Give me a minute to shut everyone up when we get in."

"Of course, I shall not relieve you of the honor." Hope says with a smirk.

"Gee, thanks." I grumble sarcastically before patching into concept comms, suddenly finding myself sitting in a wheelchair in a diner. Seconds later I'm bombarded with questions so quickly from so many people that I can't make out what anyone is saying.

"EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LISTEN!" I yell over the ruckus.

Hope smacks me upside the head lightly, "Language!"

"It worked didn't it?" I snip in her direction before turning my attention to everyone standing in front of me. "This is Hope, the medical expert who's taking care of me. Listen to what she has to say and then I'm gonna have a talk with y'all."

"Thank you Alaska, though I would ask to please control your language in the future so I am not forced to bandage your mouth in the future." Hope says with a smile as she looks to everyone assembled. "Greetings, I know you all have many questions about your friends current status, so I will be as brief as possible. Alaska has sustained severe injury, but it is no longer life threatening. The casts you see will come off in a couple days, and she will be fully healed within a week if all goes well and she is not subjected to undue duress. I should also mention, that the flagship of my own fleet, has opened the idea of your fleet joining us for the duration of Alaska's repairs, so that you do not hurt yourselves with worry, and so she can heal in a happier environment."

I look at Hope to make sure she's done speaking before I wave forward Enterprise and Guam. "What's the ETA of our Liaison?"

"Two hours at most. They had a run-in with a guided missile cruiser and several land batteries." Guam explains before Enterprise smacks me upside the head.

"I'm not letting you do anymore shore excursions without someone going with you! God damn it woman you could have been killed!"

"I'm well aware, thank you Flagship. Hit me a little harder and my wounds might just magically heal!"

"Yes, and I may get a second patient if they do not heal correctly!" Hope says while smiling darkly.

"E, Guam. What do you think of this idea? I'm all for it, but we do this as a group or not at all."

The two look at each other for only a second before looking back to me. "I think you just answered for us. We do this as a fleet or not at all." Enterprise confirms.

Hope smiles at this."I shall inform our flagship to expect you all then. I cannot guarantee not being put to some work, but it will only be once or twice, and most likely short range patrols. You are coming as guests to assist a patient after all."

Enterprise scoffs and sticks a hip out. "We'll do whatever you need us for. We're not freeloaders."

"Careful with what you wish for," Hope said as she grinned down at Alaska. "We haven't had full fleet drills with our newest light cruiser yet!"

My breath catches in my throat and I cough before nodding. "Y-yeah. Umm… anything but being on the receiving end of her wrath, please."

Enterprise raises an eyebrow at me and I flash her my usual 'later' look, which is also caught by Guam. "Umm… alright…?"

"Excellent. Roughly how long until your fleet would arrive at our location?" Hope asks calmly.

"From where we're anchored… eighteen hours at minimum, not counting the time that we'll have to wait for our Fog liaison and her two hybrids." Enterprise responds, checking a holographic panel containing a map.

"I see. I will report to our flagship you shall arrive within nineteen to twenty seven hours then. That should be a sufficient amount of time if it is required." Hope says as she looks down at Alaska then to the rest. "Is there anything you would like to ask me before I depart then?"

"There is one thing… erm… actually no. We're good." Enterprise responds before stowing the panel.

"Are you sure? You appear to have a question if nothing else?" Hope pushes though she sounds calm and understanding while doing so.

"I uh… I had a cousin that disappeared in your guys' AO… and I was wondering if she's… erm… y'know, alive."

"I will need to know her name. While hybrids do go by our newly given names, their original names are in a database." Hope replies with a smile, clearly willing to check.

"Cassie. Cassie Everett."

"Let me see." Hope says as a pair or orange data rings spring away from her, spinning casually. A second later they disappear and she opens her eyes. " You are in luck it appears. Essex Class Carrier, Intrepid is what she goes by now. She acts as our Flagship's second in command even."

"Oh thank God…" Enterprise sighs in relief, flopping down in a nearby booth. "They found her boat smashed up at the cliff north of town and I thought she drowned…"

"She's fine. All I had to mend in the first place was a small fracture on her wrist." Hope assures.

"Awesome. Thank you so much! Erm… if you'll excuse us now, we have to brief the fleet."

"Of course. I shall take my leave, and shall see you all in person tomorrow." Hope says with a bow before disappearing, along with the feeling of her hand on mine.

I whistle through my fingers, grabbing the attention of everyone so they can form a school circle around myself, Enterprise, and Guam.

"Alright, listen up, because Enterprise is going to explain the plan, and then you'll be dismissed." I inform them.

Once everyone's full attention is on us Enterprise starts the briefing. "Here's the deal. We'll all still be able to relax, but we'll be in the presence of another fleet so I expect you all to be on your best behavior. This means no faking torpedo runs on friendly ships -Elco's I'm looking at you- and no practicing AA without prior approval. If you want to practice then get my approval and go somewhere else. Understand?!"

Everyone yells out a motivated acknowledgement, and Enterprise nods in approval. "Good! Dismissed!"

With the blink of an eye I'm back in my hospital bed. I find the chair that Hope was in empty, and though I'd like to talk to her some more, my heavy eyelids tell me I have other plans. I don't bother fighting it, and instead gladly give in to sleep, glad for a slight reprieve from my immobile state.