A/N: Welcome back~

Of note, this will be the last chapter until the 4th of January. This is done mostly so I can fit more Christmas and New Year's fics into December, but also to give me a bit of time to plot and plan with future chapters - I've got a general layout, but I need to iron out a lot of the finer details.

That aside, do enjoy~

Halo

Chapter 13: High Calibre

Puffing out breaths at a steady pace Shiroko ran down the desolate streets of Abydos; her extensive running experience allowing her to pace her breathing and not overexert herself.

It was dark out by now; the night sky reigning overhead and the stars glittering amongst them, no clouds to obscure the distant twinkles. The lack of any man-made lights also helped with that; the entire street unlit, not even the street-lights turned out, which was both a blessing and a curse. On one hand it meant that it would be harder for anyone to see them, but on the other hand it was also harder for them to see; often tripping and stumbling over discarded metal cans, scraps of metal or a small but prominent sand dune that spilled out of a shop window.

Thankfully their eyes had adjusted enough to the dark that they could make their way down the long-abandoned streets of Abydos, having little fear about being caught out under the cover of night; even the Helmet Gang weren't bold enough to go wandering around outside, if only because they'd sooner trip and knock themselves out than actually find anything of interest.

'Although...' Shiroko narrowed her eyes, staring up at the drone flying high overhead.

Even in the darkness it stood out like a sore thumb, what with its tall, cylindrical design and yellow paint faded by the harsh sandstorms that Abydos had. A red light blinked at the top and a green underneath, possibly for guidance or some other reason, but regardless of the why it was one of the only reasons they were able to keep track of it thus far. That, and the quick-thinking of Ayane who monitored the signals it occasionally sent out.

However whilst she herself was able to run long distances without much issue, the other two... not so much. Serika was handling it well enough, panting but determined, however Ayane was never the most active of them – she was a techie, the person who stayed behind the front lines and helped coordinate their efforts. As such she carefully kept an eye on her friend as well, slowing her pace at times so the other two could get a breather before forcing them to pick the pace back up; exchanging a constant marathon for sprinting bursts. Not ideal, but it was better than having Ayane lag behind and possibly get separated from them in the darkness.

''Ugh!'' Serika groaned out. ''How much further is this thing going to go?!''

''Depends on where the central base is. Assuming it's going there, of course.'' Shiroko answered calmly, scanning the skies for any other drones just in case. ''If so, it might take us out of Abydos territory.''

Serika balked. ''T-That's like another hundred kilometres! We'll pass out before we even get close to that!''

''A-Assuming-'' Ayane cut in, panting heavily. ''-that the drone is leaving the territory in the first place.''

Shiroko hummed at that, the wide street yawning before them in the darkness; shadows shifting as the moonlight gradually changed angles and reflected off of objects. ''How far can you track the signals from?''

''Not far. If I had a tracker on it or something, then maybe for a hundred kilometres, but while only tracking the signal it releases... probably only a couple kilometres at most. Ten or so if I was on top of a building and had better reception.''

Serika clicked her tongue. ''Damn it.''

Shiroko was about to answer but noticed a glint – and then her instincts screamed a warning and she threw herself to one side.

Not a second too late as a thunderous boom clapped through the darkened street; a bullet speeding past her head and piercing through the lamppost behind her, blowing it to one side in a shower of illuminating sparks.

''Sniper!'' Shiroko called out.

Their collective reaction, one trained over years of practice against the gangs around Abydos, kicked in and they all threw themselves behind the nearest available cover. Trusting her friends to handle themselves Shiroko rolled thrice and grasped onto a lamppost before hauling herself behind a sandy concrete barricade, laying prone behind it.

A second later a massive chunk was outright blown apart as another high-calibre round exploded through it. The wolf-girl grimaced as chunks of concrete pelted her back and head but got her elbows under herself and started to crawl; using the row of old barricades as cover and making her way over to the edge; the small outcropping of an old department store hanging over them and a wall jutting out, enough that Shiroko was able to leap to her feet and duck behind it. The outer edge exploded a split-second later, chunks of debris sailing past, but the shooter didn't bother wasting a second shot.

''Where the hell are they?!'' Serika shouted, and when Shiroko looked she noticed Serika doing the same thing she'd been; hiding behind the barricades. Ayane on the other hand was further back, laid behind a burnt-out car.

''Don't know.'' Shiroko dared to peek – and winced as she ducked back just in time to dodge another bullet, but the debris that hit her in the face still hurt. ''Further down the street? High up. Fourth or fifth floor, possibly rooftop. Seems like a high-calibre gun.''

''Duh.'' Serika grumbled. ''.50 cal?''

''Bigger I think.'' Shiroko mused, looking at the hole left in the concrete. ''Anti-material rifle at least. Maybe as big as a 20mm. I remember seeing someone on the TV use them once.''

''Great. Just great.'' Serika hissed in irritation, though Shiroko knew it wasn't directed at her. ''So what do we do?''

What do they do, indeed. Shiroko grimaced as she cycled through the ideas in her head. Contacting Sensei was out; it would take him and the others hours to get to their exact location, not even mentioning the fact that he was currently busy with a base in Millennium and the fact that it would put him in mortal danger too. Getting hit by a regular bullet would wound and possibly kill him, but with a gun as big as their opponent's... he'd be a fine red mist if he got hit.

No; Sensei was out. There wasn't anyone else they could contact either; while they had a few friends outside of Abydos, the key word was 'few' – and none of them were likely to be in Abydos at the moment, least of all at this time of night. They were on their own for this. Taking that into account Shiroko swept her gaze over the unlit street, her brow furrowing as she tried to see anything they could use.

However if they were being shot at in this dim light, the chances that the sniper was using a thermal optic or night-vision of some kind was high. Sneaking away probably wasn't an option.

''Shiroko?'' Serika impatiently asked.

''I'm thinking.'' Shiroko murmured back, chewing on her button lip. ''What about the department building?''

''I don't think we can dig through that much sand.'' Serika countered.

Shiroko grimaced but had to agree, peeking from the corner of her eye. The entire ground floor of the department store was absolutely flooded with sand reaching up to the ceiling; while digging through it was possible... if this sniper had reinforcements heading their way, all it would mean was that they'd get caught in a one-way tunnel with nowhere to hide. Not even bringing into question the stability of the building itself; the last thing any of them needed was it collapsing on them – a worryingly-high prospect in Abydos, considering the generally bad state of disrepair the buildings were in.

No, that was out too. That left only one option she could think of; counter-attack.

''I'll draw fire again.'' Shiroko stated. ''Serika you open fire on them. Don't worry about hitting them, just keep their head down. I'll deploy my drone and blast them; at this range it probably won't hit, but it'll buy us some time to run. Ayane, the second the drone goes up, run back the way we came and duck into the nearest alleyway. We'll retreat.''

''Damn it.'' Serika hissed the words out, but the grimace on her face made it clear she understood it was the only logical choice. ''Fine. Do it.''

Shiroko nodded, unzipping her back and laying it by her feet, before finally poking her head out. The concrete exploded even as she jerked her head back, a bullet whizzing past and destroying the ground behind her – but Serika was already moving, standing up from cover and spraying a full clip in the direction of the shot, the flash of her gun blinding in the otherwise still darkness. Shiroko moved into the open, stomping down on her drone's concealed pressure-plate, causing it to rise up just as Ayane rose from cover and bolted-

-only for her rocket drone to suddenly explode; a bullet piercing straight through the centre, hitting the battery pack within.

There was no time to dodge, to think. An explosion ripped through the air as all eight anti-personnel rockets detonated, throwing Shiroko back into something and knocking the breath from her, her left side spiking with hot agony from the velocity she was launched at. Her ears rung and even when she blinked the splotches in her vision refused to fade, taking several moments that seemed to last for an eternity before they finally began to clear.

Even then there was a painful, overlapping double-image effect to her vision, forcing her eyes shut even as she fumbled for her weapon, finding it just under her – still attached by the sling, thankfully. Gripping the top of it Shiroko rolled onto her side, coughing as she looked about, her eyes stinging from the haze of smoke that lingered in the air. The explosion had sent her into the sand bank just a few feet away but her side had struck a metal pole that had once supported windows, which explained the soreness in her side. Durability didn't mean immunity to pain.

However as she gazed around she noticed she didn't see Ayane, the spark of worry prompting her to try and stand. Her whole world tilted at that but she gritted her teeth and pushed through it; grabbing the metal pole for support and stumbling to her feet, her right foot nearly slipping out from under her when she stood on loose sand. The concrete barricades had been blown to smithereens too, she noticed, and the hole she saw a half-dozen feet in front of her wasn't there last she checked.

''Ayane... Serika...?'' Shiroko coughed out, shaking her head to clear her vision only to immediately regret it – a sudden, violent headache battering at her forehead. ''Mn...''

''Ugh...'' Serika's voice though gave her some much-needed clarity. ''What happened...?''

The cat-girl was just a few feet away, partially buried under the rubble of some concrete and metal; all of which shifted as she rose back up.

In the open.

''Seri-!''

A boom, and Serika's whole body jerked backwards as she was struck in the head – the sheer force contained within the single bullet sending her down onto her side, her halo flickering away into nothing as she was knocked out cold.

Shiroko gripped her rifle tighter, putting her back to the wall to support herself. ''Ayane...?!''

No response came, but whether that was because she was also knocked out or because she'd gotten away, she didn't know. The thought made her grimace and she was about to try and peek again... when her phone rung.

Blinking in surprise it took until the third ring for Shiroko to pick up; fumbling with it in the process and nearly dropping it, but managing to hit the green 'answer' button and bring up Ayane's profile picture, her voice coming through it.

''Shiroko, are you alright? I heard an explosion but didn't look back to-''

''They got my drone.'' Shiroko interrupted; coughing as her throat got scratchy. ''Serika's out cold. Got her in the head.''

There was a moment of silence, and Shiroko suspected if Ayane was more vulgar she'd be cursing up a storm. ''...I understand. I'll send my medical drone by-''

''I can't reach her at the moment. I'm still pinned.''

''I know.'' Ayane's answer gave Shiroko pause. ''Do you have a grenade on you?''

''Yes...?''

''Throw it at the drone. When you hear it explode, run. The smoke should help cover your escape. Take Serika with you. In these conditions the smoke should remain for five to seven seconds. Maybe longer if you're lucky.''

Shiroko held her phone tighter. ''...that drone is expensive Ayane. The parts you used to make it...''

''I know.'' Ayane said once more, though this time her tone was melancholic – a sad smile audible in her voice. ''I'll miss it. But Sensei can get me the materials, I'm sure. If not... then I'll just have to make another out of junk-yard scrap, like I did back in the old days. It's worth sacrificing if it means saving you and Serika.''

''...understood.'' Shiroko said quietly. ''I'll try not to miss.''

''And I'll try to catch. Pull the pin before you throw it, please.''

Shiroko whispered an affirmative and pocketed her phone once more, making sure everything on her person was secured before adopting a running position, her rifle slung over her back so it wouldn't get in the way. Seconds ticked by, the utter stillness of the air broken only by the haunting howl of the wind, light and so faint it barely shifted the sand under her feet... until soon the low hum of a drone's motor reached her ears too.

A second later Ayane's drone flew around the corner and into the street, moving at full speed. Instead of its usual box of medical supplies the underside was empty, the metal arms gripping nothing. Snatching a grenade from her belt Shiroko pulled the pin and took a single second to aim – before lobbing it through the air right at the drone. The metal arms jerked down at once, catching the grenade with envious accuracy and flying straight past Shiroko.

And then three and a half seconds later, it exploded.

Shiroko didn't waste time looking at how well it worked. Kicking her heel off of the wall the wolf-girl sprinted over to Serika's position and grabbed her by the sleeve, roughly yanking her over one shoulder and running as fast as her legs could move; her extensive running experience helping her as she half-carried, half-pulled Serika down the street, not stopping nor slowing to look behind herself and focusing solely on the route ahead; side-stepping chunks of rubble or other trip hazards.

''Over here!'' Ayane called out from her right.

A glance, and Shiroko threw herself into cover – and the brickwork of the building just ahead of her exploded as another high-calibre round blew a hole through it. After a few seconds a second round blew out the corner of the unnamed building they were currently hiding behind, perhaps just to keep them pinned or perhaps on the off-chance they were hiding there.

Shiroko watched it with disdain before turning her gaze down onto Serika; unconscious and sprawled across the sandy alleyway ground from where she'd thrown her. Murmuring an apology under her breath Shiroko slung her arms under Serika and picked her up with much more care now that they were out of immediate danger before turning her gaze onto Ayane, a silent conversation passing between the two.

Then as one they left; fleeing down the alleyway and keeping buildings parallel to the sniper at all times.

And unseen by the three Abydos girls, far up in the ruined living room of an apartment building without a wall, a lone figure stood with a victorious smirk.

An unnaturally thin green halo hovering above their head.

X-x-X

Thunder clapped overhead just as Aru let loose the first shot; a flare round screeching through the air before embedding itself into the wall of the Kaiser PMC warehouse.

Two seconds later it erupted into a pyroclast of fire and red smoke; blowing the concrete wall open and allowing Hoshino to charge in with shotgun raised over the brim of her shield. Mutsuki and Haruka followed a step behind, guns raised and sweeping what turned out to be a storage holding area; metal shipping containers and smaller boxes located around the room, but there was only a handful, leaving plenty of empty space in the wide warehouse.

Fast-walking forwards Hoshino scanned the area, her brow dipping into a frown when she noticed nobody was there. ''The heck? Where is everybody?''

Her voice carried, and after letting the rest of their 'team' sweep ahead Sensei followed with Kayoko staying close; ready to take a literal bullet for him. However true to Hoshino's words there was no sign of anyone actually being inside the building; no workers, no staff members in the room at the far end of the storage holding area, and the catwalks that crossed over the various metal containers were void of supervisors. The whole place was completely desolate.

'What? Did we get duped?' Sensei thought with a severe frown, looking about even as his students took it upon themselves to search. 'No. I trust Kotama's ability and I doubt she's working for these guys; the signal ended here. But this isn't an abandoned facility, so why is nobody...?'

The possibilities were as numerous as they were troubling. It could be something as simple as all the workers went home for the day, but even then there should be a security guard or two around to stop theft. It could be that there was a sudden recall of all the staff and so they'd evacuated post-haste. Or it could be something much more sinister, such as the prospect that everyone who worked at the warehouse was also involved with Elysium. It was unlikely... but far from impossible.

''Your orders, Sensei?'' Aru inquired gracefully.

''Search around for an entry-point of some kind. A hatch, door, ventilation grate – even something like a button with no clear purpose. There's got to be something around here somewhere.'' Sensei responded; raising his voice so that he could be heard.

A chorus of agreements came from his students and they fanned out, poking at prodding at everything that caught their eye – but there wasn't much to do on that front either. Trash bins had only crushed coffee cups and other bits of trash, the staff room had signs of seeing life earlier like empty soda cans in the recycling bin or a half-eaten lunch in the fridge, but there was no convenient button hidden under either.

Minutes ticked by and Sensei began to pace anxiously, examining the metal shipping containers just in the vague hope that he'd find something there. He was almost tempted to try and have them lifted up in case there was a staircase underneath but knew the possibility of such a thing was unlikely at best – the container was fresh and without any signs of being there for more than a day or two; someone would have to expose the stairs until another container could be moved. Then again, if everyone at the warehouse was 'in' on it, then maybe...

Sensei's thoughts were harshly cut short as his phone rung. He picked it up and answered Kotama's call without missing a beat. ''Go ahead.''

''I've picked up the signal again Sensei. Two dozen feet from your current location, ascending-''

As Kotama spoke he heard what almost sounded like metal grating together before the thrum of a drone's motor caught his attention – and of the others. Leading his pack of students Sensei rushed out into the pouring rain, glancing over the concrete yard and immediately spotting the cylindrical drone painted in pale grey hues, a bold red 'M' painted onto the side. Propelled by rotors atop it the drone arose from a drain off to the side of a parked truck, hiding it from public view as it gradually ascended, enduring the strong winds without issue.

''Found it.'' Sensei said into his phone, grimacing. ''Aru, take it down.''

Aru complied, raising her sniper – but it was Kotama's loud retort that gave them both pause.

''STOP!'' So loud was she that Sensei jerked his ear away from his phone. ''Leave it be Sensei. I can track it from afar and see where it goes.''

''That didn't work before, what with the storm.'' Sensei pointed out, watching warily as the cylindrical drone started rising higher and higher into the air.

''I'm having Hare send out some transmitter drones to follow the storm from afar and transmit the general direction the drone is going in. It's not perfect, but it should draw a straight line back towards the source.'' She responded swiftly. ''So just let it go. Focus on the bad guys here, right?''

''Right.'' Sensei glanced down at the still-open drain, grimacing.

To his surprise he didn't even need to speak before Hoshino marched forth. ''I'll go in. When I break open the front doors I'll shoot into the sky if I can.''

''Right. We'll keep looking up here then.'' Sensei nodded, watching as Hoshino approached the rim of the drain and peered down. ''You'll have to move fast. Shock and awe, and all that.''

Hoshino just flashed him a smile, pulled her gun and shield close before jumping down the two-foot-wide drain, descending straight down. Wordlessly Mutsuki approached the edge, peeked down the straight drop, before also jumping down – followed hurriedly by Haruka as well. Not a second too soon either as the second she disappeared from view the metal drain started to slide closed; a harsh, grating sound of metal chipping away at built-up rust before finally shifting into place; a quiet click audible as it 'locked'.

Sensei stared at the drain for a moment, then sighed.

'Stay safe you three.'

…

The drop was a short one, probably only two dozen feet, but it still felt like longer for Hoshino.

That was until the scabby metal pipe gave way to a wider room, her feet touching rigid metal and making her instinctively roll forwards, bleeding off her momentum. In an instant she raised her shield and swept the room, soaking in every last detail. Plain white walls. Steel-grey metal flooring. A single metal door at the far end of the cube-shaped room she now stood in. And by the door was two scientists, shock on their faces as they just gaped at her.

Up until Hoshino levelled her shotgun at them and blasted twice, knocking one out and sending the other to the floor.

Clanking metal made her look back, watching as Haruka landed – but Mutsuki had also landed and was already moving, adapting to the situation on the fly and rushing the downed man. A single solid kick to the head knocked him out cold and the Gehenna student put her back to the wall by the door, nodding at her once, smirking. Nodding back Hoshino took up position in front of the door, hearing more than seeing Haruka rummage around through the scientist's pockets – until she hurried over to the door and swiped the stolen key-card through it.

A beep, and the metal slid open. Two guards stood with guns trained on her and she ducked behind her shield just in time to block the weight of two entire assault rifle clips; bullets loudly ricocheting off and pinging across the metal – one bouncing back and hitting the left guard in the knee, staggering him from the unexpected impact. Hoshino capitalised on the weakness swiftly, poking her shotgun out and firing with one hand, blasting the man back with some buckshot and prompting Mutsuki to poke around the corner, spraying countless machine gun bullets into the other guard, their halos disappearing as they were knocked out.

Then the lights all went out, plunging them into darkness.

''Intruder alert! Intruder alert! Please rendezvous at your muster stations. Repeat; intruder alert! Intruder alert-!''

The mechanical female voice kept blaring over the unseen speakers; red lights soon flashing to life from the ceilings – flaring brightly only to dim back into darkness, illuminating the grey-walled corridor ahead of Hoshino only for a second. Countless footsteps could be heard – boots, shoes, and mechanical treads thumping against the polished floor in a disorganised rush, bringing a grimace to her youthful visage.

''Stay close.'' Hoshino uttered to her two companions, hearing them comply. ''Either of you have a light?''

''Nope.'' Mutsuki murmured back, her tone more cautious than Hoshino had heard until then. ''You block, I shoot. Simple. Right Haruka?''

''Y-Yes...''

Hoshino nodded, resting the barrel of her shotgun atop her riot shield as she crouch-walked further down the corridor. Steel-grey boxes, perfectly cubical in shape, lined the edges of the hallway from time to time, forcing her to slow until Haruka to peek around them and make sure nobody was waiting in ambush. Wisely Mutsuki and Haruka kept slightly apart from her; hanging behind each shoulder and making sure nobody sneaked past them with invisibility gear. Unlikely, but better to be on the safe side.

Their caution was not misplaced, if misdirected. A hydraulic whine preluded a ceiling panel pulling back, a motorised turret jutting down and whirring around to face the trio – before with a thunderous rattle a concentrated spray of bullets battered against Hoshino's shield with such force she stumbled back a half-step. Her shield held but the sheer force of the spray stopped her from returning fire, her gun pulled back into cover lest it get shot from her hand.

Mutsuki however intervened, propping her own gun atop a box and unleashing a spray of bullets in return, sparks pinging off of the metal until it hit something important and exploded; the flash seeming so bright in the intermittent darkness. Further sparks fell from the inactive machine but the machine gave only a dying whine before ceasing all operation, the red light of its aiming system fading to black.

However the turret had successfully delayed them all the same.

''They're here!''

Hoshino cursed. ''Follow me!''

Not waiting for her companions to acknowledge the order Hoshino burst into a sprint; running down the corridor at full speed just as one guard turned the corner and ramming him with her shield; sending him into the wall behind him – a blast from her shotgun knocking him out cold. Both her left and right sides were exposed though, a fact made apparent as a spray of bullets hit her right ribs with the force of a hundred punches, sending her stumbling to the left and reflexively raising her shield, managing to block several bullets that would've hit her head.

Haruka came to her aid, sliding down under her shield and opening fire – six rapid-fire blasts sending the trio of guards back, one knocked out and two falling behind cover and returning fire. Mutsuki solved that by popping one in the head but had to pull back as two more guards came from the left hallway. Hoshino pointed her shotgun and blasted one, but when she aimed for the second her gun clicked empty.

Her tongue clicked a second later. 'Crap.'

She raised her shield in time to block another heavy spray of bullets – one made all the more intense as a robot marched around the corner to support the two guards. It looked akin to the white-clad guards themselves but much bulkier; its head a stiff square and its body trading human proportions for better armour and mobility. It raised its own assault rifle and shot at her in controlled bursts, shrugging off the spray of bullets Mutsuki shot at it; and when the corridor faded to black only the sparks upon its form were visible.

Then when the red emergency lights came back on the robot was charging her. Hoshino leapt to one side, dodging the attempted tackle and allowing Haruka to blast it thrice in the side, blowing chunks out of its armour-like body, but unfortunately the machine didn't have pain receptors and simply shrugged off such blows.

''Here!'' Mutsuki called out from behind.

Glancing back Hoshino dropped her shotgun and grabbed the object Mutsuki threw at her – a landmine; palm-sized and with a big red button on one side. She understood what the machine-gunner intended and nodded, charging the android and shrugging off the bullets sent her way. With a harsh grunt she slammed herself into the android, sending the robot stumbling several steps as it tried to orient itself, and without missing a beat she slapped the landline onto the centre of its chest.

''Legs!'' Hoshino barked.

Haruka cried out in acknowledgement and fired; a blast of buckshot taking out the android's right leg and sending it onto one knee, off-balancing it enough that Hoshino could twist and shove it down onto its front – triggering the landmine.

A second later a powerful explosion sent her flying back, hitting the wall with a harsh grunt and a wave of smoke washing past her, acrid but quick to disperse. The flare of the emergency lights pierced her eyelids and allowed her to count the seconds it took before her throbbing headache dimmed; and when a gun of some kind was shoved into her arms she didn't resist, taking a second to feel it up. A shotgun. Her shotgun.

''C'mon~!'' Mutsuki's voice was distant; a sharp ringing only then becoming apparent to Hoshino; the sound gradually lightening second by second until she felt confident she could hear once more.

When she opened her eyes it was dark, taking another two seconds before the red lights returned, illuminating Mutsuki's face – Haruka a few steps behind her shooting at a mixture of guards and androids, all of which returned fire – making up for their modest accuracy with sheer volume of fire. Pushing down the lingering nausea clawing at the back of her head Hoshino just nodded firmly and reached out, taking Mutsuki's offered hand and pulling herself to her feet, swiftly reloading her gun before stepping back out into the line of fire.

''Move up!'' Hoshino declared, slamming her shield down and crouch-walking down the right hallway.

Haruka glanced at her once and then put her back to the box she was currently taking cover behind; reloading her gun and aiming at the left hallway behind them in case they were flanked. Cocking her own shotgun Hoshino placed it over the top of her shield and unleashed a salvo of shells; one inevitably preluding the next and forcing the human guards back into cover. The androids tanked the shells better but chunks of armour were blown out, exposing the more sensitive wires underneath – and by the time she ran dry one android was wobbling awkwardly, mechanical fluid pouring out of its left hip.

Mutsuki slung her bag off of her shoulder, the strap sliding down her lithe arm – before with a yell of effort she lobbed it down the corridor, making the bag thump and hiss across the polished floor until it ended at the feet of the androids. A single accurate burst detonated the contents of that bag; a tremendous explosion ripping through the hallway and momentarily deafening Hoshino, her approach slowed from the sheer pressure wave that blew past, the wave of smoke following. A wave of smoke that she used to her advantage; tucking her nose into the collar of her shirt and fast-walking through the smoke, shield raised.

She found three broken androids and two unconscious guards, none stopping her approach – and as her two companions followed behind they progressed further into the facility, searching for the front entrance or a command centre.

X-x-X

Sensei paced back-and-forth anxiously, running his fingers through his hair for the tenth time that minute, the action more habitual than intentional.

''Calm down Sensei.'' Nonomi uttered softly, reaching over and petting the back of his hand. ''I'm sure they'll be fine.''

''...Mm. I'm sure they will.'' Sensei responded with a smile that felt forced even to him.

Nonomi accepted the smile though without complaint, bobbing her head as if she believed him. In truth though his thoughts kept circling back to one problem he'd considered but hadn't had the time to think of a counter to – how those inside would signal them if someone went wrong. Phone reception wouldn't go that far underground and they didn't know where the entrance from; for all they knew they were ambushed immediately upon entry and captured. Sure, they could eventually reach the base by simply drilling down if absolutely necessary, but that'd take time – days, probably, assuming they didn't have some counter to someone literally trying to tunnel into their base.

It'd been easily fifteen minutes since entry; the occasional glance at his phone doing little to soothe his nerves, and as every minute passed he began to contemplate calling in Millennium for back-up – bringing the cavalry and just unearthing the whole thing to save his students before they ended up like the corpses in the disposal room in Hyakkiyako. The only thing that forced him to keep his cool was the others around him. Aru hovered closely as did Kayoko, both flanking him like bodyguards whilst Nonomi wandered around the lot, searching for any hidden detail that might trigger a secret ladder or stairwell.

And just as his nerves began to finally unravel, he heard what sounded like concrete hissing – and when he turned around he found part of the warehouse's front wall sink backwards, revealing a ladder that led straight down.

Several shotgun blasts echoed up it, the pellets scattering but not nearing him, thankfully.

''Alright, that's our cue!'' Sensei said with more relief than he intended to share. ''You know your roles, let's go!''

''Hai!'' The girls all answered, rushing ahead.

Sensei lagged behind slightly, waiting until Kayoko went down before following. Immediately the sounds of gunfire became more prominent; some identifiable and some not. The rattle of machine gun fire. The blasts of Hoshino's shotgun. The whining charge-up of Nonomi's minigun; and the inevitable roar of its barrels as she let loose on their opponents waiting just beyond the base of the ladder.

Kayoko finally reached the bottom and hopped off, allowing Sensei to do the same. A scene of destruction laid before him; the wide corridor littered with bullet and blast marks, countless unconscious grunts and androids laying still on the ground alongside some wall-mounted turrets, all of which were currently destroyed.

And at the far end of the hall, smacking a guard unconscious with the stock of her gun, was Haruka – several quick shots down at the aforementioned guard to make sure he was really down for the count.

''Sensei!'' Mutsuki called out to him – and it took him a hot second to spot her amidst the flashing red lights. ''Happy to see us~?''

''More than you know.'' He chuckled even as he took cover behind a crate. ''Didn't expect there to be a ladder!''

''And we didn't expect them to kill the lights.'' Mutsuki chimed back, shifting to one side and allowing Aru to step past – a bang from her sniper downing a man trying to tackle Haruka to the ground, sending him falling at her feet instead. Another two blasts of her shotgun made sure he was down.

''Guess we're all being surprised today.'' Sensei said lightly, glancing down and grabbing the rifle off of an unconscious guard – spending a second to check the ammo in the magazine. ''Not sure how good a shot I am, but I'll try support where I can.''

''I'll stay with you.'' Kayoko murmured to him, hanging just a step ahead.

Loosening the tie of his suit Sensei cracked a wry smile, adrenaline pumping in his veins. ''Then let's clean house, eh?''

To the droning message of the speaker system and the clamour of gunfire they entered the fray, making their way for the control centre.

[END]

A/N: Another action-packed chapter~ Hope you all enjoyed it; writing gunfight action scenes is a little tricky, I feel.

See you all next time in Chapter 14: Emperor~