Date: September 1st, 1944
Location: Dover, Britannia, Europe

"September 1st, 1944... It's been five years since I arrived. Five years... I was supposed to live a normal life. By this time, I should've already graduated from high school and attend college but fate..had other plans... Instead, I was brought to a world that was somewhat in a state of war. A world similar to mine except the time period is different, along with the geography. Throughout my time here, I befriended two wonderful people named Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke and Kurt Flachfeld. A couple who helped me during my first days here. They brought me to a recruiting office. I trained and was assigned to JG53. I befriended more fliers, Gertrud Barkhorn, Erica Hartmann, Manfred Meyer, and Charles Morgan. I somewhat had a good time while fighting against the alien race known as the Neuroi. During Operation Dynamo, Kurt died... Minna and I were devastated...It was my fault..If only I was faster I could have saved him... In 1942, some Black Masks, myself included, were grouped together. We took on some Neuroi craft for a few days. Some time later, we arrived at a new base which served as the HQ for the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, also known as the Strike Witches. I found it quite funny that we arrived there one at a time except for me and fellow BM Kaneyoshi Mitchell. Meyer soon joined us. After our numbers grew, Mio Sakamoto went back to Fusō. After she came back, she brought a new recruit for the 501st. Her name is Yoshika Miyafuji. Her presence here caused the air within the base to change a bit. She got along well with almost everyone. Perrine seems to dislike her. The recruit seems to have really good friendship with Lynette Bishop and our latest Black Mask, George Taylor. It also seems that Barkhorn took a liking to her after she got injured in battle, along with Meyer who showed up and tried to block a beam from the Focke-Wulf Triebflügel-looking Neuroi. Until we find a way back home, every single BM is going to have to do what they can to help win the war. I am conflicted about this. I want to go back but at the same time, I want to stay here... for a few reasons... This'll be all I'll write for today."

-Journal entry of Wolf-Dietrich Smith, now John W. Smith.

The book closes. On the front of it is a hand in a black glove. John sighs as he looks out his window. "The start of a brand new day..."

He puts the book into an inner pocket of his black trench coat. "Breakfast and then paperwork..." The BM opens the door and walks out. He closes the door and makes his way to the dining room.

A certain brunette is walking to the hangar. A group of men wearing black uniform jackets, shorts, caps, and boots, are seen doing maintenance on the Striker Units in the hangar. The machines are on tables in front of their storage units. "I wanted to thank you for all your help." They stop and turn to the source of the voice. "Hmm?" "Hm?" To their left, at the opening of the large room, is a short-haired brunette wearing a white-blue sailor uniform and white shoes. The girl is holding a plate that has a small paper bowl filled with cookies and with the paper bowl is a tea kettle and some cups. "I made some snacks for everyone to eat as a way of saying thank you." She looks at them and to the snacks. She gives the men a close-eyed smile and giggles. The mechanics stare at her for a second before resuming their work. "Hmm." "Hm." Yoshika sees this and closes her eyes while chuckling nervously. She slightly tilts her head to her right. "These desserts are from my homeland, Fusō." One of the mechanics responds while still focusing on the Unit. "I'm sorry, ma'am. Commander Minna has prohibited us from having any unnecessary conversations with any of you Strike Witches." Yoshika opens her eyes and looks surprised.

Outside at a patio, the trio of Yoshika, Lynette, and George are doing laundry. The wind is blowing blowing wildly against them. The brunette says while having her eyes closed and holding a pair of light blue panties, "The wind sure is blowing today." "It sure is. But at least the laundry will dry faster." Lynette is shielding her eyes. "Yeah. Makes it easier for us." George puts a sheet over a bar and clips it. He is unaffected due to his bird mask. Yoshika opens her eyes and smiles a little. She looks at Lynette and George, her smile gone. "Something weird happened. I was in the hangar earlier today." Lynette opens her left eye. "Hmm?" George looks at her. "Huh?"

The three are sitting down on the edge of a platform. Water is going from the base to the outside in the center of it in a small line. "That is kinda strange." "Maybe." "So, why do you think Commander Minna would make up a rule like that? Do you know, Lynne, George?" Yoshika looks at her friends. "I heard of it before but I guess I never really thought there wasn't anything weird about it." "Same." Yoshika looks down and back at them. "Well, just doesn't make any sense. It's such a dumb order. You have to agree with me on this one." "Uh, sure." George just says. Lynette gasps and looks down, slightly embarrassed. "I haven't really had the opportunity to talk to many men, unless you include my brothers and George." "Not even when you were attending school?" Yoshika leans forward and looks at the light brunette. George looks at her. "Yeah." Lynette responds. "I went to Our Mother Of Mercy All Girls School." "Oh okay." "Alright then." "I guess I'm not much help with this." "No. Don't worry." Yoshika shakes her head. "It's okay, Lynne." George looks at the Britannian. Yoshika sees something and points to what's in front of her. "Oh wow! Look! It's the Akagi!" "The Akagi?" "That ship?" The two say to the brunette. The aircraft carrier is seen sailing near the base. "Yes. It's the ship that brought me here. I heard it was being repaired. It must be fixed already." Francesca, Shirley, and Camillo walk out of the base and stop to look at them. "There she is. Hey Yoshika." "Commander Minna wants to see you." "So report to her in the office." Yoshika looks at them. "Okay. What did I do?" She looks at Lynette and George who look at her as well.

Yoshika opens the door. "Excuse me. Um.." She sees a man wearing a full white uniform. He has gray hair and eyes. The man is talking with Mio and Keita and is holding a tall box that's wrapped in a purple cloth in his left arm. The man turns to see her and smiles, as do Mio and Keita. "Ah. Sergeant Miyafuji. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." He approaches her. He opens his mouth to speak but Minna steps in front of him and smiles at Yoshika. "May we introduce the captain of the Akagi. He took the time to come over here and meet you." John shakes his head. "Minna..." The ship captain looks at Minna, surprised at her action but smiles. Minna moves out of the way. He looks at Yoshika. "I am Captain Sugita. On behalf of our entire crew I'm here to express our deepest thanks." "For what?" The young brunette says. "It was the result of your actions that our fleet bound for Europe was able to make it there at all." He closes his eyes. "Many lives were saved that day because of you." He opens his eyes and looks down at her. "I wanted to come thank you personally." Yoshika looks down, blushing. "Why me? I didn't do anything. It was Major Sakamoto, Captain Mitchell and the other witches and BMs who did all the work." "It's true. If you hadn't made the choice to fly that day, the whole fleet could've been wiped out." Sugita looks back at Mio and Keita. "You should be proud of yourself, Miyafuji." The brown-haired Fusōan closes her eyes and rubs the back of her head with her right hand. "If you say so, ma'am, sir." She opens her eyes when Sugita hands her the covered box. She gasps. "This is a small token of our appreciation. From myself and the crew." Minna looks to Yoshika with a closed-eye smile while the young girl looks at the gift, to Sugita, and the gift again. "Wow. That's quite a tremendous honor, Yoshika." "It is, Sergeant." John nods. Mio closes her eye. "Now don't forget to say thank you, Miyafuji." Keita nods as well. "You don't want to be rude." Yoshika looks up and gets the box. "Of course. Thank you very much, sir." She smiles up at the captain. He smiles back and then gets a serious expression when he looks at Minna and John. "Before we launch into the counteroffensive operation, they've ordered us to execute a probing attack." "That's good. It's about time." "Indeed." The two look back at him with the same expression. Yoshika gets confused. "Counteroffensive?" "Yes. My stop here today is actually a break from it. We disembark tomorrow. Please stop by if possible. The sailors would love to see you again." Sugita explains. "Uh.. Yes, sir." "Unfortunately Captain, we've already been scheduled for a mission tomorrow." John and Yoshika, who slightly gasps, look at Minna. "Oh, I see. That's too bad." Yoshika looks down.

"But the Captain's in charge of the carrier group so he outranks Commander Minna." "Really? I didn't know he was so important." "Ship captains are very important, Yoshika." Lynette, Yoshika, and George are walking along a path outside the base. "I can't believe the Captain came to thank you in person. That's amazing." "It is." The two look at the brunette who laughs while holding the gift.

"Sergeant Miyafuji!" Yoshika gasps. The trio stop when a black-haired young man suddenly appears before them. he's wearing a light green/white long-sleeve shirt, brown shorts, knee-high socks, and brown shoes. He has his eyes closed and is leaning forward, holding out an envelope to Yoshika. "I really wanted to thank you for saving our ship from the Neuroi. I thought that you were totally amazing. I bought this card at the piers for you because I couldn't afford flowers." "Oh. Okay.. That's sweet.. I guess.." "Uh, well.. Will you take this card? Please do. I got just for you." "Uh. The rules. I don't think-" Lynette gasps. "Oh, I bet it's a love letter." Lynette says, smiling and blushing while putting her hands on Yoshika's right shoulder. "A love letter?" Yoshika looks at her. "Mhmm." Lynette nods. "Here, let me free up your hands. Okay?" George gets the gift box from Yoshika, chuckling. She looks at him and then at the sailor, nervously blushing. She reaches to get the envelope. The sailor was about to let her take it until a wind blows the letter away. The sailor and Yoshika gasp, seeing the item fly away. "Nooooo..." The sailor follows the flying envelope with Yoshika following him. "Aww.. Cute." "Yeah. Hopefully they get that thing." Unknown to Lynette, underneath his mask, George frowns, remembering what happened before he showed up in this world. Jess... Why were you gonna break up with me...?

The envelope goes up for a bit and then goes down. The two turn to their left and see the paper wedged between two bricks in the wall. They stop once they're directly in front of it. "That was lucky." The sailor says. He reaches up to grab it with his right hand. Yoshika reaches up to try and grab it with her right hand as well. They could barely reach it. They try to get it but only touch each other instead. They separate their hands, bring them down, and look at each other, blushing.

The wind blows the envelope again. The two gasp when they see it fly away again. The envelope flies down and gets caught by a hand. The hand lowers and the two see who caught the supposed love letter. "Commander Minna.." Yoshika lets out, surprised. "You're both aware fraternization is strictly prohibited." Minna looks at them, glaring. Behind her is John. At the corner of the wall they passed are Lynette and George. "It's my fault, ma'am. I was only trying to say thank you to her." "It's true. He wasn't doing anything wrong, Commander." Minna approaches them. "Unnecessary contact with the witches is against regulations. I cannot allow you to give her this contraband." She hands the envelope back to the sailor who retrieves it. "It was my mistake. Sorry." He walks around her and runs away. Behind their masks, the two BMs frown. They watch the sailor leave. John looks back at Minna and facepalms, sighing. George looks down. Poor guy. Maybe I should help him.

"Commander Minna seemed so angry." "I wonder what he wrote to you." Lynette and George state while walking with Yoshika who is looking down in a hall where one side is just windows. "Hey, Yoshika?" Lynette looks at the Fusōan. "Hmm."

Minna is looking out the window in her room, staring at the landmass that is mainland Europe, specifically Gallia.

-Flashback-

Date: June 4th, 1941
Location: Pas-de-Calais, Gallia, Europe

Fiery ruins of a recently destroyed city are seen from above as Minna and a BM next to her fly, looking for something. The two, of course, are using Striker Units. The noticeable difference with Minna right now is her white panties instead of her usual red ones. Worry is seen on the female's face. They go down to a pier, where there are still boats.

-Flashback End-

"I heard about the letter." She looks back to see Mio, Keita, and John. "Mio, Mitchell, Smith." "You forbade her from accepting it, didn't you?" The dark redhead looks back at the window. "It is against base regulations." "You still haven't let go." Mio walks to the other window. John and Keita stand next to their counterparts and look out the windows as well. Between them is a chair.

It is now night. In her lit room, Yoshika, Lynette, and George look at the gift, which is a colored-sculpted model of a witch wearing a white kosode, shortened red hakama, black sleeves that are actually armored bracers, and a Striker Unit. She has long black hair and eyes. On top of her head is a pair of white fox ears. A white fox tail is seen attached to her lower back. She has her left hand on her hip and her right on the hilt of a katana that's upside down. The tip of the blade on the ground. "Wow. A Fusō doll." "It's adorable." "A strong-looking witch." The Fusōan is sitting down on her floor, her arms on the bed as she looks at the doll. Lynette is sitting at the foot of the bed while George is standing is standing next to her, looking down. All three are smiling. Yoshika's smile disappears and leans forward. "Hey Lynne, George: how do I thank them?"

Later...

-Flashback-

Date: June 2nd, 1944
Location: Pas-de-Calais, Gallia, Europe

"Kurt!"

A Black Mask yells out, passing by some piers in a biplane. "He shouldn't be dead... He can't..." He glances at the piers, the sky, and his front. Something catches his attention at a destroyed hangar, or what remains of it.

He flies down and lands his Gloster Gladiator at the front of the ruined hangar. He opens the cockpit and jumps out. He looks around. "I know I saw something here." He walks to the docks. He looks down at the water. "..." He starts seeing an image on the surface. A young short-haired blonde man is looking directly at him. "Huh?!"

-Flashback End-

John wakes and sits up. He quickly lifts up the bottom of his mask with his right hand, panting. He looks down at the blanket covering his lower body. "It was...just... a dream..." He looks to his left at the window, seeing the dark sky.

Once he's calmed down, he gets off the bed. He strolls over to his dresser that's on the opposite side of his bed in this room. He puts on his trench coat over his almost-naked form. "I need some fresh air."

He walks out to the balcony on the highest tower of the base. John rests his arms on the railing and looks around.

"Why did that memory suddenly show up?"

He suddenly falls to his knees. He leans against the railing. "Kurt... I'm sorry... It's my fault..." Unknown to him, two others are looking at him from the inside of the tower. "Wolf..." "He still can't get over the loss of his friend.." Keita and Manfred look at each other and back to their leader. "He's known him since he showed up at the beginning of this war. They became fast friends. Of course, he and Minna are the first people he's ever met in this world and who became his first friends." "I know..."

Date: September 2nd, 1944
Location: Dover, Britannia, Europe

An alarm goes off, a Neuroi craft has been detected. Everyone is sitting in the briefing room, listening to Minna and John. "Initial reports from Gallia are that enemy is advancing." Mio has her hands resting on the bottom of the hilt of her katana. "It seems they finally got their predictions right for once." "Mhmm. indeed." Keita nods. Behind them is Francesca who is sleeping. "Yes. Their current altitude is 15,000 and they are heading directly for the southeast base." Mio and Keita get up and walk to the front. They stop, turn, and face everyone. "Right. We will execute intercept Alpha Tango 7. So here are your assignments: Barkhorn and Hartmann will take the lead. Perrine and Lynne will follow up behind. Miyafuji, Minna, and I will take the rear." Mio raises up her left hand, reading the paper she's holding. Keita looks at the Black Masks sitting in the chairs. "We'll be going as well. Manfred up front, George in the middle, and finally John and I will be at the end." Mio looks at them. "While the rest of you will remain here at the base on the highest alert."

Francesca stretches her arms upwards. "Aahh.. I love it when we get to housesit." Shirley does the same but stretches her arms forward. "I can adjust the gyro on my Striker Unit." Camillo leans back in his chair. "I think I'll work on my metal bird as well."

Sanya rests her head on the black pillow she's hugging. Jack is doing the same with a cyan pillow as well. "Right. You are all dismissed." "Black Masks: dismissed."

Yoshika runs to her Striker Unit and jumps in. Her legs slide in the Unit and the tail and ears of a mame shiba inu sprout from her. She turns to her right to get her Type 99 Mk II machine gun. She turns forward and hovers to the runway along with the others. They speed down the runway and fly up.

Francesca waves at them with her right arm. "Okay. See you later." Shirley has her left hand on her hip. Camillo has his arms crossed. The three are standing in front of the hangar watching the fliers leave.

Up in the sky, everyone is in formation. Mio gasps. "Enemy sighted." Minna looks to her and Keita on her left. "It's class?" "Confirming that now." Mio flips up her eyepatch. In their purplish view, they focus on the target. Their view zooms in, revealing a black cube with red dots. "M-Class. 300. Standard attack formation?" The two say. "Affirmative." "Yes." The commanders let out. "Yes, ma'am. Move out!" "Okay, sir. Time for combat!"

Erica, Manfred, and Gertrud turn and dive down, followed by Lynette, George, and Perrine. The Neuroi screeches. Erica takes aim but before she could fire, she gasps.

The alien splits to smaller cubes, each with a red beam port. "That's not good!" Gertrud exclaims. "No it is not!" Manfred says.

"It divided?!" "That's new." Mio and Keita state their surprise. A white glow outlines Minna and John for a second. Minna closes her eyes and opens them. "There's 80 on the right, 100 in the center, and 30 on the left. The commanders state the exact number of small cubes at the same time. "That's 210 in all." "We should all be getting medals after this one." The sub-commanders smile. "That's right." "Less Neuroi to deal with after it." Mio and Keita look to their right at the leaders. "So what's the plan?" "I need you to locate the core." "Roger that." You know what to do." "Yes, sir." The commanders give out orders. "Barkhorn, you take the middle." "Yes, ma'am." "Perrine, your team has the right." "Yes, ma'am." "Miyafuji, I want you to stay with Major Sakamoto and Captain Mitchell." "Yes, ma'am." "Manfred, George: you know your orders already." "Roger, sir." "Affirmative, sir." Minna looks back to Yoshika. "Keep the path clear for the Major and Captain until they find the core. Do I make myself clear, Sergeant?" "Yes, ma'am."

Minna dives down with John following. The two engage the Neuroi cubes the two move around, dodging the cubes that try to ram into them. Several cubes burst into white fragments while three fliers move past them. "That makes 10." "I got 12." "11 here." Erica, Gertrud, and Manfred have their backs against each other. Gertrud glances to Erica and Manfred. "It's nice to have a friendly competition." "It does seem like it's been forever." "I couldn't agree more." They fly away as three Neuroi cubes fly to them.

"Your gun's not suited for rapid firing so stay up here and pick them off for me." Perrine orders Lynette who replies with, "Yes, ma'am." "Just make sure you cover my back." "I'll the both of you." George looks at them. Perrine dives down. "Casting this always messes up my hair for the rest of the day. Tonnerre!" Bolts of lightning come out of her body and strike the cubes, bursting them into white fragments. She flips over and stops, her left hand on her hair and her eyes closed. "Ha! That's what you Neuroi get for messing with me." To her left a Neuroi cube is about to ram into her but it bursts into white shards. A burst of wind from the moving cube blows against her, making her open her eyes. Another cube goes to ram her but it bursts into white fragments as well. She looks up to see the muzzles of Lynette's Boys Anti-Armor Rifle Mk I and George's Madsen machine gun smoking. Lynette herself is panting with her left eye closed, her right eye remaining open. She slightly lowers her rifle. George sighs and lowers his gun. "I guess you're not useless." She sees three black cubes appear behind the Britannian and the BM with their red dots glowing. She widens her eyes. Before she could warn the two, George turns around and fires his gun, the cubes burst into white shards. Lynette turns and the two see George aiming with his gun. "I told you I'd cover the both of you."

Yoshika, Mio, and Keita watch what's going on below them. "They're all so..incredible." Yoshika states her surprise at the dogfight. Mio and Keita are looking at the black cubes, searching for the core. Yoshika gasps. Four Neuroi cubes rise up and charge at them. Yoshika fires her Type 99 Mk II at them, destroying them. Mio and Keita look at her. "Just like that every time." "Keep on doing this, Sergeant Miyafuji." "Right, Major, Captain."

Erica spins around while firing her MG42 with the Patronentrommel 34 drum magazine. Several cubes follow her, Gertrud, and Manfred. The three go in different directions while heading up. Some alien cubes start shooting at Erica, who glances at them while they miss. She brings her legs forward and goes up, flipping over them. She fires at them while at the same time her two friends shoot at the same targets. "20." "17." The two count their kills. "There's no end." Erica says. Gertrud and Manfred have their backs against hers again. "Where the hell is the core?" "They better find it fast."

"Have you located the core?" The commanders fly up to the spotters. "No. Not yet." "Captain?" Having no luck either." "Okay. Do you think it's a diversion?" Minna looks at Mio. "Doubt it. I can sense the core nearby but it's not emanating out of the main group." The commanders look at the battle. "The battlefield appears to be moving." "Those Neuroi..." "Agreed. It's migrating toward the continent" "If this battle moves inland, everyone won't stand a chance."

Yoshika turns around and gasps. "Up there!" Mio and Keita turn to look upward at the sun. Several alien cubes are seen. "Damn it. I can't see!" "Neither can I!" Mio and Keita try to see the cubes but are unable to due to the bright star. "I've got them." Yoshika flies up. The Neuroi blocks start firing at her as they dive down. Yoshika blocks the beams with her shield. She returns the gesture by firing bullets at them. Two burst into white shards. John and Minna below her fire bullets as well with their Lewis gun and MG42. "Just keep firing. You almost got them." "Do your best." The battle leaders encourage the young girl. "Yes, ma'am, sir." The two keep looking and gasp. "We've found it!" A single Neuroi block flies down fast. In their view, the alien turns teal and small red sphere is inside it. The color goes back to normal as it speeds past them. Their gaze follows it. "There? That one?" "Yes, ma'am." "Commander?" "I know." Minna and John give out orders. "Attention all units: the enemy core has been located. Keep those other Neuroi off us while we engage!" "Alright boys, the core has been found. Do all that you can to keep the aliens off of us while we try to take out the weak spot. Is that clear?" "Yes, ma'am!" "Roger, sir!" The two groups reply back. "Alright. Let's go!" "Let's take it out!" "Right!" Yoshika and Mio say while Keita replies with, "Yes, sir!" The five speed up to reach the target.

They fly through some clouds. They come out of the whiteness and see the lone block. "There!" "Found you!" They all fire their machine guns. It moves around the bullets until it gets clipped, making go up. "Miyafuji! It's all yours!" "Take it out now!" "Take it out now!" "Right." Mio and Keita say to Yoshika who flies up and responds. She fires her gun, the line of bullets reaching the block. The black armor gets clipped again and then destroyed, with the icosahedron core following its destruction. John and Keita get in front of Minna and Mio as the white fragment shards fall down on them. Their shields come up, deflecting the harmful debris. Unfortunately, one small shard penetrates through Keita's shield, grazing the right of his head and cutting some pieces off from Mio's short bangs. The two are surprised by this." "Mio..." "Mio, Mitchell.." "Major, Keita.." Keita, Minna, and John state their worries. Minna leans forward a bit. Keita turns to look at the Major. John just stares at them.

"Yoshika, you did it!" "Way to go, Yoshika!" Lynette flies to and hugs Yoshika with George. She spins them for a second before letting go. Perrine flies up while Erica hovers down. Perrine huffs and turns, her eyes closed and her arms crossed. "Hm. Just a lucky shot is all that was." Gertrud and Manfred hover down, smiling. "Yeah. Lucky we had Miyafuji on the team targeting the core. I think that's what you meant to say." "I think so too." Perrine opens her right eye and glances at the two. "Wow, Miyafuji. You're a pretty good shot." Erica says to Yoshika, giving her a closed-eye smile while having her left hand on her hip. Yoshika laughs and rubs the right of her head with her hand while closing her eyes. "You really think so?" Her two friends give a closed-eye smile as well.

The countless white pieces of the Neuroi continue falling. Everyone watches the shardfall in front of the continent. "That's beautiful." Yoshika says." "Yes, when they're neutralized." "Indeed." The sub-commanders somewhat agree with Yoshika. "Even the most beautiful flowers... may have some thorns." Perrine comments when Erica turns to her and says, "Talking about yourself?" Perrine gasps and turns to her. "That is so rude." Erica just smirks. The long-haired blonde turns away, blushing. "Except... the part about being beautiful. That's true." "I don't know. I think you're pretty thorny." "Ughh! Why must you always bring others down to your level?" "Thorny Perrine." The short-haired blonde laughs. Mio and Keita watch the bickering with a smile, as does everyone except a certain two.

Minna glances to her right and then looks down. John looks at the ruins of a city. Something caught their eye. It was a rusted vehicle. A KdF-Wagen, known later in the years as the Volkswagen Beetle. John flies down with Minna following. Manfred and Gertrud notice this. "John, where..." "Minna, wait." Perrine turns around. "Huh?" "Hey. Where are they going?" Erica goes to them but is stopped when Mio brings up her left arm. "Not now. They need to be left alone." Erica looks at her and back to their leaders. "Are you sure?" George goes down but Keita puts his right hand on his left shoulder and shakes his head. "Leave them be." The two look down at them. Gertrud realizes. "I see... This is Pas-de-Calais..." The two fly down to the ruined Gallian city.

The two look at the abandoned vehicle. Nearby is Minna's Striker Unit, wedged into the surrounding sand, standing still. Her gun slung on her back. John's Striker Unit has returned to its necklace form that's around his neck. John opens the passenger door and the two look inside. They gasp when they see a wrapped package with ribbon on top of two red lines that intersect at the center.

-Flashback-

Date: September 31st, 1939
Location: Posnania, Karlsland, Europe

In a familiar two-story house during the night, in one of the rooms, Minna is looking out a window. Sitting on a chair in front of a desk is John, writing in a book. The door opens and in walks a young man, with short blonde hair. "Ostmark has just been destroyed." "I know. I just received my orders to go to the front lines." "Same." Kurt closes the door and looks at them. "I volunteered to go as well." Minna turns to glare at him. John looks at him and stands up. "No! We agreed that you go study music!" "You can't, Kurt! You should continue studying!" Kurt watches them, smiling. The two stare back. Kurt closes his eyes. "Before the invasion started, you wanted to study music in Vienna with me. John, when you showed up, you didn't know what to do." "I'm a witch. I have a duty to use my powers to protect everyone." "I'm a Black Mask, I need to do the same." Kurt opens his eyes. "My love, my friend: I don't want you to fight on the front line." Minna lightens her glare. "It doesn't matter. I have to go fight." She hardens her glare. "But you don't." "I agree with her, Kurt. We have to fight to save everyone, you included. You shouldn't join us in the fighting. Remember: both of you decided to enlist me in the armed forces." John lets out. Kurt gives them a closed-eye smile. "I can't bear to let you go so I'm coming with you." Footsteps make him open his eyes. In front of him is John who puts his left hand on his right shoulder. "Are you sure about this?" "I'm sure." "We can't change your mind..." The two notice Minna in front of the fireplace. She closes her eyes for a second and then opens them. She tosses the blue clothing she was holding into the fire. "No, Minna." Stop, Minna." Kurt and John try to stop her but couldn't. The fire burns through the clothing. The two males look at her.

Date: June 1st, 1941
Location: Pas-de-Calais, Gallia, Europe

Civilians are driving and walking everywhere. The boats are getting ready to leave. In a KdF-Wagen are Kurt, Minna, and John. "Operation Dynamo seems to be working." "I don't think they'll be able to evacuate Gallia fast enough." "Leaving their homes... I feel bad for these people." "I heard most people are going out on trains to the south." "There's not going to be enough time." "There will, Minna." "We should at least evacuate the civilians." Minna looks out the passenger window. "Then we've got to stay here until they're gone." "Yes. Cover their backs as they leave." Kurt looks back at him and then to Minna. "That's right. You witches and Black Masks are our guardian angels."

Date: June 2nd, 1941
Location: Pas-de-Calais, Gallia, Europe

A beam is fired from above and hits the ground behind a hangar, causing an explosion. In front the building, Kurt is checking Minna's Striker Unit with the female herself in the Unit and looking down at him.. Next to them is John in his Striker Unit on Minna's right and looking at his first two friends. Kurt closes part of the back of the left half of the Unit. He looks up at her. "Okay. You're all set to go." He stands up. "We're going to have to abandon this base. When the battle's over, you should rendezvous with the others in Britannia." "What about you?" "What are you going to do?" "We'll be leaving right behind you. I'll meet you over there." "You promise me you will?" "Will you?" Kurt nods at them. "Of course."

Blue magic circles appear underneath Minna and John. They slightly hover above the concrete. The two go down the runway. Kurt has his right hand near his mouth. "Minna, John: I have a present to give you later." "Huh?" "Hm?" The two look back at him. The two look forward and speed up. They go up in the air with Kurt watching them. Unfortunately, this will be last time they'll meet together...

Later...

Location: Dover, Britannia, Europe

Horns of the ships are heard. In the distance, the fires and destruction of Gallia is seen. "They haven't arrived yet?" "Are you sure?" Minna and John ask Erica, Manfred, Gertrud, and Camillo in front of a hangar. Around them are civilians who are resting and walking around. Erica has her arms crossed and nods. "Mmhmm. None of them." "We're sure." Minna turns around and walks to the edge of the docks but Erica and Gertrud grab and stop her. "Ugh..!" "Wait!" John, Manfred, and Camillo watch them. "Minna: The other units are doing all they can to support the retreat and our powers are too weak for us to be of any use right now." "No.. He's.. right over there..." She slowly tears up, staring at the port where Kurt is. "Don't try it, John." The three turn back to see Manfred, Camillo, and John. "You should know me..." "Don't do it..." "Sorry." John runs off to the edge. "Stop!" John brings his right hand to his necklace. "Gloster Gladiator: Striker Mode!" A blinding flash of gold covers him for a few seconds. When the flash dies down, John is in his biplane Striker Unit. He reaches the edge and flies up. Manfred and Camillo reach the edge and watch him. "Come back!" "You'll get in deep trouble!"

"Faster. I need to get there faster!" John says to himself. His Lewis gun is slung over on his back. "Stay alive. Stay alive, Kurt." John pours all his magic into his Unit, hoping it would go faster. "Just go faster." His Unit answers his call and speeds up. "What?" He looks at the metal plane legs and back to Gallia. "I'm not gonna complain right now. I need to get him."

He reaches Gallian airspace and looks down at the destruction. He looks up and sees the Neuroi firing beams at the city that's almost already in ruins. He grabs the grip of his gun and brings over his shoulder. "Just in case they try to pick a fight with me."

Kurt is smiling a little, looking at the landmass in the distance that is Britannia. Gunfire and explosions are heard nearby. He stands alone in front of the hangar. Two large smoke trails are seen behind the building. A large red beam is fired at area behind the hangar. The Karlslander seems to have already accepted his fate. "I'm sorry, Minna..." "KUUUURRRRTTT!" He looks up and sees John flying to him. John has his left hand out to reach him. "I'm coming!" Kurt opens his mouth to talk but John is unable to hear him. Before he could ask him what he said, a big explosion occurs, engulfing the hangar and Kurt. Behind his mask, John widens his eyes and opens his mouth. "NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!" He gets pushed away from the force of the explosion and into the waters below. "KURRRTTT!" He sees the Neuroi responsible and glares at it. He pulls out what appears to be a knife from under his trench coat. He fires his gun and throws the knife. "AAAAHHHHH! TAKE THIS, YOU BASTARD!" The bullets pick off the black armor and the knife's blade gets wedged into it as the alien starts regenerating. "I'll avenge you..." Was all John said before he fell into the water.

-Flashback End-

The package is opened, revealing a folded red dress with an envelope on top. Underneath the red dress are two folded pieces of black clothing. Teardrops are falling on the piece of paper. Tears are falling from the faces of Minna and John who has lifted up the bottom of his mask with his right hand. "..." "..."

Mio and Keita land on the sand and look at the mourning leaders. "Are you ready to go now?" "Feeling alright now?" Minna looks down while walking to them and her Striker Unit. "I am." The two retain their composure and look at their friends. "Come on. Let's get back to the base." Mio nods. "Alright, Commander." She smiles. "I need a little more time. You can go on without me. I'll catch up later." The three look at him. "As you wish, sir." Keita looks at the two females. "Let's leave."

A few minutes after the three leave, along with the rest, John looks at the vehicle. "I'm sorry, Kurt... If only I was more faster... You would still be here... It's my fault you died..." He leans against the rusted heap of metal. "..." He lifts up his mask again and his tears fall again. He suddenly perks up. "Hm?" He sniffs the air. "... This scent... It can't be..." A screech is heard. He turns his head to the source of the noise. He let's go of his mask and it reattaches itself to his lower face. "... I'll finally avenge you, my friend..."

Meanwhile...

The group of 10 are flying through the sky towards the base. Keita and Manfred look back to Gallia, concerned for their leader and friend. George has noticed this happening for quite a while since they left the battlefield. He stayed quite has now decided to task them, "Why do you two keep on looking back?" This caused everyone to look at him and then at the two in question. "I know he's alone right now but he's our leader. We know what he can take care of himself." The two sigh. "We're worried about him. We know what he's capable of but right now, he's mentally broken." "What?" "Yes." The two slow down and get on both sides of the male healer. "It happened back in 1941 during Operation Dynamo." "He watched...one of his friends get killed right in front of him... I'm sure you know what happened to him mentally..." "...Wait.. you said it happened back during the evacuation of Gallia?" "Yes." "During that time, he must've been with..." "Indeed. He was with me, Barkhorn, Hartmann, Commander Wilcke, and Camillo. I'm sure you know about our leader's story." "Sort of.. All I know is that he showed up back at the beginning of the war and he fought against the Neuroi with you and them." "During his time here, he became friends with Commander Wilcke and her boyfriend Kurt Flachfeld since they were the first people he met. Ever since that day during Dynamo, he was in denial until Camillo and I knocked some sense into him. He kept on blaming himself for the passing of his friend. No doubt seeing that KDF-Wagen brought back memories to him and Commander Wilcke." Manfred looks at Minna. "Commander Wilcke, like I said, you weren't the only one devastated back then..." Keita looks back and notices something. "Hm?" He looks to George. "George, look back and see if you notice anything." "What?" He looks at the older BM. "Don't question orders, Sergeant." "Yes, sir." Everyone stops and George turns to look at Gallia. He concentrates his magic. His vision zooms in on their previous battlefield. He sees a black object that's shaped kinda similar to a ray. He also sees red lines appearing and disappearing.

"It's... a Neuroi!" Keita focuses his magic and his view zooms in as well. Same goes for Mio who flips up her eyepatch. "Where did it come from?" "Smith is there!" "Seems it's having trouble trying to shoot at him." George sees that John is in his Striker Unit and then in his airplane and back in the Striker Unit. "He's switching from Striker Unit mode to plane mode and back to Striker mode." John goes up and dives down on the alien. George watches John tackle the large craft and then it turns white. A second later it bursts into countless fragments. "He took it out." "Here he comes now. Let's go. He catch up to us in no time." George, Keita, and Manfred don't notice the surprised faces on the witches. The group resumes their way back to the base.

Not that much later, John catches up to them as they reach the base. "Alright now?" Keita asks the BM leader who nods. "Yes. I needed some time alone. I'm better now." He looks at Minna who looks away. "Hm."

Later...

On the deck of the aircraft carrier Akagi that's sailing away are several sailors, one of them being the young sailor who tried to give Yoshika a letter. "She didn't come after all." The engines of airplanes is heard. Five figures fly by the ship, somehow causing the young sailor's cap to fly off when he looks to them. The fliers go up. "It's Miyafuji!" The five turn around while high in the air and go down. They appear on the port side of the Akagi. Yoshika waves to the sailors who have mostly gathered on the port side of the deck to watch the fliers. "Hi! Thank you, everyone! Thank you! Please be careful. We'll be there when you need us most." Lynette gives a closed-eye smile. "Yes we will, won't we, Yoshika?" "Don't you agree?" George says. Yoshika turns to her left to look at them. "Mhmm. They got my thank you." "They appreciate what you've done for them." "Yes. You saved them from dying. Now, they're grateful to their savior." Mio and Keita say. They see the sailors cheering and waving at them. Lynette comments, "Yeah. They all look so happy." "They do." George agrees. "Yeah. They do." Yoshika smiles. "Alright. Let's back to base." "Yes, ma'am." "Time to relax." "Today has been eventful." A noise comes from their intercoms. Mio and Keita glance at their earpieces. "Hm?" "Huh?"

In the bridge of the carrier, "Captain: we've got an incoming transmission." One of the sailors says to Sugita. He looks back to him. "Hm? Put it through." The sound of piano is heard along with two voices, one being female and the other male. He gasps. He turns to the sailor. "It can't be..." He smiles. "Patch it throughout the ship." "Yes, sir." The song is then heard throughout the whole ship. The seamen on deck cheer as the sun begins to set. The young sailor moves back and looks at the bridge. "Eh?"

Back at the base, in the large room with a set of stairs, Minna and John are singing into a microphone. Minna is in a long, red dress that reveals some of her cleavage while John is wearing a black tuxedo. Both of whom have their eyes closed while singing and Minna has her hands above her chest. Behind them are the mechanics standing on the stairs, looking down and watching. Sanya is playing a piano while Eila and Jack listen with their eyes closed and standing on her right. Eila has her hands behind her while Jack has his arms crossed. Gertrud and Shirley are working some devices. Erica and Camillo are sitting next to Shirley, with the blonde giving the bright redhead a closed-eye smile while Manfred is standing next to Gertrud, the two watching their leaders sing. In the Akagi, the sailors in the mess hall are smiling with some looking up and others looking down and leaning in their chairs. Yoshika, Lynette, and George wave at the sailing ship with Mio and Keita watching behind them. The sub-leaders fly back to base with other three following. Francesca is kicking right leg up while laying on the couch next to Gertrud and Manfred with a closed-eye smile. Erica has her arms behind her head as she leans back against the couch near the piano with a closed-eye smile as well. Perrine is standing near the doorway to the room. She has her arms crossed and has a closed-eye smile too. She opens her eyes and looks to her left when the five enter. She smiles when she sees Mio but glares when she sees Yoshika who has her hands clasped together, smiling happily at the scene before her. Minna has her arms spread, revealing a purple flower on the left strap of her red dress. Same is said for John who has his arms spread out. The two sing the last note and clasp their hands together. John's lower half of his mask falls and reattaches itself to his lower face. The piano stops and everyone claps for their commanders and praise them. "Minna and Smith. That song was so beautiful." Yoshika says. The two look at her and Minna smiles. "Well, thank you, Miyafuji." "Thanks, Sergeant." Eila gets behind Yoshika and pinches her cheeks. The Fusōan closes her eyes and steps back to the Suomusan. "Ow! What do you think you're doing?" "No mention of Sanya's piano playing, why is that?" "Sanya's was beautiful too. I promise." "Don't stop there. Tell me more." "I'm telling you." Everyone laughs at the little exchange between the two. Sanya watches them and looks down, embarrassed. Jack pats her head. "You did well, Sanya." "Anything else?" Please let me go now." "Nope. You're not done just yet." "Come on. It's starting to hurt my face." Eila closes her eyes and has a smile on her face as she pulls Yoshika's cheeks. Minna has her left hand in front of her mouth as she laughs with her eyes closed. John smiles a little seeing Minna laugh. He looks to the little exchange and chuckles. Yoshika complains to Eila who isn't listening. "Come on, Eila. Get off me. Eila..."

Minna is standing in her room, looking out a window. A knock is heard on her door. She looks back to see Mio with John and Keita at the door. "That was a perfect song." Minna gives a closed-eye smile. "Why thank you, Mio." The three smile and walk in. Minna looks back to the window. Mio and Keita walk to the other window while John walks to Minna. "Thank you for granting permission to see them off." "You wanted to go with them, didn't you?" The commander questions the Major. "That ship protected me for a long time." "I can say the same." John and Minna look at Mio and Keita who look back at them. Minna turns to the window and looks down. "When I lost him I was certain the ache in my heart would never stop hurting. To shelter myself from future anguish I swore I'd never love anyone." John looked out the window. "But, I was wrong." Mio looks at her. "Is that so?" Keita looks to John, worrying about him. "Yes." Minna closes her eyes and opens them. "Even now, I'm afraid of losing someone. So I have to make sure that never happens again." She looks to Mio, brings up a Walther PPK pistol, and aims it at the Major. "Minna!" "Commander Wilcke!" The BMs state their surprise as Mio fully turns to face her. Keita gets in front of her.

Name: Wolf-Dietrich Smith, now John W. Smith
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Likes: Everything related to World War II, his family friends, school friends.
Dislikes: Modern technology people who make fun of the ones he cares about.
Appearance: Pale skin, white hair with black streaks, wears a black helmet, black gas mask, a gold necklace with a plane hanging from it, a long black trench coat, black gloves, and black boots.
Status: Alive
Date of Birth: March 15th, 2001
Date of Disappearance: September 1st, 2014

Happy Halloween! I was planning on uploading chapters 14-18 one after the other once I finished them but I decided to upload Ch 14 because I felt like it. The last few chapters will be released later on. Sorry I haven't uploaded recently. I keep on forgetting.

Stay safe, everyone.