Entry 2

The helicopter arrives and we board it, the girls first and myself last. When aboard, I thump my fist against the cockpit wall behind the pilot to signal that we're ready for take-off. The craft itself is fairly small with a white colour scheme, with the symbol of the GSC stencilled on the side.

I remain standing while the others take the seats. There's one left open and Rin asks if I'll sit, but I shake my head. I prefer to remain ready when heading into combat. This helicopter had nothing on the troop lifters I was used to. It was way too small and only had one chin-mounted cannon, with very little armour to speak of. The helicopter seemed more like a civilian craft, retrofitted with a gun. Overall, it's a sleek vehicle with sharp angles, with a kind of high-tech appearance that the people of my world once enjoyed. Our vehicles are brutal machines in comparison, built solely for utility and intimidation. I miss them already.

It lifts off and we're moving and the din of the chopper blades fills the cabin. I look around, searching for any kind of weapon that might be stored, but see nothing. What I can see, though, is the girls exchanging looks, then their faces suddenly shift when the notice me. What's that about?

Rin beckons me to lean down.

''Are you okay, Sensei? You look tense,'' she says as she cups a hand between her mouth and my ear. Do I? As far as I'm aware, I look as I always do. Whenever I look in the mirror, I see a frowning, otherwise neutral face. Though, I suppose I am a little tense. For whatever reason, I don't want the girls getting hurt, so I'm going over scenarios and plans of action in my head. The worst part, and probably the thing making me the most tense, is that I don't have a weapon. It doesn't sit well with me at all.

''I'm fine.''

Her face suggests she isn't sure if she believes me, but she drops the subject.

''When we get to ground, stay away from the fighting. You're welcome to give commands if you think you can, but you can't get involved yourself,'' she says loudly into my ear. Unacceptable. If I'm to be a teacher or whatever, I need to set an example and lead from the front. It's the way I've always done it. What Squad Captain hides at the back giving orders? That's what High-Command did, and we hated them for it.

Perhaps recalling what I'd said about shooting my students' problems, she gives me a hard look. I stare blankly. This continues for several moments.

''Setting down in a thirty seconds, prepare for dismount!'' the pilot calls, ending mine and Rin's stalemate. I stand straight and look out of the nearest window. The city rushes below us, and there's a several columns of smoke rising into the endless blue sky. Still haven't gotten used to that.

As we draw closer, I begin to hear the tell-tale chattering of guns and the roars of explosions. Doesn't take a genius to deduce that it's complete chaos down there. The girls take their weapons off safety and give them a pre-battle check. Good. At least they've got the basics.

Rin unholsters a pistol from under her coat and offers it to my by the grip. With her other hand, she fishes two magazines from her coat pocket. My eyes go from the gun to her and she nods, though she's giving me a stern look. I take the gun and inspect it. It's a Glock-19, practically factory new with no adornments. A tried and true sidearm that's got me out of a pinch on a few occasions. It's loaded with 9mm +P+ rounds. Nice little bonus to the stopping power, and since these girls are bullet resistant, that extra bit of kick should help. I doubt it'll kill if I'm careful with my shots, but hits to the throat or eyes completely off the table. In fact, I should just ignore the head and neck area.

All of my conditioning is screaming at me right now for thinking that.

For some perspective, I take Hasumi's Enfield P14 into account. If memory serves, it fires .303 rounds, and they're much more powerful. So if she's allowed to fire at live targets with no issues, then Rin's gun should be far from lethal. Well, her spare gun anyway. The one on display on her hip is a different story. With a matte white finish on the metal with a chrome rear sight and hammer and a royal blue textured grip, I'm fairly sure that she has a Desert Eagle as her personal weapon of choice. That's some serious firepower. Giving me that could have been overkill.

Dammit, never had to consider not shooting to kill before. I don't like it.

I nod my thanks to Rin, who just shakes her head for some reason. Did I do something wrong again? I would later find out that yes, I had.

''You know how to use it?'' she asks as I put the two spare mags in my left pocket.

''Among other things,'' she did see me operate Yuuka's gun without issue, didn't she?

The helicopter touches down and I slide the door open, now feeling much better about getting boots, or more accurately, shoes, on the ground with a weapon in hand. Yuuka, Hasumi and Chinatsu dismount with their weapons up and scan ahead for targets.

They're unexpectedly professional, which I appreciate a great deal.

Rin stays inside the chopper and taps my shoulder. I turn to her and I just manage to hear her over the sound of the propellers. She withdraws something else from her handy-dandy pocket. It's a small device, like a silver disk with a blue, glass-like centre with an earpiece plugged into the side.

''Take this as well. It's a two-way communication device. I'll keep an ear out for you. Just tap the earpiece and it'll open a channel for us to speak.''

I put the earpiece in my right ear.

''I'll head back to the GSC headquarters and update the council on the situation. Now I'm serious, Sensei, you keep to cover as much as possible. I doubt any of them will try to shoot you, but accidents happen. One stray bullet and it could be over for you.''

''Understood,'' I reply loudly. I'm confident I understand that better than anyone in this city.

''The gun's for self-defence only. Stay alive and guide them through this battle. You're our teacher now,'' she points to the Glock in my hand, ''and I want that back when you're done.''

I nod and turn to join the others. After a few moments, the helicopter is climbing and heading back the way we came. The others turn to me as I approach. I feel a twinge of irritation, though. Yuuka, still with her gun raised, has just flagged me. I put my hand on the barrel shroud and push the gun down, and I see that her finger is still on the trigger.

So she flagged me and lapsed in her trigger discipline. Unacceptable.

''Purple-Rage!'' I shout and she jolts back, almost pulling the trigger. In retrospect, that might have been my fault. ''You broke two rules of gun safety. Do you know which?'' this isn't the ideal place for this, but I'm a teacher now, so teach I will.

''U-um, uh...'' she stutters, her cheeks becoming red. Weird. ''R-right, I pointed a loaded weapon at you, Sensei. I'm sorry!'' It's good that she recognises that.

''That's correct. What is the other rule?''

Yuuka pauses and thinks, her cheeks getting redder. Wow, she must be thinking pretty hard. Either that or she's embarrassed. She'd better be. Chinatsu slowly raises her hand but I wave her off. I'm about to let someone bail her out.

''I...uh...,'' I stare, waiting for her answer, ''o-oh, right! I had my finger on...the...trigger...'' she trails off as she moves her finger, her face as red as... something that's really red. (I had tomatoes as part of my lunch today, so red as a tomato would have been apt. Before that, I'd never seen one.)

''Correct,'' I address the others when I speak next, ''when not in combat, you maintain trigger discipline by keeping your finger off the trigger. Doesn't matter if it's loaded or not. And when a weapon is loaded, only point it at something you intend to shoot. So keep your lanes clear. Am I understood?''

''Yes, Sensei,'' they say in unison. I really hope this isn't indicative of everyone else. This is the most basic of the basics.

''Sensei, will you be guiding us here?'' Chinatsu asked.

''I have experience leading squads. So follow my lead and my commands and we'll be fine. But first, what can I expect from you all?''

Yuuka goes first. ''I have two SMGs and can generate a personal defensive barrier. It'd be best for me to get in close.''

Then Hasumi. ''I have my sniper rifle that can fire special ammunition for armoured targets and vehicles. It goes without saying that I'm best at a distance, Sensei.''

And finally, Chinatsu. ''I'm primarily a medic, Sensei. I have my pistol, but combat is not my speciality by any means.''

''Right,'' I rub my chin, ''you familiar with hand signals?''

They nod. That's good. This'll make this a lot easier. I run a quick check, throwing up different hand signals and asking them what they mean. To make sure nobody's lacking, I have a different girl respond to each signal. They're correct each time. Satisfied, I ready my Glock and take point.

''Purple-Rage, with me at the front. Big-Bag and Soot-Pigeon at the rear.''

''Wait, Sensei! You can't be at the front, it's too dangerous!'' Yuuka protests. I have to remind myself that while this is insubordination, she has a point. They're much more resilient than I am. But I'm a soldier. This is what I do. I refuse to lead from the back like a coward.

''Then wish me luck if it helps,'' I say with a shrug. My squad had a constant rotation of new clones. This was because it had a pretty good casualty rate of fifty percent. However, I led that squad for nearly two years as its Captain, leading to a kind of mythology sprouting around me. There are three sevens in my serial number, and according to some, this made me lucky. I don't know how accurate that is, but I won't dispute it. While my designation is Alpha-7 (after the final letter and digit of my serial number), my squadmates ended up calling me 'Lucky-7'.

I'll be the first to admit that I've survived things that I had no business surviving, mostly in the first few months of my release from the Bio-forges. Total squad losses with the exception of myself. Trench raids and suicide runs were the worst.

We hear gunfire nearby and then a sudden deafening bang followed by a flash and thin smoke. Running from an alleyway, her uniform scuffed and bruises on her legs and face is a girl with white hair and a grey and white uniform. She has what look like wings on either side of her head, and a purple halo that looks like a crosshair with an arrowhead in the cardinal directions. On her legs are black stockings and a skirt, complete with brown shoes. In one hand is another weapon I recognise. It's a Sig, so I immediately have a good impression of her. It's a Sig Sauer MCX Virtus rifle, chambered in 5.56x44mm as standard. I used them on a semi-regular basis, so it always bummed be out a little whenever they got destroyed or I was forced to ditch them.

I would quickly come to learn that she is Suzumi Morizuki. I'll try to limit how much I replace students' names with my own pseudonyms due to my own ineptitude with names in future entries, but I feel it necessary to include that I called her 'Flash-Girl' at first. She didn't like that.

''Suzumi?'' Hasumi says, clearly recognising the girl, ''I wondered where she got off to.'' I raise a questioning eyebrow at her. ''She was meant to accompany me to the GSC building after a patrol, but she didn't make it. Now I know why.''

Upon hearing Hasumi's voice, she makes her way over, coughing with her eyes closed. Looks like she got flashbanged. Not fun.

Something I've never felt before comes over me. As I write this, I still don't really understand it, but it's like a need to protect her comes over me. In all likelihood, it's because as a teacher, she now qualifies as one of my students, and being as duty-driven as I am, I feel compelled to rush in and eliminate whatever it was that hurt her. That kind of feeling was never directed at my squadmates or fellow soliders at large. We are disposable in the most literal sense, so protecting them for anything more than utility and squad-level fighting strength was never a consideration. If anything, any deaths were just a complication to be worked around.

If someone does by chance read any of this, you must think I'm abhorrent. You're probably right.

Her eyes open, those red orbs unfocused and blinking to clear the blobs of light that I know are dancing in her vision. Like I said, getting flashbanged isn't fun.

We meet her as she comes to us and Chinatsu is already in action and checking her over. After a few routine questions, she takes a syringe with a strange liquid inside and without warning, jabs it into Flash-Girl's arm and depresses the plunger. To my stone-faced amazement, the white-haired girl seems immediately refreshed, her bruises fading rapidly. What I'd have given for some of that when I lost a hand. Our technology was pretty wild, but this is nuts.

''Thanks for that. Hope you've come to lend a hand, because it's chaos here,'' Suzumi says, ''Ah, hello Hasumi. Just the backup I needed,'' She sounds somewhat robotic, immediately setting about reloading her weapon.

''What are we dealing with?'' I ask. She eyes me curiously, then looks over my head briefly. She doesn't answer my question and regards the others.

''What's a civilian doing here? This is an active combat zone,'' she demands with a slight frown.

Yuuka decides to answer. ''This is Adam-sensei, our new teacher.''

''Teacher?'' Suzumi tilts her head curiously as if unfamiliar with the word. I feel the same, Suzumi.

''Sit-rep. Now,'' I demand calmly.

''R-right,'' she says stiffly, ''gang of hired goons have swarmed the area. Doesn't seem like they have a particular target. I evacuated everyone I could, but I got ambushed the next road over.''

Before I could say anything else, we hear what turns out to be said goons. The pile out of the alley, having recovered from getting flashbanged as well.

''There she is!'' one shouts. I grab Suzumi's shoulder and push myself in front of her while pulling her back.

''Contact front!'' I call out and my Glock is already up and trained on one of the thugs. Each are wearing variations of what look to be school uniforms with face masks over their mouths and noses. I spot three SMGs, two snipers in the back and what looks like one carrying a minigun. An M134 by the look of it. Unloaded, those guns weigh about eighty-five pounds and are typically loaded on choppers, gunships and naval vessels, so how the hell is she just lugging it around like it's nothing? Either way, up to six-thousand 7.6mm rounds per minute is one way to seriously fuck up someone's day.

Hasumi fires the first shot, the delayed whip-crack sound of her rifle firing rings off of the surrounding buildings. The bullet hits one of the enemy snipers in the chest and knocks her onto her back. Damn, Soot-Pigeon doesn't mess around.

I fire four shots at one of the SMG girls as I move into cover. She's winded by the impacts to her chest and stomach, but a final shot from Chinatsu's Mauser takes her down. Strangely, I feel bad about that. She wears a uniform and has a halo like the girls with me. That, logically, means they're also my students. Have the problems in Kivotos gotten so bad that they need to resort to this? Feeling bad for enemy combatants feels so fucking weird to me.

I need a cigarette. Also, this suit jacket needs to go!

''Soot-Pigeon, focus on the heavy!'' I order as Yuuka and Suzumi rush past me. I follow into the fray and throw off my suit jacket, not caring in the least where it goes.

''Yes, Sensei,'' she replies from behind a parked van.

A hail of bullets from the heavy forces Suzumi to halt her advance and take cover behind a concrete barrier as dust and chunks spray and rain down on her.

Yuuka and I keep going, closing the distance between us and the two remaining SMG thugs.

''Purple-Rage, barrier.'' She pulls out her phone in a single fluid motion and presses on the screen, and suddenly she's encircled by a dome of hexagonal plates of solid light. Now that's some high-tech shit if I've ever seen it. Kinda wish I had one of those. Also, I take note that phones are as much tactical devices as they are for communication here. Another similarity to my world.

I can't say how her barrier works exactly, but it allows me to enter it and grab onto Yuuka's left shoulder and aim my gun over her right. Now neither of us are getting hit, while we're free to fire on them. Together, we take out the last two SMG thugs as I fire my Glock and she uses her second MPX to spray them down. However, one sways on her feet and is about to fire again, but a shot from Suzumi peeking from cover finally takes her down.

Then, both me and Yuuka stumble as a rapid stream of ordnance hammers into her barrier, which quickly begins to lose power. I reposition my hand onto her hip to hold her steady, inadvertently pulling her close to me.

She must have repositioned while we were fighting the others and is now flanking us.

''Hasumi!'' I call, using her name this time. Not a second later, a flashbang grenade explodes at the minigun girl's feet and her salvo stops, followed by another whip-crack echo as Hasumi snipes her.

Yuuka's shield gives out, but it seems this skirmish is over. I release her hip and step back to reload my weapon, noticing that her face is beet-red as she turns around. Hasumi, Chinatsu and Suzumi group up with us.

''Status,'' I say. The girls, minus Yuuka, respond in the positive. She just nods, her face still red. Good, no injuries. I actually feel relieved. After that, I call for a weapons check, prompting them to reload.

''I'd say that went pretty smoothly,'' Suzumi says, her decidedly neutral face showing surprise.

''I'm pleased that Sensei is as capable as he implied. I was worried,'' Chinatsu says. She's beginning to show herself to be a sweet girl. I'm unfamiliar with that kind of temperament, but I think I like it.

''Indeed. Sensei's commands helped us to fight very efficiently,'' Hasumi adds with a smile. Yuuka finally rejoins us from her red-faced paralysis and clears her throat.

''I agree, though some warning about getting so close would be nice, Sensei,'' she shuffles awkwardly, not looking at me. What did I do? I don't really know what to say, so I just shrug. ''But, if the General Student Council President chose him in her absence, then I think I'm starting to see why.''

Moving on.

''Our objective is to secure the Shcale building,'' I begin, ''secondary objective: clear out the thugs and root out a student by the name of Kansas Wisconsin and apprehend her.''

''You mean Kosaka Wakamo, Sensei?'' Chinatsu asks.

''Sure,'' I shrug noncommittally.

''Sensei,'' Suzumi says, ''there are still several streets between us and the building. Not to mention that they have a tank and whole gang of thugs.''

''Right,'' that would be a problem. But first, ''who are you?''

''I'm Morizuki Suzumi, of the Vigilante Corps of the Trinity School. Good to meet you, Sensei,'' she says with a nod.

''I wouldn't expect him to use your name straight away, though, Suzumi,'' Hasumi says. There seems to be some familiarity between the two. Then again, she did say that Suzumi was meant to go with her to the GSC building. Also, the Trinity School is apparently where they both go.

''Yeah, bad nickname incoming,'' Yuuka adds. I mean, they're right, but I suddenly feel like they've turned on me.

''Big-Bag...'' Chinatsu quietly mopes. Not you too, Chinatsu.

''Unfortunately, they're correct. I'm terrible with names. So until I learn it, you'll be Flash-Girl,'' I say flatly. I try to sound encouraging, but I lack the emotive range.

''Flash... Girl?'' Suzumi looks as though she's just stepped in shit, ''that name makes me sound like some kind of pervert, Sensei.'' Though she sounds just marginally more emotive than I do, the disappointment directed at me is like a physical force. Once again, I shrug.

''Are you a pervert?''

''No.''

''Then what's the problem?'' Where did she get the pervert idea from? I clearly named her for her flashbang grenades. Maybe she's a pervert in denial, and that's why she made that connection. I think I'll keep her in front of me from now on.

Suzumi shakes her head. ''You're weird, Sensei,'' says the pervert.

''We're moving out. Hasumi and Chinstrap at our six. Yugi and Flash-Girl take point with me,'' I stride forward, moving past the unconscious thugs and towards one of the alleyways to the next street.

''I'm impressed, Sensei. You got my name right,'' Hasumi preens. Of course I did. I told them I'd learn their names eventually.

''Lucky you,'' Yuuka grouses, ''it hardly feels like he's even trying with us.'' Incorrect, Yuuka. I'm trying really hard.

''From Big-Bag to Chinstrap. I guess that's progress?'' I'm sorry, Chinatsu. As it happens, I'm not particularly good at apologising either, so I say nothing and continue.

Yuuka and Suzumi go ahead of me as we enter the alley, and it's a good thing too, because as soon as the purple-haired girl peers out, a bullet slams into the wall just above her head. This is a bad situation. Or at least, it should have been. Ordinarily, an enemy trapped in a funnel is as good as dead. We call these 'choke points'. Opportunities like these are supposed to be taken without remorse. But as we wait, nobody comes to the exit of the alley, like they're just waiting. I get the feeling that our opponents need to brush ups on their urban warfare tactics.

''Flash-Girl, flash out and cover our exit.'' Suzumi nods and unhooks one of her numerous flashbangs. Pulling the pin, she underhands it to the mouth of the alley. We turn away and cover our ears. Judging from the exclamations a moment later, it seems that our thuggish friends were coming to inspect. There's pale smoke at the exit and funnelling towards us.

''Into the street!'' I order.

We rush out, Yuuka on my left and Suzumi on my right, covering our flanks. On my command, Yuuka's barrier is up and I'm once again using her as a shield as bullets cut through the smoke. We push into the road and see one of the stunned thugs, who's put down quickly by a short burst of gunfire from Yuuka. To our three o'clock, there's a sniper taking aim at us, but I keep her suppressed with three shots of my own and she ducks behind a car.

''She's in cover, rush her!''

''Right!''

Both of us rush to the sniper thug's position and while Yuuka circles to the front of the car, I vault over the low roof and land with my gun pointed at her. She's trapped between me and Yuuka, and realising this, she puts her weapon down and her hands up. I drag the weapon towards me with my foot and pick it up, my gun still trained on the girl.

''Yuuka, handle her,'' I order. She blinks owlishly at me as I inspect my new weapon. It's some type of battle rifle, and going by it's profile, it's an M14. Checking the magazine, I see it fires 7.62x51mm rounds, and it's full too.

Yuuka has the girl place her hands on her head beneath her rather plain white halo and orders her to stay where she is. I'd have knocked her out, personally. She'll probably just run off when we're not looking.

Seeing no alternative as I have no holster, I switch my Glock to safe and put it in my pocket. I turn to the sounds of the ensuing firefight and signal Yuuka to reposition, crossing the street towards Hasumi.

She and Suzumi are operating in tandem with each other. The latter suppresses and spots targets, giving the former the time to aim and fire. These two have worked together before, it would seem.

Chinatsu keeps an eye out from inside the alley, from where she periodically peeks out and shoots at anyone she spots.

''Yuuka, Flash-Girl, take point and advance up the street. China, stick with me and Hasumi while we pick them off,'' they nod and check their weapons before we move.

''So I wasn't hearing things...'' Yuuka says quietly as she turns and moves up with Suzumi.

While Chinatsu sighs and shakes her head, Hasumi gives me a sidelong glance.

''Got an eye for sniping, Sensei?'' she says before taking aim at a minigun-toting thug eighty yards away and sends a round against her forehead, knocking her out cold. I was expecting the back of her head to pop like a balloon. Just what the hell are these girls made out of and where can I get some?

Instead of answering, I spot an SMG thug at roughly the same distance. I take aim and fire. With a solid shot to the chest, she goes down like a sack of bricks.

''That answer your question?'' it was meant to sound playful, but I think I just came off as sarcastic going by Hasumi's expression.

We keep good momentum as we clear the streets of any resistance. The girls follow my orders and follow their own tactical doctrines (if they have any, that is), while keeping each other covered.

I make some observations as we head towards the Shcale building. Yuuka is a pretty logical fighter. Though she prefers to get close to the enemy, she never puts herself in a position to get flanked or overwhelmed, despite overextending at times. She's also good at soaking up enemy fire, as even without her barrier, she can weather a good number of direct hits before needing to take cover. I wonder why she picked SMGs, when I think she'd be much more effective with a shotgun.

Suzumi works very well with Hasumi. Just from seeing them fight, I can see a distinct cohesion between them. The white-haired girl makes liberal use of her flashbangs, but none of them are wasted, and this makes it easy for the black-winged girl to pick off targets. It's a good thing that the smoke produced by the grenades isn't thick. They're like a sniper and spotter team in a way.

Chinatsu is exactly as she said. Combat isn't her forte, but she doesn't shrink from it. She's a competent shot and her curious medicine gets the job done in no time. So far, Yuuka has been her primary patient, but she's still kicking so the blonde is doing a good job.

During a lull in the action, I get a call.

''Sensei? Sensei, come in,'' I hear Rin's voice in my ear and tap the earpiece.

''Receiving.''

''I'm relieved to hear your voice. Are you alright?''

''No injuries.''

''Good. What's the situation?''

''We've met moderate resistance so far, but we've handled it. The girls have responded well to my orders so far,'' they've honestly impressed me.

''I'm glad to hear that. Can you take out the device I gave you, Sensei? I need to address everyone. Just tap the button on the side and it'll project an image of me from the centre.''

I do as she says and call everyone over. I hold the device in my hand and press the button, and just as Rin promised, there she was, a blue, static-lined real-time projection of her.

''Adam-sensei has informed me that you've made good progress,'' Rin says to us all through a speaker mounted to the projector.

''We have. The Schale club room is in sight ahead of us, Nanagami-san,'' Yuuka reports.

''Good. I should inform you that while you secure the Club Room, you should keep an eye out for the one responsible for this riot. Kosaka Wakamo is dangerous and is most likely still in the area. She's the one who escaped from the Corrections Bureau and is a repeat offender, delighting in the havoc she causes. Be careful and look out for each other.''

''We will. Sensei has shown that he has an acute tactical acumen. I'm sure he'll steer us through this without incident,'' Hasumi says. I'm flattered by her appraisal. It makes me want to smile at her, but the motion of my lips doesn't come.

''He's a crack shot, too,'' Suzumi adds.

''Is he now...'' Rin enters Angry-Eyes mode, ''I thought I saw a rifle over your shoulder, Sensei. What happened to self-defence?''

''It is for self-defence. They shot at me, so I shot them,'' I say with a shrug. What else could she expect me to do? Also, how can she see us?

''What about staying in cover?''

''Of course I stayed in cover. I need to brace the rifle on something, don't I?'' I say this with no sarcasm intended, but I guess that's how it came across as Rin's eyes narrow further.

''Another thing on the list of things we need to have a long discussion about, Sensei,'' she sighs, ''well, in the meantime, just be careful if you encounter Wakamo. There's never any telling what she might do. Capturing her if you think you can, but securing the Schale Club Room is priority one. Nanagami Rin, out.''

The projection ends and I pocket the small projector.

''A final push and the Shale Club Room is ours,'' not a rousing speech, but the best I can do. It's apparently all the girls need as they nod and look towards our target. Between us and the building is just one long street with an overpass. I can see some fortifications up ahead. Had they hunkered down here?

As of this entry, I have to include that I am incredibly disappointed by the tactics displayed by who are also my students, thugs that they might be. Whatever school(s) they might belong to aren't teaching them much of anything. They're my enemies today, but they'll be my students later, whether they like it or not.

I say this because without our prompting, they relinquish the element of surprise by springing up from cover. They could have done any number of things outside of yelling and then rushing at us. My students look to me as bullets rush past me, perhaps concerned about how nonplussed I look. I can't exactly help it, but I'm trapped in a state of educational outrage as every tactic or stratagem simply doesn't compute with the thugs heading our way. These girls will learn when I get my hands on them.

''Flash-Girl.''

A frustrated sigh precedes a flashbang going out as we scatter to whatever we can use as cover. As soon as we hear the detonation, Hasumi and I get to work with precise rifle fire. We have a clear lane, so the entire street just becomes a shooting range for us.

I signal to Yuuka and Suzumi to advance and they keep to the left side to engage. Yuuka draws her second MPX and shoots into a closely grouped number of thugs while Suzumi takes cover and shoots a barrel behind three of them. The explosion sends them flying, singed and unconscious.

So they're resistant to heat and explosions too? I'm beginning to feel pretty outclassed here. Still, while they may be superhumanly resilient, I'm experienced and apparently a lucky SOB.

We move up with the first wave handily dealt with, but we see someone on the overpass. She looks markedly different from the thugs we've had to wade through, and as of this entry, her appearance defies explanation for the most part. Her attire is very flowery, with floral patterns all over it. The most defining detail is the animal mask she wears and the two large ears sticking up from the top her head. Her hair is long and black like Hasumi's, and by her legs is a thick bushy tail.

It's a good thing I'm already acquainted with mutants, or being surrounded by them might make me a little trigger happy.

Her halo is black and red, with a black flower of some kind in the middle, with a red outer circle with five sharp points in all directions, the top ones short and the bottom long.

She carries a rifle across her shoulders, an Arisaka Type 38. And I thought Hasumi's gun was an antique. It's red, black and gold in its colouration, with a single-edged bayonet under the barrel. Personally, I'd have taken a triangular bayonet, as wounds from those are impossible to stitch up on the field. Besides, who uses a slicing weapon as a thrusting weapon? Makes no sense to me. Based on the iteration, the Arisaka Type 38 fires 6.5x50mm rounds, but later models fire 7.62x55mm.

Could this be our repeat offender?

''There she is. The mastermind behind this chaos,'' Hasumi looks less than pleased as she says this. I guess that answers that question.

''Well, aren't you an adorable bunch,'' she says playfully, ''the dogs of the GSC have finally come to play.'' She seems to have a dramatic flair about her, as she hops over the railing and does a full aerial pirouette before landing on her feet on the road below.

She fires first, extending her arm out and pulls the trigger. It's like she doesn't even feel the recoil as her arm hardly moves. She's accurate, too, as Chinatsu his forced to hit the deck behind us. Shit, she wasn't even looking at us.

Suzumi knows the drill by now and reaches for her bag of flashbangs, but another frighteningly accurate shot cuts through one strap of her bag and sends it to the ground.

Over my years of combat, both in my current iteration and those before, I've developed something of a sixth sense for danger. Don't live as long as I have without it. I grab Suzumi's arm and yank her toward me as a gunshot rattles the air. The sound of a bullet striking metal sounds off, and there's a bullet hole in the stop sign where Suzumi's head had been. If I hadn't grabbed her, that would have nailed her between the eyes.

This Wakamo is absolutely no slouch with that gun. It's a bolt action rifle, but she's firing it with such speed and precision. She's clearly very skilled and familiar with it. As a teacher, that makes me quite proud. But as a target, I'm a little wary.

The girls shake off the surprise and begin returning fire. Wakamo deftly moves between concrete barriers, firing her rifle with rapid pulls of the bolt. Hasumi takes a hit to the shoulder and her own shot goes wide as she grits her teeth while a window high up shatters.

In a battle of range, these girls are at a disadvantage. Wakamo's good. Really good.

Having run to cover in the doorway of a store and ditching the rifle, I call out to them as I ready the Glock.

''Flash-Girl, suppressive fire! Yuuka, on me! Chinatsu, check on Hasumi!''

Chinatsu gives me a deer-in-headlights look while I get affirmative nods from Yuuka and Suzumi. The white-haired girl's gun chatters in bursts as she keeps a bead on Wakamo's position, while Yuuka moves to meet with me. I leave the doorway and advance with her, assuming the unspoken buddy system I'd established with a hand on one shoulder and my gun over the other.

''Barrier when I say...''

''Right, Sensei.'' At least she isn't so fidgety with me now. Seems she's figured out what it is that I'm doing.

We draw closer to the fox-faced felon, who peeks and shoots in a surprising display of skill as I hear Suzumi yell when she's hit. With the angle we're at, I can see she's on her back, supporting herself on an elbow as she rubs a spot just under her clavicle, squinting with the pain.

I push Yuuka forward, still latched onto her to get her running.

''Now!''

The barrier appears around us, just in time to completely stop an incoming 7.62mm round. Then another, and another. She can really rattle them off when she needs to. I actually find myself wanting to ask her about her technique. These comparatively ancient weapon systems my students use were all but phased out of conventional battlefields long before the war began, so learning little tricks for operating them was impossible. It was only every few months when I got my hands on something like Shizumi's Sig Virtus or a Yuuka's MPXs. Though, the Glock remained a constant, as did the AK series. God I love the AK.

Yuuka and I push forward, even as her barrier quickly begins to flicker from the sustained damage it's taken. Whether that's down to the strength of the barrier or the power of Wakamo's gun, I can't say, but it's gonna give any second now. But we're close enough.

With a final shot, it finally gives out and I barge Yuuka to the side. She yelps and scrambles to regain her footing while another round comes hurtling at us. Well, at just me now. It grazes my left arm and burns, but this kind of injury hardly counts as an injury. It leaves a hole in my sleeve and speckles of blood turn white into red.

''Oh, ho, ho~'' the fox-faced felon titters, ''no halo, I see? Brave. Brave indeed~''

I don't reply. Mainly because I can't think of a pithy comeback in the moment. I raise my gun and open fire, mag-dumping the foxy felon. Out of fifteen rounds, ten strike true. The others miss as she tosses her gun spinning into the air as she retreats via backwards cartwheel with surprising alacrity, until she hand springs up several meters and back onto the overpass. She holds up a hand over her head and catches her rifle, spinning it once more in her hand a levelling it right at me.

Well... shit. Hadn't expected that.

After eating ten bullets to the torso, she doesn't even seem winded.

Now we're just staring each other down. Or up in my case. Huh, she wears black. I also wear black.

It feels like a long time, but it only takes seconds. Even through the black eyes of her mask, we hold each other's gaze. That is until for whatever reason, she gets jittery and starts stammering. Ha! Greater than her have tried to stare me down, and most have failed, giant walkers and bio-mechanical horrors not withstanding.

''U-um... well, m-my job here is d-done,'' she turns and flees, but as she does, she yells, ''n-nice meeting you!''

There are a number of things I could do. I could reload and shoot at her. I could just give chase. I could regroup with the girls. All of those things are perfectly valid options. Instead, I settle for:

''What?''

I need a cigarette...

''She's escaping, Sensei! Should we pursue?'' Suzumi comes wandering over with Chinatsu. Then comes Hasumi, still rolling her previously injured shoulder.

''Our primary objective is the Schale Club Room. It's shame she escaped, but at least she's no longer in our way,'' is Hasumi's measured response. I appreciate how level-headed she is.

''Best not to count her out just yet. She could have set up traps further-'' I'm cut off.

''Sensei, you're injured!'' Yuuka comes rushing over and grabs my arm. Stings a little more now since she started manhandling me, but I can see she's... concerned? Worried? I don't know, but I appreciate it. Nobody's looked at me like that before.

''Just a scratch,'' I say, because that's what it is. Why does she look as though I'm dying?

Then I'm surrounded.

''Hayase-san, get him prepped. I might need to operate,'' Chinatsu says hurriedly as she roots through her bag for her medical tools, ''I'm sorry, Sensei, but I've only seen injuries in textbooks, so if you lose the arm, please know that I tried my best!''

''Get him prepped!? I don't know how to do that!'' Yuuka protests.

Have they seriously never dealt with or seen an injury before? I suppose that could be a testament to how tough these girls are, but seriously? Never?

In between their fussing, I exchange a glance with Hasumi as something catches our attention. I can feel it in the ground. Vibrations, then the rumbling of something large and heavy getting closer. The sound of an engine is clear then, and I pull away from Yuuka and Chinatsu and shush them.

We listen.

''Heavy armour. Closing in fast,'' I say. This makes the girls tense up.

Up ahead with a trailing column of exhaust fumes, a tank rounds a corner and takes up position at a roundabout. It's got us in its sights. We scatter as the first shell is discharged, and a section of road behind us is torn apart.

With it, several members of the thug gang act as supporting infantry. Three of them wield miniguns, while another three use SMGs. Bullets are flying in moments as we each seek cover.

''Can I get an I.D on that tank?'' I call out.

''Crusader Type-1, Sensei! It's an old model, the same type used at mine and Suzumi's academy!'' Hasumi reports as she ducks her head. Rounds slam into the concrete barrier she's hiding behind.

''The thugs must have swiped it en route to one of the PMCs,'' Yuuka adds while blind firing next to me, ''that model is total junk, Sensei.''

''Can you take it out? You said you had anti-armour capabilities.''

Hasumi nods. ''I can. But I need a clear line of fire.''

I see Suzumi and Chinatsu are pinned down under heavy fire. The white-haired girl peeks out when she hears a gap in the gunfire as the thugs reload. A shameful display on their part. They should have managed their ammo so that when one reloads, the other can fire, and vice versa. Now both of them have to stop shooting.

On Suzumi's signal, she and our blonde medic leave cover and shoot at them. One thug is taken out, while the other takes two hits and dives for cover. Good girls.

Still in cover, I look behind me and see that Suzumi hadn't recovered her bag. An idea forms.

''Yuuka, I need you to soak up some hits for me.''

She glances at me and nods. ''What are you doing, Sensei?''

''Flashbangs,'' I point to Suzumi's fallen bag and Yuuka immediately understands my intent.

''Whenever you're ready, Sensei. My barrier's good to go.''

''On my mark...''

I get into a crouch and lean forward. Yuuka does the same.

''Now!''

I dash forward with her following just a moment after. Her barrier goes up as I sprint to the bag. Bullets rush past me, but I grab the bag and turn, signalling Yuuka to turn around. We move quickly with me behind her as her barrier stops bullets dead. She takes the opportunity to aim down her weapon's sight and hits one of the minigun thugs dead centre with two controlled bursts, and she goes down.

A split second before we get back into cover, a deafening boom goes off and a tank shell flies where we'd just been standing, hitting a car a couple hundred meters back.

I don't want to start playing favourites, but as of the writing of this entry, I can't deny that Yuuka has been uniquely useful during this operation.

I upturn the bag and spill every flashbang onto the ground, along with pens, pencils, a notebook and a couple of textbooks. Sorry Suzumi.

I take one and pull the pin.

''Flash out!''

My aim with the flashbangs is not just to stun the thugs, but the gunner of the tank. It has a forward viewfinder that I suspect might not be digital. I can't say for sure, but it's better than sitting here getting shot at. At the very least, it means we can take out its support.

I throw one after the other, and in between each bang, my students and I pepper them with bullets until none are left standing. However, it was as I was firing my Glock at one of the SMG thugs, a blind shot sends a bullet into my left side. It hurts, as all bullet wounds do, but it's relatively minor, so I just grimace but keep going. All that's left now is the tank.

It's been a good while since the tank fired its main gun, so I'm assuming my little tactic worked.

''Hasumi, kill that armour,'' I order. The black-winged girl makes a sound of acknowledgement and reloads her rife. As she does, black wisps of oily smoke begin to rise up all along the weapon's length.

What the hell is that about?

I really need a cigarette... and my side hurts.

Hasumi aims her rifle and braces it on her bit of cover. After a second passes, what sounds like an artillery gun shakes the windows of the surrounding buildings, and a cloud of pale smoke billows from the barrel of her gun.

What I'm certain is some kind of anti-materiel round punches through the tank's front armour like paper and out through the engine block, effectively crippling it. The hatch at the top of the tank opens, and a white handkerchief on a stick is poked out and waves at us.

''They surrendered. Finally!'' Yuuka exclaims in relief. We move out of cover.

''Indeed. It's been a while since I took out a tank,'' Hasumi says. She just did the work of a whole squad and says 'it's been a while'. I have so many questions...

It's as we group up, I hear Chinatsu gasp. It seems she's noticed the blood.

''Sensei!'' she rushes over and starts fussing again, this time looking even more clueless than before. I'll admit, I'm bleeding a fair bit and the lower left side of my shirt is utterly soaked, but I'm mostly fine if in a bit of pain. We clones are built tough with some additional tweaks upon creation, but we're not super soldiers. We're just better than the original. I stopped bleeding a couple of minutes later anyway.

''Oh, god...'' Yuuka was suddenly quite pale.

This incident reminds me of the time one of my squadmates lost her arm. The battle ended and she wanted to go on a routine clean up to execute any wounded enemy soldiers. I told her she couldn't because she'd lost an arm. With a face as blank as my own, she said, ''I haven't lost it,'' and pointed to where it lay mangled but with her serial number visible and said, ''it's over there.''

I let her go an that clean up.

''Sensei, can you hear me?'' it's Rin in my earpiece.

''Go ahead.''

''The device, if you would.''

Once again, I activate the projector and hold it in my hand, and Rin's image is there.

''Status, everyone?'' she asks.

The girls report no issues, but they also rat me out.

''You're injured, Sensei?'' Rin's eyes are wide as she asks, causing me to sigh.

''It's not lethal. It won't compromise the mission,'' I try to sound reassuring, but I sound as matter-of-fact as always, ''we've secured the building, but Washington escaped.''

''You mean Wakamo? Look, I'll be there shortly. Have Hinomia-san check you over and then meet me in the basement. Nanagami Rin, out.'' The projection went off and I pocketed the device again.

''Sensei, I don't know what to do...'' Chinatsu says, looking desperate.

''I'll be fine, Chinatsu. Don't worry about me. Just shoot me up if you think it'll help.'' That was terrible phrasing on my part, but I never claimed to be a wordsmith.

Chinatsu seems to ponder my suggestion after a moment's hesitation, then shakes her head.

''I'm sorry, Sensei, but you don't have a halo. I've only ever treated students, so I don't know what it'll do to you. It could make it worse and I can't take that risk. I'm so sorry,'' she looks down at her feet shamefully.

I don't like seeing her like that. I get the feeling that I wouldn't like any of them looking like this. Back home, seeing people in the depths of despair was a common thing. I'd seen others like me reduced to jibbering wrecks as their minds just couldn't take the fighting anymore. But I wasn't moved at all. If anything, I either executed them or dragged them kicking and sobbing back into the fight.

I... don't think I could do that here.

Instead, I recall what I would see some of the more experienced soldiers do earlier in my life cycle. It even happened to me once when I took out a hexapedal weapons platform by climbing on it and setting off remote charges on its undercarriage. I know I felt pretty good after that, despite how little as it showed on my face.

I place my hand on her shoulder and give it a small shake. She looks up at me with reddened cheeks and I nod.

''It's fine,'' I pull my arm back and face the Schale building, ''I'm going in.''

''Let me come with you, Sensei,'' Shizumi says.

''No. I need all of you to keep watch out here and keep the entrance secure. Let Rin know that I'm in the building when she arrives.'' Though they look reluctant to obey, they do as I say and find places to take watch, with Chinatsu giving me a last look before she goes.

I load my last mag into the Glock and make my way inside. The lights are off and it's dead silent, but this place doesn't look abandoned. The place smells very neutral, much like the office I woke up in earlier. As I go, I check my corners, flipping any light switches I can as I go. The lights should give Rin the route I took so she can follow without issue.

On the wall is a plastic board with a map of the building, and by the look of it, I'm not far from an elevator. At the end of one of the hallways, I find it and enter, pressing the basement button and the doors close. About thirty seconds pass and the doors open again. My gun's up as I step out onto a balcony.

There's a flight of stairs leading downward. On the floor below is a table surrounded by some comfy-looking chairs, but the thing that takes my attention is a slab of stone sitting in some kind of anti-gravity field above a squat, silver machine with blue light at its centre. The stone slab has some kind of engraving on its surface that's very intricate in design. Doesn't mean much to me, though.

I hear someone talking to themselves like a weirdo down below. I crouch down next to the railing. It doesn't cover me at all, but it's just to lower my profile.

''I don't see the big deal about this place. What am I even supposed to destroy?''

I see Wakamo down there, looking at the stone as she contemplates. I quietly move to the stairs and keep my footfalls as light as possible until I'm down there with her. Standing, I raise my gun until I'm stood close behind her.

Of all the places to have a crisis of conscience, this couldn't have been worse. I'm a teacher now, right? So maybe pointing a gun at a student's head isn't a good idea. I'm supposed to teach her (whether she likes it or not), not threaten her. Besides, she had a range and elevation advantage just before she retreated. Alternatively, she could have just bayoneted me when I rushed her. Point is, she could have killed me, had she had the mind to do so, but gave up and ran away stuttering like a moron.

I'm trying so, so hard not to give in to my conditioning right now.

I lower the gun. ''Come here often?'' I'd been saving that line since she ran because I couldn't think of one right away. My lack of emotive range betrays me once again, since I try to sound playful but probably just sound threatening.

If a person could jump out of their skin, I think she would have. I mean, I've seen people flayed before, but that's not really the same thing, is it?

She whips around and freezes. A few moments pass and she straightens up, then tilts her head. Is this what ''cute'' is?

''Oh...''

I stare blankly.

''Uh...''

I keep staring, not even blinking.

''…'' she's silent now.

''Well... I... uh...'' she begins fidgeting like she did at the overpass. I know we're technically enemies right now, and I hope to act as her teacher soon, but is she okay?

My eyes are drying out, so I blink. Too much dust from the battle, I reckon.

''I was just leaving!'' she darts away and through a doorway and into the dark corridor beyond. I could give chase, I could shoot, but once again I settle for:

''What?''

I spend a little while looking around, but most of my attention is on the stone slab. Since seeing it, I've tried to do some research on it, but haven't really found anything conclusive. But it's down in the basement even as I write this entry, and I know it's important.

Footsteps come from where I entered and Rin steps into the room. I look up at her and she sees me. It could just be because it's dark in here, but her lack of reaction means she doesn't immediately see the bloody portion of my shirt.

''Sorry to keep you waiting, Adam-sensei. I'm here now.''

''You followed my light trail?''

''I did, but it helps that I already know the layout quite well.''

She descends the stairs and approaches me. Her eyes go wide. Ah, she finally notices.

''It didn't look so bad on my end. I told you to stay in cover, Sensei!'' Angry-Eyes engaged.

''And I told you it's nothing,'' deciding that I don't need the shirt anymore, I pull on the front and the buttons pop, then I shrug it off and throw it aside.

Huh, who knew Rin's face could get as red as my shirt?

''S-s-s-Sensei! That is wholly inappropriate!'' she shouts and covers her eyes, ''could you please at least warn me if you're going to do that!?''

I haven't a clue why she's reacting like this. Women have treated my injuries before and while I've been in an even lesser state of dress. Hell, we even showered communally and nobody reacted like this. Maybe the standards of this world are different? I'd heard in my world, men and women didn't typically bathe communally. This was before the war and before cloned soldiers. Along with that, I'd seen old books and magazines that seemed to be directed towards women, and these had men on them that kinda looked like me. Not my face, but my body. All of us are cloned to be the optimal biological extreme of our individual genetic templates in terms of physical health. That means having muscular bodies.

Is she reacting like this because she likes my body? Or maybe she hates it. If she hates it, I could understand her covering her eyes and complaining at me, but then why is she looking through her fingers?

I really, really need a cigarette.

''My shirt's covered in blood. Besides, I wanted to show you that my injury isn't a problem. See?'' I point at the small entry wound, ''it stopped bleeding.''

She lowers her hand and clears her throat before coming closer to take a look. Her eyes wander a bit before finally settling on the wound, her cheeks still flushed.

''I... I see. Is that normal?'' she asks.

''Yes,'' well, no, but for me and other clones it is. It's as I wrote earlier, we're better than the originals. Still hurts like a bitch though.

''Hmm. Still, I'd advise immediate medical attention, Sensei,'' she looks around the room, her eyes occasionally flitting back to me, ''did I miss anything.''

I think about it for a moment. Wakamo was in here. But she didn't really do anything. I shrug.

''Nothing of note.'' I'm not sure why I didn't report honestly. Maybe because Wakamo is a student of mine, I want to protect her rather than hunt her down. I'll have to think on this some more.

''If you insist,'' Rin then moves over to the lone desk and opens a drawer. She takes something from it and offers it to me. It's the first time I notice how long her white gloved fingers are. ''Please, take it,'' I take it from her.

''A tac-pad?'' I ask.

''Close. It's a smart tablet (same thing, really, Rin). This is what the President wanted you to have. The Shittim Chest.''

The shit-what-now? That was my immediate thought, but she said Shittim. No idea what that means, but it sounds funny. I'd have told a joke or laughed if I knew how. Either way, the name ''Shittim'' sounds familiar. Actually, the whole thing seems familiar. Less bullet holes.

''It may seem like an ordinary tablet, but it's origins are a complete mystery. Its manufacturer, OS, system structure and components are totally unknown. The President left it to you and said that you would be able to use it to control the tower,'' she puts her knuckles to her chin, ''unfortunately, nobody at the GSC knows how to activate it. Perhaps you can figure it out, Sensei, but if not...''

I nod. I know exactly jack and shit about this world and it's workings, but I get the feeling that if I can't make it function, the consequences will be dire.

''Well, my job here is done. I'll let you take the lead now, Sensei. I'll step away as not to interfere.''

Rin moves to the other side of the room. I look at the tablet in my hands, the black screen framed by white. There's a circular button just under the screen. I press it.

I would detail what happens next, but that's a job for later. Us clones have eidetic memory for a reason. For now, I'm still under orders from Arona to rest. It's only 10pm. I've insisted that I'm in operational condition, but she won't have it. Maybe I should start writing entries earlier in the day? But I'm usually busy then.

This concludes the second report of Squad Captain Alpha-7

Callsign: Adam

Serial number: 071-AC-837-A-07

Signing off.

So for combat scenes, I want Adam to have an active role, but I thought about how. The first thing that occurred to me was to use Yuuka as a human shield. There will be other instances of direct interaction with special abilities when they're applicable.

With Suzumi's introduction, I felt that instead of being at the GSC, she's already at the scene of the riot as I think she'd be drawn there before anything else. It also just changes things up a little. Also, having students with established history with each other across clubs with come up with other students later on. Since she and Hasumi are all about keeping the peace, it seemed natural to imply that they've worked together in the past and became friends through their work.

Seems like Sensei's getting a couple of hearts thumping already, in his own clumsy way.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and if you did, feel free to fav, follow and review. Until next time