Chapter 30: Fight or Flight
Haruka's face crunched up in utmost concentration. One could almost see steam shooting out of her ears from trying to focus her mind so much.
"Maybe you should just give up, you know. You definitely don't have the talent for it. Heh, you should see yourself in a mirror. You are going cross-eyed already," Nao said with a yawn. She was quite bored watching the blonde's futile attempts.
Haruka narrowed her eyes at the redhead's comment. "I am working on it, alright? It's almost there, I can feel it."
"Really? Are we even talking about the same thing? 'Cause it sure looks like you're trying to force a bowel movement after a week-long constipation."
Fortunately, Yukino and Fumiko both caught the blonde's arms in time, thus preventing her fist connecting with Nao's chin in an uppercut.
"This is a mistake. What are we thinking putting these two in the same room?" Yukino sighed. "Alright, girls, no fighting. Haruka-san, please calm down. Nao-san, stop taunting her and show her how to do it again, please."
"Ok, ok." Nao backed off and cracked her knuckles. She grinned wickedly at Haruka and extended an arm out slowly. "First, you concentrate on the palm of your hand. Feel the warmth and tingling sensations spreading outward toward your fingertips. After that, visualize all that power and energy taking shape in your hands," she said, and she twitched her fingers slightly. Metallic claws grew out of her fingers and layers of overlapping dark crimson metal plates formed around her hands like a gauntlet in an instant. "Ta da. That's how you create your Element."
"I understand all that, I can even feel the warmth and tingling thingy you were talking about. But I just can't make it shoot out of my hands!" Haruka said with a frustrated growl. "It's tingling so much my hands are going numb!"
"Like I said, you don't have the talent for it." Nao shrugged.
Haruka huffed and went back to her exercise with a scowl.
To be perfectly fair, Yukino silently agreed that the girl did look as if she needed more fiber in her diet.
Nao received her dose of nanomachine injection the same time as her comatose mother. In fact, she was lying on the bed right next to the woman during the procedure. The redhead was up and about in minutes without any symptom of the discomfort Haruka had suffered earlier, but her mother hadn't shown any sign of improvement at all.
She tried to tell herself that her mama only needed more time to recover, but she utterly failed to convince even herself.
Mai, however, recovered at an amazing rate as soon as those tiny robots entered her bloodstream. The girl woke up from her coma in two days to a black-haired mess sobbing into her bosom and her no-longer frail little brother, who technically, should still be in the States for his physical therapy after his surgery.
Takumi and Akira had taken the first flight back to Fuuka after they heard about Mai's injury. Although Mai should be upset with the boy for ditching his rehab program, she couldn't find the heart to scold him. (She told Mikoto's ears off for wiping her tears and drools and snobs on her shirt though.)
She then got a quick update from Chie. Apparently a lot had happened during the few days she was out.
"You mean to tell me that, in order to save my life, you had to inject me with Searrs' experimental nanobots so that I was granted superhuman healing ability. And, by doing so, I effectively gained back my lost HiME power as a side effect. Am I missing anything here?"
Chie thought for a moment and shook her head.
Mai wasn't sure if she should laugh or cry. "So what else?"
"Well," Chie rubbed her chin with a thoughtful expression. "Let's see. No one died, that's the most important part. Miyu went missing, that's the worst part. Everyone else is doing pretty good considering what we went through. The ones that don't need to be hospitalized are staying at the secret underground base with Fumiko Director. Midori-sensei and Youko-sensei are watching over the ones that are still in the hospital. Oh, and Nao is being stalked by a pink tentacle monster."
Mai choked on the water she failed to swallow.
Aoi giggled at her friend's response. "She means Shiho. Don't listen to her."
"Why would Shiho stalk Nao of all people?" Mai asked in amazement. "They barely know each other! Last time I checked, Shiho was obsessed with Tate."
Chie shrugged. "Stranger stuff has happened. Say, for example, battle android, flying mecha monster, and secret organization that conducts illegal experiments to mass produce super-soldiers because it's hell-bent on world domination... Yeah, I would say Shiho batting for the other team scores pretty low on the bizarre-o-scale."
"If I tell you I have nothing to do with the whole mess, would you believe me?"
Natsuki stared down at the man who used to be her most trusted informant with her arms crossed in front of her chest, a look of faint disappointment on her face. Maybe it was the poor lighting in this smoke-filled seedy bar, but the rat who sold her out actually looked quite depressed. "That would depend on how much you are willing to tell me, Yamada," She warned and sat down next to him.
"Fair enough. First of all, I knew nothing of their plot to capture you. They were monitoring everyone's communication; I didn't know my phone was tapped." Yamada let out a heavy sigh. "I was used. If I had known, I wouldn't have contacted you. I do have a reputation to maintain. Honestly, I am more mortified by this ordeal than you are. This is bad for business."
Natsuki's humourless green eyes bore into the man's face. She wanted to believe him, but she needed more.
Yamada took a sip from the glass of Scotch he had been nursing all day. "I didn't find out until afterward, that the pictures I had on file were not you and your Kyoto girl. Imagine my surprise when I realized that." He took in a deep breath and whispered. "Let's just say Alyssa Searrs is but one of many successful cloning attempts the organization made. She was the first successful case, no doubt, but she was certainly not the last."
"But… How?" Natsuki's brow furrowed in confusion. "We look exactly the same. If they were clones, shouldn't they be much younger?"
Yamada shook his head. "Don't ask me. They must've figured out a way to manipulate the clone's growth rate or something. Why they did that, though, is beyond me."
Natsuki didn't know what to say. It amazed and disgusted her how far those bastards in Searrs would go to obtain power; power that they had no right to.
"This one is on the house." Yamada pushed a thick envelope toward his client. "Think of it as my sincere apology."
Later the same day, Director Fumi was addressing her fellow HiME in the underground cavern back in Fuuka.
Even though her old mistress Mashiro had personally entrusted her with the honour to look after all the HiME, she sometimes loathed this heavy burden. Especially now for what she was about to tell those girls.
"There is no other way."
Her audience, the HiME Rangers Mark II (Mai was let out of the hospital that morning), waited patiently for the Director to collect her thoughts. A very pregnant former-nun Yukariko, the art teacher Ishida, even Akane and her boyfriend Kazuya were summoned here just for this meeting.
She gave everyone in the room a sweeping scan before declaring, "We must attack in three days."
"What!" Haruka, not surprising anyone, jumped up from her seat and demanded, "What do you mean we must attack?"
"Please sit down," Fumi said calmly. "Let me elaborate. Based on the information we received, it is confirmed that Searrs has captured Miyu."
Sitting rigidly in her seat, Alyssa clenched her fists angrily.
"They are re-installing her programs as we speak. Once they are done, they will no doubt unleash her power against us. As we are now, we stand no chance." Fumi paused for a moment to let her audiance absorb the significance of this information, and continued, "We know from our experience that us HiME made excellent candidates to receive nanomachine injection. Those who did," Fumi gestured at Nao, who looked more than a little smug, "regained part of their HiME power."
"According to Viola-san and Kruger-san, they were the only known Z-type Otome. The C-type Otome are of a different breed, a weaker variation. For some reasons, Searrs couldn't manufacture more Z-type." She gestured at Haruka, who looked slightly insulted. "From what we know, it takes a HiME gene to activate the nanomachine."
Midori grinned broadly when she realized the implication. "I see. That means no matter what we do, Searrs will come after us if only because we might make worthy research material. We can't hide under a rock forever, and there is nowhere we can run given how influential their organization is. It leaves us with the only option - fight back. We need to show them that we won't take their abuse lying down."
Fumi nodded in agreement. "Exactly."
Haruka objected loudly, "That's bullshit!" The blonde gave the history teacher a hard glare, "You are suggesting that a bunch of girls should start a war against a criminal organization that has its own private army and battle ships and missiles and tanks and monsters and god-knows-what on their side." She inhaled and barked at the adults in this group in absolute outrage, "Are you out of your fucking mind?!"
Yukino cringed at the foul language. "Haruka-chan! That's enough! You don't have to be so rude!"
Fumi put her hand up to forestall further arguments. "You've mistaken my intention, Suzushiro-san. Please let me finish."
The blonde sat back down in her chair. "You better make yourself damn convincing. If I'm not satisfied with your explanation, I'm out of here. And Yukino is coming with me."
"I'll try. Please don't interrupt until I'm done," the Director said with much understanding. "Let me make this as clear as possible: we are not starting a war against Searrs. Yes, they are our enemy; yes, we will be fighting against them; but no, we will not be so foolish as to think we can engage them in an all-out war and come out of it victorious."
The room was silent and tense after that declaration.
Fumi elaborated, "What we are trying to do is to hit them when they didn't expect any retaliation – in other words, we ambush them. Searrs as a whole might be impossible to defeat, but we are not trying to defeat them; we will raid them, sabotage them, and then we will be gone before they can strike back. We will make them realize that antagonizing us HiME is an expensive mistake. We will force them to have no choice but to back off."
"Guerrilla warfare. I like it." Midori nodded approvingly.
Fumi gave Haruka a significant look and continued, "That is all we need, isn't it? For them to leave us alone so we can go on with our normal lives? If we don't stick together and make our stand now, they will pick us off one by one. By then, it will be too late to retaliate."
"So what you are saying is that this is our only chance to launch a surprise attack," Haruka said unhappily.
"That's correct."
"It doesn't mean a thing." Haruka said flatly. "The odds are completely on their side. All we have are a couple hi-tech flying tentacle birdman…"
"Hey, don't call me that!" Kruger growled at the blonde.
Haruka ignored her. "… and a few more magical girls. That doesn't change the fact you are throwing a group of children to the wolves and expect them to do your goddamn battle! They are girls! Maybe they can do some magic tricks, but they are not your soldiers! You think I'm so stupid I don't know what you are trying to pull here? Well, think again! I know you are asking them to kill for you!"
The room was stunned into utter silence at the Haruka's accusation. Usually people were quick to dismiss the irritable blonde's opinion, but this time was different. Her accusation rang true. Everyone looked to the Director and waited for her to counter Haruka's argument.
Only it did not happen.
Fumi lowered her head in sadness, perhaps in apology too. "That's correct as well."
Even Haruka was staring at the pink-haired woman with her jaw hanging open. "You... You just admit it? You're not even trying to give me any excuses?"
"There is no point for me to lie or to sugarcoat the truth. Like I said in the beginning, there is no other way." Fumi paused, and added as an afterthought, "That is, assuming you do not wish to live a life as Searrs' test subject, or as a fugitive forever. I honestly see no alternatives."
The room was once again tense with apprehension.
"Well, count me in." Midori declared with conviction. "I don't know about you girls, but I don't consider a life as a prisoner to be worth living. I would rather dirty my hands than to lose my freedom. Besides, even though I hate to admit it, I am the adult here. If I don't fight, who will?"
"I will." Alyssa, the youngest among them, stepped forward and announced her decision. "I can never forgive them for taking Miyu from me."
"I'm in too." Natsuki raised her hand. She gave Shizuru a quick glance and explained, "There are things that are worth fighting for." Miraculously, she managed to say that corny line without blushing.
Shizuru smiled serenely. "I concur," she said, repeating the oath she had vowed in her head - for the ones I love, I would gladly fall to the deepest level of Hell.
She was unaware she was not the only one who had made such promise.
"I will accept no other choice but to fight," Viola stated simply.
Kruger sincerely agreed, "I've lived my whole life as their prisoner. It's time for a change."
"Y'all sound like you have a death wish. Count me in." Nao casually materialized her gauntlet and licked her claw. "Might be fun."
Mikoto joined in, "Me too..."
"No, you don't!" Mai interrupted, grabbing the young girl by her elbow. "Are you even thinking this through? We are talking about taking people's lives here!"
"I know what it means," Mikoto said in a hushed tone, "Please understand, Mai. I can't run. I wish... I wish to protect everyone. They've hurt enough people already. I want to stop them. I want to protect you."
Mai was speechless.
"Um, Director," Yukino asked in an uncertain voice. "Would you give us some time to think about this? It's all very sudden..." The girl cautiously peered at her best friend's fury-stricken face and pleaded.
"I don't expect anyone to commit right away," Fumi quickly clarified. "Those who wish to fight, please come back here tomorrow morning at eight. We will administer the nanomachine dose at that time if you haven't received the shot already. Those who do not wish to fight, you are free to leave."
A/N: Hi, I'm still alive. What a shock.