Full Metal Panic Fan Fiction ❯ Blood From Metal ❯ Chapter 4

Blood From Metal

 

By: Alpha Zulu Mark II

 

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, I don't claim to own any of them, and this fic is meant only to explore an idea; so, bite me!

 

Chapter 4

 

“The office was empty,” said Yu Fan as she slipped into the booth next to Sousuke. “I learned that he is supposed to be on a cruise to the Philippines, but if it is a cruise, why take all his stuff?” she asked rhetorically. Sousuke glanced at Mao.

 

“Do we have assets for transportation?” he asked. Mao shook her head.

 

“Not locally,” she said. “Ideas?” she asked. Sousuke considered it.

 

“As a matter of fact, I think I can get us to Manila,” he said a moment later. “Take Yu Fan and do another sweep for any new or pertinent information. Meet me back here at twenty hundred hours,” he said. Both women nodded and moved off, as did Sousuke.

 

Mao wasn't sure what to make of Yu Fan. She was quiet, like Sousuke, and they both had that kind of dangerous adaptability that had worried her at time. Like when Sousuke volunteered to go back to Himajistan that time, and his whole unit got wiped out save for him, she recalled uneasily. That incident had come to head months later when Gauron had seized the De Danaan at sea. It was their first look at the new Chodarl B units, and it had cost them a lot.

 

And then, there was the incident in China. Deep in the submerged tunnel that spanned the dividing river between North and South China, the Urzu team and some infantry had gone in to free some hostages so that the peace talks could continue, but they had found that it was all a trap. One of the `hostages' was Xia Yu Lan, the younger twin sister of the woman walking next to her. Mao still had occasional nightmares about how close the woman's machetes had come to killing her. Seven men had died along with three hostages; all of them had been contact kills by Yu Lan and her blades.

 

And then, there was Yu Fan herself. She had piloted a Chodarl AS unit in the tunnel. She had piloted the Chodarl D in Hong Kong that had - once more - scrapped the Urzu team before engaging Gates and his Chodarl M unit. Reports said that she had been piloting the Lambda-drive equipped Chodarl unit for thirty six hours straight - a dangerous risk, given the toll doing that took on the pilot - and had she been a little more rested, she might have taken down that maniac Gates.

 

As it was, she was defeated by him, while he in turn fell to Sousuke and his Arbalest. Mao had seen the AMALGAM operations director taunting Yu Fan with the dead body of her sister. She recalled the look in the eyes of the younger twin as she tried to kill Mao, as well. Looking at the elder twin, she saw the same king of look in her eyes. Honestly, Mao wondered just what the Xia sisters were really like. Growing up with Gauron as a `father' had to be a recipe for massive mental issues, she thought.

 

“Is there a problem?” came the soft voice of the younger woman beside her, startling her. Instinctively, Mao's hand jerked under her light jacket and grabbed her gun.

 

“No,” she said, forcing herself to release the butt of her gun, “no problem,” she said.

 

“They why are you staring at me?” wondered the girl. Her tone was bland and Mao was sure that she really didn't care if she got an answer or not. Mao hadn't realized that she was staring at Yu Fan until the girl said something. Just let it go, Melissa, she told herself.

 

“Gauron raised you and your sister, right?” she said. Well, now that it's out in the open, she mentally shrugged away her lapse of the tongue. Pulling her pack of smokes from her pocket, she shook one out, absently offering one to Yu Fan, who shook her head.

 

“Yes, sensei raised us from the time that we were five,” said the girl dispassionately, though Mao could swear she heard respect, love and admiration in her addressing of Gauron as her `sensei'.

 

“Must have been tough,” muttered Mao, finding her lighter and igniting her cigarette. Taking a drag, she glanced at Yu Fan, whose expression was unreadable.

 

“Being orphans on the streets was tough,” she said. “Sensei taught us what we needed to know to survive. He taught us skills we needed to have.”

 

“Like assassination?” grunted Mao. Yu Fan nodded.

 

“Not only that,” she agreed as easily as if Mao had asked if she liked cake. “Explosives, marksmanship, unarmed combat, interrogation, insurgency and counter-insurgency, terrorism, intelligence gathering, tactical and strategic planning, theory and execution; all the things he had learned in his career,” she said, her tone nearly reverent.

 

“Great,” said Mao sourly, “a professional terrorist-for-hire passing on all that he learned,” she muttered. Yu Fan said nothing about her accusation or tone. What did it matter to her? `Terrorist' was just a word to the young woman, after all. “Did Gauron ever talk about Sousuke?” she asked.

 

Ever since she had told Kana the story of her first meeting with Sousuke and Kurz at the recruit selection camp, she had found herself wondering about what kind of relationship the two had had. Gauron called Sousuke `Kashim', as if it meant something. And Sousuke had always gotten a little irrational when Gauron was concerned; it had gone way past irrational after the incident on the island. By the time Hong Kong had gone down, he was practically a different person. Fortunately, he had reverted to his old self sometime during the time he was AWOL in Hong Kong, because when Urzu needed him most, he had come down on Gates and his AS unit like the fist of God.

 

Beside her was a chance to dig into Sousuke's past without being obvious about it. Over the course of the last two years, she had dug a little into his jacket, and it was clear that his file before being selected as an AS pilot for MITHIL was complete bullshit. Kalinin obviously knew a lot more about him, but her careful probes met only with dead silence from the older Russian. The after-action report on his mission to his homeland was classified to the point where it would have taken Tessa's signature to get a copy of it, and she knew better than to ask Tessa for that.

 

“Sousuke - Kashim - was sensei's favored disciple,” said Yu Fan. “It was he who inspired Gauron to raise my sister and I as he did.”

 

“Really? I thought that you two were supposed to be Sousuke's kryptonite,” mused Mao. Yu Fan shook her head.

 

“No,” she said. “That was never the plan.”

 

“Then, what was the deal with trying to assassinate Kaname and why the whole Hong Kong incident?” wondered Mao.

 

“Chidori was targeted for other reasons, and Hong Kong was because Gates had become an obstacle to us,” said Yu Fan.

 

“Other reasons?” echoed Mao. “And weren't you two working for Gates in China?” she challenged. Yu Fan shrugged.

 

“Mercenaries change employers as necessary, Mao,” she reminded her. “Gates was just a temporary assignment,” she dismissed the madman.

 

“He killed your sister, didn't he?” Mao pressed. Yu Fan nodded.

 

“He did,” she said. “Unfortunately, I was unable to settle that score.”

 

“Sousuke settled it for you,” needled Mao. To her surprise, a tiny, fleeting smile touched Yu Fan's lips.

 

“He did,” she agreed.

 

“So, why did you target Kaname?” asked Mao once more. Yu Fan twitched a shoulder.

 

“It doesn't matter,” she dismissed the topic. Mao considered what she had heard. There is more going on than I thought, the woman nodded to herself. My hunch is that Yu Fan is still on mission from Gauron, but what could she possibly do this long after his death? If Sousuke was the target, she could have already finished the matter. Is she after Kaname again? Maybe she's using us to find Kaname so she can finish what her sister started. But, if that's the case, to what ends? She must know that Sousuke will kill her without hesitation if she touches Kaname, so what does she gain? Mao watched the shorter girl beside her with worry.

 

-

 

Kaname awoke with a start as she felt the plane's wheels touch down on a runway. Looking out the window, she saw that it was late afternoon. Hiding a yawn, she wondered where they were now. Looking over at Leonard, she saw him reading a folded newspaper, the woman kneeling next to his chair, a small pad in her hand, making notes. Kaname lips curved into a half-sneer.

 

“Ah, awake again, my dear,” he said, handing the newspaper to the woman, who tucked it and the notepad under her arm as she moved through the door into the back of the plane. Through the door, Kaname spotted a small office-like area. “I had the pilots be extra careful not to disturb your rest,” he shared with her.

 

“How thoughtful,” she replied sardonically. “And we are where, again?” she asked, unfastening her seatbelt.

 

“Just a brief stop-over to visit some business partners,” he replied easily. Kaname hadn't really expected him to tell her anyway. “We won't be here that long,” he added. The woman re-emerged from the office area, a jacket in her hands.

 

“This is for you, miss,” she said, holding open a medium-weight jacket. After a moment of hesitation, Kaname slid her arms in and the woman immediately closed the jacket and zipped it up. “And for you, sir,” she said, opening another jacket for Leonard. Unlike Kaname, he just spread his arms, and the woman put the jacket on him. Kaname felt her lips curl into a sneer.

 

“What's the matter, Leo,” she taunted him, her eyes slitted, “can't dress yourself?” The contempt dripping from her words was making a puddle on the floor.

 

“Hmm,” he replied loftily. The woman finished buttoning the jacket and straightening the sleeves. With that done, she pulled his long hair out from under his jacket and made sure it was untangled. A wordless snort told him what Kaname thought of that as well. “Well, shall we, my dear Kaname?” he asked her, inclining his head toward the door, the AS units already outside the plane.

 

Ducking through the hatch, she found that a large SUV was waiting, the windows darkened and from the way it sat, the body was armored. Kaname felt Leonard take her elbow again and guide her into the SUV. Before she was inside, she caught a glimpse of two more vehicles near-by, likely a security detail. Funny how you learn things without even realizing it, she thought, recalling how odd she used to think it was when Sousuke would be suspicious of every little thing. Now, she was getting a bit paranoid herself.

 

As before, she looked for any signs that might tell her where she was, but there wasn't anything that she picked up on to tell her. The roads were in poor condition, which indicated that they were in a less-developed country, but that left a lot of the world as possible locations. The distinctly cold weather indicated a northern direction from the warm climate of the house she had been at. Or, it could be southern, she corrected her assumption. Go far enough south, and it gets cold, too. Beside her, Leonard still lightly held her elbow.

 

After a drive of about a half-hour, they reached a minimally-lit building complex, surrounded by three meter tall fencing sporting the ever-fashionable triple crown of razor wire, one fence inside the other. The gate was buttressed by heavy cement guard houses, though the three vehicles passed through without even stopping. Clearly, Leonard was expected. The SUV carrying Kaname and Leonard pulled up right at the entrance, and one of the AS units stepped out first, standing to the open side of the door, forming a kind of secure passage to the building. Yeah, I can imagine that a lot of Leonard's fans would love to give him a candy gram bullet, Kaname thought. Her mind briefly touched on Sousuke and Kurz, among others.

 

Kaname was escorted into the building, and passed numerous labs, offices, test facilities and supply rooms before she and Leonard entered a office in the middle of the main building. The man behind the desk rose, smiling at Leonard. “Ah! Good of you to come, my friend,” he said. Kaname caught a Russian accent to his English.

 

“You did say you had something to discuss with me, did you not?” replied Leonard levelly.

 

“Of course!” the man replied. “But first, I must know, who is this most beautiful woman with you?' he asked. Kaname crushed the impulse to blush at the man's words.

 

“This is my dear Kaname,” Leonard replied. “Kaname, this is Mishca,” he completed the introductions. “Now, if you will excuse me, my dear,” he said, releasing her elbow.

 

“Gladly,” she hissed through locked teeth. One of the AS units took her arm in its grip.

 

“My child will show you around a little,” Leonard promised. Kaname didn't resist as the AS unit directed her out of the office. To her surprise, the AS unit motioned her down a corridor, like a tour guide.

 

“Thanks, bolt-head,” she snapped, moving as directed. There wasn't much point in resisting, since she knew that she stood no chance against these things. Moving past labs, she looked at what she could, not understanding much, until she passed one lab. Looking at a partially-built project, the whisper in her head surged up. Crystalline ceramic polymer exo-skeletal unit, synthetic inorganic tissue weave actuators, ionized plasma exchanger power source, theta-wave interface nodal control system, hyper-fluidic auto balancing unit, sheathing is poly-directional interwoven silica-carbon materials, thermal handling capability, her Whisper was interrupted by the not-exactly-gentle pull of the AS unit as it dragged her away from the lab. As the Whisper receded into the back of her mind, she blinked away the confusion that usually followed such an incident. That was one of these things being built! she realized. And I resonated with the technology behind it, so…! Kaname's lips began to curve into a smile. When next she managed a full-depth resonance with Tessa-chan, Leo's little secret wouldn't be so secret.

 

As the AS unit herded her along, she caught a glimpse of Cyrillic characters on a doorway. Russia? she wondered. If it had of been on a box or a folder, she would have dismissed it as a clue, but why would someone put a sign on a door in Russian, if not because the workers read or spoke Russian? It makes sense, too, given the cold, she mused. I think I recall Sousuke saying something about the KGB back when he first told me about MITHRIL, and that woman in North Korea said something about Russians, too, didn't she? Kaname tried to recall, but that particular incident was fuzzy, to say the least.

 

Her thoughts were interrupted once more by the AS unit pulling on her arm, directing her down another passageway. This one wasn't well-lit or traveled, and the labs and offices off of it were all dark and empty. Further ahead, she saw a door that had light coming from under it. Wonder what is in there? she thought to herself. “Hey, bolt-breath,” she said, waving her arm in front of the `face' of her guard, “they got a bathroom around here or what?” she asked him. Hmm, I don't even know if they understand speech, she realized. Can't hurt to try, I guess, she decided. “Bathroom?” she repeated.

 

The AS unit turned and pulled her toward the lit door, Kaname blinking. Well! she thought, surprised. Entering the section, she saw a guard start to stand, but then sit back down as he saw the AS unit and Kaname. Without slowing down, the AS unit went through a second door, and Kaname found herself in a medical lab. Looking around as the AS pulled her through the room, she spotted three beds, all occupied. It was hard to tell, but she thought that they were women, and the voices in her mind were doing that weird thing that had first happened when she had come face to face with Tessa. Are they…Whispered? she wondered. The AS unit stopped, pointing to a door.

 

Pulling her arm from the machine's grip, she went through the door, finding herself in a dingy, run-down, but fairly clean bathroom. There was a toilet and sink, and a pipe protruding from the wall suggested a sort of shower, but other than that, there wasn't anything to suggest a bathroom. The walls were solid concrete, no windows, and the ventilation duct was only three inches across, so escape from there was impossible. Kaname sighed, swiftly unbuttoning her jeans and tending to business.

 

As she did, she wondered about the women in the lab outside the bathroom. Why guards? And why are they in this AS facility? she wondered. All the women had IVs hooked up to their arms, and were likely either drugged or in a coma, but she had gotten the same feeling from them that she had gotten from Tessa, so she was pretty sure that they were Whispered as well. Finishing up, she flushed and pulled her panties and jeans back up, still thinking about the people in the lab. Washing her hands, she dried them off with a coarse paper towel, and exited the bathroom, finding the AS unit exactly where she had left it.

 

The machine took her arm and guided her back to the dim passage. In short order, they were back in well-lit and traveled passageways, and Kaname noticed that all the technicians they encountered moved against the walls as the pair passed, and none of them made eye contact with her. I suppose that working in a place like this doesn't encourage social skills, she thought to herself. I wonder, is it me or the AS unit? she idly wondered.

 

Her thoughts were interrupted by a muffled shout, the sounds of a scuffle, and a moment later, a gunshot. The AS unit never paused, or reacted, and it took Kaname a moment to realize that she hadn't reacted to the gunshot either. Being around Sousuke has de-sensitized me to gunshots, I guess, she thought, smiling at the thought of Sousuke. Ahead of her, she saw Leonard and Mishca, followed by the other AS unit and a guard, exit a lab. Leonard was smiling, and Mishca was laughing. Glancing through the window, Kaname felt her heart skip a beat when she saw a technician sprawled out on the floor in a puddle of blood.

 

Catching sight of Kaname and the AS unit returning from their tour, Leonard's smile changed to a warm, confident one. “Ah, there you are, my dear,” he said warmly, taking her arm from the AS unit. Kaname met his gaze, her own cold and angry. “Oh, don't be so upset, my dear,” he scolded her, “he was sabotaging our work, after all, and had to be dealt with,” he assured her.

 

“It's not `our' work, asshole,” she spat at him. “It's your work; yours and AMALGAM's filthy trade that he was sabotaging. Why shouldn't I treat you like the murderer you are?” she challenged him. Behind the two, Mishca said something to Leonard, his tone jovial. Leonard replied in the same language, which Kaname assumed to be Russian.

 

“Murder is such an imprecise word, Kaname dear,” he said, his eyes on hers. “I am more of a caretaker of knowledge.”

 

“Really?” came her unconvinced reply. “What knowledge were you protecting when you killed him? Or that girl last year?” she challenged.

 

“Strange that you call me a murderer for saving your life,” he noted.

 

“She wasn't in any position to kill me when you got there,” Kaname reminded him. “In fact, I am pretty sure that I could have talked her out of it,” she recalled. Why did she go after him, as well? she wondered.

 

“Knowledge is dangerous, Kaname dear,” he said grandly. “If Black Technology were simply give to all, chaos would be the result, and there would be no peace and order. MITHRIL does much the same thing, you know,” he pointed out.

 

“MITHRIL prevents abuse of power by those like you,” Kaname fired back. “Whereas you want a monopoly on that technology to make you the main power on the world stage,” she said, her sneer deepening. “In the end, you are no different than any of the one yen dictators who spend their lives killing off their own people to protect their position and power.” Kaname paused. “You're pathetic, Leonard Testarossa,” she said flatly.

 

“Time will tell,” he shrugged off her poisonous disdain. “In any event, my must be getting hungry,” he said. Glancing at his watch, he smiled. “And I think we can just make it,” he said, guiding her down the corridor, his AS units flanking the pair. Outside, he guided her back into the SUV, and the convoy returned to the waiting plane. Kaname was fuming, her mind so busy with other matters that she failed to notice that Leonard was holding her arm the while time, his hand resting on her knee.

 

-

 

Mao looked at their transport and sighed. “Sousuke, you truly know how to treat a girl,” she said. She was looking at an old, battered, weathered, rusted WWII-vintage cargo ship. “Does this thing even float?” she asked.

 

“Affirmative,” replied Sousuke. “I have negotiated passage to Manila for us on this vessel,” he said. Mao raised an eyebrow.

 

“What, you give them some beads and a shiny watch?” she asked sarcastically. I miss MITHRIL already, she thought sourly.

 

“Negative,” he replied as if she were being serious. “Our passage is a working passage,” he said. Mao stared at him.

 

“Working passage?” she asked clearly. “What have you done, Sousuke?” she demanded. Sousuke gave her his serious look.

 

“We are their guards to Manila,” he said. “In exchange for protecting them from pirates, they will get us into Manila,” he said. Mao considered that for a moment. When the most likely answer hit her, she groaned.

 

“We're guarding a smuggler's shipment?” she asked herself.

 

“Affirmative,” he replied. Yu Fan had nothing to say. Mao sighed.

 

“Let's get this done,” she said, grabbing her pack and following Yu Fan and Sousuke up the gangplank. Sousuke spoke with a short, dark-skinned man for a moment, then tossed his head at the two women, indicating that they should follow him. Mao could feel the crew of the ship leering at her and Yu Fan.

 

Heading below decks, Sousuke lead the two to a small cabin, which had a single bunk in it. Looking around, Mao shook her head. “Oh, this is going to be a pleasure cruise,” she said to no one in particular, situating her pack in the cramped area under the bed. Yu Fan and Sousuke did likewise. “It's small, but filthy,” she observed of the cabin. “I don't think that all three of us can fit in here at one time,” she noticed.

 

“That is not an issue,” said Sousuke confidently. “There will be one of us on watch at all times, the other two will be resting or tending to equipment,” he said. Mao recalled the looks the men were giving her.

 

“Hey, Sousuke,” she said, glancing back to make sure the door to the cabin was clear, “are we under the command of the skipper of this tub, or independent contractors?” she asked.

 

“Independent,” replied Sousuke. “You should consider the crew to be potentially hostile, as well, since it is common for such outfits to dabble in the slave trade,” he warned the two. Yu Fan nodded.

 

“Understood,” she said.

 

“Watches?” wondered Mao, making sure her harness was settled comfortably. Sousuke thought about that.

 

“I believe that we should take a four/eight split,” he said. “Constant rotation so we don't get fatigued, and are able to maintain a constant guard on our gear, as well as watching out for enemy contact,” he proposed. Mao considered that.

 

“This is going to be a fun few days,” she said. Sousuke shrugged.

 

“I think we should maintain the watch from the top of the bridge unless foul weather sets in,” he continued. “Limiting our exposure to the crew will lessen the chances of an incident with them, and staying in relatively open areas will prevent an ambush,” he said.

 

“Meals?” wondered Mao. Sousuke silently held up MREs from his pack. Mao groaned.

 

“When we get to Manila, I'm getting a real meal,” she warned him. Sousuke nodded.

 

“As you wish,” he said easily. Talk fell to who was going first, and selecting and setting up their OP on top of the bridge. Sousuke and Mao had MITHRIL-issue radios, and Sousuke had managed to get a secure unit for Yu Fan that would work with his and Mao's on some channels, and he insisted that they verify communication from the OP to the cabin.

 

With that settled, Mao took first watch, using a metal chair under a tightly-lashed tarp to protect her from the sun, a large bottle of drinking water, some jerky, her rifle and a `borrowed' pair of high-power binoculars her company. The ship had set sail for the Philippines about ten minutes after Sousuke and company boarded, and they were clearing the harbor at Yokohama as Mao settled in. Lighting a cigarette, Mao leaned back in the chair, putting her boots up on the edge of the radar cable that snaked around the roof of the bridge and ran up to the dome above her. “This is going to be a fun eighty two hours,” she muttered.

 

It was into the middle of the second day when she came down from her most recent watch to find Sousuke sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at a picture. “What're you looking at, Sousuke?” she asked, sitting beside him. Leaning over, she saw that it was a picture of him and Kana, apparently taken by the Tokiwa girl at some outing they had gone to. Kaname was holding on to Sousuke, her free hand flashing a `V' sign, her bright smile and sparkling eyes making clear her feelings at the time. What caught Mao's attention, though, was the smile on Sousuke's face. It wasn't that obvious if you didn't know him, but it was there, and Mao caught it.

 

“Just a picture,” said Sousuke, tucking it into his pack again. Mao stretched. She had been up long before her watch, and was ready for some sleep. Frowning, she glanced at Sousuke. He had been up when she went to bed, and he was up when she got up, and here he was, still up.

 

“Sousuke, how long have you been up?” she asked him. He frowned.

 

“About twenty six hours, I believe,” he said after a moment. Mao lightly smacked him on the back of the head.

 

“Idiot,” she grumbled. “You need to sleep, Sousuke,” she said. “When we get to Manila, we're going to have work to do, and I don't need you sleepwalking through it,” she pointed out. “So let's grab some shut-eye, soldier,” she ordered him. It had been clear when Tessa told her what was going to go down that Sousuke had lead on this mission, and Mao honestly had no real complaint about that. Sousuke was a solid, practiced, experienced soldier, and she would take orders from him as easily as she would give orders to him. At times like this, though, she fell back into her Sergeant Major mode.

 

“You are correct,” he sighed. Mao grunted, pulling off her harness while Sousuke did the same.

 

“Of course I am,” she replied. The cabin was stuffy and hot, and even though they had stripped the bed and used one of the military blankets from their packs to cover the grimy mattress, none of them found it overly comfortable to be in the cabin. Sousuke had worked on the small porthole near the top of the cabin, and managed to get it to open about two inches, allowing an anemic amount of fresh sea air into the cabin, which made it just barely cool enough to rest if one wasn't wearing too much.

 

Pulling off her tee shirt, Mao frowned at the soaked-through sports bra she wore. Mentally shrugging, she pulled it off as well before working her boots and fatigues off. pulling her pistol from its holster on her harness, she got settled as Sousuke removed his boots and fatigues as well, likewise taking his pistol from his own harness and laying down beside Mao in his boxers. The bed was barely wide enough for the two of them, and it took them a few moments of moving around to get comfortable. When it was done, Sousuke was side-to-side with Mao, one arm under her head, the other resting by his hip. Mao's hands were crossed on her stomach, holding her pistol.

 

Hearing her laugh softly, Sousuke asked her what was so funny. “You know, Sousuke,” she said, “if Kana saw this, she might think I was moving in on her man,” she pointed out. Sousuke frowned.

 

“Why would she think that?” he wondered. It wasn't like he was doing anything but grabbing some sleep with a teammate, right? Beside him, Mao shook her head.

 

“Sousuke, we're lying in bed in hardly a stitch. What else would she think?” she asked him.

 

“But you are a teammate,” Sousuke pointed out. “Why would she think you were moving in on her territory?” he wondered. Women never made any sense to him, though he was beginning to get some faint notions of how they might react after so long with Kaname.

 

“Sousuke,” sighed Mao, “you have your arm around a nearly-naked woman. What else would Kana think?” she asked him.

 

“I don't follow,” he said a moment later. Mao tried again.

 

“What if she came home and found you in bed with that Tokiwa girl, like we are,” she began. “Don't you think she would be upset?”

 

Sousuke considered that. “I suspect she would be,” he agreed a moment later.

 

“Well, there you go,” Mao finished.

 

“But Kyoko isn't a teammate, Melissa,” he pointed out. It was at that instant that Mao realized what was causing this. He considers a teammate to be very different from a girl, rather or not she is; just like it took him forever to figure out that Tessa was a girl who also happened to be a Captain, she realized. To him, Captain Testarossa had nothing to do with Tessa. I guess I should be glad of that, she decided.

 

“So, you don't see me as a woman?” she teased him. In the light from the porthole, she could see him frown.

 

“You are a woman, yes,” he replied, uncertain what she was getting at.

 

“Then why aren't you acting like I'm a woman?” she faked a pout. Sousuke was silent for a bit longer.

 

“Am I supposed to?” he wondered at last. Mao is my teammate, so why is she asking me if I know she is a woman? he thought to himself. Mao gave a short growl, absently swatting at him.

 

“You are hopeless, Sousuke,” she said. “And that is probably why Kana can't resist you,” she added quietly. “Or Tessa, for that matter,” she chuckled. Yawning, she shifted to put her head on his shoulder. “Now, be a good pillow, and I'll wake you in four hours,” she said.

 

“Roger that,” replied Sousuke, falling asleep.

 

When Mao awoke to the chirping of her watch, she found that Sousuke had shifted in his sleep, his arms closing around her and pulling her to him. As she moved, she realized something else. I wonder if that is morning wood, or… she wondered, feeling his hard member pressing against her lower belly. Feeling her shift, Sousuke tightened his embrace slightly. Some unintelligible sound came from his throat as he did so. Mao watched him for a few moments, then gently shook his shoulder. “Sousuke, wake up,” she said.

 

Sousuke immediately came to, though it was clear he was still not all there, mentally. “What's wrong, Kana?” he slurred, rubbing his eyes with the hand not holding his gun.

 

“Well, I'm not Kana, for one thing,” said Mao playfully. Sousuke blinked.

 

“Sorry, Melissa,” he said. She shrugged.

 

“No problem,” she assured him. Every woman likes to be mistaken for a younger girl, after all, she thought. “Guess I don't have to ask if you had pleasant dreams,” she teased him, twitching her hips against his. Sousuke flinched, feeling his hard member grind against Mao's lower belly.

 

“Once more, my apologies,” he said, sitting up. Mao just giggled.

 

“Not a problem,” she dismissed it. “Get dressed and go relieve Yu Fan on watch,” she said, lying back as he swiftly dressed. “Of course, you might want to take care of that first,” she teased him as he stood, only to grunt and re-arrange his crotch.

 

“Agreed,” he said, shrugging into his harness. Mao giggled quietly as he left the cabin. Fishing around for her pack of smokes, she quickly had one lit.

 

Kana's right about him, she reflected. He is sexy, if in a different way than, say, a movie star. Mao had seen Sousuke naked on several occasions, due to the requirements of various missions, but it was only since Kana entered the picture that she had realized that he was handsome and even sexy. “Maybe I'm more like him than I thought,” she muttered.

 

“Unlikely,” came the voice of Yu Fan from the hatch. Mao flinched, her gun whipping around toward the hatch.

 

“Don't sneak up on me like that,” hissed the older woman, returning her gun to its rest position. Yu Fan said nothing, shrugging out of her own gear and clothing before laying down beside Mao. “What did you mean, it was unlikely that I am more like Sousuke than I thought?” wondered Mao.

 

“You and he are different, Mao,” said Yu Fan. “You will probably never be like him in the ways that matter,” she added, snuggling up closer to Mao.

 

“Hey, don't be so touchy-feely,” complained Mao.

 

“Why not?” wondered Yu Fan, comfortably cupping one of Mao's breasts.

 

“I don't swing that way,” said Mao stiffly, pulling Yu Fan's hand off her breast. Well, ok, there was that time when I got drunk… she left unsaid.

 

“What do you mean?” asked Yu Fan, her hand back on Mao's breast.

 

“Hello? We're both girls, Yu,” pointed out Mao dryly.

 

“That matters?” wondered Yu Fan. Mao blinked. Oh, god! she thought, pieces falling into place.

 

“No, I suppose not,” she said, relaxing slightly. “Let's get some rest,” she said. A soft hum from the girl was her only response. Moments later, Mao realized that Yu Lan was already asleep. I never thought about it, but if what she said earlier about how she was raised is true, her thoughts trailed off. She and Sousuke are more alike than I will ever be, she realized. Sleep was welcome for Mao, though it was a shallow and restless sleep.

 

-

 

Kaname felt the plane settle on the runway once more. “And where are we now?” she asked Leonard. She was still pissed about his killing one of his minions, but over the last couple of hours, she had calmed down. Leonard hadn't reacted to her outburst, choosing instead to read a fresh newspaper, dictate to his `assistant', and - briefly - disappear into his office. Kaname had cooled down some, and spent a large chunk of the trip in a semi-meditative state. Puzzles were not her favorite things, but since she was stuck with one, she worked on it when she could.

 

“Why, dinner, of course,” he said, taking her hand and pulling her up from her seat. Kaname was already standing before she realized that she could have shifted her weight and jerked him clean off his feet. Silently sighing at the missed opportunity to hurt her captor, she was guided to the ramp, which was once more guarded top and bottom by the two AS units. Looking out of the plane, Kaname found herself looking at the distant lights of a large city. Her heart rate kicked up at the opportunities she could think of in a large city.

 

“Sorry, my dear,” came Leonard's voice, “but I doubt that you will control yourself well enough for me to take you into the city,” he said. “I have, however, managed to have some appropriate clothing gathered, and to have our dinner arrangements made,” he said.

 

“How thoughtful,” Kaname replied sarcastically.

 

“Aren't I, though?” he replied easily. At the foot of the ramp was another car, this one a BMW limo. Kaname, familiar with the process by now, stepped into the car and settled in her seat, Leonard next to her, and the AS units taking the other two seats. Looking out the smoked windows, Kaname ignored Leonard, just as she always did. Where are we now? she wondered, trying to place anything that might give away her location.

 

Sadly, she wasn't picking out anything that gave her a definite fix. Europe was about as much as she could be sure of, given the fact that they were driving on the left side of the road. Probably western Europe, given the condition of the roads, the surplus of city lights and the odd signage. Beyond that, she had no idea if it was France, Spain, Belgium, Italy or England. Baka Leo certainly does a good job at keeping me in the dark, she admitted sourly.

 

The car stopped, and she found herself looking at a sparingly-lit Old World-styled building. After the AS units had gotten out, she and Leonard climbed out, Leonard lightly placing his hand on her hip as he escorted her into the building. “First things first,” he said, indicating a room off the entry room. “Your dinner clothes are in there, my dear,” he explained. Kaname shot him an annoyed glance before moving into the room, one of the AS units sticking to her. In the room, she found herself looking at a carefully-arranged evening gown on a fancy hanger.

 

Say what you will about him, he or his people have good taste, she thought reluctantly, slowly fingering the cloth of the gown. It was black, small and probably cost more than her apartment in Tokyo. Looking to the side, she saw that whoever had procured the gown had not overlooked the supporting elements. She examined the small velvet bag next to the gown, finding silk stockings, a garter belt, panties, some makeup and a bottle of perfume. Looking at the gown, she knew a bra was not in the bag, because it would not be needed.

 

I guess every girl likes to play dress up from time to time, she thought, changing clothes. She found herself wishing that Kyoko were there to take a picture of her in the gown, or better yet, that Sousuke was waiting outside for her instead of the pale toad Leonard. Pushing the thought aside, she took her time getting dressed. As she finished up, she fastened the top of the gown behind her neck, checking her look in the mirror. Frowning slightly, she adjusted herself in the gown before turning carefully to check herself from as many angles as she could. Satisfied, she dabbed some perfume on her neck and exited the room, finding Leonard waiting for her. “Absolutely breathtaking, my dear,” he assured her. She scowled at him.

 

“Whatever,” she dismissed his compliment. “Where are we eating?” she asked. It was late, after all, and her stomach wanted some food. Leonard slipped up beside her, his hand on her hip once more as he steered her through the building and out onto a terrace, where a table was set up near a scenic overlook of a river. Two seats, candlelight, and not a single person to be seen.

 

Kaname allowed him to seat her, and as soon as Leonard was seated, a waiter in whites came out of the building with a tray at his shoulder. “Ah, our food is right on time,” Leonard said. “Though, sadly, our waiter is deaf,” he smiled at Kaname, who glared at him.

 

“Asshole,” she muttered. As the man set out their meal, she found herself distracted by the smell of the food. Never a gourmet, she was nevertheless appreciative of tasty food, and from the smell of things, this would be very tasty. Oh, if only Sousuke were here with me! she thought wistfully, settling a linen napkin in her lap as her first plate of food was delicately placed before her. Swiping her fork up, she dug in without waiting for Leonard. Petty, Kaname, but you have to amuse yourself when you can, she thought to herself. “Mm,” she moaned happily as she tasted her first forkful of the evening.

 

“I see you find the food acceptable,” came Leonard's voice. Kaname forced herself to remain focused on the food and not on saying what sprang to mind. Why did he have to ruin it by reminding me he exists? she thought sourly. She concentrated on her mental daydream of her and Sousuke in this situation. From under her lashes, she found herself seeing an odd double-image. You know, if I squint a little and concentrate, it is almost like having dinner with Tessa, she realized. Her mood lightened at the thought.

 

By the time the final dish had been consumed, she was feeling comfortable and well-fed. Half-way through the meal, a gentle breeze had sprung up, causing the candles to dance and her nipples to harden under the thin covering of the gown. She sipped her glass, knowing that the wine was likely chosen to get her drunk. To counter that, she had taken only the smallest sips, and was just now approaching the end of her first glass. “Not bad,” she allowed, looking over the moon-lit woods and the river a few dozen meters below them and several meters away.

 

“Thank you,” Leonard saluted her with his glass of wine. Kaname was feeling good enough to let that pass without comment.

 

“Are we staying here long?” she asked. Leonard considered that.

 

“If you wish,” he said, “but it was my intent to show you a nicer place a little farther away,” he said. Kaname frowned.

 

“How far away?” she asked. If this is Europe, I might get a clue from the travel time, she reasoned.

 

“Oh, not that far,” he side-stepped the question. Kaname weighed her options.

 

“Whatever,” she said after several minutes. Leonard inclined his head, rising and moving over to take her hand, helping her up as well. As they moved back toward the car, Leonard slipped his arm around her waist, lightly resting his hand on her waist. Busy with her own thoughts, his subtle move slipped her notice. In short order, they were back in the car, and shortly after that, they were boarding the private jet again.

 

As soon as they were in the air, Leonard rose from his seat and took Kaname's hand, urging her up as well. Blinking, she followed him back through the office, finding the `attendant' working at a cramped desk, typing on a laptop. Passing her, Leonard opened another door, revealing a small, but comfortable-looking bed in the tail of the plane. “Please, make yourself comfortable,” he invited her. Kaname's eyes narrowed.

 

“You better not be thinking you're going to be joining me,” she warned him. He tried for a hurt look, which only fueled her suspicions.

 

“My dear,” he said, “have I done anything to make you think I would do such a thing?” he asked her.

 

“You kidnapped me,” she reminded him. But, for all that, he hasn't tried to rape me, she admitted only to herself. Well, not yet, anyway! she reminded herself.

 

Sighing tragically, Leonard shook his head. “Sadly, I have some matters to attend to,” he said. Kaname's suspicious gaze told him she wasn't buying his act. “Very well,” he said, pointing to the door, “you will notice the lock is on your side of the door,” he pointed out. Kaname didn't necessarily trust that there wasn't a key, but she was tired, and the bed looked inviting.

 

“Fine,” she said, flipping her hand. “Get out,” she said. Leonard smiled, then stepped through the door.

 

“Sleep well, my dear,” he said, closing the door. Kaname locked the door, checked the lock, then tried to see if there was a way to wedge the door. There wasn't, but it wouldn't have made much of a difference if there was; those AS units could break through a castle wall, so a flimsy door in a private jet would not be a hindrance.

 

Turning back the bed, she found silk sheets. Smiling, she removed the gown and everything but the small, thin panties. After carefully laying the gown out - no point destroying such a pretty gown - she slipped into the bed, yawning as she touched the button that turned out the lights. It was bare minutes later that she felt Tessa's presence in her mind.

 

-

 

“Good riddance,” muttered Mao as she, Yu Fan and Sousuke moved down the gangplank of the vintage cargo ship and onto Philippine soil. The last sixteen hours had been a real interesting exercise for the three. As they reached the operational distance of the islands, they had had their first real encounter with pirates. Sousuke had spotted three RIBS low on the horizon as the sun started to set, and he had called Mao and Yu Fan with the sighting.

 

Six hours later, the RIBS had started to move closer to the ship, using darkness and the fact that the low-sitting rubber boats were virtually invisible to radar to close on the ship from astern. Sousuke, however, had not fallen for the ruse, and he, Mao and Yu Fan were ready when the pirates had tried to hook a grapnel line over the rail. Each boat picked a different section of the rail to hook, and each point of contact got a team member assigned to it. Rather than just cut the lines, Sousuke and Yu Fan agreed that it was more efficient to give the pirates a moment to start climbing the rope ladder before engaging them.

 

Of course, by `engaging them', they meant slaughtering the pirates wholesale. Each boat held four or five pirates, and once two of them were on the ladder, the boat was committed, and it was at that moment that the defenders opened up. Sousuke's man had just stuck his nose over the deck line when Sousuke pulled the trigger on his shotgun, take the top third of the man's head off with the one buck shell in the chamber. Immediately, he had stepped to the rail, brought his shotgun over the rail, and emptied the magazine down the ladder and into the RIBS below. The second man on the swaying rope ladder took a full pattern in the face, and was relieved of his head. The three men in the boat were salted down with buckshot, either dead or wounded as the perforated boat fell away, visibly deflating as Sousuke watched.

 

Yu Fan heard Sousuke engage the enemy, and acted. Before her first opponent could reach the railing, Yu Fan stepped around the edge of the superstructure and got an angle on the rope ladder with her CR21 assault rifle. Swiftly leveling the illuminated sight on the first pirate's chest, she put a clean three-round burst into the man, immediately dropping to stitch the second man on the ladder with a five round bust. As the RIBS filled her sights, she emptied the remaining twenty seven rounds from the thirty five round mag into the remaining two people and the engine of the small boat. Her final few round of five point five six NATO managed to tear the engine half-off the mounts, causing the small boat to twist into the side of the ship, capsizing and being drawn toward the screws.

 

Mao had a slightly harder problem to solve, as her group decided to rope up near the forward bow, and the anchor gear interfered with her ability to engage them cleanly. When she heard her two teammates open up, she slung her G36C, snatched her Kabar knife from the sheath taped to her combat harness with her left hand, her right pulling a familiar M67 grenade from the carrier pouch with her right. Twisting the razor-sharp USMC-issue fighting blade under and behind the heavy-duty rope, she jerked hard, severing the rope lead that held the ladder section. She saw a man fall back into the RIBS from about half-way up the ship's side. “Excellent,” smiled Mao, plucking the pin from the grenade. Guesstimating the angles, she casually tossed/dropped the grenade, ducking back to make sure no errant shrapnel caught her. Hearing the distinctive sound of detonation, she peeked back over the rail. Seeing one of the pirates feebly moving in the already-limp body of the boat, Mao pulled out her pistol, sighted carefully, and put a double-tap into the man's head.

 

“Status?” came Sousuke's voice over the radio in her ear.

 

“All clear,” came Yu Fan's immediate reply.

 

“Clear here,” seconded Mao.

 

“Then we are secure for the moment,” Sousuke said. “Mao, get back to the OP and sweep the area for a support ship or second wave. Yu, you're with me; we're going to sweep the perimeter of the ship just to be sure.”

 

“Understood,” said Yu Fan.

 

“On it,” Mao seconded. By now, the crew of the smuggler ship was beginning to react. Mao told the captain that they had repelled an attempted boarding by pirates, and that everything was fine. On the ship's radar, Mao spotted a small contact about twenty miles away. She kept her eyes on it as it slowed, then changed course away from them. Mother ship, she thought, grinning. Sousuke and Yu Fan didn't turn up any sign of boarders in their sweep, so they stood down, rotating the watch.

 

It was nine hours later, and they were in Philippine waters when Yu Fan called Sousuke and Mao. The crew was acting suspicious, and she suspected a double-cross from them. Sousuke and Mao grabbed their gear and made their way to the OP, giving them a safety area around their position - something not offered by the cabin. Watching the crew, Sousuke and Mao concluded that Yu Fan had likely been right. Calling the captain, Sousuke informed him that they would remain where they were until the ship docked in Manila. He also informed the captain that none of the crew was to approach them for their own safety.

 

The captain played innocent, but Sousuke was having none of it. He informed the captain that trusts was not something that he traded in, and any attempt to break their deal would be counted as hostile action; and draw the same response from the three. The captain wisely cut his losses and they had made it into harbor without incident. Once the majority of the crew was off the ship, Sousuke and his team departed the ship without a backward glance.

 

With it already being night, the three made their way through the docks to the city, and from there, they looked for a suitable base of operations. Mao looked longingly at the four- and five-star hotels they passed, but didn't bother to suggest that they stay there. No, she was all too aware that they needed a less conspicuous place to stay. Sousuke found a good - for their requirements, anyway - half-star hotel in an older, more run-down section of the city. It was a worn, dated one-story strip of rooms dating back to the `50s, surrounded by closed stores and small push-cart vendors in an area that would be considered in need of urban renewal in the United States.

 

Sousuke paid for the room for a month in cash, and the keeper of the hotel made a point of not asking any questions. A little surveillance revealed that they had empty rooms on either side of them. Occupying their room, the three found a single large bed, a dated bathroom and a ceiling fan that sounded like a peg-legged pirates marching in circles on the deck of a galleon when in use. The AC unit was a wall unit, and managed to produce a tepid stream of mildly-cool air. Compared to the ship, it was cool and comfortable.

 

“Well, this is a step up,” said Mao, setting her pack on the floor. Grimacing, she sniffed at her clothes. “We need to do some laundry,” she observed, “and I need a shower.”

 

“Go ahead, then,” said Sousuke, his pack landing next to Mao's pack. “Yu Fan, are you familiar with this location?” he asked the assassin, indicating the map in his hands. Yu Fan stepped next to him, looking at the area.

 

“No,” she said. Sousuke nodded. “Very well,” he said. “I will have to arrange for transportation there, and we will have to do some site surveillance before engaging the target,” he said to himself. “Stay here,” he said to Yu Fan, “I will check on the availability of transportation to this location,” he said.

 

“I will go with you,” said Yu Fan simply. Sousuke looked at her. “Mao will be safe enough here, and when operating in an urban environment, you need to work in pairs,” she said. Sousuke couldn't argue that point, and the entire point of having Yu Fan along was to give them an edge.

 

“Very well,” said Sousuke, moving to the bathroom. “Mao,” he said, sticking his head into the bathroom, finding Melissa Mao standing under the spray of the shower, washing herself with a bar of soap, “Yu Fan and I are going to make arrangements to reach the target area. We will knock twice, then twice more when we get back. Do you have your gun with you, just in case?” he asked her. Mao reached over and down, briefly lifting her pistol.

 

“Be careful, Sousuke,” said the older woman softly. Sousuke nodded.

 

“I remember,” he replied, his head ducking back out of the bathroom. Yu Fan was waiting for him, wearing a pair of Kaname's jeans and a tee shirt. On her feet were Kaname's sneakers. Sousuke pulled a light field jacket from his pack, handing it to her. Silently, the assassin slipped into it, the jacket covering the gun, spare magazines and knife tucked into her belt line.

 

“Ready,” said Yu Fan. Together, the two slipped out of the room and moved toward the busier part of town. As they rode a bus to a different part of the city, Yu Fan looked up at Sousuke. “Why are you doing this?” she asked him quietly. Sousuke frowned.

 

“Doing what?” he wondered.

 

“Chasing Chidori,” Yu Fan said. “It can't be because of orders, since you were ordered not to pursue her,” said the assassin. “Is it because you sleep with her?” wondered the younger girl. “If so, I would think that that platinum-haired girl would be more than happy to take that position,” she noted clinically. “And if not her, then…others certainly would,” she murmured.

 

“There is more to it than that, Yu Fan,” said Sousuke. “Kana and I and Tessa, we…” he shook his head. “There is not a way to accurately describe the situation we find ourselves in,” he dismissed the attempted explanation. Yu Fan waited silently.

 

After a period of time, Sousuke hit on an idea. “Yu Fan, why are you doing this?” he asked her. She didn't even bother to think about that.

 

“Revenge,” she said. “For my sister.”

 

“Is that all?” wondered Sousuke. Yu Fan looked at him, then.

 

“Not entirely,” she said. “Sensei had a plan. I will attempt to complete that plan,” she stated. Sousuke felt a tremor work its way down his spine.

 

“What was the plan, Yu Fan?” he asked her tightly. She looked at him.

 

“You are concerned about Chidori?” challenged the girl.

 

“Yes,” said Sousuke, “Gauron attacked her three times, and your sister almost killed her. It is not unreasonable to suspect that you will attempt to do so as well,” he said.

 

“If I wanted to kill her, I would have done so in Hong Kong,” said the assassin. “My sister exceeded her directive in the heat of the moment,” said Yu Fan.

 

“Exceeded directives? Heat of the moment?” echoed Sousuke. “I never though to hear that from you, Yu Fan,” he admitted. “What was her directive?” he wondered. Yu Fan was quiet. Sousuke grabbed her shoulder, turning her to face him. “What were your directives, Yu?” he hissed at her. Surprising him, Yu leaned up and kissed him.

 

-

 

“Miss?” came a voice, accompanied by a knocking on the door. Kaname slowly woke, blinking as she sat up. As she gathered her scattered wits, she recalled where she was. Oh, right - Leo's airplane, she recalled, stretching. As she did so, she realized that she was sitting up in bed, topless. Gathering the sheets to her chest, she climbed out of bed, loving the feeling of the silk on her skin.

 

“Yes?” she said, stopping next to the door.

 

“We're about to land, miss,” came the voice of the `assistant'. “Please get dressed and resume your seat,” she said. Kaname glanced at the gown. Before she could say anything, the other woman spoke again. “I have some clothes for you, if you want something more casual,” she said.

 

Kaname unlocked the door, seeing the woman offering her a small stack of folded clothes. Taking then with one hand, she held the sheet across her chest with the other. Peeking past the woman, she saw Leonard in the office, his back to her, typing on a laptop. “Thanks,” said Kana, closing the door. Dropping the sheet, she found that the woman had given her a pair of thin, loose shorts, a close-fitting top that left her arms and midriff bare, and a pair of sandals. Warm weather, then, thought Kaname, stepping into the shorts. Even though they were loose, they were also shorter than she had thought, and she made a mental note to be careful about how she sat. No way I'm giving that jerk a show! she thought resentfully. Going through the small stack, she didn't see a bra. Examining the top, she realized that she was looking at beach wear. “Guess it'll have to do,” she muttered, wiggling into the top and settling it comfortably. Intently studying her breasts, she decided that Leonard wouldn't be seeing anything too exciting. Running her hands through her long hair, she settled it as she stepped into the sandals. Opening the door, she moved past the assistant and Leonard.

 

“Did you sleep well?” asked the man. Kaname grimaced.

 

“Yes,” she said, not stopping.

 

“I'm glad to hear that,” he said, smiling at her. Kaname settled into her chair, absently fastening the seatbelt. Moments later, she felt the plane dip slightly, the muted pitch of the engines dropping.

 

We're descending and decelerating, she thought, peeking out the window. Below her, all she saw was clouds. Blinking, she realized that they had been much higher than she had thought. So much for that idea, she thought. She had hoped to get a glimpse of something she might identify as they came in to land, but no such luck. Her attention was diverted by Leonard's hand on her shoulder.

 

“It looks like we'll be just in time for breakfast,” he noted. Kaname's stomach growled at that idea. “I'll take that as approval,” chuckled Leonard. Patting her shoulder, he withdrew and belted into his own seat as the assistant did likewise. Minutes later, the plane was settling down on the tarmac. After a few moments of taxiing, the plane shut down. “We have arrived,” said Leonard, unfastening his belt. Kaname did likewise and moved toward the ramp. She was right behind the AS unit as she ducked out the hatch. Looking around, she was greeted with a steady, gentle breeze that smelled of the sea.

 

Instead of a car to greet them, there was a golf-cart-like thing, topless and most assuredly unarmored. Sitting in the driver's seat was a human, rather than one of the AS units. Interesting, Kaname thought.

 

“Welcome home, sir,” said the man, inclining his head to Leonard, who used a hand on her hip to guide Kaname on down the stairs and into the back of the cart. His two AS units stood on pegs in the side of the car, one hand on a grip, sort of like SWAT teams riding to a raid. The assistant sat in the front of the cart, next to the driver. The cart was halfway off the runway when Kaname realized that Leonard had draped his arm around her shoulders.

 

She briefly considered complaining, but decided against it, since it would serve no real purpose. Looking around, she saw beech palms, tropical plants and thick, dense vegetation. Tropics, she noted. Possibly an island, she continued, noting the area they were passing through. If it is an island, then it is relatively small, she realized. Turning a corner on the packed-gravel pathway, Kaname was treated to a view of a beautiful, if understated house set back into a grove of palm trees and tropical fruit trees. In front of the house was a neatly-maintained lawn, which gave way to a shallow beach in a semi-protected cove.

 

“Whoa,” she breathed. This is very nice! she thought to herself. The cart came to a stop next to a natural-stone landing at the side of the building, and the assistant climbed out as Leonard gestured for Kaname to exit the cart as well. She did so, finding herself looking at a simple-enough home. It was casually furnished, but in a manner that clearly spoke of money, power and influence.

 

“Welcome to my favorite home,” said Leonard. “Please, do make yourself comfortable,” he said, moving off with one AS unit. The second AS unit stayed near Kaname, as usual.

 

“Miss, if would like to see your room,” said the assistant, indicating that Kaname was to head down a hall to the left. She did so, finding that the room she was assigned was furnished with a full bed, a dresser, mirror, closet and cool wood floors. Mahogany from the look of it, she noticed. One whole wall was composed of four floor-to-ceiling windows, affording her a view of the beach. Off to the side was a bathroom, with a sunken soaking tub, a glass-enclosed shower, and large sink/vanity. It's like a fancy resort, she thought, finding another large window that allowed her a view of the sea.

 

“If there isn't anything else, mister Leonard will be joining you for breakfast in five minutes,” said the woman. “Please follow me,” she added, heading back down the hallway toward the entrance. Kaname followed her, the pair turning to move away from the entrance, finding a kitchen and dining room that sat a step lower than the main area of the house. In the kitchen, two women worked to prepare breakfast. One was a dark-skinned native, the other was a tanned Caucasian with red hair. The smaller, shorter native girl was wearing a knee-length wrap-skirt, her long, thick black hair falling to her waist, while the red-head was wearing a pair of spandex shorts.

 

“Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes, sir,” said the red-head into an intercom. Spotting Kaname, she smiled at her. “Your guest is here, sir,” she added. “Please, miss, have a seat while we finish up,” she invited, indicating a chair. Kaname mechanically sat, her eyes wide. Both the servants - there was no other possible answer to how thing were here - were topless. “I'm Kari, by the way,” said the red-head easily.

 

“Kaname,” replied the stunned Japanese girl automatically.

 

“I am Sari,” said the native girl. Kaname realized that both of these girls seemed younger than her, if not by much.

 

“Pleasure to meet you,” came the automatic reply from Kaname. English, she logged. If I didn't know better, I'd say that Kari was an American! she thought. She had lived in America for long enough to understand that Americans didn't speak English like Canadians, South Africans, or the English did.

 

“I see you girls are making friends again,” came Leonard's voice. Kaname turned to look at him, unsure if she was disappointed or relieved that he wasn't wearing a Speedo again. I mean, yeah, I could use the laugh, but I still get queasy when I recall him in that thing! she thought. Leonard came to the table and sat down opposite Kaname, the assistant handing him a PDA-like device.

 

“Yes, sir,” agreed the two in unison, beginning to dish up the meal. As the two served the meal, the assistant disappeared, reappearing as the coffee was being poured for Kaname and Leonard. She was now dressed in a floral-pattern bikini bottom with a matching beach wrap. She - like the other two - was topless. Leonard barely looked at her before turning his attention back to the PDA thing.

 

“I didn't catch your name,” said Kaname to the assistant, spearing a thick, dripping chunk of fresh-cut pineapple and nibbling on it.

 

“I'm Gretchen,” said the woman, her voice unaccented. “And I already know who you are, of course,” she added neutrally.

 

“Of course,” said Kaname, a tight smile on her face. Kaname committed the names to memory and concentrated on her meal. It was a rather eclectic mix of fares, with rice, miso, coffee, fresh tropical fruit, toast, eggs, sausage, hash browns and pancakes. Kaname had a little of everything.

 

As Leonard had a second cup of coffee, Kaname looked out at the ocean. It seemed to be beckoning to her. “Why don't you and Sari show Kaname dear the beach when you are done clearing the table, Kari?” suggested Leonard. “Gretchen and I will join you later,” he added, his eyes narrowing at something he saw on the display of the PDA.

 

“Oh, don't exert yourself on account of me,” shot back Kaname sharply. “I couldn't bear to tear you away from your work,” she sniped poisonously.

 

“Ah, but what kind of a host would I be if I didn't tend to my guest?” he replied smoothly. Kaname bared her teeth at him.

 

“Maybe when you have a guest and not a kidnap victim,” she said pleasantly, “we will see.”

 

“Perhaps we will,” he retorted graciously. Kaname gave a very fake, overly-polite laugh.

 

“Keep your day job, Leo,” she said, standing and stretching. “I think I need some fresh air,” she said to no one in particular, moving through the open sliding glass doors.

 

“Wait for us, Kaname!” cried the two servants, hurriedly finishing up the clean-up and dashing off after the girl.

 

-

 

“Captain Testarossa,” came the voice of her uncle. Tessa looked up from the laptop on her desk.

 

“Yes, Admiral?” she asked innocently. Her uncle was looking at her sternly.

 

“Where are Sergeant Major Melissa Mao and Sergeant Sousuke Sagara?” he asked her, his voice clipped and tight.

 

“As far as I know, they should be in New York City, sir,” said the girl.

 

“They are not,” grated out her uncle. Tessa tapped her chin with her braid.

 

“They aren't?” she repeated back at him, eyes wide. “That's where they said they were going,” she offered as helpfully as lead sneakers to a drowning man. The Admiral waited. When she had nothing further to add, he spoke again.

 

“Well?” he hinted. Tessa looked at him blankly.

 

“Well, what, sir?” she wondered.

 

“Find them, and bring them back here!” he ordered. Tessa considered that.

 

“Is there an emergency?” she wondered.

 

“There doesn't have to be! Order them to return to base!” her Uncle demanded.

 

“Why?” asked Tessa.

 

“Because they are AWOL, and more than likely operating against orders,” he yelled.

 

“They were given liberty, sir, so they can't be AWOL,” Tessa noted.

 

“They aren't where their liberty papers showed they were headed,” reminded the Admiral.

 

“Sir, there is no time-frame for them to arrive at New York City, is there? And besides, those forms are just for mail and phone forwarding. Neither Mao nor Sousuke receive mail or phone calls, so what does it matter if they aren't there yet?” she asked. “Mao and he probably stopped off on one of the layovers to get a drink or do some shopping,” she suggested. “I recall Mao saying she wanted to buy some new Levi's, and Sagara is always on the lookout for odd trinkets these days,” she noted. He gives them to Kana and me every chance he gets; like it is his way of reaffirming that he will be there for us, she thought, but did not say.

 

“Captain Testarossa,” hissed her uncle, “you are facing insubordination charges if you persist with this farce,” he warned her.

 

“How can I be insubordinate when you have not issued any directives or given any official orders?” she asked him. He gritted his teeth.

 

“Captain Testarossa, you are hereby ordered to present Sergeant Major Mao and Sergeant Sagara to me immediately. Failure to do so will result in court martial proceedings against you,” he said stiffly. “Is that clear?” he asked her. Tessa stood and saluted.

 

“Sir, yes, sir, Admiral,” she said. Reaching into her to top drawer, she withdrew a sheet of MITHRIL letterhead and a pen. Laying the sheet on the front of her desk, she offered the pen to her uncle. “I hereby officially request those orders to be in writing, sir,” she stated. “including the Admiral's reason for revoking a duly-approved liberty and the consequences of non-compliance by myself.”

 

Her uncle stared at her. Tessa met his gaze. “Tessa, what game are you playing?” he asked her suspiciously.

 

“Admiral, there is no game being played here,” she replied evenly. I don't play games with the lives of my men or a fellow Whispered, she left unsaid. The admiral stared at her for a long minute, then took the pen and began to write. When he finished, he signed the bottom of the page.

 

Tessa took the page reviewed it, locked it in her safe, then saluted the Admiral. “Sir, I will obey your orders under protest,” she said before sitting down. Picking up the phone, she instructed her communication staff to recall Sergeants Mao and Sagara to Merida immediately. Hanging up, she turned back to the laptop, ignoring her Uncle. Minutes passed.

 

“Tessa, you know I…” began her Uncle, uncomfortably.

 

“If that is all, Admiral,” came the cool, detached reply from the girl, “I have work to do.” Her uncle sighed.

 

“That is all, Captain,” he said, turning for the door. I only wish Leonard were here; it would be much easier on her if her brother were near to her, he thought to himself. In her office, Tessa was thinking of her brother as well, though her thoughts were not as nostalgic or fond as her uncle's thoughts were.

 

Minutes later, her phone rang. Picking it up, she found herself talking to Kalinin. “Yes, I'm seeing this, too, Kalinin,” she admitted. “The situation is worse than I had anticipated,” she confided to him.

 

“Do you think we should terminate their mission?” asked the Russian. Tessa snorted.

 

“Tell me, Commander,” she asked him sweetly, “would you care to make a wager on the odds of them obeying any such order? Any of them?” she proposed. She heard Kalinin sigh.

 

“That is not even a bet, Captain,” he said. “So, what is the next move?” he asked. Tessa fondled her braid.

 

“We prepare for the worst, Commander,” she said at last. “When they fail to respond to the emergency recall order, we will have to declare them AWOL. It is likely that Intelligence will try and crucify me, so we will need some defenses,” she noted. She could hear Kalinin making some notes.

 

“I think I might be able to come up with some things to stall them,” he murmured. “But I don't have any leverage in MITHRIL command, you know,” he reminded her. “Are you going to be ok when they come for you, Captain?” he worried.

 

“I learned my lessons well, Commander,” she assured him. “Besides, nothing they can do is anything like what Kana will endure if we quit now,” she reminded him. “No, Commander, come hell or high water, we back them and get our friend back!” she said forcefully.

 

“Yes, sir,” said Kalinin, the phone going dead in her hand. Re-cradling the phone, she took a calming breath. Focusing back on the laptop, she pulled up a legal pad and began to make notes.

 

-

 

“Man,” panted Mao, “this place is out in the sticks,” she complained. Ahead of her, Sousuke and Yu Fan were breaking trail along the reverse edge of a mountain toward their target area.

 

“If it were readily accessible, it wouldn't be a stronghold, would it?” Sousuke countered. Checking his map, he consulted his small GPS navigation unit. “Besides, we should be in position in another sixty two meters,” he soothed her. Mao groaned. Sixty two meters could take them another two hours to cover, she knew, and time was the easiest part of it.

 

Ahead of the two, Yu Fan efficiently sliced with her machete, creating a narrow trail for the other two to follow. It had been two days since she and Sousuke had gone to look into getting out here. Since then, she had been pre-occupied with re-thinking her final directive from her beloved sensei. Honestly, she was becoming more eager to complete the mission, but was seeing more and more obstacles with it. Pushing the thoughts from her mind, she glanced back at her two teammates.

 

“We should hurry, while there is still light,” she said quietly. Sousuke nodded.

 

“Agreed,” he seconded. Mao stood, wiping her face with her hand.

 

“Lead on,” she said. The trio slowly cut their way to their selected destination. As they reached the small dent in the ridgeline, they saw their target spread out below them. Catching their collective breath, the three studied the place through binoculars. “That pool looks nice,” said Mao longingly.

 

“Pay attention to business, Mao,” said Sousuke. “I don't see much activity,” he said a minute later.

 

“Three guards and a dog on the perimeter,” said Yu Fan. “I believe that there are cameras on the towers of the wall, and possibly sensors, given the patrol pattern of the guards,” she explained.

 

“Any of those AS units?” asked Mao, scanning the area.

 

“No sign so far,” he said. “Any idea where the road leads?” he wondered.

 

“Negative,” said Mao, glassing the area. “It goes behind that hill, though,” she noted.

 

“Possibly barracks for the security force,” said Yu Fan. “Mine the road?” she wondered. Sousuke hummed.

 

“Perhaps,” he allowed. “We have some high explosive, but I doubt that it will be enough to take out the road entirely,” he worried.

 

“If we can drop a tree on it, it should make things a little easier,” noted Mao. “There are some good, heavy candidates up there,” she added, studying the hillside above the road.

 

“Another patrol,” announced Yu Fan.

 

“We need to know their timing and get as accurate a count of the enemy personnel as we can before we move on this target,” Sousuke directed. “Unless we spot Kana, we gather intel before attacking,” he reminded them.

 

“Affirmative,” said Mao.

 

“Understood,” said Yu Fan. Silently, the three pulled out small pads of paper and began to make notes and rough sketches. Kana, thought Sousuke, please be there!

 

-

 

“So, how old are you two, anyway,” asked Kaname, emerging from the calm waves of the semi-protected cove. Beside her, the other two women were wearing bikini bottoms and wet hair. Kaname had chosen to wear her shorts and the top, in spite of repeated invitations by the other two to strip down and frolic with them.

 

“I'm fifteen,” said Kari, shaking her head to dislodge some sea water from her ear.

 

“Fourteen,” said Sari.

 

Wow, thought Kaname, they're kids! “How old are you, Kaname?” wondered Kari. Kaname blinked.

 

“Um, I'm nineteen,” she said. “How about Gretchen?” she wondered. Kari giggled.

 

“She's old,” whispered the fairer-skinned girl. “She has to be at least twenty five!” Kaname didn't comment on the perspective part of that comment, choosing another area to mine for information.

 

“How did you all end up with Leonard?” she asked the two, accepting a towel from Sari.

 

“He bought me,” said the native girl as if it was no different than Leonard buying a stick of gum. “It has been five years now,” said the girl after a moment of math.

 

“Mom and dad asked him to adopt me,” chimed in Kari, “I've been with him for ten seven years,” she added happily. “What about you, Kaname?” they asked her.

 

“He attacked my school, threatened my classmates and tried to kill my boyfriend before kidnapping me,” she replied with a lightness that surprised even her.

 

“Cool!” squealed Kari. Sari looked at Kaname quizzically.

 

“Why would he do that, Kaname?” she challenged the older girl. Kaname felt a shiver run through her spine, recalling some psychology papers she had read for class. Is it that they have never seen him as he is, or that he had deliberately shaped them to be like this? she wondered. She also recalled what Sousuke had said about the girl who had tried to kill her on that roof a year ago.

 

“Because he's not like you think he is,” she said, doubting that anything she said could change the minds of the two girls.

 

“I bet your old boyfriend wasn't half as romantic as Leonard,” gushed Kari. “I mean, Leonard busted in, defeated all your suitors and carried you off; like in a fairy tale!” she said dreamily. “So, did you have sex with him that night or the next?” she asked eagerly.

 

“I'll never have sex with him,” growled Kaname, her temper igniting at the very thought of it. “And just so you know,” she added, trying to master her temper, “having some creep show up with a bunch of AS units and kidnap you is about the least romantic thing that can happen to a girl!”

 

“But he's really cute, isn't he?” challenged Kari. Kaname bit back the firs thing that came to her mind, choosing instead to work from the side.

 

“Physical appearance can only take you so far, Kari,” she said. And that asshole is rotten inside, she thought angrily. “I prefer his sister to him, actually,” she thought out loud. Say what you will, Tessa does appeal to me more and more the more that I see of her brother, she admitted honestly.

 

“Leonard had a sister?” asked Kari, surprised. Kaname nodded.

 

“Yes,” she confirmed, hoping that Leonard hadn't wanted the two to know about Tessa. “Her name is Teletha Testarossa, and she is a good friend of mine,” said Kaname proudly. I probably shouldn't say more until I know where they stand on the issue of AMALGAM/MITHRIL alliance, she decided.

 

“Wow,” breathed Sari.

 

“That's amazing,” agreed Kari. “No wonder he picked you!” she excitedly exclaimed. Kaname frowned.

 

“Picked me? For what, Kari?” she wondered.

 

“To be his lover, of course!” came the prompt reply from Kari. “I'm so jealous,” she complained to Kaname, flopping down on her towel on the sand. Sari joined her in a more demure manner. Spreading out her towel, Kaname answered as she, too, rested on the sand.

 

“You can have him,” she said off-handedly.

 

“I have,” replied Kari, “but he told me I can't be his girlfriend because I can't hear the whisper,” she complained petulantly. Kaname flinched.

 

“Did you say you and he…?” she asked, shocked. Kari glanced at Kaname.

 

“Of course,” she said. “haven't you and he slept together?” asked the younger girl.

 

“No! I told you I'll never have sex with him!” she replied indignantly. Kari's face became confused.

 

“I thought you were kidding about that,” she said. “Why wouldn't you sleep with him?” she wondered.

 

“Never mind,” Kaname dismissed her own stance, preferring to get back to someone else's business. “How long have you and he been…doing it?” she wondered. Kari shrugged.

 

“A couple of years, I guess,” she said. “Sari?” she asked her younger friend.

 

“Three years, I think,” she said. “You and he were doing that for a year before I got to sleep with him,” she said. Kaname closed her eyes.

 

“So, he's been sleeping with twelve year olds?” she asked tightly.

 

“So?” asked Kari. Kaname began to wonder if she had missed seeing a rabbit hole.

 

“So, there is yet another reason I won't let him touch me,” she muttered darkly.

 

“Why not?” asked Sari. Kaname felt a headache coming on.

 

“Never mind,” she said. “I think I need some water,” she said, rising.

 

“I'll get it for you!” offered Kari immediately. Kaname waved the girl back.

 

“That's fine, Kari,” she assured the girl. “Do you two want some?” she asked them. Both shook their heads. Slipping into the house, she found the cups and some drinking water in the refrigerator. It wasn't until she was pouring a second glass that she realized that the AS unit had wandered off. Looking around, she didn't see it anywhere.

 

Setting the glass down, she slowly moved through the house, wondering if she could find a phone or a computer, or anything to help her friends find her and save her from this madhouse. Moving toward the opposite side of the house from her room, she heard some sounds from behind a door.

 

Sounds like I found Leonard, she thought to herself, walking with even more care. Approaching the door, she slowly pressed down on the bar latch, the door opening silently. Peeking inside, she saw that she had found Leonard's office. She had also, from the look and sound of things, found Gretchen.

 

Ever so slowly, she worked the door open enough to see the area obscured by the door's hinge-side. Sitting in a large executive chair, Leonard was holding Gretchen's hips, furiously pumping into her as she bounced on his dick. Gretchen was naked, and shone with a light film of sweat. Grunting , she held onto his desk, hoarsely panting as she reached her climax. “Ugh!” she cried out.

 

Leonard thrust twice more, then held still, his face red. Gradually, relaxed. As the two caught their breath, Gretchen straightened up, slipping off his lap. Kaname saw a thick trail of semen trickle down her thighs. Bending over, the older girl stepped into her bikini bottoms. Leonard tugged up his trunks. “Thanks, Gretchen,” he said, “that was just what I needed,” he smiled at her.

 

“It was my pleasure, Leo,” she purred to him. “What say we go check on the kids and miss Chidori?” she suggested. Leonard hummed.

 

“In a minute,” he said. “I have to make a call,” he said. Kaname withdrew before Gretchen could reach the door. After he heard the door close, Leonard woke his computer and connected a video call to a secure channel. “You have something for me?” he asked the other party.

 

“Ah, yes, Mister Testarossa,” came the voice of the other party. “I have finished sequencing the DNA sample you sent, and I must say, this is an exquisite sample of Whispered DNA,” the man said.

 

“Of course it is,” Leonard said absently, “I found her, didn't I?” he asked rhetorically. “Did you run the simulation?” he asked his minion. The man nodded.

 

“Yes, indeed!” he replied happily, adjusting his glasses. “Our projections are not entirely precise for all variations, but it is looking like a near text-book match-up,” the man assured him. Leonard smiled.

 

“Excellent, doctor,” he said. “Go ahead and double-check the results, but I am sure you will find that this candidate is exactly what we have been looking for for a long time,” he said.

 

“Indeed,” agreed the doctor. “Though I still say that using the original project sample would yield solid results as well,” he reminded the young man. Leonard considered that.

 

“One step at a time, doctor,” he said. “One at a time,” he repeated.

 

“Shall I ready the clinic?” asked the man. Leonard smirked.

 

“No,” he said. “I think I prefer the old-fashioned approach this time around,” he said.