LVII

Wiederstand

Panting heavy Nousou stopped to consider his options, now he knew that coming here has been a grave mistake on his behalf. To think he had even agreed to this foolish idea of the chief in the first place, it was madness to him. "SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!" He cursed silently as he took a quick glance over at the window, most of the men that had managed to escape the house had also fled, their morale broken by the sudden onslaught of Lucy. "I shouldn't have come here! I should have stayed within the safety of my lab! I'm a scientists dammit, not a soldier!"

At his feet were the three remaining clones he still had at his disposal, what surprised him was that they seemed to be crying. Had they sensed the loss of their clone sister earlier? It fascinated him but this was not the time to be immersed in such scientific curiosities.

"But… if we were to retreat we would lose her again. I still don't know the true extent of her vectors range but from what I could tell it should be five meters at best." His mind was already starting to make the calculations to try and see how much of an advantage he still had against her, how big his chances were of capturing her and getting out of here alive.

"With the deterioration in the telomere cells the clones are inferior compared to the original, both in strength and range. Despite that they should still have an average range of ten meters." He petted Felicia on her helmet, it must be hard for her as she was the youngest, who knew how much of a toll had already been inflicted on the girls in the fighting thus far.

"So with the differences taken into account we still have an advantage of five meters over her, if we can use that to cut her nerves this should all be over in an instant." He petted the other two as well, for the time being it seemed that it helped them stop crying. Good, right now he was going to have to rely on them, having them still crying would do neither of them well if they wanted to survive this.

"Diana is still under treatment and both Cynthia and Erika are dead, if they were here as well…"

A sudden sharp crack pulled him from his thoughts.

Daring to peek over the rock he was hiding behind he felt a chill going down his spine, there in the broken window she stood motionless but smiling at them. It was the most horrifying smile he had ever seen on a person, her eyes filled with nothing but cold hatred, it was like staring at a gun aimed straight for his heart. Ducking behind it again he cursed again and again. "SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!"

This wasn't good, for his plan to work they needed to take her by surprise but with her standing there that element was gone. "Listen there is a change of plan! Capturing Lucy unharmed is no longer an option! CUT HER NERVES! KEEP HER ALIVE BUT MAKE HER FEEL PAIN!"

"WE STILL HAVE MEN ON THE HELICOPTERS! THE ADVANTAGE STILL IS ON OUR SIDE!" He ordered the clones, with a shaking arm he reached down for his radio. He needed to contact the helicopters and bring them in to provide fire support, the men would need to rappel down as well.

He was about to speak when the helicopter nearest to him had its rear sliced off, it's fuel tanks ruptured it exploded in midair. Turning on the spot and craning his neck up to see what he happened he just saw it crashing into some nearby buildings its remaining fuel and on board ammo exploded, showering the area in flaming debris. He watched in disbelief, it wasn't possible.

"Don't tell me… the power or range… to destroy a helicopter… at such an altitude... belongs…to...?" A second explosion made him stop thinking any further and the noise of an approaching freight train made him look over his shoulder. His breathing stopped as he started at the second helicopter coming crashing down right for him.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Was the last thing he could scream, throwing up his arms in front of him in a futile gesture before it crashed into him, burying him underneath it's bulk.

One of the building exploded as the HE shell went off. Bando groaned as fragments of hot shrapnel embedded themselves in his leg. "Fuck that asshole! Hirano come here and give me a hand! We need to take care of that fucking tank!" Their plan to lure the soldiers in closer was working rather well but the crew of the tank were smart enough to stay at the back and use their main gun to offer support and suppression. Smaller lighter type 89 IFV were advancing as they provided mobile cover for the troops moving alongside them. Their rapid firing 35mm cannons added to the crescendo of shells that was forcing them to keep their heads down.

"We can't keep this up, they are going to overrun us if we don't take care of that damn tank!"

"Don't tell me you're scared of a few bullets Hirano!" Bando spat as he reached out for the RPG, he had just one warhead left for it. He would need to make it count but right now those IFV were becoming a bigger problem as they had entered the compound. If they would fall back they could easily avoid the fire of the tank and render it's gun useless unless it would risk coming in closer. Not that it would be needed as it could just send out the accompanying infantry.

"I'm not but I have no reason to shoot people who are just doing their job!"

Grabbing him by the scruff of his shirt Bando snapped at him. "You fucking idiot, have you fucking noticed that they do not share that feeling!? They are shooting to kill us and I am not gonna go down because you don't have the balls to fight back!" He fired off a few more shots as they could hear the shouting of the approaching soldiers; bastards were starting to get really close now. A little too close than they cared to admit.

"Any idea where Dreachon went, I lost sight of him in all of the commotion!?" Dai asked as he looked as his own rifle, already he felt the same hesitation coming up as he had during the raid on the DRI. He couldn't just kill people who were just doing their job. Inside he knew that it was wrong, these were just soldiers following orders. As Bando fired again he could hear men screaming as no doubt some of his shots had found their mark.

"If it makes you feel any better you coward then I will do my best not to kill them but if you get in my way then I will kill you myself!" Letting go of Dai he resumed firing again as engine noises were coming closing. Seemed like the IFV's were pushing their way forward, it was just what he had been waiting for.

Soldiers ran forward as the fire of its auto cannons provide them with enough covering fire. "Pretty smart but also way too straight forward." It was a textbook example of advancing towards the enemy, pity for them he also knew what they would be doing next.

Relocating himself to a new position he waited for the first vehicle to pass underneath him, he would knock out the last one in the column. Trapping them inside the area would then enable them to take these vehicles out, shame that this was going to be his last warhead. About to aim he stopped as he just noticed a blur movement in the corner of his eyes, upon seeing it he smiled and changed his target to the one at the front, smiling with a wide grin on his face as he pressed the trigger.

"Urgh… uurgh." He coughed as slowly his vision started to return to him, everything around him was dark. "It's dark… eh?" Went through his mind as he opened his eyes, even with his hazy sight he noticed enough of the surrounding darkness. "Am I really dead?" There was another sound but it sounded faint, to him it was just noise. "I knew it, I shouldn't have come… this isn't even funny any more..." More of the strange noise came but it took him some time before he understood where it was coming from. "Myuu Myuu."

He saw them standing there, all three of them. "… Eh… I see you girls died as well… I'm sorry… for having put you all through such hardships…"

"MYUUU!" They cried and then he noticed there was something off to them, why were the holding up the darkness above him. "MYUUU! MYUUU! MYUUU!"

Only then did it started to dawn on him that what he was seeing was that they were struggling to hold up, it was the burning wreck of the helicopter that had crashed on top of him. "You… girls...?" He gasped in disbelief as he could see that they were struggling to deal with its weight. "…Why are you girls doing this for my sake?"

Reaching out he tried to crawl forward and away from the wreck but as he pulled he felt that his waist was stuck behind something, looking down he saw that a mangled piece of the landing gear kept him pinned. Too heavy for him to move he was now trapped and at the mercy of his creations.

"Myuu…Myuu…" Barbara groaned she fought back to not give in to strain imposed by the weight of the wreck.

"This is no good, their vectors aren't strong enough to hold up the weight of the helicopter and their bodies themselves can't handle such a physical strain." He needed to get out of here fast otherwise they would all be crushed underneath it. Evene if they were holding it for now he knew that it was only a matter of time before the weight would become to much for them to bear and at that point they would all be crushed underneath it.

He heart skipped beating for a moment, his breath caught in his throat as he saw her. There in-between them she stood, Lucy was watching both him and the clones closely, the cold stare in her eyes giving away nothing except for the hatred she harbored for them. But what really scared him was the gun she holding n one of her hands, surely she couldn't be planning on shooting him, not at a moment like this but when she adjusted her aim his fears grew as he realized she was planning on something even worse.

She was going to shoot the clones instead. "LUCY DON'T DO IT! DON'T DO THIS! NOT TO THEM!" He screamed but his pleas were ignored. A swift press of the trigger send out a short burst, Arishia staggered as the rounds tore through her frail torso. Without their vectors to shield them the clones were left defenceless against something as simple as a gun. Coughing up blood Nousou knew that some of them must have pierced one or both of lungs. "ARISHIA!" He cried.

Lucy stared puzzled and amused at the same time as Arishia didn't falter in her determination, her vectors were still holding the wreck up. Now his hard work was paying off, all those hours invested were not starting to show their worth.

"When I created these clones, I made some additional abilities in order to overcome Lucy. No matter how much pain is inflicted on them, no matter how serious their injuries are, the vectors can't be blocked or disabled by physical pain alone." He was grateful now for having had the foresight to have performed that surgery but now that same trait was making Lucy all the more interested as she opened fire again and again.

Both Arishia and Barbara took the full brunt this as both of their bodies were pierced by the bullets, Felicia had been spared from the worst of it but as she was the youngest and the least developed her vectors were also likely the weakest. She could not hold it up without the air of the other two clones. "Myuu!? Myuuuu!? Myu!? MYUUU! MYUUU!" They all cried.

There were not going to last for much longer if this kept up. "Dammit, Lucy is shooting them from outside of their vector, they simply can't fight back or even defend themselves."

"MYUUU! MYUU! MYUU-UH!"

Growing more desperate to get underneath the wreck he struggled in a frantic effort to help the clones defend themselves. "COME ON GODDAMMIT! MOVE YOU PIECE OF WORTHLESS SCRAP! MOVE DAMN YOU! MOVE!"

What he saw next made him sick. "ARISHIA!" He yelled for all that is was worth as her arm got blasted off by a speeding rock, she watched in confusion not understanding what had happened to her. Dropping to her knee she struggled to keep it up with her remaining arm. "…Myu…" She gasped as she refused to give up.

"A-A-Arishia." He sighed, it was his fault these girls were in so much pain now. Behind them he could see Lucy laughing at his current situation.

"This is really getting interesting. This is so adorable and at the same time disgusting to see that you turned them into little more than mindless dolls. Does their suffering make you feel any better, are you proud of what they are going through!?" She had recognized their faces, they were the same as that girl had during her struggle with her at the lighthouse. It was curious why they looked like her but other than that she paid no heed to that oddity.

"Myuu… Myuu…" They were nearly at their limit, the clones couldn't hold out for much longer.

"Arishia… Barbara… Felicia… you girls… even though you could let go of this wreck and kill Lucy in an instant you still… but for me… I've been performing all kind of experiments and tests on you up till now… things I should better never have done in the first place." Now with his end in sight he was starting to feel some sense of remorse for what he had done, ironic that it came only now.

"Who could have thought that, you girls are willing to save me at the expense of your own life." It was a painful thought that his creations would do that for him, it made his resolve all the more easier to make, at least he could do one good thing for them.

"Arishia, Barbara and Felicia. I am really thankful for what you have done for me, you girls are my pride. But…" He stopped to make sure they were listening to him, they needed to hear what he was going to tell them next. "That's enough suffering for now. From now on, there's no need to get hurt any longer for my sake. Thanks to you girls I can die with this good feeling, this will be my farewell to you girls."

They were silent for a moment, good they were listening or at least he interpreted their silence as listening to his words. Now he would just tell them one more thing and he prayed that they would follow it for their own sake. He clenched his fist.

"LET GO OFF THE HELICOPTER! AND GET LUCY! THAT IS AN ORDER! NOW GO! GO AND CAPTURE LUCY THAT'S AN ORDER!"

"Myuuu! Myuu! Myuuu!" It was their only response to his order and with that they intensified their combined efforts at holding the helicopter up. They made no attempt to go after Lucy.

"You… why you." Nousou gasped in disbelief as he questioned himself as to why they had refused to follow his order. Why were they not following his order? Why did they refuse? How could they refuse? I was was impossible for them to disobey a direct order from him.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? THAT WAS AN ORDER! LET GO OF THIS HELICOPTER! GO CAPTURE LUCY!" YOU FOOLS!" He yelled and raged in an effort to make them understand what he was telling them, why were they still stubbornly refusing him. Arishia fell over as her leg vanished, she fell face first on the ground.

"ARISHIA!" She did not deserve this, she had not deserved that at all. "Why… you girls… if I told you to kill yourself you wouldn't even resist… why… won't you just let go of this helicopter and let me die?"

Landing on the turret of the rear IFV the hatch buckled under the impact. Kicking the commander down Dreachon drew the sword from his scabbard and pressed the activation rune. The turret swung around in order to dislodge him but the claws had sunk in deep enough into the armored hull to provide enough grip, the frantic efforts of the crew were useless.

Roaring he rammed the sword hilt deep into the armored hull, the energized blade making a mockery of whatever protection the hull could offer as it sliced through like it wasn't even dare. One of the crew members could be heard screaming as he was sliced in half. A few more slashes and the vehicle had been rendered useless, it's armament and engine gone it could no longer pose a threat, it's crew either dead or wounded would no longer be able continue with fighting.

The most forward vehicle burst into flames as it got hit by a RPG, no doubt Bando had taken it out aware on what he was executing. With now the rear and front of the column disabled the remainder would be trapped and at their leisure. Leaping over towards the nearest vehicle he intended to dispose of them quickly.

Rounds bounced off his armor but the way the fire was intensifying made remaining like this in the open pointless, it would also lead to unnecessary risks. Pulling back to the shadows he would need to pull them in closer and scatter their formation.

More rounds impacted against the stonework behind him, it seemed they were already aware of him and giving pursuit at that. Would they be after him because of orders or to avenge their fallen comrades, still even though they were humans these were soldiers, warriors and as such they deserved an honorable death on the battlefield. A quick clean but brutal death would be an honor or them; still he wondered how many of them would accept their death with dignity instead of begging for their life.

Footsteps alerted him and in one fell swoop he cleaved a soldier from shoulder to pelvis, the blade crackled as the man's flesh was seared and the stench of burned flesh could he smelled by those that followed him. With a prayer on his lips the man died, never knowing what had ended his life. Having seen their comrade go down none of the others were willing to share his fate as they started to look for a different route. It did not matter to him if they wanted to try their luck with a different route, eventually they would come through this area again.

For now he would be content with himself to go and regroup with the others, after that they would look and devise a strategy for dealing with that tank but already a good portion of the enemies firepower had been dealt with. Soon they would deal with the rest as well. Bando was proving to be most capable but like he had said before Dai was becoming an issue.

The displays in his helmet alerted him to something, the data-core had finally found what had seemed to be the chief plan for spreading the virus. A great timing to have at a time like this, the gods in their fickle mood must be enjoying his series of ill-fated clashes. Stonework exploding next him brought him back to his senses, solders had already reached this level. Good let them come; they would find him ready for them.

Kaede kept watching, somewhere within her conciousness a part of it was feeling remorse for having to kill these girls, they had done nothing wrong but if she didn't they would end up as being nothing more than the playthings of those people. For the sake of those she loved and for their own sake she would end their suffering at the hands of those people.

The people who had dared and ravaged her family. Those who had ruined her life. Those who refused to allow her to live in peace. Those who constantly kept tormenting her existence. Those people who had hurt the one she loved the most in her life.

"You people stole my life from me, all of you won't even leave me alone. You harm the people I care for, you threaten them. All of you cannot be forgiven!"

The stone top of a lantern was ripped off and as it hung in front of her she allowed for a little smile. She had promised to Kouta that she wouldn't kill but once more people just would not allow her to live in peace. People just seemed to have this stupid death wish whenever they ran into her. She would happily oblige them to rid this world of such foolish people. "If you really want them to let go of that helicopter so badly than I will grant you your wish, I will also put them out of their misery.

Her head just disappeared as the stone tablet sliced it off. Nousou screamed as her lifeless head landed in front of him, her eyes frozen in a blank expression staring back at him. "ARISHIA!" Her body just dropped to the ground, she was dead. Watching in fear Barbara and Felicia watched at what had happened to their clone sister. "Myuuu… Myuu…Myuu." They cried.

"BARBARA! FELICIA! THAT'S ENOUGH YOU CAN'T KEEP HOLDING IT UP WITH JUST THE TWO OF YOU! I DON'T CARE ANYMORE IF I DIE! SO JUST LET GO! KILL LUCY! THAT IS AN ORDER!"

It was gut-wrenching to still see them standing there, any moment now Lucy would do the same thing to either of them and then it would be over, they would die even when they didn't have too. "… That's enough already…" He sobbed, he didn't want to see any more of this.

Kaede had heard enough by now, it was time to end this and give that man what he wanted. Even then he would be let off with a cleaner death than what he deserved. This had gone on for long enough, it was time to put an end. Tearing off the top of a second lantern she would finish off the taller one of the two clones, with that the burning wreck of the helicopter would crush of them underneath.

"Say farewell to your life, this is so much better than what you actually deserve for what you have done." She hissed at him, baring her fangs. This man filled her with nothing but contempt and rage, that such disgusting people kept existing. Kept continuing with their vulgar acts, justifying them as a necessary evil. The people who were to real monsters in this world.

"DON'T DO IT LUCY! BARBARA! FELICIA! KILL LUCY! QUICK! GO!" He watched as in one final display of power they pushed the helicopter up before diving forward towards him. Their arms wrapping around him he heard them cry. "Umyuuu!" And then everything went black as they were enveloped by darkness. One loud crashing sound and everything was over.

"This isn't good, this really isn't good." Mako kept pacing around as she had tried to contact both the girl's house and Dai but neither had seemed to pick up the phone. It had been all over the news and already amateur footage was being displayed showing what happened, two helicopters had crashed for unknown reasons in a residential area and speculation was already up on what had caused it. Watching the TV the twins seemed rather less affected by all this, maybe it was for the best if they did not fully understand the situation. "If you are hungry then I have some leftovers in the fridge, you can also help yourselves to some ice-cream if you want."

"… I-Ice-cream…" Ryou got up at hearing the very mention of that. "O-Onee-chan would you want some too?"

Kyou just mumbled a quick yes, almost as if she wasn't really interested in it. The moment that Ryou left the room she got up from the couch and stepped towards Mako. obviously there was something she needed to discuss that she didn't want her little sister to find out about.

"Something bad is happening right bug?" Pulling on her sweater she pointed to the TV. "That is where my sisters live, bad things are happening right?"

"Yes, there likely is. I think for the time being it might be best for the two of you to stay here, you are welcome to stay until we can know more or if I can contact the others. I am sorry as you likely would have wanted to go back home but I am afraid I can't let you girls go outside. It is simply to dangerous for either of you right now. I promise that first thing tomorrow we will go and see if it is safe."

"I understand bug, we will stay here but that doesn't mean I fully trust you yet. Don't you even dare to come anywhere near to my sister when she is asleep."

Mako didn't feel threatened by her, given what was going on it was only natural for Kyou to take on a more protective stance when it came to her sister. "You really have taken a liking to your little sister don't you? You still remember when we met at the institute, you were not even aware of her existence?"

"Because you bugs kept her away from me and lied to me. You all lied about me having a little sister."

"Yeah some people are indeed like bugs the way they behave, I promise you that they will not get away with what they have done unpunished. I still have a lot of information I took with me when I left the DRI, if I can get it to the right people then we could bring the entire DRI and free those of your kind that are still being held there." She found it hard to imagine that she had just called people bugs but in some respect Kyou was right, maybe perhaps she would also find more acceptance with her if she showed some compassion for her.

"... I have the ice-cream, would you like some too?" Ryou emerged back from the kitchen holding in her hands enough dishes for them all as well as a big box of ice-cream though she was having some difficulty with holding the three dishes in her hands as it seemed she hadn't thought about putting the ice-cream on top of the dishes so as not to get her hands cold..

Quickly taking the dishes from her Mako said. "Thank you dear, say would you like to stay over for the night? I know we don't yet have the bed that we ordered but you the two of you can sleep in my bed if you want."

Taking her dish Kyou went back to sit next to her sister, to her it didn't matter all that much but she wasn't sure if her sister could sleep comfortable in a strange place. She was glad that her sister didn't yet know what was going on; to her it might be devastating if she learned that the place where they had stayed was gone. That the people they had known could have been injured, arrested or even dead.

Making a quick prayer for those kids Mako's immediate concern naturally went out to Saeko, she wouldn't forgive herself if something had happened to her niece. It couldn't be, not after having met her after so many years. She couldn't live with that kind of guilt, not after not been there for here since she was born.

Ryou somehow had noticed her becoming worried about it. "Are you worried, is something wrong with my other sisters? It is because they are saying bad things on that thing right." She pointed towards the TV.

Mako was surprised, had she been listening in on their conversation before or had she known about it right from the start? Who was she kidding, these girls may not have had an education during their time at the DRI but that did not mean they were stupid. Far from it and she was fully aware that diclonius were smarter than humans of the same age.

"Yeah I am worried, worried about your family and my cousin. The thought of losing her is something I don't want to think about, it is too painful for me." Sensing the despair in her Ryou just gave her a hug. Seeming to provide her with some comfort.

The woman fell down as she landed hard on the floor below, it wouldn't have killed her but it certainly would take her out of the fighting. Bando's blood was up following that fight against her, she was a professional soldier alright and the cut on his face was the proof of that. It was an experience that had set his sense ablaze.

He was enjoying himself alright; unlike that idiot Dai he was having the time of his life and who could argue with him on that. These were trained professionals and they were giving him much more trouble than that perverted bastard he had fought, compared to these people he had just been a pushover. They may not be a horned freak with weird occult powers but they certainly provided him with a challenge.

The soldiers weren't losing their composure when it went bad for them nor did they break and run for the lives. Instead they opted to maintain their firing discipline and either regroup or attack depending on what would suit them better. He was starting to gain a new found respect for the men and women of the armed forces, such a shame that he had to fight against them.

At least that had been their initial thought but once he started to make a closer look at some of the downed soldiers it turned out that most of them were not soldiers at all, Dai had confirmed him it when he had pointed at the insignia. Most of these men were part of Saseba's personal intervention team, some actual soldiers would likely be present to provide support.

He got tackled in the side before he even had noticed the man, taking the full brunt of his charge he lost his footing and they both dropped to the ground. Struggling and wrestling to gain the upper hand they both rolled over the edge and fell down another floor. Bando groaned as he fell on top of a container, judging by the cursing the other one had the same kind of misfortune as he had. "Alright then you asshole, come at me!" Bando roared as he got up.

The soldier wasted no time as he reached for his leg and pulled out his combat knife, so it was going to be a knife fight then. He grinned at the prospect of that. "Show me what you got!" Even if he was unarmed at the moment he wasn't going to let that stop him.

Screaming the man lunged forward slashing out for him, he dodged the first swing but with the second one he did the opposite, striking out with his right arm he allowed the knife to sink deep into it.

"Got you now asshole!" The man cursed at him as he twisted the knife around, no doubt that would have caused enough damage but that arm of his could afford it. Seizing the momentum he delivered a thunderous head-butt to the man's face.

"KYAAAAAA!" He screamed as he staggered backwards from the blow, his hand reaching out for the broken nose. The man having lost his footing barely had time to recover before Bando punched him in the face, he could hear bones crack. Standing there over the man lying on the floor he pulled out the knife. "Nice knife, don't mind if I keep it do you?"

As the wreck fell down on them she knew that it was over, she was glad for it but now came the hard part of having to face Kouta and explain to him. She wondered if he would be angry at what she had done, could he forgive her for this.

Taking one last look at the burning wreck she was done with it. "How stupid that was." She remarked as she kept staring at the flaming wreck. With the fighting dying down it was starting to get eerily quiet again, that was different to her but she welcomed it. She desperately wanted to go back, she wanted to go see Kouta and surprisingly the rest of her family as well. She needed to know if they were alright, if they were safe.

A burning sensation of pain flared up her body as her head was jerked violently to the left. She could hear something crack or break but her initial reaction was one of disbelief, somehow somebody had survived. Somebody had just struck back at her and they had struck hard.

"GUAAAAA! GUAAAAA! GUAAA! GUAAAAAA! GUAAAAAAAAAAA!" She screamed in agony as her sense became dull, her body became weak. The pain only intensified.

Watching from a safe distance the woman smiled as the first horn was torn off, she had taken a big gamble but it had paid off for her. She had landed a first blow against Lucy and judging from her response it must have been a good one as well. Clutching the barely alive remains of Cynthia she had done her best to convince the dying girl to perform one last order. "She didn't even notice me all this time, foolish girl."

Panting and desperate for air Cynthia struggled to breath, struggled to remain alive, she wasn't going to last for much longer. If the woman wanted to make further use of Cynthia then she needed to move now. "So these clones can still use their vectors even up to the point before they die, very impressive doctor." She remarked as she got up, holding Cynthia's torso with one arm she used her other one to pull out her gun.

"GUAAA! GAAA! AAAH! GAAA!" Kaede was in a bad shape, she could barely focus on what was going on, her head felt like she had been hit by a truck. Having trouble with getting her vectors out she understood that she was too vulnerable at this time but how had that woman managed to elude her. She was feeling dizzy, her body no longer responding to her thoughts. She didn't even have the strength left to stand up much less run away.

"I heard that diclonius when these lose even one of their horns they would fall into a coma and could not get out of it again. But you still seem to be doing rather fine with some notable exceptions, still conscious I see." Lucy likely was tougher than most other silpelits, after all she was the first one of her kind. As a queen it stood to good reason that the loss of one horn would not have the same effect on her. "Is that because only one horn was lost? Well I suppose with that one lost you will likely have plenty of trouble with using those vectors of yours." Her gun firmly trained on Lucy she was not going to take any unnecessary chances, she had witnessed for herself already what would happen if Lucy was underestimated.

"Does it make you feel proud that you shot a boy!? Lucy sneered at her, this was the woman had shot Kouta and the one she really wanted to tear apart. "You must be feeling so tough now that managed to take me down?! Pity that you couldn't even do it by yourself! You have to abuse somebody else to do it for you!"

"You are one to talk. I don't have to take that from a murderer like you. You have killed children yourself or are you so deluded in your own disbelief that you have done nothing wrong? Just play along and shut up!"

Kaede spat at her feet, like this woman was one to talk. "You humans have killed more of your own that I ever could."

"I find that demeanor of you becoming rather unpleasant not to mention pretty damn annoying. If I break that other horn of your's would that finally make you shut up?" She pulled back on the trigger, with a loud crack the bullet tore off the other her. Satisfied that she had finally shut up the woman contacted the extraction team. For the time being the queen would no longer cause them any problems but they would have to move fast.

"You hear me? Yes it is me, the operation has been costly but we have secured Lucy. I will let you recover here, make it fast as the perimeter won't last for long." That was it for her; she had played her part in this operation. Looking at the burning wreck of the helicopter she shook her head and sighed. "Man, this really is a waste of my time. To think that I am actually going to try and help that ungrateful idiot."

Dai leaned against the wall as he needed to catch his breath; this whole night had gone sour. Right now he was fighting for his own life and it was not being made any easier by having all of these soldiers here shooting at him and if what Dreachon had told them earlier was true then they were just wasting precious time as they needed to get back to the Inn.

There was some real bad luck going on for him today, well at least the others were doing their best to keep these soldiers at bay for the time being but they still had a tank to deal with, that said he was glad that he hadn't killed anyone yet.

Still there were some things that kept nagging at his mind, how had they found their location and was it true that it had been his fault? But if it didn't that then also mean that the commander was aware of what he had been doing, would the commander know he had been helping the diclonius? The sound of gunfire erupting told him enough, there was still a battle to win. For now he would need to make sure they would make it out of here alive, he could worry about the implications later.

He looked up as a man screamed for his life as he was hurled through one of the windows, with a loud splat he landed on the tarmac below, a cruel way to go. Gazing at the broking window he could just catch a vague glimpse of Dreachon, his armor covered in blood causing it to have a sickening reddish glow to it. The man looked more like a demon from the old times to him, a chill ran down his spine as he remembered the words that he had spoken earlier. "This is what I exist to do!" Bando was just like him, another man who breathed and lived for combat. Why had he ever allied himself with men that could not be classed as anything else other than psychotic?

Turning away from it all he was asking how much more blood was going to be shed in all of this, why were people being so reckless with the lives of others? The sudden silence that followed came as a shock to him, what had happened. Surely neither Bando or Dreachon no matter their skill could have killed them all, no that was to absurd.

After all of the screaming, gunfire and explosions this silence felt wrong to him, somehow it just felt far too unnatural and it made him cautious. "Just what the hell has happened here? This doesn't sit right with me. Something must have happened." Carefully moving closer he further noticed that there had been far fewer bodies lying around than he had anticipated but the real shock when he did stumble upon another one.

Just like the one that he found earlier he learned that upon checking the uniform this man also did not belong to the JGSDF but rather to the special operations unit belonging to Saseba, this didn't make any sense to him. If this operation was sanctioned by the high command then why would the men wear different uniforms, something else had to be going on but what.

There was something wrong about those men being involved and although he felt less guild at shooting them than real JGSDF personal that did not take away they were killing other humans. Still what were these men doing here instead, could it possibly be that this had become a covert ops, another black operation that was not supposed to leave any witnesses and could be covered up easily by the government? It was a terrible case if that was true.

"GET DOWN!" Bando yelled as he took Dai down, there was a crashing sound of metal right before something vast rushed overhead. "KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN!"

There was no argument coming from him as the building behind them just came crumbling down, an avalanche of debris came hurdling towards them.

"RUN! JUST FUCKING RUN!" Bando yelled as he clambered up, all sense of staying down thrown away unless they wanted to be buried.