Amy stood at the door of Ayame's office space, tucked in the back of the garage. The air was still warm even though the sun had finally dropped below the horizon. There was very little sound in the garage, minus the hum of the ballasts in the sodium lights outside and Ayame's shaky breathing. She was hunched over her desk, her face buried in her arms. At least she wasn't full-on crying anymore. Eiko sat with her back against the thin interior wall, hugging her legs. She rested her head on her knees with a distantly blank expression.
Outside, Amy could hear the noise of the ship. Cars, the gentle wind, people generally existing. One car stood out above the rest. It sounded closer and moving toward them. Headlights glared from across the parking lot and came closer. They didn't stop moving as the Toyota Tercel rushed through the open garage door. The driver pulled the handbrake and the car slid between a Lee and the M7, stopping just outside the office. Out of the car came Delilah, Yelena, and Mia. The driver was the vice-captain, Hiromi Nisei. All four ran into the office. Mia nearly trampled poor Eiko, who was startled more by the rushing people than the noise of the car.
Hiromi approached Ayame and hugged her. "You're okay, I'm right here. What did she say this time?"
Ayame didn't make any effort to respond.
"What the hell happened?" Mia asked.
Amy explained the argument with the Vice President to them. She pulled her phone out and opened the audio she'd recorded and then set it on the desk, her arms crossed.
"You are a failure as a leader and can only win by sheer luck!"
"Woooah…" Delilah said as she heard the VP's anger.
Yelena smirked when she heard Eiko scare the VP and Amy defiantly recite the tank designation.
"I will make sure it happens. You will win. Now shut up and have a good night, you reckless idiots."
Mia snorted indignantly. "Little shit's probably never been outside her comfort zone, let alone in a tank. Good on you two for doing something about that. Eiko, you sure have some fury in you."
Eiko was still sitting against the wall. "That was scary."
"That's probably what she thought too."
Delilah was more expressive with her anger. "If she comes around this garage again, I swear to god I'll make her regret it."
"Delilah?" Ayame said weakly.
Delilah turned to the wreck of a girl. "Hm?"
Ayame could hardly speak. Hiromi spoke for her.
"This isn't the first time the Vice President has done this."
"What?"
"Whenever we lose a match or something with the team doesn't go well, the VP shows up to harass Ayame."
Mia exhaled sharply. "How long has this been going on?"
"Since we restarted the team, pretty much. That's been… wow, a few months shy of a year now." Hiromi answered, surprised at how long it had been.
"What about the rest of the team? Do they know?"
"No. She always comes around after practice. The CTMS crew knows, but that's only because they were mechanics before they got desperate enough to use their little abomination. They were working after hours once and heard it happen. Eiko was with them too."
"And has she ever actually done anything?" Yelena asked.
Hiromi pursed her lips. Eiko somehow got even quieter.
"No…"
"What did she do to you, Ayame?" Delilah said coldly.
Ayame inhaled slowly, her eyes focused on the wall in front of her.
"Ayame?"
She took off her field jacket and dropped it on the floor. Ayame rolled up her right sleeve. Dark bruises ran up and down her arm. There was a decent sized scratch just below her shoulder.
"Holy shit…" Amy breathed. Ayame turned her head away as if looking at them caused her pain. "Did she do anything else?"
No response.
Delilah spoke in a terrifyingly calm yet angry voice. "Show me."
Nothing.
Amy leaned over and began to roll up Ayame's other sleeve. She thought she saw something, but Ayame shoved her hand away.
"You don't need to see that."
No one spoke. Once again, the garage was quiet.
Delilah stepped forward and leaned onto the desk. Her voice was a solid half-octave deeper, and it was gravelly but steady. Her Scottish accent was so thick it almost seemed fake. "If that bitch hurts you again while I am on this ship, I will personally make sure that it is the last time she walks away by herself." Ayame looked up at her. Delilah's thick reddish hair was frizzy and hung all around her head, creating a terrifying shadow over her face.
"I can't…" Ayame started. Hiromi filled in for her again.
"There's nowhere for her to go, the VP always finds her. She's shown up at Ayame's door just to lecture her for no reason. Nowhere is safe."
"Then just stay with me for the night." Amy offered.
Hiromi shook her head. "Tried that. She somehow figured out Ayame was with me and yelled at the both of us."
Delilah spoke again, her voice still angry. "I'll wait all night for this sick creep if I have to."
"Ayame, are you okay with a couple of us staying in your apartment tonight?"
Ayame nodded.
"Alright. Me, Delilah, and Eiko then. No sense dragging the rest of you exchange students in unless we have to."
Everyone agreed, and the group split ways for the night. Ayame and her involuntary bodyguards went back in Hiromi's Tercel while Amy, Mia, and Yelena walked back to their dorms.
"I'm proud of Eiko." Amy said. "Tiny thing scared the living hell out of the Vice President and made herself clear."
"If we ever let anyone else hear that recording, we need to frame that part or something." Said Yelena.
Mia laughed. "You can't frame audio, dumbass."
"Whatever the equivalent to framing a picture is, that's what we're doing."
"And whatever was with Delilah. That was… I don't think words describe what she was doing."
"Terrifying?" Amy offered.
"Yeah. I guess that's what happens when you manage to really piss her off."
"That was more than pissed off. That was anger and emotion. She took it personally."
"And yet she was eerily calm the whole time too. Just… angry and calm at the same time. Her voice was totally steady the entire time."
"That's being a tank commander for you." Yelena said. "I can't stay that totally calm though. With Delilah it's like she's so levelheaded she's on another plane of existence. Like, she's a normal person but when she needs to, she can be reacting to everything yet not actually responding."
"If you react enough, you freak out. She's managed to work that into her being and when she combines it with her personality and emotions, I guess you get what we saw tonight."
They were back in their dorms now and split apart to their rooms for the night. Amy got herself ready for sleep and thought about Ayame. What was it she'd seen on her left arm? They looked like more scratches. What had the Vice President done to her that she was ashamed of it?
That night was one of those relaxing warm nights, where the air is pleasant, and the sky is clear. It's as if nothing can go wrong on these kinds of nights, even when the weather has no bearing on the events of day. What is going to happen will happen. That's what the Vice President thought as she walked through the streets. She would get her way and the Tankery team would win. If she had to bend the rules, then so be it. Confidence was key, and this wonderful night seemed to back up her ideas. Ayame had looked so beaten when she walked away, and those students that had been there were just being obnoxious. They wouldn't be an issue. Still, it didn't hurt to follow up.
The Vice President entered a dorm building, brushing past a lone student. Up two floors, down the hall four doors, room 328. She knew Hiromi's way of knocking. However, there was no response. Another knock. If Ayame thought it might be Hiromi, might she just let her in? The Vice President tried the handle and found that it was unlocked. The door swung open and revealed the darkness that was behind it. There was no light on inside the little apartment, only being lit from the extremely dim nighttime lights of the hallway. Nor was there any sound from within. No movement, no breathing, nothing but the hum of the air conditioner.
The Vice President cleared her throat. Had she heard something move? Or was that her mind? She stepped into the entrance hallway, her eyes straining into the darkness. Where was Ayame? It was possible she was hiding out somewhere again, but then why was the door unlocked? She walked further inside, standing at the end of the short hallway. The Vice President felt a gentle breeze from the A/C. A slight movement caught her eye, as if a shadow was being cast from behind her. Then she realized that the breeze was warm.
Before the Vice President could turn around, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She froze in place as she felt someone's hot breath on the back of her neck.
"So, this is who you are. I'm glad we met, you filthy bastard."
That was the most terrifying voice the Vice President had ever heard. It was clearly female, but oddly deep and rough. There was anger in the words, yet the speaker seemed completely calm. The accent was distinct but so affected by the voice itself she couldn't tell what it was.
"You think you can just come here as you please? In what kind of world does a vice president like you sneak around the dorms of students at one in the morning?"
"Ikeda needs motivation. She can't be assed to do anything, so I'll make her."
"What sort of motivation would one do at this time of night?"
"It's best no one sees what goes on."
"Oh? Two girls alone in an apartment at night? Sounds like quite a fun time. Would you two mind if I joined in? I've been told I've made a few nights."
"How dare you!" The Vice President was indignant. She went to turn around and face whoever was behind her, but a strong hand held her head forward.
"Ah ah ah, no you don't want to see me. If you turn around, it's going to hurt."
Polished steel glinted as it was held under her chin.
"What are you-"
"This is a skean dhu. I keep it extra sharp, it's a wonderful little close-in weapon. Would you like to see what it can do?"
"You wouldn't dare touch me with that."
"No? Well." The dagger was held out in front of her face to see as the person brought themselves right up behind and wrapped their arm around the Vice President's neck. "If you hurt Ayame again, you'll find out. If you stalk Ayame or show up here again, you will find out. If you figure out who I am, you will find out. If you tell anyone about this, you will find out."
"No."
"Your shaking tells me otherwise. You squirm a lot when you're scared."
"Get away from me, you creepy bitch!"
"You call me a bitch like it's a bad thing. One last favor?"
"What the fuck do you want?"
"Get me my tanks. An M8A1 Scott and a T49 tank destroyer prototype."
"Whatever you want, just let go. Please, I beg you."
"Yeah, yeah." The person turned the Vice President around, keeping themself hidden behind her. "You can go now and remember what I said. I don't take kindly to people screwing with me."
The knife disappeared and the pressure on the Vice President's neck was released. She ran out of the apartment and practically flew down the stairs, startling the student that was still standing there. When she got home, she looked through her notes to find tank dealers. Someone had certainly gotten what they wanted tonight.
AN: Happy Monday! This chapter was interesting to write, especially the second part. Delilah being angry yet knowing how to keep herself calm was somewhat difficult to express, but I hope it was clear enough to understand. Speaking of writing, this week is my college's spring break, so I should be able to get a bunch of writing done. I've already outlined the basics of the next two matches, but I'm still working n the development between each. In other words, it's likely I'll randomly start spitting out a few chapters that don't follow my habitual Sunday/Monday uploads.
To address the review from LtRainbowSlash: I'm glad you like seeing the Ram even though Dominion is an American-themed team! I find odd, expedient, and "we have nothing else" equipment interesting as they often have strange stories that make sense only in their context, and this applies to many of the tanks Dominion uses - the Locust, Lee, Ram, CTMS, etc. That's a main part of what I'm trying to do with this story, to see what an American team might do if for some reason they can't get the infinite number Shermans we see Saunders use in the series.