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United States, Virginian Ground, 1000 hours:
A lone M3 Stuart, sporting a distinctive maple emblem on its hull, raced through the dense woods, evading shells launched from behind. Inside, the driver pushed the M3 to its limits, while the gunner was on the gun, ready to fire at a moment's notice. Meanwhile, the commander remained concealed beneath the cupola, with only its broady helmet visible, its eyes carefully observing the surroundings.The commander spotted a Sherman tank and immediately signaled to the gunner, "Gunner, Sherman spotted at..." The commander tried remembering its training; before then, the commander's training came back to mind, and she continued, "A-Ah! 7 o'clock!"The gunner cranked the turret in the direction the commander had just told him before confirming. "On!""Fire!" The commander yelled out the order."Firing!" The gunner pressed on the gun's trigger, causing the 37mm cannon to spew out of the barrel. The shell flew through the air for a few seconds and missed by mere inches from the tank."How did you miss?!" the commander exclaimed in a frustrated and panicked tone."Sorry!" the gunner apologized in a nervous tone, looking down with embarrassment.The commander took a deep breath before giving another order to the gunner. "Load another shell and keep their attention at us."The gunner picked up another shell from the lower rack and loaded another shell into the chamber before closing it and going back to aim the gun. "Firing!" The cannon fired, and the process repeated."We're almost there! Keep them on the hook!" The commander reached for the radio. "Rod team, this is Hook leader. We have the fish on the hook, and we'll be there in a few seconds. We'll continue keeping them on the hook."The M3 continued maneuvering across the terrain, eventually reaching a flat expanse of land with a small, high bulge in the distance. Behind them, almost a dozen Sherman tanks, all equipped with 76mm cannons, continued firing while on the move, pursuing the M3.The pursuit continued until the M3 was just in front of a bulge. A crackling sound could be heard from the bulge, as a tank crawled out from behind, with its cannon aimed at the tank that was in front of it.
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Harlington Residence, 8th of September 2015, 7000 hours:
The sun shone through the gaps in the window's curtains, the birds were chirping, and the leaves were shaking from the breeze outside. Inside is a room with a dark wood cupboard, a simple wooden desk with a computer with the keyboard placed on a tray, and a wardrobe with some photos placed on top, along with a wooden cross placed just above the window.There was then a bed where a dark brown-haired girl, with a height less than half the bed's length, wearing a green shirt and long pants with white plain socks, was sleeping. Her name is Alisia.The sun shone through her morning hair that was covering her eyes, which caused her to wake up, revealing her brown eyes. She then crawled off the bed but ended up falling to the floor with a soft thud."Oww.." She held her head, feeling pain as her nerves reacted to the impact. She stayed on the ground before regaining full consciousness, standing back up, and walking outside her room to head towards the bathroom.Arriving at the bathroom, the first thing she saw was a sink with a mirror, along with a basket placed below and beside an old washing machine combined with an ironing surface on top. She took off her clothes and placed them inside the washing machine through the small port, before pouring some cleaning solutions inside, turning on the washing machine, and walking towards the blurred transparant window and stepping over the bath before switching the shower on without looking at the temperature indicator."O-Ow!" Alisia immediately moved the switch to the red zone, and hot water began dropping from the shower, raining down on her skin, causing her to flinch in pain and forcing her to turn off the showerhead.She released a heavy sigh before setting the switch to in between the blue and red indicators and turning on the showerhead once more. As warm water began raining down on her skin, Alisia released a sigh of relief before continuing to wash herself.After around 30 minutes, Alisia came out of the bathroom and walked back to her bedroom while wrapped in a long towel. She then went to the cupboard and pulled out a white long-sleeved buttoned shirt with a chest pocket, a long-sleeved green blazer sporting an emblem of a shield dominated by a wall of a fort along with a book in the middle, the letters 'Fort Nelson Academy' placed just below, and a knee-length skirt.She then approached her wardrobe and pulled out some undies and a ball of wrapped white socks before starting to wear them all. After wearing the clothes, she walked out of her room and began making her way to the kitchen after grabbing her bag and keys placed just behind her door, hung by a single door hanger.In the kitchen, she placed her bag on a large table surrounded by multiple dark wooden chairs. She went to the kitchen and took out two slices of bread and strawberry jam, along with a bottle of milk from the fridge, using a step to help her reach the items placed on higher levels.She placed the two slices of bread on the toaster before pushing down the pressure button, which brought the bread down inside the toaster. Warm-like lights appeared from inside, radiating heat to the toasts. As the bread was being toasted, the home's telephone rang, and Alisia walked towards it and picked it up."Yes? Who is this?" I asked Alisia in a soft and low tone."Ah, Alisia, dear. How is your morning?" A voice of an older woman came through that she recognised as her mother, Maria. Speaking in a very soft tone.Alisia froze in place for a moment before laying the phone on the table, toggling it to speaker mode, and going back to the kitchen with an grumpy look on her face."Honey? Are you there?" Maria talked through the phone with a concerned tone, but no response came back. Maria continued trying to speak to Alisia. "I know you're still mad at me for leaving without telling you, but I have a job that is dire. Your father really needs an extra hand in his business."No response came through. Maria then brought in a topic in hopes of getting Alisia to talk. "Well, how's Margaret? Has she called you yet? I heard Mrs. Himari hasn't been able to contact her much ever since she went to college... and also, your father's doing alright in here."There was only silence from Alisia, who was just standing in front of the toaster, ignoring the words being spoken by her mother. The toaster released a ping as the two slices of bread popped out, in a dark and cooked condition.The sound of the ping was heard through the phone by Maria. "Ah, you're making toasted bread again? You're quite good at it. I wish I could cook for you every day." Just another silence from Alisia as Maria spoke through the phone. While Alisia was placing the toast on the plate, slicing both with strawberry jam, Maria released a heavy sigh."Alright then... Your mother's a bit busy right now; I'll call you later.." Maria said it in a heavy tone before ending the call.Alisia began consuming her food for a few minutes, reflecting back on the call earlier. She felt deep inside some guilt, that maybe.. she should've answered back, but her annoyance got the best of her."You should've told me before leaving.." She muttered, trying to move on from the call earlier.She then finished her toast before grabbing a cup from the kitchen's cupboard and pouring down milk from the bottle she pulled out of the fridge earlier to fill half of the cup. She then drank the whole cup down her throat, washing down the food she had just consumed.Afterwards, she grabbed a tissue from the table and wiped her mouth with the remnants of the milk. She grabbed both the cup and the dish and used the steps to reach the sink before placing it down and began cleaning it with a sponge and a cleaning solution placed just near the water tap.After cleaning the essentials, she washed her hands and dried them with the tissue before throwing them in the trash can placed near the cupboard. She then grabbed her bag before going towards the entrance area, where it can be seen the difference between the entrance area and the main floor of the house, with a small wardrobe placed just on the side near the door and an umbrella. Similar to a Genkan. She sat down on the step, leaning towards the wardrobe to grab her black shaved shoes before then putting them on.She stood up and went towards the door, unlocking it before then walking out, and was greeted by a passing wind from her east, with the sun shining brightly in the yellowish sky as it continued to rise. She looked at her surroundings, where she saw other students going out from their houses while being followed by their parents, many with happy looks on their faces."Oh yeah.. First day in high school. I forgot.." Alisia sighed upon realizing. She looked at the surrounding neighbourhoods, seeing parents taking pictures of their sons and daughters. She felt a pang of both jealousy and disappointment toward her own parents. "Why can't I be like them?"She placed the keys inside her bag before gripping tight to her bag's straps before just giving a flat look on her face and beginning to walk on the sidewalk towards school.______________________________________________________________________________
Fort Nelson Academy High School, 0710 hours:
After about 10 minutes of walking, Alisia was just walking with an emotionless look on her face. She saw students from across classes and grades talking with one another, many of whom she recognised from junior high, despite the fact that she definitely did not or rarely talk with them due to not having the courage or the motivation to interact. Seeing them being friends with each other and from other classes so easily in front of her hurts her a bit from the inside, making her feel very isolated.As she was about to approach the gate, she came across a blonde girl who was a couple inches higher than her. Leaning against the school's wall, her eyes were fluttering up and down, with her legs shaking like as if she were carrying a heavy weight and was about to give up on her.Alisia noticed and approached her, but she froze in place. She had forgotten how to open up a conversation. She had a mini-panic attack for a few seconds before she took a deep breath and talked to the girl."A bit under the weather?" asked Alisia in a low and soft tone, trying not to sound too loud or impolite.The blonde girl looked around before looking down and saw Alisia, whose height's a few inches lower than her. She looked at Alisia with a tired face and nodded. Alisia smiled and leaned closer. "Need a hand?" She offered.The blonde girl looked down at Alisia, shaking her head, and continued limping on her own. Alisia wanted to leave her alone, but she felt from her inner self that she should help the girl. She then approached the girl. "You definitely need a hand." She placed the girl's arm on her shoulder. Though Alisia was shorter than her, she was trying her best to support her."So... what is your name?" Alisia asked the girl in a low voice, attempting to open up a conversation. "This encounter seems familiar.." she thought.The blonde girl looked at Alisia and spoke in a low and tired tone as Alisia continued carrying her. "Lily... Lily Carter.."Alisia blinked; she realised it's her only friend since junior high. She looked down and blushed in embarrassment. "Oh, it's you... Well, uh.. I almost forgot.. Heh.. Should I take you to the clinic again?"Lily looked at Alisia and shook her head. "I'm fine.. Just drop me off at my class.""Alright, then. Where is your class?" Alisia asked as she helped carry Lily through the gate. Where other students were walking through a gray-haired middle-aged man wearing all blues with a security belt on his hips, looking at the students with a smile on his face, greeting them as they entered, and getting greeted back in response."He's still here. Huh." Alisia looked at the old man; she remembered him since she moved to Fort Nelson. Quite an old man he is; guess she would be seeing him around until she graduates."10-A..." Lily replied in a tired tone.Alisia looked back towards Lily with a surprised look on her face and smiled in an awkward manner, remembering the email giving details of students and their classrooms. "Ah, so we're classmates again? From junior to now.."---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The two eventually arrived inside their class. Alisia dropped Lily on the right corner desk of the 2nd row before sitting just left of her desk.Lily almost fell on her feet but managed to regain her balance and stood up properly before sitting down on the seat. "Tried waking up at 4 AM... I woke up at 5 instead."Alisia rested her head on her desk, covering her mouth before releasing a yawn. "At least you tried.."Lily rested her head on the desk, unable to open her eyes by an inch. There was a moment of silence before Lily asked Alisia. "So... have you met your parents again? Or your old cousin?"Alisia looked towards Lily when she asked her a question; her expression turned flat and without much emotion, not answering anything back in return. Her mother did return on Friday, attending the opening ceremony, and stayed until Saturday, when she left without giving any notice on Sunday."You're still angry, I see..." Lily looked at Alisia's face, typical of her behaviour whenever she's not feeling well. She decided not to press her for more questions and went on to her bag, pulling out several books and writing tools.Then the bells were placed in several places near the hallway, and each classroom rang, followed by a teacher entering the classroom. The first lesson of the first semester was about to get started.
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Fort Nelson Academy High School, September 9, 2015, 1000 hours:
During breaktime, Alisia was, as usual, sitting on the corner, eating what seemed to be the same food menu from yesterday and just minding her own business, keeping that straight and boring face, when all of a sudden, Miyuki approached her with a smile on her face. "Konnich- I mean, morning! Mind if I sit here?" She asked in a cheerful and polite tone.Alisia looked up at Miyuki, staring at her for a few seconds before nodding and breaking eye contact, feeling a slight discomfort. Miyuki then placed her tray on the table right in front of Alisia. "Ne... Alisia-san—I mean.. Alisia, uhh.. How are you?" I asked Miyuki as she started eating.Alisia swallowed the food inside her mouth before she answered without looking. "Hmm."Miyuki nodded. "Ehh, I see." Miyuki kept her eyes on Alisia, wondering what topic she should bring up to talk to her about. Alisia felt Miyuki's stares, increasing her discomfort, before then bursting out."What are you even trying to do?" Alisia stared up at Miyuki with an annoyed look, her tone full of anger yet still low. "Just eat-"Alisia was interrupted when Lily arrived with her own food tray, and with a tired voice, she asked. "Mind if I sit here?" In a tired yet still polite tone.Alisia looked up at Lily. "Sure, I don't mind," she said, looking back down at her food and continuing to eat while still keeping a straight face.Lily sat down right beside Miyuki and started eating without much sound, with a tired look. Alisia looked at her with a little concern on her face. "Still tired?""I hate waking up at 7 AM in the morning." Lily yawned before she unwrapped the spork and began eating."As always, huh? Well, what do you expect from private schools?" Said Alisia before sighing and continuing to eat her food.After a few minutes of silence, Miyuki, wanting to really open a conversation, then decided to speak up. "So.. who's joining tankery?" she asked.Lily swallowed her food before she answered. "I don't; my parents prohibited me... Because I'm weak. I can't even wake up by myself. I might as well fail in life." Lily yawned, her eyes half-closed."Na, I see." Miyuki nodded, sighed, and began talking. "Adapting to a new life is hard... No longer living in a familiar place." Miyuki released another heavy sigh."Well, at least better than being neglected by their own parents and relatives you lived with for most of your life." Said Lily as she continued eating, and continued. "Although it's more like parents having no time, but they still love you.""Eh? Who? You?" Miyuki asked with a curious tone."Ehh, no. It's the one in front of you." Lily pointed her spork towards Alisia, and Miyuki then switched her attention to the direction, which is Alisia."Oh, I see." Miyuki nodded before she continued eating her food.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A while later, just a minute before the school ended, the PA system roared to life with a ping as a voice began broadcasting through. "Attention students, whose names are mentioned in the following list, are to head to the school's old garage. Starting from... Remi Levesque, Antoine Gagnone, Amelie Dubois, Alisia Harlington, Miyuki Anderson-"As the PA continued to announce the names, Alisia wondered inside her mind. "Is this about tankery?" she muttered.The announcement continued for over 5 minutes, announcing around 30 names, now approaching 36 students. "Jack McCain, Finlay Stewart, Anoki Starhawk, William Turner, and lastly, Daniel Foster. Oh my, what a long list! Anyway, said names are to head towards the school's old garage after school; the headmaster will be briefing regarding the tankery club." The announcer released a small cough before the PA went off; now there is only silence. The bell rang as it was time to go home, besides the names mentioned by the PA before who were told to go to the place it mentioned."Alright then, students, you all may go now. Good day." The teacher started to pack her things to leave, followed by other students also packing up their belongings."Well, I'll get going then." Lily stood up as she finished packing up her things."Oh, well, see you later then." As Alisia said her farewell to Lily, she then walked out of the classroom to head towards the old school garage, as the PA had instructed.Miyuki approached Alisia from behind, leaning down on her slightly. "Well, I wonder if it's about tankery."Alisia ignored Miyuki and continued to walk. Miyuki tried to interact with her, yet no response was given.
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After they walked for a while, they reached the old school garage, where other students were also seen, all waiting near the old garage's large metal door. The headmaster was also spotted, with the student council's president holding a tablet in her hand. The headmaster began to speak to the students. "Good day, students. Now, as you may now wonder why we are called here, it is for me to welcome all of you into the tankery club. Quite a simple ceremony, I know." The students looked at the headmaster, their attention now given to him.The headmaster continued. "This is the first tankery club in Canada after 30 years of it being absent. This is very important, as you all will be the first people to restart it. The first generation in 30 years that will spearhead Canada's future national team. Who knows, maybe will be the first to retake Canada's throne on the world stage. Now, without further ado, today we will determine who will be the club's leader." After that, the headmaster pulled out what seemed to be an old pencil. The students looked at it, and many discussed what the pencil was for."Ne... Sore wa ittai nani o suru nodeshou ka?" (Hey.. What is that thing?) Asked Miyuki as she tilted her head in confusion. Alisia was also left wondering, but she just waited for what the headmaster would do next."Alright, wherever this pencil points, that person becomes the leader." Said the headmaster as he looked back at everyone, showing it to everyone.One of the students, Isabelle, complained, "Determining the leader with a pencil? Are you serious, Mr. Headmaster?" The other students started to talk to each other, many confused by the headmaster's picking method of using a pencil. They looked at the president, asking and demanding an answer. But she just raised her shoulder."A pencil? How silly." Alisia looked at the pencil. But then she felt a wave of uneasiness and discomfort shadowing over her head. Feeling afraid, there is no way she would be chosen, right?"Hold your horses back, students; this pencil picks better leaders than most elections back when tankery was still a thing in this school." The headmaster explained.The president remained quiet; the students began asking her for more, but the president just raised her shoulders yet again. "Not my thing; my job is only to assist. Not complaining about some silly tradition.""But... Isn't that a bit—no—way too ridiculous?" Isabelle asked with a confused look,"I know what you're thinking, Ms. Lambert, but... Do you believe in God?" The headmaster asked with a stare. Isabelle fell silent, unable to answer the headmaster's question."Or perhaps you are..." Just as the headmaster was about to finish his question, Miyuki interrupted."A-Ah! Sir! Perhaps we should continue? It is getting a bit hot!" Miyuki requested.The headmaster looked at Miyuki; he thought for a while before replying back. "Perhaps we should, Ms. Anderson. Ms. Lambert, meet in my office after this; I have many questions to ask, with you and your parents, of course."Isabelle gulped, nervous; before then, she nodded. The headmaster then looked back at the rest of the students. "Alright then, without further ado, those who are pointed by the pencil shall be chosen as the leader and commander of the tankery club."The headmaster then dropped the pencil. As it then fell to the ground, it bounced for a milisecond before it started spinning on the ground, and as it was about to stop in front of Alisia, Alisia moved away from the pencil's tip, but then the wind came and spinned the pencil a bit more, as if it were following her direction. Alisia started to panic; she moved away more to the right, but the wind continued to spin the pencil to move in Alisia's direction. Some of the students were confused, and some giggled."Oi, Missy, where are you going? Running away from a pencil?" One of the students said as he giggled."Ehh, poor Alisia..." Said Miyuki as she giggled in a small voice.Alisia continued moving further, but then the headmaster ordered. "Ms. Harlington, stop moving."Alisia got more nervous, now getting pressured by an elder who is the headmaster, who is above her. Unable to resist orders, she stopped and closed her eyes in an act of giving up on her fate. The pencil eventually stopped and pointed directly at Alisia. Some of the students then burst into laughter, but then the headmaster interrupted."Alright, quiet down! Its nothing to be laughed about!" The students continued to laugh, and the headmaster then had enough and decided to raise his tone and speak in a stern way, "QUIET DOWN!"The students fell silent, as they're now scared by the sudden, raised voice the headmaster has just unleashed upon them. The president, meanwhile, had her ears already covered, with her eyes shut, ignoring the explosion that was happening in front of her.A few seconds passed, and the headmaster looked at the student, still looking angry, before then taking a breath and continuing. "There is nothing to be laughed at about becoming the leader of a club; it's as if Ms. Harlington is a clown in here, is she?"The students remained quiet, some nervous and scared; never before would the headmaster release such a high voice. Then the headmaster resumed after he regained his composure. "Sorry, it seems like I'm a bit moody today. Now, Ms. Harlington, you are now in charge of the school's tankery club. You are allowed to appoint and dismiss people and organize the club as you please. If you have any requests regarding equipment, funds, and other things, discuss it with the president. Now I shall go. Oh, and one more thing: instructors will arrive tomorrow to help you with the things I just said. Now you're all dismissed. Ms. Lambert, come with me. You are all now dismissed."The headmaster left, leaving Alisia, who's left nervous and confused. The other students grabbed their things and started to walk home, with the exception of Isabelle, whom the headmaster had called earlier. Then Miyuki approached Alisia and tapped her shoulder. "Ne... Daijoubu ka?" (Hey... Are you alright?)Alisia flinched and looked back at Miyuki with an angry look on her face. "Don't touch me." She glared into Miyuki's eyes."A-Ah, gomen!" (O-Oh! Sorry!) Miyuki flinched back, surprised by Alisia's reaction.Alisia continued to give a blank stare; before then, she shook her head. "I'll just go home..."Alisia went to grab her bag and started to walk back home. Miyuki looked at Alisia with a worried look. But then, not wanting to bother her, she decided to just go home.Meanwhile, a student was looking at Alisia with a glare, staring with such ferocity, with anger building inside him. His fist clenched. It continued for a while until Alisia was out of sight, before going home.
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Fort Nelson Academy High School, 10th of September 2015, 1300 hours:
The sun was shining up high in a 12 o'clock position, and all the members were gathered, waiting for the instructors, as the headmaster said yesterday, to arrive today. Alisia, meanwhile, just came back from the principal's office with a cart, filled with boxes, with the content yet unknown."Hey... When are we going to start? Where are these instructors anyway?" asked one of the students."I don't know... But it's getting a bit hot now." Said the other.Alisia looked at the students; all of them were getting burned by the sun, except for herself, who had been indoors for the past few minutes. She released a short burst of air in frustration. "Where are these instructors?"Just as the students were about to complain more, three men came in wearing CADPAT's, one of them in the middle, and then began to speak, "Ah, good day, students. Now get up, please!"The students then looked at the three men in khaki service dresses before standing up, their attention now on them. The leading man then continued. "Alright, sorry for the delay; you all must be sweating right now. Sorry for that.""What took you so long?! We've been waiting here for hours!" One of the students shouted, which is Isabelle, in an annoyed tone."Well, we were just testing your readiness for us and how long it is." Said the men to the right, looking relaxed, but Isabelle glared back at the statement."Isn't that just some lame excuse that you guys are late?" Isabelle was cut short by the man on the left, who was glaring at her with a sharp look. He stepped closer to her before he began talking in a stern and authoritative tone."Spoiled, I see?" He stared closer, causing Isabelle to freeze in place, unable to move a limb, as if something pierced through her soul. The man continued. "Too bad you have such parents; I wonder what if I were your parent instead." His hands clenched, Isabelle stared, and cold sweat dripped down her skin."Oi, knock it off. We're here to teach kids, not torture them." Said the middle man, before he looked back at the students, where they were frozen in place with the aura around the man that just stared at Isabelle, it was before the other man that was staring at Isabelle stopped.There was a short moment of quiet before the middle man talked. "Well, anyways. I am Captain Charles Morrison, and this is Lieutenant Lee Blais and Lieutenant Thomas Dionne from the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps, who will be assisting in your training." The captain said it in a stern yet still relaxed tone, which eased the tension. He then continued. "Now, before that, is there anyone here by the name of Alisia Harlington?" The captain asked as he started looking around.It was all quiet. Before then, Miyuki pointed at Alisia, still near the cart, causing her to give a look of confusion. "Eh?" Alisia was confused before she realized it and responded back. "Y-Yes... I'm here."The captain looked down at Alisia and said, "A bit too short, eh? Oh well, what should I expect from high schoolers'? Anyways, congratulations on becoming the leader, or commander, should I say?" The captain then looked at the cart full of boxes near Alisia. "Are those boxes from the headmaster?" he asked.Alisia nodded. "Yeah, I don't know what's in it, though.""Well, uniforms for you all; open it up." The captain ordered.Alisia then looked at one of the boxes and opened it, and inside are plastic bags with khaki uniforms and pairs of black boots packed inside each bag. She opened another box to reveal a bunch of Mk.II Broady helmets with ear protection in each bag. The students approached the bags to take a closer look."These things look so old... They smell new though." One of the students remarked:."Woah, these are real thin hats like the one from the town's museum! I never thought I'd wear one!""What are these helmets for?""Probably for protection against bullets?""The clothes almost look like the scout's uniform."The students looked at the uniforms; some took one to take a closer look, and some appeared to not like the uniform at all. Captain Morrison smirked at the sight. "Look at those excited faces, kind of like when we first enlisted, eh?" Lieutenant Morrison smiled, feeling somewhat happy."Eh, minus the going to war part, they're lucky that they're just fighting harmless fights, while we're stuck in real ones." Lieutenant Blais said in an unhappy tone, still staring at the students who were busy looking at the contents of the boxes."Oh, come on, Lee, quit being moody; at least from now on, we're not going to wars anymore, just advising teens for a sport." Said Lieutenant Dionne.Then, after a moment, Captain Charles began to speak again: "Alright, Ms. Harlington, start distributing it.""Ok, uhh... Line up everyone, please." Alisia raised her voice so that everyone could hear her, but still some nervousness could be sensed in her tone."First time leading?" The captain asked."Uhh... Definitely... I was picked with no reason at all." Alisia responded, still giving a nervous expression."Oh really? How so?" The captain wondered."Dunno.. using pencil to pick people.. weird..." Alisia scratched her head. "Tradition is weird... sometimes."The captain giggled. "Oh, well. Traditions existed for a reason, perhaps as good luck.""Perhaps," Alisia mumbled.The students began lining up as Alisia began to distribute the helmets and uniforms based on the nametags put on each plastic package.The captain then spoke out to the students. "When you get yours, start changing! After that, we'll continue with making groups. I advise you not to wear the suit now or you'll be swimming in sweat." The captain said in a commanding yet relaxed tone, to which the students then responded back in unison."Yes, Sir!"Soon, after the uniforms were distributed, the students went to the changing room near the gym, where they began changing their clothes.
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In the female changing room section, the girls were checking on their pack, looking at it in awe. "This looks manly. Will it be comfy, though?" Chloe wondered."Well, it looks soft like our school's shirt, so it should be comfy." Anoki speculated.The girls began changing their clothes while talking with each other. Miyuki then asked Isabelle a question. "Hey, Ms. Lambert! May I ask? Why do you want to join tankery?" She asked in a cheerful tone, with a look of curiosity."Well, I've heard that many high school girls like those from Japan who played tankery became famous! Being popular just in my class isn't enough for me. I also want to be known outside. The Headmaster also said we're the first ever team in Canada, so we will be fighting in other countries!" Isabelle stated."Ehh, I see. What about you, uh, Ms. Tremblay?" Miyuki looked at Chloe, curious about her motivation for joining."Well, gangs stay together; we never separate from each other." Chloe stated."Yeah, that's right." Isabelle smiled, raising her fist. "Gang stays forever! Right? Lea?" Isabelle dragged Lea to her shoulder while giving her a wide grin."H-Hey!" Lea covered her chest in embarrassment, as she was still changing her clothes and topless. "I'm still changing you, dummy!"Miyuki looked at this, now confused, and as Lea and Isabelle were arguing, she then asked. "Gangs? Isn't that illegal in most schools? Including this one maybe?" Miyuki asked."Well... Unlike the gangs in those movies, we're the good ones! Not like we're going to rob banks or stuff, right girls?" Isabelle looked back at her friends. Which they nodded in unison. Miyuki nodded."I see..." Miyuki acknowledged.Meanwhile, Alisia was already wearing her clothes, yet she was struggling to knot her tie. Before long, Miyuki noticed and decided to approach her and help. "Here, let me help you."She then took and knotted the tie, and after that, she handed it over to Alisia. "Oh, well, thanks.""You're welcome. But may I ask, You don't know how to tie?" Miyuki asked."Uhh, no..." Alisia went quiet before she continued. "All my ties were never untied for that reason.""Does that means... you never cleaned your ties?" Miyuki asked in a teasing tone.Alisia gave a small cough, mumbling. "I can't either claim or deny it." Alisia blushed from embarrassment."Gross...""Hush!"----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"Alright, now we're about to make groups; there are 36 of you all here... So uhh... Split up into 8 teams. Two teams will have only three people for now." Said the captain as everyone arrived back on the field.Alisia was confused; before then, she asked the captain, "Why, though? Are we going to have two different types of tanks?""Uhh, three actually. The Ram, the Churchill, and the Stuart." The captain then handed over a paper to Alisia, listing the tanks and their specifications, which Alisia took and read."Right, after you create your team, choose one as your leader, and after that, we'll split again to begin with theory class first." The captain stated:.All of the students were surprised, not expecting a class."What?! Theory classes?!""I join Tankery to escape from classes; not getting stuck in a room for hours ends..."The students continued complaining, some don't, and then Lieutenant Blais broke the commotion with a high and stern voice, "QUIET DOWN!"Then there's quiet; everyone froze in place as tension went high. Before then, the Lieutenant continued, "You think everything is about doing, finding out, and having fun? You are all lucky that we prohibited you from PTing your arse to death with your attitude. Now listen to Captain! Understand?"The students went quiet after the outburst, but then the captain spoke again, after releasing a short cough, "Anyways, as said before, We'll split into those teams and members. I will give all of you 5 minutes to form one."Then, the students began to form teams as instructed before, but many are yet to be in one as many of them have no experience getting into a team before due to their introverted nature.When Alisia was searching for her teammate, Miyuki suddenly approached her and said, "H-Hey... Can I be with you...?"Alisia looked at Miyuki before then asking in a slightly annoyed tone, "Can you not find others who may be more qualified than me?""Uhm.. you're the only one who I found... Close... since.. you know... you know my native language.""I barely remember my Japanese," Alisia stated before looking away. "Don't tell my aunty about that, by the way," she mumbled."Eh?" Miyuki gave a look of confusion."Just go find another.." Alisia looked back at Miyuki with an annoyed look on her face."But... You can at least... Understand some... right?" Miyuki looked at Alisia with a pleading look. "Please...?"Alisia was about to reject Miyuki's request, but seeing how desperate Miyuki is and her good heart, she eventually agreed. "Fine! But will you please speak English only in the future?"Miyuki then looked at Alisia with a happy look, like a child getting her birthday gift. "Yoshi!" (Right!)Alisia looked at Miyuki, sighing a breath of frustration. "God, please help me."Then another student approached Alisia and said, "Oh, hey, Ms. Harlington. May I join you?"Alisia looked at the student, getting a bit nervous, but then she built up her courage again and spoke up, "Sure... What is your name?""Im Anoki Starhawk; nice to meet you!" Anoki then reached her hand out for a handshake, which Alisia shook in return.After five minutes, everyone had gotten into their own teams, and the captain resumed, "Alright, for leaders from each team, please follow me. The rest stay with Lieutenant Blais and Lieutenant Dionne, where they will teach you all about the basics. Right, with me, please."Then the captain left, along with Alisia and the students who had previously been chosen as their leaders from each group.
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As they walked towards the garage for their own separate lesson, the door to the to the garage was closed, and there was a tank in front covered by the dark. The lights went on, and in front is a Mk. III Churchill tank, with its engines lifted by chains above the tank.All of the students present there looked in awe at the tank. "Woah, a Mk.III; I've only seen a Mk. VII before..." One of the students said it in an excited, childish tone.Some then approached the tank to take a closer look, some touching it, their hands stained by dust, rust, and oil."Let me guess. Will this be the commander's tank?" One of the students asked. "It's big, so maybe?""Eh, when I was talking with the principal, he said some of the commanders in the past preferred other tanks besides this, although it's up to your commander." The captain answered,The students then looked around the garage, noticing many flag trophies and medals, along with some certificates and old flags. With the year dating back to the 50's, there were even some old Canadian red ensigns spotted. The sighting was then interrupted by the captain clasping both of his hands to gain attention."Alright, let's get our lesson started. Get your seats and sit down." The captain pointed at the old chairs near the management room for the students to sit on, and soon afterwards, he began giving lessons to the students.
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Old school garage, 12th of September 2015, 1300 hours:
Everyone was waiting near the garage, already wearing their supposed tankery uniform, waiting for the instructors to arrive. Everyone's expression was a tired one, with no motivation whatsoever."Yesterday was so tired... I feel like I can't move my legs." Miyuki growled as she sat on a log, lying her back against the wall. Stretching her legs out."Stop complaining... It's our fault for making Lieutenant Blais mad; guess he asked for physical training from the principal after we finished last training a day before.." Alisia said in a tired tone before then reaching for her bottle of water, opening the cap to drink the content, before closing it back. "Last night, I didn't have much sleep.. The captain told me to give him the full structure of the team and to email it to him because the president forgot to send or write to him. I contacted her but she doesn't respond until 8:30... Finished it at 9 p.m."Miyuki nodded in understanding. "So that's why you called me late at night.. I see."There was silence before Alisia looked at Miyuki and said, "I noticed you've taken my advice." Alisia said in a flat tone, still tired."Yep... A bit hard just speaking English, but..." Said Miyuki. "Maybe I can adapt here in a short time," she mumbled.Then, a column of trucks was seen near the school gate, led by a small green willy jeep. On the trucks, attach each 2 or 3 cargoes on the mobile platforms; most are big, some are small. All of it is covered in blue tarps. The students looked and waited in anticipation, wondering what would be under those tarps. Then, the willy Jeep stopped in front of the garage, and the three instructors hopped out, wearing lighter clothing like polo's or short sleeved shirts with short pants or trousers due to the heat.Alisia approached and asked the captain, "What are behind those covers, Captain?"The captain looked at her, and he answered. "Oh, those? Those are the tanks you'll be using, plus the Churchill in the garage, of course."Then suddenly, a student approached the captain, who was Aiden McGregor. "Excuse me, Captain, but may I have a request?"The captain looked at the student before responding with a curious look, wondering what he would be asking. "Yes, what is it, Mr. McGregor?"Lieutenant Blais stared at Aiden with a death glare unintentionally, waiting for him to speak. Aiden shivered in fear, but then Aiden built up his courage and spoke. "I checked on the Churchill two days ago, and I found out that its engine is a bit... rusty. Along with several other components, I think it needs to be repaired, but maybe it's better to be replaced with a better version like the Mk VII?"The captain responded, "Ah, the rust? Already taken care of when you were all on punishment yesterday." Then the captain looked back toward the rest of the students. "Alright! Let's get this started. Head towards your group, and we'll be starting our lesson for today. Come on."The captain's group went back towards the garage to continue with his lectures, while the rest, led by Lieutenant Blais and Dionne, were guiding them towards the now-unloaded tanks, still wrapped. Then Lieutenant Morrison orders, "Right, unwrap those tanks, and we'll continue with our lesson today."Miyuki took the initiative and uncovered one of the tanks, and a M3A5 Stuart was seen, with an appearance as if it were just out of the factory due to how clean the tank is. "Woah! An A5 Stuart! I never thought I'd see one!" one student in an excited tone.Then, the rest of the students uncovered the rest of the tanks. There were five Ram Shermans and another M3A5 Stuart. In total, there are 2 Stuarts, 5 Rams, and a Churchill. "This is so cool! I never thought I'd be seeing a tank here out of all places.""Alright, for today we will be learning how to drive; we'll wait once the captain and the other students are done. Until then, feel free to take a look at the tanks." Said Lieutenant Dionne. The students began exploring each tank, one of which was Miyuki.Miyuki looked in and sniffed the inside of an M3A5. "Huh... It smells like a new car... All of this is new.""Really?" Anoki sneaked from behind and into the tank, looking inside. "First time seeing this kind of moving, heavy-looking metal. It feels refreshing."Just a few dozen minutes later, the captain, along with the other students, came back. "Right, how was it?"Lieutenant Dionne looked back. He wrapped his arms around his back in an at-ease posture. "All's good, sir. The students were just exploring; they all look very excited as if this is the first time they see tanks."Lieutenant Blais added, "For sure, nothing wrong happened.""Huh, alright then. Well, it's obvious it may be their first time; they lived in such a rural place anyway." The captain explained."Uhh, didn't this town have a museum dedicated to the veterans in this town? Most people in this town have at least gone to war once in their lives." Lieutenant Dionne emend."I can confirm that, sir." Lieutenant Blais backed his claim.As the three officers continued talking, Alisia approached and asked Captain Morrison. "So, uhm, sir, what now?"The Captain looked back at Alisia and said, "Ah, well, Ms. Harlington, have them start picking their tanks, and we'll continue with our lessons.""Understood..!" Alisia then walked back towards the group."Alright everyone, the captain said, start picking your tanks." Alisia was cut as the students began rushing to the tanks and began claiming it for themselves."This is now ours!""No! This is ours!"The chaos continued; Alisia was stressed, and then she looks back at the captain with a look that begs for immediate help. Lieutenant Blais saw this and immediately approached the situation, but the students immediately noticed and stopped."U-Uhh. You can have that.""N-No! Please, you can take it."Meanwhile, Miyuki was just leaning near the Stuart, along with Anoki, watching the commotion that was happening. "Omoshiroi... Ne?" (Interesting.. yeah?) Said Miyuki."Huh?" Anoki gave a look of confusion, not understanding a single word Miyuki just said."Uhm. Forget about it." Miyuki dismissed her, and Anoki just gave a hesitant nod.Lieutenant Blais halted his movement, as the situation is now back to normal. Alisia sighed a breath of relief after, and soon, Alisia approached Miyuki and asked, "So, which one do you two like the most?""I don't know... But all of these are so cool! I thought by tankery they meant something else." Said Anoki in an excited way,"I don't know..." Miyuki looked back at the Stuart she and Anoki had been leaning against since the commotion began. "Maybe this one?"Alisia looked at the Stuart; she then walked towards it and attempted to reach up, which, of course, was difficult due to her height. Miyuki looked at this and approached her; before then, she lifted Alisia up, startling Alisia. Miyuki then placed Alisia on the tank before letting go of her.Alisia didn't know what to respond with after Miyuki all of a sudden lifted her up to the tank. But she later looked back at her. "Thanks...""You're welcome!" Miyuki replied with a cheerful tone.
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"Alright, time to practice the lessons we learned yesterday. Get into your tanks and start driving around the field. I'll give you an hour, starting now."The students then went into their tanks, getting inside. One by one, the tanks began to turn on their engines, and the air was now filled with the sound of roaring engines, with fumes coming out of the engines, getting all warmed up."Alright. Uhh, try turning it on." Alisia ordered Anoki to sit in the commander's seat. Anoki, meanwhile, is looking at the buttons and levers and a few indicators. Anoki looked at the manual located on her seat, which she's sitting on, looking around a few pages, trying to remember."Maybe this...? Anoki pushed her finger on a red button, which ignited the engine, causing it to roar out loud, hurting everyone's eardrum inside."Ow..!" Alisia covered her ears. She reached for something from her trouser pocket, pulling out a hearing protection. She then placed it on her ears before she made a comment. "I didn't know tanks are this loud..""It's so loud..." Said Miyuki as she also reached for her hearing protection. Putting it on her ears. Followed by Anoki doing the same.Anoki took a deep breath. Looking at the controls, she placed her arms on the levers. "So... where to go, Alisia?"Alisia stood up on the cupola, using the commander's seat to get on top. She looked around, where tanks were seen with their engines fuming, all static and quiet. Students were seen with their heads popping out from the hatches, talking to each other, many with looks of excitement."Alright, uh, try to move in circles." Said Alisia, looking down at the hatch that Anoki was below."A-Alright..." Anoki then pushed the levers forward, causing the tank to lurch forward, which caused Alisia to fall off the turret and onto the hot engine's trap door, causing her to flinch off and fall to the ground."Ow...." Alisia moaned in pain from both the heat and impact, her head facing against the dirt. Miyuki looked out and saw Alisia, and in response, she came out and hopped off the tank, helping Alisia to stand back up, and with a worried look, she asked."Are you okay?" I asked Miyuki with a look of worry, leaning down slightly to reach Alisia's height."I'm fine," Alisia replied, followed with a groan before she stood back up.Both returned back inside the tank. It was until the tank's radio went live and the voice of the captain could be heard, "Testing, testing. Alright, all tanks, eyes on the Jeep—we'll be doing some off-road driving. The terrain would be a little rough, but, eh, that'll be in pretty much every match you will all compete in."Just as the transmission finished, the tanks outside were seen moving; some were slamming onto each other, but a few minutes later, they managed to get in line, with the leading tank, which was the Ram, following behind."Alright, uh, get behind them." Alisia ordered."O-Ok..." Anoki was struggling slightly with switching gears and with turning the tank, due to this being his first time driving the tank. "The stick's a bit heavy and hard to use," Anoki complained."Don't worry, you'll get used to it, probably... You're doing good already, Anoki." Alisia complimented. "Keep it up.""T-Thanks.." Anoki smiled back in reply, now focusing back on the controls.The Stuart moved behind the tanks, waiting to get its turn to move inside the seemingly wet terrain ahead. Alisia later instructed Anoki. "Right, go along the wind and see where the cloud goes... or something."Miyuki noticed Alisia's choice of words as somewhat familiar. She then spoke up. "That's some interesting choice of words, Alisia."Alisia looked toward Miyuki. "Uhh, yes," she answered. "Stuff that just came to mind... from whatever Japanese poetry there is... Boring stuff..."Miyuki giggled, smirking, "So, you still remember your past in Japan? When did you move out?"Alisia went quiet; before then, she answered, "I don't know... Grade 6? It's been a while.""Eh? Grade 6, and you already knew poetry back then?" Miyuki said it in a shocked tone while giving a surprised look."Uhh, but not taught in school... My aunt taught me that, along with my older cousin. It was boring. I'd fall asleep before it even started." Said Alisia. "Some old silly words and novels about friendship and stuff... Just thinking about it makes me" Alisia yawned before she continued. "Sleepy...""Ehh, your aunty and cousin must have been so... Old-fashioned, is she?" asked Miyuki."Yeah, no, she still has some taste in 80's pop music; though she never admits it, she'll turn red if anyone ever mentions it." Alisia explained. "There's also my cousin being forced along with me.. Useless poetry. I heard she got into some strict girls' only college.""Ehh, such an interesting aunty you have... Mine's all boring and strict." Said Miyuki as she sat back against the wall of the Stuart as it shaken from the uneven terrain."Well, she still suck... I'd rather stay away from her as much as I can." Alisia added. "Though I'd probably rather stay with her since I don't get much attention here either... my parents are always busy for whatever reason they have, at least I still have someone that still looks after me, but now she barely answers my calls... or even attended the last family reunion.""By she, you mean...?" Miyuki asked with a curious look on her face.""My cousin," Alisia answered."Oh, I see..." Miyuki nodded.In the middle of their conversation, Anoki interrupted, "Hey, the terrain ahead is a bit bad; hold onto something; it's going to be a tiny bit rough."Alisia looked back towards Anoki, nodding towards the advice Miyuki just gave. Before then, she reached back up to the cupola, looking ahead at the rough terrain, holding tight to the cupola.
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The tank began to traverse, doing quite a job at climbing short hills, some steep ones too. Alisia even fell almost down from the cupola, but was saved by Miyuki. Mud entered through the tank as the Stuart slammed down a few puddles of mud, causing the interior and the three to get wet as the hatches were open."Can't you find other routes with fewer puddles?" Alisia complained."S-Sorry!" Anoki wiped her face from the mud on her face as she continued driving the Stuart."Aren't you the commander though? You should be guiding her." Miyuki commented."... Right." Alisia realized, looking down with embarrassment.The Stuart continued traversing along with the other tanks, hitting a few rocks and, on some occasions, getting stuck. But eventually it got out after reversing the tank, which alter continued.The driving session continued for more than an hour as the students were enjoying the view while driving from their tanks, the sun began to set in the horizon, and the radio announced through, with the voice of Captain Morrison ordering everyone back to the garage.
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"Fyuh! That was tiring." Said Anoki, with her cloth now dirty from driving earlier, along with the others having their clothing wet and dirty from the dirt and mud that entered the tank."Mhm, but it was fun! Ne? Alisia-chan?" Asked Miyuki in a cheerful tone.Alisia sighed, looking at Miyuki. "Speak English, please."Miyuki pouted before nodding, "Fine!!"Alisia sighed again. "You remind me of that one official's daughter from Tokyo who speaks a mix of English and Japanese... That one annoying bratty child...""Eh? You lived in Tokyo when you're there?" Miyuki asked, giving another look of curiosity."Uhh, no. I lived in Yokohama, Kanagawa.." Alisia answered."Oh, Kanagawa. I'm from Nagasaki." Miyuki stated."Let me guess, half American?" Asked Alisia, staring at her with an annoyed look."Eh? How did you know?" Miyuki asked, wondering how Alisia knew her identity."...I just know." Said Alisia, turning away from Miyuki."Well, I actually moved when I was four to Kanagawa and got into the Yokohama International School. I'm surprised how you managed to find out my nationality." Miyuki still gave that look of surprise, in awe at Alisia recognizing her identity."Oh? I was there too since I was three or something with my older cousin; all of my siblings were there too, but they moved back to Canada before me." Alisia added."Oh, what class was it?" Miyuki asked yet again."Well, I don't remember much, but for sure, I was almost friends with everyone in the school." Alisia answered before she added. "I was still quite social back then.""Ehh... Oh, and also, you sort of mention your cousin most of the time... Is she that nice?" Miyuki asked Alisia another question, now wanting more answers and questions to be asked."She's more than just a cousin or nice. She's more than a big sister to me compared to all of my selfish siblings. My siblings rarely talk with me, even to this day. She can be a little strict with me sometimes, but that makes me what I am today with stuff like religion and manners. Tought me in a better way than my aunt." Alisia released a heavy sigh. "Wish she still talks with me... I miss her."Just as Miyuki was about to ask more, the captain interrupted them as he announced it to the students. "Alright, that's all for today. Tomorrow, we'll be doing a little cleaning; you all may now go home."The students then began to pack their things; some switched back to school uniforms, some didn't, including Alisia. She then walked across the gate, carrying her bag, now walking home, when suddenly Miyuki approached her from the back."Ne, Alisia-chan!"Alisia looked back towards Miyuki, wondering what Miyuki would now say, but instead, she received this unexpected request:"Can I visit you tomorrow?" Asked Miyuki,"W-What? Why?" Alisia gave a confused and surprised look."I don't know... Because I just want to talk more with you. Please?" Miyuki looked at Alisia with a pleading look.Alisia hesitated a bit, but then she took a deep breath and sighed, before saying a quick, "Yes."Miyuki then smiled and jumped in happiness. "Yay!"Anoki then approached and asked the same of Alisia. "Can I come too?"Alisia sighed, "Yes, yes. Whatever."
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Alisia continued to walk home. Tired and all alone, although there's nothing to worry about besides the bears and wolves that might be wandering around. She then arrived in front of the door, unlocking it. Not expecting anyone home as usual, she entered and closed the door, when suddenly she was greeted by someone unexpected. There was a blonde woman who appeared to have just arrived, wearing a light gray trench coat. She then looked back towards Alisia and smiled."Welcome home, Lily!" Said the woman, who revealed herself to be her mother, Maria.Alisia froze in place; she wasn't expecting such a return all of a sudden at the weekend. "Mom?" She gave a surprised face, unable to react much.Her mother then kneeled down and hugged Alisia tightly. "You miss me, sweetie?" Her mother said it in a gentle and soothing tone.Tears fell from her eyes. It had been quite a while, being all alone at home. Finally, at least her mother had returned. She hugged her mother tightly with her still dirty clothes, feeling relieved."Aww. You sure missed me." Maria then stroked her hair gently before noticing Alisia's dirty clothes. "Hey... You look a bit dirty... You should clean yourself first." Her mother said before releasing Alisia, but Alisia simply won't release her. "Alisia?" Her mother looked at Alisia with a concerned look. Her mother then noticed the clothing Alisia was wearing, different from the usual clothing with skirts and blazers or sweaters, along with the dirty boots she wore."Such interesting clothes you're wearing... How about you take a bath, and then we talk? After all, tomorrow is Saturday." Maria said as she looked at Alisia with a caring look.Alisia hesitated before nodding and releasing her embrace and heading towards the bathroom. Her mother also did the same and went towards the other bathroom to clean herself. After a while, both got clean, wore their pajamas, and gathered in her mother's room. Her mother holds her in her arms, all while stroking her hair."So... Alisia, you've come quite late to home now, and the clothes you wore before, what have you been doing in school?" Her mother asked in a soothing and gentle tone, still stroking her hair. "I usually see you playing all day long in front of the computer.""There's this new club in the school called Tankery. I became the leader of it." Alisia said in a relaxed tone, acting like a spoiled child, letting herself be vulnerable."Ah, I see. The leader? Wow, what did you do to get such a position?" Maria looked at Alisia with a look of curiosity, waiting for Alisia to respond."Well, the headmaster used some weird method to pick a leader... He used some silly pencil, and the pencil, for some reason, picked me!" Alisia pouted. "It's like the wind hates me."Maria giggled at Alisia's statement and continued stroking her hair. "Oh, it really sounded very silly... and no, you silly girl, the wind doesn't hate you."The two continued to talk without realizing that it was already 12 p.m. Alisia yawned from her exhalation from the previous activity, which was noticed by her mother, Maria. "Well, time to sleep.""Uhm... Can I sleep with you? Please?" Alisia looked at Maria with a pleading look."Alisia... Sweetie... You're 15; you should be able to sleep by yourself. Don't be silly." Maria sighed, still stroking Alisia's hair."I feel like I cannot get a good night's sleep from being all alone for months without you, so uhm..." Alisia looked down with a look of embarrassment, yet she wanted to stay with her mother.Maria looked at Alisia, looking at her state. She felt somewhat guilty for leaving Alisia multiple times without notice. Yet she also wanted to make her daughter more independent and less reliant. But her heart won over her. "Fine... But only this time, ok?"Alisia looked back up at Maria, giving her a sweet smile, and cheered. "Yay!"Then her mother turned off the lights and pulled the blanket close, wrapping both of them. She then held Alisia close to her chest, giving her a tight embrace. Alisia's eyes began to flicker, and soon she fell asleep completely. Maria looked at her and released a heavy sigh. Her face was seen with guilt, looking at the innocent face of her daughter."I left her home and spoiled her too much." Maria looked at the sleeping Alisia. "I wonder if I'm really worthy of a mother." She was left in thoughts; it was until she later closed her eyes and fell asleep in the dark night sky illuminated by the moon. With crickets creating sounds to fill the void of the silent night,.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Harlington Residence, 12th of September 2015, 1000 hours:
It was all quiet on Saturday morning. Both Alisia and her mother Maria were sleeping in peace when suddenly there was a knock from the front door. Maria woke up, leaving Alisia still on the bed, and headed towards the front door after wearing some slippers.She then reached towards the door handle and opened it, revealing Miyuki, Anoki, and also Lily. "Oh, hello Lily, as usual, visiting her, yes?" Maria said in a friendly tone before looking at the other two, who were wearing tankery uniforms. "And you two?" Marie looked towards Miyuki and Anoki with a friendly look."A-Ah, Konnich- Uhh. I forgot... How to uhh?" Miyuki tried to greet Maria, but due to rarely being greeted by a parent, she got nervous."Ah, good morning, Ms. Harlington; we're Alisia's friend from the tankery club. We're here to meet Alisia. My name is Anoki Starhawk, and this is Miyuki Anderson." Anoki said it in a friendly tone, bowing slightly."M-Morning..." Miyuki also bowed before she continued. "We're here to visit Alisia because Alisia forgot to come to the school for some cleaning... It's dealt with though; we're visiting since we promised to come and visit her.""Alisia... Has another friend?" Maria froze for a while; she was unable to believe it. Alisia was making other friends. She then welcomed them in with a wider and happier smile. "Sure! Come in, you three." Maria said it in a more friendly manner and invited the three into the house, leading them towards the living room, which is in between the kitchen and dining table with the fireplace. "Make yourself at home!""Her mom looks so different." Said Anoki in a low tone."Yeah, she looks so different. She's pretty too." Miyuki whispered back. She then took a quick look around the entrance, "Woah.. they have genkan here too?""Please sit down; I'll make something for you three." Maria then headed towards the kitchen, making some sweet, warm honey tea, feeling happy that Alisia had made more friends.Meanwhile, Miyuki looked around the living room at the pictures in the fireplace. There were dozens and dozens of pictures hanging on the wall. There were many family photos and graduation photos around, and Miyuki noticed the lack of photos with Alisia in them before asking Maria."Uh, Ms. Harlington. I noticed Alisia isn't in many of the photos here."Maria heard and looked back towards Miyuki, "Hmm? Oh, that's because Alisia spent most of her early childhood in Japan. I'll show the other photos of her after this."Then, Maria came with four cups on a tray, and she placed them down on the table. "Here you go, and wait here." She then went towards the storage room, and while that was happening, Alisia was walking out of her mother's room, limping out with her eyes fluttering up and down. She heard some noises from the living room and headed there to see Miyuki, Anoki, and Lily."Eh? What are you two doing here?" Asked Alisia, jolted awake by Anoki's and Miyuki's presence."Ehh? Don't you remember?" I asked Miyuki with a confused look."Alisia has a faulty memory. She doesn't even remember me from the first day of school, even though we literally met and saw each other for three years straight." Lily stated."Lily... Don't." Alisia groaned, slapping her own face with her palm."Hehe... Alisia still has that morning hair.." Miyuki giggled at Alisia's appearance.Alisia remained quiet; she then glared at Miyuki with a look that could kill, offended by the teasing, still tired."A-Ahh, sumimasen!!" (A-Ahh, sorry!!) Miyuki bowed down apologetically.Then, Alisia's mother returned with a box, looking at the commotion and asking, "What happened?"She then looked down at Alisia, who was still a bit moody. "Jeez, what happened? You were never like this before." She began stroking Alisia's hair, which caused Alisia to all of a sudden flinch and giggle."S-Stop..." Alisia's face turned red from the touches on her messy, long, soft, dark brown hair.Her mother gave a surprised look. "My, I don't remember your hair being this sensitive."Miyuki approached, "Wow, she's so cute..." She giggled, looking at Alisia and making a face.Anoki approached, looking at Alisia. "She's so different than the one we saw yesterday.""Nah, only you two, not me," said Lily."Eh? You've seen her like this?" Asked Miyuki."Yeah. She's pretty weak towards-." Just as Lily was about to say something, Alisia glared at her. Lily then stops and goes quiet. "Yeah, I would rather not say...""Jeez, Alisia, what's the matter?" Maria looked down at her, still hugging her. She then looked at Lily and said, "So, Lily, how's Alisia in the club?" She asked."Hmm? Oh, sorry, but I didn't join. Parents prohibited me." Said Lily."Oh, I see..." Alisia's mother then looked down again at Alisia."Hey, Lily... Who's the other person Alisia has a soft spot for?" Asked Miyuki.Just as Lily's about to answer, Alisia glared again, stopping Lily from talking further. Lily just shakes her head."Well... Anyways." Maria then let Alisia off and headed towards the box she brought earlier, putting it down on the lower table."What is this?" Asked Alisia, with a curious look on her face."Hmm? Oh, it's your old photos from the past, which I'm about to show to your friends."Alisia blushed and immediately rushed to shut the box. "No!""Ehh... Dōshite? Nani ka hazukashī koto demo?" (Uhh... Why? Is there something wrong?) Asked Miyuki.Alisia went quiet, looking down with a still-red face. "I just don't like showing off old photos!""Well, I won't force you..." Her mother then took the box, about to return it to the storage room."Well... That was awkward... I want to see what's in your old photos. But I won't force you either. It's your private stuff anyway." Said Anoki in an understanding tone, giving a smile."Yeah, you can keep it to yourself! No worries, Alisia," said Miyuki in a friendly tone.Alisia is conflicted; she doesn't want to reveal her old photos, but on the other side, she also wants to be more open. She thought for a while before then sighing. "Fine, you all can." Said Alisia with a red face."Ehh? Seriously?" Said Miyuki."Yeah..." Alisia then looked back at her mother, about to enter the storage room. "Mom, can you take the box back, please?" Asked Alisia,Her mother looked back towards Alisia before nodding, "Well, sure." Then, her mother returned back to the living room, putting the box back on the lower table, then opened it, revealing a dusty collection of albums and photos. Miyuki looked in first, taking one of the photos, revealing Alisia to be very short and wearing a yellow dress and hat. Her hair barely reached her shoulders."Wahh! Kawaii!!" (Wahh! Cute!!) Miyuki said in an excited tone, looking at one of the photos.Alisia turned red from embarrassment, covering her face with both her hands. "Stop staring at it for too long!!""Hehe. Alisia is so cute." Miyuki complimented.Then Anoki took another picture, revealing another picture of Alisia being somewhat chubby. "Hehe. Alisia looks so chubby here.""H-Hey!!" Alisia turned redder. "I don't show it off to make fun of myself!"Miyuki then looked back toward Lily. "You're not joining?" She asked.Lily is seated there, laying back, "I've already seen it...""Oh, I bet you haven't seen some!" Miyuki said, trying to encourage Lily to come.Lily sighed and got up from her seat. "Fine..."Anoki then took another photo; this time, Alisia is seen wearing a khaki long-sleeved shirt with a knee-length skirt with white socks and black shoes, holding hands with a tall blonde-haired girl with blue eyes wearing pretty much the same clothing as her in front of a school."Uhh, Ms. Harlington?" I asked Anoki, looking at Maria."Yes? Is there anything you want to ask?" Maria asked in a friendly tone."Who is this girl right here?" Anoki pointed at the blonde girl inside the picture, with Alisia standing just beside the girl, her height reaching the blonde's hip.Alisia's mother then took the photo and looked closer, before replying, "Ah, this is her cousin, Margaret. They used to live together when my husband and I were busy with some work.""Oh! This is the cousin Alisia mentioned before." Miyuki nodded. "Their hair color is different, though.""Well, we have a massive family branch that married different people across the world. Alisia and her shared the same great great great grandfather, or, in a more simple explanation, similar ancestry." Maria stated."Oh, I see. Interesting." Anoki nodded, now interested. Anoki then took some other photos, many of which were of Alisia with the blonde girl. "They look so close. Are they?" she asked."Very... Alisia used to live with her family more than ours when we were in Japan, because we rarely went home; sometimes we would be out for a week or a month." Maria explained. "We rarely look after Alisia, so I guess that explains their relationship."Alisia remained quiet the whole conversation, just watching as the conversation unfolded. She then sat down on the chair, her eyes still half closed, tired."Come on, Alisia... It's morning already; wake up." Maria said while shaking her. But Alisia was still half asleep, unable to move. Her mother sighed before she looked at the warm tea she just made earlier. She took one and handed it over to Alisia. "Here... Drink this; you'll feel better.Alisia looked at the cup before slowly taking it and sipping it, before suddenly spitting it. Her eyes widened. "Ugh! What did you put in this, mom?!" Said Alisia in a disgusted tone, spitting all of the contents inside her mouth back to the cup."What?" Maria was confused. Before then, she looked at the tea box she pulled out to make tea earlier, noticing the label, 'Liptons'. Her face turned red from embarrassment. "Oops... Sorry."Anoki and Miyuki giggled before then laughing, followed by Maria's embarassed laughter. "Oh well, I will change it. Please wait here!" She then got up, took the cups, and returned back to the kitchen to make new tea from the other box."Your mother's a bit funny... Isn't she...?" Anoki teased."Shut up..." Alisia glared, still in her chair, now awake after drinking the tea from earlier. She's coughing out the lipton inside her mouth.Then Lily began asking Miyuki. "So, Miyuki, why did you move to Canada?" she asked in a tired tone."Hmm? Uhh... It's because, well, my father has a relative in Canada; he and my mother wanted me to be raised in a stress-free environment." Miyuki answered. "Or that's what I know so far.""Huh? How stressful?" Lily was now more interested, asking more.Just as Miyuki was about to answer, Alisia replied. "It sucked..."Lily was slightly surprised; she asked Alisia. "Huh? You were there too.""Says the one who said I have a faulty memory... Who's the one faulty now?" Alisia said it in an annoyed tone."...Sorry." Lily looked down; some blush was seen on her face.There was silence, and then Maria returned with new cups of tea. "Here, this one is Alisia's favorite."Then the four took the cups, and Alisia took a sip, now fully awake. "Ahh. That feels nice," said Alisia in a relaxed tone as she sat back on the sofa, enjoying her cup."Mhm! This tea feels sweet; I don't feel much sugar here... Ms. Harlington, can I ask something?" Miyuki looked toward Maria."Sure, what is it?" I asked Maria while looking at Miyuki with an eye of full attention."Why is Alisia so short? I wonder." Asked Miyuki.Alisia spat her tea, and before then she turned towards Miyuki, giving her a sharp glare in the eye, which caused Miyuki to shiver in fear. She gulped. But then Maria stared at Alisia."Alisia, don't be that hostile towards your friends, or are you having anger management issues?" Maria said it in a stern tone. Alisia went quiet, breaking eye contact, and just remained seated, looking down. Then Maria looked back at Miyuki and said, "Ah, don't worry too much about her; she won't hit or bite. To answer your question earlier. Well, she's born prematurely.""Ehh, Naruhodo..." (Oh, I see.) Miyuki nodded after knowing the answer. Before she asked another question, "Can I ask another? Why is Alisia different from you? Different hair color and all.""Oh, well. Alisia shared more similarities with her father." Maria answered.The conversation continued, talking about life, family, past lives, and church. Until then, it's dawn, and Miyuki, Anoki, and Lily are about to leave. "Ms. Harlington, may I ask something?" Asked Miyuki,"Sure, what is it?" Maria leaned in to hear."What tea is this? I like it so much." Said Miyuki,"Yeah, I might ask my mother to get it, so please?" Anoki also asked,"Well..." Maria halted before she continued. "It was Darjeelings."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Church, 13th of September 2015, 0958 hours:
The sun shone through the clouds, wind breezed through the air, and birds chirped while they stood on poles, roofs, and cables. Then there's the church, standing in between other buildings. The large, dark wooden door opened, and the priest in black clothing stood by the door as he shaken hands with the people who attended the mass. There was Alisia with her friends, that is, Lily, Anoki, and Miyuki, all of them dressed in formal clothing, either a dress or a combination of a knee-length skirt and blouses, some with blazers.While the four continued talking, there were the mothers of the four, wearing formal and feminine clothes—long skirts and long sleeves—with different styles and colors. "Well, ladies. How about we head to that one restaurant in the intersection?" Maria suggested with a grin on her face.Alisia looked back at Maria and nodded with a tired look. "Sure," followed by everyone agreeing."So, Mrs. Anderson, I would love to know more about you! heard you once lived with Mister and Mrs. Harlington." Sarah said it in an excited tone.The black-haired woman, being Yua Anderson, just remained quiet, walking beside Maria while looking back and forth, left and right, at a fast pace. Maria noticed and spoke to her, trying to ease her nerve. "You don't need to be this cold; you're not in Japan anymore, and it's safe! No need to be paranoid." She placed her hand on Yua's shoulder with a reassuring look in her eyes.Yua looked at Maria before sighing. "Sorry, I'm just a bit uneasy for the moment."
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The sun shone brightly, penetrating through the transparent blue window. People were seen eating and talking with each other. Most were familiar faces, like Jack, Isabelle, and some of the school's teachers. Most of them were wearing formal clothes, as they seemed to have just come back from church.The four girls were sitting just beside their mothers' tables, talking with each other. Yua sat beside Maria, while Sarah sat on the other side with Patricia. Miyuki can be seen talking non-stop, while Alisia was just laying her head on the table, her eyes closed, tired.Miyuki tried talking and even patting Alisia's hair, but just as she's about to lay a hand, Alisia moved her head and glared at Miyuki, her eyes staring daggers into her eyes, causing Miyuki to froze in fear. Before then, she moved her hands away in a slow manner."Oh my, your daughter sure is quite the chatterbox; only a week in and already got some friends, eh?" Sarah remarked.Yua looked at Sarah, a bit surprised by her words, and then she replied back. "Y-Yes.. She sure is very active... Mrs. Carter."Then the server came, bringing food to the tray which is a bowl of curry, and three poutine. "Is this table 11?"Maria looked at the server, and before then she nodded, "Yes, this is."The server then placed the tray down, placing the plates on the table, before heading back to the kitchen to deliver the other orders. Sarah then began opening a conversation. "So, Mrs. Anderson, may I ask?" Sarah asked as she looked at Yua, and Yua then looked at her."Y-Yes?" Said Yua in a low yet stern tone."Well, I was just asking; I heard your family once lived close to Mrs. Harlington's family. Where and how was it?" Sarah asked as she looked at Yua with a look of enthusiasm in her eyes."W-Well... We once lived in Nagasaki before moving to Yokohama, specifically Kanagawa, where we later met Mr. and Mrs. Harlington. Life was quite good; my husband used to meet a lot with Mr. Harlington. My daughter used to be in contact with Alisia.""Oh, so Miyuki used to? Do tell more." Sarah stared at Yua, waiting for more questions, but there's no answer. Then Maria interrupted."Uhm, Ms. Carter... Try not to look into her like that; it's kind of uncomfortable and rude for her." Said Maria.Sarah flinched back to her seat; her eyes broke contact with Yua's. "Ah! Sorry, I didn't know that."There was silence before Yua continued. "Well, it seems that Alisia doesn't remember her at all. But, oh well, not like Miyuki also remembers her at all too; she can be forgetful at times ever since we moved here. I might consider getting her to a doctor.""Oh, Alisia is also forgetful. But at least it hasn't affected her grades at all; except for math, she still hates it a lot. Last year the teachers said she can solve problems within minutes when uhm.. Given the proper measures, but they also said Alisia answered all the questions wrong probably on purpose." Maria sighed."Oh, she still hates math? Guess Mrs. Himari really was that harsh teaching her... No wonder." Said Yua.Patricia remained quiet for the conversation until Mrs. Himari's name was mentioned. She then asked. "Who's this, Mrs. Himari? Is she her former teacher?"Maria looked at Patricia and answered, "Ah, no. That's my relative who married my husband's distant cousin, who happens to be a former teacher before getting married, basically Alisia's distant aunt.""Alisia used to live with her and her daughter when Mr. and Mrs. Harlington were so busy at work, to the point of almost having no time to spare to spend with her. Margaret and Alisia were so close that I even almost considered them siblings; only their different hair colors saved me from thinking so." Yua added."Oh, I see... Well, they're so close... Do they still meet each other?" Patricia asked again."Oh, the last time they met was... one and a half years ago? I don't know after that." Sarah stated."They kind of do, but Alisia told me she rarely lifts the phone; it's been over a year now, and she even didn't attend last year's family reunion. I don't know why. I tried asking Mrs. Himari, but she said she is rarely in contact with her, probably too occupied with college." Maria sighed. "They were so close back then, as Mrs. Anderson mentioned earlier, although at least now she has some friends.""Speaking of being close, does Alisia have a sibling? Usually, siblings are always close to each other." Asked Patricia."Well, I'd say pretty distant. Back then, I trusted Mrs. Himari or Mrs. Anderson to take care of them while we were busy. Besides Alisia, they always go outside without being noticed, either to their friends' house or the park. Eventually I decided to tip them to Mrs. Carter, except for Alisia since Mrs. Himari said that she's quite a lovely girl and a good friend for Margaret." Said Maria."Oh, and they were such ruffians when I took care of them, but your decision years ago kind of made them hate you a lot for favoring Alisia." Said Sarah."Yes, I know... My mind was very occupied at the time; I regret favoring only her." Maria released a heavy sigh, looking down. "Now they rarely contact either me or my husband."Patricia nodded; she was about to ask another but stopped. After a few seconds, she sighed and asked again. "Can I ask another question? Sorry for asking too much.""Ah, no worries, I'm open to questions; ask as much as you want while we're here!" Maria gave a smile to Patricia."Oh, well, I want to ask something that may be a bit too personal... What is your husband's job? You always say that he's very busy and that it even involves you." Asked Patricia once more.There was silence from Maria; she looked up, thinking of an appropriate answer. "Uh, how should I say this? Let's say that he's a businessman, handling a lot of stuff."Patricia blinked, looking at Maria's sudden hesitation in answering the question, but she decided to shake it off and nod. It was until all of a sudden that Alisia came over. "Mother, can I sit with you?"Maria turned her head at Alisia with a confused and worried look. "What happened, Alisia?""Miyuki keeps on harassing me... I'm trying to sleep." Alisia complained in a tired and annoyed tone."I was just trying to pat her! Her hair just looks so soft... She looked so cute, too! How can I not resist?" Said Miyuki in defense. "You have the instinct and reaction time of a fly." Miyuki pouted."Miyuki.." Yua stared at Miyuki; her tone went stern. Miyuki decided not to continue arguing.Maria thought to herself whether she should let Alisia sit beside her or not. She wanted to say yes, but at the same time, she wants her to stay with her friends and socialize instead of isolating herself. It was until then that the first won over her kind. "Ok, ok... Come here.. Have you eaten your food?"Alisia sighed; she nodded before sitting beside Maria. She leaned on Maria's shoulder, her eyes closed."Ehh... Kawaii..." (Ehh.. So cute...) Miyuki giggled.Maria released a heavy sigh as Alisia leaned on her. She then placed her hand on her head and started stroking Alisia's hair in a soft and gentle manner. Before long, Sarah decided to speak up to her. "Uhh, Mrs. Harlington. I recommend not spoiling her that much; having a child clinging too much to their parents can be a very bad thing.""Oh, don't you also happen to spoil Lily?" Maria said this in her defense, although not in an aggressive tone."Well, uhh.. Good point.. But that's what my mother said." Said Sarah.There was silence, and then Yua decided to speak. "The food's getting cold, you know...""Ah! Well, you all can start eating." Maria said as she continued stroking Alisia's hair and began eating her food.
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The group walked out of the restaurant with a look of contentment on their faces, except for Alisia, whose eyes were still closed and still clinging close to her mother, causing her to question Alisia. "Jeez. When did you sleep last night?" Maria looked at Alisia with a worried look."Oh, well. Speaking of her tiredness, one night I saw Alisia still on the computer through the window." Said Sarah.Maria released a heavy sigh, looking at Alisia. "I left her for too long," she said, looking down. "Such a bad mother I am...""Well, Mrs. Harlington. I gotta go; I got some other things to do back home." Sarah let go of Lily before she approached Alisia and lifted her up with her hands, causing Alisia's eyes to jolt open and her face to blush."Stop playing your computer at night, ok?" Alisia continued blushing; she just nodded while maintaining eye contact with her. Then Sarah placed Alisia down and grabbed Lily's hand by the wrist. "Well, happy Sunday."Alisia was left flustered, her mind now fully awake, still red from embarrassment. Miyuki saw this and giggled. "Hehe... Kawaii.." (Hehe... So cute..)"Aww, the flustered sleepyhead..." Said Anoki in a teasing tone."Shut.." Alisia stared at Miyuki with a sharp look in her eyes. Which caused Miyuki to freeze, her eyes unable to break from Alisia's."Well, I guess we'll be going then." Said Yua."Well, Mrs. Harlington. Anoki said something about yesterday's tea; I have to say, it tasted wonderful." Said Patricia."Ah, I am glad to have recommended you such a good tea." Maria smiled.After a while, the group said their goodbyes and went to their paths. But deep down in Maria's thoughts, She's worried about Alisia, still thinking about what she should do with Sarah's earlier comment about Alisia staying up late and her responsibility as a mother.The wind went cold, and the sky turned into a gradation of red and orange as the sky began to set down on the horizon on their backs. It seemed that fall had begun.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
West Virginian Tankery Field, Boston College Tankery FOB, 12th of September 2015, 1000 hours:
It was all nice and sunny in the skies over Virginia. Birds chirping and leaves shaking on the trees as the wind blew through. People were walking around the base doing their usual tasks. A large camp could be spotted, built near a wide dirt road, where tents and mobile toilets could be seen stationed. CCKW trucks passing by, carrying with them important cargo onboard, covered by dark-coloured tarps.Somewhere in a hill just half a click away was an RV van, laced over with a symbol, with the writings indicating it belonged to Boston College of Massachuttes. There was a young man sitting on a chair, and in front of him were tonnes of electronic hardware and broadcasting equipment. His eyes were on a screen as he watched the drone give a display of a battlefield, where he could see both teams’ preparing for an upcoming battle."Good day, dear listeners, and this is John Brown, your favourite caster. Welcome back to Boston College Media, reporting live on the settle-down match between our boys from the Massachuttes and the newly created team, The Alligators, which once was just a racing tank team from the south now trying to challenge our beloved team to you all back home. The match would start in a few minutes, and by then, let's play a few songs to boost morale for our folks over there.”------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Murphy was viewing over the entire team from the cupola. His tank, along with five to ten others, being M4 Shermans, dug in as they remained on the high terrain. wearing a khaki shirt with a thick leather jacket, the tankery team's shield emblem with a white star on the right top sleeve, and trousers with boots and a tanker helmet. He watched his subordinates, fellow tankers, some still loading the last remaining munitions that were brought over by the supply truck. It seemed that some forgot to fill their ammunition boxes. His tank, along with many others, being mostly M4 Shermans, dug in as they remained on the high terrain.He eyed left and right, formations filled with Sherman M4’s with the variant of either A2's or A3’s, all equipped with the 76mm guns. Many of them were split into multiple groups of either 5 or 10 in an arrow formation. He then looked towards the rear—15 or so Sherman Calliopes after doing a quick look—some could be seen with their launch tubes still being loaded by the crews.He then looked over to the other group of tanks, the M24 Chaffee’s stationed on top of a higher elevation belonging to the ISR section, while holding a cable that was flying over a balloon over them. He figured that they were still trying to collect as much information as possible just moments before the match started.Murphy then looked down inside the cupola towards the radio section. "How are the wiretapping girls doing?” He asked.Bill looked up towards him from the radio section of the tank before then responding. "They're still listening on their net. It'll take a while." Bill answered before he looked back down, focusing back on the radio.Murphy nodded, acknowledging the information that he had just received before releasing a sigh. “Gosh, we should've gotten their information before this.""Well, can't blame them. Our case officer was sick a week prior to the match and cannot get that much information." Bill then heard a transmission coming and began focusing on the messages that were being transmitted. "Hang on, they're sending in traffic now."Bill took a piece of paper and a pen and started writing down the information being relayed over the radio; before then, he handed it over to Murphy. Murphy took the paper and read it, reading the information. "So... fifteen Panthers and three Tiger I's. Last time I heard, they used M6A1's and some other converted old junk racing tanks. What happened?""Well, they got fed with wehraboo propaganda from Reddit, I assume." Said Bill in a sarcastic tone before giggling. "Nah, just joking. You were sick, so you probably didn’t know. The ISR told us that the Alligators' had been training and funded by some Japanese team that practices the Nishizumi style for the last few weeks ever since the ATA signed an agreement with the JSF, if you forgot. They also got some pretty good funding from the Mitsubishi Group. Guess those Japs' are really trying to expand their influence to the states'."Murphy nodded as he received the information said by Bill. He then yawned, feeling dizzy. "Fuck, I forgot to drink coffee.” "I hate this... I was planning to go on a date with one of the girls from St. Betty; she is so nice and cute as hell, but those bastards ruined it!" Bill punched the radio in annoyance, which received an immediate response from Murphy."Hey, watch the radio! I'm not reporting to the council that one radio broke because someone's raging for no reason again." Murphy scolded, but then he saw Bill getting serious again with how he was hearing closely to the headset, probably hearing into some new information."I thought the Austin’s would help them." Said Bill as he continued hearing messages over the radio."Well, their commander died in a car crash. Guess what? The driver who drove was playing Pokémon. Poor bastard... Why ask?" Asked Murphy, feeling some remorse from his words earlier, wondering what Bill was about to say."Huh, well, they just said there's not a single presence from those guys."Then, in the distance, a high-pitched sound could be heard as a red streak could be seen climbing up high in the blue sky before then exploding several hundred feet above the air. The crews went back inside their tanks, and later the crew of the T34 Calliopes loaded in the last rockets before hopping back inside.The engines roared as they were turned on by the crews. Launchers and cannons alike were adjusted, shells loaded inside the chambers, and tanks ready for combat at any moment."Alright, final checks, everyone." Murphy grabbed the handset and leaned it towards his mouth. “All units, check in.”<< "First company, standby." >><< "Second company, standby." >>One by one, each platoon started to check in on their unit's status, and finally, after a few minutes, all of the units had checked in on their readiness."All units standby, boss; your call now." Bill looked back at Murphy, saying that all was set, waiting for his command.Murphy reached towards the radio handset; he was quiet for a moment, waiting for everyone to quiet down. He waited until the net was entirely quiet, and he then spoke up."One day, there was a young man called David. He went to the frontlines to deliver food to his brothers. When he arrived, he saw the Israeli soldiers weakened; he wanted to join the fight, but his body's too weak to wear armour and carry weapons. Instead, he fought with his slingshot and rocks. He reached up to Goliath and hit him with the rock or sword, killing him. What is the point of the story?"He paused, letting the story sink into those who were hearing. They were all confused about what he was talking about, but just as they were about to think further, Murphy continued. "The point is that our enemy used that story, used Goliath as a metaphor for us, and David as them. We are seen as devils, typical southerner rhetoric against northerners. We shall conduct ourselves in this battle in good will; we shall treat them as our almighty God has told us to. But I'll tell you all, we will be the ones that will lead America to the international stage and overthrow the Japanese off of their decades-old reign over this sport and end their abuse of power through the so-called winners’ privileges." There was another moment of silence. Murphy looked at his handwatch, waiting for the exact time that was originally planned beforehand. Waiting for the exact time that they should begin their move. Then, as the time struck 1016, he said a single word, signalling the start of their offensive. "In the mood.""Roger that, in the mood. Operation is a go." One voice replied back, and after the word was said, the once blue and calm sky thundered and turned bright as the Calliopes from the rear fired off their munitions off the rocket tubes, launching them off to the sky.Tanks began to roll their tracks and move down the hill; files of 5 tanks each moving across the large field in single-file lines, each of the tanks in the unit aiming at every possible angle as they were trained.___________________________________________________________Wind blew in from the north and against a column of Shermans that was marching on the dirt road. Booming and howling sounds of cannons and rockets were fired could be heard throughout the forest in high volumes, a non-stop relentless fire it was.Jonathan could be seen standing on the cupola of the Sherman; his tank was on the 2nd line of the formation, traversing on the single-lane dirt road. Like the rest of his subordinates, their heads were looking around for any potential threats that may await them. He was holding a binocular in his hands, observing until he saw something some yards ahead in the distance, a black smoke rising. He zoomed in closer to see a Tiger I and the environment surrounding it , being entirely wrecked and on fire, with the white flag out. Probably victims of the initial bombardment. “They sure are reliable in making guesses.” He remarked. “Better than before.”“Man, those fires really are concerning.” His gunner commented, and just after his remark, a buzzing sound could be heard from above.Jonathan looked up towards the sky, where he saw a prop plane flying in close, coloured in a mix of red and white. It flew closer and was flying just above the trees before then flying past his formation, where it then released huge drops of water at the area that was burning.“That was fast.”Then, a distressed voice could be heard over his headset. << “Tank, ahead!” >>Jonathan immediately turned back towards the front of the formation, his eyes still on the binoculars. He saw two or three Panthers right in front of him. Multiple flashes of light could be seen, followed by an explosive sound. A distinctive sound of a projectile coming in could be heard in his ears.<< “Shit, brace for impact!” >> yelled the commander of the Sherman that was leading ahead as he dove down towards cover inside the cupola.A shell slammed onto the sloped surface of the leading Sherman, causing the tank to be knocked back slightly, followed with a white flag popping out.<< “1-2 is out!” >> A yell was heard over the net.Jonathan was shocked by the impact that occurred on the leading Sherman, but it only took him a few seconds before he eventually recovered. “Stop!”The tank came to a halt and stopped just right before it clashed with the knocked-out Sherman at the front.He then reached towards the handset radio, pressing on the pressure button and toggling it on. “Thunder 2-1 Actual, this is Thunder 1-1 Actual, come in?”<< ”static- This is Thunder 2-1 Actual; getting a bit busy right here; you’re on your own, Out.” >> The line was then cut, leaving Jonathan no room to talk back.“Damn it..” Jonathan looked at the surroundings. They’re not getting fired at; strange.<< ”Uhh, Thunder 1-3 to Thunder 1-1 Actual, what are your orders?” >> His subordinate’s voice could be heard, coming from the rear part of the formation.Jonathan heard the transmission, but he was still confused. Was this it? Is this the only ambush they gave to his platoon? He had to admit, while they surprised him at first, it was pretty lame; he expected to be ambushed from the thick bushes from the flanks and be wiped out completely. What a waste of the element of surprise. Unfortunately for them, they were about to find out what a couple million dollars spending on tankery looks like.He then got out of the cupola, bringing with him a map in a plastic wrap and his binoculars. He got down before crawling down, taking a peek from behind the wrecked Sherman. He observed through the binoculars at the tank that he recognised as a Panther and later saw other tanks beside it that were sitting there, menacingly at the road’s edge, ready to claim another prey.“Should’ve relocated you motherfuckers...” He looked down towards the map, trying to guess his location by searching for landmarks and his position as a reference to track the panther’s exact location down, only to see an endless stream of trees around him.“Damn it, no landmarks around here…” He then decided to try using the LOD line, or the Line of Departure, as a reference instead and tried guessing how long it had been since they passed it until the exact point they were in.After a couple of seconds guessing and marking down the possible coordinates, he walked back inside the Sherman before reaching towards the handset radio, pressing on the pressure, and turning the radio on. “I hope this is the right one…” He thought to himself.“OP, this is Thunder 1-1 Actual; do you copy, over?”<< “This is OP; copy, send in traffic.” >>“Danger close fire mission at Grid 667164.” He relayed the coordinates over the radio. “Target is possibly two or three armoured vehicles located somewhere in the east side near the border of the playing area, around a couple of minutes from the entrance of the forest with a ninety-degree-shaped curved turn, over?”<< “Right, hold one. Danger close fire mission, Grid 667164, confirm, over?” >>“Confirm, OP.” << “Copy. You might wanna duck down and sit tight; it’ll take around 3-5 minutes.” >>“Acknowledged OP, over and out.” Jonathan let off of the pressure before then placing the handset back in its place. He then turned towards the other three tanks in the rear. “We got some explosive rain coming in; get inside!” He dove down inside the cupola, only showing out his head, waiting for the bombardment that was about to come. Half a minute later, a wheezing sound could be heard coming in from above his head, wheezing through his tank platoon’s column before impacting the ground ahead. A few projectiles landed near the tanks, missing them by a few meters to the left, and it all went silent for a moment until another wave of projectiles landed directly at the Panthers. One attempted to break off but then soon, a massive wave of projectiles began to arrive, impacting the earth before exploding. Soil and shrapnel were sent all over the place; it was relentless.The bombardment lasted for a few seconds before stopping. Dust and smoke began to settle, and the commander stood back on the cupola, looking back at his binoculars at the sight where the Panthers were once aiming at the road.“Alright, get us around the wreck.” Jonathan ordered the driver before raising back the handset. “All Thunder 1 units, follow me.”<< “Wilco.” >>The column continued moving, leaving behind the knocked-out Sherman. The same prop aircraft could be seen flying ahead and above the column, spraying water over the area that was devastated by the bombardment earlier. As the column passed through the wrecked site, he looked over the result of the bombardment. Three Panthers with their white flags waving over their turrets, all of them being close to each other. Perhaps too close. He saw the crews that once manned the tanks, with mixed emotions, some giving a dirty look at them.“Shouldn't have bunched up, ya goons!” The commander of the Sherman from the rear mocked them, followed by the driver from the hatch.“How are those Panzers doing to y’all? Haha!”Jonathan looked back towards the Sherman at the rear after hearing the mockings. He shook his head in disappointment before then looking back forward, “They’re definitely getting scolded after this.”—------Wind blowing, the sun shining down upon the earth. The leaves were shaking and instead of the sound of mother nature like birds chirping or whatnot, instead replaced with the relentless roaring sound as cannons boomed and rocket platforms howled.Molly could be seen standing on the Chaffee’s cupola as it sat down on a high hill, observing with her binoculars the sight ahead, where smoke was rising, coupled with the sounds of cannon fire across the fields and forest.She then lowered it, sighing. “Gosh, I’m bored.” “Yeah... this is soo boring... just sitting here and doing nothing but some forward observer shit...” Her gunner remarked.Then, a male voice came in from the radio.<< “Thunder 1-1 Actual to OP, do you copy, over?” >>Moley picked up the handset, answering. “This is OP... Copy, send in traffic.”<< “Danger close fire mission at Grid 667164. Target is possibly two or three armoured vehicles located somewhere in the east side near the border of the playing area, around a couple of minutes from the entrance of the forest with a ninety-degree-shaped curved turn, over?” >>Once hearing the coordinates, Moley began writing it down on a piece of paper using a pen. “Right, hold one, uhh…” She then pulled out a map in a plastic wrap from the compartment below and placed it on the tank’s roof and looked at it before looking back at the view overlooking the entire playing area in front of her with the binoculars, using the references and other descriptions being told over the radio. She then eventually saw a glimpse of a column of Shermans along with the aforementioned enemy tanks. “Thunder 1-1, repeat your last.”<< “Danger close fire mission at Grid 667164. Target is possibly two or three armoured vehicles located somewhere in the east side near the border of the playing area, around a couple of minutes from the entrance of the forest with a ninety-degree-shaped curved turn, over?” >>“Copy... Danger close fire mission is inbound. You might wanna duck down and sit tight; it’ll take around 3-5 minutes, out.” Moley cleared her throat before then switching the frequency. “Hammer, this is OP. Do you copy, over?”<< “This is Hammer; copy, send in traffic.” >> “Hammer, danger close fire mission at grid 667164; target is possibly two to three armoured vehicles, over?”<< “Danger close fire mission at grid 667164; target is possibly two or three armoured vehicles. Confirm, over?” >>“Confirm, fire in one barrage, fire for effect, over.” << “Copy that, danger close fire mission at Grid 667164, firing for effect.” >>Moley raised back her binoculars and looked down the hill while still holding the handset radio. The 15 Sherman Calliopes' were protected by the Sherman's, which were well dug in, with their cannons aimed down the field and the surroundings.A single Calliope could be seen lifting its rocket launcher up as it adjusted the angle needed to aim at the target that was requested earlier. Seconds later, a loud howling sound was heard as its upper rack tubes fired off their content and lit the sky up into bright yellow.<< “OP, Hammer. Shot, over.” >>“Hammer, OP. Shot, out.”The rockets that were launched off left white trails behind as they flew off. The young woman zoomed in at the target location, waiting until the moment she heard another word from Hammer.<< “OP, Hammer. Splash, over.” >>“Hammer, OP. Splash, out.”Seconds later, an explosion could be heard, along with a mushroom cloud. Moley zoomed in with her binoculars, looking at a scene where explosions were everywhere, sending dirt and shrapnel up in the air. It missed by a few meters to the left.“Hammer, OP. BDA 2 out of 3, one tank remaining. Adjust fire, right 10. Fire for effect, over.”<< “Copy, adjusting to right 10. Firing for effect.” >>The same Calliope fired yet another barrage of rockets from the lower yet empty shelf, yet a loud howling sound could be heard as it launched them off to the sky and lit the sky once more.<< “OP, Hammer. Shot, over?” >>“Hammer, OP. Shot, out.”Seconds and moments went by; Moley observed as the rockets flew in a parabola towards the designated grid. She saw a Panther steering 180, trying to escape fate from the incoming barrage, and then another word came over the radio.<< “OP, Hammer. Splash, over?” >>“OP, Hammer. Splash out.”The barrage landed onto the earth, slamming the soil and against the Panther that was trying to escape, along with the already wrecked tanks, creating another spectacular explosive scene, lasting for a few seconds before eventually stopping, letting dust settle in. Moley looked closely and saw the white flag finally waving over the last Panther and smirked at the sight before speaking through the handset, confirming the damage that was done.“Hammer, OP. BDA 3 over 3, all targets destroyed. End of mission, OP out.”<< “Copy that OP, Hammer out.” >>Moley released a sigh and placed the handset back onto its place, on top of the radio and placed the map back into the compartment. She then sat back on the commander, releasing another sigh as boredom entered back once more. Another howling sound could be heard from outside, probably from another observer like her delivering fire missions.<< “Yo, Molly, wanna go rogue again? This is getting boring as hell.” >> One feminine voice came through her net from her friend, Alexandra.Molly heard the voice before then answering through the handset. "Nah. Not getting scolded again.”<<"Oh, come on! I could really use some action down there..”>> Should she go rogue again? Molly thought. Well, are there any harms in leaving your post anyway? Not like anyone’s going to die or be put on trial. Plus she’s bored as hell; there’s no way she’s going to spend her entire college career in the club just collecting information and calling in fire missions.“Alright then! Stacy, you stay here and do all the observer work. Alex, change your frequency.”<< “What?! Hey! Don’t leave me behind-” >> Stacy’s voice was cut short as Molly changed channels.“Driver, take us down!” Molly ordered in an enthusiastic tone and went down the cupola, sitting on the commander’s seat, her hands holding onto the walls.“Right!” The driver switched gears forward, stepping on the pedals, and drove the tank forward. The Chaffee drove off from the cliff, followed by another Chaffee on the far left. It descended down the steep hill before eventually touching the ground. Molly went back up, standing on the cupola, holding her head as she had just slammed her head against the rear wall of the turret.“Gosh... It hurts...” Molly’s vision went blurry for a moment, along with feeling intense pain in her head. But then she shook her head and ordered to the driver once more. “Alright, keep moving.” Molly ordered once more.The Chaffee’s tracks began rolling, its engines roaring as it began traversing across the terrain. Its driver drove through and around obstacles like trees, holes, and large logs before eventually uniting with the other Chaffee that descended earlier.Moley went out and stood on the cupola, overlooking the environment. She then heard the sound of another engine slowly approaching her moving tank. Then emerged from the bushes, another M24 Chaffee bearing the same symbol on its hull as hers, the white star insignia in low visibility colour matching with the tank’s colour.Another young woman emerged from the cupola of the M24, a silver-haired one that was Alexandra, Moley’s colleague, her buddy in the ISR unit. She began waving at her as the two tanks continued being in motion. Moley waved back at her and grabbed the handset from below and used it to talk to her.“It’s all on you if we get killed by Murphy, you know.” Moley said jokingly.<< “Eh, fuck Murphy. Anyways, wanna hunt some big cats?” >> Alexandra asked in an enthusiastic tone.“Hell yeah, time to fuck around.” Moley replied with an excited tone before looking down to her driver below. “Full speed ahead!”The pair of Chaffee’s continued traversing through the forest grounds, and on some occasions hitting some puddles of mud, causing them to splash onto them. The ride went on for a couple of minutes until eventually the radio crackled as a voice came over the net on their frequency.<< “OP 1 and OP 2, return to your post immediately-” >> The transmission was soon cut as Moley switched it to another frequency.“Sorry boss, but I can’t hold it.” She muttered.The sound of gunfire began to ease down, and eventually die out. Moley wondered why but she figured it was probably either because them or they were running out of enemies to shoot, atleast to her experience playing on tankery matches.The sound was soon reduced to only the sound of the two light tank's roaring engines as they continued traversing through the forest. It was until...<< “Tiger I, up ahead, 200 meters!” >> Alexandra’s voice was the first thing she heard as soon as she changed the radio’s frequency.Moley soon turned her head forward in the direction where Alexandra pointed out the Tiger I’s presence, and she spotted the aforementioned Tiger I, alone and scarred with burns and scratches, probably from the previous preliminary bombardment or engagement with another unit. Last she remembered, when they entered this part of the playing field, the section fell under the responsibility of the 2nd Company, 1st Platoon.<< “Moley, you take the left flank; I’ll take the right. We’ll do a little bit of trolling if you know what I mean.” >> Said Alexandra, her Chaffee immediately shifting directions and beginning manoeuvring to the right and around the Tiger I while still being unnoticed.“Heh, copy that.” Moley then leaned the mic on her tanker helmet to her mouth and began speaking to her crew through it. “Driver, move a bit to the right, we’ll be doing an envelopment right here.”<< “On it.” >> Her driver acknowledged.“Load that baby in with some shells, and be ready to fire.”<< “Wilco!” >> Her loader acknowledged.The two light tanks began moving around the Tiger I, approaching it slowly from the flanks, without their prey knowing what was about to befall upon them. Soon, a word was shouted through the net from Alexandra as she said.<< “Now!” >> She shouted.“Move in!” Moley ordered to her driver.The two tanks turned their direction without missing a single beat and began charging towards the scarred Tiger I, moving at full speed and with engines roaring as they pushed the tank to the absolute limit of their use. Molley hopped back in and braced herself inside the turret compartment, holding onto a bar as she prepared for what was about to come.“Prepare for impact!”The cupola from the Tiger I opened, revealing the commander controlling it. The commander was looking to the surroundings, only to see two light tanks charging at them like as if they were about to crash onto them. The commander’s eyes widened and time frozen for a moment, as the commander looked at one of the tanks, in a state of shock, how could this ended so badly the commander wondered.Then time unfroze, and the two light tanks slammed against the sides of the Tiger I, holding it in between two places and bringing it to a complete halt as the heavy tank was pinched. Its tracks was still moving, trying to escape from the two light tanks that was holding it in place but it was no use.Moley felt a jolt of pain and dizziness streaming through her head upon the impact; their action was of pure craziness and maybe idiocy, out of adrenaline and excitement and thrill, they’d be scolded after this for what they’ve done but like it would matter anyways, it was fun.“FIRE!” She yelled while still feeling dizzy.The gunner was paralysed for a moment after the impact, but upon hearing the shout, immediately placed her fingers back on the trigger and pulled it, causing the gun chamber to lurch back as it spewed out a shell from within, before impacting the Tiger I at point-blank range, but closer as the tip of the barrel itself was touching the surface of the Tiger.The two Chaffee’s fired at the exact same time, spewing out a shell and impacting the sides of the Tiger I, breaking the previously silent forest. A thick smoke emerged along with dirt and dust as they went flying from the breeze the gunfire caused. Moments went by and dust began settling down, revealing the three tanks, each with their white flags popping out. The both light tanks themselves had their barrels turned into a shape of a peeled banana.Up ahead in the sky, several hundred feet above the surface, an MQ-1 drone was lurking with the logo of the American Tankery Association attached to its surface. It’s camera and its sensors was scanning the battlefield below and was particularly observing at the wreck of two Chaffee’s pinching a Tiger I. Several signals came into the input; that was the signal of tanks being taken out of action.
<< “Eight M4A2/A3 Sherman’s, 2 M24 Chaffee’s, 15 Panther D’s, and 3 Tiger I’s have been destroyed. All Alligator Tankery Team tank have been destroyed; Boston College Tankery wins. End of report.” >>
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Training field, 14th of September 2015, 1300 hours:
Leafs have started to fall from trees. Fall has arrived late; it was cold, but it has yet to turn water into ice. The students were already near the old garage, wearing their supposed uniforms, this time with an extra sweater or jacket to keep themselves warm, along with some scarfs. Some sat down, some leaned on the wall, and some were talking to each other.Alisia herself was shivering from the cold despite the warm clothes and the scarf she was wearing. The cold breeze passed through her face, and she was shaking like a leaf. "When will those three arrive?""Eh? You good, Alisia?" Miyuki looked at Alisia, her face showing a look of worry."C-Cold... How are some of you not freezing?" Alisia hugged herself; she covered most of her face with her scarf."Huh? I thought everyone in here loves the cold." Anoki looked at Alisia with a look of confusion."Well, I am a home girl ok! Lily would be shaking like a sick child if she were in my position." Alisia said in a weak tone, still shivering as the cold breeze continued penetrating through her warm clothing.Miyuki placed her hand on her chin, thinking of a solution, until an idea came into her mind. "Well, I know what you just need!" Miyuki grinned. She approached Alisia before wrapping her arms around her and holding her tight. "Heee, so warm..."Alisia froze in place, and before then her eyes stared daggers at Miyuki's eyes. "Who are you? My family? Get off.." Said Alisia in an annoyed tone.Miyuki looked at Alisia; she blinked with a confused look on her face, not expecting such a reaction. "E-Eh?!" She blinked once more. "She was fine with Mrs. Carter touching her.""You don't touch that intimate with a person you just know a week ago." Anoki sighed. She held her chin with her right hand before an idea came into her mind. "Try stroking her hair; maybe it's her weak spot... Should soften her a bit maybe?"Alisia's eyes turned towards Miyuki, her eyes staring daggers at her, penetrating deep into her soul, which made Miyuki shiver in fear. She then gulped. "Yeah, no. Bad idea..." Miyuki released Alisia from her embrace.Then, the three instructors arrived, wearing warmer clothes like an overcoat in addition with their service dress to fight against the cold weather. The captain began to speak. "Alright, good day, everyone." Said the captain as he walked in front of the students. The students then got up and returned back in line, and the captain continued. "Alright, for today's special, we'll be doing a combat practice. Time to get all of those skills from the class to use. This would be our last training."Just as the word was said, all of a sudden, most of the students cheered, before being interrupted by Lieutenant Blais with a high tone: "That doesn't mean we're leaving you fools; pay attention or else there will be another PT for you all."The students went cold, their faces went pale, and the captain then started to speak again. "Well, as the Lieutenant just said before, we'll still be here guiding you all, something like a coach in a hockey match, now." The captain clapped his hands once, and Lieutenant Morrison came with a cart filled with ear protection. "Make sure you have your ear protection ready, unless you want to be deaf. Now come on, onto your armored horses!" He ordered.The students then began walking towards their tanks. Alisia was seen still struggling with climbing onto the Stuart, but was then helped by Miyuki. Alisia thanked her before then hopping inside the tank, along with Anoki entering from the driver's hatch and Miyuki entering from the other hatch beside the commander's cupola.The radio of each tank went on, and a static voice of the captain was heard:<< "Alright, welcome to your first combat training. I hope you all still remember class from our previous classes, because all of that will be used here. Rules are simple: everyone is an enemy; take out each other's tanks and survive; don't push each other to the cliffs if there's even one to begin with. Oh, and also, all the necessities, from first aid kits to important tools and equipment, are already inside your tank. Anyway, play fair and have fun." >>------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The radio went off with a bleep sound, the Stuart traversed the terrain with a steady speed, and Alisia stood on the cupola while she looked around the surroundings while wearing her Broady helmet. Afraid of getting shot, and with her mind overwhelmed with the thoughts of it, she decided to hop back into the Stuart and close the hatch in a slow manner.She then sat back on the seat. She thought to herself, "Why am I so nervous?" Alisia shivered, she held herself tightly, and she adjusted her scarf around her neck."Alisia, don't forget your ear protection!" Miyuki adviced.Alisia looked at Miyuki; she then took the ear protection from her pocket and wore it on her ears. "Thanks..." Alisia sighed. Now that she had just looked ahead, some cold sweat dripped down her face. Her legs began shaking. "Should've drink a cup before this match..."Miyuki was seen loading the small shell from the ammo rack before loading it onto the gun chamber, then shutting the chamber. She then looked at the cranks and the other controls inside the turret, remembering all the lessons from last week. "Right, the trigger is here, and to move the turret, the crank or handle is here." She then looked through the gun's optics, inspecting it as the Stuart continued moving.After 5 minutes, the tank came to a halt as Anoki stepped off the pedals. She then looked outside through the driver's view; her face was cold. This caused some worry for Alisia. "What's wrong, Anoki? Why are we stopping?" Alisia looked down at Anoki with a look of confusion on her face."Can't you feel it, Alisia? There's something outside." Anoki pressed the engine button to turn it off. The engine's growling sound began to lower, and later there was silence. Miyuki then closed her eyes and took a deep breath.There was silence, and Alisia ordered Anoki. "There's nothing out there; get the engine back on and get this thing on the move again."All of a sudden, a shell slammed the small tank, and everyone was pushed onto the tank's wall, which made them grumble in pain. Alisia went unconscious after hitting the wall, and some blood appeared on her head."O-Ow..." Anoki then switched the buttons back on, and the engine began to growl once again. Anoki then hit the gas, and the Stuart's engine roared back as the tank began moving once more.Miyuki was still shocked by the hit. She then looked at Alisia, who was still unconscious, her hair covered slightly in blood. "Alisia is hurt!"Miyuki looked around for the first aid equipment in the tank; she then found it in a small box nearby, just beside the other equipment's. She took it, pulled out some cloth, and applied pressure to Alisia's wound. "A-Ahh! Alisia-san, okiro!!" (A-Ahh! Alisia, wake up!!)Miyuki tried multiple times to awaken Alisia by yelling through her ears, tapping, and shaking her shoulders, but to no avail. "Alisia's not waking up!" She then laid Alisia back on the seat, still keeping the pressure on. "N-No ice..."The Stuart continued to move away from the scene; its engines roared as it went to full capacity. The attack left some marks and some scratches. Alisia, on the other hand, remained unconscious and bloodied her head.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Inside the Stuart, Jack was ranting, being angry. His friends distanced themselves away, and Turner then spoke up. "Calm down..."Jack looked at Turner. "Why did you miss you idiot?!""Jeez, calm down... I thought we all joined for fun and not." Stewart distanced himself further from Jack."Strange, that shot should've knocked that thing out." Turner scratched his head."I should've been the commander... I literally led the school's hunting group and the scout club when I was in juniour high. Getting all that accomplishment, only not to get chosen because of some stupid pencil?!" Jack continued glaring at the scene where Stuart was once."Well, why don't you just ask then?" Bennett suggested, but was received with a glare by Jack; his veins were seen on his skin."The headmaster won't agree on such. He always sides with the girls. My older brother was a better candidate to become president, but that stupid headmaster..." Jack clenched his fist further.There was a long silence inside the church until Foster spoke up. "You definitely need a doctor.""Shut up." Jack replied with an aggressive stare towards Stewart, causing Stewart to not continue.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The tank was hidden among the trees, its engines turned off, and the two girls were staring at the unconscious Alisia. Miyuki still put the cloth on Alisia's wound, and she still shook Alisia, her face pale. "Ne... Alisia-san... Okiro..." (Hey... Alisia... Wake up...) Tears started watering down her cheeks, and she closed her eyes, still applying pressure to Alisia's wounded head with her hands. "... I didn't know this sport could be this dangerous." Anoki sighed, still staring at the unconscious Alisia. "I should've kept the tank moving..." Anoki looked down, tears watering down from her eyes from guilt. "Is she dead...?" Anoki's face turned pale, and her hands started shaking, adding to her guilt."N-No... It can't be! She can't be dead!" Miyuki looked down at Alisia and shook her more. "Wake up!!"The Stuart was filled with bad tension, and the two snapped, unable to believe what just happened. But as hope seemed to flicker lower, Alisia slowly opened her eyes. "M-Nngh... It hurts..." She groaned a bit while she held her head.Miyuki immediately hugged Alisia and broke out in tears, "Waa!! Alisia-san!! Anata wa shindeiru to omotte itta!!" (Waa!! Alisia!! I thought you were dead!!)Alisia was surprised by the sudden hug. She blinked for a few seconds, trying to process what just happened, and then she sighed. "Ok, enough crying; now get off me." Alisia tried moving her hands to stand up, but Miyuki immediately held Alisia tighter."No! You must rest; you almost died." Miyuki wiped her tears from her eyes, and her face turned puffy red from all the crying."I'm sorry for stopping..." Anoki began crying; she almost caused Alisia to die. This moment caused Alisia to get a headache and stress."Stop crying. Oh my, I'm not dead!" Alisia raised her arms in rage, but it hit the roof of the tank, causing her to flinch in pain, which she then slammed onto the wall, hitting it hard, causing her to growl further in pain. "Ow..."There was silence; the two giggled, and Alisia's face turned red. It seemed that harmony had returned to the tank after the clumsy event that happened to Alisia. Then, the laughter began to subside, and there was then only silence."So now what?" Anoki asked.While Miyuki pulled the cloth off, some blood stained it. She then looked at Alisia's hair, which was still stained with some dry blood. She then attempted to clean it off with a new cloth, but Alisia flinched from pain. "Oww- Hey!" Alisia looked up at her eyes, glared, and locked onto Miyuki's, her eye brows furrowed.Miyuki turned red and looked down. "Sorry..."There was only silence; before then, Alisia sighed and stood back up. "Alright... Let's keep going, shall we? Anoki, get back on the steer." Alisia then sat on the commander's seat, followed by the two getting back to their positions. The Stuart's engine roared back to life, and the tracks began to move the tank through the terrain in the cold afternoon.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Stuart has so far met little to no enemies; it has only traversed around the terrain, with only the sound of the cold breeze and the growling sound of the Churchill's engine. The sound of cannon fire and machine guns was heard in the distance, which piqued Alisia's interest."Move up to that hill..." Alisia ordered Anoki."Right!" Anoki acknowledged, driving the tank up the hill, which was concealed by the bushes. Then, as the tank arrived on top, below was an active battleground, where tanks were seen engaging with each other in brutal close combat. In one instance, two Ram's were seen ramming onto each other before firing their 6-pound cannons at the same time, knocking each other out. White flags popped out from a small port."It's a cluster mess down there." Miyuki commented, watching the on-going battle down the hill using the optics.As the battle continued, the Churchill appeared from the forest, taking out a Ram tank, before proceeding to move to the other tanks, who were still engaging with each other."That big-looking tank is being a menace down there." Anoki commented.As the two were watching, little did they know, deafened by the sound of the intense battle below, a Stuart was creeping from behind the bushes. Its 37mm cannon was aimed towards the Stuart, but of course it was shaking due to the tank being still on the move. The Stuart stopped in its advance, adjusting its cannon. Before a loud bang was heard as a shell spewed out from the barrel.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Training field, Observation tower, 14th of September 2015, 1500 hours:
The three instructors stood on the platform of the towers, their hands on their own binoculars, watching as the combat training was still ongoing. Rams' battling against each other like dogs, with the Churchill being the most dominant tank in the battle, taking multiple hits and hitting multiple tanks."Damn, it's chaos over there." Lieutenant Morrison commented."You're right, it's chaos... That Churchill sure is doing fine and dandy." The Captain focused on the Churchill, observing it through the binocular, with a look of amusement on his face.Then, the tower received an unexpected guest, a blonde lady appeared, wearing a light grey trench coat. The Captain looked back and noticed and recognized the lady, that was Maria Harlington, he then decided to approach her. "Good afternoon Mrs. Harlington, welcome to the training field, I'm guessing you're here to watch?" The Captain reached out his hand to her for a handshake. Maria reached out her glove covered hand and shook his hand, "Greetings Captain, and yes, I am here to observe the training.""Ah, I see that Mr. Harlington sent you here?" The Captain asked, in a very polite tone, keeping eye contact with her in a respectful manner."Ah, no. I came here myself to see how my daughter is doing so far." Maria then walked towards the rails, and looked at the chaos that was happening in the distance. "Quite the spectacle out there..." "Oh, your daughter? I reckon it's Alisia Harlington, yes? Also indeed, it is quite a spectacle." The Captain handed him a binocular."Well, yes. You're correct Captain. Oh, thank you." Maria took the binoculars, and looked around battle that was happening, to see a Stuart on top of a hill, hiding among the bushes, and spotted her daughter that was standing on top of the cupola. "What an interesting tank over there." Maria continued observing on the Stuart, she zoomed in closer to see Alisia up close, noticing bandages on her head, with a few blood stain. "Oh my, she's hurt.""Excuse me?" The Captain looked towards the direction, noticing the Stuart with Alisia standing on the cupola, hurt. "Oh my, I didn't know it would be this fatal... though she looks fine over there. Quite a good candidate for a leader, being calm despite being hit. I thought she'll be just a clumsy one since she got picked by a pencil or a pen.""Huh. Strange, I don't recall her being much of a resilient person. She's usually all soft and a bit spoiled based on my experience.." Maria began to question inside her mind, how Alisia even managed to be calm like that after being hit? Many questions appeared inside her mind before she looked back at the Stuart, and noticed another Stuart creeping behind, with its barrel being aimed towards Alisia's Stuart.
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As the battle continued below, the crew of the Stuart continued watching from above a hill, not realizing another Stuart that was creeping from behind. Its barrel aiming down at the fixed tank in front of it. Alisia felt something hit her nerve, and looked back, to see the Stuart still aiming down its barrel. Her eyes widened and she immediately yelled at Anoki in a panicked tone."There's a tank behind us! Move!" Alisia ordered in a panicked tone, but the Stuart behind them fired its 37mm cannon, a loud thunderous sound spewed out from the tip of the barrel, as it shot out its projectile, only for it to miss and flew right just above Alisia's head, causing Alisia to froze, shivering from the shell that almost hit her. Anoki was fast to heat the engine back up again, hitting on the gas, moving the tank away from its current position to the thick forest ahead. The Stuart behind began giving chase, firing another shell at it, which missed once more. Miyuki looked at Alisia frozen on the cupola, and pulled her back in by the shirt. "It's dangerous out there! Don't stay on top like that!" Miyuki panicked, as she sat Alisia back on her seat, and to see Alisia's face being pale. "O-Oi... Alisia?" Miyuki began shaking Alisia up, before then giving her a slap on the face. "Wake up!" The slap on Alisia's cheeks caused Alisia to wake back up from her state of shock, Alisia shivered, before then looking around. Miyuki released a sigh of relief, before then asking for orders. "W-What's your orders?" Alisia looked around for a few moment, before then shaking her head. "K-Keep moving in zig-zag and try not to get hit. G-Get the cannon rotated to 180 degrees and try take out that tank!" Both Anoki and Miyuki nodded, before then they began doing as ordered. Anoki began moving the tank in a zig-zag manuever, switching the levers from time to time, keeping the tank on the maximum speed it can while trying to avoid crashing into the trees. Meanwhile, Miyuki began cranking the turret one-hundred-and-eighty-degrees to the rear, aiming down the cannon at the tank that was chasing them. Miyuki then pulled the trigger of the cannon, igniting the shell inside the chamber, causing a thunderous reaction as the powder inside the shell ignited, spewing out the projectile through the barrel. The shell flew through the sky for a moment, only for it to miss, hitting one of the trees instead. Miyuki re-opened the chamber of the gun, and a hot steaming shell popped out from it, dropping to the tank's floor. She took another shell from the ammo rack on the lower compartment. She shoved the small small into the chamber of the gun, before then shutting the chamber of the gun, and went back to the control, adjusting the gun to aim down the chasing Stuart, before then firing. The process repeated for several times, until Alisia halted Miyuki. "Hold it. we're not gonna hit them, we'll just waste all of our ammo if we keep on like this." Alisia halted Miyuki."Then how are we gonna take them out?" Miyuki looked at Alisia, looking very desperate in the eyes for orders. Alisia thinked for a moment, before she came up with an idea.Alisia came out from the cupola, looking at the Stuart behind her Stuart shooting at them, with its shell either dropping the ground, the trees, or the sky above due to the unstable roads it was traversing in, and the zig-zag manuever the tank was performing. Shrapnel and dirt fell from above, causing her to cower back in, before then coming back out wearing the Broady helmet, popping her head just showing her helmet. She looked back at the Stuart that was still chasing them, before then looking at the barrel of the Stuart's 37mm cannon. She looked at the 37mm gun that was pointing at the direction of the Stuart. Alisia then ordered Miyuki. "Get on the gun, move the gun a few degrees right and keep it stable, and get ready to fire on my mark." Miyuki heard the order she just received. "Ok!" She went back to the gun, and began cranking the crank on the turret to right incline on the rear of the tank. She looked out to see a Stuart that was still shooting at them for 8 minutes straight. Now she was just awaiting for Alisia's order on what to do next.Alisia's eyes was focused on the Stuart in front of her, watching as her tank was driving straight, still trying to hit them, but of course no shots have hit the surface of the tank besides a view scratches. Her mind began brainstorming the posibilities of hitting the Stuart, a line appeared from in front of the barrel, forming a parabola line, with the line as if serving like a laser pointed. She blinked, and was confused by the sudden appearance of the line. She shook her head, only for the parabola like line still appearing on her vision from the barrel. "What's happening with my eyes..." "A-Alisia? What should I do?" Miyuki's voice interrupted Alisia's current confusion, causing Alisia to decide to just use the parabola line in front of her. Waiting for a moment for the tank to align with the chasing Stuart. Seconds passed, Alisia sweat, waiting for a moment, feeling frustrated waiting for it to align, until it eventually does."Fire!" Alisia shouted."Firing." Miyuki pressed on the trigger, causing an ignition inside the shell, spewing out a projectile out from the barrel, only for it to miss.Alisia ranted in frustation. "How did you miss?!" She looked down towards Miyuki with a glare into her eyes. Miyuki gulped from the sharp glare Alisia was giving her, she gave a slight bow. "Sorry!" There was no time to respond back to that, Alisia ordered Miyuki once more. "Load in another shell!" "H-Hai!" Miyuki acknowledged, before then going back down to the lower compartment, pulling out a new small shell, before then reopening the chamber, letting the hot steaming shell drop to the floor and shoved the new shell into the chamber, before then shutting it close. "Up!" Alisia looked back at the Stuart behind her tank, now knowing that she should order Miyuki to fire seconds before the line align with the Stuart behind. She awaited for a few moments, only for Anoki to yell as she saw a steep high hill ahead. "Dead end ahead! Uhh, we might have to turn away!"Cold sweat began dripping down Alisia's forehead, she held her head with her right hand, she has lesser time to wait for the perfect moment to fire the cannon. She took a very deep breath, before then exhaling it, looking back at the cannon and the parabola line that pointed forward, and as the line was about to align with the Stuart, she ordered to Miyuki in a loud voice. "Fire!" "Firing!" Miyuki heard the order and pulled the trigger in a perfect moment, as the barrel aligned with the Stuart. The shell ignited and spewed out a shell from the barrel. It flew in the air for a brief milli-second, before then hitting the center mass of the Stuart, hitting its turret ring and taking it out, with the white flag popping out. "Changing course!" Anoki switched the lever to move the tank 180 degrees to the right, still moving it on a zigzag, until Alisia eased up and ordered. "Move in a straight line for now." Alisia sighed, and sat back down on the commander's seat, relieved. Her heart was racing and cold sweat dripping down the skin, the same can be said with the rest of the crew. "Bring us back to the hill..." "On it.." Anoki continued driving the tank forward, her hands were red and also tired, evident from her hands shaking. She kept her eyes on the view port, looking at the path ahead for any obstacles.The Stuart continued driving through the forest, traversing through the bush and tree covered terrain, encountering a few large rocks. Anoki was staring forward with a look of confusion on her face, blinking for a few seconds before then asking. "Uhm.. where are we again?" Alisia stared at Anoki. "What do you mean by 'where are we again'?" She increased her tone at the repeated word. "I think she's saying that we're lost..." Miyuki stated. "A-Are we?""What do you mean we're lost?!" Alisia's face turned pale, as she looked out from the cupola, looking at the surrounding with a frantic look, to see only the dark forest as the sun began to set on the horizon. Her eyes widened in realization. "We're.. lost." "EH?!" Miyuki looked out from the other hatch, and began hearing sounds of cricket and a few roars in the distance, which caused her nerve to shiver, before shutting the hatch. "W-We're lost..." "NO! That can't be true!" Tears began falling out from Alisia's eyes, dripping down her cheeks and falling down to the floor, as fear kicked into her mind. She then glared at Anoki with a wet look on her face. "This is your fault!" "W-What?! I was just driving!" Anoki defended herself, and was shocked with Alisia's sudden accuse."You should've remembered the road, DUMMY!" Alisia began hitting Anoki's back with her hands, while crying, giving a childish teary look on her face. "Ow!" Anoki flinched from the hits she received from Alisia, and without realizing that she has just moved the tank's path. "Stop it!" "Alisia, stop it!" Miyuki tried pulling Alisia back, but Alisia's energy overwhelmed her, causing her to hurt herself in the process by hitting the gun chamber, giving a slight scratch."It's your fault!" Alisia continued crying, hitting on Anoki's back for a few several minutes, causing Anoki to once more drove the tank to the other direction. Anoki tried focusing on the road, but with Alisia panicking and crying, it didn't help much but cause her to lose focus."I said stop it-" Anoki looked back to the front, to notice a sloped ground ahead of the tank. Her eyes widened, she tried pulling the breaks but her hands were still exhausted from the previous encounter. "We're going down!" The tank slide down the sloped terrain, unable to be stopped. In front was what remained of the previous large battle that they spectated a while ago, knocked out Rams with white flags popped out from the turrets. Then in front of them was a Churchill, with its turret moving to the left where the Stuart was sliding down, which fired but missed. The Stuart then slammed onto the Churchill's side, both crews having their heads slammed against or onto the interior surface. Alisia climbed out from inside the cupola, before falling on top of the roof of the Stuart, breathing heavily and with sweat all over her skin. She looked at the Churchill which has its 57mm cannon aimed at her Stuart's barrel. Her eyes widened as she hopped back inside her Stuart, and the Churchill's 57mm thundered as a shot spewed out from the tip of its barrel, impacting the surface of the Stuart in a point blank range. A white flag popped out from the Stuart's turret, with smoke steaming out from from the impacted zone. The radio of each tanks then turned on, with a static sound for a few seconds before the Captain's voice can be heard through.<<"Six tanks destroyed, one remaining. Churchill team wins.">>
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The moon has set on the sky, illuminating the dark sky, along with the light poles and the lights from inside the school buildings. Everyone were seen tired, sweat covered their skin and soaked their tankery uniform wet; Except for a few who have changed to their school uniform.Miyuki was drinking down a bottle of mineral bottle down her throat, as she's extremely dehydrated from the battle earlier, "Ahh... Kimochi."Anoki came back from the changing room, already worn her school uniform. Her tankery uniform packed neat inside a small bag. She noticed Miyuki still hasn't changed her clothes. "Not changing? You might catch cold with those wet clothes."Miyuki shook her head, "I'll be fine, It's not like I'll get cold anyway!" She grinned, before then she sneezed, but quickly wiped it with her clothes' sleeve. "... If you say so..." Anoki then looked around, "Where's Alisia?""Oh, I saw her mother brought her back home. Alisia looked soo cute you know! Though she looked a bit sick." Miyuki stated, her tone changed to a worry one at the last statement.The Captain walked in front of the group who were talking to each other, some were yawning, before then they stood up in front of the Captain as he was about to speak. "Alright folks, good job for today's training, you all may return home now, dismissed." The Captain then left along with the other two Lieutenants. The students went home, with a look of exhaution on their faces."Heh, we dominated all of them." Turner chuckled, as he remembered the battle that just happened a moment ago, delivering the final shot to the Stuart."Your aim was so superb! It's as if you don't need to calculate or something." Bennet complimented. "How are you so good at it?" He asked. "Well, I played this one game that does stuff about tanks and aircrafts. Quite fun, already got one country unlocked." Turner answered. "We can play it together too if you want.""Oh, It's that game. Huh? I heard it's interesting to play, maybe we should all play it." Bennett then looked at Jack. "You should join too-" "What good shot? He literally missed on a very easy target earlier." Jack glared at Turner.Bennet's eyes froze as he saw Jack with a cold static look on his face. Jack's face was that of satisfaction, that his ego was fed after managing to take out the person he hated. The rest of his friends just looked at him with an uneasy look on their faces. Later, they all went back home.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Maria has just arrived in front of the house's door, still holding Alisia in her arms. She reached for her coat's pocket, pulling out a house key, before then inserting it on the lock, unlocking the door, before then she went in and locked the door behind. She then took off both her shoes and Alisia's, before then she walked up to Alisia's room, and laid Alisia down on her bed.She went out from the room, before then returning with a box of medicine she took from her room, before she began taking off the dirty bandage off Alisia's head. She took a closer look at the wound, not too fatal.She then took out a clean white cloth and covered it with alcohol, and began cleaning the blood off from Alisia's hair, her hand brushing the wounds without much pressure to cause Alisia to stir on her sleep.After cleaning the wound off, Maria pulled out a new fresh roll of bandage from the box, with before then she unrolled and extended it and began wrapping it around Alisia's head, and locking it with a pin. She then continued with changing Alisia's dirty clothing.After changing her dirty clothes to a fresh clean and dry clothes, Maria tucked Alisia with a blanket, lying her head on a pillow, before then giving her a kiss on the forehead and headed towards the door. She gazed back at the exhausted Alisia she just treated, before then she turned off the lights and closed the door.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------It was break time, some students are seen playing, some talking with one another, yet it is still calm. Lily was sitting in the usual corner of the cafeteria table where she always eats with Alisia, eating her food. She felt while so, feeling lonely, usually she's always accompanied with Alisia, though they rarely talk that much, but it gave her a sense of comfort. Then, Miyuki approached before then asking. "Hey, mind if I sit here?"Lily looked up at Miyuki, she just nodded before she continued eating her food. Miyuki looked around, with a confused face, before then she asked Lily, "Where's Alisia? She usually comes here before you."Lily looked at Miyuki, and just raised her shoulders before going back to her food. Anoki also came, carrying her food tray, before asking in a polite tone. "Mind if I sit here?"Lily just nodded, still eating her food. She felt awkward, rarely does she ever been asked by people she doesn't know much to sit beside her. Just as Lily was still in her thoughts, Anoki sat down just beside her, before she spoke up."Oh and by the way, Alisia was a bit sick from yesterday's activity. Her mom told me when I tried going to school with her." Anoki stated."Oh.. that.. explains everything." Miyuki acknowledged the information she just received, before then covering her mouth with her sleeve and sneezed."Jeez, are you really ok?" Anoki looked at Miyuki with look of worry on her face. Miyuki just shook her head and smiled in response, before she began eating her food.Meanwhile, on the other side of the table, Jack along with his friends were eating as usual, with Jack being quiet for most of the conversation."Well, I watched some cartoons... Apperantly it's something from Japan when they greet and stuff..." Bennett answered his friend's question, while still eating his food.There was silence, before then Foster asked, "Are you one of those weird kids who watch those Japanese cartoon stuff?"Bennett answered in an aggressive tone, getting defensive. "Hey! They're called anime.""Weeb..." Stewart called on Bennett."What's a weeb?" Turner wondered."Huh? I thought you got access to the internet, I'm sure you'll know a bit about those things." Stewart gave a surprised look on his face towards Turner.While the four boys continued talking and discussing, Jack meanwhile remained quiet, just eating his food. Before then he spoke. He looked at the seat where he usually saw Alisia sitting alone with Miyuki, still with a hateful look on his face yet wondered why Alisia didn't came. It was until he was interrupted by Turner. "Hey, you good?" Turner asked as he looked at Jack, with worry on his tone."Nah, I'm good." Jack responded to Turner's question. The cafetaria continued busting with activity for the rest of the break time, until the bell ranged, signaling the continuation of the class that day.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
School garage, 15th of September 2015, 1415 hours:
Water had frozen on the ground, and leaves fell from trees, leaving them naked as the cold northern wind of autumn passed through. Students are seen wearing extra-warmer clothes such as coats, scarves, sweaters, and jackets. Meanwhile, inside the large garage, behind the large metal door, were students who were checking on their tanks; some were giving them decals and some extra modifications. All of them wear their usual tankery uniform with extra clothes like scarves, sweaters, jackets, or tanker suits."I'm surprised at how fast these tanks were repaired. It's like... magic." Miyuki looked at all the tanks, her eyes looking in awe."Yeah..." Anoki then looked at one of the two Stuart's, which were put side by side. "I wonder if they just replaced our tanks. Because it feels like they did just that."Then, Alisia came in while holding a few recently bound books and a wide scroll of paper, along with the student council's president beside her, who was holding her tablet close to her chest. "Morning everyone."Anoki and Miyuki looked back at Alisia. "There they are."Both Alisia and the president came to a halt. The president walked forward and began speaking. "So, since you all will be fighting against another team on the weekends, The headmaster wanted to know what problems you are all facing currently, so... Anyone here wants to complain?""A match? I wonder with whom." The students began wondering and talking to each other, curious about the opponent they'd be facing soon. It was when one student raised his hand that he gained the attention of the president."Yes? What is your name and your complaints?" The president pointed towards the student who raised his hands, which was Emile Moreau. The other students looked at him as he began his statement."We need something to protect our heads, Bastien slammed his head to the gun breach multiple times, and he said he had problems focusing on lessons earlier." He stated this before continuing. "I'm sure the others have the same problems.""Oh, yes. We really need that... yesterday." Alisia muttered. The other students then began making the same complaints as Emile's. The president began typing on her tablet the complaints that were stated, nodding before then looking back at them."Alright then, I'll get this thing said to the headmaster. Now, Alisia. It's your turn to talk with them." The president looked back down at Alisia, who was being quiet most of the time, muttering and observing, which caught Alisia by surprise, and she responded back with a nervous tone."A-Ah! Yes! A-Anyways... We're going to have our match on Saturday with Boston College Tankery. As for tank commanders, uh... Follow me to, uh, that room." Alisia pointed at the room with the door labeled with a white label where it's written, 'All-Purpose-Room'.------------------------Then, after her short statement, Alisia and the tank commanders then walked towards the room, while the rest of the students continued with their previous activity, talking and adding decorations to their tanks. As the commanders entered, the person who entered last closed the door, and all sounds from the garage on the other side were muffled.Then Alisia began to speak. "Alright, uhh.. So we're going to be facing the Boston College team in a friendly match. The headmaster just gave me some information about them through our school's connection to the CTF, so uhm."Alisia then placed the items she was holding down on the large table, although she had to push herself due to her short weight. "There.."The commanders took the papers for them to read, and before then one of them, Isabelle, asked. "So, where will we be fighting?""Well, in the Virginian Tankery Field, from what I've heard, Information regarding our opponent's tanks and numbers, along with information about the place we'll be given, will only be disclosed 72 hours before the match. But our informants are being helpful in giving us some information. So we should make our future plans about this."Then, the commanders began taking the papers and reading through the information. Jack took one of the papers titled 'Duffus Company'. He opened to reveal the first page, which revealed the complete composition and structure of tank companies. There were many things he was unfamiliar with, like the boxes and the terms, but the small box that wrote the meanings and definitions of each symbol and term helped him understand the paper he was reading. "One company has two platoons. One platoon consists of five tanks. That's basically almost our entire force! Gosh, how big are they?""I don't know, but they look scary." Beornhelm commented as he flipped through the pages, reading information after information about the 'Thunder Company'. Reading through the details that were written inside. "I don't know what 'Thunder Company' is, but they look scary with the records written here. Being a 'shock force', whatever that term is, it is said here as their most decorated unit."Jack continued flipping through the pages, reading information about the 'Duffus Company' he was reading. Before then, he closed it and began drawing conclusions. "So, from what I read here from 'Duffus Company,' they're a company known for the most lousy units due to their performance and their, uh, Captain Superman? What does that even mean?"Colin was reading one of the books titled 'Pitcher Company'. He also began stating his conclusion after reading. "From what I've read here, they're the long-range units. So I assume they engage indirectly." He stated that, with a little knowledge he got from playing some RTS games and a few other military-themed games, "T34 Calliope. Huh, weird name."Alisia observed them reading the books; she yawned before she grabbed a chair close to her and sat down. She sighed, tired as she spent quite the time playing all night to 3 AM, forgetting about school. She began to dream of the old days she still remembered a little, still living in Japan, having friends, and having someone she's very close to, where they used to walk in the park, study, and take naps together, until the sudden decision by her parents to move to San Francisco.There, she made only one friend, being discriminated against and bullied by other classmates for her mannerism and accent. Until she dreamed during that day when she was passing a neighborhood when returning from school, a group of people with knives and a gun came out from an alleyway, wearing black hoods, their faces being covered by the shadow of the hood. One of them began to speak in an accent.--------------------"Yo, you bitch, stop right there now." Said one tall figure while pointing a Glock at her, followed by a few people surrounding her."Dawg, this hot bitch looks rich; where are you from?" The man with the knife stared at her, his eyes staring at Alisia's daggers. Alisia could only freeze in place; her face went pale, her breathing stopped, her eyes looked here and there, her body began to tremble, and she held tight to her bag."Homie, you know this bitch's rich?" Asked one of the people in the group while still pointing his knife at Alisia. His other hand began moving onto Alisia's hair. "Dawg, this bitch has some good hair.""Homie, I've watched and seen some rich people on the internet wearing something like this; he probably is some kid from a rich guy." The guy answered, and before then he grabbed Alisia's arm, dragging her into the alleyway in an aggressive manner. "This bitch is going to be a good girl tonight."Alisia's eyes widened. She then tried getting off the man's strong grip on her arms, but then the person with the glock fired his gun at the wall, which caused Alisia to freeze back, her body trembling like a leaf. The man stared into Alisia's eyes; before then, he spoke to her in a low yet cold tone. "Listen here, you bitch; you will be serving us tonight, and get us money from yo' parents, you in?" He pointed his glock at Alisia's head, while the other guy with the knife held him close.---------------It was not until Alisia was awakened by a few taps on her shoulder by Isabelle, cold sweat watering down her skin, her breathing heavy, then her eyes jolted open, that she saw the tank commanders staring at her. Her eyes then glared at them. "What? Is there something on my face?" said Alisia in a cold tone."Yeah, she has anger management issues." Colin commented."What?" Alisia turned her eyes towards him, her eyes giving a sharp glare that penetrated through his eyes, causing him to give an immediate dismissive reply."Nothing!" Colin looked away, his eyes looking down toward the ground.Alisia continued glaring; before then, she took a deep breath and calmed down. Jack looked at her with a look of disgust on his face. "Tsk, so we have a shy-tempered commander who has autistic-like behaviors. I'm starting to doubt if God really wanted you to be the commander, like the headmaster said. You sleep while we're talking about plans.""What did you say?" Alisia stared at Jack with an annoyed and tired look."Oh, missy. Your stare doesn't scare me; those wolves in the woods during community hunting season got more anger inside their eyes than your pathetic one." Jack stared down at Alisia. "Like, for goodness sake, you're short! At least Napoleon was at average height at the time. Are you even qualified to lead? I never see you becoming a leader in a group project, or have you? You're one pathetic excuse for a commander. You don't deserve to be one."Alisia froze, unable to respond. His words penetrated through her heart. She looked down, avoiding eye contact. She started to have a crisis inside her mind, but was interrupted by Jamie speaking, trying to defuse the situation. "Hey, we're talking about making plans, not hurting each other."There was silence for a moment. Jack looked back at the rest and continued. "Let's just continue; she can follow up or stay silent if she wants. Now, for our plan." He then took the wide scroll, expanding it to reveal a map that stretched to almost the entire table. boxes with descriptions of the map, along with a box with explanations of the symbols on the map. "So, from what the books have been saying, From the one I read, the people we'll be facing first will be a bunch of idiots, so we should be able to deal with them.""N-No..." Alisia managed to regain her emotions together. "It's not that easy.""How so? It's written here that being the lousiest in their team, numbers are only numbers; they probably would perform badly against us." Jack stated this before getting cut by Alisia."The team we're facing is the strongest team in the continent, maybe in the world, in terms of basically everything." Alisia went quiet for a moment before she continued. "They got all the resources and fancy stuff a team could wish for. The best instructors and teachers, all of them being either military experts or former military members who specialize in tank warfare and have real experience, Even their weakest unit can beat us all if they want to. They can bombard us with their long-range rockets if they know where we are in mere minutes... Their words, by the way, not mine.""Who's they?" Colin asked."The CTF, you silly." Beornhelm scoffed. "Isn't it obvious?"Jack was about to ask how, but the last statement answered it. He then looked back at the map. "Tsk, whatever. Are you going to plan with us or not?" He asked, to which Alisia replied with a slow nod and approached closer.As Alisia approached, Jack continued looking at the map, his eyes turning sharp here and there, analyzing the map. He then pointed at an open area with a small hill in the middle, surrounded by green areas. "Here, this place is perfect. We can split the tanks on the corner around here." He pointed at the green area that borders the flat terrain before he continued. "While the Churchill will be right here, behind the small hill, When they appear, they'll be trapped, and we can finish them all off here." He gave a smirk, looking at everyone with a smug look. "They'll look like a lost lamb, trust me.""But..." Alisia interjected. "What if they come from around here?" She dragged her index finger along the flank of the open terrain. "They can sneak from behind and defeat us with ease. "I thought you heard about the captain's lectures a week ago." She commented on Jack's plan."Ugh, so what are you suggesting? Lose?" Jack stared at Alisia, waiting for a response."You're using techniques you usually use during community hunts. Getting some dangerous bears down... It won't work on them; maybe at least a bait to bait them to this spot." Alisia pointed at the terrain in the middle, as Jack pointed before. "They might be coming from the..." She looked at the map's direction before she continued. "South, then lure them into the trap, and we might get them."Jack thought of the idea, looking at the map and considering Alisia's proposal. Before then, he asked. "Who will be the bait, then?"Alisia went quiet for a short moment, stuttering on her speech, causing Jack to be frustrated and approach her, before lowering himself by a few centimeters to her height to make himself less intimidating. "Take a deep breath."Alisia was surprised by the sudden approach, flinching back by a few inches. Jack then said it once more. "Take a deep breath. Close your eyes and inhale." Alisia closed her eyes and took a deep inhale. "Exhale." Jack ordered, which Alisia did. "Good, repeat that five more times." Alisia repeated the process a few more times, inhaling and exhaling air in and out of her lungs."Good, now open your eyes." Jack ordered, which Alisia then opened her eyes to, looking up at him. "Good, you're relaxed. Now speak."Alisia was quiet for a few seconds before she continued talking. "W-Well.. Me and Isabelle can bait them to the spot since we use the light tanks, speedy enough to evade and bait them to the trap."Jack nodded before he looked back at the rest of the students. "So, does anyone here agree with our commander over here?" He asked the rest."Well, I see nothing wrong with the plan." Beornhelm commented."Seems like a sound plan for me." Emile replied to Jack's question."Solid plan for me." Jamie followed."I don't like the idea of being bait. But trying won't harm that much, would it?" Isabelle commented on Alisia's suggestion."I'm with the plan. Although it sounded like a way to get flanked," Colin commented."Alright then, then this will be our plan." Jack looked at Alisia. "You're the commander; come on, say something."Alisia thought of what she should say until Colin asked. "So, what should this operation be called? Maybe some interesting tags for us all?"Alisia thought for a while, looking around and seeing a few abandoned fish rods and buckets filled with plastic baits in the corner of the room, before she looked back at everyone. "We call it, uh, Operation Fishing. Me and Isabelle's tank will be referred to as 'Hooks'. While the rest will be referred to as 'Rods'. How... does it sound?""Well, the name sounds silly, but it fits the plan." Isabelle commented."I could've used a better name. But I guess it still makes sense." Colin agreed, although with hesitation in his voice.The meeting ended in the afternoon, and the students soon returned back to their homes as the sun began setting on the horizon.
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Alisia was walking back from home, tired from the meeting and the pressure she just felt. She's walking sideways, limping back while carrying her belongings in her bag, her eyes half closed. "Oh, I can't wait to be with mom again. It was exhausting." In her thoughts, feeling somewhat happy, being together with her mother once more after a tiring day.She then walked inside, looking around. "Mom? Are you there?" She took off her shoes and placed them on the rack, before then walking further inside and turning on the lights. She headed towards the kitchen before noticing a note on the telephone. She walked towards it and took it before reading. "Sorry, your father needed another hand in the office. I left some food." Alisia was unable to finish the letter, and tears began dripping out of her eyes. She fell to her knees on the floor.After a while, she stood up again, reaching towards the phone, and dialed in the number of her mother's phone number. She placed the telephone close to her ear, waiting for an answer, only to be met with a ring.She placed the telephone back hard before then walking towards her bedroom, dropping her bag on the floor, and jumping straight on the bed, grabbing onto a pillow and holding it tight. Tears started to drip out more from her eyes; her breathing was ragged. Before then, she buried her face in the pillow. Being all alone inside the house.There was only silence from within her room as the sun began to set down on the horizon, replaced by the moon flying up towards the sky.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Boston University, 14th of September 2015, 1630 hours:The sun was setting on the horizon, cars were seen streaming through the streets, and clouds covered the orange sky. Through the hallways of the 3rd floor of the club section of the college, there's a door, just beside the college's media room, the window covered with pitch black color, with written there the words 'War Room' and 'Important Personnel Only'.Inside is a room with multiple wardrobes and shelves storing dozens and dozens of boxes filled with files, with labels put on each, and then there's another door on the right, made entirely of dark oak wood, with a sign that reads, 'War Room'. Within the room, 21 people wearing khaki long-sleeved buttoned shirts with neck ties, with half of the tie hid behind the shirt, along with some rank insignia and the logo of their tankery team's symbol, khaki trousers, and shiny black shoes, were discussing with each other.A large table can be seen in the middle of the room, with a lamp hanging on the ceiling that was yet on, with the modern lights still lit the room. There were also portraits of previous commanders, with their names and the year of their time as a commander, all lined up on the wall, with both the American flag and the tankery team's flag hanging on both ends."Alright, quit with the chitchat; now let's talk of our future opponent, the Fort Nelson Tankery team. Now, Molly, you may begin." Murphy spoke up, interupting everyone's conversation, beginning the meeting.Molly stepped forward with multiple files on her hands before putting some down on the table. "I've gathered multiple pieces of information from the internet and from alumni's regarding this team, and from some third party help, and I'd say they're quite interesting."She then began reading."Fort Nelson Tankery Team is a team that is based in the Northern Hemisphere of Canada, in the province of Alberta, in the small town of Fort Nelson, which is an oil mining town, residing mostly quite wealthy families, most of them are military families. Fort Nelson Academy, which is a public institution that has an education level from playgroup to senior high school that receives 75% of the funds from the community itself to run it, hence having their own composition, curriculum, uniforms, and other things.""Get to the point, we don't need to hear those shit." Said one commander."Jacob, shut up and let her do her stuff." Murphy scolded.Molly continued,"From the 1950's to the 1980's, they were known to be the most powerful tankery team in the world. Some accounts from the alumni stated that they once employed some very unorthodox stuff of ramming. Winning the 1959, 1963, 1966, 1973, 1979, and 1983 internationals before being beaten by a combined Japanese team from all schools, high school to university level.""Well, isn't that basically what you always do in every match?" Sean said it in a teasing tone."Hush! That was none of your business." Molly coughed. "Anyways, as I said before, they were pretty unorthodox in their matches. Although they had a massive change in doctrine or style somewhere around the early 80's, switching from their usual light speedy tanks to medium and heavy tanks. It was until their eventual defeat in the 1986 world tournament in the finals against a temporary joint tankery team between two rivaling Japanese clans, that is, the Nishizumi's and the Shimada's, that it was said that two future heirs delivered the final ending shot to the flag tank in a decisive battle when it tried assisting a battered and surrounded force, using the same tactics they Fort Nelson used some years prior. Some said that the ghost of Yamamoto was with them. I don't know, some silly myths.. Copied these stuff from Quora."Then there was a brief, quiet moment as Molly switched to another paper. "Then there was the 1987 market crash, which caused the team, or basically almost all teams around the world, to cease their activities for three decades or so. They just opened up a week ago, and from some connections I have, they're being trained by 3 officers from the Canadian Armor Corps, which last time I heard they were undergoing modernization and were just equipped with actual tanks some time ago. Three of the officers once served in Afghanistan, but as infantry, so they may lack real skills in tank-to-tank battle and just gave those kids basic lessons."Murphy nodded. He thought to himself before asking. "Canada is a part of the Commonwealth Tankery Federation, right? I heard they would share resources and experience with each member; how about that?""Uhh, about that." Molly checked the other papers, and after a few minutes, she found some sections and read them. "As for the involvement of the Commonwealth Tankery Federation, teams from like Britain, that is, the Joint ANGSCOT team are currently occupied with assisting some teams from other nations. They're pretty much neglected," she cleared her throat."Is that all?" Asked Murphy."Well..." Molly grabbed the other papers and continued. "Now for the composition of the team that I got. The team consists of 38 members, with 8 officers. They have in their arsenal, some pretty weak stuff like Stuarts, Rams and a Churchill, the only thing that can pose a threat frontally.""So, another fight against some other small team? Gosh, the council should stop accepting match requests against some small teams that are barely in our league. Why can't we just go fight against those troubled grunts?" He sighed and cursed under his breath. "Fucking congress."He then looked back up, sighing heavily. "Since we're going to be facing only some small team from the middle of nowhere, we'll be needing only a company or so of Sherman's and a platoon as a reserve, along with only a platoon of Calliopes and the usual scouts. Aiden, you'll take the bulge of the force with you and a platoon of Sherman's from Anvil Company. You may suck, but I doubt they'll be much of a problem since they're still new. Hiro, I want half of your forces to act as reserves in case shit takes a sharp turn. Bridget, I'll have only 1/3 of your Calliope force to be present in case Aiden's forces face some actual meaningful resistance. We're not going to spend thousands more dollars to glass some small ass team from nowhere with paper tanks." Murphy moved his hand and dragged his index finger at the point on the map on the table with an open area. "They're going to be around here, probably using some ambush tactics; there's no need for early bombardment. No need for extensive recon."The commanders nodded in agreement. Murphy sighed once more. He looked out the window towards the river outside, just across the road, with the sun setting on the horizon. "That's all for today, dismissed."As all the commanders began walking out of the room, Murphy halted Molly while still standing near the window. "Molly, mind if I ask you questions?" Molly stopped, and before then she looked back at him with a confused look. "Yes? What do you need?""Where do you get all your information? I don't really mind if you get those from bribing, hacking, or whatever it is. I'm just curious about this connection of yours. I don't want one of my commanders or any of my members to be involved in blackmailing with questionable means, if you know what I mean. Mind if you?" I asked Murphy while still looking out the window."Well, obviously I don't do those, or else my mom would've caught me right away." Molly said it in a confident tone."Then, mind telling me who this connection of yours is?" Murphy asked once more."Well, a secret makes a woman." Molly giggled at her last remark."Tsk. As expected. Alright, you can go now." Murphy sighed as Molly walked out of the room. He murmured under his breath. "Why are women so hard to understand and reach?" He then turned the lights off before walking out of the room and going back to his apartment.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Virginian Field, Train Station, September 19, 2015, 1025 hours:
The sun was shining up in the sky, and the wind was barely breathing. Birds chirped and sang throughout the entire forest. Meanwhile, in the spectator area, there are barely many spectators-only a few journalists or some locals with their children sitting on the area, eyes forward towards the large screen ahead being held by what seems to be a giant mobile artillery platform.A trail of smoke was spotted in the distance. It was a coal-powered locomotive, carrying several cargoes on its back, tanks covered with dark tarps, held onto the platform with chains tied to it. Streaming through the old yet still tough railway. The train began to decrease in speed as it approached the station, and eventually, as it entered the station, the brake triggered, halting the wheel from moving and creating a screech as the wheel rubbed against the rail below, which brought the train to a halt.The workers began off-loading the tanks off the platform, which took several tens of minutes for them to do so. afterwards, they lined the tanks just beside the off-loading station. Before then, one man grabbed onto his walkie-talkie and reported, "Off-loading completed, boss, what now?""Put the flag on the churchill, and you all can leave afterwards." One of the workers then attached a red square flag near the Churchill's engine. Before then, they placed their equipment back in their place and hopped back on their jeeps, leaving the tanks behind.Then, three buses arrived at the station. The doors on the front, right, and back were then opened, and students began walking out of the bus. Some students looked excited with their behavior, some were tired, and pockets were seen in their eyes. Alisia was limping out of the bus; bags on her eyes could be seen. Just as she was about to take the last step out of the bus, she slipped and dropped her head first to the ground."Oww..." Alisia let out a small grunt upon impact, and she remained on the ground until Miyuki approached her from behind."Are you alright?" Miyuki picked Alisia's shoulder to get Alisia on her feet again. "You don't look like you got much sleep..."Alisia's face was all but soulless; her eyes were devoid of life inside. Miyuki sighed. She lifted her hand above Alisia's head for a pat, but all of a sudden Alisia went back to life, and her eyes glared at Miyuki's. Miyuki then withdrew her hand and backed away, gulping."Why are you so sleepy, Alisia? You didn't sleep last night?" Anoki popped out from behind Alisia, looking down at her.Alisia yawned again before she glared at the two and spoke in an aggressive tone. "Who do you think spent the last hours doing all the papers while everyone was asleep?""Oh..." Anoki went quiet, looking at Alisia's death glare, and looked away. "Sorry for that."Alisia went quiet; her face looked up at the morning sky, breathing in the fresh Virginian air, before she asked. "Uhh... what was our strategy again?"Jack appeared from behind. Upon hearing Alisia's words, he released a heavy sigh and approached her, kneeling down to her level with a frustrated look on his face. "We're ambushing the""We're fighting the Boston College team, where my tank and Isabelle's will lure them to a trap where we can take them out from the flanks and use your Churchill as some kind of magnet since the armor of the Churchill is quite strong and durable." Alisia jolted awake, just remembering the plans that were made days prior.Jack just stared at her, blinking in disbelief, before then releasing a small cough. "Oh, so you remember just now." He stood back up. "Tsk, are you even up for this job being in this state?"Alisia looked down, releasing a heavy sigh. "You're right. I don't deserve this position." She went quiet before she continued. "Yeah, sure. Take my position and deal with those papers at 12 PM dealing with filing all the tanks and members we'll be bringing that I have to submit to the committee because the student council president forgot to do it, and I have to stay awake to make sure they receive it until 4 AM when everyone was already on the bus to the airport." She looked up and glared into his eyes, her blackened eyes staring into his soul, and her body posture was in a weak pose.Jack was silent from the last comment, feeling anger building up inside Alisia, though unfazed, and decided not to continue. "Fair point, I guess."Alisia walked away, releasing a huff of frustration, and headed towards the tanks. "Why did God even choose me?" she thought to herself, releasing yet another heavy sigh. "I'm going to take a short nap." She climbed on the Stuart, struggling at first, but then she managed to climb on and hop inside the cupola before shutting the hatch above."Heh. Sleepy head." Miyuki chuckled at seeing Alisia being all grumpy. "Oi, we still need to greet our opponent! Wake up!" Miyuki approached the tank and began hitting the tank hatch, and in response, the hatch opened at a fast speed, hitting hard on Miyuki's head. Alisia popped out her head with her bagged eyes, glaring at Miyuki as she was fuming with anger. But in the end, the students began revving up their tanks's engines and made their way towards the meeting point._____________________________________________________________________________The entire class was standing shoulder to shoulder, with their tanks lined up behind them as they awaited for their opponent to arrive. Alisia, meanwhile, was standing in front of the group, being the leader of the team after all, yawning, and was hardly able to keep her eyes open."I feel like we're going to lose." Colin commented on Alisia's sleepy appearance."No kidding, but I can take charge if things went wrong." Jack assured Colin."Really? Well, you lead the hunting club once after all." The other students began backing up on Jack, to which Alisia, who was still tired and moody, looked back, staring at them with a sharp stare that caught the attention of the students, causing them to stop.Meanwhile, a wily jeep was seen in front of them, with two Committee observer figures wearing dark-colored wool shirts and trousers, along with leather boots, and the M1 helmet on their heads colored with a red line around it and with two letters written in front: 'OC'."Man, this sucks." One of them commented. "I don't sign up for this stupid ass committee observer bullshit; I wish I got stationed somewhere else, like in Japan. Get those hot girls with short skirts.""Well, that's for us two retards pissing off the fucking high brass for being caught drunk. At least Uncle Sam still has some use for us dumbasses. Sent to the DHS to cosplay as some world war two watered down looking ass MP's like it's Berlin all over again overseeing some kids. At least we still got decent checks."Then, a rumble was heard in the distance, with small rocks and small patches of dirt and rocks shaking all over the place. The sound of multiple engines was heard loud and clear, catching the attention of all of the students to the source that was ahead of them. Emerged a Sherman, with its 76,2mm cannon aimed forward, its green camouflage, and the emblem of the school in a low-visibility color scheme shown in all its glory, followed by other Shermans on its back, lined up in an arrow formation, counting 10 with 5 in each echelon and another extra 5 tanks on the rear, all of them attached to a triangle flag with the color orange.Then emerged another arrow of Shermans from the side of the formation, with the same composition appearing from the right, attached to a triangle flag with the color red. Three M24's also appeared from the left of the formation, their 75mm cannon pointed forward, attached to a square black flag on each tank. Then from behind another formation of Shermans appeared from the distance, their 76,2 mm cannons pointed forward, and with a triangle golden flag attached to each tank, followed behind were 5 Shermans with a rocket platform attached to the roof, attached to a square white flag on the roof of the turret.This show of force caused the student to stare with a face of shock and awe. Looking at the sheer numbers and firepower that were in front of them, Some had their mouths agape, unable to believe what they were seeing. The formation came to a halt. Each hatch doors from each tank opened as the crew, wearing their usual tankery uniform, which is long khaki shirts and trousers, with long black boots and their gloves off, with the short, thin rope keeping the gloves attached to their wrists. Some were wearing thick leather jackets, while others were not. The same can be said with their tanker helmets. Then there was Ronald Murphy, making his way with his members to meet the team ahead of them. The rest of the members halted, forming multiple lines with their officers in front, numbering hundreds of them. The higher-up company officers stood in front of them.Ronald later halted in his advance, with Alisia feeling intimidated by the sheer force and numbers in front of her, unable to move much of her limb, with cold sweat dripping down from being nervous to death, in addition to a tall figure that was approaching her with a look as if it hadn't had much sleep like her. Ronald looked down at her and chuckled. "Heh, are you really the commander of this team?"Alisia was fully awakened from her nervousness as her instinct to live kicked in, pumping hormones into her brain and fear into her mind. "So many," she thought."What? A cat bit your tongue, young lady." Murphy placed his hands on his hips. His members behind him began commenting on the team they're about to face; some were laughing and giggling. But one person in particular showed a face of fondness, and that was Molly. She charged forward, and she collided with Ronald, causing him to fall. Molly then squatted herself to Alisia's level."Aww! You're so cute!" Molly gave Alisia a wide smile. "You remind me of my younger sister! Or are you her, you little devil?" She pinched Alisia's cheeks, causing Alisia to blush red-violet."O-Oww-" Alisia grunted from the pain; this caused a reaction from Alisia's rear, where the other students were in shock at the sudden intrusion."Is she really that cute? Tsk." Jack stared at the ongoing event in front of him."Alisia's being pinched to death." Miyuki stared at the event in front of her before her face transformed into one of awe. "Aww, this is so cute!""I never knew someone would admire her like that." Anoki blinks in disbelief. "I never saw her getting treated like that; she's always alone, isn't she?""You look cuter with that tired face! Aww, did you overwork yourself, honey?" Molly gave a massive embrace, wrapping her arms around Alisia and holding her close to her chest."S-Shtooop!" Alisia's voice was muffled as she was embraced close, trying to release herself from Molly.Just as Molly continued pinching Alisia, one of the committee observer personnel walked in, while the other was leaning back on the jeep."Alright, let's get this started. Raise your right hand if you're ready." The committee ordered. Followed by Murphy raising his hand and Molly letting go of Alisia. The observer looked down at Alisia, who was yet to raise her right hand. "Missy?"Alisia was breathing heavily, regaining oxygen after the tight embrace she was given, shaking her head before she looked up at the committee. "O-Oh, sorry." She then raised her right hand."Now, repeat after me." He cleared his throat before continuing. "I swear to God, or to whom I worship, or to the Committee of the Match." The two repeated the same sentence in unison before the observer continued. "That we will and must abide by the rules written." He stopped as the two repeated the sentence in unison before continuing. "To abide by the committee's observer's rules and orders, to respect its opponents, and to ensure safety."After the oath was said, the observer looked at the two. Before saying, "Alright, shake hands when your teams agree to play fairly and by the books."Both Alisia and Murphy shook hands with each other, with Murphy staring down at Alisia, penetrating into her eyes. Alisia was soon to release her hands from his after shaking twice."Alright then, good luck to you both." The observer stepped away and back to his Jeep, where his friend was waiting in the driver's seat. After he sat down, the jeep dusted off. The students walked back to their tanks and drove towards their respective starting positions, as the match was about to start."Come on.." Ronald dragged Molly away."But I still want to see her!" Molly pouted."You can do it after the match; come on." and so each team returned to their starting point as the match officially began._____________________________---------------------------------------------------------------------------Alisia was standing on the tank's cupola, overlooking the entire formation of her team as they were all now in the starting position, 30 minutes in as they waited for the match to start.<< "Are we even gonna win? They have much better stuff than ours." >> Beornhelm's voice can be heard through the radio, complaining for almost the duration of driving from the meeting point to the starting point.<< "Befornhelm, can you just shut up? You've been complaining for the last half an hour, and I'm losing my mind!" >> Colin's voice was heard in response to Beornhelm's complaints. Just as the situation was about to escalate, an unexpected voice was heard through the radio.<< "This is your captain speaking. Well, look at you all in your first match against one of the strongest teams in the world in terms of numbers, experience, and firepower." >> The entire crew's attention was diverted to the radio, with a look of surprise on their faces. Not expecting such an entry into their communications.<< "Don't take that to heart, by the way! But anyway, don't get too serious; it's just a normal friendly match! The gamemode is destroying each other's flag tank if you haven't known yet. The tank with the red square flag is the flag tank; keep it alive if you want to win. Sadly, we can't attend your match to spectate due to some complications back home, but we hope for the best for you all. Godspeed." >> The radio went off with a pitch, with only the sound of the engine being heard by the crew. It was then broken by Alisia clearing her throat."So..." She reached towards the radio and began speaking to the other teammates. "Alright, so, uh. This is our first match and all... Stick to the plan. Stuff..."<< "I'm doubting our commander's capability to lead us." >> Isabelle said it through the radio, before gasping. << "Oops. My radio's on." >><< "Can't we have Jack lead instead? At least he once led the hunting club." >><< "Yeah, why not him?" >>The radio turned into a cluster of people talking about who should be the commander, leaving Alisia frustrated and unable to respond to the commotion.Alisia felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her to flinch forward and hit the wall. "OW!"Miyuki flinched back, also hitting the wall of the tank, causing her to growl in pain.Alisia regained composure before looking back at Miyuki with a look of disdain. "Stop touching me."Miyuki later managed to regain composure before looking at Alisia. "Sorry!" she bowed at her but ended up hitting the chamber of the cannon, causing her to flinch back and hit the wall again. "Oww..""Clumsy bunch..." Anoki chuckled, looking at the commotion that was happening from her driver seat.A sound of a rocket can be heard in the distance, a white streak flying high into the clear blue sky until it explodes."It's starting." Alisia stood up on her seat, standing up there, using it to reach the cupola. She looked at the tanks surrounding her, and with the lessons she had gotten in the previous weeks, she raised her left arm before then lowering it down, facing forward.The tanks then began moving in order, with the Rams first, followed by the Churchills, and later the Stuarts."Forward." Alisia ordered Anoki. Anoki heard the order and released the brakes using the lever, pushing her legs on the pedals. The sound of the Stuart's engine roared as it lurched forward, following behind the group that had moved earlier.The formation began to enter the thick green forest, with bushes and grasses all around, decorating the terrain. The sound of engines and the smell of oil can be heard and smelled through the surroundings. The engines kept the tanks moving, leaving trails behind. Soon, they came upon an opening-a large open field with a small hill that overlooked the view in front, surrounded by trees and bushes of all kinds.Alisia was still standing on the cupola; before then, she went down inside the tank and reached towards the radio, grabbing the handset, before pulling it close to her head and speaking through the radio."Alright, uhh.. Divide yourself into two and set up in front of the hill, on the sides. Churchill, get behind the hill, and prepare. The other Stuart, uh, follow me." << "You hear her, just like we had planned." >> Jack's voice was heard through the radio.The tanks began to move according to plan. The Ram's divided themselves into two groups, one with two tanks and one with three tanks. An accident occurred when a Ram was turning right while the other was turning left, causing them to crash into each other.<< "S-Sorry!" >> Antoine apologized through the radio.<< "No, I should be sorry," >> Colin said in a sincere tone.Alisia heard the short commotion on the radio. She looked back to see two Rams crash into each other. She looked down toward Anoki. "S-Stop stop!""Huh?" Anoki hit the brakes, causing the tank to come to a sudden halt, causing Miyuki to almost hit the walls again."H-Hey! Can't you drive a bit smoother?" Miyuki protested."Sorry..." Anoki apologized, looking down.Alisia, meanwhile, was looking at the crashed Ram's, and with a look of worry on her face, she reached towards the handset. "I see two tanks just crashed; is everything alright over there?"There was silence for a brief while, until a response came in. << "We're alright; we just need to back away a bit." >>The rams backed away from each other; they halted, and there was movement.<< "You can go first." >><< "No, you go first; my mistake is not noticing you." >><< "Uhh, it was my fault too." >>Alisia sighed in frustration at the two commanders refusing to move on. She then pulled the handset close to her yet again, and in a low, angry tone, she spoke through. "Get moving, or else I'll have the lieutenant do physical training on you two again."There was silence, no movement from the tanks. Alisia scoffed, yelling through the radio. "BEORNHELM, YOU MOVE FIRST, NOW."<< "Ok, ok!" >> Beornhelm panicked, and one of the Rams began moving, bypassing the other Ram behind, before then following with the other Ram moving."God, please help me." Alisia covered her face; her cries were muffled but heard through the radio and the crew below. Alisia went back into the tank, looking back and forth, before then asking. "No water?""Uhm, we thought it was just going to be a very short match-" Miyuki halted, looking at Alisia, fuming more and more. She cowered down, hiding on the corner, the same as Anoki trying to covered her ears with the hearing protection."Dehydration is scary." Anoki remarked in a low tone. Miyuki looked at her, nodding.After a few minutes, the Ram's were in their respective positions surrounding the hill, hiding amongst the trees and bushes. Alisia's and Isabelle's Stuart, meanwhile, were making their way ahead of the hill to the forest, engines roaring and threads leaving tracks of the tanks.Alisia was standing on the cupola, overseeing the entire flat, tree-covered landscape surrounding her tank. She looked back at the bag, pulling out a map, a compass, and an old watch. She looked close to the map and the instruments she just pulled out of; her eyes went blank."What am I doing again?" Alisia scratched her head, looking at the map again, showing a look of confusion on her face. She slammed the roof in frustration, and before then she slammed her head to the roof, releasing out a small whimper."We should've brought water... She's getting a bit insane." Miyuki was still sitting on the gunner seat, gulping from Alisia's rage on the cupola."She's not a bit insane. She's going to explode." Anoki kept her eyes on the view port and her arms and legs on the controls."Stupid watch.. stupid map.. stupid-" Alisia began throwing the items to the tank's floor, her eyebrows furrowed, throwing a fit of rage, but then was cut short as a shell slammed onto Isabelle's Stuart, and a white flag popped out.<< "We're hit!" >> Isabelle's voice can be heard through the radio.In front of them, through the bush, was a Sherman with its 76mm cannon pointing at the destroyed Stuart. Another 4 and then 9 Shermans' appeared from behind, dispersing from its single file line, forming up side by side.Miyuki panicked and pulled the trigger of the 37mm cannon. The cannon released a thunderous sound, spewing out a hand-sized bullet and flying towards a Sherman. Before then, it touched the sloped surface of the Sherman, which ricocheted up towards the sky."What have you done!?" Alisia yelled at Miyuki from the cupola, looking down with an angry face and covering her ears."Sorry!" Miyuki apologized; her head lowered, gulping.The turrets of the Shermans' began rotating towards the source of the fire; before then, a barrage of fire thundered across the forest, and shells spewed out from each cannon, firing each large shell towards what they assumed to be the source of the fire. The shell then hit near the Stuart; one even flew inches beneath Alisia's head, hitting some hair.The wave caused Alisia to freeze in place; her hands began shaking, her body shivered, and her instinct told her to get back inside the tank, but the nerves stopped her from moving an inch of her body.It was until Anoki appeared from below and dragged Alisia back into the tank before crawling back to her driver seat, hitting on the gas, and driving Stuart away from the scene. "We're getting out of here!"The sound of the Stuart's engine roaring as it ran away from the scene caused the Sherman's to advance, pushing through the bushes before then spotting the lone Stuart now driving away. The sound of the Sherman's engines roared loudly through the forest, giving chase to the fleeting tank.Alisia was still in shock; Miyuki could only look at her, helpless on what to do. "Alisia looks dead inside! What should we do?!" she yelled at Miyuki."Slap her or something! Wake her up!" Anoki still kept her eyes on the view port, avoiding trees and some rocks that might stop their advance. Her arms and legs are on the controls, trying to move the levers and controls as fast as she can. "Ugh! These things are hard to control!"Miyuki blinked a few times, looking at Alisia, gulping again, bracing herself. "Please forgive me." She raised her hand and slammed it towards Alisia's cheeks, hitting it hard, causing Alisia to flinch and hit the wall."Oww!" Alisia woke up from her shock; before then, her eyes turned towards Miyuki, and just as she was about to glare, Miyuki interrupted."Not now, okay!! You can hit or kick me whenever you want later! We need orders now!" Miyuki yelled before looking down in shame, not daring to see Alisia's face.Alisia blinked a few times before realization kicked into her mind along with the objectives. She grabbed the broady helmet and went to the cupola, her head popping out by a little, using the commander's seat to reach it, looking around to spot 10 Shermans' chasing them while firing on the move, shots falling just behind the tank, dirt and shrapnel falling from above, hitting her helmet. Her previous training kicked in, as she then began ordering Miyuki."Gunner, Sherman at uhh..." she tried remembering her old training; before then, she remembered and continued. "A-Ah! 7 o'clock!Miyuki heard Alisia's order; before then, she moved back to her position and began rotating the turret in the said direction. Alisia relayed seconds ago, the cannon turned facing towards the group of Sherman's; she moved the turret to one of Sherman's before then responding. "On!""Fire!""Firing!" Miyuki pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. "Eh?" Miyuki pulled away and opened the chamber. Before long, a shell popped out from inside, still hot. She remembered that she had already fired a shell at one of Sherman's before. "EH?!?""What happened?" Alisia looked down at Miyuki."I forgot to replace the shell.." Miyuki gulped again.Alisia was about to explode and release its' fit of rage once more, but then she took a deep breath before then releasing it. She then looked at Miyuki with a cold face. "Then replace it..."Miyuki gulped hard after hearing the cold words from Alisia, before nodding, going down, and taking a fresh shell from the ammo rack, before standing up again and loading the shell into the chamber, and shutting the chamber afterwards. "Up!""Fire!""Firing!" Miyuki pulled the trigger of the cannon, triggering the shell, causing a loud explosion as the shell spewed out from the cannon, flying through the thick forest, and missed by a few inches from the Sherman."How did you miss it?!" Alisia was unable to contain its rage, now releasing an angry yell at Miyuki, glaring at her."Sorry!" Miyuki apologized in a nervous tone, looking down."Load another shell and keep their attention on us!""R-Right!" Miyuki took another shell from the ammo rack; before then, she opened the chamber to see a shell stuck inside, with smoke steaming out."Uhm.." Miyuki attempted to pull it out, but she flinched once an inch of her skin got in contact with the hot, steaming shell."Ow!" Miyuki grunted before looking at it. She tried hitting the chamber in an attempt to pull the shell out; before then, it did but fell on her feet, causing her to flinch once more, kick the shell away, and load the fresh shell into the chamber, going back to the gun and aiming before firing."Firing!"The process of firing and reloading repeated for several minutes, until Alisia saw an opening that was the place they set up for an ambush prior. She reached towards the handset and began talking through it. "Rod team, this is Hook Leader. We have the fish on the hook, and we'll be there in a few seconds. We'll keep them on the hook. Get ready."The Stuart continued maneuvering across the terrain, eventually reaching the landscape ahead while still being chased by the Sherman's behind. All of a sudden, from the small hill ahead, the Churchill III appeared with all its might, showing itself in front of the tank chase and firing its 57mm cannon at one of the Shermans, knocking it out.Then, followed by that, the Rams' that were hiding from each side began firing their 6-pound cannons from the flank at the chasing Sherman's, most missed, some hitting three other Shermans. The Shermans halted and began driving towards a much lower terrain, avoiding fire.<< "We got them surrounded!" >> Jack's voice can be heard through the radio, with a tone of jubilee.<< "We should seize the opportunity and take out all of them at close range!" >> Antoine's voice can be heard through the radio.The radio was then filled with people discussing whether they should charge at them or not. Alisia was unable to do much but sit and watch as the Rams' and the Churchill began charging towards the surrounded Shermans'.________________________________________________________________________________Adler was inside his tank, surrounded by the rest of his platoon, stuck and unable to move, as they'd get shot outright once they attempted to pop out. He looked around, using the viewport on the cupola in a frantic manner, to see the situation outside.He looked at the tank outside the low ground that occupied his platoon commander, Aiden, and his company commander Woods, with a white flag popped out from the turret, smoke steaming out on the front of the impact area. "Shit."He reached towards the radio on his neck and began contacting the other surviving tanks. "All Duffus units, report in."<< "Duffus 1-3, reporting in." >><< "Duffus 1-4, reporting in." >><< "Duffus 1-5, reporting in." >><< "Duffus 2-4, reporting in." >><< "Duffus 2-5, reporting in." >>One by one, the tanks began reporting their condition, accounting for six tanks that remained from the ambush. "Damn it. They got all of our officers somehow.""Well, our Captain Superman just brought us to a trap; no wonder why everyone shits on our company." Bill muttered from his gunner seat."Fucking Lt. Superman wannabe..." Daniel also muttered from his loader position."Just shut up." Adler reached towards the radio back of the gun chamber, looking at the frequency, before then grabbing the handset, pulling it close to him. He then spoke through in a nervous yet calm tone, "This is Duffus 1-2 to Baseplate, over?" He waited for a reply.<< "This is Baseplate; go ahead, over." >> Murphy's voice was heard through the radio."Duffus 2 to Baseplate, uhh, we're in a bit of a sticky situation here. Both Duffus Actuals are out of action, and we're now stuck on low ground and pinned down. These kids got us good... How do you wish us to proceed?" Adler awaited another response.There was silence on the radio; some yells were heard but not audible. Until then, a response came in. << "Baseplate to Duffus 2, how many of you still remain?" >> The voice was heavy in breath."Uhh, we got only 6 left; the other platoon didn't join us in pursuit for some reason; how do you wish us to proceed?"A louder and a bit more audible fit of rage can be heard through the radio. It was until Adler noticed something outside. He popped out from the cupola to see Rams' pushing in from the flanks, along with Churchill also pushing from the front. His eyes widened, and before then, he yelled through the neck radio."They're coming in! Brace yourselves!"He grabbed the handset radio once more, speaking through the radio. "Duffus 2 to Baseplate, we need a fire mission at uhh." Adler scavenged through the compartment before he yelled at Bill. "Bill! Where the fuck are the map and the measuring tool?!"The gunner began rotating the turret sideways, while the loader grabbed a shell from the rack, ready to load in another fresh shell to the chamber, while Adler was still in a frantic manner, trying to look around for the measuring tool for the map that was needed to call in for the fire mission from the Calliopes."BILL! WHERE IS THE FUCKING MAP AND MEASURING TOOL?!" Adler yelled louder, but the situation was too tense as Bill was moving the turret to the side, towards the formation of tanks that were about to overwhelm them."Damnit, the terrain's too low for the barrel to aim! We're fucked!" Bill cursed as he could only see the tanks that were charging in front of his sight, unable to do much as the barrel was unable to aim at the approaching enemy.
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Virginian Field, 1200 hours:
"Hey! Stop at once for goodness sake; don't be reckless!" Alisia ordered through the radio, but her voice was drowned out by the excited noises of the commanders and crews. She can observe from the cupola's view port as the Rams' and the Churchill tank charging through the terrain and into the lower terrain to meet the Sherman's that were stuck and unable to aim up at the tanks.Alisia was only able to see her teammates rushing towards the pinned Sherman's position, pushing their engines to the limit, all while aiming their cannons towards the front. The radio was filled only with the excited voices of the students. Eventually, the Ram's and the Churchill managed to get close to the pinned-down Sherman's, where they could see the barrel of the Sherman's aimed upwards, unable to move it down due to the terrain."Charge!" Jack's voice can be heard through the radio, and in unison, all of Ram's charged forward and towards the rear of each Sherman's, followed by multiple sounds of steel clashing with each other and multiple thunderous explosions as each of the Ram's that managed to ram to their target fired their cannons. Barrels went hot, shells spewing out like debris coming out of an exploding volcanic mountain, only given a few milliseconds to fly before impacting the Sherman's on the rear, leaving three Sherman's operational.The Ram's began to move towards their next victim. The 3 Sherman's were seen rotating their turret to the Ram's, but a shot landed on one of the Sherman's turret cheeks. It was the Churchill firing from higher ground, with its barrel still steaming from the last shot. The Sherman's soon rotated their turret back to the front towards the Churchill, and just as they were about to zero in on the Churchill, the Sherman's took shots from both flank, before followed with white flags popping up on each of them."We did it!" Beornhelm's excited voice can be heard, followed by the rest of the students chanting and cheering over the radio. Alisia was left frozen inside her Stuart. Staring at the remnants of the destroyed Sherman's."Huh, we did it." Miyuki looked towards the wrecked Sherman's from the gun sight."So, do we win?" Anoki asked. But soon her question fell apart as a howling sound could be heard from the distance, a whooshing sound approaching at rapid speed."What is that sound?" Emile questioned, but was cut short as the field where the Ram's and Churchill were erupting with explosions all over the field. Hitting the wrecked Sherman's, the Ram's, and the Churchill at the same time. Debris flew off the dirt, and bright yellow and orange-colored explosives filled the field.Alisia was then left in shock by the event unfolding in front of her. Observing it through the cupola's viewport. Her eyes were widening, and her skin hair was lowered. Her hands began to shake, and inside her mind, she wondered if anyone's alive from the onslaught. Then there was silence, with dirt and debris still flying in the air, which began to drop back to the ground. What remained were multiple small craters and tanks roasted, with their tracks gone or their barrels bent from the heat. Impact marks can be seen on a few tanks, and some holes can also be seen through the engine."What just happened?" Alisia looked at the aftermath, questioning the almighty about what just happened. But that was then cut short, as from the edge of the area, Sherman's can be surrounding the area, being in every inch of route, watching over the plain area."W-We're surrounded.." Anoki looked out from the driver's view port, looking at multiple Sherman's hiding among the bushes, with their barrels pointed towards the open area where the tanks that once were active became wrecks."Have they noticed us yet?" Miyuki gulped after looking at the Sherman's surrounding the area. She is still keeping her hands on the gun."I think... no?" Alisia answered in a hesitant tone, with cold sweat dripping down her skin and her face turning pale. She scratched her hair in frustration, thinking of what they should do next. There was silence inside the Stuart until Anoki suggested."Should we just surrender?" Anoki suggested. "This situation is no longer winnable for us anymore.""Huh?! No way!" Miyuki objected; the situation became tense by the second, until Alisia decided to speak.She released a heavy sigh, her head facing down towards the floor. "We really can't win this.""But... we aren't out yet." Miyuki commented on Alisia's decision to surrender. Alisia remained quiet for a few seconds before replying back to Miyuki."This is not your typical Doraemon show where Nobita manages to win with his friends in every situation, Miyuki. We're not living inside an anime show where the main character always wins, nor are we the main characters." Alisia released a heavy sigh. "Well, this is only a friendly match. With the difference being an ant trying to kill a smart elephant who has metal boots on every leg."Miyuki tried to object, but after hearing Alisia's argument, she decided not to fight against it and remained silent. "I-I see..."After a few minutes, the white flag from the Stuart popped up without a shot fired at it. From the heights, an MQ-1 flying from above captured the moment while receiving a signal of the tank being taken out. Transmitting it back to the observers. The radio then went to life, knocked out or still active, with a message.
"M3A5 Stuart from the Fort Nelson Tankery Team has surrendered; Boston College Tankery wins the match."
_______________________________________________________________________________The field was once again filled with activity as M88 recovery vehicles were seen cleaning up the mess and lifting the knocked-out tanks to the heavy truck platform. Crews from both sides were seen being treated on mobile ambulances after the concussion from the bombardment earlier.Alisia was just sitting on the Stuart's top turret, staring at the aftermath. The sheer firepower she just witnessed was nothing she had seen; of course, this was her first match. "Tankery is rough." She thought to herself, Is playing tankery to get her parents's attention worth it? Getting good grades wouldn't get their attention either, aside from a few phone calls of them congratulating. As she was deep inside her thoughts, she was suddenly interrupted with a tap on her shoulder, which caused her to jump off the tank and hit head first to the ground. "Oww..""Clumsy commander, no wonder we lost. Are you deaf? Why didn't you hear my words earlier?" Jack was behind her, standing and staring into her with a cold, static look on his face."Oww." Alisia grunted from the pain before she was approached by Miyuki."Alisia, are you alright?!" Miyuki asked in a concerned tone, grabbing both of Alisia's shoulders and helping get her to stand back up."I'm fine.." Alisia looked back to face Jack, looking up at him. "Sorry, I wasn't hearing you.""You aren't even aware of your own surroundings; no wonder we lose." Jack stared into Alisia's eyes. Alisia, meanwhile, just looked down to the ground, feeling shame."Hey! Don't be too hard on her! Isn't this plan yours anyway?" Miyuki tried defending Alisia. The point Miyuki delivered towards Jack caused him to go silent. There was a short moment between the two as they stared at each other. It was soon broken by a familiar voice from the rear."Ay! What's happening here?" Molly can be seen walking closer to the three with a smile on her face. She stopped just inches from the group, looking at the three with a confused look on her face, before asking. "Is there something wrong here?"Both Miyuki and Jack looked at Molly, followed by Alisia, who was also looking back towards the source of the sound, looking at her with a confused look. "Well, uh, no." Miyuki replied to Molly's question."Oh, well. If it isn't the one who planned and took out an entire company!" Molly approached closer before she stopped right in between Miyuki and Jack, in front of Alisia. She then kneeled down to Alisia's level of height. "You know.. never before have our team lost an entire company to a bunch of newbies in less than a few minutes with tanks I'd say are pretty weak compared to ours.""W-What?" Alisia looked at Molly with a nervous look on her face, freezing in place and unable to move."What? Why are you so nervous? It's you that organized the ambush, yes." Molly looked closer at Alisia with a wide grin."Oh great.. She got all the credit." Jack muttered to himself.Alisia heard the small mutter, freezing in place for a while before she took a deep breath and looked back up at Molly. "Uhh, no. Most of the ideas came from him." Alisia pointed her fingers toward Jack. "He organized almost the entire thing.""Oh, is that so?" Molly turned her attention towards Jack, standing back up again. "Aha! Young boy, is it really you?"Jack was caught off guard by the sudden switch of attention, but he responded as soon as he was asked. "Yeah, I was." He cleared his throat. "Well, the baiting part was Alisia's idea."Molly nodded, staring at the two and observing them, analyzing both of their appearances and behaviors. "You both are quite honest! I guess all Canadians are like that. Eh?" Molly giggled at the last remark she made. Murphy's voice, meanwhile, was heard from behind, scolding multiple officers in front of him with a thunderous voice."Like, for fuck sake, they're literal high schoolers with no fucking experience. How the fuck did you retards mess up? Do you all even pay attention to the lectures? Like, for fuck sake, even my fucking grandma can spot a fucking trap from a mile away." Murphy continued rambling as the officers and the rest of the crew looked down in shame."Damn, he's at it again." Molly looked at them before looking back at the three. "Tell me, did those Brits send, uh, some intelligence to you guys?""Uhm.. Yes..?" Alisia answered in a hesitant tone. "They sent us a bunch of stuff. Why ask?""Oh, nothing. I just want to know." Molly said it with a reassuring tone. It was until Murphy came over towards Molly. "Come on, we gotta go. We have a flight to catch."Molly looked back toward Murphy, nodding. "Oh, right!" Molly then looked down towards Alisia and asked. "Hey, do you have a phone number? So we can talk and stuff.""Eh?" Alisia looked at Molly with a surprised look before she looked down and began tapping her feet. "Uhh.. Oh, well.. Sure.""Great! Can you write it down here?" Molly pulled out a small piece of paper and a pen from her trouser's pocket, handing them over to Alisia. Alisia was again surprised by Molly's quick hands pulling out both of the items. But she just nodded, took both items, and began writing down a phone number before handing both the small paper and pen back to Molly."Thanks!" Molly gave a smile to Alisia. "Well, I gotta go. See you later!" She walked away, joining Murphy and other members as an LMTV can be seen a few meters away, along with several HET's carrying wrecks of knocked-out tanks on their platform. The sounds of engines roaring can be heard as the trucks began revving up their engines and departed. Another batch of LMTV's and several HET's came in from the road where the previous trucks left before stopping in front of them. A familiar figure came out of one of the trucks; it was Lieutenant Thomas Dionne."Alright, which one is from the Fort Nelson Tankery Team?" Asked the lieutenant to everyone that was present there.Alisia, along with several others, recognized the voice. Jack then replied back to him. "We are all here.""Hop on the trucks then." Said the lieutenant. "We're going back home." Soon after he finished his words, the students, including those who have received care from the medical staff, began climbing into the trucks, all while M88 recovery vehicles began approaching the HET's while carrying tanks on their crane and lifting them to the platform."Is that all?" Asked the Lieutenant to Jack.Jack looked towards the Lieutenant while standing near the truck, being the only student who hadn't entered yet. He nodded. "Yes, that's all.""Alright, hop in then. We're moving out." Said the Lieutenant, followed by Jack entering the truck from the rear, while the Lieutenant entered the driver's seat and revved up the engine, followed by other LMTV's. The trucks began leaving the scene, leaving the cranes and HET's still lifting the tanks to the platform.The sun was at its peak, shining bright at the terrain bellow. The last tanks were then finally lifted to the platform, and the vehicles began to leave the scene, followed by several cars with the American Tankery Association's logo. People were coming out with cameras and boards with notes, assessing the destroyed terrain that might require some rehabilitation.
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Northern France, Le Havre, September 19, 2015, 1000 hours:
The sun was blocked by the cloud, as there was an overcast over the region. Not much light was seen on the ground. Birds were heard chirping on the trees, while some were flying in the sky. There wasn't much activity in the town itself either; there were no cars passing by or people walking on the streets. A small amount of rain began falling to the ground. The silence was broken as the sounds of engines from the skies were heard but barely seen due to the thick clouds covering the sky.Five Halifax bomber aircraft were among the clouds, sporting a roundel of pale pink on the outer layer and pale blue on the inner layer, each carrying one Hamilcar, flying through the very thick overcast. With one Himalcar in particular having a different pattern, that being having yellow stripes on its wings. Then, a feminine voice with an English accent came through the radio.<< "This is Pegasus leader to Stingray leader; we'll be within the dropping zone in 30 seconds; prepare for dropping." >> Said the pilot of the Halifax, wearing a dark blue coat with a rank pad on her shoulders showing 4 golden stripes, with a white shirt on the inner layer with a black tie, coupled with that wearing a dark blue trouser with black boots. Along with wearing a headphone helmet on her head and dark gloves on her hands, with the rest of the pilots beside her and the rest wearing the same thing, except some wearing different shoulder rank pads with either one or two and a half stripes,"Roger, Pegasus leader. I'm hoping you have a good trip back over the channels." Said one masculine voice in an English accent, replying back. He was wearing a thick wool tank suit with an English flag patch on his right shoulder and the country of origin, with the St. Bennett's school logo on the left shoulder, which is a lion colored gray and black, with a letter below that says 'St Bennett Tankery'. There is also a name patch with his name written on the front patch, along with a pair of black boots with a beret on top of his head with the ANGSCOT union pin attached to it, which consists of a half English and Scottish flag in a roundel, coupled with a headset on his head.<< "Godspeed Commander, out." >> The feminine voice was then cut and switched to talk to the other aircraft beside her, just 15 meters away. << "All Pegasus elements, keep the aircraft steady and on course. Do not in any circumstances wiggle or move out of course, or else our boys back there will be having a strong headache or falling out of their intended landing zone." >><< "Yes, ma'am- I mean Pegasus leader." >> Said one nervous feminine voice through the radio.<< "Hey, take a deep breath; just follow my orders, and it'll be alright." >> Said the feminine voice in a reassuring tone.The aircraft continued streaming through the thick overcast for several seconds, until an order came in through the radio from one of the Halifax's. << "Stingray's on my mark for release. In three, two, one. Release." >>The rope that was attached between the Halifax's and the Hamilcar's was disconnected as the pilots from the Hamilcars pulled the lever that held the rope between the Halifax and the glider down. As such, the Halifax's began to distance themselves away while the Himalcar's began diving down the clouds. Not much sound were heard aside from the heavy breathing from inside the Himalcar, as the occupants inside were waiting for the glider to touch down to the ground. The Himalcars reached below the clouds, where they spotted the French plains and a town in the distance."Right there. That's our landing zone." Said the co-pilot of the glider while looking at the map, that being the commander of the St. Bennett tankery team, Tom Smith. He was pointing his index finger at the window, pointing towards one plot of the square plain field in the chess like plain terrain. He then reached towards the radio, contacting the other five gliders that were released alongside. "All Stingray elements form up behind the leading aircraft. With the yellow stripes, if you have forgotten.""Yes, Sir." The other aircraft responded to what Tom ordered. The yellow-striped hamilcar was soon followed by other hamilcars, which had black and white stripes on their wings instead. Following from behind as they ascended from the sky. There was a long moment of silence during the flight, until finally, the Hamilcar's were about to touch the earth.Tom leaned into his radio, announcing it to the crews. "Good morning, passengers; we are now about to touch down on the ground. Please hang on tight, because it'll get a bit rough. Thank you for flying with St. Betty's Airline." He said it in a sarcastic tone. Many giggled in response, but some remained quiet without much reason.The glider continued to ascend until the wheels made contact with the muddy terrain. The glider slid through the muddy terrain until it came to a complete halt. The nose then opened up, and a Mk. VII Tetrarch lurched out from inside, its tracks making contact with wet, muddy earth. Tom, meanwhile, was climbing down from the cockpit's ladder after the pilot dropped down, where his two crews were waiting on the Tetrarch, waiting for him, wearing pretty much the same clothes as him."That was a splendid landing, I'd say." Said Bill while sitting in his driver's seat, the frontal hatch still fully open."Well, thank you, Billy." He jumped on the tank before hopping inside the Tetrarch from above, looking down at his gunner, Benjamin. "How's the equipment? Is it in good shape?""Yeah, it's good." Benjamin lifted the said equipment from the tank's floor, which was a large box with multiple switches, levers, and tunings. Coupled with multiple thick black antennas. "Ready to be used, sir.""Alright, rev up the engines and let's get moving; those frogs might've seen our drop earlier and are probably on their way here." Tom ordered."Right, Sir." Bill acknowledged and pulled out a key, plugging it inside the keyhole and switching it to the right. The engine roared to life as it was revved up. Bill then pulled the brake lever down and pushed his legs on the pedals, moving the tank out of the wooden airframe. Where the tracks touched the muddy earth, other tanks were seen waiting and moving out. One aircraft even just landed a few meters away. It was when the commander looked around that he noticed something was off."We came in with five gliders; there's only four here including us. Where's the other one?" Tom went down inside the tank before coming back out with a binocular in his hands. Looking around with a frantic look. "Agh, no good." He then reached for the radio. "This is the stingray leader for all stingray elements; report in."<< "Stingray 1-2 to the Stingray leader, reporting in." >><< "Stingray 1-3 and 1-4, reporting in." >><< "Stingray 1-5 and 1-6, reporting in." >><< "Stingray 1-7 and 1-8, reporting in." >><< "Static: This is Stingray 1-9 and 1-10. We had a little turbulence and have no idea where we are now. Requesting guidance, over?" >> The radio transmission was not too crystal, but not too static for Tom to hear and understand by hearing only a few words."Stingray 1-9, sitrep of your surroundings?"<< "Well, uh, it's plain out here. The weather here is absolutely miserable, just like home." >> Stingrays 1-9 described the environment around them.Tom chuckled. "Yeah, the weather's awful. God really blessed those ladies for flying us in, or else we'll be just meat shields for the main force. Anyway, look around for any landmarks or road signs." He then took out a map covered in plastic wrap. Small ticks of rain touched the wrap, causing him to react by wiping the water off before looking at the map and waiting for any new information to come in.<< "Uh, Sir. We might want get out of here; those frogs might be heading towards here soon." >> Said Stingray 1-6 through the radio."Oh, right." Tom took out a flashlight to illuminate the map better. "Alright uhh." He looked around and noticed a small castle in the distance. "Stingray 1-9 and 1-10, hold wherever you are. The rest form up on me." Soon, the Tetrarchs began to line up behind the leading tank, their tracks leaving a noticeable mark on the muddy soil. Engines roared as the group of eight Tetrarchs began making their way towards the church. "These muds might be the end of us.""Well, if it isn't obvious..." Bill looked through the open frontal hatch from his driver's seat, towards the mud. "Leaving trails behind."Eventually reaching the church, Tom looked around and attempted to recognize the castle for him to use as a reference on the map. He looked around and saw road signs and the castle's name itself written on concrete with a wooden board: 'Château de Gromesnil'. He looked back towards the map, looking for the castle on the map, before finding it. He then reached for his radio once more. "Stingray 1-9 and 1-10. Where are you now?"<< "Static- Uhh.. We found a village with its inhabitants and asked them; they said we're in the village of Eletot." Said Stingray 1-9. >>"Eletot?" Tom looked closer to his map to check for the village that was mentioned over the radio. He hovered his index finger on the map, dragged it from his current location, and looked around the map. He found nothing at all. "Stingray 1-9, I see no village with the name Eletot; please re-check once more.""There is the village of Eletot," said Bill. "They're in the no-engagement zone; they can still fall in with the cavalry if they're fast enough, assuming they have enough fuel.""Really?" Benjamin looked at Bill. "How do you know?""I checked the map of the arena and the limited areas that were given before we went up the glider. Eletot is 36 or 37 kilometers away from our objective. Well behind the supposed playing field, 10 kilometers from the Black Watch's starting point, which I think they've already started moving 20 minutes ago towards our objective in Le Havre.""Capturing the flag and holding it for half an hour, yeah?" Asked Benjamin."Yeah." Tom folded the maps back before switching to other maps, which were the maps provided by the committee to them. His index finger was dragged from the position he was in towards the village of Eletot, measuring the distance before then spewing it out. "25 kilometers away, 25.5 to be precise. Tetrarch has a top speed of 40 miles per hour; that's approximately a 40-minute journey to the town. Could be more because of the weather." Tom reached back toward his radio. "Stingray 1-9 and 1-10, proceed to regroup with the Black Watch and go along with them. I'll inform them if possible, of your arrival."<< "Copy that Stingray leader; we'll be regrouping with the Black Watch force, over and out." >> Stingray 1-9 ended the conversation with the sound of the radio turning off.<< "Aw, damn it. I tipped our thermos to them." >> Stingrays 1-3 complained.<< "Oh, fucking hell, I also gave those to them." >> The frequency was then full of tankers complaining of their thermos and their cups being tipped to Stingray 1-9 and 1-10.Tom was about to break the whinings down, but all of a sudden, a rumbling noise and the sounds of tank threads, coupled with the sound of roaring engines, were heard in the distance. Tom lifted his binoculars to look around, to see a sight of 4 ARL's and 6 M4A4's moving towards his position.<< "Christ, that's like almost half of their entire force!" >> Said Stingray 1-7 in a surprised tone."Guess they really learned from their previous failures." Tom commented before he ordered through the radio. "All Stingray elements form on me." As he delivered his order through the radio, the Tetrarchs began moving away and following behind Tom's Tetrarch, leaving the area while leaving trails of mud on the asphalt road.<< "They're definitely going to follow us; those trails we're leaving behind are really going to be the end of us!" >> Said Stinger 1-2 in a panicked tone."Nah, not today." Tom stated this before looking down inside the compartment towards Bill. "Alright, full speed ahead!""Aye, full speed ahead." Bill placed his right hand on the gear handle, switching it to another, and hit his foot hard on the pedals, making the Tetrarch move faster, which was soon followed by other tanks, catching the leading Tetrarch that was moving faster than them."Make full use of Earl's blessed engine lads; like the air-steel cavalry we are, don't let her down." Tom gave a speech of encouragement to the rest of the team as they began to approach the large town ahead, which is Le Havre.
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"Scramble!" Tom ordered the team through the radio, followed by the Tetrarchs beginning to scatter to other junctions and turns. Tom then looked at Bill. "Alright, you know where to take us.""Aye.." Bill kept his vision to the front, moving the tank away from obstacles on the road and keeping his eyes wide open.Tom, meanwhile, was looking around the tank from the cupola, his eyes looking right, left, front, and rear, along with keeping his ears wary for incoming enemies. He looked down toward Benjamin. "You got it ready?"Benjamin was configuring the portable jammer, switching buttons and switches before nodding. "Ready to be used, sir."Moving around corners and neighborhoods, the Tetrarch eventually reached a fort with a narrow gate, though wide enough for the Tetrarch to enter. The Tetrarch then took a turn around the corner before coming to a complete halt."Here we are, Fort de Tourneville, Sir." Bill took his sweaty hands off the controls, setting the gear to neutral and holding his foot on the brakes. Tom nodded and looked back toward Benjamin."Start jamming operations." Tom ordered Benjamin in a flat tone."Roger, starting jamming operations." Benjamin went down to the lower compartment, and began tuning the jammer's power higher and higher, causing a high pitch static noise on the radio. "Now we'll wait.."As the broadcast of the static continued, cannon and machine gun fire could be heard all across the town. With thick gray clouds still covering the sky, preventing sunlight from reaching down, Thunder could be heard as darker clouds could be seen approaching from the north of the town, shadowing a formation of Sherman's and Churchill's on the highway in the outskirts of the town, followed by Bishop's following from behind, giving fire support from the rear, as the formation chased down groups of fleeing ARL's and M4A4's.
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Northern France, Le Havre, 1045 hours:
Smoke continued to rise from the city as a large formation of 15 Sherman Fireflies and 3 Black Prince Churchill's were moving towards the town in an arrow formation, with dark, thunderous clouds shadowing them from above. ARL's and SA50's were seen running away, some scattered on the fields and roads with white flags on their roofs.A young man was standing on the cupola, watching from the Churchill in the middle of the formation towards the fleeing tanks through his binoculars. Wearing a thick wool tank suit with a Scottish flag patch on the right shoulder and the Black Watch team's symbol patch on the left shoulder. He's also wearing a balmoral bonnet with an ANGSCOT union pin attached to it, coupled with a headset placed on top of the hat, and a pair of black boots as his footwear.That man is William McNab; he watched as the SA50's and ARL's ran away, some crashing into each other before being fired at by the Fireflies or the Black Princes. It was chaotic and unorganised."Jesus fucking christ, I bet first-year students crewed those tanks. I never saw them this disorganised before. Firing!" His gunner commented in a thick Scottish accent before he fired off a shell from the 17-pounder. The shell flew for a few moments before hitting the tracks on an ARL, causing the ARL to drive in circles before stopping. "Load me another."The loader immediately went down and grabbed a fresh shell from the lower ammo rack before going back up to the gun chamber, shoved the shell inside, and sealed it close. "Up!""Firing!" The gunner pressed on the cannon's trigger, causing another shell to spew out from the barrel and hit the rear turret of the ARL, causing the immobile tank to flinch forward before a white flag popped out."Well, we're going to be aces before the end of the year." The gunner chuckled. "They're such easy targets; this is like... What do those yanks call again?""A turkey shoot." William looked back and forth from his binoculars before dropping them and then pulling the mic close to his mouth. "All units, listen up. We're about to enter the town of Le Havre. We've been here hundreds of times already, so you all know what to do. Form up on three files with the Churchill leading up front. We'll be fighting in close quarters, but you all already know that."William's orders were disrupted when another voice in an English accent came in. "This is Stingray 1-9 to Cavalier Actual; do you copy?"William halted, hearing a new voice in the background. He then responded back. "Cavalier Actual to Stingray 1–9, I can hear your voice crystal clear; go ahead.""Stingray 1-9 to Cavalier Actual, I'm here with Stingray 1-10. We got lost during our airdrop, several kilometers away from the drop zone. Stingray Actual ordered us to regroup with your force. Permission to fall in?" He requested.William heard the words coming in from Stingray 1–9, dropping off kilometers away. What are the odds? Though he read some reports of today's weather the day before, the wind would be quite strong. He then responded to his request. "Stingray 1–9, permission granted. What's your current location?""We just passed by a group of Bishop SPG's. I'm seeing a formation of what seems to be Churchill's and Sherman's." The young man described.William looked back towards the rear of the formation after the mention of his force, where he saw two Tetrarch Mk. VII's passing by a column of Bishop's on the main road, speeding closer. He then leaned back to the mic. "Right, I'm seeing you two now.."The Tetrarchs began approaching closer and closer to the formation, their dirty tracks sending chunks of wet earth flying to the road. One Tetrarch then got close to William's Churchill, and one young man popped out from the cupola. Wearing pretty much the same clothing as him, with the difference being the patches and the headwear, with him wearing a black berret instead. He then stood straight before saluting him."I'm Lance Corporal Alex from St. Bennett's 5th Para Unit. I'm ordered by Captain Tom Smith to regroup with your force."William looked at him before saluting back in response and dropping it. "Right, I'm assuming they're in the objective already?" he asked."Yes, Fort de Tourneville. They just need to wave a flag and hold it for at least half an hour." Benjamin answered."Alright then." William leaned back to his radio when suddenly he felt a sudden jolt of pain as a loud static noise came through the frequency.The formation came to a halt as the force's radios were filled with loud static noises. William took the radio off his ears, groaning in pain. "Sweet Jesus, what was that noise?""I have no fucking idea, Captain." The gunner groaned, taking the radio set off."Ah, that's probably our captain's radio jammer. Usual stuff." Alex took off his radio, setting the frequency to another."Goodness gracious.. Switch to backup frequency." William went towards the radio placed on his rear, rotating the wheel to switch the frequency to 32.0 MHz. Afterwards, he leaned into his mic before speaking. "This is Cavalier Actual to all units; report in."Soon, reports started coming in from units that had just changed their frequency."Cavalier 1-2, reporting.""Cavalier 1-3, reporting.""Archer 1-1, reporting."and so on."Longbow 1-3, reporting.""Longbow 1-4, reporting.""Longbow 1–5, reporting.""All elements, standby for orders." He went on to grab a plastic-wrapped map inside a leather cover, opening it to reveal a recently printed map inside. "Right. Fort de Tourneville." He looked around, spotting a helicopter field and an airfield just beside the main, large road where his force was standing at the moment. He looked back towards the map, using the objects as references on the map, dragging his index finger along the roads, looking for the shortest possible route to reach the objective."Right, uh, all units listen up. We'll be going down south of road D940 and towards D32. Cavalier 1-2 leads Archer 1-6 to 1-10, your task will be to spearhead along D32 after passing the roundel intersection and straight towards the fort. Tank any shots those buggers shoot at you.""Copy that Cavalier Actual.""Cavalier 1-3, you lead Archer 1-11 to 1-15; you go as far as road D232, go through Rue de I'Alma, and head straight towards the objective. Understood?""Copy that, will do."As orders went through the radio, fireflies were seen setting their formation right behind each Black Prince Churchill's. Commanders were seen on their cupolas giving orders to their comrades. It wasn't long until a column was formed—two columns of a black Prince Churchill with a long line of five Sherman Fireflies just right behind.Rain continued showering down the earth and began to intensify, with the sound of drops becoming louder and louder by the second. The two columns hit hard on their controls as they began making their way towards their intended places. The loud sounds of engines were deafened by the intense rain shower, followed up by the sounds of thunder and lightning striking down several steel poles."All Longbow elements form up on the roads near the coast. Remaining Archer units set up defensive positions around the corners." William ordered through the frequency, coordinating units on what to do.It was until lightning struck a nearby electric pole, causing a small electric explosion to occur and him to flinch. "Fucking hell.. Yeah, I'm not staying up here."William hopped back inside the tank, closing the hatch. His hat and hair was wet from rain showering down from above; the wind contributed to pushing the rain water against him."That was dangerous being out there for too long, Captain." His gunner commented on William staying out during the harsh weather."I feel more control while being outside; being inside the tank makes me feel suffocated." William grabbed the mic once more as he began communicating with his separated forces.Gunfire was heard throughout the town as both sides engaged with each other. The fires that emerged were quick to be extinguished by the intense rain. Yellow lights emerged on random blocks and roads from cannon fire. All of this was recorded by a flying MQ-1 drone, flying just several hundred meters above the sky, with cameras rotating 360 degrees as it observed from multiple perspectives.________________________________________________________________________"All Stingray units, come in." Tom leaned the radio's mic to his mouth, checking in through the radio and checking the status of all of his units."Stingray 1–5, reporting.""Stingray 1-6, reporting.""Stingray 1–8, reporting.""Stingray 1–9, reporting.""Stingray 1–10, reporting."Tom listened in to the reporting units that were left; only three responded, aside from 1-9 and 1-10 being with the main force, as far as he knew."Well, what now?" Bill sat on his driver's seat, looking outside through the driver's hatchhole as rain continued showering down the earth. "Raining cats and dogs out there.""Nah... More like raining knives. The wind is hella strong in this match, unlike before." Benjamin yawned. "This boredom is killing me.""Well, you gotta keep frosty, yeah? Otherwise, we'll fail this one objective." Tom placed the mic back on top of the radio before releasing a heavy sigh.The rain was quite heavy and loud. If it weren't for the crew's radios, they'd be hearing nothing at all due to the heavy rain hitting the armor of the Tetrarch. Outside, in a colorful square, is a flag pole with a red flag waving up high in the sky aggressively, pushed by a very strong wind from the east of the fort.There was then only silence inside the tank, with only the sound of rain hitting the surface of the tank. The crew waited for several minutes, until Bill decided to whine."This is so fucking boring." Bill groaned."Oi, oi. Rule number five, remember? You don't want to get into trouble with the Sergeant Major, do you?" Tom reminded him."Kiss me goodnight, Sergeant Major!" Benjamin sang; his voice is that of boredom and a bit of insanity."Tuck me in my little wooden bed.. We all love you, Sergeant Major." Bill followed along."When we hear you bawling, 'Show a leg'!""Don't forget to wake me up in the morning!-and bring my 'round a nice cup of hot tea!""Kiss me goodnight, Sergeant Major. Sergeant Major, be a mother to me!" Bill pulled out a small harmonica and continued singing the song.Tom watched as the two sang just to fill the void. Oh well, what can he do? It was until he heard the sounds of tank threads from the entrance. Have the French found their position finally? He fixed his sitting position. "Get back up, you two. I think they're here."Bill and Benjamin fixed their sitting positions and are now back in their positions. Tom looked out from the cupola, looking at the entrance of the fort. He heard the sound of tank threads getting closer to their position, until there was a sudden silence. He could hear the faint sound of an engine despite the heavy rain outside. He grabbed the radio's mic before speaking through it."Stingray 1-1 actual to Stingray 1-9. Can you hear me over?" Tom awaited a reply."Static: Stingray 1-9 to Stingray 1-1 Actual. I can hear you loud and clear. Go ahead." A response came in, and Tom immediately asked."Stingray 1-1, actual to Stingray 1-9, what's the status of the cavalry?"""Uhh, give me a minute." There was then silence from Stingrays 1–9. Tom waited for a few minutes for a response to come in. One minute and five seconds later, it came. "Stingray 1-9 to Stingray 1-1 Actual. Cavalry is just 8 minutes into the objective."Eight minutes, he can wait that long without being caught, but who knows if the opposing team found out about his tank's position? It's been a while since they landed, and he's pretty confident to say that they might've already tracked the jammer's signal to this location. But last time he remembered them having a quicker reaction time to respond to such jamming along with finding the source, this one match's different.He then looked towards the entrance, it's quite narrow, but a Sherman with a skilled driver can fit inside. Skilled.. He remembered that the opposing team's best had already graduated a year prior, could it be that they're using inexperienced personnel? Maybe..The rain began to reduce in volume, and the aggressive sound of droplets crashing to the tank's surface began to lessen in sound. The storm was about to be over. Tom was still deep in thought. Maybe he should call in artillery? But that would risk him getting caught in the fire. Calling in a dead-accurate strike is a big no in this kind of weather without getting deviated due to the wind.Tom looked to his left at the open, wide field inside, and an idea popped into his mind. He then leaned into the mic once more. "Relay a fire mission request to Cavalier Actual. Grid Foxtrot 3, coordinates: 4501 7800.""Grid Foxtrot 3. Coordinates; 4501 7800. Confirm, over?" Stingray 1–9 asked."Confirm; bring it in.""Copy, relaying this now to Cavalier Actual."Tom then looked down toward Bill. "Get us out of here.""What? Where?" Bill asked with a confused look."Called in a danger close fire mission, drive us out of here before we're hit." Tom ordered."Right, Sir." Bill acknowledged and pushed the controls backwards, driving the tank to go into reverse.Tom went out from the cupola, looking at the rear of the tank to look for any obstacles the tank may collide into. "Keep reversing."He continued looking around for possible hiding spots for his tank to hide. He stared at the colourful houses just near the open field. Maybe they could go there, but it would risk the Tetrarch being compromised from the entrance and the soon-to-come artillery barrage. A crashing sound could be heard from the entrance, as could the sound of a roaring engine. Something seemed to be trying to force itself in.His time was limited. The enemy was at the doorstep. Maybe he could pop some smoke to conceal their movement, but they'd compromise their presence the moment they did and let hell loose on whatever's on the other side of the fort. Then he remembered one piece of advice from the instructor, the Sergeant Major.
"If you're stuck like this, pop a smoke and drive against the wall for a few seconds. The smoke and the sound of the engine will make the enemy think you're passing through and shoot whatever's in front. Then after the first shot, take the opportunity to move up."
"Deception.." Tom figured. He immediately looked down toward the driver's seat. "Move forward and crash against those railings.""What?-""Do it." Tom pressed on a button just on the right side of his inner compartment section. Causing a tube to be launched off from one of the tubes attached to the tank before then exploding, causing a thick white smoke to form. "Hurry up! We don't have much time!""On it." Bill switched the stick to move the tank to the right, facing against the railings, and went full throttle. The tank crashed against the rail, bending it slightly but still holding the tank from going further.Soon, the roaring engine sound from the entrance stopped, and a yellow light appeared on the thick white smoke for a few split seconds, and a shell landed on a nearby house ahead of the field just near the colourful square. Not wanting to pass on the opportunity, Tom yelled out to Bill."Alright! Turn 180 and get us behind those houses!" Tom ordered.Bill acknowledged and pushed on the sticks, moving the tank 180 degrees to the right, where he could see the colourful houses ahead. He jumped on the throttle pedals, moving the tank forward. Tom flinched and almost fell off, but his strong hands kept him on the cupola. Just as the smoke was about to clear up in a few milliseconds, a long barrel of a cannon appeared, followed by a Sherman tank lurching out from the fading white smoke, with scratches on the edges from the struggle of driving through the narrow fort entrance. Gun fire could be heard in the background; the source not yet known.A dark-skinned figure appeared out of the cupola, wearing a brown sweater with a collared shirt underneath, coupled with a dark brown beret and a radio neck. He stared at the escaping Tetrarch before pressing a button on the neck radio and yelling out, "Tirer!" (Fire!) Not a single shot was fired. The figure looked down to the inside compartment of the Sherman, yelling at its crew, ranting even.As the Tetrarch made its way towards the square, the Sherman behind moved into the large field ahead, followed by an ARL and another long barreled Sherman moving backwards into the inside of the fort's entrance, acting as a rear guard for its friends behind. The Sherman that entered earlier halted in its advance, its cannon swinging up and down, before it started to adjust itself, aiming towards the fleeing Tetrarch. The dark-skinned figure stared at it, and just as it was about to give out an order through the neck radio, an audible whistling sound could be heard above. The figure looked up; his face turned into that of horror, and he immediately went inside the tank, shutting the hatch.The Tetrarch made it behind the colourful houses; the whistling sound got nearer and nearer by the millisecond, and soon a shell landed on the large field, causing a large explosion to occur. The Sherman was hit first on the right track, and later another shell impacted on the engine's trap door. Sounds of metal clashing into each other were barely heard as the explosion muffled it all. Then, the ARL was hit by a shell on its roof, and a large explosion could be heard soon after. The large field where the Sherman and the ARL stood continued to explode, with shells raining down followed by rainwater.The bombardment would later last for 45 seconds; before then, the volume of the explosion reduced bit by bit until only a single whistling sound was heard and impacted on the fort's upper structure. Dust covered the area for a few seconds but was soon erased by the rain that was slowly reducing in volume. There were multiple craters spotted on the craters, with the two tanks being in very bad shape. Scratched, burned, and cracked. Large chunks of metal from the tank can be seen scattered nearby. A white flag popped on each of the tank's flag holes.________________________________________________________________________________The rain began to reduce further in volume, until only small droplets were dropping and later no more. The black clouds flew away from the town, replaced by the bright sun now shining upon the city. An MQ-1 drone was still flying high in the sky, just several hundred meters from the ground. Its camera's moving around, eyeing some destroyed houses, structures, and, most importantly, tanks. ARL's and M4A4's scattered across the streets, along with some Sherman Fireflies and a Churchill. White flags could be seen waving on every tank it saw.The camera of the MQ-1 then rapidly moved towards the fort, the main objective of the match. 6 Sherman Fireflies, 1 Black Prince Churchill, and a Tetrarch VII could be seen surrounding the fort; 2 ARL's and 1 SA50 Sherman's were seen with their white flags on top of the roof. There was also an SA50 Sherman seen blocking the entrance of the fort, now stuck inside with black smoke steaming out, before it disappeared. It would later spotted another Tetrarch VII hiding just behind the line of colourful houses.The MQ-1 then eyed the line of Bishop SPG's just near the edge of the seawall fence, with a Black Prince Churchill with two Tetrarch VII's and five Sherman fireflies in multiple corners accompanying.
"Fort de Tourneville has been captured but has not yet been held for at least 30 minutes. There are zero active units remaining from the La Marseillaise team. Victory condition has been met. ANGSCOT Union wins the match. End of report."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Wales, Pembrokeshire, St. Betty's Girls' Academy, 20th of September 2015, 1650 hours:
The sky was covered by thick clouds, barely allowing the sun to penetrate through. The wind was quite calm that day. There stood a structure in the middle of nowhere, a giant complex of a private school surrounded by low concrete walls, with Victorian-style architecture—with a large church placed just right in the middle, a large metal bell hanging right on top of the tallest point, where there were also present clocks attached to it.Girls wearing their uniforms of a white long sleeved buttoned blouse with a dark green blazer with a logo that is a fort with a book in the middle, and a roll below that says, 'St Betty's Girls' Academy'; with a square pattern with even more darker outlines, along with a knee-length dark green skirt with white plain long leggings and dark coloured flat shoe wear, were walking on the pathways, talking to one another, some smiles, some sad faces. They were walking back to the large dormitory building placed just a hundred meters away from the school, just beside the school staff's building, where they usually have their own private time. Just outside the school complex were a parking lot and a lobby area, where people, some of whom were parents, took their daughters away for a trip back home. The entrance was guarded by a few guards wearing a khaki tunic and trousers, boots, and a peak khaki cap with the label 'ES'. Standing for Entrance Security.Right in one of the school buildings, located underground, in the basements, where there is also a storage room for the school's supplies, was a thick metal door with a retractable peep hole and a label that says, 'Flying Club' and 'Do not enter! Authorized personnel only!'. Guarded by a man wearing a khaki tunic and trousers, with boots and a peak khaki cap labeled 'FCS', standing for Flight Club Security, along with a nametag that labels him as a security personnel. Standing there with a tight posture, eyes front towards the stairs that led up. Standing below a bright yellow light, just near a small desk.Through the thick metal door, was a wide concrete room, lit by multiple LED lights. The air was quite cold thanks to two air conditioners installed facing each other. Multiple figures were present inside, talking. Some males, some females. Three factions. One faction of two males, wearing white shirts with dark blue blazers with square patterns with light blue outlines and trousers with flat footwear of either black or dark brown.Their blazer features a symbol that is a shield with a lion and a cross right on top of it, with an inscription just below: 'St. Bennett Boys' College'. The other faction consisted of two males, wearing the same type of clothing, with the difference being that a kilt was worn, with a different logo on the blazer, a shield with a fort with a saltire pattern, and an inscription that says, 'Bovington Academy'. Lastly, there is a faction of four girls. Being the students of this school, wearing the same uniform as the rest of the girls in the school.Inside the room, there is a long square table covered with a red and blue patterned cloth, with six seats on each side and three on the shorter sides, each with a pad and a glass filled with water in front. There's also a large board, filled with maps, where a girl was seen cleaning it up, packing it into the small boxes."Right, the last match was a success. We lost six Fireflies, two Black Princes, and four Tetrarchs in exchange for the annihilation of the opponent's entire strength. Now, we'll be having our next match in 5 days, assuming all teams go through the 2nd stage." Tom spoke to the personnel inside the room. "William, how's the tank doing?" He looked toward William."Badly damaged, but it won't take long for the tanks to be fully repaired. It'll take just 48 hours to do so, assuming our board doesn't change the technicians or other delays." William answered back."Right.. Well, Betsy. What's our next arena?" Tom turned towards the leading girl in front of her, who was a brunette with a medium-sized chest."Beatrix?" Betsy turned towards the girl sitting to her right, a flat-chested, dark brown-haired girl with almost the same height as her, only different by a few inches."Uhm.. So, I asked the rest of my colleagues to infiltrate the EUTO's database in Brussels with some paid third-party help. We almost got caught in the process, but uhh.. we did it in the end." Beatrix lifted a laptop from her lap and placed it on the table. She then connected it to a cable, which was connected to a projector. "Mind if anyone unroll the projector screen?"One young man with trimmed dark hair stood up, looking towards the board, and stared up towards the screen projector. He reached up his hand and grabbed onto the handle, before then proceeding to roll the screen down in a gentle manner, before then going back to his seat."Thanks." Beatrix then tapped on the space button, causing it to turn on, showing an empty window. She then pulled out a USB from her breast pocket from the inner blouse, installing it on the laptop. She searched through the file explorer, stumbling upon the 'This PC' section where a new USB can be seen, being only a few megabytes.Opening it, revealed a single document in Microsoft Word, which she then opened to reveal multiple pages, the first being the map of a large plot of land somewhere in Flanders, where there are multiple lines, lines where the off-limits are for players."Right, as we can see here, our next match will be held in either Waasmunster or Eindhoven. Two of these locations are very different, one being a flat open terrain with some rivers and lakes and some small settlements." She scrolled down towards the map of Eindhoven, with a smaller area of playing being around a large bridge. "Combat here would be dominated by city fighting. Both matches will be annihilation mode. It is unknown right now which sites would be used, as it is up to the head of EUTO's decision to either pick two locations.""Right, thank you, Beatrix." Betsy looked back toward the young men in front of her. "We'll begin the assessment for possible landing zones and flight paths for our aircrafts, so we don't get a tad bit messy like last time. We'll also start printing custom maps to be handed to the units.""Thank you, Beatrix. So, William. Any ideas?" Tom looked toward William."Right, uhh." William stood up from his seat, heading towards the screen projector. "Mind scrolling down to the Flanders one?""Sure." Beatrix scrolled slightly to the Flanders map, that is the settlement of Waasmunster."Right, thank you." William looked back towards the map, looking closely at every detail on it. After around a full minute, he spoke. "Right, assuming the Iberians or the Oslo team would be up against us. I'm betting on the Iberians. Considering they all use mostly Sherman M4A1's or Stuarts, which would do minimal damage to our armour at close distances, specifically talking about the Black Prince and maybe, to some extent, the Firefly. We'll have the main, large roads blocked. Of course not to fully underestimate them, instead of going all into the city, have the Bennett's air cavalry force do a force recon inside the town and send coordinates for our longbows to swat them down as if they're flies." "Quite a solid plan. Though I don't like the idea of sending our own into a death trap." The trimmed, dark-haired young man spoke up."Well, Mr. Alan. That's what you English air cavalry have trained for ever since the union was formed. Unless you're proposing something stupid again.." William stared at him."Yeah, it's definitely to-" Alan gave William a stare into his eyes, but was cut short by Tom."Alright, no need to escalate things here. Please, William. Continue." Tom de-escalated the situation, looking towards William for him to continue.William continued staring towards Alan for a while, before he eventually broke eye contact, looking back towards the screen. "Thank you. Now, onto the next map, please."Beatrix scrolled down to another page, showing another page of a large map of mostly Eindhoven Bridge and the settlements surrounding it."Right, thank you." William looked closely at the map, his eyes looking at every detail of the location and analyzing it before coming up with an idea in just a minute. "Right, I'm assuming they'll be on the other side of the bridge, defending it. Assuming they only have 75mm cannons on their Sherman's, it wouldn't be much of an issue marching through the bridge. Perhaps we could use some engineers to build a Bailey bridge, but eh. They don't have enough parts to make it across the river. Setting one up would be a nightmare.. As for the paratroopers, they'll airdrop some clicks behind and do a recon in force.""Uhh.. Sir." One dark-haired person from his own team spoke up."Yes, Antony?" William looked towards the person, waiting for what he would be saying."Some locals from the last match protested about damaging their house. So, um, I suggest limiting the areas for mass bombardments to avoid some unwanted conflicts." Antony suggested."Well, not much can be done. It's tankery, not sensha-do. Besides, don't those locals get compensated 100% plus some bonuses? What's the point anyway?" William objected. "I think that's all.""Right, any objections?" Tom asked as he then looked towards the rest of the group. None talked. "Alright then, that ends today's topic regarding our next match. Now that all matters regarding our next match are over, let's talk about other affairs. So, Alan. How was your tour?" Tom turned towards Alan."Quite pleasant, the first tour with training with the Irish went well and without much incident, but we got into a crossfire between some Ulster's and local Irish on the border. Thankfully, we got away before the uhh.. troubles got in." Alan shared his past experience during the past joint training with the Irish."Well.. That sounds rather unpleasant. How about the next trip?" Tom asked once more, digging deeper into his past trip."Well, the next trip was to Poland. They're quite nice, and the locals were very hospitable. They surprised us during a friendly battle by using hay bales as moving cover when fighting in the middle of a farm field. Though in the end we managed to deal with them, with high losses.""Huh.. Interesting..""We also happened to meet with some members of their twin school from Japan. A school named Bonple, if I remember correctly.""Bonple?" One dark-haired girl with glasses asked. "Never heard of them.. Is it possible that they're one of those, uh, Japanese foreign-themed schools?""Yes, they are. Though they're somehow tied to one another, just like Saint Gloriana, they're connected to our homeland in one way or another." Alan added."Oh, I see." She nodded."Anyways, I've heard that the CTF has gotten a new member from North America. Is it true?" Asked Alan."Oh, yes. It's the Fort Nelson Tankery Team. We've recently been sending aid in forms of intelligence to them in their match with the Boston College Tankery team, which I assume they used to maximum capacity by how they managed to eliminate an entire company in less than a few minutes." Said Beatrix."A whole Boston company wiped out? Am I hearing this right?" Alan's eyes widened. "Maybe taking out 2 or 3 and maybe 4 tanks. But an entire company?""Yes. Specifically the Delta Company. Also known as the 'Duffus' company." The blonde girl with a medium-sized chest sitting beside Betsy on the left added. "Before they got absolutely wiped out by Boston long range rocket platforms, leaving one tank remaining which surrendered soon after.""Oh.." Alan relaxed his body, upon hearing the company's name. "Well, then it is no surprise that they managed to. They're mostly filled with some.. Uh.. undesirable members, and they're mostly placed as a reserve unit, right?""Yes, they are still." Beatrix added."Well, reserve or not, it's still quite an achievement for a school that just started tankery a few weeks ago." Antony complimented. ""Yeah, give those Canadians some credit for their achievement." Betsy, too, followed along."Fine, fine. They certainly do have some qualities." Alan snickered.The room looked at him with a look of disappointment on their faces, frowning at his attitude."You know, Alan. The CTF, before being inactive, used to be dominated by the Canadians. They were the kings of this sport." Tom stared at him. "How about this? Our Sergeant Major is going to be sent to Canada to help with assessing those young students-""Like what I just did last time?""For a week. Do some wargames, some friendly battles, maybe exchange some culture."Alan remained silent, wondering if he should go once more outside the country. Having to fight other teams to help them, which he saw more as a waste of time,. Why not just focus on ourselves?"Or do you need some persuasion, like... from your sister?""Hang on a second!" Alan scoffed at the mention of her sister. "Fine, I'll go.""Well, that's fast." Betsy giggled."Hang on, what's with her sister?" Asked Beatrix."Oh, well. Meet her in person, and you'll know. She's one silly girl." Betsy continued giggling. Leaving Beatrix with both confusion and a curious face."Oh, I remember when we were meeting in St. Bennett, that one girl barged into the room and was like; Where have you been?! Mama is waiting outside for you to come outside!!" The blonde girl mimicked the voice in a younger pitch while giving a pouty face."Ambrose.. I'll bloody strangle you." Alan turned his eyes into the blonde girl's eyes with a sharp glare and an angry expression on his face."Oops.. I think I went overboard." Ambrose giggled once more, covering her eyes."Oh! Also, when that one representative from Saint Gloriana came over during an information exchange in Piccadilly cafe.. His sister just came in front of him and asked why he was acting so fishy with her!" Beatrix joined in, giggling."Stop." Alan turned his glare towards Beatrix, his face was getting redder by the minute."Oh yeah, I remember that one incident after a match with the Eisenadler team when Alan and William were talking in an alley." Tom joined in."Not you too!" Alan looked toward Tom, his face becoming more red."Oh, for fuck sake. Do not mention that one stupid incident. I got into trouble with Father Adams because of that." William frowned."Yeah, anyways. His sister thought they were gay when they were talking in an alleyway." Tom burst into laughter, followed by most of the people inside the room.The room continued to laugh, until a ringing sound could be heard from near the archive room, which was placed just on the opposite end of the entrance door. Sourcing from a small door hatch."Ah! It's here." The dark haired girl with the glasses stood up from her seat, and walked towards it, opening a hatch to reveal a small item lift inside, with a cargo of a multi-story tray with multiple cream vanilla with some berries on top cakes, a few cups of tea, a large teapot with some small cups of sugar, and a box of milk. She proceeded to drag it out of the small hatch and hold it with her two arms before walking back towards the large table. "Courtesy from the headmaster to the guests.""What time is it now?" Betsy stared left up to the wall, looking at the wall where a clock is placed. It's 17:00 PM already. "Oh my, it's tea time already!"The mood inside the room changed to that of a more relaxed one, and the students inside began to talk about life, making jokes and all. Some laughed, some got angry. The topic was no longer about tankery.The dark-haired girl with glasses meanwhile grabbed a small tray, taking one extra cake and a cup filled with tea and placing it on the tray before walking towards the metal door, holding it with one hand. She knocked on the metal door, which then opened.The guard looked down at the girl and asked, "Is there something I can help with, Ms. Ada?" He asked with a questioning look on his face."Oh, well. We have one extra cake and a cup of tea. Perhaps you'd want some?" She leaned forward with the filled tray."Oh, well. Missy. You can keep it, I'm about to change shifts anyway." He said it with a polite tone.She shook her head. "I insist. You look a bit exhausted standing all day long." She looked up at him with a persistent yet still polite look on her face.The guard sighed. "Well.. If you insist, Ms. Ada. Just place it on my desk." He turned his face toward the desk for a short second before looking back at her."Right." She placed the tray on the desk. "Keep up the work, Mr. Cedric."After that, Ada stepped back in, followed by the guard closing the door. He looked toward the tray placed on the desk.".. There goes my strict diet streak."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Fort Nelson Academy High School, 25th of September 2015, 1009 hours:
Rain continued to clash against the windows protecting the classroom, and whatever's inside from getting wet, students wearing extra warm clothes of either sweaters or jackets could be seen talking with one another, some playing on their desks with whatever tools they have out of boredom, like strapping a ruler to a pen to make an aircraft, or bouncing pens on the table.Some slept, including Alisia. Wrapping her arms on top of a desk and laying her head on it as if acting as a pillow, her chest rising every time she takes a breath, without much sound. Some strands of her hair cover her face as she sleeps, peacefully. Meanwhile, Lily just stood up from her seat and was stretching her body, before looking at the sleeping Alisia."Alisia?" Lily stared at her with a confused look. "Strange.. She usually goes to the cafeteria first before me." She thought, and before then she approached her. "Alisia, are you awake?"No response from her first call. Lily's face turned into that of worry."Is she sick?" Lily leaned closer to her face, her hand moving towards her hair-covered face, noticing her eyes had dark pockets. "She looks so tired." Lily then touched Alisia's forehead with her hands, feeling it being warm. "Oh.. this is bad."Just then, both Anoki and Miyuki entered the class, their hands turning here and there before noticing both Lily and Alisia. They then walked up to them."Oh hey! I didn't see Alisia in the cafeteria, is there something wrong?" Asked Miyuki before then looking down towards the sleeping Alisia, her face all of a sudden turning red violet. "... Kawaii.""Hmm? Oh, hey." Lily leaned off, standing back to a straight posture."She looks so peaceful.." Anoki giggled, before she leaned closer to Alisia and noticed her pocketed eyes. "She looks so tired.""Yeah, I noticed. She's not usually like this." Said Lily, before looking back towards Alisia."Oh.." Miyuki's face turned from fond to worried. "Should we take her to the sickroom? Maybe she got a fever?""Yeah, I felt her forehead, and it's a bit warm." Lily sighed."Hmm.. Maybe she's just tired.. Try slapping her." Anoki suggested.Both Miyuki and Lily began to turn their heads slowly towards Anoki, both giving different reactions."Excuse me? Slapping her?" Lily gave a confused look towards Anoki."You crazy? I'm not slapping her again, okay?" Miyuki yelled at her."H-Hey.. Keep your voice down." Anoki whispered to Miyuki; her expression is that of panic after the yell."What do you mean slapping her again? Did you two slap her before?" Lily stared at them with a shocked look."N-No! We can explain!" Anoki panicked further, lurching towards Lily.As the commotion continued, other students began to take notice and eavesdrop, some taking a peek. It wasn't until Alisia's eyes began to flutter; her posture remained still, her eyes looked to the side towards Lily, backing away, and both Anoki and Miyuki gave a flustered face. Still in the sleepy posture, she spoke up."What's going on here...?" Alisia yawned, her head moving for a small degree, her eyes staring at the three."O-Oh.. Morning Alisia." Lily looked straight towards Alisia as soon as she heard her voice. Both Miyuki and Anoki followed suit."Alisia! You're awake. You didn't come to the cafeteria, so I came here to check on you." Said Miyuki."Yeah, how are you?" Anoki asked about her condition, looking down at her.Alisia remained quiet for a few seconds, before switching her sight towards the windows, where she saw rain crashing against the window in a low volume. She yawned once more before answering Anoki's question. "I'm good..""Oh, good." Anoki smiled at her.The crowding students earlier have already reduced in size, leaving the classroom back to its quiet state. There was an awkward moment of silence between the four, being frozen and lost in their own thoughts. It was until Miyuki broke the ice."Oh! How about we go eat some food? Before we run out of break time." Miyuki suggested."Oh, sure." Lily nodded in agreement, before looking back down at Alisia. "You coming Alisia?""... In a minute." Alisia yawned once more, staring at the window for a moment before eventually standing up from her desk, walking out from the classroom towards the hallway where the other three were making their way to the cafeteria.________________________________________________________________________The time was 1315 hours, rain was still watering down from the sky to the earth, though not really dense. Students could be seen walking out the school gate with umbrellas on their hands or wearing raincoats to shield themselves from the shower above. As activity began to reduce in the main school building, it was the opposite for the old school garage.Lights illuminated the inside of the old building, students in their tankery uniform talking to one another. The atmosphere inside was warm in contrast to the rain outside. Tanks lined up in a neat row, the scars from the previous battle were still visible despite repair efforts. Then there was Alisia, inside the all purpose room alongside the rest of the tank commanders, sitting on a foldable metal chair, dozing off. Her snoring was barely heard by the rest of the commander present, but a few mutters escaped her lips."What is she saying?" Beornhelm questioned as he continued staring towards Alisia as she continued sleeping."Huh?" Antoine stared back towards Beornhelm, before then staring towards Alisia, who was still sleeping. "No idea, but that's not the point. What are we doing here?""Uhh, I don't know." Beornhelm then turned his head towards Jack. "Hey, Jack.""What?" Jack stared up from the book he was reading towards Beornhelm."What are we going to do today?" Asked Beornhelm."Well, Alisia told me that we'll be having a guest, but she never specified what and just falls asleep." Jack then turned his eyes towards Alisia, giving her a dirty look. "The headmaster is so stupid for using a damn pencil."Then, a few knocks were heard on the door, and there stood the student's president on the doorframe. "Ms. Harlington?" She called out to Alisia.Alisia remained asleep still, barely moving a muscle, frozen in her seat, not responding to the president's calling."Ms. Harlington?" The president called out to her once more. "Is she asleep?""Well, as if her face isn't that obvious. Look at her! That careless face." Jack frowned."What seems to be the matter here?" One young, dark-haired woman with a medium-sized chest wearing a long trench coat along with dark boots appeared from behind the president, speaking in a foreign accent. "Is there something wrong?"The tank commanders turned their heads towards her, staring at her appearance. One of the commanders then spoke up."Who is that?" Asked Emile, wondering who the young woman may be."Oh, well, she is-" The president was about to spill the woman's identity, but was cut short as the woman spoke up."Greetings, boys and girls! I'm Sergeant Major Cathleen Smith from the Royal Armoured Corps, head of the British CTF, Instructors sector. You can call me Miss Cathe, Miss Cath, or Miss Cathleen.. Whatever, I hope we all get along." Cathleen put up a smile on her face, while placing her hands on her hip."She looks... friendly." Isabelle commented on Cathleen's introduction, giving an awkward look on her face."Gosh, you're already here? I was looking for you all over the place." another voice was heard behind her, this time was a young male voice. A well-trim haired young man appeared from behind her. He wore a khaki coloured long sleeved buttoned shirt, dark trousers and a pair of dark coloured short lace boots; carrying with him was a large leather bag. He looks at her from top to bottom with a weary look on his face. "Where's your uniform?" he asked."Alan! Well, some geezers in the airport, we' 'em up." Cath explained. "So I go' me some of me spare clo'es in the bag.""Huh?" The commanders gave a confused look towards Cathleen, confused by her accent and words."What did she just say?" Beornhelm questioned Cathleen's way of speaking."You.. slipped, Ms. Cath." Alan starred up towards Cathleen."Oh! Sorry. Well uhh.." Cathleen then walked further into the room, while holding a small suitcase in her hands. "So, who's the commander here?" She spoke now without the accent.The students remained silent, still left confused. It was until Emile pointed towards Alisia, still deep asleep."It's her.. Ms. Cath." Said Emile while still pointing his hand towards Alisia.Cathleen's head turned towards the short girl sitting on a chair placed just right near the walls behind, west of the room. She walked towards her, before leaning down, staring into her face. "Look at this lass' face. Carried by the clouds, and she's your team commander?" She stood back up, looking at the rest of the tank commanders. "I thought it was you, judging from your look." She pointed her hand towards Jack."Huh? Oh." Jack was surprised but recovered in just a millisecond. "Well, I'm not.""So, to think this lass is the one who led this team to taking out a whole company of Boston's tanks..." Cathleen placed her hand on her chin. "Hmm.. Where have I heard this before?""Haven't you read the papers?" Alan facepalmed."Well, you know me, I don't like reading long papers!""What kind of a Sergeant Major are you?""That's the 83rd time you asked me that."Jack was furious the moment he heard those words. It was him that planned the whole thing! Well, Alisia sort of gave some ideas, but he still gave the majority of the plan.Cathleen leaned back to Alisia, dropping her case on the floor. "Can't resist wanting to pinch her cheeks..""Don't.. Ugh." Alan released a heavy sigh.Cathleen proceeded to reach her hands towards Alisia's face, and began pinching her cheeks. "Hehe.. So soft and squishy.."".. Damn, she's getting uhh." Antoine struggled to say the appropriate word for the situation, while still watching Alisia get her cheeks pinched while she remained asleep.All of a sudden, Alisia's eyes fluttered open, and she charged forward to bite one of Cathleen's hands that was pinching her, causing Cathleen to release a squirm and flinched backwards to the floor."Oh, god, she's one aggressive lass." Cathleen groaned, holding her hands tight with her other hand. "Oh, thank God the wound's not that deep."Everyone inside the room was shocked by Alisia's action, their bodies frozen in place, eyes wide and open after witnessing the event. Silence filled the room aside from the people talking outside the room with each other. Alisia was giving an angry look on her face, until her vision began to clear more after her deep slumber, to see a young woman right in front of her. Her face turned bright red, her body posture went tight, and her head turned down in shame.Cathleen was still groaning on the floor, holding her hand in pain with her other hand as it slightly bled. "Ow.. That hurts. You sure have sharp teeth." She stood back up. "Well, sorta my fault for touching like that, a bit improper.. But anyways, let's get down to business, shall we?""You should probably clean that wound.. Ms. Cath. Or else some bad germs will enter through that wound." Alan suggested with a monotone tone."Nah, I'm alright." Cathleen grabbed the case and placed it on the table. "Now anyways, today the CTF has sent me here to help with assessing this team's performance and help with improving it. Right beside me is Alan Bridgeman, he's from St. Bennett's Boy's Academy High School, a 2nd year. Say hi, Alan.""Greetings everyone." Alan greeted in a monotone tone."Now, uh, let's start with... What's this team's doctrine?" Cathleen looked across the table, waiting for someone to answer.The room remained silent as no one answered Cathleen's question."I take that as a no?" Cathleen then turned her attention towards Alisia, who was still looking down towards the floor. "Well, Missy. Mind telling me what your team's doctrine is? Or style, as some people may say.""Eh? Uhh.." Alisia was caught off guard by the sudden question, she hesitated for a while, before eventually answering. "... We have none.""Oh, so you guys really went with wild ideas, huh? Well, nothing wrong, but you can't just go 'Tally ho!' on the enemy. Unless you're in Japan, then that's an entirely different story. Now, I will present to you all templates and doctrines by the federation." Cathleen then proceeded to open the case, revealing a stack of book files inside, with different labels. Her hands began to rummage through before pulling out one, colored bright yellow with the label, 'Doctrine and Template Manual'.She then opened it up and proceeded to flip it to the last page, where there was a disc wrapped in plastic, attached to the back cover. She then gently removed the tape, keeping the wrap close before pulling the disc out. "Right, Alan, pull out the electronics.""Right." Alan placed the leather bag on the table, opening it before then pulling out a laptop, a small projector, a few cables, and a tube that is almost the length of the bag."Alright, while he's setting the thingy up. Tell me, how did you all take out an entire Boston College sized company? Even though you were facing Delta Company, they're still somewhat potent.""Well, uh, me and Alisia baited them in while the rest hid somewhere near an open area sort of place, ambushing and stuff." Said Alisia in a low tone. "Jack gave like 90% of the plan.. I'm sorta useless.""Oh, really?" Cathleen nodded, looking back and forth at Alisia and Jack. "Hmm, I see. So no one organized the entire thing alone. Well, that's good! Most of the time I help with guiding schools. It's always one dominant person doing all the stuff."Jack looked towards Alisia, with a confused look. Usually he only sees in popular media people being selfish and taking credit for themselves. Or is it just the media telling him the bad things?"I'm assuming you two share paperwork jobs too?" Cathleen asked, while staring at the two.Alisia immediately lit up at the mention of paperwork and answered without hesitation in a tired tone. "I do all the papers alone..""Oh." Cathleen nodded once more. It was until Alan's voice could be heard that he could be seen finished setting up."Everything's up, Miss Cath." Said Alan, pointing at the small projector connected to the laptop via a cable, projecting a computer screen towards a previously small tube into a mini tabletop projector screen."Ah, thanks Alan." Cathleen then handed over the disc to Alan, in which Alan received it, before then inserting it into the laptop's CD player.Alan then proceeded to go to the file explorer, revealing a new entry on the 'This PC' section of a disc. He then opened it up, revealing a presentation file, which he clicked on. A display appeared; as the file opened, there first saw an opening page with the CTF's symbol, which is similar to the Commonwealth's flag but without the blue background and with a silhouette of a generic tank and an inscription below, displaying the CTF's full acronym."Now, I'm about to present to you a few examples of the doctrines of styles used currently and how it works."Alan pressed on the touchpad, moving through pages after pages of introduction before eventually stopping at a page, showing the title, 'Standard Doctrine'. There were also shown multiple images and illustrations of the doctrine's structure and composition."The standard doctrine. As the name suggests, it is a standard doctrine or style that involves a balanced loadout of tanks. It usually consists of a couple medium or cruiser tanks, usually Shermans, and in some rare occasions, a few Matilda's. All centered around a heavy tank, used usually for brute breakthroughs. The most used type of heavy tank is the Churchill. This loadout is very versatile, as teams can do both offensive and defensive tasks." Cathleen explained to the commanders, before asking. "Any questions before we continue?"Colin raised his hand, which Cathleen noticed. "Yes?""Isn't the Churchill an infantry tank?" Asked Colin."Well, if we want to get technical, yes, it is an infantry tank, as it was meant to be used for that. But in terms of armor, it's a heavy tank. Suitable for frontal assaults. The 57mm sometimes suffices, but some changed it to the 75mm or the 17 pounder. Any more questions?" Cathleen asked once more to the commanders. "No one? Alright then. Onto the next slide, please."Alan pressed on the touchpad, moving the slide to another page. Now showing a page with the title on top saying, 'Mobile Light Force Doctrine'. They showed multiple images and illustrations of the doctrine's structure and composition, similar to the last page."Back then, tankery was one very chaotic sport of cluster mess where people used light nimble tanks, crashing to each other, where back in the day it was anarchy. But almost a century of field trials and research, came in the mobile light force doctrine, or some people may call it the Fort Nelson style as it's frequently used and improved by the Fort Nelson team before they started using heavies." Cathleen explained.The commanders nodded, some were shocked by the revelation of it being developed in their town."Woah.. From our own town?" Isabelle's mouth went agape."Aye, from your own town. Doesn't this town have a museum?" Asked Cathleen to the commanders."Well, it just shows relics of the old town people that once served in wars. I don't know about tankery." Colin explained."Ah, I see." Cathleen nodded. "Anyways, this doctrine or style is also customisable. Frequently used due to the doctrine being budget friendly, but this doctrine isn't suitable for prolonged matches like annihilation, though depending on the tank. Very suitable for flag matches for quick victories as the light tanks only have to aim in taking out the flag tank and for people with guts. Usually comprises tanks like the M24, Crusaders, and the Stuart. Unless your team has the budget to buy the insanely costly tanks from Japan. Now, are there any questions before I continue?"No one raised their hands, Cathleen continued. "Alright then, now into the next doctrine."Alan pressed on the touchpad once more, moving the slide to another page. There is shown the title of the page, 'Heavy Doctrine'. Along with illustrations and images of composition and structure."The heavy doctrine. As the name suggests, the doctrine involves the use of heavy tanks. Best used for both defensive and frontal assault. Used by Nishizumi-styled schools, or maybe schools influenced by it, and schools that are based solely on tankery or schools with huge resources. The budget for this particular doctrine or style is very expensive, and usually requires large members to practice it. Now, any questions?"Beornhelm raised his hand. "What's the Nishizumi style of tankery?""Oh, well. It's a style that first emerged from the late 50's somewhere in Kumamoto. If I remember correctly.. You can find out more about it in the town's digital library or from your computer if you have one." Cathleen cleared her throat. "Now to the next page."Alan pressed once more on the touchpad, but nothing appeared. "Huh, I guess that's all.""Oh, well. I forgot. I guess that concludes today. On Monday we'll be starting field training and some more additional classes in the future." Cathleen then covered her mouth before yawning. "Oh, god, I'm so tired.. Anyways, you're all dismissed."Soon, the commanders began leaving the room. The other students outside the room, in the main area of the large garage where the tanks reside, began leaving as soon as they heard the words that they could go back home. Just as Alisia was about to leave the room, Cathleen called out to her."Oh hey, Missy." Cathleen called out to Alisia."Y-Yes?" Alisia turned back towards the woman, staring up at her, feeling nervous inside. Is Ms. Cath mad at her for biting her hand?Cathleen approached her before leaning down to her height. "I've read the files and reports from the match and training you went through. I gotta say, while you're not perfect, you have quite a decent record. Leaders are not only born, but made. So keep it up."Alisia remained in place, and gave a slow nod back. Cathleen saw her body movement and language, seeing that Alisia's a bit nervous. She then gave a smile and placed her hand on Alisia's shoulder, causing her to flinch slightly, but then Cathleen reassured her. "Relax; I'm not angry with you biting my hand earlier. Besides, you're one cute little ruffian..~" Cathleen patted her head a few times, causing Alisia to blush with embarrassment. "Oh my, quite the soft hair you got. Oh well, off your way then." She patted her shoulder before eventually standing back up. Alisia then turned away from Cathleen, and began making her way out of the room. Cathleen just smiled as Alisia walked away. That girl can make it, somehow."I always forget and ask myself why the committee and the armed forces chose you to be the instructor. It's always your friendliness towards younglings." Alan stated as he was putting things back in the leather bag."Well, what am I supposed to do? Be like the average rude Sergeant Major that yells all the time." Cathleen chuckled, before she suddenly felt a jolt of pain on her. "Ow.. My back..""You good?" Alan looked towards her with a worried look. "You're still like, 32, you know.""Curse Ryanair.. Ugh.. Come on, let's go back to the inn." Cathleen began limping out of the room, followed by Alan with his hands entirely occupied, carrying a leather bag and a suitcase containing the manual books shown earlier._________________________________________________________________________Alisia was at home once more, still flustered after Cathleen showed affection towards her. It sorta reminds her of her mother, though different.She then took off her shoes and placed them on the rack, and began doing what she has been doing basically daily and on Fridays especially. Cleaning the house bit by bit, taking a bath before entering her room with the lights off like she usually does, except this time she went immediately towards the bed, dropping her body like an elephant after being shot with a laced dart.She grabbed onto her pillow, covering herself with the blanket, re-thinking the previous encounter she just had. Biting the young woman's hand, but instead of an angry response, instead she was. Complemented.. She never heard or thought doing something bad ever a good thing.Then her eyes began to flutter, feeling a bit more exhausted than she usually does, rain could begin to fall again to the earth, crashing to her window. Combined with the cold air inside her room, she eventually closed her eyes and fell asleep.
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England, Yorkshire, somewhere near Whitby, 24th of September 2015, 1536 hours:
The clouds were covering the skies that day, wind swirling through the atmosphere, shaking the leaves on the trees and bushes. Somewhere quite remote, away from the town of Whitby, a manor could be seen, bordered by a wall that covered a very large area. The parking area placed right in front of the manor’s entrance was packed with cars of various models. Some Rolls Royce or Bentley’s, or of other brands. The manor and the places were guarded by stacks of men or women dressed in black, each of them having earpieces, communicating with each other for updates and status. A few K-9’s could also be seen in some places. Sharpshooters with their observer buddies could be seen on watchtowers; their rifles hid right below the tower’s walls to keep it concealed. Up in the skies, drones watched over the property, their sensors and cameras rotating around the clock, searching for any abnormalities. Meanwhile, inside the manor itself, inside a room where there were some decors like statues and paintings of the manor’s history, or just some random paintings of scenery scattered across the wall and a TV stand. There was a long wooden Victorian-style oval table, coupled with seats, of which there were multiple people inside, presenting their reports.“- Now for the new investment we’re entering, that is the tankery investment scheme. Our 100 million-dollar investment to British tank-producing companies for tankery. Well, it’s barely making much due to low interest from the public, and the only buyers currently is the Fort Nelson Academy and a few schools in the CTF, as the people would prefer buying American-made tanks by Chrysler, General Motors, Detroit Armoury, Mitsubishi, Kawasaki, Samsung, and very cheap Chinese-made tanks, though with questionable quality. I don’t know why we’re even investing in those companies in England when we could just fund those said companies since it’s a lot safer and less risky. We’re risking losing millions, which, I think we could’ve used to instead fund the veterans or fund the security section since they’re getting a bit overextended instead of using it to invest in a business that’s most likely going to fail-” said one middle-aged man, wearing a grey suit, where there was a nameplate labeled, ‘Head of British Homeland Section’, as he was cut by another middle-aged man wearing a dark blue suit with a nameplate in front of him, labeled, ‘South East Asia Section’. “I object; we must still do what the Overseer commands and demands. Even if it's nearly impossible, we must somehow revive the image of Her Majesty’s Kingdom in this American and eastern-filled hegemony. The dissolution of the Empire was a mistake!” He stated it in a stern and firm tone.“Johnson.” Said the golden-haired elder woman dressed in an office lady-like outfit with a stern voice. “Keep your ranting down and stay civilized, will you? Stevenson, you may continue.”“Well, that’s all I have, Madame.” Said Stevenson as he placed the paper back on the table.“Very well then. Thank you, Stevenson.” She then switched her attention towards the other middle-aged man dressed in dark grey, with a nameplate in front of him, labeled, ‘Head of North American Section’. “Now, John, you’re the last one. Security is it?”“Yes, correct, Madame.” John looked down towards the paper that was prepared by the blonde woman sitting right behind him. “For the pre-end of the year security report. Starting with the global one. Evacuation orders to family members from Zimbabwe with the assistance of QRF 4 and 6 have been largely successful. There were several fatalities, but no deaths. Evacuation will be done in the 30th of September, following the withdrawal or destruction of the rest of our assets in the 32nd. Moving on to the minor events that got into the involvement of the security sector, we managed to assassinate 102 people on the blacklist, people who are involved in blackmailing, sabotage, espionage, family assassinations, and assaults. Mostly assaults. The activation of the space security task force to protect our assets and family members who are living in outer space, especially on the Moon and Mars, and those working on the asteroid chain will now only need to wait for approval from the Head of Economic Sector. Aside from the ceremony, of course.”“I’ll sign it after the meeting is over.” Said Stevenson.“Right. That is all from me, Madame.” John looked towards the elder woman, placing the paper he’s holding back to the table.“Alright then, now that you’ve all delivered your reports... Out of all the reports delivered by all of you so far, the only thing that is concerning is other families trying to defeat us by investing in companies that rival companies that we’re investing in currently since they really want our hegemony to fall to the abyss, and of course the tankery investment plan. Companies like Glasgow Armoury, England Heavy Armoury, and five other companies are going to be facing stiff competition with American, Chinese, and Japanese companies since they’ve been in the market for several decades now. I have to admit, the companies we’re investing in can only produce certain tanks due to the limited licenses they can obtain. Which means they can only produce tanks that are somewhat inferior to the rivals.”“Well, this would be quite a gamble to do. High-risk investment. I don’t know what the Overseer were thinking.” Stevenson commented."Isn’t it obvious? To revive Her Majesty’s image, for goodness sake. A startup of the rebuild of the mighty empire that was once lost-”“Johnson.. Can you please shut up? I wonder how you even got picked as head of the Southeast Asia section with that manner of yours.” John sighed.“Well.. Johnny.” One feminine voice called him out; it came from a dark-haired woman with a nameplate in front of her, labeled, ‘Head of East Asia Section’. “I heard you’re still struggling with bonding with your children.”“Oh, Ms. Himari.” John turned towards her. “It’s... nothing to be concerned about.”“Really? Your first child ran away. Your two other have never talked with you ever since they graduated, and you barely talked with your youngest one.” Himari stared towards him, asking him once more. “Are you sure it’s nothing to be concerned about?” “What? How did you-” John stared back towards the blonde woman sitting on the back, barely staring at him.“You know.. It would be better for me to just raise her. She’s always all alone at home, with barely any friends. Back then she actually got friends and a figure that can lead her while you’re always absent, and has someone to act like her sister when in need while the rest of her siblings wandered off. Until you moved along with her to Saint Francisco we all know what happened.”“Oh, shut up. You’re no better than me; you’re always harsh when it comes to teaching her; tell me, does that daughter of yours still pick up your calls?” John scoffed at Himari.As the two began arguing, the people inside the room stared at them, witnessing the on-going event in front of their eyes.“Who? Margaret? Well, she does, just not every time because she got into some kind of club activity and has friends to talk with. Unlike your messy family. It would’ve been better if Alisia stayed with me instead of you leaving her alone at home doing nothing. Not even allowing your wife to take care of her.” Himari pressed on. “W-Why are you bringing this up?” John was lost of words, unable to counterback Himari’s words. “Why here?”There was silence in the room, as tension grew between the two as they stared at each other. The people inside the room looked towards them in anticipation of what Himari was about to say, until she finally did.“Maria told me about it.” Said Himari. “She’s been saying the same thing a while ago, long before this meeting starts. She’s so worried about the state of affairs between you and your children. She asked- no, begged me to bring this up in this meeting. Isn’t it sad for a child to grow up without a father figure by their side? Hm? Even worse, not letting their wife do their duty raising their child?” John fell silent after Himari’s statement, unable to talk back to what she just said. He just got no words to say after it. Then, after the long silence, the elder woman spoke up, breaking the silence. “Alright, enough with this. I’ve heard about this issue enough among families where parents don’t have the time to raise their children somehow. Now, Johnny, listen to what your cousin just said; she’s right. You need to change and stop focusing on work; it’s not healthy for you and your child. I’ve also received a request from your wife to bring this up at the end of the event, but eh, it seems like Himari decided to bring this up first. I’m going to give you an ultimatum.”John looked towards her, waiting for what she was about to say towards him. She eventually said it. “Since you’ve failed to raise your children well, if you fail to keep it together and not have time to spend it with them, I’ll force you to hand over your youngest child’s custody to someone else. Preferably someone who’s capable enough to raise your child.”Silence filled John once more, unable to mutter a single thing after elder woman’s statement. Cornered and embarrassed by all the people staring at him for his failure that was stated earlier.“You say I’m bad with how I act, but you’re bad at raising children. Pathetic.” Johnson scoffed.“That’s enough. Now, the meeting’s over. Stevenson, you can sign the paper now.” Said the elder woman. A guard appeared, carrying with him a small suitcase. He approached Steven before placing the case on the table, opening it to reveal a single paper inside, which was then placed right in front of him. Stevenson pulled out out a golden pen from his chest pocket, before then signing on the paper.“Done.” Said Stevenson.“Alright then, thank you for attending the pre-end of year family report. See you all later in the end of year family meeting report.” The elder woman dismissed everyone from the room._____________________________________Both John and Maria are back in their car, there was silence between the two as John switched the gears to reverse. Just as he was about to speak, Maria spoke up first.“That was nessecary to do.”“No its not, you know how busy I’ve been lately and I need you to pull some of the weight.” “John, we’ve lost James because of you. William and Lucy don’t even talk with us anymore, and Alisia’s abandoned back home like as if she’s an orphan-”“Well if she’s an orphan, she would’ve been in an orphanage, is she now?” “John, for goodness sake please stop acting like this. I’m tired of having so little time to take care of her. While you.. with your free time use it to try reach up to your dead father-”A hit landed on Maria’s right cheek as John slapped her the moment she mentioned his father being dead. “Don’t you dare say he’s dead.” John was fuming with rage, glaring down at her before he realised of his mistake. Maria on the other hand remained silent, holding the area where he had hit her.Silence filled the car once more as the two stared away from each other. Unable to face eye-to-eye after the hit. Then, after a long silence, Maria spoke up once more in a low tone.“... All I want to say is.. please, don’t let Alisia distance herself away from us like the others. I-I don’t like it when my own children hate me because we don’t give them enough attention.”John remained silent after Maria’s statement, doing nothing for a while. He then released a heavy sigh, and continued driving the car in reverse, before switching the gears once more and rotate the steering wheel, and hitting on the gas, driving the car out from the manor complex.
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Alberta, Fort Nelson, 26th of September 2015, 1015 hours:Clouds continued to cover the skies that day, not letting the sun's ray touch the earth aside from a few pockets allowing light to go through, causing those lights to appear like pillars from heaven. Inside the Harlington residence, the air was cold and only a few lights were on. Alisia was standing in front of the table where a phone set lies. Her hair was a bit wet as she just took a bath after attending club activities for a short while, wearing a long-sleeved shirt with a knee-length skirt with socks and a green blazer."Well, Alisia. Tell me, what does your school's tankery team look like?" One young, excited feminine voice asked her."Well, um, Misses Moley. Uhh, it's good.. I guess? Some tanks and staff.. Some students like myself.." Said Alisia in a stuttery and unamused tone."You don't sound that excited, are you?" Moley asked once more."Well uhh.." Alisia remained silent for a few seconds, struggling to answer the question asked towards her. "A bit..""A bit? Mind elaborate on that?" Moley asked for more clarification from the words Alisia just said.Alisia remained quiet for a while, being somewhat afraid to answer, until eventually she does. "Well, uhh, I just don't like being the commander..""Huh? What do you mean by that?" Moley's tone turned to that confusion."... I was picked by a pencil." Alisia explained further."A pencil? Huh, where have I heard this before.. But besides that, damn. Sucks to be you. Have you ever asked to deny the position or were you forced?" Moley asked once more, with a worried tone."... I don't know Misses Moley.. There's just something that... uhh.. makes me cannot speak up." Alisia explained. "I just can't say it for some reason.""Oh, I see. Well, there are many people I met out there who never complain about them being the commander of a tankery team; they like it. They even go into nerd mode when it comes to talking about tankery, tanks, and all that stuff related. But never in my life has someone said while being on a tankery team that they don't want to be the commander.""It should've not been me.. Maybe someone else like Jack; he's in the weapons club before in middle school. Going on hunting events and stuff, he's capable.""Huh, even recommending others. Is this just because you're all being Canadian or-" Moley could be heard giggling on the line. "Oh, sorry. But yeah, you're different than the ones I usually talk with. Trust me, you'll like the position later in the future.""I hope so.. Misses Moley.""Oh, please, don't call me Misses; I'm still 17, just a year older than you."Then, a knock could be heard from the door entrance. Alisia stared at the source of the sound, feeling both confused and curious who was coming to her house."Uhh, I have to go. I think there's a guest coming.""Huh, ok then. Goodluck."Alisia placed the handset back in its place. She then stood up and began making her way towards the door where it was knocked earlier. "Coming!"Alisia went down to the lower level floor, putting on the sandals placed below, and reached towards the door and used the key placed on the cabinet to unlock it. She then opened the door, where cold wind entered inside the house, and there was revealed a middle-aged man with dark brown hair, wearing a polo shirt with trousers and boots. She observed his appearance from bottom to top; his appearance is somewhat familiar."Who you might be, Mister?" Asked Alisia, unaware of the man's identity in front of her.The man stared down at her with a look without expression, staying quiet for a few seconds after Alisia asked for his identity. Inside his mind, he was conflicted on what answer he should give; he wants to just tell her that he's her father, but the guilt from not seeing her for a long while got up to him. He was conflicted for a few seconds, until he decided to speak up. "Oh, well, uhh. I'm John Harlington.""Mister.. John?" Alisia thought for a while. "I have a lot of relatives named John; sorry, I can't remember you." Alisia's torso leaned down for a bow, apologizing in a sincere tone.The man stared at her, with a look of disappointment on his face. He immediately shook his head and spoke up to her once more. "Well, uh, yeah. But anyway, your father told me to bring you out to help with socializing at the town's event." He struggled saying the word 'father'.Alisia's body froze in place, feeling something weird inside her at the mention of the word father. It's been a while since she ever had a father figure in her life. "I have a father?""Well, you sure do have a father, like all children, dead or alive, Missy." John struggled with saying the last word, wanting to call her by her name, but the guilt was immense within him."And also, the town's event?" Alisia thought once more of what John was talking about. "Hmm.. Oh, are you talking about the... uhh.. hunting event?""Well, yes. He said something about trying to get you out of the shell. You're not doing anything else at home aside from being in bed and playing with your computer, eh?""Huh..?" Alisia stared up at him with a look of confusion at the man's knowledge about her activity. "How do you know?"John stayed quiet after the question Alisia just asked towards him, his body frozen and unable to move, stuck in the situation, trying to answer her question without sounding or looking weird."Usually only Mrs. Carter looks after me. Does she.. tell you that?""Oh, how silly. Kids nowadays play with their computers and stay inside their rooms all day. Now, how about you get yourself prepared? We're going to the firing range to get you ready for the day, haha..""Eh? Uhh.." Alisia thought once more. "But..""But?" John was confused by Alisia's response."I... don't know how to hunt." Said Alisia in a low tone."Well, that's ok. I'll guide you, but of course, we'll get you prepared in the firing range first.""Oh." Alisia nodded, but then she asked him again. "What's a firing range again?""Ah, I knew you'd ask this. Well, basically, it's where you practice using guns. It's somewhere near the town center. The event's going to be next weekend, so while waiting for it, let's sharpen your skills to shoot."Alisia looked up, thinking whether she should come with him or not. Well, he does look familiar, but she doesn't know who he is. The morning club activity was tiring enough, and she felt the urge to say no. But then, she's the commander; she got to set a good image in front of the team so that they'd put trust in her and not repeat the mistakes in the previous match."Sure." Alisia nodded."Splendid! Well, get your stuff. Like medicine if you have some sort of condition, some spare clothes maybe, and a canteen." Said John.Alisia nodded before going back to the house and towards the kitchen, going back to grab just a drinking bottle if she had one, even since she rarely ever went out of her house. The last time she went out of her house was during middle school, during a field trip visiting someplace for outside study. She continued rummaging through the kitchen shelves while trying not to touch the fragile dishes and glasses, and there she found it-a blue non-transparant Tupperware bottle. She then grabbed it before going over to the sink, filling it with water before going back towards the door."Ready." Said Alisia."You sure? No clothes or anything?" asked John as he saw her only holding a bottle of water."No need. Not like I'll get sweaty or dirty or anything, right?" Alisia looked up towards him, asking for confirmation."Well, who knows if you fell down? There's going to be plenty of puddles in the city with this kind of weather.""I'll be fine, Uncle John." Alisia reassured."If you say so." John then turned towards the rover parked just beside the road, with its door open and key on the starter. He proceeded to switch the keys, turning it on, before going over the back seat and opening it. "Hop on in."Alisia came over after locking the door and wearing her shoes, with the houses' keys in her skirt pocket, holding her bottle of water still, and climbed up the steps before reaching the seats and sitting down. John then closed the door before going back to the driver's seat and closing his door. He then switched on the gears, pulling down the brakes, and hit on the gas, moving the car forward and away from the house.______________________________________________Fifteen minutes passed, and the car had entered the town center, where there were few activities on the streets, yet activity was packed inside the stores, with cars could be seen parked on the sideroad parking spots. The inside of the car was warm, with the front and doorside heaters being produced by the car.Alisia was sitting there near the door, the height of the window barely reaching over her shoulders, looking over the almost empty, cold sidewalks. She then sat up on her knees on the seat, looking over to the back to see two bags of the same size with a long shape, coloured in khaki."Uncle John, what are these bags?" Asked Alisia as she sat back, looking over John that was driving the car.John looked at her through the rear-view mirror upon hearing her question before then answering. "Ah, there's guns inside; I figured that the guns would be of use, but then halfway to your house, I remembered that-I mean, your father told me you never used a gun before."Alisia nodded once hearing his words and went silent, going back to see the street out of boredom. Then, she saw on the right, the long street section full of stores disappeared, and there stood a large parking lot with, she guessed, ⅓ of the parking spot filled up with cars after a quick look, and a long square building with a shining board hanging near the entrance."We're here." John drove the car towards the parking lot before settling down on an empty spot, far from the rest of the cars, before pulling the brakes.Alisia then grabbed onto the door handle, pulling it, causing the door to open. She then slid down from the seat and towards the ground, her shoes splashing into the small puddle of water below. She inhaled the air outside; it sure felt somewhat different to her, feeling everything was new around her despite, well, living in the town for years already."Right, let's go." Said John after he turned off the car's engine.The two walked side by side towards the building ahead; the wind was blowing from the west of the site, where it flew through their skin. Alisia was shivering as she felt as if the wind blew over her skin despite being pretty much covered, aside from half her legs."You should've worn warmer clothes," said John."Y-Yeah, I know.." Alisia cuddled close to her bottle.The two eventually arrived at the doorstep of the building. John opened the door to let Alisia in first. Alisia entered inside, and the air temperature changed drastically from cold to warm. She first saw a bunch of shelves full of unloaded tagged guns, gear, and other items, and the cashier placed glass tables with wheels where boxes of ammunition could be seen inside. The place was also packed with people inside, some families and old people doing their own business, with the old people being seen mostly armed with the Smle rifle, with the bolts pointed upwards. There were also some deafening gunshots heard.Alisia then looked around to look for John, and she spotted him near a table, writing something with a stationary pen on a piece of paper. She walked towards him, looking closer at the table before asking. "What are you writing, Uncle John?"John looked down towards Alisia before answering. "Ah, these? Waiver papers, usual stuff." Then he looked back towards the paper, signing on the paper before looking at the young staff lady wearing the firing range's staff shirt with jeans. "All done."The staff lady then took the waiver paper, nodding. "Right, Mr. Harlington. I'm guessing you're taking your child for her first time?" Asked the staff."Ah, no! She's my.. niece. Her.. father told me to bring her to the firing range to prepare for the upcoming community hunting event next week." Said John, stuttering in some of the words he just said."Ah! The hunting event. There have been a lot of families that came over here since morning." She then leaned down towards Alisia. "Tell me, young lady, is this your first time at the firing range?"Alisia flinched back by a few inches after the sudden approach. She hesitated for a moment before answering. "Y-Yes, Miss." She still clung to her bottle."Oh, well." The staff stood back up. "Well, sir. She definitely can only use the 22lr's. That's the only calibre of gun that is suitable for her for now, and the hunting usually requires something like the .303 or .308's since.. You know, a deer won't drop with 22-lr guns, nor will a bear.""I'm aware. But hey, no harm in trying and training, yeah? At least if she isn't ready, she's ready for the next one.""Right.. Oh! I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Mia; I hope we get along. Now, with me please." Mia guided both of them towards a doorless room, where other people could be seen inside the room, and other staff could be seen giving guides to people who appeared to be new to guns, since there were also other staff teaching them. Just like what Alisia was going to do."So, what are we doing now?" Asked Alisia."Well, getting you familiar with how to handle guns, small ones first before going with the big ones." John explained.The staff then went towards a table where she took a Browning Hi Power coloured blue with an orange tip inside a polymer hostler before turning towards Alisia, where she pulled it out, pointing it at the ground."Right, Miss Harlington. Now I shall first introduce you to the rules of firearm safety. First rule: always treat your gun as if it is loaded and ready to fire, and check the conditions of the firearm because you never know there's a bullet inside the chamber." Mia then pressed on a switch, which caused the magazine of the gun to drop down. "Right here is how to empty a gun; you first drop the magazine and then..." She cocked the slide of the Hi Power. "You pull the slide like this; a bullet would pop out from the chamber, and do it two times. After that, check the chamber of the gun inside." She then kneeled down to her height, showing the inside of the chamber. "Do you see any bullets inside?"Alisia took a closer look; she saw nothing inside and then shook her head. "No, Miss.""Right. Here, try doing what I just did." Mia inserted the magazine back into the pistol, cocking the slide before handing it towards Alisia. "Don't worry, it's filled with rubber bullets. But still, imagine as if it is a real gun."Alisia nodded. She placed the bottle down the floor before taking the gun from her; her hands felt the surface of the gun being made out of metal and the weight of it. She then tried cocking the gun's slide, but she ended up aiming it upwards, with the barrel pointing towards the staff."Eits! Missy, don't forget what I just said. Keep the gun pointed to the floor." Mia scolded her before shoving the gun down. "Also you forgot to release the magazine; now try doing it again."Alisia flinched when the staff scolded and shoved the gun down, scared a bit. She nodded before pressing on the switch, causing the magazine to drop from the gun, before trying to pull the slide back while trying to keep it pointed to the ground. Then, after a few seconds of struggle, she managed to cock the slide back fully, of which a rubber bullet popped out from inside, before releasing it."Good! One more, you can do this." Mia motivated her.Alisia then pulled the slide of the gun again, attempting to cock it for the second time, and in just a few seconds, she managed to do it once more, in which a clicking sound could be heard after the gun was fully cocked."Good! Now, next step, you know what to do, right?"Alisia nodded and proceeded to cock the gun once more, getting more used to pulling the slide, still pointing the gun down but without realising it was pointed at her feet."Watch your feet, Missy." Said Mia in a stern and scolding tone.Alisia flinched after hearing the voice; she was confused about what she really meant by watching her own feet."Your barrel's pointed at your feet; you're going to put holes on it if you keep the barrel pointed there."Alisia's eyes widened, and she lifted the gun until the tip of its barrel was no longer pointing at her feet, before then checking the inside of the barrel, in which she saw an empty chamber. Mia leaned in close to her to see the result of Alisia's work, checking in to see the chamber being empty."Ah, good job," said Mia in a complimenting tone and gave her a smile before standing back up. "Now, basically, that's how to empty most pistols around here. However, revolvers are a different story. But eh, only the oldies use them around here, and they're harder to control anyways, or do you want to know also?"Alisia thought for a moment about whether she should try stuff with the revolver or not. Well, she kind of wants to get things over with, so she shook her head, replying in a polite tone. "No thanks, maybe in other times.""Right.. Now, the next rule. Guns are.. How should I say this? Ah! They're like a child of a very protective parent, and their parents always keep them at home, also known as hostlers. You must keep them inside with safety on, or else some people with their naughty hands would mess around with it. Got it?"Alisia nodded at her explanation. "Yes, Miss.""Right, now for the next rule. Keep your fingers off the trigger." The staff proceeded to showcase her a demonstration, where she held the gun with her fingers placed somewhere near the slide. "Like this, until you have your target in sight, keep it off the trigger. Place the finger you use to fire the gun at the slide. Now try." She handed the gun back towards Alisia.Alisia took the gun before then doing as she instructed, where she gripped her hands on the firearm, but instead of placing her finger on the slide, her finger went lower and near the trigger."No, no, no! Keep your fingers on the slide; putting it down like this would cause you to fire the gun accidentally." Mia leaned in before moving Alisia's finger, which was just beside the trigger, into the slide. "I know, it's a bit stiff at first, and after shooting it can get a bit tiring, but you'll have to get used to it.""Oh." Alisia nodded once more in understanding."The last one would be to never aim the gun at something you don't intend to destroy. Keep your hands off the barrel and never ever aim at people; keep it down. Now, let's try to simulate firing a gun. Since this is just a prop gun with rubber bullets, I'll let you do it and see if you heard what I just said."Mia then proceeded to place the gun back inside the hostler. She then grabbed a belt and attached the hostler to it with a small hook before leaning down and putting it on Alisia's hip. She then walked off towards a target paper, which she then hung near a table."Now, look over here." She clasped her hands together to gain her attention. "This is your target; keep your eyes on it. Now, I want you to pull the gun out very carefully. Remember what I just said, make sure to not point the barrel over yourself."Alisia then reached her hand down towards the grip, where she began pulling the gun out in a slow manner, carefully lifting it, and kept the barrel pointed away before then aiming towards the target in front of her."Right.. Lean closer to the iron sight, but not too close. It's the thing with three bars with one bar in the middle aiming at the target. Do you see it?"Alisia leaned closer to the iron sight, following what she was instructed, leaning her head down, close to the iron sight that's aiming at the red target ahead."Now, use both your hands and hold the grip."Alisia then used both of her hands to grip, as instructed, but her index finger was just beside the trigger. Mia took notice of this but did not call her out yet."Right.. Now to fire the gun. You got the sights on the target? I recommend you using only one eye to aim."Alisia nodded, staying quiet; her breathing was a bit heavy. She closed her left eye, leaving her with only her right eye."Take a deep breath, Missy." Mia ordered."You can do this." John assured her.Alisia took a deep breath; her eyes were closed for a moment before opening."Right, if you have your eyes on the target, finger on the trigger. Don't forget to turn off the safety; it's somewhere near the magazine discharge button."Alisia then placed her index finger on the trigger, yet pressing on it. She looked over at the gun, looking for the safety button Mia mentioned at the location she was told. She continued looking before eventually finding it, turning the toggle down from safe to false, and aiming the gun back up."Squeeze the trigger."Alisia began putting pressure on the trigger, pulling it back to the edge until a clicking sound could be heard."Nice work; now return it back to the hostler."Alisia released a sigh of relief; it felt like she was firing one, though she wondered what it feels like firing one for real. She then lowered the gun back to the hostler without realising that the barrel hovered over her hands while it. The gun then finally was back on the hostler."Now, for the mistakes you made. You did good at the start, but you did not place your index finger on the slide and instead beside the trigger, and you just pointed the barrel at your own hand. That action would've cost you a hole in your hand. Now, let's repeat it once more."Ehh!? Ugh.." Alisia groaned after being told to do it once more; she released a heavy sigh before nodding.The process repeated once more, as Alisia did the exact same thing as ordered. Multiple errors happened, causing her to repeat it, which also caused frustration to build inside her; it was stressful."Good job! Well, onto the next part.""There's more?!" The frustrating basic training was very frustrating for Alisia. Having forgotten and repeating the parts she went through. Though she should know all of it by now. Right?"To the firing range. Are you ready?" asked Mia.Alisia nodded. "Maybe.""Don't force yourself; we can do this next Saturday if you want."Alisia hesitated. She then turned up towards John, giving a stare as if asking whether she should do it or not.John noticed her stare and just raised her shoulders. "Up to you, Missy."Alisia thought once more whether she should try shooting or not. It was until an unexpected voice called her."My.. Miss Harlington, is that you?" A familiar voice could be heard from behind.Alisia turned back to see a woman wearing trousers with a sweater. "Misses Smith..?"Accompanying Cathleen was a young man beside him, Alan, who was wearing long pants with a shirt."You can call me by my first name you know. Anyways, do you go here regularly?" Asked Miss Cathleen as she got close."Uhh.. no. This is my first day here." Alisia answered, looking up at her.Cathleen then stared towards John, who was still observing. "And you must be...""Ah, well. I'm her uncle. Her.. father told me to bring her to the firing range for the community event that'll happen soon." John explained."Oh." Cathleen nodded, but then she asked another question. "What community event?""Hunting, sometimes done at the end of the month." He answered."Oh, I see... Why doesn't her father do it with her instead of you?" Cathleen asked once more."Well uhh.." John thought of the answer, thinking for a while before then answering. "He's... busy. He has lots of work overseas.""Ah, ok then." Cathleen nodded."What are you doing here, Ms. Cathleen?" Asked Alisia."Well, I heard the firing range's open for everyone, including outsiders, and that we only need to pay for munitions, and I heard it's cheap to buy it around here. So, I want to check it out with him." Cathleen pointed towards Alan. "Just signed the papers, and the staff told us to go here.""I could've gone with the other folks and not you.." Alan grunted."Oh, young man, when was the last time you shot a firearm?""What? Does shooting cannons not count as shooting firearms?""Nah, you're shooting with me. Don't worry, I'll pay for all the things!"Then, another familiar voice could be heard."Huh, Miss Cathleen, you're here?"Cathleen, Alan, and Alisia stared towards the familiar voice to see Jack standing over there, wearing long trousers with a plain top, bringing with him a long leather bag."Ah! Hello there. Well yes, I am. Do you go here regularly?" Asked Cathleen."Well.. yes, I do. Trying to sharpen myself for next week's community event." Jack replied."My, someone as young as you hunting, hm? But aren't you still a high schooler, though? Where's your parents?" Asked Cathleen."Ah, he's still signing some waivers." He pointed his index finger towards the outside of the room."Oh, I see."Then, the staff interrupted after a short encounter between the four. "Ok then, well, Mr. Harlington? Ms. Harlington? Mind if you two?""Right-" John suddenly felt a ring from within his pockets. He rummaged through with his hand before then pulling out a cellphone. He then checked the screen; someone was calling. He then leaned it close to him, answering the call. "Yes? What's the problem?"Alisia looked up towards him, wondering who John might be answering to. She then forgot something-her bottle. She then looked around at the floor before spotting her bottle and went walking to grab it."Can't you handle it? Christ.. Alright, I'll be back." John placed his phone back in his pocket and looked at the staff. "Uhh, Miss. I have something to do. Mind if I hand her over to you?"Mia shook her head. "I cannot. Sorry sir, but parents or their guardians must be with their children at all times.""Oh hey, Mr. Harlington." Cathleen approached John. "I can register her under me. Don't worry, I can take care of her."John turned towards Mia, "Can she?""Well.. I mean sure. Do you know her?" Asked Mia."Just now, but she's quite familiar with her, so that's enough." Said John."Man, this town sure is this trusty." She muttered.John heard her words, taking notice of her words before asking, "You're not from here, are you?""Hm? Oh, I transferred work here from Ontario yesterday since people told me that this municipality has some kind of special autonomy in northern Alberta. This job is just a side job; my main job is as an accountant in an oil company.""Heh, well, you're not wrong with that part, but it just happens that people here have lots of automatics and sawed-offs before 1977.""But isn't the prime minister trying to disarm it though?""That's where the special autonomy power comes in. You know, not many people know this kind of topic since, well, who would care about some municipality in some of the most remote parts of the country anyways?"As the two continued talking, Jack was staring at Alisia with a look of confusion and wondering, what was she doing here? Was she here to shoot too? He then walked up towards her from the rear before calling her up."Oi."Alisia turned back towards Jack. "Yes?""Why are you here? I thought you're never interested in shooting." Asked Jack."Eh? Uhh.." Alisia thought, she had forgotten why she came to the place in the first place due to the frustration of the firearms safety she had undergone just minutes ago. Wait, what were the four rules again? Was it four? Her eyebrows furrowed from frustration. She then just answered vaguely."Stuff.""What stuff? You have bad short-term memory or what?"".. Maybe.""You're insufferable..""Maybe..""Ugh.." Jack walked off from the room, muttering and grunting under his breath. "God, why is she even the commander?"_________________________________________________________________________In a room with a long concrete wall desk facing against a metal door with a 'Keep Door Closed at All Times!' sign attached to it, Mia could be seen handing down Alisia protection glasses and ear muffs to her."Here, put these on.""Thank you." Alisia took the two items before putting them on.Mia then turned towards Cathleen and Alan, who just wore the protection glasses and ear muffs. "You two ready?""Ready," said Cathleen and Alan, each responding just seconds apart."Right, into the chamber." Mia instructed and picked up two large, long black bags and a small bag, holding them all by the strap. She then headed over towards the metal door. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot." She lifted a walkie-talkie from her pocket, leaning it close to her before pulling the PTT pressure, activating it. "Hey, mind if anyone checks if someone's coming from the other side?"<< "Yeah, checking right now." >>Alisia heard the conversation Mia just had through the walkie-talkie; she was curious about the request Mia just asked. Just as she was about to speak up to her, Mia turned towards her. "Right, I almost forgot again, damnit. Oh well, uhh.. So here's another few rules in the firing range. Keep the doors closed; keep those gears on unless you want to lose your hearing and your eyes; shoot only in your lane; and remember to keep your guns pointed down the range. In addition with the other rules I've taught."<< "Someone's coming in." >>Then, the door opened to reveal a family of three with long leather bags on their shoulders, walking towards the desk while talking off their protective glasses and ear muffs before placing it down."Right, now's our turn; with me, please."The four then entered the chamber. The room was entirely covered with soundproof pads, with no gaps between the pads. Alisia looked around the tight, small room. A bit tight for her to breathe comfortably. Some gunshots could be heard, but only sounding like a metal wall being hit in a padded room. Mia then closed the metal door."What we're about to enter is a hostile environment; anything could happen, so be very careful with what you're doing. It's very loud inside, like real loud, so I advise you not to take your ear muffs off. Now, you ready?"Alisia gave a short nod. Mia saw this and opened the door. Gunshot sounds could be heard louder than before the door was opened, a cold breeze could be felt being blown from the AC, and a long corridor of stalls filled with people could be seen doing their own activity. Burnt gunpowder could be smelled across the room. Alisia coughed up after breathing in the sharp smell, and in response, she covered her mouth and nose. The feeling was very different than being in a tank. It was less louder and very smelly, and breathing inside was a bit harder.Mia looked down on Alisia, noticing her struggling in the environment. "Strange, the ventilation here is always above standards.. Is it the smell?"Alisia looked up towards Mia and nodded, still covering her mouth and nose."Ah! I see. Well, you'll get used to it."After walking the long row of mostly low-level stalls, Mia eventually stopped and placed the three bags on a wall desk that was facing against the stalls. "Ms. Cathleen, Mr. Bridgeman, your arms are here in the black bags. Do you need some training for it?"Cathleen walked towards the bag on the desk, unzipping it to reveal a gun with a wooden grip, stock, and safeguard, with a thick barrel and a wooden handle. Its breech was stuffed with a flag. "My, a heavy-barreled FN FAL. Close to what the blokes back home showed me.""Yep, and it's automatic, so have fun with it. The magazine's empty, so if you want to load it, the vending machine is over there." Mia pointed her hand towards what seemed to be a vending machine with ammunition of varying calibers inside, from small to big."Automatic? Don't have those back home; all the stuff there is semi-automatic." Cathleen remarked.Alan approached the vending machine, looking at the prices. "These things are... a lot cheaper than I thought. 20 dollars for a box?""Well, you can thank the guy who funded a lot of money towards transports and infrastructure and the community. He sure loves throwing money into this town." Said Mia before looking back towards Alisia. "Now, the next lesson would be the real thing. Do you remember what you've learned so far?""Uhh.." Alisia turned her head away from Mia's gaze. "Yesn't.""Hah? Pardon me? Oh well, you probably already know it. Now, take this." Mia handed over a small bag to Alisia. "Take stall 12, and we'll be starting our lesson."Alisia took the bag and looked up at her, nodding before then walking towards the stall with the label number 12."Right, uhh.. first step: place the bag down, make sure the barrel is pointed down the range. It shouldn't be too hard knowing where the barrel is."Alisia followed as instructed, placing the bag down on the stall. Looking at the shape of the bag, she could see where the barrel of the gun is and pointed it towards the range."Now, unzip the bag."Alisia proceeded to unzip the bag to reveal a gun entirely different than the prop Hi-power Browning pistol used for training earlier. It has a pipe-shaped upper body, and it was smaller. It also has an odd-looking slide, which she assumed needs to be pulled instead of the half-upper body being slid. She could also see the chamber being stuffed with an orange-colored object."That's the Ruger 22 Mk. III pistol. The recoil should be good enough for you to handle, and it only requires you to pull the... uhh.. Rear slide. Now, there's a magazine inside, empty. You have some toonies in your pocket?""Eh? Uhh.." Alisia thought for a moment, she never really used coins or any physical money for purchases since, well, everything she usually asks directly to her parents and has them pay for it. Rarely does she ever go outside either. "Uhh, no.""Not even a single toonie? Have you ever been given a single loonie even?""What's a toonie? Or a loonie?""Y-You don't know what those terms mean?" Mia tilted her head."Uhh, no. Can you please explain..?" Asked Alisia in a low tone, muffled by the gunshots around them."What? Can't hear you! Oh well, I'll be nice today." Mia reached down to her jeans' pockets, pulling out three pieces of $2 coins before handing them to her. "Take these and go buy a box of 22lr's."Alisia looked at the coins, taking them, and gave the coins a look before nodding at the request. She then walked towards the vending machine Mia pointed earlier. Upon reaching it, she saw lots of munitions being displayed with the tag price, all of them having a price not exceeding 40 dollars. She then looked down towards the 22lr's, which cost only 6 dollars per box, the exact amount Mia gave to her. She inserted the coins into the hole before then pressing the button on the 22LR.A thud could be heard from inside the dispenser. Alisia reached her hand inside and through the small door, taking out a 6x4-sized cardboard box. It felt a bit heavy for her hands. She gave it a good shake, leaning it close to her ears, checking the content. She could feel the content being loose and shaking, not tight. Just as she was still checking, Jack appeared with a straight face, staring straight at her."... What are you doing?" Asked Jack while still staring down at her."Eh?" Alisia turned her head back towards Jack, gazing up at him. "Oh, hi.""Looking at you shaking that ammo box makes me want to die." Jack slapped his own face in disappointment. "You look like an idiot..""What? I'm just checking." Alisia then looked towards Mia and walked back towards her. "I'm back."Mia looked down at her. "Took you a while." She crouched down to her level. "You seriously don't know what a toonie is? Or a loonie even?"Alisia shook her head. "I usually ask my parents if I need or want anything, and I rarely or barely ever buy stuff myself." She answered in a low tone."... gosh, you're so sheltered. Do you even have friends?" Asked Mia."Uh..." Alisia thought for a moment before nodding."That.. delay.. You don't really have a friend, do you?""I.. do?"Mia sighed; she then stood back up. "Alright then, now start unpacking the box and get the magazine." She pointed at the empty magazineAlisia nodded and turned her attention towards the box. She first took off the tapes that were holding the box's opening together, placing the waste on the table to be disposed of later. She then pulled the slide out to reveal 5 rows of 22lr bullets, each row having 10 bullets each. After that, she eyed towards the bag of the gun, eyeing at the empty magazine, before grabbing it out."Good, now to load it in. Hold the magazine and keep your thumb on the follower button right here." Mia pointed at the button placed in the long hollow area. "You push it down just a bit and insert the bullets one by one. You press down the button every time you load in a single bullet. Got it?"Alisia heard through the instructions being told by Mia, hearing closely amid the gunshots in the background. She nodded."Now try doing what I just said." Said Mia.Alisia proceeded to grab a bullet from the box with her one free hand, while the other hand was pressing down the follower button. She then proceeded to insert the bullet in before sliding the follower button once more and grabbing another bullet to be inserted in, and again, small noises of metal being scratched could be heard as Alisia pulled the follower button down, pushing the spring inside down. The process continued until 10 bullets were inserted, being the maximum capacity of the magazine itself."Good, now.. Ah, I almost forgot. Please wait here; I forgot to take the target paper." Mia left Alisia and headed towards the door.Alisia saw as Mia left the scene, leaving her alone in the scene. She then looked over to the other stall, where she could see Cathleen with the FN FAL; her body was rigid, her right leg being forward while her other leg being backwards. Her right hand was holding tight on the grip, fingers yet on the trigger area. Her left hand was holding on to the wooden handguard. Her breathing was steady, and her eyes were looking straight at the iron sight that was aiming at a target that was a metal sheet with a target paper attached to it that was around 500 meters away.Without a warning, she placed her finger on the trigger, immediately squeezing on it, causing the rifle to release off bullets into the air and to the target ahead, of which Alisia was guessing it was a few hundred meters away. Cathleen was squeezing the trigger in short bursts, firing 3 to 4 bullets in a single burst. Bullets could be seen falling from the gun's chamber, and in just seconds the floor was littered with empty casings.Alisia looked in awe at the many bullets being fired off in less than a few seconds. Then, the rifle ceased to fire; instead, there could be only heard clicking sounds. Without a second spared, Cathleen went on to press on the switch, causing the magazine to loosen off. She took the empty magazine off and took another magazine filled with bullets from the stall, loading it in and cocking the chamber, before firing the rifle once more in short bursts.The amount of automatic sound produced from Cathleen's stall gave attention to the people surrounding, causing a crowd to gather, as they were distracted or interested from the large volume of bullets being fired in automatic fire."Damn, who's that woman over there?""Who's firing automatic that long?""It's so loud over there."Then there was silence once more as the magazine was drained. Cathleen dropped the empty magazine back to the stall and grabbed one last full magazine into the rifle and went on firing the gun in long bursts once more.Jack approached from the rear, looking over Cathleen, who was shooting like a mad lady. Never had he ever seen or heard automatic fire this long. People around here shoot one-shot intervals most of the time."Do people around here never see someone firing this long?" Asked Alan from behind, his rifle placed on the stall with its magazine off.Jack turned towards Alan. "Eh, no. Most of the people here own semi-automatic guns. Only a few have it here, including the firing range. Those types of guns are not really popular around here since they're expensive and hard to get.""Huh.. I see."Then, after a few seconds, the magazine ran dry once more. Cathleen ceased and lowered the rifle, setting the switch to safe, and placed it down the stall. She then reached her hand to the toggle on the circuit box that was attached to the right barrier, the barrier which separated her stall with the other stalls, pressing it downwards, which caused the crane that was holding the target paper to move towards her stall.The crane eventually stopped right in front of the stall, taking a minute to arrive. The paper showed off the result of Cathleen's shooting. The majority of the bullet holes could be seen right near the center of the dot in the middle. The crowd looked at the paper in amazement."That's one accurate automatic fire over there.." Said one spectator, staring at the target paper, looking at the results of her shooting.The crowd clapped at the performance Cathleen just did, clapping at the results. Cathleen turned her head back, feeling odd as she heard no more gunshots in the long room, only to see a crowd behind her."What is happening?" Cathleen was oblivious to what was happening at that moment.Alisia looked as the crowd continued clapping and saying words of compliment towards Cathleen, feeling somewhat jealous. It was until she heard her name being called out from behind."Miss Alisia!" Mia could be seen approaching Alisia with some target papers on her hand. "I have some ready here. Mind if you step aside?"Alisia looked up towards Mia, looking at the item that was in her hands, before nodding and stepping out from her stall. Mia leaned in towards the stall, pulling the toggle on the right barrier, causing the crane that was holding a metal sheet to lurch forward at a fast speed, before stopping right in front of the table. She then proceeded to unclip the clip on the metal sheet and placed the paper on the surface of the sheet before clipping both surfaces together."There.." Mia pushed the toggle up to the indicator that was written on the board circuit, setting it 50 meters. The crane immediately dragged the metal sheet back, moving at rapid speed before stopping at its intended place and range. "Right! Let's get started. Your target is up ahead over there; the distance is 50 meters. Remember your training and stay calm. Now, take your firearm."Alisia heard the words of instructions being told to her. She then lifted the ruger from the stall, all while keeping the barrel pointed down the range, doing as she had been taught just a while ago. Both her hands were holding tight on the ruger's grip, and her breathing was growing uneasy. She can feel her palm getting wet despite the AC's that were cooling the shooting range. She doesn't know why it was sweating, but the texture on the gun's grip helped with keeping the grip tight."Now, take a stance."Alisia moved her right leg forward, with her left leg going slightly backwards, her body forming the shape of an upside-down Y letter. She kept her eyes on the gun, making sure that it was pointing towards the ground and making sure it was not pointed to even an inch of her limb."Take aim, safety's off, and keep your fingers off the trigger if you're not steady yet."Alisia lifted the gun up and used one of her fingers to turn the safety to false, and both her hands continued holding tight onto the grip. She can feel her hands shaking from her nervousness that was building inside due to the growing tension of her about to shoot the firearm."Stay calm; take a deep breath." Mia leaned down to Alisia's level and straightened her body, fixing her posture to be more straight.Alisia flinched from the sudden touch, feeling even more nervous as she felt her body was being touched; her body was feeling sensitive for whatever reason."Gee, stay calm, will you? Or do you need to drink?" Mia looked into Alisia with a look of worry on her face."I-I'm fine.""Nope, you're definitely not fine." Mia released a sigh and lowered the gun Alisia was holding. "Your grip was shaky; you'll hurt yourself if you hold it like that. Let's just take a rest, ok?""O-Ok.." Alisia released a sigh before placing the gun down the stall, keeping the barrel pointed down the range, and toggling the safety back to safe."Heh, too nervous to fire?" Jack's teasing voice could be heard from behind.Alisia turned her body towards him, confused by what was just said by him. "Yes?""I managed to fire a full magazine on my first try. I can probably now even beat that old man over with his silly old rifle there." Jack pointed towards a gray-haired man wearing a line-patterned long-sleeved shirt with a short-sleeved sweater, long dark trousers and black shoes, and a beret cap, who was laying a Lee Enfield on his right shoulder."Excuse me, young man?" The old man gave him a stare with a smirk. "That sounds like a challenge you just said to me!""Ha, you're old! I doubt you can shoot straight!" Said Jack in a high arrogant tone."Yikes..""Here we go again..""Oh, ya cheeky." The old man looked over to Mia before asking her out loud, "Young lady, mind if ya?"Mia nodded before walking towards the circuit box near the soundproof chamber; that was the entrance/exit. She opened it to reveal multiple large switches inside. She pushed one of them down, causing the room to go dark, followed by dim lights lighting the room. The cranes lifted all of the metal sheets up before each pulling down cardboard targets shaped like the upper torso of a man, all of them yet having holes inside.The old man went to one of the stalls and took off his sweater, revealing a webbing beneath with pouches. He opened one of the pouches, revealing multiple strips of munitions inside, and pulled out one of them. He lifted the rifle up before bolting up the bolt of his smlee and loading in the loaded strip filled with munitions, before shutting the bolt and bolting it once more. The lights suddenly started flashing, which would cause a seizure to anyone who might have epilepsy.Bright yellow lights could be seen, followed by the sounds of gunpowder being ignited from the shell as they were blown up from within the chamber by the ignitor. There was only a short moment where the lights showed the old man's posture; his facial expression was rigid and emotionless; he was using his middle finger to pull the finger while using the thumb and index finger to bolt the rifle. The sound of the fire ceased; the sound of new clips being inserted in could be heard before another burst of fire could be heard and seen.The people surrounding looked at the old man in awe, except for Alisia. The lights constantly turning on and off in such a short amount of time were hurting her eyes, along with the muzzle flash. She used both her hands to cover her eyes to protect them from the epileptic lights.Then, after around a few dozen shots, the fire ceased, and moments later, the lights went back to normal as Mia lifted the switches back up. The old man could be seen, still standing on a posture; the barrel of his rifle could be seen smoking and slightly red. The cranes then began dragging the paper target body, before stopping right in front of the stalls. Each target paper body was showing holes that were recently made from the old man's shooting, with the holes being either dead center at the center body mass or the head."Woah, all twenty targets hit!"The spectators began looking at the target paper body, their faces giving mix expressions, but most were showing faces of amazement and surprise."Damn, old timer doing it again."Cathleen walked out of her stall and went on walking through the stalls, seeing the result of the old man's work. "My, what an outstanding marksman.."The old man looked towards Jack, with a smirk on his face. "Still dare to challenge, young lad?"Jack was frozen in place; his eyes were wandering here and there, staring at the body target papers. This.. was not what he was expecting. Never had he ever seen such marksmanship, even with the lights flickering and flashing."S-Sorry.." Jack looked down, conceding.Cathleen approached the old man with a smile of excitement and curiosity on her face, "Greetings, Sir! I'm very impressed with your shooting; never before have I seen someone be able to pull it off. Where did you learn such impressive marksmanship?"The old man turned towards her, "Ah, well." He placed the rifle down, holding it by the handguard, and chuckled, trying to remember. "Let's say.. I shot a lot of Tojo's cronies back in the past."Alisia opened back her eyes and looked at her surroundings. She looked at her stall, just in time as the crane began pulling back up the paper body bag and lowering down the metal sheets from earlier.She then looked at both Cathleen and the old man, looking at them, talking with each other. But from what she was hearing, the old man did something that was even more extraordinary than Cathleen. She had a sudden urge of determination deep inside her to get good at shooting."Ms. Mia?" Alisia looked around to look for Mia.Mia heard as her name was called; she looked over to the source to see Alisia calling her. She then walked towards her, "Yes?""Can we shoot?" Asked Alisia."Well, are you ready though? You sure you don't want to drink first?" Asked Mia in a worried tone, looking down towards her.Alisia shook her head. "I'll be fine.""Well.. If you say so. Right, take up your gun, please."Alisia took the gun from the stall with both her hands while keeping it aimed towards the ground."Oh! I almost forgot; cock the slide first."Alisia looked over at the gun; there was nothing that resembled a slide. She looked up towards Mia, "Uhm.. where?""Ah! My bad, you see that handle on the rear?"Alisia looked over at the gun, looking at the rear, before spotting it. "I see it..""Now, pull it; remember what I have said; don't aim the barrel to the side."Alisia nodded and proceeded to move her body to the side and pulled the slide handle until there was a clicking sound. She then let go of the handle, which was hard for her to keep holding onto, causing it to crash back inside."Now, take a stance."Alisia moved back to a standing position before moving her right leg forward while moving the other leg backwards. She kept on gripping on the ruger, keeping the barrel pointed down the range."Take aim."Alisia lifted the ruger, taking a deep breath. She closed her left eye, using her right eye to aim at the sights."Fingers on the trigger when you're ready."Alisia placed her index finger on the trigger; her breathing was steady as a ship."Pull the trigger when ready."Just as Alisia was about to pull the trigger, all of a sudden, she saw a parabola line pointing out from the barrel of the ruger. She lowered the gun, showing a look of confusion on her face."What's wrong?" Asked Mia with a look of confusion on her face."Do you see a line coming out from the barrel?" Asked Alisia as she continued looking at the barrel."Huh?" Mia looked at the gun, seeing nothing on the barrel at all. "I don't see anything. Maybe you should get a pair of glasses?""Hmm.." Alisia aimed the gun up, holding it just at the level of her chest, and without looking at the sight, using whatever the line was pointing at to aim at the target ahead, and pulled the trigger, causing the ruger to fire off a bullet from inside the chamber and her hand to shake from the recoil and was about to let it off her grip."What are you doing?!" Mia had a look of horror on her face and immediately took the ruger away as it was about to fall down to the floor. "Gosh, you weren't supposed to aim it like that! You could've gotten yourself killed!""I think I hit the dark part." Alisia pointed at the target paper ahead."What do you mean-" Mia turned towards the target paper to see a hole in the dark radius. Her eyes widened and she immediately turned the toggle on the circuit box, setting it back towards the stall.The crane then brought the metal sheet holding the paper target ahead, and upon arrival, and a closer inspection. Mia's eyes widened even further as she saw a hole on the right bottom, hitting in between radius 7 and 8. "Seven and eight.. what?""Damn, you hit that thing without aiming?" Alan's voice could be heard from the back as he observed the event that just happened."Y-Yeah?" Said Alisia in a hesitant tone."Nah, this might be just because of luck.." Mia held her head with her free hand. "Try again." She toggled the safety of the ruger to safe mode before handing it back to Alisia and toggled the crane back to 50 meters.Alisia received the ruger back from Mia, holding it back into a grip, and went back to the shooting posture. She was holding the gun just at the level of her chest, not aiming through the sights at all, and was relying on the guiding line."Ready?" Mia looked down towards Alisia, still bewildered from the shot earlier and irritated by the posture Alisia was posing, not the posture that she was usually taught. She was afraid that Alisia would get a bit sloppy and the recoil upwards would cause her to drop the gun and... She shook her head, not wanting to think of it at the moment."Ready.." Said Alisia as she fixed her eyes on the gun and line that was helping with guiding her gun.Mia looked over to Alisia. Well, for someone short like her and being a beginner, aiming like that, she sure managed to aim hit near dead center at a target 50 meters away. But it could be because of luck, but even luck couldn't be that good. She sighed. "You may fire when ready."Alisia looked over at the line, making sure it was straight at the target, at the dark radius. After adjusting for a moment, she tightened her grip and pulled the trigger, causing the gun to fire once more as the ignitor ignited the bullet inside from the trigger's response, flying out from the barrel and straight towards the target ahead. Her hands flinched slightly from the recoil, but she fixed her grip before firing off a few more rounds.Multiple sounds of small metal objects crashing into the flat surface could be heard as the bullets fired off from the ruger Alisia was firing with impacted the hard metal surface of the metal sheet that was holding the target paper, creating multiple holes. Eventually, after shooting a couple rounds, Alisia stopped firing. She can feel her hands and wrists getting hurt from the amount of recoil she has to sustain."Why stop? Just one more shot you know." Asked Mia."My wrists.. so painful..""Huh, ok then.. Put the gun back on the stall." Mia pulled the toggle, setting it to return back. The crane dragged the metal sheet carrying the target paper before stopping right in front of the stall. There could be seen the result of Alisia's shooting. There was not a bullseye, but the majority of the shots are somewhere around 6 to 8."Such consistency," Alan remarked."My, nice accuracy!" Cathleen could be seen returning back, holding the FN FAL she was firing with upwards. An orange flag could be seen stuffing the chamber, and its magazine was also off.Jack meanwhile was in shock; his body was frozen in place, and his eyes were wide. He clenched his hands into a fist. Two times humiliated that day by an old man and a girl he barely even knew until recently, getting picked as a commander because of a stupid pencil."Uhm.. Ms. Mia. You sure you don't put some sort of shooting assistant inside this thing?" Alisia could be seen was about to inspect the barrel of the ruger."Huh- Wait! What are you doing?!" Mia rushed towards Alisia as she saw the safety of the ruger still on false, with a look of horror on her face. Cathleen also saw this and rushed at her, dropping the rifle she was holding, followed by Alan."Dont!""Huh?" Alisia looked towards the three as they rushed towards her. Unbeknownst to her, one of her fingers was on the trigger, about to press down on the trigger.Just as Mia was about to grab the gun away, Alisia's finger pressed down on the trigger, causing it to fire off a single bullet._________________________________________________________________________1502 hours:Gray clouds continued covering the skies above the town. Cathleen, Alan, and Jack could be seen walking out from the building, with Cathleen carrying Alisia on her back. Alisia herself was in a state of shock; her eyes were wide open, and she was staring blankly, not having a point to focus on, as her mind was in a mess. There was a single band aid on her forehead, covering a scratch wound."What a day. Poor lass shot herself in the head." Said Cathleen."Well, at least it only grazed her forehead, or else it would've been much worse." Said Alan."Eh, should've remembered the rules. Her fault anyways." Said Jack in a nonchalant tone, he was holding a leather bag on"Hey, that's rude.." Cathleen turned her head towards Jack; her eyes were furrowed, staring at him with a disapproving look, before sighing. "Anyways, do you know where her home is?""How should I know?" Jack raised his tone."What an arrogant man, ckk.." Cathleen shook her head. "Aren't you supposed to be with your father?""Huh? Well, he got some important work to do, so he left earlier. The firing range already knows me anyways, so no worries." Jack explained.The three continued walking out of the firing range complex, entering the sidewalk, and were about to enter the town center. Meanwhile, a few distance away, in the woods, a tall humanoid figure, with long arms and long legs, its body thin and its ribs visible, eyeing at the group while releasing a guttural voice, particularly eyeing at Alisia that was being carried by on the back by Cathleen.Its eyes were glowing red, illuminating what appeared like a screen running a program in unknown characters. It growled and was about to step out of its hiding place until a loud buzzing noise could be heard, getting nearer and nearer. The creature ran back into the forest, as it decided not to do whatever it was about to do.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Fort Nelson, Church, 27th of September 2015, 1000 hours:
The large wooden door of the church opened once more as grey clouds continued shadowing over the town below. People could be seen walking out from within, shaking hands with the priest, and greeting each other. Anoki, Lily, and Miyuki, dressed in either a dress or a combination of knee-length skirts and blouses with blazers or sweaters, or any piece of garment that's suitable for cold climates, could be seen walking out after shaking hands with the priest, followed by two parent figures, Yua and Patricia, wearing their usual long skirts and long sleeves."Hey, Lily, where's your mother? Why did she didn't come today?" Asked Miyuki."Huh?" Lily turned her head towards Miyuki; she thought for a moment to think of a reply before giving a vague answer. "Uh.. Stuff.""You... don't remember?" Asked Anoki."Uhh.." Lily stared up, thinking and trying to remember why and what had happened. It took her a few seconds until it came into her mind. "Oh, now I remember. My mother and I met with Ms. Cathleen, who was walking with that Alan person, and Alisia, during our way back after buying groceries." Lily answered."Huh? What's Alisia doing with them?" Asked Miyuki, her eyebrows went wide open."Well uhh.."~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fort Nelson, Town Centre, 26th of September 2015, 1510 hours:
An SUV could be seen driving through the streets in the town centre, passing through stores and restaurants. Small amounts of water could be seen dropping from the grey clouds, dropping on the SUV's window surface. Sarah could be seen on the driver's seat, keeping her eyes straight forward, while Lily could be seen just beside her on the left seat, eyes closed and her body relaxed. In the middle seat, there could be seen multiple paper bags with multiple items inside, mostly food ingredients."You should really start exercising more, Lily." Said Sarah as she still kept her eyes forward. "Join one of the school clubs or something."Lily yawned, moving her body to the side and facing the door. "I did ask to join Alisia in the new club.""Well, anything but that. Tankery is dangerous, and besides, you'll spend most of your time there just sitting and making your back stiff anyways." Sarah rejected Lily's proposal."You're no fun.." Lily curled herself up on the seat, lifting her legs to tuck in after taking off her shoes."Keep your legs down, young lady." Sarah tutted, looking at Lily for a short second before looking back to the front. She was a bit annoyed with Lily's lazy behaviour. But at the same time, she was spoiling her; she couldn't really blame her, could she?Sarah then saw a group of three people: one boy and a woman carrying a little girl on her back. Their faces looked quite alien to her; maybe they're new around here? She looked closer, particularly at the girl the woman was carrying, as her clothing looked somewhat familiar. As the car drew closer and closer, Sarah recognised the face of the girl; it was Alisia."What is she doing with them?" Sarah showed a face of concern; she moved the steering wheel to the left, moving the car to the side, before pushing on the brakes, pushing it slowly as to not cause the car to stop immediately and push everything forward, including herself. The car eventually stopped smoothly, stopping right beside the road. She then proceeded to open the left-door window with the panel on her right door."Hey." Sarah called the two figures.The two figures looked at the car with a look of confusion; the woman spoke up first."Ye? Is there anything wrong?" Asked the woman in an accent that reminded Sarah of the people from the TV shows she sometimes watches, still holding the dazed Alisia on her back."What are you doing with her?" Asked Sarah in a polite tone."Ah, this lass?" The woman turned her head towards Alisia, who was dazing blankly. "Well, uh, let's say I'm her teacher who's uh.. Going to be in this town for a little while, shall I say, yes? Darling?" She turned towards the young man beside her."Wha- Huh?-""Shh.. Play along!" She whispered.The young man looked back and forth at Sarah and the woman before then releasing a sigh. ".. Right. Mother." he cringed at the last word."Well uhh, is she lost? The girl." Asked Sarah as she kept staring back and forth at Alisia and the woman"Ah, nah. We went to the shooting range till' we met this one student with her uncle. Her uncle is one busy bloke, so he asked us to take care of her." Said the woman, "Oh and, she got in an... accident where she almost shot herself."Sarah's eyes widened, her breathing stopped upon hearing that Alisia almost shot herself. "Oh my- is she hurt?""Ehh, just a tiny winy bit." The woman moved Alisia from her rear and to the front, the young girl still in a shocked state. The woman held Alisia by the armpits, keeping her standing while being completely limp and paralysed. "I guess this is what the folks calls uhh.. Shell shock. She got a bit of a scratch on the head too." The woman then lifted the hair that was covering Alisia's forehead, revealing a band-aid with some blood stain."Oh, goodness.. Do you need help?" Sarah did a quick check on the window, checking the rear and the front of the road, before then opening the door, leaving it open, and walking straight towards Alisia that was being held standing."Well, her wound is not that fatal, but her mind sure is.. A bit in a shock still. We're trying to find her house, but we don't know where it is, nor do we know who her parents are." Said the woman."Well, I know her. I know her mother too; her house is just across the road." Sarah stopped on her steps before levelling her height down to reach Alisia's height. "Are you okay, dear?""She's not gonna respond; we tried..." The young man paused a bit and looked towards Sarah's fingers, checking and finding a ring on them before continuing. "Mrs?""Hm? Ah, my bad. I'm Sarah Carter, and you two?""I'm Alan-" The young man was suddenly tapped from behind on the shoulders. He looked back and towards the woman, who was smiling at her, as if saying something to her, something he doesn't like most likely.He was confused for a moment before realising what she was trying to say. He tutted before then looking back at Sarah. "I'm Alan.. Smith. Her name's Cathleen. My mother.""Ah, I see." Sarah nodded. "What an accent you got there; are you from Britain?""Well, yes. England, specifically," said Alan."Well, since you know her well... well, uhh, mind if you take care of her instead? I got me problems to deal with." Asked Cathleen in a pleading tone."Oh, well sure thing. Let me uhh, get a seat for her." Sarah went towards the middle seat door, opening it, which revealed paper bags with grocery items inside. "Yikes.. Please hang on a second."Lily was still asleep on the front seat but was stirred the moment she heard the sound of a door opening. Her eyes fluttered a bit and she opened just slightly to see her mother moving the grocery items to the right seat, stacking them, and seeing a familiar figure being carried and seated inside.Lily yawned, being too tired to see what was happening around her, and decided to close her eyes back and return to her deep slumber.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Present day:"Ehh?! There was Ms. Smith and that one guy?" Said Miyuki in a surprised tone."Are you sure?" Anoki asked Lily to be reassured with the information that Lily just relayed."Dunno.. Was too tired from walking all day buying groceries and standing... for hours. Maybe some spinning too." Lily stretched her arms. "Ugh, church seats are so uncomfortable.""Well, you're supposed to hear the preaching, not sleep." Said Anoki."Right, right.." Lily replied in a low tone before yawning."So, where's Alisia now?" Asked Miyuki."Uhh, guest room? Where else?" Lily replied."In your house?" Miyuki asked once more."Yeah, she still has this weird blank stare since yesterday. I don't think she slept last night." Lily answered."Hey.. should we go visit her?" Miyuki suggested."Da-me." (No.) Yua's voice could be heard from behind in a scolding tone."Ehhh?" Miyuki turned back towards her mother, her eyebrows furrowed in disappointment.Yua remained silent as she continued staring down towards Miyuki, shaking her head, disapproving what she was suggesting."Well, Mrs. Yua. Exams would not be around until next month in the 10th." Said Patricia, pausing before continuing. "It's not really that competitive here compared to what you're used to in Japan, I heard. Things are a lot more relaxed here, so don't push her too much, or else Miyuki would get a bit... Too stressed, should I say?"Yua thought for a moment, wondering whether she should allow Alisia to go and visit her friend or not. After a moment, she nodded. "Well, there aren't that many homeworks you have, so maybe I'll let this pass. Just remember to be back before the sun sets.""Ha ii!" (Alright!) said Miyuki in an enthusiastic tone."Can I go too?" Asked Anoki, looking up towards Patricia, her mother."Just make sure to be home before the sun goes down; I don't want you to be home when grizzlies start roaming around the streets.""Will do."________________________________________________________________________
Carter Resident, 1018 hours:
The three girls were on the door, with Lily approaching the door and knocking on the door, "I'm back." She opened the door, revealing an entrance with a foyer placed lower than the main house's floor."Slippers over there if your socks or leg is wet or dirty." Lily pointed towards the drawer beside the door. She took off her shoes and placed them on the shoe cabinet that was above the slipper's drawer before walking in.Both Anoki and Miyuki nodded; they then grabbed each a pair of slippers from the lower drawer and followed Lily from behind."Sumimasen." (Excuse me.) Miyuki muttered as she walked up the house's main floor. "So, where is she?""Uhh." Lily walked over to the hallway and towards the dining table that's connected to other rooms and the kitchen. "Mom, you there?""Huh.. guess all houses in this town have the same layout." Anoki remarked, after looking around the house, the layout reminding her of Alisia's house she visited some time ago."Alisia's house is like this too. Mine too, though. But some have different entrances. " Miyuki commented.A dark wooden door near the kitchen, only separated by the difference in elevation, could be seen opening, revealing a woman with long braided blonde hair that was Sarah, wearing a plain coloured dress with an apron and a pair of sandals. "You're back?- Oh, you brought friends here?"Lily turned towards her. "Yeah.. They said they want to see Alisia."Sarah nodded. "I see.. Well, she's here." She looked towards Anoki and Miyuki and invited them, "Come on in."The two girls walked over to her, passing through the kitchen section before eventually arriving at the door. There, they could see the familiar dark brown-haired short girl on the bed wearing a white gown, laying against the headboard. Her face was pale, and her eyes that were staring blankly had bloodshots and had bags. There were also her clothes folded neatly beside her on the nightstand, fresh and clean. A blanket was covering half of her body.Miyuki looked over at the girl, her face showing an expression of concern; the same could be the same with Anoki. Miyuki then turned towards Sarah, asking her. "What happened to her?""Well, she almost shot herself in the firing range. She's been unresponsive since yesterday and hasn't slept or eaten." Sarah released a heavy sigh and looked towards the paralysed girl. "I've been trying to call her parents, but so far no response.""What about her mother?" Asked Anoki."Nope, not even her mother. Well, they're usually very busy."Miyuki's expression turned sorrow upon hearing what Sarah just said: being helpless and not being helped by your own is just... sad. She walked closer to Alisia, looking closer at Alisia, whose face was still pale, her eyes red, as if she were possessed."Oh well, anyways, do you mind if I make a cup for both of you?" Asked Sarah as she looked over at the two girls."Oh, well, sure, Mrs. Carter," said Anoki.Miyuki turned back and said to her, "Sure, Mrs. Carter.""Right! I'll be right back in a few minutes." Sarah then walked away from the doorframe and headed towards the kitchen, where she began pulling out several cups along with a small box from the cabinets filled with tea bags.Miyuki looked back towards Alisia with an expression of pity. She then walked closer and was towering over her a few meters away. She then lifted her right hand and was about to land a touch on Alisia's head for a pat before being called out by Anoki."Hey.. I don't think touching her is a good idea." Anoki spoke up to stop Miyuki. "Last time she bit the woman from yesterday."Miyuki halted her hand's movement, stopping right on top of Alisia's head. "... She did?""Yee... she bit her a bit too hard." She answered.Miyuki thought for a moment, considering her action and wondering whether it would be appropriate or not. Then she just lifted her shoulders. "Can't be that bad, right?""Not my fault if you lose a finger or two.." Anoki rolled her eyes, sighing."Heh... trust me." Miyuki dismissed her and proceeded to lower her hand to Alisia's head without thinking much.Her hand landed on top of Alisia's head, and she began moving it across her hair, giving a single stroke in a soft motion. But Alisia suddenly flinched upon the second stroke, causing Miyuki to be startled and retreat back."Hehe, she's so cute." Miyuki giggled at the sight of Alisia before pulling her hand after feeling the odd surface on her head. "Though her hair's a bit rough.""Maybe because she hasn't taken a bath or shower yet?" Anoki speculated before pointing at Alisia. "I mean.. look at her; her hair is messy. I see a lot of dry scalps sticking out.""Ehhh..." Miyuki nodded before eventually looking back at the hand she used to stroke Alisia's hair, seeing some dry scalps sticking on her palm before wiping it on her skirt's surface.Anoki leaned in closer to Alisia, standing right in front of her. She looked close at her; Alisia's eyes were staring blankly. "Do you think she notices us right now?""Huh? Uhh.. I don't know. But she did react to my touch." Said Miyuki."Hmm.." Anoki waved her hand in front of Alisia's eyes, trying to get her attention, but no reaction came. "Huh.""What are you two doing?" A voice appeared from behind.Anoki and Miyuki turned their attention back to see Lily dressed in a simple, plain-coloured gown, calling them both."Oh, Lily. You're back!" Said Miyuki.Lily walked towards them both before then looking towards Alisia. "She's not awake yet?""Nope, aside from some touches that make her flinch, she's not." Said Anoki.Lily nodded. Then, the woman, Carter, entered the room with a tray with four cups on it. "I'm back."The three girls looked back at Carter upon hearing her arrival."Oh, what's that?" Anoki asked."Well, I forgot to buy tea yesterday and there's only liptons left. Do you all mind?" Carter asked."Oh, well.. Uhh.. Sure thing!" Said Miyuki in a hesitant yet cheerful tone.Suddenly, Anoki approached her from behind and whispered to her from behind. "Do you think she'll wake up if we give her that?"Miyuki looked back at her thought for a moment. "I mean... It can?" She looked back towards Carter. "Mrs. Carter, can I have a cup?""Oh, sure." Carter placed the tray down and handed over a cup towards Miyuki.Miyuki walked towards Carter, took the cup, and walked back to Alisia before placing it on her lip and tilting the cup slightly to pour the content inside her mouth. Though there were many droplets dropping, the lipton still went into Alisia's mouth and down her throat. Alisia gulped in the content, and then...Alisia spat the tea out and jolted out from her numbness. Miyuki flinched and accidentally dropped the cup, causing the content to splatter all over the blanket.Alisia coughed out as much of the tea that she gulped in, opening her mouth and showing her tongue before wiping it with her hand in disgust."Well, that worked," said Anoki.Carter was in a state of confusion upon looking at what she just saw. "What did you just do?""Hmm?" Miyuki looked back towards Carter. "Oh, well. Anoki suggested something about waking her up by giving her that tea. She doesn't like liptons.""Oh my, I almost forgot... But geez, how rude that was. You two better apologise to her." Carter shook her head in disapproval.Alisia was still wiping her tongue and coughed at the end before looking down at the blanket. It was all soaked wet. She then turned towards Anoki with her still red eyes, from the result of sleep deprivation, and then Lily, and eventually Miyuki, who just stood up after taking the cup she just dropped.She continued glaring into Miyuki's eyes, with a dangerous intent within them. Miyuki gulped upon looking at the stare and tried looking away but the stare was too intense for her to break from."H-Hey... Good morning, Alisia!" Miyuki gave her an awkward, nervous smile.Alisia continued glaring at her. Her breathing grew heavier, fuming in anger, and without a warning, she lunged forward towards Miyuki. Miyuki flinched back in fear, and Alisia fell down towards the floor, hitting head first."Ow...""A-Are you alright?!" Miyuki went down to help getting Alisia back up, but Alisia immediately stood back up and lunged towards Miyuki, before stopping midway, feeling a jolt of pain on her head, and immediately placing her hands on the area of the wound."Oww.." She held her head down, grunting and whimpering."Y-You good?" Miyuki looked at Alisia with concern but also fear after almost being lunged at by her."Gosh.." Carter walked towards Alisia and picked her up in bridal style and placed her down in a cushion seat just beside the night table before heading towards the door. "Let me get some fresh clothes and sheets."Lily looked as her mother walked out of the room and looked back at the two girls. "... So now what?"Anoki looked back towards Lily. "Huh? I don't know."Everything was silent for a moment as no one talked, until eventually Alisia was able to recover from the jolting pain. She then looked at the three girls who were staring at her. "Uh, why am I here?" She looked around in confusion. "I was with the Ms. Mia in the firing range.""Firing range?" Miyuki asked and looked at the other two girls for clarification."Yeah, there is a firing range around here just near the town center. A very big one." Said Anoki."Oh, the town's firing range. Been there once and watched people shooting. It looked kinda fun," said Lily.Alisia looked at the three girls with a look of confusion; she doesn't really know why she was there or how. She looked around and it appeared that she was currently at Lily's house, recognising it from the design of the room, being the guest room, which she had stayed here before due to many reasons. She tried to remember what happened last time, but then she felt something wet on her skin. She looked down at the dress she was wearing; the bottom part of it was smeared with some kind of liquid."Why am I wet?" she asked."Oh, about that. We tried waking you up by feeding you with liptons Mrs. Carter made, but then, uh..." Miyuki stopped, figuring for a word suitable to describe what just happened."You almost attacked Miyuki, maybe," said Anoki bluntly."Yeah, yeah, you almost bit me," said Miyuki. "Maybe.""Bite?" asked Lily with a confused look.Hearing the word bit made Alisia's face turn red in embarrassment and she looked down to avoid everyone's gaze, remembering the accident last Friday where she bit the instructor lady's finger to the point of causing some blood to spill out."I'm back." Carter could be seen entering the room, bringing with her a blanket, a sheet, and a white new gown. "So, have you apologised to her?"Miyuki looked towards Carter. "Oh, I almost forgot!" She looked back towards Alisia. "Hey... I'm sorry for what I did... Will you forgive me, please?" She asked, clasping her hands together.Alisia looked up towards Miyuki, her arms crossed. "Hm." She said dismissively."I-Is that a yes or a no?" Miyuki asked.Alisia looked away, arms still crossed, and nodded slightly. "Hm."Miyuki blinked and noticed her nodding. Her lips curled, forming a smile and cheering. "Yatta!" (Hurray!)"Alisia, are you going to school tomorrow?" Asked Anoki."Well, she's just a bit tired; she didn't sleep last night." Carter placed the items she was holding on the table right beside Alisia's clothing and began dismantling the wet sheet and blanket off the bed. "Go change your dress, Alisia. Oh, and take a bath while it; there's a spare towell by the toilet."Alisia nodded and stood up from the seat and went to beside the bed to wore on the slippers. She took the gown from the table and walked out of the room, walking towards the bathroom that was just beside the room's door."So, how's the club thingy you all are on? Is it good?" Asked Lily.Both Anoki and Miyuki looked back towards Lily upon her asking the question."Well, it's a bit tough. I have a hard time switching the gears and moving the control sticks. The tank we ride on is a bit uncomfortable but it's fun, I guess." Said Anoki. "Then when getting chased and stuff, dodging shots and trying not to get hit. The suspense and the adrenaline... Different experience compared to the other sports in school.""We get to see big explosions! Then seeing stuff getting hit and having the white flag pop out, its so satisfying." Said Miyuki. "How about you? Have you joined any club yet?""Uhh, no. I haven't... Clubs are optional so I don't think I'd be joining any," said Lily."Not joining any? Why not?" Carter looked towards Lily; she had just finished replacing the wet sheet with a new one. Her hands could be seen folding the wet blanket."I did ask that I wanted to join the tankery club, but you said no to it.""You can pick anything but tankery, like tennis, football, volleyball, or even basketball, or even the hunting club. Just not tankery." Carter objected, saying it in a polite tone.As Lily was about to ask once more, Carter cut her and spoke up once more. "Now, don't you have math homework?"Lily halted and decided not to continue and nodded hesitantly."Well, get into it then." Said Carter in an imperative tone. "If you're having any difficulties solving it, just tell me."Alisia walked back in, her hair a bit wet and her skin appearing more smoother and cleaner than the previous state. She was wearing the fresh gown Carter gave her earlier. She overheard the conversation that was happening upon her entering; her eyebrows furrowed."Huh? What homework?" Asked Alisia, thinking for a second before eventually realising. "Oh.."Carter's eyes widened. "You haven't done any, Alisia? I thought you always do your homework at school."Alisia looked down, avoiding Carter's gaze, not answering at all."Well, I guess it's normal to slack off a bit after a long holiday. How about you stay here? Bring your homework and study with Lily. Besides, it's not healthy being at home all alone." Carter suggested her. "I'll tell your parents you'll be staying with us for today.""Well uhh.." Alisia hesitated, thinking whether she should accept the offer."It's also not healthy staying up all night until 2 AM playing with your computer, you know." Said Carter in a teasing tone before turning into a sadder tone. "It pains me seeing your window shining all bright early in the morning."Alisia coughed as Carter mentioned her nightly activities, still looking down, her face turning red from embarrassment. "W-Well, I tried limiting myself to only play before 12 PM..." she muttered."Mrs, Carter." Miyuki called her out."Yes?" Carter turned towards Miyuki.Miyuki looked towards Anoki, whispering to her, before looking back towards Carter. "Can we stay here too? Maybe we can study together and perhaps have a sleepover!""Sleep..over?" Asked Lily in a confused tone."It's something people usually do with friends," Anoki explained."Hmm..." Carter placed her hand on her chin, thinking. "Well, I would love to have a few guests. Ask your parents first, and then you can bring your things here. If they don't, well, maybe next time.""Ok then!" Miyuki smiled, clasping her hands together. "I'll go ask them first!""Me too, then," said Anoki."Well, if your parents didn't approve, you don't need to come back and tell me." Carter then looked back towards Alisia. "Well, Alisia. Your clothes are there on the table." She pointed at the night table, where Alisia's clothes could be seen laying dormant.Alisia nodded and went on to grab her clothes and went out once more towards the bathroom to change."Well, what are you waiting for?" Carter looked towards Lily. "You could start now while waiting for her and maybe others.""... 'kay." Lily sighed and went out of the room, walking across the kitchen before eventually arriving at her room, which was across the room from where the guest room is."Well then, Mrs. Carter. We'll be going. Sorry if we don't come back." Said Anoki."It's alright." Carter reassured.And so, both Miyuki and Anoki went out of the house and began making their way towards their home. Alisia could be seen coming out with her usual clothes, heading back to take some of the essential things.Half an hour went by, and only Alisia returned back to Lily's house; there were no signs of Miyuki and Anoki returning. Hours went by until the sun eventually began sinking below the horizon, and the light poles and lights from people's houses began to light up the surroundings, followed with the rest of the town, and yet still no sign of both returning back.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Fort Nelson Academy High School, 28th of September 2015, 0920 hours:
Everything was quiet except for the rain as it continued hitting against the window and the sound of tapping as a half-grey and dark-haired woman wearing a blouse and a dark sweater with a shin-length skirt and a flat shoe wrote on the board with a marker. The room temperature was cold, but not too cold to make people shiver in the cold. Many inside the room were wearing extra warm clothes or add-ons like jackets, scarves, or thick sweaters brought from home for comfort. The students were struggling to keep their eyes open or even keep their attention on the board as the teacher was teaching. The many scribes of numbers, alphabets, and symbols that would make students’ heads combust from being overwhelmed by it. “Now, to solve the next problem, 2x^2 minus 3x minus 2 equals 0. We must first identify the coefficients; ‘a’ equals 2x, ‘b’ equals minus 3x, and ‘c’ equals minus 2.” The teacher continued to explain, her hands on the board while her eyes looked back and forth at the students. Lily was sitting at her desk, using one of her arms as a support pillar to keep her head up. She was wearing a thick pink sweater. Her eyes were fluttering up and down, her arms shaking from holding her head up, her eyes watery and furrowed.“... What kind of language is she speaking in?" Lily muttered before she wiped her eyes. She covered her mouth and yawned, accidentally releasing a yawn that could be heard across the classroom. The woman turned back, instinctively causing everyone to sit up tight, appearing more straight and less relaxed. Those who were laying their heads on their hands also immediately sat back straight, causing quite a sound as the sound of furniture moving slightly could be heard. The teacher eyed the students, her eyes staring at the students like a hawk; aside from having to find those who slacked off and slept, and of course the one who yawned, she eventually landed her eye on a random unfortunate student. “Mr. Emile Moreau, get over here now.” The student gulped. He stood up from his desk and walked towards the board, passing the second and first rows of desks before stopping in front of her, his eyes avoiding her gaze. “Now, can you solve this problem? We’ve already gone over 6 of the exact same questions already, so you should know how to solve it already.” Asked the teacher in an authoritative tone, eyes furrowed at him, her hand holding the marker reaching towards him. “Uh..” The student took the marker and stared at the board, looking at the previously answered questions and trying to reference off it to answer. Just as he was just about to scribe on the board, the teacher released a heavy sigh, frowning, and snatched the marker out of his hand and turned towards the rest of the classmates.“You see this? You won’t get anything if you keep on falling asleep.” She slammed the marker against the front desk, causing everyone in the room to flinch or wake up once more as adrenaline streamed through their bodies and fear crept into them. “So unless you can understand and master it, then you can act like a snob.” The teacher huffed and looked back at the student, who was standing quietly, his hair going up and his eyes avoiding contact with her. “Go back to your seat.”The student gulped and nodded, obliging her order, and began making his way back to his desk. The teacher began eyeing the students once more, like a tiger, looking for prey to feast upon. Her eyes eventually landed on the dark, straight-haired young girl that was Miyuki, who she really never met before and who had been keeping her eye on her lesson.“You over there, Ms. Miyuki Anderson.” She called her out. “Get over here.”Miyuki nodded with a slight smile on her face, stood up from her desk and began making her way towards the board and stopped right in front of the teacher.“What is this, an amusement park? Why are you smiling?” The teacher asked in a cold tone.“Eh?” Miyuki’s eyes blinked, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.The teacher continued staring at her for a moment before eventually handing her over a marker. “Solve the problem.”“O-Oh…” Miyuki nodded and took the marker from her hand. She took a step towards the board and began scribing on the board at a fast pace; her eyes focused on the empty plot on the board, writing the answers, first inserting in the formula before writing in the numbers, and after a few seconds, she finished, ending it by putting two stripes below the final answer. “Done!”The teacher looked at the board; her eyes looked at the answer Miyuki just wrote in detail, looking at it sharply as a razor. The board was almost filled as Miyuki’s answer spanned almost a third of the bottom part of the board, which was also due to her letters being bigger than the teacher’s. After a moment, she nodded. “I like how you add in the formula first before answering; most of the time students just write in the answer without explaining why and how. You may go back to your seat.” Miyuki nodded and walked to her desk, and while doing so, she received some stares from the students, which made her feel awkward. But she just shook her head and ignored it. She then looked at Lily, who she had observed a bit previously, almost losing her balance and falling from her seat to being rigid in posture, eyes forward.She then turned her attention to Alisia, whose eyes were staring forward and whose arms were crossed and placed on the table, her body posture rigid. She looked like she was paying attention, but there was just something wrong about it. The eyes, which looked somewhat dead and empty, also had a slight hint of red. Miyuki wanted to see closer but decided not to, as it was not really the appropriate thing to do when the teacher she had been with was a strict teacher with a temper and she wouldn’t appreciate her checking out on Alisia, so she went back to her seat._________________________________________________________________________Half an hour went by and the clock hit the tenth hour of the day. The bell rang, signalling that the class was over and that break time had arrived.“Right, that will be all for today. The rest will be homework and the due date will be tomorrow,” said the teacher as she placed the markers back in the cup holder on the desk and took her belongings in a small leather bag. “Good day.”The students waited until the teacher went out, and as she did, they released a sigh of relief and began dispersing out of the classroom. Miyuki, meanwhile, could be seen approaching Alisia, who was still in a tight and rigid body posture, eyes forward to the board. She crept up from behind the short girl before tapping on her shoulder.“Hey—” Miyuki called her out, but was later met with a surprise reaction as Alisia flinched and immediately looked back towards her, eye to eye, her eyes furrowed. Miyuki felt very uncomfortable from the stare to the eye Alisia was giving and tried breaking it by opening a conversation.“Hey… you good?” Miyuki asked, giving her a smile, trying to ease the situation.Alisia remained quiet for a moment and looked around her, noticing that the teacher had left. She then looked back towards Miyuki. “Where is Mrs. Luna?”“Huh? Uhh, the class is already over,” said Miyuki.“What do you mean over?” Alisia looked towards the clock that was hanging ontop of the board; the time was 1005. Her eyes blinked; her mind was empty for a moment before she shook her head, trying to snap herself back to reality. "You... weren’t paying attention... Were you?” Asked Miyuki.Alisia remained silent, not answering Miyuki’s question and just looked to her side at Lily, who was in a rigid and tight body posture; her eyes were blank and her head was shivering slightly.Miyuki looked at the direction Alisia was facing, wondering what she was looking at before landing at Lily, who was exactly in the same state as Alisia was before, just more nervous by how she was shivering. She then looked back towards Alisia. “Hey, wanna go to the cafetaria together?”Alisia turned her head towards Miyuki and gave her a nod before turning back to Lily. “Lily, wanna go to the cafeteria?”Lily did not respond at all to Alisia’s call, prompting Alisia to stand up from her desk and approach Lily, stopping beside her before calling her once again. “Oi, do you hear me or not?”Lily reacted upon hearing a voice calling her at a close distance and looked to her side at Alisia. “O-Oh... Sure.”“Jeez, what took you so long? Also, you’re usually sleepy during morning classes; what happened?” Asked Alisia.Lily shook her head immediately upon the question and tried shifting the topic. “Let's just go.”And so they went out of the classroom and began making their way through the hallway and towards the cafeteria. Like a highway, the hallway was streaming with students coming in and out from the classroom, while some could be seen talking to each other, socialising, and interacting with one another.Everyone was wearing extra warm clothes or add-ons like jackets, scarves, or thick sweaters brought from home. Though there were already heaters present, installed throughout the school, the extra fabric made those who wore it feel more comfortable.Alisia was seen trailing behind Lily, who was walking beside Miyuki. Lily was walking at a much faster leg pace, contrary to the usual slow and lazy walk.“She sure changed a bit…” Alisia thought to herself.Then, after turning into a corner in an intersection, the one facing to the left leading to the entrance, the one forward to the other parts of the school filled with classrooms similar to the section of the hallway they’re in, and the one to the right leading to the teacher’s room, the headmaster’s room, the clinic or the sick room, and eventually at the end of the hallway, the cafetaria.Just as Alisia was about to step onto the cafetaria section, the headmaster's office door to her left opened, revealing Jack coming out of it, his hands clenched and fisted. He then closed the door behind him and was just about to walk towards the cafetaria when he saw the familiar short girl in front of her.His eyes furrowed down at her with a pissed look. Alisia just stared up at him with a flat look, frozen in place, her head turned up towards him. Both of them exchanged glances and just stared at each other with confusion. Then, Jack wiped his eyes, broke off from the stare and walked off towards the cafetaria.Alisia remained in place and just looked at him as he walked off, confused about what just happened earlier. She then shook her head and began making her way again towards the cafetaria.______________________________________________________________________
1310 hours:
The wind blew from the north, shaking the leaves and causing droplets of water from the rain earlier to drip down to the earth. Not much activity in the school aside from club activities, and the sound of students panting as some of them in their PT uniform of predominantly dark blue long training pants and short-sleeved shirts, along with the same shoes they usually wear at school.“One more lap!” One man in CADPATs yelled while running alongside the students.Some were out of breath, their sweat dripping down their skin, absorbed by the fabric, which then went cold within just a few minutes due to the cold temperature, turning their clothing from what was supposed to be protecting them from the elements into a foe.Jack was yet out of breath; this kind of jog was nothing to him since he’s already used to running and walking around the forest while carrying a 6.57 kg weight rifle for hours along with several other pieces of equipment and necessities. Except that he was wearing thick clothing and not wearing school PT’s out in not-so-friendly weather.He looked to his surroundings, at the students who were walking back home, staring at them. They were probably feeling jealous at how they were being trained by real people from the armed services, or maybe the opposite, being pity due to having to run while being blown by Mother Nature’s cold breath. Maybe feeling lucky that they picked the right club and not having to endure such trials.Still running through the field, legs splashing the puddle beneath their shoes at their exposed legs, dirtying their shoes. Well, at least dark-black shoes are mandatory in the school so that no one has to make the mistake and endure the pain of having to clean white or bright-coloured shoes if they have one.“Alright, keep up the pace, everyone! We’re moving up now to the obstacles.” Said the man as he instructed the students, guiding them along the path that was marked using boards placed on improvised stands like chairs, trees, or branches that can hold an object in place.Walking deeper into a greener and tree-rich environment, on quite a wide path, Jack could see a wide 4-feet-tall wall made of wood with gaps and ropes attached at the top and sandbags placed just below on each opposite end, probably to minimise injury from falling. He was confused as to what the strange man who introduced himself as Master Corporal Alfred McKnowes, who just barged in with a Hi-Power into the garage where their club’s centred, and started firing what he assumed to be blanks up into the air due to the amount of fire and noise coming out of the barrel and how many times he was cocking the slide, and that no bullet holes were visible at where the gun was pointed at.“Alright, obstacle course. Move up!” The man in CADPATs shouted.“Oh, come on..” Said one student in disbelief, looking at the tall obstacle.“This is getting a bit too harsh,” Jack thought.Climbing up the ropes he went, Jack was the one leading, being once a leader during middle school in the guns and hunting club, trying to set an example to the rest of the group for them to follow. He was soon followed by the rest, who began attempting to climb up the ropes, but some fell to the sandbags placed below; at least their injuries are not that severe.Eventually reaching the top, sitting on the wall on his crotch, he dragged his leg up, moving it to the other side while trying not to drop himself to the ground by sliding off the wall. He climbed down in between the gaps on the wooden wall, his hands gripped on the rope so that he didn’t fall off and as he was about to reach the ground, he let go of the grip and let himself drop to the ground and on the sandbags, falling right on both legs. He felt his bones aching from the drop, but it was nothing and he continued on with the course.He ran to the next obstacle before looking at a glimpse of his other mates. Some were too afraid to climb, probably from fear of heights. Then there’s the short girl, obviously none other than Alisia, whom he hated for being chosen by a pencil of all things. While the others were trying to climb, she was still on the ground, just staring at the wall. Probably too scared to climb or too weak to grip on the ropes, or some other factors.Continuing on with the course, there were then the three tall logs with different heights. Well, there sure are plenty of obstacles involving height, though some obstacles like the monkey bars—two sets of them in fact. Reaching that part of the obstacle, he jumped and gripped onto it and was stuck on it, unable to jump onto the next bar.“What’s wrong, Mr. McCain? Can’t get into the next bar? You need some motivation for it? Huh?” The Master Corporal approached him, gripping a Hi-Power on his right hand, fingers off the trigger and near the slide. Without a warning, he raised the gun to the air and pulled the trigger.The gun released off a loud bang, echoing through the forest, which was heard by the rest of the students who were busy on their own course, still trying to get over it. The gunfire caused the still-hanging Jack to freeze in place. Even with blank shots, it was still frightening for him.“What? Why did you stop? Come on, keep moving.” Said the Master Corporal, pointing the barrel at the next obstacles.Watching from afar from a tall outpost, stood several figures, some in CADPATs and some in warm civilian clothing. Master Corporal Thomas Doria watched as his fellow instructor acted savagely, giving no quarter to the poor kids below who had to endure the cold temperature in minimal clothing.“Say.” Cathleen called him out. “Were you blokes tought like this in basic?”Thomas turned towards her, shaking his head. “Nah, our basic doesn’t involve getting threatened by a gun. Though maybe those folks from America do. This is the first time I see him acting like this. Anyways, uhh, you’re from overseas, right?”“Why, yes, I am. Let me guess, you got some good contract offer, don’t you?" Cathleen asked back.“Well, the contract’s too good for me and others to refuse; I got some extra 30.000 dollars into our pockets from accepting that contract. Was a bit surprised when we got picked; I mean, why were we even? Stuff like this is supposed to be tought with people like you and some other crazy bunch, or reservists.” Said Thomas.“A bit too harsh on calling us crazy; how’s that?” Cathleen asked once more.“I mean…” Thomas looked back to the chaos that his colleague was doing below. “We weren’t tought to jump 15 feet up in the air, drift or do some crazy mind-blowing stuff in a 60-tonne tank. Could’ve hired only you or some other ‘crazy’ folks to do this job. We’re not meant for this, really.”“Huh… fair.” Cathleen nodded while still staring at the training that was happening below. Some more shots were fired. She doubted that even the yanks’ were training to this extreme to what the Master Corporal suggests._________________________________________________________________ 1430 hours: The calm idle sound of the Bedford 12 cylinder engine filled the metal case that was the Churchill III. Within, the crew that operated it was led by none other than Jack McCain himself. Sitting on his commander seat, just beside his gunner, William Turner.His hands were stroking each other to produce heat due to the cold air around him. The scarf around his neck, less colourful and decorative than his crew’s scarves. It was worsened by him and others trying not to touch the surface of the tank that was made cold by mother nature.“Again with this?” Daniel complained. “I thought we already went over this crewmanship thingy last week.”“Maybe you should consider changing to indoor clubs; there’s heaters and warm water refills where you can be all cosy and act like mama’s boy.” Said Finlay as he chugged in water from his canteen.“Oh, screw you.” Daniel replied.“So I heard we’re going to be split into teams. There’s like 8 tanks, so maybe divided into two or three teams. But there’s only one heavy tank and it’s going to be pretty unfair for whoever’s on the opposing side.” Said Bennett.“It’s either a 3 versus 3 versus 2, or a 4 versus 4, then.” Said Daniel.Just everyone doing their own thing, whining and complaining. Jack was surprised by the sudden change of pace from all calm to total panic and chaos when the Master Corporal intruded in and blasted his gun. At least Lieutenant Dionne wasn’t all that harsh, was he? He asked himself.“Oi, Jack.” William called him.Jack turned to his right at William, “What?”William opened his lips as he was about to speak but halted before he could even muttered a word. His mouth was left open and in the end he just shook his head. “Nah, nothing.”“What? Is it because of this?” Jack pointed at his scarf. “My father bought it from that one store in the town’s centre. What about it?”“Nah, nothing; just ignore it.” William turned away, his eyes staring away from him.Jack stared at him, confused by what just happened. He blinked his eyes before eventually realising and furrowed his eyes at him with a pissed-off look. “You have dementia or something?”“Took you long enough to realise,” said William in a joking tone.“You’re demented..”In the midst of their banter, the radio crackled to life and a voice emerged from the speaker. The new voice, aside from the thunderous, aggressive voice, was instead calmer yet still has some semblance of authority.<< “Right, everyone. What we’re about to do is yet another combat training, but this time in teams. However, due to the lack of numbers and the lack of sufficient firepower for each team, one team will be assigned with only two tanks, being a Churchill and a Ram. Your tank commanders have been briefed regarding the team’s composition and other details, so ask them if you have any questions, that is, if they had written down or remembered what was said earlier. All of you are to work as a team. Use anything to your advantage, but try not to kill yourself or your friends. Now, onto your staging points.” >>“Right, time to put them helmets on, then.” Said Daniel as he grabbed an AFV helmet from below and wore it, followed by the rest of the crew. Jack also put on his own helmet; good thing that they aren’t wearing the silly thin hats anymore, as it was not suitable for an enclosed space such as a tank. Immediately after wearing his helmet, he looked towards the radio shelf and picked up a small foldable map wrapped in plastic along with a note attached to it with a clip where a six-digit coordinate was written down and a black marker. Looking back and forth at the map and the note, using his current location as a reference to get into the waypoint he was briefed with earlier.Upon getting the exact spot, he scribbled on the plastic surface using the black marker, creating lines connecting the dot of his current location through the known roads on the map before then reaching the exact aforementioned area.“Right, driver. Move forward.” Jack ordered before grabbing the radio.“Alright.” Finlay acknowledged before pulling the lever on the transmission shifter down and stepping on both pedals, moving the heavy tank forward.The engine woke up from the state of idly growl into that of a beastly growl as the engine did its job upon reaction from the pedal stepped on. The tank lurched forward, tracks traversing across the wet soil, sending dirt up in the air as it went full throttle. Everyone inside was pushed back upon the sudden force but did not slam their heads against the metal wall.Opening the hatch, Jack appeared out of it holding with him a push-to-talk radio in his hand. He stared out at one of the many Rams lined up; some were departing off except for a few.“Samuel, check in on Fraser and tell him to tail us from behind.” He leaned the mic to his mouth as he ordered to his radioman.<< “Right.” >> Samuel acknowledged his orders through the radio before proceeding to grab the PTT and talk through it through the different channel. << “Fraser, you there?” >><< “I hear you, so do we follow you?” >> A voice crackled to life through the channel.<< “Yeah, just stay on our back. We’re heading to the starting point.” Said Samuel.<< “Right, we’ll follow from behind.” >>_______________________________________________The forest filled with the sound of engines growling as tanks began making their way traversing to their starting points, split into teams and each with their own leaders. Jack kept his heads up at the cupola, placing his map on the roof of the turret while keeping the helmet's mic close to his mouth as he continued guiding his driver through the road while keeping an eye at the Ram behind him.Minutes went by and the team of two tanks was alone, with only the sound of their engines growling and roaring through the forest, which filled the emptiness of the forest. The dirt road itself, marked by the tracks of both the Churchill and the Ram. From afar though, there stood a tall observation tower recently renovated, as shown by the new bright paint it has, with a few figures being none other than the military attaches from both the CTF and the Canadian Army.Jack had been wondering for most of his life in the school, wondering what the tower’s presence was doing in the middle of school property. There were tales of a tankery team that once existed in the school way before he was born, which was later disbanded due to some reasons like financial. He had always thought that the tower was probably used as a fire station but why would such things even exist within school properties? Some other speculations within him, like it probably was an observation post for mere sight-seeing.His speculations were then interrupted upon seeing two pathways. He checked his map, checking if they were taking the correct path. After taking a short look and confirming it. He then leaned the integrated microphone on the AFV helmet to his mouth. “Take the right path.”<< "Aye," >> said Finlay through the net.Approaching the turn, Finlay leaned the steering wheel a bit to the right while keeping his eyes on the viewport, keeping the tank on the correct path. The sound of the engine itself was loud, almost to the point of them not being able to hear anything. Good thing they had the new helmets or else things would’ve been much more painful.Finally reaching a flat open ground, there were a couple fresh tree stumps, judging by how bright the freshness of the tree’s flat surface that was the flesh. Probably cut for the occasion of the tankery club activity."Halt,” Jack ordered.The tank came to a complete halt as Finlay pulled the lever up and let his legs off the pedals. The same was followed with the Ram but only stopped right beside the Churchill. Silence filled the environment once more, from the former filled with the sound of the engines roaring into the idly quiet sound.<< “I don’t remember there being an open space like this.” >> said Finlay as he observed from the viewport.<< “Huh, for real?” >> asked William as he then too looked out through the gunner's sight. << “Yeah, those cuts look fresh.” >>Aside from the fresh cuts, Jack also smelt a distinct smell of wood fabrics—a sharp smell it was with a watery-like scent. Combined with the nature surrounding it, it felt just nature-like- Really? Nature like? Oh well… Jack though.<< “Alright, all team leaders report in once you confirm that your team are ready.” >> A voice crackled to life once more as the Master Jack’s voice reappeared as he gave further instructions.“Samuel, go and confirm our readiness.” Jack ordered through the helmet’s mic.<< “This is team one, on standby.” >> Samuel immediately executed the order without hesitation as he spoke through the radio, confirming their team’s readiness.<< “This is team two, on standby.” >> A feminine voice crackled through the net, sourcing from Isabelle.<< “Team three, on standby..” >> Another feminine voice appeared with a weaker tone, sourcing from Alisia.Seconds went by with silence feeling the air, until all of a sudden, Jack heard a small explosion in the far distance and saw a shaped object leaving behind trails of smoke as it climbed up high into the sky before exploding mid-air and releasing a bright red glow along with a small parachute.“That’s the signal, I guess.” Jack said to himself.“So, what’s our plan?” Asked William, his voice heard clear as crystal due to the engine releasing less sound in idle.“Well..” Jack thought for a second. "I... don’t really know. All my brain cells are gone after the exercise we had earlier.”<< “So, what’s your order, Jack?” >> Fraser’s voice was heard over the net with a question.Jack was still thinking about what to do—maybe pulling off the same trick as last time with hiding in one spot and waiting for someone to go pass by? No, he doesn’t have the patience to wait for someone to go by; he doesn’t have that much of an attention span.“Nah, nah..” He shook his head. Perhaps they should go for a more direct approach? Besides, the guns on the Ram and the Stuart would barely do much to a heavy tank like the Churchill anyway, could they?“Alright, throttles forward.” He ordered.“Right, pushing down the pedals now.” Finlay acknowledged before stepping on both pedals, making the engine go up roaring and growling once more.The tank lurched forward, knocking everyone back slightly by the sudden force, including Jack, but he held onto the ring of the cupola, preventing himself from falling off to the rear. The same was said for the Ram at the rear as it hit the gas, following the Churchill from behind. A question then emerged over the net.<< “Uhh, what’s our plan?” >> Asked Fraser once more.Jack went down the cupola and inside the turret before looking at the radio section compartment. “Tell him to tail right behind us. We’ll just find anyone we see and try and take them out.” >> He ordered Samuel through the helmet’s mic.<< “Right.” >> Samuel acknowledged his orders before leaning the PTT to his mouth. << “Fraser, just tail us from behind.” >><< “Uhh, alright then.” >>And so the two tanks went on rolling again, as they were about to face against the two other teams.