Chapter 10
Crisis
In the city, two Flakpanzer I tanks rolled through the streets. In the town square, hundreds of people were crowded in the large intersection, where the massive TV screen projecting the match was.
The two Flakpanzers stopped on the east side of the streets, and two Wirbelwinds stopped on the other side.
On the other streets, a Panzer III. Ausf E and another Flakpanzer I rolled up on the other side of the cross.
The people noticed this, and stared unknowingly at the flak tanks. It wasn't until they opened fire that they began to scream.
Somewhere else...
Ano groaned as he got up. The boom of the cannon had disorientated every sense in his body.
Ringing and muffled voices were all around him, and he opened his eyes.
Everyone was crowded around something. Ano couldn't see what, so he tried his best to get up.
He looked around, and on the top of the hill that was opposite to him, a long gun barrel was inconspicuously backing away from the top.
Ano's eyes narrowed as the barrel disappeared from view. He turned to see the commotion, and he got up.
His ears were ringing, and his double vision wasn't helping any matters. He walked past the crowd, before reaching the middle.
Miho turned to see Ano walk over, before matching his gaze.
Ano stared down at the dead body, the blood spatter and the smoke from the shell.
"A-Ano?"
Miho looked to Ano in worry, but her worry quickly escalated into fear once her boyfriend collapsed.
"Ano!", Miho cried. She caught him before he hit the ground, and the last thing Ano heard was the cry for a medic.
Timeskip: unknown
Ano woke up in a hospital bed. He looked around to see Miho and the other members of Anglerfish Team waiting in the room.
"Uhh...", he groaned.
Miho woke up, and she opened her copper-ish eyes. She saw her boyfriend awake, and she quickly smiled.
"Ano!", she cried. She jumped out of her chair and tackled her boyfriend on the bed, seeing him and up without anything stopping her.
Ano felt the impact of an incoming projectile crushing his chest, immediately knocking the wind out of him.
He looked down and saw Miho's familiar head of hair burrowed in his chest. He smiled. "Miho...", e muttered.
Miho looked up, as tears began to stream out of her eyes. "I-I thought you died!", she said.
Ano stroked her hair, while looking lovingly down at Miho's eyes. "I'm not leaving that easily.", he said.
Miho sniffled, and smiled. She grabbed Ano's face and pressed her lips against his own.
"Ahem."
Shiho Nishizumi glared down at her young daughter, who cowered slightly at her sudden appearance.
"Mom.", Miho said.
Shiho sighed. "This will have to wait.", she said, as she took out a folder.
She opened it and looked down at the pages inside. "The shell that killed the boy was identified as an 8.8 cm tank shell.", she said. "The angle of the shot narrows down the Porsche Tiger and Erika's Tiger II."
"W-what?", Miho said.
Ano looked at Miho's expression. It was an expression of panic for her teammates and her friends. To think that one of their closest had killed someone, accidental or intentional, was a hard fact to fathom.
"M-Miho?", Yukari asked. Ano turned to see the others had woken up. Except Mako.
"Y-you can leave, guys...", Miho said. She looked up at her team, her eyes silently begging them for privacy.
Yukari and Saori exchanged nervous glances, before they left, with Hana carrying the still sleeping Mako out of the room.
Ano thought back to before the match. Before that Jumbo and the Panzer IV fired. Before the shot rang out.
Then he remembered the barrel.
"8.8 cm...88 mm.", he muttered to himself.
"Ano?", Miho asked.
He looked up. "None of the tanks fired that shot.", Ano said. He looked to Miho's mom, who narrowed her eyes at this fact.
"I saw something before I blacked out. A barrel.", he said.
He thought back to when he saw that cannon barrel. A feature seemed very noticeable to him.
"That cannon had no muzzle brake. It's not an 8.8 cm Pak. It's flak.", he finished, as Shiho looked through the files.
"But the round that pierced the boy-", Shiho said, before Miho let out a squeak that worried the both of them.
"I know what I saw. Besides, there were instances where tanks reached the flak line of defense and they had to use modified tank rounds to defend against those tanks.", Ano said.
He got up out of bed, a fierce look on his face. "Something must be going on. I'll bet something else has happened while we're having this conversation.", he said.
Shiho sighed, before reaching over and taking the TV remote. She flipped the TV on, and Ano's eyes widened at what was on the news.
"There has been a civilian massacre on the Ooarai carrier. The town square is riddled with corpses as several Flakpanzers had arrived and opened fire on the civilian masses, using what appeared to be the proximity charged 2 cm flak shells.", the reporter said. "Those tanks are missing, and local authorities are putting everything in their power to find them."
Shiho changed the channel to another news channel, where another reporter was speaking. "It is no coincidence that at the same time of the flak incident, a student in the big tournament was killed by a round during the final stages of the match. The type of round, and the cannon that fired it is yet to be determined."
Shiho changed the channel again. "On the Kuromorimine carrier, two Crocodile Shermans and a Flammpanzer was identified to enter the premises. Moments later, they were caught on camera as they lit and burned down the entire school building. These tanks are yet to be found."
Shiho changed the channel one more time, and this report completely stunned Ano.
"On Saunders's carrier, the engine room has flooded and several of its mechanical parts have been forcibly removed. The whole vessel has been ordered to evacuate before the carrier inevitably sinks. Thousands are left homeless as the vessel goes down. What happens next is yet to be known soon."
Shiho turned off the channel. "I guess you're right.", she said. "I'll notify the authorities."
She took out her cellphone and began to text on it. "Although, if anyone other than me asks, do. Not. Answer them.", she ordered, sternly.
Ano nodded, and Shiho smirked as she put her phone away. "And while we're at it. Let's talk about my daughter."
Timeskip: several hours later
Yukari sat at the hospital cafeteria, with the rest of their school, completely filling up the room.
"I'm so worried...", Yukari said.
"Me too...", Yuzu said. She and Kenn sat together, hands in each other's.
Momo and Zan sat together, Zan's mask and goggles still on. Yuuki and her boyfriend sat together and looked up at the TV.
Kay sighed. "Our home's gone, huh?", she said, forcing a chuckle. Her chuckle turned into a sob as Darjeeling sat next to her.
"I'm truly sorry for what happened.", the blonde sophisticated student said, genuinely.
Kay ruffled Darjeeling's hair. "Don't worry about it. It's not your fault.", she said. This time, Darjeeling didn't swat the blonde's hand off her head.
Everyone sat in silent, the several hundred students either staying in silent or making up some sort of small talk. Not that it helped.
Miho sat by herself, with Mako sleeping on her shoulder. She turned and her eyes widened.
Ano, changed into a shirt and pants, walked out to the cafeteria, and everyone stood up.
"Hi, guys...", Ano said. Miho ran over and hugged him, tightly.
"Are you OK?", Miho asked.
"Of course I am...", Ano said, patting Miho's back awkwardly. "The question is, are you OK?"
Mika stood up and smiled at Ano. "She hasn't had anything to eat since this happened.", the Finnish girl said. "I recommend-"
"I see.", Ano said. "Thanks."
Ano and Miho walked out of the hospital cafeteria, leaving everyone else as the doors closed.
Miho and Ano signed out and walked out of the hospital building, where several reporters were waiting outside.
"Miss Nishizumi!"
"Nishizumi!"
"Any comments?!"
"Miss Miho!"
Ano quickly got Miho through the crowd of reporters and out of sight, making sure nobody followed.
They quickly walked through town, which seemed eerily deserted. Ano looked around, before he escorted Miho into a store.
The store owner looked up. "Miss Nishizumi?", he asked.
"Yes. Can we stay here for a bit?", Ano asked. "A bunch of reporters are after us."
"Of course. You can look around for a bit if you like, but I-", the owner said.
Suddenly, the buzzing of a machine gun filled the air, and the large glass windows shattered.
Ano grabbed Miho and ducked, as the store owner was immediately gunned down.
Outside was a German half-track with a machine gun firing out of it. The store was riddled with holes, and splinters and metal flew everywhere.
Shelves exploded and the ceiling lights shattered loudly. Broken glass rained down on Ano and Miho.
Soon, the barrage stopped, and two men got out of the half-track, armed with MP-40s. They walked inside through the broken windows and began to search.
Ano held a finger to his lips and began to crawl through an aisle, Miho following as quietly as she could.
A man walked around the corner, aiming his gun, before turning and continuing to advance.
Ano snuck to the front door, which was a hollow metal frame with all the glass broken.
Miho let out a squeak when a piece of glass crunched under her feet.
The two men turned to the door, and began to advance towards the door. Ano looked around in panic and looked around.
"There's gotta be something...huh?", Ano said, before he saw something just out of his reach.
The two men reached the front, only to receive two glass bottles of soda to the face. The impact caused one of them to stumble and smack his head against a shelf, while the other slipped and crashed into the soda machine.
"Now!", Ano yelled. He hoisted Miho to her feet and the two of them ran out of the store.
They ran around the corner into an alley, and waited. The two men, drenched in soda, ran past the two teenagers. The half-track drove past not long after.
Ano and Miho sighed in relief. Ano looked over to Miho and hugged her tightly. "That was close.", he said.
He peeked out the alley and saw a Flakpanzer I driving past. Ano noticed blood on the wheels and the tracks, leaving little bits of blood on the road.
Miho let out a sniff, and Ano hugged her. "It'll be alright. Just stay with me here.", he whispered soothingly.
He watched the Flakpanzer drive over to an intersection, before turning left. Ano's eyes widened.
"W-where's it going?", Miho asked.
Ano grabbed his cellphone and quickly punched in a speed dial number. "I gotta warn them.", he said.
The phone began to ring. "Come on, pick up...pick up!", he hissed, impatiently.
In the hospital, Kenn and Yuzu were still in silence, before Kenn's cellphone rang. He slowly took it out of his uniform and answered it. "Hello?", he said.
"We're being targeted. Get everyone out and scramble.", Ano said. Kenn's eyes widened, and he looked around.
There was a man in a suit standing at the exit. He had a holster with a pistol in it. Normally, with security, carrying their pistol that would be normal.
But Kenn saw that this man had a Mauser instead of the standard sidearm.
Kenn hung up and switched to texting. "There's one guy, and his gun's WWII. That's not normal, isn't it?", he asked.
"No! Get everyone out!", Ano texted back. Kenn turned to Zan, who was also looking at his phone.
Kenn nodded subtlety at the masked boy, and he nodded back. Zan got up, and began to walk to the exit.
"Excuse me, where are you going?", the security man asked.
"I was wondering if I could leave. I need to do something important.", Zan said.
"No. Everyone is to stay here until this all blows over.", the man said.
"It's important.", Zan said, insistingly.
"I said-", the man said, before a few gunshots outside rang out.
Everyone jumped in surprise, and the man turned, before Zan grabbed the man's arm and slammed him against the wall. He grabbed the Mauser in his holster and turned it against him.
"Everyone! Run!", Zan yelled. Everyone acted quickly and confusingly, scrambling out of the room. Zan knocked out the man with the gun before searching him, grabbing the other clips od ammo. He ran out soon after.
Everyone split in groups. Hippo Team, Carpaccio, Macaroni, Anchovy, Zussman, Kay, and one of the T-28 crews ran down the south street. The BT-7 and BT-5 crews split towards the west.
Duck Team, Mallard Team, Leopon Team, Katyusha, Nonna, Naomi, Rosehip, Rukuriri, Kinuyo, and some of the boys team went around the hospital, running back to the town square.
Rabbit Team, Anteater Team, and the remaining boys ran through an alley, while the rest of Anglerfish Team, Turtle Team, Kenn, Zan, Darjeeling, Assam, Orange Pekoe and the T-35 crew ran north. Maho, Erika, Jatkosota and the remainder of the students escaped west.
When the Flakpanzer and half-track arrived, everyone had escaped.
Kenn held up a hand, as Zan aimed the Mauser around. He gave the all clear, and the group ran towards a store.
The store was riddled with broken glass and bullet holes. Kenn and Yuzu exchanged worried looks.
Zan snuck in with the pistol in front of him, searching the store, before giving the all clear.
"Why does he hold it like that?", Momo whispered.
"Ano told me Zan plays a lot of video games.", Hana said, as they walked in.
Zan came back with a bunch of soda bottles in his hands. He'd put the pistol in his pocket when he got the bottles.
"Drink.", Zan said. "We need to move quickly."
"W-what about the store owner?", Orange Pekoe asked.
"He's dead."
The 76mm loader of the T-35 looked back at the group, standing next to the counter. "He's dead.", he repeated.
Darjeeling and Assam were silent. Mako sat while looking down. Saori and Yukari exchanged each other scared glances.
"D-drink...", Anzu muttered. Everyone opened their bottles.
Somewhere else in the city, Rabbit Team and Anteater Team waited, as two of the boys grabbed the Karabiner 98 and the Gewehr 43 from the two men they'd ambushed. The rest of the boys searched the Kübelwagen nearby, and pulled out two MP-40s.
One of the boys, Saki's boyfriend, chambered a round in his Kar 98. The leader, took an MP-40 and walked ahead. "We have to go.", he said.
Saki quivered next to her boyfriend, who hugged her back while holding the rifle.
The late group snuck through the empty streets, guns pointing front and back.
Across the carrier, Hippo Team and Anzio were on the lookout, as Kay, Zussman, and the boys set up a makeshift barricade at a warehouse full of iron machinery.
"We need to camp out until we're certain everything's clear.", Erwin said. "You two, I need you with me."
Caesar and Carpaccio nodded, and escorted the blonde StuG commander to an adjacent building.
Anchovy and Macaroni sighed, as Zussman came out. "Where's Riko?", he asked.
"Over there.", Macaroni said, pointing towards the nearby building. She took off her beret and wiped her forehead.
"What the hell's going on?", Anchovy muttered, as she fiddled with her pigtails.
Erwin, Caesar, and Carpaccio came back with several boxes. "We found a stash of weapons in that store.", she said.
Zussman, Macaroni, and Anchovy jumped up in surprise. "Wha?!", Macaroni cried.
"Huh? How?!", Zussman asked.
"That's a licensed gun store.", Caesar said. "No time for waiting, we gotta set up.
Zussman and Saemonza set up a BREN with a bipod, while the T-28 boys loaded several rifle clips of .30-06 rounds.
Erwin and Anchovy searched through a box of submachine guns, taking out Thompsons and Grease Guns.
Carpaccio, Macaroni, and Caesar lugged old machines to the door as a barricade, while Oryōu searched a box of grenades.
In the town square, Duck Team, Mallard Team, and Leopon Team stared at the completely bloody intersection. There were police cars all over the road, blocking off the streets, but there were no cops.
Noriko and Shinobu stared in horror, while Taeko and Akebi just turned away from the bloodbath before them.
Midoriko, Moyoko, and Nozomi had their heads bowed, their hair obscuring their eyes. Nakajima and Hoshino were searching the police cars.
Suzuki, Rosehip, Rukuriri, and Kinuyo sat against a wall, waiting silently and somberly. Nonna kept Katyusha's eyes away from the scene of the massacre, and Naomi just chewed her gum slowly.
"What went wrong?", Naomi muttered.
Miho and Ano ran past an alley, before they hid behind a parked truck.
A grey Tiger I rolled by, a Panzer III following.
Miho held her breath, as the vehicles disappeared from view.
Ano breathed quietly as the Panzer III rolled around the corner. Then the two teens ran out from behind the truck and into a restaurant.
The place was empty, and the only sound was from the TV.
Ano flipped a table over and the two hid behind it.
"That was close...", Ano muttered. He heard a whimpering from Miho, and he quickly hugged her.
"Hey, shh...it's going to be OK.", Ano said. Miho kept hyperventilating, gasping and sobbing for breath.
"D-dead...", she muttered, before being silenced by a brief kiss to the lips.
"We'll get out of this. I promise you.", Ano said, looking up to the TV.
"Ooarai's Carrier has been hijacked by what appears to be a group of WWII extremists. The authorities on the shore are unsure what to do, as thousands are held hostage on the large ship.", the reporter announced. "Ooarai's Miho Nishizumi is confirmed to be on the ship. What's going to be done now is unknown..."
(Season 1 is done. Sorry I was a day late, but I was determining whether to end it here or later, and I have school and I don't wanna put this on pause, so here you go.
I will need help on deciding what will happen next, so please leave reviews. Thx)