04/18/2036; SERN East-Asia Time, 21:47p.m.
Peeking out to the street outside, beneath a blanket of shadowed gloom of a nearby viaduct, Suzuha's eyes searched vainly for the vehicles previously sitting in a line, finding nothing but heaps of rubble and debris. Hiding in plain view, all four tanks and two trucks sat in silence, cleverly camouflaged by the decayed environment around them, and the dark shadows of the structures under the cloudy night.
"This is pretty awesome. You wouldn't even know anything is hiding down there."
"They can still get heat signatures. But with that technology, they'd pick up all of us in the buildings anyway."
"Guess its best to just lay low, huh?"
"Precisely. The less noise and movement, the better off we are."
Raising her arms above her head in a stretch, Suzuha grunted, nostrils flaring with an outward seep.
"Being good at hiding from the hit squads is how we survive around here."
Turning from the window and moving back over towards the old mattresses on the floor, Suzuha sank and settled onto one, folding her legs and leaning back onto the peeling drywall behind. Listening to the ensuing vacuum of silence afterwards, interrupted only by once-eerie whispers of the coastal wind outside, her eyes descended to her firearm, sitting on the floor near her feet.
"Suzuha."
"Yeah?"
Slowly looking over towards the standing figure, silhouetted by the dim moonlit glow of the clouds outside, both of them waited in a pause.
"Earlier you said you were part of the JSDF... But you look fairly young. How did that happen?"
"Don't you remember? It was a national drafting of able bodies while SERN was taking over the United States across the ocean."
"I remember... But my family dodged the draft. My parents were too busy with things and we all went into hiding."
"Huh. My dad disappeared long before SERN invaded here after the third war, and mom said I should do what I felt was right for the homeland... I didn't really have a choice with the draft though. So I fought a few battles, and then bailed when they invaded last year."
"That's not a lot of time to serve."
"Nope. Just enough to be trained. After all that, I fled to Yokohama and have been fighting for the revolution ever since. It was inevitable really, wanting to wipe out the people that kidnapped my dad years ago."
Both girls looked toward the white-faced clock that hung on the opposite wall, hands frozen from a long-dead battery.
"Your father was kidnapped?"
"By SERN, yeah. Mom never told me why, just that they caught up to him... Hell, she never even told me his real name. Always called him Barrel Titor or something, I don't know why. All I really remember was when I was little, I guess he'd tell me how Valkyrie would one day take off like great big bird, striking down the tyranny of SERN once and for all."
Kamiko leaned back from the eerily familiar name.
Barrel Titor? Wait... "He was familiar with Valkyrie?"
"Totally. More than familiar. According to mom, he helped start it along with his best friend... But they never really talked about it other than that, so I don't know if that's true or not."
Kamiko's eyes widened from the casual revelation.
Oh my god. Barrel Titor, starting Valkyrie...? That's Mister Hashida, right? Dad's best friend? If you're truly his daughter... Oh my. If you're actually... I need to bring you to headquarters. Dad won't believe this if its true!
Thoughts brimming with uncertainty, their eyes met again in the dark room.
"Did his friend happen to go by the name Hououin Kyouma?"
"Yeah! His middle name was Okreen or something. How did you know?"
"Kyouma is his alias. One of them. His real name is, ahm, Rintarou, Okabe."
Straightening upright, Suzuha blinked from the startlingly familiar name she only heard whispers of in the past.
"Whoa. Do you know him or something?"
Kamiko looked at her gravely.
"He's my father."
Lips parting with genuine surprise, Suzuha stared at the young commander near.
"Your dad is the leader of Valkyrie?"
"Yep. And if what you're saying is true, your father helped kick start our revolution."
Exhaling with secret pride, Suzuha looked down at her hands resting on her legs.
Wow. All this time I've been fighting for the cause, and I didn't even know dad was directly involved in starting it. If that's really the truth, he's a secret badass and I had no clue! Maybe that's why mom never told me his real name... He was too important for his cover to be blown. Even though it was anyway... Damn.
Cheeks blushing, she slowly smiled. Oh well. Someday I'll learn exactly who you were, dad. You just wait.
Looking over to Kamiko, their eyes vainly met amid the bloom of pride and ensuing mystery.
"Small world."
"I guess so."
Unfolding her legs out from the mattress, Suzuha slumped backward onto the thick cushion.
"So, uh, all these soldiers coming to Yokohama, and rounding up everyone... Those were your dad's orders, right?"
"Yes. He specifically assigned me to oversee the operation."
"Wow. No wonder you can bark orders at people... Commander."
"I'm just carrying out what I've been asked to do. Don't let it get to your head."
"I'm not. Its just wild that you're what, eighteen, and you're ordering around troops and tanks."
"Nineteen."
"Same difference. You're a girl leading a small army. I wish I could be in your shoes."
A weak smile appeared on Kamiko's face from the wishful remark.
That's what you think. But if you really knew what I dealt with, you'd change your mind very quickly. "You're part of the force now, Amane. We're all fighting the same fight."
"I guess. I've just never felt any kind of power in my life. Everything's been chosen for me, or forced, or always gone terribly wrong. I don't know how many times I've ended up fighting my way out situations, just cause I have no other option."
"I doubt you're the only person in Japan down on their luck."
Head turning, her mouth opened, only to close again.
"I know. But you'd think with my dad starting this whole thing... That I wouldn't be in the position I've been in all this time."
"Do you feel like you are owed something?"
"I... I dunno. That's not really what I meant."
"In case you haven't noticed, the world doesn't exactly owe any of us anything. At this rate, we owe mother earth our own extinction for ruining everything."
"That's a bit grim."
"Understandably. But I'd rather be realistic and consciously aware of what's around me, than blunder around with my head in the sand."
"Realism aside, if that's how you feel, why do you keep fighting against SERN?"
"Same reason you probably do. Even with this future we've been forced into, there's still an overarching desire to beat back our oppressors."
"Yeah."
"That's why Valkyrie exists. We may never fully destroy SERN, but at least we'll deal some punishment and be remembered for fighting back."
Suzuha's cheek curled with hidden elation.
"Heck yes. Even with limited numbers and resources, we're still kicking some ass."
"Exactly. If we could drive them out of Japan, even for a short while, any victory will be better than nothing."
"Give them something to think about."
"That's pretty much an unofficial motto. My father said statements like that when I was younger."
"You're lucky. With your dad being around still."
Watching Kamiko's head turn, hearts grew heavy for different reasons.
"I know why you're saying that... But I'm pretty sure my father is one of the top ten targets on SERN's radar. He's the elusive leader of a moderately successful rebellion against their global regime, after all. I'm sure SERN wants to wipe him off the face of the earth."
Shivering from renewed realization, Suzuha eyes rose back up to the clock on the wall, lips pursing as the hands still remained suspended over the same time.
Seven thirty-two. "Is that why you feel shaky about being in command?"
"Somewhat. Life can be difficult when your family is being hunted by the rulers of the world."
"I don't even want to imagine."
"From what you told me, you've basically experienced the same situation years ago. Your father was kidnapped by SERN. They must have been aware of what he was doing."
"I guess. He never told me about his projects."
"He was ensuring your safety. You were unaware on purpose."
Slowly exhaling, she brought her legs back up, surrounding them with her arms and resting her chin upon her knees.
"I never really considered that." Thank you, dad. Forgive me for taking so long to understand your actions...
"That's a luxury I didn't have. My father told me everything as soon as I became old enough to understand. I feel like he's passing his knowledge to me in the event he disappears one day."
"He's grooming you into his successor."
"Seems like it. But I won't be the next in line if that happens."
"Why's that? You're his daughter, aren't you?"
"Yes. But if dad's gone, mom will take his place."
Swallowing from the hefty weight of Kamiko's softly spoken words, Suzuha shut her eyes.
Oh man. Your mom AND dad are in charge of Valkyrie? Wow. The revolution is a family business, and all three of them are among the most wanted people in Japan. I can't figure out if that's awesome or absolutely terrifying.
Probably both.
10/04/2035; Japan Standard Time, 15:17p.m.
Hobbling along an abandoned highway littered with thousands of vehicles, leg bleeding from a recently bandaged bullet wound, Suzuha winced repeatedly as she slowly, painfully headed away from the active war zone in downtown Tokyo just behind.
Yep. Fuck the military, and fuck my life. SERN is currently invading the capitol, and half an hour ago I tried to get my leg blown off.
Feeling the heft of an awkwardly strapped Howa Type 89 assault rifle bouncing against her backside, she paused, pulling the weapon off herself and tugging the magazine out.
That's right. This thing is empty. Why the hell am I carrying dead weight?
Looking behind her, seeing smoke plumes rising from the distant harbor, her heart sank with remorse.
I'll just find something else. This chunk of metal is useless right now.
Letting the strap slide through her gloved fingers, she set the weapon onto the grooved concrete surface, dropping the strap onto it afterwards.
Somebody else with five-point-five-six millimeter ammunition can have you. Goodbye.
Continuing onward, her hand patted the leather holster on her hip, reconfirming the presence of a Sig Sauer P220 pistol within.
Good. Still have this one. Not completely screwed.
Looking towards a road sign suspended over the highway in the distance, she exhaled, grunting from repeated spasms of pain.
Lets see... Kawasaki? Too close. How about Yokohama? Bombarded two weeks ago. Everybody evacuated to Tokyo and outlying cities. Now Tokyo itself is under attack. Maybe if there's nobody in Yokohama... I won't have to deal with SERN. Or the military, considering my whole battalion just deserted. What's the point of staying and fighting in Tokyo? Everyone knows we are done for. Not even worth committing honorable sacrifice when you'll just be overwhelmed.
Biting her bottom lip quite hard, her jaw trembled as individual tears left her eyes, both from her wound, and overwhelming hopelessness.
Everybody just ran for their lives. Scattering like cowards. And now I'm stuck on the Shuto Expressway, hoping I can wander away from certain death with a messed up leg. I should ask myself what the hell I was thinking for picking a high route out in the open. But then I'd have to ask why I'm even alive in the first place... Drafted into the Japanese military, and shoved into conflict in an attempt to stave off our nation's inevitable doom. Sure, we barely escaped being irradiated after withdrawing from NATO a couple years ago. Then those guys and the Greater Communist Federation bombed each other into oblivion, SERN rose to power over the remnants, and now Japan, fairly unscathed, is being invaded by the jerks that survived their own Armageddon.
Shaking her head, walking under the shadow of the road sign, her ears absorbed the distant echoes of war a few kilometers behind.
Awesome. I guess this is the future... And man does it already suck.
04/19/2036; SERN East-Asia Time, 10:14a.m.
Recently fed from rations, resupplied with ammunition, and well rested, Suzuha stood beside Kamiko under the hazy late morning sun. Ahead of them, a bustling crowd of soldiers and revolutionaries quickly worked together, completing a remarkable transformation as the tanks and trucks were unburied from their debris disguise, slowly moving back into position.
"I'm still blown away by how well you guys hide these things."
"We've had a lot of practice."
"But tanks are huge! Even those two trucks are massive."
"Yes they are, but there's plenty of rubble around. Lots of material to work with."
Looking towards the dark haired girl, her eyebrow quirked upward from the hint of a smile on the commander's lips.
"I'm sure you noticed how quiet it was last night. Even if something were to have flown over our position, I'm fairly certain there wouldn't have been a single identifiable target."
"You sure about that?"
"As sure as I can be. We had environmental camouflage at our disposal, especially thanks to that bridge up there."
Eying a small group of soldiers as they approached, Kamiko's hand rose to her head in a salute.
"Commander Urushibara."
Receiving their salutes in return, she produced a nod.
"Gentlemen."
"We're ready to proceed along the route as planned. We have enough fuel onboard to make it back to the Gate, but we'll siphon any supplies we come across."
"Alright. Make a final call for our followers in case there's any stragglers inside the buildings. We need as many able bodies as we can bring along."
"Understood."
Watching her subordinates reconvene with several other troops, Kamiko then turned to Suzuha, her smile slowly growing with a nod.
"Saddle up, Amane. By this day's end, we'll be inside Valkyrie itself."
Turning towards the rear tank in the convoy, she followed closely behind the march of teenage commander as they approached the machine, growling with the slow rhythm of an idle. Watching the shifting of the rifle strapped onto her back as she climbed up onto the tank, Suzuha followed suit, accepting her extended hand as her boots found purchase on the tank's wheels and tread, and she rose rapidly from the assistance. Hopping into the bustle rack on the rear of the turret, her arm settled upon one of the spare drive wheels beside as she sat cross-legged, eying her surroundings from the slightly elevated vantage point.
This rocks. I feel kind of important for once! Riding with the convoy's commander, even though she's the one that made sure I didn't catch a bullet in the teeth in the first place... That can't be the reason why she's bringing me along like this. I bet its cause she found out my dad may have helped start this whole revolution in the first place. Does that make me important? He's the one that did it. I'm just his daughter surviving the aftermath. Then again... Its almost the same for her. Her dad also started the rebellion, but he's still around to lead it. She's just carrying out his orders and trying to keep her head on her shoulders at the same time.
Eying Kamiko as she remained standing, squinting towards the front of the convoy, Suzuha's vision followed, looking past the tank's turret but not finding anything unusual beyond.
I thought my life was tough, just fending for myself. She has to worry about herself, as well as her parents. She may have resources, but her whole life is at a much greater risk. I guess that's the price you pay for being important...
Trading a look from a jumble of radio chatter, both girls jumped out of their skin when the machine gun mounted on their tank opened fire just behind them. Whirling around, Suzuha slapped her hands over her ears as brass casings flew aside from the hammering concussions, bouncing freely off the sloped armor towards the ground. Keeping low against the steel, her eyes watched the tracer fire of eight different mounted machine guns, rapidly cutting down a scattered group of enemies in the distance with small puffs of red mist appearing as each one fell to the ground. Uncovering her ears seconds after the gunfire ceased, several soldiers and rebels quickly stormed ahead of the tanks, pilfering the bodies for weaponry and ammunition and dragging limp corpses aside as the vehicles continued onward. Hustling back into the group of people, items were relinquished and quickly ferried back towards the cargo trucks behind, and her attention followed the progress of one particular assault rifle with curiosity as it was passed back through a dozen hands.
Adding to the stockpile. I wonder how much has been stolen by now? Even though SERN took all the goods in the first place... Scumbags. We're just taking back what rightly belongs to us.
Suzuha then looked to Kamiko as she spoke into a radio headset, presented by one of the soldiers sitting in the hatch of the turret.
"...Less than twenty. They're still not putting emphasis on our movement, though I'm sure they're aware of our strength."
Watching her eyebrows move in thought, her lips slowly parted, waiting to speak.
"Yes. Have the defenses at the Gate be on alert from now, up to an hour after our assimilation."
Eyes flitted towards Suzuha for several seconds, only to move away again.
"...Understood. We're a stone's throw from the fields of Arkansas. El, Psy, Kongroo."
Handing the headset back to the crewman, Kamiko shuffled back down onto the rack, propping herself up with her arms behind her.
Arkan... Huh? "What kind of goofy mumble jumble was that?"
Looking to Suzuha, Kamiko rolled her eyes with a knowing smile.
"Code words. They date from the battle against the Organization, as I've been told."
"The Organization? You mean SERN?"
"No, its something else... But I've never been sure. They seem similar enough."
"They sound like the same thing."
"Might be. Both of them do secret and evil deeds, but as far as I know, only one has taken over the world."
04/19/2036; North Kawasaki Ghetto, SERN East-Asia Time, 16:37p.m.
Looking up to the fallen monolith of a high rise structure, laying collapsed across the sunken channel above them, Suzuha's eyes marveled the mass of mangled steel and broken concrete as they slowly passed under its shadow. Just ahead, the hidden mouth of a tunnel just beneath the ruined structure grew in size, enveloping them as they rolled past several intimidating cannon and machine gun emplacements tucked into the sides. Progressing further into the bowels of the straight-line passage, the headlights of the lead tank flicked on and illuminated the tunnel ahead of the convoy, followed by lower power lights from all following vehicles, forcing numerous observers to blink as their eyes adjusted to the splash of illumination revealing the interior of heavily reinforced concrete. Peering around the tank's turret with curiosity, Suzuha blinked from the unexpected depth that stretched ahead, with several doors and passages appearing inset alongside the walls.
"Whoa. Is this... Valkyrie?"
"Part of it."
"It looks huge!"
"It is. This facility was built by the Japanese government years ago. We've since taken over and made it our home."
"Wow... This is just the entrance, right?"
"Yes. We call it Steiner's Gate. Or just Stein's Gate. Either one. My dad can't make up his mind on what to call it, so everybody just says one name or the other."
"Weird. Why does it have a name?"
"I don't know. He never explained who the Stein person is either."
"Your dad sounds mysterious."
"He is. He can be pretty goofy too, when he's not in his strategic element."
"Yeah? How so?"
"You'll only really understand when you meet him."
Eyes following the lines of tunnel lights towards the daylight in the distance behind, her fingertips rubbed along the hard steel surface of the spare drive wheel beside her.
The leader of Valkyrie. Secret and mysterious, and apparently a goofball. And he's in charge of a place like this? This gets better and better. I wonder what he's like?
Looking upwards as blast doors shut out the remnants of daylight in the distance behind, all six tanks and trucks unexpectedly accelerated ahead, leaving behind the crowd of hundreds in a pace much faster than before. Feeling the cool moving air toss her braids around, Suzuha turned and stood to her feet, gripping a curved bracket and maintaining a lean forward with a grin of exhilaration as metal treads clanked and squealed, and the overwhelming roaring of diesel engines filled her ears.
Surfing on a tank, in a big ass tunnel. I'll cross this one off the bucket list... After I write it in first!
04/19/2036; Valkyrie; 16:58p.m.
Standing in the middle of a wide open warehouse lined with stacks of crates and pallets, Suzuha's attention went in all directions as scores of soldiers and personnel milled about with weapons and supplies. Large ventilation fans hummed from a wall in the distance as they maintained a mild draft through the air, blowing away exhaust from tanks, trucks, and other vehicles, and a dull roar of speech and idling motors filled the moving current of air.
"I don't think I've ever seen so much of everything in one place."
"We call this space the anthill. This is biggest of all four storage facilities. We keep the munitions and vehicles here because of the greater space."
"How many people do you have here?"
"Can't tell you that."
"Classified intel?"
"Somewhat. SERN doesn't know how many people actually comprise the strength of Valkyrie."
"Do you?"
Trading looks of interest, Kamiko gave a nod forward, and both of them began walking.
"The number has four zeroes. I'll tell you that much."
"In here?"
"Overall. We just added three hundred thanks to the Yokohama roundup you wandered into. With the successes at Shizuoka... We've accumulated almost two thousand people, as of late."
"Holy hell."
"The ghettos are sparsely populated. Recruitment incursions into SERN-patrolled zones have more people but are far more dangerous operations. As soon as SERN realizes people are fleeing to us, they become targets as well. Typically we suffer an average casualty rate of twenty-five percent."
Brushing past several armed soldiers and officials with clipboards, Suzuha kept beside Kamiko as she walked with authority through the constant movement.
"That's a pretty heavy loss."
"At the same time, the remaining seventy five percent vanishes into the underground. We've stolen people from SERN as much as we've stolen their weapons and supplies. We're constantly robbing them of everything that represents their authority. With no people to oppress, what power do they they have?"
"None whatsoever."
"That's why we're here, Amane. We're siphoning away their own power. Then when we have enough of our own built up, we'll retaliate and hopefully drive them right off the whole island chain."
Fingers curling around the foregrip of her PM-9, her heart beat eagerly.
"I can't wait for that day."
"You and me both. We're all waiting for the right time. And when it comes around... We'll be more than ready."
04/19/2036; Valkyrie; 17:13p.m.
"...In essence, the government secretly began construction on an underground self-sustaining city. Preemptive moves for what they knew was going to be a rough future. They finished most of the essential systems, and we've completed what remains. Added on some things too."
Eyes passing along the reflections of quadruple-paned observation windows, Suzuha listened distractedly as Kamiko passively talked at length about her home.
"Water is decontaminated, purified and recycled, all waste is eliminated through plasma gasification, metals and plastics are smelted and reprocessed through electric arc furnaces... We've been working on biodiesel production with waste oil from food, but we have to increase production of that with the influx of occupants before we can accumulate any viable reserves. That's why we siphon any petroleum we can find on our travels."
"Right, yeah. Makes sense."
Looking at Suzuha, who was distracted by the dimly-lit scenes of industry and power generation through the windows, Kamiko rolled her eyes with a smile.
"Power supply is a secret all on its own. But we do have banks of accumulator batteries."
"How do you keep all this secret? Doesn't SERN know everything?"
Pausing from her query, Kamiko's eyebrow quirked with interest.
"We're in a crumbling satellite territory on a ruined planet. SERN may control a great deal of land and technology, but they don't have everything. They just project their claimed superiority to spread fear."
"Say they found out about this place, and decided to bomb it. What do you do?"
"Considering our decent depth and earthquake-proof construction... Conventional and nuclear weapons may wipe out everything above, but they'd have to punch in through our main entrance to do anything. I assume you took note of how many cannon emplacements lined those walls earlier."
"Yeah, kinda hard not to notice."
"To get inside, they have to invade through the biggest, most heavily defended entrance. Assuming they get past the turrets, they then face the crowd of occupants within, ready to fight to the death."
"An anthill."
"Its a fantastic trap really, constricting the enemy to one narrow passage. They can only face us head-on in one direction."
"Basically they'd be screwed."
"Perhaps. Unless they are able to get any kind of heavy weaponry inside the tunnel. But we have countermeasures for that too."
Eying the gentle bob of her dark and curly hair as she walked, Suzuha nodded from Kamiko's confident smile.
"I wouldn't expect anything less from Valkyrie."
Rolling her eyes from the statement, the commander adjusted the sling of the rifle on her shoulder.
"Most of our defensive measures haven't even seen practical use. Hopefully it stays that way for several more months."
"Months? How soon were you planning on fighting back against SERN?"
"Technically we're already at war, but we haven't officially declared it. The actual assault hasn't been given a solid date either. We're thinking sometime in the next year or later."
"Next year?"
"The longer we wait, the more resources we'll have."
"How long would you be willing to wait for?"
"Its not up to me, but I've heard two to five years. By that far end, we'd probably be a force to reckon with... Though I feel like it won't take that long to actually engage SERN."
"Would Valkyrie be ready if SERN attacked tomorrow?"
"Conditions wouldn't be ideal, but we might hold out. The aftermath would be problematic however, once they discover even a fragment of what's down here. Then they'd focus a lot more effort towards an enemy stronghold. Likely to eliminate us and capture everything leftover."
"That bites."
"And that's why we wait. Every week that goes by allows Valkyrie to strengthen itself."
After a turn into a smaller tunnel, both girls approached a soundproof door guarded by a pair of soldiers armed with shotguns.
"Urushibara Kamiko, returning from Yokohama assignment with mission intelligence."
Their eyes settled upon Suzuha in response, and Kamiko nodded as the girl blushed.
"...With critical personnel."
Watching as they stood aside, holding their weapons close, Kamiko's hand rose to the keypad above the door handle.
"Welcome back, Commander."
"Thank you."
Quickly entering a code, she nodded as the keypad illuminated green, pulling the door open with a downward twist of the handle.
"Come with me, Amane."
Moving down a dark hallway, the curious glow of electronic interfaces appeared through a distant opening, and several voices spoke intermittently, echoing down the otherwise silent passage. Watching Kamiko turn to her and hold her finger to her lips, Suzuha nodded, and both of them walked calmly towards the corner of the wall. Heart racing with great anticipation as she kept alongside the young commander, their orbit around the end revealed several television screens, and a large digital wireframe map in the center of a compact room, actively portraying the surrounding land as several hands drew lines and placed markers with their fingers.
Whoa.
Around the table, several figures stood with arms crossed and hands touching chins, and with a strange sense of acceptance, both girls walked right up to an open space beside the interactive table, without a single comment made from the others.
Alright... She must be a regular.
Eyes flitting from face to face, brief eye contact was made by some, and completely denied by others. One older man in particular, with short hair and a greying goatee, slowly looked between Kamiko and Suzuha, with an expression of interest that was hard to identify. Staring at him, a hint of a smile lifted the far corners of his lips, and she broke eye contact, looking to Kamiko as she eyed the map with a gentle smile. Returning her glance towards the prior middle-aged male, his attention was now adrift across the features of the map, and his outwardly lowering finger touched a zone that highlighted in response.
"...Such splendid timing as ever. Now that Commander Urushibara is present with us, am I correct in assuming that our latest sweep of the Yokohama ghetto has been successful?"
Kamiko's head rose in immediate reception to the query.
"Yes sir. The route was followed with only brief conflict and minor causalities. One truck was lost, though all armor returned undamaged."
"Very well. Trucks are replaceable, tanks are not. How many returned with the convoy?"
"A headcount was attempted this morning, at least three hundred and twenty."
"Munitions and supplies acquired?"
"Plenty."
"Any notable details?"
At first looking towards Suzuha, both girls traded a single nod.
I'm sure he knows there's a reason you're standing here with me.
"We salvaged one machine gun assembly from a downed SERN helicopter. Determined to be a GAU-19 Gatling type. Damaged but no doubt serviceable."
"Excellent. Success, no matter how minor in scale, is critical to the overall objective. You've done well, Commander."
Blushing from his praise, largely hidden by the dim lighting, she nodded with affirmation.
"Thank you."
Looking towards the others surrounding the table, the middle aged man put his hands together with a confident smile.
"Once we receive official word on our population and supply accumulations, I want a calculated projection of increased facility demands, and adjustment to utilities and resource production implemented accordingly."
"Yes sir."
Watching several pens scribble notes onto clipboards, he slowly panned across the map, hand dragging along the eastern coastline toward the city of Shizuoka. Tapping on the name, the precinct's boundaries illuminated in response, and he waited patiently for a vocal response.
"Sir, communications from those in the Shuzu area are intermittent, but we have several confirmations that they are gaining ground daily."
"Good. Continue smuggling of ammunition and rations towards the efforts in the southwest, and redistribute munitions among our newest recruits. Standard bullet and shell counts for all, regardless of caliber or weapon. Anything extra is relinquished into our own stockpile as a stipulation of residing here. If they don't understand, make them."
"Understood."
Eying the mentioned zone on the map, with dozens of marks placed and lines previously drawn, Suzuha exhaled.
They mentioned Shizuoka was a recently annexed zone... Seems to be hotly contested. Mt. Fuji isn't that far away either. Now that I'm seeing all this... I had no idea the revolution was such an organized effort. Maybe I've just been in an isolated area while the rest of the country is fighting back. That would explain why SERN squads were appearing less and less frequently. I bet now there's no reason for any of them in Yokohama. The place is probably a ghost town now.
"I promise you friends, SERN's reckoning looms on the horizon... And when it comes, they will be driven from our homeland with a swift and concise defeat. Hououin Kyouma assures you of that."
Watching as the man's arm extended out over the map, palm flat, all others standing around extended their arms outward in response, palms resting atop nearly a dozen hands. With only a slight delay, Kamiko's hand floated outward last, and her fingers gently rested atop the layers of hands.
"El, Psy, Kongroo!"
Arms lifted upwards as all people present chanted the phrase in unison, and Suzuha's eyes grew wide as she looked towards the proudly smiling man in the center.
Oh my god. That's Okabe Rintarou. Leader of Valkyrie.
"Dismissed."
Gripping the table's edge as all staff slowly filtered out of the room, Suzuha looked between Kamiko and the middle aged man as he slid a switch on the wall upwards, brightening the light inside the room. Waiting patiently as the door on the end of the hallway shut, echoing from a distance, he then stepped around the table, suddenly finding himself grunting with a laugh as Kamiko swiftly surrounded him in a hug, very much out of character.
"Dad."
"I was worried about you."
"We fared alright. Got shot at a few times but... Still in one piece."
"Make sure you stay that way."
"I'll try my best."
Watching with secret admiration as they twisted in a loving embrace, Suzuha's heart ached.
Father, and daughter... Oh dad, I miss you so much.
Several separate sighs were released, and Kamiko withdrew her arms, stepping back alongside the brunette girl.
"So, my child, what manner of importance brings your new friend into a restricted clearance room with you?"
A blush admitted her slight breach in security as she looked between both of them.
"I met her a day and a half ago. There's a reason I've brought her along."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, father. Perhaps if you greet her, you will understand."
All heads turned as the distant door opened again, trained toward the gentle padding of a single set of footsteps approaching. Then, with graceful glide into sight, a middle aged woman with dark shoulder-length hair appeared, hesitating from the trio eying her.
"Mom!"
"Oh Kamiko."
Accepting her daughter into another embrace, she pressed kisses onto both of her cheeks several times.
"Thank goodness you've returned safe."
"Yeah. I think I made a friend along the way too."
Turning around, the teen nodded towards a visibly blinking Suzuha, no doubt realizing she was looking between three of the most prominent individuals in the entirety of Valkyrie. Watching then as the woman's hands settled upon the shoulders of her lifelong partner, Kamiko's hands came together in front of herself.
"Introductions, right..."
Bowing slightly, her father grunted confidently.
"...Hououin, Kyouma."
"Also known as Rintarou Okabe."
"How dare you blow my cover."
"Whoops."
Admiring the oddly calm banter between the adults, Suzuha flitted toward to Kamiko momentarily, who was smiling from the same conversation.
"Urushibara Ruka. I suppose you've already met our daughter."
"Yup. She's a total badass from what I can tell."
"A trait of the family bloodline, yes."
Nudging Okabe aside slightly, Ruka shook her head with a smile.
"What's your name, my dear?
"Amane. Suzuha Amane."
Straightening upright, Okabe's mouth opened in a stare, and a surprised breath drew into Ruka's lungs.
"My god."
"...You're alive."
Befuddled by their expressions of utter surprise, Suzuha eyed both parents with apprehension.
"Am I not supposed to be?"
A light laugh of disbelief left Okabe's mouth.
"Nonsense. Your life, and your name... You're the last vestige of my best friend."
"Barrel Titor, right?"
Turning to his daughter, Okabe's mouth slowly curled into a grin.
"Yes."
"That's her dad's alias, from what she told me."
Looking towards Suzuha again, he slowly stepped forward, gingerly placing his hands onto her shoulders.
"Yes it is. Barrel Titor, also known as Hashida Itaru."
Suzuha's mouth dropped open as the syllables echoed in sequence in her mind.
"That's his name?!"
"It is indeed."
Tears pooled in her eyes, and she turned her head, wiping them away with her arm.
Oh my god. All this time... Dad's real name... Hashida, Itaru. Hashida Itaru. Barrel Titor. God. You'd never guess those are the same person... They don't even sound alike. Clearly the alias worked, because I had no idea for eighteen whole years. But now I know, thanks to his best friend, and the succeeding leader of Valkyrie... Okabe Rintarou, or, Hououin Kyouma, rather.
Looking up to him, she swallowed.
"Thank you."
Nodding firmly from her whisper, he released his grip on her shoulders.
"Please. Having you in our company, Miss Amane, means more than you are currently aware of."
Stepping beside Okabe, Ruka's hand lifted, and her index finger brushed aside a tear trail from Suzuha's cheek with extraordinary grace.
"Please, Suzuha. Join us for supper. We have much to talk about."
Heart stirring from the invitation and unexpected warmth from the revolutionary leaders, she smiled after a small sniffle.
Supper. A real meal. I would never have imagined...
"I will. Gladly."