Chapter 23

  Within a few moments of the alarms being sounded, all the active personnel on board the Deck Hall were assembled. Dozens of troops had gathered in a small area beneath the bridge known as “the classroom”. The seats inside were filled with the junior troops—including Rei and her crew—while the NCOs gathered in the back. Before Mizumi and LtCol Ginger could step into the doorway, Paxton entered the room, sounding off for them to rise.

  As the entire platoon snapped to attention, Mizumi gave the order to sit. The alarm being sounded had the crew on edge and in anticipation of the following orders. Before Mizumi could make it to her seat at the edge of the class, Mezrich began to punch away at the keys on his laptop. After a few strikes, a small projector adjacent to him lit up, illuminating a small white board in front of them.

  A map of the city before them displayed across the wall. It was a large interactive topographic map, complete with the location of the Deck Hall and the other ships nearby. On the northern front, near the top of the screen, there was another blip against the border highlighting an object moving off the screen.

  “I need everybody to pay attention,” Ginger declared. “Our radars picked up a large enemy ship heading this way, it will be in our airspace in the next two hours.”

  He paused for a moment, lifting his hand towards Paxton. With that, Paxton stepped forwards and approached the end of the map.

  “Which is why we’ve sounded the alarm,” Paxton drawled before giving Mezrich a quick nod. The map on the screen started to scroll upward, revealing another large blip far away from the city. He pointed up towards it, gritting his teeth before continuing, “That there is the Litvyak. It is much faster than the Deck Hall and there’s no way we’re going to be able to outrun it. We’re about to get a visit from General Kawaguchi.”

  Rei’s eyes became stern as she looked ahead. She could feel her heart starting to rush against the thoughts of the village. Mizumi started over to her, faintly cracking a smile to see Rei’s hands shaking with anticipation. To Rei’s left, Megumi stared on towards the projection, feeling a sense of dread. She knew that the situation was coming to a head, and she could only sit back as the address continued.

  “This is going to be the hardest battle we ever fight,” Paxton said, this time firming up his voice. “I can’t promise everybody is coming home, but if we don’t prevail, we’ll just be another footnote in history.”

  He started to raise his hand towards the board, pointing out the positions one by one. It would be simple enough, roughly a dozen rifles and rocketeers scattered through various locations in the city to prevent a fly-by. With that, they would be able to handle the ground troops if they slip through the cracks and prevent the Deck Hall from being boarded by foot.

  Paxton looked over to Kismet and a few of the troops, giving them their orders, “Y’all gonna be mannin’ the guns. There will be high altitude combatants on our position soon, so we’ll need you to deploy anti-air measures.”

  “Due to the circumstances, I’m going to be leading a small strike team,” Mizumi’s voice was piercing as she spoke. She turned to face Rei and Nomad as they turned their focus to her. “I need Rei, Nomad, and Shirow to be ready to fight the general and any other A.S.B. units they have on board.”

  Rei looked into Mizumi’s eyes, faintly smiling once she heard her name. She felt a surge of emotions thinking of being able to get a chance to get revenge. Much more, she would be going into battle with family again, this time she felt much more confident with her abilities. Nomad reached over to her giving her a quick bump on the shoulder with his fist.

  “I’ve got your back, sensei.” Nomad teased, receiving a quick grin from her.

  Megumi stared at the two, still feeling a chill in the air from the setting. She felt compelled to speak, but once again she had that familiar feeling of being in the wolf pit. The anxiety of the troops around her filled the air, but she could sense their battle spirit within. Rowan on the other hand sat alone, casting a cold gaze on the others, namely Rei as the battle plans were laid out.

  “Due to the circumstances, I’ve volunteered to pilot one of the jets. I’m one pilot short,” Paxton barked aloud, pulling Rowan’s focus away from Rei and the others. He pointed towards her giving a quick nod and concluding, “Rowan, I need you to fly with me.”

  The sudden request brought a determined smile to Rowan’s face, causing her to nod to the request. While she started to light up, Ginger got a quick reaction himself. He held his tongue, not wanting to step out of line in front of the junior enlisted.

  “I’m not going to let you down, sir.” Rowan affirmed.

  Paxton smiled back to her before continuing, “All pilots need to report to the flight deck in five minutes. We’re gonna hit the Litvyak head on and blow that commie junk out the god-damn sky.”

  Rowan and a few of the troops near her rose to their feet in unison, quickly following Paxton towards the exit. Upon making their exit and heading down the hall, they were intercepted by Ginger, fuming after the briefing.

  “You’re about to send a rookie slash Eurasianoid convert into battle with one of our ships. I don’t think you know what you’re doing, Major.” Ginger cautioned.

  Paxton and Rowan came to a halt, turning to face Ginger as he walked towards them.

  “I was in Nojiri with this one, if she was dangerous or wanting to stab me in the back, she let that opportunity pass a million times already,” Paxton responded with his usual drawl. “While you were sitting comfy with the General, we we’re thrashin’ our way through those damn Eurasianoids. She the best option we got, Lieutenant Colonel.”

  “So she’s changed, good job, I’ll give you that. I don’t think she would be willing to betray us in the air,” Ginger continued, still closing the distance between them. “She’s never flown a plane like this, and you know just as well as I do that the pressure of combat is overwhelming. It will be the Murray situation all over again except with a twenty-three-thousand-pound death machine spiraling into the ground. I don’t want that to happen again.”

  Paxton was slightly tilted but stood his ground against the quick and brutal reminder. He kept his eyes on Ginger, not allowing his bearing to break.

  “She’s the best option we have. She’s not going be another Murray, and the only other pilot we have is you,” Paxton said. “We already have the General going into battle. We can’t risk sending the entire high command.”

  “Well, you have a point. However, this is a very dangerous mission, and I think you’re going to get somebody killed,” Ginger said after a quick pause. He looked over to Rowan with defeat lingering on his face before swallowing and giving her a fierce stare. He finally declared, “Prove me wrong.”

  Nomad watched as Megumi started to make the final preparations in the lab. He did not have much to say to her, instead only opting to remain silent as he thought about the coming battle. Likewise, Megumi was speechless thinking about Vic’s approach. Her last conversation with Rei ended with her vowing to complete her revenge. With the inevitable clash nearing, she wondered what the outcome would be.

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  It was not clear if they would be able to win, and if they lost, she could only imagine what would happen to the several people on board. The memories of seeing what Vic did to Rei’s village remained fresh, even with the new acquaintances and experiences she faced`. The image of the Deck Hall in flames with another mass grave before it made her shudder.

  “Are you alright?” Nomad asked once he noticed her seize up.

  Megumi quickly swallowed, trying to get control of herself. She reached over towards the bench towards her newly created battle robe to disconnect her computer. The wires around the collar of suit were cautiously removed, causing the machine in front of her to let out a chime.

  “I’m just thinking about Rei.” Megumi replied after cradling the robe in her arms.

  “I think if there was concern about anybody not coming back safe, it wouldn’t be her. That girl has nine lives. I’m sure she’s burnt through a few by now, but she’s got enough to survive this.”

  “I don’t want to think about that,” she groaned. “I’m worried about sending you all into battle. She was so dead set on killing my father and they’re about to go face to face.”

  “What am I supposed to do?”

  “Just do what you can, I know my father is an evil person, but I think there’s a chance for redemption,” she turned back to him, still cradling the battle robe. “I know if they fight it will be either him or us, but I know there’s another way.”

  “That’s a tall order.”

  “Do what you can.”

  “Unreal,” he muttered. He looked at her once more, seeing the apprehension in her eyes. “Let me get this thing on. Has it been tested?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Well, shit,” He sighed before retrieving the robe. Upon lifting it and examining the material, he was captivated by the charcoal-colored fabric. It felt much denser than his shirt and the inside of the robe was fitted with rubbery knubs that latched onto his flesh. “How does this work?”

  “You need to take your shirt off so the contacts inside can create a circuit.”

  “Circuit, like an electrical circuit?”

  “Yes, just put it on and it should start to bind to you.”

  “It’s going to bind to me?”

  “Yes,” Megumi sighed. “It’s not permanent. That material is similar to the armored vests issued by the troops. It will stop a low velocity round, but anything like a pulse might go through it. So, don’t get shot.”

  “This isn’t a joke, is this thing going to shock me or what?”

  “Quit being a baby and put on the damn robe!”

  Nomad’s was flustered by the command, but knew that time was starting to run out. He took a moment to take a breath before finally removing his shirt to don the robe. The breaks on the front of the uniform were much like Rei’s with a set of gelatin-like prongs acting as a zipper. Once he placed the robe against his torso, he could feel the material beneath cling to his flesh. He connected the prongs at the bottom of the breaks, fusing the bits together, allowing him to slide it towards the collar.

  Once the front of the robe was sealed, he could feel the inside beginning to react. The sudden rush of the many knubs inside expanding to combine to his flesh provided a tickling sensation which caused him more discomfort. The sequence completed, causing another presence to envelop him. The forces inside of the Deep caused his vision to turn dark for a moment, causing further anxiety.

  “I don’t like this,” Nomad gasped. He clenched his teeth while the presence from the onboard AI and the Deep seemingly began to clash in his head. “I don’t know about this.”

  “Just remain calm, the suit is trying to calibrate to your thoughts.”

  He unconsciously raised his hand to her, grabbing hold of her hand as he tried to remain calm. While she repeated for him to relax, he could hear a voice in his head following through with the same command. Within moments, the chaos in his head began to subside while his vision returned. His eyes shot open; his heart began to beat wildly. He felt as if there was another sense being triggered in his brain, altering his perception almost as if he had eyes in the back of his head.

  “This is bizarre.” He said before cracking a nervous smile.

  “See, it didn’t kill you.”

  “I guess not,” he wanted to try and crack a joke, but fell silent. The presence in his head slowly started to subside, leaving him to prepare for the battle up ahead. He looked down at her and gazed at her glowing brown hair and eyes. “I guess I need to get going.”

  He stepped closer to her once more, allowing their lips meet as they shared one last tender moment together.

  “Be careful out there.” She said finally.

  Rei had since grown used to wearing the battle robe, even going so far to wear it for weeks at a time. Once the commands started to feed into her head, she took a deep breath. The constant stream of information was not bothersome and instead she always hated the ticklish sensation whenever it started to bind to her. She and Mizumi finished suiting up before starting to make their way to meet up with Nomad and Shirow.

  “I can’t even remember the last time I got to put this on.” Mizumi remarked while she gently tugged on her robe.

  The uniform was like Rei’s—a faded red fabric with white flower pedals around the breaks, but instead of being sleeveless, her arms were covered with fabric for protection. Rei followed her through the hallway while she tried to clear her head. She felt as if she was back in the village, ready to go on another patrol. The odds for this mission seemed stacked, but she was optimistic having three other advanced Deep users like herself ready to lead the charge.

  Before getting to the rendezvous with the others, the two ended up making a pass through the barracks to see the last of the troops still getting prepped for the battle. As Mizumi stepped past, the hallways started to light up with the usual daily greeting from the overanxious troops. She waved them off as usual, keeping her sights focused on the battle ahead. Rei turned towards the Barracks and took notice of Tetsu among them. He was getting prepped with his usual yoroi which only stuck out to her.

  The sight brought Rei some discomfort while she reminded herself of the march into battle with Shugo and Jin months earlier. There was something urging her to stop. Not wanting to fight her instincts and the gut feeling that followed her, she came to a halt.

  “Is there something wrong?” Mizumi asked.

  “I need just a moment,” Rei declared before turning towards Tetsu. “Wait for me outside.”

  Mizumi’s gaze shifted towards Tetsu before she gave a soft nod. Right as she started to step away, Rei continued inside the barracks. She finally came face to face with Tetsu only to find herself at a loss of words once more.

  “I was wondering when I’d get to see you again.” Tetsu said calmly with a grin.

  “The General had me getting what she called a crash course. I hope you’re not upset with me.”

  “I think after what we’ve been through, I can let it slide,” he nodded, having some difficulty keeping his eyes on her. The troops around them continued to bustle as they slid past. “Since I’m wounded, they want me on some auxiliary patrol, or something like that. It’s not the most noble job, but that’s what I’m left with.”

  “You didn’t seem to like the noble life anyways.”

  Tetsu laughed at the remark, finally turning his eyes back to her, “You have a point there. I heard you were going to fight some General. I didn’t get all the details.”

  “He was the man who ruined my life, so I’m going to return the favor,” she went silent again, nervous to continue. The feeling of Déjà vu began to slowly take over. She knew Tetsu was hiding something from her that was nagging at him, so she decided to ease up her stance, crossing her arms behind her back and asking, “I wasn’t avoiding you, but I know you probably had something you wanted to tell me.”

  Tetsu’s eyes it up for a fleeting moment, forcing him to try and regain his composure. After gently rubbing his forehead, he continued, “I was. I don’t know if now is a good time, since you’re going into battle. I really don’t know how to say this.”

  In her head, she could hear his words exactly like Shugo’s. His nervous demeanor became unsettling. The past and present slowly began to blur, only causing her chest to sink. Before he could continue, she reached out to him and gently grabbed onto his hands.

  “I think you should think about it,” she said, feeling his warm hands slowly starting to tremble. “Tell me after.”

  The quick remark left him entranced while he stared down at her hands. Tetsu nodded back to her, finally gaining the strength to match her gaze. She released him and started to slowly step back towards the door, keeping headstrong as she turned to make her way for the battlefield ahead.