The Red Hand

Chapter 16 – Did She Get the Signal?

Kana, Naomi, and Mika were sitting in a holding cell within the basement of Camp Katsura's main administrative headquarters. They had met with General Iseyama, the man in charge of this entire operation, just before being brought here. He explained that Akagi was far too dangerous to be left alive and that with her powers; she could destabilize the country. He droned on and on about his duty to protect Japan and that those with such dangerous powers need to be brought to heel as a matter of national security. Of course, he never even had the decency to apologize to the girls for dragging them into this fight.

Kana couldn't deny that Akagi's powers made her dangerous. She knew of her history in FWO and was fully aware of how much damage she could do if she put her mind to it. Kana understood the government's wariness toward her sister; after all she could use her abilities to take out its most important members quite easily. But she believed declaring her a threat to national security was, not just absurd, but counter productive. Akagi had no interest in using her abilities to overthrow the government or cause widespread chaos. All she wanted to do was continue her work from FWO, but if the government insisted on involving those she cared about; Kana knew she wouldn't just sit back and watch.

However, no matter how much she tried to explain this, the General had none of it. He told her that these were dangerous times and the government couldn't afford to have such a dagger pointed at its throat. Akagi was a variable, he told her, one so dangerous that they would rather remove her from the equation than wait and see how she would act. When asked if he would eliminate all those who retained their powers, he replied that he would prefer to work with them for the security of Japan.

{If you were really concerned about security, you wouldn't pull this kind of a stunt. Does he really not understand that by kidnapping us he's made the government Onee-chan's enemy?} Kana thought.

The girls were then shown to their cells and told they would be released as soon as Akagi was dealt with. Kana and Naomi knew better than to believe this. It was more likely they would be disposed of to minimize the risk of the government's actions leaking. The three of them sat in almost complete silence. Mika was on the verge of panicking and Naomi attempted to comfort her.

"W-We're going to go home right?" Mika was on the verge of tears. "If this is punishment for never studying, I promise I'll take it seriously from now on." She said, wrapped in Naomi's arms.

"It's ok Mika, everything will be alright," Naomi said attempting to calm her. "And I doubt you would actually study, even after this." She tried adding a bit of levity to the conversation.

"Yeah, Naomi's right. Onee-chan will come and rescue us; I just know it. So don't worry." Kana said with complete faith in her sister.

Mika looked up at her. "But... can she really save us? The military is after her, and they took us to lure her in right?" She asked. "I mean, you saw just how many soldiers and tanks are in this base. There's no way she can beat them even with her powers." Mika said with a defeated voice.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that. You saw her abilities, didn't you? She can probably just sneak in here and get us out." Kana said. "Also. Don't forget, Onee-chan isn't alone. She has all her friends with her, so don't count her out just yet Mika." Kana reminded her.

{I'm still worried about her though and I hope she'll be alright. Be careful Onee-chan, and please don't go overboard.} Kana's thoughts swirled between believing in her sister, and being afraid at what she might do. In the back of her mind, she even began to doubt that Akagi and her sister really were the same person. Her attitude and personality were similar, but Kana could see the darkness that lied within and it scared her. The only question, was whether this darkness was part of Akagi herself, or something else.

Of course, no one had anyway of knowing exactly what Akagi planned on doing, or that she intended to do far more than just rescue them.

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<Akagi POV>

Akagi stood on a rooftop overlooking Camp Katsura, she arrived there not long after departing the police headquarters, and was currently doing some scouting. The base was rather large for being in the middle of a city like Kyoto. It was well manned and completely modern, owing to American training and investment. If anything, this place was more like a fortress than a simple base.

"I see.... well the layout matches what Nakagumo and Chloe told me." She hummed. "Definitely much more elaborate than an Imperial base, but I suspect much of the same design philosophy applies." Her eyes darted around, taking in as much information as possible.

Even at this distance, Akagi could see things clearly; her eyes were far better than a normal human's. "There are easily five hundred soldiers currently on base. Much more than usual, though I guess that makes sense since they're expecting me." Akagi had some experience dealing with military from her many fights with the Empire. “Standard doctrine has somewhere in the neighborhood of two to three support personnel for each soldier, so there could easily be 1000-2000 people on base.” (Akagi)

A few moments later Yumi appeared at her side and knelt . "My lord, Chloe's squad has taken position. Her team is ready to strike whenever you give the signal." Yumi had been busy assembling the first team led by the Cat-kin Chloe. While her team specialized in intelligence gathering, they could more than hold their own in infiltration and ambush operations. Just under twenty members of Akagi's team would take part in this attack, a small number to be sure, but they were some of her best.

"Good. As for the signal..." Akagi thought for a moment. "I think Chloe will know it when she sees it." She gave a cheeky smile.

This wouldn't be the first time they'd attacked a major military installation and Chloe was no stranger to fighting at Akagi's side.

"Connect me to her if you wouldn't mind," Akagi asked Yumi.

"Of course, one moment." (Yumi)

One of Yumi's many powers was the ability to use long-range telepathy with targets she knew. It had proven to be invaluable in the game where such communication was otherwise impossible. In the real world, it was equally as useful since it was a secure connection that no military could crack.

"Hello myaster, were in position nya. What do you need?" The cat girl said as she connected.

"Chloe, your first priority should be to get the girls out of the base safely. Once you've done that, I want you to begin systematically eliminating everyone in the base." Akagi said with a cold voice.

"Everyone nya?" the Cat asked.

"Everyone, these idiots wanted a war, and well, who are we to deny them?" She laughed. "Of course, your team's lives are more important, if you run into any danger feel free to disengage."

"Rodger that nya!" (Chloe)

Akagi didn't expect to actually wipe out the entire population of the base, she estimated that after about a third of its forces were wiped out, they would surrender.

"Also, I'm pretty sure they have a few former members of the assault team hiding in there. If you run into them, do not engage. I doubt you can beat them, and even if you could..." She smiled. "It's only right that I take them down." Akagi was never one that could say no to a duel.

"Other than that, feel free to enjoy the slaughter to your heart's content." She knew the Cat would enjoy this. "However, you may only engage residents of the base itself." She reminded Chloe that she did not want to harm civilians if possible.

Akagi remembered something else. "Oh yeah, if you happen to run into a certain old man running the place. Do me a favor and leave him for me." The cat knew exactly who she was talking about. "Happy hunting," Akagi said as she cut the connection.

"Knowing Chloe, I'm sure she'll be fine, but I must say I am a little bit nervous about this operation," Yumi said to Akagi. "I've read up on the history of your world and you have much more impressive ways of killing than we did." FWO was a sword and sorcery fantasy game, after all, its military weapons were anything but modern.

"Yeah, I don't blame you.” Akagi gave a wry smile. “But don't forget we already tested a few of these weapons on us and they had no effect." Akagi was referencing an experiment where they shot each other with some guns acquired via Naomi.

"Your shield didn't even flicker when shot; I think we'll be fine. But don't let your guard down, I didn't lose any of you in FWO, and I'm not about to break that perfect record." Akagi said with a serious expression. "All you need to do is stay next to me and cover my back. I'll take care of the rest, now let's go."

The two women descended the building quickly reaching street level. Their sudden appearance alarmed some of the pedestrians and a few even made some comments about cosplay. A woman wearing Taisho era clothing, followed by a shrine maiden, wasn't exactly normal in Kyoto. The two women ignored these strange looks, they really didn't care what people thought of them, and focused on the task at hand. They weren't particularly far from Camp Katsura and it only took a few minutes before they approached it's main entrance.

The main gate was a massive structure several feet thick and guarded by two soldiers sitting in a booth that overlooked the entryway. It was designed to keep out anyone and was strong enough to take hits from artillery and survive. The massive gate was currently sealed shut and could only be opened via a switch on a console where the two soldiers sat. The women walked straight past the warning side alongside the road which told civilians to keep out. This prompted one of the soldiers to grab his gun and approach them from the opposite direction.

"Halt!" he yelled. "This is a restricted area, civilians aren't allowed, turn around; we're authorized to use lethal force if you refuse," he said taking the safety off his weapon.

{Who the hell are these two women? And what's with those get-ups? A shrine maiden and a kimono, are they some kind of cosplay outfits?} It was quite abnormal for civilians to approach the front of the base, even the most curious onlookers wouldn't get this close.

"Oh? An ultimatum? I love ultimatums." Akagi said with a laugh. "Here's mine. Get the hell out of my way or die; your choice." She gave an unsettling smile.

{Since he didn't fire on sight, I guess that means they didn't fill all the soldier's in on their plan. Oh well, too bad for them.} (Akagi)

The soldier rose his weapon hearing Akagi's words.

"Last warning, leave now or I will shoot." the soldier said steeling himself.

However, his preparation and resolve was all for not. The moment he finished his sentence he felt weightless as if he was flying through the air. It was a strange sensation, one that he couldn't understand. Then just as quickly as it arrived, it stopped and he found himself staring at his own feet.

{Wa-what just...} he didn't even have time to process the fact that his head was separated from his body before he died.

The second soldier watched in horror at what happened.

{I didn't even see her move, what the fuck just happened!} He thought as he stared at these two women.

{I have to alert the base} he reached for the console and pressed a button.

"Were under atta-" His words stopped as a black blade sliced his throat.

Akagi reached his position in a flash, giving the man no time to react. The soldier stared at her while choking on his blood. He tried to reach for his weapon, but Akagi drove her blade into his heart, killing him instantly.

As she swung her blade to clean the blood off it, a voice could be heard from the console.

"Gate respond! What's going on? Are we under attack? Answer immediately!" A woman's voice could be heard from the speaker. Akagi chuckled, she had an idea. She walked over to the console, pushed the man's body aside, and pushed the comms button.

"This is Gate." She said to the woman. "I'm afraid your two soldiers are a little indisposed and won't be getting back to you anytime soon." She laughed.

"Who the hell is this? What's going on? Where are Yusei and Onigawa?" the woman asked in a panic.

"Oh, don't worry honey, you'll be seeing them soon enough." Akagi gave a sinister laugh as she slashed the console ending the conversation.

A moment later alarms could be heard inside the base.

"Well, I guess they know we're here now," Yumi said while walking up to Akagi. "What about that gate? Can you open it with whatever mechanism these soldiers had?" Yumi asked unfamiliar with electronics.

Akagi gestured to the massive gash in the terminal.

"I'm going to take that as a no." Yumi sighed. “Did you really have to break it?”

Akagi laughed. “No, but I think this will be more fun.”

Akagi walked outside and stood in front of the massive steel gate. She placed her Katana inside its sheath, took a crouching stance, closed her eyes tightly, and took a deep breath. A few seconds later, her eyes opened and her arm was extended with the Katana pointing off to her right side. Her slash was too fast for the human eye to see, but its results were devastating.

At first, it seemed as if nothing happened; but a moment later, a seam appeared on the door. The door began to groan as it fell backward into the base. Her sword had split it in two, carving through the reinforced gate like a hot knife through butter. Inside, soldiers could be seen running in all directions, but those close enough to witness the massive door collapsing were momentarily stunned. Most had looks of disbelief on there faces, while others looked terrified.

Akagi climbed on top of the remains of the door and stood there for a moment.

"I wonder if that was a good enough signal," Akagi said with a wide grin.

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