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Mai Kijo
by: countdown-to-suicide
Mai Kijo: Social Studies 101
Lesson 4-a:
The EMP (electromagnetic pulse) found in the Searrs Field subjugates electricity. This does not mean that this would limit or hinder the world's progress and development in technology. In fact, most of Fuka's technology is powered by steam.
Scientists have found a way to increase the steam's heat, pressure and power by adding certain chemicals in water. The effect causes the water to become green. Recently, scientists have found a way to increase its potency in small dosages. So, the more potent the steam-power, the more luminous and hazardous the green water becomes.
This green water, or Green as most people call it, is contained in Shells. Shells come in various shapes and sizes-- especially if the devices they belong to are customized or specialized. But the standard shapes for:
1. Vehicles and other high-powered generators - are cylindrical,Terminologies:
a. Steam - the power source of all technology.Act. 3 Part 1: Hindrance
Sara Gallagher was not having a good day.
It all began when some maniac dumped stinky fish on her feet, stole her snow machine, sprayed her with dirt and snow, and-- after she complained to Gen. Murdoch about it and about the fact that the stolen snow machine's Shell was nearly empty-- had been ordered to rally a team and find the aforementioned maniac and make sure she wasn't stranded out there in the forest; ASAP. But it was puzzling... any competent soldier could find their way back to the camp easily enough. Whoever she was, she was favored and pampered by the higher echelons.
'Probably a spoiled brat of some high-ranking officer or a politician's kid playing soldier.' Sara thought derisively. Goodness knows the military has had enough of those useless, pompous monkeys. She assembled her team, had them heat up the motor of their snow machines; double-check their rifles and bullet caches, before finally heading out of the camp.
It wasn't difficult to look for their target's tracks. The 'crazy, spoiled, useless maniac' did not try very hard to mask them, or she knew exactly where she was going and had not wasted any time exploring other paths. It was obvious she was in a hurry. Well... Sara and her team would not have a hard time catching up to her at all.
Natsuki's unprotected eyes stung as the icy-cold wind blew through her face, having thrown her goggles at her pursuer as a last desperate attempt to stall her. She ran out of bullets for Julia and Duran minutes ago. The only bullets she had left were the special ones. But she could not use them at the moment.
Not here...
Not now...
Not with Julia's and Duran's current state.
She felt the back of the snow machine lurch, the soil and snow bursting apart, as the sharpened and arced air exploded behind her with a deafened exploding sound and missed her tail lights by inches. Foom! Tomoe was getting closer. The snow machine had reached its limits and could not accelerate anymore. The spaces between most of the trees were too narrow for her vehicle to pass through. She could not outrun her, she could not lose her, she cursed. "Great! What else could go wrong?" The motor began to wheeze and sputter. She raised her head to the heavens in outraged dismay. "That was a rhetorical question, dammit!!"
Another of Tomoe's Wind Cutters finally managed to nail the snow machine's tail end-- directly at the now Shell. BOOM! The collision forced the vehicle to jerk forward with such force it finally threw Natsuki off her seat and sent her sailing into the air.
BOOM!
All heads turned in the direction of the sound. "What was that?!" The guy to Sara's left exclaimed in alarm.
The blonde, bespectacled soldier didn't answer and affixed her rifle firmly in front of her within easy reach. She gestured for her team to move towards the sound. "Caution and silence, everyone. It could be code yellow." Code yellow... which meant it might be a hostile trespasser. "Formation Delta Six." Immediately, six out of nine soldiers unstraddled their seats and assembled behind their team leader, awaiting further instructions. Sara addressed the trio who remained seated on their snow machines. "You know the drill. You're back up. When someone's chasing us... watch who you're aiming your rifles at."
"We'll be back in 10 minutes." With a curt hand gesture, she led five of her men towards their target-- leaving their vehicles idle but with the motor running.
Natsuki tucked her body and rolled harmlessly along the ground as she landed. She was about to straighten up when the snow machine flew over her with a dying roar and crashed against a tree somewhere ahead of her. She had no time to thank Lady Luck for her generosity as she quickly scrambled out of the way of the incoming Wind Cutter. Foom! The ground to her left exploded. She jumped behind a tree, but it was no use. Foom! She rolled out of the way when the trunk was diagonally cut in half. A few strands of her hair fluttered down to the white, powdery ground.
Never had she met anyone as formidable and as merciless an enemy as Tomoe. She was Shizuru's partner? Natsuki could believe it now. How wrong she had been to assume that the younger girl had underestimated her when in fact... it was Natsuki who had underestimated Tomoe! She lacked preparation... information... and was obviously outclassed against an Amaranth assassin and psychogenetic. Who was she kidding, entering the goddamned contest with enemies more powerful than herself?
The thought was disheartening. And she was once again angry at her own impatience and carelessness. Goddamit! She had so much to lose! Her country's pride and glory, her family, Shizuru...
She ran on, never pausing, never hesitating. Her heart quickened with fear and desperation. Yet her hands were steady and sure. She rearranged Duran first;
Twisted the safety latch 180 degrees north, which loosened the grip enough for it to be twisted perpendicular to its barrel -- makeshift rifle stock.
Pushed and shifted a series of buttons alongside the slide, pulling against the recoil spring guide, pulling it back to reveal the open chamber -- bolt.
Foom! The ground exploded beside her which nearly made her lose her footing. She rearranged Julia next;
Twisted the safety latch 180 degrees south, which loosened the grip enough for it to be twisted perpendicular to its barrel, attaching it with a clear click along the bottom of Duran's frame/receiver and inserting Duran's exposed barrel inside Julia -- uniting both weapons at last.
Pushed and shifted a series of buttons alongside slide, to disengage and rearrange its unique fire mechanism -- makeshift sniper's rifle barrel.
Extended the front sight sniper's front sight.
Kiyohime was complete. She did it all under 60 seconds with the ease of someone who had practiced the procedure more than fifty times a day. A special bullet was pulled out of her bullet pouch. A 7.62x53.4mm rifle cartridge that was 2.4 mm slightly longer than normal. She pushed it through the loading gate and bolted it shut. Lady White was almost upon her... she could feel it!
She swiveled around, Kiyohime poised to shoot, rotating on her good leg to face Tomoe just as she had lifted her sword to blast her with her Wind Cutter's killing blow. Natsuki fired. Amazingly enough, Kiyohime merely emitted a muffled yet forceful click. Yet the bullet shot out of the barrel with deadly accuracy, yet spinning almost lazily.
Tomoe smirked and countered it with her Wind Cutter.
Halfway before impact, the bullet jerked, it's lower half exploding-- increasing the projectile's velocity in mid-air. The purpose of the hole drilled to its center was revealed as it forced the bullet to continue spinning-- continue its accurate path-- increasing its power and energy.
Bullet and Wind made contact.
BOOM!
Sara and her team had just warily peeked over the rise of the hill when a strong gust of wind blew across their faces.
BOOM!
They all fell on their backs and bottoms on the snow-- mostly the result of being taken aback with shock than being swept off their feet by the blast of air. They all watched with wide eyes as the bullet ruptured the Wind Cutter almost effortlessly, sending strong but harmless gales in chaotic directions, then resumed its mark on the stunned albino girl. Lady White dodged it, but the rippling air pressure surrounding the projectile knocked her off her feet and threw her to the snow. Everyone saw the bullet burst through a tree trunk, splintering the wood and making a sizable hole big enough to practically tear the trunk in half. Then another one and another... the holes getting smaller and smaller... until the fourth tree stopped it.
Steam drifted out of the hole where the bullet had deeply lodged itself. The heat of the metal and the cold air making it more visible and prominent for all the stunned eyewitnesses to see.
Tomoe's mouth worked soundlessly for a moment until she expelled a rather shaky, "Wh-what t-the hell...?" The almost comical tableau of astonished silence was broken when the tree tilted with a creak before toppling over to the ground-- directly over the fallen assassin. Lady White quickly scuttled out of the way.
Natsuki limped towards Sara and her team, having caught sight of them the moment they appeared, and grabbed the nearest one by the collar of her coat. Sara groaned when she was met with the familiar, blazing green eyes of the maniac. "Not maniac... Lunatic..." She muttered.
"Let's get out of here!" Natsuki shouted at her and pushed her in the direction from whence they came. When Sara saw Tomoe throw their team a murderous glare, she complied with Natsuki's wishes without a peep. Two of her men grabbed each of Natsuki's arms and swung them over their shoulders, supporting her as they hastily returned to their waiting comrades and snow machines.
"NATSUKIIIIIII!!!!!" Came the maddened, piercing shriek behind them. No one dared to look back. Then... Foom! The last man running behind them was vertically torn in half. He was dead when he hit the ground.
"Echo Zulu! Echo Zulu!" Sara called out the defense formation with barely suppressed panic. Immediately, two of her men dropped down on their knees. They stood their ground and provided their fleeing comrades cover by firing at their pursuer. Lady White was forced to dance away from them, and she could barely position herself to use her Wind Cutter before she was fired upon. After half a minute, the two men jumped to their feet and ran after their team. Two others knelt down to take their place. They shifted back and forth for a while, successfully keeping Tomoe at bay. It was the perfect display of team work and efficient strategic defense.
Lady White wanted to scream in frustration. She would kill them! Slaughter the whole camp if she had to! "NATSUKIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Sara wanted to whoop with relief when she caught sight of the waiting trio and their snow machines in the horizon. She waved at them desperately. Immediately, the trio lifted their rifles, aimed, and waited to get a clear shot of their target. When they had Tomoe on their sights, they fired. "Fire at will!" Natsuki shouted to the soldiers as soon as they reached the snow machines. Sara was their team leader, yet the authority in this stranger's voice compelled them to obey the command without hesitation; and fired at will while everyone else straddled their snow machines. She took the remaining unmanned vehicle and sent a silent prayer of thanks and a promise to retrieve the body of the dead soldier they left behind.
"Go, go, go!" She shouted. Snow machines roared, green steam was spewed out of the exhaust pipe and covered the surrounding atmosphere like a green miasma. With a lurch, they shot forward and escaped towards the camp. Tomoe, staggered to a halt. She watched their retreating figures in silent rage-- her arms taut and trembling, her nose flaring as she inhaled and exhaled through them in a futile attempt to calm herself. In a lightning-quick move, she angrily slashed at a tree with one sword before sheathing both her weapons on her back. She spun around and left in the opposite direction. She did not turn around to see the tree slide slightly before falling to the ground... which was neatly cut in half by sheer strength alone.
The team and their wayward quarry zoomed into the camp amidst alarmed stares at their frenzied entrance. Sara got in Natsuki's face as soon as they got off their machines. Never mind that the blonde was smaller than Natsuki, she was going to kick her ass! Natsuki caught the fist before it could connect with her face. She stared at Sara, more weary than angry. "Who the hell do you think you are?!" Sara yelled at her. "Going to the border alone... stealing my snow machine without bothering to CHECK THE GODDAMN SHELL! A man was KILLED because of you!"
Before Natsuki could speak, Gen. Murdoch laid a hand on one of Sara's shoulder and said, "Stand down, Gallagher."
Sara spun around, her face flushed and grimacing with anger and offense, "B-but sir!"
"Are you alright, Lt. Kilroy?" Murdoch pulled his hand away and turned his attention to Natsuki, immediately dismissing Sara's presence.
'Lt. Kilroy?! THE Natasha Kilroy??' Sara's eyes widened. She stared at Natsuki who saluted crisply and answered Murdoch in the affirmative. 'Holy shit, I almost hit a CO!' Almost as if Natsuki had heard her thoughts, the older woman gave her a brief smile-- managing to convey both regret and wry reassurance-- before addressing her superior officer once again.
"Sir, if it's alright with you... I need to go check in with the medics and have my leg patched up." Natsuki's guarded expression fell briefly to expose the trepidation she felt at the thought of going to the hospital. But it was gone before anyone could put a name to the strange emotion that flickered in her eyes.
"Ah! Of course, of course!" Murdoch exclaimed and waved Natsuki towards the hospital building. "Do come see me in the office with your report as soon as possible after you're done, yes?"
"Yes sir." She answered and limped away. Sara was torn between admiration and resentment. She was torn between wanting to follow after the legendary Rutenberg Wolf and staying behind to help her team get settled. The decision was made for her when Murdoch turned to her once again and asked her to write a report in regards to the mission She sighed and glanced at Natsuki's retreating back wistfully.
'Wow... The Rutenberg Wolf... What's she doing back here?'
As soon as Natsuki entered the oddly empty hospital, she was ambushed from behind with a hearty slap on the back. She stumbled, coughed and sputtered a string of curses. Then she rose up to glare at Dr. Yohko Hasek, who grinned right back at her as she slurred, "Hhhey Natsuki! 'Bout time you came to visit me! Nobody visits me anymore."
"Who'd want to visit you?!" Natsuki snapped in annoyance. "Get out of my way. I'll tend to my wounds myself." She pushed past Yohko and stalked towards the cabinet where the needed medical materials were hidden. She opened it, took out several bottles of disinfectant, betadine and saline solution, medical pliers, a needle and a spindle of surgical thread, and a roll of bandages and medical tape. Yohko watched, confused, as her friend limped towards the examination table, sat on it and dumped the items beside her.
"Hey, hey, hey, what's going on, Natsuki? Got into a fight again?" Yohko staggered towards her. The other woman flashed her an irritated glance. "Well... yeah, duh. This is you we're talking about. Let me do that for--"
"Heck no, Yohko!" Natsuki pushed the tipsy doctor away. "Not when you're this drunk! I can do this myself!" In a flash, however, she found herself on her back with a grinning Yohko strapping her in. "Y-yohko, don't do this. I can- Yohko, no! Put that down! NO! I don't need a needle THAT big! Yohko!"
Somewhere in the privacy of the library, Sara looked up from her typewriter when a tortured, animalistic scream pierced through the usually quiet atmosphere. "What the hell was that?!"
TBC...
A/N: So... much... action! Whoah. I had to cut it into two parts. The next one would be finished in two days! Please be patient. :D Thanks to Yorie for editting my previous chapters! (huggles)
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