Chapter 4:

It was quiet.

"Should we risk a peek?" Shizuru wondered softly.

"Keep your head down," Natsuki's voice was a soft hiss, "I would prefer to keep you around for awhile, and putting yourself in the line of fire is not how we're gonna accomplish that."

Nao took a moment to look at the rather large rock they were hiding behind. She suddenly started cackling to herself, drawing stares from Natsuki and Shizuru.

"What's with you?" Natsuki asked.

"It's obsidian," Nao patted the rock, laughing,

Shizuru gave a chuckling sigh, and Natsuki groaned.

"So," Natsuki said after a moment, a grim smile on her face, "I've got a few pieces of good news, and I've got a few pieces of bad news."

"I could use some good news," Nao looked hopeful.

"Well, first piece of good news is that whoever is out there is not an ace sniper. He forgot to adjust for the wind."

Nao frowned, her face sour, "I'm almost afraid to ask how you know that."

"Well," Natsuki closed her eyes with a sigh, "That's the first piece of bad news. No one fires a warning shot that close to a person. That was meant to be a kill shot, and I'm only still alive because he's not a pro."

"Then I thank Providence that our foe is inexperienced," Shizuru said with sincerity.

"Likewise," Nao said, "Then what's the next piece of good news."

Natsuki gave her a soft smile, "Well, this island isn't very big. I mean, maybe four, five miles from east coast to west coast, probably about the same for north to south. So, anywhere from sixteen to twenty-five square miles. Chances are good the sound of that shot carried."

"And we have allies," Shizuru said with dawning comprehension, "Including one very capable combat android."

~~*~~

Miyu had, indeed, heard the report of the gunshot.

"Miss Suzushiro, Miss Kikukawa, I need you to return to the shore and wait by the dinghy. If you do not hear from anyone else in our group in thirty minutes, return to the ship and keep a sharp eye on the shore."

"No," Haruka said, "The others could be in danger, and…"

"And if they are in danger? If they've been killed, in fact? Those left on the boat will need someone competent to take charge. I promise, if they are alive, I will see to it that they stay that way. But if that shot was the last of them, then I must know that Miss Alyssa is being looked after. Please."

Haruka sighed, "Fine. Fujino better be alive. Yukino, let's go."

Haruka and Yukino began to make their way back to the shore. Miyu, in the meanwhile, had already calculated the direction of the shot, and had an approximate distance. She began to run at her best possible speed. It was not, she feared, her top speed. The uneven and unfamiliar topography, the dense jungle area, and the need to scan as she went for life signs were all factors that slowed her down. And the magnetic field surrounding the island was hampering her scans, as well.

She reached the spot where she believed that the shot had come from, and found a grove of fruit trees. There was a spent shell casing on the ground. She picked it up and examined it. Her olfactory sensors detected the scent of extruded powder, and the casing was a 5.56mm round. Standard United States military round, then. Was this a military operative, then? Unlikely. She'd seen no sign of military craft, and it was unlikely that any professional military would have left the site of the bunker with the first aid kit and the propane cylinders unguarded.

Miyu detected a heat trail, and began to follow it. She also began to hear heartbeats near-bye. It was a strain on her auditory sensors to pick them up, but she recognized all of them. Each person's heartbeat was as unique to them as a fingerprint, and Miyu knew those of Natsuki, Nao, and Shizuru well by now. She felt a sense of relief at learning they were alive. But she dared not go to them yet. There was an armed assailant about, and she did not want to draw attention to them, or to herself, while pursuing the individual.

There was a sudden spike in electromagnetic activity around them, and Miyu realized at this point that the magnetic interference was not natural. And it was interfering with all of her advanced sensors. She still had use of her visual and auditory sensors, and her positronic brain was shielded against an EMP burst equivalent to any known nuclear weapon. However, the sensory apparatuses that allowed her to perceive beyond human ranges were being interfered with.

And so, it was not a surprise to her that she heard the sound of a gun being unholstered.

"Don't move," She heard a stern male voice command her. He spoke in Japanese, but it was heavily accented, though Miyu wasn't familiar with the accent. Joseph Greer had given her access to every recorded language available, but without experiencing them firsthand, it was difficult to discern where the person hailed from. Though she was sure of one thing. He wasn't an American. She knew the sound of an American tongue trying to speak Japanese from both Alyssa and John Smith.

She made a show of raising her hands, "I am unarmed and of no threat to you."

"You're all of five foot nothing," the voice said curtly, "That you're not threat is obvious."

Feet? Not centimeters? That confirmed he wasn't Japanese. But Imperial measures? That meant America, Liberia, Myanmar, or the U.K. Joseph Greer might have turned out to be a weak-willed traitor to Alyssa, but he had had the foresight to ensure Miyu was well-versed in the practices of the world. It was one of the reasons Searrs had sought to usher in the Golden Millennium, to put an end to the factionalism and division of a multitude of systems used around the world. Factionalism and individualistic thinking were the root of the problems that Searrs sought to eliminate.

Of course, Miyu reflected, that mindset had left them blinded to the individual will of the HiME united against them. Still, she had to deal with the immediate problem at hand, and she'd already wasted 0.09 seconds thinking all of this over. For an android, that was nearly an eternity.

"If you recognize that I am not a threat, why are you holding me at gunpoint?"

"You're trespassing. That's reason enough."

"We are not trespassing," Miyu said, "First, this island is listed by the Japanese government as uninhabited. Second, trespassing is a willful act. We are, in fact, stranded, our ship blown off course by the typhoon three days ago. We have no food and limited supplies. We are foraging."

"Sad story. Breaks my heart. You so much as twitch, I'll blow your pretty little brains out."

"Was it you who fired on my friends, then?"

"I'm not telling you anything. I ask the questions. I give the orders. Sort of the rule when you have the gun."

"I see. Then what instructions would you give me?"

"You call your friends from out behind that boulder there. Then the lot of you follow us to base camp, and we'll figure out what to do with you."

"And if I refuse? You've given me no reason to trust you. How do I know you do not have prurient interests?" Miyu was stalling at this point, as she had just learned from his words that there was at least one more person out there. She risked a look over her shoulder, and noticed that the man was holding a Colt .45. American make weapons. But no rifle? He wasn't the one who fired the 5.56.

"You refuse, I shoot. Simple math. You die. We go and round up your friends. Who will, after seeing your corpse, be much more likely to cooperate."

"Clearly," Miyu said with a smirk, "You do not know the sorts of people whom I call 'friends'."

She spun on her heel, and with a flash of motion, she exchanged her hand for her sword arm, and sliced neatly through the barrel of the pistol. She held the tip of the blade to the man's throat. He was caucasian, but tanned, wearing camo and greasepaint. But neither was tailored to the island. So, likely British, and almost certainly a mercenary. But not well trained. Just a hired gun. Likely little actual military experience. Then Miyu's eyes narrowed, as she spied the insignia on his uniform.

"You belong to the Searrs private militia," it was not a question, "And as such, seeing my capabilities should tell you exactly who I am."

"Greer Type-1," he licked his lips, mouth suddenly dry, "I'm sorry, ma'am, I didn't know it was you. I'd heard of you, of course, but…"

"You have never seen images of me, nor were you briefed about my arrival," Miyu decided to play a ruse, "You will cease all activity at once and summon your allies. That is a direct order…"

"Toby, ma'am," he swallowed, "John Toby."

"Contact your team, Toby."

Toby nodded, lowering his hands. He touched a radio mounted on his shoulder, "Ed, we have a new situation. Cease termination activities, immediately. They're from HQ."

A voice came over the radio, "You sure? I got the blue-haired one lined up right now. One pop, and…"

"I say again, cease termination."

"Fine. Took me half an hour to circle them in the jungle. Had to avoid Blue. She has sharp eyes and ears, from what I can tell. Do I contact them?"

Toby looked to Miyu for instructions, who nodded slightly.

"Yes. Approach with weapons down. Rendezvous at Obsidian Point."

"Roger."

Figuring that Toby at least was suitably informed of her identity, Miyu returned her hand to normal. She knew she had to be careful not to let on that she wasn't there to run an inspection. Searrs was full of opportunists each looking to advance themselves, and there was a chance that this island was home to a project that was not on the books, and was being kept from Alyssa. The only way they would remain unharmed is if they were convinced that the arrival of a boat carrying herself and Alyssa was, indeed, a snap inspection. And she needed to convey that to the other young women without tipping her hand to the guards.

"Let's go," She gestured to the obsidian boulder in the distance.

~~*~~

The three young women were leaning quietly against the boulder. Natsuki was listening for any sound that might give away the location of the shooter. Unfortunately, she reflected, bullets could travel farther than the human ear could hear.

"Natsuki," Nao spoke up, "Listen, I'm sorry I sprang that on you, but…"

Natsuki held up a hand, "Look, Nao, I get it. You found out, somewhere, somehow, we're related. And honestly, that's fine. But…right now, the last thing I want in my life is a retelling of the philandering exploits of Genichiro Kuga. So, can we just take that part as read, and talk about, literally, anything else?"

Nao shrugged, "Fair enough. What do you want to talk about?"

Natsuki thought a moment, "As a fellow coma patient, how's your Mom coping with the lost time?"

Nao's face fell, and Natsuki instantly regretted the question. But Nao pushed forward.

"Um…well enough, I guess. She and I are…were…taking time to get to know each other again. It was years in the coma, after all. She…she knew who I was, but she was so sad that she'd missed the time, y'know. And now...she must be worried sick. We've been missing for days. She might have thought the worst has happened, and…"

"Oh, you poor thing," Shizuru said sincerely, embracing Nao and putting her head to her chest as the redhead began to cry. Shizuru looked at Natsuki and quietly mouthed the words "Change the subject."

"Look, Nao, Mom's know, okay. They…they can feel it. We just need to hang in long enough to let her know you're okay, right?"

"Yeah," Nao sniffed, regaining her composure, "Yeah, you're right."

Natsuki gave a soft chuckle, "I mean, since you found out we're sisters and all…think your Mom is up for adopting a stray? It'd make it less awkward when I stop in for visits and such."

Nao actually laughed, "But, Natsuki, I thought Fujino had already adopted you."

"Eww. Don't say that. She's my lover, not my sister. One or the other, not both."

"I do have to concur on that," Shizuru opined, "I've already breeched sufficient social taboos with my relationship to Natsuki. I believe doing anything more would be pushing my luck."

Natsuki suddenly stood, "Heads up, ladies. We've got company."

She was looking straight ahead, where a man in camo was walking out of the woods, a rifle slung behind him, his hands up.

"He decided to stop shooting at us?" Shizuru blinked, "Are we truly so boring as targets for him?"

"I explained who we were," Miyu said, "These men weren't briefed on our snap inspection of the island, and reacted hastily."

Fortunately, given their history of dealing with clandestine organizations, all three young women took the meaning of Miyu's words without further explanation.

"Well," Nao sighed, adopting her most sour expression, "I have to say, the security is tight, but really. Taking pot shots at us? It's going in the report, I can tell you that much."

"I suppose," Natsuki spoke loudly enough that the man with the rifle could hear her, "that it's a good thing these guys weren't adequately trained, then. After all, if they'd adjusted for the wind, I'd be deader than disco now."

"We shall have to relay to the Board that further inspections be announced well in advance," Shizuru added for effect, "Imagine if we'd landed at a base where they weren't informed of our coming, but they were crack shots? It would have been an embarrassment for all of us who lived to tell."

"I am sorry about that," the man with the rifle, whom Miyu knew as Ed, spoke, "Seriously, no one told us you were coming. And it weren't the wind that saved you, Miss…"

"Kuga. Call me Kuga. And what do you mean it wasn't the wind?"

He pointed to the leaves of the banana trees swaying in the breeze, "They're good as any flag or gauge. No, what threw me was the rifle. It's not my normal rifle, but that's what they issued me for morning patrol. It's…well, see for yourself."

He handed Natsuki the rifle, and she opened the chamber to make sure there was a round. Then she locked the bolt in place, and took aim at a coconut in a nearby tree. She gently squeezed the trigger, and the rifle went off with a loud report, and the bullet tore through the palm leaves, but didn't touch the coconut.

"The sights aren't properly calibrated," Natsuki noted, "Off by a degree. I owe my life to poor maintenance?"

"I didn't have a chance to check it because with the appearance of your boat, they halted live fire drills."

"Lucky for me," Natsuki noted, "I'd say let's not make that mistake again, but it saved my life. We'll call it a weapon malfunction in the report."

"Ma'am, thank you, ma'am," Ed saluted.

"In any case," Shizuru said, "I believe it best if we return to our vessel for now. We will contact you in the morning to conduct an inspection properly after we've had a chance to settle our nerves from this whole sordid mess. Might we borrow some gas from you?"

"Gas?" Toby looked confused.

"The part I told you about the typhoon was true enough. We ran afoul of it and had to use up our reserve supplies just keeping afloat in the waves. We need to refuel."

"We'll have to get some tanks from the other side of the island, ma'am," Toby informed her, "Will tomorrow morning be alright?"

"Fine," Miyu nodded ,"We shall conduct our business in the morning."

She and the girls left Toby and Ed, and started back to the boat, "Okay, so…now what?"

"I don't know, Natsuki," Shizuru said, "But let's hope that we are able to keep up this charade long enough to be on the open water"

"I have positive news, at least," Miyu said, "Whatever they're doing on this island is responsible for the magnetic field interfering with my sensor suite. And they've just lowered the field. I need to reach elevated ground, and contact the Searrs board of directors, let them know about this situation via my comms array. Otherwise, when they call to verify the inspection and find out there isn't one…"

"We could all die a very painful death," Nao concluded, rubbing her throat nervously.

"Miyu, you do what you have to," Shizuru nodded, "The rest of us will return to the boat and make preparations"