(April 4 2024)—-
Suomi and I walked back to the armory after we barricaded the door. AR-15 had taken a wire bedframe and used it to prop up the fire extinguisher slightly and had it pointed to the heavily padlocked door.
"P90, MP40, MP5 and AN-94, go keep the door to the stairs guarded as soon as you get your weapons." A girl named M4A1 told four of her friends. They all nodded and stood at the ready. Narukami shot the bottom of the fire extinguisher, which sent it flying through the door, breaking it. All that was keeping these girls away from their guns were a few chains dangling in front of a doorway. P90 MP40 MP5 and AN-94 all ran into the room, got their guns then ran over to the barricaded stairwell door and keeping it guarded. I could already hear pandemonium coming from the level below us.
"Alright, how do we do this?" AR-15 asked.
"I have a plan," I started, "We'll split into two teams. One team is going to rappel down to the second floor to begin the assault and hit the guys on the second floor from behind. This will make room for the second team to go through the door at the end of this hallway and take the stairwell. We'll keep them trapped on the second level by attacking them from two sides."
"Alright, I'm going to rappel to the first floor and re-arm the rest of 404." HK416 suddenly came out of the armory and said, with three guns slinged over her shoulders, as well as her own in her hands. "Oh, by the way M4-Chan, Jr's in this backpack here. I kept her safe for you.
"M4!" Jr shouted, as she sprung out of the backpack and into M4's arms.
"JR!" The girl shouted as she cradled Jr. in her arms.
"Catman made me like apples!" Jr said pointing at me with her stubby little arms. The girl laughed.
"Oh did he?" The girl said.
"Enough of this," Narukami interjected, "We have to take this hospital now!"
"Right…" I started. "Narukami, you lead the second team down the stairwell, HK, rearm your friends then have them help us, if they're able to fight. Team one, rappel to the second floor with me, and please try not to fall."
"Sounds good," Narukami said. "Half of you come with me."
"I'm going with you, Klonoa." Suomi said. "I'll watch your back down there." She gave me a really reassuring smile. I could tell she was very confident.
After a little bit of time, we had all the ropes hooked up and ready to go. I think I'll be good on heights, after all I've seen them at least a hundred times. I just hope Suomi's good with heights…
"Klonoa…" Narukami started. "Don't mess anything up." He then ran with his half of the girls towards the door as I stood there scowling at him.
"Oy vey," A girl named 'Negev' muttered. "I'm not good with heights."
"It'll be ok, Negev," Suomi said reassuringly.
"Alright, we don't have very much time, so we need to get moving." I said as I got myself hooked up to one of the ropes. Suomi ran over to the rope right next to mine and started hooking herself up to it.
"I'll support you once we're down there." Suomi said while staring into my eyes. I'll admit, I stared back into her eyes for a little bit as well.
"Klonoa und Suomi sitting in a baum," I heard one of the girls singing in a thick German accent, "K-U-S-S-E-N."
"S…Stop it, Kar98k!" Suomi shakily said.
"Alright everyone, it's time." I started. "I don't know how long you all have been living under Chris-chan's cruelty, but it ends today. We will overthrow Chris-chan, and it all starts with this. Let's make it happen!"
"Yes, Shikikan!" All the girls chanted in unison.
"Shikikan? What's that mean?" I asked.
"You are our commander now, Klonoa." Suomi said. "We'll follow you through the deepest pits of fire if we have to."
"Not sure I'd go that far…" Micro-uzi said.
"Well I would!" Suomi said sternly.
"Klonoa und Suomi sitting in a baum…" Kar98k started singing once again.
"Shut it, Kar98k!" Suomi retorted. With this, me, Suomi and the first wave of girls were all attached to the ropes and ready to go.
"We set up at the far end of the hospital. We'll push the CWC honor guards towards the stairwell, where Narukami and his team will be ready." I crawled out my window, weapon at the ready, waiting to rappel. I looked over to Suomi. "You ready?" I asked.
"Just say the word, Shikikan." She said. With this, me and Suomi rappelled down to the second floor windows. There were three men in the room I was headed into. They were all watching the hallway, so I could take them by surprise. I pointed my Mac-10 at them and squeezed the trigger. I took out two of them before I crashed through the window. I barely landed on my feet, so I stumbled a bit. The guy who I didn't take out aimed his gun at me, but he was quickly taken out by Suomi. I changed mags as fast as I could and headed towards the hallway. Guys came out of the rooms across the hall, as well as flooding from the stairwell. I ducked back into the room. I aimed my gun down the hallway, and there were tons of men running down the hallway towards us. The other girls were still rappelling down, so we were outnumbered for the moment. Just then, gunfire went off from the other side of the hallway. Narukami and his team had taken the stairwell. The rest of my team rappelled through the windows and helped us push the enemies back. We finally got some breathing room since the bad guys had to take cover in random rooms since they were now taking fire from both sides.
"Alright everyone, move up!" I yelled. "Don't give them a chance to breathe!" We had to go room by room and clear them all out. I got my bearings back after nearly being shot, then charged into the room right across. They had set up a lounge area in this room, complete with couches and even a pool table. I ducked behind the couch to scan the room. It was clear. I then ran back into the hallway. Bullets whizzed by my head, so I ducked into another room. More bad guys were charging the hallway despite the fact they were completely flanked by Narukami's team. They were fighting as hard as they could ecause they knew they were surrounded. Negev put her giant gun on the floor and laid on her belly. She then fired her gun continuously, sending bullets flying all over, taking out any guard that was in the hallway. This cleared the way enough for me to rush to the room across the hall. I went in, and four guys were hiding in there. I signaled a few of the girls to come into the room where I was. Suomi, Kar98k and TMP came rushing into the room and made quick work of the three guys in the room.
"Gerne geschehen." Kar98k said. I didn't really know what she just said, but I didn't have time to figure it out. We left that room then went to what looked like the last room we had to take. We had linked up with Narukami and his team. We could hear the desperate baddies in the room waiting for us. I had no idea what they have in there, it might have been a trap. I certainly didn't want to lose anyone. We had to think fast. I then noticed 9 pulling some kind of weird looking can out of her holster.
"Okay everyone," 9 started, "When you hear it go off, go in there and wipe out everyone you see." She threw the can-thingy into the room and I heard a very loud sound. Narukami plowed into the room breathing heavily. I quickly went in to back him up. It turns out they had a very heavy gun set up, so it was a good thing 9 threw that blinding can. The guards were staggering around, reaching for their guns which they had dropped on the floor. We cleared the first room but there was another room attached to the one we just cleared. There were more guards in that room. I went up against the door frame ready to put some rounds into the room. HK416 pulled me behind her, and she shot something into the room using this big tube underneath her gun. It must have been a grenade, because there was a huge explosion. There were a few guys still alive in there who started firing at us, so the girls went into the room and took care of he survivors. That was the last room on the second floor. Everyone was just standing in the room we just cleared.
"Did… did we do it?" Suomi asked.
"I think we did." Narukami said. "Now down to business, is there some sort of planning room in here?"
"There isn't one," M4 said. "We never really had a chance to make one, but we can use the old guards' quarters on the third floor. That room should be big enough."
"Excellent!" Narukami shouted with a mix of happiness and anger in his voice. "We are going to take all of CWCistan and make Chris-chan and all his Lieutenants suffer. We got a lot of intelligence on Akechi's operations in this backpack."
"Let's get planning." I said. "Everyone else, set up defenses and double check every nook and cranny."
(April 6 2024)_—-
It's been a few days since we took the hospital. I'd say everyone's doing pretty good. I finally got some full nights of sleep for the first time since I came to this world. The three girls we saved from the broom closet have been making full recoveries. I honestly still can't believe they were able to fight for the hospital despite having just been completely starved. A few of the girls here know how to treat gunshot wounds, so they were able to fix my shoulder properly, as well as a few other wounds that were given to the girls during the retaking of the hospital. I'd say Narukami's been doing well, but the past three days have consisted mostly of Narukami and HK416 yelling at each other in the planning room we established. Since I'm the Shikikan, apparently, I spend most of my time in there looking over Narukami's maps. It's difficult to do when I have these two maniacs who never stop screaming. I was hoping they would lose their voices soon... but it hasn't happened yet. According to the documents Narukami and I stole from the prison, crucial information regarding controlled areas, troop movements and prisoner records are kept on special laptops that only Akechi's battle captains possess. If we take the data off one of them, we'll know much more about CWCistan, including where Nanako's being held. Problem is that Narukami and HK can't agree on how to get to the laptop.
"THAT'S A BULLCRAP PLAN!" Narukami shouted as he slammed his fist on the table. Fun fact, he didn't actually say 'bull crap.' The table wasn't very sturdy, so the entire table shook as a result of Narukami's punch. Lots of things fell on the floor as well.
"Oh I'm sorry, Grampsscrapper," HK retorted sarcastically. "Let's do it as quietly as the retirement home you live in."
"We have to!" Narukami yelled. "If they hear all the gunshots they'll probably delete all the intel we need. We have to go in quietly."
"I bet you have experience with that, you frail gray-haired hecker." Said HK, but she didn't say 'hecker.'
"...And what is that supposed to mean, you boney old gray haired jerk?" Narukami yelled. "Oh and also, I like your hair ornaments, they look like freaking Neptune's hair ornaments."
"What did you just say you broken windshield wiper?" HK angrily retorted.
"ENOUGH!" I yelled. I'm sorry but I lost my temper. "What are we doing? We can't be fighting each other, we're in the middle of fighting an enemy that controls the entire area we're in. We have to all work together if we want even a chance of succeeding." That seemed to calm Narukami and HK down.
"He's right…" Narukami conceded. "The only way we can end this insanity is to work together."
"Alright, with that out of the way, let's talk about how we'll steal the data from Akechi's computer." I shikikan'd. I could have said 'commanded,' but I decided not to.
"I still say we go in quiet." Narukami said. "Otherwise they might hide the laptop itself or start deleting all the files we want."
"If you'd said that before I might have agreed with you." HK said.
"I did say that before, you didn't listen." Narukami angrily added.
"Because I couldn't hear you over your old man voice." HK teased.
"ENOUGH!" I yelled. "HK stop being a cuticle picker."
"Fine." HK sighed. "We could probably just sneak through the window, steal the laptop as a whole then get out."
"But if the security gets tripped and the bullets start flying, we risk having the laptop shot and then we'd lose the intel as a whole." Narukami added. "That's why we should probably put all the data on a flash drive." Right when Narukami said that, G11 came in the room with a pillow and stood there looking super tired. Funny thing is it seemed like Narukami and HK didn't notice her. They kept tossing ideas at each other until finally G11 put her pillow on the table, climbed on it and passed out. It was at this point HK and Narukami noticed her. We all stood there in silence for a little bit.
"G11," Narukami started. "What the heck do you think you are doing?"
"The hospital beds are too soft." G11 answered half-asleep. "I want to sleep on something hard." HK grabbed G11 by the collar and threw her on the ground then she started kicking the side of her body repeatedly. I had to step in.
"STOP IT!" I yelled. I normally don't yell. Must have been the confidence boost that comes with the title of 'Shikikan' that made me feel able to do that. HK stopped right after I yelled, and it was pretty funny because she stopped as she was winding up a kick. "G11, you can't just come in and sleep on a table that we're using. HK, you can't abuse teammates like that. Save it for the enemy." HK was staring daggers at me, but I could tell that she knew she had to obey. HK pulled G11 up and shoved her out the door.
"Wait…" Narukami said. "You forgot this." He tossed G11 her pillow. G11 left, so we kept planning.
"According to these notes," Narukami started, "We know where the battle captain's house is, we just don't know what it looks like, how many stories it has, or how many guards there are."
"M4 can put a thermal sight on her gun." HK added. "We can have her keep watch and pick off targets from a distance while a few dolls find the laptop and steal its data."
"Hold on," I jumped in. "Narukami's got a long range weapon, can we give him a thermal scope and a quiet-gun-thingy?"
"It's called a 'suppressor,' you water-soaked biscuit!" HK said in a quite charming manner. I'm being sarcastic, of course. "But I think we can do that. Maybe have Narukami and M4 on overwatch and send four dolls in the house. We should probably keep our numbers low, that'll make it easier to stay unnoticed."
"Three dolls and one cabbit." I said. "I'm going in with them."
"That's ridiculous." HK snapped. "The Shikikan isn't supposed to fight."
"This Shikikan does." I said. "I'm going in the house with the girls. I'm not asking."
"Alright then, Klonoa." Narukami said as he picked his M14 up. "When are we going?"
"Three in the morning." I answered. "It will be dark outside and the guards, if there are any, will be exhausted."
"Alright, whatever you say." Narukami said in a determined tone.
(April 7 2024)_—-
By 2:45 in the morning, I was beyond exhausted, but I had to stay up to do the mission. I didn't want to make the girls do the mission on their own. I know they're battle hardened, I just don't want to lose any of them. I headed towards the hospital's garage to meet the team I chose for this mission. Narukami and M4A1 were to watch the house from the outside with thermal scopes and suppressors. I was going into the house with MP5, UMP45 and AR-15. And yes, I know AR-15 is better for long range, but I chose her to go in with me because honestly, I'm still in shock and awe after seeing her take down a guy the way she did. Anyway, before I got to the garage, I poked my head into Suomi's room to check on her. She actually got a concussion because of the log hitting her head before, so she's had to rest a lot. I stood there watching her, but not for too long. She sleeps so soundly. Everytime I see her, I just feel happy. In a cold cruel dimension like this, I always felt alone and on edge since Narukami isn't the easiest to get along with, but ever since I met Suomi, I see that here's at least some good in this dimension. Anyway, I made it to the garage where everyone was waiting near the van.
"Alright, let's try and keep this tight." I said trying my best to sound awake.
"Yes, Shikikan!" UMP-45 said confidently. "We'll be right behind you!" We then got into the van and to the outskirts of the town where battle captain Abu lived. We ditched the van because we can't risk the noise. We walked for a while until we reached a three-story adobe. It was a reasonable distance from any other houses, so we were good on that front. Narukami and M4 got into position underneath a dead bush.
"We'll scan for enemies in the windows." Narukami said. Me and the other girls hunkered down while Narukami and M4 scanned.
"I see four enemies." M4 started. "Second floor, armed with AK-74u's, very inattentive."
"I got a sniper on top of the house." Narukami said after one of his typical surprised grunts. "He's not looking through his scope. He's just standing there. I'll take him out if he looks through his scope, just in case it's thermal."
"Right!" I exclaimed quietly. "You three come with me, we're going in." Me and the girls slowly and cautiously made our way to the house. Just as we got across the street, we saw some lights in the distance coming towards us. It was a truck full of guards! "Everyone, get low!" I quietly commanded. The four of us all dropped down to our bellies and stayed perfectly still and quiet. My heart was beating out of my chest. "Narukami, M4, can you watch the truck?" I asked as the truck continued moving our way.
"We have eyes on." M4 answered. "Three men in the back, one driver."
"They're just passing by-" Narukami cut himself off. "The truck stopped! They're getting out of the truck and moving towards the house."
"What should we do, Shikikan?" MP5 asked nervously. I thought about it for a bit. If I let them go into the house, worst case scenario, they might have joined the security force in the house already, which would make the mission harder. If we took them out, the security in the house might have gotten suspicious. I couldn't decide.
"Klonoa, make the call!" Narukami said. "We're about to lose our window." I inhaled deeply, then I made the decision.
"Smoke them." I radioed to everyone.
"Good choice." Narukami exhaled "M4 and I have eyes on. We'll take out any of them you miss."
"Everyone, pick a target." I told my team.
"We're ready." UMP said calmly.
"Three... two... one..." I counted down. "Get them." I fired my weapon; the rest of my team did the same. After we fired there was silence. I was watching as best I could to make sure none of the baddies were moving. I started walking towards the group of supposedly dead enemies with my gun raised.
"We're clear." M4 said. "None of them are moving."
"Excellent." I said. "Let's go take the house. The darkness will keep the bodies hidden." Me and my team approached the house. We went around the house, making sure there was no one in the back. We were good, there was no one in the back.
"I see two ways in." MP5 whispered. "The window on the main level and the basement door, assuming it's unlocked. Your call, Shikikan."
"Ok, I want AR-15 and UMP-45 to go through the window and take the main level. MP5 and I will take the basement."
"Roger that, Shikikan." UMP said with a smile. After that exchange, me and MP5 opened the back door and proceeded slowly through the first corridor. Only problem was it was pitch black in there.
"I can't see anything in here." I muttered to myself.
"I got you covered." MP5 whispered. She took out a lighter and lit it. It was a really dim flame, so it wouldn't give us away. The basement was pretty easy, mostly just an open area and a few closets. There was only one room we had to check. There was a light on in there, and I could hear someone peeing.
"Oh boy oh boy oh boy!" MP5 jumped up and down. "Can I take him down?"
"Sure…" I hesitantly said. I was honestly worried, but she was so excited I felt like I couldn't say 'no.' MP5 opened the door and sure enough there was a guy tinkling. She ran up to him, knocked him over and held his head in the toilet. He was flailing around a ton, but MP5 had a pretty good hold on his arms and legs so he stayed relatively quiet. After a while he stopped moving. MP5 put her knife in the back of the guy's head to make sure he was dead.
"Dang…" I quietly said. "That was intense." MP5 nodded.
"I know." She said. "I got so tired of living under their thumb. I tried thinking about how I'd get my revenge at night as I was trying to sleep in the uncomfortable room... this was the best thing I came up with."
"Ok, that's not weird," I muttered. "Anyway, let's not keep AR and UMP waiting."
"Hold on," MP5 said. "I need to wash my hands." After that most unusual event, we continued. The basement was clear so after searching for the laptop, and not finding it, we went up to the main level. AR and UMP had taken main level already, so MP5 and I headed up to the second floor. Once we reached the top of the stairs, we were held at gunpoint suddenly.
"Sorry Shikikan, I'm just being careful." AR said as she took the barrel of her gun away from my face.
"It's fine," I said. "Did you find the laptop?"
"We didn't. I'm assuming you didn't find it either, so let's get to the last floor." UMP whispered. We all swept the second floor, which went by quickly since there were four of us. We didn't find anything so we went up to the third floor. It was a short hallway with two doors on the east wall and only one door on the west wall. We checked the East wall first but they were both giant closets, no guards in either of them. That left the big promising room for us to check. We opened the door, and there it was, the laptop.
"Narukami, M4, we found the laptop." I radioed.
"Awesome! Steal all the data and come back." Narukami said. I plugged the flash drive into the laptop while the other girls cleared the big room. AR came out of a room connected to this one holding a knocked-out guy by his collar.
"Klonoa, may I introduce… Battle Captain Abu. Wanna bring him back to HQ?"
"Nah, we don't want the walk back to the van to be difficult."
"Very true." AR said as she karate chopped his neck, possibly killing him.
"That's all fine and good," I started, "But I can't get through the security on this laptop."
"Don't worry about it, Shikikan." UMP said. I can download the data." She walked up to the laptop and put her forehead close to it. "There we go, I got all the stuff we need." Wow, I wish I knew T-dolls could do that. It was a very successful raid since we weren't detected, but most importantly, we had gotten all the intel we needed. We went outside and met up with Narukami and M4 then we headed back to the van. No words were said on the drive back, which was fine with me. I was exhausted.
—-
When we got back to the hospital, UMP put all the data she took onto the computer in the planning room then she went to bed. Narukami hopped on the computer and started reading. He didn't even unload his M14.
"You going to get some rest, Narukami?" I asked.
"Not until Nanako's safe." Narukami said as he started chugging coffee. He was reading like a madman. "Don't worry about me, Klonoa. Go to sleep and let me read all this stuff." I slowly turned to leave the room, but before I did, I heard Narukami say;
"Don't worry Nanako, Big Bro's coming to save you."