Valkyrie-624
Chapter 5:
The haunting past
A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I had a health scare which prevented me to continue with the story. Nothing serious but it will take some times for me to write and read-proof my drafts. With that said, hope you guys enjoy the latest chapter.
Over the North Atlantic Ocean
December 26 1998, Boxing Day.
The flight to United Kingdom was a boring and unpleasant event. The 8-hours flight to Birmingham bought no joy to the passengers on-board for Christmas. The recent event in England had made it clear that serious plans were needed if humanity wants to survive against such madness.
As the pilot guided the plane towards its destination, the co-pilot noted that most of the countryside were in pitch darkness. The Beta invasion has directed all of England's resources towards the military drive. As a result, the civilian population had to make do with whatever resources they could gathered as the government priorities its R&D on weapon technology. The pilot lined up the plane with runway while the co-pilot went through the landing check list.
"Why do I get this feeling of dread?" Taira Shinji commented as the plane dropped a few meters in a sudden descent. Narumi looked at his long-time friend in a threating stare. "Why did you have to say it?" Both friends were startled when again, the plane dropped suddenly. "Come on! I have never been this nervous before since I messed up the dates." Narumi told himself as he could feel the plane wobbled side to side. The two men, experienced pilots, should be used to the turbulence. However, this flight just made them unease for some other reason.
The plane gotten closer to the airport with every passing second. The flight controller at the airport tower control centre watches helplessly as the C130 cargo plane was bombarded with severe turbulence across the runway. The pilot, with an iron-grip, wrestled the control roughly as he approached his target. Nothing in his mind at that moment when the landing wheel hit the tarmac hard and forced the plane into a bouncing motion. The passengers inside made a few grunts and sighs as the plane slowly braked itself. The momentum caused some to bump to their heads against the seat in front of them. After what seems to be an eternity, one of aircrew picked up the intercom and announced that the disembarking would begin soon. Many were just glad to be alive.
Arrival hall 2, Birmingham International Airport.
0345hrs.
The hall was filled with military personnel, preparing for their next deployment. Many just returned from their Christmas leave. Everyone knew it could be their last. A sense of joy mixed weirdly with dread filled the air.
"What do you mean that we have to wait?" Taira asked in surprised.
Udy didn't bother to answer back his question. He kept reading the itinerary of the day.
"I bet the airspace is still not clear… What else could cause such a delay?" Narumi spoke out his thoughts to calm his partner-in-crime.
Udy noticed that while Narumi can be a fool at times, he still shows that he is a competent leader.
"While that is true, it is more to due to the lack of transport available for us." Udy looked at them with a sigh.
"I still trying to get something for us… God, this is a mess."
Taira looked on with a bit of despair. He knew that when he got the approval, that this was going to be tough. He never expected something like this.
12 hours flight. Countless border checkpoint. Repeated flight delays and transfers.
Taira was hoping for a good sleep. An image of a lady came into his mind.
"You're going to think that being a hero will impress me… then you got a long way to go, mister!"
"Hehehe… I knew you will be sad with my decision." Taira smirked at the thought.
Both Narumi and Udy watches with amazement to see Taira smiling happily away in his own world.
Both just nodded to each other in agreement and continue their search for a mode of transport.
0600hrs
The three men were trying to get some sleep when a rumbling noise woke Udy up. Alone at the loading bay away from the arrival hall, Udy wondered what could be coming towards them.
A lone land rover appeared from a distance. Driving past the long queue of buses, the rover driver slowed down into a position beside the trio.
"You with U.N?" The driver yelled out to them.
"Yup! 88th Technical Corp. These two guy here are the pilots." Udy shook them to wake them up.
"Alright! Hop in. Your stuffs are already in basecamp."
The trio quickly got their bags and jumped in the rover.
They drove off along the route of Highway M6 towards Watford.
"So you guys the pilots?" The driver asked while scanning the two Japanese men. It was rare to see the Imperial Armed Force to send out its Eishi. They had maintained a long reclusive attitude in sending their pilots.
"Yes! I'm 2nd Lieutenant Narumi Takayuki of the 7th Defling Squadron. And this is my partner, Taira Shinji. Same rank and unit." Narumi pointed out his sleeping friend. After they got in the rover, Taira just laid back and went into a deep sleep.
"Forgive my pilots. They never been in a frontline before." Udy added which Narumi showed a disapproval face to the remark.
"Yeah. As I suspected. It's rare to see them in action around here. Wish there were more of you guys." The driver added that as Imperial pilots were as rare as winning a lottery.
"How's the line doing, corporal?" Udy changed the topic.
Surprised to hear the man ask about the frontline, the driver gave a loud sigh before replying the question.
"It's not good, sir. Beta came in and gave a hell of a licking. This is way worse than back then in '86. Most of the troops are stationed alongside M11 but things are getting a little bit despair with the recent attacks…" The driver's voice was filled with tiredness and sadness. No doubt the pain he must have suffered.
Narumi looked out of the window… Wondering about the loved ones he had left behind to save the world.
Yamade Base, Sendai
Japan, 1500hrs.
The PX was noisy with excitement. Talks and rumours ran like wild fires. The topic of the day was a certain Royal Guard's request.
"Hey! You heard about the girl? She's probably regretting her decision, huh?"
"Dude… She got more balls than you."
"You think this will goes unnoticed? No way!"
"I hope she will be ok…"
"Those Royal Guards will have a field day with her."
Two lieutenants kept their cool as the gossip beginning to irate them.
"Say, Munakata? Should I kill them?" Hayase asked while rolling her soba noodle around her fork.
"And get me involved? Love to but nope…" Munakata replied back as she took a sip of her black coffee.
"Arrragghh… This is getting out of hand. Why did someone like her tried to pull that stunt anyway?" Hayase complained in a rage tone.
Even though Munakata and Hayase are Japanese, they are still members of the U.N. No one is allowed to get involve with other countries politics without the consent of the board. And especially not a member of the special task force, A-01. Their mission is strictly for the Alternative IV plans.
They can't help a fellow Japanese in need without endangering the mission. Those who served under Professor Kouzuki Yuuko knew the risks when they were selected for this task force.
"Beats me. There must be a reason for her to request a transfer. Anyway, regardless of the decision, she will be a huge target back in her home base."
Hayase thought of Munakata's remarks for a while. The whole base erupted in shock when three cars from the royal guard came and requested for permission to enter the base. The officers from the convoy immediately went to the administrative office and dragged the said cadet out of the building. A lot of people, who witnessed the event, said the cadet was in tears and the officers were burning in red.
"Well, I think they are just overreacting. She just asked for a transfer. If those royal guard treat her well, this wouldn't happen."
Munakata smiled at her junior. Unrelenting as always.
"If you going to pick a fight with the royal guard, better start finding someone who can keep up with you… or better than that, tame you."
"Mu-na-ka-ta! What did you say?!" Her eyes burned in rage.
"Ah, Captain! Over here!" Munakata waved happily at her commanding officer while deep down, glad to be saved.
"Hmm… Hayase. Munakata. You girls seems to be in a good mood." Captain of the Valkyrie squadron, Isumi Michiru walked past the glaring eyes of many.
Her rank and reputation had caused many to envy from a distance. Came from a normal family, Isumi rose in both rank and position was something worth to be awe. One of the youngest officer to be promoted, the witch in the base had Isumi working directly to her. To many, Isumi Michiru was Kouzuki Yuuko's watchdog.
"Mind if you can wait for me? I will be done in a minute." Isumi always maintained that motherly charm wherever she was.
"No worries. Take your time, Captain! We still got three more hours to go." Hayase said with a mouthful of rice between her teeth.
"God… How will a man tame a beast like her?" Munakata sighed in surrender.
"Eh? Did I hear something from you, Munakata?"
The aura between them became tense in a second.
"Hmm… How about ten laps at the runway? Sounds like you two have a lot of energy to spare?" Isumi smiled at her two junior officers.
Both immediately dropped their antics and continued with their lunch.
The gossip kept piling more information that Hayase could not help it but to ask her commander.
"Say, what do you think about this?" Hayase pointed to the group behind her.
Isumi knew of the topic going around the base. She wished that she could avoid the question till end of the day.
"Well… It is not our place to question or discuss of her decision. She knew the outcome when she made the request. All I know is that the higher-ups have their hands full."
Isumi made sure that everyone in the PX heard her last remark. To remind them of their place in the U.N.
Munakata only nodded while Hayase took some time to digest the hidden meaning.
Just as Isumi thought that everything was over, another rumbling came from directly behind her.
Munakata and Hayase peeked to the side to see the newcomer.
Surprised and curious, Isumi turned around to catch a pair of bunny ears in her face.
"Huh?" Isumi was taken back by the appearance of the bunny. She followed the ear to the owner who happened to be a bunny doll. Holding the doll was a pair of pale hands. The owner of said hands was Yashiro Kasumi. The witch's mystery daughter. Or to all everybody who thinks she was her daughter. First appeared back in '96, Yashiro rarely went out to talk to anyone. Her life was surrounded in fog and black marks on her files. Those who tried to talk to her, always get called into the office by the very witch herself. No one knows what their relationship were.
"Oh! Yashiro-san… Do you need help?" Isumi placed her hand at the bunny girl's shoulder.
The pale-looking child just nodded in response. Isumi smiled at her meek response and stood up, holding Yashiro's left hand at the same time.
"You two. Finish up here and wait at the briefing room in 30mins." Her command was cold and straight to the point.
Everyone watches in awe as Isumi followed, from behind, the little girl to wherever they were heading.
Basement Level 25
After what seems to be a long wait for the elevator to stop, Isumi let loud a soft sigh as the door opened and revealed a long corridor which ended with a reinforced steel door. Yashiro started to pull Isumi's hand to follow her. Isumi just played along with her. She met Yashiro a few weeks ago. Since then, the vice-commander had informed her to limit her interaction with Yashiro and to treat her like a normal U.N. personnel. Something which Isumi had a hard time to get used to.
"Your ID card will open the door." A small, child-like voice spoke as if to remind Isumi what to do.
Isumi took out her ID and put it in front of the scanner. A red beam of light came out and slowly went from top to bottom of the card.
"Identification detected. Personnel recognized. Please stand by." A computerized lady voice spoke from the speaker above them.
The door opened with a few strange noises which Isumi didn't recognized. The room on the other side was lacking proper lightning which gave it a horror setting feels.
"Ah! Isumi, right on time." A tired voice came out from the darkness.
"Vice-Commander!" Isumi threw a salute to the fading image of Kouzuki Yuuko, standing beside a empty cylinder tank.
"Oh… How many times must I repeat myself?" Yuuko threw her hands up in the air in surrender.
"I'm sorry. What is this place?" Isumi has never enter this room before. With her access limited to level 20 and above, Isumi was surprised that Yashiro has access to the lowest levels.
"Forgive me for the sudden call. I need to see you as soon as possible."
Isumi noted that Yuuko's eyes were bloodshot red. Her breathing was slow and deep. She must not have slept for a day at least, Isumi thought.
"Mdm, are you alright?" Isumi rise her concerns.
"It's nothing." Yuuko waved off the question. "I have more pressing issue that need to be taken of. Please follow me."
Isumi followed the two towards the other side of the room, passing by a few cylinder tanks and weird-looking machinery. At the other end, there were a huge monitor screen with multiple consoles around it. On the screen were a few monitoring camera feeds, showing different rooms and corridors.
"Wait here." Yuuko told her subordinate before heading over to the console and key in a few inputs.
A printer came alive and started to print out a paper.
"Here is your new task. As usual, you will follow as per on the paper. Once you are done with it, burn it. No word about it. I don't want anyone to know about this." Yuuko's tune was cold and almost inhuman.
Isumi read though the paper and saw someone she didn't want to bring.
"Must I bring them?" Isumi didn't want to show her fears but she could tell that Yuuko saw it with regardless.
"I understand that they have been with you for a month… but given the situation, I need you to understand that we need to show our guests that we meant business… even if means being branded a monster."
Yuuko's last remark sent chills down Isumi's spine. To let her men, enter their first combat without the protection of their TSF was something Isumi wanted to avoid.
"I understand. I will get them ready. Should I restrict their access and knowledge of the mission?"
"No. Inform them the same as I did with you. Remember that you will be operating outside U.N. authority. There will be no support or any contact. Once you leave the base, you are on your own. Limit any contact with E.U. as much as possible. The 9th U.N. Army will provide access to the country and some transport. I need this to be deal with as soon as possible. You know the drill?"
Isumi stared at Yuuko with an emotionless gaze.
"Understood. I will get it done." Isumi gave a salute to Yuuko.
"You better get back here soon…" Yuuko didn't return the salute. Only a cold warning.
A-01 barracks
"Hayase! Hurry up!"
"Alright! I'm coming out!" Hayase grabbed her packed field bag and ran out of the door.
Munakata and Isumi were waiting outside her room.
"Seriously… for someone who get turn on in this stuff, you are rather slow with the reaction." Munakata glared at Hayase in humiliating gaze.
"What was that?!" Hayase grew red in anger.
"Enough! Both of you. Follow me now." Isumi shut her two idiots down.
They walked out of the barrack in a rush. As they were walking towards the gate to the runway, two figures blocked their view.
"MITSUKI!" A cry called out.
"Huh?" Hayase turned to the voice that called her out. A blur of pink coloured hair hit her face hard. A pair of arms quickly tighten around her neck. A sobbing sound began to come out from her chest.
"HA-HARUKA?!" Her blue eyes started to get cloudy and her cheeks felt a teardrop slowly made its way down.
Isumi at first frown at the outburst but slowly realised what was happening in front of her.
The other figure slowly sidesteps beside Isumi before smirking at the scene.
"Captain. Our new operator is here to report for her duties." The green haired lady spoke as she gave Isumi a salute.
"Touko? You back already?" Munakata said as she gave Kazama Touko a hug.
"Thank you for your hard work, Kazama. I'm sorry to trouble you even more but can you please bring her to see the Vice-commander. She will handle it for me."
Touko noticed their bags and realised that she was delaying them.
"My apologise. I will not delay you any further. Suzumiya-san. Please, we must not delay in our meeting with the vice-commander." Touko said that but she knew she need to give them some moment.
"Eh? Sorry, Kazama. Give me a second. Haruka." Hayase pulled herself away from the tight embrace and smiled at her sobbing friend.
During her training as a cadet, Hayase Mitsuki was a tough and competitive girl. Always pick a fight with other cadets and instructors. Halfway through the training, Hayase was doing her usual sparring with other eager cadets when another sparring session caught her eye. Two other female cadets were fighting it out hard. The short black haired girl seems to be stronger one, but she was having some difficulties on winning over the pink pony-tail girl. She was running out of breath but her eyes spoke determination and a strong fighting sprite in her. Hayase couldn't help it but be in awe by the other girl fight.
After the session was over, Hayase decided to meet with the pink haired girl. She was wondering if the girl was interested to be her sparring partner.
"Hey! Nice fight… You really didn't give your ground up that easily, huh?"
"Eh…? No…no… I didn't handle it well, so I failed that." The pink hair girl's response was humble and polite. There was no sense of pride or arrogant in her. She then went on to untie her pony-tail to reveal a long silky hair. Hayase kept her gaze on her as the girl took a small towel to wipe off the sweats.
"…"
"Huh? What's wrong?" The girl tilt her head to the side.
"Eh…? Ah! Sorry. Where's my manners…? The name is Hayase Mitsuki." Hayase took out her hand to the girl.
"It's alright. I'm Suzumiya Haruka. Nice to meet you, Miss Hayase."
Haruka's smile warmed Hayase's heart for a long time. Since then, they were inseparable.
"Haruka. I got a mission with the captain. I will be back in a short time, alright?" Hayase fought hard to keep the tears from breaking the dam.
"Yeah… Sorry to keep you waiting again…" Haruka wipe away her tears and slowly made her way towards the open arms of Touko.
"Alright, Suzumiya-san. Grab my arm. We will meet again soon, right?" Touko reassured the whole gang.
"Yeah, you can count on it."
"Yup! We will be back in no time."
"Alright! Touko. Please escort Suzumiya to her new quarter and do show her around. Remember to settle the paperwork." Isumi couldn't help it but feel sad for her girls.
As they watched Touko leading Haruka up the short stairsway, Munakata made her honest question.
"Do you think that she can handle it?"
Hayase watches with deep sadness as Haruka slowly but painfully lift her legs up on at a time.
"You can bet your asses she can handle it."
On the highway M1, along the outskirts of Saint Albans.
England. December 26, 0912hrs.
The journey was long with delays and checkpoints. Narumi and Taira managed to get some sleep in the rover as they went past a few checkpoints before the traffic blocked their way. Udy, on the other hand, did not. Upon getting into the rover and meeting the driver, Udy started to bombard the driver with questions about the frontline. Unit strength. The supply line. The morale of the men. Any recent activities of the RFL. The driver almost drowned in the huge amount of questions.
"God… you're worse than my ex-wife. At least, she asks the important stuffs." The driver grumbled at his irritating passenger.
"Hehehe… my bad habits again. Sorry about it. I'm always need to be on top of things…" Udy smiled meekly.
"I can see why you can be so aggressive on your questioning… I bet your love life is almost the same." He joked openly.
"You will be surprised that it is the opposite." Udy made his own remark on the matter.
The rover swing to right in reaction to the remark.
"Dafuq? Seriously?" The driver's eyes became wider than ever.
"Hahaha… Yes, I am… By the way, watch the road." Udy just smiled happily as he pointed out an oncoming vehicle heading towards them.
The rover swing back to its own lane as the oncoming truck ran past them. The two at the back bumped their head together hard. The tires burned at the fiction of it rubbing with the paved road. Udy jerked around in his seat while cursing his luck.
"Ah! Goddamn! What the hell?!" Taira woke up in rage. His beautiful dream of his girlfriend in her nurse uniform was so tempting that he could almost feel the fabric.
"Sorry about that, guys. I must not be paying attention." The driver apologised to the trio.
"Argh… What just happened?" Narumi rubbed his forehead as if to rub the pain away.
"Nothing. We were talking about our love life back home… How about two? Got anything good?" Udy joked to calm the situation.
"Well, I could tell you if not for your freaking driving…" Taira grumbled as he straightens his flak jacket.
"Oh? Sound like you have some good ones to tell… Please… do tell us." The driver smirked at the rear-view mirror.
"Hehehe… There is no girl out there who is way better or beautiful than my girl." Taira proudly proclaimed.
Narumi just groaned in pain over his friend's proclamation.
"Huh? Sound like you're in distress, Narumi." Udy turned around to see Narumi covering his face in an act of in pain.
"Aaahh… Come on, Narumi…You shouldn't act in disgust. You have it way good compare to me… You one lucky bastard." Taira teased him very aggressively.
"Hey wait! It's not like that… Haruka and…" Narumi paused mid-sentence as if to process the next word that he about to say.
"I detect something amiss…" Udy pointed out.
"Hmm… It seems to me that you're having a girl problem." The driver added.
Eh? W-Wait a min… It's not like that! We are just…" Taira grinned as his friend slowly turned red with every second passes.
"And you want to know something else?... This dude managed to snag another one." Taira added.
Both the front passenger and driver turned around in shock. "WHAT?!"
Sendai International Airport.
Departure Hall 3. 1845hrs.
A loud sneeze echoed throughout the hall. Everyone there started to look around to find the source.
"Didn't I told you to avoid drawing attention?" Isumi glared over at Hayase while still reading a newspaper.
"It's not my fault. It is a natural thing to do. You can't expect me to hold in, Captain." Hayase protested loudly in her defence.
"Quiet down, you gorilla. It was bad enough that you were snoring loudly in the bus. Now this." Munakata faint a despair look to Isumi.
"WHAT?!" Hayase stood up to face her accuser.
"Will you both sit down and keep quiet for five minutes? That's an order." Isumi silent them comfortably.
A crowd soon gathered near them and Isumi began to scan the crowd for any sign of trouble.
"Hey! Something's up." Hayase whispered to Munakata who nodded at her remark.
"Munakata, check it out." Isumi asked while maintaining a calm composure.
Munakata walked towards the crowd while keeping a safe distance from them.
There were a lot of talking. Munakata had a hard time understanding the topic they were talking about.
"Huh? You sure?"
"God… how did it happen?"
"Man… luckily we were delayed from that traffic."
Then Munakata noticed that a news report was showing at a television near her. Her eyes grew big as the reality of the situation hit her hard.
Isumi saw that Munakata was returning to them in a hurry. She signalled Hayase to grab their bags and follow her. They went away from the crowd and was some distances away before Munkata caught up with them.
"Anything?" Isumi inquired.
"Not much. Barely could understand what they were talking about. But I damn sure it got something to do with our destination." Munakata
Hayase looked at her partner and saw a face of hesitation. Isumi took out a small digital pad out from her purse. After logging in her ID and password, Isumi scrolled down the newsfeed to see what is going on. With limited support from their military, they had to rely on their skill on information gathering.
Isumi's eyes grew big while Hayase turned grim as the headline of the news read; "Frontline broken as BETA poured into central London." It was clear to them that the mission was in danger of failing with the current situation. Isumi decided to continue with the mission without consulting with the professor.
"I know that this is bad, but we still are going ahead with it. We need to meet with our client as soon as possible." Isumi tried to remind her team of the importance of their goal.
"You don't need to remind us, Captain." Hayase threw a grin at her partner.
"Like you said, our goal comes first." Munakata reminded Isumi of their squadron motto.
"Alright… Let's not continue to be standing here all day. Come on." Hayase cheered her comrade on.
Isumi smiled at her charges. Not long ago, she was just like them. Determined to save the world. A sense of regret filled Isumi's heart as she feared that her girls will suffer greatly as she did when she first entered close combat. Many of her friends… gone in an instant.
As many people started to queue up to the counter to change their flights, the three girls picked up their baggage and proceeded to the boarding gate of their destination.
At the intersection of M1 and M25.
"And let me get this right… You did not only make her fall in love with you… you actually had feelings for her too?" The driver shook his head in disbelief.
"And that, my friends, how I avoid the hell out of his troubles…" Taira smiled evilly at Narumi's confession.
"Jesus! Boy, you caused more trouble than the BETA even did… Are you stupid or something?" The driver voiced out angrily.
"Hey! This has nothing to do with you, ok? Besides, I prefer that you don't get involved with this…" Narumi looked away as he tried to save some pride left in him.
Udy remained quiet since the revelation of Narumi's scandal started.
"Hey! Something's wrong?" Taira noticed how Udy was keeping a grim stare at the road ahead.
"Is it normal for this road to be empty?" Udy spoke at last.
"Huh? Well, normally it should be filled with some traffic but with these days, I hardly notice."
"Udy, are you getting worry over nothing?" Narumi ask casually.
"Standard protocol stated all resupply and reinforcement must be done during the night to avoid attacks from the RFL."
The driver felt a chill down his spine when Udy stated the UK military standard protocol. There were many attacks done by the RFL that affected many of his comrades, including him.
"Hey… Now you said it… I just notice how quiet it is…" The driver slowed his speed and dim his headlight.
"Ah… guys? What's going on here?" Both passengers at the back asked together.
Udy took out a sidearm and cocked it to arm it. The driver tightens his grip at the steering wheel. Both men darkened their facial expression and scan the horizon.
"What's our callsign?" Udy took out the walkie-talkie.
"Let me have that… Zulu-1. Zulu-1. This is Delta-34, over."
There were only static over the com. Something was not right.
"Zulu-1. Zulu-1. This is Delta-34. How copy, over."
The silent unnerved the driver even more. Normally there will be a lady on the other side who will reply to his call. For the past few months, the driver and the coms officer had a nice friendship together.
"Come on… answer please…"
"Zulu-1. This is Delta-34. Please answer, over." His tone was becoming desperate.
"Why am I getting this dreaded feeling from you guys?" Taira was getting uncomfortable with the developing situation.
"Shits! Why did you have to say it?" Narumi groaned in panic.
Udy kept his grim face and scanned the road for any signs of trouble. The guys at the back knew both men at the front were more experienced and senior in this matter. Even though they themselves were lieutenant, they were still rookie officers in the field.
"Hey! What's there?" Taira pointed out the shadow that he noticed moving in front of them.
"Hit the light!" Udy barked an order out.
The headlight came back to life, only to reveal a nightmare awaits for them.
"HOLY SHITS-…."
The sounds of metal crushing and the smell of burning tires were the only thing the four of them last remember.
Sendai Base, Japan.
1915hrs.
"Anything?" A certain violet coloured hair kept swinging around the owner. She was pacing around the communication room for the past 20 minutes.
"No, madam. No coms with the team since 1850hrs. Last contact was they were travelling on the M1 highway." A blonde lady read out the details from her com pad.
"I knew I shouldn't agree to their demands."
"Even so, you can't expect to defy the U.N. decision." An elder male officer with red eyes spoke in a deep, husky tone.
"General Radhabinod… If should I seek your advice, I will delightfully inform you." Yuuko made a fake smile to the general.
The commanding officer of the base and in charge of Yuuko's security. Brigadier General Paul Radhabinod.
A famous commander who fought in the Nepal defence when the BETA tried to cross the Himalayas range. That incursion costs many lives, however managed to block and prevent an BETA invasion of India from the north. His division fought alongside with U.N. 6th Army and the Imperial 9th Special Expeditionary Unit. Seeing how determined the 6th Army were, Radhabinod decided to apply for the U.N. to better his country relationship with them.
"Vice-commander. I understand that you prefer to work alone. But as your military adviser, I need to remind you that the lads chose to go. No one else forced them to go." Radhabinod sighed loudly. His eyes had clear signs of fatigue.
"God! Why must you be the blockhead in this one?" Yuuko too sighed loudly in defeat.
"Madam, I have a report of the 'Guard' plan. They are proceeding with the mission." The blonde officer added in. She knew that she need to step before both of her commanders went for each other.
"Ah?! Great news… At least this one I can manage with. How's the target?"
"The target with the package are heading in the same flight as them. Currently on route to Heathrow."
"Wait! Why are they heading Heathrow? With the Beta incursion happening, the flight should redirect to Liverpool instead." Radhabinod was surprised that the flight was still heading toward London.
"Yes. It is true all flights are now redirect to Liverpool… However, we are unable to get any more details of the flight's last minute changes." The officer nearly bit her tongue as the reality of the situation hits them.
"Don't worry about it." Yuuko waved their fears off. "I was expecting them to do that… With what's in stake, they will try to get the package to the group as soon as possible. Even if meeting in a hot zone.
"I knew they were reckless but this is too much." Radhabinod pound his fits together. "Is this why you send the girls instead?"
Yuuko didn't answer immediately. She stared at the slowly incoming reports of the BETA incursion of London at the monitor.
"I hope they can get back here…"
Flight 17 to Heathrow International Airport, London.
Somewhere over Oxford, UK.
December 27, 1535hrs.
"God… If I don't get the hell of this flight soon… I will need a punching bag…" Hayase stretched out her arms to fight off her tiredness.
"How about the cargo bay? There should be enough for you to jack yourself off with." Munakata grinned while still reading a magazine.
"Huh? Did you say something?" Hayase placed her face closer to Munakata.
"What did I say about the noise?" Isumi again silent them. She could not help it but felt sorry for her mother. She had four young girls to take care of… And Isumi was the one who gave her all kinds of trouble.
"Anyway… How's our target?" Munakata decided to focus on the mission. Isumi just nodded towards the direction of their interest.
Just five rows in front of them was a couple together near the mid-section of the plane. The guy was tall, well-build. Had a buzzcut and black suit. Almost like a prisoner than a bodyguard. The other one was a girl. Short blue hair with green eyes. Fair skin. No doubt she was a Japanese. Beside she stood out like a sore thumb. She was wearing a golden military uniform. Only Imperial Guard wear them. Many in the flight avoided them like the plague.
"I almost feel sorry for the girl." Munakata gave her sympathy coldly.
"Don't worry. She knows what she's getting into." Hayase also gave her two-cent into the matter.
"That might not be the case." Isumi finally broke off her gaze to the target and turned towards her subordinate. "I had been noticing that she had this sad expression. Whatever it is, she didn't sign up for it."
"Hmm… If that is the case, maybe we could use her to our advantage and-…"
"Hey… Look! Is she getting scolded by the guy?" Hayase cut out Munakata mid-sentence.
They watched from their seats as the guy turned to the girl and smacked the top of her head hard. They could see that the girl body language spoke of fear and intimidation. The guy continued with his bullying for the next ten minutes.
"Alright… Maybe we could get more details from her. Munakata, see if you could try to get her attention. Hayase, you and I will be the bait for the guy."
"Ooooh… Going to love pounding the hell out of him." Hayase slowly cracked with knuckles.
"Not yet. There are still people around. Wait till the airport, then we make our move." Munakata protested.
"Nice idea. I was hoping to end it now before he could get away. We will wait till we land." Isumi was glad her teammates were dependable when needed to.
The plane was not full of people as many decided to cancel their flight because of the frontline broken through. Seeing the trio was seated alone at the tail section of the plane, they had the privacy to plan out their mission.
Hayase heard a slap at the front and stood up to get a better sight of the situation.
The imperial guard started to fight off her male guard. They struggled to wrestle each other down. Isumi saw that the girl had a black box in her hand.
"NOO! YOU SAID THAT THIS IS FOR MY FAMILY!"
"SHUT UP AND GIVE ME THAT! YOU STUPID BITCH!"
"HEY! WHAT THE HELL YOU THINK YOU DOING?!" Hayase yelled out in anger and ran down the aisle towards the girl.
"HAYASE!" Munakata shouted out at her partner as the whole passengers of the flight turned towards them.
"Fuck!" Isumi cursed as she realised that it was going too easy for them.
"Come on! I can take you all on!" Hayase gave a defiant warcry.
"Cute… Alright, don't kill them. The boss will need to ask a few things with them." A crewcut male air steward said to his friends as they prepare to capture the four girls.
The imperial guard managed to break off with her attacker and ran towards the safety of Isumi's open arms.
"Please! I didn't think they would do this…" Isumi heard the guard said in between her sobbing cries.
"Hayase… You think you can handle the ones on the left?" Munakata asked as she was about to face off with a big-sized man.
As the groups were about to do some rumbles in the plane, a cry ran out of the cockpit when the plane went into a steep dive.
There were screams, shrieks and groans of pain, panic and fear in the cabin. Outside, there were flashes of bright lights filled the sky.
"Everyone! Bucket up! We got laser-class in the area!" The captain of the flight ordered at the intercom as his voice trembled with fear.
"COMEON! OVER HERE!" Isumi yelled out to her comrades. Taking the last row at the end of the tail section, they strapped themselves in and grabbed hold of each other.
"GOD! WE WILL MAKE IT!" Hayase told herself to suppress her fear within her.
The plane tossed and swung around to avoid the incoming fires. All that, however, was in vain.
"WE'RE HIT! WE'RE HIT! GODDAMNIT! HOL-..."
Another hit shook the frame of the plane, making a metallic rattling noise.
"HANGO-….!" Isumi screamed out loudly as she saw the tail section broke off from the main section.
Screaming out their lives, the four girls watches in horror as their tail section broke away from the main plane at the exact moment another laser hit the cockpit and erupted in flames.
Sensing death was upon them, all four girls hugged each other in a tight embrace. Not willing to lose each other. Isumi opened her eyes once more only to see a field of snow in front of them… then only the dark and cold depths of being unconscious…
Sendai Base, Japan.
December 28, 0021hrs.
An officer ran down the hall in a hurry. Passing through the empty corridor, he caught sight of his main objection.
"MADAM!" He yelled out to get her attention.
"Huh?" Yuuko turned around to see a breathless officer trembling in front of her. His shaking right hand in the air, holding a piece of paper. No word could be formed in the officer breathless state. Yuuko took the paper and read its content. A moment of fear and dread filled her mind as Yuuko walked past the officer without saying a word.
Back in the command room, Yuuko scanned the room for someone who can help to fill in her the detail.
"General!" General Radhabinod turned to see a flushed Yuuko. "Is it true?"
"I'm not sure too. All contact with London had been lost. They having a huge crisis in their hand. Not much is known with flight 17. I'm getting my trusted sources on it as we speak." Radhabinod knew that his words mean little to her.
"Please! Please do so…" Yuuko spoke in between breaths.
Radhabinod was surprised that her request. Seeing the fear in her eyes, he knew he have earned her respect and trust. "Understood… Get me HQ online now!"
Yuuko was indeed scared. Not because of her captain whom she can replace with anyone in her list. But the package itself. Her life's works. All of them was inside that black box. The one that the RFL stole from her three days ago, the one that can save humanity.
Yuuko noticed at the corner of her eyes, a pair of bunny ears appeared beside her.
"Yashiro Kasumi?" Radhabinod also noticed the newcomer to the room. Only those in the room knew of her relationship with the Vice-commander.
"Yashiro… Why are y-…"
"He will save them."
"Huh?" Everyone said in unison.
"Senpai will save them… Like he promised he wou-…" The little girl fell forward only for Radhabinod to catch her midway.
"Yuuko! What's wrong with her?" Yuuko didn't looked at him. She just stared at Yashiro's sleeping face and turned towards the monitor with the map of London on it.
"Get me Jason Dark now…"
Somewhere near London.
It was cold and damp to the touch. A whirlpool of pain hit the brain like a sledgehammer meeting it. A groaning sound could be heard, followed by a dreaded noise of burning.
"Hayase…"
"…"
"Hayase…"
"…"
"HAYASE!"
Hearing the loud sound of her name screaming into her mind, Hayase woke up to a scene from hell. Around her was a sea of flames. Everything and everywhere was burning. The snowfall added a weird mix of calm and terror to the scene. Wondering who was calling her and where she was, Hayase rubbed her eyes and scanned the area.
"HEY! HAYASE!"
Taken by surprised, Hayase turned to her right to Munakata, still in her seat, dangling in air on a piece of the broken fuselage. Munakata could only smile at Hayase.
"Hey, how long are you planning to look at me, huh?"
"MUNAKATA!" Hayase cried out. Her blue eyes filled with tears of joy.
Munakata was taken back by Hayase's reaction. Unable to hold back her tears too, she joined in her comrade moment of happiness.
After a joyful reunion, the two girls looked around their surrounding for any signs of life.
"Do you see the captain?" Hayase asked worriedly.
"Nope… I think we were out for a few hours…" Munakata felt every part of her body wanting to collapse onto the floor.
"Do you see any weapon?"
"Huh? Why do you think I will see a weapon in this-…" Hayase closed her mouth mid-way… She just realised the sequence of events that happened before the crash.
"What make you think we will be able to fight 'them' with a weapon in hand?"
Munakata didn't answered. She just faced Hayase directly. Her eyes was unmoving and cold.
"Oh!... It's not for them, I see…"
"I hope we will not have to reach that decision…" Munakata added to comfort themselves. "Come on, we still need to find the captain."
The mood was tense. As they walked past twisted metal and flames from the depth of hell, Hayase and Munakata tried their best to push on forward, knowing every step and decision they made will depend whether they will survive the night.
Far from the wreckage of Flight 17, lies another mingled fuselage hidden in a forested area. As the snow slowly buried the site, a hand suddenly popped out of the snow. The owner of the hand pulled itself out and grasped for air. Coughing out the blood in her throat, she crawled away from her snowy prison. Toward an oak tree that was not damaged during the crash. Her right leg had a cut from the hip to the knee. It was not deep but was bleeding heavily. Her arms felt numb and unresponsive. Her spine burned with pain as she pushed herself up against the tree.
"Ha… ha… ha…" The girl took a couple of deep breaths but her chest felt as if they were on fire. She looked around to see if there was anyone alive. Sadly, there were none.
"Is..th-there anyone… out there?" Her raspy voice echoed throughout the forest. Only the falling snow were the ones keeping her company.
Sob…
Her eyes began to tear up. Her pain was slowly replaced by anger and regret. Her every decision since that day had all lead to nothing. Only suffering she met since that day.
"So… m-much… of 'no regrets'… 'sob'…" Her voice cracked under the pressure. She looked up at the dark sky, wishing to take everything back. To change everything back as they were.
"What am I… t-trying to do, huh?" The girl checked her torn up uniform. Her skirt was badly ripped apart, so she decided to make them into a very short shirt while using the remaining as an improvised bandage to her leg wound.
She looked around once more and saw a shiny object in between a piece of metal sheet and a boulder. She made her way painfully to the object and saw it was the same box that she was made to carry since the airport.
"All this for this dumb box?" She examined the box and found that the lock was a biometric lock. Even if they managed to give it to the person at London, he will still need the owner to open it.
"And here I thought they were going to serve a better course…" The girl felt a tinge of sadness in her. All she wants was to make sure no one else need to sacrifice themselves again for the sake of humanity. She understands that the world needs to be saved… but at her family cost… she was not willing to let anyone in her family.
"Now what?" The girl sighed in despair. Then she heard a metallic click sound behind her.
"How about you start giving me an explanation?" A female voice spoke in serious tone.
The girl turned slowly around to see her attacker. It was the same female officer whom she ran into during the fight.
"Y-you are alive?" The girl expressed disbelief.
"Oh? Were you expecting me to be dead?" The female officer tilt her head cockily.
"N-no! W-what I m-mean was…" The girl stumbled at her speech.
"Hmm… Alright. Let me see that wound of yours first." The female officer offered her assistant.
"Huh? No. This is nothing. Really!"
"Now. That's an order." Her tone was unpleasing but surprising motherly-like. The girl gave up in her protest and made her way towards the officer. They sat down on the snowy ground and did a check on the wound.
"It's not that bad. Your skill in first-aid is impressing."
"That's nothing to be proud of." The girl rebuked her saviour remark.
"Regardless, what you did in the flight was commendable. I have never seen such brave girl for quite some time." The officer softens her expression.
"They promised me that they help me to clean up the corruption in the guard… I was a fool to believe in them." The girl turned grim as she remembered all the events leading to their current situation.
"It seems to me that they targeted your weakness… Let me guess… it's your family."
"Huh? How did you know?" The girl looked at the officer with shock.
"Hehehe… I, too, did the same thing as you did… only different is that it leads me to my promotion."
"Ah… isn't that rubbing in my face?" the girl pouted lightly at the officer's sarcastic remark.
The air around them slowly dissolved into an aura of cheerfulness. The girl soon relaxed and let her guard down. Seeing it, the officer decided to make her move. Still wrapping the girl's wound, the officer eyed the black box which the girl had placed beside her without realising it.
"Eh, you know I can see what you are planning…" The officer darted her eyes back to the grinning girl. Her spacious awareness was amazing. To be able to read her opponent was something that should not be taken lightly. The officer smiled at her rival.
"You might be able to overcome me one day." The officer thought of the girl potential.
"For someone who can read minds, you seem to be lacking in it during the flight…"
The officer's remark was brutal. The girl knew that she was naïve in believing the group.
"Yeah… I know that… I-I just want…" The girl trailed off.
"…"
"Aaah… it's kind of weird with you staring at me like that."
"Why did you request the transfer?" The officer blurted out.
"Huh?!"
"I was there when they drag you out… It was not a pretty scene to see." The officer turned away and smiled at the image of the girl being pulled by the hand away from the office.
"I joined up with the imperial because my dad works with them as an advisor. When I was training with them, I saw an incident with a civilian that made me wonder who we are fighting for." Her facial expression was sad as memories of the past hit her like a train. "After that, I started to think what I am doing here and when my little brother got daft-…"
The officer could tell that the girl in front of her was exactly like her. A doting older sister. Her heart could not stand to see her siblings going to war. With the male population almost going to extinct, it was understandable for her to feel that way. Who wants to see their little brother going to war which he will not return.
"So you decided to join the U.N instead?" The officer waited for the girl to reply.
"…eh… yeah… more like, 'that witch will make you stronger.' to that effect."
The officer burst out in laughter. The girl shrink down in shame as the laughter went on for a while.
"So… you heard of the 'witch'?" The girl just nodded.
"Yes… from the NCO. They heard it during the briefing three weeks ago. Since the Gwangju Operation, the imperial guard had been researching on the U.N."
The officer turned stiff at the revelation. This news must be told to the vice-commander, she noted.
"The trial has yet to be completed. Yet the guard are planning something…" the officer spoke her mind.
"I would normally agree with the general's decision but to sacrifice a foreign army is still morally wrong."
"Hmm…" The officer listened more to the girl's analysis.
"Well, it is true that we should save as many lives as possible, we still need to take account of the resource to provide to the group. We have barely enough for our family, let alone for tens of thousands of refugees."
Her analysis was true. When Lieutenant-General Ayamine sent his forces to provide protection to the refugees who were denied access by the other countries in Asia, the result was one thousand two hundred refugees rescued at the cost of twenty thousand military personnel from U.N. 12th Army. One of the heavily losses suffered by the U.N. The outcome was a scandal that it rocked the very core of the Imperial Japan. Had been the one to lose so many lives, the U.N. committee wanted the General Ayamine to be handed over to them for an international military tribunal. Caught in the crosshair, the Prime Minister Sakaki Kurechika had to choose over the domestic support for the general or the complete withdrawn of all U.N. forces in Japan and their support for the Alternative IV. It was understandable that the prime minister made a difficult choice. The one that caused a split in the Japanese population.
"If can, I would prefer to save both the refugees and the U.N. forces." The girl still had the pride and determination in her. Many had lost it or forgot about it.
"Well, you think you can do better in the U.N?"
"Yes… not only that but to improve the relationship with the Japanese military. We are all in this fight together." Her smile ignited something in the officer's heart. One that she had when she left her home so long ago.
"Alright, then how did you get involved with this?" the officer pointed at the box.
"Eh…? Oh… this…." The girl took a moment before continuing with her side of the story. "When I was debating on the transfer, a sergeant in my company was also looking a way out. I seek out for his advice and together, we decided that we need some support outside. He said that he had a contact out in London and need a package to be deliver to him. It was at that time, my commander forced me and him to take part in an exchange programme with the UK Armed Forces when he heard of my transfer request. Everyone gave me hell of it… including the sergeant."
The girl felt a chill ran down her spine as the thoughts of the group bullying and shame-calling came back in her mind.
"Two days ago, the sergeant appeared near the woman locker room. I just finished my running and was alone in the room when he came in. He told me to pack my stuff and follow him immediately. I did what he asks me and soon after, we were off the road heading to another imperial guard base. I didn't know where I was. There was a red-haired man at the base greeted us and passed the sergeant the black box and told us to go to Sendai asap."
The information was juicy enough to drool over but the officer steady herself and kept listening.
"Along the way, I kept asking about the box but he refused. Saying that my family will have a better future and my brother's draft will be revoked." The girl hanged her head down as she felt her heart tugged in panic.
"But that was all a lie… I was stupid to believe in such hope…"
"Is hope a lie?"
"Huh?"
"It was not wrong for you to partake such hope in your heart…" The officer said while gazing into the girl's eyes.
"We have been in this war longer than you and I have… our parents and grandparents had suffered a lot since their arrival. And even so when Kyoto fell…"
The girl sighed in sadness at the mention of Kyoto.
"Half the world population are gone… and so will we if we don't strive to overcome this nightmare. If there was a tiny chance to change this outcome, I would gladly take it with no regards… better to act than to wait."
The girl realised the meaning of the officer's words and felt relieved.
"Come on… We will need to get you to nearest aid station." The officer put the girl's right arm around her.
"Eh?! There is no nee-…" The officer cut her off.
"By the way, I didn't introduce myself. I am Isumi Michiru. From the U.N. 9th Army."
"Ah? OH! Hehehe… I am Cadet Kashiwagi Haruko. 2nd Guard Regiment."
Somewhere away from the crash.
15 mins later.
The snowfall was getting heavier by the minute. Isumi was getting a hard time dragging herself and the cadet across an open field in knee-deep snow.
"Captain, we should have stay in the forest. We will have better shelter." Kashiwagi said as her breath forming in front of her.
"No… We need to get out of here." Isumi said in between breath.
"Why?"
Haven't you heard? The frontline was broken. There are BETA everywhere at the open plains."
Kashiwagi grew cold hearing the news. No one told her that. She thought that this was a quick delivery. Send and go. Not a one-way trip.
"They were planning to kill us, huh? Leave no witnesses…" Her remark had no remorse.
"Life is a bitch sometimes…" Isumi added. "It will always find a way to throw a curveball at you."
"Hmm? Seems to me that you had some thrown at you, captain." Kashiwagi laughed.
"You know that I can order you to walk all the way to field aid, right?" Kashiwagi saw Isumi's grin and felt a chill in her.
"You are not that cold… are you?"
"Wanna try?" Isumi issued a challenge. Kashiwagi went silent for a while before both girls bursts out in laughter.
They continued their journey in the snow. Luck was on their side as the sky cleared up and with the full moon, helped to illuminate the field.
"Wow… I never seen such heavy snowfall like this before." Kashiwagi gasped in awe.
"We are in Europe so the climate here is a bit different from back home." Isumi added as they struggled to walk properly in the knee-deep snow.
"Permission to speak freely, madam."
"You didn't need my permission. We are alone together, away from any military formations." Isumi joked.
"How did you know about this box?" Kashiwagi felt the captain's heartrate went a little faster.
"A couple days ago, someone broke into our main secured warehouse." Isumi knew that she was breaking every rule in the book but she felt that by telling the truth, she might be able to uncover the secret group behind the thief.
"They took a high-value memory drive from the place. The content was classified to me so I can't tell you about it. We managed to get a tip-off that the suspects in the thief was in your flight. And here we are…"
Kashiwagi brought her face closer to Isumi's neck. Feeling ashamed for her action, she begun to think of her family.
"Will I go to jail for this?" Isumi could tell that Kashiwagi was afraid.
"It depends…"
"Depend on what?" Kashiwagi lift her head up.
"On whether or not, we getting the hell out of this place first."
Sendai Base, Japan
December 28, 0121hrs.
"Sir! We have direct line with the commander." The communication officer informed the old general.
"Alright. Put him on screen."
The widescreen changed in statics before an image of a man appeared before them.
Wearing the standard uniform of the U.N. military, the man had a lot of scars on his face. One of them was a brutal cut along the forehead. His blue eyes were cold in their glare, making everyone in the room uncomfortable. Sporting a crewcut hair that was aligned with the military guideline, one might presumed that he came from a family of military officers.
"Well… Look who's calling so late…" The man smirked happily.
"Enough with your jokes… I'm not calling for a chat. Someone here wants to speak with you." Radhabinod turned away and another face popped into the screen.
"Dark…" The man stiffened his facial expression when he saw her.
"Yuuko…"
The officers felt the air tensed up as the duo were about to have a face-off.
"You must know why I'm seeking your help… so can you?" Yuuko didn't give any chance for debate.
"Always straight forward with you… I can't help you with the current situation in that place. My hands are full with the bleeding if you haven't notices…" Radhabinod didn't know that the duo had ever met before. But the way both of them speaks to each other, it was clearly to everyone in the room that the "Witch" and the "Saviour" had some 'interactions' before.
"Can you provide me assistant?" Yuuko blurt out loudly.
The man saw the fear in her and realized that she was taking a beating from the situation.
"I'm sorry… but I can't send anyone to search for them…"
Yuuko felt her angry boiling inside her. She really can't lose now… not after what she had to do to reach her goals.
"But…" Yuuko perked up at the word. "I just received a report that Delta-34 went missing on route to their staging ground… You know as well as I, that man is your only hope to find them…"
"You mean…" Yuuko was about to grasp any hope that the man was about to provide.
"Your sister saved him… He owes both of you his thanks…"
"How will he find them?" Yuuko found the situation impossible to believe.
"The same way how I found Lise… By luck." Jason Dark smiled wickedly at his beautiful rival.
Somewhere near London.
A few hours later
The journey was hard for the girls as the snow made walking a tiring exercise. Even though it was about evening time, the sky was darkened by the storm clouds that threatened to unleash hell to the ground.
"Captain… We should take a break." Kashiwagi ran out of breaths just to speak and her exhausted body didn't help them with their current situation.
"Yeah… We can take shelter under that tree." Isumi pointed to a huge tree. At the base of it was a small hole. There was a space enough for both of them to fit.
Isumi laid Kashiwagi back against the tree bark and went out to gather some branches and leaves to make a small fire.
The two girls cuddled together around the campfire for warmth. Isumi checked again at Kashiwagi's leg wound. It has stopped bleeding and there were no signs of infection.
"The weather is not helping us at all, huh?" Kashiwagi joked lightly.
"Well… I would consider us as we haven't spotted any Beta around the area." Isumi paused ominously before resuming her analysis.
"However, the fact we haven't met anyone or came across any villages or town is unsettling to say the least."
Kashiwagi looked down at her feet in despair. Isumi didn't want to make her companion distress, however she's not the type to sugar-coat her words. Especially when their outcome was the worse one…
Isumi ran through her mind to find something to change the mood around them. Not knowing too well about the young girl, Isumi was having difficulties in understanding the girl's personality. Normally she would spend a lot of time with her men in order to bring their fullest potential and maintain a healthy morale in the unit. However, seeing the young girl's true desires, Isumi could not help it but thinking of herself in the girl.
"Where are you from?" Isumi decided to open up Kashiwagi's heart to get a better understanding.
"Huh? Oh! Umm… I was from Yokohama… before 'they' came…" Kashiwagi's expression darken as memories of her past flooded into her mind.
"Ah I see…" Isumi just stared at her intensely. "Did your family managed to reach the safe zone?"
"Yes. We did… Some guys from the U.N. and the Imperial Guards found us in the nick of time. We were surrounded by those tank class and my dad almo-…" Kashiwagi trailed off her words as she felt uncomfortable remembering the event.
"It's ok if you wish not to disclose anymore. I understand your pain. I had been there before." Isumi reassured her.
There was a moment of silence between them. Unable to continue with the talk, Isumi decided to call it a day and wanted Kashiwagi to take a rest first.
"But Captain!" Kashiwagi protested.
"No but. You will follow my ord-…" Isumi got cut off mid-sentence when a loud roar hit their eardrums like a train slamming into a brick wall.
"What was that?!" Both girls jumped up in fright.
"No… No.. NONONONO…" Isumi turned to see a frightened Kashiwagi holding her arms together around her waist. She was shaking uncontrollably and her green eyes were screaming in fear. Something about the roar shook the very core of her.
"Hey! Snap out of it!" Isumi slapped hard at the crying girl's face.
The slap woke Kashiwagi up from her nightmarish state. "Ah!... I… I'm s-sorry…"
"Later! Now is not the time. Let's get the hell out of here!" Isumi grabbed Kashiwagi by her left arm and did a fireman lift.
"AH! CAPT-…" Kashiwagi tried to protest but the sound of rumbling could be heard near them.
"SHITS!" Isumi cursed out loudly as the tree they were hiding in started to break apart.
They drove away from the falling tree, only to be greeted with a horrible sight. A solider class Beta.
Its left arm smacked away Isumi from Kashiwagi, breaking three of her ribcage.
Landed a few meters away, Isumi could barely stand up. Her mouth was filled with her own blood and saliva.
Her watery eyes caught sight of Kashiwagi as her blood-curdling screams only attracts more Beta.
The beta had its right hand in a tight grip on Kashiwagi's head. Feeling the intense pressure applied on all side of her head, Kashiwagi could only scream out the pain. The beta took its time to savour its meal. The almost smiling beta yanked at Kashiwagi's leg wound, causing it to open. Fresh warm blood flow down its arm, exciting the bloodlust beast.
"Nooo…" Isumi could only moan in angry as she struggled to pull out her sidearm.
Kashiwagi fought hard to escape the beta's gripe but it made the pressure to be more painful. She could feel a warm breath surrounding her left leg as the solider class was about to take its first bite. Kashiwagi thought of her family back home, regretting every decision she had made since joining up with the army. She wished that things could be different had she listen to her friend's advice. Knowing her younger brother was about to enlist, she signed up with the Imperial Guard to try to prevent her brother's enlistment. If only she could prevent her family to suffer more pain… if only someone could help her…
Kashiwagi stopped screaming, instead she decided to accept her fate and embrace her death. She could feel the beta roared loudly before swopping down to take her flesh apart.
Nothing.
No pain.
No sound.
Only thing she could hear was her heartbeat. Kashiwagi was surprised…
"This is death, right?" Kashiwagi asked herself.
She felt a cold sensation at her back. Her head doesn't ache anymore. She opened her eyes to the world. It was snowing. Snowflakes falling upon her bruised face.
"Huh? What's going on?" Kashiwagi looked down to her legs. They were still hers to use. She was laying down on the snow-filled ground. Before her, was the solider-class beta. Both of its arms cut off at the elbow. It seems to be screaming in pain. The fierce look it had was no longer there. Only fear. Then she saw it.
A pair of metallic swords. Attached to them were two human forearms. Dripping in blood. A dark figure of a man stood before Kashiwagi and the beta.
Kashiwagi's hearing came back to her and the first thing she caught wind of was the following sentence; "Dark protocol activated. Strike Mode enter."
In the U.N. Adminstration building.
New York, America.
A young office lady ran past a couple of people, not stopping to apologise for her behaviour. She was carrying something important to her work and she knew well enough that it will cause her management a lot of headache.
Reaching her destination, the young lady disregard the secretary who was trying to stop her, and open the office wooden door.
"SIR!" Her tone and expression told the man in the room all that he needed to know.
"Sigh… Let me make the call…" The man gestured the two ladies that he wants to be alone.
With the door shut closed, the man turned to the monitor in front of him. Keying a few codes and he was soon in a video-call with another man.
"Tell her that once she is done, get her stuff ready and head out with the 666th. He will need her now."
"WHAT?! You mean it has been activated?" The man on the screen expressed his dismay.
"It seems destiny had played its hand in this matter." And with that, he ended the call. Leading back into his leather chair, the man took out a cigarette and lit it up.
"Mr Jason? Are you smoking?" A woman's voice rang out from the closed door.
The man grinned before looking up to the ceiling.
"Now… What will you do to keep that secret of yours… hmm?"
A/N: Well, my feelings are all over the place with my health scare, the latest episode of Gundam Iron-Blooded Orphans and the Trump news. Trust me, I tried to be neutral as much as possible. But there are people who wants you to pick a side… Nevermind, hope you guys like how the story is going. I try to finish up with chapter 6 (it is 3/5 done) asap. Not sure when I can release as I have a few appointments with the doctors in the coming weeks. I would like to thank you for reading and liking this story. Really means a lot to me. If you have anything to say (good or bad), please do drop a comment or review on it. I do read them so don't be shy! With that said, I will see you in the next chapter of Valkyrie-624. Till then, I see you in the higher ground.