Chapter 6
"Major, can you hear me? I'm here. Everything's gonna be all right, major. I promise! Please answer me! Do something!" Perrine said panicking. "Are you okay? I've got you." Lynne said as we caught Yoshika after she stumbled back from healing the Major. "No, it's all my fault. Sakamoto, c'mon! Please wake up! You have to... for me. Open your eyes! Please..." Yoshika Said while trying to heal the Major lord only to pass out for a minute. "Yoshika!" Lynne said panicking too. "Let go me, right now! I'm fine!" Yoshika said. "Yosh! You aren't fine! You are to weak to continue! And if you do you could kill yourself." I said harshly. "Sergeant Miyafuji, calm down." Commander said while approaching effectively cutting any protest Yoshika had down. "Minna." Barkhorn said. "Major! Major... Barkhorn Miyafuji!" Perrine said as Yoshika fainted. "No! Yoshika! Do you need a doctor? Are you okay? Can you hear me? Yoshika!" Lynne said. "Yoshika." I say somewhat worried for her.
"How are you feeling?" Lynne asked as Yoshika sat up in her bed. We had moved her after she passed out. "Ah, fine..." she responded. "That's good to hear." I say sitting down at the foot of her bed. "You're up at least. That's good." Lynne says. "Where am I? Is she gonna be okay? Sakamoto! What happened to her? Answer me, Lynne!" Yoshika asked. "You're in your room. We don't know and you saw what happened to her. She got shot doing her job." I respond as if I was commenting on the weather.
"All this is because of you! Well, say something! Or are you still waking up from your damn nap?" Perrine shouted. "She passed out from using all her power to help Major Sakamoto..." Lynne tried to explain. "Would just shut up?" Perrine shouted. "No, I won't! You're not being fair! Yoshika was trying to help!" Lynne shouted back. "And look how much good it's done!" Perrine shouted back. "Both of you shut the hell up!" I shout as Yoshika runs over to the Majors side to restart healing her. "Yoshika, wait!" Lynne called after her before trying to follow but I held her back. "Don't do it, let her show us her strength." I said. "Please wake up." I heard Yoshika mutter.
"Yoshika, look! I think we've got a pulse!" Lynne said. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding. "Sakamoto!" Yoshika exclaimed. "Major! Please hang in there!" Perrine worried. "Can you hear us?" Yoshika asked the Major. "Be right back. I'm gonna go get the doctor!" Lynne said as she rushed off. "C'mon, I don't get it. I'm giving all I've got!" Yoshika said wondering why the Major isn't waking up. "Oh please." Perrine said even more worried. "I'm so scared. I need help. I wish mam and granma were here..." Yoshika said sounding scared. "Well, they're not! So you're just gonna have to get trying! I'm sorry. It's just you're the only one who can help. Please don't give up, Miyafuji. Are you listening to me?" Perrine responded to her. "Yosh, remember, we're here for you. You got us to help you along the way." I supported her. "I'm the only one? You're right. I'm the only one who can help her now. I'm not giving up!" Yoshika said now with determination. "Thank you..." Perrine whispered. "I can do this. Just concentrate..." Yoshika said to herself.
After the doctor dismissed us I finally got some time to look back on what I now remembered. 'Well I remember all up until the time I was slumped over at my computer asleep on a Saturday night. My brother was a a friends house and my parents had gone out on a date, even though they've been married some 30 odd years. After that nothing. I remember I had just finished binge watching the strike witches series and had passed out afterwards. I should hold this info back, no need for the others to realize that I'm from some further world with no Neuroi, in their place are the first and second world wars. But if they find out I'll likely be shot. Now I've got to deal with the warlock coming soon and the dinergation of the 501st.' I rambled on in my head. 'Ah fuck it, I'll just go with the flow. Maybe I could knock general incompetent down a few pegs.' I smirked at that thought.
I was waiting in my room for the most likely out come of what happens to yoshika and am waiting for nightfall. Then I would sneak out my window and get to Yoshika's she was just on the other side. About third story and facing the other way. Meaning I'm gonna have to climb out my window down the wall walk around to Yoshika's window and scale up to her window with no equipment. That's about when I heard knocking at the door. "Come in!" I absentmindedly called out. And in walked Lynne dragging a sad Yoshika behind her. "I just heard from Yoshika, you remember what happened to you right?" She asked. "Yea but it's real foggy like I can't see my hand infront of my face foggy. I can't remember faces or names just places I've been." I lie.
"Hmm. I know! Let's take a bath together! You're probably drained. This will help! C'mon! Hurry it up!" Lynne said after a few minutes of silence, dragging Yoshika out. "'kay! Just a minute!" Yoshika said as she broke free and left for her room.
"Here we are!" Lynne said while dragging me in by my hand, I simply let her guide me as I could only really make out the auras, and they didn't help much when it came to this place. "Over here." Yoshika called over to everyone else in the room. "Hey, Yoshika. I heard that you got confined your room. You have lucky. That could actually be fun." I heard Shirley shout. "Yeah. She's been a lot worse, Shirley got the imprisonment penalty 5 times." Lucchini said. "Hey, what the hell! It was 4 times. Learn how to count!" Shirley exclaimed. "I win. 6 times." I heard Erica say from deeper in the bath. "I have to tell you something. It's about the Neuroi. I think the one I met was different from the others. It was friendly. It made me think that maybe not all of them are bad. Maybe you don't have to fight them all..." Yoshika exclaimed. "What the hell are you talking about?" I watched as Barkhorns aura approached Yoshika's. "Please calm down." Lynne said somewhere off to my right. "I'm saying back there I felt like we understood each other." Yoshika continued, ignoring Lynne. "Really? Do you realize what they've done to us all these years? They've done nothing but terrorize people. Are you trying to say that you're on their side now?" Barkhorn shouted getting really close to Yoshika. "I'm just talking about one. This one was different!" Yoshika said. "Strangely it was diffrent than any other Neuroi I've ever encountered." I comment while slipping into the water up to my neck. "Do you really think you fought enough of them to make that distinction?" Barkhorn asked. "Yes, yes I do. I've fought so many I've lost count." I stated. "I've heard of a human shaped one appearing but never seen one." Erica said. "They are common in south east Asia." I said quietly. "Did it appear at the Kauhava base? 'cause that's just a rumor." Erica asked. "But wasn't the singing Neuroi human shaped?" I heard Sanya say. She was somewhere to my right. "Who cares? The whole thing was just a trap!" Eila said sitting close to Sanya. "Yoshika, this is supposed to be relaxing. Cheer up! Gotcha!" I heard Lucchini say, and I assumed she was trying to fondle Yoshika, all this was confirmed when Yoshika shouted. "Francesca, stop!" "Lucchini!" Lynne suddenly said as Eila asked Sanya. "So do you think you've got any bigger?" "No..." I heard Sanya respond. "Yoshika's aren't big enough yet." Lucchini said clearly upset about it. "Francesca, why are you looking at me like that? Nooo!" I heard Lynne say while the water splashed. "Shirley. Now this is what I'm talking about." I heard more splashing before it stopped suddenly. Then Erica spoke to Barkhorn. "Wow, I wonder if that's any fun." "No, it's stupid!" Barkhorn said before suddenly shouting. "What do you think you're doing!" Which caused me to jump and on instinct I opened my eyes for just a second. Receiving a good view of Barkhorns chest being fondled by Erica. Quickly I shut my eyes again. "Hey, yours are really big and soft, Trudy." Erica said. "Not helping Erica, really not helping." I say to Erica. "These things are completely useless in combat!" Barkhorn shouted. "These things?" Shirley asked.
After the incident in the bath, I prepared to help Yoshika escape and get more information, quietly I finished cleaning some of the arms I would take with me, my webley, my Lee Enfield and finally my Vickors. Finally I had finished. Sliding open the window I slide out. Standing on the window below me I closed my window. Sliding down the wall I hit the ground rolling. I quickly moved to get under Yoshikas window. Getting there, I climb up to her window.
*tap tap* *tap tap*
The sound of my knuckles rapping against her window. "Who's there?" I heard Yoshika say from the inside. "It's me Yosh, open up." I respond. "Stefan?" She said somewhat surprised. "Open the window and we'll find out about the human shaped Neuroi." I said. "Oh. Right. Let's go." She said as she opened the window to come join me. "Alright follow me." I said while going back down and catching her after she slipped.
Walking silently towards our strikers I heard Lynne say. "Yoshika! Stefan!" Quietly I prepared to draw my webley, I didn't want to shot Lynne nor any of the girls but if I had to I would. "Oh, Lynne." Yoshika said somewhat surprised. "Please don't do this. If they find out you left you'll get much worse confinement." Lynne pleaded. It reminded me of the anime but I wasn't going to tell her that. "It's just something I have to do." Yoshika said sticking to the script. "Look. I don't know anything about the Neuroi but I know you. You're someone who doesn't give up. On anything or anyone you really care about. That's why... that's why I'm going to go with you!" She said. "What?" Yoshika And Myself questioned. "I'm gonna go get ready!" Lynne said as she turned to get ready. "No, Lynne, you can't come!" Yoshika said cutting her off. "Why not? 'cause I'm not good enough?" Lynne asked. "No, it's because it's something we have to do alone." I stated. "Please don't tell anyone we left." "Please promise you'll come back soon." She said. "Uh-huh." Yoshika responded. "Can't promise anything." I said. "I'll be waiting here for you." Lynne said. "Okay." Yoshika responded before we got in our strikers and took off.
"I think I was around here, somewhere." Yoshika said while we looked around. Only I was armed. Suddenly it appeared before us and then proceeded to fly away. "Wait!" Yoshika called after it before following. "Yosh, wait for me. I'm not interested in finding out what the gals at base will do to me when they find me out here."
"It's like a hall of clouds." Comments as we follow the Neuroi into the Neuroi best. "Yea it does. Keep an eye out for anything." I answered.
"What is this? Is that the... core? Is that us? Sakamoto, no! A Neuroi fragment? Where is that? That's me!" Yoshika said while the images of memories spun around us. I then spotted one that I didn't know. It was this giant robot like a transformer from those old animated movies. You know like the old tv shows. Think they still play it on teletoon retro or something like that. Looking closer I saw a Neuroi core being placed in it.
Just as Yoshika noticed it the Human shaped Neuroi disappeared. "Wait! Come back!" Yoshika called out after it. "Hey, where did you go?" Yoshika asked it. "I don't know but we better leave. Let's go, follow me." I respond before leading Yoshika along. As we exited we encountered the tansformer thing, which reminded me of Starscream. You know the guy who wanted to rule the decepticons and destroy the autobots. Yea him except you know, no sreachy voice and no missiles, on and it wasn't a transformer. As we bumped into it, it started shooting around me and trying to hit Yoshika. "Lets go NOW!" I shout as I grab her collar and throw her through the hole the transformer thing made. Damn it needs a name... what was it in the anime... warrior... no... warlord... no... warlock... think so. I'll use that for now.
Flying after Yoshika we quickly found ourselves surrounded by some of the girls. "Yoshika, are you okay?" Lucchini asks. "What not worried about me, I say back. "Yeah. Did see where the Neuroi went?" Yoshika asked only for Commander to shut down the question with. "Sargent Miyafuji, you are detained for a crime of absence without leave. And Captain Morrison you are detained for helping Sargent Miyafuji escape and for fraternization with the enemy. Return to base!" "What why me. I simply left on my own accord with Yoshika simply being there. I didn't know she was supposed to be confined to her room." I feigned innocence. "Yea right." "Haven't you heard of innocent until proven guilty?" I ask only for everyone to ignore me.
"Hey, you look. Someone's there." Lucchini said finally breaking the silence. "Welcome back, Commander. Very good work." I heard the General I always referred to as incompetent because reasons we're about to find out. "It's that thing again!" Erica said breaking my train of thought. "That's the..." Yoshika started to say before being interrupted by Mr. Incompetent. "Nicely done, Commander Minna." "I guess you're in charge, right? General Maloney." Commander responds. "Yes, I am. Here's a copy of the official transport order. So, Commander Mina. As of now, this base is under the direct command of the 1st Atrategic Airborne Assault Team. That's mouthful to say so we refer it to as Warlock." He responds. "Warlock?" Commander asks.
Then I start laughing. "I'm dying. Why does it look like a transformer. Are you making a micheal bay movie. You're missing a lot of explosions." I say as I start to roll around on the ground hugging my gut. "It looks like starscream. Just wait until it turns on you and we sent it to the bottom of the sea. Mr. Incompetent." "WHAT DID YOU CALL ME!" He shouts back. "Mr. Incompetent." I respond causing all the girls around me to give me a strange stare. "You think that because one is better than a handful of witches doesn't mean we are immediately useless. You could just move us to a different section of the front or to fight in low danger area or even in Asia. That's what any competent commander would do. Move his or her troops to anyplace they can be used to the upmost effect. Something you seem to be unable to think about." I continue.
He seems really pissed at me so he turns to Miyafuji. "Now that I have all the Witches present. Am I addressing Sergeant Yoshika Miyafuji." All the while the other witches were rounded up and brought to our group by Sten Mk II carrying soldiers. Causing me to laugh again. "More proof of incompetence." I say waving my hand towards the Sten's. "Sir." Yoshika responds to him. "You left the base in breach of military regulations. Isn't that right?" He asks. "Oh, no... I've seen that!" Finally says while looking at the warlock. "Are you referring to the Warlock?" He asks. "Yes, I've seen it. It was in a room with the Neuroi. Some sort of laboratory." She answers. "That's because it is. My god how dense are you people!" I finally shout. "Did any of you even bother to read the transcripts or maybe the manga or even watch the anime." I say all the while the girls are giving me strange looks. "You don't know what you talking about!" He shouted at us. "That's not true, I saw it!" Yoshika answered for us. "Answer my question now. You deserted your squad. Correct?" He snaps. "But how could we have deserted our squad if we're here?" I ask back. "You shut up, I have questions for you later!" He snaps at me. "Point that finger at me again and I'll break it off and shove it up your ass." I mutter. "Yes... but I..." Yoshika mumbled. "And you. I issued you orders to shoot this deserter down a moment you might contact." He said now turning on Commander. "Yes, but sir!" Commander responded trying to argue only to be cut off. "A junior officer flying military hardware in violation of house arrest, a senior officer disobeying shoot to kill orders from a general. The break down in the chain of command is clear. At times like this I am left with no other options to preserve military order. Commander Minna, be advised. The 501st Joint Fighter Wing has been dissolved. The Strike Witches are officially disbanded. You have each been reassigned back to your home country's main unit. That is all. Is that understood, Commander?" He asked her. "Understood, sir." Commander said. "No... the Witches are disbanded..." Yoshika said starting to go into shock. "Your unauthorized actions were the cause of all this, Sergeant Miyafuji." He said. "But I... I... I just..." she tried to defend herself. "No need to worry. We'll be fine. The Warlock has been designed to completely annihilate the Neuroi. Britannia no longer needs the protection of Witches" he said before Yoshikapassed out.
"Now Captain Morrison or should I say Beyak? You have helped Miyafuji escape her room then you insult a General and speak about highly classified matierials, you should be shot. But that would be a problem to my benifactor as it would kill the Neuroi core within you." He states while turning to face me. "Okay first off, classified my ass, second off, you stole me from my house, my family and friends and my world only to shove a fucking Neuroi core into my body and use me like an experiment like the CIA. I'm should place a bullet between your eyes and see if it cures your idiocy. Maybe electro shock therapt would do the trick, or how about a ice pick lobotomy." I shot back. "Now, now mister Morrison lets be civil. Otherwise you could be killed by one of the witches." He says gesturing to the looks of shock on their faces and on Commanders and Barkhorns a killing intent. "You know what General. How about I shove my boot so far up your ass that you'd be licking the polish off my heel." I respond. "How could you!" Barkhorn finally broke. "How long have you known?" "Since, well lets see three, four days ago. I've been thinking about it but never thought much. It never came to me to inform you of what's going to happen. Hell I'm not even supposed to exist here in this world. Do you think a male witch exists one that can basically tell the future." I say back. "Now General, do you really think that you can control the Neuroi core in there. Or maybe you believe that you could destroy it when it breaks free."
Then the General smirks, like a Bond villain when a body guard has a gun to Bond's head or some other trap like that. Glancing over my shoulder I spot a P08 Luger being held by Barkhorn, clearly she was pissed. "If I ever see you again, you're dead." She said with a hatred in her eyes. "You won't see me ever again. Don't worry." I say before turning to the General. "So, what do you want from me?" "Nothing much, just for you to never use magic again." He said as a remote appeared in his hand. There was an audible click of a button before I felt a sharp pain which caused me to kneel, clutching my chest, the Luger following my head. "Now you can run along. Maybe some unit will find you and send you back to your original unit. Just never talk about the warlock." The general stated. "Heh, What's to stop me from speaking about it. I know almost everything about it. I even know info you'd absolutely hate to hear." I said while shakely getting to my feet. "Just leave now!" Barkhorn snapped. "Fine." I say as I walk away from the group, towards the forest.
"M'en revenant de la jolie Rochelle, M'en revenant de la jolie Rochelle, J'ai rencontré trois jolies demoiselles.
C'est l'aviron qui nous mène, qui nous mène C'est l'aviron qui nous mène en haut. C'est l'aviron qui nous mène, qui nous mène C'est l'aviron qui nous mène en haut.
J'ai point choisi, mais j'ai pris la plus belle, J'ai point choisi, mais j'ai pris la plus belle, J'ly fis monter derrière moi, sur ma selle.
C'est l'aviron qui nous mène, qui nous mène C'est l'aviron qui nous mène en haut. C'est l'aviron qui nous mène, qui nous mène C'est l'aviron qui nous mène en haut.
J'y fis cent lieues sans parler avec elle, J'y fis cent lieues sans parler avec elle, Au bout d'cent lieues, elle ma demandit à boire,
C'est l'aviron qui nous mène, qui nous mène C'est l'aviron qui nous mène en haut. C'est l'aviron qui nous mène, qui nous mène C'est l'aviron qui nous mène en haut.
Je j'ai menée aupres d'une fontaine Je j'ai menée aupres d'une fontaine Quand elle fut là, elle ne voulut point boire.
C'est l'aviron qui nous mène, qui nous mène C'est l'aviron qui nous mène en haut. C'est l'aviron qui nous mène, qui nous mène C'est l'aviron qui nous mène en haut.
Je l'ai menée de logis de son père. Je l'ai menée de logis de son père. Quand elle fut là, elle buvait à plein verre
C'est l'aviron qui nous mène, qui nous mène C'est l'aviron qui nous mène en haut. C'est l'aviron qui nous mène, qui nous mène C'est l'aviron qui nous mène en haut.
À la santé de son père et sa mère À la santé de son père et sa mère à la santé d'celui que son coeur aime
C'est l'aviron qui nous mène, qui nous mène C'est l'aviron qui nous mène en haut. C'est l'aviron qui nous mène, qui nous mène C'est l'aviron qui nous mène en haut." I sing as I walk off.
Reaching the woods I just stroll in still singing. Behind me I'm leaving confused faces as to why I'm singing. After what feels like many hours but was probably just two I find a clearing and start to set up camp. First I set up a small shelter, followed by gathering firework and setting up a lean-to where I would place all my fire wood. Finishing that I realized that the birds started flying away from a section of the forest that was moving towards my general direction. "Now who could that be?" I wondered as I build a fire, though I was holding off lighting it. That's when I heard Barkhorn shout. "Hartmann we need to find him!" I knew exactly who "him" was, it was me. Grabbing my rifle and pistol, the only guns I was aloud to keep with me I quietly slipped further into the forest hoping to lose them. "He's on the move. Towards the east." I heard Commander speak. 'Shit' I thought as I realized that they had come prepared to either kill me or talk to me. Option one was the most likely, though option two was possible, slightly but still possible.
I stumbled across a good place to hunker down and prepare for a shot out. Laying down I sighted my rifle incase of emergencies, I only knew what kind of gun one of them was carrying. I could guess at Commanders but Erica's still eluded me. Using my aura to conceal myself was something I would have done but every time I tried to use magic I failed. Waiting was something I was good at, I was there on the ground waiting for them to appear when I felt a tap on my shoulder.
