Megumi and her three friends had been hard at work over these past few days, Megumi was preparing a trap for Kay but even then they seemed to be having problems. How were they going to get Kay over here? Kay, their enemy, had the solution.
"The vial is gone." Alexandra told them.
"It's what?" Baby Lee asked.
"The vial for Alexei is gone. Kay must've stolen it." Alexandra explained.
"Okay I'm just about done and according to the footage, she definitely did steal it." Megumi began. "Even with her resorting to thieving tactics due to the fact that she isn't going to get what she wants. She's going to stoop down to this level to try getting what she desires."
"And the trap for her?" Alexandra asked if they wanted to figure out the process of the trap's completion.
"It's just about done." Megumi told them. "All we need to do now is lure Kay in and then we'll confront her."
"Sounds about right. I'm going to hang back for now and watch, once phase one of the plan is complete, we'll move onto phase two. Breaking Alice free from Kay's influence." Alexandra explained that she wasn't ready to play her part in this. For Megumi, all she needed to do now was to get the vial back and keep it safe, once it was safe, then they would be able to do their next plan.
"Okay, let me know when you're ready." Megumi told Alexandra. Alexandra nodded and she left the scene. Megumi meanwhile looked up, it was definitely going to rain.
Nighttime fell and Kay was walking around. She wanted to get revenge on Alexandra and Megumi for almost betraying her when it came to the revolution. Megumi wanted to restore the old ways and Alexandra pushed forward Communism. Kay wanted to get back at them. Alice was watching in the distance. She wanted to see if Kay was ready to talk.
"Kay!" Baby Lee called out. She went out to see if she was going to have her attention. Kay turned her head to see who wanted to greet her.
"Alice! I'm so glad you're back." Kay greeted her. She wrapped her arms around in a friendly hug as if she hadn't seen her friend in a long while.
"Yeah It's nice to see you again but what do you want to do?" Baby Lee asked Kay if she had any ideas of what she wanted to do with her. Kay began to think about it before she pulled back.
"The Red Army has won and I need your help to overthrow its leaders and place me back in charge of Saunders." Kay explained to Alice about what her plan was. Then Megumi came from the shadows, the rain hitting her face and uniform. She walked forward, she had something to say to Kay.
"Kay, I think Alice and I have other problems on hand." Megumi began.
"What other problems? The only problem I see is that we have lost the school to the Communists and I need her help getting it back." Kay explained to Megumi that their only problem now was the fact that the school was no longer theirs but she needed Alice's help in overthrowing their unwelcomed leaders.
"It turns out that someone had left a chest for you, they want to see what your concessions are." Megumi told Kay that someone had left a chest for her.
"What chest?" Kay asked. She didn't know what this chest was nor what it was about. She wanted to figure out what this chest was or what was inside of it. Megumi knew she needed to make something up to get Kay's interest. Alice was watching like the third-wheel in this heated argument.
"Kay inside of the chest is everything we need to defeat the communists and I promise that the school is yours once we defeat them." Megumi promised to Kay that she was willing to give her everything once victory had been achieved. What Megumi had said was made up, she knew the chest was the bait that she needed, Alice looked on curiously, not knowing which side to play to. Megumi hoped that Kay was going to take the bait. Everything Megumi had set up for was waiting on Kay's decision.
"Take me to the chest." Kay finally replied. She had made up her mind. Megumi nodded before she began to lead Kay and Alice to where she had stashed the chest away. Where Megumi had left the chest was in a bit of an open sand field she had spent the last few days building and preparing. Now she was going to spring what she needed open. Megumi stopped in a spot where she knew the lever was hidden. Alice and Kay walked over to the chest, wondering if this was the chest Megumi was talking about. It said For Kay on it. It was hers. "Let's see what secret weapons Megumi was talking about." Kay told Alice. Kay smiled before she opened the chest with Alice watching in the background. Megumi then dug up where the lever she had hidden so Kay didn't notice it. Alice looked at the chest before sighing in disbelief.
"It's empty Kay." Baby Lee told Kay about the chest. Kay was infuriated. Megumi had lied to her about the chest. There was no weapon that could help them defeat communism. Megumi watched, smiling as the two of them were in disbelief. This was what she wanted.
"Why would Megumi tell us about this weapon that could help us take the school back when there's nothing in here?" Kay asked. She was ready to shout at Megumi for giving her false hopes.
"There's nothing in this chest." Baby Lee told Kay. Kay began to walk to Megumi.
"You liar Megumi. There is nothing inside of this chest and you tell me some special weapons that would help drive the communists from the school are not here! I would like to put you on trial for this scam!" Kay shouted. Megumi didn't listen. As the crack of lightning flashed overhead, it was the signal, Megumi flipped the lever and now her trap was activated. Alice stared at Kay's pants pocket to see Alexei's vial inside. Even though Megumi could have grabbed it and called it a day, Megumi truly wanted revenge at this point.
Kay looked down to see the ground falling apart and caving in on itself like a sinkhole. Kay and Alice fell into the trap, falling and landing a couple decks below on a platform that Megumi had set up over these past few days, all connected by four steel girders. Kay looked up to see what was going on, she was confused by what Megumi had done.
"What the fuck?" Kay began while she and Alice looked up. Kay looked around trying to think of what was going on. She then laid her eyes on Megumi. "What the fuck are you doing Megumi?" Kay asked. Megumi stood there silent. "What is this?"
"Listen Kay, I think it's time we have a bit of a talk." Megumi told Kay. Megumi then leaped down into the trap, ready to confront Kay about what she had in mind. Kay landed on the platform, the platform rattled with Megumi's force as she landed on it. "Tell me about the vial."
"What?" Kay began. "What the hell is this? What are you doing?" Kay wanted to figure out what Megumi had in mind why she was acting like this. What did Megumi want was what Kay was asking. "What do you want? What are you talking about?" Kay asked. She had so many questions in her head, she didn't know what was going on and with Megumi acting this way.
"The vial for Alexei, obviously!" Megumi told Kay about the vial that was going to be used to heal Alexei's hemophilia. Kay turned to Alice who was being the bystander once again as Megumi was ready to tear Kay's throat out.
"Kay, I'm sorry, I thought Megumi said she was going to help, she didn't realize." Baby Lee apologized to Kay in a fake way as if she was playing along with the script, trying to show a little bit of emotion to Kay. Kay turned back to Megumi.
"Listen listen listen." Kay began speaking to Megumi. "I don't know what you know about Alexei's vial. But, what you should know is whatever fucking games you're playing here, you can leave them for another day because we have a bigger fucking problem upstairs! Okay." Kay explained to Megumi that she wasn't playing around and instead she wanted to get Megumi on her side in an agreement.
"Listen, I don't care. I don't care!" Megumi shouted at Kay. "I know you have Alexei's vial, okay and I want it!" Megumi made her demands clear that she wanted the vial that Kay had in her pants pocket.
"What?! You think I have Alexei's cure? Is this, is this what it's all about?" Kay asked, she couldn't figure out what Megumi truly wanted as Megumi went to brush some sand off while thinking about what she wanted from Kay. "The fucking vial?!"
"I don't care. All you do Kay is spoon-feed us lies about how the United States of America is the greatest nation on earth and how Saunders should follow its example. That's all you've ever done." Megumi explained to Kay that the lies she had given to the public were the ultimate downfall of her position as leader of the school and thus how communism took over and destroyed all the opposition.
"Megumi, Pravda and the communists have won the fucking Civil War. And most likely, they're coming here right now, to KILL US!" Kay shouted at Megumi that she was still worried about not being able to counter the communists and win her school back but for Megumi, this wasn't what she wanted, if Kay wanted death, she was going to have it.
"Listen, if you aren't going to give me the vial so I can give it to Alexei…" Megumi began. She drew her saber, ready to strike Kay down. "I'll kill you for it." Kay drew her saber out, it was going to be a close range melee duel between them. Kay continued to reason with Megumi. "So give it."
"I don't have the fucking vial okay Megumi. I don't have the FUCKING VIAL!" Kay told Megumi that she clearly didn't have the vial that Megumi wanted.
"Kay, Megumi, don't fight." Baby Lee told them as she didn't want to watch this.
"YOU'RE MAKING A BIG FUCKING MISTAKE MEGUMI!" Kay shouted, she was pleading for Megumi to change her mind and call the duel off.
"Last chance Kay." Megumi told Kay that this was the last chance she had left before she was going to attack her. "Give it to me." Megumi demanded Kay for the vial but Kay tried her best to reason with her.
"Listen, listen. I DON'T HAVE THE VIAL!" Kay shouted. "I don't have the vial Megumi!" Megumi got a rock from the sand and chucked it at Kay. The rock struck Kay on the nose as Megumi charged at Kay. Kay lifted her saber up, blocking Megumi's first swing.
"Of course you don't." Megumi told Kay.
"I DON'T HAVE THE FUCKING VIAL!" Kay shouted at Megumi. Megumi swung the saber around as Kay blocked the incoming attack with her own saber. "Listen! I don't know what you're trying to get from this Megumi…" Kay told Megumi, Kay tried to attack Megumi with her saber but Megumi blocked the incoming attack. "But I don't have the vial. I don't have the fucking vial." Kay tried her best to explain to Megumi that she didn't have the vial. Megumi swung the saber around, trying to slash Kay open but Kay blocked the incoming attack yet again. Megumi retreated to get some distance. "Megumi, stop, listen, I don't have the vial." Kay swung her saber but Megumi quickly blocked it. "I don't have the fucking vial. Megumi, listen to me! Listen to me, listen to me." Kay and Megumi backed off to catch their breaths as Kay continued to speak in a rather ragged manner as she was breathing heavily.
"What?" Megumi asked. Kay, in her panting, began to speak once more.
"I don't have the fucking vial. I don't have the fucking vial." Kay began repeating herself trying to make Megumi listen to her. Megumi picked up another rock and chucked at Kay's face, hitting her in the forehead. Kay ran forward, wanting to hack Megumi to pieces. "I DON'T HAVE THE VIAL!"
"You're lying." Megumi told Kay. Kay swung at Megumi again but Megumi was able to block Kay's incoming attack.
"And even if I did." Kay began before Megumi cut her off.
"You just lie Kay," Megumi began. "Do you think I want to join your United States of America when you decided to uproot all of Saunders' previous culture and traditions for your perverted view? Do you think I will get riches and fame from your country?" Megumi asked as she swung the saber around. Kay desperately tried to block Megumi's incoming attacks.
"Listen Megumi, we're Saunders! We're together! We're supposed to be together! We're supposed to be together, Being the best country in the fucking world! We're supposed to help each other!" Kay shouted, she was emotionally charged up, while trying to block Megumi's attacks.
"Stop lying!" Megumi shouted. They paused as Kay began to think about what she was going to say next.
"And you know what?" Kay asked as she swung the saber at Megumi who simply backed away. "And you know what?"
"What?" Megumi asked, she was livid at Kay's reasoning and she wanted to finish her off without mercy.
"And even if I did have the fucking vial, I wouldn't give it to you." Kay told Megumi that even if she had the vial that Megumi desired to get. She wasn't going to give it to her. "You're the last person I would ever fucking give it to." Megumi was enraged with Kay's wording. She looked at Alice, now was plan B, destroying the person that Kay liked a lot if it meant payback for Kay's behavior.
"Fine! Have it your way!" Megumi shouted as she ran at Alice. Kay realized this and she ran after Megumi to attempt to save her friend.
"No no no no Megumi No!" Kay shouted as Megumi lunged at Alice. "No!" Kay shouted. Megumi then shoved Alice off of the platform and into the abyss below.
"Kay!" Baby Lee shouted. Kay dropped her saber and prepared to dive in after Alice to try to help her.
"Megumi NO!" Kay shouted as she dove down to help Alice out. Megumi quickly snatched the vial from Kay's pant's pocket, satisfied with what she wanted she had got. Kay then landed as she tried her best to help her friend out. "NO!" Kay shouted as she landed. "ALICE! ALICE! GET IN THE SAND! GET IN THE SAND ALICE! ALICE GET IN THE SAND!" Kay shouted for Alice while placing sand down for her to get in. Tears were rolling down Kay's face as she was desperate to try to save her friend. Alice just looked at Kay with a smile to her face as she had to be thankful for one last thing.
"Thank you for showing me what it's like to be human." Baby Lee began as if she felt her life slipping before her. "Maybe I almost was."
"NO! GET IN THE SAND! GET IN THE SAND!" Kay shouted desperately as Alice's eyes finally closed and she finally felt her body go limp as within a moment she couldn't move any more. Kay looked up at Megumi as tears were still streaming down her face. "ALICE!" Kay shouted as if she just lost a friend of hers. "Megumi! What the fuck have you done?! What have you done?" Megumi asked. Megumi was leaving the scene as she had gotten what she wanted. She had managed to complete step one of the plan and that was to try to break Alice's trust with Kay. "Megumi, what the fuck have you done?!" Kay shouted. Megumi then left without saying another word. She had what she needed and now she needed to get back to Alexandra.
Megumi had arrived as Alexandra was sitting under a bus stop to try to take shelter from the storm. Megumi walked back triumphant with her victory.
"You're back, did you get the vial?" Alexandra asked Megumi if she got the vial for Alexei.
"Yes I have." Megumi told Alexandra while she held the vial in her hands. "I had to hurt Alice if it meant getting my hands on it."
"I hope she's okay though. Step one is complete. If she's able to recover, then we can go to step two. Getting revenge on Kay and having Alice's friendship with her end." Alexandra told Megumi that she was happy with how things were turning out. Megumi nodded with a smile.
"Indeed." Megumi told Alexandra.
As it turned out, Alice wasn't seriously hurt, she just acted that way although having a broken left wrist and hand wasn't something she was going to be held up for. Alice was fortunate enough to escape serious injury.
Meanwhile with the Reds, they were trying to figure out what exactly to do with the rebellious Greens and Sailors.
"Okay everyone seems to be on the verge of tearing our frail leadership apart, it turns out this War Communism isn't exactly working. We need to find a way to prevent the people from rebelling even further." Fumie tried her best to explain, she felt weak after this first stroke and she was still dedicating her time to working for Pravda.
"What should we do about it?" Ruiko asked. "Should we ask the people what they want?"
"Maybe, but the people said they liked our land reform bill but they wish to have some of the food back so they could sell it however they wish." Lisa told them that the land reform bills have worked but some of the people would want to have some of the food so they could sell it. Fumie paused, with the civil war now over, they could maybe try something new out.
"What are you on? War Communism is the policy we have been using upon which we planned Saunders' entire economy." Fumie asked Lisa if she had any ideas of what she was going to do. Lisa began to think for a moment.
"If we end War Communism and bring back some privatization, support for the rebellions will collapse. Unlike the civil war where we recruited the captors to our side, it's way better to die for the Green Army." Lisa explained. "We should make the peasants pay a massive tax instead and let them market their crops however they see fit."
"Okay I bet the people would see fit for this." Fumie told them. Lisa then continued to speak.
"These rebellions will collapse if we take a step back from central planning and allow the economy to become more independent. These reforms will tie labor to productivity, incentivizing the reduction of costs and the redoubled efforts of labor. Labor unions became independent civic organizations. This also opened up government positions to the most qualified workers and give opportunities for the school to use engineers, specialists, and intelligentsia for cost accounting, equipment purchasing, efficiency procedures, railway construction, and industrial administration. If all goes well, these private traders will open up urban firms hiring up to twenty workers. They should also include rural artisan craftsmen selling their wares on the private market." Lisa explained that how they should reform the economy was to step back a bit and with this, the civil war should be able to end.
"I object to these." Katyusha told them. "This is replacing capitalism with state capitalism. We should try our best to fix our woes in other ways too." Katyusha explained she wasn't on board with these ideas and with them, they needed to try something else or they will face rebellions.
"We don't have many other options available, Katyusha. We're implementing these policies right away. If our current policies continue, we can lose control of the entire army. Our best units are on the verge of rebelling and more communism isn't going to cut it." Lisa explained to Katyusha that with the units falling apart and rebelling against their rule, they had to throttle back and slow down if they were to straighten themselves out.
"Okay." Katyusha sighed. She didn't know what they were going to do now. Then the door opened as Nonna walked in followed by a blonde student from a foreign country.
"We got news. Tricolor Middle School have set themselves on the island of Kronstadt. Most of the school has rebelled as the island is surrounded by mines and ice. They also have two ships and they're waiting for the ice to melt. Time isn't on our side either, the ice is melting and if it melts completely, we will have no way to reach them plus Nina told us that the students there are negotiating with St. Gloriana who would be more than glad to have an island fortress right outside of Petrograd." Nonna explained to them. Lisa paused.
"The sailors of Kronstadt were our greatest allies to the cause. Hell, they carried me on their shoulders that one time and now the students are ready to kill us. Who in Tricolor Middle School didn't join the Kronstadt Rebels?" Lisa explained that if the revolution was beginning in Kronstadt, it was most certainly going to end in Kronstadt.
"Nina, Alina and a few others are still loyal to Pravda." Nonna told Lisa.
"Okay, send Ekaterina to crush the rebels and get back to us. We should have both groups crushed and we can go back to how things were in the beginning." Lisa told Nonna to give the messages to hunt down these rebels and the Green Army. Nonna got up and left, Lisa knew these reforms were going to put an end and even then it was still going to take time. Time that Fumie did not have.
Alexandra and Megumi were spending some time in the hospital where Alexei was in and where Alice had been taken to after Megumi's duel with Kay. They had arrived at Alexei's room to see how he was doing.
"How are you doing my friend?" Megumi asked. Alice sat up from her bed, looking at Megumi.
"I did good for my role huh?" Baby Lee asked Megumi. "You didn't mean to hurt me?"
"Yes you did and I tried my best not to hurt you. Your wrist will get better. For now we shall prepare for the next step. Kay would probably want revenge for what happened and the only way we can now achieve this is if we corner Kay and take her out." Megumi explained to Alice about the incident. "Once you're able to recover enough, we can move to the second step. We need to hurt Kay directly."
"How should we do that?" Baby Lee asked.
"I know how." One of the voices called from the stretcher next to them. It was the Tsarevich Alexei himself. "Kay often goes to the school and is probably going to go there again. I wish I can help you two if it means we can finally take Kay out but in my condition, I won't be of much use."
"Thanks Alexei, we had to hurt one of Kay's friends so we can heal you. But I sense you want payback as much as we do." Megumi went off to explain that the only way to do this now was to finish the job. Megumi began to think about it.
"With the vial, you should be healed in a day or two, but I definitely want you to help no matter how small the role may be." Megumi explained to Alexei she was going to need his help if it meant completing the task ahead.
"Sure thing Megumi, I was no fan of the brat myself. Makes me think of my younger self if I can recall. If we can get rid of Kay, I can finally begin stepping my way out of childhood and finally become the adult I want to see whenever my dad tells me of the man I will become. My family isn't in good shape due to the recent events and I've been spending more time away from them. So have my sisters, they're looking for work or further education." Alexei explained that this final act of spite might be the one thing that would help him grow up.
"I'll think about what I can do for you and your future Alexei. I definitely don't want to see you alone in this place." Megumi explained. "I know this might be a bit of a wacky idea, if I do get accepted to University, I can convince them to let you live with me until you're able to take care of yourself."
"That sounds like a good plan there Megumi, you're quick to think about this." Alexei told them. Alexandra entered the room as she had news.
"Well Pravda isn't out of the woods yet and Kay is going to use the chance to get revenge seeing that we healed Alexei. If there is one person she hates more than all of us, it's the Tsarevich." Alexandra began. "Whoever Kay can recruit to her side, is still a force to behold. We're only four people at this point."
"Alexei told us that Kay is most likely heading for the school building, we can corner her and finish the job." Megumi explained that Kay was most likely heading to the school and going to kick Pravda down while they were focusing on their internal problems. Kay was on the clock however as Pravda was going to put down the rebellions fast.
Time was running out for everyone.
[A/N]: Let's keep the push up to 10k views. I want to see how this is going to fare out as the steps to taking apart Kay and the aftermath of the Saunders Civil War is starting to set in. With Kay attempting to regain her power, now the students aren't going to be left with much to do. Megumi meanwhile is gathering her friends together to exact revenge on Kay before things get worse.
I'll see you in the next chapter where Kay goes on her offensive to take back what is truly hers and attempt to kick Pravda out of the school.