Hello Everyone, sorry for the delays in posting this chapter but as the Corpus would say: "YKIP KAKKETY!" (Translation: "Shit Happens!"). Also, if anyone is wondering why I raised the rating from T to M...well, lets just say the newer chapters are going to be a bit more intense from this point forward. Anyway, on with the story!
Chapter 8: Unexpected Reinforcements
When the so-called 'Shy Neuroi' was destroyed through the combined efforts of Sanya V. Litvyak, Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen, and Miyafuji Yoshika the remaining members of the 501st were collectively relieved that a potential invader in the skies of Europe was now destroyed. The most disturbing asset of that foe being that it was actively mimicking Sanya's singing in a cold almost metallic voice and it almost killed the Orussian girl. Instead of loosing her life however, she lost a striker unit in her stead. It was then that Eila took her role as the offensive element of the trio while Miyafuji shielded them from harm, and Sanya tracked the enemy with her magical antennae as well as providing covering fire. It took a couple of minutes to finally manage to score some hits on the extraterrestrials outer-casing before taking several fatal shots to its core. The explosion that followed cut a hole in the clouds that revealed the land and sea below them, as well as revealing the sound of a piano being played...More specifically the one belonging to Sanya's father. With tears in her eyes she flew up higher into the sky, obscuring the view of Eila and Miyafuji's view of the moon before she let out a pulse from her magical antennae with one message being widespread throughout Europe:
"Father...Mother...I'm here, I'm here..."
Watching from below, far from the 501st's base in Folkestone a women with green eyes cloaked in the darkness had a small smile on her face as she watched blue aurora-like waves burst out to the rest of the sky and slowly fading out of everyone's visibility. She closed her eyes for a moment and let out a chuckle. 'Whether you are aware of it or not your voice will be heard young one...it will be heard and you will meet the ones you treasure most one day...Just remember that one of them is with you as you speak...' With a sigh to herself she continued onward towards her next objective only taking another brief glance to the glistening sky to observe five shooting stars as they darted through the heavens above.
No, no, no, no, NO!
He can't be here again! Why did they keep tormenting him? WHY?!
Look behind you.
He swiftly turned about to face something or rather someone who made the color fade out of his face. More specifically, it was an identical copy of himself that was not only stark naked but also with runes filled with circular characters that were branded on his limbs and his neck, if he saw the back he would've seen a hieroglyphic illustration of those mechanical monstrosities on the small of its back. He noticed that his doppelganger had its eyes sealed shut as the runes faintly glowed a dark green.
Morbidly curious, he tried to touch his copy with his right hand, only for it to seize his wrist at an impossible speed while its eyes burst open. The eyes were not even close to human anymore, with green sclera that rippled like the ocean's tides and two white crescent shape pupils that orbited each other on the replica's grey iris.
You have entered our realm again.
He tried to speak but all of his words were caught in his throat, only reducing him to faint whimpers and fast gasps...so he tried to physically pull away from his reflection's tight grasp.
You can not escape us.
The doppelganger quirked its head to the right, its pupils dividing into four smaller crescents while a part from the middle of them split off and formed a fifth blobbed-shaped pupil. He tried to pull away, only to notice the feminine forms of the 501st JFW dissolving out of the darkness into his line of sight, each member stood around the two in a semi-circle. He looked around and saw that they were expressionless with empty eyes that stared out into nothingness.
Do you think they can protect you? The doppelganger asked in the voice, no voices from his previous nightmares as a thick silver fluid flowed out of its nostrils.
They can and will be eliminated.
He saw the witches of the 501st writhe and spasm in the air with pained expressions despite their blank eyes before they glowed a bright green...
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Screamed into his ears.
*CRRRRSSSHKK!* Suddenly go limp after the crackling of bones and ligaments.
And then...
*SPLRRRRSSSSHKKKTT!* They burst with a flash of green, soaking them to the bone with blood. There were no bones, there was no gore, just blood.
The boy stared wide-eyed at his doppelganger, how could it have done something like that?! The sound of his fist impacting against the copy's face, sending its head spin to the left before it slowly turned back to face him.
Your resistance is admirable but in vain. The thing muttered as more of that silver fluid spurted out its nostrils and started exiting its ears, mouth, and tear ducts until it pooled beneath their feet.
He slipped and fell on his back as that thing, still bleeding lowered itself and came closer to him until their faces were nearly touching.
You will come to us whether you desire to or not...
Suddenly the face of the doppelganger split in half as the silver substance flowing from it turned a darker shade of gray before its mass shifted into the shape of a Krana that roared into his ears, hands wrapped around his neck as the mass grew two limbs with needle-like edges that went to plunge into his eyes!
Minna and Mio who on their were way to meet Yoshika, Sanya, and Eila were the first to hear Danniel's scream and immediately the former ran to the source of the sound while Mio split off to meet the three witches outside.
Lynette darted awake as she heard the screams continue. "Danniel!" She jumped out of bed and stumbled out of her room.
Gertrude Barkhorn darted awake and burst out of her room while Erica fell out of her bed with a quick "Scheisse!" and quickly followed.
Lucchini was tossed off of Charlotte's bosom, rubbing her head as she caught a glimpse of Shirley as she entered the hallway.
Perrine immediately sat up, listening for the noise before grabbing her glasses and running out of the room behind Lynette with her Rapier in tow.
The door to Danniel's room flung open as she saw the boy once again writhing from yet another Nightmare.
She quickly grabbed his shoulders and then yelled out his name "Danniel!"
He awoke with a gasp and a sniffle before Minna embraced him in her arms, hearing him cry and whimper into his chest.
"Another nightmare?" Erica asked.
"Ja." Gertrud said with a nod.
"Mon Dieu, he sounded like he was being tortured...Putain de Merde!" Perrine muttered.
"I-Is he okay?" Lynette asked with concern laced in her voice. Minna turned to face them as she continued to let the boy cry into her chest.
"Nein, he's shaken up...looks like this one was worse than the previous one."
"So, what now?" Shirley asked with her arms crossed and a brow raised in bewilderment. Minna turned to the audience outside of the room before making a quick sigh before adopting a resolute expression.
"Erica, Gertrud, get the radio up and running. NOW."
"Folkestone to Pendragon, do you read? Pendragon, this is Folkestone do you read?"
"Folkestone, this is Pendragon. Identify yourself."
"Pendragon this is Wing Commander Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing. I repeat this is Wing Commander Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing in Folkestone."
"Affirmative Wing Commander, how can we be of assistance?"
"I need Air Force Inspector General Galland on the line, this is a critical matter."
"Standby Wing Commander..."
It was but only ten minutes later that she finally heard the voice of the person she was waiting for.
"This is Air Force Inspector General Adolfine Galland speaking. Its good to hear from you, Minna."
Minna chuckled.
"I would say the same to you if it weren't for the fact we may have a problem."
"What is it you require? If its about your funding, there is nothing I can do at the mome-"
"This isn't about funding, this is about the Bohrok."
"Ah, what is you wish to discuss?"
Minna sighed.
"The boy has had a second nightmare, I and Mio can assume that it is their doing. However, this one was worse than the previous one."
"How so?"
"He said that he encountered a living breathing doppelganger of himself with runes branding all over him and eyes that were extremely different than his own. The doppelganger actually spoke to him and questioned whether or not we could protect him...Shortly afterwards he said he saw all members of the 501st, myself included being torture before we were engulfed by a green flash and then...we literally exploded into blood."
Adolfine was silent, letting Minna continue.
"In his nightmare he punched his copy in the face before it turned back to face him, bleed a silver fluid which he slipped on before it pounced on him and then its face split open and revealed a...monster made out of the substance before it grew two arms that it used to gouge out his eyes."
More silence from Adolfine, that was worrying.
"Adolfine?"
"Ja, I'm still here...But what you just told me was VERY disturbing. The fact that the Bohrok have been assaulting a child's mind with such horrific imagery is just...wrong."
"Indeed, I was wondering what our next move should be. You mentioned sending Pilot Officer Toth our way because of her...experience with trauma of the mind."
"Ah, that I did...That I did...In fact I'll give Pilot Officer Kadomaru a call and tell her to send Laura down to your base and in addition I'll send some additional reinforcements your way."
"Additional Reinforcements? Who are you sending?"
The Air Force Inspector General chuckled.
"That would ruin the surprise!~" She uncharacteristically said in a sing-song voice, which ruffled Minna's feathers.
"Regardless, I appreciate you doing this for us. If you or anyone else finds out anything about these Bohrok please send us what you have A-S-A-P."
"Ja, I'll see to it that I do. Now, is there anything else I can do for you and your squadron?"
"No, that's it. Thanks for your help."
"No problem Wing Commander." Adolfine chuckled before adding one last request, "Oh, and Minna can you please ask Sergeant Bishop why she hasn't sent a reply to my letters yet? I'd be delighted to hear from her again. ~ Fufufu..."
After she made the call to the council of witches, Minna told everyone to head back to their rooms and get some sleep. The next morning though, there was a small Birthday party held for both Sanya and Miyafuji. All of the girls (and one boy) being invited to celebrate their fourteenth Birthday, it was a joyful moment for both witches especially the former who had been separated from her parents for so long. Although it should be noted that later that night, Shirley saw Eila escorting the younger witch from Orussia on her patrol for a private discussion of sorts...even though a more amorous part of her assumed it may have been a little more intimate than a simple talk girl-to-girl. The truth about the entire matter would probably never be known to anyone outside the two wingmates.
The next day seemed to have arrived quicker than usual, though the truth was a few of the witches had head to bed early and then woke up on time (with the exception of Erica who once again had to be awakened by Barkhorn). After breakfast all of the witches broke off to perform their various duties, Lynette and Miyafuji were doing laundry, Gertrud was once again training with Erica (much to the latter's displeasure), Lucchini was sleeping on a tree branch, Shirley was working on her Striker Unit, Eila was playing tarot under the shade of a tree while Sanya slept on her lap, Perrine was stalking Mio (who at the moment was talking with Minna), and Minna was outside the opening of the hangar waiting for the reinforcements the 501st would receive.
"So they're sending Toth back to us?" Mio asked with a bit of uncertainty in her voice.
"Mhmm." Minna said with a nod.
"Barkhorn isn't going to like this..." Mio said dryly while Minna gave a dismissive shake of her head,
"I already told her about Laura Toth's arrival and that we were under orders to bring her back. She was upset but she would keep her objections to herself."
Mio chuckled quietly, a confused expression on Minna's face.
"Whats so funny?" Minna asked quizzically, which only lead to Mio's chuckles to turn to soft laughter.
"I don't know if you've noticed but Barkhorn and Erica's training has been more intense than usual today, you can probably guess why!"
Minna bit her lip to hold back a mischievous grin on her face, while Erica Hartmann was one of the aces of Karlsland she had some qualities outside of combat that irritated her longtime friend and comrade Gertrud Barkhorn, mostly because it was unbecoming of her heritage and her position.
"Ah, it looks like Laura is about to arrive."
Minna looked up in the sky and speak of the devil, they could see the silver-haired with from Ostmark making her final approach to the base with her Striker Units whirring in the air as she slowly made her descent towards the runway. When she came to a halt, she turned her head to Minna with her expressionless face as she slowly hovered towards the innards of the hanger.
"Pilot Officer Toth."
"Wing Commander." The silver-haired witch gave a quick and curt response along with a salute before hopping out of her striker unit and putting on her socks and combat boots.
"We'd like to welcome you back to the 501st...even if it is just temporary for the moment." Minna said with a small smile.
"Thank you, Wing Commander. I received a briefing from General Galland about the situation, I will assist you as needed."
Minna noted that she still seemed a bit blunt and unsocial but the look in her eyes told the Wing Commander that something about her had changed but she couldn't put her finger on it.
"Well then, I'll help you settle in and then I'll introduce you to Dann-"
"You may want to wait..." Laura interrupted, while Minna raised an eyebrow in concern.
"Why?"
Her response was to turn head to the sky and pointed to a transport plane in the distance.
"So...Tired..." Erica panted to herself.
"Come on Hartmann, we still have one more lap to do!"
"But Trude I'm tired can't we rest for a bit?" The blonde asked as she gasped for breath.
"Hey, Trude?" No response, Erica turned to the sky to see a JU-52 transport plane flying in low for an approach. Odd, last time she remembered they weren't scheduled to get new supplies.
Before she could say anything else she saw a very familiar figure jump out of the back of the aircraft, right to the area where Lyn and Yoshika were doing laundry while the plane went towards the runway..
"That's-!" Gertrud eyes widened in surprise, recognition, and annoyance before she took off, leaving Erica behind.
"Trude? Er, W-Wait for me, verdammt!"
Descending from the air was a women and not just any women but she was most likely a witch with long silver-blonde hair, slightly tanned skin, a black Karlsland Air Force jacket covering the light-colored uniform, yellow socks, brown leather boots, and goggles covering her eyes.
Lynette and Miyafuji watched in morbid interest as they thought that whoever jumped from the plane would most likely die without a striker unit. However, what happened next was that the blue outline of magic formed around her body while a pair of feathered wings sprouted from above her head and a feathered tail emerged from underneath her skirt and just before she hit the ground there was a burst of wind before she flipped herself facing forward and landed on her feet like a cat!
"Wow!" Miyafuji gushed.
"Hey." The witch pulled her goggles up to her forehead and smiled. "Nice to meet you, kitties."
"Kitties?" Lynette confusedly asked while Miyafuji continued to gush like the Fuso School Girl she was.
"Marseille?!" Minna's jaw dropped as Laura continued to watch on with her emotionless gaze, while Mio took on a thoughtful look.
"Wait, if Marseille is here then that means..."
"Konichiwa!" The wing commander and squadron leader turned around to the transport that landed minutes ago to see a brown-haired Fusoan witch wearing a red hakama of the Fuso Imperial Army, black vambraces, and black armored thigh-high leggings.
"Sorry about that, but she wanted to make an entrance!"
Soon after, several other witches started to exit the transport plane...all of them being familiar faces of...
"The 31st Joint Fighter Squadron?!"
And Cut! Thats the end of this chapter but don't worry after finishing this chapter I'm going to IMMEDIATELY start on the next one.
I hope you all enjoyed this new chapter!
Cheers,
-VentXekart