The sun had just set a few minutes ago and they were already well on the way. By the time Izu had returned to camp everyone had packed up and they were all on the move again. According to Izu's report Kataki and her gang had taken up residence in an abandoned school in Ginger Town. Now they were heading there for what Autoro was calling the 'final battle against the bitch'. Considering all the weapons he'd stockpiled, Mijima had a feeling it would be the last battle.
It took another three hours to reach Ginger Town and then they were rolling through the small city's streets, those still out at the late hour watching them go by in wonder. A few minutes later the trucks slowed and then stopped. "Alright, we're going to take the last three blocks on foot." Autoro said through the radio system. "It'll be harder for them to spot us on foot than in our convoy. You all know what you're supposed to do, move out!"
"Harder to see us and easier to shoot us you mean." Gainin said climbing down out of the truck, Mijima beside him. Both firmly holding to a large machine gun.
His sister glanced at him but didn't say anything. She motioned to the others in the truck and everyone began to climb out. After a moment she grabbed one of them by the shoulder. "Neophia, keep your head down this time." she said. The other girl nodded nervously as she adjusted the weight of her gun. She may have been older than Mijima but she was still unused to holding a gun let alone being shot at.
Turning she joined her brother at the front of the group. The two of them were to lead the second group, Autoro would be leading the first. Watching ahead of them they saw Autoro's group moving in the darkness down the street and then around the corner. He was going to come from the back of the building while they took the front. Once his group was out of sight Mijima motioned to her group and they moved forward at a jog. It only took a moment to reach the block where the school was.
She pulled to a stop at the corner across the street and lifted her binoculars to her eyes. "There's no one outside, I guess it would be too dangerous to have armed men patrolling in a city like this." she said as she moved to look at the windows. "Hmm, Gainin, take a look at this. Coordinates are 68 by 72 by 23."
"Hmmm?" he reached down and lifted his binoculars and looked where she said. There, in the window, barely visable in the low light of the moon above, was Kataki. "I'll be damned..." he whispered. Turning he dropped his machine gun and moved back along the line a few people and grabbed one of the sniper rifles.
"Gainin, what are you doing?" Mijima asked as he moved behind a car and set up the gun using the vehicle as support.
"I'm taking her out now, what's it look like? I'm not storming that place and risking my neck just so Autoro can kill her himself."
"Are you nuts?" Mijima cried grabbing his shoulder and pulling him away from the scope. "I'd rather risk my neck in a gunfight than with an angry Autoro."
"Then stay back, I'll take the heat." he replied shrugging his sister off. Then he leaned back in and put his eye to the scope again. He shifted his position a little moving the cross hairs of the scope to the needed window and then zoomed in until Kataki's face filled his view. She was leaning against the windowsill gazing up at the sky. His finger slipped from the trigger of the gun as he gazed at her. In the pale moon light, even with long black her sillhouetting her face, the resemblance to Mijima unnerved him. It was usually unnoticeable but now... unmistakeable.
He shook his head and moved his finger back to the trigger. Tilting the gun slightly he shifted the crosshairs up to her forhead and took a breath. "Gainin..." Mijima whispered. His finger moved again. He could hear it in her voice...
"Why? What for?" he said as he steadied his aim. "I can kill her now and get it over with, I'll take the heat from Autoro."
Mijima closed her eyes and turned her head away from the school. "I know she's not been the greatest to us... she's not even been there at all... but she's still our mother Gainin..."
He frowned as his finger moved from the trigger again. After a moment though he put it back where it had been. "She's only our mother by genetics." he said, shifting his position a little to match Kataki's new position in the window. As he did he heard the soft clicks of Mijima's feet and figured she was walking away from him not wanting any part of it. But then suddenly one of her eyes filled the scope of the gun as she stepped in front of it. "Mijima..."
"Sorry Gainin, I can't..."
Her brother sighed and stood. "Alright. We'll do it your way then." He handed the sniper rifle back to it's owner and picked up his own gun. "Ok, all of you into your positions, move!" he ordered. As they all left his sister came up behind him and put her hand on his shoulder. "You're too soft Mijima. This world is going to eat you alive if you stay like that."
Before she could answer him he was jogging across the street toward the school. She wouldn't get the chance to talk to him until this was over... if they both lived through it. Hefting her gun she ran off after her brother who was currently ducked behind a car parked in front of the school. Ducking down with him she reached up and activated her radio. "We're in position now."
"What took so long? Bah, never mind!" came Autoro's voice. "Throw the signal and lets go!"
Mijima reached into her pocket and pulled out the small device that was the 'signal' for the attack. A flash bang. Taking a deep breath she depressed the button activating the timer and then pitched it into the school courtyard. A second later it exploded in a bright flash and with a thunderous crack. As soon as it went off the quiet city filled with the sounds of gunfire. Looking up she could see the mirror inside the car and in it the reflection of the others she was with storming into the school.
"You ready?" Gainin asked. She nodded and both darted around the car and toward the school, guns raised looking for a target. All around them bullets flew, shots fired from the snipers and cover men stationed around the building. A supressing rain of bullets to make it easier for the attackers to get inside with little resistance. A moment later she was going up the front steps and could see the others already opening the doors and securing the entry.
Reaching them Gainin nodded to a guy on the right and motioned to one on the left and the three started down the left hall. Looking at those left she saw Neophia and Izu. She gave each a and hand motion and they nodded back. A second later the three of them were heading down the right hall. Mijima was happy with the building layout so far. There were only rooms on one side of the hall, not both, so they only had to check one side for people.
Nearing the third door in the hall she took her position on right side of the door, Izu in front, and Neophia on the left. With a nod from the blonde, Neophia moved forward, grabbed the door knob, and pulled the door open. Izu moved in scanning the room and then Mijima followed leaving the other girl outside as a lookout. The room they were in was an office with two other rooms, one in the back and one on the right.
Motioning to the right hand room Mijima made her way over there. Izu yanked the door open and she moved around the corner readying her gun. But the room was empy, only an old wooden desk and a pair of empty filing cabinets. Pulling back out the two started toward the room in the back. Both froze a second later as gunfire sounded in the hall outside. Turning around, the blonde girl ran to the door and pulled it open quickly. Neophia had taken cover in the archway of the door, behind the stone wall and metal lockers.
The other girl's gun lay on the ground in a small puddle of blood and she was holding her arm, her eyes queezed shut tightly. Mijima turned to Izu who still stood in the middle of the room and held out her hand. He nodded and reached into his bag pulling out a grenade and tossing it to her. She pulled the pin, flipped the top, and then reached her arm out and pitched it blindly down the hall. The gunfire stopped instantly and she heard the sounds of running, and then the grenade exploded.
She moved out around the corner, knelt down in the middle of the hall, raised her gun, and opened fire spraying the hall with bullets. She heard a few cries of pain before the clip emptied and she moved back into cover. Pulling the emtpy clip out of her gun she loaded in a fresh one. "Think you can shoot?" she asked Neophia. As soon as the girl looked up at her she knew she couldn't, her eyes were wide and full of fear.
"Damn." Turning she looked back to Izu who was standing at the back door. She held her breath as he pulled it open and then moved around and into the room. No sooner had he gone in, then the room lit up with gunfire. Shifting her position she aimed her gun across the room toward the door and waited. A second later her eyes widened as a grenade came sailing out of the room toward her. "Shit!" Dropping her gun she grabbed Neophia and jumped into the hall and around the corner just before it exploded.
Before she could even move to get on her feet again she heard three seperate clicks from above her. Clicks she knew. Clicks of guns being cocked. She shut her eyes and waited for the bullets but nothing came. And then she heard talking. Slowly she opened her eyes and raised her head to look up. There were two people standing there with their guns aimed down at her, one with his gun aimed at Neophia, and another six standing behind them.
"So, which one of them is Mijima?" the middle guy with the gun asked.
"The blonde girl, I think." one of the six in the back said.
"You think?" the first asked, annoyed.
"I don't know for sure, just ask the whore, geez."
"I'm not a whore!" she spat.
"Shut-up!" the first guy sneered kicking her in the face for emphasis. He then turned to look at the others again. "And I think you're right, this other girl is too cowardly to be the famous Mijima."
Mijima looked over beside her and saw Neophia laying on her stomach as well, her arms up over her head as though to protect it if the guys shot, and her eyes shut tight. She was also obviously trying hard not to cry. Sighing she turned her eyes back to her apparent captors as she moved her hands underneath her body. "Yes, I'm Mijima."
"Ah, see?" a female voice sounded from the back six.
The owner of that voice stepped forward and Mijima caught sight of her between the two guys in a front of her. Slim but tall which made her look lanky, black eye shadow, black lipstick, black nail polish, black boots, black fishnet stockings, and small black dress. She knew only one person in Kataki's group with fashion taste that bad. "Dawn."
"You remember me, I'm touched." the woman cooed stepping between the two guys and kneeling down. "You have no idea how happy I am you came this way. I'm going to have fun with you."
"Autoro's going to rip you in half once he's done with Kataki after what you pulled." Mijima laughed. "I'm not afraid of you."
"And I'm not afraid of Autoro." Dawn said standing back up. "By the time Kataki's done with him he won't even be a blood stain on the walls." As she turned away from her, Mijima pushed herself up to her feet and thrust her arms forward. The blue energy she'd gathered during the short exchange shot out and slammed into Dawn's back and then exploded. The blast blinded the others and Mijima grabbed Neophia and took off down the hall.
As they turned to run, Mijima saw a shadow in the doorway of the office they'd come from a moment ago. Quickly she shoved Neophia forward, the girl stumbling and nearly falling, and dove for her gun laying in the hall. She managed to pick it up, turn, and shoot, before the guy standing there had the chance to react. Grabbing the other girl again she took off down the hall shooting back the way she'd come. It only took a moment to reach one of the already checked rooms and she dove in pulling the other girl with her. Slamming it shut she grabbed a chair and jammed it under the door knob.
Slumping against the wall she slid to the floor breathing heavily, face in her hands. She could hear Neophia crying now a few feet away. Putting her hand against the ear piece of her raido she linked with the others. "Mijima here, I'm pinned down, second room in the right hall."
"You too?" came Gainin's voice followed by gunfire. "Damn! I think she knew we were coming!"
Mijima sighed. "Gainin... I'm sorry... If I'd have let you take the shot..."
"Don't even finish that Mijima!" her brother yelled. A series of explosions then sounded through the radio and she felt them where she was, and then silence. She held her breath waiting for Gainin to come back. "Ha!" his voice cried happily. "Got them all, the morons! Alright Mijima, hold tight, I'm coming!"
She sighed and moved her hand back down. "Help's on the way." she said to Neophia. "You... really should get out of this. You're not suited for it."
Neophia shook her head. "I can't. I don't have anywhere else to go."
"No friends or family?" she asked.
The other shook her head again. "No. All I'd had left was my mother and she died shortly before you guys found me." Mijima nodded and looked toward the door as she heard banging against it. Their pursuers had found them and were trying to get access. Neophia watched in fear for a moment but then decided to try and get her mind off the situation. "What about you? Why do you stay? Don't you have any other family besides Gainin?"
Mijima laughed. "I stay because... it's all I have as well. It sucks, but it's better than starving to death. As for family..." she shook her head. "It's dysfunctional to say the least." she leaned her head back against the wall and sighed, ignoring the banging on the door. "But what do you expect with Kataki as a mother and Autoro for a father."
"W-what?" Neophia cried shocked.
She laughed again. "Ya, can't really picture them together, can you? There was a time though, before Gainin and I were born. But then, afterwards... Kataki caught Autoro wtih someone else. Everyone knew but she didn't listen until she saw it. Since then she's wanted nothing to do with him or us. And he barely tolerates us. But, like I said, it's better than starving."
"Was it that Dawn person?" Neophia asked. "I heard what you said to her."
"That lanky bean pole?" Mijima laughed. "No. She tried a few times to get him in bed but it never worked. What she did... she's the one that arranged for Kataki to catch him." She stopped as gunfire rang through the halls again and she could hear her brother's voice calling out orders.
A moment later the gunfire ended and silence descended once more. And then there was a knock on the door. "Mijima, you in there?" Gainin asked.
"Ya, I'm here."
"It's clear."
She pushed herself to her feet and then helped Neophia up. Grabbing her gun she moved over to the door and moved the chair so she could open it. Standing in the hall was Gainin and five others from their group. Those who'd followed after her laid scattered about on the floor dead and bleeding. The only one not dead was Dawn who was pinned against the wall by the large Treenk. "Izu's dead, I think." she said.
Gainin nodded. "You?"
"I'm good... Neophia's been hit though."
"I-it's ok." she said, looking at her arm. "Just a scratch, I think it grazed me."
Mijima moved passed her brother and looked at the scowling Dawn. "Treenk, take her outside and lock her up. I think Autoro's going to want to... talk to her later."
Treenk sneered. "Heh, ya, I bet! All right, let's go." he said moving back and yanking her arm.
As the two of them moved down the hall, another gunman falling in beside him as he went, Mijima turned back to Gainin. "We were anticipated."
"Ya, I noticed. Ideas?"
"Spy?"
"Maybe."
"Where's Autoro?"
"Dunno. When I got the back-up to come here I was told to pull out... I don't know what's going on."
"Do you think... he got her already?"
"One way to find out, come on."
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Present, Lookout:
"That's horrible..." Gohan said wide-eyed.
18 managed to smile lightly as she dropped onto her back and stared up at the red sky. "Could have gone a lot worse." she said. "If 17 hadn't been there... back then he and I were a lot closer. We were all we had. But over the years we've drifted apart." she sighed. "I don't think he'd come to my rescue these days."
"So, did Autoro get Kataki?" Yamcha asked.
18 nodded. "Apparently she tried to sneak out during the commotion but Autoro saw her. And then we learned that she really had known we were coming, thanks to Izu."
"Izu? You mean, the guy you and Neophia were with?" Videl asked.
"Ya, one and the same. The gunfire in the room had been faked. He was the one that threw the grenade, the one I shot when running from Dawn and the others. Kataki just hadn't expected us quite that soon or she'd have been gone already."
"I don't get how this is tied to you becoming a Cyborg though." Raditz interjected.
18 sighed. "I told you it was a long story."